New chapter. It's kind of short, but generally mine are. They range from 1200 to 2300. I try not to make them any shorter, or really much longer. Sorry for the wait, Class has been really crazy. I'm pretty crazy with my homework and my club meetings at the moment. Hold on to me. Thanks guys! Sorry for any errors.

Chapter 14

Draco dutifully ignored the fact that looking at her made him want to punch a hole through a wall as she walked him to the door, where he planned to apparate from there. She was much more quiet after their far too comfortable moment ended, and he told her that it was time to call quits to the day. Unfortunately she agreed immediately, which unsurprisingly hurt his feelings a bit.

"So I suppose I'll see you later." She said awkwardly.

"Yeah." He breathed, feeling his chest constrict. "Goodbye Granger."

She nodded, apparently unwilling to even acknowledge their previous moment, and back to the quiet and distant Granger she was.

He was almost insulted that this fact, for some reason. She opened the door and as she did he stepped out quickly, anything but to remain closer to her any longer. His heart was beating even faster as he turned around to face her again before apparating away without another word.

Her face disappeared in a swirl as his surroundings contorted and his entire body twisted with it. They reformed and around him was his office. He sighed, and threw himself into the slightly overstuffed chair by his desk against the wall.

"Idiot Granger." He cursed. How he wished he could just get rid of this feeling. This stupid nagging in the back of his mind that told him he wasn't doing the right thing. That he should just go with it. Do something that's dangerous and so unheard of, but so tempting. He wanted to feel like old Malfoy, not this.

The dull gray of his office, accented by pops of blue and white made his head feel better after a few moments of staring, as the colors all melted together. He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there, but it felt like hours.

A knock at the door brought him out of his shell. At his door, was his assistant again.

Malcolm Baddock welcomed himself in without so much as a word. "Oh, I wasn't sure if you'd be here, but I figured I'd knock anyways. I was just coming in to drop these off." He waved around a manilla folder, looking slightly awkward. He scrunched up his nose almost comically as he looked at Draco, shaking his head slowly.

"What the hells wrong with you?" Draco hissed, squeezing his temples between his fingers.

"Nothing mate, you just look like shite." He laughed. "But don't mind me. I'll leave you to your brooding."

Draco snorted. "Malfoy's don't brood."

The younger boy pitched a laugh, shutting the door behind him and sitting in the same chair he always did. "Sure you don't. And Granger doesn't fraternize with ex-death eaters." His eyebrows shot up like he thought he had accomplished something and was sure that he'd won this time.

Draco winced. "That's rude Malcolm."

He shrugged. "How long have I known you?"

In return, Draco gave his own halfhearted shrug, lifting one shoulder lazily. "Too long if you ask me."

"Who's rude now?" At this Draco didn't reply, and his companions lips quirked into a smirk. "You're getting in over your head, my friend." He fiddled with the corner of the papers as he spoke. "You've been acting frightfully like a lovestruck teenager for the last few days Draco."

He drew back, insulted. "Have not!"

"But I suppose I'm not one to accuse, I've never been in love m'self." He smiled as Draco dropped his jaw.

"I am not in love with that prudish little brat." He was sure that his voice didn't sound as convincing as he wanted it to, but he still kept his voice slightly contorted as if in disgust, to prove his point. In love! With Hermione Granger. Yeah, right. He wasn't in love with her. That much he was sure of. Obsessed with, maybe, but in love with, that's a whole different game. It took emotional commitment to be in love with someone, and he wasn't emotionally committed to Granger. It certainly wasn't as if he thought about her all the time. Or dreamed about her. None of that went through his head.

For a moment, he felt sick, and his stern distaste melted from his face, replaced by a slightly green tint. In love?

"At this point, you may be the only person willing to testify on that behalf, you and maybe Granger, who will agree on only this one thing, to the death."

"That's because we both know it's true. We do not have feelings for each other." He nodded as he spoke this, as if his nod made the words more sound and secure.

"That remains to be said. As your personal assistant, I suggest that you go home and get some rest mate. The press won't leave this alone easy, so sleep while you can."

Draco rolled his eyes, but didn't resist as Baddock grabbed him by the shoulders and heaved him up, walking him to the fireplace cuddled in the corner of the room, and pushing him in it. Baddock gave him a smile said, "Get some rest," and grabbed a handful of floo powder before calling out Malfoy Manor.

The next moment, Draco was at home, standing in one of the many fireplaces of his manor. He sigh, discontent, but surprisingly happy to be home.

Immediately he walked himself blindly to his bedroom, navigating on autopilot and into bed, without undressing or even realizing he was doing so. He was asleep almost the second he hit his pillow with his stomach in knots and nervous sweat lacing his head. Was it true? Was it really true that he was in love with Hermione Granger?