A few days later Hermione waited for Ron in the common room. It was about time to head down and if he didn't show soon she planned to leave without him. She should have stuck with walking to the class with Harry, but he had gratefully bowed out when she had told him that Ron wanted to speak with her. It seemed that he wanted their relationship mended more than either of them did. Of course, she couldn't blame him. The tension caused by his two best friends' fight was mighty awkward for him…
Her annoyance had started to turn into actual anger before he finally made his appearance with Lavender tucked under his arm. When he saw her sitting there waiting for him, he leaned down and whispered something in the girl's ear. Her eyes found her too and gave an exasperated roll before she stomped off to join Parvati. Ron watched her leave before coming over and she almost felt bad for the git from how dejected he looked. Must be a hard life choosing to be with someone who threw a fit anytime you spoke to one of your friends.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked her.
"Are you sure you're allowed?" She countered.
Looking over his shoulder at his girlfriend and her friend, he sighed and shook his head. "No, but it doesn't matter. Let's go."
"Alright." Her response was simple as she stood and followed him from the room. She could feel the glare on the back of her head but didn't give the witch the pleasure of turning around to look.
Once they were out in the corridor Ron sighed heavily again and started along the way to the Great Hall. They were supposed to gather outside but the melting snow and unexpected drop in temperature caused a freezing swampland which necessitated a move indoors. She waited for him to start, nibbling on a sore that had formed on the inside of her lip. He knew the conditions for the conversation and she could walk the whole way in silence if she had to.
After a few moments of the unpleasantness caused by the difficult strain between them, he caved. "Look... I'm sorry, okay? I should not have said anything 'bout you takin' McLaggen to that party."
"And?" She asked. Her neutral expression gave nothing away on whether she accepted his apology or not.
"And not writin' back over break." He mumbled.
"You know... That is what hurt the most. I could have let your overstepping boundaries go and I tried to! I told you that I understood you were caught up in the anger of the moment and we had both said some awful things... But you decided to ignore me... For over a month!" She rushed out in her typical manner as she fought back tears. The sting caused by the all too familiar feeling of ostracization was still fresh.
His gaze fell to the ground as they walked and he started to shuffle his feet, slowing their progress down considerably. "I am sorry! I was just... I don't know..."
"Jealous?" She supplied easily.
"Yeah... I guess." He said with a shrug.
"Why would you be jealous when you have Lavender, Ron? That doesn't make any sense!" She asked, annoyed with not being able to understand his logic.
Ron fidgeted for a second and started to turn red before meeting her stare. "I guess... Because I like you too."
"And what? Just because you suddenly discovered feelings for me that means you have any right to tell me whom I can, or cannot, spend my time with? Even if I had decided to start dating Cormac... As ludicrous as the idea is, that doesn't mean you have any sort of claim on me." She told him bluntly. It wasn't the time for treading lightly and being concerned over hurt feelings. The new development of them both finding someone had put new boundaries up that had not been previously needed. From either side…
"I know that. I guess... I don't know. I always thought we'd end up together eventually, ya know?" He asked her. The same dreamy look he got when imagining Quidditch plays settling onto his face.
She snorted before rolling her eyes. "So I was just supposed to wait around for you? Like... Like... I don't know... Some sad little girl hoping for her turn?"
"'Supposed to' makes it sound like you've moved on." He whispered. His feet had stopped moving him forward as the realization of what she must have meant glued him in place. The sudden pause made her have to turn around and take a few steps back so their conversation could continue.
"I have. What else was I supposed to do? I've already waited two years for you, Ronald. You never acted on what happened after the Yule Ball. I put the Quaffle in your hands, so to speak, and you never reciprocated! " It was her turn to sigh before continuing. "Besides you are forgetting about your girlfriend!"
"I don't want to lose you 'Mione." He whispered, ignoring the reminder of his commitment to another. The emotion that seeped into his voice causing it to crack was brutal for her to tolerate.
"I never belonged to you to begin with. You just counted on me to be there when you were ready. Something I never agreed to. I want to be with someone where I am not second best." She told him truthfully. "I don't think I could date you now or in the future. It wouldn't feel right anymore... For so many reasons..."
"When did I say you are second best?!" He challenged indignantly, the tender and soft tone instantly lost at his irritation at her admission.
"You didn't have to Ron! Your actions speak plainly. Do I have to remind you again that I was there! For two-freaking-years! Sitting in the background while you lusted after anything with tits and an ass. I literally sat there and listened to you drool over everything these other girls had that I, obviously, did not." Finally breaking. She couldn't stop the tear from sliding down her cheek, which she quickly reached up and wiped away. "I sat there for months and watched you making out with a brainless mandrake that never stops wailing unless her mouth is suctioned to yours!"
Hermione could feel her heart hammering in her chest as her own emotions switched from sadness and grief to unbridled anger. It was unbelievable what he expected of her. It was not only unbelievable but grossly unfair. To both her and Lavender... For once she could actually feel for the girl. No wonder she had such an issue whenever she and Ron spent time together. While she tended to give Brown a lot of crap, she could be very perceptive when she wanted to be and probably knew about his feelings long before either of them had figured it out.
Now on a tangent she continued to rant. "Don't be a fucking coward, alright? You made your choice. So go run off and find Lavender, before you break another girl's heart. On your way you should grow up and realize we are not things made for your amusement. We have feelings and should not be picked up and dropped at your leisure! You know what... I don't think I am ready to accept your apology yet. It doesn't look like you have actually learned anything. As horrible as it is for Harry, I think we should continue to give each other space. That way neither of us has the opportunity to say something that we will regret later."
