Hermione shifted her weight onto her left side.
Can this be real? Malfoy is actually trying to be humane. No…What is he up to?! Why is it that one moment he’s his old self and the next he’s trying to be my new best friend? And did he just call me by my first name?! Hermione let out a sigh. Well, since I don’t know what to say, I might as well tell him the truth.
“Look, Malf-Passus, I don’t like you. I never liked you and I never will. Okay? It’s just there’s no way we can become friends after what’s happened the past seven years. There’s no way! And you should know that too. I mean, you tried to get us killed once! It’s…”
Malfoy cut her off, “Forget it. I don’t know why I said anything.” Having heard all he needed to hear, Malfoy swung around and left the Great Hall, leaving Hermione to herself, watching him go with confusion.
I can’t believe this! Draco thought as he strode his way back to the Slytherin Dungeon. She rejected me! She didn’t even think about it! Why can’t she accept that I want to change? She has to go on about “you’re evil and you tried to kill us”…which really, I didn’t, I just helped someone else try to get them killed. Forget it. Screw this plan, I might as well stay the way I am, hell, it’s never hurt me. Why should I go out on a limb to be nice to them if they’re just going to make my life harder?
Draco nodded to himself, finally coming to a decision as to what he was going to do.
Hermione was still standing alone in the middle of the Great Hall, but she didn’t care. He actually looked hurt. Oh God. What did I do? What if…Could he really want to change though? Why would he suddenly want to change? This is so confusing. And why do I feel bad for hurting him? He’s caused us ten times the pain we ever caused him, he deserves it. Hermione paused her thoughts for a second. No, even if he was an evil git, he still deserves a second chance. What am I going to do?!
Three feet away from the Slytherin portrait hole, Draco suddenly didn’t feel like returning to the dungeons. He climbed back up the stairs and returned to the entrance hall. Letting his feet carry him, he had no idea where he was going to now.
After seven flights of stairs and a bit of wandering, Draco saw exactly what he needed. He remembered their fifth year of Hogwarts, when Harry created “Dumbledore’s Army”, where they would learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. Draco also remembered catching them in the act in this room that didn’t exist. But he was sure it was here, in this blank area across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
Now how does this work? Draco walked straight to the wall and felt it. Hmmm…it’s solid. How do I get the room to appear? What’s this called…the…that’s right. The Room of Requirement. What did I hear them say about it? Think Draco, think.
While Draco thought hard about how to call forth a room, he paced back and forth, and before he knew it he was thinking about a nice place to relax and throw off some stress. Little did he realize that this was exactly how to call forth The Room of Requirement. On his fifth lap back and forth, Draco finally saw that the room had appeared. Huh. Weird. How did I do that?
He reached out his arm and opened the room. Inside, there were two welcoming couches, a soft and fluffy bed, a table with food on it, and a punching bag at the end.
Draco grinned. Exactly what I needed.
Hermione finished with the decorations and returned to Gryffindor Tower while Harry was adding on finishing touches to his Firebolt.
“Hey Herm! What took you so long?”
“Stop calling me Herm, Harry! It makes me sound like I’m a hermit,” Hermione replied. She debated whether or not to tell Harry about what happened between her and Draco.
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Well you are, aren’t you?”
He laughed at Hermione’s angry expression.
“You know what? I’m going to start being nice to Passus just to spite you,” Hermione retorted playfully, but obviously Harry didn’t take it as a joke.
“Passus? MALFOY? Are you feeling okay Hermione? Are we talking about the same devil? That evil prat who tried to get Hagrid fired, us in trouble, and Dumbledore sacked? What has gotten into you?”
He stood up and walked over to her so that he was looking slightly down on her. Hermione hated when he did that, it made her feel so small; she was only five feet five inches. Harry put his hands firmly on both her shoulders and held her at arms length; his bright green eyes searched her honey brown ones. Hermione raised her arms and brushed his hands off her, she didn’t feel like being pried open right now. Harry frowned.
