A/N: Dear readers, thank you very much for being patient with me!
Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
And also thank you for all your reviews/follows/favourites! xo

Chapter 10: Hogsmeade

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"You shall all read the chapter Human to Food Transfiguration for homework." Professor McGonagall demanded, right before the bell rang. Hermione sighed heavily as she closed her book. Going to class was difficult for her at the moment. The lessons weren't the problem, of course—they had never been—but the people were. She couldn't be in the same room as Harry when Draco was there—it would've been totally fine, if it was only Harry, because then she could ignore what had happened. But she could feel the tension rise when Draco was there, too—and she hated it.

So, to be more precise, it wasn't the people that were difficult, but the situation itself. It reminded her of last Sunday, a memory she sincerely wished to forget. She could still feel the shock she had got when she had heard the head's door open, all the while she had been snogging Draco. She wanted to, but couldn't forget the look in Harry's eyes: angry, furious, confused, hurt. And Draco's expression; he had looked alive and awake, yet he also looked terrified and aghast. She had seen her own feelings mirrored in his face.

And then, there had been the supper with the Slug Club—and it had been a traumatizing experience. She hadn't been mentally prepared to face him so early again. She had thought it would had been a nice meeting where she could've relaxed and could've forgotten about the previous events from that Sunday afternoon. But her luck had left her, how could she have forgotten that, it had left her at the beginning of September.

However, that was not the actual problem. It was that when she had seen Draco sitting at the dining table, she hadn't thought about that incident at first. No, she had thought about Halloween, about how he had looked at her with his wild eyes, and how he had nearly kissed her, and how she had felt a tiny little bit, deep down in her guilty, yet sincere heart, disappointed as he had stepped back and lost all his colour in his eyes.

"So will you come, Hermione?" Harry stalked beside her, bringing her back to the present. "Damn it, Hermione, will you stop thinking about Draco fucking Malfoy?!" She cried to herself.

"Will you come with us to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Harry repeated while they walked down the corridor, "You know, Ginny and I, and Ron and you, it would be nice to do something together again."

"Sure. I'd love that, Harry." She smiled softly at him.

"Speaking of Ron, why didn't he come to classes, again? I'm worried about him. You know he skips school from time to time. What if he'll be dropped out of Hogwarts?" She asked Harry in a desperate voice.

It was Tuesday, and Ron hadn't come to class since the new week had started. He only appeared at meals.

"You shouldn't worry too much about it. I think he's had migraines since Sunday, anyway." Harry hastily said as they forced themselves through the crowd that grew with more pupils who emptied the classrooms and filled the corridor.

"Whatever, we'll talk about it later and I'll definitely talk with Ron about it, too." She replied, and bade him farewell when they reached the library entrance, seeing as how Harry wasn't going to join her.

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oOoOo

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The library was Hermione's sanctuary. The peaceful atmosphere calmed her down, and the silence was beautiful compared to the noise outside in the corridors.

Hermione inhaled the scent of the room. It smelled like old books and parchment in here, which comforted her greatly. With careful steps she walked to her favourite place to study: a corner that was quite always empty and an equal distance from other students and Madame Pince.

She pulled out her Ancient Runes book out of her satchel bag with a parchment long enough for her essay and started to write. She had already spent half an hour in the library by then, but it felt like only five minutes had passed. Every time she wrote an essay for Ancient Runes, her pen would never stop. She was in the zone.

But then she felt a particular feeling of someone's presence, which oddly made her lose her concentration. Irritated, her eyes flicked to the person sitting at the desk in front of her who was the cause of the disturbance of her train of thought.

Her eyes widened. She found Malfoy in front of her. She almost started to let herself become hysterical, but then she read the cover of the book his face was hidden behind.

It was her Numerology book. A wide grin stretched on her lips.

"Having a hard time understanding that lovely book of yours, Malfoy?" She called, trying to keep her voice low, seeing as how she didn't want to attract Madam Pince's attention.

Hermione saw his face peeking out with a scowl on it, which made Hermione grin even wider.

"Like I have told you, Granger," he hissed, "I didn't have time to go through it yet."

"Wow, you're in a grumpy mood... Probably because your brain just can't handle it." She teased him again, and laughed when she saw him roll his eyes.

He placed the book on the table, then he walked to her. His scowl disappeared and grew into a smirk.

"Honestly, Granger. You heard Slughorn. I'm quite good in Arithmancy." He said amusedly, his eyes twinkling.

Hermione's laugh faded as she was reminded about the whole day. Her cheeks heated up and she looked away, feeling uncomfortable. She had completely forgotten about the incidents that had happened and was fooling around with him. Now everything came back to her mind and with it came the tension. She didn't know how to respond. Why did he have to address that day anyway? It was awkward for him, too, wasn't it?

