She got out to the hallway and he was ahead of her a few paces. "RON!" She shouted, running over to him. "Ron!" She said again, out of breath from chasing him down the flights of stairs. He whipped around his face contorted with anger and confusion.

"DRACO?" He bellowed. "DRACO MALFOY?"

"Ron, you don't understand—"

"YOU'RE BLOODY WELL RIGHT I DON'T!" He roared, his face red and his eyes shining.

"Ron! Please!" Hermione choked, feeling a hard knot growing in her throat that made it difficult to speak.

"PLEASE WHAT?" He shouted, tears of confusion and anger trickling out of the corners of his eyes as he wiped them away roughly with his sleeve. "Why HIM?" He said after a pause where Hermione blanched, tears burning her eyes as well. "Why would it be DRACO? How? What in the WORLD is going on?"

She took a shuddering breath. "I don't know…I…I can't understand it either…You see…I never told you—you or Harry…This year…We sort of…Became friends."

"FRIENDS?" Ron screamed, loud enough that Hermione was sure that Draco would be able to hear from all the way up in the tower. "HOW? HE HATES YOU! He hates ALL of us. HIS DAD'S A BLOODY DEATH EATER!" disbelief and shock now clouded Ron's eyes as he searched her face for answers.

"He DOESN'T hate me!" Hermione cried, her emotions rising with his. "He never has Ron. Everyone expects him to, but he DOESN'T! And he doesn't even want to be a Death Eater." She hissed.

"What?" Said Ron coldly, "He told you this? When? Before or after you kissed him?"

"Why do YOU care who I kiss?!" Hermione spoke; his words had been like a slap in the face, "That's none of your business!"

Ron's face twisted, "What are you THICK or something? Christ, Hermione… oh… God… WHAT? ARE YOU BLIND?" He yelled in frustration, with a voice that echoed down the corridors. He turned bitterly away his hands running through his hair and marched quickly away from her, leaving her standing in shock, tears running down her cheeks. After a few minutes she shook herself. She'd be standing there watching the corner in the hall that Ron had disappeared around, tears steadily falling from her eyes. She didn't sob, or whimper. She took a deep steadying breath, and her chest shook slightly. She wiped her eyes and then walked out into the entrance hall. She went out the front doors of the castle. There was snow thick on the ground, but she didn't want to go back to the dorm. Back to face Draco.

She slogged out into the snow; her feet were freezing as they grew wetter and wetter. More tears burned in her eyes, but she blinked them back, swallowing hard. She walked to the stone stairs leading down the lawn, and sat, her head in her hands. Millions of thoughts whirled through her brain. Of course Ron would be furious at finding Hermione with Draco…But the last thing he'd said stuck in her mind.

Was she being thick? Had she been hiding it from herself all these years? Tucking it away as something she'd been imagining?...

Had it been in front of her face all this time…And had she, supposedly so clever, been the only one not to see?

Readers: WHOA! BIG HISSY FIGHT!

Me: DUDE I KNOW! WHAT HAPPENS NOW? REVIEW!