A week later Hermione was starting to get worried at the amount of time Ron had been spending with Pansy. She knew that the girl was upset and Ron felt obliged to help her, but seeing her every day seemed a little bit much.

Trying to get him interested in her again, she whispered in his ear 'less than two weeks,' while they were sitting in transfiguration.

Ron gave her a weak smile. He had been feeling a little strange about their relationship lately. He couldn't get it out of his head that they were too good friends to become lovers. He had kept his mouth shut however. He was going to stay with her for at least the month so that he could have sex with her. He felt bad for thinking like this, but he had no other options.

Hermione seemed put out by his lack of enthusiasm, so he squeezed her leg under the table.

'No hanky panky in my class please, you two,' said professor McGonagall sharply and the class erupted with laughter.

Ron and Hermione blushed and pulled apart from one another.

From then on, Ron tried to be more affectionate, for he really did love Hermione, even if he wasn't sure if he was in love with her. He had been enjoying spending time with pansy. They had met up for a chat the day after the night in the bathroom and neither had mentioned the incident. Ron was grateful she wasn't pushing the matter because although he didn't fancy her, he wasn't sure he could resist the advances of any girl, being as horny as he was.

Pansy was starting to feel a little better about Malfoy. She was still desperately in love with him and extremely jealous of Sasha, but she was thinking up a plan to win him back. She was going to try and make him jealous by being seen with as many boys as she could find willing to go out with her.

She cornered Blaise one morning when she knew Draco was watching. She told him to come up to her dormitory with him because she had a surprise for him. Blaise looked at her sceptically.

'This isn't going to work Pansy,' he said, knowing her plan instantly.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she said innocently.

'You getting off with other boys to make Draco jealous. It's not going to work, he's with Sasha now, and very happy.'

'Seriously Blaise, I've just got a surprise for you. This has nothing to do with Draco, I'm well shot of him.'

Blaise sighed and then followed her up to her dormitory.

'What is it then? He asked.

Pansy moved closer to him and then quickly began to kiss him. He leaped back in surprise, pushing her off him.

'What are you doing?' he asked.

'I thought you might like it, you never used to seem to mind,' Pansy said.

'Yeah well I'm not like that any more.'

'You're turning into such a bore,'

'I'm not, I've just got more respect for people, you should be thankful for that. Other than that Weasley bloke you seem to have taken to hanging out with I'm your only friend and you should be trying to keep me there, not scare me off with stupid stunts like that.'

'If I didn't know better, I'd say you were on the turn,' Pansy said, smirking.

'What the hell are you talking about?'

'Well all of a sudden you care a lot about other peoples feelings and you won't kiss me. Come to think about it you haven't had a girlfriend in months. People will begin to talk.'

'You don't know what you're talking about,' he snapped and strode past her.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room, Harry was having a one to one chat with his best friend.

'You and Hermione have seemed odd lately.' He said.

'What do you mean?' asked Ron.

'Well at the beginning of your relationship you were all touchy feely and loved up. Now you never seem to spend any time together and you don't seem as keen.'

'I am keen, I just haven't had a lot of time lately.'

'Yeah well I just don't want to see her get hurt. I'm not sure our friendship could recover.'

'Hey, back off alright. It's none of your business.'

'It is if you end up hurting my friend. It's not as if I'm the only one to notice, Ginny has mentioned it too. You've hardly been spending time with Hermione because you're always with Pansy. It's nice that you're her friend and you're helping her out but you spend most of your free time together. Besides, we all know you were planning on sleeping with her at one point, we just don't want you to cheat that's all.'

'Oh well thanks for talking about me behind my back! For your information me and Pansy are just friends. I'll admit that I think she's hot but I don't fancy her. Nothing has happened and nothing will happen. I love Hermione, I wouldn't hurt her.'

'Really? You don't seem to love her.'

'I do! What would you know about it.'

'I love Ginny, and from the signs I'm getting it's just not the same with you guys.'

'Love comes in different forms Harry. I love Hermione.'

'But are you in love with her?'

'Well no, but love grows right?'

'Love grows when you don't know each other, not when you were already best mates. If you're ever going to be in love with her, you should already feel it by now.'

'Stop bugging me Harry. I love her and I want to be with her, isn't that enough?'

