"Malfoy, you don't love me." As Hermione said the words she became aware that they were stood in the Great Hall and that everyone was staring at them. But as the pair looked at each other, grey eyes searching the brown, it was as if they were alone in the world.

"I do." Those two words sent a gasp around the hall and out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Ron stand up, his face furious.

"Then prove it. Make love to me – not like we usually do. Show me you love me." Another gasp and Ron started making his way over to where they stood. Malfoy took a step towards her and brushed her hair out of her eyes, emotion written across his face. He tried to lean in to place a kiss on her lips but a fist came out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground cold.

Hermione didn't react, but turned to look at the red head who stood in front of her, his face matching his hair and rage emanating from him.

"What are you doing with him? He's filth!" Ron spat and Hermione listened to him calmly, noticing that Harry and Ginny had come to watch also. "And you've been...sleeping with him?" The words clearly caused him pain and Hermione smirked.

"Why does that bother you, Ronald?" She asked quietly and Ron's face twitched in anger. "You are nothing to me."

"I hate you."

The three words echoed in her head as she woke up, covered in sweat and gasping slightly. The dream had been so real and she reached for the glass of water that sat next to her bed. She knew the reason it had affected her so much and that was because if Ron ever did find out, that's exactly how he would react. He would be furious and there was no doubt in her mind that there would be a fight. When it came to Harry, she wasn't sure how he would deal with it but she thought then that she didn't really care.

Hermione had developed feelings for Malfoy whether she liked it or not, and if what he said last night was true then something was happening between them – like some kind of forbidden love. She snorted to herself in the darkness at the thought of it and dismissed it from her mind. She wondered how long he had felt that way towards her; had it started as purely a physical attraction? She was reminded of all the bullying and insults he had thrown her way over the years and knew this was something recent.

Her dream had confirmed only one thing for her; she didn't want anyone to know. Not yet, anyway. There was no way anyone would understand and it gave her a kind of a thrill to know that she had this secret that no one knew about. Her feelings for Malfoy were conflicting with those for Ron and she had no idea who she felt the most for. It had always been Ron, there had always been something about him that she had adored but this year had proved there was nothing between them. He couldn't care less about her and was happy with Lavender, so why should she continue harbouring feelings for him? It occurred to her that she didn't feel anything really at all for Ron and this new realisation seemed to bring relief with it. Their bond had strengthened over the six years they had known each other and she knew it would take a lot to break it so she knew they would always be friends.

Hermione originally felt that what she was doing with Malfoy was wrong and something to be hidden, but now that she was enjoying it, looking forward to it and even wanting more from him, she felt the guilt and shame from their meetings leave.

Could she tell people though? It was a big step and she would talk to Malfoy about it but there was a very small part of her that yearned to let people know about her secret. She was no longer the responsible student; she had a secret, a dark secret that most of her friends would be upset about if they knew. It was the thought of Harry, Ron and even Ginny that kept it hidden and she turned over, desperate to get back to sleep for a few hours before the sun rose.

After what he said the night before, Hermione hadn't seen Malfoy at all over the next few days and she wondered if he had meant it. She never seemed to spot him in the Great Hall and in the corridors and she begun to miss him, something that surprised her. It was nearly a week after their last night together that she came across him alone in the grounds. She had been going for a walk – something she liked to do when Harry or Ron were getting on her nerves or if she just needed to clear her head – and found him leaning against the castle wall, his eyes closed. She sat down next to him silently and he glanced at her briefly before closing his eyes again. It was nearing nightfall and the sun had almost set. The colours it cast across the sky momentarily stunned Hermione and it was times like these she appreciated the beauty of the world she lived in. She tried her hardest to focus on that and not the blonde haired boy next to her who seemed to fill her thoughts.

"Did you mean it?" She asked and she felt him stiffen next to her.

"Mean what?" He asked in return and she laughed lightly.

"You know exactly what I mean, Malfoy." Hermione said and looked over at him. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his face blank.

