Fact 1: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling

Fact 2: I am not her

Conclusion: It isn't mine

A/N: I know I keep saying that I will update more often, and I really do try... but I've come to realize that most of the time, I will get a new chapter up once a week. That's about the best I can do right now. Also, I want to say thank you, again, to those of you that are leaving reviews and/or adding me to your alerts/favorites list. I wish you could all be here when I get those emails- I look like Hermione does for a lot of this chapter- grinning like an idiot ;) Okay... go read! I hope you enjoy it!

I woke up feeling groggy with a dull heaviness in my head. Even before I opened my eyes, I was completely disoriented. Why was I lying in such a strange position? I shifted my weight, trying to get off of my right arm which was cramped underneath me, but something stopped me.

I opened my eyes and had to fight the urge to jump right off the couch. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to me. I remembered how Draco's hands felt against my skin, how his mouth felt against mine. I shivered, and his arms tightened around me.

I sighed and smiled to myself. I never wanted to leave, but as much as I wanted to lock myself up with Draco forever, I knew the real world was waiting for me somewhere, and I couldn't put it on hold forever. I lifted his right arm off of my waist as slowly as possible, and shimmied myself off of the couch. I stood up, slid my shoes on, and walked out the door, down the corridor, and back to Gryffindor tower.

The halls were empty as I made my way quietly through the castle, and luckily, so was Gryffindor common room. I got up to my room and looked at the clock beside my bed, just after 2. No wonder I didn't feel sleepy, I must have slept for almost seven hours. That was more sleep than I had gotten in weeks.

Even alone in my room, I blushed as I thought about the probable reason why I had slept so well. I laid back on my bed, putting my arms behind my head, and ran the events of the day through my mind. It had never even occurred to me that Draco might feel the same way about me as I did about him. It never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility. He was Draco Malfoy, after all. Even if people were scared of him, that didn't stop girls from biting their lips and whispering naughty things to their friends as he passed by. I had always been one of the few girls in Hogwarts that didn't entertain thoughts of him in broom closets, behind the quidditch pitch, in the Room of Requirement...

I rolled over and buried my head in my pillow, trying to wipe the grin off my face. Even if I couldn't sleep, I couldn't lie here thinking about Draco until time for breakfast. After weeks of moping around, looking like a zombie, someone would surely have me shipped off to St. Mungos if I walked into the Great Hall grinning from ear to ear.

Thinking about walking into the Great Hall, going to class, just going about a normal day made my heart sink. How would Draco treat me now? Would he ignore me like he usually did? Go back to calling me names like before? If he really felt the same way about me as I did about him, he couldn't do that... could he?

I sat up abruptly, causing my head to spin. Things didn't seem so wonderful now that I thought about them realistically. What if Draco didn't really mean those things he said? What if he just thought it would be fun to take advantage of how I felt?

He wouldn't do that, a voice in my head said, you know him, Hermione. You know he isn't like that.

"Yeah" I said out loud, trying to convince myself.

Still, it was becoming more and more difficult to believe that Draco Malfoy really wanted to be with me. After all the names he had called me, all the terrible things he had said about me... what had I done to change his mind? Nothing.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. It reminded me of walking into a heated house after a day in the snow. The change was too much, and my stomach flipped. I laid back down, curling myself into the fetal position, and focused very hard on not crying.

Mentally, I compared the things that were facts to the things that were possibilities. I knew that Draco and I had been getting along well. I knew that he had been nothing but kind to me and had gone out of his way to make me feel comfortable. I knew that he had agreed to meet me, for no other reason than because I asked and even when he saw for himself that I just wanted to hang out with him- he stayed and watched a silly muggle movie with me. I knew that we had fun, and I knew that he kissed me. A kiss that made my skin tingle and my heart flutter. I knew that he held me in his arms until he both fell asleep, and that when I woke up, there was nowhere else in the world I wanted to be. Those were the things I knew to be true.

All the negative things, the things that made me want to vomit and cry all at the same time... those were just possibilities. It was possible that Draco regretted kissing me, possible that he never really cared about me in the first place. It was possible that he would go back to treating me like his enemy, possible that he would pretend I didn't even exist. Sure, those things were possible... anything is possible, but why ruin all the wonderful true things by worrying about things that may or may not be true? I would cross those bridges when I got to them, but until then, I was going to run the memory of Draco kissing me over and over in my mind and smile until my jaw ached.

Proud of myself for thinking through it logically, and still managing to think positively, I rolled over and fell asleep thinking of Draco Malfoy.

As I walked to the Great Hall for breakfast, I coached myself on not looking at the Slytherin table. I wouldn't do it, no matter how badly I wanted to. If bright blue flames came shooting up from the middle of their table, I would walk right past and sit down in my seat.

