Dear Reviewers,

1) Saying nice things is, of course, always good. Only nice reviews don't harm anyone. They can even be constructive if you make sure to point out what you especially liked in a chapter, making the author aware of what was a hit (and by omission, what was not). There are, however, other ways of being constructive, and also ways of just being plain destructive, that I would like to point out.

2) Demands/requests for future happenings are not nice and they are truly destructive. They are taxing for the author. Musings and hopes are not a part of this; your musing and hopes may flatter the author because you actually care to think about the story, BUT plain unsolicited advice/demandings on where to go next... do not ever go there! It is highly offensive to the author and gives the impression that you think s/he has no clue where s/he is going with their own story.

3) It is understandable if you do not always have only praise for a story. Concrit (constructive criticism) is something that any author should be delighted to get in any form - and some of us actually are. However, saying "this story moves too slow" or "I hate your Hermione" or "you are unoriginal" etc. is NOT concrit, it's just lame and, indeed, destructive. Instead consider being a bit more specific as to what the problem is.

-- Be as SPECIFIC and as OBJECTIVE as possible when you give concrit. If you cannot give this kind of concrit? That's fine, but don't bash the story. (And also, keeping the tone civil is always appreciated)

4) Keep ANY and ALL criticism fixed on the STORY. You don't like the author? Fine. Don't like the author. You don't like the author's A/Ns? Fine. You don't like the author's A/Ns. Criticizing the author's person is HIGHLY destructive, not to mention condescending and rude. Just because this is the internet does not give you leave to attack anyone personally, and it's not making you look good either (especially since the ones doing this never have the balls to sign in). You do not have the right to censor anyone as a human being. You will never HAVE the right to censor anyone else as a human being; not here, not anywhere. Bring up your children, make them decent human beings, but if you find other adults crass? Do what the rest of us do, ignore them and move on. That's life. Deal with it and focus on the important part - the story. Believe me, if any author is being harsh in their A/Ns there were several people who asked for it already. You probably have no clue what we have to listen to in reviews sometimes and, indeed, we DO have the right to let our frustrations show in any way we choose. YOU, on the other hand, have the right to ignore it or stop reading our stories.

In other news...

I have decided that I probably won't post on ffnet anymore after The Bracelet is done. My rating is too high (often MA where M is the highest here) and, well, I find that ffnet in many ways is a case of quantity over quality and, as you may have guessed, some people are making me extremely weary.

And as some of you already know, I'm pregnant. It's in very early stages, but, indeed, I am. Which has contributed to my decision to not post here after The Bracelet is done. It's simply something I do not need. I'm setting up a comm on LJ and when it's up, I will give you the name and you can sign up to LJ for free and join it if you really want to read all my fics. Otherwise, you can find some at Granger Enchanted, some at Quiet Ones, some at Coloured Grey etc...

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco. "Well? How are you not gaining from making it seem like I'm madly in lust with you?"

Don't say it like that…

He shook his head as if to clear it. What the hell was wrong with him today? He was ogling her – he really hoped she hadn't noticed that – and had reacted ridiculously strong to the thought of her maybe actually having wanted their kiss; and now he was even trying to help her keep her moronic friends, even to the point of not considering that it would serve his purposes better to just let things stay as they were.

And now she had called him on it.

He cleared his throat, stalling a bit for time. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" he said, frantically searching for something that might be deemed obvious. Or just anything that might make sense. "It happened whether you wanted it or not. The damage is done. What difference does it make if they think I forced you?"

It was lame reasoning. Even he could hear it. He fought back a wince.

"It makes all the difference," she said, speaking slowly as if to a child. "If they think it was something I did willingly, they will be upset with me. If they think that you forced me, they will only be upset with you. You want them to be upset withme."

He glared at her. How dared she talk down to him? "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I am past all that?" he haughtily asked. "I don't give a damn about you or your friends anymore. This thing is beginning to bore me."

"Really?" she asked, her blasted arms still folded under her breasts, offering him the view at an advantage.

He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

Either she didn't notice his odd behavior or she ignored it. "Then why won't you release me from the bet? Call it even?"

"Because we're not even," he said, turning to his desk. Thank Merlin for homework. "The deal was a month, and I'll take a month."

"But what are you going to do if you're past tormenting me and my friends?"

He felt like strangling her just to make her shut up. "Maybe I'll torment you some more just to oblige you," he growled.

"You could make use of me," she offered.

"What use could I possibly have for you," he scoffed, willing himself not to think of any uses.

"Homework," she suggested.

"I do not need you to do my homework!" She was annoying him again. He was glad she was annoying him again. When annoyed, he didn't think of stupid things like breasts and… uses.

Now it was her turn to scoff. "I wasn't offering to do it! I could help you with it; help you learn some of these things."

"You wish to be my tutor? Why?"

