She was halted again. This time, however, was of her own accord. She turned around, facing him again as he called her name, a fire in his eyes that made her face heat up.

"When I told you that you could do so much better than Weasley…I meant that."

Hermione blinked, his words completely unexpected.

"You're beautiful, Granger," her heart stuttered at those words. "You're smart, headstrong, and you put any Pureblood witch to shame. If Weasley doesn't know that, then his head is even thicker than I thought it was."

Hermione glanced down, unsure of what to say. Of all of the things she thought he might spew, she hadn't thought of anything like that. She cleared her throat before finally responding.

"Thank you…"

His gaze lingered for a moment too long before he eventually turned around and made his way to his room. Hermione stared after him, suddenly unsure, more than ever, of what to think of her dorm mate.

"Hermione."

Hermione was finally pulled away from her internal monologue by the sound of Ron's voice. She lifted her eyes, brown and blue clashing as he gazed at her with a small frown on his face. The two of them were meant to be studying, but she was having a bit of a hard time with that, a first for her.

"Sorry," she apologized. "What were you saying?"

"I was asking if… Never mind. Are you okay? You just seem a little distracted, and…that isn't like you."

Hermione sighed, unsure of how to respond, because Ron was right. He was being nice about it, but it was very unlike her. Between Harry and Malfoy, she wasn't sure what to do about either situation.

Her best friend had been all but ignoring her since their last discussion. She wanted to believe Harry's suspicions, really, she did, but she couldn't get behind accusations that had no foundation of proof whatsoever. She supposed that it'd be a different story if what Harry was accusing Draco of wasn't so serious, but he was basically talking about attempted murder… That was heinous to think him capable of such a thing. Harry didn't agree.

As if that wasn't enough, Hermione found herself to becoming more…fond of her roommate. She wouldn't go as far to call them friends or anything, but his presence had a rather odd effect on her these days. She wasn't sure how to describe it, the feeling that talking to him gave her, but it was…different. It sparked something in her that she couldn't name, but whatever that feeling was… She liked it. A lot. And that scared her.

"I'm fine, Ronald… I promise. This whole thing with Harry is just really getting to me, you know? It's obvious that he doesn't trust me anymore," she finally answered with a sigh.

Ron chewed on his lip, scratching the back of his head with a grimace.

"The whole Malfoy thing…it's just throwing him for a loop," he responded with a shrug.

Neither one of them commented on the fact that he didn't disagree with her.

"It's more than that, Ron. I make one decision that he doesn't agree with, and suddenly I'm no longer trustworthy? What, the last five years suddenly mean nothing? How is that fair?"

Ron released a sigh, eyes apologetic as he gazed at her.

"I'll talk to him, Hermione-."

"You know what? Don't bother. If this is how he's going to act over something as meaningless as this, then just forget it."

"Hermione…"

"I'm not getting any studying done, anyway. I'll see you at dinner," she said, collecting her things and exiting the library.

The walk back to her dorm was a somber one. She truly meant what she had said. Harry was acting like Hermione was boiling kittens every night with Malfoy, plotting the downfall of The Order before having a row of hot, sweaty sex. She scoffed, face heating up as she found herself getting annoyed with him all over again. Honestly, she didn't care at all of what he thought of Malfoy. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that five years of friendship suddenly became insignificant the minute she decided to be civil towards her roommate. Harry didn't trust her…and that hurt.

She entered her dorm with a sigh, closing the portrait behind her. The dorm was silent, but she could see the Slytherin's bag propped on the couch, the contents almost spilling out. She briefly wondered if Malfoy was still there, but decided that she didn't particularly care before making her way towards her room. She'd only just reached her door when she heard what sounded like someone moaning, the drawn out symphony reaching her ears as clear as day.

She hurriedly made her way inside, thinking to herself that that had answered her question. She wasn't sure how long she'd stayed in her room, attempting, and failing, once again to focus on her revision. Just like the last time, she wasn't getting anywhere, but pretty soon she could hear Malfoy's door opening, the sound of mingled laughter reaching her ears. Hermione recognized the voice as Parvati, and she found herself raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"You should invite me over more often. The more excuses I have to get out of that dorm, the better," she said.

