Just before I start, I want to say thank you to everyone who wished that I get well soon. Obviously, there were some selfish motives behind this, considering injured wrist = typing less, therefore posting later. Haha. But thank you all nonetheless. I appreciate it and it made me happy every time somebody wished me well. You guys are great.

Another note! HIATUS IS OVER! I shall be posting the next chapter within a few days (it is currently September 14th, 2010 where I live). It is almost 100% finished and I wanted to let you all know a bit ahead of time! Thank you all so much for your patience and be on the lookout for the next chapter!

Also, all apologies are listed at the end of the chapter because there are so many! Thank you all for your patience.

NOW READ! I command you!

Disclaimer: possibly lots of swearing, mainly from Draco and Ginny and some fluffy goodness.

Note: edited some of the beginning due to several suggestions. I hope that it is less confusing now. Sorry about that!

Chapter 12

Nothing Else Matters

"Hermione, Draco…what is going on between you? From that way you're acting, I would almost assume that you were in a relationship."

It was time. Time to admit the truth, time to let them know.

Time to come clean.

Silence filled the room, deafening, dark, and foreboding, pounding relentlessly against their eardrums as they sat and stood still, waiting impatiently for the answer that could make or break them. Ginny wanted to start shouting, screaming, to do anything that might end the silence that assaulted her ears. A part of her didn't want to know the truth, didn't want to see what was right before her eyes; she loved her family, loved her brother in spite of his problems, and had, for the longest time, secretly wished that Hermione would marry Ron.

She didn't want this. Didn't want to see the affection that was so obvious in their gaze. Didn't want to watch as Hermione held Draco's face or watch as his thumb grazed gently across the back of her hand in the subtle yet compassionately loving gesture. She didn't want to know the truth; she wanted to go back to her First year, back when things were simpler, back when it was okay to dream, when she was able to look to the future with a bright sense of hope that everything would go alright. That everyone else would deal with the grimy bits, that the others would deal with the consequences of their actions.

But it was too late for that; she was grown now, she had dealt with the consequences, and she would have to deal with more. Even if she didn't want to; she had no choice.

The only thing she could do right now was grasp Harry's hand and pray that the damning words never left Hermione's mouth, hope that, in the end, she would somehow become deaf and dumb and be forgiven for her inability to deal with the truth.

She watched as Hermione turned at Harry's words, face pale and drawn, eyes shadowed and dancing, as though lost in thought. She watched as Draco's hand slowly slid down to capture hers, his damn thumb brushing the damn girl's hand, and she wanted to scream some more.

A part of her was willing to accept this possibility, was more open that she used to be, but another part just couldn't see how things could possibly work out. It just couldn't understand why or how, couldn't believe, couldn't begin to comprehend the mechanics of their relationship.

The thing she feared more, however, was Harry's reaction. Would he fight back, would he push and shove and repel the possibility of a relationship, or would he open his arms and accept them with ease? Would he stand with her if she decided to rebel, to fight back? Or would he step aside and let her fight her own battles? Would he laugh at the absurdity of the thought and claim that this was all a ruse, an elaborate joke made up for their sadistic pleasure?

Damn it all.

Staring up at the duo, she narrowed her gaze, chancing a glance at their eyes, wondering briefly just what they were thinking about…

Damn it; this was not exactly how he had seen things going. He had not expected her to be so open, so ready when just a few weeks ago she had been fighting with him over the mere thought of exposing their relationship. A few weeks back, he had been more than ready and open to expose what they had, had fought with her to the point that she had run off, trying to explain that it would be easier to let everyone know the truth. But now that he was faced with the possibility that everyone might know, now that he might truly have to face the consequences of their actions, he feared what might come next.

Draco Malfoy would never admit it openly, but he had never been so nervous and afraid than he was at this very moment.

How would Potter react if Hermione did speak the truth? Would he try to hex him and then try to 'snap Hermione out of it'? Would he, as uncharacteristic and odd as it would be, accept their relationship with ease and continue to aid them in fighting back Weasel and his obvious psychological ailment?

What about Weaslette? He expected her to start ranting, raving and screaming, to pace back and forth, and to shout that she didn't understand how Hermione could be so cruel. Yet, her reaction to the exposure of Ron's problem told him that she might act in a slightly more adult fashion. She might actually be willing to listen, perhaps she would hear them out, allow them to explain their reasoning before beginning her useless rants.

