Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't own -dances around looking goofy- I don't ooooown!

A/N: I am so giddy about this chapter. Everything about this makes me so giddy I can feel it bubble. I've had this idea in my head forever, and it feels fantastic to get it down on (virtual) paper. Hooray! I was totally in the zone last night so I ended up writing until 4 AM. So basically I've slept 4 hours tonight. Sheesh!

A bunch of thanks and love to elyaeru for being generally awesome and helping me choose this chapter over my NaNo novel yesterday! –Hearts-

Chapter 15 // The Words

"Happy Birthday, sweetie!" Ginny cried, her head once again bobbing up and down in the flames of Hermione's fireplace.

"Thanks," Hermione beamed, crouching down on the floor to get on the same level as Ginny.

"I'm sorry I haven't sent you a present, but I don't really have your address, do I?" she said, somewhat accusatory. "I'll give you one when you get home, though."

"I don't need any presents. I'm just happy to hear from you guys!"

"I had thought you would be home by now, so I didn't really think about you being gone on your birthday," Ginny commented, looking a bit crestfallen. "You've been gone almost two months now, we all miss you terribly."

"I know, and I miss you too," Hermione assured her. "I just really like where my life is right now, you know. The thought of going back kind of scares me."

"I totally understand that," her friend said softly. "I wish you'd let us visit you sometime, though. It's just me and Harry. It's not like we can do much harm."

Hermione raised her eyebrow at that, thinking back to a certain meeting with a rather angry Harry.

"Oh... Harry did tell me about... you-know-who," Ginny said in a hushed voice.

"You can't seriously call Draco the same as people called Voldemort, Gin!"

Her friend huffed impatiently. "Oh, I guess not. I'll call him Earnie."

"How about just calling him Draco?" Hermione suggested dryly, stretching her foot out in front of her on the floor.

"Too much, too soon."

Hermione rolled her eyes, not really seeing how calling him Earnie would change anything.

"So, Harry told me how he found Earnie half naked in your living room," Ginny continued unabated by Hermione's obvious exasperation. "I have to say, I never expected this from you."

"I know... I can't really explain it, I –"

"I like it!"

"You're joking," Hermione said, giving a short, disbelieving laugh.

"No, seriously. You're loosening up. You're letting go and having fun," Ginny said. "I know Harry is flipping out over it, but we're speaking about Harry here. And we're talking about Earnie. It's pretty much inevitable."

"What if it's more than fun?" Hermione asked quietly, casting nervous glances over her shoulder.

"See, there's that 'too much, too soon' thing again," Ginny said, closing her eyes momentarily. "I would rather not think about you actually falling for that guy."

Hermione sighed heavily, leaning back against the couch as she faced Ginny's head in the fire. She lolled her head backwards and groaned. None of her friends understood the situation. They didn't know how she could go from being completely indifferent towards him, to suddenly not getting him out of her head. They hadn't been there, they didn't see him the way she did. And it was driving her crazy that she couldn't talk to anyone about it.

"Look, Hermione... I'm sure Earnie is just what you need right now, and I'm not going to stop you, but please think this through."

"Who is this Earnie and where do I go to punch his face in?" Draco asked, leaning against the banister as he watched the two of them suspiciously.

Hermione couldn't help but smile, meeting Ginny's eyes. The redhead seemed almost at a loss for a moment.

"Oh just this guy Hermione's been seeing," she then replied mischievously, watching Draco's grimace grow even more sour.

"Ginny," Hermione groaned loudly.

"Whoops, I have to run. Have a nice birthday."

Ginny left with a pop, leaving Hermione to scramble ungracefully to her feet.

"So, you've been seeing this Earnie guy," Draco sneered, crossing his arms over his chest rather sulkily.

"You're Earnie, dimwit," she replied in exasperation as she walked past him into the kitchen. "She just couldn't get herself to use your name."

"Oh, well in that case..." he said, immediately lightening up, "I hope you told her about the great sex."

Her eyes were shut, but she wasn't sleeping. She was trying to breathe normally and suppress any unwelcome thoughts threatening to make themselves known. Her breathing hitched when his hand once again caressed her stomach gently. Her senses were working on overdrive as he lay against her, his head resting on her shoulder, making his hair barely brush her neck. His hand was resting on her stomach, drawing nonsense patterns with feather light touches. She forced her eyes even closer together, struggling for control over her traitorous reactions.

