Author's Note: All i can say is...feel free to be confused!! If i was Mione i would have ditched Harry long ago, but there you go. :) hope you like...please Review... xloveyouallx

For Hermione the next few days were unbearable. Something had snapped within her and she felt, for the first time ever, really, truly heartbroken. Not only by Draco's betrayal of her recently gained trust, and of course by the humiliation that followed, not even just by the fact she had lost all her friends. But because she had lost Harry, right when she'd thought it meant nothing it had hurt the most. Hermione didn't even go to classes for three days straight, she didn't seek out Draco and she actively avoided Harry; it was the hardest thing to do. On the third evening since the 'Cho incident', as she now referred to it, she decided she'd have to go and find him, and at least begin to get this dare over with.

She entered the common room cautiously and was pleased to find it subdued. Not making eye contact with any of her 'friends' she made her way quickly to where she'd spied Harry; sat alone, staring rather distractedly out of the window. Hermione felt a tug on her heart; maybe he was feeling lonely too.

"Hi Harry," It was more difficult to even whisper than she could have imagined. Harry sprung to his feet and looked awkward,

"Hi. I erm- hi. How are you?" She shrugged, "Yeah me too. I mean…" Harry trailed off and scuffed his shoe on the carpet. Hermione thought she was going to cry again, she tried to think of something to say,

"I- I…" And failed miserably, looking down again to stem the tears.

"Hey, Mione. Are you crying? Oh sweetie! Come with me…" Suddenly Hermione seemed to forget she wasn't dating him, the concern in his eyes was so genuine, she let him steer her gently out of the common room into the corridor outside.

Outside the room Harry bent and wiped away Hermione's tears. Still holding her head gently he leaned towards her and kissed her forehead, then let his arms wrap around her and comfort her.

"Hermione. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Was all he could whisper again and again. "Shh. I know I hurt you, I'm so sorry. I never want to hurt you again, it hurt me too. Please forgive me, love, and come back to me. I'll never forgive myself if I lose you." Hermione took a shaky breath and looked up a him, her eyes tracing his mouth, his cheek bones, his beautiful eyes and sweeping hair; everything so painfully familiar and fond to her.

"Harry…" Before she knew it her lips were seeking the comfort of his once more.

--

Harry sighed into the kiss. It was what he'd wanted for days, he hadn't meant to hurt Hermione and he knew now that he'd have to stay away from Cho until his head was clear. Him and Mione hadn't had any alone time, she'd seemed distracted and a whole bunch of other minor factors, added to the fact he was desperately horny, had lead to the mistake; and he didn't want that to happen again. All he wanted was to keep his arms around Hermione and love her again.

"Oh my god! I don't believe it." All good things are short lived however. They broke apart and Harry didn't even have to look before he knew Ginny was the one that had caught them. He was about to open his mouth and say something, when she interjected in shrill tones, "How can you Harry? You're going to break Cho's heart, you can't do that to her, especially after Cedric."

"Oh for gods sake Ginny. That has nothing to do with me. I haven't broken her heart-"

"Oh yea, explain why she's in the common room right now crying then. And Hermione, you caught him kissing Cho and you'd still go back to him? You sink lower than I thought." Ginny spat it and Harry knew it was pointless trying to stop Hermione running away. He watched, stricken, as she dashed down the corridor, head down, hiding the sobs. He rounded on Ginny,

"Ginny how could you just ruin things? You can be such a thoughtless cow you know."

"Harry I'm sorry."

"What?" It was the last thing he'd expected her to say. She was stood with an odd expression on her face, hand to her mouth.

"That sort of came out. I was so angry…I just…I'm sorry." She turned and made to go and Harry was fit to collapse. Not another crying girl, I may as well take up freaking counselling the way I'm going this week.

"Ginny don't you go too. I can't take this anymore." He held out his arms for her, secretly hoping she'd fill the cold, empty space that was hurting him so much.

She was warm, at least, slotting into his arms easily. But she wasn't yet numbing the pain…I know something that might, maybe…god I want to…Harry softly brushed her hair back from her face then she titled her head towards his. They kissed.

It was soft to begin with but then Harry felt everything that had been building up within him rise to the surface and bubble over. Making love to Hermione had been so amazing, he'd always wanted more, and for ages he hadn't been able to get more, because of school. Now it seemed he wanted it from any and every girl willing. He pushed Ginny to the wall as her kisses became faster; it seemed she wanted him too.