Was he ready? Ready and willing to face the consequences of their relationship? Was he prepared to watch as the world as he knew it crumbled around him? Was he ready to rebuild his life once more, after having only finally accomplished doing so a couple years ago?

He wasn't too sure of anything at this moment, was not entirely positive that he would be able to react in the more eloquent manner, but he was certain of one thing.

He fell in love with Hermione Granger and nobody would ever be able to take it away; no matter how much they ranted and raved, no matter how much they shouted about differences and bloodlines, no matter how many times they tried to bring up their rather volatile relationship of the past. He would stay with her than allow others who were unwilling to accept and listen push them apart.

He would not let them tear them away, especially her friends.

Especially that damn Potter.

Damn that Malfoy.

Harry wanted to find a corner somewhere, to curl up in the dark and think, think for hours on end, to soak in everything he had heard in the past few minutes and be able to consider the situation. But now, because of his bloody big mouth and his endless curiosity that was only ever matched by Hermione's, he would be attempting to soak in more information that he ever thought he might receive.

He watched as Hermione stood silently, eyes lidded, mouth downturned in the softest of frowns, and he knew once her lower lip was tucked between her teeth that she was thinking. Considering…going over the pros and cons, debating internally over whether or not she should admit the truth of the situation and deal with the outcome.

The second her lower lip disappeared, his heart wrenched in terror. In the war against Voldemort, he had been able to stay strong and defiant, knowing without a single doubt in his mind that he was on the right side, that he was battling against a known enemy. But now, at the mere possibility that Hermione was with Malfoy, a man who had been proclaimed as their enemy up until the end of the war when he confessed he had been a spy and detrimental to the destruction of the Dark Lord, Harry wondered whether he would find the resolve to lash back and fight when he wasn't exactly sure which side was the right side.

He cared about Ron; in spite of his current state of mind, the redhead was still his close friend and companion and he despised the thought of his friend in any sort of physical or mental pain. But…but Hermione was his friend, too. Unlike Ron, she had always stuck by him with the exception of Third year and the issues with the Firebolt and Scabbers – well, Peter Pettigrew – and she had always been there to listen. Would he be able to return the favour? Would he be able to push the past into the back of his mind, see Malfoy as a changed man, and accept her for who she was? Would he able to stand with her and push back the expected onslaught and fire that would come from the remainder of the world? Would he defy years of experience, a childhood filled with hatred aimed towards the blond man, and readily accept Hermione's love?

Damn it all to hell…was he even ready to do this? Had he not just spent the past few years of his life fighting for the entire world? Would he never be allowed a single grace period in which he could live in peace without any battles to fight? He didn't want to deal with this now, didn't want to listen to the words he knew she would say, but he had no choice.

She had been fighting, too, he realized quietly, eyes falling to look at his hands. She had been fighting for as long as him, unnerved by being stuck on the sidelines at points in time, fighting through her own battles each and every year. Now…now this would be one grand battle. She was still fighting; had perhaps been fighting longer than him if the closeness of the duo said anything, and she was fighting for a much different cause than he had been. In spite of the war, in spite of their battle to free the Wizarding World from repression, she still feared to let the world know about her love. She fought now, not to liberate the world, but to liberate herself from the confinements of the world in which she lived.

Hermione, he realized dimly, was an independent woman pushing for acceptance.

Maybe…maybe it was time to let her do as she wanted.

"I have one condition."

The four words broke the silence, shattering it like glass to sprinkle and fall gently around them in a shower. Air became easier to breathe, yet thickened at the same time; hearts began to hammer wildly against ribs as fear began to swell within their bodies.

"Just as long as it's acceptable," Harry managed to say, keeping his hands on his jeans – which he had thrown on when Ron had come barging back into the Tower.

"I refuse to say anything until we have all sworn Wizard's Oath not to repeat a word spoken in here. I do not want a single person outside of this room to know. Do you understand?" Hermione's hand shook, a gentle trembling as told more than her words ever could.

"And why don't you want anyone to know?" Ginny's voice was rather snappish, almost as though she was more irritated by the situation than anything.

"Gin…" Harry began softly, trying to avoid confrontation as much as possible.

"It's okay Harry," Hermione answered before turning her gaze to the redheaded girl. "If you must know, Ginny, it's because the rest of the world just isn't ready yet."

