A/N Thank you for the reviews guys. Kind of shocked at the violence people are willing to do to poor Ronniekins…lol. You're a bloodthirsty crowd aren't you?
Hermione stared at the floor, struggling to make a choice. Did it have to be so final? Obviously the choice should have been easy. She had known Ron to be a good man for many years now. She had given him her heart, they had made promises for the future, they had fought side by side, and it should have been easy to apologize to Draco, pack her things and leave with him. The problem was that it wasn't. It wasn't easy at all. There was something there with Draco. She wasn't able to deny it to him, nor to Ron, and least of all to herself. She wasn't sure entirely what it was that was between them, but she wasn't sure she was ready to give that up either.
She wasn't entirely sure if she was ready health wise to leave yet either. Her legs were still unsteady, and feeble. She was afraid to go back to the fight yet, even if she would deny it to everyone. Practical as she was, she knew that she would only hinder Harry if he had to constantly worry about her. At least here, she was safe. The Deatheaters didn't know her location, and she stood a chance at a good recovery before she was thrust back into the fray again.
She stared at the floor, ignoring the eyes of both Ron and Draco boring into her, demanding that she make a choice right then and there. It was too much pressure. She didn't want to make the choice at all. She wanted to rewind the clock and never have this confrontation in the first place. Being Hermione, she looked at every angle she could imagine in an attempt to make the right choice when her head began to swim. Struggling to her feet, she looked first at Draco, and then at Ron.
"I," she began hesitantly, her voice quavering. She was so tired. "I…." Her voice cut off when the strain of the day, both emotional and physical took its toll and she surrendered to the darkness.
Ron and Draco both lunged forward in an attempt to catch her before she hit the floor. Ron would have caught her, but Draco tried to force him out of the way, sending Ron sprawling and Hermione into Draco's waiting arms. He lifted her carefully and laid her on her bed, smoothing her chestnut hair with his palms, his icy blue eyes worriedly watching her. "You need to quit pushing yourself so far Love. I don't want you to go, but if you do, I'll love you just the same"
Ron picked himself up off the floor as Draco arranged Hermione on the bed, and felt himself fill with rage. His breathing hitched and began to feel as if there was a swarm of angry bees buzzing around in his head, each crying out for Ron to do serious bodily harm to the man, this usurper. He reached a shaky hand into his robes, and quietly removed his wand, aiming it shakily at Draco.
"You don't love her like I love her Malfoy," Ron sneered. "I'm not even sure that you're capable of love. We both know that you would just use her like you do everyone else. And then when you've finished with her, you'd leave her broken and alone. And I won't let you do that to her." He motioned at the door with his wand. Even as angry as he was with her, Ron had no desire to hurt her while he cursed Draco until the man could no longer move.
"You don't know what you're talking about Weasley," sneered Draco as he willingly walked in front of Ron out of the cabin, surprised the weasel had enough sense of mind to move so that Hermione would not be inadvertently injured. "I've loved that woman for years. I wasted enough time running from it, but not anymore. And how much of a chance do you think you'll stand with her now that I'm in the picture? It hardly took any time at all to get her to kiss me. How long do you think it'll be before she climbs into my bed?"
"You shut your filthy mouth Malfoy!" Ron screamed, his face turning an ugly shade of red as he filled with fury. "Relashio" Hot sparks shot out of Ron's wand, the subsequent blast knocking Draco to the ground several feet from where he had originally stood. "Hermione would never stoop so low!"
"What's the matter Weasel King?" Draco sneered, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth and smirking at Ron as he struggled to his feet, withdrawing his own wand. "Is the truth too much for you? Or is this anger because you've never had the pleasure of sharing a bed with her? Rest assured, the way she kissed me, the way she so eagerly pressed her body to mine, it's only a matter of time until she desires more. She's hardly as pure as you think she is. A woman with that much passion would be lost on an impotent little tosser like you. What Hermione needs, is a real man. Not a little boy trying to keep up." Draco was thoroughly enjoying pounding the nails into Ron. It had been far too long since he had been able to unleash that part of himself. It was bloody difficult being so nice all the time, and Ron was a well deserved target of his pent up frustration.
"I said to shot your gob ferret boy!" Ron cried, unable to listen to Draco talk about Hermione that way. His mind was filling with images of Hermione kissing Draco, caressing him, making love to him. He had tried many times to take their relationship to the next level, but had always failed. Hermione wasn't ready and he wasn't going to push her. And he wasn't going to let some piece of scum like Malfoy impugn her in such a way. He lashed out with his wand again, this time using the jelly-legs jinx.
Draco easily deflected Ron's curse with a protego now that his own wand was drawn and ready. "Is that bothering you Weasley? Knowing that I'm going to make love to her? That it will be me biting her neck, and kissing her breasts, and wrapping her legs around my waist? That I'll be the one hearing her moan while she digs her nails into my back? Face it Weasley. If she loved you, she never would have kissed me. She hasn't mentioned your name in weeks. It's me she loves, even if she's not ready to admit it to you."
Ron choked up, unable to take it anymore. His mind overrun with the vivid picture that Draco had painted for him, he did something he had promised Hermione he would never do. He used a bit of dark magic.
"Sectumsempra"he screamed, watching with relish as a deep wound opened up across Draco's chest, blood pouring as his face turned white and he fell to the ground. It was very out of character for him to enjoy another's pain so much, but he couldn't help it. He was only human. Unable to take the torture of listening to Draco anymore, and terrified that he was speaking the truth, Ron left, giving up. Draco won. Draco always won. And Ron, Ron never won anything. He had been a fool for thinking that Hermione could love somebody like him.