It hurt in a way she had never really been hurt before. She'd felt emotional pain before of course, she was a teenager, angst was hardly a rare feeling for her. But this was a different kind of pain. This kind pulled at her chest and gripped on so tightly that she really couldn't twist her way out of it. It was a dull ache that stayed there, buried deep and hidden, but so fresh and new that anything could give her a new twinge of pain. It was a pain that was so numbed but yet so agonising that she couldn't even bring herself to cry. She's sure she will at some point, when she finally accepts it, but right now she just kind of smiles and pretends it's not happening, because sometimes things are easier to bear that way.

She avoids sad songs, she doesn't know the kind of affect they could have and she only truly remembers this kind of pain once before, when Ronald kissed Lavender and she does not want to go back to that place. In fact, she'll do almost anything to fight it. So she listens to hard songs, songs about strength and independence and joy. She stays far away from the ones that could worm their way into her carefully constructed wall and pull it apart. She makes herself believe truly and utterly that she's moving on and that this pain isn't real, but it is. And she knows that deep deep down, that's probably why it hurts so much.

But she remembers before, and it's not like the movies where the heroine cries throughout one night and then wakes up a changed woman, well maybe it is for some, but not her. She gave herself so many nights where that would just be it, where she'd be over it and never have to deal with the pain again, but it always came back, and so this time she doesn't even try to pretend. She's hurting but she buries it, she controls it better this time, because theres not a lot else she can do really. The world keeps spinning, and the suns still shining and she's only a teenager for God's sake, but this feels so real. The curse of teenage hormones, she supposes, it intensifies everything.

He's with someone else, she doesn't know if its real or not. She hopes not, she doesn't like the fact that he never felt anything for her, but she obviously meant everything. But it's happened and she has to deal with it now. She did her part, she tried to get him to acknowledge that they had a 'thing', despite how wrong it was, despite how much trouble they could get in. She tried and he still chose someone else, so really, she has nothing left to try now.

She watches them together sometimes, she won't mean to but sometimes she'll forget that looking at him hurts, so she'll glance up and he'll be there talking to her and smiling and grinning as if Hermione had never existed. Maybe that's what hurts so much, maybe that's what gives her pain the burn. Knowing that he doesn't care anymore. That he probably never did. Cos she's a girl with frizzy hair, and too much knowledge, and an obsession with good books. Whilst Astoria is pretty and accomplished, and stunning and mature and so right for him.

And now, despite however hard she tries, she still feels like a shell. But she'll keep smiling, because in all honesty she has no other option.

XXXXXXXXX

"Well I never thought I'd live to see the day," Pansy murmured to herself as she watched Granger settle down next to Weasley in the morning. She leant over to the red haired boy and placed her head in the crook of his neck, her face bank and her shoulders slumped.

Pansy glanced over to the teachers table and raised an eyebrow at Draco who was studiously eating his breakfast. The almost methodical nature of his eating was strange, and he avoided talking to anyone.

"What have you done you bad boy?" She muttered to herself, thinking about the broken aura that Hermione had surrounded herself in and the way that Draco refused to look at her.

"You knew!"

The sudden screech had Pansy dropping her compact mirror and lifting her eyes idly to meet the fuming blonde haired girl. In situations like this, it was best to be completely indifferent. Pansy had to be known as the one who was always in control. Made people more scared of her that way.

"To what are you referring to darling? And please lower your voice, you're making a scene," Pansy replied to Daphne, whose eyes were shining and cheeks were flushed.

"He's coming back. Marcus. You're fucking father is making him come back!"

Pansy rolled her eyes at the blondes dramatics and smirked a little. "Sweetheart, he has to come back if he wants to get promoted. He has to at least past N.E. Drama Level or he won't be able to get a job anywhere,"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Daphne sobbed, hysterically crying and slamming down the newspaper in her hand.

"After torrid affair with Marcus Flint, 'Queenie's' sexuality comes into question!" Daphne screamed. "You promised me! You bitch!"

Suddenly she was being pulled away from leaning over the table and slapping Pansy by none other than Hermione Granger.

"Enough Daphne, stop," she murmured soothingly, pulling her away from Pansy's presence and out of the Great Hall.

"Such a drama queen, it's not like it was top secret," Pansy smirked, picking up her mirror and checking her reflection.

XXXXXXXX

"That girl is vile, Astoria murmured quietly as they watched Granger slowly pull her away from the drama, her hand rubbing small circles on Daphne's back.

"Couldn't agree more," Draco replied watching the Slytherin table. Most of them were muttering quietly to each other, no doubt planning ways to over throw Daphne in the weird popularity hierarchy that only the Slytherin house seemed to have.

"You know what," Draco said suddenly, putting down his cutlery. "I'm going to go and see if she's okay. I don't like Granger helping her out, she'll get too emotionally tangled in it all and I know it'll affect her studies,"

"I don't know why you're suddenly so worried," Astoria watched him curiously, one eyebrow cocked. She was wearing her hair up because Draco had told her he preferred it, and she had on a silk green blouse, probably because Draco had told her it was his favourite colour. The whole thing was suffocating.

