Draco had been skipping meals. Hermione was keeping track.

In the past four days alone, Draco had missed five meals total—four suppers and one lunch. When he did show up at the Great Hall, he barely touched his food. She also noticed that he had been absent from their shared classes and presumably the ones they did not share, too.

Despite the backbreaking work Hermione put into teaching him the lessons he had missed, Draco had yet to learn the biggest lesson yet: hard work. Now, she would have to simultaneously teach him the old and the new lessons. The thought positively aggravated her.

Yet, here he was. Just when Hermione was certain he wouldn't show up, Draco filed into the Great Hall with everybody else that night. Not that he looked all that thrilled about it. But Hermione supposed it was a decent start.

Hermione had no explanation for why she cared so much about Draco's whereabouts. As a matter of fact, Draco was constantly on her mind these days, a reality that caused her much distress. Whether it was his absence or his presence that influenced her musing, Draco was a permanent fixture in her thoughts. Admittedly, she spent an unhealthy amount of time ruminating over his existence.

At the end of the day, she reminded herself, he was a grown boy who was very much capable of making his own decisions and taking responsibility for his actions. She had no business trying to micromanage his life. Aside from the duress that his poor decision-making skills caused her, Hermione didn't give a toss about Draco Malfoy as a principal. And she would do well to remember that.

So preoccupied with her thoughts, it nearly escaped Hermione's attention that Ron was unnervingly skittish throughout dinner. While supper was typically the time of day that Ron enjoyed most, as it involved eating delicious food and hanging out with his friends, that night he simply pushed food around his plate with his fork, only taking small bites every few minutes. His face was a ghastly shade of white which made it look like one of the Hogwarts ghosts had joined them for a roast feast.

Come to think of it, Ron's behaviour had been strange for days. He could barely look Hermione in the eye, let alone speak to her directly. It seemed that ever since that night that they bumped into each other in the Gryffindor common room, he had been acting like a completely different person.

Hermione felt a bit nauseous. That night in the common room, she had been heading to her first lesson with Draco. Could he…? No, he couldn't possibly know about Draco. Hermione had been so careful to keep their lessons discreet. As far as she was aware, nobody suspected a thing.

But what if she had somehow let something slip that night? She couldn't imagine what would happen if Ron or anyone else discovered her secret. There was no way her friends could forgive her if they found out that was fraternizing with the enemy.

On the other hand, Ginny and Harry seemed oblivious to either Hermione or Ron's unusual behaviour. The two had their heads bowed together, completely absorbed in their conversation. They hadn't come up for air once since supper began. Their mutual interest in the Gryffindor Quidditch team brought them closer than ever before. It seemed as though half the time, they barely noticed anyone but each other.

For weeks, Hermione had taken notice of their behaviour—a hobby that consumed all her current relationships. She was starting to suspect that Quidditch wasn't the only thing drawing the two to each other. If she didn't know any better, she might think there was something brewing between the pair. Unless…

Suddenly, Ginny glanced up from her conversation with Harry. Instead of addressing Hermione, however, the redhead turned her attention to her brother. "Hey, where were you last night?"

Ron's face had somehow turned both translucent and bright red. "What are you talking about?" He sputtered. An awkward laugh escaped him. "I wasn't anywhere. What I mean is, I was in the common room. Like everyone else."

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "Er, no you weren't. I was there and I didn't see you once."

Ron cast his head down to his plate. "Yeah, well, you don't notice me much these days, do you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think we both know," Ron grumbled. He shoved a piece of meat across his plate, the prongs of his fork scraping against the stoneware.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. Guess I'm not the only one noticing things, she thought.

"Why are you being so weird?" Ginny demanded, shoving a long lock of red hair behind her ear. "And don't even think about lying."

Ron's blue eyes flickered up to meet his sister's. Hermione could practically feel the heat emanating off his skin. Ron reached up to tug at the collar of his shirt, pulling it away from his neck. "Well, I guess now's as good a time as any. There's something I've been wanting to tell you guys. What I mean to say is, I've been keeping a secret. Well, here goes. I've been seeing someone."

Well, that was the last thing I expected him to say.

Harry stared blankly at his best friend. "Yes, Ron. You've been seeing lots of people. Three of us right here before you and loads around the room."

"Bugger off," Ron scoffed. "No, I mean, I'm dating someone."

"Dating someone? What, like a girl?"

"You're dating a girl?" Ginny repeated, echoing Harry's surprise. "Come off it."

"Wait a minute," Ron huffed. "Why is it so hard to believe that I could get a girlfriend?"

"Maybe because half the time you can barely muster up the courage to speak to the two girls currently sitting in your presence. And one of them is your sister," Harry pointed out.

Truthfully, Hermione was a bit surprised, though she didn't outwardly express it. It wasn't like she believed Ron couldn't get a girlfriend. Any girl would be lucky to have him by their side. But it did strike her as odd that he would go to such lengths to keep it a secret.

"Well, that shows how much you know," Ron proudly tilted his chin to the sky. "As a matter of fact, I'm currently dating Lavender Brown."

Now, Hermione couldn't hold back her shock. "No way. Lavender Brown? How long has this been going on?"

Ron glanced at her sheepishly. From his forehead to his chin, his skin was a shade that could only be described as plum. "Um… since that night in the common room."

Suddenly, all the pieces fit together and Hermione could see the scene play out before her. That night in the common room, when she was leaving for her first lesson with Draco, Ron wasn't acting strange because he knew she was lying. It was because he was lying. He was dating Lavender. He must have snuck off to meet up with her that night and that was why he returned to the Tower late.

"Oh." Desperately trying not to imagine exactly what Ron and Lavender were up to that particular evening, Hermione pulled a face. "Yep, I get it now."