"Ready for what?"

"That," the brunette answered calmly, "will only be revealed if you accept to take the Oath."

"And what does this Oath entail?"

Damn that girl and her curiosity, it was already starting to get on Hermione's nerves.

"If you try to relay any information given in this room to anyone outside of it, in any fashion from writing to speaking, we will all be alerted and you will find yourself unable to without causing yourself pain," Hermione explained softly.

"Pain?" Ginny shouted. "What the hell is the matter with you? Is this secret of yours really so damning that you would rather cause us pain than to let the rest of the student body find out?"

"I'm taking no chances," Hermione snapped back. "Not after a certain arse managed to sneak around the rules of the last Oath I swore." Her eyes glared at Harry, anger glowing viciously in the amber orbs as she reminded him of how he had managed to relay the information given without explicitly telling everyone what they had said. "The rules this time are different; you cannot write, cannot use any means of communication whatsoever to let anyone know what has been said in here, including using code or different wording."

"Why?" Ginny cried. "Why the hell is this thing so damn important?"

"Because it can bloody well mean life or death if certain people find out," Draco snapped, eyes flashing. The thunderstorm was back with a vengeance; he was fed up of the bloody Ginger's shouting and complaining, sick and tired of the way she always found a way to argue and push back. Why couldn't the bloody girl just shut up for a few moments and listen? Bloody hell, even Potter was more willing to listen at this moment than she was, and, with Draco's experience, the bloody dark-haired man had always been somewhat stubborn.

Let out a rather loud humph, Ginny crossed her arms in defiance and glared up at the blond. "I don't see what could mean life or death for you guys; honestly, I thought that the war ended a long time ago. You're bloody well exaggerating things because you're too afraid to let the rest of the world know your secret."

"We're not exaggerating –" Draco began loudly, ready to wring the neck of the annoying little chit when Hermione squeezed his hand.

"Calm down," she sighed. "I'm too tired to argue right now; either you agree to take the Oath or you can leave the room as I talk to Harry. It's your choice Ginny, but I'll let you know, after the discussion we've just had about your brother, I consider this a lot closer to a life or death situation than I thought it would've been yesterday. He will not give up, and I'm afraid he'll do something bloody stupid. I would rather have you both know everything rather than just his thoughts and beliefs. The Oath is to give us time, mostly to deal with Ron, and I do not want the slightest bit of this information getting back to him unless I will it, do you understand?"

"No, I don't; I don't know just what it is that's so bloody important you don't want my git of a brother to know about." Breathing heavily, Ginny ran a hand over her face, smearing some of her make-up. "Bloody fucking hell, you complicate things so much Hermione."

"Do you accept or not? I do not want to be up all night figuring out whether or not you'll agree to this," Hermione said softly yet with strength. There was a certain weariness to her voice that almost made her body appear frailer, weaker, and far more ready to collapse now as opposed to a few moments ago.

"I do."

Ginny spun to look at Harry in shock; she had expected some sort of defense, that he would fight back, try to switch the situation in some way, to alleviate the penalty for letting the words slip out. She had expected anything but this sudden, quick acceptance.

"Gin," he began at the look in her eyes, "it's obvious that Hermione wants to keep this from Ron for as long as possible, and it makes sense that she would want to avoid the entire student population to know. If just one person knew about it, by morning the whole school would know, including Ron. That, depending on what she's going to say, could be disastrous consequences. Let's just hear her out, listen to what she has to say and sleep on it." He reached out and grasped her hand, gently brushing his thumb over her freckled flesh in a manner resembling the way Draco held and brushed his fingers over Hermione's hand.

"Please, Gin, just calm down and let them talk. If you don't want to take the Oath, then I have to agree with Hermione. I know that this seems extreme but…I understand that she doesn't want to take any chances we might even accidentally talk. This way, we won't accidentally spread the word, and she can keep it quiet for as long as she needs to."

"But…but…Harry…this is…it's preposterous! You're just blindly going to accept when you don't even know what she's going to say?" Ginny cried, yanking her hand away from her boyfriend's.

"Oy, lower your bloody voice," Draco snapped when he saw the light in Madame Pomfrey's office go out. "She's going to bed, so you'd better stop that bloody screaming and keep your voice down."

"Don't tell me what to do, Ferret Face."

"If you had any bloody respect for Hermione or your boyfriend, you'd shut up and listen for once."

