"Hey Ron!" Harry called out to his friend as he walked out of the library.
"What do you want?" Ron asked sullenly.
"It's about 'Mione."
"You know how I feel about this Harry. Can we please not talk about it." Ron said as he started to walk away.
Harry grabbed his arm angrily, "You're being a real idiot Ron. Draco really has changed but you won't even give him a chance and you're willing to throw away your friendship with me and 'Mione over it."
"Harry, there's more to it then that." Ron yanked his arm out of Harry's grasp and turned away, "Just leave me alone."
Harry watched as his friend walked slowly away, his head down.
'What's he hiding?' he wondered.
Meanwhile, Draco was sitting in Jaide's office with a steaming cup of tea in his hands.
"So Draco, what did you want to talk about?" Jaide asked curiously.
"My father sent me a letter today." He told her sadly.
She nodded, "Really. And what did Lucius have to say?"
"He said…" Draco paused, "He said that I had to stop hanging around with 'Mione and you or he would kill the both of you."
Jaide suddenly looked angry, "WHAT! HE CANNOT DO THIS! I SWEAR I WILL…"
Draco cut her off, "Please Jaide, I'm going to do what he says. I would rather become a deatheater and be killed by Aurors then risk anything happening to you and 'Mione."
"Draco, we can fight this. Don't throw your life away for him." She pleaded.
"I'm sorry Jaide but my mind's made up. Please give me your word that you won't tell anyone."
She threw her arms around him and started crying, "Oh Draco, I wish we could've gotten to know each other better." She sobbed, "Just remember I'll always be here if you change your mind."
The tears Draco had been holding in spilled out and, for the first time in many years, he cried.
Jaide let him go and looked at him seriously, "I give you my word that I won't tell anyone."
"Not even Dumbledore."
"Not even him."
"Thankyou so much Jaide." He said, before quickly getting up and leaving her office.
"OI RON!" Harry yelled as he caught up to Ron.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" He asked in a depressed tone.
"Not until you tell me what you meant." Harry said aggressively.
"Meant by what?"
"Don't play dumb with me Ron. I want to know what you meant by 'there's more to it than that'."
Ron sighed, "Fine. Can we go sit somewhere though?"
"We can go to the Room of Requirement." Harry suggested.
Ron nodded and they headed off down the corridor, arriving at the Room of Requirement a few minutes later. They sat down on the squashy armchairs that they found in there and Harry stared at Ron, waiting for him to begin.
"The fact that I don't trust Draco isn't the only reason I'm upset that 'Mione is going to the Yule Ball with him Harry. You see I…" he faltered, "…I love her. I've loved her ever since fifth year and I swore to myself that I would ask her out this year but then the whole thing with Draco happened and now I've lost her forever."
Ron started crying and Harry hugged his friend, trying to console him.
"I didn't know you loved her as anything more than a friend. How come you never told me, I thought we told each other everything?"
"I didn't want her to find out cause I thought it would ruin our friendship." He snivelled.
"Well Ron, Hermione misses you heaps. I know it must be hard but isn't it better to have her as a friend then to not have her at all."
He nodded, "I've been a prat haven't I?"
Harry laughed, "Just a little one."
Ron sat down next to Hermione at lunch that day.
"Sorry I've been a prat 'Mione." He apologised, "I may not like Draco or trust him but I still want to be your friend."
Hermione smiled and hugged Ron, "Thankyou Ron. I still want to be your friend too."
Draco watched from the Slytherin table as Hermione hugged Ron and his eyes narrowed.
'Weasley is in love with 'Mione.' He thought, 'She'll be better off with him than me anyway. He may be poor but at least his parents aren't going to kill her or anything.' He sighed and pushed his plate away, his appetite suddenly gone, before getting up and heading to his room.