Hey everyone!

Yeah, so here's chapter 2! Now, I really don't know how long this will be, so it might be more then 12 days! I hope you enjoy it! Read and REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I don't own "What Hurts the Most", the Rascal Flatts song. I don't own Harry Potter… I do own Ron! (Or I wish I did! Hee hee hee)

Ch 2: Confessions In the Dark

Ginny laid in her bed staring at the ceiling. It was late now, everyone was asleep, but her. Well, except for Hermione. She wasn't even in the room yet. 'Where is she?' Ginny thought. And thinking about Hermione made her think about Harry. 'What is it with them? I always used to think they were just so close… and would save each other's lives because they're like brother and sister. But lately… Harry's always been around her. And on her. Giving her looks. Giving her butt looks… Actually, he's been doing that to a lot of girls lately.' Ginny swallowed hard, remembering what she had just done with him on the Common Room sofa. 'It was amazing.' She thought. But another voice echoed those four haunting words: 'A lot of girls'.

Earlier was everything she always dreamed it would be with Harry. But how come it doesn't seem to mean anything to him? 'Well, he's a guy.' That was an encouraging thought: sex is always going to be meaningless to guys. 'He doesn't even seem to like me. Like I'm something special. Like I like him' So why would he be going out to do "meaningless things" with any girl he wanted all of a sudden?

'I'm just "one of the girls he's been with" now. What happened to him? He was never like this. He probably is just tired of being the hero. He's tired of not being able to have fun. So… he's using me.' A tear rolled down into her ear. 'I love him. I'm not gonna lose him. I just have to remind him of the kind of girl I am.'

She wiped her face dry, when someone slipped inside the door. 'Hermione' Ginny thought to herself, as the shadow tip-toed to her bed and lied down. 'Where has she been out to so late?' Ginny rolled over and tried to make herself fall asleep before she could wonder if Hermione had become "one of the girls he's been with" just now. Or wonder if Hermione had been "one of the girls he's been with" for a long time already.

Across the room, Hermione rolled over in her bed. She knew Ginny was awake and saw her come in. She also knew Ginny was probably up thinking about Harry. 'It's not like it'd be the first time.' But she knew, that this time, Ginny had been crying. Like she was. 'Ginny really loves Harry. Does she know how he is now? Does she know he hits on me? Does she know…' Hermione's stomach filled with guilt, when the memory of a time earlier at the end of summer came into her mind.

It was at the Burrow. The day she arrived there, it was just her and Ron, Harry hadn't come yet. She came by Floo Powder, since Mr. Weasley arranged for their fireplace to be part of the Floo Network temporarily. The whole Weasley family drove a borrowed car Muggle-style to Harry's to get him except for Ron, who was home waiting to meet her. She remembered that day perfectly.

-----------------------------------------(flashback to that day)--------------------------------------

Hermione stood in her parents' living room to say good-bye.

"Well, bye mum. Bye dad." Hermione kept her face as sad as she could. She really would miss her parents, but every year at this time, the excitement of going back to Hogwarts was immensely stronger then her missing them. As if on cue, like every year, her mother started to cry and her dad, being a dentist, handed her a new toothbrush, some toothpaste, and floss.

"Twice a day." He said, forcing a stretched smile.

"Oh Dad, there's spells for keeping your teeth clean."

"Nonsense." He said. Hermione gave them each a hug and a kiss, then turned and stepped into the fire. The flames turned green and spun around her, and suddenly she was there. And there Ron was.

" 'ermione." Ron squeaked nervously, seeming somewhat out of breath.

"Ron." She said, blushing hard. She looked at him, standing there, smiling at her. Hermione forgot the butterflies in her stomach and ran over to Ron and threw her arms around his neck. Then Ron pulled away and looked at her.

"You've got some… um, soot right there." He said, reaching out and brushing her cheek with his hand. Chills erupted up and down her spine as he touched her.

"Thanks." She whispered. He kept his hand resting on her face and they both started breathing harder.

Ron leaned in and kissed her full on her lips and with a surge of emotion, Hermione him close to her. Kissing her more deeply, Ron fell back onto the couch, pulling her on top of him. Ron kissed her neck and started unbuttoning her shirt, when she tugged eagerly on the back of his shirt collar.

"Whoa!" A voice yelled.

"Ginny!" Hermione shouted as she turned around and saw Ginny standing over them with a huge grin on her face.

"Ginny!" Ron screamed as Hermione jumped off of him. "What are you doing here?"

"We're back Ron." Ginny smiled. "The whole family plus Harry."

Hermione buried her bright-red cheeks in her hands and turned around to the wall.

"Ginny? You… You can't… You better not… Ginny…" Ron stuttered.

"Say anything? About what you two were just… doing? What--?"

"We were just… talking!" Ron insisted, his face redder then his hair.

"Oh really?" Ginny laughed.

"Ginny…" Hermione started. "Please don't—"

"I won't say anything Hermione." Ginny said. "Personally, I think it's great."

Hermione smiled and turned to look at Ron, but he was gone. The smile fell off her face.

"Hello Hermione." A slightly gloomy voice said from behind her. She turned around to see Harry looking empty and tortured right after losing his godfather.

"Harry." Hermione gave him a hug.

"What… happened to you?" Harry asked and a hint of amusement flickered on his face.

"Oh… I came by Floo, just some soot—" Hermione looked down and noticed her shirt was unbuttoned almost down to her belly-button. She blushed. "Nothing." She said quietly and quickly buttoned up her blouse, wondering why Ron disappeared right away.

