Disclaimer; Don't own it. Want to...but don't.

A/N Thanks to all for the patience again. I think there is only one chapter left after this and maybe an epilouge. I want to thank KAZFEIST for the ideas for the ending of it. Once you gave me those I wrote like a maniac. I hope it's what you envisioned. Thanks to everyone for reading. Oh, and if you want to participate in a Dramione writing challenge go to my profile page and click on my MSN group DracolovesHermione. Join the group then click on fanficion to see what the challenge goals are. I hope you all will consider doing at least a short one. Happy reading and don't forget to review.

Making up is hard to do

By the next Monday everyone at Hogwarts knew of Ron's blunder. The girls mocked his stupidity as he walked next to Harry in the corridors. Some of them threw conjured flowers at him. Pansy was still not speaking to him. She had ran from Hogsmeade back to Hogwarts and into the dungeons. The snake portrait refused to let Ron pass so he tossed the bouquet of flowers onto the floor and ran off.

"Don't worry mate, girls are overly sensitive." Harry told him.

"You don't know her. She's a nightmare when she's angry. Honestly I don't know if I even want her to forgive me."

"I thought you liked her." Harry said.

"I do. But sometimes I think she is just with me to make Malfoy jealous. Which is why I was with her at first, you know to make Hermione jealous, but now…I'm just confused."

"Talk to her then. Ask her what her real intentions are."

"She won't talk to me. I swear, I suck at relationships." Ron replied before entering advanced Transfiguration with Harry. Hermione and Draco were just around the corner and overheard the conversation.

"Come on, we don't want to be late." Hermione said.
"Go on, I'm going to find Pansy. Tell McGonagall that I'm tending to another student. One of my head boy duties." he leaned in kissed her on the cheek and winked before heading off in the direction of the staircase. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'How can boys just cut classes like that?' she wondered.

Draco reached the portrait of the snake in record time. He said the password;

"Pureblood." and the portrait opened easily. He wondered for the first time why he always thought that particular password was so perfect. How his thoughts and intentions had changed in the last few months.

He entered the dimly lit common room and headed down the hallway to the right. The girls dorms in Slytherin had no such spells on them to keep the boys out. He found Pansy's room and knocked on the door.

"Go away!" he heard from the other side.

"Pans, it's me. Draco." he said.

"What do you want?" she asked. He could tell she was closer to the door now.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Why?"

"Can I or not?"

"Come in." she said finally giving in. Draco entered the room and was blinded by the sure pinkness of it. He was not used to it anymore.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Oh, like you really care." she said tossing a nauseating pink pillow on the floor.

"You know I do."

"Whatever. You have treated me like dirt all year. You don't care, Ron…I mean Weasley doesn't care, my father doesn't care. I'm all alone."

And then to Draco's surprise, she started to cry. He was shocked. He hadn't seen her cry, I mean really cry for a long time. Not since her mum had died in their second year.

He sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her.
"I do care Pansy. You are one of my best friends. I'm sorry I haven't treated you like that this year, but I wanted to make it clear to you that we can't be together like you want."
"Like my father wants you mean." she sniffed.

"I thought you did too." he said somewhat taken aback by her comment.

"I did, or I thought I did. I know you never loved me. But my father said you would grow to love me. Like he did my mum…"

"But my father had an arranged marriage too. And look how that turned out. He never really loved my mum."

"But in the past year I knew that you didn't love me like that. But I hoped. And then I saw you with Granger. And I knew. I knew then that you were in love with her. And it broke my heart. To see the both of you so happy. I wanted someone to look at me the way you look at her." she said with such sincerity it nearly broke Draco's heart.

"I want you to have that as well Pans. I thought you might have found that with Weasley."

To Draco's dismay, she started to cry again.

"I was only trying to make you jealous at first. But then I thought it might work out with him. Unfortunately he only has eyes for Granger. I doubt he would ever really love me."

"I think you are wrong about him. He cares about you a lot. I overheard him talking to Potter on the way into Transfiguration. He thinks you hate him because of yesterday's tragic events"

"I was just hurt. People think I'm so tough, and don't care about things like that. But it's not true. You know me. I have feelings just like anyone else. Here everyone else was happy and getting gifts from their boyfriends, and I was just sitting there like a dolt" she said wiping the stray tears from her eyes.

"He's just bad at relationships Pansy. He tried to run after you with a bouquet of flowers, but he couldn't catch up."

"He did? Someone found a bouquet on the floor outside the portrait hole."

"Yes, you have to also keep in mind that he's not wealthy. But deep down Hermione says he has a good heart. And to put it in his words, 'he sucks at relationships'. But give him another chance. Go up and wait for him after transfiguration. Go for a walk or something."

"Ok, thanks Draco. Oh, and I'm going to owl my father. Tell him that I don't want to go through with the vow. I think if both of us back out there is nothing he can do. Besides, he just wants me to be happy."

Draco's face lit up.

