As always, enjoy

A/N down below

.~.

Let it Burn

Chapter Five

Night of Revelations

.~.

~*-Some things are better left unspoken -*~

Saturday September 14th, 1996

Hermione stood in front of the looming door with trepidation. Her hands were clenched to her sides and there was an uncharacteristic shutter that ran through her as she gazed up at the familiar panels and surrounding portraits. A chilling gale of air swept past her and she had the sense that someone may very well be watching her. She stood there, though. Her eyes widening, her breath coming out shallowly as she tried to process the small string of events that led up to this moment.

Detention.

She had spent the last day trying to digest such a word. Almost bounded by her nature, she had the audacity to look it up in a dictionary during her recess time in the library. Of course, the action of detainment hardly seemed fitting. More like wrongly accused by a culprit who justly deserved the same harsh treatment as she found herself in and forced to comply with the demands of one snarky ex-Potion's Professor inside some dank torture chamber. She nearly fainted right then and there just thinking about what the Head of the House would do. Perhaps, make them clean cauldrons with their bare hands until their arms fell of? She wouldn't get it passed him, of course. He was infamous for his punishments.

The witch huffed in aggravation. Placing her hands on her hips, she began to weigh the scales of what she remembered and what she had to pull out of Harry and Ron.

Evidently, there was something missing. What she remembered compared to those who so kindly whispered behind her back were two separate things. From what she was able to pull from their taunts, she came to realize the chain was blotchy in some places and she had to resort to asking Harry and Ron what had occurred.

"You don't remember?" asked Harry incredulously.

When she shook her head at his question, the wizard sighed and ran his finger through his hair.

"Yeah, you tried to jinx him and you didn't even attempt to keep your emotions out of it. To say the least, if it hadn't been for Snape, you would've really did some damage."

He then went into great detail as to what she did. Apparently, forcing Malfoy to sing wasn't the least of what she did. She also threw in several stunning spells, leg and arm binding charms and a jinx that would have forced Malfoy's tongue to be glued to the roof of his mouth. If it had not been for Neville, bless his soul, he would've gotten hit. Neville was still in the hospital wing, paying testament to just how powerful the cast had been. She didn't think she would be able to apologize enough to the Gryffindor. Despite her reservations, he had accepted it and they both moved on from the ordeal.

Hermione rocked back and forth on her feet, biting her lip. Thought he had forgiven her, it wasn't what happened to him that plagued her thoughts. It was the fact that Malfoy had taunted her to the point of blind rage and caused the particular scene to be completely blackened from her memory. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what happened and had only Harry's account to work with. It was entirely maddening to think that Malfoy had such an incredibly persuasive voice that it tampered with her ability to retain information and events. She couldn't remember for the life of her and it was driving her absolutely insane.

She back away from the doors and let out an aggravated growl, the sort of growl that would issue from a submissive pup in front of its pack leader. She was angry and she couldn't wait to get back at Malfoy for what he did. Sure, she should be concerned if that was his initiative, but she couldn't help let the feeling wash over and fester inside of her like an untrained lion. Oh, yes. She was a lioness and she was ready to be set loose.

She had spent the better part of the day trying to find understanding in something that should be so obvious. After joining the boys at the Quidditch pitch and witnessing one of the worst tryouts that she would ever care to attend, she had put more thought into the entire situation and theory. She had gone as far as staging Ron's acceptance onto the team by whispering a confundus charm to throw McLaggen off his game. Ron didn't know, but Harry had made it a point that he knew earlier at supper.

"I won't pretend as to why you did it," he told her," but I would be careful if I were you."

"Why is that?"

He didn't reply and it made Hermione wonder what was going through his mind even then.

The witch pushed the conversation to the back of her head.

For now, revenge.

Later interrogation.

Looking down the dark aisle, she spotted the Slytherin as he made his way quietly toward her. He must have gone on a walk somewhere. Knowing him, to shag some poor girl and leave them to defend themselves as a result. Frowning, she stepped aside, silently indicating to him that he would be the one to knock on the door. After all, he had been the one to get them into trouble. He should have the pleasure of notifying their executioner.

"Gave me the curtesy of knocking, Granger?"

She didn't speak.

