Author's Note: Once again, I would like to beg pardon for my crappy formatting. Enjoy.

Unrequited Love

by indigo
 
 

Chapter 4
 

Both Hermione and Draco sat in silence for some time, completely confused by the events of the last
fifteen minutes.

They had both admitted to liking each other. Now what? It was Hermione who broke the silence.

"So...what now?" She asked, looking at him earnestly.

"I don't...I don't know. For once, I don't have a sneaky solution to a problem..." he mused. Then he
stared into her eyes. "Hermione..."

"Don't say it. I know we have to keep...THIS a secret. Neither your House nor mine would ever let
us continue this relationship."

"Is it a relationship? I just don't know. I don't know if we can do this, Granger." For once, Hermione
thought, he didn't have that perpetual smirk on his face. In fact, he looked almost, well, HELPLESS.

"Maybe we should just let this go, you know? I don't want to be one of those people who has to sneak
around all the time...had enough of THAT with the Time-Turner in Third Year..."

"The what?"

"Nothing. Oh, Draco..." he flushed with pleasure at this use of his real name,"how could we ever get
through this?"

"You know, when I was thinking about telling you how I felt, I was imagining all of the things everyone
would have to say to me...how my parents would practically disown me, how my friends would NEVER
let me forget it...and I realized that I didn't really care. Not now, not ever."

They smiled at each other, and for once, Hermione felt that she didn't need to hide anything from
anybody.
 

***

"Where's Hermione? She's been in the Library for HOURS," Ron remarked, bending over his and
Harry's ongoing game of Exploding Snap.

"Oh, you know her, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't surface till suppertime."

"Yeah, I guess..." He was about to get back to the game when the subject of their discussion came
through the portrait hole entrance to the Tower.

"Hey, Hermione! Wow, you were gone a long time," Harry called to her. She barely nodded in his
direction before hurrying off through the door leading to the girls' dormitories. "What's with HER?" he
asked Ron.

"Dunno. Is it just me, or did she look a little flushed?"
 

***

Draco's mind was reeling. He felt giddy to the point of bursting, but at the same time, a little miserable.
He and Hermione had decided to keep their being together a secret until they felt their friends could
handle the news. But when will THAT be? he thought bitterly to himself. He got up from his four-poster
bed and left the dormitory, in the direction of the Common Room.

"Crabbe, Goyle!" he called, spotting his friends sitting near the entrance to the dungeon. They jumped
and peered at him through their beady, dull eyes.

"Yeah, Malfoy?" Goyle asked dumbly.

"Where have you BEEN?" asked Crabbe, who was slightly better at forming sentences than his cohort.

"I told you I'd be at the Library! Don't you two ever listen to me? Anyway...tell me, have you seen Pansy
anywhere near here?"

"Huh?" Goyle said stupidly.

"Pansy Parkinson! You know, about this high, blonde hair, pug nose---"

"Oh Draaccoo! I heard you were looking for me?" Draco turned around to see Pansy giving him a
sugar-sweet smile, standing near the door to the girls' rooms.

"Uh, uhm.." In actuality, he had been trying to make sure she wasn't anywhere NEAR him. But now
she'd found him yet again, and he was in for another half hour of useless chatter with a hopelessly smitten
girl he didn't even like much.

"Of course you were looking for me, silly. I mean, I'm ONLY your girlfriend..."

If he'd been drinking anything, he would have spat it out right then and there. Since when had he and
Pansy been seeing each other? Ohhhhh man....

"G-Girlfriend???" he stuttered, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "Since when--"

The look she gave him then could've rooted anyone to the spot. It was so icy-cold and, well, SCARY,
that he could do nothing else but stammer, "Uh, I mean, yeah, girlfriend. Uhm, let's go sit over there..."

What had he gotten himself INTO?! And what was he going to tell Hermione when she found out?
 
 
 

Author's Note: Oh geez you guys, I don't know about you, but there is a story forming in my head that is MUCH
bigger than I had initially intended for this Unrequited Love series. Tell me if you like the turn the story's taken,
and if you don't, I'll try to end it quickly, but if you DO, I may be able to develop the plot a little further before
the conclusion...so please review, it makes my day!
 

Back to Chapter 3
Chapter 5