A/N: Brace yourself guys…okay…here goes nothin'!

Draco walked in silently and sat down in front of the fire in a chair. Hermione's chest felt tight and it was hard to breathe as he sat there in silence, looking blankly into the tongues of flame that steadily licked the white hot logs crumbling in the grate. Would he say something, or did he expect her to explain?

She sat up slowly, and looked at him. She was reminded of their first night together in the dormitory; Draco's gaze was anywhere but on her, carefully avoiding her stare.

"Draco." She finally said, summoning all the courage left inside her. He turned at last to face her, but his stare was hard to read. His expression was the usual cool and collected façade, but it thinly masked deep pools of vulnerability and fear within his eyes.

"Draco…" She said again, unsure of how to begin. "That kiss…was…" her cheeks flushed, and though her mouth was open words would not come. "It was…it was a…well… I don't know what it was, Draco. But I know that I hurt someone very close to me…and…I know that things are different between us now…and they'll never be the same."

Draco licked his lips hesitantly, opened his mouth, but then closed it again, and looked away from Hermione, focusing on a point a few feet to the left of her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hermione…that kiss…I…" He was struggling with the words, but then he opened his eyes, looked up at her, and seemed to resolve. "Hermione." He said firmly, "Ever since we've begun to be friends…I've been having feelings for you. At first I didn't know what it was, but whenever I saw you I'd have this stupid feeling inside me like I'd just eaten a whole box of peppermint toads in one go or something…And I felt sick and elated and depressed all at once…And I started to realize that it's because…I'm…I was…" Draco looked away, biting his lip, and then he looked up into her eyes. "I fell in love with you Hermione."

Hermione was floored. She looked at him and felt tears spring into her eyes. This was too much. How could she take this? Why was this happening to her? She reached for the bedpost to steady herself. "Draco." She said hoarsely. "…in love?"

"I know." Draco said. "I know it's sudden, and it's strange, but Hermione, I can't deny how I feel. More than I know about my future, about my father, about bloody magic; I know that I've fallen in love with you."

Hermione sat there, her chest felt very tight again and she tried to take a few deep breaths. "Draco…I…" but words wouldn't come.

How did she feel about all of this? Draco…and Ron…Both of them were friends who she'd shared so much with. And while they were as different as could be, she cared for both of them immensely. But…while with Draco, she'd always felt a sort of primal attraction to his handsomeness and intelligence…Ron had a certain inner beauty that she'd always loved. The way his laugh could make her glow or a secret glance could make her heart leap into her throat. Had they always been in love? Maybe without even knowing it?

Draco had become a wonderful friend…But somehow she couldn't see them together. With Ron, she could see years ahead, she could see fighting with him side by side, like she had so many times before. She could see herself loving him…Being with Ron seemed like it would be almost too easy.

Draco, though…Her main feeling toward him before this year had been lust, plain and simple. It was a sort of passionate fire that only pure malice could incur…And some of that must have carried over into their friendship…Because today she'd kissed him without thought or worry for how it could affect their future…And now…Draco was telling her he was in love?

"Hermione?" Draco said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up and bit her lip. "Draco." She spoke again, this time, knowing what she had to say. "Draco…I'm…I'm sorry Draco…But I'm not in love with you."

Draco looked for a moment like something inside him had broken and then the vulnerability in his eyes vanished and clouded with a hardened stare instead.

"Well, it's alright." He said, trying to sound dismissive. "I didn't expect you to reciprocate. I just wanted to tell you how I felt." He stood up, and turned stiffly, walking to the door.

"Draco, don't go!" Hermione stood, and he turned.

"No…It's—I have to—go to the owlery…Letters to mail." He said jerkily, and then turned and left quickly, closing the door behind him.

Hermione lay down on her bed, and felt a storm brewing somewhere behind her sternum, pressing to get out. After a moment trying to suppress it, she gave up, and with a shuddering sob she began to weep unabashedly into her pillow. Her back shook with wracking cries and her pillowcase was soaked with the tears that streamed from her eyes. At last, her chest stopped heaving, her breathing slowed, and the tears wouldn't come anymore. She sniffed thickly, and stood up from her bed, going out onto her snow littered balcony.

The air was cold on her tear-dampened face, and she watched the orange sun sink down below the line of clouds that blanketed the sky. Her feet were going numb and she eventually went back inside. Insides aching with hunger, she left the dorm finally, and walked down to the kitchens.

Dobby welcomed her cheerily, and she did her best to act the friendly Hermione. Though it was generally against her house-elf nurturing nature, she was very hungry and had too many other things on her mind too berate herself for a plate of ham, rolls and potato. She bolted it down and drank a goblet of pumpkin juice, and then thanking Dobby and the other elves again, left the kitchen quickly and returned to her room.

Draco was still gone, and she went into the bathroom and decided to draw herself a bath. Steam rose from the huge claw-footed tub as she filled it with water and then turned on a tap that spewed pink rose scented bubbles from it. She let the foam and water become very deep before turning both taps off, undressing and drawing curtains around the tub. She slid into the hot suds, and leaning her head back on a pillow at the edge of the tub, closed her eyes and let her muscles slowly un-tense and relax. She took deep slow breaths and the steam and rosy perfume slowly seemed to cloud her brain, obscuring the worries that had seemed so blatant. She felt herself dozing off, and after a few minutes more, pulled the plug and got out, showering to wash off all the foam and then wrapping herself in a thick robe went back into the bedroom and closed the main curtain. She didn't think she could face Draco…Not yet.

She crawled onto her bed and slid under the comforter. And suddenly something struck her. And like a wrecking ball into a glass house, every finely crafted imagining, thought and story she'd made for herself was shattered…And there it was, as plain to her as any fact she'd memorized in a spell book…She was in love with Ron.

She was in love with his smile and his wit and his stupid jealousy. She was in love with his cheating and his low test scores, with his short temper and frayed school robes. She was in love with every freckle, every grimace, every wisecrack. And she felt her aching heart swell as she thought of him.

The crackling fire in the grate was warm, but something, either her wet hair, a cold wind leaking in from outside, or the chill of uncertainty that now lay in her mind, made her burrow deeper under her blankets until she sank into forgotten dreams.

Readers: OMGWTFLOLBBQ!!!!!!!! (OO)

Me: don't say I didn't warn you!!!!