Hello! I'm really sorry that I didn't upload right when the vote count was reached even though I said I would. I was really sick, and didn't check Wattpad until this morning. Let me just tell you, you guys made my day. 900 Votes! Never thought I'd reach that number. Thank you!

There are semi-important announcements at the end of this chapter, so please read them.

Enjoy!

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 Every cloud has a silver lining   -Unknown

            “Hermione,” Ron called, making his way towards her. “Hermione, I need to talk to you.”

            With a jolt, Hermione snapped back to the present.

            “The silver lining,” Hermione whispered, still staring at the spot where Draco had left, her thought still caught up in that strange look in Draco’s eyes that she was unable to decipher before but now could.

            “Erm…no…I’m Ron,” Ron replied awkwardly. “Do you mind coming into the corridor? I have to speak to you and it’s a bit quieter over there.”

            Hermione just nodded and followed Ron, without hearing a word of what Ron had said.

            Once they were in the corridor, Ron began speaking.

            “I know you probably hate me right now, and mind you, you have every right to do so. But please hear me out,” Ron pleaded. “I was drugged. Or rather potioned. Astoria slipped something, a love potion of some sort, int---.”

            “WHAT?!” Hermione exclaimed, finally snapping out of her thoughts. “Start from the beginning.”

            “I suppose Percy and Penelope’s wedding would be the place to start,” Ron started hesitantly. “You couldn’t come, due to work, and neither could Gabrielle’s boyfriend. So we were basically stuck together for the entire day, as she was one of the bridesmaids and I was one of the groomsmen. We hit it off pretty well, joking and laughing like we had known each other for forever. Now that I look back on it, the attraction between us was undeniable. But back then, I dismissed it as the beginning of a great friendship. But as the months went on, we grew more and more attracted to each other. We both knew it would be frowned upon in society, if anything were to happen between us, so we both ignored it. I told myself that it was wrong and tried my best to ignore the attraction.

            “But when everyone began pressuring me to propose to you, I began to panic and started having second thoughts. That’s why I didn’t go to the Christmas Ball. But I convinced myself that I was just being stupid and proposed to you the next day.

            “But a few weeks ago, I ran into Gabrielle in Diagon Alley. That’s when I realized that I was on the verge of making the biggest mistake of my life. I realized that I only loved you like a sibling. I just fooled myself into thinking that I loved you in any other way, just to meet everyone else’s expectations. I realized that I loved the girl who was sitting in front me right then, and it would’ve been very selfish of me to marry you and deny you a chance of marrying someone who loves you. So I decided to break off the engagement.

            “Unfortunately, before I was going to meet you at The Quaint Corner, I decided to stop at the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. It was then that Astoria slipped something in my drink. I don’t really know what potion it was, but it seemed like a mixture of amortenia and imperius, if there is such a thing. She had complete control over me. I…I never meant to break up like that. I am very sorry it happened like that. It was downright cruel, the things that she made me say…” Ron trailed off.

            “The things I said…I just want you to know that they weren’t true,” Ron said. “I tried to break through the spell, but each time the effects would begin to wear off, she would force me to drink more of it. She forgot to brew more of it due to excitement of the ball, and I was able to break free of it.”

            “That evil, loathsome, pathetic, excuse of a witch!” Hermione exclaimed as her eyes flashed with anger. “How dare she do something like that?! She should be carted off to Azkaban!”

            “Yeah. We had a little confrontation of sorts a few minutes ago,” Ron replied with a grimace. “I’m informing the Daily Prophet as well as filing a case at the Ministry.”

            “You know, as much as I hate her right now,” Hermione began with a sad smile. “I’m glad she did this.”

            “What?! Why?!” Ron asked incredulously. “Did she slip something in your drink too?”

            “Well. I suppose I have a confession of sorts to make,” Hermione replied. “Draco and I were not actually dating. It was a charade of sorts.”

            “WHAT?!” Ron exclaimed.

            “After you dumped me and started going out with Astoria, Draco and I came up with a plan to get revenge. We were going to pretend to date, and win ‘Witch and Wizard of the Year’ and infuriate Astoria.”

            “Well, that part worked well,” Ron muttered, recalling Astoria’s face that was distorted in fury when the winners were announced.

