Chapter four

Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. Before Hermione could realize it was winter. She and Ron had made up but they were hanging by a thread. Ron had barely so much as looked at Lavender anymore at least not when Hermione could see. She and Draco met in the room of requirement a couple times a week, they had narrowed their suspects down to three different people and we're now shadowing them watching for suspicious behavior.

"A love potion was stolen from professor Slughorn classroom the other day." Hermione informed Draco during one of the meetings.

"I doubt our assassin would be the one behind that, what does a deatheater need with a love potion?" Draco scoffed.

"I don't know" Hermione sigh exasperatedly. "We haven't been getting anywhere" Hermione said rubbing her temples.

"Patience mudblood" Draco murmured

while he went over the Maureder's map which Hermione had swiped from Harry. Luckily Harry had been too preoccupied with getting a memory from Slughorn to spend his time watching Draco and had not noticed its disappearance.

"Our boy is bound to slip up sometime and when he does we'll know" Draco said.

"Two of our suspects will be at Slughorn's Christmas party but remember we can't let anyone catch us conversing so we'll have to shadow them separately. Which one do you want?" Hermione asked him.

"Perhaps I should take them both; you'll probably be too busy fighting with the weasel" Draco said.

Hermione shot him a look.

"And you know what else? I think it's ridiculous, that you are the one who is afraid to be seen with me. Tell your mates to sod off if they don't like us being friends." Draco snapped.

"We are hardly friends Draco, we're simply working towards the same goal" Hermione corrected him.

"I didn't mean to say friends" Draco spat.

The truth of the matter was that neither of them knew what they were, they insulted each other frequently, though trusted each other constantly, and they infuriated each other at times. But they also had moments from time to time of comradery, which confused them both. How could they enjoy spending any amount of time with someone they disliked so greatly?

Hermione entered the common room that night frustrated. Working with Malfoy was much different than when she had worked with Ron and Harry. Firstly, Ron and Harry didn't refer to her as mudblood half the time. Nor did they say she was an "infuriatingly stubborn bossy know it all" and she had never called Ron or Harry an "arrogant, spoiled, self-centered git." Hermione was going to head straight up to the girls dormitory but something stopped her. It was Ron making out with Lavender on the couch. His hands were in her hair and her hands were wrapped around his neck.

"I love you" Ron swooned when he finally came up for breath.

Lavender smiled wickedly when she caught sight of Hermione standing there in shock. She got off the couch,

"Hermione, we didn't mean for you to find out this way" Lavender said in a mock apologetic tone.

"We're in love" Ron said with a dreamy smile.

"He's right" Lavender said in agreement. "We're so sorry, we couldn't help ourselves." She continued.

"I just love her so much!" Ron exclaimed turning to kiss Lavender some more.

Hermione felt sick to her stomach. She tore Ron away from Lavender ignoring his protests.

"Damn right he couldn't help himself, he's under a love potion you abominable trollop!" Hermione exclaimed wanting to strike Lavender across the face.

Lavender tried to look shocked at the accusation but Hermione saw the guilt in her eyes.

"Harry!" Hermione called for him.

Harry came out of the boy's dorm and was confused by the sight. He took in Ron's babbling about how much he loved Lavender, and the look Hermione was giving her. He having heard about the missing love potion knew what had happened.

"We've got to get him to Professor Slug horn" said Harry sternly.

He glared at Lavender as he struggled to drag Ron away. Hermione helped pull him out of the common room. Hermione tried to withstand Ron's begging and his pleas for them to let him go back to Lavender but she couldn't take it.

"Harry, can you take care of him by yourself?" She asked her voice shaky.

Harry nodded solemnly. Hermione not wanting to go back to the common room went to the room of requirement so she could have a good cry without being overheard.

When she finished crying she returned to the common room. Harry jumped up when he saw her

"Hermione! Ron's in the infirmary!" He exclaimed grabbing her hand and dragging her back through the porthole.

"What happened?!" Hermione exclaimed fearfully as the two of them bounded down the corridor.

"Slughorn gave him some antidote and after that he opened a bottle of fire whisky and Ron only had a sip but it had been poisoned!" Harry explained.

When they arrived Hermione raced to Ron's bedside. Madame Promfrey said he was stable and he should be fine. It was just a matter of when he woke up. Hermione didn't leave his side.

She sat in a chair beside him awake all night. She did a lot of thinking and when Ron awoke she was ready to talk to him.

"Hermione" Ron rasped. "I didn't mean to"

"Shhh" Hermione quieted him. "You need some water, here drink up" She said passing him a cup.

He shifted in bed so he was upright and began to drink.

"Ron, I know this is rotten timing. But I think we've both seen this coming for a while. We shouldn't be together anymore." Hermione's voice broke as she said the last part. "All we do it fight, and I don't think I can get you kissing her out my head, the way your hands were intertwined her hair, the sound of your voice saying you loved her. We've been so distant. And I know you prefer her company over mine, because everything between us is so tense. I'm sorry Ron but I just can't do it a moment longer."

The words spilled out of her mouth as her eyes spilled over with tears.

"You're breaking up with me?" Ron said stunned "while I'm in the bloody hospital?!" He exclaimed.

Hermione just continued to cry. "I know you've been seeing her. I've watched you on Harry's map." She confessed.

"But Hermione we never did anything, we we're just hanging out "Ron argued.

" I know, I know you wouldn't do that behind my back." Hermione sniffled.

"I have to do this Ron, for both of us." She cried

after that she tore out of the infirmary tears streaming down both cheeks.