For a while Hermione was silent, looking only at her feet, but then she looked up, into Draco's eyes.
"that night… the night you found me outside crying… I never really told you the reason I was there. I told you that I was there because recently Harry had been acting really strange, but I never told you what exactly happened that night.. I was in the common room and he had just asked me out. I think he was trying to show off to the people in there because he stood on a table and yelled out 'Hermione Granger! We have been friends for a while; I think we should be speeding up the pace, if you know what I mean' and then he winked at me and continued 'so, herms, will you go out with me?'
And I had been just making my way up to bed, I had no idea, so you can imagine my surprise. Ron didn't seem to know either, because when Harry made his little proposition he looked up from his work, his mouth hanging open, apparently in shock.
Well all I could think to do was to take Harry down from the table and into a corner of the common room. I told him exactly this: 'Harry, we have been the best of friends for so long… but I really don't know if our relationship would work out if we were any more than friends…' up until that point Harry had been beaming and winking at everyone, he felt so sure that I wouldn't turn him down, but I did, and he didn't exactly like that"

"he started muttering to himself and as I was going up to my dormitory I thought I heard him say something like 'ill get her back for this.' I thought I was just imagining, I mean, Harry was a great person, he doesn't say things like that…

So I just went up to my dormitory and was putting on my pajamas when I heard something downstairs; it sounded like something breaking.

So I ran downstairs and there was a huge crowd in the far corner, so I ran over to see what was going on when I saw Harry… I had never seen him look like that, he had so much hate in his eyes and I looked down at the floor and saw Ron lying there, bleeding from anywhere visible. I didn't know what to do, I just stood there for a few seconds in shock, but then I jumped in front of Ron and asked Harry what he was doing, but he took one look at me and walked away…I took Ron to the hospital wing and after he was able to speak again he said that Harry had blown up at him because he had said maybe it was for the best that I wouldn't accept to be with him.

I couldn't believe Harry would do this to his best friend, so I decided to take a walk…. And that's when you found me…"

Hermione finished her story and was looking deep into Draco's eyes.

"oh, I can see why that would make you cry… I mean, I have never had anyone that I was as close to as you are to Harry and Ron, but I can just imagine how that would make you feel…"

Draco looked down at his watch and quickly stood up. "it's almost 9:00, that means we must have been here for around three hours…"

"oh my goodness, 9:00? I was supposed to help Harry and Ron with their potions homework tonight! I have to go… bye Draco, thanks for listening"

"Hermione, I'm really sorry about Harry… just… don't let him take advantage of you, don't let him scare you or threaten you into doing things for him, and DON'T agree to be his girlfriend, that is, unless you really, truly feel you should…"

"I know...bye, Draco"

Draco sat on the floor of the empty classroom for awhile… he had never seen Harry as the violent type of person. He never liked Harry, and had always made fun of him, but the whole point of that was to see how he would squirm trying to say something back while he was being held back by Ron and Hermione. Now, Harry wasn't being held back anymore, he was hurting whoever he wanted, and it didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon…

Draco had never, ever expected Harry to turn on Ron, and for no good reason. It might not have been such a shock if it were someone else but, to his best friend?

And what if he went after Hermione next? Draco couldn't let that happen…His feelings for Hermione had not gone away as he had hoped they would, instead they were getting stronger everyday.

Draco knew he needed to stop his feelings from growing even more, but for some reason he didn't want to… he wanted to keep his feelings for Hermione just the same.

Weeks passed and Hermione and Draco kept having regular meetings. Hermione swore that Harry hadn't done anything violent to her or Ron lately, and Draco believed her… but Draco didn't believe that this meant that Hermione should let down her guard… Harry was still dangerous to her. Draco was doing all that he could to comfort Hermione, to protect her. She never again asked why he had changed so much, but instead, she accepted it. She went to Draco very often, they talked to each other almost every day now. Harry and Ron didn't know anything about it of course, but Draco noticed that Ron didn't seem to be a cruel anymore… of course Harry stayed the same, but there was something telling Draco that Hermione was really trying to put a stop to him attacking Draco.

So many times when Draco and Hermione met, they completely got off the subject of Harry, they would sit and laugh together. Over time, they both completely forgot that they used to be enemies. They trusted each other, and told each other all their secrets.

There was just one secret Draco was keeping from her, the fact that with every one of their meetings, his feelings for her became more intense.

One day Hermione walked in to what was now their meeting place. They weren't using that empty classroom anymore, they had found somewhere much better, the Room of Requirement. Draco had never been in this room before, the magic it possessed intrigued him completely. Most of the time they went in there together it looked just like a large living room… There were the most comfortable couches imaginable, and the room was decorated with all sorts of things. Many times the two found themselves just looking around the room silently at the marvelous things hanging on the walls. There was a refrigerator in the back of the room, they thinking about what they were craving and opening the fridge to find it there waiting for them.

Hermione and Draco had tons of fun in that room. They saw more of each other than they saw of anyone else, yet… Draco could not bring himself to tell Hermione how he felt. She didn't seem to think of him in a romantic way, she seemed to look at him like a best friend, someone to go to for advice and help….

I brought this on myself Draco told himself, if I hadn't started out this relationship on a basis of advice and friendship, she would see me as more than just a friend…we could be together right now…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here but the plot.

A/n: Yay!! I got it to work!!! OK, well this chapter is longer than the last one… so that's good. And I will try to post more often but don't expect anything in the next week.. I have finals…. Ugh! So, yeah, please review!!

~~Rita