“Look Harry, Malfoy has changed. Whether I want to admit it or not. He’s actually trying to be good now!” Hermione threw her hands up in the air to emphasize what she was saying.
Harry shook his head, “You’re falling into one of his traps and you know it. Why are you letting this happen to yourself? Do something about it Hermione! Malfoy will never change. Trust me.”
“How do you know?” she almost shouted back.
Harry stood in awe. She can’t possibly…Why is she arguing with me about this?
“Do you like him?” he asked.
Hermione stiffened at the question and didn’t reply.
“Hermione! I’m asking you a simple question. Do you like Draco Malfoy?!” Harry repeated.
“No.”
Her answer was soft and barely audible. “No, I hate Draco Malfoy.”
Harry let out a relieved sigh. “Then why are we arguing about this?”
“Because the man we’re talking about is no longer Draco Malfoy. Haven’t you ever wondered why he decided to change his name? Maybe he doesn’t want to be a Malfoy anymore! He wants to reform Harry, we have to accept it, or we might do him worse.”
“I can’t believe this.” Harry shook his head in disbelief. “You’re standing up for our enemy! You’re standing up for the man who’s called you Mudblood and mistreated you for seven years!”
“He’s never actually done anything to directly cause me pain.”
“So what! As long as if he had part in anything that almost got us in trouble, he’s to blame!”
Harry was red with anger and exhausted from all the arguing by now. “You know what? If you can’t see what’s really there, then forget it. You go be his friend, but you can’t be mine at the same time!” Harry left it at that and stormed up to his dormitory.
Hermione numbly fell onto a chair. I can’t believe this. Harry’s making me choose between being friends with him and helping Draco change…what kind of a real friend does that?!
Hermione stood up and walked out of the common room. She thought about going to the library but decided that for once, she wasn’t in the mood to read. She blindly walked through the school, climbing some stairs, turning at random points, and before she knew it, she was where the Room of Requirement was. That’s weird. There’s a door there…is someone inside?
Hermione edged closer to the room but stopped before she opened the door. Wait, what if someone happened to summon it because they needed a restroom? She thought about it for a while, but then decided that she didn’t care; she was curious to find out who was in there. She opened the door and immediately regretted it.
Draco was standing in the middle of the room with nothing but a white towel on. She noticed that he had a really nice body. From the steaminess of the room Hermione assumed that he had just taken a shower. Her face turned scarlet when he caught her staring at him. Draco jumped back out of shock, then he looked down at his nakedness.
“Granger! What are you doing here?!” Draco shouted, tightening the white towel around his firm waist. “You could have seen something!”
Hermione’s blush deepened and she immediately looked away. Oh my god! This is SOOO embarrassing. I didn’t think there’d actually be someone naked in here! Least of all Malfoy!!
“Turn around!” Draco demanded.
Hermione obeyed. She wanted to run out of the door right now, but something kept her feet glued to the ground.
“So what are you doing here?” Draco asked, picking his clothes up from one of the couches.
Hermione wasn’t sure how to reply at first, but she felt that after what had just happened, Draco deserved an answer, “I was just looking for a place with some privacy.”
“Why didn’t you go to the library?”
“I didn’t feel like it.”
She heard the towel drop to the ground as she responded.
“Why did you come here, of all places?” Draco asked, his voice muffled by his clothes
“I don’t know. I just ended up here and I saw that there was a door, and I was curious.”
A hand landed on her right shoulder and spun her around while another hand caught her before she did a full 360. Before she knew it, she was less than half a foot away from Draco’s face.
In a small whisper, Draco said, “Bet you didn’t expect this, did you?”
Goosebumps spread all over her body as his warm breath touched her face. She was afraid that her knees might fail her if he spoke in that voice again. She shook her head dumbly.
Draco let go of her and straightened his body. He looked at Hermione with great interest. Now that she’d seen more of him than any other girl had, he looked at her in a new light. Her hair was shiny and full of volume while her skin was soft and touchable.