"A Gryffindor voicing her annoyance with other…Gryffindors? I believe I'm rubbing off on you. What an improvement," Malfoy drawled with a scoff.

"Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy," Parvati sneered. "I'm just tired of hearing Lavender constantly rave about how great of a shag Weasley is. She was his first, he can't be that great…"

Hermione felt her quill drop to the bed, the ink dirtying up her covers as Parvati's words reached her ears, hitting her like a freight train. Everything else that was said after that was merely a buzz in Hermione's ears, the blood roaring behind there like a wave. What? She fought the urge to stomp out of her room and demand that Parvati tell her more. Ron wasn't her boyfriend, not in the slightest, but… She thought that he would've told her. After all, if what Ginny said was true, then her feelings were rather obvious. Even if that weren't the case, she was Ron's best friend. Surely Ron would think that she deserved to know?

And what about Harry? If Lavender was telling the truth, and she and Ron were… Harry would definitely know. He and Ron told each other everything, and this was something a lot of guys talked about together. How long had this been going on? Assuming that Malfoy had been telling the truth when he first told her of it, then that would mean this had been going on for weeks, practically a month. Why hadn't they told her? For weeks she'd been asking Ron to study with just the two of them, smiling at him longer than usual and even reaching out for him sometimes. For weeks he had entertained it and said nothing.

She forced herself to calm down, reminding herself that Lavender was a gossip, and she could very well be lying or stretching the truth. With a deep breath, she finally exited her room. She took note of the slight surprise in Malfoy's eyes as he looked up from where he now sat on the couch. Parvati was long gone, and Hermione bit her lip.

"Granger… I didn't realize that you were here…"

"I didn't realize that you and Parvati even liked each other, let alone…," she trailed off, crossing her arms over her chest.

She realized how accusatory she sounded, but she didn't care. Malfoy shrugged as if that was answer enough, and she supposed that it was. She knew for a fact that Parvati hated Malfoy, but she figured she liked being beneath him more. She didn't say anything more, and Malfoy looked at her strangely. He looked, dare she say it, a bit concerned even.

"Something…on your mind…?"

She realized that she was just standing there, staring at him with wide eyes as she fought to get the words out. Was Parvati telling the truth? Had he been telling the truth all those weeks ago? If he was, how did he know for sure? What things had he heard and seen exactly? She wanted to ask him all of these things and put herself out of her misery, but she didn't want to look as pathetic as she felt, so she simply asked;

"Are you going to the Quidditch game tomorrow?"

Malfoy snorted, and Hermione took that as a no. Malfoy wasn't on the team this year, something she found surprising. She wondered if he simply lost the desire to play, or if it was another matter altogether.

"Blaise is on the team, so who knows what tomorrow holds, but as of now, I don't have a pressing desire to attend, no."

Hermione nodded, unsure of what to say next when he suddenly fully turned to face her, eyes holding her captive.

"Will you be going, Granger?"

He seemed to purr the words, each syllable rolling off of his tongue like he wasn't asking a simple, innocent question. She really needed to get ahold of herself.

"Of course. All of my friends are on the team this year, and…"

She suddenly trailed off, realizing that she was about to reveal the real reason Ron made the team. After putting so much effort into making sure he made the team, why would she not attend? Malfoy nodded, the corner of his lips lifting just the slightest, as if in on some joke that only he understood.

"Of course," he said in an obvious manner. "We both know how important your friends are to you. Blaise wouldn't be the least bit put out if I didn't show. I imagine Weasley and Potter would throw a fit."

Hermione felt herself bristle at the underlying insult.

"It's important to them, and to me. It's the first game, and I know how nervous Ron is," she defended.

Malfoy hummed, a humorless chuckle leaving his lips as he turned away, attention returning to the book in his lap.

"How lucky Weasley is to have you there to shoo all of his worries away," he didn't sound like he thought it was lucky at all. "It'd be sweet if it wasn't so nauseatingly pathetic."

Hermione released a sigh, choosing to ignore the insult, no matter how much it stung. Malfoy didn't know how close to home it had really hit, and she turned away, locking herself in her room until dinner.

"…you'll be taking McLaggen, I reckon…"

Hermione stared at Ron in surprise, put off by his words before responding.