"Not talking to me?" he arched a brow, his lips curling. He was quick to rectify the amusing expression. "I thought you would be thanking me for placing you into detention. After all, the first time is always the most exciting."

"I am not speaking to you," she hissed through her teeth. "I don't care if you got me so mad to the point that I blacked out and hurtled every jinx and hex that I knew, you tricked me. Plain and simple."

"There wasn't much tricking involved. You just were disciplined enough to ignore it."

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, the doors to the Dungeons and out stepped the Potion's master in his usual air of domineering evasion. He looked slowly between the two and ushered them in. Hermione went first, followed closely by Malfoy and Professor Snape. Once they were all inside, he swept past the two students, turned on his heel, and acknowledged them.

"You may be wondering why I brought you to the dungeons," he proposed," It is under the impression that your curiosity has been the better of you two for the last several hours and I'm here to assure you that it will be quenched in due time. Firstly, I would like to bring you up to speed…"

"There are several rare assortments still in my possession. I have planned to move them up to my new classroom. They are rare artifacts that I hope you two will be… cautious when handling them. I expect them all to be moved and delivered to the new classroom before midnight. You have four hours to accomplish it."

"All?" asked Malfoy, rising an eyebrow as he tried to process what Professor Snape said.

He turned to him. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, all." The dark wizard moved swiftly about the room, saying," I suspect that you two are quite capable of handling a couple of artifacts, even with the use of magic. As cruel as I am according to some, I do not find pleasure in abusing my students in such a way. You are permitted to use your wands, but if you see that you are up to some physical labor…"

"We accept the usage of wands, thank you, professor." Hermione said swiftly, expressing her gratitude.

Malfoy looked at her with mixed emotion. Clearly, he was pleased with the development. They learned something, however. When a snarky Potion's Master offers you an exchange or deal, you damn well better take it.

Snape's lip curled indistinguishably. "Very well, Miss Granger." He moved to his desk and picked something off of the well-organized desk and placed it inside of his robes. The two of them looked at him suspiciously but were quick to derail him with falsely projected looks.

He gave them a sided look in return.

"I shall be back soon. In the meantime, make yourselves useful." The old bat turned and glided over to the entrance to his lair before turning and saying,"Do be careful." A smirk stretched unnaturally across his face before he disappeared. The door closed behind him.

Malfoy moved away, Hermione following close by.

"Where are you going?"

The wizard didn't pay her the least bit of attention. Instead, he drifted away and into the deserted classroom until he reached the end. Frowning, Hermione took out her wand and casted a quick lumos, to which laminated the great expanse of their journey. She figured he was trying to play innocent and in return leave all the heavy lifting up to her. Which, she thought with dignified reservation, she was not going to allow him to do. They were both thrown into this mess and they were both going to sort it out.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked again, this time stopping him from going any further. "We're supposed to be sorting out his artifacts. I hope you-"

"Shut up."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. What the hell did he just say?

"Excuse me?"

"I said shut up." Malfoy held up a hand to the wall and waited. "I know what he said, Granger. I'm not deaf, unlike you." He looked at the wall and gave a heavy groan. "It should be here."

"What should?"

"The entrance to his bloody storage room." He looked up and down the line of the wall. "This isn't my first detention with him, you know. I've had so many with him that I could draw you every nook and cranny with my eyes shut and my arms tide behind my back. The pray is a lunatic and if I remember correctly…" he pressed the palm of his hand against the wall a feet from where he had it and pushed forward."...it should be here. Ah." A loud, broken groan erupted and if felt like the earth was be split. The stone walls suddenly opened up for him and Hermione stood there flabbergasted as to what she was witnessing.

A large wooden door with intricate details emerged from the stone walls. As it came into shape, two identical silver fixtures drew themselves and gave them the light that they would need to perform their tasks.

Malfoy looked at the growing mass of shapes without a single thought. He had seen its formation before. It had been quite astonishing before, but by now it had lost its entire luster. The growing control of hues and shapes; oh, yes, he has seen it all and every moment its plentiful glory. As he stood there, his hand still on the wall, he looked over his shoulder to gauge Hermione's reaction. Astonished and anxious with wonder, as expected. He knew it would delight her. What she didn't know was what lied within.