Before he knew it, his hand was cupping her face, feeling its pleasant texture. He looked into her warm cinnamon eyes, and then let his eyes slide down her body. She had grown a lot in the past seven years; he just never cared to observe. The only time that she ever caught his eye sexually was during the Yule Ball. Hmmm, she was very pretty. Draco thought. But now, she was even prettier, if that was possible. Draco returned his eyes to hers, which were now closed, and out of a sudden impulse, Draco bent in and gently pulled her face towards his…
Hermione’s blush never went away. Draco was just staring at her! She had no idea what to do. Nobody had ever made her feel like this before; she wanted to stay but at the same time, she wanted run fast and far away. Her stomach was doing back flips and her head was suddenly blank. She felt his eyes move down her body and wanted to turn so he couldn’t look, but once again, her muscles didn’t obey. His soft hand found her face; she liked his touch, it was very gentle. She closed her eyes and let out a little sigh. Before she could open them, she felt Draco’s hand pull her towards him, and then she felt his lips lock comfortably onto hers.
Hermione did nothing to stop Draco, and before she knew it, she was kissing him back. Her hands wrapped themselves around his neck and then they traveled down onto his back. His shoulder blades were very muscular and he had no fat anywhere, his body was almost rock hard. She felt his hand come in contact of her waist and let it tug her even closer to him.
Her chest was now right up against his. She could feel his heart, and to her surprise, it was beating pretty fast. His other hand slid from her face through her hair. After a few minutes, he started to pull away. She was about to protest, but then she felt his tongue on her ear. If he didn’t catch her, she would have dropped onto the ground. Draco stopped and stood her back up.
“Are you alright?” he whispered, a little out of breath.
Hermione nodded. She looked into his gray eyes, which were now almost a warm blue. Her knees started to give away again. Draco laughed softly as he tightened his grip on her.
“It’s getting late, we should go,” he said, looking at his watch.
Hermione frowned, she didn’t want to go. Her body was calling out for Draco, and it was hard to ignore. This was the perfect escape that she needed. But then again, she felt that if she went any further, she wouldn’t be able to tell herself that this was just spontaneous and uncontrollable. Draco looked around the room to make sure he didn’t forget anything, and then he looked back at Hermione. He gave her a little nod and walked out of the room.
What a typical guy. Get a girl going and then just leave her. Hermione sighed and followed Draco’s footsteps a couple minutes after he left.
“Where have you been?!” Harry asked when she came through the portrait hole.
“Nowhere. Why?” Hermione replied, rather carelessly.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Ron just owled us. Here, read it.”
Harry thrust a little piece of parchment in her direction.
Well, hello to you too. Hermione thought. Harry never seemed to fully appreciate her. She seemed to be there only to be the brains of the trio while all Harry had to do was put up a good fight and end up being the hero. She didn’t mind letting him have the spotlight, but she despised him when he just used her like this. She sighed and lazily took the letter from him. She unfolded it and read:
Harry and Hermione,
Hey guys. I wish I could write to you with some good news, but nothing’s come up to allow me to do so. There has been word that Dumbledore has fallen ill. Is it true? Please tell me it’s not because they say that Voldemort will have free range over Hogwarts if Dumbledore is not strong enough to fight. Harry, there is another rumor that Voldemort is once again planning something just for you. Be aware! Hermione, stick around Harry so he doesn’t make such an easy target alright? (Yes Hermione, please do! ~Ginny) Sorry about that, guys, Ginny just had to write that. But I hope you guys are having fun, we’re doing okay over here. Percy is still being his normal stupid arrogant self. I’ll see you in a couple of days!
With love,
Ron Weasley (and Ginny too!)
Hermione finished reading and returned the letter to Harry.
“So?” Harry asked.
“So what? It’s nothing new. Voldemort’s back, don’t tell me you didn’t expect this,” Hermione replied rather coldly.
Harry ignored her tone of voice, and continued, “I meant about Dumbledore. What if Dumbledore really is sick?”