Looking shell-shocked Ron stood there blinking as he tried to absorb everything she had just said. She forged on ahead, intent on getting lost in the crowd on the staircase…
-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-
That night she was finishing up rounds before heading up to meet Draco. He had gotten word for her to meet him in "his room" when she was done. How she was supposed to do that when she didn't know how to summon his door was still a mystery to her but she doubted he would leave her outside for long if she could not figure it out. He was bound to come and see what was keeping her…
She hoped that he wouldn't leave her out there for long. Harry was quickly becoming obsessed with wanting to know what he was up to because he had overheard a conversation between Draco and Crabbe during their Apparition lesson. What he had eavesdropped just reinforced his views that whatever Draco was trying to hide was malicious. Why else would you have a need for lookouts?
It took everything in her to stop herself from pointing out that both she and Ron had done the same thing for him many times. And while they were never up to anything good. It never had been evil either…
The whole afternoon he had sat in the common room and watched the Marauder's Map, hoping to catch him somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. He had disappeared completely from the thing for a couple of hours and it had sent Harry into a meltdown, trying to come up with ideas on where he had gone. Hermione had a pretty good guess... And was grateful that there was one spot in the school that was secret from the prying magic of the map.
Now that she was healed and no longer uncomfortable from her first time, she was looking forward to seeing what tonight might have in store. She made her way back up to Gryffindor Tower, sure that she was missing at least a few students who were out past curfew but unable to muster up enough concentration for the job at hand. Her mind was much too wrapped up in the images of Draco leaning over her or caught up in a groan of pleasure that continually played before her eyes.
She was interrupted by the sound of a male clearing their throat and searched the darkness for the source. Her eyebrow rose when she saw Draco leaning against the wall. One of his legs was raised so the sole of his shoe was against the stone causing the leg to be bent at the knee, while his arms were lazily crossed against his chest. Her mind got hung up on the fact that he always managed to look so damned fine. It must have taken him forever to implement that perfectly chilled exterior. Did he practice in the mirror? She had always known him to be able to do it, even at eleven. At what age had he started to try to imitate the regal demeanor of his father, only for it to come off as overt cockiness?
He smirked over at her as she stopped in her tracks and crooked his finger in a "come hither" motion before slipping under the tapestry to the corridor that would transport you to a closet close to the Divination Tower. Yet another barely spoken about shortcut that the castle offered to those smart enough to find it…
She hesitated for a second before quickly following him. She knew that she needed to warn him that they couldn't meet outside of their little sanctuary. At least until Harry cooled down on his hunt for anything to criminalize the boy. She hoped Draco wouldn't give him an excuse to start to pry deeper. There would be too many factors and potential complications if she had to worry about Harry also running around after him under the Invisibility Cloak…
As soon as she was under the security of cover he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed contentedly at the comfort the simple gesture provided. This was what she had needed. It wasn't Ginny's arms that had offered a shoulder to cry on when she had found the girl that afternoon and told her the whole conversation with Ron. How the whole thing had made her feel inadequate. It wasn't Harry's quick hug or mumbled, "It'll be okay. You'll see.", when she had told him that she and Ron hadn't been able to resolve anything. It was him and this... And the way he made her feel.
He pressed her up against the wall, keeping his arms around her so she wasn't cut by the rough edged stone. His lips found hers and instantly she forgot all of her worries. Her hands slid up between their bodies and cupped either side of his neck so that she could pull him down for a deeper kiss. In the few days since their last encounter she had forgotten just how amazing it felt to have his lips working against hers. How he could her turn into a puddle of need with just a few touches.
Her memories would never be able to do it justice.
She could feel how fast his heart raced under her fingertips and she let go, confident that he wasn't going to pull away anytime soon. This allowed her hands to travel down to where they could rest on his chest. His tongue slid over her bottom lip, requesting access to be able to taste and she eagerly obliged. Moaning into the kiss when he finally did.
Slowly her mind's nagging started to break through the hormone-induced haze. There was some reason that doing this right here was a bad idea…
He slipped one arm out from behind her, still cradling her with the other and started working her button-up out of the waistband of her skirt. As if he sensed that she was starting to get distracted by some thought in her head, he moved his lips to her neck. Nibbling and kissing the skin there. She could feel the desperation behind the attempt to get her focused back on the moment.
But there was something... Something to do with Harry…
He moved up to her earlobe and nipped at the tender bud. Hermione's head fell to the side as she sighed. He already knew the exact buttons to push with her. As if he had a mental map of…
...The Map! Shit!
She used the position of her hands on his chest to forcibly push him away a few inches. Him being pressed up against her like that did nothing for her sluggish mental facilities. "What... What are you doing here?"
"I could not wait another minute in that room knowing you were roaming the halls... Alone." He said as he reached to wrap her back up in his arms.
She shook her head, her eyes widening as the mounting fear of getting caught quickly registered. "You can't be here. Especially not with me. Harry will see. You have to go!"
"Wha... What are you talking about Granger?" He asked, his eyes darkening over as he tried to keep up with the sudden shift in direction their encounter had taken.
"I can't explain right now. Just... Just meet me in twenty minutes like we planned. Please... Please trust me." She begged him as she turned his body around so he was facing down the corridor. She gave him a quick push to get him started.
He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but something clicked as he stared into her eyes. Maybe the fear that she was sure was readable on her face finally reached through his own fantasy for the night. Or maybe he decided that making her aggravated wasn't in his best interest. Either way, he shrugged. "Fine"
"Thank you! Now go!" She huffed as she gave one last gentle shove. She instantly turned and slipped out from under the tapestry before hurrying to her common room.
Hoping and praying Harry hadn't been searching for him...