He didn't know exactly what Snape wanted them to take up to the new classroom, but he had an idea. Out of all his treasures, there were a few that had caught his eye. Old, decrepit pieces that didn't move unless provoked; stationary accessories where all it took for it to attack was to hum the wrong tune; Draco wasn't at all a stranger to these artifacts; he had spent a great deal of time outside of school with his Godfather to know that all, if not most, of the artifacts he wanted them to move were cursed and that he had to ensure that Granger didn't discover that hidden truth. There were a few that he was itching to see again, like Mirror Transporter that send the observer to an alternate dimension. How Snape got a hold of half the shit he has in his storage room was beyond him; Draco couldn't wait to dump the garbage into the trash, which the old bat should have done ages ago. He suspected more than half of them were broken or had lost all its magic. Either way, he hadn't been impressed for years.

"Let me in!" she breathed, trying to push him aside.

He looked at her and said nothing as he let her pass. As she walked through the door, he kept a careful eye on her. She remained oblivious to the true nature of the exercise and what lurked in the Potions Master's abode. He only hoped that she would remain that way and not let her brain act as a catalyst to her downfall.

"Be careful," he warned her though. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

"And you do?" she questioned. "I hardly believe it's anything too dangerous. You said so yourself, you've had so many detentions with Professor Snape that-"

"I know what I said," he said with an endearing sigh. "Now, come on. Like I said, I don't want to be here all night."

All night would be heavenly, he admitted. He has been dying to be in her proximity since being assigned detention. Granted her little stunt in class authorized harshness and brutality, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Especially not after witnessing her passion. Who know that Granger could be so raw and explosive? He wanted to see more.

Draco walked behind her. His eyes remained on the walls. While he paced around the small enclosure, his mind pulled away from him. Of course, he had nothing to fear.

Hermione immediately began shifting through the rubbage and assessing the treasures. Every little step she took, every little caress was dutifully noted by the Slytherin. She made particular attention to anything that looked as if it would blow away even in the slightest of wind. Her eyes sparkled, and the small unnoticeable dimple he didn't know existed emerged from the depth of her left cheek. She was in her domain and that was where she would remain until night ended and morning came to pass. Draco watched her in deep concentration. He has never seen anything like it. Like her, really.

He moved out of her way as she shuffled through several old boxes that occupied the right back section of the room. His grey eyes roamed over her for a minute. She was so used to the tight humidity offered by hours of grueling research. The library was her favorite sanctuary, after all. A place he infringed upon, he was now reaping the benefits of marking it with his sullied touch. He had scared her, threatened her. He wouldn't dare do it again. He needed her to be open to his advances, to trust him. How else would he be able to find the Room of Requirement if he couldn't at least have some of her trust?

Draco did his best to keep his distance, but even that proved to be a chore. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Even as he tried his best to look through the crates and debris, he felt his eyes drifting over to where she was. She ignored his looks. The room was incredibly tight and uncomfortable.

He looked over his shoulder again some time later to find the annoying little witch staring directly at him with a scowl on her face.

Draco frowned. "What?"

He half expected her to lunge at him or strike him but she didn't.

She remained silent and his frown deepened.

"Either spit it out or leave it and help me," he growled, forcing his way into the small crawl space and looking around. There were only a few items to transport. So, the sooner they started, the faster they could get done and leave. He did plan on trying to get some rest tonight. "You heard Snape. We don't have all night to sort these out and I would rather not come back and touch these things."

Silence prevailed between them and Draco almost had the nerve to hiss something very inappropriate at her when she finally found the courage to speak up.

"I want an apology." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. Malfoy noted the soft curve of her breasts as they pushed slightly upward.

Hmm, interesting.

Draco arched his brow. "An apology?"

"Yes, for what happened in class yesterday. I want an apology."

Oh, Jesus. She was barking up the wrong fucking tree. A permanent frown was etched into his face. As he gazed at the persistent little witch, he couldn't help feel some sort of amusement in the way she had her hands placed on her hips, the scowl on her face, and the deep impression on her forehead. She was like one of those Muggle characterchers with her wildly big head and small body….

…and beautiful skin and soft lips.

…curves that screamed to be touched.

He stopped there.

