Don't freak out?! How, exactly, was she supposed to do anything but? Her childhood bully, Ice Prince of Slytherin, and former chief of the anti-muggle-born committee had just expressed his undying love for her or some sort of sadistic nonsense, and she was supposed to remain calm? Hermione's thoughts raced as she searched for a logical explanation for what was, decidedly, the most absurd thing to ever be uttered from Draco Malfoy's lips. The only reason she could come up with for words like those, was for humor. Surely it was all some sort of joke.

"Yes, Ha Ha! Very funny, Malfoy. Good try but the gag's up. Where is everybody? Are they hiding in here?" She approached a closed classroom door. "You can come out everyone!"

"No, Granger I'm serious." She stopped in her tracks and spun around to face him. She was surprised to find his expression adamant.

"You're serious," she said with an equally skeptical tone and look.

"Dead."

Silence hung between her for a few moments as she stared him down, daring him to keep up his act. When the burst of laughter didn't come and she noticed the sincerity in his eyes, reality set in hard.

"Oh," she whispered. Her skin tingled as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. The tension in the air was palpable between them.

Her head was spinning. She was confused again as the gears in her head spun to process the information. Draco Malfoy had feelings for her? A million questions formed, clouding her mind-space. She'd never allowed herself to think about him in that way before. Not when he'd been such a prick in the past… but, it seemed, not so anymore.

She knew he had changed. The last few weeks had proven little if not this. She saw it in the way he carried himself and in his eyes that now reflected lightheartedness instead of hostility. Not once this year had she regretted her decision to grant him forgiveness for he had yet to let her down.

Still, his confession didn't make sense. It was simply impossible. Why would he take an interest in her? She was so ordinary. The book-worm whose face would sooner be smudged with ink than painted with blush or lipstick. The girl who carried books instead of handbags. Boys like Malfoy didn't fall for girls like her.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered feebly, mercifully interrupting her stupor. "I just had to get it off my chest. I know it's stupid, after all I've done to you. And I never expected you to feel the same way. I can't describe it, I couldn't explain why, but I just had to tell you."

"Oh no. No. You don't have to be sorry!" she said hurriedly. "It's just-" she paused, grasping for any coherent sentence to form from all the questions she wanted to ask him.

"Are you sure?" she asked finally. Immediately she felt stupid. If she could have, she would have kicked herself. That was the best she could come up with?

"More sure than I've been about anything." His expression was serious as he gazed upon her steadily. "I've known since first year that you were someone extraordinary, I just refused to acknowledge it. I remember spending nearly the whole summer break after first year talking about you to my father. But back then, I was spoiled and impressionable. I took my father's word as law and believed him when he said you were scum." He dropped his gaze momentarily.

"But young Draco was stupid not to realize that you were the one that was way out of his league." Her blush deepened, setting her skin afire and spreading to the tip of her nose.

"I was a goner from the beginning, but I distinctly remember the first time I realized how much I liked you. You probably won't believe me, but it was in third year when you punched me. You broke my nose. It was the first time anyone had ever stood up to me like that- physically I mean, and much less a girl. I was confounded. I couldn't figure out why you hadn't just pulled out your wand and hexed me with some spell we weren't supposed to know until O.W.L level. The more I considered you, the less you made sense. I'd always been told that it wasn't possible for you to do the things you did, yet you kept doing them, proving me- hell, proving everyone wrong. The impossibility of you drew me in.

"I know I was an idiot back then. I've screwed up so many times I've lost count. But my biggest regret will remain that I didn't have the courage to listen to my feelings sooner. I was scared of how I felt, because everything they'd said told me it was wrong. So I buried my feelings and drove you away. I listened to all the wrong people telling me to do all the wrong things." His face was sullen and regretful. She watched as his right hand shifted uncomfortably over to his left forearm.

"I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I'm going to continue proving that I've changed, that I'm sorry for everything I've done. I'm tired of letting the mistakes I've made get in my way. But I just wanted you to know… wanted you to see…" he cut off. "I'll never hurt you the way I did ever again. You're so good, Hermione. And I'll never forgive myself for trying to destroy that." His voice went gravelly with emotion and he dropped his gaze, looking away.

Tears were now appearing in Hermione's eyes and slowly gathering until they burst and ran down her cheeks.

She couldn't remember him ever calling her by her first name.

The silence between them ended abruptly when he cleared the emotion from his throat. "Sorry. You didn't need to know any of that, did you? Because it doesn't matter. Of course you don't feel the same way. You still love that Weasley and…" He seemed to realize he was beginning to ramble and stopped. "I… uh… well. Now you know then." He gave a stiff nod as if to excuse himself, shoved his hands into his pockets, and was turning to go when she reached out her hand and caught on a corner of his robes.

Silence hung between them for a moment as she paused, simply to hold him there.

"That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me." She gripped the silky fabric between her fingers tightly as if doing so would force him to stay. His fragile eyes met her own trembling gaze. Here he stood before her again, so vulnerable and yet… There was strength there too. She studied him, as hundreds of thoughts swirled about in her mind. No one, not even Ron, had given her so much power over their heart. It was a strange and wonderful gift like she'd never received before and, despite their history, never once did she give any thought to squandering it. She looked at him with compassionate sorrow.

"Draco, I'm truly sorry, but I just don't feel the same way." Her heart leapt for him as she saw his silver eyes dull, fading to grey from the pain that wove its way through him. He turned to look away. "But that doesn't mean I can't," she said slowly, reaching to turn his face to hers once more.

"I want this," she said firmly, cautiously gliding her hand down before gently spreading her fingers to rest her palm over his heart. "I want to know this heart. I've just been hurt…" she cut off, and turned away. "I can't keep giving myself away freely."

His own hand rose to meet hers and she felt him clutch it possessively against his chest. "Then don't." Her eyes rose cautiously back up to his.

His voice was deep and steady. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes. If I weren't, I wouldn't be standing here now." His eyes searched hers. "I don't want you because you're easy. I want you because you're so goddamn breathtakingly complex. Because you don't let anyone push you around or tell you who to be. I want you for you...

"for your soul…" He took a cautious step forwards.

"for your mind…" Another step.

"for your eyes…" The distance between them closed.

As his voice trailed off, his eyes dropped to rest inches beneath her gaze. Tension hung in the closing margin of space between them, heated by the warmth radiating off their skin.

She didn't flinch as his hand dropped hers and moved up to slowly guide her face toward his. Shivers of anticipation ran down her spine in the milliseconds before his warm lips melded tenderly with hers. Electricity rushed through her, sparking her senses ablaze and sending her heartbeat racing as he pushed his lips into hers and she melted against him. Her thoughts went fuzzy as the feeling of him pervaded her consciousness. All she wanted was more.

A blankness overcame her senses when she felt him pull away. His flushed face came into view when she opened her eyes to investigate. Warm hunger like she'd never felt stirred below her stomach, protesting the abandonment. She saw nervousness written in his features and immediately understood his hesitance. The last kiss they had shared hadn't ended well.

"I can't promise anything…" she spoke softly between heavy breaths. "But I need you to convince me. Help me find my feelings. Make me want you." He closed his eyes momentarily. When again they opened, the powerful gaze he fixed her in was nearly strong enough to persuade her on its own, his next words nearly convincing her entirely.

"I've waited for you before, and I'll do it again. I will prove to you how much you mean to me- as long as you let me- until the moment you send me away or the breath leaves my lungs. Whichever comes first."

A/N: And they lived happily ever after! JK, we've got some more coming, but if I'm being honest with myself, those last few words from Draco sounded a heck of a lot like a marriage vow... C'est la vie. It is what it is.