Author's Note: Please review! Hope you like it and thankyou again for all of your fantastic support I've had for this story. Shockingly this contains no sex scenes, but does contain some language that you may find offensive or inapropriate, please don't read this if you do not approve of swearing.

"No way Granger."

"Please Draco…"

"Fat chance! You took an unbreakable vow Missy, do you know what that means?"

"Don't patronise me Malfoy." Hermione put her hands on her hips, trying desperately not to look directly in Draco's eyes. It was as if a very bright light resided there and if she looked right at it she would be blinded.

They were walking through the grounds on their way to the great hall for lunch and Draco was getting more anxious the nearer they got, If I'm seen with a mudblood, honestly!

"Look you've got to do it. Screw the whole 'I'm not ready' plea. 'Cause I aint hearing it. You may as well get it over and done with."

"Draco I'll do anything just-" She dropped her voice and came closer to him, playing with his tie. He laughed his cruel laugh,

"Love your wasting your time. I'm not going to fall for that, I taught you it for heavens sake. Potter might like it personally I find you a bit boring." Hermione pouted and moved away, secretly stung but she'd never let on. "Next time you talk to me it had better be to tell me you've had him." And he walked off.

Hermione stood still, annoyed, humiliated and wondering what to do next. I wonder where Harry is? Maybe I should find him and try again tonight…She walked slowly towards the main doors and didn't notice Ron stood very still watching her until she walked right into him.

"Hi Ron, have you seen Harry?"

"Stop it right now Hermione. You stay away from him and stay away from Harry."

"What are you on about Ronald, you've lost your mind."

"Oh it's me that's lost it is it? I SAW you Hermione. With Malfoy; fawning over him. And I know what you're doing with Harry…"

"Ron I don't-"

"Cut the crap Hermione. I thought you were my friend. You're using him for some sick game you and Draco are playing and I wont stand for it. I wont let you mess around with my friend's head. You're a lying, cheating, using-"

"Oh now look who's talking," Hermione's voice became shrill and she stood taller. "You filthy hypocrite Ronald Weasley. How many girls are you screwing with at the moment? Don't think I don't know just because no one ever says it aloud! Padma, Cho, Lavender…and the list goes on. So don't you dare, DARE, criticise me!" She made to storm off towards the hall but Ron grabbed her arm,

"You don't have a clue what you're doing do you?" He said it so quietly and honestly that Hermione's heart skipped a beat, it's the truth. She forced herself free of Ron's grip and marched towards the hall.

She didn't get very far towards her lunch however, as she was blocked by a large crowd of people in a knot around two boys. Hermione saw Harry stood, impassive, at the back of the crowd. She edged round the rowdy bunch of students, mainly from her year, making for Harry. The two boys at the centre were Seamus and an older Ravenclaw boy fighting, Hermione deduced, over a very pretty but tearful Ravenclaw girl stood near to them.

--

Harry saw the tears brimming in Hermione's beautiful eyes before she had fully reached him. He could tell, by the way she was breathing, that she was choking back full sobs. As she came and stood next to him he knew he couldn't say anything, everyone would hear and that would be awful, instead, under the cover of so many people, he reach for her hand and they fumbled as they gripped each others fingers. Hermione drew closer to him and he hid the hands behind his back, pretending to acknowledge her and then to continue watching the fight.

He hated being unable to comfort her; unable to take her in his arms and rock her and stroke her hair, tell her everything would be all right no matter what. Instead he just stroked her fingers and squeezed her hand and tried to somehow communicate through telepathy that he loved her. I do, I love her, I really truly love her.

Harry and Ron were sitting in the common room on their own that evening. Harry couldn't help but notice they were getting more than their share of evil glares from a rather large group of Griffindor girls. Cho and Padma were at the centre (They being the only Ravenclaws who spent significant amounts of time away from their own common room).

"Ron why are they giving us those looks? And also why are Padma and Cho even talking again? What have you done now?" Ron looked sheepish,

"Long story mate. But speaking of stories there's something I've got to tell you…"

"So tell."

"You're not going to like this."

--

Hermione spent the rest of October being thoroughly miserable. Harry wasn't talking to her and neither was Ron and she couldn't tell anybody why. But it lifted her spirits thinking of the Halloween dance that night. Firstly because it wasn't Harry's thing so she wanted him to be uncomfortable and suffer a little bit, and secondly because by the end of the evening she knew she would have him back in her clutches.

Getting dolled up and ready she found, to her surprise, that she wasn't nervous. Maybe I'm ready. Or maybe I just want to prove Draco wrong. Hermione glanced around the dormitory at her friends, all crammed in one room just to get ready together. Cho had her hair in a stylish chignon and was wearing a tight, black dress with a high neck and Chinese patterns embroidered on it; to add a 'mature' effect she had dark skinny jeans underneath with delicate flat shoes. She was openly declaring at being one hundred percent over Ron and already had her eye on Roger Davis in Ravenclaw. Padma, next to her, was as 'in love' with Ron as Cho was over him and was getting overly tarted up, in Hermione's opinion. She wore a low cut, black t-shirt and tight black shorts with tights under and high-heeled shoes; her hair had been painstakingly curled. Hermione glanced down at her own outfit wondering if she ought to change it to something more dressy: a tight, roll-necked, red sweater, dark, tight, skinny jeans and black, heeled, boots. No. Harry prefers girls casual. Think what happened last time you tried looking like a slut around him.

--

The dance was relatively formal and Harry felt slightly uncomfortable in his shirt and tie. Everybody had set places at small round tables and then when dinner was over they would be able to dance and probably some more. Tables usually had a good mix of girls and boys and his was one of the smaller tables, seating five. He sat next to Ron and Dean opposite Padma and Parvati; it was quite nice, except that he was desperately avoiding looking at Hermione who was directly in his view on the table in front. She was sat between Seamus and Lavender, looking suitably embarrassed by the looks being exchanged and the flirting continuing right across her. Next to Lavender were Cho, then Roger and an older Hufflepuff girl whom Harry didn't recognise. Oh god have I been staring? He instantly coloured up and went back to his food.

Towards the end of the meal Harry noticed Hermione glance in his direction and flash a smile, one he could not return because of his confused feelings of betrayal and hurt mixed with love. She made an almost insignificant gesture towards his right hand and he frowned, peering down at it. Then he noticed his untouched (paper) napkin. Cautiously, not really sure why, Harry turned over the napkin and a reluctant smile touched his lips. Scrawled in pencil, in Hermione's hand, was:

Harry,

I'm so sorry. Let's not argue. It's not as bad as it seems.

I think I love you.

Mione x