"You bloody…"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione picked up her wand from the bed and twirled it in the air, performing two separate movements, whispering two different incantations. "You can yell as much as you want now," she snapped, "at least some of us still have enough wits about them to create a bloody bubble and use the damn silencing charm."

Harry was the only one to nod in thanks, while Draco and Ginny glared at one another, ready to duel at the slightest hint of hostility.

"Honestly," Hermione started, reaching forward to drag Draco back, "calm the hell down you two! Ginny, you've heard what I have to say. Either you bloody well shut your mouth and agree to take the oath, or you get the hell out. I'm fed up, I'm tired, I just want to get this bloody well done and over with and all you're doing is trying to avoid the inevitable. Make up your bloody mind or I'll make it up for you." She waved her wand threateningly, several sparks shooting out of the tip.

"Bloody hell," Ginny sighed, mussing her hair with her hand, "I'm going to regret this." Breathing deeply, she shut her eyes before opening them seconds later. "Fine, I'll bloody well stay, but it doesn't mean I agree that the terms are fair."

"You'll see," Hermione murmured gently. Moving her wand in an intricate pattern, a white line drew out of the tip, dancing and playing in the air as she murmured a long spell, beginning the short process of establishing the Oath between the foursome. Once it was complete and the rules reiterated, a small blue glowing snake wrapped itself around each person before fading away into nothingness, with the exception of Hermione, whose snake was a pale golden hue.

"Why was yours different?" Ginny asked quietly, sitting back down once the incantation was set.

"Because I am the creator of the bond and it can only be broken either by the death of one of us or if I willingly give my consent," Hermione answered. "Now…let's begin…you all know the terms of our agreement, you know not to repeat this outside of this room or you will face the consequences. Now, to let you know just why we're taking so many precautions."

She moved over to sit on the bed opposite to the couple, watching out of the corner of her eye as Draco made his way over beside her for support, comfort, as a way of letting her know that he stood by her no matter what.

"Where to begin…" Hermione sighed softly, looking down at her knees, noting the way the caps were slightly scrapped from when she slid along the staircase she had grabbed hold of. It was strange; she never understood why the moment someone realized they had an injury that it began to hurt. At least the pain in her shoulder was fading as the bone continued to reattach and build itself.

"Hermione, how about we just tell them the truth and answer any questions they have," Draco suggested, gently placing a hand on her lower back, reminding her yet again of his support.

"I suppose I should…it is a good idea and makes things a bit easier," she contemplated quietly, tucking her bottom lip back into her mouth to gnaw on it. She debated internally over how to go about things, how to begin, how to continue and how to end. What was the easiest, best way to tell your friends that you were dating their ex-enemy? How was she supposed to let them know exactly how she felt without insulting or possibly causing pain on both parties?

Dive right in…just jump right into it, say it, let the shock sink in, and then let them start yelling. It was the simplest way, much easier than dancing around the truth and creating excuse after excuse.

"Harry, Ginny…what I'm about to tell you…it's very important that you listen to me. I have my reasons behind my actions and emotions, and everything makes sense to me. It may not make a lot of sense to you initially, but if you keep an open mind and let me speak, I think that, eventually, you will both come to understand." Breathing deeply, she picked at a scab forming on her right knee, trying to gain some confidence.

At the touch of Draco's hand on her elbow, she closed her eyes, took one last deep breath before the plunge, and lifted her gaze, pushing away all fear and timidity as she sat before her friends.

Harry watched at the fireworks display in her eyes, watched the way they danced and glowed, a variety of emotions, all positive, illuminating her face. Strength, compassion, honesty, sincerity…and, most importantly, the rawest, most powerful emotion of all, the very emotion that had saved his life when he was but a babe…love.

"I am in love with Draco Malfoy, and no matter what you do or say, I will never stop loving him."

The silence returned with a vengeance, overwhelming the room, stifling them, thickening the air as it electrified, very much like the air before a particularly fierce storm. Harry watched the emotional display in his friend's eyes, only one part of him shocked, while the remainder had been bracing himself for this admission since Draco had come running into the room an hour ago.

