I awoke the next morning to unpleasant screams. I jolted my eyes open and looked around the room, though still in the chair next to Ron's bed. Harry had also just awoken from the screams and was looking around curiously.

Ron was blankly snoring loudly, obviously sleeping through the screams. I got up while Harry checked on Ron. I pulled Ron's curtains and heard whispers from Draco's closed curtain. I slightly opened the curtains and saw Hermione sitting there with a potion, helping him swallow it while he sat there sweating and panting. He had another nightmare and Hermione knew.

A pang of hurt soared through my body as Hermione slipped the liquid forcefully down his throat and I closed the curtain rapidly.

Why am I feeling hurt?

I ignored the odd feeling and walked back over to Ron's hospital bed.

"Hi Ron, how are you feeling?" I asked kindly.

"Fantastic," he retorted.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault you go in a fight!"

"I know."

I sat in the chair by him once again next to a frantic Harry and told them the screaming came from Draco.

"Why was he screaming?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"Nightmares."

He nodded and I could sense a feeling guilt or even pity radiating off of him. Harry, Draco, and I all suffered from nightmares and we never talked about it. It was all so embarrassing and personal. I wasn't even sure anyone knew about mine except Blaise and Hermione.

"So when can you get out, Ron?" I questioned.

"It's going to be awhile. Madam Pomfrey said Malfoy's got a pretty good punch. He broke a couple of my ribs, bruised my nose badly, and she even said my mouth is more swollen than she's ever seen before," he sadly answered.

"We can bring you meals everyday and I'll be here whenever I don't have class," I assured, attempting to cheer him up.

"Thanks."

I heard more whispers and giggles from Draco's bed and I turned to Harry to distract myself from the lingering feeling of bitterness that wafted through me once again.

"Harry would you be willing to do one on ones on the quidditch pitch a couple times a week?" I begged. "I need to practice more and everybody talks about how good you are."

"I mean — sure — absolutely — brilliant," he finished.

"Great! I would really like to play next year if I'm good at all."

"You'll be —" Harry began.

"Is that Hermione?" Ron interrupted aggressively.

"Yes, Ron, she is tending to Draco." I chose my words wisely, not wanting to cause a scene.

"She is over there laughing with that git? While I'm her best friend and I'm more bloodied up than him!" he angrily whispered.

"She seems to be taking a liking to Malfoy." Harry scowled.

"Great, if Hermione gets with Draco, we will have to be around him constantly." Ron groaned once more.

"Can we at least try to be happy for her? Yes, I know it's Malfoy, but Hermione makes good decisions and if she really likes someone, won't it at least distract her from her studies and frequent reading?" I pleaded trying to be a little sympathetic and pushing away all of my own feelings of bitterness towards Draco and insecurity with Ron and our relationship.

"I agree." Harry quickly nodded. "Let's see if Hermione is happy. After all, she has never been wrong before."

Ron slammed his head back onto his pillow and instantly fell asleep. He had looked exhausted ever since Harry woke him up. I chuckled at his dramatic way to fall asleep and sat there in Harry's presence for the remainder of the morning. A few minutes past when I decided to bring some breakfast for the three of us. I rushed down, filled up three plates and hauled them carefully up the the hospital wing.

I was about halfway there when Fred and George Weasley stopped me.

"Hey guys, I really need to go — bring — these — ahh — plates to Ron and Harry," I said as the plates kept slipping from my hands.

"Let us help, love," they said in sync while each grabbing a plate out of my hand.

"We need to visit our dear brother Ronald anyhow." George stated.

I simply nodded and we walked in a line down the hall and into the hospital wing. I opened the curtain where Ron was sleeping and sat in my usual chair. Harry conjured two more chairs when he saw the twins walk in right after me.

"Ron!" Fred shouted, jolting Ron awake in panic. We all laughed as he looked around confusedly for a moment.

"We have breakfast," the twins said together while wiggling the plate of pancakes, yogurt, and eggs.

"Ooh food!" Ron bellowed, instantly grabbing the plate and shoving the food down his throat. We all slightly laughed at him but when it died out we sat in a sad silence.

"I heard you had a..." Fred began.

"... bloody good punch," George teased.

Harry looked uncomfortable and I squeezed his arm in a small attempt to assure him that Ron will be okay. He gave a light smile and I turned back to the ginger boy, slurping his yogurt in the hospital bed.

"Ronald! Don't eat so messily," Hermione scolded while opening the curtains and making her presence known.

She stood next to the twins and stared blankly into Ron's eager-to-eat-anything eyes. A scoff escaped her lips directed at him as he slurped up the last droppings of yogurt left on his silver plate.

"Now you show up," Ron said bitterly.

"Yes, Ron! And frankly, you should be happy that I'm trying to find someone new. I won't come to you to talk about all my homework anymore. Also, you will not have to deal with my yelling at you over your stupid rat always getting near Crookshanks!" Hermione screamed while storming off.

"Well you've finally done it mate, —"

" — you've set off the bomb that women build up for years." George smirked.

"Shut up, boys." I sighed at the twins while looking at Ron, who had looked so regretful you would've thought he killed a puppy.

"Ron, I'll be back in a bit," I shortly stated.

