**Hello again my faithful and fabulotastic readers!  Haha… fabulotastic.   New chapter already out!  Amazing, huh?!  This is basically one big dialogue scene between the two major characters.  Very fun indeed.  So how was everyone's Christmas and New Years?  Hope they were super.  Mine was alright, I suppose.  I found out my dad wants to move my family to good ol' Texas.  If you don't know, I live in good ol' Wisconsin at the moment.  I really wouldn't mind that much if we moved, but it kinda sucks that he wants to move right in the middle of my Junior year of high school.  Yes, I'm a Junior, if you didn't know, also.  Heh, it's kinda sad…I'm getting more ideas for the sequel right now than I am for this story.  At least I know I wont get stupid writer's block with the next one, eh?  Oh yeah, I also have a new website!  It has pictures of me!  Wow! It also has a bunch of drawings I've drawn (obviously).  Most of them are about HP stuff and such, but there are other things, too.  http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/katepotter At the moment, it's not really done at all.  That's because it used to be another site, but then my "I-hate-Harry-Potter-and-I-think-he's-evil"-thinking friend found the site somehow.  Fortunately and extremely luckily for me, the site wasn't working that day.  I quickly ran (well, drove if you want to get technical) home and shut down the site, because I'm sure she'd think I was more crazy than I already am.  Anyway, I'm now putting it on a new address and the work is going quite slow because, as most of you know, my computer is a piece of crap.  Alrighty, that's enough for me…I really should get a livejournal or something.  Once I start typing, I don't ever really stop.  I need a life…**

The Greatest of Sacrifices

To Forgive or to Forget

Written by Kate Potter (MF)

January 5, 2003, 11:47 pm (geez…and it's a school night, too!)

          Draco looked up at the clock.  It was a few minutes before 9:30.  He knew it was still early, but he wanted to make sure that if there was any way Hermione was going to meet him, he'd be there.  He took a deep sigh and got up from the large chair in his common room.  Nobody stopped him as he walked out.

***

"Hermione!"

What?  "Hrmph"

"Hermione!  Wake up!"

"What do you want?!"  "Mne…mph"

"Come on Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes flashed open and she saw Ginny looming over her.  She had fallen asleep on top of her homework that she had been working on.

"I have to show you something!"

Hermione raised her head slowly.  It felt three times heavier than normal and was extremely hard to keep up.

"What is it?" She asked lazily, slightly irritated.

"It's a surprise!" Ginny exclaimed, tugging at Hermione's arm.  "Please?"

Without waiting for a response, Ginny pulled Hermione to her feet and started leading her out of the common room.

"Gin," Hermione started. "It's nearly eleven.  What could you possibly want to show me at this hour?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."  Ginny said with excitement.

As fast as Hermione's tired legs would take her, she followed Ginny down hallways and passages.  She wished she had brought her cloak since it was mid-December and freezing throughout the school. 

"At least the cold air will keep me awake." She thought bitterly.

For nearly ten minutes, Hermione followed Ginny.  She hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going, so she was both surprised and somewhat troubled when she looked around.  She found themselves in the dungeons near her Potions class. 

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. "What are we doing down here?"

"Hold on." Ginny said quickly.  "We're almost there."

"Almost where?" Hermione asked again.

Ginny didn't respond this time and Hermione stressed her irritation by sighing loudly and deeply.  Finally a few minutes later, Ginny stopped walking.  Hermione looked around and noticed a familiar room.

"Wow," Hermione remarked sarcastically, "thanks for showing me the way to my Potions class, Gin.  You're a lifesaver."

Although the halls were dark, Hermione could just see Ginny rolling her eyes.

"No Hermione," Ginny explained stubbornly, "it's in there."

Ginny looked towards the closed door across from the Potions classroom.

"What's in there?" Hermione asked.

"Just go in!" Ginny yelled slightly.  "It's not like it's gonna kill you or anything."

Hermione scowled at Ginny as she walked towards the large, dark, closed door.  She lifted the handle and pushed slightly, making the door open a bit.  She looked over at Ginny.  She seemed to be extremely excited and anxious at the same time.

Hermione pushed a bit more on the door and it swung open.  The room behind it was completely dark and before she knew it, she was pushed into it.  She stumbled and struggled to stay on her feet.  She turned around just in time to see Ginny's giggling face disappear behind the closing door.  Hermione ran up to the door to find it locked.  Immediately she started pounding on it. 

"Ginny!" She yelled at the door.  "Ginny, I don't have time for this!"
          Nothing.

"Ginny, I'm serious!" She yelled again.

Still nothing.

Hermione sighed deeply once more and placed her forehead on the door.  What the hell was Ginny thinking?

"…Hermione?"