“Give me a break Harry. You worry too much. If Dumbledore was sick, we’d know about it. I’m going to bed. Good night.”
Hermione turned and went up to her room before he had time to respond.
Harry lay on his bed awake all night. He couldn’t sleep.
What’s up with Hermione? He tossed around to face the wall. Why isn’t she taking the Voldemort threat seriously? And what’s up with the whole defending Malfoy thing? Harry suddenly felt a pang in his chest. What was that? He put his hand on his chest, but the pain was still there. Whenever he thought of Hermione and Malfoy the pain deepened. I can’t be jealous. There’s no way. I don’t even like her that way! Lost and confused, Harry tried to interpret his newfound feeling.
No, I like Ginny. Right? Then how can I feel this way about Hermione?
The night passed on and soon it was morning, and Harry drifted in and out of his sleep still trying to figure out what was going on.
The sun was up, but its warmth had not reached the Hogwarts Quidditch field yet. Draco liked it that way. He glided through the sky on his broom and let the cool breeze ruffle his hair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hermione’s face popped up in his mind. Draco almost fell off his broom, but he made an impressive save half a foot off the ground.
Goddammit, she’s not even here and she still has the power to torture me. Draco landed softly on the ground and walked over to the bleachers. What was I doing yesterday? That was Hermione Granger in there. The Mudblood. No. It doesn’t matter Draco. Remember, it’s all the same. But still. I can’t stand her! Not to mention her rude refusal when I wanted her help. What made me…want her…? Do I want her? Draco felt something tighten in his stomach. This isn’t good. This can’t be possible. Dammit, I don’t want to like her!
Draco sighed and headed back towards the castle for breakfast.
Harry waited in the common room for Hermione to wake up. At 8:00 AM sharp, he saw her bounce down the stairs. He stood up and went to greet her.
“Morning, Hermione.”
“Morning,” she replied, with a yawn and a long stretch.
“How’d you sleep last night?”
Harry wasn’t sure how he should confront her about his feelings regarding her and Malfoy.
“Hmmm…good.” Why is my mouth so sticky? She thought. “And you?”
“Hermione. I have a question,” Harry continued, ignoring her question.
“Yes?”
“Is there anything going on between you and Malfoy?”
Harry immediately regretted asking this because although Hermione didn’t say anything, her wide eyes and nervous look told him everything he needed to know.
She stayed silent. Oh my god. Ewwww. Did I kiss Draco Malfoy yesterday? What was I thinking?! I was only going to help him change, but how’d we get to making out? Oh god, I have to go brush my teeth. She ran out of the common room at that, leaving Harry even more distraught about the situation.
Hermione spent almost ten minutes trying to scrub her mouth and tongue clean of Malfoy. She sighed. It’s hopeless. Why did I kiss him? Maybe it was the spur of the moment. Yes, that has to be it. I just saw him with his shirt off for crying out loud! Not to mention he only had a towel to cover his lower half.
She put her forehead against the heel of her hand. Maybe I like him. The new him. The one that makes me weak when he looks at me. No. That’s ridiculous. I can’t like him, he’s everything I hate!
Having solved nothing, Hermione left the bathroom and met up with Harry again in the entrance hall. Both were silent until they reached the Great Hall. Harry opened the door for her and she walked through, but stopped shortly, which made Harry bump into her when he followed. Hermione turned around, obviously unaware that Harry was almost glued to her body, and her nose brushed his. Harry felt a jolt go through his body and his breath quickened. Hermione blinked, confused, and stepped back to give Harry some space. But now, it was too late to go. Draco had already gotten up and walked over to them.
“Sorry, am I interrupting?” Draco asked viciously, giving Hermione a cold glare; which she returned immediately.
“Mind your own business Malfoy!” Hermione shot back.
“Ooh, if it isn’t Miss Hissy Fit. Bite me, Mudblood,” Draco replied mockingly.
