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Unbelieveably, to Hermione's surprise, the teachers allowed the Winter Masquerade to continue for the remainder of the night.

She'd followed the crowd in, hidden behind the teachers and out of Draco's view. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel anyway. Sure he admit how he felt. Now it was her turn.

She had no idea how she felt.

Confused, rather, as the couples began to dance in the Great Hall once more. Harry and Ron had nearly knocked her down once the teachers had been lost making their way back through the crowd.

"Hermione! Can you believe that Malfoy? He said he loves you!" Ron roared in laughter, holding his stomach. "I bet you're going to hurl!"

Hermione smiled faintly. "Yes, it's quite funny, isn't it?" She looked at the ground, trying to block out Ron's laughter. It was here, with her two friends that loving Draco suddenly seemed so impossible.

She waited until Ron was preoccupied with asking a very pretty Hufflepuff to dance to let her smile fade, dropping her gaze to the floor. She felt Harry's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" Harry asked worriedly. "This thing's really bothering you."

Hermione nodded, still downcast. "I don't know anymore."

"Do you love Draco?" Harry asked seriously in a low voice, in the off chance that Ron was still listening.

Hermione shrugged slightly.

"Did you love the Doppleganger?" Harry inquired. Hermione looked up at him.

He took that as an answer and nodded. "I thought so."

At that moment, Ginny ran up to them in a silver, long dress. Harry smiled and danced with her, leaving Hermione peacefully to lose herself in her own thoughts.

-

Hermione plopped herself down into the snow under a tall tree.

She looked straight ahead of her, seeing nothing. Absentmindedly, she twiddled with her dress. Everyone was still inside, having a good time. She could hear the music from where she sat, on Hogwarts grounds. She thought about what Harry asked. She tried answering it herself now, that she was alone.

Completely alone.

She exhaled, watching her breath dissapear. She wanted nothing more than to find out the truth in herself.

You love Draco Malfoy.

No I bloody don't. I'm thinking. Now shut up.

Snappy today, aren't we? You're lying to yourself.

I'm not a liar.

Well don't start now.

You're annoying.

You're stubborn. You love Draco Malfoy.

Don't.

You love Draco Malfoy.

"Go away!" Hermione groaned to herself, digging her hands into the snow.

"But I just came." Said a quiet voice. Surprised, she turned, looking into a calm, pale face. His lips pulled into an innocent smile.

"I didn't mean you, Draco. You could sit down." She said graciously, patting the ground next to her. Draco hesitated and sat down.

"Arguing with yourself, aren't you?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Don't worry, I've been doing that a lot too, lately," Draco replied, staring ahead of them. "But I didn't come out here to talk about that, I came here to ask you something."

Hermione stiffened. "What do you want to know?"

Draco laughed lightly. "I just wanted to know-" He looked sideways at her. "If you love me."

For a while, Hermione said nothing. "I'm not sure." She whispered.

"I love you, you know." Draco said stiffly. It didn't sound right, coming from a voice that usually had a snarl in it.

She laughed. "I know."

You love him, you love him.

Shut up, shut up.

You love him, now admit it!

But-

YOU LOVE HIM!

I love him!

It was then, when her heart began to race, and her stomach felt funny, that she finally believed it. Her heart felt like it was pounding as fast as a hummingbird. She felt a different kind of happiness inside her now.

It was those feelings that couldn't be explained.

She smiled at him. His face was blank.

The truth sank in like a penny being thrown into water. She felt a tornado of emotions all coming together. Disconnected thoughts finally mashing together into her head.

His face remained blank. Then after a moment, his lips turned into an unmistakenable, natural smile.

He was about to speak, but suddenly, he was looking up, into the branches of the tree above them. She followed his gaze and saw what he was focusing on.

It was a mistletoe, with a bright red ribbon tying it to a branch right above their heads.

Draco laughed and lay flat on his back, closing his eyes.

"You know, Grang-Hermione... I had a dream last night. About you." He began, with his eyes closed.

"That's kind of funny. I had a dream about you, too. About nearly kissing you, actually." Hermione informed him cheerfully.

Draco's lips twitched. "Did you like it? I had that same dream."

"I enjoyed it very much. I wish I could have actually kissed you, though." Hermione said simply. There was no way she could explain her dream with words.

Draco grinned. "I kind of wished so, too."

"We could pick up where our dreams left off, then." Hermione suggested, laying down flat on her stomach and held his cheek with one hand. He put one hand under her chin, and the other around the hand holding his cheek.

"By the way," Hermione announced first, making him pause. "You're a fan of Shakespeare?" She asked with a suppressed giggle. Draco scowled.

"It is my soul that calls upon my name, how silver-sweet sounds lovers' tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears," Draco said, playing with a lock of her hair and returned to holding her chin. "That's one of Romeo's lines. Anyway, I thought I hated Shakespeare..."

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite." Hermione replied, remembering another of Juliet's lines.

Their lips met.

It felt like fireworks on the fourth of July. It felt like the world was suddenly warm, skipping to Spring, where the sunlight was out and the grass was green. She felt the warmth seep from her lips to her entire body, making her heart pound.

It felt like the rest of the world dissapeared around them. She didn't feel the cold snow biting into her cheeks anymore. His lips were so soft and so gentle.

Draco moved his hand to from underneath her chin to pull them closer, and she moved her hand from his cheek to his hair, smiling into his lips. Never before has she ever felt anything quite like this.

They pulled away happily, grinning at each other.

"You had to have felt that." Draco added casually.

Hermione giggled. "You're right. I guess I love you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco laughed and they kissed again, disconnecting themselves from the world that to them, no longer existed.

Finished. Did you like it? :D

If you did, please review. I wanna hear what you have to say. OR DRACO MALFOY WILL CURSE YOU. Just saying.

I've been getting a lot of reviews about the Doppleganger name, so I wanted to say; Yeah it's German. I originally got the idea from Devil May Cry 3. My brother was playing it and I went all "oh, fun!" so I thought I'd play around with the idea.

Tom Felton! ^____^

:]

Love you all!