I Learned Your Pulse

"You want her to be happy, correct?"

"Leave, Ginny," Weasley ordered. It came from between his teeth.

Once again, Draco felt guilty for listening into a conversation, but this one was partiularly boring, so he didn't feel too bad. So Weasley was distraught - understandable. He'd lost a brother. But why didn't he get Granger, or even his sister, to help him like last time? Because he wanted to be alone, Draco reasoned, but he's a bloody idiot.

Weasley didn't seem to agree, but Weaslette sure did. "Not likely, Ron," she said. He heard a soft squishing sound and guessed he'd sat down beside her brother on a couch. "Missing him?"

"Yes."

Draco was surprised. Not that he'd said yes, of course Draco'd been expecting that, but the answer had come much too quickly to be believable - it was obvious that even if it was true, it wasn't all. He strained to hear.

"What else?" Weaslette demanded.

"I..."

"Ronald Weasley, you had better -"

"It's Hermione."

Draco felt, for some odd reason, like he'd been punched in the gut just hearing him say her name so... lovingly. When Weaslette said Potter's name, it was never gushy and over-the-top, like Weasley's way right now when he talked about Granger. But behind the mushiness was a sadness - not powerful, but defeated.

"What about Hermione?" Weaslette's voice became much softer now, comforting.

"I think - Ginny, you know I love her, but -"

"But? Ron, you love her."

"I do," he agreed, whole-heartedly. Draco's paled a little at the mention of love, but stayed put. "But, Ginny, I'm not... coping."

There as no immediate response from Weaslette - Draco himself had to stop his tongue from splurting 'Really, I hadn't noticed' and he'd've bet she did too. But she responded, "And so...?"

"Ginny, Hermione needs someone that can be whole for her."

Weaslette paused again, but this time Draco knew she was letting his words sink in. "Ron, are you saying you need a break with her?"

Weasley's turn to pause had come. But, eventually, he muttered, "Yeah, I am."

"Ronald Wealey..!"

"Calm down, Ginny!" Weasley hissed. There was a moment's silence, in which he could hear Weaslett'e deep breathing. Draco tried not to make a sound, but his breathing had, unbeknownst to him, accelerated as the conversation had moved forward. He had just got it under control when Weasley piped up again. "It's obvious she wants me, Gin, but I just can't deal having someone on my arm at the moment. I need time to get over this death, and then we can be together."

"Ron, she's the only girl in the trio that defeated Voldemort. The boys will be flocking to her if you dump her now. You might not get another chance to be with her."

Weasly was uncertain, but said, "If she loves me like I love her, she'll understand."

"But then," Wealette argued, "what was the point of saying you loved her in the hallway today? The point of kissing her?"

Weasley had ready-made answers for these questions. "I had to do both of them one last time," he said. "And kissing her in front of them like that was saying I really do love her, I just can't deal with her."

"You make her sound like an adorable, badly-behaved dog." Her tone was acidic.

"She's no Sirius, but I love her anyways."