"Be careful Ronald Weasley. I might not come back again. You know... Since you are no longer interesting, being on the mend and all." She said with a playful smirk as she stared over the top of her Potions book at the boy. Every chance that she had gotten from the moment Harry had told them about Lavender's presumption she had teased him. It was quite amusing to watch the blush creep up his neck and the attempts at distraction that would immediately take place.

As if on cue his cheeks turned a bright pink and he looked down at the scroll that covered his copy of the book in his lap. "I wouldn't blame you. It's bloody dull bein' stuck here. So... Thanks for keepin' me caught up on lessons, I guess. Breaks up the boredom."

"Of course..." Hermione could feel her own cheeks heat up at the unexpected recognition. She ducked back down into the safety of her book and acted as if she was totally immersed in finding the fourth practical use of Galpalott's Fifth Law.

They were still quite clumsy with their newly rebuilt friendship. Always checking to make sure they had not crossed some unspoken boundary and offended the other. The hypersensitivity was exhaustive but worth it. In some ways, it was like nothing had ever changed and she found herself grateful for the times when the past few months melted away and they were allowed to just be.

Which was made all the more convoluted by the fact that she hadn't found the right time to talk to him about everything. The morning after the attack when he had woken up to see her standing there with his family, his smile had broken her heart. So she had put it off, only to continue to come up with reasons on why she should wait.

Draco would tell her that she was overthinking again, but then he also wouldn't care if Ron recovered or not.

She let her gaze wander up from the single word she had been staring at uncomprehendingly to find that the familiar set of blue eyes looked back at her. His steady scrutiny was at odds with their recent fragile camaraderie and it made the hair on her arms stand on end. To distract herself from the weird reaction she leaned forward and asked. "What? Do you need help paraphrasing?"

"No. I was wonderin'..." He faltered and then cleared his throat before continuing. "What were you thinkin' about a minute ago?"

"Nothing, why?"

"You looked really happy for a second and then... And then you looked right pissed."

"I did? Hmmm... If I was in your position, I would just be grateful it wasn't directed at me." She said with an off-handed shrug.

He chuckled under his breath before mumbling. "So it was a person!"

"I didn't say that..."

Ron shook his head at her before giving one of his cheeky smiles. "You didn't have to. Besides the fact that you are not denyin' it, tells me I am right."

Disconcerted by the unusually astute assessment, she narrowed her eyes in a fraudulent glare, hoping to throw him off the topic at hand. It was near impossible that he would react kindly if she told him the truth and she wasn't too keen on adding more lies to have to keep track of. They were piling up much too fast the way it was.

Her crack at intimidation was pointless because he sat there and stared back. Apparently resolved in his quest for more details. When neither of them budged, unwilling to be the one who broke eye contact or the silence first, he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. She had no doubt that if his lap was not occupied he would have crossed his heels as well, mimicking a stance straight out of the imaginary Sirius Black handbook.

The attempt at bravado was amusing and tugged at the corner of her lips. Before she could stop it a hushed chuckle left her throat, causing a smile to break out across her face. Cursing under her breath at how quickly she had lost, she turned back to the book in front of her to glare at the same word she had read a thousand times already.

"Who were you thinkin' about 'Mione?"

"Does she make you happy, Ron?" She countered his inquiry, hoping he would draw his own conclusion based on who the question inferred.

"Oh... I... I guess... I mean... Yes. Of course, she does." He stumbled over his answer and when she glanced up and saw that he blanched to a shade above cooked egg whites, she instantly regretted her tactic.

"That is... That is good to hear." Her voice broke at the end from the strain of trying to force a completely neutral reply.

"What... About you? Your beau treatin' you good?" As the rushed concern was mumbled, his cheeks started to turn pink and that little bit of color seemed to liven up his whole face. Allowing the flashes of him, lying still and white on the bed he was propped up in, to slow long enough for her mind to process his articulation.

"My beau?"

"It's what Fleur called Dean when she was talkin' to Ginny over Christmas." He said defensively before sitting up straighter and imitating the witch he spoke about. "'How ez your beau at Hogwartz, Ginny?' or "Do you think your beau will be attending zee wedding?'"

She took a moment to be impressed by how spot on his impersonation was. He really did have a talent... The only other person she knew who could do that with such precision was Ginny. Did all of the Weasleys have the talent or just the youngest two? Was it a natural happening or did they need to practice at it?

An image of a young Ron and Ginny entered her mind, back before any of them had started at Hogwarts. They were both sitting at the family's dining table and instead of working on the lesson Mrs. Weasley had assigned them, they were critiquing the others' parody of her. She could almost hear the resulting argument that was bound to have happened from hurt feelings…

Used to the way she sometimes got lost in her thoughts Ron slipped a hand from behind his head and waved it to get her attention.

The visual disappeared and she blinked hard a few times as a way to reacclimate to where she was. Quickly, she remembered what he was waiting for and stared him in the eye steadily as she lied. "I have no idea who or what you are talking about. I do not have any beau."

