Disclaimer: Never mine, and that's the sad truth.

There was silence for a while, blessed silence as she lay on her bed, not entirely sure why she was crying. And she was crying, buckets and buckets. She had always hated it when Lavender or Parvati had charged into their room at Hogwarts, crying about some guy. So why am I crying now, as if the world has ended? she wondered. It isn't changing anything, Ron hasn't appeared, declaring that he is madly in love with me, I'm not any happier than I was before I started crying… so why can't I stop?

There came a rapping at the door. She knew it was Draco, wanting to know what had happened. So, she ignored it. It came again, a little more insistently, but still she made no reply. Then, there was silence again. Only, the silence seemed tense this time, as she strained to hear what was happening on the other side of her door. By now, the tears had finished their run down her face, and she was slowly regaining her breath. Just as she was about to roll over and try to get some sleep, another knock came at the door.

"Hermione?" called out a familiar feminine voice. "May we come in?" Without waiting for a reply, the door swung open, and a head of red hair poked in. "Are you asleep yet, 'Mione?" Hermione shook her head from side to side, not wanting to say anything out loud. "Then, can we come in?" asked Ginny again. This time, Hermione's response was a nod.

She heard a whispered conversation in the hallway before the door opened wider, letting both Ginny and Sabrina enter before closing again. Slowly, she sat up, as the girls came to sit by her. "What are you doing here?" she said quietly.

"Draco floo-ed me, saying that it was an emergency. I immediately floo-ed Sabrina, knowing that if Draco was begging, it probably was something that needed both of us." explained Ginny. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Hermione felt herself nodding again.

"Well, what happened?" asked Sabrina.

What happened… what happened… what happened was my life flipped upside down and inside out… It was like a dam burst inside of Hermione. Suddenly, she was rambling on about coming home from the wedding, about the kiss with Draco, about his explanation of Ron's feelings, of her declaration of love to Ron, and his unlikely response. She couldn't stop talking, and she was certain that she made no sense. However, neither girl tried to get her to stop or slow down. Instead, every so often, she saw them exchange knowing looks with each other. Finally, she came to the end of the story, and there was silence for a few moments.

"Oh, 'Mione…" breathed Ginny. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Hermione laughed bitterly. "Tell you what exactly? I'm not even entirely sure what I just told you, so how could I have tried before?"

Sabrina leaned over and took Hermione's hand. "Honey, you've been holding all of that in way too long."

"I know. But I couldn't… I mean, you guys had hinted that there was something between Draco and me at the bachelorette party… how could I tell you that we kissed without you reading more into it?"

Ginny sighed. "We didn't say that to make you stop confiding in us, Hermione. If you had said there was nothing there, we would have at least tried to believe you."

"But you don't believe that, do you?" stated Hermione. They don't. I know they don't.

There was a pause for a moment, then Sabrina said, "Not entirely, no."

"Hermione, if you could have seen Draco in my fireplace this evening, you would be questioning it yourself," was Ginny's reply.

If you could have seen his face…But I can't, now can I? I only know what he told me – "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have done that."

She shrugged, not know what else to do. "Well, you can question it all you like, but I have to deal in facts. And the fact is, I've heard the words from his own mouth that say there's nothing between us. Please, let's not focus on Draco."

Her friends acquiesced to her wish. "Well, then, let's focus on my prat of a brother," said Ginny.

Hermione laughed bitterly. "Really, it's not his fault, Gin. I just threw myself at him, and he was the mature one." She paused for a moment. "Funny, isn't it – our positions were reversed tonight. He was the smart one and I was the one who went off half-cocked."

Sabrina laid a hand on her arm. "Hermione, don't even think that you were wrong in what you did."

"Well, if I wasn't, how come I'm not happy? How did it end up this way?" she demanded. She flopped back onto her back, looking up at the canopy top. "I think I've always known subconsciously that I was in love with Ron. I mean, it's just always been there, whether I wanted to acknowledge it or not. It hurt to watch him date other witches, to know that he was finding pleasure in their company." She paused, trying to figure out her thoughts. "And then… the day we had The Fight... He made me so mad. He could see any girl he liked – whether or not I liked them – but let me have one guy that he didn't like…" She shook her head, slightly, tears appearing again in them. Silently, she willed them to stay in her eyes, but they betrayed her, fallings slowly down her face. "You know what the worst part was? Even then, I loved him. My heart broke when he cast that spell on me, but even broken, my heart still loved him. Maybe that's why I ran for so long…" She sat up, angrily wiping the tears from her eyes. She couldn't look at either of the two girls silently listening to her ramble on, so her eyes fixed on the bedspread instead. "I couldn't admit to myself that I could be so in love, that someone I loved so deeply could betray me so badly… Sometimes, I wonder why Draco searched so hard to find me – whether it'd have been better if I had remained René."

