Disclaimer; I own nothing.

A/N Hi all! Thank you to every one of my faithful reviewers. I really appreciate your comments. But one thing is bothering me. I dont want you all to hate Ron. He is just having a hard time adjusting to his best friend and love of his life being with someone else. He was not going to rape her in the housewarming chapter, and he would never intentionally hurt her. Keep an open mind when it comes to his character right now, he might get worse before he gets better. R&R and Happy reading!

Harry's birthday party…

The next day was August 1st. And though Harry's actual birthday was the previous night, he had decided to have his party that day. Draco and I were set to arrive at about 6pm. Harry lived in a small apartment, so he didn't invite many people. Just Draco and myself, Ginny, Lavender and Dean, Pavarti and Seamus (both couples I had been informed were now dating.) Blaise and Ellen, and Ron was invited too but had declined to come. That was the only reason I had decided to attend the party, I couldn't face him yet and didn't want to get into another confrontation.

We apperated to Harry's and I knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in" I heard through the heavy wooden door. I opened it and entered Harry's tiny apartment. It was decorated with balloons and streamers and Ginny was standing on a chair hanging a birthday banner.

"Hi all!" Ginny beamed brightly as she got down and ran over to hug me, and to my surprise Draco as well. He looked shocked at this gesture and smiled at her intensely.

"Harry will be out in a minute, he's changing clothes. You all are the first to arrive." she picked up a bottle of firewhiskey and poured two glasses.

"Here you go, might as well get the party started." she raised her glass to us.

"Um…Ginny is Harry in his room? I need to ask him something." I said nervously.

"Yeah, go right ahead." she replied, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Be right back love." I said to Draco, assuring Ginny I had no interest in Harry.

I walked down the narrow hall and knocked on Harry's bedroom door.

"Harry, you in there?"

"Yeah, come in"

"You decent?" I asked in an amused voice.

"Uh…yeah, Hermione is that you?" with some alarm.

"Yep, I need to talk to you before the party."

"Ok, come in, I'm decent."

I opened the door just as he was pulling his T-Shirt on.

"I thought you were Ginny," he said jokingly. "I was not decent…"

"Ug…thank Merlin you warned me." I laughed. "Don't want to see that."

"You know you do." he joked as he pulled me into a hug. "What did you need to talk to me about?" he asked.

"Did you talk to Ron?" I asked, putting on my serious face.

"I tried Hermione, he pretty much blamed you for the incident at your party, he said you were giving him signals and he acted on them. He said when he went to talk to you; you gave him a look that he read as love or whatever. I told him in no uncertain terms that you loved Malfoy…I mean Draco, and that he would be much happier if he just accepted it and tried to find the love of his life."

"What did he say to that?" my eyes were wide with worry.

"Well, he said he found his soul mate back when he was eleven. And he will not stop until he has you. I told him to stay away from this party if that's the way he felt. I do not condone this obsessive behavior. Ginny doesn't know though."

"Why does she think Ron is not here?" I asked him.

"He told her that he was feeling ill, and would try to make it. But he knows not to show up until he can act like an adult and not assault one of my best friends." he put his hands on my shoulders. "How are you feeling about all this?"

"I am emotionally drained Harry. The wedding is only 2 weeks away, my dad is ignoring me, and may not come to give me away, Ron is mad at me, I don't know." I started to cry again and he hugged me. I laid my head on his chest and sobbed. "Why can't Ron just accept my choice Harry?"

"I don't know Hermione, he may never accept it, but you have your own life to lead, and I see how much Draco has changed. Ron can't get beyond the past, he does love you Hermione."

"I know he does, but he was scary at my house, like he was losing control. I don't know what might have happened if I didn't get out of that bathroom when I did."

"You think he would have gone beyond what he did?" Harry asked.

"He had his hand down my blouse and I think he would have gone all the way if I couldn't have got out when I did."

Harry just looked stunned.

"I never thought Ron would do that." he shook his head unbelievably.

"Me either, but let's try to have fun tonight, it's your birthday and you should have fun. I had better get back out there before Draco and Ginny become suspicious." I laughed. I could never look at Harry like that.

"All right, lets go." he said as we left his room.

Draco looked at me apprehensively as we emerged from the hallway. Ginny and he were engaged in a conversation with Lavender and Dean who had arrived while I was talking to Harry. I walked over to Draco and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. He looked down at my face, which was still red from crying, and gave me an odd look. I should have cleaned up my tears before coming out into the living room. Before I could say another word, he drug me into the kitchen.

"Why are you crying?" he asked me softly.

"Its nothing," I lied, "Just some things I need to deal with."

"Hermione, if you are not going to be honest with me I cant help you." his silvery eyes pleaded with me to let him help.

"Sweetheart, I will tell you, but now is not the time. It is nothing for you to be concerned with I have taken care of everything." I gave him a few bats of my eyelashes, and I ran my hand down the small of his back.

"I love you Draco Malfoy and I can't wait to be your wife."

He smiled and leaned in with those soft red lips to kiss me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and felt my body press up to his. He melted away my worries momentarily. And before I knew it I felt better. He took me by the hand and led me back into the living room, smiling and happy. That is until I saw a flash of red hair stumbling in the front door.