A/N: This is a rather simple short, as I did not do much to show how Draco and Hermione's relationship evolves. Welcome to the second Valentine's Day! I do hope you review once you've read this chapter! Thanks and enjoy!

Big thanks to the two readers that took the time to review last chapter. (:

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Harry Potter does not belong to me.

February 14, 2000
7:45 pm

Draco Malfoy sat cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom, head leaning back against his bed. He heaved a sigh and cracked one eye open to stare at the ceiling. Thoughts filled his head of Hermione and he wondered what she was doing. Today marked the day of the beginning of their real friendship after all. Shouldn't they be spending it together?

He growled to himself and reached up, stuffing his hands through the waves of his hair and tugging on strands. Of course they shouldn't be spending bloody Valentines Day together. She had plans with the Weasel. The stupid redhead who Draco couldn't figure out why she was still seeing. Plus, her own friends would think it wasn't right, as none of them were too fond of him, even though Hermione had forced him into the group a year ago.

As he wallowed in his misery of being alone, a pop sounded behind him. He pushed himself off the floor to turn and find the same woman he was thinking about standing there. She looked frazzled and her eyes were slightly glazed. "Granger?" He questioned, not moving from his spot.

"He cancelled. Said he had to do some things," she mumbled, taking a few steps toward him. The bed separated them. She lowered herself to the familiar black duvet. She'd spent one too many nights coming here, crying over fights or canceled dates with Ronald Weasley. Surprisingly, Draco had welcomed her in and listened every time.

"He's a sodding git," Draco said, sitting down on his bed.

"This is the second year in a row. He's actually gotten better about being on time and not canceling- I thought things were looking up," she said, finding her fingers very interesting as she stared down at her hands.

"What exactly did he say?"

With a sigh she explained, "Said he had forgotten to do some paperwork and it had to be done by morning."

Draco pushed himself up off the bed and paced. Did the Weasel really have paperwork? He tried to think about recent missions the redhead had gone on, but he could only place the one they'd gone on together earlier in the week, and he had done the paperwork for both of them. He looked over his shoulder at Hermione to find she'd sprawled across his bed on her back. Well, at least she wasn't crying this time.

"Granger, why do you do this to yourself?" He asked, running a pale hand through his hair.

"What?" She grumbled though she knew what he meant. Why did she keep putting up with Ron? Why did she let him make her cry and turn her into some dependent, needy woman?

"Why do you stay with him?"

Hermione didn't look at him, and for a moment he was happy she didn't. If she had, she may have seen the pain that her choices caused him and the desire for her to choose someone besides Weaselbee. Draco sat back down on the bed, falling back to lay on his back as well. Their heads touched.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I did think things were getting better. I love him, Draco."

But why? He wanted to ask her badly, but he wasn't sure if he could bear to hear her answer. He didn't say anything to her and she didn't speak anymore. He wasn't sure how long they laid there, but it was a while later when she sat up with a sigh. He had his eyes closed, but he could hear her stand and move around the end of the bed. She laid back down and curled herself into his side. "Are you angry with me?" She whispered, and he cursed her ability to know he wasn't really asleep.

Draco reached over, touching the top of her head gently. "Of course not. Will you be staying tonight?" He asked, chest aching with the question.

Hermione hesitated, and he knew that she was about to tell him no. She always struggled with telling him so, most likely because she knew that he knew she cried herself to sleep at her own flat. With another sigh, she sat back up, letting his hand fall to the covers. He blinked open his eyes and studied her. "I can't tonight. What if he comes to the flat and I'm not there?" She asked, although he knew she didn't really want an answer.

"You tell him you were with me."

She laughed and it sounded forced. "You know what he'd say. 'Running to the ferret, again. I thought this relationship was between the two of us, Mione. I wasn't aware he was part of it.'"

Draco knew that, but he didn't care. Deep down, he knew that he wished Ron would leave Hermione for always coming to him with their relationship problems, but contrary to belief, the Weasel wasn't stupid. Granger was probably the best thing to happen to him, and he wasn't going to give her up, especially if she stuck beside him faithfully.

She cast him a look over her shoulder and Draco hated the sadness present in her brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Draco," she said, "for always coming to you. I know you must hate it when I show up this way."

"Grang-"

"No. Don't try to tell me it's fine. I have to stop. I can't keep running to you and hoping you'll be able to fix things. I need to stay where I am and try to handle everything on my own, whether Ron's around or not."

Hermione stood up and Draco knew that if he didn't say something, she'd leave and probably not come around again for a while. This wasn't the first time she'd said things like this to him. She hated herself for running to him crying, he knew that, but he loved being the one to comfort her.

He pushed himself up off the bed and took hold of her shoulders. "Listen to me, Hermione. I like that you come to me. You're my best friend, my only friend honestly. I would rather you come to me so I can cheer you up and put a smile on your face than for you to sit at home and be sad," he told her.

She pulled him close and squeezed him in a hug, burying her face in his chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she breathed, looking up at him.

He gave her a small smile and stroked her hair. Draco knew that she wouldn't stay much longer, and he knew that Weasley would probably show up to her flat later in the evening and work things out, but for now he was content with holding her to him.

A/N: This chapter shows that over the course of a year, Hermione and Draco have maintained their friendship and become close. He's the one she goes to when Ron cancels because that's how their friendship started. No, she is not aware of Draco's feelings, and she is very much still in love with Ron, as she says so in the chapter. Thanks for reading- now please review! (: