I started this as soon as the last chapter was up because I've got all the ideas fresh in my mind. As usual all credit goes to JKR, enjoy!

HPOV

'30-40 to Slytherin!' I could hear Luna saying fro the other side of the stadium. Why were Slytherin winning? They couldn't win. Everything was fucked up enough with out that stupid deal being in favour an evil and cunning Slytherin. A flash of red followed closely by a flash of green flew over our heads, Harry and Malfoy. My eyes widened as I saw the dipping and diving towards the ground before pulling up last minute towards our stand again. They slowed as they realised they'd lost the snitch and came to a standstill a few feet above us.

'You're losing Potter.'

'I'm catching that snitch and we will win Malfoy.'

'And Slytherin scores again. Coming from the point of view of a Gryffindor fan in this situation I must say that this is pretty bad. Something must've gotten to Ron Weasley because he clearly hasn't got his heart in the game.' Most of the attention was diverted to the Gryffindor goal hoops where sure enough Ron looked like a person who didn't want to be there.

'See what you've done to him!' Harry shouted to Malfoy.

'Me? I've not so much as pointed my wand in Weasley's direction. If you want the culprit I think you need to look within your own circle of friends.' The murmurs around me wish I had Harry's invisibility cloak nearby, I could see people looking at me and I hated it.

'..looks like the seekers Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are having some sort of discussion. Looks rather heated actually, lots of pointing; probably shouting....another ten points for Slytherin!' I sighed as I heard the last sentence. Slytherin couldn't win.

'I told you we'd settle this on the pitch, or have you forgotten about our deal?'

'Well let's settle it. Or have you forgotten what a snitch looks like?' Harry snickered before his eyes lit up and he sped past Malfoy and straight towards the commentator and teachers stand.

'At the exciting stage in the match I will remind you that the scores currently stand at 50-30 to Slytherin although it seems like everyone's been attacked by Wrackspurt, they're all so slow today. Oh! It looks like they've seen the snitch again! And Harry Potter is in the lead, the snitch dives, Potter dives. Malfoy's catching him up! This is ever so exciting everyone.' Luna's commentary was always worth listening to; she brought a smile to everyone's faces and made everyone interested. I watched as Harry and Malfoy twisted towards the ground and then pulled back up again towards the sky, pushing and shoving each other to be the first, I only prayed that Harry won.

'And Cootes hit a bludger which now seems to have Draco Malfoy as it's centre target. Malfoy speeds up, he's distracted Harry Potter! He's reaching out and Slytherin wins with a score of 200 points to Gryffindor's 30. I remind you all that the next match takes place in three weeks and is between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.' Every single Slytherin was cheering at the victory thanks to Malfoy and I knew that it was only a matter of time before he flaunted to Harry that he'd not only won the match, but their deal too. Well I would be telling him that as close as I wanted him was a million miles away.

The first people were leaving and I told Hanna Abbott I was going to wait for Harry and Ron. Eventually everyone left and I was sat in the stands by myself.

'What's wrong Princess?' Malfoy's voice rang out loud and clear.

'Don't you give me that. You won, have you come to gloat?'

'I've come to collect my prize, so to speak.'

'I fucking told you the other night that I am not a prize to be won or collected!' I shrieked at him.

'I'm just clarifying that we know that I won.'

'I'm seriously not in the mood for this.'

'Well what's wrong?' At this point I should have stood up and walked away and forgotten all about Malfoy but the fact that he seemed to be the only person in the world who actually wanted to know how I was seemed incredibly attracting.

'After our run in with you Harry and I caught Ron with Lavender – making out.'

'Why is it always Potter who catches people, is he some kind of pervert?'

'No' I hiccupped; crying was not a good thing for me. 'I need to go back up to school, its freezing.'

'I'll escort you back.'

'I don't want people to see us together.'

'What?'

'You heard what I said.'

'I heard what you said alright but I don't understand it.'

'No good'll come from it, we'll only get hassle, hassle which I don't need.'

'It's always about what suits you. Haven't you thought about your counterpart in this relationship?'

'So now after a few stupid kisses and one night together that constitutes as a relationship?' I replied bitterly.