There was no need to hurt himself more with something he couldn't have or event touch. He would never be able to control himself around the Gryffindor and he didn't trust himself enough not to indulge in some sort of tempting taste. Teasing her was his specialty after all.

Instead, he looked at her with bored trepidation. He didn't want her to sense that he was taken aback by her admission. She wasn't going to win; she certainly was not going to get an apology from him. No matter how much her little heart was set on it, he was not going to submit to her. Ever.

"An apology, Granger?" he asked, turning around and stepping toward her. "Why in the world would I apologize to you?"

"Why wouldn't you?" she hissed just as nastily. "You only treated me like you always have. Like dirt. Now that someone has the nerve to stand up to you and ask for you to apologize for something you have done, you suddenly find yourself with cold feet.

He had to give it to her. She could be a little bitch when she wanted to. Draco didn't dwell on it too long before his attention was brought to something rattling inside the chambers the Potion's Master. He turned around quickly, catching whatever had caused the noise. Inside there held a small nest of what appeared to be medium sized rats with multi-colored pelts. Their large teeth glistened in the available light. Draco knew not to mess with them. A simple spell should be able to take care of the problem. Hermione looked appalled, pale even as she pushed him aside to get a better look at the artifacts. He frowned. The witch was quite strong. He would give her that. Wait until she looked deeper… then, she would have something to truly be afraid of.

"What is that?"

"A mutated rat. What the fuck do you think?" he hissed, agitated. "Come on, we better sort it out."

"Are they always here?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Do they always show up during the night? If so, you might want to ask Snape about it later. Maybe he'll indulge you for once."

"Why do you have to be so rude?" she asked, frowning. "I was only asking a question."

"Stop, then. I have no patience for your asinine questions." Draco grabbed for his wand, flicked it toward the nearest crates, and watched them soar into the air. "Ready?"

Begrudedly, the witch took out her wand and flicked it in the opposite direction. She followed quietly behind him as he lead the way to the classroom in which the crates would be relocated. They walked out of the Potion's classroom in silence. As they reached the end of the corridor, it became clear to Hermione that all he wanted to do was get down to business and not bring up previous offenses. They made a total of five trips up to the third floor and when they came back, they discovered there were only two small artifacts left. Exhausted and desperate for rest, they walked into the storage room where Hermione moved to examine them, but Draco stopped her.

"Don't touch those." He said.

"Why not?"

He looked at her silently for a second before drawing back to reality. "They are cursed."

Hermione took a minute to process what he said before asking," How do you know?"

"I just do," was his snarky reply before ordering her to secure the room. He would leave those two particular items to Snape's hand. For now, they would rest. "Come on, I'll order us some food."

"Why are you being so nice to me now?" she asked curiously. "You were being a prat earlier, so why the sudden change?"

"I can't be nice for once?" he hissed.

"That depends. Has Hell finally frozen over?"

"I don't know. You tell me." A grin spread across his face. The hold on her control snapped as a result.

"Why are you such an ass!" she hissed, jabbing her finger into his chest. He looked down and gave her a deathly glare. What was her fucking problem, anyway? They were both tired, in need of nourishment. Why couldn't she accept his offer of food and drink? He was only trying to make light of a situation that he landed them both in, so why was she acting like such a bitch? "Why do you have to be such a prat? Why can't you be civil with the people who you think are beneath you for once?"

The witch drew her wand and began poking him arbitrarily in the back as he turned away from her attacks. If he wasn't already frowning now, he would have been then. The creases on his forehead deepened and he was afraid that it was going to leave permanent marks. Draco turned around just as she jabbed him again in the chest. He caught her wand, gripping it hard and pulling it away from her.

He was seething with rage.

"It looks like I'm not going to be able to trust you with this," he held the wand up and arched an eyebrow. Hermione looked up and glared at him. The girl was going to be the death of him. "Do I have to confiscate it for the remainder of the night? Want to leave the rest of the work to me, huh?"

"Give me back my wand!"

"What is your problem, Granger?" he growled. "Can't we just get along for one night?"

"You've had your chance years ago. Now, either give me back my wand or I'll do something drastic!"

"Like what?"

"Like this!" before he had time to react, the witch drove her foot right into his lower leg, enabling him completely motionless for several seconds. Hermione quickly caught her wand, pushed him aside and ran away, leaving Draco to reap the repercussions by messing with her.

