SOLSTICE

She sat on the stone balcony with her legs dangling a few hundred feet above the ground.

"Gloomy day isn't it?" she said with a grin. Her straight hair fanned out like a dark brown flag, waving against the wind.

"What are you smiling about?" he smirked. "You never like gloomy days."

She smiled again, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. "Well, people are entitled to have second thoughts right?" She swayed her feet back and forth.

They were on one of the castles many turrets. He was casually leaning against a stone pillar, his hair set up in a slick manner. His face was cool and pale. He was staring at her of course.

It had only been weeks ago when he grabbed her by the shoulders and confessed with a crimson face on how attracted he was to her. She was shocked of course and was filled with disbelief. And he proved just how serious he was. She had every right to slap him, but all she did was run away from him.

It wasn't entirely his nerves of steel that made him admit though; it was fronted by Veritaserum. It was a class experiment and he and she accidentally became partners because of two absentees in class. Their potion backfired of course, no matter how much she tried to make it right. Their constant bickering and arguing became too distracting for the likes of her brilliant mind. Professor Snape, however, gave them a chance, since her partner was his favorite student.

They met again, well, after bed time hours to make up for the potion inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, incidentally where she and her friends had once made a concoction as well.

"I'll do it this time, " she said in her bossy voice.

They were both on the floor, in a squatting position with all their borrowed utensils at hand.

"Leave it to Miss Smarty Pants, " his drawling voice said.

She gave him a smug look and continued carefully mixing everything in every vial and bottle. Her

concentration was immensely amazing. He stared at her and he smiled.

"What are you looking at? " Her voice broke his gaze. Her eyes narrowed and her lips gave a pinched smile.

"Nothing, " he retorted. " And what's with the smile? "

"I'm not smiling. " Her eyes danced with laughter. She frowned but the laughter still sparkled in her eyes. "Stop bothering me and just watch how it should be done Slytherin. "

He went quiet and watched as she shook the contents of the vial. The sediments swirled around in an ugly, muddy color. Her hand reached out for another vial and she transferred the contents of what she held to the new one. She held the vial up against the light and frowned again. " What- " She began.

He grinned and held up another vial filled with a shade of green. " Forgot this Gryffindor? " he asked shaking the vial with a smug grin.

"Oh give me that! " she snapped. She poured the vial's contents with a furious look. She held it up again, this time to his face.

"What am I supposed to do with that? " he asked irritably.

"Drink it. "

His mouth dropped. "Excuse me? I'm not drinking anything with poison in it! " He crossed both arms over his chest. " Drink it yourself, Gryffindor. "

"I've had my share of hard work, now you try and see if it works, " she said refusing to take no for an answer.

"Why should I try it on me? It might backfire. "

"Well, we can always wake up a professor, " she reasoned. " It won't hurt you, dammit! "

He smiled smugly. " What do I get out of this? "

"You'll get a good grade! " she snapped.

"Wait, if this doesn't work, you'll allow me to kiss you, " he began. He watched her eyes widen. " I'm not through yet; so don't you go throwing your words on me. But if this does work, then I won't bother you and Potty and Weasel for a week, how's that? "

"You make it sound like the potion's already wrong, " she said sordidly. " I know when I'm wrong, bastard, now don't you go making proposals on me! Why would you want to kiss a Gryffindor and a - "

" Spare me, it's what I would call taking chances, and I want to see what it's like to kiss someone from Gryffindor, someone like you. "

"You're sick. "

" Just slightly deranged would be fine, " he said nonchalantly. " Now what do you say? I won't go ahead with my proposal unless my comrade allows me. "

"One, I am not your comrade, and Two, just for you to take the damned potion, I'll agree with your terms. Happy? Now drink it!"

He laughed and drank the potion in one gulp. He tossed the vial carelessly on the floor. "There, satisfied now? " he asked her. "Now we can see if I get to kiss you or not. "

Her lips were pursed with anticipation. The potion wouldn't go wrong. "Okay then hotshot, you're in for it now. "

"Oh yes, I'm very into it. " He grinned. "Let's see what you've got. "

She smiled calmly. "Okay…What's the color of your underwear now? "

His eyes popped open. Before he could refuse, he had opened his mouth. "Black, " he spat out. He glared as she laughed out loud.

"Hmm…what's your most favorite thing in the world? " she asked with a coy smile.