It was as if he didn't even register what I said as he stared at the plain curtains, simply thinking about what he had just done. Harry ran up behind me and followed me to the girls bathroom.

"Come on Harry," I urged as he stood outside the door to walk into the bathrooms.

"I'm not going in!" he yelled.

"Harry!" I grabbed his arm and forced him in without informing him as to why were were in here.

"Hermione?" I softly called out.

I heard sniffles coming from a stall. I opened it to a crying Hermione who pathetically smiled as she looked up at from her spot on the ground.

"Hi, I'm just — uh — practicing my acting skills." She sniffled again.

"Hermione, come here," I comforted while giving her a long hug.

Harry stood awkwardly staring at the two of us and I chortled at him.

I then grabbed Hermione's hand and led her out of the bathroom to the castle grounds. With Harry following right behind us, we trudged over to the wooden bench next to the frozen Black Lake. Harry sat next to me, Hermione sat on the other side. and me in the middle of the two.

"Ron doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut Hermione, you know that. He gets jealous and doesn't want anyone taking his friend away from him, especially Malfoy," I reassured.

"I know but he's never going to apologize. He's too proud." She frowned at the thought of losing him over Malfoy.

"Of course he's not, he doesn't even know what he did wrong!" I chuckled. Harry grinned at that comment and we sat there staring at the wavy water for a few minutes.

"Hermione, if you honestly like Draco, by all means, go for it," I said, though an unforeseen urge to cry came about in my eyes. "I have to go now, see you two later."

I heard Harry and Hermione ask "what's wrong?" but all I was focused on doing was getting away from them and soon. I forced myself to walk while tears formed from my eyes that I rapidly blinked away. I wasn't even sure why I had been so upset but I knew that there were hidden feelings deep down. My feet took over and trailed all the way to the Slytherin common room.

My strides became bigger as I gained speed. I was jogging in the hall, one light tear attempting to slip from my eyes. I wiped it on my sleeve before it fell and continued jogging.

The halls were empty and felt as if a dementor was lurking about. All the life had been sucked from the air and I was running through a dark, never ending tunnel. I was eventually hit by a train, better known as Blaise Zabini.

I stumbled backwards but Blaise grabbed my arms which held me steady. I gasped and started breathing heavily, as I had just been running and using all my energy to prevent myself from crying. I wasn't weak and I wasn't going to prove Malfoy right. His comment about me in the Astronomy Tower stuck, but I couldn't decipher why.

"What happened?" Blaise asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine." I panted while slowly walking away.

"Don't do this right now! I'm tired of it! You always think that you can't talk to anyone else about your problems! Why don't you talk to me anymore like we used to? I'm here. Right now. So tell me, and don't run away from me or your feelings," Blaise shouted.

I turned back to face him, tears now streaming a river down my puffy cheeks. I sobbed violently and put my hands over my face in an attempt to conceal my embarrassing breakdown unfolding in front of my first friend.

"I'm sorry," I cried, letting my guard down.

"Y/n, come to my dorm," he replied. He walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulder. He pushed me to the common room while the tears fell silently. As we walked passed the common room, I pretended to scratch my face in an attempt to cover up my bloodshot eyes, considering there were a few people glancing at us in the common room.

Blaise gripped tighter on my shoulder as he walked me up the stairs into his dorm. I laid on the bed next to his, not caring whatsoever who it belonged to. Black tears, filled with mascara, dropped onto the white pillowcase of the bed I was laying on.

Why am I even crying? What has me feeling so overwhelmed? What actual feelings are concealed deep down?

Blaise opened his nightstand drawer and pulled out a small radio. He played a soft classical song and sat on the edge of the bed that I laid on.

"Why?" Blaise asked, demanding an answer in his eyes.

I knew exactly what he meant. Why was I crying? A question that I was wracking my brain for an answer myself. I wanted to shove all my feelings down again, but it was much too late.

"Insecurities, jealousy, and I'm not really sure." I slightly laughed the tears away.

"Ron is just confusing all the time, don't think for one second that he doesn't like you. What is there to be jealous of anyway? I saw the way you smiled in the mirror after Draco picked that outfit... you were happy. Where did that person go?"

I felt my heart beat rapidly as he said Draco's name. I finally understood. I was jealous that Hermione and Draco would be happy, and I'm stuck with a man who clearly loves someone else.

"I love him," I abruptly stated.

"So when are you going to tell him?" Blaise jumped up from the bed.

I continued staring at the ceiling. "I can't, he's in love with Hermione."

Blaise froze. His eyes widened and mouth hung open. "Oh," is all he managed to weasel out. "Draco and you?"

"No, Blaise. I love Ron, but he loves Hermione!" I bellowed.

I felt loads better, finally admitting my feelings for Ron. Although I'm certain I loved him, I knew the way he stared at Hermione, the way he got jealous when she glanced at Draco, and the uncomfortable shifting he did when he stared back. I knew it all along but I dumbly ignored it.

After awhile of laying in a random bed with tears dried up into crust on my face, I finally spoke.

"How do I end it?" My voice cracked dramatically.

"Tell him how you feel," he shortly stated.

"Easier said then done, Blaise."

"Sometimes you have to suck it up and do it."

"Can't wait," I replied sarcastically while drifting off into a deep slumber.