Hermione felt her heart drop into her stomach. He called me a Mudblood. He hasn’t changed at all. Augh! I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I believed him for half a second! Harry was right! I’m so stupid!
Hermione was about to say something, but Harry lunged past her and was on top of Malfoy before she could say “stop”. The boys fought it out, each releasing their own frustrations over Hermione.
Hermione stood there watching, unsure of what to do. Finally, after about 5 minutes, they parted. Draco stood up with a cut lip. Harry remained in a sitting position, trying to catch his breath.
“Merry Christmas,” Draco said sarcastically and then left the Great Hall.
Hermione dropped to her knees and reached out for Harry, but he pulled back.
“Get away from me!” Harry shouted.
Taken aback, Hermione backed away. Why’s he mad at me?! I didn’t beat him up!
Harry stood up and looked down at Hermione. “So tell me, how far did you go with him? You obviously did something with him.”
“What makes you think that?” Hermione replied hotly.
“I can see it in both of your eyes!” Harry exclaimed.
“Draco never has anything in his eyes! How can you possibly see something that’s not there!”
“DRACO? You’re calling him by his first name now? What’s next, are you gonna become Hermione Malfoy?” Harry gave her a cold glare.
Hermione’s mouth dropped open. She felt tears well up in her eyes and a sour sting in her nose. She couldn’t help but start crying now. Harry was still mad at her, but half of him wanted to embrace her and apologize. He couldn’t stand watching his best friend cry, especially about something that he did. He bent down and put an arm around her shaky back.
“I’m sorry Hermione,” Harry whispered into her hair.
Hermione’s sobs worsened and she let herself fall into his arms and she buried her face in his chest. It seemed like forever before Hermione stopped crying and she pulled herself off of Harry.
“I’m sorry too, Harry,” Hermione said a little above a whisper. “I thought he changed. But you were right. He can never change.”
She hugged Harry and then they both got up. Harry sighed.
“Hey, it’s Christmas! I can’t believe we forgot!” he exclaimed, brightening the mood.
Hermione smiled. “Yeah! Let’s go open our presents.”
They raced each other back to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry won of course, by a good length too. Hermione scolded him for not letting her win. Harry laughed.
They each brought their presents down to the common room and opened them in front of the warm fireplace. They both received the usual Weasley family presents and a bunch of different things from Hagrid, Dobby, Krum, and each other. Harry got Hermione a necklace with a blue jewel at the end, and Hermione loved it. Hermione gave Harry a new broom equipment bag, which he of course, was very thrilled to receive. After they littered the whole common room with wrapping paper, they decided to go over to Hagrid’s.
Draco returned to the lonely Slytherin common room. He usually got presents from his mother and Pansy Parkinson, but this year, only Pansy’s present was there. He felt a stab of sadness when he thought of his mother. He sighed and sat down on his chair when suddenly a voice out of nowhere called him.
“Draco!” said the high pitched voice. Draco turned and looked around. There was no one there. He sat back down, thinking he just imagined it. But then he wondered why he would imagine such a creepy voice.
“Draco! Come here!” continued the voice.
Annoyed, Draco leapt off of his chair and drew his wand out. “Who’s there?! Show yourself now!”
“Hahahah. Are you going to fight me, boy?” returned the shrill voice.
“Who are you…?” Draco asked, but he had already realized just who was calling out to him.
“Do you really not know? Maybe I overestimated you then,” replied the cold voice.
“Voldemort,” Draco said at last.
“Yes. That’s right,” said the voice, and then, out of a dark corner he appeared.
Draco shuddered at the horrific sight. Voldemort’s face was paler than his own and he had two red slits that were supposed to pass for eyes. His nostrils were nothing but two black dots in the middle of his face, while his mouth was a cruel thin line snaking in and out of an evil smile.
“How’d…How’d you get in here?” Draco stumbled.
Voldemort let out a penetrating laugh. “It took a lot of caution, but now that Dumbledore is ill and the whole staff is crying over him, it wasn’t that hard.” He interlaced his fingers and grinned evilly.