The shocked part felt outraged, unable to believe that his friend, his Muggle-Born friend, was now dating the Pureblooded bastard that had haunted and tortured her for so many years at school. He was horrified at the notion of her falling in love with such a cruel man that had such a horrendous past, and yet, the other part reminded him that Draco was changed. He didn't want to accept it, but he knew…he had seen it, watched in the way Draco fought against the Death Eaters he once swore he'd become, witnessed it in the reports he made, and had experienced it when Draco turned on the Death Eater he had stood beside in the battle and took him out before he managed to take away Tonks' life.

It was strange, unthinkable, and yet…now that he thought about it, Draco was changed.

But bloody hell…they were so different!

"WHEN THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?"

All bodies winced at the sound of Ginny's shrill scream. She leapt to her feet, eyes wide as she stared down at Hermione, waiting impatiently for the older woman's answer.

Smiling, Hermione turned her head up to stare down the rage-filled eyes of the redhead. "Over Christmas holiday."

"HOW?"

"I suppose it only came to fruition when Draco stupefied and body-bound Ronald for being a prat," Hermione answered calmly. Now that she had admitted the damning words, now that the weight was relieved from her body and mind, she felt a renewed strength. She would be able to withstand the questions, the rage, and the shock. She would be able to look them in the eyes and tell the truth; she had told them the worst of the lot, how much more damage could come about by answering the remainder of the questions truthfully?

"He attacked Ron? You attacked my brother?" Ginny shrieked, spinning on the blond. "How dare you!"

"Shut your mouth, you stupid Weaselette, before you bloody embarrass yourself," Draco snapped, glaring up at her with his icy stare that froze her heart. "If you must know, said brother of yours was ranting, raving and shouting like a bloody lunatic in the hallways. I had enough when he decided to start insulting Hermione, so I went out there, shut him up and prevented him from saying anything else. Besides, I've served my detentions,' he added sharply, reminding himself of all those Monday evenings when he spent two hours with Professor Sprout cleaning, replanting and transplanting all of her precious plants. It had been tedious work, yes, but at least he was done and he wasn't stuck with Professor Trelawney.

"What did he say that was so different from usual?" the redheaded spat in retort.

"Do you honestly want to know?"

"Draco…please…"

"Yes, I would very much like to know what my git of a brother said to deserve to be savagely attacked!"

"Gin…please calm down…"

Hermione and Harry's pleas went unnoticed the twosome spat back and forth, fire fighting fire as they attempted to raise their voices over the others, to have the final word in the argument.

"He called her a bloody whore," Draco snapped. "And, I highly doubt that Hermione is anything close to a whore."

Ginny looked torn between yelling at the blond for spreading lies and believing in his words. She knew that her brother sometimes got out of hand, acknowledged that, from time to time, he said things that were unnecessary and uncalled for. But she had never heard him insult Hermione in such a scathing way before, no matter what was happening.

Sitting down on the bed, Ginny gave Hermione a hard, scrutinizing stare, almost as though willing the girl to lie to her, as though she expected the very words Draco had spoken to be a lie.

"Did he really say that?"

"You want honesty, I'll give you honesty," Hermione replied calmly, thinking that things were going considerably well considering the circumstances of their relationships. "Yes, he did. I wasn't going to do anything, but the git beside me decided that it was justification enough to stupefy and silence your loud-mouthed brother. Besides, Gin, after what I just told you about him, how could you not doubt that he would ever say such a thing?"

"I…just…"

"Enough about the slimy prat," Draco said softly. "Finish your bloody tirade about us first, and then we'll figure out how to deal with him."

The redheaded girl looked up to the blond in mixed confusion and horror. She wasn't certain how the man had known exactly what she'd been thinking of, how he had managed to sneak into her mind and find the grief that was ready to pour over. She found it unbearably difficult to accept that her brother was no longer the man he used to be, and even now, when faced with the possibility that Hermione had fallen in love with their sworn enemy, she still couldn't ignore the thoughts about her older brother.

She had to push away her thoughts about her brother and focus on the task at hand, which was to scream at Hermione until the girl saw the light.

Shrugging her shoulders, almost physically pushing away her own problems, she turned her gaze back to the brunette. "What exactly do you see in this bloody ferret?" Her words were snappish, a sign that she was back into her own usual state of mind.

"Long or short answer?"

Ginny blinked back in confusion and Harry cracked his knuckles, stretching out his arms. "How about the short answer," he replied quietly, "it's already quite late."