"Actually, I was going to ask you," she said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Why on earth would she ever ask McLaggen to go anywhere? Ron didn't seem to fully hear her words though, distractedly looking away as he replied.

"…really," he drawled, sounding unconvinced.

Before Hermione could say anything more, there she was, all blonde curls and big smiles as she made her presence known. Hermione stiffened, Parvati's words from the previous day settling over her like ice. Ron turned to Lavender, looking up at her with a look Hermione didn't recognize.

"Good luck, today, Ron!" she gushed. "I know you'll be brilliant."

She was off as quickly as she came, and Ron took a deep nervous breath, facing them again.

"I'm resigning. After today's match, McLaggen can have my spot…"

Harry brushed his worries away with a few simple words, offering him some pumpkin juice. It seemed to be what Ron needed, hurriedly going to inhale it when he was interrupted.

"Hello, everyone," Luna suddenly said, making her presence known, eyes raking over Ron. "You look dreadful, Ron. Is that why you put something in his cup?"

Hermione's eyes widened, slowly looking at Luna as she processed her words, the blonde girl addressing Harry.

"Is it a tonic?"

Hermione spun around just in time to see Harry put the Felix Felicis back into his pocket. She gave Harry an incredulous look, one that he ignored.

"Liquid Luck," she heard herself saying, turning to face Ron as he eyed his cup. "Don't drink it, Ron!"

The redheaded boy glanced at her before looking at Harry and back again. Hermione felt her shoulders sag in disappointment as he took a nice sip, no ounce of regret in his eyes.

"You could be expelled for that," she harshly whispered, facing Harry, now.

"I don't know what you're talking about," was Harry's oh so clever response.

Hermione's mouth fell open in slight shock, looking at the both of them incredulously.

"Come on, Harry, we've got a game to win," Ron said, clasping his dark haired friend's hand as they both stood.

She clenched her jaw, staring at the both of them in disapproval as they exited the hall. Despite what she thought about the ordeal, she still found herself in the stands half an hour later. Gryffindor was winning, no surprise there, and she was reluctantly cheering them on. It was hard to resist the atmosphere that she was surrounded with, slowly clapping as Ron blocked yet another scoring point from Slytherin.

She was a bit disappointed in herself for not staying angrier longer, but what right did she have to? After all, wasn't it her who had broken the rules to get Ron on the team in the first place? She honestly had no room to talk. Ron was the shining star of the team, and he was certainly basking in it as everyone around him began to chant his name. It came to a point where Hermione had almost forgotten about the Liquid Luck entirely, beaming at Ron's success and feeling immensely proud for him. It only came rushing back when she stood next to Harry in the common room after they'd won the game, a temporary and unspoken truce taking place between them as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a small smile on her face.

"You shouldn't have done it," she said.

Her expression contradicted her words, and honestly, who could blame her? This was the happiest she'd ever seen Ron, and his excitement was contagious. She was very happy for him.

"I know. I suppose I could've just used a Confundus Charm…"

Hermione's eyes widened, and she turned to find him already staring at her. She sharply inhaled, fighting to defend herself and her actions.

"That was…different," she lamely replied. "That was tryouts. It wasn't an actual game…"

Her words died in her throat as Harry retrieved the Liquid Luck from his pocket, holding it before her to see. The bottle was full, and Hermione blinked as she realized what that meant.

"You didn't actually put it in," she said, both shocked and impressed. "Ron only thought you did."

Harry nodded, and they both turned to look at the boy in question. Hermione was going to tell him just how brilliant that was when she suddenly felt like she'd been punched in the gut, all of the air leaving her lungs. Her heart clenched at the sight before her, eyes widening as Ron wrapped his arms around Lavender, returning her impromptu kiss with vigor.

Hermione couldn't hear the cheers that filled her ears, nor Harry's laughter that was filled with approval. The blonde tightened her arms around Ron's neck as he practically lifted her from the ground, the way they held each other telling Hermione that it definitely wasn't the first time. She took a step back, nausea swimming in her stomach.