“What do you want?” Draco asked suspiciously.
“You,” Voldemort replied, with a wider grin, confirming all of Draco’s fears.
Shivers ran down Draco’s spine. Ewwww. No. One: you’re too old. Two: you’re too ugly. Three: I already like someone. Wait, what? I already like someone?
“I want you to join my Death Eaters, Draco,” Voldemort elaborated.
Draco let out a relieved sigh. Well, at least I don’t have to do anything nasty.
“What do I get out of it?” Draco inquired.
“Get out of it?” Voldemort said, almost mockingly. “Power, my boy. Power, honor, and glory.”
Draco remained silent. Power, honor, and glory? God. My dad is such a poser. Unless if Voldemort copies my dad, no, I think it’s the other way around.
“Are you not satisfied young Master Malfoy? Perhaps there is something more that you want? Oh yes, young Master Malfoy, I can see your desire,” Voldemort said, without telling Draco what he “sees”.
“Don’t call me Malfoy,” Draco shot at him, ignoring what Voldemort claimed he saw in him.
Voldemort frowned. “You’re family is very respectable, there is no reason why you should shame them and leave them.”
“I don’t need a pep talk from you, you evil git,” Draco responded.
“Crucio!” Voldemort said.
Draco dropped onto the ground, howling in pain.
“Do not speak to your elders like that Draco Malfoy. Perhaps your father was too soft on you.”
Voldemort reluctantly raised his hand, and Draco caught his breath.
“How’d…how’d you do that?! With….without a wand!” Draco whispered, feeling that if he spoke any louder, his whole body would collapse out of the effort.
Voldemort smiled. “Join me, and one day, you might be able to do it too. I have high hopes for you, young Master Malfoy. And before I go, I’ll leave you with a little Christmas present, which may sway you to my side faster.” Voldemort went over to Draco and touched the top of his head. He chanted a spell and Draco felt something jelly-like slide through his body. He shivered for the nth time since he and Voldemort met.
At that, Voldemort turned around and left through one of the many secret chambers from the Slytherin common room.
Draco stood in one spot for about 10 minutes. What did he just do to me without my consent? Draco walked over to the mirror to make sure he still looked normal. Hmmm…nothing different there. I don’t feel different. Weird. And at that, Draco brushed it off his mind and headed out the Slytherin common room.
Harry and Hermione were disappointed to find that Hagrid was not in his cabin. Fang was in there, barking and whining as usual, and they went in to give him company. They decided that if Hagrid didn’t show up in the next ten minutes they would go back to the castle. And as it turned out, Hagrid didn’t show up.
“Where do you think he is?” Harry asked.
Hermione’s face formed a frown. Indeed, her worst fears had come true. “Harry…remember Ron’s letter last night? When I said that if Dumbledore were sick, we’d know? Well, I change my mind. We probably wouldn’t know because the teachers want to keep it quite to keep chaos from erupting. And so that Voldemort can never be sure whether or not Dumbledore is strong enough to fight him.”
Harry took in this new information. It made sense. “So what do you think Hagrid is doing?”
“He’s probably either helping Dumbledore get better or else he’s going out to make sure the secret is kept safe,” replied Hermione, pretty sure of her response. “Let’s go back to the castle before it gets dark.”
Harry nodded and they left. As they headed back to the castle, they saw Draco sitting on the steps outside.
Harry wanted to punch him again. Hermione didn’t know what to do or say, so she did and said nothing. Draco didn’t seem to notice them approaching until they were two feet away from him. When he saw them, he suddenly stood up.
“Hey Harry. Hermione,” Draco greeted them.
Harry raised an eyebrow. What’s the git doing now?
“Harry, I want to apologize for this morning. Hermione, I’m sorry I called you a Mudblood. I swear it to you I won’t do it again.” Draco gave Hermione a warm smile and his eyes turned into the soft blue color she saw when they were together last night. Hermione’s stomach tightened and her heart tried to hammer its way out of her chest.
