EIGHT

"Hermione, what do you think of Malfoy?" She suddenly felt flustered, blushing with a hint of wild crimson. She lowered her head as she passed a book towards him, sliding it quietly across the table. She avoided eye contact with Harry. She was afraid that if she did, her feelings for Draco would be revealed. As they said, the eyes really were the windows to one's soul. "I mean, if he was to ask you, would you say yes?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously. "Is this supposed to be a trick question or what?" He looked at her sternly and she held her hands up. "I mean, I don't know if I should answer that seriously."

He rolled his eyes. Is everything supposed to have logic behind them? Can't people ask simply because they're curious? Or because they want to know another person's point of view in the situation? "No, it's not." He finally answered her, a bit flabbergasted. "I just want to know if you'd say yes or not, is all." Now, if that wasn't simple enough for Hermione's logic shenanigans, he didn't know what simple is anymore.

A smirk started to play along her thin line of lips. "Are you planning on spending the next Hogsmeade trip with him?"

"Bullocks." He suddenly said in a flat tone. "You've caught me, yes, yes, Hermione. I do plan on going with him to the next Hogsmeade trip, spend an hour or two drinking butterbeer and have this lovely wit-full of conversation with him. Then maybe he could walk me back to the Gryffindor Tower and I'd chat it away with Ron on how my date went and ask how his did with Blaise." Fits of laughter burtsed in the room and he slammed a book in front of her. "Get serious Hermione, I want to know your opinion."

After letting her laughter subside, she wiped the corner of her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I guess I'd give it a go. I don't see why not." She took back the book he just slammed and placed it back neatly where it came from. "Besides, why do you even ask? It's not like you seriously have a double date with him along with Ron and Zabini right?"

He shook his head with disgust. "Merlin, no. It's Luna."

Hermione suddenly flicked her eyes back to Harry, who now divulged himself in an old Quidditch magazine he just found. A huge lump seemed to have suddenly formed in her throat. "Luna?"

He nodded. "Malfoy's been dying to go on a date with her. Hate to say it but I don't think Luna sees the effort he puts into his work. Following her around the castle is not an easy thing to do." She tugged on her bottom lip, remaining silent. She knew better than to snap at Harry or get irritated at his silly antics. It's been days of constant mood swing for the two and guilt bubbled within her everytime she thought of how she's been treating her best friend.

Harry, who stopped to look at what she was doing, stared at her strangely. "Is something the matter?"

She wrapped a hand around her neck. "Well…"

"Well?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know where to begin though."

"Hermione, it's not like you're talking to someone new." He gave her an assuring lop-sided grin. "You can tell me anything."

She nodded and gave herself a little push. "Well… Here goes nothing." She mumbled. "I've liked Draco since the beginning of the school year."

Harry looked at the corners of his four poster bed, at the curtains that was shut close. He listened to the still sound of the night, the rise and fall of Seamus' chest from his left side and Ron's soft heaving noises from the right. He tried to shut his eyes but all he could see was Hermione. Images of her smiling flashed through his memory, bringing a smile across his lips. He thought of her sweet scent, a mixture of sweet pea and honeydew. Her auburn tresses, the way they've tamed themselves after all the years they've been through.

He couldn't get her out of his mind.

Neither could he get her words out of her mind.

"I like Draco, Harry. I like him a lot. I wish I could be much closer to him."

He sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair.

Sleep would do me good, he thought. But before he could manage to close his eyes, a brilliant idea came into his mind. He reached for the Maureder's Map underneath his mattress where no one could seek it. Opening it precisely to the Slytherin common room, he searched for Draco's name. And sure enough he found it, just outside the dungeons. He grinned wickedly.

Draco was about to have the best idea proposed to him.

Grabbing his invisibility cloak, he murmured a silencing charm on himself and quietly sneaked into the darkness.