Hermione nodded, moving her hand to rub her shoulder when a few jolts of pain radiated from the healing bones. "Essentially," she began softly, "I see a good man who hid behind a mask of hate. We used to think that all he knew was how to curse us out and be a real prat, but honestly, after the war, I started to see that it was only a mask. He's a man who grew up in a volatile environment with a father who tried time and time again to push the wrong ideals down his throat. I see a strong man who pushed away his childhood teachings to see the world in a different, I would say better, way." She smiled gently up at the man beside whose expression was torn between dumbstruck and embarrassment. "I don't see the Draco Malfoy we grew up with, but an entirely new Draco Malfoy…the real Draco, you could say."

"For all you know he could be pretending just to get in your knickers and have a good laugh about it at the end," Ginny quickly replied while Harry sat contemplatively silent beside her. "You say he's been hiding all his life behind this mask, how do you know that this isn't his mask?"

Draco jerked, almost as though he wanted to reach forward and smack the younger woman for even speaking such words. It made his heart clench in worry that Hermione might actually listen to the words, that she might consider them and think them true. Hermione was, after all, over-analytical when it came to anything and everything.

"Two things," she began, voice slightly breathy as a bit more pain ebbed from the wound. "First, he hasn't called me a Mudblood since before the war began." Harry nodded, knowing fully well that this was indeed a fact. "Second, he genuinely cares."

"Prove it."

There were some days where she honestly wanted to smack the youngest Weasley; the girl just couldn't accept an answer or a reality outside of her own and had to pick and prod until she was satisfied and the others emotionally drained.

"He defends me without hesitation; there's no internal debate over whether or not it might tarnish his reputation or as if he was trying to push away his actual disgust. We still bicker but he no longer says any hurtful things, and whenever I've been in the slightest danger, even the slightest bit hurt, he is genuinely worried. You can't fake worry, Gin, it's impossible. You can try all your might, but there is always this little look in your eyes that lets everyone know that it is genuine. He cares, Gin, and I don't care what you say about it."

"Potter," Draco began, cutting off Ginny as she opened her mouth to retort once more, "you've been oddly quiet this entire time. I expected you to be off your rocker even more than her." He gestured to the redhead. "What do you have to say?" Draco knew, deep down, when it came down to it, Harry's word would weigh far more than Ginny's ever would. Harry was Hermione's best friend, a man she looked up to for inner strength and power, and he knew that she wanted his approval more than anything in the entire world.

She'd already lost Ron, she couldn't lose Harry too.

Fiddling with a thread on his pants, Harry breathed out softly, keeping his gaze down. "I received some…advice over the holidays from a very good friend of mine. He said that it shouldn't matter who you're in love with, so long as you're in love and it's true. He said that love is something that works, no matter what, and that having friends who don't accept it only cause more harm than good." Glancing up at Hermione, he gave her a gentle smile. "He said that people shouldn't be forced to choose between who they love and their friends.

"I…I may not necessarily understand the mechanics of your relationship, I won't suddenly become Malfoy's best friend in a matter of minutes and I sure as hell don't approve of him, but…I don't want to make you choose."

Hermione's throat clenched shut in fear; was Harry about to tell her that he wasn't going to be her friend, no matter what? Was he about to turn his back on them, in spite of everything he just said? Her mind reeled with panic and fear that she was about to lose her closest friend.

"I'm happy as long as you're happy," he said with another smile. "I don't like Malfoy, maybe it'll change after a while, who knows? But, just because I don't like him doesn't mean I shouldn't approve. You're my friend and that's all that matters, your happiness is more important to me than a petty childhood rivalry. It took some time for me to be able to see this way, but I'm glad that I do. You're my friend, and it's more important to see you happy than torn and worried."

Hermione's eyes lit up with a joy that she hadn't felt in a while. Pure, raw happiness filled her body and she smiled broadly, moving her gaze between a stunned Draco and an ever calm Harry. Suddenly, she leapt forward, hugging Harry tightly in spite of the pain in her shoulders. "Oh Harry! You…you're so wonderful."

The brunet sat still for a moment before closing his arms gently around his friend, holding her tightly in his arms.

"You know, a few months ago, I don't think I would've ever seen myself in this situation; I had a lot of thinking to do over the holidays and this advice really helped me grow up and see everything in a clearer way," Harry admitted as he let go of the brunette, gesturing for her to sit back down.

