What if...

CHAPTER 29 - Secrets Revealed.

HERMIONE'S P.O.V.

I waited anxiously in the Common Room for Draco to arrive. When he finally showed up, Astoria was latched onto his arm. My heart sank, and I couldn't help but grit my teeth.

"I'm going with you," Astoria declared, refusing to let go of Draco. He quickly removed his arm from her grip and shook his head firmly.

"No, you're not going. Stay here," he said, clearly wanting to be alone with me. Astoria pouted but eventually agreed.

As her eyes met mine, I felt a surge of anger and jealousy. I desperately wanted to confront her, to tell her to back off, but I knew I had to control myself. I took a deep breath, trying to compose my emotions. Seeing Draco with her was painful enough, but the thought of what they might be doing when no one was looking haunted my mind, rent-free.

"So... you're ready?" he asked, holding the door open for me to pass through. His voice brought me back to reality, and I nodded, trying to focus on our task.

We walked in silence through the dimly lit corridors. The only sound was the echo of our footsteps. After what felt like an eternity, I couldn't bear the silence any longer and decided to break it.

"So... how are your classes going?" I asked, cringing at my own attempt at small talk.

"Are you serious, Granger? Small talk?" Draco retorted, clearly surprised by my question.

"I... I can't take the silence anymore," I admitted, feeling the tension between us.

"Classes are fine," he responded hesitantly, and I could sense the discomfort in his voice.

"And your relationship with Astoria? That was quick... wasn't it?" The words tumbled out before I could stop myself, the pain in my heart spilling over.

His expression turned angry, and he stopped walking, causing me to stop too. "What is it to you? You're the one who blew me off... now you're judging how fast I got into a relationship? How dare you?" he snapped. His arrogance evident.

I face-palmed myselft mentally for bringing it up, but I couldn't back down now. "I just thought it was strange... I mean, I guess you were lying to me all along... all that talk about loving me... it was just a hoax, wasn't it?" I accused, trying to hide the hurt in my voice.

He clenched his fists, his anger evident. "You're one to talk... first you tell me not to give up on you... then you invite me to go with you to Australia... then you beg me to kiss you... and then, out of nowhere... without any explanations, you just turn me down... I would've been satisfied being your friend... you didn't have to give me all that hope... you didn't have to toy with my feelings... so you don't get to judge me, Granger..." he yelled, his emotions raw and exposed.

I felt a wave of embarrassment and shame wash over me as I averted my gaze from him. "Let's just... finish patrolling and write that report... then we can go our separate ways," I said quietly, not sure how else to handle the situation.

He took a deep breath, his anger subsiding slightly, and reluctantly agreed. "Fine."

"Fine," I repeated, feeling a mixture of regret and sadness. I knew we couldn't go back to how things were, but I couldn't bear the thought of completely losing him from my life either.

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DRACO'S P.O.V.

Things were worse than I could have imagined. Hermione seemed genuinely mad at me for some reason, and I had no idea what I had done to make her feel that way. Curiosity gnawed at me, and I decided it was time to ask her.