Ashley: Lol. Chocolate is good yes. Thank you for reviewing! Have I ever said that your reviews make me smile? Lol.

wickedwitchsistersmionegin: Lol. See, blue is everywhere in my house because it is my sisters favorite color!

Crystal Lightning: Aww: ) I think (hope, hope!) you'll like what happens at the dance. Don't worry; the potion scene is coming up next chapter!

Alianne: Thank you! And thanks for reviewing. Hope to hear from you again.

Phillyactress: Lol. Everyone likes chocolate! Lol. I on the other hand, prefer vanilla (yummy…although I do like chocolate too!) I'm glad you like this, and hope you like this chapter!

ravioli and chocolate: Yeah, I thought that when I was writing, but I ended up liking it better in two chapters. Lol. Glad you liked it though!

Disclaimer: I am not J.K.Rowling, and everything that you recognize in this story is NOT mine. I'm just a poor (and now sick) college student who is on spring break! Lol

A/N: Ok guys, when I was writing last chapter, I was going to put THIS chapter with it. I ended up thinking that this worked better as a chapter by itself. I hope you agree :S lol.

I really liked writing this one, and the potion scene is coming next chapter!

A/N: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I'm skipping over her Christmas break, nothing big is happening, so it's going to go straight into the next school term. Thank you!

doublelily

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Hermione and Ginny were walking down the hallways. They were just THIS close to the dance, and you could hear people laughing and cups clinking together. You could even hear the music, but couldn't tell who the band was, Hermione noted. She noticed how good Ginny looked, with her simple white dress that also came to her knees.

'She looks very classy, Harry will love it' Hermione thought.

She was just about to ask Ginny about Harry when she saw a head silver blonde hair run by in the corner of her eye.

"Hey uh…Ginny, I'll see you at the dance all right? There's something I have to take care of. Have fun with Harry ok?" Hermione smiled and gave her friend a hug "don't forget to take care of me if things don't go right" she whispered in her ear.

"Right, well…I guess I'll see you in a little bit. Don't worry; everything will work out all right. If there's one thing I know about Ron, it's that he's a sucker for a brown haired friend in a beautiful dress. If your still unsure, remember, he liked you without the dress too." Ginny smiled and shooed her friend off. "Now get out of here" she laughed.

Hermione turned around and weaved her way through the hallways until she found the door she was looking for. Opening one of the heavy wood sides, she saw the moon shine right above the castle, as if it were watching out for her tonight. She almost felt as though Lupin had something to do with it.

She walked though the stone arch's and then turned to her left…and there it was. Heaven.

Luck behold it, the person she was looking for was sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"Hello Malfoy." She said.

Malfoy looked up from the water; he looked very handsome indeed with his black tux. He even had a tiny flower in his coat pocket, it was white, it probably matched Pansy's dress, Hermione guessed.

A huge smile broke out on Malfoy's face when he saw Hermione, and she felt herself flitter a little bit inside, but she pushed it away. It was Ron she was after tonight.

"Granger, you're just the person I wanted to see." Malfoy got up and walked over to Hermione. "I wanted to talk to you about…the last time"

He was nervous, she could tell. He was rubbing the back of his neck when he said that, and his weight was on one side, he wasn't straight and confident like he normally was.

"Malfoy, I really don't think there is anything to talk about." Hermione said. She knew very well there was though; she just didn't want to start it right away.

"Yes there is Granger…I just want to clear some things up ok?"

He was serious, and Hermione figured that she should give him the time of day for at least this one moment.

She sighed "Ok Malfoy, I'm sorry. Now, what about the other…time?"

Malfoy took her hand and walked her back to the fountain where they sat down, being ever so careful with their dress clothes.

"Ok. I kissed you." He stated bluntly.

Hermione shifted a little in her seat, hoping that he would say something else. When he didn't however, she looked up at him.

"Yes Malfoy…I was there, I know…"

"No, you don't understand Granger…I KISSED you."

Once again, Hermione was getting quite uncomfortable 'just what was he trying to say?'

"Ok…"

"Granger, when I kissed you…I wasn't just trying to figure out how Potter did it. I was truly kissing you, and…and I could feel that you…didn't feel the same way about me. We had talked for awhile, at this fountain, it was like our…secret meeting spot. And I fell for you, hard. I don't anymore, mind you, I've gotten over that, I know about you and Weasley. I just wanted you to know that, I did mean it, and that I'm truly sorry that I did kiss you, I hope it didn't cause any trouble for you."

He meant every word of it, Hermione saw it. She saw the look in his face when he told her that he fell. She just smiled and gave him a hug.

"Malfoy, you have no reason to apologize, it was fine. Yes, I'll be the one to admit that it gave me SOME trouble, but only with myself, not with anyone else. I like you too Malfoy, but as a friend, and if you want to keep meeting here and talking, which I like, then I will be more than happy to come back."

Malfoy grinned, and he looked truly happy that she said that. "Yes Granger, I would like that very much. I just want you to know, that I hope you get Weasley. I also want you to know Granger…Hermione... that I'm here for you, as a friend."

Hermione took Malfoy's face in her hands and planted a tiny peck on his cheek. "Thanks Draco" she said. "Now, why don't we go to that dance all right?"

"After you Herm….can I still call you Granger? I think it sounds better anyway."

She laughed, "Yes Malfoy, I think it would be best that way. No body will suspect anything if we do it this way"
Draco laughed along with her, and took her hand. Together, as new found friends, they walked to the dance.

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Once inside the Great Hall, Hermione felt nervous once more. Draco had slipped off from her right before they went in, so as to not cause any murmurs among the students.