The control slipped when his head turned the slightest fraction and sought out the warm flesh of her shoulder with moist, smooth lips. A sigh fell from her mouth, having forced itself past her barriers. She slipped lower on the bed, his head no longer at shoulder level, but instead he blew hot air against her ear, sending shivers through her suspiciously warm body.

She couldn't stand it anymore, and she turned her head before opening her eyes hesitantly. The moment she opened them she stared right into his face, his lips pulled in a warm smile, the type of smile that was always reflected in your eyes. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his handsome features as he lifted his hand slowly and stroked her hair back behind her ear, still smiling that smile that made her lightheaded.

"I love you."

The silence was earth shattering after her voice had filled the room only seconds earlier.

What? No! I didn't say that out loud.

She began breathing heavier, her eyes glazing over and stars began forming in her line of vision. He was no longer visible, as she closed her eyes in hopes to calm the dizziness.

I can't have said that, I haven't even thought those words for crying out loud!

She scrambled wildly to get out of the bed, finding herself entangled in sheets as she desperately tried to remove herself from his presence.

Fuck, I'm so mind-bogglingly stupid! Where has the filter system gone? Aren't you supposed to hear the words in your head before you actually say them out loud?! Where the hell did they come from, I've never uttered those words even in my head since...forever!

She finally detangled herself from the sheets and scurried over the cold wooden floors of her bedroom.

"Hermione!" Draco called then, flinging the sheets off himself as he sprung up from the bed.

His attempt to halt her did nothing. She ignored his call, and grabbed her wand on her dresser by the door before sprinting into her bathroom locking the door. Draco heard several spells being uttered as he reached the door and beat his hand against it repeatedly.

"Hermione, don't lock yourself in the bathroom," he cried exasperatedly.

She didn't answer; she just sunk back against the door, sliding downwards until she hit the floor with a muffled thud.

"What is this good for? You can't hide in there forever anyway, so you might as well not hide at all."

Oh how very wrong he was. She had every intention of staying in there forever. Food could always be levitated through the window, and since she was alone in there no one would care that she was stark naked.

"Hermione, come on. This isn't good for anything."

She ignored him. The simple truth was that she couldn't go out there. She couldn't face him, not after she had been so dumb. Her defence had crumbled, and she had reacted instinctively. She had said something that changed everything, which made everything horribly serious. She didn't want to see his expression of pity, hear him say that he's sorry he doesn't feel the same way. How was it even possible to just say it when you didn't even know you felt it?

Draco paced outside the door, totally at a loss of what to do. Knowing Hermione she was more than stubborn enough to stay locked up in the bathroom for a staggeringly long time. This whole thing was turning into such a mess. After calling her name a dozen more times - triggering no responses - he shuffled back into the bedroom pulling his clothes back on. He flicked his wand carelessly to make her bed in three swift movements, draping the cover elegantly over her bed. Once again, he sighed, before turning back to the bathroom door, looking at it with his brows furrowed. There was still no sound from her, and he remained standing by the door for a few moments before finally giving up.

He muttered in annoyance under his breath as he descended the stairs at a hurried pace. Instead of them both entering the kitchen for a nice breakfast, he was now sauntering in all on his own, looking around the empty kitchen. A few minutes and some annoyed grunts later he sat by the table with a mug of coffee in his hand and a few slices of bread resting on a green, rather worn out plate in front of him. He was staring absently out the window, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

She was so stubborn he could hardly stand it. Nothing in this world could be solved by running into the bathroom and shut yourself in, and even if it was... wasn't that supposed to be his job? He was the Slytherin; the cunning, self preserving, 'save yourself' character. She was the brave, the noble, the feisty Gryffindor. And his feisty Gryffindor was now locked in the bathroom refusing to speak to him, most likely out of embarrassment and fear. Yet, here he was; Slytherin extraordinaire, handling the situation as a grown up.

He dropped his dishes forcefully into the sink, his annoyance with her hitting a new peak. There had to be some way of getting her out of there. Then he smiled mischievously; she had to be hungry by now. He made a small sandwich in a hurry and grabbed a cup of coffee in his free hand before making his way back up.

