From Dreams to Reality

Chapter 17______________________________________________________________

A mixture of odd feelings and emotions swept through Hermione's veins as she stared at the sight before her. She didn't quite understand why, but she felt as though her heart had cracked in two and she was being left as nothing but a soul staring at the scene with nothing but hopelessness.

She felt Draco's eyes on her, but didn't dare to look his way as she could sense that they wouldn't be comforting. He'd feel betrayed and perhaps even heart-broken himself if he had managed to read her sudden behaviour and her lack of comfort.

She watched as Harry moved out of Ginny's arms, looking shocked and uncertain. He seemed oblivious to the two pairs of eyes that were watching him and the girl he had previously had his lips against. He began to speak, but Hermione's ears were ringing and she didn't hear a word.

She only distantly felt Draco steer her away and up the marble staircase, her eyes not leaving Harry as he awkwardly spoke to Ginny about what had just happened.

Draco pulled her into an empty classroom, his expression hard as he looked down at her. She took a seat at a desk and shakily ran a hand through her hair, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. She still avoided meeting Draco's eyes, not wanting to see how he felt about the situation.

"I thought you were over him?" Draco questioned harshly, forcing her to look at him. "I thought you were bloody over him!"

"I thought I was," Hermione croaked, looking down at her hands.

Draco cursed loudly, not truly understanding the feelings and emotions that had built up within him since they'd entered the Entrance Hall.

"You still like him, though?" he sneered. "You can admit that?"

Hermione didn't answer immediately, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. "I'm not - I'm not sure. I - maybe I am..."

"Maybe? Maybe?!" Draco repeated fiercely. "Hermione, when are you going to be able to give a true, straight answer? I'm sick and tired of it. I asked you who you liked more - me or Potter; you could've easily have turned around and said Potter and we wouldn't be having this bloody argument right now! But no, you were unsure!"

Hermione's lip trembled violently and she broke down completely.

"I didn't - I didn't like Harry m-more!" she sobbed. "But I wasn't en-entirely sure as to who - who I liked more! Who I w-wanted to ch-ch-choose!" She looked up at Draco and wiped her eyes. "I chose you, though, Dr-Draco!" Hermione said. "I t-turned my back on one of my be-best friends for you!"

She broke down again and Draco merely stared at her, unsure of what to do or say.

"Do you still like him, though?" he asked eventually in a voice of forced calmness.

"I -" Hermione began, but stopped as she noticed the glare Draco gave her. "Yes," she replied with a nod, wiping her eyes again and avoiding Draco's eyes. "I do, but I - I don't l-like him as mu-much as I used to. I l-like you a l-lot more!"

Draco took a seat at a table and looked at her, his face still contorted with anger. As Hermione watched him with watering eyes, she knew that his mind was having a hard time in understanding everything. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed irritably. He looked at her for a second longer before looking away.

Inside, he could feel a mixture of confused emotions swimming around and not one of them he could understand. The pain within him hadn't moved, but it had ceased a little bit. He looked at Hermione, on the verge of more tears and regretted some of his words instantly. He mentally punished himself for not truly understanding.

Hermione was typically human. She had had to make a choice in picking between her former enemy, whom she had hated for six years of her life, or her best friend, whom had been dear in the centre of her heart for the same amount of time. It was a lose one, gain another situation. She had abandoned her friends for him, Draco, all because of an unsure belief that a couple of visions were trying to tell her who to choose, who she would be best with, when it really could've been either of them. It was really quite natural for her to still hold feelings for Harry.

Draco looked back up at Hermione, his heart aching with hesitant anticipation. "I love you," he said in a soft voice.

Hermione stiffened with shock, yet she felt her heart give a great pang and smiled slightly. Looking at him, she mentally tried to find the words to say. "I l-" She stopped suddenly when the door to the classroom burst open to reveal Ginny Weasley, her vivid red hair messy and her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Oh, sorry," she said hurried to the two of them, noticing the look of anger resurfacing on Draco's face. "I - er... Hermione, I have to tell you something," she said, still as hurriedly as before. "What you saw in the Entrance Hall - it was nothing, really. Harry came to me with this stupid plan of his. He wants you back and he had this idea that if he and I kissed somewhere where there was a great possibility we'd be seen, you'd find out and get jealous, perhaps realise that you still have feelings for him and -"

"And abandon Draco to be with him instead," Hermione finished for the young girl, feeling anger build up within her as well.

"I swear, Hermione, it was all his idea," Ginny said with an apologetic smile. "I declined, but he seemed to have the idea stuck in his head and as we were crossing the Entrance Hall, he just sort of grabbed me and started kissing me. He got a bit too swept up in the moment if you ask me. He only left a minute ago, looking more confused than I've ever seen him, to be honest."

