Fact 1: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling

Fact 2: I am not her.

Conclusion: It isn't mine.

A/N: It's been less than a week.. aren't you proud? Anyway, I know this story seems to be moving pretty slow, but I'm just trying to lay the ground work of them figuring things out. I didn't want to rush that. I think it will start to move a little more quickly soon, but I can't make any promises. This story has already changed a lot from what I thought it would be. More than once, I've planned a chapter and when I started writing it, it just didn't fit, so I've been trying to just write what comes to me. Writing is funny that way- sometimes the story kind of helps write itself.

Thanks again to everyone for the reviews and for adding me to your favorites/alert lists. It seriously means so much to me that people are reading this and enjoying it. I love hearing what you think...reviews are truly lovely!

I had been afraid that lunch would be as bad as breakfast. I was wrong. It was worse… and it was better. I felt like a thousand eyes were on me as Draco and I walked into the Great Hall together. We didn't walk in holding hands, and we didn't walk too close; had it been anyone else in the whole school that I had walked in like that with- no one would have given it a second thought. We just looked like friends, but that was the problem.

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were not friends. At least, that's what everyone thought. Everyone except for Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who all looked up at us briefly, rolled their eyes, and looked down at their plates. At least they weren't staring- but they were the only ones.

I don't think I took in a single breath the whole way to Gryffindor table. I just focused on staying upright and putting one foot in front of the other. I sat down across from Lavender Brown and offered her a strained smile. She gawked at me…. Mouth open, eyes wide, complete confusion written all over her face.

Suddenly, the buzz of whispering could be heard all over the Great Hall, coming from every table. All eyes were on me, and then, a few brave people started in with the questioning.

For someone who had felt completely alone the past few days… I suddenly had an awful lot of friends interested in knowing every detail of my life. Well, no, not every detail, just every Draco-related detail. 

Was he bribing me? Was I bribing him? Were we dating? Was the sex as good as everyone imagined it to be?

The relationship questions made me nervous. We hadn't exactly compared notes or discussed our story- what was he telling people? Before I could get a grasp on what would be the best answers, the other questions started coming in. Was I a spy for Dumbledore? Was he a spy for Voldermort? Those queries hit a little too close to home and for a second I was afraid someone had found out the truth… the whole truth.. .the truth that was much bigger than Draco and I being friends, dating, or kissing or having sex. But then I looked up at the expressions on everyone's faces and saw that they were only asking those questions with the same curiosity as the others. They just wanted the dirt.

I just wished I could know what Draco was saying. Instinctively I looked up and saw that no one was actually asking him anything. Oh, they were definitely staring, but no one was taking the initiative to actually vocalize the thoughts they were all having. I frowned to myself. That wasn't fair. Why did I always have to be the one getting the third degree?

Eventually, lunch ended and I was able to escape all the questions. I hadn't really told anyone anything. It seemed to me that this was one of those situations in which less was more. I said that we were friends, and that there was nothing else to tell. No strings, no conditions. We were friends and that if that wasn't okay with someone, they would just have to learn to live with it. I added that little part in because I knew my friends were listening, even if they weren't talking to or looking at me. I wanted them to understand that this wasn't something they could just ride out. I wasn't going to hate Draco Malfoy again next week, and there were just going to have to get used to that.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was easier than any other part of the day. It was the only other class, besides Potions, that we had with Slytherin, so I didn't have to worry with the intense anxiety that seemed to plague me when Draco wasn't around. We even braved walking to class together, and Draco didn't seem nearly as bothered by the stares and whispers as I was.

Harry and Ron still weren't speaking to me, but Harry did smile at me briefly as I sat down next to him and when I dropped my quill, he bent down and picked it up before I had the chance. Draco and I exchanged several glances across the aisle that separated my table from his, and a few smiles. I wondered when people would start noticing that we were paying much more attention to one another than to our other "friends". Some people already suspected that something else was going on… how much longer would we be able to deny that?

I hated that I had been lying so much recently. I had always prided myself on being a very honest person, but really, I couldn't tell the truth this time. I didn't even know what the truth was. People asked if we were dating… were we? I wasn't sure. Yes, we had kissed, and we had slept together- in the very literal sense, but that didn't constitute dating- not on its own. I knew what I wanted. I wanted all of him, all the time. But what did he want? Was I really just a friend to him? Hell, for all I knew, he spent time rolling around in the floor kissing all of his friends.

Suddenly an image of Draco snogging Goyle popped into my mind, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Okay, so maybe not all of his friends.

Coming up with a solution proves very difficult when you only have half of the equation to work with, but that didn't stop me from trying.

My mind kept running away from me, making it all but impossible to focus on class. Idea after idea whirled around my brain, spinning circles of possibilities- some terrible, some so amazing they made my head spin. But what was really getting to me was that I had nothing to distinguish the real possibilities from the ridiculous notions because I had no idea what Draco was thinking.

I didn't see Draco again for the rest of the day. I tried to remember if I normally saw him between classes in the afternoon, but for some reason I couldn't. Still, I knew that I would see him at dinner, even if I couldn't talk to him.

