A/n: Yey! 40 reviews! Okay! Okay! I'm almost getting to the tragic part I told you! Maybe after this chapter! Emphasis on the maybe, it's still tentative for now. Whew! If ever I'm going to do another multi-chaptered fic (which I undoubtedly will) I'll be sure to get a beta! Especially since I was demoted to nothing by our school paper coordinator just because I didn't attend this stupid seminar! I was almost editor! I was crying before I did this chappie! Anyway, enough with my crappy life and on with DRAMIONE!! As I was saying before I ranted about our school's pathetic standards, the next last chapters will be a little tragic! Please don't hurt me! I hope you'll still review, though! Ta!
Chapter 17: Unrequited Love?
Everyone was shocked at what they had just seen. Ron and Harry grabbed Hermione from the ice skating rink, and when Draco tried to stop them, Harry whispered in the most bitter voice he could muster; "If you ever so much as blink in her direction, I will bury you so deep in the core of the earth that even your soul will be incinerated by the scorching heat of the sun!"
Draco wasn't afraid of Harry. He never was, but he didn't want to make such a big commotion, especially since all eyes were on them now, so he decided to drop it. After walking out of the rink and leaving Hermione with her 'bodyguards', the people continued to party again like they didn't just witness Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger snog in the middle of the ice skating rink.
"What were you even thinking when you danced with him again, Hermione?" Harry burst out when they arrived in the Gryffindor common room, which was, thankfully, empty.
"First of all, I skated with him not danced, second of all-," Hermione was cut short by Ron's interjection.
"What do you mean, again?"
"She danced with him in the Halloween ball." Harry cried out angrily.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped.
"You what!?" Ron exclaimed.
"I didn't know who he was okay! It wasn't my fault! We were all wearing masks!" Hermione reasoned out.
"But you knew perfectly well who you were snogging a while ago didn't you?!" Ron ejaculated in a violent tone. "You didn't seem so upset were you? In fact you looked absolutely pleased when he-," Ron was cut off when Hermione smacked him right on the face.
"You are not in any liberty to scold me for kissing someone, Ron!" Hermione yelled furiously, looking on the verge of tears. "No one ever stopped you from snogging Lavender all over the place like some wanton lunatic!!"
"Hermione, we're not telling you off for kissing! We're telling you off because it's Malfoy!" Harry interjected. "We're just saving you from a mistake you're going to make!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Hermione blurted out sounding thoroughly offended.
"Oh please! Like you don't know what's going to happen next! You'll get in a relationship then you'll-,"
"Who are you to tell me what's going to happen in the future?" Hermione scoffed
"Hermione, please, just tell us. Do you like him?" Harry whispered in a serious voice.
"What?" Hermione said in a skeptical tone.
"Do you fancy Malfoy?" Harry clarified.
"I-ah, I, I, I can't answer that question! I'm so confused!" Hermione ran towards the girls' dormitories and disappeared.
"You know what this means, mate?" Harry sighed.
"She's confused. That usually means yes." Ron said, untying the bow-tie he was wearing.
"I think she really is confused, she's torn between hate and, well, love. If she really does fancy the bastard, there's still this part of her that's holding her back." Harry exclaimed with such ease.
"Hmpf," Ron blurted. "I hope that part does restrain her."
"I knew you had it in you somewhere, Draco!" Professor Vivien beamed, looking utterly delighted. "That was grand, I tell you! Grand! I never knew you'd move that fast though!"
"Will you stop it already?" Draco was tired of his sister muttering to herself animatedly for the past 48 minutes and 12 seconds (Again, who's counting?) and speaking to him about details every now and then. She was pacing back and forth in the room, which was getting Draco pretty dizzy, by the way.
"Oh, if only Potter and Weasley didn't interfere, you would've gotten tumultuous applause from the crowd! Talk about inter-house unity!" Professor Vivien muttered joyously.
"Stop it." Said Draco simply. But something in his voice made his sister really stop.
"You're not going to talk to her anymore, are you?" Professor Vivien whispered sadly.
"No. I guess I won't. It'll be too awkward, for both of us." Draco replied.
"Draco. I know that you really, really like her. There's no use fighting back." Professor Vivien patted his shoulder encouragingly.
"Although, you really get on my nerves sometimes, well a lot of times, thanks for always being there for me, sis." Said Draco appreciatively.
"It's the least I can do for leaving you, Draco." She smiled and kissed him on the forehead in a motherly manner.
"Okay! Enough with the mushy stuff! It's killing me already!" Draco exclaimed while wiping his forehead.
"You'd snog Hermione Granger in front of a crowd but you won't let your own sister kiss you on the forehead?" Professor Vivien said, feigning an offended voice.
"Would you just drop it?!"
"You're such an ass, Draco!" Professor Vivien grabbed him and started to tickle him to death.
"Stop-th-this! I-I-I'm too-o-old for this!" Draco stammered between laughs.
"You're never too old for love."