Ginny looked from Draco to Hermione rather anxiously. "I'll talk you later then, shall I, Hermione?" With that, she swept from the room, closing the door behind her.

Hermione stood up. "I really should be getting back to the common room," she said, looking around her uncomfortably. "I need a rest to ... think."

Draco attempted to stop her, but his effort was worthless. She hurried from the room, leaving him there to cease the anger still burning within his veins.

*

Hermione lay on her bed later that night, listening to the sound of her dorm mates' light breathing as she went over all the events and thoughts of the past day.

She still didn't understand entirely why she had felt the way she had when she'd seen Harry kissing Ginny in the Entrance Hall. She had been so sure that the feelings she had held for Harry had ceased to nothing, but they had then reappeared along with a whole lot of new emotions at the sight of his lips against Ginny's. The fact it had all been some stupid, selfish plan of Harry's to try and win her back hurt her slightly as well and made her feel almost ... vulnerable. If that had been his first attempt, she didn't really want to see his next...

She turned over and stared at the scarlet curtains. Draco had seemed so angry with her and she couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself, even though she knew that the feelings that she still held for Harry were completely out of her control. But even his anger hadn't stopped the words that made her heart pound within her chest in such an irresistible way from exiting his mouth.

"I love you." The words circled her mind and a wide smile spread across her face. He loved her and she could never feel happier, but yet ... she had never responded. She had never told him that she in fact felt the same way, that she loved him and had never felt that way about anyone before in her life. But then again, she would've if Ginny hadn't interrupted...

Hermione inwardly cursed Ginny for walking into the room at such a bad time. Or rather, walking into the room all together. Merlin knew what might've happened after the words had swum from her mouth. Hermione was positive it would've been something good. Something she had had trouble not imagining for weeks...

Without a single other thought on her mind, Hermione quickly and quietly threw the covers off of her, climbed out of bed and silently put on her dressing gown. She exited the dormitory and headed down the stairs into the deserted common room as quietly as she could. She exited out into the corridors of the castle through the portrait hole and headed down several floors until she reached the eerily silent Entrance Hall, keeping in the shadows as much as she could in case anyone was taking a Midnight stroll. She descended the stairs down to the dungeons and headed towards the Slytherin common room, her footsteps echoing against the stone.

"Caligatio," Hermione whispered when she reached the stretch of wall between the silver and green torches. She headed on into the common room, thankful for it being empty, and up the left staircase towards Draco's dormitory. She reached it and knocked quietly, receiving no answer from the room within, and creaked the door open to reveal the dark dormitory, lit only by the moonlight shining through the window near Draco's bed.

She tiptoed to the bed and opened one side of the hangings to reveal Draco's sleeping form, his head resting softly on the green pillows.

Hermione sat down beside him at the edge of the bed and ran a finger down the side of his cheek, feeling its flawless softness. A tiny moan broke his light breathing and he moved slightly so he was lying on his back. His eyes opened slowly and he smiled up at her as he noticed who it was. He made to sit up, but Hermione placed a hand on his bare chest and stopped him.

"Another dream?" he asked quietly, moving over and giving her room to lie down beside him.

Hermione shook her head lightly, lying down and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "No," she whispered. Draco moved onto his side again and rested his head on his elbow, looking down at her, his eyebrow raised and a sexy expression on his face. Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not here for that, either, Draco!"

Draco shrugged. "I can always dream," he said, brushing his lips across hers.

Hermione recoiled slightly and looked at him seriously. "I'm here to talk to you about something else, or rather, tell you something else," she said rather nervously, looking at him in the eye. "I like you an awful lot Draco and I want to assure you that any feelings that I still hold for Harry are unwanted and no where near as big as the ones I hold for you. In a way, you've changed me and that isn't a bad thing. You've made me see the truth in the person you are and you've caused me to realise that sometimes the person you hate is the person you will end up loving at some stage further on in life. The fact that I've actually let such a thing happen is quite unlike me, but I don't regret a moment that I've spent with you."

She ran a hand over his cheek again as he looked at her with a small smile. He only vaguely knew where this little speech of hers was going and he didn't object to it one bit.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before in my life, Draco," Hermione said quietly, smiling down at him with content, "And I love you."

Draco didn't spare a second. His lips closed in on hers immediately, causing her to give a light moan. His arms entwined her waist and he pulled her closer to him, kissing her with an intensity and passion he had never even known he had in him.

Hermione ran her fingers through his hair as he lightly positioned himself on top of her, still kissing her with the same amount of passion, love and intensity as she pulled the open curtain of his bed closed.

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