The Best Thing I Never Had

The I-Need-Space Stage

She did not stop.

Run, her mind told her. Run and don't look back. She had absolutely no problem with that.

She stopped not when she couldn't breathe. Not when her legs threatened to give out. Not when her adrenaline was nearly spent. She stopped when she knew that the next step would be the death of her.

"Hermione!" she heard him call from behind. The adrenaline pumped again and with all the energy she could muster, she stood up and turned on the spot, disappearing with a loud crack.

"Hermione," he said in a defeated voice, reaching the place where he'd seen her last before she Apparated.

It had been a week since that fateful evening, and everyone still couldn't get enough of it. It had spawned many issues (Is this the end of the Golden trio; Luna Lovegood: The Chosen One's Chosen One?), confirmed many speculations (The Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess and other couples of the Week; Ron Weasley and Pansy Parkinson: Star-Crossed Lovers) and proved to be the juiciest event of the year. Hermione found it hard to get around the Wizarding World without getting bombarded with questions both by people she knew and didn't know at all. She was lucky that she had this business trip to Korea. She had her main article, her column and her food blog to worry about.

The weather was quite chilly when Hermione woke up. She checked her schedule and found that she would be touring the cafes all around Seoul and visiting Jeju Island's Teddy Bear Museum. She was alone on this trip, as usual, and she didn't mind at all. She was pretty much used to it. And she didn't want anyone around her, not now.

After toying with a Holga at a camera-themed coffee shop, her mind flew back to that evening. What had happened? She thought it was a staged kiss. Why had it felt so real? And what about that gut feeling she had the whole time? Why had he felt so ... familiar? Like ... like she'd kissed him before. But she hadn't ... had she?

She stopped her musings when the barista gave her the bill.

"Komapsumnida," she said with a bow as she left the cafe.

The next cafe she went to was cat-themed. There were around fifty cats all over the place.

Crookshanks would have loved this, she thought. And then another memory stirred. This one was about a month old. She was only half-awake when it occurred, but she was Hermione Granger. She didn't forget. The memory she was thinking about was when Draco brought her a bag of clothes. Crookshanks was with him. Crookshanks didn't just come with anyone. She remembered what Sirius had said years ago. Crookshanks didn't trust just anybody.

I am not in love with Draco Malfoy! She thought to herself angrily.

You're in denial, an inner voice said.

Yes.

Wait, you admit you're in denial, but you won't admit that you're in love with Draco Malfoy?

Yeah. Yeah, that's it.

Good luck with that.

"What are you doing?" Blaise Zabini asked, barging in Draco's office.

"Paperwork," he replied innocently, not looking up from his work.

Blaise pounded both of his palms on Draco's mahogany desk. "Have you honestly lost your marbles?" Blaise all but screeched. "It's been a week. Are you just going to let her go like that?"