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A/N Thank you all so much for the many, many reviews that I got last week! I was so happy! THANK YOU! Happy reading and don't forget to review.

Settling for less

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, thinking she had misheard the man who was now walking away from where she was sitting.

"You heard me Hermione. I told you the truth. You didn't believe me. I don't know what else you want from me." he said looking out into the night sky.

"I said I was sorry. I made a mistake. I was hoping you would forgive me, I forgave you." she said walking up behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder

"Come see me in five years and maybe I will." he said heartlessly.

Hermione's face fell.

"Draco, please…I love you. I realized that. I am sorry." she pleaded.

"You realized you love me? Why? Did the weasel cheat on you yet again? Break your heart so you come running to your second best? No, I can't take this pain anymore. I need to move on. I have loved you for the past five years. Kept myself away from others, pined for you. I finally get you back, or so I foolishly thought and you went running back to him after some stupid excuse he gave you about planning a honeymoon. So go to him. Go back to your weasel. I need to get over you." he said without looking at her.

Large fat tears fell from Hermione's startled face.

"You don't mean that…" she started.

"I do!" he yelled. "Go, get out of my house, and get out of my life!" his raspy voice shouted.

Hermione covered her face and ran out of the room and down the stairs. When she got out the door she apperated home as quickly as she could. She felt like she was going to throw up. She ran into her bathroom and did just that. She was alone now. She had no one. She broke off her engagement with Ron foolishly thinking Draco would welcome her back with open arms after she had broken his heart.

"Hermione are you okay? I thought I heard you come in." Ron's voice called from the hallway.

She quickly rinsed her mouth and left the bathroom running smack dab into his chest.

"Hermione, I thought I heard you getting sick. Are you feeling alright?" he asked. His blue eyes looking into hers.

"I'm fine. Nice of you to finally show up Ronald." she said curtly.

"Finally show up? What are you talking about? Didn't you get my letter?" he asked.

"What letter? No, I never got any letter. I have been going out of my mind with worry; you said you had practice, your coach said you didn't and that you were on holiday. You lied to me yet again."

"I didn't have practice. You are right. But I was doing something for the wedding." he said.

"Right." she replied.

"No, really look." he said grabbing her hand and dancing her around the floor expertly.

"Dancing lessons come on Ronald. How dim do you think I am?"

"I have been taking extra lessons. But that's not where I was for the past few days. That's why I sent you the letter." he said looking around Hermione's kitchen.

"I told you I never got a letter." she said watching him search.

"I sent you a letter from my mum's. Fred, George, Bill and Charlie took me off for a brother's weekend in the states before the wedding. It was a surprise."

"Really? Then why did your mum not know where you were?" she asked.

"We didn't tell her. You know how she gets." he said taking her hand.

"Oh," Hermione said. She was so confused she didn't know if she believed him.

"I can't believe Errol didn't deliver the letter. You must have been so worried." he said soothingly leading her to the sofa.

"I was, I really was." she cried, not knowing if she was crying for him or Draco at that point. Her emotions were tearing her apart.

"Harry found me as I was getting back to the burrow. Said you had called off the wedding. Is this true?" he asked.

"Yes, I thought…well I thought you were with Lavender. I am so sorry." she said bursting into tears again.

"Well if the letter never arrived no wonder you thought that." he said stroking her hair. "Shhhh…don't cry Hermione, I am here now."

That thought should have soothed her but it didn't.

"So then the wedding is still on right honey?" he asked. She nodded. "Good." he smiled and let her sob on his chest for a while. He wondered why she was so upset; he was there, safe and sound. He figured it was just her nerves about the upcoming wedding and soon forgot about it.

Two weeks passed and it was the Wednesday before the wedding. Ron and Harry had treated Ginny and Hermione to a day at Hogsmeade's most luxurious day spa. Hermione was glad to have a day to herself. Ever since he had went to the states he had been hovering around her not letting her have a moment to herself. It was wearing on her nerves.

Ginny and Hermione arrived early at the spa. They had a 10am massage appointment. Then a full day of beauty. The pretty receptionist greeted them warmly and led them to a small room lit with candles that smelled strongly of lavender and vanilla.

"This is great Hermione. I am so glad our men thought of this." she said smiling as a large blonde muscular man rubbed her back and shoulders. The muscular blonde's darker twin rubbed all of the tension out of Hermione's lower back. And there must have been a lot of it after all she had been through the past two weeks. She had repeatedly owled Draco only to have the letters returned unopened. She had tore them up in frustration and tossed them into the fire. She remembered sitting on her bed writing the last one yesterday.

Dear Draco,

This will be the last letter you receive from me. I know I screwed up. I know I was wrong but I was foolish enough to think you could look past that. I guess you meant what you said. I guess you can't get past that lapse in judgment on my part. I just wanted to say all the things I have needed to say these past years and these past weeks.

When I first saw you again at the reunion I didn't want to look at you. I didn't want to see your silvery eyes I loved so much, or that blonde hair that haunts my dreams, or that smirk you showed so much more often than you smiled even though your smile was so dazzling it could melt the hardest of hearts. But then I saw you in our common room. The room you made me realize the real person you are in. You stepped into the light and back into my heart even though I tried to resist it. We danced and you kissed me and I went out of my mind with hurting, the hurting you caused. But I finally looked past that a few weeks ago and realized that I had never really shut you out of my heart. I love you Draco Malfoy. I always will. A few days from now I will walk down that aisle and marry Ron. I love him too, but not on the same level. I love him as a friend and my hope is that friendship can turn into more. I could be wrong but somehow I feel like…well, like I am settling for less. That's all I can say now. If this returns to me unopened, well I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I do love you. That's all I can say other than I am sorry.

