"Hermione?" Asked Ginny tentatively.

"I...I don't know," I said frustratedly. "I...I love him, and then, I don't think he loves me...I don't think he's ever loved me, and..."

I looked over at the Slytherin table hopefully. Draco was staring down at his plate, looking uncharacteristically lonely. Luna and Ginny followed my gaze.

"I think he does like you, Hermione," Luna offered, with a sweet smile. "Look. He's certainly not very happy where he is."

"Maybe," I mumbled, though I didn't really believe it. "What do you think, Ginny?" I asked, looking at the redhead beside me, who was staring at the Slytherins angrily.

When she didn't answer, I asked, "Ginny? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hermione," said Ginny shortly. "But Blaise Zabini won't stop looking at me."

I followed her gaze and saw Blaise, the Slytherin boy who Draco and I had sat with at the Quidditch match, staring right at Ginny, whose face was contorted into a furious frown.

"Oh!" I gasped, just remembering why Blaise was so important.

"What?" Asked Ginny angrily.

"Blaise wanted to go out with you," I said pointedly, nodding in his direction.

"How do you know that?" Ginny demanded.

"Because me and Draco were sitting with him at the last Quidditch game," I explained, feeling my voice sting when I said his name.

"Oh, and he told you all about it, did he?" Said Ginny sourly.

"Well, yes," I shrugged, unsure of what to say. "He was all over you, really. Wouldn't stop looking at you."

"I wonder if he knows you're gay," said Luna dreamily. "Somebody should really tell him."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. "And it's going to be me. Move out of the way, everyone."

Ginny strode over to the Slytherin table and Luna and I followed, though I carefully avoided the eyes of Draco and Pansy.

"Zabini!" Shouted Ginny. The Slytherins in close proximity to the fiery seventh-year fell silent at once. Blaise's eyes didn't once drop from Ginny's.

"Yes?" He asked innocently, shifting his face into a neat smile that I suppose he thought would impress Ginny.

"So you've been staring at me," said Ginny shortly. "All lunch."

"Have I?" Asked Blaise, winking at Ginny. Ginny groaned loudly.

"Yes," she said. "And to answer your very obvious question - you can't date me, because I'm already dating somebody."

Blaise dropped the act at once and demanded, "Who?"

Ginny grinned and put her arm around Luna, who leant against her with the biggest smile on her face. "Luna," said Ginny promptly. A few Slytherins sniggered, but Ginny raised her heavy booted foot and kicked them hard until they wheezed on their food.

"Oh." Blaise sat back in his chair. "Oh." With nothing else to say, Ginny, Luna and I started back to our table when Draco caught my arm softly. The other girls didn't see and marched on ahead. I turned back, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible, trying to make it seem like I hadn't missed him and his perfect, heart-shaped lips, his kind, gentle manner, his bright blond hair, steel grey eyes and amazing kisses.

"Hermione," said Draco, and when he spoke I knew he'd been crying. "I don't know what to say to you, I just...I have to talk to you. I have to tell you everything, and more. I love you, Hermione, you know that. Meet me...meet me by the lake, at eight o'clock tonight. Please."

"Okay," I nodded. "I - I have missed you," I admitted, in barely more than a whisper. "I have." I allowed my fingers to lightly brush against his in the split second that Pansy turned away, and then walked back to the Gryffindor table.

Eight o'clock came around faster than I'd have liked, but at five minutes past eight I found myself stopping at the edge of the lake, under the tree where Draco and I had spent time together over the last few weeks. Less than half a minute later, he too had arrived, looking flustered and scared, more anxious than I'd ever seen him.

"I've missed you," he said, gasping desperately for air, before pressing his lips to mine and forcing me up against the trunk of the tree. I gasped against his lips and kissed back with all of the anger and fury and irritation and confusion and shock that had hit me like a wave over the past few hours and felt my hand reach for his cheek, cupping it softly in an effort to touch him again.

"This is all my fault," Draco moaned, slumping down beside me against the tree. "I should have told you, Hermione. I should have told you."

"Told me what?" I asked softly, reaching for his hand. He held it tight.

"Pansy and I," he started, his chest heaving slowly. "We - we were given a task, by my father, and some of the death eaters that survived."

"Go on," I coaxed him gently.

"We were told that we were going to let the remaining death eaters back into Hogwarts, just like I'd done in my sixth year - with the vanishing cabinet." I nodded, my heart sinking, wondering what Draco was about to say.

"Well, Pansy just wanted to spend time with me, and she wanted to do it for honour. I - I wanted to stop. I'd had enough of being like my father, so when I became head boy, I thought I could use the excuse and get out of doing it. But Pansy was tough to avoid, and she forced me into helping her work the vanishing cabinet.

"Of course, when I started spending time with you," Draco's voice caught in his throat, "she started using you. She would tell me that if I didn't tell her how the cabinet worked, she'd hurt you. So I had to do it. I started refusing, and she used the love potion, but it backfired. Then she got at you, broke us apart, so that I could focus on working with her. But I can't do it, Hermione. I - I love you. Too much."

Hey guys, longer chapter today! I'll try and round this up to about 30 chapters, maybe more if you guys want. Thank you so much for all the support on this book as always, it totally blows me away every time I see the number of reads go up! Tell me what you think about publishing my Snamione fanfic once this is over, I think you guys will really enjoy it. Happy reading! :)