Chapter 13:

Hermione had been avoiding Ron, Harry, and Ginny for several days. She would always rehearse what she would say to them, but never go through with it. What hurt her most was what Ron had said was true. How she was in love with another man, yet she still had sex with him. What would Draco do if he ever found out? Well for starters, he would kill Ron. Then he would never speak to her again, but wait, he was already doing that.

She didn't know why he never answered her, nor why he hadn't gone to school. His parents had pulled him out, but why? What were they up to? Was what his father said true, how Voldemort would not stand for it? Was Draco really becoming a Deatheater? Hermione didn't want to dwell on it too much, not wanting to relive the pain of leaving him.

It was almost time for Christmas vacation, and her plans had been to spend it at the Burrow while her parents took a trip to Venice; but seeing how that's no longer possible, she has no choice but to stay at Hogwarts.

There was knocking at her door, Harry and Ginny wanted a last goodbye before they left. She never answered, and she watched from her window as they left for the train. Zacharias had left too, so the tower was all to herself. She told herself it was good to get away from all the stress caused by her friends, but there was still the emptiness that never left her heart.

Still no word from Draco, and with every day gone, she always thought about him. Every guy she looked at always had his face, with his famous smirk plastered on them.

One night, while doing patrols-which was clearly unnecessary- she walked into the courtyard and caught a glimpse of the starry sky. Looking to see if anyone was there, she stepped out and gazed at the many stars filling up the sky. As a force of habit, she laid down and put her arms around her head. She closed her eyes, wanting to remember their first night under the stars.

Draco always had a dark, menacing look to him. His gaze used to burn her and he always had a hurtful remark to go with it. Only tonight he was different, his gaze showed a new side to him. It had kindness and thought, and came with only the sound of blissful silence.

Before she could say another word, he leaned in and took her lips into his. This kiss was nothing like she ever experienced before. During 4th year, she had kissed Viktor Krum and thought it was the best kiss of her life. But compared to Draco, Krum's kiss was nothing but a sloppy dog kiss. Draco kissed softly and tenderly, but felt sensual and extremely erotic.

She remembered every touch, how his lips would move against hers, how he would put his arm around her waist and pull her close.

"Ms. Granger?" McGonagall had called out, breaking another peaceful dream. Realising her current state, she got up and turned to her professor.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I was just..." Hermione had stuttered.

"Thinking about him?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You're significant other? I've seen many students that have that look on their face when they're in love."

Hermione blushed furiously at this statement, and tried to hold back a sob. She failed this attempt and started bawling. McGonagall embraced her student, patting her back as she continued to sob. They walked back to her office and sat in two armchairs at the rear end of her office.

McGonagall poured some tea for the both of them. As she did so, Hermione watched her. She moved in graceful steps, but had somewhat of a maternal instinct to her. Tea always helped Hermione cool down, and she downed the cup in one gulp.

With that, Hermione poured her heart out. She didn't know what controlled her to do so, but she gave every single detail of her relationship with Draco, although she did skip over the very intimate parts. McGonagall was shocked that it was even Draco at all, she expected Mr. Weasley to be the one to cause her pain, but not Mr. Malfoy.

When Hermione finished her story, she simply stared at her professor, awaiting a response.

"Ms. Granger, it is not healthy for you to have kept all this in. Why haven't you told anyone?"

"I'm afraid of what they might say. What if they just criticize me, tell me that I shouldn't have trusted him in the first place?"

"Well, I won't deny that they will be quite upset, after all I know Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy have not gotten along over the years," she said, smiling at this statement, "but, if they were really your friends, they would learn to understand. You must love him very much, yes?"

She nodded.

"So what is stopping you? Write to him."

"I have! But he hasn't even answered back!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have yelled," Hermione said.

"That's quite all right, dear. You deserve to let this frustration out. Now how do you feel?"

Hermione had to think before answering. A calm feeling began to overwhelm her, as if it were a breath of fresh air. After releasing all those thoughts and feelings, everything seemed sort of...peaceful. It was nice to know there was someone there who understood her situation.

"I feel...great, actually." Hermione said, leaning back in her chair.

"Good, sometimes it's good to let your feelings go. And remember, if you need to vent out some more, you know where to go," her professor said.

"Thank you, professor."

Hermione hugged her teacher before hurrying off to her room, finally able to get a good night's sleep.