Relief seeped into his features even though she saw how hard he was trying to hide it. "Oh... I thought you said that you moved on... You know, the last time that we actually talked."

"I never said that I moved on with someone. I simply meant that I was done being taken for granted and wouldn't be there when you decided to stop being a jerk." Hermione clarified tersely. Simultaneously annoyed by the fact that he hadn't seemed to have gotten much out of her lecture and how they stumbled into the conversation she agonized over for days.

"Well... That's... Somethin'." He choked out as he caved under her unrelenting stare and glanced down to the parchment in his lap. "I guess I assumed..."

"Do you know what they say about assuming Ronald?"

"...No. What?"

"They say it makes an ass out of you and me. So you should definitely work on that." She said snapping the book in her own lap closed before placing it in the bag at her feet.

Confused by one of her father's favorite muggle quotes, he sat there working it over before realizing what she was doing. He pushed the homework in his lap to the side with a horrified look on his face. "You... You're not leavin' are you?"

When she stood he scrambled to try and join her but instantly fell back so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, all color draining from his face. She rushed over and helped him lay back against the pillows, cursing at him under her breath the whole time. Her worst fear had come true. The last thing she wanted was for him to hurt and her to be the cause of it!

Once he was positioned correctly she turned away, tears in her eyes. "I'm going to get Pomfrey."

He reached out and grasped her wrist to stop her. His calloused hands were so unlike the ones she had grown accustomed to. The simple gesture that she would have been ecstatic over a few months before only sent a shiver to travel up her spine, before she was able to determine the cause he whispered. "No. Don't go. Please, I've missed you... and Harry."

The weak cover-up had her closing her eyes tightly as a couple tears escaped down her cheeks. She wanted more than anything to run away but she found herself nodding and then sitting back down once he let go of the grip he had on her. Her voice was shaky when she eventually spoke. "I can stay for a few more minutes but I have rounds tonight. And I really think Pomfrey should have a look at you."

"I will be fine. Don't go makin' a fuss over me bein' stupid alright?" He begged her. Closing his eyes underneath a brow that shone with sweat.

She glared down at the floor and stayed quiet against her better judgment, hoping the decision wasn't as stupid as it felt…

"Hermione?" Ron whispered.

"Yes?"

"I... I'm sorry. For everything, okay? Fred and George are right, I really am a reincarnated bobotuber."

She shook her head but stood up and made her way over to his side and sat down next to him. Making eye contact once his eyes opened, checking why the bed had shifted from her added weight, she reached up and brushed a few strands of hair gently from his forehead as she said. "You really really are."

They both started laughing. She went to pull her hand away but he grabbed it and placed it so her palm was on his chest, directly above his heart. The thin fabric of his shirt was a flimsy barrier between their skin. "We are going to be okay, right?"

Her stomach turned at the implication that came with the context of the question. She slipped her hand from his grasp but patted his pectoral reassuringly. "Of course. We will always be friends, Ron. We might argue... a lot, but we figure it out."

His eyes dropped from hers and he nodded. "Good."

"And while you are giving this whole mending relationships thing a go... You should talk to the mandrake. She is wailing about you to everyone who will listen." She suggested, knowing he had been pretending to be asleep every time the witch had stopped in.

"I will."

"Good." His short recognition was as fitting as any she could come up with given the uncomfortable nature of the moment.

He relaxed back against the soft pillows and let his eyes close again. It took only a few seconds of quiet for him to lose the battle against the healing solace of sleep. Under her hand, his chest started to rise and fall in a rhythmic motion and she knew that she was safe to leave his side and go about her business for the night. Still, she stayed where she was seated and fussed with his blanket.

Waiting for some kind of official sign that he was unharmed by her visit…

-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-

As she teetered on the edge of sleep later that night, she thought about how that validation never materialized, causing her to be more than fifteen minutes late to her Prefect duties. Not that anyone had noticed, thankfully, but it was a bad habit that she did not want to sustain. Particularly since those responsibilities were her fall back excuse any time she needed to sneak off.

Those stolen suspended instances with the hidden parts of Draco were not something she could give up. Even though she could never admit the truth to Ron, or anyone really...

He made her happy.

Somehow, one of her worst tormentors had come to make her happier than she had been in almost a year.

When she woke up, she was lost in a hoard that could only be a part of the depths inside of the Room of Requirement. Confused by the swift change in her surroundings she looked to her left and then to the right, confirming that she was alone. No longer safe in the confines of her bed, her heart started to race, the frantic beat pounding in her ears shattered the ominous silence.

There was no way to tell which direction to travel to try to find the door and she froze for a second. Afraid she would never be able to work her way out of the maze of discarded objects.

"Help! Help me... Someone! Please!" She called out, even though she knew it was pointless. Who did she expect to arrive and save her this time?

Hermione stood there and listened to her voice echo back at her, unsure of how she should proceed. Curling up into a ball and letting the anxiety that had trickled into her veins take over seemed the most plausible strategy. However, somewhere deep in the back of her mind, the will of self-preservation told her to move and gather enough information to work out a way to the exit.

