Hermione granger was distraught. 'I feel like a fool' she thought, as she angrily pushed through the crowd making for the only sanctuary left since her return to Hogwarts. Fame did not suit Hermione. Everyone wants to talk, everyone wants to ask questions, everyone suddenly wants to be friends, and not even the library was safe. Happily one place remained where Hermione could just be.
The blank stretch of wall was all she needed, passing before it three times she focused on what she wanted most, "sanctuary, comfort, I need a safe place away from everything". She turned and faced the wall, the door had appeared. With a grateful smile Hermione turned the knob and pushed her way inside. It had been a thrill to discover the room of requirement still worked, though doubtless the room of lost/hidden things was gone for good. Closing the door behind her she felt it disappear and knew she was safe, 'hidden in the new room of hidden things'. The random thought almost made her smile, but her mind could never let her so easily forget why she was there to begin with. "Ronald" she breathed a soft, tired sigh and smoothed the crumpled witch weekly. Shaking her head she tried to laugh but it was no use. This could not be brushed aside as poor journalism, too well she knew how facts could be twisted but for Merlin's sake this one came with a picture! Did he really think she wouldn't find out? "He can't really be that daft…" She ripped it to shreds. Abandoning her bag at the door and she dropped onto the nearest squashy armchair, and though emotionally drained she was determined to reason this out.
The man she thought she knew, the one she loved, who had been one of her best friends for nearly ten years, was possibly a moron but definitely a cheat. A lousy, two timing, pile of rancid doxy droppings. Which was a problem. One Hermione was unsure how to solve. She'd known his weaknesses. The desire for money was understandable. Growing up poor left him with a slight dependency on money for security, but they could work through that. His lack of self confidence in the past had led to jealousy and fights. Then after Voldemort fell they had all been subjected to interviews and invited to parties, the press had a field day over their new relationship, and Ron's confidence had soared. Hermione (and Harry) had been glad to see him shine for once. It seemed he finally knew his own worth. The attention had been good for him, but where Hermione and Harry had grown tired of it, Ron only seemed to want more. He never turned down a party invite, he loved to show up and show off, make a scene and then eagerly check the headlines the next morning. It was annoying at first and for once she had had reason to be the jealous one. Always questioning "where have you been, who were you with, is that lipstick?" slowly her dreams devolved into chaos. The parties had led to drinks, drinks led to girls, girls led to headlines and interviews and it all somehow led to money. Being somebody meant everything to him now. She had taken a back seat… after all that they had suffered and made it through. "This is intolerable!" she mumbled as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She curled herself more tightly into a ball and soon fell asleep before the fire.
Draco had been too startled to move. 'How in the name of LeFae had she gotten in here, AGAIN!?' The first time Granger interrupted his solitude he had asked the room to shield him, which it must have done again because he was sitting almost directly in front of her and she hadn't noticed. "Why do you keep doing this granger, this is MY hiding place, why do YOU need to hide?" Impulsively he reached up to move a stray bit of her hair when his hand brushed something wet. "Tears Granger?" Wondering what could have upset her so much Draco summoned the shredded bits of magazine and mended them with a silent wave of his wand. The sight of a certain ginger snogging a mystery woman in some poorly lit pub was not what he had expected. "I guess you guys were just a little too perfect…" he whispered to the sleeping Gryffindor as he shredded the magazine for the second time. Still, he felt bad for the girl before him. After all that she had seen and done and been through, she deserved some peace, she deserved a happy life. An easy life, with someone to love and be loved by. She didn't deserve this… "Not that you have any right to care" he mentally chided himself and began packing his things. If she needed the room he could at least be a gentleman and give her a little privacy, after all one night in the dorms wouldn't kill him.
The next morning came a little too soon for Hermione, she had a strong desire to remain hidden in her room for the entire weekend. The world outside didn't make sense and she really didn't want to cope with it. Bits of her mother's advice drifted through her mind as she forced herself out of the chair and towards the door, "moping isn't coping little granger, when you're hurting and upset focus outward. Help someone, do something with a friend, and when you have some distance between you and your problems, cope. "Moping isn't coping, focus outward, moping isn't coping…" she repeated all the way up to Gryffindor tower to shower and change then down to breakfast in the great hall. A few Gryffindor's were still eating when Hermione came in, they waved her over, and happily she joined them. All day long she tried to follow her mum's advice, she helped first years with homework, aided Madam Pince in the library, and even went out to watch quidditch practice. It felt strange to be at Hogwarts without Harry or Ron. Even though she tried not to think of him, everything reminded her of who they used to be and who they were now. It was a very long day. In the end she had to escape, the common room was just too noisy and she had two important letters to write. She decided to walk down to the lake, maybe a little fresh air and quiet would calm her thoughts.