Hermione waited for Ron in the common room. It was about time to head down and if he didn't show soon she was going to leave without him. She had planned to walk with Harry before Ron's request. She should have stuck with that, but he had gratefully bowed out when she had told him that Ron wanted to speak with her. He wanted their relationship mended more than either of them seemed to. It had to of been mighty awkward for him to have his two best friends fighting...

Her annoyance had started to turn into actual anger when he finally made his appearance with Lavender tucked under his arm. When he saw her sitting there waiting for him, he leaned down and whispered something in the girl's ear. Her eyes found her too and they gave an exasperated roll before she stomped off to join Parvati. Ron watched her leave before coming over. She almost felt bad for the git with how dejected he looked. Must be a hard life choosing to be with someone who threw a fit anytime you spoke to one of your friends.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked her.

"Are you sure you're allowed?" She countered.

He sighed and shook his head. "No, but it doesn't matter. Let's go."

"Alright." Was her simple response as she stood and followed him from the room. She could feel the glare on the back of her head but didn't give the witch the pleasure of her turning around to look.

Once they were out in the corridor Ron sighed again and started along the way to the Great Hall. They were supposed to gather outside but the melting snow caused a freezing swampland which necessitated a move indoors. She followed him, nibbling on a scab on the inside of her lip. She waited for him to start. He knew the conditions. She could walk the whole way in silence if she had to.

After a moment of the unpleasantness from the difficult tension between them, he caved. "Look... I'm sorry, okay? I should not have said anything 'bout you takin' McLaggen to that party."

"And?" She asked. She gave him a neutral look, giving nothing away on if she bought it or not.

"And not writin' back over break." He mumbled.

"You know... That is what hurt the most. I could have let you over stepping boundaries go. I tried to! I told you that I understood that you were caught up in the anger of the moment and we had both said some awful things. But you ignored me... For a over month!" She rushed out in her typical manner as she fought back tears. The sting still fresh.

His gaze fell to the ground as they walked. "I am sorry! I was just... I don't know..."

"Jealous?" She supplied easily.

"Yeah... I guess." He said with a shrug.

"Why would you be jealous when you have Lavender, Ron? That doesn't make any sense." She asked, annoyed with not being able to understand his logic.

Ron fidgeted for a second and started to turn red before meeting her stare. "I guess... Because I like you too."

"And what? Just because you suddenly discovered feelings for me that means you have any right to tell me whom I can, or cannot, spend my time with? Even if I had decided to start dating Cormac... As ludicrous as the idea is... That doesn't mean you have any sort of claim on me." She told him bluntly. It wasn't the time for treading lightly. The new development of them both finding someone had put new boundaries up that had not been previously needed. On either side...

"I know that. I guess... I don't know. I always thought we'd end up together eventually, ya know?" He asked her. The same dreamy look he got when imaging Quidditch plays on his face.

She snorted before rolling her eyes. "So I was just supposed to wait around for you? Like... Like... I don't know... Some sad little girl hoping for her turn?"

"'Supposed to" makes it sound like you've moved on." He whispered.

"I have. I've already waited two years for you Ronald. You never acted on what happened at the Yule Ball. I put the Quaffle in your hands, so to speak. You never reciprocated. Besides are you forgetting about your girlfriend? It would not be fair to her and you know it. She would be hurt terribly if you broke it off with her and we started dating." She sighed softly before continuing. "There is the also fact that I would not want to date you now. It wouldn't feel right anymore. For so many reasons..."

"I don't want to lose you 'Mione." He whispered, his voice cracking this time.

"I never belonged to you to begin with. You just always counted on me to be there when you where ready. I want to be with someone where I am not second best." She said truthfully.

"That isn't what I said! When did I say you are second best?!" He challenged indignantly the tender and soft tone lost at his irritation at her feelings.

She couldn't stop a tear from sliding down her cheek, which she quickly reached up and wiped away. "You didn't have to Ron! Your actions speak plainly. Do I have to remind you that I was there! For two freaking years! Sitting in the background while you and Harry lusted after anything with tits and an ass. I literally sat there and listened to it. I sat there for months and watched you making out with a brainless mandrake that never stops wailing unless her mouth is suctioned to yours!"

Hermione could feel her heart hammering in her chest as her own emotions switched from the sadness and grief of the moment to anger. It was unbelievable what he expected of her. It was unbelievable and grossly unfair. To both her and Lavender. For once she could actually feel for the girl. No wonder she had such an issue whenever she and Ron were close. While she gave her a lot of crap Brown could be very preceptive when she wanted to be. She probably knew about his feelings long before either of them had figured it out.

She continued on, now on a tangent. "Don't be a fucking coward, alright? You made your choices. Go run off and find Lavender, before you break another girl's heart. Grow up and realize we are not things made for your amusement. You know what... I don't think I am ready to accept your apology yet. It doesn't look like you have actually learned anything. As horrible as it is for Harry, I think we should continue to give each other space. That way neither of us say anything that we will regret later."

Ron stopped walking and just stood there, looking shell shocked as he tried to absorb everything she had just said. She forged on ahead, intent on getting lost in the crowd on the staircase...

-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-

That night she was finishing up rounds before heading up to meet Draco. He had gotten word for her to meet him in "his room" when she was done. How she was supposed to do that when she didn't know how to summon his door was still a mystery to her. She doubted he would leave her outside for long if she could not figure it out. He was bound to come and see what was keeping her, right?