Hermione ran out of the storage room and back into the classroom where she huddled by the hearth. Hermione sat down, rubbing her hands together as if to rid herself of the cold that never came. She was pissed, that was obvious. Draco followed after her. She heard him curse but didn't dare to look back. Instead, she kept running. She ran all the way to the entrance to the classroom when she heard Draco come out of the storage room and round behind her, hot on her trail. Though only hesitating for a moment, he was able to catch up to her and encircle his arms around her waist. She clawed at him. She would have bitten him too if it was undignified for a girl of her upbringing to do such a thing.

Draco grabbed both her wrists and hauled her away from the door. While she protested and kicked with all her might, he couldn't help admire they was she had exploded. He would have apologized for what he did eventually. It seemed that the eventually part had found him quicker than he anticipated. Instead of forming the words that may have calmed the witch, he chose to do something more drastic than kicking her in the shins.

He kissed her.

Her lips remained unmoving as he swept his tongue across her lips, asking for entrance to which she granted. Tentatively, she opened her mouth but only slightly, but it was enough for him to deepen the kiss. He dropped his hands form her wrists, her wand falling to the ground as well and brought them both up to her head. They caressed the smooth skin of her cheeks. His body pressed closely against hers. As he tilted his head to the left and right, bringing her bottom out and dragging his teeth over the sensitive flesh, he felt her hands move up to his biceps. He let out a growl. She was trying her best to imitate his ministrations. What a student she would be for him. If only it could be…

Draco pulled away slowly. Before he did, he gave her one last lingering kiss before looking down at her with burning eyes. She shook slightly. He knew that he had drove into her something monumental. It was something that neither of them would forget.

"I'm trying." He told her, trying to hide the desperate tone of his voice. "I'm trying to be civil with you." He bit out harshly. "You're not making it easy."

"Try harder…" she sniffed, pushing him off her of her and moving to her hearth. She fell to the ground, removing her robes and throwing them onto the floor near her. She huddled closer to the fire and exhaled.

Draco stiffened.

Was she crying? He immediately looked at her face to find it slightly red, her eyes on the verge of exploding with repressed emotion. If he didn't act fast, he would have a crying witch in the same room as him and no way of fixing her. He was never good at providing the necessary support to any girl. He wouldn't know where to start.

He stood there for a few endearing minutes. Torn between comforting her and letting her cry until she exhausted herself, he didn't know what to do.

"Cease your crying." He said stupidly, which only made the witch cry harder in silence.

"I-I'm n-not crying!" she insisted stubbornly.

"Don't give me that shit, Granger." said Draco. "I know when a witch is crying. You look like you fell into the Black Lake. Your mascara is running."

She mumbled something along the lines of 'I'm not wearing any'. It was hard to distinguish the words between her sobs.

Draco stood there, debating whether or not to go and sooth the girl. If he did, she may find out. If he didn't, she would continue to call him names that unfortunately suited him just fine. Either way, he was fucked. Just as he was about to move, Hermione looked over her shoulder. He gulped. She really was crying and she was graceful in the act. And, she was right. She wasn't wearing any mascara or makeup at all.

She was stunning in her lowest. Maybe that was the reason behind his torment. He liked to see her bewildered, broken and sad. He has always been able to break down her little walls and she always proved to him that not even he could destroy her completely. She was very resilient. She has always been able to pull herself right again and fairly quickly too.

Decidedly, he sat down next to her without breathing so much as a word. He crossed his legs like a child waiting to be punished. None came.

"I don't understand," she finally said.

He looked at her. She had drawn her legs up to her chest, her arms thrown around them protectively. His eyes flickered to hers. They were red and swollen. She had finally stopped crying.

"Understand what?"

"You're such a prat." she sniffed. "…such a ferret."

She continued to mutter a string of offensive things under her breath, thing that paled in comparison to what he has said over the years. If it would make her feel remotely better, then he would allow it. For once in his miserable existence, he took the harsh words to heart and didn't refute them. He couldn't even if he tried.

Her words struck deep. It was probably only after she stopped talking that he was able to let them settle and digest everything that she said.