"Room service."

He couldn't help but smile when he heard her groan on the other side. Her making an actual sound was a big improvement.

"ha-ha," she said dryly, and he rolled his eyes at her paranoia.

"I'm not trying to trick you; I brought you food since I actually had to go to breakfast alone."

"Well, I'm not opening the door so you can blast it open and pull me out, if that's what you think," she told him, her voice sounding oddly thick to him. Was she crying?

"You need to eat," he said calmly. "And you need to get dressed," he added as an afterthought, getting an odd urge to chuckle.

"I found some clothes in here," came her muffled reply.

"Clean ones?"

"More or less..."

"Oh come on, Hermione," he exclaimed at that. "This is getting pathetic."

"It's not pathetic," she spat back. "It's my feelings."

"You can have your feelings outside the bathroom too," he told her dryly.

"Just find a way to get me the breakfast."

"You can come out and eat it with me."

"Give it up, Draco, I'm not coming out. I'm staying in here as long as I possibly can."

"Why?!" he cried, the frustration clearly evident in his tone.

"Cause... Just... cause I can't face you, okey?"

He groaned unhappily and let his head fall forward to hit the door with a thud. A shuddering breath escaped him as he hit his head against the door yet again.

"I'll go put your food on the ground beneath the window, and you can levitate it inside," he muttered, backing up from the door.

So he had backed down. He was afraid that if he pushed her further she would stop talking again, and at least now she was communicating, even if she refused to see him. He shook his head, utterly perplexed at the turn of events. She loved him.

She felt kind of bad for him. It wasn't his fault that she had lost her mind completely and just poured her heart out in a pathetic display of losing control. It hadn't been the right moment, the right setting... basically, it hadn't been the right anything. Her friends still didn't understand, they were still so new. And worst of all, it was way too soon for him to feel anything similar towards her – if he ever would.

The thought that he might never return her feelings was what kept her sitting firmly on the bathroom floor, refusing any of his attempts to make her come out. She knew she would take one look at him and burst into tears, and she did not want him to see her cry – and definitely not over him. They were Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. No matter how much he had changed, they weren't supposed to have this issue. She wasn't supposed to cry because he would never love her.

She heard him whistle from down below, and she waited until she heard him walk off before she moved towards the window. Two storeys down her food was resting on the ground, and she took her wand out before carefully levitating it up towards the open window. As she watched her breakfast rising steadily against the wall of her building she wondered once again what her neighbours must have thought. There were even Muggles around here, and she was jeopardizing it all because she couldn't handle a little embarrassment.

When it was safely inside she shut the window tightly, not wanting to give Draco any opportunity to get in, from any angles. She dried her still wet cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt, before biting hungrily into her food. The Stupidest Moment in the History of Embarrassingly Imbecilic Blunders- as she had dubbed it - had made her forget all her bodily needs, it seemed. Not only was she hungryshe was also rather sleepy, somewhat exhausted and felt a distinct pain in her rear end from having camped in the floor for what felt like hours.

If only she had that bloody timeturner. She'd give just about anything right now for the option to go back in time and stop herself from committing The Stupidest Moment in the History of Embarrassingly Imbecilic Blunders. If she went back she could create a distraction of some sort. Or convince herself to say "I love you - r boxers. They are just so soft and that shade of pink really suits your death-pale skin."

There were so many alternatives, and yet she had said the only thing that not only jeopardized her relationship with him, but also with her dearest – but seemingly quite close-minded – friends. She knew it was that conversation with Snape. It had triggered something in her; some sort of realisation of how far it had really gone. It just seemed that her mouth and tongue had gotten this information before the rest of her had.

He had turned to drastic measures. To use the overly clichéd imagery of their house rivalry; he was walking right into the lion's den. He was calling on higher powers, so to speak. Only it was neither God, nor Merlin. It was Harry Potter. As he begrudgingly placed his knees on the floor in front of the fireplace he questioned his own sanity. He was really going to floo his own head into Harry Potter's flat. And he was really going to ask them for help...to get his girlfriend out of the bathroom.