She could feel eyes on her, and she knew that it was Ginny, but she didn't care as she left the common room altogether. Her vision was blurry as she sped through the corridor, wanting to get as far away from the common room as possible. Parvati had been telling the truth then. Lavender and Ron were together, and Hermione had been making a fool out of herself for weeks. She almost tripped over her own feet as she descended the stairs, collapsing at the bottom in a pathetic heap of tears.

It was true. Hermione had missed her chance. She was too late, and now Ron was with her. She waved her wand, the sound of chirping birds oddly comforting as she sobbed, tears skipping down her cheeks. It had been obvious that something more was going on, but she'd kept denying it. Hermione had kept telling herself that she was imagining things, that she wasn't too late. She didn't know how long she sat there, but she perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, mildly surprised to come face to face with Harry as she looked up. They weren't on the best of terms, at the moment, but she was thankful he was there, nonetheless. His eyes were solemn as he looked down at her, and Hermione turned away.

"Charm spell," she said, motioning to the birds. "…just practicing."

Her words came out choppy, chest heaving and lips trembling as she fought the urge to fully break down.

"Well, they're really good," Harry praised, clearly unsure of what to say.

There was an awkward silence as he sat down, shoulder brushing her own.
"I never… I didn't want you to find out like this, Hermione," he quietly said.

That caught her attention, and she turned to look at him with a frown.

"You knew…," she breathed. "How…? How long?"

Harry opened and closed his mouth, realizing the predicament he'd put himself in.

"…a little over a month," he finally confessed.

Hermione felt her heart clench as she stared at him, eyebrows pinched together.

"…and you just let me make a fool of myself all this time? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my place, Hermione," he answered. "It was Ron's job to tell you…"

Before Hermione could argue that, the sound of high pitched laughter reached her ears. She looked up just as Harry turned, the last two people Hermione wanted to see rounding the corner. If it was possible to feel any worse, then Hermione sure did as she stared at their intertwined hands, the two of them coming to an awkward halt as they took in the scene before them. The smile on Ron's face dimmed a bit as Lavender spoke.

"Oops," she giggled, leaning into Ron. "I think this room's taken."

She skipped off, expecting Ron to immediately tag along, but his eyes were focused on nothing but Hermione. They locked gazes for a moment, Hermione's angry and accusatory while an unspoken apology lingered in his stare.

"What's with the birds?" he awkwardly asked, shuffling on his feet as she stood.

She glared at him for a few more moments before speaking, a rage like no other overtaking her.

"Oppugno," she angrily whispered, watching in satisfaction as the birds that once circled above her head dove straight for Ronald.

He stumbled away, moving to the side just in time to watch them collide with the wall, turning into feathery dust. They stared at one another for the longest time, so many unspoken words between them, before he eventually slipped away. Hermione swallowed, anger spiking as she was reminded of Harry's presence, the dark haired boy walking towards her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, spinning around to face him.

Harry spluttered, eyes wide.

"It wasn't my place-."

"Bollocks! I'm your friend too," she interrupted.

"Yeah, but…with everything else that was going on, and… It was just Ron's place to tell you," he repeated.

Hermione's frown deepened, and she brushed past him as she made her way up the stairs.

"Hermione," he called, but she ignored him.

The tears fell all over again as she walked back to her dorm. A little over a month. This had been going on for a little over a month. That meant that Malfoy had been telling the truth that day, and Hermione suddenly felt like she'd been slapped in the face. All of Malfoy's little comments hadn't been just put downs. Well, they probably were, but there was a bit of warning in them as well. Malfoy was right. She was pathetic.

She blubbered the password, stumbling inside as the portrait swung open. She pushed her hair away from her face, sniffles coming to a halt at the scene that was presented before her. Malfoy, Zabini, and Nott were sitting along the floor, clearly unbothered by Slytherin's loss. The fire was roaring, and they were mid laugh when she entered.

She felt her face heating up as they all turned to stare at her, eyes curious at her state of distress. She felt like a wreck, and there was no doubt that she looked it too. She mumbled a halfhearted greeting before making a beeline to her room.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on, Granger!"

She was stopped by none other than Nott himself, dark blue eyes staring her down as he physically prevented her from entering her room.

"Where's the fire, Granger? Join us for a drink!"