Why was he such a prat? He couldn't answer that. He supposed it was because of his upbringing. His parents instilled into him the dangers of mixing with Muggles and Mudbloods that it became something like second nature to him. As a child, he didn't think much of distinguishing the bad from the good, the brilliant from the insubordinate, or the kind and the generously evil. He was only following in his parent's footsteps and only wished to please them as their only child. Much like many Pureblood children, he was only trying to gain their favor.

"I still haven't apologized to you," he said out of nowhere.

"What difference would that do?" she marked. "You wouldn't have anyway."

"How do you know I'm not sorry?" he pressed. "Even someone as vile as me can feel compassion, Granger. We're not all monsters."

"You sure act like one."

"You're acting like a bitch." said Draco. "Can't you just accept it so we can move on? You're driving me absolutely insane. No wonder no one wants to be anywhere near you."

Hermione whipped her head around and blinked her eyes. They held such promise before flickering into near extinction. She suddenly lost the strength to fight.

"It's nice to know what you really think of me, Malfoy." She turned back around and stared into the fire.

Draco's heart thrummed wildly inside his chest, threatening to escape the confines of his ribs like a running bull. The sensation of it was strange and incredibly strong; he didn't know what to make of it. He couldn't understand why he was being such an asshole to her when she had done nothing to him. She didn't deserve the harsh treatment and she supposed it was because his feelings for her were causing him to act irrationally. Otherwise, he would feel the way he did and he wouldn't be adverse to the idea to hurting her like he was. Her words were doing something to him. He has never felt these types of emotions before… the pain, the guilt and struggling notion to understand exactly what was going through his body and mind. He tried to find rationality in it, but couldn't. He needed someone who was better suited to the extreme feeling that was steadily building up inside of him. He hoped that the witch could provide that relieving knowledge. If she could find the heart to, that is.

"Enlighten me," he said quietly.

She turned his head slowly to find him staring at her. Those deep grey eyes flared with the need to learn.

"W-what?"

"Enlighten me," he said again. "I want to know how to fix this."

The witch had the nerve to scowl. Her eyes looked as if she truly didn't believe that he wanted to know how to go about mending the broken bond between them.

There wasn't one. That was the problem.

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? Everything has already been said. What more can you possibly want to know?"

"I want to know what you really think of me."

She assumed she knew what he thought of her. It was be refreshing to know what she thought of him. So, he waited. He looked at her with imploring eyes. He needed to know.

Hermione furrowed her brows, setting them in deep concentration. A slight hue blossomed across her lovely cheeks and it made Draco wonder what was going through that brilliant little mind of hers. He already knew what was going through his. She was a perfect package of magic pursuit and happiness. Everything she did was with purpose and a day never went by that he wasn't able to witness her passion and generosity. There was a hole in his heart that he never knew existed. Maybe it was only coming through because he had spent so much time trying to fill it with useless things such as bullying others and having his fill of women. Both of which were nothing compared to what this witch could offer. A challenging witch such as herself was a rare occurrence, indeed.

He felt a flutter of astounding hope reverberate through him. Up until now, he didn't have any.

"I suppose you already know," she murmured. "I'm sure you've heard it many times. It baffles me that it still hasn't settled with you."

"Then tell me."

Hermione chose that moment to look at him with those amber eyes. Small flecks of gold flickered in her irises. He was caught in the torrent of what he was trying to capture.

Draco listened. As he did, he moved closer to the hearth and ordered them both a small meal of cheese, slices of meat, fruit and bread. Nothing too heavy. She seemed to appreciate it. She ate everything that was offered to her. She revealed everything that she thought of him. From his perfect hair to his slightly crooked nose, she told him that everything about him made her want to scream and punch and kick him until he was bruised not physically but mentally as well. She spoke for quite a while before she let the words slowly turned into nothing more than a murmur in the wind. Their conversation had turned more intimate through the hour or two. They listened to what the other had to say. Sometime later, they were sitting by the fire, shoulder to shoulder, wondering who find the courage to bring up what happened to between them. Courage became her, however.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

Hermione turned, her eyes glistening again. "Kiss me." she whispered. "Why did you kiss me?"

