FIVE DAYS EARLIER

"Hey, Mudblood!" Marcus Flint yelled from the top of the staircase. Hermione turned around, Harry at her side, obviously annoyed, she hated that name. It was used to define her by so many people.

"What is it, Flint?"

"Just that me and my boys wanted to know what the view's like from down there. You know, on the second class level."He and the rest of his Slytherin friends where choking themselves laughing. Hermione's anger levels were already high enough, she didn't need this, so she said "Goodbye flint." And walked away.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Not so fast, I haven't even hexed you yet.". Hermione just kept walking, rolling her eyes in the process.

"How 'bout some horns to go with that humungous hair of yours." Before she could reach her wand to defend herself she heard the curse; "Anteculatia!" She could feel the horns growing out of her head. Hermione looked over her shoulder to see that Harry had disappeared, ran away. That distracted her enough to get hit by another spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa." And was lifted into the air. Then dropped, with her now fairly large horns, she was much heavier and dropped faster, harder. They repeated this until someone disarmed them and said something that was a little fuzzy. She had a concussion, she had hit her head so many times.

"Granger! Granger, can you hear me? Damn it, Granger, you better be alright!" That was the last thing she remembered hearing before a boy with platinum blonde hair lifted her off the ground, into his strong arms. The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital wing with a fairly sore head, two days later.

Everything was crashing down around me. My friends my teachers, my school and now even my enemies. Sure, he had saved me from getting killed. Sure, he said he loved me, but that can't be true can it? He's just messing with my head, right? I pushed the thought out of my head. He was my enemy; from the moment we saw each other in first year he was my enemy. But after what he said… I didn't know what to think. I mean, he is very attractive and I mean, I wouldn't mind if he kis– No! I scolded myself for even thinking such things.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said from behind me.

"Harry! Thank god you're alright! That bloody Malfoy, I'm going to kill hi-"

"I know what happened Hermione." Of course, he did. The whole school did. I sighed and sat down on the edge of a chair in the Gryffindor common room. I'd been getting weird looks from everyone around me. No one was expecting this.

"Do… do you, um I mean, do you feel that way about him?" The question was so unexpected that I didn't know how to answer.

"What? No! Of course not! I mean he's good looking and smart and strong and-" I stopped myself there, it was obvious.

"And it's not like you've had a crush on him since first year," Harry said with a slight smirk on his face. I punched his arm, a bit harder than intended.

"Yeah, you did that to him too. Except in the face." I started laughing at the memory, he pissed me off that boy.

My smile faded as another boy walked into the room.

"Hi, Ron," I said, dropping my gaze.

"Is it true?" He said, loud enough for everyone in the room to here,

"Did that git actually say… you know?" I nodded slightly. Ron immediately looked disappointed.

"And what about you?" He asked, in a very small whisper. I glanced at Harry, he shook his head slightly, trying to say 'Don't tell him, it'll only make matters worse.'

"I don't know," I answered. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen.

"She can't just do this to me. She keeps messing with my head. Why can't she just stay my enemy? What the hell was wrong with that?" After the events of the day before, I had sprinted as fast as I could from the entrance hall, trying not to notice everyone's confused gazes. Since then, I had been avoiding everyone around me, except Blaise. He was the only one who would talk to me. Everyone else thought I was a blood-traitor, which I guess I am.

"You love her, that's what's wrong with it, you said it yourself, in front of everyone."

I rolled my eyes as I said, "Shut up Zabini. It's never going to happen, she's just too… too…" "Good-hearted, anti-evil, friends with Potter…"

"Yeah, that. I can't love her because of that. She's friends with the enemy. If my father ever found out…"

"Oh, he already has."

My mind instantly went blank as he said that. "WHAT?! How? When… Wh- How?"

"Umm, I think professor Snape told him…" He replied as if this piece of information was just an answer for homework.

"How are you acting so calmly about this?" I said hysterically, "My father knows that I admitted my love for a mud… mud… I can't even say the word anymore! My aunt will probably kill me! Literally!" I thought I was going to pass out, hyperventilating, my mind in a thousand places at once.

"Seriously Draco, calm down mate. I know this is horrible and is going to mess up your whole world and life and probably get you disowned by your father and everyone is going to look down on you for this and people will start to wonder if the Malfoy name has-"

"Not helping Blaise!"

"Well no, but none of that matters, you'll never get over this if you don't do anything about it!" I knew he was right, but it really wasn't that easy, I mean, she obviously doesn't like me back, right?

I kept pacing my dorm, trying to figure out how to tell Draco, or if I should. I kept thinking that maybe it was a dare, he didn't really mean it and as usual, I was overthinking what might happen if he was kidding and I told him how I feel. Every scenario ended with me either dead or expelled. Neither of which I wanted to happen (obviously).

"What're you doing Hermione?" Lavender inquired. I jumped as I heard her voice and stopped pacing.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just thinking."

"About the 'incident'?" She said it like it was the worst thing anyone could imagine happening, which it probably was for some people.

"No. Actually, I was thinking about all the homework I have to do and with everyone constantly down my neck I will never get it done!" I stormed out of the room without giving her the chance to respond. It wasn't a complete lie either, I did have a massive pile of homework that I needed to get it done, but with everyone and with the thing with Draco on my mind, I really was never going to get it done. Plus I had never liked Lavender, especially since fourth year when she and Ron were snogging in every corner of the school. 'Surely people will get over this in a few days, they always do with gossip.' I thought hopefully to myself and with that thought, I went down to the common room, ignoring the obvious glares and stares and started on that homework, trying to keep Draco as far from my mind as possible.