The band was playing, and the lights were wonderful. In the distance, Hermione could see Harry and Ginny dancing together.

'They look so cute' she thought.

She saw Malfoy dancing with Pansy and had to hide her smile as Pansy glared at her. Everywhere she looked she found one of her friends and their dance partners. Lavender was with Seamus, Dean with Pavarti, and even Neville with some girl from Ravenclaw. Luna was by herself in a corner by the punch, looking at the streamers as if they were the most wonderful things in the world. Walking over to her, she noticed Harry winking at her and giving her the thumbs up sign.

"Hey Luna, how are you?" she asked politely. Luna wasn't so bad once you got past her father's odd sense of journalistic value.

"Hello Hermione, did you leave Ronald by himself?" Luna asked.

"What? I haven't seen Ron all day today, I haven't even seen him in here…what makes you think that we came together?" asked Hermione, she had no clue why Luna would ask that.

"Oh, you know. I asked him to dance with me, many girls have actually, but he has said no to every single one of them. We've all figured it was because you two came together."

"He has said no to every single girl?" Hermione asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yes, you best go to him before he can't say no much longer" Luna said, "I for one was planning on trying again by the end of the night."

"Erm…thanks Luna, I think I will." Hermione said. And with that, she got up, left Luna by herself and headed towards the dance floor. She hated being there by herself, and she felt like a complete idiot looking for someone. She felt pathetic almost, not even knowing where to look.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Care to dance Granger?" Malfoy said.

"Well…yeah I would but…what would all the Slytherins think?" She said looking over in the direction of Pansy and the gang, who were all giving her death glares.

"I care more about a friend than what a bunch of self-centered idiots think, you should know that. Now, let's dance." He said in a final matter. And with that, he took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor, where they danced sweetly to a soft tune.

"I was looking for him you know," she said, "I couldn't find him anywhere, I'm beginning to think he went back to the common room. I feel like an idiot Malfoy, I don't want to be here if he's not."

"I know Granger, but…I wouldn't worry if I were you." Malfoy said quite smugly.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Before he had a chance to explain himself, Malfoy got this huge grin on his face right before someone stood right behind Hermione.

"Get away from her Malfoy."

It was Ron, a very…protective Ron it sounded like.

"No problem Weasel, I was just keeping her filthy self away from Pansy…go ahead and have her." Malfoy said, and as he turned around he mouthed "I'm sorry" to Hermione, letting her know he meant none of that.

Hermione looked at Ron then, he was standing very awkwardly, in the same manner Malfoy had done earlier that night.

"Listen Hermione…do you want to dance?" Ron asked.

Hermione's heart fluttered and she smiled so big she thought she was going to hurt herself.

"Of course Ron, what kind of friend would I be if I said no?" And with that he smiled and took her into his arms and they started swaying to the same soft tune that she and Malfoy heard earlier.

"It's an amazing feat isn't it?" Ron asked. He was looking not at her, but off to the side of her head.

"What is Ron" Hermione asked, she couldn't understand why he wasn't looking.

"Being able to smile while you're still heart-broken."

Hermione had closed her eyes; he was heart-broken over her! If he would just say the word, she'd go to him in an instant, no questions asked.

"Ron…I'm terribly sorry about earlier this week, I didn't explain myself right. I was…I was afraid for an instant that I had lost my best friend." She said shakily. Tears were forming in her eyes, and knew she wouldn't be able to hold them in for much longer.

"Hermione, the reason why I was so upset, was not because you didn't tell me right away, or that Harry had…kissed you. I was upset because I thought that you didn't love me, and that I had wasted my heart for three years on nothing. When I heard you kissed someone else, it broke my heart, and I felt…like you that I had lost my best friend. But not just my best friend…I felt like I lost my soul mate. I knew it was you Hermione, I STILL know it's you.

Hermione couldn't help it any longer, the tears that were in her eyes, gushed out and rolled down her cheeks silently. After all this time, he had loved her, and she had almost ruined it by not talking to him.

"Ronald Weasley, I feel the same way. I know that you are my soul mate; I just never knew…I never KNEW that you felt that way towards me. I can't believe that with how smart I am, I never noticed your feelings…and to think, I almost blew it."

She was crying now, the last statement almost broke her, and she felt horrible for crying on such a special moment like this.

Ron stopped dancing and lifted her chin with his hand. They looked at each other forever it seemed, and finally Ron had the guts to speak first.

"Hermione," he said, "you would have never blown it. I would have waited for you until the end of time if that's what it came down to. You could have run off with Viktor, had five kids and have forgotten all about me, andSTILL Iwould have waited for you. There is not one day when haven't thought about you, and that's not going to change."

"Oh Ron," Hermione sighed.

"Hermione, I…I love you."

He had said it, the one thing she was hoping for. The one thing that she felt the same way about and he had said it first!

"I love you too Ron Weasley."

Ron lowered his head to hers and they shared a beautiful kiss. It was a kiss that they felt told the story between them, all the years of not being together, came as one now. They kissed, while everyone on the dance floor could see them, when Harry and Ginny could see them, and they couldn't care. They couldn't care one bit.

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A/N: The brilliant line of Ron's, where he says "It's an amazing feat, being able to smile when you're still heart-broken", was said by my friend CarolAnn, I asked her if I could use it, because I knew it fit with this scene. She, being the wonderful friend she is, let me use it.

I want to say sorry for not updating sooner, I fell asleep on the 5th and I swear that I didn't wake up again until today. Lol. Thanks for reading through this fluff chapter, it was so much fun to write. : ) Ok….summer or winter. Review please!