            “In the course of this month, I fell in love with him,” Hermione replied. “I didn’t realize until he left me today, that I had loved him ever since out eighth year in Hogwarts. All these years, I fooled myself, trying to meet everyone’s expectations when I should have followed my heart. I tried to meet their expectation of us being together, to the point where I even convinced myself into believing that I loved you beyond just like a brother. If it wasn’t for Astoria, I would’ve never realized that I had fallen in love. Who would’ve known, that the Gryffindor bookworm would end up falling for the Slytherin prince after all?” Hermione finished with a chuckle.

            “It’s been quite a month, eh?” Ron asked with a laugh.

            “Yes, it has,” Hermione replied with a sad smile. “What are you still doing here?” she asked after a few minutes.

            “Huh?”

            “I believe the Delacours are in attendance. You should explain everything to Gabrielle, she seemed quite heartbroken at Harry and Ginny’s wedding when she saw you with Astoria,” Hermione elaborated.

            “Oh, right. That would be a smart thing to do,” Ron replied sheepishly. “Thank you for understanding.”

            “No problem,” Hermione smiled at him.

            “Are you not going?” Ron asked when he realized that Hermione was still standing at the same spot.

            “I don’t really feel like going back to the party--,” Hermione began.

            “No, not the party,” Ron interrupted. “Aren’t you going after the Ferret? I was under the impression that he had left.”

            “Yes, he did leave,” Hermione replied sadly.

            “You are just going to let him walk away?” Ron asked. “Again?”

            When Hermione didn’t reply, Ron continued, “Hermione, I really don’t like the idea of you and Malfoy being together, it’s going to take a while to get used to the fact that my best friend is dating our ex-enemy, but it seems like you love him, so let me tell you something. A wise man once said true love only comes once; you only get one shot at it. You are lucky enough to have gotten a second chance, so don’t let him go. You might not get another chance.”

            Hermione flung her arms around Ron, who hugged her back. “Thank you for the pep talk. Even though it was overflowing with cheesiness, I really needed it. By the way who is this wise man who told you that? Does he happen to be a ginger named Ronald Weasley, by any chance?”

            “Who else do you know who could come up with something that brilliant on a moment’s notice?” Ron asked with a smile.

            “It’s nice to have you back,” Hermione replied with a grin.

            “It’s nice to have you back too,” Ron replied. “Good luck!” he called out, running towards the ballroom to find Gabrielle as Hermione began running towards the door to find Draco.

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            Hermione ran, and ran, and ran. She ran faster than she had ever before in her life. The moment she reached the apparition point, she turned on the spot and apparated to Draco’s apartment.

            “Draco!” she called out, hoping will all her heart to hear a reply. “Draco? Are you here?”

            Unfortunately, there was not reply. She quickly cast a charm that detected human presence and realized that she was the only one in the apartment.

            Not quite dispirited yet, she apparated to the Malfoy manor. The second her feet met the earth, she ran to the door and began knocking furiously.

            An ancient house elf opened the door. Before the house elf could even open his mouth, Hermione asked breathlessly, “Has Draco arrived at the Manor recently?”

            “No Miss Granger. I hasn’t seen Master Draco i---.”

            “Thank you!” Hermione called out running to the apparition point again, with her brain spinning a million rotations a second trying to find a place where Draco might’ve gone. “What if…”she wondered. “No, he wouldn’t…why would he…it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Hermione decided.

            She closed her eyes, and turned on the spot, disapparating from the quiet streets of Wiltshire, in front of Malfoy Manor. When her feet hit the ground, she opened her eyes to find herself standing across the street from Tiffany’s and Co.

            She took a deep breath and turned around, her eyes slowly going over the deserted coffee tables of the Quaint Corner, hoping with all her heart to see Draco.

            “This was a stupid idea,” she scolded herself. “Why would anyone come to a Coffee shop after midnight on new year’s?”

            Just as she was about to give up and leave, her eyes landed on a tall figure slouched in a chair, staring intently at a cup of coffee. Hermione’s heart jumped with a jolt when she realized that the tall form had a shock of platinum blonde hair.

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So. Did you guys see the whole Ron-Gabrielle thing coming? There were hints in Wedding chapter =)

Anyways, IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

1) Since this book is coming to an end, I need to decide on a cover. So far, I cant pick between two. One of them is the current cover and the other is on the side. Please let me know which one you like better.

2) So I started writing two other stories, I shall post the first chapter of the Romance one the same day I post chapter 29. And the first chapter of the Dramione will be posted on the same day I post chapter 30. So, look out for those.

3) Early Update: When my vote count reaches 975. That is 46 votes. I know you can do it!! (This is scary, I sound like Dora).

Until next time, vote, fan, comment, and, most definitely, keep on loving Harry Potter =)