Throwing a handful of meticulously picked swearwords out into the empty room, he grabbed a fist full of floo powder. Merlin, he really did have a death wish. He closed his eyes against the dizzying sensation he got after he mirrored her last call, and kept them thoroughly closed until he heard a distinct high pitched scream coming from the room he suddenly popped into.

"Harry, will you quit your wailing? Sometimes I swear you're the little sister I never had."

Draco quirked his eyebrow, trying to keep his face otherwise neutral.

"Ginny," Harry hissed, giving glances of panic towards the fireplace. "There's a ferret in our fireplace."

Ginny gave a slight squeal from the kitchen.

"I love ferrets!" she proclaimed enthusiastically, making Draco grin smugly while Harry looked mortified.

"You have got to be joking," he said in utter horror.

Ginny came rushing into their living room, but stopped quickly when she saw which ferret Harry was referring to.

"That's just mean," she sulked. "I was going to keep it."

At this, Draco actually chuckled, making both Ginny and Harry turn towards him in suspicion.

"As much as I would absolutely love to stay here as your household pet, there are some...err... difficulties we need to take care of."

"Look, I'm not helping you with anything," Harry replied at once, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, Harry, grow up. The man is not a Death Eater anymore."

"He's still insufferable!"

"It's not about me," Draco shot in, stopping their bickering effectively. "It's Hermione."

The words made them both jump in alarm, Ginny going suspiciously pale.

"What about Hermione? Is she okey?" she inquired, her eyes large with worry.

"As far as I know she's fine..."

"As far as you know?" Harry bit angrily. He looked so worried; however, that Draco immediately decided to overlook the obvious anger. "How about you cut the crap and tell us what you're up to."

"I'm not plotting your murder, the downfall of the Muggle world or a Ministry take-over. Stop being so horribly paranoid!"

Draco rolled his eyes forcefully, wondering when this bright idea had occurred to him and why he had not beaten it away with a stick.

"Harry, leave him be."

However glad Draco was for her support, he had to wonder if being in a relationship automatically meant that your girlfriend would side with the opposite party at all times – even if they were your former arch-enemy.

"The address is number 43 Cobbler Road. If you want to help Hermione, all you have to do is grab some powder and say the words," he said crossly.

He pulled back without waiting for their answer, and found himself back in her living room. Pulling himself up from the hard wood he dusted off his knees and stepped back. As the seconds passed, his eyebrows pulled into a frown. They weren't going to let her down, were they? Well, technically... he supposed it was him they'd be letting down, but they didn't really know that just yet.

His worries were in vain. Only moments after the thought had surfaced, the fire flashed green and Ginny stepped out of the way, clearing the floor for her boyfriend following right behind. Draco's expression softened in relief, knowing that if anyone could help him with this, it would have to be the two of them.

"We're here for Hermione," Harry told him, rather pointlessly.

"Oh, silly me. I thought you were here to pick me up for our date," Draco stated dryly, rolling his eyes forcefully.

"Keep it nice, boys," Ginny chastised. "I'm sure you can tolerate each other for just a little while. You managed to fight on the same side against Voldemort. I'm sure we can handle staying in the same room."

Draco couldn't argue with her on that part, and only shrugged in reply.

"What's the matter with Hermione?" she then asked, after giving her sulking boyfriend the always effective roll of the eyes.

"She has..." his gaze fell to the floor and his voice dropped in volume, "locked herself in the bathroom."

Both of them looked utterly perplexed, their eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Locked herself in the bathroom? Why on earth would she do that?"

"It's a horribly long story," he said begrudgingly.

"Don't you act innocent," Harry fumed. "We all know you said something to upset her, you insensitive jerk."

"I didn't get the chance to say anything," Draco said with a heavy sigh. "She said something, then she realised exactly what she said and then she ran off and locked herself in. She's been there since this morning."

"She's been... are you serious?!" Ginny asked, her mouth open in shock. "It's nearly 6 PM!"

Draco nodded solemnly, his bad mood hitting a definite peak as he was forced to retell the incident.

"The girl must be starved. Let's go talk to her."

The two of them started ascending the stairs, muttering quietly amongst themselves.

"I fed her, you know," Draco added haughtily.

"How could you have done that if she locked herself in?"

"Put it on the ground so she could levitate it through the window."

"You two are officially stark raving mad."

He merely shrugged at this, knowing it was probably true.