She glanced at him, catching him smirking. Then she bit on her tongue. Of course, he did it on purpose. Why should anything be awkward for the mighty Draco Malfoy? She forgot for a moment that he wasn't human. His confidence, topped with his sly expression on his face sickened her.

She cleared her throat. "Well, may I remind you that I am in a better position than you are?" She acted her confidence, but she couldn't suppress her face turning red.

There was silence. Hermione bore holes into her parchment with her eyes. She heard Draco breathe calmly and steadily until he took a deep breath of air.

"I reckon Potter forgave you about last Sunday, didn't he?" Draco asked, he didn't sound mean or rude anymore. Hermione hesitated answering him, she didn't want to talk with him about serious topics when he had his typical attitude on. She looked up to him noticing that his smirk, scowl or any grimace was gone. The only thing she saw was his serious, emotionless face and his fair porcelain skin that seemed ever so flawless without a single wrinkle on it.

"Yes, he did... After a detailed explanation." Hermione then sighed. "But he expects me to tell Ron everything."

Draco nodded in the silence. He watched her carefully, and she could feel his intense stare. It made her uncomfortable, the air felt so heavy every time he was around, she didn't know what to do nor to say. She hoped the conversation would end soon.

She couldn't bear the weight of the atmosphere anymore and decided it was best to leave. With a heavy sigh, she packed her bag and threw it over her shoulder. But before she left, her gaze wandered back to Malfoy.

"Malfoy..." She hesitated, her pulse rising as she started to become nervous. "Could I maybe… still... have the last lesson with you?"

Before she could regret her silly question and take it back, Draco answered her, smirking.

"After all that happened? Whatever, we made a deal... But I am busy, I can't meet with you any time soon." Hermione nodded, her cheeks flushing, and she felt like a fool for asking him that.

Before she left, she saw Draco open his mouth to say something; but after a moment of hesitation, he decided not to. So she walked to her own common room, her heart feeling awfully strange, as she was feeling rather a lot of different things at a time. She was embarrassed, since she thought she'd went too far with her question, but then she also felt relieved about him accepting her request. However, she was also angry and irritated because of him—because he had to remind her about last Sunday, and because she was somehow able to talk light heartedly—to joke—with Malfoy.

Nevertheless, she was also glad. She didn't quite know why, but she also felt this warmth around her heart. She was in a good mood.

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oOoOo

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Hermione hummed to herself as she stood in front of the vanity unit putting her long locks into a half updo. Today was a Hogsmeade Saturday and she was looking forward to having a double date with Ron, Harry and Ginny.

She hoped that she would also get some alone time with Ron, and tell him about Malfoy. She had to, she promised Harry. But she didn't feel courageous about it; even just thinking about it made her heart race. Either way, she had to—and would do it, and if she didn't have time at Hogsmeade, (she reckoned she would, though, because she knew Harry would intentionally give them time alone) she'd do it afterwards.

Hermione watched her reflection as she sighed to herself. With nervous hands she flattened her robe, lifted up her chin and decided that she was ready to leave.

She and Harry, who had waited patiently in their common room, climbed up the Gryffindor Tower to meet the Weasleys there.

Hermione didn't dare mention Malfoy or anything that might be related to him (including Arithmancy and Ancient Runes as well, which was sometimes difficult for her.)

"Godricus equitat leonum," Hermione murmured to the fat lady and entered the common room through the hole, Harry silently following her.

"Hermione, Harry." Ginny greeted them both directly with a warm smile and a hug. Ron was half sitting half lying on the sofa, and when he saw them, a forced smile crept up his lips that almost made his frown disappear. The weird expression on his face was far too familiar for Hermione to ignore.

"What's wrong, Ron?" She asked worriedly, although she could have remained silent.

"My stomach ache, it's back..." He grunted as he wrapped his arms around his belly.

"Dear Merlin, I have told you that you should go visit Madam Pomfrey." She said, but not in her usual clear tone. She felt a sting in her heart, a slight, but bitter disappointment, because she knew what was coming next.

"No, I'll just stay here, more comfortable, you know. I'm sorry Hermione, but I reckon I can't go with you to Hogsmeade..." He mumbled as he looked away, not daring to make eye contact with her.

"Okay." She breathed. She knew it wasn't his fault, but he had had stomach aches for so many times and he still hadn't gone to see Madam Pomfrey, which was typical for him, somehow, but it bothered her nonetheless.

"Hope you feel better soon." She said and gave him a peck on his cheek.

After Harry and Ginny also bade Ron farewell, they started their way to the front gates to take the carriage to Hogsmeade.

The walk took a long time, the fresh wind blew into their faces and tangled their hair, and the cold weather made them hold their robes tightly around their bodies. No one had enough energy to talk, as they needed everything they had to keep their bodies warm, since the warming spell couldn't keep up with the strong wind.

