A/N: READ THIS! I HIGHLY suggest you download "Trouble" by Coldplay, because it's going to be like the soundtrack to this chapter. As soon as you read that Draco puts on his earphones or something along those lines, hit play. PLEASE download "Trouble," I think it will enhance the chapter (hopefully!).

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The students flooded the train station, hardly believing that the school year was already complete. There was the deep scarlet Hogwarts Express waiting to take the students back to their homes, be it muggle or magic. Hermione, Ron and Harry were chatting up a few other Gryffindors when it was announced they could begin boarding the train. They of course shared a compartment, as was customary. By the time all of the students were aboard and the train lurched into motion, Hermione was speaking with Ginny Weasley, her prefect replacement. An hour later, she had explained to Ginny what she was expected to do and what being a prefect was like when she sighed and stood up.

"Guys, I've got to use the loo." Harry and Ron laughed.

"Go ahead; there was no need to share."

Draco had grabbed a compartment for himself, sending Crabbe and Goyle to bother some younger Slytherin girls. It was amusing to watch them flirt for a while, but when the girls took the bait it became sickening fast. Draco pulled his legs into his chest and glanced out the window. He wanted his poetry book, but he'd packed it in his stored trunk. He supposed it was true: you never have it when you want it. He got up to look for his cronies and slid the door open. They were in a nearby compartment, with two very annoying giggling fourth years who actually seemed to fancy the goons. Draco was about to shut the door again when he saw Hermione. He called out to her.

"Hey, where are you off to?"

"Actually, I was just coming back from the w-c." She chuckled. "Too much information, I know."

"That's alright. You want to join me for a bit? I'm about to go nuts here."

"Sure. You've got the compartment to yourself?" She looked around quizzically.

"Ah well, my sidekicks are busy hitting on hags number one and two." He pointed in their direction before sliding the door shut.

"Congratulations again on making Head Boy. You worked very hard to get it, and you pulled it off. I'm very proud." She beamed at him.

"You should be proud of yourself, Hermione. You made Head Girl, which you wanted, and you did an awesome job tutoring me." Her cheeks turned a light pink, making Draco's insides turn to mush. This was his last chance, his last opportunity to tell Hermione how he felt before it was too late. He figured he'd have all summer to get over the rejection and for the awkwardness to subside. Sharing a dorm after confessing your love for someone can't be much fun. Draco suddenly felt like puking. 'Pull it together, Malfoy,' he thought. With a flutter of his eyes, he sighed.

"Hermione, I think I ought to tell you something."

"What's that?"

"When I found you and Weasley together that night, I had known that you were in there. I heard your voice from the hall and I wanted to get you in trouble. So I walked in the room. I wanted to pick a fight with Weasley, make you both feel terrible. But you handled it so well. You were kind of panicky, but you made me a deal instead of freaking out. I thought of everything I could make you do, to make you miserable. I figured that making you help me achieve Head Boy status would be the worst: betraying Harry and rooming with me next year. But it backfired. I was the one who ended up being miserable."

Hermione looked hurt and confused, but it took him a moment to continue.

"Hermione, when lessons started I loathed you. You, with your super friends, your books and knowledge, your perfect life. Then that night in the hospital, I woke up and you were there. I was so shocked... I couldn't understand why you were there, why you cared. Madam Pomfrey told me later that you were in there on my arrival, that you had looked so concerned and even brushed a leaf out of my hair. I didn't get it. You stayed with me that night until I fell asleep - I know you must have because your CD player wasn't there anymore when I woke up. Its crazy, but that meant a lot to me."

"That's ok. I was worried about you, I suppose. But I don't get why you're miserable?"

"There's more. That night, you looked so beautiful. I'd never seen you that way before, and I saw you in a completely different light. You weren't know-it-all-nerd girl anymore... you'd blossomed into this stunningly gorgeous and graceful woman. I remember regretting not paying attention to you more, because I missed out on that. I don't know if I could forgive myself for that.

"That's about when the dreams started. You haunted my dreams every night, coming to me and teasing me with something I knew I could never have. You. I'd wake up confused, pushing away the feelings that were building up inside of me. I'm a Malfoy: I'm not supposed to have feelings for other human beings. No matter what I tried, they wouldn't go away. And every second that I was around you, they grew stronger.

"Then one day, you told me about Weasley. If I hated him before, it was nothing compared to how I felt about him after that. Like the rest of the school, I thought you were the perfect little couple. But I found out what a complete jerk he was to you, treating you no better than he treats me. I've thought about killing him on many occasions for what he's said or done to you. I hated him, hated him for having what I couldn't and knowing that I could have offered her so much more, treated her so much better. I hate him because all I've wanted was for your happiness, and he makes you quite unhappy."

Hermione looked stunned.

"I'm miserable, Hermione, because I can't breathe when I'm around you. I act like a fool in your presence. My heart beats so fast and loud I'm sure that you can hear it. I can't move when you look into my eyes. Sometimes I can think of nothing but you. Quidditch practice, class, at night - it doesn't matter when or where. The slightest hint of vanilla, Hogwarts; A History, hell even a piece of parchment - they all remind me of you somehow. I know that you've said that you don't like the way you look, or the way you act, but to me Hermione, you're perfect. You are the most intelligent and attractive girl in this school, with the best personality of anyone. You know what you want, and you go for it. I've never seen anyone so beautiful - inside or out.

