Harry?'
Hermione looked at Draco in amazement. 'No.'
'You don't think he resents it just a little?'
'No, I don't. And do you know why?'
Draco shook his head.
'I didn't break up with Ron,' Hermione said. 'He broke up with me.'
Draco sat forward with such suddenness that she felt the bed bounce. 'No way. No way did Weasley break up with you.'
'Yes, he did,' said Hermione, casting her mind back to that night the winter of fifth year, Ron standing in front of the Gryffindor common room fireplace. The shadows turning his red hair black. I don't think we should do this any more, he had said. I think it was a mistake. I thought we felt one way about each other, but I was wrong.
'He did — it was his idea.'
'What did you do?' Draco asked. He looked bewildered, and his fair hair was standing up around his head in licks like little silver flames. He looked about ten.
'I cried,' said Hermione. 'I thought we were supposed to be together.
Everybody did. Even Harry, I thought. It just seemed like we fit as a couple. I would be with Ron, and Harry would be with Ginny, and we'd all get married and have Christmas together every year.'
'How revolting,' said Draco.
'Well, yes, and the big problem there was that Harry didn't love Ginny, and I didn't really love Ron — and I guess he didn't love me either. We were just trying to fit into these molds that people had made for us with their expectations. So I cried when Ron broke up with me — but I was relieved, in a way. I was always terrified that our dating would ruin our friendship somehow, and then when it was over, and it wasn't ruined, I felt like a huge weight was off me. We tried it, and it didn't work, and now there would be no more pressure. Although Mrs. Weasley wasn't any too happy with me that year. I don't think she believed Ron that he had broken up with me.'
'You worried that dating Ron would ruin your friendship?' Draco asked, looking curious. Hermione looked at him sideways — he was a very unlikely Agony Aunt, and he had never seemed remotely interested in her past history with Ron before. But he seemed sincere enough. 'Didn't you worry that with Harry?'
'No.' She felt herself blush. 'But I guess that's what being desperately in love will do to you.' In the back of her mind, she was seeing that day in front of the Mirror again, Harry standing there soaking wet and saying all those unbelievable things to her — and she'd barely believed them, even when he'd kissed her and she'd tasted the rain on his mouth — that night, alone in bed, she'd cried again, piercingly and terribly and as if she'd never stop. There were reasons she had for crying, but they were deeper reasons she herself did not quite understand.
'If only you'd figured out that business about being in love with Harry a bit earlier,' Draco said, his voice betraying no emotion. 'Would have saved you a lot of trouble with Ron.'
And with me, his eyes said, although his mouth didn't.
'I don't think of it as trouble,' Hermione said. 'It was something I had to do. But of course I wish we'd figured it out earlier.'
Draco shook his head. 'Hard to imagine two people could be any blinder,' he said. 'Would have thought that little exercise in futility would have taught you something, but apparently not.'
Hermione looked at him in surprise, stung. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Just that sometimes I can't tell if you're both honestly stupid, or you just don't see things you don't want to see.'
Hermione glared at him. 'Well, we've figured it out now, thank you.'
'Sure you have.'
'This from the guy who's got his own love life all sorted,' Hermione snapped. 'Do you think Blaise notices that you look sick every time she touches you?'
'No, but you apparently do,' Draco snapped right back.
'It's a bit hard to miss!'
'Right,' he said. His cheeks were flushed with annoyance, his gray eyes burning. 'Especially if you're watching.'
'I am not — ' Hermione began, and checked herself as Madam Pomfrey stuck her head around the side of one of the hanging sheets, and glared.
'Do not excite the patient,' she said severely, and walked away sniffing.
Draco said something unintelligible.
'What?' Hermione demanded sharply.
Draco flashed her a vexed look. 'I said,' he said through his teeth, 'that this was not what I wanted you to stay and talk to me about.'
'I didn't bring it up. And I'm not sure I even want to hear what your problem is any more!' she snapped, and started to stand up.
'Wait,' he said, and caught at her arm. The fire had gone out of his eyes; now he looked startled, as if he realized he'd said more than he wanted to. 'Harry said I ought to ask you to help,' he said quickly. 'He was right.
I should have asked before. I wouldn't ask now if it wasn't important.'