But, as I walked through the doors of the Great Hall, I immediately noticed that he wasn't there. My heart sank. I had purposely made myself late so that I wouldn't have to watch the door waiting for him to come in, so why wasn't he here yet?

Supper ended, people started leaving, and eventually I had to get up too… but still no Draco. I walked to Gryffindor tower alone with a huge lump in my throat. I hadn't realized just how much I had been counting on seeing him. I was only going to have one class with him tomorrow, and even then I wouldn't exactly be able to talk to him. Could I make it all the way until tomorrow night? Would he even come meet me like he usually did? Everything was changing too much, too fast. No sooner did I think I knew 

where I stood, did something change. I felt like rugs were constantly being pulled out from under me- so fast and so often that I no longer felt like I was on solid ground at all.

I threw myself across my bed with a heavy sigh and stared at the ceiling. No one had even noticed as I walked through the common room. It almost made me angry, but then I remembered that I hadn't exactly made my presence known lately. They had just gotten used to me not being there, and that made me sad. At least they weren't gawking at me or firing off a string of intrusive questions. It could definitely be worse.

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a tapping on my window. I sat up, and looked over to see a dark owl hovering just outside my room. I opened the window and he swooped in gracefully. The owl dropped a piece of parchment, hooted once, and flew out just as quickly as he had come in.

I sat down on my bed and opened up the parchment. I squeezed my eyes tight and thought "please let it be Draco" quickly before I lowered my eyes to read the words.

Hermione, I'm there if you want to come meet me.

Draco

PS I miss you.

I wanted to be embarrassed at how quickly I jumped off the bed and how sharply my mood was changed by such a simple letter, but it was a feeble attempt. I would have never thought I would miss my idiotic grin, but as it crept back across my face I realized that I was glad to have it back.

I walked into the Room of Requirement and found Draco sprawled out across two huge pillows in the floor of our usual room. I smiled at him and he grinned back at me, lifting his head up slightly to look at me, but otherwise not moving.

I sat down beside him and leaned back on my elbows, stretching my legs out beside his body. We sat there for a moment before either of us spoke. It was a comfortable silence…calming somehow.



"You weren't at supper." I stated, not wanting to ask him why incase that verged on being an obsessive girlfriend when I wasn't even officially his girlfriend, but entirely too curious to not bring it up.

"Sorry about that." He said sincerely "I would have mentioned it to you, but it was kind of a last minute decision. I just hate sitting there while everyone stares at me. I can practically hear their thoughts, but none of them will actually say anything. It's infuriating." He explained.

"I can understand that." I said, nodding.

He grinned at me and chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I saw that you were getting quizzed pretty heavily at lunch. I hope it wasn't too terrible." As he spoke he sat up and leaned across the space between us to push a strand of hair out of my face.

I looked up so that my eyes met his and he smiled at me warmly.

"Sometimes your hair gets in the way" He said, still smiling.

"Sorry" I said, embarrassed, my hair had never been my favorite feature.

He laughed softly again and said "It's nothing to be sorry about. I just find it hard enough to read your expression without your hair being in your face."

I looked down, unsure of what so say. He turned around, grabbed a large, over-stuff pillow, and propped it up behind him. He leaned back so that he was half sitting, half lying down and looked back up at me.

"Come here" He said, beckoning with his head.



I looked at him quizzically. I wasn't sitting more than two feet away from him. What did he mean 'come here'? He rolled his eyes at me, and sat up, reaching his hand out to me. I took it with my own and he pulled me towards him. When I was right beside him, he leaned back against the pillow again.

"Now lay down." He said, holding my shoulders lightly and pulling them down towards him.

When I was finally lying down, my head resting on his stomach, he seemed to be happy.

"I like this" He said after a moment.

I smiled to myself, but didn't say anything, so he continued.

"I thought it would be weird, being with you like this, but it isn't. It feels right to me for some reason. I don't even feel like the same person anymore.. It's like you've changed me."

Something about that didn't sit well with me. I started to sit up, but his left arm, which had been draped loosely across my stomach, stiffened, stopping me. I stayed where I was, but tilted my head so that I could see his face.

"I don't want to change you, Draco." I said, my voice cracking slightly around the lump in my throat. "I just want you. The way you are… no strings attached. I don't want you to think you have to change."

He smiled at me softly and took my hand in his.

"You misunderstood me… again" He said with a smirk "I don't feel like I have to change, I just have. I guess it's harder to explain than I thought, but… it's like I was going down a road and I didn't like it, but it was either follow that road or just wonder off in the darkness, so I kept going. But now, you've shown up and shown me a different path. I have another option now… and I took It."



He smiled at me again, and even though I still didn't understand, I smiled back.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, Hermione. I wish I could promise you easy and perfect, but I can't. You've seen how people react to seeing us together, and that is just because we walked into a room together. Can you imagine if they saw us holding hands, or kissing? It won't be easy, and some days we may not even think it's worth fighting for, but I'm willing to try if you are."

Just hearing that he actually wanted to be with me was enough to send my mind spinning in circles and make my stomach do back-flips. I was still trying to put my thoughts in order enough to form a somewhat coherent response, when he spoke again.