"Oh honey…" Ginny said, reaching out and grabbing one of her hands. "Don't ever wonder that. Don't you dare. Just because my arse of a brother… Hermione, if you hadn't come back, I never would have seen you again, and I can't bear to think of living the rest of my life without your presence in it. You are one of my best friends."

Hermione smiled slightly. "I know, Ginny. You're one of my best friends too, as is Sabrina. It's just… my head tells me I'm smart to be here, like this, making a new start – with you guys, with Draco, with the press, and especially with Ron. I can tell myself until I'm blue in the face that he and I need to see each other as we are now and not as we were even a year ago." Here her smile turned wry. "But that doesn't convince my heart. My heart cries out that if we were in love a year ago, then we should be in love now." Silence reigned in the room for a minute, neither Sabrina nor Ginny knowing what to say to make Hermione feel better.

There came a tentative knock at the door, making all three girls heads turn towards it, but remained silent. The door opened a little, just enough to let three steaming cups of cocoa come flying through the entryway, followed by a box of tissues, before shutting again. Hermione had to smile at Draco's thoughtfulness, even if it meant that she had to deal with the oh-too-familiar gleam in Sabrina and Ginny's eyes afterwards.

As they drank the cocoa, the girls' talk turned to other, happier, matters, including various details of Sabrina and Seth's honeymoon and Ginny's latest boy-toy. Hermione's problems hadn't been forgotten, but all sensed that it needed to be pushed to the back of their heads for a while.

It wasn't until Sabrina and Ginny got ready to leave, at an hour that rightly could be called morning instead of evening or nighttime, that the matter came up again. It was sensible Ginny who brought up the subject. " 'Mione, the only piece of advice that I can give you is this simple one: Be true to your heart and have faith. It'll all work itself out in the end."

Sabrina nodded. "Be honest – both with Ron and yourself, Hermione. All the rest will fall into place by itself. Trust me." She hugged Hermione before disappearing into the living room to floo home.

Ginny lingered for a few more minutes. "You want me to come back and help you decide what to wear tonight?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "No thanks, Ginny. I'm pretty sure I know what Ron likes me in. But it's sweet of you to offer."

Ginny shrugged. "What are friends for?" Were her departing words as she also headed for the fireplace, yawning as she went. With a poof, she was gone, leaving Hermione all alone again, but with plenty to think about.

A/N: Whew! That took a lot longer than I ever thought it would to write. Many, many, many apologies, dear ones.

Robbie Goshawk: Sorry, not much Draco in this chapter. Not sure how much he'll be in the next chapter either, but he's still in the picture, so keep reading!

KinvaraThanks for your sweet compliments. I have a hard time reading during exams also, as I get hooked and can't stop until I'm done. Sorry this chapter took so long!

D-daygirl: A thousand apologies for the lateness of the chapter. I've been fluctuating as to how to take this chapter. I promise the next chapter will be up within the week (it's half written already) and my muse appears to be smiling down on me at the moment.

emmzi91: Here's the next chapter. Not much Draco, but on the other hand, not much Ron either. grin Hope you like this chapter.

totally2bulargirl: Completely flattered (and amazed) that you put up with me and my infrequent chapters. Thank you for being a dedicated reader.

Me: Sorry, no date this chapter (that's the next one) It'll be up within a week, I promise!

J.C. Hutchins: your compliments really made my day when I read them. Seriously, I have been struggling with this chapter for forever (it's been rewritten about eight or ten times) so I am anxiously awaiting your remarks on it. I'm a "Hermione" in real life as well, so she is near and dear to my heart. I am, however, trying to keep the essence of J.K.R.'s Hermione (as it is her character)… It's a difficult balance.

TheSilverLady: Fighting isn't always conducive to relationships, I know. Trust that I know where I'm going with the story. wink

superdork1: Another faithful reader! Thanks for your input, as always, and your trust that it will get done (eventually… grin )