She shrugged. "If it will keep you off my back…"

"Fine," he heard himself say. Damn it, he didn't want to be spending so much time being close to her. He felt her perk up a bit, ever the homework enthusiast. "But not today," he added. No, definitely not today. "I will meet you at the library tomorrow."

There was one thing Draco had failed to consider when he had told her to meet him at the library: Public meant that people were about. People who stared when he walked up to Hermione's table and drew out a chair. People who whispered when he sat down and took out his books. People who definitely were not as intimidated as he could wish by his snarl.

Hermione sniggered.

He glared at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You should have known this would happen."

He scowled. "Why aren't you bothered?"

"Because they already believe much worse of me, remember?" she reminded him and pushed a small pouch towards him.

"What's this?" he asked, picking it up and frowning as he felt the unmistakable weight of money. He opened it. Ten galleons. Why was she giving him money?

"My share," she said. "Sorry it took so long. I almost forgot about it."

"Your… share?" he asked, feeling extremely confused. "Of what?"

"Cornfoot's fee," she said matter-of-factly. "You said you paid him twenty galleons and my share was ten, remember?"

He scowled at her and pushed the pouch back. "I wasn't serious. Keep your bloody money."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a freeloader."

"I never said you were!" He sighed. She really was annoying. "I paid him. I made that choice. I wanted the bet pushed through before you changed your mind. Believe me; I have easily gotten twenty galleons' worth by now."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Nevertheless, I'm in it just as much as you are. I want to pay my share."

Why the fuck was she so insistent?

"You can pay for the next bet," he growled. "Right now I would appreciate it if you shut up about the stupid money and tutored me instead."

Her lips tightened in a frown. Well, too bad. He didn't need her galleons, and why would she want to give them to him, anyway? He shook his head. Gryffindors. Muggleborns. Grangers.

Suddenly she smiled, and he was instantly wary.

"Ok," she said. "Never mind that for now."

"Never mind it at all," he replied.

She dismissed him with the wave of a hand. "… for now. Tell me what it is you need done."

He stared at her in exasperation.

When Ron entered the library an hour later, he wasn't immediately noticed by the two of them. He stopped to watch, clenching his teeth and fighting down the urge to hit something or someone.

He had to be mature about this, or he would not only lose the girl he loved but also one of his very closest friends. If only it had been anyone but him. What was she doing with that snake? Could she really be happy with him?

Even as he asked himself that, Hermione's face split into a smile that left him breathless. It always had. For a long time he'd just been too stupid to realize he had to act on it and now… it was too late. At least for now.

He sighed.

Hermione giggled, making Malfoy scowl at her, but it seemed that even he was half-hearted about it.

Looking on the bright side, a relationship between Hermione and Malfoy couldn't possibly last. Here at Hogwarts it would be difficult for them, but once they finished school it would be plain impossible for them to keep going. They were simply too different, and Malfoy had that whole rich pureblood bigot ideal to live up to.

Ron just hoped that Hermione wouldn't be too hurt by it.

But he would be there to pick up the pieces. He would always be there. He loved her more than anything else. He would just have to let her make her own mistakes. Even if they hurt like the very devil. This wasn't about him; this was about her figuring out what she wanted, what she needed.

He just hoped that he would be what she needed in the end.

Hermione leaned in over the books again, obviously taking great pains to explain something to Malfoy. Malfoy also leaned in and frowned, apparently trying to pay attention, but then he looked up at Hermione's face, too close to his own, and it was evident that all thoughts of homework immediately fled his mind.

At least to Ron it was evident. He knew exactly what was going through Malfoy's mind. He'd been in that position countless times before himself.

Hermione didn't notice. She never noticed.

He decided it was time to approach them.

"Hermione?"

Draco felt Hermione stiffen both physically and emotionally as the Weasel approached them.

He didn't know whether to curse or thank the redhead for the interruption.

He decided that cursing him would be more fun.

"Could I… could I talk to you for a second? Alone?" Weasley ventured at Hermione, briefly scowling at Draco.

Draco narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think now is such a good time…" Hermione muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"Why not?" Ron asked. "You can do without her for a few minutes, can't you, mate?" He had directed the last bit at Draco.

Draco stared. He had never been even close to being the mate of anyone even remotely associated with a Weasley.

"Ron…" Hermione sighed. "Can't it wait till later?"

She shot Draco a nervous glance and Draco realized why she was putting the Weasel off. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't want to talk to him. It was that Draco had the power to stop it and possibly humiliate her in front of her friend-cum-would-be-lover.

"Do you want to talk to him?" he heard himself ask. It was actually hard to discern whether she did. It felt like she dreaded any conversation she might have with freckle-face.

She swallowed and nodded.

Draco didn't like it. He really didn't like it. He considered sending Weasley on his way, but then he had to ask himself why he would care what they had to talk about.

In the end, he gathered his books and stood.

"You know what to tell him," he reminded her before he left for his dormitory.