He was pissed, that much was clear, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm not really in the mood," she spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nott raked his eyes over her, taking in her glassy eyes and distraught expression. A soft smirk fell over his lips as he held a cup out towards her.

"You look like you could use it," he replied with a shrug. "Guys are pigs, am I right?"

Hermione didn't know how he knew, but she figured he probably guessed that that was the only thing she could possibly be crying about. She eyed the cup in his hand for a few seconds before downing it without a second thought. She winced in disgust, coughing as he and Zabini laughed. Malfoy was oddly quiet, and Hermione pushed past Nott in his distraction.

"That was awful, and I'm going to bed."

Nott continued to laugh, too tickled to care, and Hermione stumbled into her room. Imagine her surprise when she went to close the door, but a pale hand prevented her from doing so. She glanced up, gaze landing on none other than Malfoy as he leaned in her doorway.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

He raked his eyes over her, a frown on his handsome face.

"I heard you guys won…"

"Yeah, we did," she venomously replied, reminded of the wonderful after party.

"…so why do you look like you lost?"

Hermione clenched her jaw, looking away as she fought back tears. Because I did, she silently answered.

"…you were right," she scathingly replied. "…about Ron and Lavender. You were right, and I should have listened to you. Happy?"

Her eyes were glued to her bed, because she didn't want to look at the smug look that was no doubt on his face. He was probably eating this up, repeating countless 'I told you so's' in his head. He didn't respond right away, and Hermione resisted the urge to look up.

"I'm sorry, Granger," he eventually said, surprising her.

She briefly glanced at him, stunned to find that he did look sorry. She looked away, a lone tear skipping off of her eyelash and down her cheek.

"Yeah, me too."

He backed up, and she shut the door, sliding down it as she let her face fall into her hands.

It was much later in the night when she left her room, accepting that she wouldn't find sleep for the time being. Nott and Zabini were passed out on the chairs, light snore's leaving Nott's form. The fire was still going, and Malfoy was prostrated in front of it, looking up as she approached. She awkwardly shuffled her feet, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Can I sit?"

He waved at the floor, signaling for her to do so, and she did. They both sat in silence for a few moments, staring into the fire.

"I used a Confundus Charm to get Ron onto the team," she suddenly confessed.

The only indication of surprise that Malfoy gave was the sight of his eyebrows trying to disappear into his hairline.

"I did that…for him. Funnily enough, Lavender would have never known he existed if he hadn't made the team. That was because of me…"

Malfoy didn't speak, settling for watching her and letting her rant.

"You would think…you would think that he could at least have the decency to tell me about him and Lavender. You would think they both would. Harry tells me that it wasn't his place, that it was Ron's responsibility to do that. Clearly, he had no intentions of doing so, seeing as I found out by watching her snog him in front of the entire house for everyone to see."

The tears had returned, and Hermione furiously wiped them away.

"I've made a complete idiot of myself. This whole time the two of them have been…doing whatever, and Harry never said a word. He can give me whatever excuse he wants, but he's always taken Ron's side. Always has and always will. I don't know why I expected any differently."

"Your loyalty is…admirable, Granger. I'm a bit envious, if I do say so myself."

She finally looked up at him, taking in the way the light casted shadows over his lithe frame. His silver eyes were focused on nothing but her, seeming to glow as he held her gaze.

"The lengths that you will go to for your friends… You'd be quite dangerous in the wrong hands…you know?"

Hermione didn't know what to say to that. She was a very loyal person. Those that she considered like family meant a great deal to her.

"…so what did you do?"

She blinked, Malfoy coming back into focus, a small smirk adoring his lips.

"…what?"

"What did you do? Surely, you didn't just walk away…?"

She looked down, blinking again.

"I did at first," she whispered. "…but then I summoned some birds to attack him."

She shouldn't have done that.

"…and how did that feel?"

She looked up, watching as he leaned in, head tilted as he curiously stared at her.

"How did it feel to retaliate against Weasley for treating you that way?"

Hermione couldn't look away from his hypnotizing gaze if she wanted to, the unfamiliar feeling surrounding her, now as she sat in his presence.

"It felt…good."

Malfoy hummed in response, and she finally found the strength to look away, face warming up as she stared into the fire.

"It felt really good…"

~ Let me know what you think! ~