"What?" Draco asked, standing up from the table.

"Well, you barely even talk to Hermione anymore. It's like the two of you purposefully ignore each other during rehearsal," Astoria explained looking up at him.

"She's still my student," Draco retorted immediately. He glanced up and watched Granger veer off with Daphne to the left, and he walked round from the table, following suit. He didn't look back at Astoria once, ignoring her call.

Draco followed the sound of Hermione's soft soothing words, and stood outside the door to the empty classroom the pair where in, standing with his back to the wall and listening to the interaction between the two girls.

"After the whole Marcus, me, Katie love triangle, I just wanted it forgotten. I knew that my reputation then was going to be about promiscuity. That people would assume I was a slut. But I was a slut who had shagged Marcus, one of the most powerful upcoming actors there was. So I guess it gave me some sort of authority,"

Daphne paused and Draco tilted his head to look into the room. Granger was stood next to Daphne, who was perched on a table, her hands twisting together nervously. Granger nodded encouragingly, as if telling her to continue.

"After Marcus' Final Performance, I just, I just needed him to leave. I couldn't wait for it. For him and Katie to leave and for the whispers to finally die down," Daphne sobbed a little, brushing the tears away. "I don't know why I screwed him. I don't know why, even though I knew he was betrothed to her, I knew that if I was found out people would hate me ever. I just, I fell in love. He was something I just couldn't stop,"

Daphne looked up at Granger and smiled weakly. "Thank you Hermione,"

Granger shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ears. "The way I see it Daphne, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Eleanor Roosevelt?" Daphne giggled and Granger grinned.

"She had it right. You should remember that. You made a mistake, a lot of people do,"

"You're a special kid Granger," Daphne murmured, standing up. "Thank you," she repeated.

With her head hung low Daphne shuffled out of the room, her sobs starting up again from their brief pause. Luckily Daphne walked straight past him, her hair, which even Draco would admit was usually so beautifully and intricately done, hung limp around her head- like a curtain, blocking her from view of the world.

Quietly Draco took a step into the room and watched Granger, who was stood with her back to him. She had on a tight clingy plain black jumper, which stuck to her curves. Her legs seemed encased by a pair of plain black skinny jeans, and Draco swallowed. She turned around and for a moment didn't even see him, but then her head tilted up and her eyes caught his.

Her hair was springy round her face and Draco decided he liked them best like that, wild and free. She averted her eyes from his face and muttered a small greeting, attempting to shuffle past him and out of the room. His hand stuck out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face him. He saw for a fleeting moment, that familiar look of outrage and aggression that she would fling his way before releasing her onslaught of jibes ad vicious words. But that look passed and instead there lay a blank, almost bored expression as she stared at his hand, her eyebrows slightly raised. With a roll of his eyes, he released her and she drew her gaze up to his.

"Malfoy-" she began but he cut her off immediately.

"You can't keep avoiding me,"

"I think you'll find I can do what I like," she replied a little bit more forcefully, still not meeting his gaze but looking over his shoulder, out of the classroom.

He sighed and pressed his lips together, looking down at her. "It was just a kiss Granger," the tone of his voice was a lot more gentle than he had intended, a lot more … tender.

"Oh huh," Granger laughed out, her eyes wild and almost, sad. She took a step back from him and continued laughing breathily. "Do not think for one moment that you kissing Professor Greengrass has anything to do with me avoiding you,"

"Aside from the fact that kissing her is completely unprofessional, but then I guess you already are, it could put this whole year's work in huge jeopardy, but then you probably didn't even think of that did you?"

"As a matter of fact I did,"

"Oh, and you still did it anyway. The whole year knows your shagging her. And that's what you wanted really wasn't it? Men, always thinking about their dicks," she stopped speaking and stood with her back to him, her breathing heavy.

He didn't realise this would happen. He didn't realise she would be hurt by this. And that's when he knew this had gone too far. When he started wanting to punch people out of jealousy and she was getting hurt by him kissing other people, that was when Draco knew he was screwed. Royally screwed.

"You know your interest in my love life is so very touching, but I don't believe it's actually any of your business,"

She turned to face him, the bottom of her eyes glistening with tears and she nodded in reply. "No you're right, it's not,"

And with that she tried to walk past him, out of the room and out of this situation the pair of them had landed themselves in. But he quickly read what she was attempting to do and sidestepped to the left, blocking her way out from the door.

For a moment the two of them stared at each other, their eyes locked in the heated gaze. He unconsciously took a step forward, so that their bodies were almost touching and saw as wetted her lips with her tongue nervously.

"What are you doing to me Granger?" He asked, so quietly it was a whisper, she shook her head at him, her eyes never leaving his.

"I'm not doing anything," she murmured back, shaking her head still so that some of her curls fell behind her shoulder. In one quick smooth motion, Draco tangled his fingers in her hair and cupped the side of her neck, feeling her pulse quicken beneath his fingers.

"Whatever this is, whatever spell you're putting on me, you have to know Granger, I can't stand it," he said quietly then lowered his head to her neck. His self control, his awareness for where he was, his knowledge of the taboo that was teacher/student relationships had all vanished. He didn't care. Because at that moment he could smell vanilla, and feel her skin under his lips as he kissed up her neck, finding a spot just below her ear that literally made her tremble. In reply to her little shiver, he locked his other arm around her back and possessively pulled her against him.