“We’re not going to fall for it again, Draco. One act was enough. I don’t care what you think you’re going to get out of this, but you’re not gonna get it,” Harry replied sternly.
Draco narrowed his eyes as if he were solving a world conflict. “Harry, I’ll come straight out and say this.” Draco paused, as to make what he was going to say more dramatic. Then he felt something jelly shoot through his body.
“I like Hermione.” Draco stated, as if he were saying something that they heard everyday.
Both Harry and Hermione’s jaw dropped at this. Draco couldn’t help but laugh at their shocked expressions. His face turned slightly pink when he himself just realized what he told them. What the hell did I just say? WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY? Wait, how did I get to talking to them? Someone’s playing with my mind. Then Draco remembered Voldemort’s spell. Something I desire. Oh no. He didn’t.
Unknowing of how to make this situation okay, Draco could do nothing but play along now. He watched Hermione with great concern; he didn’t want her to reject him yet again. While Hermione and Harry tried to make sense of what Draco just said, Draco himself thought about the truthfulness to his statement. I guess I like her. I don’t mind making out with her. And she’s not hideous or anything. She’s actually pretty hot now that I come to think about it. She smart, kind (well, sometimes), and a great kisser. Ha. I can’t believe I’m thinking these things.
Draco averted his gaze from Hermione to Harry; as if doing so would take his mind off her.
Finally, Hermione clamped her mouth shut. “Draco…” her voice was strained and soft.
Draco’s eyes flashed for a second and he looked at her, worried what was to follow his name.
Hermione cleared her throat so she could talk louder and sound like her usual all knowing self.
“Draco, what are you trying to do?” Hermione asked, obviously asking if he was doing this just so he could have another go at her, but Harry didn’t seem to catch on.
Draco let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know. I really don’t know Hermione.” He stopped. He called her Hermione again.
He quickly brushed the unneeded thoughts out of his head. “I didn’t even know I liked you until you just found out. I always thought that I hated you. Which I do, don’t get me wrong. I just like you at the same time.”
Hermione raised her eyebrow. “Do you realize that you make zero sense?”
Before Draco could respond, Harry decided to cut in, “Stay away from Hermione, Malfoy.”
Draco shifted his gaze to Harry. “Why should I listen to you, Potter?”
Harry restrained from jumping on Malfoy. “Just do it for your own safety.”
Malfoy laughed. “My own safety! What are you going to do Potter? Kill me? Here, give me your best shot!” Draco stepped in closer to Harry and pulled open the first layer of his robes.
Harry looked away. “I’m not going to kill you, you git. If you touch a hair on her head, I’ll torture you to the point that you’ll want to die.”
Draco smirked. “She didn’t seem to mind me touching her yesterday.”
Harry immediately shut up and stared at Hermione. She turned red and looked away.
“What’s he talking about Hermione?” Harry asked unevenly.
“It was nothing Harry,” Hermione responded truthfully. “We just kissed.”
“JUST KISSED?” Harry shouted. “YOU KISSED HIM?”
Hermione turned around to face Harry.
“Calm down Harry! I wasn’t feeling right. It was just a mistake.”
“Yeah, what a hell of a mistake to make!” Harry retorted.
Draco sighed. He wanted all this arguing to stop. “Will you two shut up?! Harry, I was the one who started it okay? I already told you that I like Hermione. If Hermione doesn’t like me, then that sucks for me, but she didn’t really have a choice about what happened yesterday.”
“Didn’t have a choice?” Harry spat, still glaring at Hermione.
“You’re not jealous are you?” Draco asked, a smirk snaking onto his face.
Harry turned red. “I have a girlfriend.”
“Oh yeah, Weasley,” Draco laughed. “Just cause you have a girlfriend doesn’t mean you can’t want another girl.”
Hermione stared in disbelief. “Draco, shut your mouth. Harry loves Ginny.”
Draco looked at Hermione and an evil grin came across his face, “Just like I love you.”
