I soooooo hope that Draco and his father get their comeuppance.  Draco aids the people that killed the headmaster and he can return after writing some letters?  I demand justice, lol!  (I'd be fine with more torture... er, should I have admitted that?)

Also, I always thought Harry was daft in his reasonings for breaking up with Ginny.  Perhaps he thought he was what made her noticeable... not her red hair, or family, or...  Anyway, Harry, do everyone a favor and just get back with her.

I can empathize with Hermione wanting to make sure that Ron’s proposal comes from love, not obligation.  But I’m disappointed that she didn’t voice her concerns to him.  Where’s her trust in him, the trust she asked of him when she was at Malfoy’s apartment earlier?

Which, by the way, she’s gone to again.  I know she’s pregnant and feels as if she failed herself and Ron, but Merlin, it’s hard to empathize with someone who makes the same mistakes over, and over, and over again.  Especially when those actions are so hurtful to the one she claims to love and the one who is so devoted to her.  She has the complete devotion of a wonderful, handsome, and capable man; she has a love that people spend their whole lives looking for.  The callousness with which she treats this treasure is staggering.  I feel guilty about saying this, but sometimes it’s even hard for me to see why Ron should stay with her.  She treats him like dirt, walks all over him, and hides things from him (even before the pregnancy) instead of being honest about the things that are bothering her.

Once again, we get to see the chivalrous Draco Malfoy: “Draco knew he could simply reveal the truth and his father would be absolutely delighted, but there were no assurances that he wouldn’t just take Hermione from Draco’s flat and that just wasn’t something he was prepared to deal with.  It had taken him months to get to where they were and his father wasn’t going to take her from him, not now.”  What great concern he has for Hermione, hiding her from his father so that his father can’t take away something that’s his.  Can’t let her get away before he can bed her, right?

“All those times he turned on the charm, touched her, kissed her and each time with the clear intent to earn her trust for Voldemort’s gain, instead became earning her trust for Draco Malfoy’s gain.  He wanted her and it was becoming more important to him than fulfilling some task for the Dark Lord.  It was becoming personal.”  This quote is, as you’ve noticed, why I hate Malfoy.  Everything he does is for himself.  He doesn’t love Hermione; he loves himself and his happiness and he sees her as a commodity that will make his life better.  He doesn’t love Hermione; he loves himself and his pride and he can’t stand the thought of anything choosing “the Weasel” over himself.  He hasn’t truly chosen a side in the war because he can’t figure out who the winning team is yet. 

Again. yay for snogging!

 It was nice to see Hermione addressing Ron’s insecurities in this chapter; she was aware of how her actions were making him feel.   Too often in this story it seems she ignores the consequences her actions have on him. 

So let me get this straight... Ron's in Egypt putting his life on the line for the Order and Hermione's kissing his biggest enemy behind his back when he's away?  Even if she wasn't totally into it, she almost gave in until the last second, and tells Draco of this fact.  How much does she actually care for Ron?  Then after it happens, she still lets Draco be close to her, touch her, and kiss her on the cheek.  If Ron pulled this junk with Pansy Parkinson, Hermione would never speak to him again, Harry would beat him to a pulp, and Ginny would hex his bits off and feed them to the giant squid.

On top of all that, she never tells Ron that she kissed Draco, saw him naked, or about the repeated advances that he makes towards her, let alone the feelings of attraction she feels towards Draco.  Instead, she belittles Ron for "overreacting" when he accuses Draco of things that are actually happening.  Ron deserves better than what Hermione is showing him.

PS: thanks for reading one of the rants I warned you about, lol!  I felt like I had to say these things or my head would explode.

*feels rant coming on* 

“He always put Hermione first, helping her look at flats, bringing her lunch at her office, taking her for walks.  Having an official steady girlfriend had turned him into a new person.”  I’m trying hard to see why Ron keeps putting up with Hermione’s actions.  She knows that when she sees Draco it pains Ron.  So her solution is to meet up with Draco in his apartment behind Ron’s back.  She also decides to do this Saturday night, because that’s such an obvious meeting time for platonic friends, right?  Then she goes into Malfoy’s bedroom and is surprised when he comes on to her again.  And why wouldn’t she be surprised, it’s the first time that’s happened, right? …. Oh, I guess not.   How many times is she going to let this happen?  How naïve can she possibly be?  It’s like she’s five years old.  She’s more concerned with Draco’s feelings than Ron’s; her concern for letting Draco down easily this time—again—is unfathomable to me.   She’d rather let Draco touch and kiss her while letting him down easy than stand up forcefully for her relationship with Ron, the person who she supposedly values the most.  She could take care of things once and for all if she would be forceful and stop this my-lips-say-no-but-my-eyes-say-yes “we’re just friends…for now” junk.  It’s clear that Ron puts her first in his life; it’s clear that she doesn’t do the same.  Ron’s a better person than I am for forgiving her so quickly considering her actions, and considering the fact that when Ron called her a slut—for circumstances she seems to repeat over and over—she held a grudge against him for months.  I suppose it’s not surprising that Ron would forgive her; he loves her and he is very loyal.  It’d be nice to see Hermione stop taking advantage of that loyalty.

“If you can’t trust me, then we can’t have an honest relationship.”  Who is the one going behind the other’s back?  It’s almost outrageous that after what happened, Hermione doesn’t admit even an iota of a mistake and instead lays a guilt trip on Ron’s reaction, posing the situation as a referendum on his trust in her.

PS: Whew, I feel like Vesuvius.

Ugh, why couldn't someone just "accidentally" push Malfoy in front of the train?  Probably not very conducive to the plot, though.