"Harry I said those things because I like you." She whispered breathlessly between kisses, "I'm sorry, it got out of hand. I didn't mean to go off at you and Hermione like that, it's just…Oh Harry I want you." Harry's stomach flipped and, disgusted at himself yet intoxicated, he closed his eyes and pushed up her skirt, giving them both what they wanted. Or rather, what she wanted, what he needed. He began to see the difference between the two.

--

Hermione ran outside, her head reeling from what she'd done and the things Ginny had said. Tears were pouring down her face and she didn't care, she'd never known this much hurt before. It wasn't until she stopped to breathe that she noticed she'd come to the cherry trees and also that footsteps were following her. Not Draco, not now…please.

"Hermione. What's wrong, I saw you running."

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to talk to anyone." She hissed,

"I came to apologise. What I did was out of order. I guess I just…I guess I was jealous of how well things were going with you and Potter." He rushed the last bit but it was enough to make Hermione turn around. Mistake! He saw how red and puffy her eyes were and she instantly swore and tried to brush away the tears. But to her shock she saw an unreadable expression on Draco's face. "I'm sorry Mione. If I could take back the dare I would." It was very quiet; the air seemed to be perfectly still around them.

"You called me Mione."

"Guess I did." Draco half whispered and then shrugged. Before he knew what had hit him Hermione had thrown herself into his arms. Whether or not his original intention had been to comfort her, he now held her with surprising gentleness.

"I can't do it Draco. I can't. It hurts, so much. It feels like my heart is breaking. I can't go through with this, I can't do it anymore. Help me, please. It hurts…" Hermione sobbed raggedly into his strong chest and she felt Draco take a deep breath as he tightened his arms around her.

"I know; I know it hurts. It's going to be ok. Don't ask me how, I don't know, it just has to be ok. I didn't mean to hurt you." He buried his head next to hers in her sweet smelling hair and felt her hands grip his robes. "I want to…I…Look, if I could call off the dare I would. But it's too late." Hermione pulled away a little and looked him right in the eye.

"I know that. I have to go through with it now. It's just so hard." The last words caught in her throat and Mione found it safest to hide back in the folds of his embrace. Draco ssh-ed her and rubbed her back, stroked her hair, anything to comfort her. It wasn't until a lot later on that Hermione realised how un-Draco-like it was. It was a little while before she could eventually whisper, "I should go. I haven't been to any classes for days, I guess I should make up some excuse and collect the work I've missed."

"I'd noticed you were missing." Hermione gave a slight smile but said nothing, "Oh and Mione," He caught her arm and looked her right in the eye. "You are beautiful. You can seduce him again. And if you're strong it wont matter that your heart is breaking, you have to be strong. Go and do what you do best."

The intensity of the comment burnt through Hermione as she turned to go. What you do best.

--

Harry took his hand out of Ginny's underwear and watched her still breathing heavily from the pleasure, eyes closed, leaning against the wall. She's not Mione, she's not Mione.

"Ginny that was a mistake. I don't want to hurt you. But I can't be with you." He forced out the honesty, for what it was worth, it made neither of them feel better, but it help him start to realise what he should and shouldn't do. Ginny gave a half laugh,

"I knew that was coming. You don't touch me like you touch her, you look right through me." Harry half shrugged, no point in denying it yet it was still painful. Ginny turned to go,

"Ginny. Dean cares for you, ok. Don't give up on him for me." Ginny smiled and it was her turn to shrug.

"Maybe."

Now for Hermione, oh god, I thought this year was going to be easy. Why me? As if in answer to his thoughts he saw a calmer looking Hermione walking towards him.

"I'm sorry." He said straight away, reaching to touch her arm. "Ginny ruined everything and…"

"Yea, she did."

"And with Cho, I'm sorry. I just- when we had sex…and it was amazing, I wanted it again, but I know we can't because of school and it was really getting to me and- I'm a guy." He finished rather lamely, Hermione smiled,

"You're a guy and you're pathetically horny. I know. I'm not going to say 'it's ok and I forgive you', because I don't. But we can try again maybe. I don't know."

"Mione I'll do anything." Hermione sighed. Twice now she'd been with Draco and hadn't told him, it was terrible that she should condemn him for his one meeting with Cho.

"Just find out when the next party is and I'll see about coming with you. For now, I guess…" She gave him a gentle peck on the cheek and walked back inside the common room.