"It’s not always that simple," he said with quiet certainty, and she wanted to stomp her foot and yell that it was, it was that simple. But Harry was right there and yelling wouldn’t make Draco listen anyway, so Hermione just held her tongue and looked at him pleadingly. Hermione wished she’d never said anything, but...well, she had, hadn’t she? Regrets didn’t undo rash words. Draco laid his hand against her cheek gently, and she pressed her face into his palm, gazing up at him. Their eyes connected and Draco opened his mouth to speak, and Hermione’s heart jittered with rising hope and...