"My…my teddy bear, Rupert. "

"You have a teddy bear? " She laughed out even more. "That's just hilarious! " She took a deep breath and proceeded to ask the next question.

"I only sleep with it during cold nights! " he said defensively.

"Okay, here's another, when did you lose your virginity and to whom? "

"Fifteen, Pansy Parkinson, " he automatically said.

Her eyebrow lifted and she gave a sigh. "Unsafe sex? You are really something aren't you? " She laughed as he frowned once more. " How was the sex? "

His eyes narrowed. "It was wild. "

She burst into irrepressible delight.

"I do hope you're amused enough, Gryffindor. It was still the best, even if it happened years ago, " he said imperturbably. " Pansy is a bitch and she deserves to be called that way. "

"Thank you for the extra information, " She tossed her head haughtily. " Next question, what are you most afraid of? "

"Disgracing my father and our name. "

She looked into his eyes. "You are? " She went silent. "That's so unlike you…" She bit her lower lip, as if in empathy.

"Believe me, I can be very unlikely, " he said. " Don't you dare tell this to your friends! "

She nodded. It seemed that she had suddenly become somber. "Okay, why do you hate Harry? "

"He's loved by everybody, someone needs to hate him, " he said through gritted teeth. He hated himself for admitting it. 'Once this is over, I'm going to kill Potter! ' he thought in infuriation.

She blinked. "You hate him because you're jealous that everyone likes him? "

"Because someone loves him a lot, and he's too blind to see! " he irritably said. "The potion works, now stop the questions! " Too much was at stake.

"You're giving up? " She grinned. "That's really weak, considering you're from Slytherin. Well then I've won. You won't bother us for a week, as agreed. "

He nodded, relieved.

Then she looked into his eyes. "Last question. "

His heart pounded. The thing that he feared in his thoughts suddenly sprang to life.

"Who do you love? "

It echoed in his brain like a million voices. Who do you love…Who do you love…I can't answer this…I can't…I must not…Bullshit...His brain screamed for him to answer and he fought it with all he had.

Hermione looked on hard. It seemed that it was taking a longer time than she had expected him to answer. Maybe her potion was wrong after all…maybe he was really going to have his victory.

Then he had opened his mouth, and he had regretted it the instant it sprang from his mouth. He could never take it back.

"You. "

She blinked twice. She didn't seem to hear it right. Yet, she didn't bother to ask her question again. A feeling formed within her and it felt strange. Her stomach seemed to heave up and down, in synchrony with her heart. 'What did he say again? ' Her brain was processing the information at a snail- like velocity. It was an abrupt; shocking revelation…It wasn't right…

He looked at her, trying to breathe in normal fashion. Something had lodged up his throat. 'Regrets come last…' a voice hissed in his head. It was true. The awkwardness was too much. He had been too cool about things and now it seemed that his ears were on fire. 'She'll hate me…but she'll be glad…I won't bother her for a week, hell, maybe forever! '

He stared at her with apprehension and she stared back with disbelief. The silence rang in their ears and not one of them spoke a word for more than a minute. It seemed that the room turned stiflingly warm in the silence.

Suddenly, she moved from her position and started cleaning away the materials into a duffel bag. She did it quickly and efficiently, though carelessly tossing the vials into the bag. She wanted to hurry and run away, another second more and she would go mad with all the confusion forming in her mind. She stood up and swung the bag over her shoulder.

"What are you doing? " he asked, snapping out of his silent state with the sound of chinking glass. He stood up as well.

"What does it look like! I'm cleaning up our mess! " she replied in a distracted voice. " Snape's going to have a fit once he sees that our potion doesn't work! I mean, I thought I got it right, I've been practicing! Now it's a total failure! I hate it when this ha- "

Suddenly he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her on the lips.

It was as though they froze in time and she had her eyes squeezed shut as he kissed her. It was a forced kiss, but a soft one at that.

His heart pounded erratically, knowing he would get either a slap from her or a suspension from McGonagall, but at that moment he didn't care. All he concentrated on was her and her enthralling scent and her lips.

He broke it off after more than twenty seconds. He looked away and cursed himself.

She looked away. She couldn't think. Her mind seemed numb from it all. She could still feel his lips on hers, and how it screamed that he liked her. Oh my god…what was that? Did he just kiss me? Oh my god…

Without another word, she spun on her heels and ran at breakneck speed for the door.

" Wait! " he yelled out, but the door had already swung open, and he was alone…