Disclaimer: You know I really hate these things. It's like rubbing salt into an open wound.
A/N: Yeah, this is becoming a habit, not much to say. Other than thanks to those who read and special thanks to all those who reviewed. And a big hug for my beta Stellafiore.
Ch.4
Crying on Big Brother
Hermione sat on her bed, rather confused as to what made Draco react the way he had.
It's just not normal for him; I mean this is the great git himself. Well, actually, it is rather normal for him. Oh gosh, what was I thinking?
A second voice entered her head, telling her exactly what she didn't want to hear: the truth.
You know the answer to that little miss, you weren't thinking. Hermione grimaced. Why did her inner voice always sound like her mother?
Don't you try to change the subject! All you saw was a warm pair of arms that were perfectly willing to be put to use. Something Ron never really was…
"Will you just shut-up already? Jeez, even my own mind is conspiring against me!"
A deeply amused voice came from behind her, shocking her out of her wits, "And what, Mione dear, is your mind conspiring against you on?"
Hermione turned around and launched herself at her unruly intruder. "Harry James Potter, don't you ever do that to me again! You scared me half to death!" Harry chuckled, amusement plain in his emerald eyes, as he watched his best friend try to strangle him with her rather diminutive hands.
"You know Hermione, I would probably be a little more scared of you if you were taller than my shoulder."
His grin got even wider as he noticed that Hermione was distinctly irritated by his last remark.
Mission accomplished, he thought triumphantly, before noticing that Hermione really did seem quite mixed up about something. He sat down on her bed, pulling her ungracefully down next to him.
"Ok Mione, fess up to big brother Harry. What's got you in such a muddle?"
Hermione looked at him like he was going crazy before reluctantly admitting to the causes of her presently agitated state of mind.
"Ok Harry, Ron asked me to marry him last night-" Harry sat up in shock and delight, "Really? That's great!" Hermione shrank back a little before replying, in a carefully controlled tone, "I said no."
Harry processed this information rather calmly, all things considered, "Why? I mean you two have been together for the last four years, ever since the beginning of seventh year."
Hermione mentally groaned, knowing that this question would be the one most often asked, and hardest to answer.
"See, it's like this Harry, Ron is pretty much the only guy I have ever been with. I dated a little before him, but they were all Muggle guys that didn't know me that well. So when Ron asked me out, I said yes because he knew me better than anyone except you and Ginny."
"It went well for awhile but, unfortunately, we just fell into a rut. For a while I thought it didn't really matter that I started to only think of him as a friend, I mean I never thought he would propose. I thought we both knew that our relationship was just a fling; that it wasn't supposed to last as long as it did. It always just seemed easier to let it continue." She paused, letting Harry grasp what she just said and waiting for him to respond.
"I'm guessing he didn't know that, then."
Hermione snorted and moved on with her tale, "When he proposed I was shocked, to say the least. He asked me to meet him at this club that we used to go to a lot and we were just dancing and having fun when he pulled me back to the table and got us some drinks. He got champagne, to celebrate, I thought that was a little strange; I mean, what was there to celebrate?"
"So I asked him that, and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. There was some other stuff in there too, all very sweet I'm sure, but I couldn't focus on that, all I knew was that he was ruining our routine, our carefully planned lifestyle, by asking me to commit."
"Of course, he was still there, waiting for an answer, and I couldn't think of what to say. I was crying and he realized that my tears weren't for joy, and his face, oh it was awful Harry. He looked like he had just been stabbed in the heart."
Hermione started to cry at the memory and Harry put his arm around her, comforting his best friend.
"Hermione, you don't have to tell me all of this." She shook her head, recovering from her momentary weakness and responding.
"Harry, that's not all of it. It's most of what's got me worked up but there's something, well someone, else involved too."
He went to say something, but she stopped him from speaking by placing a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.
"After that, I ran outside and he followed me. We were talking and I told him that I really just didn't see how we could get married, that we were just too close and he had become almost like a brother."
"He, well, he didn't take that so well and he walked off, but not before saying that he didn't see why he had wasted the last four years on me."
She let out a small ironic chuckle, "Apparently he thought that our eventual goal was marriage, I didn't even know there was a goal." Harry nodded, saying, "You know Ron's always wanted a big family like his."
Hermione nodded sadly. "Anyways, after that I saw Draco-"
At this Harry stopped her, saying, "Draco, as in Malfoy? What was he there for?" Hermione shrugged, realizing she hadn't bothered asking that. "I don't know, all I know is that he was there and he tried to, comfort me; oddly enough. And then we-"
She stopped as she felt Harry tense with anger. "Harry, are you alright?" He grimaced in an attempt at a smile, "Sure I'm just peachy Hermione. Go on, what did you and Malfoy do?"
Hermione then quickly realized that telling Harry she had slept with his archrival on a whim, probably was not the best idea in the world, even though Harry was usually quite open-minded, she didn't think he could stomach that thought just now.
She hurriedly finished her sentence, saying, "Well, Malfoy and I went and got coffee, that's all." She put on her best innocent face and Harry nodded, seemingly convinced.
"Well, if that's all of what happened, then I think you should be ok to come shopping with me for Ginny's present today, right?" Hermione grinned, remembering the couple's two-year anniversary was tomorrow.
"Harry I can't believe you waited until the day before to get her present. What would have happened if I was busy today?"
He smirked, "I would've begged until you gave in and decided that my love life is more important than whatever paltry thing you happened to be involved in." She hit him playfully on the shoulder and shooed him out of the room so she could get ready to go.
Thirty minutes and a shower later she emerged from her room, changed, brushed and ready to take on the world.