Hermione's thoughts drifted away until she was thinking about Ron again. She was disappointed, even though she knew it wasn't his fault that he had aches. But the situation just pulled down her mood. She had been nervous, but ready to tell Ron everything and had hoped that it would be the end of this mess of her relationship. Also, she felt extremely guilty for asking Draco again for a lesson, it was foolish and selfish of her—she wanted to end the drama after talking with Ron about it, how could she even have one of those silly kissing lessons after telling Ron about it? Was she imagining that he would even let her be near Draco?

She shook her head.

Hermione didn't even know if Ron would accept her after the confession. After she had thought about her speech throughout the entire day before, she had realised how ridiculous she would sound, how insane she had been to take bloody kissing lessons. And the fact that Draco was her tutor made everything even worse—it just seemed like a bad joke. And she knew how much Ronald hated him. How did she ever think that her whole act was acceptable?

But these thoughts just made it more and more urgent to speak with Ron, she was almost drowning with guilt. She couldn't hold it any longer.

They were about to pass Hagrid's hut when Hermione stopped walking. Harry and Ginny turned around to look at her, and Ginny's expression more confused than Harry's, both of them waiting for her to speak.

"You know what, you both should have a nice time in Hogsmeade, alone, I wi-"

"No Hermione, you can come with us of course!" Ginny insisted, but Harry put his hand on her shoulder as a sign that she should let Hermione explain.

Giving Harry a thankful glance, she continued. "No Ginny, it's okay. I should take care of Ron—I feel awful leaving him behind. Besides, I need to sort some things out with him." Hermione gave Ginny a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I'll let you go if you insist. But you need to know that you mustn't feel left out when you're with us." Ginny grinned and bade her farewell as Harry did.

Hermione turned around and started her way back to the castle, her steps were fast and confident at first and as closer as she came to the castle the wearier and more nervous they became, until she stood in front of the fat lady. Her hands were trembling. Nonetheless, she didn't regret her decision, nor did she want to go back and hide in her own common room. She was ready to speak with Ron. After taking a deep breath, she said the password with a shaky voice and climbed through the hole.

With slow steps she walked to the common room, her eyes catching the sofa where she expected Ron to be.

She gasped at what she saw, her heart started to beat fast, and her blood seemed to catch on fire. She couldn't believe what she saw. Her eyes went wet, and her heart felt a painful sting—no. Not a sting… her heart was ripped apart. Tears started to roll down her cheeks fast..

She saw Ron lying on the sofa with Lavender on top of him, his arms embracing her. They were snogging passionately with moans escaping their lips and his hand wandering from feeling her waist to grabbing her arse, both of them oblivious to Hermione's presence.

Hermione couldn't believe it, was this really happening? Ron and Lavender, again. She watched them both, wanting to yell at them, rip them apart, she wanted to ask him why, but she was like stupefied, she couldn't move, couldn't speak. It didn't seem like reality, was that really Ronald? Was it really him? Maybe she just imagined things, maybe it was someone else lying under Lavender.

She watched the red haired man clearly, but his face, his moves, everything about him was too familiar to her, and that was when it really hit her; when she realised that this all was very real and it was Ron and Lavender in front of her, snogging each other.

Her heart broke into thousand pieces, and it hurt awfully. Tears fell uncontrollably fast out her eyes that her vision was blurred, and she started to sob loudly.

"Ronald!" she cried with a broken voice. It was painful to use her voice, her whole body was shaking.

Ron jumped up and pushed Lavender away from her, she looked as shocked as him, but you could find guiltiness in his expression, too.

"Her-her-mio-" he started to stutter her name, but she cut him off.

"What are you doing? Ronald! You and Lavender? Why Ron, why?" She yelled. "I thought... I thought we..." she sobbed, her voice sounded raw and broken. She couldn't bring a straight sentence out, there was a mess, a chaos in her head and she felt too many different feelings.

"Hermione... I'm … I'm sorry... I- I swear it was real-" he tried to apologize, but Hermione couldn't hear him clearly, seeing as how her ears were ringing.

She sobbed loudly again, Ron started to walk to her, leaving Lavender on the sofa behind. He tried to cup her cheek, but she slapped his hand away.

"Hermione... Listen to me... please... I can explain..." he stammered.

"Yes Ron, explain. Why did you do this to me?" She cried, hitting his arms, then his chest as hard as possible, but she didn't have any power left. She had never felt this weak before.

"'Mione! I can explain... please—I really love you, b-but I thought Lavender was dead and when I saw her again on the first day-"

"First day? First day, you say?" She shouted, and there were no longer any tears dripping down her face. She was too furious to cry. Her face was flushed in deep crimson red out of pure anger and hatred.