He pointed at the door, and pulled back, leaning against the doorframe in the entrance to her bedroom. Ginny put her hand against the door, knocking gently.

"Go away, Draco. We've been over this a million times already."

"It's Ginny," she said, after giving Draco a sympathetic look.

Silence followed, making the three of them glance at each other in worry.

"That's foul play, ferret-face!"

Draco snorted at that, allowing himself to grin smugly at his own geniality.

"Hermione, please come out. Whatever it is, it's not worth it," Ginny told her gently.

"You don't know what happened. If you did the same, you'd be in here too."

"Look, we know Malfoy was mean to you..." Harry tried, but got cut off by an indignant Draco.

"The hell I was, Potter. Stop reciting your ultimate fantasy!"

"Draco hasn't done anything, Harry. Stop pestering him."

Draco gave him smug grin, gloating in the fact that Harry was once again told off. It was oh so childish, but nonetheless gratifying.

"I was the one who had the SMEIB," she told them in a defeated voice.

"The what?" Harry inquired with a glance at Draco, who shrugged, looking equally confused.

"The Stupidest Moment in the History of Embarrassingly Imbecilic Blunders."

"Oh, come off it, Hermione!" Draco groaned. "It was not stupid; it was not embarrassing, not the least bit imbecilic and not even close to being a blunder."

"I know you're just saying that to make me feel better. You're all just going to feel sorry for me and give me those pitying glances if I come out of here."

"You are just making no sense, Hermione," Ginny said carefully. "Why don't you tell me the whole story?"

"Definitely not."

"Fine, Hermione," Harry said loudly. "We're going to stay here. Until you come out. And there will be no levitating of food!"

Draco gave him an appreciative glance. "Wow. Strict."

"It's the only thing that works. She likes rules, but I think she enjoys punishment equally," Harry whispered, making a weird grimace.

Draco laughed, just as Hermione exclaimed that she could hear them just fine.

"So, Ginny. Are you talking to Ron yet?"

"She started talking to him when she discovered the amusement in picturing his expression when finding out you're shagging his favourite Slytherin."

"Good."

Harry was barely sitting upright now. Ginny had her head lolled back against the wall and her eyes shut. It was almost midnight now, and the stubborn beast was still absolutely refusing to get out. He shook his head before resting it on his crossed arms. He had one card left to play, but he had been waiting as long as he could in hopes that it would not come to this. This was not how he wanted it to be.

He got up from the floor and walked up towards the door. He put his ear against the door, resting his exhausted body against it.

"Hermione," he tried, wondering if she was actually awake still.

"Yeah," came the quiet reply.

"Please, just come out. I want to talk about this. You know I have things to say about this too, but I want to do this face to face."

The other two eyed him at that, Ginny looking oddly sympathetic.

"That's exactly why I won't come out. I can't face you. I can't hear you say that it has to stop," she admitted, and his heart fell when he was certain that he heard her sniffle slightly.

He let out a loud groan, turning his back against the door and smacked the back of his head against it. Slowly, he slid against the door and onto the hard floor. His back rested against the door she refused to open, and he pulled his knees up to rest his head on them. He hadn't wanted to say it like this. He had wanted to see her eyes as they lit up, see that wonderful smile form on her lips. Merlin hated him, he was certain of it. He looked up again and rested the back of his head against the door.

"I love you too."

The other two had eyes the size of Trelawney's useless crystal balls, but they quickly moved off him and towards the door as they heard a frantic shuffle on the other side. Suddenly, the door opened inwards, sending Draco flat on his back across the threshold and his entire upper body inside the bathroom. Hermione was sitting on the bathroom floor, grinning from ear to ear in a rush of euphoria.

He lay flat on his back staring up into her eyes as they were shining with emotion and unshed tears, and felt the familiar feeling in his stomach and tightening in his chest. A warm smile formed on his lips as he watched the girl of his most sordid daydreams beam at him from above. He felt her small hand tangle in his hair before her lips met his. It was so light, so simple – and yet so revealing and so intense. She tasted off Hermione – his very favourite – and she promised him greater things than he had ever received in his life. Merlin, he loved this woman.

A/N II: Thanks to all wonderful reviewers. You seriously make my day :D. Loads of love and e-hugs to go around!