"Well," Hermione answered in a slightly chipper voice, "a few months ago, I didn't think I would fall in love with a ferret."

"I'm not a ferret."

"Oh, yes you are," Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes, sitting back down on the bed. Glancing briefly over to Madame Pomfrey's office, she felt quite glad that the Mediwitch had remained within her study. It was the benefits of being the most trusted student in the entire school. "Now, Gin…Harry's had his say. What do you think?"

Sighing heavily, the redhead rubbed her face in frustration, torn between screaming at her friend and listening the very words her boyfriend had just said. The relationship just didn't make sense, she wanted to try to make sense of it, but she was starting to know better than to nitpick at this late hour, after such a long and difficult day, when everyone's tensions would be running high and their defense up stronger than ever.

"I think you're both bloody mental," she muttered, stifling a yawn. Harry sent her a warning look and she shrugged her shoulders. "What? This makes about as little sense as the Into-net thing Muggles have. ("Internet," Harry corrected automatically to deaf ears.) I just don't see how this works out, hell, I have no idea why it works, but hell…for the strangest reason I see that it does. Doesn't mean I like it anymore than I like Goyle, but fucking hell…Harry's right. I can't make you choose, Hermione. I suppose I'll just have to deal with it for now…doesn't mean I like ferret-face or anything, I still can't stand that blond git and I don't think I'll ever be able to stand him. But for now…I'll bear with it. Who knows? Maybe once this shit with Ron is done and over with, I'll go back to asking a million questions and trying to find the littlest crack in your relationship and then I'll hex the hell out of him."

"You mean it Gin?"

Draco frowned at Hermione, wondering if his girlfriend was off her rocker. "She wants to hex me, and you ask her if she means it?" he snapped.

"Not that," Hermione sighed, adding an elbow to his ribs for good measure. "Everything else, Gin…do you really mean it?"

"I have no choice; we have enough to deal with right now with Ron, I don't see any other option aside from make life horrible for you and making you choose. And, really, I'm pretty sure you might end up choosing Malfoy, for Merlin knows whatever reason." Ginny heaved a breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "But bloody fucking hell, I still can't believe that this has happened. You do realize, Hermione, that this is going to have a huge impact on everyone?"

Shifting a shoulder to relieve some discomforting pain, the brunette sent her friend a strong smile. "Yes, I know exactly how everyone will react, and you know what? It doesn't matter to me. I don't care what they say, I don't care what they do, I don't care if they try to break us apart or keep us together; I love Draco and that's all that matters. Besides, with you two by my side, we'll be unstoppable."

"I'm only defending you," Ginny said quickly. "I don't give a damn about that blond git beside you. I'll defend you and support you, but I won't be quick to help him out unless you ask of me. I'm your friend first and foremost and I'll help only if it's for your welfare. He's still an irritating ferret in my books and still needs several good kicks to the…"

"Gin," Harry cut her off gently as he caught a glimmer of irritation in Draco's eyes. "Not now…we'll resume the fighting later."

Hermione unconsciously shifted; resting her head on Draco's shoulder as tension gave way into exhaustion. She was relieved that Harry had somehow matured over the holidays, although her curiosity was pricked at over who had managed to push Harry into that maturity. She was pleased that Ginny, surprisingly, was slightly more accepting than she had thought she would be. The fiery redhead could have a temper as vivid as her hair. Although, it had taken a good argument with Draco and several reprimands by Harry in order to her to calm down and think thoroughly. But, in spite of the surprising turn of events, she was pleased that her friends would defend her and be there for her. She was grateful that they were so good and kind and she had been terrified that they would do nothing but refuse her or make her choose.

Now all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep; the day had been exhausting and the evening even more so. The exhaustion was piling on, tugging her eyelids down and pushing on her body, trying to tug her onto the bed and into the realm of sleep where worries faded away into sweet, gentle dreams.

"I think we should get going," Harry said softly, rubbing his hands on his jeans. "It's getting quite late and we still have a lot to think over."

Ginny glanced at the clock above the door and she nodded. "I'm starting to get real tired now; it's been a tiring day."

Harry and Ginny stood to part and Hermione opened her shut eyes for a moment to remove the spells she had earlier cast. When she moved to stand, Draco's gentle yet firm hand on her knee kept her in place. If she had been less tired, she would have argued, but her mind was growing foggier by the minute and it made it difficult to fight back. She instead leaned up and embraced her friends in turn, muttered her goodbye, and fell back on the bed as they walked away.