'Well it's a damn sight more than you and Weasley by the sounds of it.'

'Nobody said you were my counterpart or whatever Malfoy. We're just two teenagers who let hormones get the better of them.' I was reassuring myself more than anyone else.

'Where are you going?'

'Back to school, I have things to sort out.' I had no idea how long we'd been sat there but I was hungry, I wasn't in the mood for sitting with everyone else in the hall so I decided it best to stop by the kitchens on my way back to the dorm. About a hundred metres in front I saw two familiar redheads walking side by side with a boy with jet black hair. I instantly recognised them and called ahead.

'Ron!' he didn't turn around. My voice was quiet; I was speaking like it was back at the pitch with me and Malfoy again. It wasn't until I'd run to the Entrance Hall to catch them up that he finally heard me.

'Ron!' I called again.

'There you are, we were looking for you. Weren't we?' Harry elbowed Ron and I wasn't convinced at all. I actually started laughing.

'What's so funny 'Mione?' Ron asked.

'The fact that you need reminded that you were looking for me. If I didn't know better you were trying to avoid me.'

'With good reason' he muttered.

'What was that?'

'With good reason.' He said, louder.

'What's that supposed to mean Ron?'

'It means that I'm fed up with what you've been like lately. I don't even know who you are anymore. The Hermione I know wouldn't cheat on me.' He said it loud enough for everyone who was going into the hall for lunch to hear. They all stopped and watched the unfolding scene.

'The Ron I knew wouldn't cheat on me either!' I quipped back. If he wanted things out in the open, boy was he in for a shock.

'You cheated on me first!'

'It doesn't cancel it out you know! Or did you think I wouldn't mind because I'd done it to you?'

'Well you haven't seemed to have cared since we got back but after that chat we had last night I think it's safe to say I know exactly why.'

'At least I can hide it when I've done something wrong. You were practically begging to get caught this morning outside the changing rooms!' more people had gathered outside of the Great Hall and were standing on the staircase to see what was going on. After what we'd said there were whispers fizzing around the spacious Hall.

'At least she wanted me.'

'Ron it took you seven years to finally pluck up the courage to make a move and at the beginning things were great but somewhere along we lost our spark.' I'd moved closer and said it quieter, not everyone had to hear this.

'Are you saying that you can feel this magical spark with...' he took a deep breath and for a second I thought he was going to say Malfoy's name, 'him?'

'Yeah I do. And if I'm completely honest I don't want to feel a single thing when I'm with him because I know I should feel it with you.'

'Just forget about it then, stay away from him and we'll start over.' I could see that Ron's eyes mirrored my own, glazed with tears. Why had I been crying so much recently? I must have looked like a right emotional train wreck to anyone within five feet of me.

'I..I can't do that Ron.'

'This isn't over what I discovered this morning is it?' Ginny had wormed her way out of Harry's vice-like grip to hiss at me.

'Yes. No. I don't know.'

'What happened this morning?'

'Not this morning Ron. Last night.'

'Last night? Wha-? You didn't!?'

'Ron I didn't mean to I swear it was a one time accident that was never supposed to happen.'

'I can't believe that you SLEPT with that bastard!' Suddenly everyone was very interested in our fight again and I could feel my cheeks turning a shade of pink.

'Was that really necessary?'

'Were you ever going to tell me?'

'I wasn't planning to because I knew you'd react like this.'

'Let's forget it ever happened Hermione, we can pretend it never happened.'

'Ron...'

'Please Hermione.' He was holding my wrists and his eyes were still glazing.

'No!' I shook out of his grip

'I'm sorry I was with Lavender, I was upset about last night and you weren't talking to me.'

'This isn't the time for this Ron, we're causing a scene.'

'Well let them watch Hermione.'

'I have to go.' Was that honestly the best response I had?

'Where? Back to him? Don't do it Hermione or I swear I'll hex him so bad...'

'You don't control what I do Ron!' I could hear everyone whispering to each other, trying to make it unobvious that they were talking about us.

'Who was she with?' someone asked.

'She doesn't look like the type.' I heard one girl saying.

'You see what you've started? Why couldn't you just be happy with what you had?' Ron asked me, a little too loud for my liking.