Turns out, not looking was much easier in theory than in actual execution.

As soon as I walked through the heavy double doors, I felt that magnetic pull again. I mentally chastised myself. This was so silly! I didn't even know if he was in here or not... except that, somehow, I felt like I did. I could feel him in the room. I looked up at the ceiling, trying to force myself to focus, and when I looked back down I saw that people were turning to look at me. I hadn't realized until then that I had come to a completely stop in the Great Hall.

Looking at the floor, I made my way to the Gryffindor table, allowing my gaze to fall on the Slytherins only when I was almost there. My eyes automatically went to Draco, and my stomach did back flips when I saw that he was looking at me, as well. He smiled at me quickly, his lips barely curving up- something I doubted anyone else even noticed, but with that one simple gesture, my shoulders felt instantly lighter.

Sitting through breakfast was awkward. Harry and Ron weren't speaking to me, and Ginny only wanted to asked judgmental questions: "What is wrong with you?", "Why are you smiling so much today?", "Are you taking some kind of drugs?"

The third degree went on and on. At one point, I actually tried to casually lean across the table to see if she had a list of questions hidden in her lap.

I was trying really hard not to let it get me ruin my good mood, but sitting at the breakfast table watching Harry and Ron talk to everyone around me and glance over me like I was invisible was tough. So much for being afraid I was going to grin like an idiot all day. Breakfast was definitely killing my buzz.

Eventually, I grew tired of shaking my head, giving pointed looks and saying, "No, Ginny!", so I left my breakfast unfinished.

"Bye" I said to no one in particular, since none of them really cared if I was there or not, and stood up to leave.

No longer caring what anyone thought, I glanced over at the Slytherin table. Draco was looking at his food, twirling his fork around his plate with a look of deep concentration on his face. I smiled to myself and was turning to leave when he looked up and caught my eye. He grinned at me for half a second, and then a look of confusion crossed his face. Apparently I looked more upset than I had realized. I shrugged lightly, gave him one last smile, and turned and walked out into the hall.

My first two classes weren't much better than breakfast. I sat in my usual seat, beside Harry, but after about five minutes I wished I hadn't. He looked like he was going to say something to me once, but Ron cleared his throat loudly and started talking to him. Guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Ron was the master mind behind the silent treatment. Harry really hated any kind of confrontation... probably because the trivial things like who was friends with who, and why someone was mad seemed pretty insignificant when compared to fighting for your life.

Time moved impossibly slow, seeming to almost stop completely as it neared time for our third class- Potions, with Slytherin. Just thinking about being in the same room as Draco, even if sitting with him was impossible made me feel better. My intense anxiety slowly began turning into an easy calm. Just being near him made me feel more at ease... safer. That had really been the case from the start, before I understood my feelings before him, before we were even friends... I had felt oddly safe with him. There was just something about him… a quality that was hard to put my finger on exactly, but I felt like if the sky fell, he would come to me.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been really upset with myself for becoming one of "those girls" that spends all their time thinking about a boy... daydreaming about him, missing him, counting down minutes until they see him again, but I simply didn't have room in my mind for any more emotions. Instead, I just told myself that I was only feeling all of these things so strongly because it had taken me so long to understand what I was feeling... the build up of emotion was all coming to the surface, but once I was used to it I would be able to function like a normal person again. Right? Right.

Draco was already in potions when I walked into the classroom, and a huge grin broke out across my face before I could stop myself. At least the door was in the back of the classroom and no one saw me... no one except Professor Snape.

"Is something wrong, Miss Granger?" He drawled, sounding like he could not have cared less.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as everyone turned to look at me, most of them just looked curious or amused, but Draco looked slightly concerned. That made me happy, in spite of my self. Professor Snape might not have cared if something was wrong with me, but Draco did.

"No, professor. Nothing at all." I said, trying my best to sound pleasant as I lowered myself into my usual chair near the back.

"Curious." He said, simply, throwing his gaze at Draco once before re-focusing on me. "You come dragging in here like the living dead for weeks, barely aware that the world is even going on around you. Not talking. Not smiling. Not raising your hand, eager to show off that you are so much more intelligent than the rest of us. You are even behind on your studies, are you not?" He asked, rising from his desk, and walking toward me slowly as every pair of eyes followed him.

I looked down at my desk, and back up at him, not sure if he was actually expecting an answer, but absolutely sure that I didn't want to give him one.

"And yet, today, you walk in here grinning like you have just won some grand prize." He paused, smirking at me ironically before continuing. "I must say, Miss Granger, I am perplexed."

