A/N: Hello! I'm going to stop apologising for not uploading so regularly and just say that I will update once a week. That's that done. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Welcome to the new followers from last chapter! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Last Chapter:

She was mirroring his playful smile as she pressed her lips to his, only half hearing the gasps of what must have been half the school filling the room.

The shouts of surprise, which had broken out simultaneously, died down just as suddenly when the two drew apart. Draco was smirking, admiring the girl opposite him devotedly. Hermione was observing him shyly, taken over by an unusual bashfulness that only he could induce. When their gaze was broken, the whole room exploded in cacophonous exclamations. Every pair of eyes were diverted, still shining with ravenous curiosity, as students of all years turned to their peers to discuss this new development.

Draco, eager to finally leave and avoid the prying eyes of strangers, turned to leave. He was surprised to discover that Hermione was not right beside him, as she had been for the whole day. He looked around at her and his eyebrows sank down in confusion. She was frozen, staring at something just over his shoulder with guilt plastered over her face. Draco swivelled around once again, following her gaze. He immediately understood.

Standing in the doorway into the canteen, eyes wide with shock and hurt, was Ron Weasley. He was staring right back at Hermione, tears threatening to spill in the corners of his eyes, hands clenched in aggressive agitation. Suddenly, he was gone, storming away up the corridor, the door swinging shut in his absence. Seconds later, Hermione strode past Draco in pursuit of him.

"Hermione…" Draco said to her retreating figure.

"Don't. This is my fault – I need to put it right." she said briefly, with determination. She was gone before he could even reply.

"Ron!" He heard her call clearly, and stopped walking abruptly. Though the corridor was full of students, all avoiding the snow, he could pick up her voice. It was so familiar, and made his heart race more every time he heard it. But he couldn't think like that anymore. He had blown it that night at Blaise's, and allowed for Draco Malfoy, of all people, to swoop in and be her knight in shining armour.

"Ron." she repeated. She was much closer now, close enough for him to hear her heavy breaths from trying to catch up with him. Slowly, he looked around. Her face was a confusion of multiple emotions, all coming to the surface individually and bowing back to allow the next to show itself. First, concern. Then, guilt. Anguish, a flash of fear, sadness. Back to concern.

"Harry had to tell me. I didn't even hear it from you. What were you trying to do, bring me down gently? I already knew you didn't think of me that way. I couldn't have blamed you for any of it, but now you can't even face me? I'm sorry, Hermione, but that's not you." Ron admitted sadly.

"I know. I really do. It should have been me to tell you, I was just… too afraid of seeing you hurt because of me. I couldn't bear it." Hermione admitted remorsefully.

"You've only hurt me more by avoiding the truth. I could live with you choosing someone else - I knew it would happen one day – but you don't trust me anymore. That's what hurts. I know it's my fault really, after what happened at Zabini's house, but you haven't come near me since, and I feel disgusting, like a germ, or a pest. I wanted to apologise – after all, I was drunk – but it looked like you would run away screaming if I came near you." he said, with pleading eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ron, I am. And to be honest, I'd already forgiven you, I was more worried about what Draco would do if you came near us." Hermione reasoned, stepping forward and placing a hand one of his limp arms.

"He really is your hero, isn't he." he spoke dryly, and Hermione realised, with a pang of pain in her chest, that there was a hint of underlying jealousy in his voice.

"Don't, Ron. Please-"

"No, Hermione." he cut her off swiftly, shaking away her touch roughly. "It's so unfair. I've loved you since you were, what, 13? And then there's him. He saw you at that party and suddenly realised that you're quite good looking. So, he jumps in and suddenly you're gone. Just like that, he's got you. I wanted – I so wanted – to be the one to help you, to save you, but-"

"Why do you always assume I need saving? I'm no damsel in distress, Ronald." Hermione interrupted, her voice rising higher and higher as she got more worked up. "This is why we" she gestured between them, "could never work! You make me sound weak, and that in itself brings me down. Draco betters me, and I better him. We understand each other. You never could understand me, not really. I love you Ron, but as a best friend. I want that best friend back." Tears rolled down her cheeks and her lip trembled, but she stood, tall and defiant.

