Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun...
"Just shut up and kiss me."
When she woke up she was alone in the Room of Requirement, and for a moment Hermione forgot about the previous night's events.
Instead, Hermione turned over, expecting to see Draco but finding a folded piece of parchment where his head should be.
Dearest Hermione,
It is so clear to me now that we cannot be together. It kills me, but it kills me even more to see you in pain. Obviously you love your friends very much, and I would never want to separate you. So it is with that I wish you sad goodbye. I'm not going to see you in classes anymore, I have switched all my periods. It would be too hard for me to see you everyday. I love you but I know you'll be better off without me.
Love always,
Draco
A ferocious, chaotic rage tore through Hermione as she finished reading the note. She flew out of the Room of Requirement, setting the parchment on fire as she went out.
It was 9:00 in the morning, meaning everybody was most likely in the Great Hall. She stormed in there, creating such a loud noise that the entire hall went silent, staring at her.
Her voice was low, but everyone could hear her as she said, "Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley are needed outside." When nobody moved she mustered up all her strength and screamed, "NOW!"
The three got up slowly, looking intensely embarrassed as they walked over to her. They followed her out of the Great Hall and winced when she slammed the door shut.
"Now listen up, all of you," she barked.
"I don't need this, I'm-" Ron began walking away but Hermione flicked her wand, gluing him in place in front of her.
"Draco. You are such an arse, you know that? How dare you leave me alone with just a silly little note! Are you crazy? If you don't love me, tell me, and I will leave you alone forever. But so help me, I am not giving you up without a fight!"
She didn't let him respond before turning to Ron and Harry. "And you two. Trying to make me feel guilty for falling in love! I love you guys as if you were my brothers, and we have been through way too much to give it up now. I'm sorry you don't like my choice. I would have thought you might be happy for me. But I'm in love with Draco Malfoy, and you can't change that!"
She unglued Ron, who instead of forgiving her, simply walked out of the castle on to the grounds. "He's in love with you," Harry hissed as he followed Ron. "For someone so smart, I can't believe you would be this stupid. Why can't you see?"
Hermione stood, dumbfounded. "What?" she mumbled to herself. Draco cleared his throat and she looked up at him hopefully.
"Hermione... I-" The Great Hall doors burst open.
"Oh, Draco! Come here baby, why are you talking to that nasty Mudblood?" She shot Hermione a triumphant look a she laced hands with Draco and kissed him on the lips.
His eyes pleaded with Hermione, begging her to forgive him, but she simply shook her head. "No..." she whispered, feeling her heart break. She shot a body bind curse on Pansy and rounded on Draco, hurt, angry, and confused.
She threw curse after curse at him, all of which he dodged. Finally she hit him with a loud, but not particularly powerful, "Stupefy!" and he was thrown on the ground where he lay on his back, looking scared.
"Why did you do this?" she asked cautiously. "If you didn't want ro be with me, you could have just told me. These lies... weren't necessary."
As he opened his mouths to respond, the doors to the Great Hall blew open, revealing a very angry looking Professor McGonagall. "All three of you, my office, now," she clipped out, her nostrils flared.
She sighed as Pansy groaned from deep within her throat, still unable to move her mouth. McGonagall released her quickly. "Let's go, Ms. Parkinson."
When they all got upstairs, Professor Snape was already waiting in the office. Once they were all seated, Snape smirked. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Parkinson, what did Ms. Granger do to you?"
"Severus, we can't assume-"
"Silence, Minerva. Let's hear what they have to say."
As Pansy launched in to a revolting tale about how Hermione had hurt her and "Dracie-poo", Hermione and Draco were talking to each other with their eyes.
"I'm sorry," his cool eyes begged.
Her brown eyes flickered sadly. "Too late now."
"I love you," his clearly said.
She looked away.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat at Draco, who was still gazing intently at Hermione. "Mr. Malfoy? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
His eyes landed on Pansy, who was smiling smugly at him. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "I am completely and irrevocably in love with Hermione Granger.
Both teachers exchanged frantic glances, Hermione's eyes went as wide as saucers, and Pansy burst in to tears.
"Severus, please escort Ms. Parkinson down to her common room and see to it that she feels alright." When he began to protest, she shot him a glare that would make You-Know-Who himself shiver in his boots, and Snape stalked out, followed by a whimpering Pansy.
"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, please explain to me what the devil is going on here."
Draco cut in before Hermione could. "Professor, I don't think anything really happened. We had a, er... lover's quarrel. That's all." He shot her a sheepish smile and she sighed.
"Honestly, I have no idea what to even think. Just go, but from now on, take your quarrels elsewhere, alright?"
They both nodded and and swiftly left the room. As soon as they left, Hermione ran for the stairs, not wanting to talk to Draco. He was messing with her whole mind, confusing her so much, a feeling she had never felt before.
"Hermione, please wait!" Draco dodged confused students and used his long, lean legs to catch up with her quickly. He grabbed her and spun her around so they were looking right at each other.
"Hermione, I don't know what to do. I don't what's going to happen now, I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I do know that what I said was true. I'm in love with you Hermione Granger. And no one is going to change my mind."
She couldn't make eye contact with him. She was so upset and bewildered. But she knew the boy in front of her was real, and what they had was more special than anything she had ever felt before. It was time for her to pull her head out of the books, and use her heart to make a decision.