"You've got me now," Hermione said after Draco had disappeared, hoping to make light of the situation.

"Have I?" Ron quietly asked.

She had to look away. "Figure of speech," she muttered.

"I know."

There was an awkward silence.

"Look, Hermione…" Ron finally began, taking a deep breath and then pushing on. "I still don't understand. I thought I had it figured out but… obviously I hadn't… but I meant what I said last week. I just wanted this to be clear. I'm always your friend."

Last week? She did a quick calculation. Ten days. Had it really only been ten days since then? It felt like a lifetime.

"I can still explain soon," she muttered feeling acutely uncomfortable. "And you're not ok with any of this."

Ron shrugged. "If I said I wasn't upset that you'd choose someone like Malfoy over me, I would be lying. Friends can be upset, can't they? Friends can even maybe need you to leave them alone for a while… but that doesn't mean they won't be there for you."

Hermione felt a lump form in her throat and she couldn't respond.

"So, what did ferret-face want you to tell me?" he asked in a forced cheery voice.

"Ron!" Hermione softly admonished. "That insult got old years ago."

"Yes, well, it's the nicest one I can come up with at the moment. The rest all somehow involve his parentage or sexual orientation."

"Ron…" She sighed deeply.

"That's still my name, no need to use it up. You didn't answer my question."

"Oh, that." She shrugged. "He wants me to tell you that he forced me."

"What? But you said that he didn't! Why would you lie to us?"

She noticed rather dispassionately that he was becoming flushed from anger at Malfoy's supposed crime.

"I wouldn't."

Ron stared at her. "Do you mean to tell me that f—that Malfoy wants you to lie to us by saying you were not willing?"

"Yes, that is exactly what he wants."

"Why? Does he have a death wish?"

She shrugged again. "I don't think so. I think he's actually tired of all the fighting."

He snorted. "Right. This is Malfoy, Hermione."

"So? He's sort of human too."

Ron contemplated for a second how to break this to her. "Sort of being the operative words," he finally said.

Hermione sighed. "Well, I know I'm tired. I'm so tired of nobody getting along and all the competing and insulting and the constant warring. And this is not even a real war. We will have that to contend with soon enough, won't we?"

"Look, Hermione… Some things are just like that. You can't be everyone's friend. You can't expect everyone to be your friend."

"I know that," she scoffed. "But you don't have to be friends to be civil."

"I know that you might feel… differently… about Malfoy now, but—"

"This isn't about Malfoy. It's about me. I want to get along."

"Have you completely forgotten what he's been doing to you?" Ron heatedly asked. "Even if you can forgive him for your humiliations… I can't."

She looked away. "No. I haven't forgotten. But someone has to try and stop the feuding."

"You're much too good for a Slytherin," he sighed.

"Ron…"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry. You're not too good for a Slytherin; you're too good for this Slytherin."

"Ron!"

"You know how I feel about him. I'll never like him. Don't ask me to."

"But you'll always like me, right?" she asked a bit cheekily, trying to elevate the mood.

"No," he responded. "You, I'll always love."

Hermione was feeling emotionally exhausted after Ron finally left the library. Not being able to tell the truth about the nature of her relationship with Draco was really hard. She wanted to reassure Ron. Yet, in a strange way, it was probably better like this.

She loved Ron.

She really, really did.

He was her dearest friend and she would gladly lay down her life for him.

But… she wasn't in love with him.

She couldn't see herself marrying him, having children with him, growing old with him…. She had tried imagining it and realized that she simply could not. She needed something more. She didn't know what it had to be more of, because she knew there was a deep caring and affection between Ron and herself that many couples could only dream of, but she needed more.

The cover of her supposed physical relationship with Draco gave her the distance she needed. The excuse she needed to turn Ron down. She didn't know if she would have the strength to really do it otherwise. She hated that look of hurt in his eyes.

She sighed. Some show of bravery.

After a few minutes, Hermione slowly got up and collected her things. It was time to get back. She smirked slightly to herself as she collected her quills and parchments. Her pouch was gone. She had slipped it into Draco's bag. She wondered what would happen when he found out. It was really just easier if he accepted the money, but he could be so bloody stubborn sometimes. It was one of his many, many unfortunate traits.

She slung her bag over her shoulder, hurried across the library and out the door and bumped straight into someone.

"Mmpf."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a rather high-pitched and very annoyed voice exclaimed.

Hermione's eyes widened. This couldn't be. This would be the last place she would expect to find…

Pansy wrinkled her nose. "Oh, it's you…" she said in a disgusted voice. "Well, good. I was looking for you. Let's see about getting that bracelet off, shall we?"

Preview:

"So it was just you, then?" he asked, feeling unaccountably disappointed.

She didn't reply, but lowered her gaze to the book in front of her.

"Answer me, Granger! Did you do this on your own?" It made him extremely angry that he had to order her.

"No!" she replied through gritted teeth. "It was Parkinson."