Instinctively she knew that she did not have her wand, but she still checked the pockets of her pajamas and wasn't surprised when she came up empty. It was hard to shake the feeling of inadequacy without the accustomed connection to magic. She had no way to defend herself or even light her way so she could see properly.

So her whole body shook with fear as she took her first step into the labyrinth, completely vulnerable to anything the room decided to throw at her. A few more steps in and she realized just how useless wandering aimlessly was. She needed to get her bearings to be able to figure out which direction she needed to head...

With only one viable option available to her, she scrambled over to the nearest sturdy-looking pile of furniture and hoped that climbing to the top would give her the height that she needed. After double checking that the whole thing wouldn't crash down once she started her ascent, she gripped the top edge of the wardrobe she would have to scale first. As soon as she went to pull herself up the silence, that had only been broken by her hitched breathing and hammering heart since her appearance there, exploded.

Not one but two recognizable voices came from nowhere. They spoke at the exact same time, overlapping one another.

"What are you doing here?" Draco inquired, his tone almost taunting.

"How did you get here?" Ron asked, the worry for her safety notable.

She stumbled back and nearly fell on her behind before catching her balance. To her right stood Draco and to her left was Ron. They were far enough down their separate directions that she had to turn her head to the side to see them, that way her attention could only be given to one at a time. Frozen from the shock that neither had seemed to notice the other she stayed silent. Glancing back and forth, waiting for the spell to break.

Once again when they spoke it was unison.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Ron pressured, reaching out for her to take his hand.

"Are you lost, Kitten?" Draco was, of course, harder to read. The way the corner of his lips turned down betrayed how he really felt about her ending up here. "All you have to do is ask for help..."

Uncertainty flooded through her stiffened muscles. Would they both answer if she asked a question? Would it fracture whatever blocked them from seeing each other? Would either of them listen to her long enough to not engage? Without answers she couldn't risk the alternatives, so she stayed where she was. Her lips smashed in a firm line as her eyes flickered between one of her best friends and her shrouded lover.

"Quit playin' around! We need to go. Now!" Gesturing frantically for her to step towards him, she could tell that Ron was starting to lose his patience with her indecision.

"Oh right... I apologize for the lapse in judgment. Why would you want help from someone like me?" Draco sneered over at her, the cold hard mask fighting to cover the hurt that swirled in the gray depths as she stared into his eyes at the last moment.

As much as she wanted to scream out her frustration, she clenched her jaw and shook her head no. The sudden realization of exactly what was needed of her was too overwhelming to even comprehend. There was no way in hell she could choose... Not when Ron's worry and Draco's distress made it feel like her heart was being pulled in two.

Instantaneously they both apparated, reappearing only inches from her shoulder on their respective sides. Both leaned over so she could feel their warmth radiated on her skin and both of their tones were laced with newfound malice when they spoke next.

"What is wrong? I am suddenly shit now that the Weasel appeared?! Why don't you choose him like we both know you want to?"

"You cannot be serious Hermione. You whored yourself out to a snake? For what? A couple of minutes of fun! Just go with him, why don't you?!"

Barely able to breathe around the sobs that tried to choke her, she kept shaking her head. Denying their horribly ugly accusations in the only way available to her. Somehow she knew that if she tried defending herself against one she would be deprived of the chance to explain to the other and she couldn't risk that. Not when she needed them both so badly and for such different reasons.

For the first time since their sudden arrival they spoke separately, Ron stopped short of grabbing her hand but just barely before glaring down at her with venom. "Say it. You want him."

Waiting his turn, like a true gentleman, Draco then leaned forward and brushed some hair from her shoulder, careful not to let his fingers brush her skin. He leaned even closer and mockingly goaded. "Spit it out 'Mione. You want him."

The tears finally started to fall down her cheeks freely and she made sure to be staring straight ahead when she let her mouth form the word her brain had been shouting the whole time.

"NOOOOO!"

And she startled awake, in her bed, biting down on her bottom lip to stifle the scream that wanted to follow into reality from the too vivid dream…

It took longer than normal to regulate her gasping breaths after a nightmare but that allowed her to examine the very clear message her subconscious was driven to impart. Her choice was going to come whether she was prepared for it or not. Someday... Probably soon, she would be forced to pick and there would be no easy escape like waking.

No, it would be brutal and a thousand times worse than any scenario her subconscious could come up with.

And there was no stopping the inevitable…

-\?/- -\?/- -\?/- -\?/- -\?/-

Here it is guys!

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this one. Please leave a review letting me know what you thought! They really do give me a boost and make me feel all warm and fuzzy."

Anyways... The next one is the chapter. I am so flipping excited (and nervous, lol)! My AO3 readers are going to be very happy as well! Yippee!

Hope your day/night is going well.

As always…

Much love,

SlytherclawLuv

*Even now, as I am going through and doing the final touches on a massive editing process (over 65 chapters), I love to go back and reread the reviews left for each one. If you are a new reader (or a re-reader *gasp*), please don't hesitate to leave your thoughts as you are reading! Knowing there is still interest, after me being such a horrible updater (Thanks, Life) warms the heart.