"This is wrong," Granger muttered, her voice shaky and weak as Draco hovered over her lips.

"So stop it… Hermione,"

He felt her hand curl in the collar of his shirt and with one sharp tug she had yanked his head so that his lips fell upon hers. He kissed her roughly and with no hesitation or doubt. Because he had wanted this for so, so long.

He heard and felt her moan against his mouth as he sucked and nipped at her lips, and the sound caused him to tighten his fist in her jumper and growl against her. He pushed her lips apart and slid his tongue against her own, not caring about trivial things such as oxygen or the fact that students would soon begin milling past the open door to this classroom. He pushed up her shirt and slid his hand across the skin at her back, the touch igniting the dangerous twitch just below his stomach.

But the touch also seemed to startle Granger, and like always her brain snapped into gear and she pulled away, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen. She'd never looked more beautiful.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she muttered, pulling herself out of his grasp and walking away from him.

"That good?" Draco smirked and she stared at him in shock.

"I'm gonna-"

Without even finishing her sentence, she turned and basically ran from the room. Draco swept a hand through his hair and closed his eyes.

"Shit,"

XXXXXXXXX

"Hermione!"

"Oh my God, Ron," Hermione exclaimed, turning around to meet her boyfriend.

"Are you okay? You look red," Ron said worriedly, placing the back of his hand on her forehead.

"Oh no, I'm not. You know, I'm not actually feeling too good, I think I might just go lie down," Hermione blustered out, her hands nervously toying with her hair as she prayed for her body to stop tingling.

"Well that's okay, we have the day off. I was thinking of playing some football with Harry, but if you need me?" Ron asked, his eyes tinged with concern. A shot of guilt flew through Hermione's body, ad it felt like she'd been stabbed.

She placed her hand on Ron's cheek and smiled as reassuringly as she could at him.

"No, don't be silly, I'll be fine."

"Sure?"

"Of course,"

He gave her a chaste tender kiss, and Hermione really, desperately tried not to compare it. "See you later then,"

"See you later then," Hermione murmured after him.

XXXXXXXXX

Draco grumbled as the knocks on his door grew louder and more frequent. He jogged over to the door.

"If this is Parkinson, I swear to God,"

He pulled open the door and stared.

"Hello Granger,"

"Hi," she said. She was nervous. She kept twisting her hands together, a tic she had when she was nervous.

Without any kind of explanation she barged past him and into his room, stopping in the middle of the room.

"Of course, come on in," Draco murmured sarcastically as he shut the door.

"You're you," she began, her voice trembling a little.

"How very astute of you Granger," Draco retorted and she glared a little.

"Don't be a smart arse. You're you, and I'm me. And on every single universe, this teacher/student thing is wrong. And forbidden. And if anyone found out we would be in the biggest amount of shit. And there's Ron. Beautiful loyal Ron,"

Draco gritted his teeth at the mention of the Weasel, watching as she obviously fought with inner demons, her morals and beliefs of goodness and faithfulness almost dancing in the air in front of him, taunting him.

"Yes, I'm aware," he replied, leaning back against the door.

"Yet, I can't seem to find it in me to…care,"

She looked up at him and bit her lip and Draco was gone.

He twisted her around by her hips and slammed her into the door, pressing himself against her.

"Just this one more time?" He asked, aware of the lie even as he was saying it.

"Just this once," she confirmed, her eyes speaking out against the bullshit of the statement as she said it.

His lips hovered over hers for a moment before he whispered "And it is you are whatever a moon has always meant,"

She smiled against his lips for a moment before replying "And whatever a sun will always sing, is you,"

Then their lips crushed together as the two of them knew they would the minute Draco opened the door. And it felt like fire and as though the sun was burning too brightly and all the oxygen had disappeared from Earth. Her hands were everywhere, and she grazed the back of his neck in a way that made him tremble, and he dragged his teeth along her bottom lip in a way that made her tremble.

Her fingers fumbled against his clothing, their lips never breaking this beautiful rhythm they had started. Draco's felt a twinge in his chest as Hermione pulled away for a second, to undo the buttons on his shirt. He knew this was dangerous. Astoria had gone for the weekend. But it was so wrong. And he had no intention of stopping.

His shirt and her jumper, tumbled to the floor, forgotten.

XXXXXXXXX

Helloooo! Just want to say thank you for the reviews last chapter, it did actually help to pull me out of the little depression funk I'd gotten into. Sorry for the angst at the beginning, but I hope I made up for it :D Unsure whether to do a sex scene or just let it end nice and subtlety? Lemme know what you think…. Also, just to quickly say, I got a completely awesome review from Lord Toewart- your review was so amazing and I just wanted to clarify a few things you wrote about, but you reviewed as a guest so I can't reply, but I just wanted to say thanks. And also a massive thanks to Annika the Merciful, your review may or may not have made me cry and to act-not-think because your review made me smile, which was a big deal at the time :D taa x