Love always,

Hermione Jane Granger

"What's the matter Hermione? Aren't you enjoying the massage?" Ginny asked raising her eyebrows at her weary looking friend.

"No, I am. I just have a lot on my mind." she said weakly smiling.

"I know just how you feel." Ginny said. Hermione somehow doubted that.

"Really." Hermione said.

"Yes, the week before my wedding I was a mess. I cried everyday. I love Harry more than you can imagine it was just that all the emotions you are feeling can't possibly fit inside your brain all at once. It has to come out somewhere. That's where the tears and sometimes the anger come out. It will be okay. You were there for my wedding. I was calm by then and you will be too." she smiled.

"Ginny, can you keep a secret?" Hermione asked. She needed to tell someone, but she would not reveal Draco's name.

"Of course. What is it?" Ginny asked wide-eyed.

"Before I was with Ron…in our seventh year, I was in love with someone else."

Ginny's mouth hung open.

"Why didn't you tell me about it before?" she asked.

"He broke my heart and I never wanted to think of him again. He was my first love and my first lover." she sighed.

"And he went to Hogwart's?" she asked in shock. Hermione nodded. "Was he in your class?" she nodded again. "Who was it?" Ginny asked unable to contain herself any longer.

"I cant tell you that, sorry." she smiled. "Let's just say it was an unlikely combination."

"I bet I can guess." Ginny said excitedly.

"Never." Hermione said nervously.

"Three guesses and if I guess right you buy me a coffee at the tea shop." she smiled.

"Fine, but you will never guess."

"Okay, guess one…Neville." Ginny said eyeing Hermione's reaction. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nope, strike one." Hermione said.

"Okay…uh, Crabbe…just kidding Hermione that wasn't my real guess." she said after the look of disgust on Hermione's face. "My real guess is that Justin kid from Ravenclaw." Hermione shook her head again.

"Only one more guess, then we are dropping the name thing and I can tell you my real concerns." she said.

"Okay…last guess. Unlikely combination…let's see. Who would be the last person on earth I would suspect."

Hermione swallowed hard.

"Well, this is just a waste of a guess but I would say the most unlikely person at Hogwart's you would be with would be Draco Malfoy."

Hermione's face paled.

"Draco Malfoy? Are you serious Hermione? I was just kidding. When…I mean how did you and him…oh my gods." she said laying her head on the table.

"That is not the point Ginny; you swore to keep it a secret. That means from everyone. Even Harry." Ginny nodded.

"Anyway, he broke my heart. I wont go into details but it was brutal. Right after that Ron asked me out and we have been together ever since. But at the reunion over the summer I saw him again. He explained why he broke up with me. I didn't forgive him right away that night, but eventually I did." Ginny's eyes widened.

"Oh my gods! That is why you were so upset at the dress shop isn't it? He came up to the window and you ran. I thought it was just because he was a prat." she said.

"No you are right about that, anyway he came to me a little while after you left the tea shop and told me he saw your brother and Lavender Brown at the inn inside the Leaky Cauldron. I, of course, didn't believe him. I told him he was a liar and to get out. But about two weeks ago Ron stood me up for the millionth time that summer and I sought Draco out at his house and took some veritaserum with me to question whether he was telling the truth or not. He was. I was furious with Ron and let's just say I let Draco comfort me." Ginny looked strangely at Hermione before finally catching on and letting her mouth fall into a silent 'o'

"When I finally talked to Ron he told me that he was meeting Lavender in secret to make final payment on our honeymoon. A cruise around the world. I went to Draco and told him I made a mistake. I broke his heart. Then Ron disappeared and I was hurt. I went back and apologized to Draco but he threw me out. He told me he needed to move on and that he couldn't take anymore pain. It was then I came back and Ron told me he was in the states with your brothers and I felt foolish. Right now I am just so confused." she began to cry.

"Hermione it is okay. Your secret is safe with me. But you need to understand that even though Ron and I don't get along all the time, he is my brother. I don't want you to marry him only to divorce him because you are in love with someone else."

"That's just the thing. I love them both. But Ron is a deeper love right?" she asked looking for some reassurance.

"Of course it is. You guys are best friends still right?"

"Yeah."

"Then it will work out." she said smiling.

"I guess." Hermione said finally giving in. The two hunky men left giving Hermione and Ginny to get dressed. Hair cuts and color were next.

Hermione got her hair cut in layers for the wedding and lighter blonde highlights around her face. Ginny got some highlights as well, but kept them to a natural minimum. Next they both got manicures and pedicures. Both of them opted for a more natural French manicure on both hands and feet. And finally to finish the day they got salt scrubs and wraps. By 4pm they were both clean polished and looking perfect.

"Thank you for listening to me Ginny, and don't forget. What I told you was a secret. You can't tell Harry. I am over it now so there is no need to worry. Thanks for the advice Ginny."

"No problem Hermione, and relax; Ron loves you." she smiled before walking away towards the coffee shop where Harry was waiting with baby Lily.

Hermione apperated back to her apartment thinking she would find the letter she had written waiting, but she did not.