Hermione's head snapped up and she turned around.  The room was pitch dark and she couldn't see a thing.

"Luminara."

Suddenly, a dozen lamps on the walls lit up, showering the room with light.  It looked like any ordinary classroom, but devoid of books and scattered quills and parchments.  There were many desks lined up in the room as well as a large, old desk in the front of the room.  There was also Draco.

"Hermione, I—"

"No." Hermione cut him off, shaking her head.  "I'm not going to listen to anything you say."

"Hermione, please—"

"I said no!" She yelled at him.  She turned away and started pounding on the door again.

"Ginny!  Ginny!  If you don't open this door right now, I'm hexing your whole family!  Ginny!"

"She's not—"

"No. I'm not—"

"Hermione!" He yelled, startling her.  "I'm sorry you were brought here like this.  I was hoping you'd come here by your own free will."

"I would never." She said quietly.

"I know," he continued, "but as long as you're here, will you hear me out?"

Hermione studied his eyes for a moment.  They were pleading.  Eyes pleading her to understand.  Eyes that had obviously fooled her once before.

"I already said no." She answered sternly, turning back to the door and pounding on it.

Hermione could sense his gaze on her.  It made her feel nervous. 

"Fine," he said finally, "I'll just say what I want you to hear and you can choose whether or not you want to listen, deal?"

His answer was yet more pounding on the poor door.  He sighed deeply and began.

"I suppose I'll start from the beginning, then." He said, glancing at her.  "My father, as you know, is a Deatheater.  He's quite a high-ranking one at that.  He's trusted throughout everyone in the group, including Voldemort himself.  Therefore, he saw a new way to get to Potter."
          Hermione abruptly stopped pounding on the door.

"I know." She said harshly.  "I was given the explanation.  Harry can be reached through me, I can be reached through you, and you can be reached through your very loyal father."

Draco looked at her sympathetically.

"Do you think that I don't know what you put me through?"  She asked in a low, angry voice.

"Hermione, I—"

"Do you think that I don't know that I could very well be the reason why my best friend dies?"

She had taken a couple steps closer to him, her fists clenched.  The look in her eyes made Draco a bit worried that she was going to hit him. 

"I deserve it, though." He thought.

"You've put me through hell, Draco." She said, the words getting caught in her throat.  Tears started to well up in her eyes and she turned away before he could see.

Draco made a move as if he was going to walk up to her and comfort her, but he thought better of it and stopped.

"If there was anything I could do to reverse what has happened, I would." He said.

Hermione said nothing.

"For the past week all I've been thinking is how I could ever do something like that to you.  I…" Draco stopped and closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure.  He took a deep breath.

"I would rather die…" he said quietly, "…than watch you go through this."

Draco looked over at Hermione who still had her back to him.  She still didn't say anything.  He took another deep sigh and walked to the opposite side of the room as Hermione.  Many thoughts were flying through his mind and he couldn't seem to control them.  His emotions out of control, he took a sharp intake of breath in order to hold back a sob.

"Damn it." He thought. "She probably thinks I'm putting on some sort of show."

Hermione spoke, however, breaking the awkward silence. 

"Then why did you put me through this in the first place?" She asked.

Draco turned around to see her staring at him.  Her eyes were red and her cheeks were damp.  It made him want to run over to her and never let her go, but he held his place.

"Because I was stupid," He said, "and thought that doing everything my father told me was the most important thing.  Because I was afraid for myself.  Because I was overconfident and all I thought of was myself."

He shook his head.  This was going nowhere.

"I wasn't acting for myself, though." He started again. "I was acting for my father and for Voldemort.  All I was thinking about was the present and not the future.  If it were still then, I would have never even imagined that I would be here trying to convince you of something that I truly believe that words cannot express."

Draco stopped again.  He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say or not.  He wasn't even sure if Hermione was listening to him.  He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.  He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes.  This was too stressful.  He heard her footsteps come nearer, stop for a moment, and come closer again.  He looked up to see Hermione looking at him with reddened eyes, standing a couple feet away.

"You don't know how much I want to believe you."  She choked out.  "You really don't."

She shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"Just tell me," she insisted, "how am I supposed to trust you?  That's all I want to know."

Draco looked her straight in the eyes.  She had the same pleading eyes that he had had before, except hers were full of tears.  He cautiously took one of her hands, not sure whether or not she would recoil.  When she didn't, he took her other one as well.

"There's nothing I can say that can make you trust me." He said. "This is something that you have to do.  But if there's anything I can do, anything at all, please tell me.  There's nothing I wouldn't do."

          Draco had hoped that would have helped, but the look Hermione was giving him was heartbreaking.  She shook her head again and let go of his hands. 

          "I don't know, Draco."

