Draco was stunned. He was pretty sure that wasn't the way their story was supposed to end. In fact, if it were his story, they'd be snogging in the common room right now. He couldn't decide which hurt the most. That he'd made the bet and she'd found out about it, or that he'd lost the bet…perhaps it was that he'd lost Hermione.

No, he'd lost himself.

"You shouldn't antagonize her, Malfoy. She'd blow you up as soon as look at you," a shadow spoke.

"Blaise?" Malfoy asked the dark.

"I'm going to ignore that," Harry stepped forward. "You screwed up, Malfoy."

"Did not!" Malfoy sneered right back. "I didn't screw up. I did exactly what everyone would have expected of me. I lied, I did bad things…I, uh, well…I lied some more. And, and I won money."

"And how does that make you feel?" Harry asked, playing therapist.

"Lost," Malfoy answered.

"Where did you screw up?" Harry sat down against the wall. Malfoy followed suit.

"Well, two places really. First, making the bet, obviously. I found one thing that really mattered to me and lost it because I'm a selfish prat."

"And the other?"

"Falling in love, Potter! It's terrible. There's this…feeling," he spat the word. "It hurts, it hurts so bloody much that I can barely breathe. I don't know what to do when she's not around. I mean, I was fine before, you know? Before I really knew her."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"And then I had to go and fall in love with her. And mind you, it isn't puppy-love. This is that all-consuming, powerful, horrible love that tears you apart because deep down, deep down I know it's never going to work."

Malfoy forgot Harry was listening intently. Harry listened intently while Malfoy blundered on. And Malfoy, as per usual, blundered on.

"She's everything, Potter. I hate you."

"What?" Harry turned to look at him.

"Six years, you've had six years with this amazing person and you never even threw her a second glance."

"It was never like that between us, Malfoy. In the back of my mind, I think it was always Ginny. Even when I had that thing with Cho."

"Thing? Is that what you're calling it? Because I call it snogging in the Room of Requirement."

"How does everyone bloody know about that!" Harry sighed, holding his hands to his face. "Back to you."

"How are things with you and Red?" Malfoy asked suddenly.

"Uh, pathetic right now, actually."

"And how does that make you feel?" Draco mimicked.

"Pathetic," Harry said again. "Back to you, Malfoy."

"Tell me what to do, Potter?" Malfoy pleaded. "What's going to bring her back? What can I do to show her I'm not really a bad person?"

"You are a bad person," Harry said.

"That's not really the point."

Hermione pressed her back into the portrait, she was trying to restrain her tears but failing desperately to do so.

"Hi," said a quiet voice from the couch.

"Ginny?"

"Yup," Ginny uncurled herself so that Hermione could sit down next to her. As Hermione did, Ginny handed her a box of tissues and a piece of chocolate. "Problems?"

"Yes, you?"

"Yes. You first," Ginny commanded.

"Malfoy," Hermione stated simply. "I'm so crazy about the arse that I can't even think straight enough to hate him. Your turn."

"I saw Harry in the halls today…talking to Cho."

Hermione gasped, "No!"

"Yes."

"And?"

"She kissed him on the cheek."

"And?"

"He didn't push her away."

"Come on, Potter. You help me, I'll help you. It'll be one of those alliances that we'll only keep until we're both happy. Then we can go back to being awful." Malfoy laughed. "What's your problem?"

"Today I was leaving History of Magic and I'd forgotten my book. I'd left to group to go and get it and when I left the room, Cho was just getting to class. She stopped to say hi and we talked for a minute. Well, Ginny came around the corner, but I didn't notice. Out of nowhere, Cho tells me that she still thinks of me quite a bit and would like to give things another go. I stood there shocked, she kisses me on the cheek and runs into class. I unfreeze just in time to notice a seriously ticked-off redhead and I was late to class."

"Which class?" Malfoy asked.

"Potions."

"Ouch."

"So now, Ginny won't even talk to me. According to Luna I was supposed to beat Cho to the ground, I guess."

"Violent."

"Very. Any ideas?"

"I'm working on it."

"It gets worse…" Harry started again.

"He didn't push her away!"

"No! He just let it happen. He stood there mumbling something to himself before even noticing that I was right in front of him. Then, then do you want to know what he did!"

"I called her Cho."

Malfoy stopped and turned to Harry. "No."

"Yeah, yeah. I called my red-head, beautiful girlfriend…Cho."

"Well, I'd suggest selling your soul to get you out of this one, but that's probably Ginny's anyway."

"Cho?" Hermione frowned. "He called you Cho?"

"Right to my face!"

"What did you do?" Hermione asked, forgetting her problems for a minute.

"I was completely mature, Hermione."

"Then! She stomps on my foot, kicks me in the shin and throws an ink bottle at me!"

"I wondered why you're hair looked funny." Malfoy said. "I'm beginning to wonder if we even deserve these girls."

"Of course we don't! Why the hell would we be good enough for them? Particularly you," Harry said, punching Malfoy's arm.

"Hey, I never called her by someone else's name."

"That," Harry mocked. "Is not the point."

"I wondered why his hair looked funny," Hermione said. Ginny grinned slightly through her tears. "So, what then?"

"Well, it's over obviously."

"Because of that?"

"What could be worse that that?!" Ginny cried out, then blushed furiously at her mistake. "Something along the lines of getting made in to a bet, I would imagine?"

"Nothing could hurt worse."

"I bet I could think of something."

"Give it a go," Hermione agreed.

"Getting ripped apart by a hippogriff?" Hermione shook her head. "Having dinner with Snape?" Hermione gave it a moment's thought then shook her head. "Falling off the astronomy tower?"

"Close, but you're going to have to do better than that."

"How about, finding someone so unbelievably perfect for you. Then getting caught up in a stupid game that you thought for sure that you were going to win." Ginny smiled. "And then, they have to sit and watch the person that they love get away all because they were to daft to realize that, maybe, just maybe, that person is what they've been waiting for?"

Hermione had started crying again.

"I guess that would be close."

"I've got an idea, Potter."

"Do tell, it's awfully cold out here."

"Well, we embarrassed them, see? So, the only logical thing to do is…"

"Embarrass ourselves?"

"Right," Draco said downheartedly. "We're going to have to embarrass ourselves."

"I really like him, Ginny."

"I know you do, that's why you need to talk to him. Not to me about him, but to him."

"I don't want to."

"But you have to."

"I don't want to," Hermione said again.

"What are you five?! Get your arse out there and talk to him!" Ginny snapped.

"That's your plan? A ruddy poem just because she wrote you on in second year?"

"Yes, that's embarrassing right?"

"Only for her," Malfoy sighed. "You need to embarrass yourself. Think, think of something terrible. Perhaps dressing up like a cupid?"

"No," Harry said at once.

"Oh, so you're saying that never in a million years would you ever dress in a toga, with a bow and arrows to deliver a love poem to Ginny Weasley?"

"Never, ever," Harry clarified.

"Perfect."