"And I love you, Hermione, as much more than a friend. You keep trying to escape that fact, but it will never change." Ron murmured, avoiding her eyes and attempting a smile that only distorted the sorrow in his face, leaving him with a twisted grimace, almost like a mask. After a moment, he walked forward, his steps deliberate. He walked right passed her, saying in passing:

"Best friends it is then." Hermione had inclined her head slightly to hear him, and she smiled now, a simple, sweet, true smile. Then, Ron walked on, oddly at peace.

"Oof!" Draco grunted, staggering back and brushing snow off his arm. "Oh, it's on." he shouted, his cheeks flushed very slightly with exhilaration. They were in the park ('they' being Draco, Hermione, Blaise and Pansy) after a predictably long Monday. As promised, the snowball fight had resumed promptly and Blaise and Pansy were in the process of setting up base behind a huge, wizened oak tree. Hermione and Draco were currently crouched behind a bench, trying to reach the much needed cover of a thick evergreen bush. Every time they rose, however, a snowball would be pelted straight at them by one of the other two, causing them to crouch back down again.

Silently, Hermione, her ringlets of hair drooping and drenched by melted snow, tapped Draco on the shoulder. She signalled for them to split and run in different directions, and the boy, looking more like a child than ever, grinned. He raised three fingers and counted down, mouthing.

3, 2, 1…

Simultaneously, they sprinted in opposite directions. Hermione heard one ball of snow hit Draco, but she kept running, expecting to be hit any minute. Surprisingly, nothing came her way. She found refuge behind a tree, smaller than the large oak, but still big enough to hide her. She was just catching her breath when she heard a voice.

"Freeze." Hermione turned round with her hands up in surrender, recognising Pansy's voice. To her immense surprise, the girl was grinning, holding a snowball in her upright fist. "Freeze, get it!" she laughed, lowering the snowball, and then sighed. Hermione stared, confused. "I figured that those two were having too much fun." she nodded her head in the direction of Blaise and Draco's ongoing battle. Hermione smiled suddenly, understanding. "Allies?" Pansy suggested, pushing her sleek black bob back behind her ears with one hand.

"Allies." Hermione agreed, nodding. They started collecting up snow immediately, ending up with armfuls of cold, compact snowballs. They waited until the shouts of the two boys subsided, proving they had finally noticed the absence of their female companions. Charging with new life, the two girls emerged from their hiding place and rapidly bombarded Draco and Blaise with repetitive pellets of snow. Few hit their targets, but the shocked expressions on their boyfriends' faces was enough satisfaction.

Unfortunately for them, their stack of snowballs was depleting extremely quickly, and soon they were left unarmed, suddenly turning on their heels to run away, tailed by the boys, who now had a snowball each. Hermione's legs had begun to seize up with the cold, seemingly frozen by the negative temperature, so she was soon caught by Draco, who grabbed her around the waist, sweeping her right off the ground. She flailed around unsuccessfully; his grip around was like a chain, but still gentle – even now, he was afraid of hurting her. Gradually, she stopped fidgeting and he let her down.

She turned as soon as her feet touched the ground to see Draco holding a snowball, eyebrow raised threateningly. Hermione, moving deftly across the crunchy white blanket beneath her, grabbed his arm firmly. Just as he was about to release the snowball, she kissed him.

It was an ugly kiss. Their lips were chapped from the exposure to the biting wind, and moved roughly against each other. The cold of their skin clashed with the warmth of their attached mouths and her gloved hand was uncomfortable and itchy on his jaw. But it filled them both with more warmth than any blazing fire or thick blanket could have.

Hermione pulled away first, unclasping her fingers, which had moved down his arm to his hand. She stepped back, a smug look on her face. Draco was momentarily confused, until she raised his snowball in her hand. He only then realised it had disappeared from his own hand during the kiss. He laughed nervously, eyes wide, and charged away, with her hot on his heels.

Thanks for reading - leave a review etc etc. Shout out to one of the reviewers from last chapter: 'MissesE'. Thanks for your lovely comments, constant support and useful points that really influenced this chapter, I hope you liked it. See you all next time!