Love Is The Darkest Art

Part 22: Night Bus Confessions

"I know," she replied. "But I don't think any solution will make us happier."

"Hey," he said lifting her face to his. "I'm happy now." He gave her a brief kiss on her trembling lips. "Aren't you?"

She looked into his gray eyes and offered up a smile. "Yes, I am." She kissed him back and pushed every negative thing away from her, into the shadows where they belonged.

Scene 33:

Now on the night bus, Hermione's thoughts were on what she was going to say when they arrived back at Hogwarts. This was going to be awkward, them showing up together after dark. Their passes had only been for the afternoon, and they were late.
They had better be getting their story straight, but neither of them had spoken much since boarding the bus.

"What are we going to tell them?"

Draco didnt look at her, but stared out the window. "I dont know. We got lost perhaps."

She shook her head. "Together? I don't think anyone will believe we are hanging out by choice."

"Then we'll pretend it wasn't by choice. We've been enemies for years. Shouldn't be hard to keep up appearances."

Hermione smirked. "It may be easy for you to do that, but I'm having a hard time pretending now. For us to be so close and yet here we are hiding how we feel."

He looked out the window onto the night. "I wish we didn't have to hide it. But you know as well as I do it's too dangerous and damaging to do otherwise."

"It's already dangerous, Draco. We had to fight Death Eaters today. And i still don't understand why they wanted to kidnap me or whatever.  The one who rescued us said it was to get at Harry, but why didn't they attack Cho? That's the girl he's crazy about."

Draco looked at her. "Cho Chang? From Ravenclaw? But wasn't she?...."

"Cedric's girlfriend, yes."

"Well that makes more sense now. Crazy about, you say?"

"Yeah, he is. After what happened to Cedric..."

"Yeah what did happen to Cedric?"

"Voldemort, he..."

"No, not what Potter's saying. What really happened?"

"What do you mean, Draco?" She pulled her hand from his. "Are you saying you don't believe Harry's account?"

Draco looked so hard at her it was as if he were boring holes into her soul. "I loathe Harry Potter," he said in a distasteful whisper.

"But why? I have never understood your animosity towards..."

"All my life," he replied cooly, "All I've heard is Harry this and Harry that. The boy who lived they drilled into my head, as if i were the boy who died or something. Next to Potter I have been meaningless. I come from a well respected, prodigious family and where does he come from? Dead parents, that's where. And that damned scar on his forehead. First time i saw him I wanted to smack it off him."

Hermione put her hand back over his, though she didn't like the things he was saying about her friend. But this wasn't about Potter. It was about Malfoy. "Draco, you have never been meaningless. Not to me. Not now."

"But i was once. Once upon a time I never mattered to you. And it will be that way again."

Surprise on her face. "How can you say that? Draco, I..." She stopped before she could say anything further.

"You what?" He waited for an answer that didn't come.

"I...," she uttered, and turned her head from him. "Draco, I'm not going to.."

"That's what I thought," he said. "I may not be Draco the meaningless, but I'm certainly Draco the distraction."

"You are not a distraction," she shouted in frustration. "Draco, I care so much about you. I..."

"See, you can't say it. You, and all your high and mighty, goody good attitude..."

"Draco, shut up a minute, will you? Would you give me a chance to talk. You are so wrapped up in your own negarive idea of yourself, drowning in self pity and disdain for everyone else you won't even allow yourself to believe someone could have feelings for you. Damn it Draco, I love you."

It came out quicker than she intended, and she instantly went quiet, fearing he now knew the greatest secret of her heart.

At her outburst, Draco looked at her as if she'd just said the most incredulous thing. "You love me?"

She hesitated but a second. "Yes Draco, I love you."

For a moment it looked as if he were going to cry. A tear welled up in the corner of a silver grey eye. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling unti it drew blood. A dot of crimson appeared on his mouth and Hermione gew alarmed.

"Draco, stop it. You are hurting yourself," she cried out.

He stopped biting his lip and looked into her eyes, letting her be the first girl to ever see tears brought forth by his own hopes and fears. "I have always loved you," he said, before she kissed the very blood from his lips and wrapped him in her arms.

The night bus drove on...