"I'm miserable because I have to see you everyday, see you holding hands with Weasley or laughing with Potter, and I can't be that for you. I know that I could never be with you because I'm not nearly good enough...I doubt that anyone in the school is good enough for you. I can't even be your friend outside of our lessons, because your friends would always try to fight me, and you'd get in trouble with Ron. I'm in agony every day, because you and I are often so close that I could reach out and touch you, but I can't. You're so out of reach, it makes me hurt sometimes. Literally hurt. To see you go back to Ron over and over again hurts me more than anything Voldemort could ever do to me. To see you give him that smile and to see you look at him that way tears me apart. I want to be the one who holds you, who you smile at, hold you when you cry, laugh with you, I want to be with you all the time. But I know that's just not possible."

The words lingered in the air for a few moments.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that I l-" he couldn't say it. "Is that I like you Hermione. Honestly. I really and truly like you a lot. So much that it hurts."

The compartment fell silent and no one spoke for what seemed like hours.

"Wow. I...I don't know what I should say to that. You can't mean it."

"But I do!" He looked into her eyes, and she found in his eyes the raw emotion that she knew would be there.

"I...oh, Silver." She sighed. "I...I should go... Ron and Harry, they're-" He pulled her back down into the seat and kept her hands in his.

"Hermione, I know you feel the same way, I can see it in your eyes! Please, don't deny your feelings for me."

"I- yes, I have feelings for you."

"Then why can't we be together?"

"You want to know why? This scares me. My feelings for you scare me. Before our lessons, everything was fine, I was happy with Ron. Then you and I became friends and I began feeling for you, feeling things that I should be feeling for Ron. I was no longer content with our relationship. Ron and I had made sense before, I couldn't see what you see. We are still supposed to make sense... that's what everyone expects, that's what's going to make sense down the line. Our feelings for each other, they don't make sense. We hated each other for so long, how can we suddenly just start falling for each other?"

"So then you are falling in love with me?"

"Oh, please don't, Silver." She stood up. "Listen, none of this makes sense, and that scares me! I had everything figured out before our lessons and now everything is just a jumbled mess of chaos! I don't know how to handle things anymore, I don't know how to go back to the way things were, I don't even know if I want to go back to the way things were. I don't know if I want to change, I don't know if I want to be with Ron, NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE! And that scares me." She finished weakly.

"Hermione, if you would just listen to what I know your heart is telling you everything would make sense."

"We couldn't. We'd end up hurting each other or hurting others. Yes, I'll admit, I have feelings for you, strong feelings. But to act on those feelings would be foolish and insensible. You'll... you'll get over it."

"What about you, will you get over it?"

"I have to. I have to be with Ron."

"You don't have to be with anyone."

"Listen, I've got to go, they are probably wondering where I am right now. Let's not talk about this anymore ok?"

He nodded and felt his heart breaking into a million pieces. Why couldn't she just go with what she feels? He stood up to see her out of the compartment.

"Is it alright if I write to you over the summer?"

"Yea. That would be nice." She gave a sad smile and leaned in to hug him. Hermione swept her lips against his cheek and neither could stand being so close yet feeling so far apart. They held each other for a bit longer before she turned to go.

"Have a good summer."

"You too," he called after her retreating back.

Draco sat back down in his seat and spotted Hermione's cd player. He had forgotten that he brought it on the train. He dashed back out in the hall waving it around.

"Hermione, your CD player!"

"Keep it, I've got one at home."

He returned to the compartment with a sigh and put the headphones over his head, pressing play. He recognized the sad piano intro and almost laughed at the irony of that particular song coming on. He leaned his head up against the wall, feeling like slamming it repeatedly for being so stupid. He shut his eyes, the memory of his conversation with Hermione still fresh in his mind. Why had he said such stupid things?

Oh no, I see,
A spider web is tangled up with me,
And I lost my head,
The thought of all the stupid things I said,

He felt like crawling in a hole. A tear slid down his cheek.

Oh no what's this?
A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,
So I turned to run,
The thought of all the stupid things I've done,
I never meant to cause you trouble,
And I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
Oh no, I never meant to do you harm.

He hastily wiped the tears from his face. He couldn't cry, what if Crabbe and Goyle came back? He looked out the window at the scenery that was passing by. He wished Hermione would have stayed with him, told him that she felt the same and that they could be together. He sang along.

Oh no I see,
A spider web and it's me in the middle,
So I twist and turn,
Here I am in my little bubble,
Singing, I never meant to cause you trouble,
I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
Oh no, I never meant to do you harm.

He couldn't believe it. She did have feelings for him. He hated Ron, hated Ron for getting to her first, hated Ron for having such a hold over her, and hated himself for making himself so vulnerable. He hated himself for turning Hermione's world upside down the way he had. He would write to her. He would put up all appearances that he was ok without her, and that she could go back to having things make sense. He had to get over her, had to get over his love for her, not for himself but for her. From here on out, Draco would put every ounce of his being into getting over her, so that Hermione could live her life happily. He couldn't be a barrier to her happiness - he couldn't bear to live with himself if that happened.

They spun a web for me,
They spun a web for me
They spun a web for me.

Her heart still breaking, Hermione walked back into the compartment she shared with her friends. She had turned him away, turned away the person who made her feel so special and the only person she had ever felt so strongly for. She felt guilty that she didn't feel that way about Ron.

"Hermione, where have you been?"

"Hmm? Oh, long line at the loo."

She sat in silence for a while, thinking. She had to get over him, so that he could live his life happily. She wanted to be with him so badly, but she knew it just simply wasn't sensible. If she really cared for Draco, she would get over him. She felt Ron's hand slip into hers. She gave a small smile.

"So, everyone looking forward to summer?"