Harry stared aghast at Hermione's letter. There was no way she could want to talk to Ron, it was just not possible. He knew something must have happened to make her doubt her feelings for Draco, and now she was going to take Ron back. He knew how this story went. Ron was his friend, but Harry couldn't stand the way he treated women. With a heavy sigh, he got up from his bed and went to throw Hermione's note into the dying fire in the common room.

Ron looked up from the couch. Harry was descending the staircase with a piece of parchment in his hand. Ron's curiosity was piqued.

"Hey, Harry," he whispered from the couch. "What are you doing up so late?"

Harry froze at the bottom of the steps. What the devil was Ron doing up?

"I should be asking you the same thing. I thought you were asleep?"

"Couldn't sleep. Haven't really been able to sleep much lately. What about you?"

"Oh... well I just..." Harry looked down at Hermione's note, hoping for an excuse.

"Wait! I recognize that handwriting, its Hermione's. What's it say, anything about me?" Ron started to reach for the note, but Harry's seeker reflexes were quicker, and he tossed the note into the flames.

"No... well... yes, it did. She - she wants you to meet with her tomorrow, she wants to talk to you."

"Well why'd you throw the note into the fire? You're acting very weird lately." He furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Never mind...if I'm going to talk to Hermione tomorrow, I'll need some sleep. I guess I'll try to get some shut eye tonight, some beauty sleep, eh?"

With that, Ron turned and softly padded up the stairs to the dorms. Harry let out another sigh and plopped down onto a couch. He had figured it better to tell Ron what Hermione said, then have him reading the note and figuring out what was going on with Draco and Hermione. He began to mentally prepare himself for what was coming: Ron and Hermione would get back together, argue and bicker, break up, and there he'd be, in the middle of it all.

"Here we go again," he muttered, resting his head in his hands.

The next morning, Hermione wandered into the Gryffindor common room, a place she hadn't seen in a long time. She hadn't realized just how much she missed it until she stepped through the portrait hole into her old home. Her heart beat faster in her chest, and butterflies flew in her stomach. Was it really the right thing, getting back with Ron after all he'd done? Her heart and her mind screamed no, but then she saw Ron looking absolutely pitiful on the couch, and her mind wondered how she could do this to someone she'd loved.

Ron suddenly looked up from where he was sitting.

"Hermione?" His eyes looked wide and sad.

"Hey, Ron." Everyone in the common room looked up to see what would happen. Hermione blushed.

"Ron, d'you think we could go for a walk or something?" He nodded and got up at the couch, shooting a triumphant look at Seamus behind Hermione's retreating back.

They walked together down the halls in silence. Ron kept up his sad puppy look, staring mournfully at the ground while Hermione looked at everything except him. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"Ah, well...how are things, Ron?"

"Awful."

"Why is that?" Ron stopped in his tracks and grabbed Hermione's hand.

"I need you in my life, Hermione."

"Oh, Ron..."

"No, listen. I'm a wreck without you, there's no one to take care of me."

"But Ron," she sighed. "You kind of messed -"

"Shhhhh," he said, putting a finger to her lips. "Can't we forget about the past, and start everything over? We were perfect together Hermione, don't you remember?"

"I...but..."

"Hermione, don't say anything. Just come back to me, please?"

She looked down at the ground. There had been no apology... but then, maybe she had been wrong to expect one. She looked back up at Ron with a forced smile and nodded.

"That's a girl," Ron smiled.

He pulled Hermione in for a kiss. She tried to kiss back, but it was a kiss robbed of all its passion, and she didn't feel the same as she did when she kissed Draco. She pushed those thoughts away - Draco couldn't have a place in her heart or mind anymore. Ron pulled back.

"I love you, Hermione," he said grinning.

"Yea... yea, you too Ron." Then why did she feel so chained all of the sudden?

Draco mindlessly found his way back to the dorms and collapsed without thought in the nearest chair. He had been wandering the halls in thought of how to convince Hermione of his feelings when he stumbled upon the two, their hands clasped together. At first he thought he was mistaken, because what could Hermione possibly want with Ron? He was making his way towards them, to tell Ron off, when he got close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Hermione, don't say anything. Just come back to me, please?"

He stopped dead in his tracks, waiting for Hermione's answer, knowing surely it had to be no. She looked up at Ron and nodded, and it was as if Draco had received his death sentence. His heart shattered and fell into his stomach.

"That's a girl," Ron had said, and all at once Draco felt like he was going to kill Ron and throw up. He could feel his whole world falling in around him as Hermione and Ron kissed, and he desperately wished he could die. The tears were welling in his eyes, which only made him angrier. He wrenched himself from the spot where he stood and walked aimlessly away.

Now he was sitting in more pain than he could remember having in his life. The last thing he wanted was to see someone, but there was a knock at the portrait hole. Reluctantly, he got up and opened it. There, with a stupid grin plastered on her porcelain face, was Karissa.

"Draco, can I come in?"

He studied her face, looking her over like one would examine a horse. If she would just keep her mouth shut, she wasn't too bad looking. And he knew how to keep her mouth shut.

"Karissa, I'm so glad you're here. Please, come in."

It was time to bury his pain the only way he knew how.