Hermione glared at Draco. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s not love, Hermione. It’s wanting meeting loneliness. We take the most convenient person nearby to cure ourselves of the pain.”
Hermione slapped Draco. “So that’s all I am? ‘Convenient’?”
Draco raised an eyebrow, ignoring the new found pain in his left cheek. “Do you want to be more than that? Don’t tell me you like me, Granger.”
Hermione didn’t know what to say; she definitely wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that she did. How can I like him and hate him at the same time? Hermione chose not to speak, and instead, she grabbed Harry by the arm and marched past Draco and into the warmth of the castle.
Draco remained outside in the bitter cold. His cheeks were still hot because of the pain that Hermione gave him.
Touché! He touched his face lightly. Then he remembered when she slapped him for the first time during their third year. He laughed silently to himself. He sat down again on the steps and rested his head in his right palm, thinking about everything that just happened.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Hermione were warming up next to the fire place. They were pretty silent, but then Harry started talking.
“Hermione,” he started. Hermione looked up at him, indicating that she was listening. “Do you think what Malfoy said could be true?”
Hermione’s expression became rather ugly.
“Which part?” she asked, though she was sure that her answer would be no, regardless of which part Harry was talking about.
“The part about me having a girlfriend and liking someone else at the same time,“ Harry said, barely above a whisper. He was no longer looking at her, but instead into the blazing fire. Hermione didn’t know what to say. Was Harry telling her that he liked her? How could that be possible? But then again, how is it possible that she likes Malfoy? She let out a heavy sighed.
“You love Ginny, not me, Harry,” she replied at last.
“But. When I think about you and Malfoy together…I can’t control the things I feel, Hermione! I get insanely jealous when I think about you with someone else. I mean. You’ve always been mine!” Harry cried.
Hermione chose not to take offense that Harry was talking about her like his property. “That’s not true, Harry. You were fine when I was with Krum.”
“That’s because I knew you didn’t like him back,” Harry responded. “I keep telling myself that you don’t like Malfoy, but everything that’s been happening lately proves that you do!”
Hermione looked down. “Maybe I do like him, Harry.”
“No. Don’t say that,” Harry pleaded, lifting her chin so that she was looking at him. “Please tell me you don’t like him. You said earlier that it was just a mistake.”
Hermione sighed. “It’s like he said. I didn’t know that I liked him. In fact, I can’t be totally sure right now. It just happens. It’s uncontrollable. If I had a choice, I would not pick him to be my prince charming, trust me on that one Harry.”
Harry let go of her chin. “Then…I have no choice but to like you too. I have never felt this way about Ginny, Hermione. I guess something had to happen to make me realize that I like you.”
Hermione didn’t know what to say now that Harry had said “I like you” to her.
She put a hand on Harry’s face and looked into his bright green eyes. “We’re all tired Harry. Let’s take a nap before dinner and talk about it later, okay?” Harry nodded and walked off to his room.
After Hermione heard his door shut, she left the common room and headed towards the Room of Requirement. She had a feeling that Malfoy would be there waiting for her.
When she reached the seventh floor, she found herself correct. Once again, there was a room there. She didn’t even hesitate to open the door. Draco was lying on one of the couches with a warm blanket pulled over him.
“My cheek still hurts,” he said, without opening his eyes.
“You deserved it,” Hermione replied. Draco sat up. He threw off the blanket and walked over to Hermione. Without another word, he brought their faces together with a long and passionate kiss.
“How sweet,” came a voice. Hermione and Draco jumped apart. Hermione looked around confused. Draco felt dread in his heart. Voldemort once again appeared out of nowhere from a shadowy corner. Hermione let out a scream.
“Now, now, my dear, don’t be afraid,” Voldemort responded. “Stupefy!”
Hermione dropped, but Draco caught her before she hit the ground.
“What’d you do that for?!” Draco yelled.
Voldemort grinned. He pointed his hand at Draco and stupefied him too.