She hoped that wouldn't leave her out there. Harry was being obsessive with wanting to know what he was up to. He had overheard a conversation between Draco and Crabbe during their Apparition lesson. What had eavesdropped had just reinforced his views that whatever Draco was trying to hide was malicious. Why else would you need lookouts? She had stopped herself from pointing out that both she and Ron had done the same thing for him many a time. And while they were never up to anything good. It never had been evil either...

The whole afternoon he had sat in the common room and watched the Marauder's Map, hoping to catch him somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. He had disappeared completely from the thing for a couple of hours and it had sent Harry into a meltdown, trying to come up with ideas on where he was had gone. Hermione had a pretty good guess... It would take another couple of days of observation but she was confident enough that their tracks would be hidden under the Room of Requirement's magic to meet up with Draco again.

Now that she was healed and no longer uncomfortable from her first time, she was looking forward to seeing what tonight might have instore. She made her way back up to Gryffindor Tower, sure that she was missing at least a few students who were out past curfew, but she was unable to muster up enough concentration for the job at hand. Her mind was too wrapped up in the images of Draco leaning over her or caught up in his groans of pleasure that flashed before her eyes.

She was interrupted by a male clearing their throat and she searched the darkness for the source. Her eyebrow rose when she saw Draco leaning against the wall. He really did have an uncanny way of what seemed like reading her mind and knowing when she was thinking of him... One of his legs was raised so the sole of his shoe was against the stone causing the leg to be bended at the knee. While his arms were lazily crossed against his chest. Her mind got hung up on the fact that he always looked so damned good. It must have taken him forever to implement that perfect chilled exterior. Did he practice in the mirror? She had always known him to be able to do it, even at eleven. What age did it start? Was it a imitation of something his father did?

His smirked over at her as she stopped in her tracks. He crooked his finger in a "come hither" motion before slipping under the tapestry to the corridor that would transport you to a closet close to the Divination Tower. Yet another barely spoken about shortcut that the castle offered to those smart enough to find it.

She hesitated for a second before quickly following him. She needed to warn him that they couldn't meet outside of their little sanctuary. At least until Harry cooled down on his hunt for anything to criminalize the boy... She hoped Draco wouldn't give him an excuse to start to pry deeper. There would be too many factors and potential complications if she had to worry about Harry also running around after him under the Invisibility Cloak...

As soon as she was under the security of cover he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed at the comfort the simple gesture provided. She had needed this. It wasn't Ginny's arms that had offered it when she had found the girl that afternoon and told her the whole conversation with Ron and how it made her feel inadequate. It wasn't Harry's quick hug or mumbled "It'll be okay. You'll see." when she had told him that she and Ron hadn't been able to resolve anything. It was him and this... And way he made her feel.

He pressed her up against the wall, keeping his arms around her so she wasn't cut by the rougher edged stone. His lips found hers and instantly she forgot all of her worries. Her hands slid up between their bodies and cupped either side of his neck so that she could pull him down for a deeper kiss. In the few days since their last encounter she had forgotten just how amazing it felt to have his lips working against hers. How he could her turn into a puddle of need with just a few touches. Her memories never did it justice.

She could feel how fast his heart raced under her fingertips. She let go, confident that he wasn't going to pull away anytime soon and her hands traveled down to where they could rest over the real thing. His tongue slid over her bottom lip, requesting access to be able to taste her. She eagerly obliged and then moaned into the kiss when he finally did.

Slowly her mind's nagging started to break through the hormone induced haze. There was some reason that doing this right here was a bad idea...

He slipped one arm out from behind her, still cradling her with the other. He started working her button-up out of the waistband of her skirt. As if he sensed that she was starting to get distracted by some thought in her head, he moved his lips to her neck. Nibbling and kissing the skin there. She felt the desperation behind the attempt to get her focused back on the moment.

But there was something... Something to do with Harry...

He moved up to her earlobe and nipped at the tender bud. Hermione's head fell to the side as she sighed. He already knew the exact buttons to push with her. As if he had mental map of...

...The Map! Shit!

She used the position her hands were already at on his chest to forcibly push him away. Him being pressed up like that against her did nothing for her sluggish mental facilities. "What... What are you doing here?"

"I could not wait another minute in that room knowing you were roaming the halls... Alone." He said as reached to wrapped back up in his arms.

She shook her head, her eyes widening with her fear of getting caught. "You can't be here. Especially not with me. Harry will see. You have to go!"

"Wha... What are you talking about Granger?" He asked, his eyes darkened over as he tried to keep up with the sudden shift in direction this encounter had taken.

"I can't explain right now. Just... Just meet me in twenty minutes like we planned. Please... Please trust me." She begged him as she turned his body around so he was facing down the corridor. She gave his a quick push to him to get started.

He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but something clicked as he stared into her eyes. Maybe the fear that she was sure was readable on her face finally reached through his own fantasy for the night. Or maybe he decided that making her aggravated wasn't in his best interest. Either way, he shrugged. "Fine"

"Thank you! Now go!" She huffed as she gave one last gentle shove. She instantly turned and slipped out from under the tapestry before hurried to her common room.

Hoping and praying Harry hadn't been searching for him...