"I don't lie." She waited for more but he turned away and closed his eyes again and Hermione sighed loudly and pointedly, leaning into him slightly and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him look down at her before smiling as his head rested on top of hers. She knew someone could walk around the corner and see them – though it was unlikely as most people would be in their common rooms by now – but she felt comfortable in that moment and knew he must have felt the same.

"Does anyone know you meet me?" She asked quietly after awhile and lifted her head to look at him.

"No. Have you told anyone?" She shook her head and he looked down at her, his eyes hard. "I'm sure the Weasel would have something to say about it, and Potter for that matter." His voice was bitter and something clicked inside Hermione.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" She said and he looked away from her. She sat up straighter and forced him to look at her. "You're jealous because they're my best friends and – and oh my goodness. This whole thing with Ron and Lavender; you're jealous." It was as if the penny had just dropped and Hermione was upset at herself for not seeing it sooner. It made her smile slightly that he would be jealous over her and she watched his face try to hide what he was feeling.

"So what?" He spat and his sudden anger only confirmed what she had said. She smiled even wider at him and leaned in until her face was close to his. He looked at her, his anger disappearing before her eyes.

"It's cute, Malfoy." She kissed him quickly and pulled away before he could take that as permission to do other things and sat next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to hate me?" He asked and her smile disappeared. She felt his eyes on her and looked out across the grounds. It had gotten considerably darker in the last few minutes and she knew soon they would lock the castle doors.

"Supposed to, yes." She said, remembering their initial conversation on the very first night they met up and Malfoy obviously picked up on it because he looked over at her, a smirk twitching at the corners of his lips. "I'm going in now. People will be wondering where I am."

"Can I see you later?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at the question as they both stood up.

"Can you? That makes a change." She said as they started to walk around the castle to the entrance. "You really are confusing, Malfoy. You tell me you're falling in love with me then you get all funny when I ask you about it. You treat me like rubbish then you act as if you care. I can't work you out."

He looked over at her as they reached the entrance and sent her a rare smile. "You confuse me too, Hermione. Because I've called you by your first name a lot recently and you can't do the same for me. I'll see you later on." Her mouth hung open at his comment and he turned around and headed for the dungeons, leaving Hermione slightly speechless.

When she finally reached the common room, the portrait swung open to reveal Ron, Harry and Ginny sat by the fire and Hermione was reminded vividly of her dream. She ignored it and walked over to them, sitting down next to Ginny and smiling around at them all. She felt like a traitor and hoped nothing showed on her face as to where she had just been.

"Hey, Hermione." Ginny said and Hermione smiled at her. "Where've you been?"

"Oh – er – I just went for a walk." She said and saw both Harry and Ron looking at her and the latter was sporting a slightly bruised cheek. "What happened to you?" She asked in shock and Ron's hand touched his cheek carefully.

"He broke up with Lavender." Ginny told her and Hermione gasped in realisation. "She wasn't too happy about it."

"I can see that." The four were silent and Hermione processed what she had just been told. The fact that Ron was single brought up nothing within her and she knew for sure then that she didn't feel anything for him. The thought made her slightly sad; it had always been Ron that she had felt something for, ever since third year. To think that she never even acted on her feelings for him almost made her feel as if she was grieving for something that never happened, but she remembered Malfoy and everything that was happening with him and smiled slightly.

"What are you smiling for?" Ron asked slightly harshly and she shot him a look.

"Don't talk to me like that just because of what happened!" She said and Ron glared at her. "What's your problem, Ron?"

"Where were you tonight?" She felt her breath hitch in her throat and tried to look as if she wasn't bothered by the question. Harry and Ginny watched silently.

"What? I just told you – I went for a walk!" Hermione cried, anger starting to build inside her.

"I don't believe you. You've been acting...different lately. Weird, even. What's going on?" He demanded and Harry cut in.

"Mate – come on, leave her – "

"No, Harry. This isn't to do with you." Ron snapped and this time Harry was on the receiving end of Ron's glare. Harry raised his eyebrows and turned to Ginny who shrugged her shoulders. "Are you going to answer me?" His anger seemed to fill the common room and the last few people who had been sitting in the common room disappeared, the sight of Ron angry scaring them away.