Hermione didn't know why but she couldn't look at him. No, it was more like she refused to look at him. Telling Harry how she felt about Draco made her feel like an uneasy little school girl, feeling flustered and embarrassed. Ron held up his fork and eyed the scrambled eggs and bacon, looking like a tiger ready to pounce on its' prey. Harry stalked to the long table the way he usually did, head up in the clouds. He scratched the back of his neck, sitting down next to Hermione. He helped himself to some breakfast and when he saw her plate still empty, he grabbed it and filled it up as well.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" Ron chirped, turning his head to the table behind. Cho was eating, chatting happily with some of her girl friends.

Harry grinned. "Lovely morning indeed." He took his knapsack from under the table and retrieved his DADA school work. "Finished your essay yet?"

Ron beamed at him like a mad man. "Actually did, mate. Cho helped me finish it."

Hermione snickered as she looked at him. "You got Cho to do your essay for you? So is that what it's all about?"

He glared at her, obviously offended. "I'd have you know that Cho only chose the books I'd need for my essay. She did no help whatsoever, other than editing my final draft."

"Touché." She smirked. "Now you choose to actually do school work? I remember quite clearly how you didn't even want to go back to Hogwarts."

He rolled his eyes. "Should I express my gratitude out loud then?"

Harry shook his head. "You both sound like Scabbers and Crookshanks. Knock it off, will you?" Ron snarled at Hermione and she just growled back. "Instead of fighting, why don't two just help me with this damn essay?"

She smiled sympathetically at her bestfriend, ignoring Ron's presence completely. Not that he stayed any longer with them anyway. After giving a couple of helpful books, he bid Harry goodbye, promising to meet up with him in the Astronomy Tower. He nodded his head at Hermione but even if he did, she could tell that he got frustrated with her. She shook her head. He'd make up with her later. He always did anyways.

"So Hermione," Harry began slowly as he chewed on his scrambled eggs. "Are you free tomorrow evening?" She looked at him suspiciously. She couldn't help but wonder if he was asking her out on a date. He peered at her with his humungous pair of emerald eyes sparkling ever so adorably. Before she could smile at him however, he continued. "I reckon a date with Malfoy at the tower would be alright?"

Her jaw dropped, all of her thoughts about Harry being adorable vanishing completely.

A date with Draco Malfoy? She would say yes in a heartbeat.

"And she said yes to you?" Draco spat in disbelief as a smug looking Potter stood before him. Harry shrugged, as if to say that he was doing much better than him at this love game. "Damn." He hissed under his breath as the two of them made their way to McGonagall's class.

He mused on this mood Malfoy had. "She said yes in an instant."

He peered at him. "Did she really?"

"I don't know what was so hard about asking her." Harry didn't mean to brag but it was the truth. Luna could be hard to talk to at times but she liked being told off straight forward. So when Harry approached her at the crack of dawn at the Ravenclaw Tower, he asked instantly if she would like to go star gazing with him tomorrow evening - and she had said yes.

He frowned. "It took me 2 days to ask her. Half of her answers you couldn't even understand. You'd have to get Trawlaney to predict them. And even if she did, I bet her tea leaves won't be able to tell what that girl was thinking."

"Consider yourself lucky because she said yes."

He rolled his eyes. "To you, technically."

Harry nodded his head towards his female best friend. "Your date's not half bad."

He smirked. "Get your head in the game Potter. Just tell her you like her."

He looked at him and grinned. If only Malfoy knew he was the one Hermione liked. But he'd have to show Hermione his worth. He would have to work hard in showing Hermione he was so much better than Malfoy. And though Harry was never the type to compete, he never liked it when Hermione had her attention diverted into someone else other than him.

He would have to show her that he was something you couldn't miss.

They could be something and he knows it.

They would be infinite.

I apologize if it took me a long time to update but I've a legit reason and that's because one, all my pre-written updates were erased from my laptop and two was that midterm examinations took a toll on me. But anywhoo, I'm back! Though I'm not sure how long it'd take for me to write the next chappie. I do wish I could find that darn folder but it's nowhere to be seen huhu. As always, thank you for all that followed, favorited, and reviewed! I'll try to update before Valentines. happy love month dearies! xx