"Really Pans? Thanks. I can't tell you what this means to me."

"I love you Draco. I always will."

"You too. But just as friends right?"

"Just as friends." she said putting her arms around him and giving him a big hug.

"Go talk to him now. I think class is almost over. I'll walk with you."

Draco led her out of the room and up towards the fifth floor transfiguration room. Class was just letting out and Draco found Hermione immediately.

"Did you talk to her?" she asked.

"Yes. She is owling her father and asking him to let her out of the betrothal. I think she really cares for your weasel friend." he grinned.

Hermione elbowed him in the side.

"Couldn't help it. Sorry."

Pansy waited for Ron to leave the classroom.

"Go ahead Harry." Ron said after seeing her waiting for him. "I'll talk to you later."

Harry smiled and went on his way.

"Hey." he said.

"Hey."

"I am so sorry about the other day, I should have planned better."

"I over reacted. We haven't been dating that long. I shouldn't have expected a gift."

"No, it's my fault. I should have at least got you flowers or something."

"I heard you did, one of my housemates found them outside the portrait."

"Yeah, but it was an afterthought. I'm no good at dating." he said turning slightly red.

"Don't worry about it. I have something to confess to you as well though."

"What is it?" he asked taking her hand in his own.

"When we first started dating, I was using you. To make Draco jealous. But now…"

"I was using you too, to make Hermione jealous."
"Is that what you are still doing?" she asked, her green eyes looking into his blue ones.

Ron swallowed hard but found the words.

"No. Not for a while now."

She smiled at him.

"Good, me either. I'm going to tell my father that I no longer wish to be betrothed to Draco."

"Will he let you out of it?"

"He just wants me to be happy. I'm sure he will." she told him.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked, unsure of how it was to be in a completely honest and true relationship.
"Oh, I'm sure we will figure it out." she smiled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. He leaned down into it and kissed her back.

In the corner of the hallway Draco and Hermione gave each other a high five.

So by dinnertime Hogwarts was once again the home of happy students and happy couples. Much to Ginny's dismay however. She still couldn't stand Pansy and was upset at the prospect of having to spend so much time with her. Because where she went, Harry went. And where Harry went, Ron went. And where Ron went, Pansy went. So she was stuck.

So when Ginny spotted Hermione sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table with Draco she seized the opportunity to talk to her friend.

"I swear I'm going to strangle her soon." Ginny said sitting down with a thud across from them.

"Pansy is driving Ginny nuts." Hermione said filling him in.

"She's good at that." Draco smirked. "But she really likes your brother. And he seems to like her." He looked down at Ron and Pansy who were currently locked at the lips.

"Gee, what gave you that clue." Ginny said sarcastically.

"Trust me. A happy Pansy is a less annoying Pansy. And it seems that Weasel…uh, I mean Weasley is okay with catering to her. Besides, they are both out of my hair and that's how we planned…"

Draco stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Hermione kicking him under the table and Ginny's shocked face.

"Planned it? You guys planned them to get together? Why? Do you hate me?"

"We didn't exactly plan it Ginny. More of subtle hints and a helping hand." she said apologetically.

"My best friend…" Ginny said shaking her head.

"Gin, you know I had only the best of intentions."

"I know." Ginny said smiling slightly. "I guess it could be worse." She thumbed over at Blaise and Lavender who were currently trying to choke one another with their tongues.

The three of them laughed out loud before Ginny returned to her seat across from Harry.

"Fancy a walk?" Draco said as he got up from the table and extended his arm to Hermione.

"Sure."

They set out the front doors towards the lake. It was cold, but they were both dressed warmly. Draco held Hermione's gloved hand as they reached a small wooded area by the lake. The moon light hit the snow making it glow spectacularly. Tiny flecks of glitter could be seen in the white fluffy substance.

"It's beautiful out here." she said shivering.

"Yeah, I love Hogwarts in the winter. It's a shame this will be our last winter here."

"I know. I'm happy to be graduating soon, but sad to be leaving here. This is my home. I love my parents but I've always felt more comfortable here for some reason. Probably because this is where I made my first true friends."

"What about that Kaylee? That girl I met over Christmas break?"

"She's my friend, but I've actually known Harry and Ron longer. Kaylee and I had only been friends for a few years. And I hardly see her. I'm gone nine months a year and she goes to summer drama camp. She wants to be an actress." she told him.

"Hogwarts is more like home to me as well. I didn't go to another school before this. My mum tutored me privately. This is where I have been the happiest. The most content. The most loved." he said looking into her chocolate eyes. His cool grey ones reflected the illumination of the snow making them shine like silver coins. He leaned down to her and brushed his lips against hers. Hermione could feel the warmth of his breath against her face. She could taste the remnants of the vanilla ice cream he had for dessert on his lips. She could smell the clean scent of soap and expensive cologne. She could hear his rapid breathing. And she could see that they were both, completely, endlessly in love with one another.