If only she hadn't brought it up. He wouldn't have to dwell on just how wonderful her lips felt against his as they moved over them. Her body had been pressed so tightly against his that it made it next to impossible to pull away from her. Even when he did, her body called out to his and he had no choice but to test the waters again, this time delving into the sweet entrance of her mouth with more ardor than he ever thought he possessed. Their kiss seemed to have been years ago, but in reality, it was just hours when they first exchanged such caresses.

"I thought it would shut you up," he lied after reliving the moment of his fall. He gulped, hoping she would buy it.

She didn't.

"I know you kissed me for a reason, Malfoy." she said softly. There was a hint of a daydream that wrapped around her simple words. He wondered thoughtfully that it meant. "Will you tell me?"

"No."

"Are you going to leave it to me to guess what it meant?"

Does this witch ever shut the hell up? It wasn't an easy thing to discuss, so why was she pushing so hard?

He could feel her eyes on him. It had to be the most unnerving feeling in the world. Her eyes were like sharp knives and penetrated him like them too. He couldn't move out of line of them; she was going to keep pressing him until he told her the truth.

"Have you ever wondered why I picked on you, Granger?" he asked softly, his voice weak and vulnerable. "Why I bullied only you and no one else."

"You've bullied a lot of people, Malfoy."

"All those others weren't girls," he wanted to growl, but didn't. His statement came out just as weak as it naturally would have if it were not for the situation. "Now, think. You're best known for that after all."

He tilted his head as to try to get a glance at her act of concentration. Her brows were drawn slightly together and she was biting her lip. He had the sudden urge to forget trying to help her figure it out and tell her flat out how he felt but resisted. He needed to her to do it on her own.

When it looked like she wasn't making any progress, he murmured something that he knew would help her out greatly.

"Everything I've said was the opposite of what I felt." He told her, looking at her in a new light. "If I told you that you looked ugly… I'm sure you know what that equates to."

Of course she did. Otherwise, she wouldn't look so astonished and crestfallen. He turned away. He didn't want her rejection and he couldn't ask for her acceptance, either. The only thing he could do now was let the night stretch on as long as it could and forget anything happened between them come tomorrow. If only she would let it be.

"How long?"

"How long what?" he asked stubbornly. "That I liked you? That I found attraction in your brilliant mind, that I wanted what I knew I couldn't have? You tell me, Granger. You only triggered something when you fisted me in the jaw."

Three years.

Yes, three years of solid devotions and feeling proceeded by three years of irrational hatred for a girl that would turn is world upside down. Six or so years was a small price to pay when he knew very well that he couldn't have her the way he wanted to. There was no way in the demon infested rivers of Hell that he wouldn't be able to be with her the way he wanted to.

"That's a long time to hide something like that," she said just as softly. He didn't realize she had moved closer to him. "I'm a little surprised you kept it to yourself for so long."

"That isn't actually true," he corrected her.

"Who knows besides you?"

"Zabini and Nott were the ones to point it out a couple of years ago." He mused. "I suspect they found out way before I did. They were constant pains in my ass and wouldn't let it be."

"Maybe they were trying to push you to listen to your heart."

"My heart says one thing but my mind says another."

"What does it say now?"

Draco looked at her with a pained expression to which she looked at him with equal measure. There was hesitance in her eyes, but he knew that she was contemplating the same thing he was.

What was he going to do? He had no idea.

"What do you think I should do, Granger?"

Hermione let out the breath she had been holding. "I don't know. We'll just have to see, Draco."

A/N: Sorry for the little cliffhanger. I couldn't help myself. I initially wanted to update this before I struck the one week mark. Better late than never, yeah?

Hopefully we'll see another update very soon. I spent all day writing this (I was around 2500 words before I started.) I don't know how AKxx does it T.T

Yes, I'm singling you out, girl! :D I have no attention span whatsoever!

Chapter is unedited, unfortunately

Please, please please let me know what y'all think of this chapter! I am dying to know! Your reviews make my day. I cannot express that enough. Even a simple 'good chapter' will do. I can't say I'm tired of not seeing a review, but I know I struggle to sit down and right because I find that no one wants to read it. The lack of reviews and interest effects my motivation so much and I just want to get back to knowing that people like what I put out.

Thanks, y'all!

-Carolare Scarletus