I kept my eyes on him, still unsure of what to say. He couldn't seriously be asking me to explain the change in my mood to him, could he? Again, I considered how much he had actually seen that night in the Great Hall. Had Professor Snape been in on my secret before I was in on it myself?

"I am waiting, Miss Granger, and I assure you... I am not a patient man."

It was past time for class to start now, and almost all of the students were in their seats. A few were still standing just inside the door, glued to the spot, glancing around anxiously.

I wanted nothing more than to run out crying, what was I supposed to say to him anyway? I couldn't even think of a good lie, my mind was too muddled. I glanced around frantically, desperate for inspiration of any kind.

I was in luck.

Draco's eyes caught mine and he smiled at me warmly, nodding once. I didn't know what he wanted me to say, but his encouragement made me brave.

I look back up at Professor Snape, who was tapping his foot for effect, and smiled at him for a few seconds before saying "I appreciate your concern, Professor, but there is really no need. It just so happens that I slept extraordinarily well last night."

I smiled at him again, as a snarl crossed his lips. He narrowed his eyes at me, like he was trying to figure something out, snapped "Sit down and open your books" to the class, and turned on his heel, walking back to his desk.

Professor Snape didn't so much as breathe in my direction for the rest of the class period. I knew he was trying to make a point, but honestly, I kind of enjoyed it. He was never kind, and at least if he was ignoring me he couldn't call me a know it all, or take points from my house.

Luckily, he spent the entire time lecturing us on the potion we would be beginning next week, so I didn't have to worry about trying to work with Harry or Ron. Sitting beside them was hard enough, trying to create a potentially hazardous potion with them could have been disastrous.

Just as I was gathering my books up to leave, Crabbe and Goyle walked by and bumped into my arm, causing my books to spill out all over the floor. I looked up, half expecting someone to help me pick them up, but everyone had already gone. I kneeled down the floor, quickly scooped my books up into my arms, and hurried out the door before Snape had a chance to ask me any more questions.

I was about halfway down the hall when an arm reached out and grabbed me. I came to an abrupt halt and was jerked into a small corridor that veered off of the main hallway. I whipped around quickly, reaching for a wand inside my pocket, but when I looked up I smiled.

"Hey Granger." Draco said with a smirk, still holding me by the arm.

"Hello, Malfoy." I said, glancing over my shoulder.

"No one is going to see us, everyone is gone to lunch." He said quietly.

I frowned at the thought of enduring another meal like the one that morning, and shifted my books awkwardly in my arms. I had picked them all up so quickly that they were turned every which way, and some were poking me.

Draco studied my face for a moment, and then saw me fidgeting with my books. He let go of my arm and took my books from me, rearranging them so that they were all facing the same direction, and held them loosely at his side with his own.

'What's wrong?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I bit my lip and quickly considered whether I should tell him the truth or not. I could easily say that I wasn't feeling well and thought I would skip lunch, but I knew it made him worry when I didn't eat, so that didn't seem like a very good idea.

"Breakfast was... Weird." I said, realizing that I wasn't exactly answering his question. At least I didn't lie.

He was quite for a minute, looking off at something past my shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that." He said, finally, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he meant it. He still felt like this was his fault.

I tilted my head and looked at him incredulously.

"It isn't your fault that my friends are total gits." I said, smiling at him. "Besides, maybe lunch will be better. Ginny is still talking to me... not exactly my favorite kind of conversation... but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?"

I kept the smile plastered on my face, but he didn't look like he was falling for it. Still, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alright, lets go."

As we made our way downstairs for lunch, I wondered at what point we would stop walking together. It didn't matter much to me anymore, all the people I really cared about already knew we were friends, and us walking to lunch together would give anything further away. I knew, though, that if we walked through those doors together, with everyone in there, it would be a big step. People would talk, rumors would fly, and more friends would probably be lost-- on my part, and his.

Just before we reached the doors of the Great Hall I stopped walking and reached out to take my books for Draco. I had actually intended on taking them back to my room before lunch, but I didn't want to have to leave him to do it, so I didn't say anything. He handed them over, and looked up at me.

"Well, this is it." He said, looking kind of nervous. Apparently his thoughts weren't too far from my own.

I nodded my head, and swallowed loudly. Briefly, I considered how silly it was to be this nervous walking into lunch, but I didn't think about it for long. Draco distracted me.

He reached out and took my hand in his, squeezing it lightly for a second before dropping it and saying. "Let's go, Granger, I'm hungry."

We both turned to face the double doors. I took a deep breath and pushed, and Draco Malfoy and I walked into the Great Hall together.

One small step for us, one giant leap for.….us.