'What I've started? It was you who started this right now. We could have worked around this in private, without an audience of 100.'

'Well come on, we'll go do that now'

'No, it's too late for that now. I'm done Ron.' I turned towards the main staircase and saw as the crowd parted for me.

'I'm not finished!' I didn't stop or even turn around. 'Don't you dare walk away from me Hermione!' he shouted across the entrance hall. 'Locomotor mortis!' I spun around and blocked the curse so quickly I was slightly dizzy.

'Not the best way to get my attention Ronald!'

'Weasley, fifteen points from Gryffindor for launching an attack in the corridors.' Malfoy's voice rang out in the hall. 'Don't you all have places to be?' he asked all the spectators who immediately began to scatter from the Entrance hall. Those who went past me looked at me in disbelief of the sight they'd just witnessed although a couple did congratulate me or tell me I'd be alright.

'As for you Granger I think it'd be best if you ran along too.' Malfoy told me once only one or two people remained. I raised an eyebrow to him before he whispered 'Seventh Floor, ten minutes.' I noticed the few people in the hall were looking on with slightly confused expressions before I said, quite loudly 'Piss off Ferret.' And began to climb the stairs. When I reached the first landing I looked back and nodded.

I practically sprinted to the seventh floor. By the time I'd reached the fifth there was hardly anyone around which made me feel slightly uneasy. I knew there was something special about the seventh floor but I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. I leaned against the wall at the end of the corridor and slid to the floor.

For once I was glad of the quiet. Everything was finally sinking in. Ron and I had argued in the middle of the Entrance hall, in front of half the school. Why couldn't he have waited? He obviously loved the fact that he thought I was the only one to be humiliated. Boy had he been wrong. There was no way in hell I was going to take all of that in front of so many people. But then I'd hurt him so much in front of almost everyone who knew him.

'I'm such a terrible person' I whispered, my head in my hands and my knees close to my chest.

'You're not any worse than he is.' I looked up fro the darkness I'd created around my face to see Malfoy standing above me. Talk about deja vu.

'I'm supposed to be his best friend. I shouldn't have said half the things that I did back there.'

'If he loved you as much as he said he did then he shouldn't have done any of that to you.'

'Why did you want to meet me up here?'

'I want to show you something. Do you trust me?'

'I...yes.' I sighed and took Malfoy's outstretched hand as he pulled me to my feet.

'Close your eyes and don't let go.' We weren't apparating were we? He was going to take me somewhere far away fro Hogwarts, away from all the drama. I waited but the all too familiar feeling of apparition but it never came. Instead when I was finally allowed to open my eyes we were standing in front of a small wooden door.

'Where are we?' I asked.

'We're still on the seventh floor. I thought after fifth year you would have recognised this room on this floor.'

'The room of requirement?' I asked stupidly.

'Yeah. I spent a lot of time in here in sixth year and I'm not proud of it but I use the room for other things nowadays.'

'And what might be the purpose today?'

'Close your eyes again and I'll let you see.' I did as I was told and heard the door creaking open and felt my self being pulled along into a warm room. I was greeted with the smells of a burning fire and parchment all collided together. I felt Malfoy's hand slip from my own but I kept my eyes shut. Something moved past me, was it him?

'Now open your eyes Hermione.' He whispered into my ear.

'Wow.' Was all I managed to come up with.

'I know. I found it when we first came back.' The room was like a much smaller version of our common room. Only a single sofa sat in front of the fireplace and two of the walls were lined with books. I looked at the shelves closest to us and noticed that many of them were muggle novels.

'You read muggle books?'

'Well...I...yeah.' he ran a hand through his platinum hair and gave me an awkward smile.

'This one's my favourite!' I said and picked up a battered copy of Romeo and Juliet.

'I didn't bring you up here so you could look through all the bookshelves.'

'Oh right...sorry.'

'I think I'm falling in love with you.' Those few words created another huge bombshell. A bombshell that didn't help things at all.

Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter didn't take nearly so long to write because I had a plan. What do you think will happen next? What will Hermione's reaction to Malfoy's confession be? Let me know what you think in your review

Li x