A/N: This is the one-shot I am loosely basing my next story on, so please R&R! I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions as well; I don't have the entire plot for it worked out in my head yet. "Ron, wait, please don't go, don't leave me…" Hermione begged. Ron ignored her and rolled out of the bed, grabbing his clothes to get dressed. Hermione wrapped the sheet around her naked body and watched him miserably. The red-headed boy in front of her, whom she'd loved for going on six years now, turned around and saw the sadness on her face. "Look, 'Mione, I've gotta go. Becca wants us to meet at the Three Broomsticks in half an hour. But how about you and I hook up again tomorrow night, yeah? We'll have all night and all Saturday to spend together. How's that sound?" He gave her an arrogant smile and kissed her quickly on the lips, tracing a finger down her jaw before heading for the door. When it swung shut behind him, the bushy-haired witch he'd left behind sank back into the pillows and sobbed.******************************************************************************** Three hours later, Hermione was wandering the corridors aimlessly when she found herself in the dungeons. Struck by a sudden need for company, she searched out the portrait that hid the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The black knight stared at her coldly. "Look, I know you don't like me, but could you please get Draco for me? It's urgent, I really need him…" Her voice trailed off as tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more. The knight, having seen her like this countless times before, felt no pity or compassion for her, but did as she asked anyway because he'd been ordered to by young Master Malfoy himself to fetch him if the Gryffindor ever came for him. Five minutes later, Draco came out from behind the portrait in nothing more than a loose pair of sleeper pants. He took one look at Hermione and swore under his breath. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he guided her to the nearest empty classroom and sat beside her. "Tell me what happened." He murmured. "It's always the same. He loves me when it's convenient for him. But when Rebecca," she spat the name like it was poison, "calls his name, he leaves. He always, always leaves!" She collapsed into his waiting arms and cried harder than Draco had ever seen her cry. Her body shook with violent sobs that slowly began to fade into a shivering tremble. Draco was shaking, too, but he was furious. Furious with Weasley, who had brought Hermione to this, but also angry with Hermione for letting herself fall so far. When at last the torrent of tears had slowed to a silent trickle and the occasional sniffle, he held her at arm's length.
"Hermione, you know I care, and you know I love you." He began, sick at heart for what he was about to do, but knowing it was the best thing in the long run. "It's because I love you that I'm doing what I'm about to do." He took a deep breath. "I told you before, you can't come running to me when that - that creep hurts you, not anymore. I told you that you have to decide who's more important, me or him. So far, you've chosen him." He stopped for a moment to let what he was saying sink in. Judging by Hermione's expression, she wasn't quite getting it. Anger suddenly outweighed his desire to spare her feelings. "Dammit, Hermione! You deserve better than that slime, and you know it! You deserve someone who loves you for you, not for your body or what you can give them. Someone who will never leave you to be with someone else. Someone who will protect you and watch out for you. You deserve someone you don't have to share. You deserve me," he whispered. "I love you, Hermione. I wish you would understand that. And I wish you would understand that you are so much better than this." He reached up and cradled her face in his hands. Fresh tears had started streaming down her face with his words, and he brushed them away with his fingertips. Hermione closed her eyes and the pain that flittered across her face almost made Draco take back every word and comfort her like he always had, but he focused on his reasons behind hurting her and his resolve held. A few minutes passed like this before Draco sighed.
"I have to go, love." He stood and left her alone in the empty room. Hermione sat there, numb to her core, thinking. Yes, he'd told her to choose. Over a week ago. She had left him alone in the hopes that he'd realize that she couldn't chose. She loved them both, Ron and Draco; it wasn't fair to make her decide who she loved more. There was no way she could choose one over the other.
Yes, a cruel voice whispered in her mind, but look at what you're doing. You're doing the same thing to Draco that Ron is doing to you. The thought made her flinch. The pain that Ron was causing her was almost too much for her to live with. If she really was hurting Draco just as much - and she knew that she was - she was no better than Ron. The thought of Draco feeling the same agony made her heart shatter. She gasped as the pain ripped through her, wrapping her arms around her chest in an attempt to hold herself together and keep from falling to pieces. Realizing what she needed to do, she lurched to her feet and staggered back out into the corridor. Stumbling along, using one arm to support herself on the wall while the other stayed wrapped tight across her chest, she made her way back to the portrait of the black knight. He opened his mouth to tell her to go away, but seeing the look in her eyes, he let her in without asking any questions. She stepped shakily into the Slytherin common room.
Draco was sitting in one of the leather armchairs in front of the fire. When he heard the portrait swing open, he turned his head and saw Hermione standing there, looking like she was about to fall over any second. He stared at her for half a heartbeat before leaping up to support her. Helping her into the chair he'd just vacated, he realized her eyes hadn't left his since she'd come in. Once she was safely in the chair, he gazed at her for a minute, wondering what to say. Before he could think of anything, Hermione shot forward and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist, settling her head against his stomach.
"Oh, Draco!" She sobbed. "I'm so sorry! I love you, I love you so much, I'm sorry, I can't believe how stupid I've been!" Draco patted her back and stroked her hair, trying to soothe her.
"Shh, Hermione love, it's okay," he started, but Hermione interrupted.
"No it is not okay!" She insisted vehemently. She sat up to look him in the eyes again. "I'm killing you, and I can't bear it. I think about you in pain, and I just - " She gasped again as fresh agony washed over her, curling up into a ball to keep the pain in her chest from splitting her apart. Alarmed, Draco dropped to his knees in front of her and held her face securely in his hands.
"Hermione! Hermione, look into my eyes. Look at me!" She obeyed, and he watched the anguish fade from her brown eyes. For a long minute she stared at him, as if gathering strength from the love in his grey eyes.
"Draco, I love you. I need you. You are essential to my existence. You are such a part of me, of who I am, that I don't think I could survive long without you. Without you, I'm just a shell, as empty as a well in drought. If you'll still have me, I want to stay with you. Now and for as long as you'll keep me." Hermione said in a trembling voice. Draco half crawled into the chair with her, maneuvering her onto his lap with her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders tightly and knew that he never wanted to let go.
"You know I want you with me forever."
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The next morning, Blaise Zambini was the first Slytherin to wander into the common room. When he looked around, he found Draco and Hermione asleep in the armchair before the glowing embers of yesterday's fire. He sighed.
"Draco. Wake up." He crossed the room and prodded the blonde boy on the shoulder. Draco woke with a start, but was careful not to wake Hermione.
"What is it?" He muttered groggily.
"You're gonna wanna get Granger out of here, soon. No one else is awake yet, but it's only a matter of time." While he supported his best friend's relationship with the Muggle-born, most of the rest of their fellow Housemates did not, and they wouldn't like seeing her in their common room.
"You're right. Thanks, Blaise. I'll get her back to Gryffindor Tower now." Blaise made his way back to the dormitory, and Draco stroked Hermione's cheek to wake her up. "Hermione. Come now love, you must go back to your own House." She sat up, blinking, and turned and kissed him. He kissed her back, savoring the taste of her. Moaning with complaint, he broke off their snog and held her away. Amusement glittering in his gaze, he smiled. "As much as I'd like to keep you to myself, you have to go back." Hermione stood up and waited as he ran to grab a shirt and some decent pants. When he returned, she took his hand and they left through the portrait, heading for the Grand Staircase, both glowing with the warmth of honest, simple love.