Draco walked with the couple to the door, trying to get out of earshot of Hermione. As they paused at the door to the Hospital Wing, Draco shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at Harry.

"I'm grateful that you decided to grow up, Potter," he muttered. "Not because I wanted you and your goody-two-shoes group to accept me, but because that way, Hermione won't have to worry so much. I don't like it when she worries too much." His attention shifted back to the woman, fighting back a smile as she kicked off her shoes and sent them flying on the floor by the foot of the bed. All he could see were those wriggling feet and it somehow made him want to chuckle.

"You really do care about her, don't you?"

He sent Harry a look and rolled his shoulders, stretching his back. "I love her," he admitted without hesitation, although a faint blush crept across his cheeks at the thought of admitting his feelings to the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Got-Too-Much-Attention-For-His-Own-Good. "And I won't let anyone stop that."

The dark-haired man nodded and stuffed his hand into his pocket, keeping the other at his side. The fist was opening and closing, almost as though he was tempted to either punch Draco in the face or reach out for a handshake. In the end, his hand remained by his side. "If you really do care about her, then you wouldn't do anything that could hurt her." Draco nodded in answer, knowing fully well what Harry was getting to. The don't-hurt-my-best-girl-friend speech every man, brother, father, and uncle gave. "If you hurt her, I swear, Malfoy, I'll make a Death Eater look like a pansy."

Draco remained unfazed and simply tilted his head in acknowledgement. "I believe it."

Harry and Ginny stepped out of the infirmary, knowing that the discussion had ended. Draco just barely caught Harry saying gently, "I'm glad Hermione has finally found someone she loves…even if it's a ferrety bastard."

Torn between rolling his eyes and fighting back a strange smile that he didn't want anywhere near his face, Draco shut the door and made his way back to Hermione, who had blissfully passed out on the bed, blankets half covering her legs in her half-hearted attempt to cover herself. He looked at the way her hair fanned around her face, watched the way her lips twitched as though she was caught in some kind of dream, and he leant over, gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

Moving to cover her in the blankets, he quietly pulled a nearby chair over to rest beside the bed, sitting down in it. As he rested his arms on the bed, head in his hands, he couldn't help but smile.

He may be a ferrety bastard, but he was one hell of a lucky ferrety bastard.

Weasley, on the other hand, was one dead weasel.

Hey guys.

Again, I apologize for taking so long to update. I will give you a lovely list of reasons why:

Easter break was filled with work and studying

Post-Easter break was also filled with work, studying and essay writing.

Had a huge essay to write for one of my classes (minimum 10 pages), and lost it all night before it was due. Had to rewrite the entire thing (which was actually over 13 pages long).

Second mid-term for another class

A lot of work, a lot of hours spent at work, or doing school work

Soccer in free time on Sundays

Studying for finals; I just finished my last one today (21/04/2010) and I had a final worth 60% last week and another take-home final due the same day.

Family issues; a family member was really sick and unfortunately passed away over the Easter weekend, so I was helping around the house and making sure that my parents were okay (it was my father's sister)

Beginning minor training; I'm doing the Walk to End Women's Cancer. If anyone wishes to donate to my $2,000 pledge, I will post the link in the next chapter.

So yeah….life took a very busy turn since I posted the last chapter back in…what? February, I think? I'm sorry it took two months to finish this one; it had been lying on my computer for the longest time, half-finished, waiting to be finalized but I just didn't have the time. I thank every single one of you for your patience and now that school is over, I will be able to dedicate more time to writing.

Thanks guys.

Here's a little recipe for you all to enjoy! Since summer is coming along, I figured a nice fruity beverage might be in order.

Note: contains alcohol, but you can probably substitute with something alcohol free.

Frozen Strawberry Margarita

Ingredients

6 fluid ounces tequila

2 fluid ounces triple sec

8 ounces frozen strawberries

4 fluid ounces frozen limeade concentrate

6 cups ice

Directions

Place ice in a blender and crush for 15 to 20 seconds. Add frozen strawberries, tequila, triple sec and limeade. Blend until smooth.

Notes: some people suggested less ice, so do as you wish.

Found on: allrecipes(dot)com app on the iPhone. I love that app.

Thanks for reading everyone and thanks again for your patience!