"And where's—"

"I don't know where Ron is, Harry." She snapped. Hermione looked at Harry. Her already lost interest and amusement in the situation and was staring outside. He looked tired. "Oh Harry." She said, walking closer to him and holding him.

"Hermione." Ron said, walking into the room. Then he saw Hermione and Harry together. Hermione pulled away quickly.

"Oh, hello Ron." Harry said.

"Harry." Ron acknowledged him coldly. He looked from him to Hermione, and then left.

"Ron!" Hermione called, following him outside. "Ron, what's wrong?" Ron didn't answer. "Ron… why did you leave earlier?"

"Hermione, I really like you. But once Ginny said she thought you and me, together, were great, I realized this was great--."

"Well, I think it is too." Hermione beamed.

"I realized then, it was too good. Too good to be true! And I was right!" Ron yelled.

"What?"

"You like Harry don't you?" Ron accused.

"What? Ron! Harry just lost Sirius!" Hermione insisted. "I was comforting him! That's all!"

"Well, if that was you comforting him, then blimey! You really cheered him up! He sure looked happy!" Ron spat.

"Ron!" Hermione said quietly, the corners of her eyes burning.

"You were all over him!" He yelled.

"Ron, stop it!" she screamed.

"Let's just forget about this. About this fight, about… about earlier too." Ron said, staring hard at the ground.

"I don't want to forget about earlier, Ron."

"Well, if you like Harry, I'm doing you a favor."

"I don't--."

"Or you don't like either of us and you're just messing with us!" He yelled.

"Ron, you know I'm not like that. And you're not doing me any favor by… by hurting me like this!" Hermione said, turning to the house to let any tears fall unnoticed.

"Fine. Go." Ron snapped. Hermione went inside, just as Fred, George, Ginny, Bill, and Charlie raced past her to go to the fields to play Quidditch. Hermione wondered upstairs.

"Harry?" Are you ok? She called to him through his and Ron's closed bedroom door.

"Yeah."

"Can I… come in?" she asked.

"Sure." He said. Hermione opened the door to find Harry staring at the wall, sitting sideways on his bed. Hermione sat down next to him. Thinking about Ron and how much she wanted him and how much she hated fighting with him, she started crying. The tears started flowing and Harry put his arm around her and held her close to him.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, trying to stop crying. "How are you, Harry?" she asked, more tears streaming down her cheeks. She put her head on his shoulder and looked up at him.

"I'm not fine." He whispered. And then he kissed her. They kissed deeply and lied down on the bed. There was no emotion and no longing to it. It was completely numb between two hurt people who felt numb inside. He kissed her, pushing his tongue into her mouth and tears rolled down her cheeks. He kissed her neck and she cried harder, remembering how Ron kissed her neck earlier. Now, there was no passion or love, but they made out, their arms around each other and their lips locked. He unbuttoned her shirt, but before he could do anything else there, Hermione tried to pull away. This was supposed to be Ron, but Ron never got that far with her.

"Harry… no… stop it." Hermione pleaded between sobs. "I can't." She said, pushing him away.

Harry got off. Hermione lay there on the bed crying until she heard the Weasleys come inside and then she crept into her own room and went to sleep.

------------------------------------------(Flashback ends)-----------------------------------------

That day started so amazing and ended so bad. For a while, things were awkward between her and Ron. Then, after a while, things were great. They were closer friends then ever, bet now, the feelings came back. 'So I do love Ron. But things are never good for us. He was right. That day was too good to be true. But Harry. He's so different now and we almost made such a terrible mistake then. That time with Harry was so different from that time with Ron. Harry was an escape. It was emotionless and sick. Ron made me feel so happy and safe and amazing. But now I can never let him know how I really feel.' Hermione sighed. She couldn't help remembering a certain Muggle song she heard over the past summer.

"What hurts the most

Was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing

What could have been

And not seeing that loving you

Is what I was trying to do"

She wanted so much to be able to tell Ron how she felt. Now it was too late and too much has changed. If only she didn't make out with Harry, they probably could have still worked it out. Everything was so perfect that day and but it just had to end badly. It just had to hurt. Hermione glanced over at the clock. It was 2:13. Hermione rolled over in her bed, frustrated.

Like Ginny, Hermione cried herself to sleep, thinking of the person she wanted.

But someone else was thinking about the person they wanted too.

All the way across Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy was sitting up; awake in his bedroom all the way in the Slytherin dorms, his mind going wild with thoughts of Hermione Granger. 'I can't like that… filthy Mudblood. That stupid whore is just a know-it-all Muggle-born who hangs out with Weasel and Potty. She's… not for me. She wouldn't deserve me.' He suddenly grinned, an image of Hermione joining him in his bed right now filled his mind.

'Although… she is feisty… Who am I kidding? She's out of Weasel's and Potter's league.' Malfoy shook his head. 'No. Those Muggle-lovers should be in the same class as all Mudbloods. Besides, it's Granger.' Malfoy sighed. 'No. She's… different. Even if she's a Mudblood, well… that just doesn't matter. She doesn't look it. She keeps resisting me, when the way she felt earlier… her lips… her… body…'

Malfoy shifted positions in his bed, a giddy smile on his face. 'Stop it. She doesn't want you. She just wants that poor filthy Weasel. He came to her rescue, always having to save her… See? Mudblood…' The smile faded of his face. 'She's going to be with me. But how can I get her to myself? Weasel… If he loves her so much, what we he do if he had to choose between her and… his sister?'

A/N: Well, that's it. Read and review, so I know how y'all like it! More later!