Suddenly, a loud bang came from across the room at the Slytherin table. Hermione and her friends, along with most other people in the Great Hall, craned their necks to see where the noise came from. Hermione's eyes darted across the room, landing finally upon Draco Malfoy. He stood from his table, glaring menacingly down at his friends before stomping out of the room in a fury.

Something was off about him. Hermione was certain about it now. This wasn't his typical bratty behaviour. It was something far worse.

"So, in your own words, what exactly are the parameters of 'seeing someone'?" Harry inquired cheekily. Hermione hadn't realized that her friends already returned to their conversation while she was still staring after Draco.

Ron hid his face in embarrassment as a slew of questions were directed at him by Harry and Ginny, progressively getting more invasive as they went on. Hermione, however, was no longer invested in pestering Ron about his relationship. Her attention was drawn out of the Great Hall, like a siren song that she couldn't ignore.

"As much as I'd love to stay and torment you, Ronald, I have to be somewhere," Hermione announced. She was aware that her departure was sudden. Frankly, it wasn't that unusual for her these days. Her peculiar behaviour was starting to rival that of Luna Lovegood.

"Again? Are we scaring you off or something?" Harry teased.

Hermione forced out a laugh. "Of course not. I promised I would meet with McGonagall. Progress report, you know. I'll see you later though."

Without waiting for a reply—or any further inquisition—Hermione made haste towards the entrance of the Great Hall. She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing. Her feet were moving but her brain was several steps behind. Something about Draco's retreat sparked a gnawing curiosity within her. She thought that if she moved quickly enough, she might be able to catch him in the corridor. Preferably, alone. That way, she could interrogate him without any nosy sorts lurking about.

She considered for a moment waiting until that evening's lesson to lecture him. But for some reason, she wasn't able to hold off that long.

As she reached the doors, Hermione glanced out at the intersecting hallways. On a whim, she decided to turn right and prayed that she wasn't going the opposite way.

She moved through the hollow passage with purpose, swiftly cutting around corners until she finally spotted Draco at the end of a long, quiet corridor. His lower back was pressed against the wall but his shoulders were hunched forward, his head bent and palms leaning into his knees. His white-blond hair hung before his face, shading it from Hermione's view. In turn, it acted as a shield that concealed Hermione from his immediate view.

Hermione halted, allowing her breath to catch up to her. That's when she noticed the letter clasped in Draco's hands.

It took several moments before Draco noticed her standing there. He lifted his head to stare directly at Hermione. Their eyes met but neither of them said a word. There was something different about him. He seemed unguarded, less self-assured. There was an emotion in his eyes that Hermione never saw in him before. Genuine fear.

It felt as though they were staring at each other for hours. Time moved slowly. Hermione opened her mouth slightly, hoping that it might encourage words to come out. She wanted to question him, to yell at him, to do anything but stand there in silence. But she couldn't move a muscle. Her chest squeezed tightly, forcing her to think hard about every breath she took.

"Hermione!"

Her name echoed through the corridor. For a moment, Hermione thought it came from Draco. But his mouth remained a tight, thin line. An odd expression crossed his face. Almost as though they were both caught in a trance that was suddenly lifted. Reality seeped in. The fog began to lift.

The voice called again. "Hermione?"

Hermione turned to see Ron round the corner. He stopped beside her, drawing her attention away from Draco. "There you are," he said, slightly out of breath. A small smile formed on his lips. "I've been trying to catch up to you. You know, you're a lot faster than you look."

"Oh, yeah. I suppose." Hermione shifted her weight so that she could casually peek down the corridor. She glanced over just in time to see Draco dart around the corner, disappearing from her view. With an inaudible sigh through her nose, Hermione looked back to Ron. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Ron replied. He rubbed a palm against the back of his neck. "I just wanted to check in with you. I mean, I know there was always something… between you and me. Sorry, this is so awkward. Look, I just wanted to make sure that we were still cool, even though I'm dating Lavender now."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, letting the words soak in. Finally, it hit her. Ron thought she was jealous. It was so far-fetched an idea. She should be jealous. Didn't she always have a crush on Ron? She had never talked about it before, least of all to Ron. Here he was, suddenly admitting that there were feelings on his end, too.

Yet, he was dating Lavender Brown. Should that not make her upset? Shouldn't she feel disappointed or brokenhearted? Why didn't she feel anything?

The thought of feeling nothing but friendship for Ron made her a bit uneasy, as though the floor just disappeared from under her and she was suspended in mid-air. Why didn't she feel the things she had just months earlier? Who was she now that everything had changed? She tried not to look too hard for the answers, afraid of what she might find.

"Oh my god. No, everything is totally fine between us. I'm happy for you. Ecstatic, even. I think you and Lavender can make each other really happy."

Ron exhaled. "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

"Wow. I always thought you didn't like Lavender."

Hermione hated Lavender Brown. There was something about Lavender that grated on Hermione. She was lucky that Ron couldn't recall her constant complaining about his now-girlfriend. She suspected he might be in a bit of denial. But if Lavender made Ron happy and if he counted on Hermione's support, then she was pleased to fib a little bit. She was getting better at lying every day.

"That's not true at all," Hermione protested. "I think that this is a great opportunity for me to flip a new page over and get to know Lavender."

"Great," Ron beamed. He shifted a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Hey, didn't you say you were supposed to meet with McGonagall? Her office is on the opposite end of the castle."

Hermione's heart pounded loudly in her ears. "You're right. I think I just got lost in my thoughts."

"Hermione Granger was daydreaming? Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Ron joked.

Hermione gazed down the corridor, picturing the scene that played out just moments before Ron's arrival. Her stomach churned. "I have no idea."