"Just shut up and kiss me."
So he did.
Instead, Hermione turned over, expecting to see Draco but finding a folded piece of parchment where his head should be.
Dearest Hermione,
It is so clear to me now that we cannot be together. It kills me, but it kills me even more to see you in pain. Obviously you love your friends very much, and I would never want to separate you. So it is with that I wish you sad goodbye. I'm not going to see you in classes anymore, I have switched all my periods. It would be too hard for me to see you everyday. I love you but I know you'll be better off without me.
Love always,
Draco
A ferocious, chaotic rage tore through Hermione as she finished reading the note. She flew out of the Room of Requirement, setting the parchment on fire as she went out.
It was 9:00 in the morning, meaning everybody was most likely in the Great Hall. She stormed in there, creating such a loud noise that the entire hall went silent, staring at her.
Her voice was low, but everyone could hear her as she said, "Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley are needed outside." When nobody moved she mustered up all her strength and screamed, "NOW!"
The three got up slowly, looking intensely embarrassed as they walked over to her. They followed her out of the Great Hall and winced when she slammed the door shut.
"Now listen up, all of you," she barked.
"I don't need this, I'm-" Ron began walking away but Hermione flicked her wand, gluing him in place in front of her.
"Draco. You are such an arse, you know that? How dare you leave me alone with just a silly little note! Are you crazy? If you don't love me, tell me, and I will leave you alone forever. But so help me, I am not giving you up without a fight!"
She didn't let him respond before turning to Ron and Harry. "And you two. Trying to make me feel guilty for falling in love! I love you guys as if you were my brothers, and we have been through way too much to give it up now. I'm sorry you don't like my choice. I would have thought you might be happy for me. But I'm in love with Draco Malfoy, and you can't change that!"
She unglued Ron, who instead of forgiving her, simply walked out of the castle on to the grounds. "He's in love with you," Harry hissed as he followed Ron. "For someone so smart, I can't believe you would be this stupid. Why can't you see?"
Hermione stood, dumbfounded. "What?" she mumbled to herself. Draco cleared his throat and she looked up at him hopefully.
"Hermione... I-" The Great Hall doors burst open.
"Oh, Draco! Come here baby, why are you talking to that nasty Mudblood?" She shot Hermione a triumphant look a she laced hands with Draco and kissed him on the lips.
His eyes pleaded with Hermione, begging her to forgive him, but she simply shook her head. "No..." she whispered, feeling her heart break. She shot a body bind curse on Pansy and rounded on Draco, hurt, angry, and confused.
She threw curse after curse at him, all of which he dodged. Finally she hit him with a loud, but not particularly powerful, "Stupefy!" and he was thrown on the ground where he lay on his back, looking scared.
"Why did you do this?" she asked cautiously. "If you didn't want ro be with me, you could have just told me. These lies... weren't necessary."
As he opened his mouths to respond, the doors to the Great Hall blew open, revealing a very angry looking Professor McGonagall. "All three of you, my office, now," she clipped out, her nostrils flared.
She sighed as Pansy groaned from deep within her throat, still unable to move her mouth. McGonagall released her quickly. "Let's go, Ms. Parkinson."
When they all got upstairs, Professor Snape was already waiting in the office. Once they were all seated, Snape smirked. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Parkinson, what did Ms. Granger do to you?"
"Severus, we can't assume-"
"Silence, Minerva. Let's hear what they have to say."
As Pansy launched in to a revolting tale about how Hermione had hurt her and "Dracie-poo", Hermione and Draco were talking to each other with their eyes.
"I'm sorry," his cool eyes begged.
Her brown eyes flickered sadly. "Too late now."
"I love you," his clearly said.
She looked away.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat at Draco, who was still gazing intently at Hermione. "Mr. Malfoy? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
His eyes landed on Pansy, who was smiling smugly at him. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "I am completely and irrevocably in love with Hermione Granger.
Both teachers exchanged frantic glances, Hermione's eyes went as wide as saucers, and Pansy burst in to tears.
"Severus, please escort Ms. Parkinson down to her common room and see to it that she feels alright." When he began to protest, she shot him a glare that would make You-Know-Who himself shiver in his boots, and Snape stalked out, followed by a whimpering Pansy.
"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, please explain to me what the devil is going on here."
Draco cut in before Hermione could. "Professor, I don't think anything really happened. We had a, er... lover's quarrel. That's all." He shot her a sheepish smile and she sighed.
"Honestly, I have no idea what to even think. Just go, but from now on, take your quarrels elsewhere, alright?"
They both nodded and and swiftly left the room. As soon as they left, Hermione ran for the stairs, not wanting to talk to Draco. He was messing with her whole mind, confusing her so much, a feeling she had never felt before.
"Hermione, please wait!" Draco dodged confused students and used his long, lean legs to catch up with her quickly. He grabbed her and spun her around so they were looking right at each other.
"Hermione, I don't know what to do. I don't what's going to happen now, I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I do know that what I said was true. I'm in love with you Hermione Granger. And no one is going to change my mind."
She couldn't make eye contact with him. She was so upset and bewildered. But she knew the boy in front of her was real, and what they had was more special than anything she had ever felt before. It was time for her to pull her head out of the books, and use her heart to make a decision.
"Just shut up and kiss me."
So he did.