And nowwww let's find out what happened after Hermione left Draco and he finally admitted to himself that he's in love! Enjoy!

October was more than half way over and Draco was miserable. Things between himself and Hermione were not the same as they had been before the summer, although he was trying hard to make everything seem normal. He saw her a lot with their group of friends, she came to every one of his practices, and they ate meals together, but he was in constant pain. He was used to pain- he had broken many bones, had received many gashes, cuts, scrapes, and bruises, but he had never experienced the kind of pain Hermione kept him in. It was a special kind of torture he didn't wish upon his worst enemy. Even other girls didn't interest him at all. He wasn't noticing that anyone else was sexy or flirting with him. He didn't even have any interest in sex with anyone else, although he wasn't lacking in offers. He only wanted one girl. The one girl he couldn't have anymore.

Draco sat in the dining hall, chin in his left hand, staring gloomily down at his pile of eggs, poking at them with the fork in his right hand. He wasn't feeling very hungry, although he had scarcely eaten a bite.

"Hey, Draco." Hermione said, sitting across the table from him. Oh God, here we go.

"Hey, Mione." Draco answered, trying to sound less despondent for her sake. She gave him a bright smile and his spirits lifted a bit. At least she wasn't avoiding him like he had expected her to. And life was certainly better with Hermione Granger's smile directed at him.

"I was going to go over to the library after class today, would you be interested in coming with me? We could maybe study together?" she asked him cautiously. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but she really wanted to see him more than she had been. She missed him.

"Um- well I would, but I've actually got plans with Harry to go practice at the pitch." Draco half-mumbled into his plate. He looked up at her. Her eyes were full of disappointment and she slumped a little in her seat. He immediately wished he could have said yes.

"Oh, okay." She said quietly, looking down at her plate to start eating.

"Hey," Draco said, making Hermione look up from her plate, "Rain check?" He gave her a warm smile. Hermione loved that smile that tugged at one side of his mouth. She smiled back at him.

"Sounds good." She agreed. The smile was back, and Draco felt better.

"Listen, I gotta go, I've got to get to class, but I'll see you later, okay?" Draco said lightly, getting up from the table. With a smile and a little wave, he left her to her breakfast. Shit. How the hell am I going to keep this up?

October was nearing its end and Hermione was miserable. While the fall was normally full of beautiful leaves and crisp air, Hermione was more focused on the damp cold and the death of all living things outdoors. Hermione knew why, too. Draco.

Why did she even start the list with him? She should have known better. He was too sweet, to sexy, too…perfect. The sex she had with him was amazing, but it was more than that. It felt right, especially the last time. She felt as if they were one, and she thought she had a feeling like he felt the same way. Turns out he didn't because he accepted the end of their deal. If he felt something more, wouldn't he come forward with it? Hermione decided to go to Ginny about the situation.

"So, you're telling me that the sex was amazing and now you want a relationship?" Ginny asked Hermione as they walked down the hallway.

"Yeah, it's just that, I thought that I felt something with Draco, you know? Like something more than just meaningless sex." Hermione told her friend. Ginny's brow furrowed.

"Wasn't the whole point of the list that you were going to have sex without an attachment?" Ginny asked, clearly exasperated with Hermione's constant boy troubles.

"Well yes, I suppose. And I guess it doesn't matter, either, because Draco doesn't feel the same. He's made it clear he only wants to be friends, and we've been doing okay. I think it'll just take a little more time to get used to each other as friends again." Hermione said sadly. She'd just have to accept it.

"Well, if that's the case, he isn't worth it anyway! Listen, what you need is another guy. The only way to get over someone is to get under someone else!" Ginny said excitedly, throwing Hermione a wink. Hermione gave a smile but wasn't sure about this idea. Wasn't that the problem with the plan to begin with? One thing was certain, however- she could not approach this subject with Draco.

Every time Draco saw Hermione, he felt as if he couldn't breathe. She'd be in the dining hall, in the corridor, in the library with her tie loosened and her sweater tied around her waist. Her pleated skirt not only showed off her ample ass, but also allowed a great view of her long sleek legs and her sweater clung to her in all of the right places and reminded Draco of the night on the astronomy tower. He was so attracted to her, but could do nothing about it.

Draco and Harry walked out to the quidditch pitch together after class. The day was gorgeous and bright, but the air had a slight nip in it. All around them, colored leaves rustled in the wind and Draco breathed deeply the crisp scent that was autumn.

"So, how are you and Hermione doing?" Harry asked nonchalantly as they entered the stadium and threw their bags down. Draco gave him a sideways glance.

"What do you mean? Why do you ask?" Draco said a little too sharply. Harry looked up from his pads at Draco with his eyebrows raised. Draco let out a deep sigh.

"The truth is I don't really know. We did the list, as you know, but since we finished, things have been… odd, to say the least." Draco said gloomily, pulling on his pads systematically.

"Sorry, mate. D'you want to talk about it?" Harry asked, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. Normally, Draco would reject an offer like this. But normally, he wasn't a mess over a girl.

"Yeah, just.. don't tell anyone about this okay?" Draco made Harry promise. Together, they flew up onto the pitch and began to practice some new moves they had seen in the world cup magazine.

