How Do I Comprehend (Dramione)

Chapter Thirteen- Don't Panic, It's Fine

Four days later.

"Hermione!" Ronald shouted as we embraced. We met up by our infamous tree, just as he was returning home.
"Ron..." I huffed into his shoulder, inhaling the familiar husky scent. As we pulled away, I could see our icy breath mixing in the air.
"How was your Christmas?" Ron asked, letting go of my waist and rubbing his hands together to get warm.
"It was..." - don't panic, don't panic- "fine." I exhaled, realizing how hard it would be to act around Ron, knowing how I'd cheated on him with possibly the worst person to cheat with.
"What about you?"
"It was good, I got another Weasley jumper," said Ron, pointing to a knitted maroon sweater that had a golden letter 'R' on the front.

We strolled past Proffessor Sprout's gardens and under an arch into the Great Hall, where we saw Harry and Ginny talking. We walked hand-in-hand, and for once, I felt kind of calm. However, that calm was demolished when I realized that Malfoy could be in the hall. As we casually made our way towards Harry and Ginny, I scowered the room, making sure he wasn't here. Thankfully, he wasn't... yet. We sat down next to Ginny with Harry opposite us, and greeted each other.
"Hey, Hermy." Ginny smiled sweetly, waving a hand slightly.
"Hey Gin Gin." I grinned back. We had strange nick names.
"Hermione," Harry started saying. "Do we have potions tomorrow?"
"Yes, why?"
"It's just... Snape's been giving me a rough time and I havn't learnt how to make the love potion off by heart and... well, you're my only hope of survival." Harry battered his eye lashes and stuck out his bottom lip.
"You want me to help you for our OWLs?" When Harry nodded, I rolled my eyes but agreed.
After a short amount of time of small talk, Ron spoke.
"Why is daddy's boy staring at us?" He nodded his head behind us and over to the far side of the hall, where the Slytherin table was. I looked past a few Hufflepuffs, then met with Malfoy's eyes. He wasn't glaring, but he wasn't smiling.
I instantly jolted my eyes away and stood to get up, stepping over the bench. Ginny, Harry and Ron all stared at me, confuzed.
"I just realized that I had an assignment due." I said, thinking fast.
"Oh ok, do you want me to come?" Ron asked, standing up next to me.
"Yeah, okay." I smiled a tight line and grabbed his hand, waving goodbye to the others, then pulling him down the side and away from Malfoy. We were almost out of the hall when I turned to see Malfoy storming down his isle and towards us. I sped up to a fast walk, pulling Ron to the same pace as me.
"Why the rush?" He groaned, pulling a disgruntled face as we came out of the hall and started walking up the gold stone stairs.
"I just-" My head swivelled round to see Malfoy starting to run up the stairs after us- "I really need to get this assignment done."
I yanked Ron around a sharp turn, to the left, at the top of the stairs and we continued down a long, dragging corridor that lead to the moving stair cases. Behind us, I could hear the echo of Malfoy's heels gaining on us, so I waited two seconds before a set of stairs had started passing us. However, instead of waiting for another stair case to stop where we were, I jumped over the small gap in-between the platform from where we were standing and encouraged Ron along as we landed on the still moving staircase.
"Woah!" Ron nearly lost his balance, slightly leaning back, but I caught him and walked up a few steps. Malfoy had reached the same platform to where we once stood, but the stair case had taken us almost halfway across the room by then, and he was left, glaring fiercely at me. I blinked, then turn around so we were facing the top of the stairs.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron's worrying tone brought back a pang of guilt, so I turned to him and pecked him on the cheek, to ensure him that I was fine. The staircase met the other platform and connected the two floors. Malfoy was still waiting by the platform, and it looked as though he had given up with the dog chase, so he turned on his heels, and stormed off back down the corridor. Ron and I strolled up the stairs and onto the platform, standing in front of the fat lady. Ron recited the password, and we entered the Gryffindor common room. A warmth hit me, and I finally felt free from the guilt I had felt. Ron walked over to the fire and the couch, then collapsed from exhaustion while I gathered some ink, a quill and some parchment. I did have to revise a bit of my potions, however, my meetings with Malfoy had resolved all the issues I had about how to make the love potion, so I just assumed that Professor would want me to prove that I understood the topic, and so I would write some evidence. I followed after Ron's example, and feel next to him on the couch. Setting down the equipment on the floor, I turned to face Ron, and shut my eyes to rest. I felt a soft touch on my cheek, and then Ron kissing my forehead. How could anything be so sweet, so innocent? All I knew, was that I couldn't feel this happy with anyone else, could I? That night, I told myself that I was in love with Ronald, nobody else. However, some part of me yearned for somebody else to be lying next to me... someone who smelt like peppermint...