"Since then? Since then you've been cheating on me?" She said with a hoarse voice, but it faded as realisation hit her. Everything made sense now, the first night, when they had planned to make love to each other, something she had been excited about for so long... And when he came too late, not attracted to her. It was not because of her, no, it was because he had met her before, that was why he was late, and he couldn't get an erection because... because he had been satisfied already.

"You... you had slept with her, Ron?" she asked, her voice was small and quiet, but articulate enough that even Lavender could hear her. He hesitated and gulped, but it was a clear answer to Hermione.

"Even though we had waited so long for that moment..." she almost whispered, she didn't have much more power to yell at him, and her eyes started to get wet again.

"Do you love her?" She asked then, her voice was shaking, but it was strong now, as she pulled her herself together.

After a moment of hesitation, Ron decided to answer her question.

"Yes, I love Lavender. I'm sorry." He said, and by reading his expression Hermione knew he said the pure truth.

Hermione shook her head, it hurt so much hearing his answer. Her body felt the heat of her anger and the coldness of her sorrow, and her whole body was on fire, every bone in her body was being ripped apart, it felt like she was being hit with a Crucio. Without saying anything else, she ran out of the common room.

She could hear him calling her name, but it was a dim sound fading into the loud shrill in her ears. Her eyes shed tears uncontrollably fast again as soon as she left the common room, and she ran down the stairs with weak steps, trying not to stumble but she did anyway. Her body fell down on the cold stone floor, her bare knees were scraped, seeing as she'd somehow lost her robe along the way. But the fall didn't hurt. Rather, she already felt too much pain that she couldn't feel new pain being added to her body.

Why did she decide to return, why did she have to discover the truth? Was the pain worth it? Because it hurt like hell. But the truth was always better, she should've known something was wrong with him, with their relationship.

"Yes, I love Lavender"

The sentence repeated itself in her mind, it kept her wounds fresh and open.

Slowly Hermione lifted her legs and pulled herself up. She still had her self-worth—she didn't want to be found broken on the floor by anyone.

She started walking slowly again. Her feet hurt, but she didn't care much. She almost felt numb, but the picture of Ron and Lavender always came up her mind, and Ron saying he loved her, it killed her every time anew. It made her speed up, it made her run again, and she tried to run away from the ache she felt, but hell caught up with her too soon. Fresh, hot tears fell on her irritated skin and it burned, but she was oblivious to that.

Suddenly she bumped into a strong figure and an angry voice yelled at her.

"Granger!" She heard him spit her name. Déjà vu.

She looked up, even though she knew it was Malfoy. He looked angry, but his expression changed rapidly as soon as he saw her red, swollen eyes, and her flushed cheeks full of tears.

He didn't know what to say, his throat went dry, but it didn't matter, because she spoke first.

"I won't be bothering you again, you don't have to give me any tutoring lessons again." She uttered, her hoarse voice shocking Draco.

He wanted to say something, he wanted to ask her why, but didn't know if it was appropriate. A way to comfort her flashed through his mind, but he suppressed it quickly. A cocky smirk appeared on his face as he looked down to the broken Gryffindor.

"Finally. Couldn't handle it any longer to kiss you, anyways." He smirked and expected her to snap back, but she ran past him.

Hermione ran away, she ran and ran and ran. She had thought that she couldn't feel any more pain, but seeing Malfoy, letting him see her in her worst state, again, it just broke her even more. He could've spared the mean comment, she had been feeling awful about herself, but after hearing him say that to her made her feel worse. It hurt her self esteem even more. How could he be so cold hearted, why couldn't he hold back his attitude for once, at her worst state? But she hated herself, too. What did she expect from him, anyways? He was an arsehole—a prick with no heart.

She continued to run, until she found herself in front of her common room and entered it with the little remaining energy she had left before she broke down.

She lay on the floor, clenching her legs and allowed herself to let all the tears and sobs out.

After some hours, Harry and Ginny found her, both of them helped her up and brought her to one of the sofas and embraced her, comforted her and caressed her, until she cried herself to sleep on one of their shoulders.

A/N: The end... of this chapter; to be continued, of course!
Yes, you all knew it, you all knew about Ron already ugh I'm too obvious hahaha.
Still, please tell me what you think of this whole chapter and review, I am also ppen for criticism.

Do you think Ron is a bastard? Or do you think Hermione overreacted?... I mean, she had been snogging Draco? Isn't that cheating as well?
Please tell me your opinion about this situation, wuahahaha and thanks again very much for reading! xx

Another big THANK YOU and million kisses and hugs go to my lovely lovely beta reader Anna, she works so hard to correct my grammar mistakes -honestly- she's the best! Check her out on wattpad. You can find her as "ImpossibleObsessions" (her username used to be ChaoticNacho)

Thanks again! xo (PS: If you have questions to my fanfic or something and you want a fast reply, write me on tumblr. My url is called "livingdramione")