I am, as always, so very sorry for not updating more! I am in my last semester of college/Uni so I barely have time to even breathe! I know where I'm going with the story though, I just need to be able to write it all down! I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's on a shorter side from what it's been recently. :)

"Ginny, I don't know what to do!" Hermione said frantically.

"Whoa, 'Mione, start from the beginning. You were talking so fast that I barely had time to register what you were saying. So Draco did what?" asked Ginny.

Hermione took a second to breathe then tried to calmly rethink everything that happened. Ginny was eagerly waiting for Hermione's response.

"Ginny… he… he kissed me."

"Oh. My. God! He kissed you? Seriously? Tell me everything!" exclaimed Ginny.

Hermione was suddenly feeling self-conscious. She was never really one to kiss and tell, but that may have been partially because she was dating Ginny's brother for a while. She was trying to think of how to word it, but she was worried about what Ginny would think if she knew how Hermione really felt about the kiss. Ginny was the closest thing Hermione ever had to a sister and it terrified her to think that Ginny might be ashamed.

When Hermione finally gained the courage, she said to Ginny, "He had just woken up. A nightmare… or something... I don't even know. He was distraught. I went to comfort him just as I usually would when someone was down… but it was different. He, Draco was afraid of losing me. I told him he didn't have to worry about that and then he… he kissed me."

Ginny burst out, "Well no shit! Of course he kissed you, but how did you feel?"

Hermione was hoping this question would get forgotten, but unfortunately for her it wasn't. She responded, "Gin, I don't know. It felt so, so right. I feel incredibly guilty. I was with Ronald for so long. I loved him. I was going to marry him. Yet somehow, Draco comes alone and then suddenly everything seems to go up in flames. I don't understand it."

"Would you do it again?" asked Ginny.

"I want to say no. I feel like I should say no. Honestly, though, I have no idea. Literally it felt like we were the only people in the world when he kissed me. The last time Ronald made me feel that way was when we kissed for the first time in our seventh year. It was such a gentle, sweet kiss. Something that I never expected I would experience with Draco," said Hermione.

Ginny thought for a moment. "Hermione, do you think that maybe this is what you needed? Is it possible that you and Draco have established some sort of forbidden, odd connection that wasn't intended? It's obvious he cares about you. You need to figure out what you want."

"Gin, that's just it. I don't know. I'm so scared because it feels wrong. He called me a Mudblood for God's sake!" Hermione shouted.

Ginny shook her head. "Hermione, that was many years ago. You know better than anyone else that he most definitely does not feel that way anymore. Draco is a changed man."

Hermione thoughtfully considered this. "That may be true. I just don't know! I know I keep saying that, but I don't. I feel connected with him. Maybe even more connected than I've ever felt with anyone before. I just don't know if this is good. I love being friends with him. I love talking to him. And he's a great kisser. I just don't want to lose our rare friendship."

"Oh my God, Hermione, you already said it's a rare friendship, but it's so much more! If you two can even manage to be friends without killing each other, then maybe you two actually have a shot. Think about it. You were a Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin. You're a muggle-born; he's a pure-blood. It's doomed to fail, yet somehow you two are making it happen. Just go for it."

Reluctantly, Hermione agreed. She had no choice. It was initiated by Draco, so it had to be something, she was sure. Even if it did ruin their friendship, it shouldn't matter much since it's written in the stars to fail anyway. She decided she was going to confront Draco.

Draco was working in the Ice Cream Parlour again after being gone for a few weeks. He tried his best to focus on his job, but he still had something on his mind. A few days had passed since it happened, but he still couldn't believe it. He had kissed Hermione Granger; A "mudblood". Well, a muggle-born anyway.

Draco muttered under his breath while washing down the talbes, "Dammit Draco, what are you doing? Why would you do something so… so stupid! If you thought you had anything with her, surely it's over. How can I even look at her now?"

Audrey had just finished looking the doors and noticed Draco in distress. She considered approaching him, but he looked like he needed to be alone with his thoughts. Draco was one of her best employees and she didn't want to do anything to scare him off, so she simply closed the blinds to the Parlour and hung up the keys before leaving him alone. She trusted Draco to keep the place in one piece.

The door shut behind Audrey and Draco was once again alone. He had to face it eventually, he just wasn't sure if he was ready. He knew without a doubt that Hermione would be waiting for him back at the apartment. Hermione had been sleeping on the couch for almost a month while she looked for another place to live. All Draco could do to convince himself to go back to the apartment that night was trick himself into believing that Hermione would feel too awkward to bring anything up. They would be able to sit and eat dinner as if nothing happened. It wouldn't be awkward at all. Not one bit.