"So, when we started the list, she told me that the whole thing didn't mean anything, that it wasn't going to lead anywhere. Just do the list, be done with it, and go back to being friends. But the thing is that we spent so much time together that I feel like we've grown so close and we can't go back to how it used to be." Draco explained as they fooled around doing tricks on their broomsticks.

"Well, do you want to date her then?" Harry asked.

"Well, I don't know- yeah I guess." Draco sounded flustered.

"Look, mate, you do or you don't. If you think you feel like you should be more than friends, though, you should figure it out, because you know she's been hurt before." Harry told his friend seriously as they made their way back to the ground.

"Harry," Draco said, looking as serious as Harry had ever seen him, "I love her." Harry grinned.

"Well, what are you sitting around here telling me about it for, why haven't you told her?" he asked incredulously, casting off his gear. Draco rubbed the back of his neck.

"I uh…. I don't know, Harry. I don't know if I can. I don't want to risk the friendship that we do have, you know? I would rather have her in my life as a friend than tell her everything and lose even that. She clearly doesn't feel the same, she released me from my contract." Draco explained to the best of his ability. It made him crazy and it made him sad, but what else was he to do?

"I get it man, but sometimes it's about the risk. It's up to you, but I think it might be worth it." Harry told him, and they walked back up to the castle together in silence. Draco's mind was racing. Was he sure he wasn't going to tell her? It was getting harder and harder to keep his feelings under wraps, especially since he was seeing her so often.

On October 24th, Draco had still not decided whether or not to tell Hermione his true feelings, and everyone was heading down to Hogsmeade for the day. He, Harry, and Ron went to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer and they sat at the bar drinking together and talking about the upcoming quidditch game Slytherin v. Gryffindor. The bell on the door rang and Draco casually glanced over to see Hermione walking into the room. She looked gorgeous. She had on a caramel colored coat with black toggles with the hood pulled over her head and it was open, showing a long belted red dress underneath. She wore the very same tights and shoes she was wearing the night they had sex on the astronomy tower and slept in his bed. Her hair was slightly frizzy and small curls were falling into her eyes, and her nose was slightly red with the growing cold outside. He had to fight the urge to go over and sweep her into his arms. She caught his eye and gave him a smile and a wave, then walked over to a table where Ginny was beckoning her. Draco looked away and re-established himself in the conversation with Harry, though every once in a while, he gave Hermione a sidelong glance. After a few minutes or so, the back of a head that looked suspiciously like Blaise Zabini appeared talking to Hermione. Draco's eyes were glued to the pair as his heartbeat quickened.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, mate, would you just tell her? You've been looking at her like an abandoned puppy for long enough, don't you think?" Harry said, having noticed that Draco was no longer paying attention to their conversation. He looked at his dark haired friend.

"You know I can't, Harry." Draco said, taking another long gulp of his butterbeer. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Draco, you're being thick. You know Hermione, she wouldn't be like you said. If she doesn't reciprocate, you'll stay friends. She said herself, you're one of her best friends."

"I don't know…" Draco worried, thinking about the situation. Distracted by his conversation, he didn't notice that Hermione had left.

"Draco, what's the worst that could happen? You won't lose her." Harry said firmly.

"You really think so? You think our friendship won't change?"

"Draco, your friendship has already changed. That's how relationships work. You change and grow, together. You need to go talk to her." Draco had his mind made up.

"I'm going to talk to her." He said finally, getting up and leaving his butterbeer half full. He turned around and looked to where she was sitting, seeing she was gone. He blinked in surprise. How had he missed her leaving? He looked around the pub, but there was no sign of her. Ginny, however, was still sitting where she had been, sipping a cocoa and talking with Padma Patil.

"Gin, Gin, where did Hermione go?" Draco asked her urgently as he approached their table. Ginny looked up, surprised by his interjection.

"What? Why? Honestly, I don't know why you don't just leave her alone, since you just threw her out like trash after you were sleeping with her for two months." Ginny said curtly. Draco couldn't believe his ears. What on earth was she talking about?

"Trash? She ended it with me, Ginny." Draco clarified. Ginny looked confused.

"But- wait, so you want to stay with her?" she asked, eyes wide.

"For Merlin's sake, yes, that's why I'm looking for her!" Draco was beginning to get frustrated.

"Oh, oh Draco! Draco, that's fabulous! Oh go- oh no, ohh this isn't good…" Ginny went on, jumping up from her chair.

"What, what's not good? Where is she?" Draco asked frantically. Would this little redhead just answer his goddamned question?

"She's left, she went back up to the castle with Zabini, he was charming her like nobody's business." Ginny said, face now contorted with worry now.

"Zabini? Shit…" Draco muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What about Zabini?" Harry asked, coming up behind Draco. Draco whirled around to face Harry.

"Zabini is the only person I told about the list except for you. And based on his responses, I think that he has anything but pure intentions for Hermione," Draco said angrily, "I've got to get up to the castle."

Draco practically ran from the pub and up to the castle, hoping that he could get to Hermione before it was too late. How stupid could he have been to have told Zabini about the list in the first place? He should've known that he would try to get with Hermione himself after September was over. Hell, he wouldn't have put it past him to start trying something with Hermione before September ended… He just wanted to experience some of the kinky shit that was on the list, and Draco kicked himself for betraying Hermione's trust and telling him about it in the first place. He was such a fucking idiot…

He flew through the front doors of the castle and down the steps towards the dungeon. He'd kill Blaise Zabini.

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