Conversation Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or The company that makes Conversation Hearts.

THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR VALENTINE'S DAY 2007.

Hermione was sitting in the library, where else would she be on Valentine's Day? It's not like she had a date or anything. Who in their right mind would want to spend any quality alone time with her? She hated this day... hated it with a passion no one knew she possessed.

She took out a bag of tiny candy hearts that had witty and romantic sayings on them and plopped it in the middle of the table. Reaching her hand in the bag, she pulled out a bunch and made a pretty colorful mound with them.

"Soul Mate," she read before putting the small green heart into her mouth. "Yeah right! Soul Mate! That's a joke! As if I have one!" she thought to herself sadly.

She sighed and flipped the page of her book. Out in the hallway, she could hear the laughter of lovers chasing each other, trying to get a kiss. It seemed as though everyone had a significant other to share this romantic day with... except her. And this was why she was sitting in the deserted library, alone.

Suddenly the chair across from her was wrenched away from the table, turned unceremoniously around backwards and a smirking blond-headed Slytherin sat down.

Hermione didn't bother to look up. He was up to no good, that she was sure of. He was probably here to make fun of the boyfriendless freak she was.

She watched as he reached his hand across the table and picked up a yellow candy heart off the top of her pile. He picked it up, read it and then her eyes followed it's progress as he slid it across the table for her to read. "Guess What?" it said.

Hermione popped it into her mouth, searched the stack of multicolored hearts until she found a proper response. "Go Away" the tiny purple candy said. She smiled and handed it to him.

Draco read it and frowned. He then pilfered another from her stash and smirked at it, apparently pleased at what it expressed.

Hermione held her hand out and he placed it in her palm. "I'm in love." She read it silently and then looked over at him. He was leaning on the table, his head on his arms, looking at her expectantly. Surly he was sent from hell to torture her with his talk of being in love! She bite ruthlessly into the sweet candy and chewed it to a fine powder while searching the heart-pile.

Draco could barely contain his curiosity. He raised his head and tried to see what the writing on the small white heart said before she gave it to him.

Hermione saw him peeking and rolled her eyes. Holding the candy between her fingers, she waited for him to take it. She didn't have long to wait, he snatched it away greedily.

It said one word, "Who?"

"I love you" the pink heart said that came her way. She almost laughed out loud, it was absurd! Like she would believe he loved her! Spreading the candy out on the table to get a better look at the sayings, she managed to find one that was a bit sarcastic. She slid it over to him, smiling.

"Get real." Draco, who was clearly annoyed, picked up another pink heart and threw it at her.

Hermione caught it before it bounced off her forehead. He was obviously angry, but she had no idea why. It's not like he really loved her and she told him to get lost or something. This was all a game... a fun game, but a game nonetheless. She looked down at it and gasped. "True" it said. She quickly looked up at him, searching his face. He showed no emotion what so ever. He was just waiting patiently for her response.

Draco plucked the sugary confection from her outstretched hand and grinned as he read it, "No way" it read. He raised his eyebrow at her and put the candy in his mouth, where he sucked on it loudly. He stared at her for a few seconds and then picked up two hearts.

Hermione watched him assemble the words until they made a sentence. "I want you", the first one said. "Sugar lips", the second one pronounced.

Draco watched her reaction with amusement. She probably had never been called by such an endearment before and it was fun to see her blush. She shoved a yellow heart at him, not looking him in the eye. "You flirt". Draco chuckled silently.

She was almost afraid to continue. It was heading into dangerous territory and she wasn't so sure it was an innocent game anymore. She bit her bottom lip as she saw him intently piecing together another candy sentence. This time he held up the first one and it said, "You & Me". He put it down, only to be replaced by a purple one that read, "Honey Pie".

He smiled, actually smiled at her and she was totally shocked for a minute. She had known him for years and never once had he EVER smiled at her... it was quite beautiful. She smiled back and made her own statement with two green hearts.

Draco watched her long slender fingers rummage through the candy. She had pale pink polish on that made him think of seashells for some odd reason. She turned the hearts so he could see them. "I'm sure. Lover Boy" they said.

He quickly found the one he wanted, took her hand and placed it in her sweaty palm. He put his hand on hers and closed it over the candy. He reluctantly released her and she slowly opened her hand.

"Kiss me", it said in bold letters.

Draco saw her stare at the words as if she was illiterate.

Hermione read the words over and over. Was he serious? Did he really want to kiss her? She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, thoughtfully.

He thought that maybe he had gone too far by asking for a kiss. At least he had asked... more than once he had been tempted to just grab her and snog the daylights out of her.

The pile of candy was getting very small and she picked through the remaining hearts until spotting a good one. Trying not to let him see how badly her hand was shaking, she tossed it to him.

He caught it, not even blinking an eyelash. He had great reflexes, that's why he was a Seeker. When Draco saw that it said "Dream On", he realized that Hermione didn't believe a thing he was saying, which was a shame, because it was all true.

He had come to the library for the sole purpose of telling her once and for all how he really felt about her. It was their last year. Who knew what would happen once they left Hogwarts. He might never see her again! He reached over and used five of the six remaining candy hearts to try and convince her that he really meant what he said.

Hermione sat and curiously observed him as he struggled to convey his feelings with the sorry amount of conversation hearts that were left. He scratched some of the words off and then lined them up. He sighed, looking very disappointed at his sentence as he slid it over to her. "I love you. Only you. True. No Doubt. And."

Draco watched her read his pathetic attempt at romance. His heart was racing and his mouth was suddenly as dry as the Sahara.

Hermione read the last word and looked up at him. "And? And what?" she asked out loud.

Draco stood up, tossed the chair to the side, slid across the table, grabbed her and said with a smirk, "And this." He kissed her deeply and tenderly, making her wilt in his arms.

When he released her captive lips, she reached down and picked up the last tiny heart. "This is for you," she said and placed the yellow candy in his hand.

He looked down at it. It didn't say anything.

"Turn it over."

He flipped it and saw that a smilie face was stamped on it. It matched the one on her face perfectly.

*the end*