She always knew it wouldn't last. But how could that stop her from hoping it would?

The cold wind stung like his words. Her face flushed from the frigid air—or was her current distress bringing the flush of color to her cheeks? She didn't know. She didn't care.

She stood a the cold, snow-covered street in Hogsmeade, indifferent to the love-infected, giggling couples entering the nearby tea parlor for the special occasion. He dumped me on Valentine's Day, she thought, laughing darkly to herself at the irony of the situation. Figures. He was never one with very good timing.

Her long brown hair whipped her painfully in the face as the wind picked up, but she ignored the stinging sensation it left, instead mentally replaying the more painful words he had said to her before leaving her alone on the frozen cobbled street.

"It was a mistake," he said coldly, avoiding her chocolate brown eyes and looking straight over her shoulder into the swirling white. His face was blank and emotionless, which made it even more unbearable for her.

"But, that night you found me crying after the whole Ron and Lavender incident, wasn't what you said real?" Her heart picked up speed as she realized what was happening. "You comforted me! You held me! You told me how you felt about me!"

"I lied. I tend to do that, Granger, only that time it was to comfort you." She winced when he called her by her last name. He hadn't called her that since they got together—if you could even call it that. "I felt like shit," he continued, "and I just did it to make me feel better about myself instead of being the bad guy all the time," he finished harshly. He hadn't made eye contact with her for the whole conversation.

"But, you—you kissed me," she whispered to him, her eyebrows furrowed, confused as to what had changed between them that would make him say all these things to her.

"That was a mistake. Like I said, I was feeling down, and I needed somebody too, and you were there, so..." he trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing like hers.

"But what about all that happened after that?" She was growing desperate. "We didn't just kiss the once, you know. We've been together for weeks!"

"I just got caught up in my own lie, and I felt bad for you. I pitied you. Now I see that this whole thing was a mistake. I should never have lowered myself to your level." His grey eyes finally connected with her brown ones as he commanded her, "Forget any of this ever happened. I don't love you, and I never did." Those last three words pierced her heart like an icy spear, and when he tore his eyes from hers, it was for good. He turned sharply on his heel and bowed his head against the frosty wind as he slowly marched away from her, his hands burrowed deep in the pockets of his coat.

Waking from her somber reverie she stared on into the white nothingness, imagining that she could still see his pale blond hair, tousled by the wind, retreating into the white without her.

Hermione's eyes stung as tears filled them for the first time since the night where she had thought that she had fallen in love with Draco Malfoy, and that he loved her back.

Tears fell from her face, mixing rain with the swirling snow.


AN: So, here's another one-shot-ish-type-thing. I just wrote this, and I'm really sleepy, so sorry if there are any mistakes. Just let me know and I'll fix them. Anyways, please tell me if you like it. I will love you forever if you write me a review. I love to hear feedback and constructive criticism. Tell me how I can make my writing better! Anyways, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! :)