'If you think it is. You're not just with her for the sex are you?'

'No! I want to be with her for her, not because I want to have sex with her.'

'You don't want to have sex with her?'

'I didn't say that! You're putting words in my mouth. I do want to have sex with her, that just not the only reason I'm with her.'

But as he spoke these words Ron realised with a jolt that they weren't true. He didn't want to have sex with Hermione and he didn't want to be with her.

'I'm going to bed,' he said quickly and ran up to his dormitory. As he lay fully clothed on his bed thoughts whirled around his mind. What was he gong to do? Should he wait one more week and have sex with her or just break up with her now? After hours of thought he had made up his mind about what to do. He couldn't use his best friend. The next time he saw her he was going to break up with her. He'd just have to last a bit longer as a virgin.

But the next day he didn't see Hermione at all. She wasn't in any of his classes and Ginny told him at lunch that she was in the library and he couldn't talk to her there.

He had plans to see Pansy in Hogsmeade, so at six o'clock he trudged down the wet path into the village. It was still bitterly cold but thankfully the rain had begun to cease and people were beginning to spend there evenings sitting in the three broomsticks with their friends again.

He spotted her sitting at a table in the middle of the bar, nursing a butterbeer. He ordered one for himself and then sat down next to her. She smiled up at him.

'Feels like I haven't seen you in ages!' she said brightly, even though it had only been two days.

'How's things with Draco?' Ron asked, 'is he looking jealous yet?'

'Nah, he's still with Sasha, but I had a good chat with Goyle the other day and I feel like I might be getting over him. I feel like turning over a new leaf, I don't even want a man now. I guess I'll always have a flame for Draco but I just want to be single for the moment. I realise I don't need a man to be happy and I'm having a really good time just having a couple of friends!'

Ron snorted, 'where did this come from?'

'Well I was up in my dormitory with Blaise, trying to make Draco jealous, but when I came back down he just sneered at me, as if he didn't care. It was a real wake up call. Then Goyle started telling me all this bad stuff about him because they had a fight and it's kind of made me go off him.'

'Wow. Well I'm glad, you're too good for that piece of shit.'

Pansy smiled. 'So what's up with you, you look a bit frazzled.'

'Yeah, you could say that,' said Ron, pushing his hair out of his eyes and sighing, 'I had a realisation last night too. I decided that I'm with Hermione for all the wrong reasons. I love her but I'm not in love with her. If it were any other girl I would wait until we'd had sex until I dumped her but I can't do that to Hermione.'

Pansy had an odd look on her face but then said, 'well at least you realised now and not too late. When are you going to tell her?'

'I was planning on doing it today but I didn't see her so it'll have to be tomorrow. Please don't tell anyone, I don't want her to hear it from anyone but me.'

'Who could I tell even if I wanted to!' joked Pansy.

They drank their butterbeers with an easy flow of chatter and then decided to call it a night before it got dark. They walked back up to the castle, arms linked to try and counteract the chill.

When the got into the entrance hall Pansy took back her arm to go towards the dungeons, but Ron took it back.

'I'll walk you to your common room,' he said.

They moved slowly through the dungeon corridors and finally found themselves at the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

'Thanks for walking me,' said Pansy brightly.

'No probs, goodnight.'

'Night,' she said, waving him off.

Ron turned to leave and took three paces before turning back and quickly running at Pansy. He pushed her body roughly against the hard stone wall and heard her head smack against it with a thud. She had no time to cry out in pain as his lips were upon hers, kissing her furiously, his hands wrapped around her cheeks, his shoulders hunched up around his ears.

As suddenly as he had started kissing her, he stopped. They looked at each other, breathless, now two feet apart.

Pansy waited for him to talk, her chest rising and falling rapidly with breathlessness, confusion, anger and lust.

'I'm sorry, I- oh shit!' Ron blustered, 'what the hell have I done! Oh Merlin!'

'Ron, calm down, it's not the end of the world.'

'I cheated on my best friend!'

'Don't worry about it, everyone does it.'

But Ron wasn't listening. He turned and ran back to his dormitory, half scared about Hermione was going to react when he not only told he was breaking up with her, but also that he kissed Pansy, and half turned on by the most amazing kiss he had ever experienced.

Not for the first time, Pansy was in his dreams that night.