Right, the disclaimer is the same as it has always been. None of the below characters belong to me, and the plot probably doesn't either. Somehow, somewhere it has probably been done before, but i have thought of it all and i haven't taken ideas from other authors, because i don't like to do that. Anyway, read and review, because i have a special reward waiting if i get another 10 reviews. Hugs, Mystic

Chapter 7

I pulled away from Draco as if I'd been slapped. Ron was staring at me incredulously, as if I had three heads. No wonder though, especially since he fancies me, and I'm stood here kissing Draco as if my life depends upon it.

"Ron! What are you doing here?"

"What, you mean that I'm not allowed to take a walk now am I?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, you know what I mean, just the same as you know what I was doing. If, however, you need further clarification, I was kissing Draco. I'm quite surprised that you couldn't figure that out for yourself though." I said with equal sarcasm. I stepped back to lean against Draco for support, and he took hold of my hand, whispering; "we'll be ok."

"I know we will." I whispered back. I felt really sorry for Ron though, because he looked really upset. But then, Parvati said I had to be cruel to be kind, and I needed to get this across to him properly, so that he knew there would definitely never be anything other than friendship between us. I turned around and gave Draco a quick kiss.

"You see, Ron, we're going out with each other, and although you're probably thinking that I'm on drugs or something, you couldn't be more wrong. I haven't ever been as sure of anything in my life, and if it means that we can no longer be friends, well then so be it, because I won't be giving him up for anything. I mean, you're one of my best friends, but if you can't be happy for me and trust my decisions, then you can't be a proper friend."

"Hermione, I didn't know that you felt like that. I just thought that he was trying to take advantage of you or something." He stammered.

"Well it seems to me that all you do is make premature assumptions then, don't you?" I retorted defensively. "Draco, for your information, is actually the most kind and caring-"

"Hermione wait, before you say something that you regret. I am how Ron says I am, at least I deserve to be. I haven't yet apologized to him, so he is allowed to hold me in whatever esteem he does at the moment. Maybe I can change that though." He let go of my hand and walked up to Ron. "Look Ron, I'm really sorry about how I've treated you all of these years, and, although I know that it isn't an excuse, but you know yourself what my father is like; and I wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but he scares me-a lot."

Ron obliged grudgingly, gripping the proffered hand tightly. "It's ok mate, I do know what your dad's like. Put it one way, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. The only thing is, you have to treat her well, because if you don't you'll have me to deal with."

I'm sure that Draco was trying not to laugh, because he turned around and flashed me a huge grin. Then he walked back to me purposefully and gave me a hug.

"I will do Ron. Believe me, I couldn't ever hurt her; or her friends." My stomach clenched as he said this, and I felt myself falling even deeper as I watched how the moonlight lit his face with an ethereal glow. "Ron, to show that there's no hard feelings, would you like to join us at The Three Broomsticks next weekend?"

Ron's face fell, and he breathed in deeply, trying to draw strength from the atmosphere; which seemed to me a bit of a silly thing to do. I giggled nervously: I definitely didn't like being discussed when I was actually present to hear what they were saying. "Yeah, ok. Whatever you want, I'll see you in a few days then."

I watched him stumble in his haste to get away, and suddenly remembered how hard this must be for him. "Draco, did you know that he fancied me, because if you did, that wasn't a very nice thing to do. It'll just make him really jealous and resentful."

"That's where you're wrong, my dear Granger. I have plans for Pansy and Ron." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I giggled loudly. "All I need to do is get Pansy to meet us in the Three Broomsticks at the same time-"

"Then we can accidentally-on-purpose forget to go." I finished off his sentence.

"Exactly!"



"Hi Ron, have you seen Hermione and Draco anywhere?" I could see Pansy looking all around the pub; the tracking mirror that Fred and George had invented was so useful. Draco and I were sitting on a bench outside of Zonko's, which was on the other side of town.

"No, I haven't, why?" Ron looked extremely disgruntled: we were, after all, over twenty minutes late.

"Because I'm meant to be meeting them here, and I can't see them anywhere."

"You're meant to be meeting them here? I am too. We should wait for them together, they have a better chance of spotting us then." Ron said unhappily, as if that was the last thing that he wanted to do.

"Right." Pansy answered.

I smiled at Draco; phase one of our plan was complete.

"Ron, do you get the impression that they aren't coming?" Pansy asked him quietly. Ron looked up at the clock; we were now over an hour late. Suddenly realisation hit Pansy. "Oh my God! They've set us up!"

Ron stood up quickly, knocking his drink over. It went trickling down his pants, and Pansy hurriedly pulled some tissues out of her bag and started dabbing at Ron's leg. "Will you GET OFF!!! I can't believe that they would try and set me up with someone like you! In fact, I don't think that they did, by themselves anyway. I think that you were the one who planned all of this." He spat angrily.

"ME? Merlin's beard, Ron! Don't flatter yourself. As if I would want to even think about going out with you! In fact, I'm not subjecting myself to the torture of hanging out with you anymore, they're obviously not going to come." Pansy threw down the tissues and flounced out of The Three Broomsticks.

"Oh dear. Draco, I don't think that that went exactly to plan." I said putting down the mirror. He adjusted his arm; which had been resting on my back, and then pulled me into a hug with the other one. "It looks like we'll be the only ones in love then." He said, giving me a kiss that gave a new meaning to the word 'magical'.

The End (or is it? Haha, I've always wanted to do that.)