When she was far enough away, she ran. She ran until her lungs couldn't take it anymore, and when she finally stopped, she collapsed to the ground in tears. At that time of night, the castle corridors were already empty, allowing her to feel safe enough to let her tears fall without interruption.

Despite the mild weather, Hermione felt heat rising through her body, but the cold floor against her legs eased the sensation, cooling her down. She leaned against the wall, trying to calm herself. She felt a mix of anger and disgust, with hot, bitter tears streaming down her face. She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying. It wasn't because of Ronald, her boyfriend; she was aware of that. It was because of Ronald, her friend since the first year. And, though she denied it to herself, because of Draco Malfoy. An internal conflict tormented her—a battle between her wounded pride and the confusing feelings she might still have for Draco.

She remembered arriving at Hogwarts and constantly admiring Draco, finding him extremely attractive, but all that enchantment vanished the first time he opened his mouth to speak to her. For years, he tormented her, calling her Mudblood and countless other names.

She hated remembering that day in third year when she entered the second-floor bathroom—the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle, where she found him. For a single moment, he had been kind, and after kissing her, he asked her never to tell anyone about it, then ran away immediately afterward. He was a coward and always had been. When she finally got the chance to take out her anger on him for what he had done, she felt extremely good and stopped thinking about that cursed kiss. Her cursed first kiss, which, by the way, had been incredible. The punch she had given him had served some purpose, but now, all this pain and confusion resurfaced, and she felt completely lost.

"Damn you, Malfoy," she cursed, punching the floor beside her, feeling the pain shoot up her arm the next second.

"Don't take it out on the floor, Granger," a raspy voice sounded in the corridor where she sat, making her lift her head to see him standing in front of her, distracting her from the pain in her hand. "If you're mad at me, hit me. At least you won't break your hand."

Hermione felt a wave of conflicting emotions. Part of her wanted to yell at him, tell him to go away. Another part, one she hated to admit existed, wanted to know why he was there, why he seemed to care.

"And since when do you care, Malfoy?" she asked, irritated.

She didn't want him there. She didn't want anyone there. She just wanted to be alone.

"You're right..." he began, hesitating before sitting down next to her, closely watched by her eyes. "I never cared, or at least I thought I didn't."

Hermione noticed the slight tremor in his hands as he sat down, which made her question what was really happening.

"Get out of here, Malfoy."

"As far as I know, I have just as much right to be here as you do, Granger."

She stared at him for a second, her heart racing, and sighed.

"You're not leaving? Fine. Then I'll go."

Hermione stood up, ready to walk away, but was stopped by the boy who grabbed the hand she had punched the floor with. Unable to control herself, a loud "Ouch" escaped her mouth as she was pulled back to the ground.

She yanked her hand out of his grip brusquely and, still sitting, moved away from the Slytherin next to her.

"Let me see your hand, Granger," the blonde requested, moving closer again.

She looked away, trying to ignore his proximity, but she could feel her heart beating even faster. If she couldn't leave without being stopped, and he wasn't going to leave either, she might as well let him talk to himself.

He sighed after a few seconds, giving up on trying when he realized she wouldn't give in, and looked at the wall in front of him.

"It was my first kiss too," he confessed. "I don't even know why I did that. I... I don't know... You were just there..." Draco ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. "In the first year, I kept looking at you. Sometimes I caught you looking at me. When I found out you were a Mudblood, it was disappointing," he said each word calmly but with a weight that Hermione couldn't ignore.

Hermione began to look at him after that, but even so, Draco kept his focus on the wall in front of him. Her mind was in chaos, trying to decipher what all this meant. Why was he saying all this now, after all these years?

"After some time, I accepted that it was just a childhood crush, but I couldn't stop thinking about that day in the bathroom, even after years. It was terrible when I caught myself thinking about you at inappropriate times," he laughed, seeming to remember something that made her uncomfortable.

Hermione felt a lump in her throat, struggling to maintain her composure.

"Shut up!"

This time, Draco looked at her. Hermione felt the depth of his gray eyes and could almost see the boy's soul in them. She could see the truth behind all the words he had just said, and so, Hermione let down her guard, taking a deep breath.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it either," she confessed, her voice quieter than she had intended.

Malfoy's eyes paused for a moment on her mouth, and Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine.

"I'm sorry about Weasley. Maybe you should have found out another way."

She laughed, but there was bitterness in the sound.

"The sooner, the better."

Another moment passed with them staring at each other. Draco extended his hand to her and once again asked:

"Let me see your hand."

Hermione hesitated but then gave in and placed her injured hand in his, feeling the touch of their skin without the pain giving her goosebumps. The touch was firm but hesitant, as if he was afraid of hurting her even more.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, gently moving her fingers, touching each one lightly.

She shook her head, and this time, it didn't hurt at all. As she watched him move her fingers, it seemed that, for a moment, everything had vanished. She wasn't at Hogwarts. She wasn't a witch. She hadn't just come out of a war, and she hadn't been betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend. But reality soon returned, and Hermione felt the weight of everything again.

"I need to go," she whispered, still staring at him, and gently pulled her hand away from his. She needed to break this closeness somehow. She couldn't take it much longer.

"Yeah... Me too," he said, with a slight hesitation in his voice.

She broke their gaze and began to stand up, followed by Draco.

"See you later, Malfoy," she said, turning her back on the boy, ready to head up to the Gryffindor tower.

"See you later, Granger," he replied, turning to go to his dormitory in the dungeons. "Oh, and—" he exclaimed one last time, turning back to her. Hermione also turned and looked at him, waiting for his words. "I'm sorry, for everything."

She smiled, but it was a sad smile.

He smiled, but his eyes revealed a whirlwind of emotions that Hermione couldn't understand. There was a hesitation that she didn't comprehend.

They went their separate ways, hoping the other would turn back. But no one did. There were no names being called in the distance, no running and excitement to be close again. The only sound that could be heard was the echo of their footsteps as she turned down one corridor and he down another.