She turned her back to him and brought her hands to her face.  Draco reached out to comfort her, but she started walking away before he touched her.  He was scanning his brain to think of something to say, when suddenly he just said it with no consideration whatsoever.

"Hermione, I love you!" He yelled at her retreating back.

She stopped walking and slowly turned around.

"I…" Draco stuttered, "I love you, Hermione."

He walked up to her, close enough to hear her breathing. 

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" He whispered.  "If that's all you needed, you should have just said.  I've loved you…for so long."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at his face.  She saw his jaw clench, helping him to keep his composure.

"Draco…"

Slowly, one of his hands found their way to her cheek and caressed it softly.  His face was looming ever closer to hers as his other hand slipped around her.

"…I love you." She whispered.

He looked into her eyes deeply before closing his mouth onto hers.  She had forgotten how it had felt to be with him.  She felt so perfect but at the same time so unsure.  How could she ever be with someone with such a family history as his?  How could she ever be without him?  At moments like these, that didn't seem to matter as much.

Hermione's arms, which had been hanging at her side, slipped up around his neck and deepened their kiss.  She gasped slightly against his lips as one of his hands touched her back underneath her shirt.  Without even looking, she could tell he was smirking.  He slowly inched over to the large desk at the front of the room, pushing her against it.  He gradually leaned himself forward until they were half-laying on top of the desk.  Despite their awkward position, Draco managed to kiss her as deeply and hungrily as ever.

As if out of nowhere, a clock chimed twelve times.  Draco finally let their lips part and looked her in the eyes. 

"It's midnight." She said breathlessly. "All the doors are locked until morning."

"Looks like you'll have to stay here with me tonight." Draco said, a casual smile creeping on his face.

"That's fine with me." She said, smiling also.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck again as he pulled out his wand.

"Illuminara."

Draco's lips met Hermione's again as the lamps on the wall blew out and the room was black once more.

Phew…that's all for chapter nine.  Hope you enjoyed it!  I just couldn't stand Hermione being mad at Draco anymore…he's too perfect.  Haha…sorry boys and girls, it looks like you're just going to have to imagine the Draco/Hermione smut for yourselves, because I for one am not really into writing it…sorry if I disappoint anyone.  Or, uh, for any younger readers out there, you can just pretend all they did was kiss and make up and he was turning out the lights so they could sleep better…*cough cough* …yeah…that's it *nods convincingly* …anyway!  I'm sorry this chapter was kind of short, but there wasn't much to add at the beginning and it would take away from the story a bit if I had written more at the end (at least, that's what I think.)

As always, please review a lot…I'm always open for new ideas and criticism.  It's also nice to get a few "Wow! I love your story!" also.  Those are always nice, too =P 

Oh yeah…I just remembered something.  I'm supposed to tell you to read a story called "Harry Potter and the Sacred Legend" by a wonderful author who goes by Kam.  Her story is very very good, but it has barely any reviews.  Her story is long, too, so it doesn't make any sense!  PLEASE go read and review her story!  It'll be worth it!

Alrighty, now for the thankyou's:

(Oh yeah, I decided to post the thankyou's of the other stories I have on ff.net here this time, because they deserve thanks, also.)

Kam- Thanks a lot!  Your story is really great, like I said above ::grins::  Hopefully this will, at least, get a few more people reading and reviewing your story.  It's really super-good!

Becca- Aww...thanks.  I don't think I have talent...more like just an interest that I'm actually staying with.  Oops, I forgot to email you, I'll do that after I'm done with this!

Angela (aka: Candycane)-  I'm sorry, I forgot to add you in the thankyou's of my other chapters.  Thanks for being a faithful reviewer and reader.  Also, I'd like to thank you for the little tips/beta'ing you did for me.  Ciao!

And now for my other stories:

Creation of the Rose:

Wyrd Sista187- Thanks!  Mythology is one of my favorite classes this semester.  It's really fun, so I'm pretty upset that it's almost over.

DEATH of Mercury- Even though I don't think you read this story, I'll still say thanks.  Totally crazy creative, huh?  Haha..thanks!

babygxpress- Hahaha...I don't think my story is that good, but thanks anyway.  I think my story is a bit too short.  It would have been a bit longer, but the assignment was one page maximum.

Zazarian- Why thank you very much, Zazarian.  I hope you do like my other fiction.

Bad Press:

Branch- Thanks bunches!  Yeah, it was sad writing about the dog, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  Heh...that's kinda lame, but oh well.

Emilia- Hi Emilia! Wow, this review was from such a long time ago.  I don't think you were my beta then!  Thanks for the review, by the way.  Aww...I only have two for this story...

Thank you and until next time!

-Kate Potter (MF)