"What's got into you? I told you where I was!" She hissed and he scoffed.

"I've already said, I don't believe you." He replied and she felt the urge to slap him.

"Why not? What on earth would I lie for?" She asked and hoped more than anything that her face didn't show she was lying. Their years of friendship clearly meant he knew her too well and as his eyes bore into her she felt as if they were digging under her skin to search for the truth.

"I don't know but I know you are different." He said quietly and Hermione heard the hurt in his voice though she was not sure what caused it. She stood up and walked towards the portrait hole. "You can walk away, Hermione, but I'm going to find out what's going on with you." She turned and gave him the coldest stare she could muster before leaving the common room. She almost ran away from it – she was slightly worried Ron may follow her – and was lucky not to bump into anyone. She got to the Room of Requirement to find the bedroom they usually occupied already there and she entered to find it empty.

Hermione flung her body onto the bed and felt angry tears sting her face. She knew there was no way Ron could know what she was doing but it made her upset all the same. She turned over and wiped her eyes angrily, wishing then that Malfoy was with her and the second the thought had formed in her mind, the door opened and he slipped inside.

"What are we doing?" She asked him desperately and he looked at her, alarmed. "What are we, Malfoy? Are we a couple? Is this just some fling? Tell me what we are!" She demanded and got off the bed, walking over to him with more tears forming in her eyes.

"Granger – what is – are you okay?" The concern in his face only hurt her more and in an instant she wished nothing had ever happened between them. When he put his hand on her arm and steered her over to the bed, she took it back and looked at him.

"Are we a couple? I want to know." She said firmly and he looked away from her. "Please, Draco. What are we?" His eyes snapped to hers as she said his name and she saw something soften in him.

"What do you want? Do you want to be a couple?" She hadn't expected him to outright answer her question and the way he put it back on her frustrated her, but it made her think more in depth about the question. What did she want? She knew she wanted him – what they had had surprised her in so many ways and she obviously felt something for him, though she didn't feel as strongly for him as he apparently did for her, but did she want to go public? She thought about it for a moment, remembering Ron's angry face and looked up at him.

"Yes, I do. Because why is it a secret?" She said though she knew what he would say.

"Hermione, you're a Gryffindor, I'm a Slytherin. I've picked on you for the last five years and your two best friends would kill me given the chance." He said pointedly. "There are many reasons why it's a secret, the question is, how much do you care?"

"A-about you?" She asked, nervous energy suddenly filling her. Malfoy shook his head.

"No, but hey, if you want to tell me that then go ahead." He smirked over at her and she ignored it. "I meant how much do you care about what other people think?"

She thought about it for a moment, going over Harry and Ron's possible – likely – reactions, others in the Gryffindor and Slytherin house. As much as she was sick of sneaking around, she didn't feel ready for others to know yet.

"I don't care but I don't want others to know yet. At the moment, what keeps me sane is knowing what – what we are." Hermione said and sighed deeply, falling back on the bed and putting her hands over her eyes. "I don't know anything, Draco. This is a mess."

He lay down next to her and she felt his hand take hers. "If you want to be a couple, then that's what we are. But we don't have to tell anyone yet."

"Would you want to tell people if I wanted to?"

"No." He said and her eyes flew open to look at him. "I'm a Slytherin – I would get so much – "

"Don't explain. It was always going to be like this, wasn't it?" She said and screwed her eyes shut in frustration. "Maybe we should just stop what we're doing."

"Yeah, maybe."

They were silent for awhile and Hermione felt a mix of emotions inside. She wanted to be angry at him but she felt the same; she didn't want to tell people purely because of how they would react. She squeezed his hand tightly, attempting to convey everything she was feeling to Malfoy.

"I'm sorry." He said and she sighed again.

"So am I."

Oooh. Cliffhanger. What's going to happen? Who knows! Review and I might update ;)

(I'll still update but reviews are appreciated :))