"But, enough of all this serious stuff. I've just reminded myself of something." He said slyly, bending his knees and pulling me up so that I was almost sitting up- leaning against them. "I haven't kissed you yet."

He closed the distance that was between us and brought his mouth down over mine. Suddenly, my body was alive again. Thousands of tiny electric shocks sparked across my body, causing me to shiver slightly in his arms. His warm mouth pressed against mine and his tongue swept lightly across my bottom lip, causing my mouth to part. His tongue plunged into my mouth, tickling slowly across the roof of my mouth. I leaned towards him and pressed my hands against his chest.

His tongue messaged against my own as he placed his right hand at the base of my neck and pulled me closer to him, crashing my mouth harder against his. I moaned into his mouth and ran my hand slowly down his chest and stomach and molded it around his hip.

Slowly, he broke away from the kiss, but didn't pull away from me. He rested his forehead against mine as we waited for our breathing to slow down.

"It would be very easy to get carried away with you." He said with mock-annoyance.

"Tell me about it"



I ran my finger down the edge of his jaw and tilted his head up so that his mouth was even with mine. I kissed him once more, firmly and quickly, and pulled away from him, settling myself against a pillow beside him.

"So, how was your day?" He asked after a minute.

I looked at him for a moment and chuckled lightly to myself.

"Is that what we are going to do now, talk about our day?" I asked, smirking at him.

"I don't know." He said, sounding slightly defensive. "This is kind of new territory for me."

He crosses his arms across his chest and stared at the floor. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. He looked so adorable when he pouted. I scooted closer to him and formed his mouth into a smile with my fingers.

"Don't be sad at me" I said, twisting my fingers into the corners of his mouth slightly. His expression didn't change.

"My day was okay. It was actually going very well until someone didn't come to supper, and I got worried." I said, throwing my legs across his lap and grinning up at him.

His expression stayed the same, and I was starting to worry that he was actually mad at me when suddenly he was tickling me, causing me to squirm in his arms and bury my head in his shoulder.

"Stop!" I squealed, trying to get away.

"You better be good… remember what happened last time?" He asked, threateningly as he stopped tickling me, but kept his arms around me.

"Last time you tickled me?"

"Yep."

"I remember. You dumped chips over my head and when I told you I wasn't scared of you, you tickled me and threw me off the couch." I paused, scowling at him "But then…. you made up for it." I said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Hmm, you do remember." He said, brushing his fingers across my lips.

"I should go." I said, quietly, leaning my head against his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around me slightly.

"People may start wondering where I am" I explained, realizing as I said it that it probably wasn't likely. No one cared where I was. Their only interest in me was having their questions answered.

"What would you tell them?" He asked

I thought for a moment, and looked up at him before I answered. Hi light blonde hair was falling in his eyes as he looked down at me expectantly, and one of his pale eye brows was raised slightly.

"I don't know. What would you want me to say?" I asked, more anxious about his answer than my voice revealed.

"I guess you could tell them whatever you wanted. They are your friends." He said, showing no emotion.

"Draco" I whined, keeping my eyes on his face "We have to figure these things out together."

"I know that, but asking me what you should say isn't us figuring it out together." He said, loosening his grip on me and sliding me off his lap.

I scooted over so that I was facing him and curled my legs underneath me. I didn't know what to say. He was right, but I needed to know what he was thinking before I could figure anything out. Did he want people to know I was with him? When they asked why, what was I supposed to say?

"Look, Hermione" He said, interrupting my thoughts "This should really be up to you. I never had many friends to begin with, and the ones I do have honestly don't care who I spend my time with. We aren't as bad as we try to seem. That's mainly for show- so nothing gets back to our parents. But, in this case, that isn't really a problem."

That confused me. I would have thought it would be more of a problem if his dad found out we were spending a lot of time together. He wouldn't like that…especially not since he was the reason we were thrown together in the first place. I guess the confusion played across my face, because Draco explained.

"My dad may not be the greatest man in the world, but he isn't one to look too far into something. If I tell him we are just being cordial to one another because of this little project of ours, he will believe me. He knows how people love to talk, he wouldn't think much of it if I act like I am completely disgusted by the thought of being with you."

I nodded at him, although it still didn't make a lot of sense to me. By this point, I had pretty much made it a rule of thumb to not ask more questions than necessary when dealing with Draco's family. As far as I was concerned, he was the only Malfoy worth thinking about.

"So, then we'll just tell them the truth." I stated simply, pulling my eyes off the floor to gauge his reaction.

"If that's what you want, but I really want you to think about it first. You have more to lose than I do. Don't underestimate the risk you are taking, Hermione. Give this some thought." He said, kindly.

"I don't have to think about it" I said, quickly "I know that I want to be with you."

"I didn't say think about us. I said think about what we tell people. Just because people don't know we are together doesn't mean we aren't." He said, as he stood up.

Why was he standing up? I looked up at him questioningly, as he reached his hand out to me to help me up.

"Just think about it." He said, and leaned down to kiss me lightly on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow. Try to get some sleep tonight."

He squeezed my hand once and then he was gone, and I was left alone… to think. How the hell did he expect me to think about a decision that could potentially cause me to lose my friends AND get some sleep?