Hermione watched as Draco sprinted out of the Great Hall. He looked like he was in pain. She wondered why as she stared after him with a concerned and curious gaze. Harry was talking to Katie Bell, the girl who had been cursed by a mysterious package given to her. She had finally recovered and was back, everyone was trying their best not to make a fuss as they crowded around her. Nobody could help but overwhelm her the questions.
Eventually, Hermione's curiosity got the best of her. She started to rise from the Gryffindor table, but Ron's hand caught her wrist.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"I have to, er... Use the restroom." Hermione replied, coming up with it on the spot.
"Fine." Ron grunted, ane reluctantly let go of her. Hermione couldn't help but feel annoyed with him as she rushed off to follow Malfoy.
She followed him through long twisted corridors, and eventuly he disappeared into the boy's restroom. Hermione felt very uncomfortable as she slowly followed him.
Malfoy threw off his navy blue sweater vest and let it fall to the ground. He turned on cold water and splashed some on his face. Still walking slowly, Hermione approached him.
Draco began to sob loud, heart-wrenching cries. Hermione didn't know whether or not she felt bad for him. It sounded so sad, but then she remembered what he did to her in the past. Either way, he was still just like her. Still just a boy. Hermione had a suspicion that he didn't want to be like his father, that a large part of him was different. But he didn't have a choice.
Hermione, still walking as slowly and quietly as she could, stepped toward him. When she got to be about 2 feet away from him, she slowly extended her hand in attemp to place it comfortingly on his shoulder. Just as Hermione was about to touch him lightly, Draco spun around, his wanded pointed at her. Hermione stumbled backwards.
"What do you want, you filthy little Mudblood? This is the boys restroom, aparently you're too stupid to notice." Malfoy sneered.
"I just... you looked upset, and... i just thought..." Hermione stuttered.
But instead of insulting her like he usually would have, he just turned back around and stared into the mirror. Hermione carefully stepped forward once more, and timidly placed her arm around Draco's shoulder. At first he was very tense, but then he relaxed a little into her grasp. He layed his head on her shoulder and began to cry again. The two stayed like that for a while, staring into the mirror.
After what seemed like eternity, Malfoy pulled away and sneered at her.
"You will tell no one of this, Granger, or I will make you pay."
Hermione bit her tongue to avoid a cruel answer, telling herself that being insulted was the last thing that poor boy needed right now. Just then, they heard footsteps approaching into the restroom. They sounded like heavy ones, nothing like ones that belonged to a student.
Both Hermione and Draco froze, afraid to know and afraid not to know who was there. Professer Snape walked in, looking worried which Hermione thought to be unusual for him.
"Ah there you are Draco. I was looking everywhere for you. I was getting worried that you might have-" Then, seeming to only notice Hermione for the first time, he shouted, "And what are YOU doing here, you filthy little girl. This bathroom is for boys. We don't need idiots like you bothering the best student at Hogwarts. Draco has better things to do than talking to a piece of dirt like you." He finished, and looked at Hermione with a mixture of anger and amusement. "Granger, you will come with me to my office. Draco, you come too." He grabbed Hermione roughly by her hair and pushed her forward, guiding her in front of him. Draco followed.
When they got to Snape's office, he threw Hermione in and she landed on her hand and knees, which were now bleeding. Her head was sore from his tight grasp on her hair. Draco entered gracefully after her, and looked slightly uncomfortable and, if Hermione was not mistaken, a little scared. Scared for what Snape might do to them. Why was Snape acting so brutal all of a sudden?
Snape entered, sweeping his cloak around him. He smirked at Hermione and said, "Up, you idiot girl."
Draco and Hermione were both positive it was against the rules to treat a student this way, but neither of them said anything for fear of Snape.
He pulled Hermione up by her hair, and began to yell at her about following the rules and how she was just an ignorant piece of filth, still holding her by her hair. Snape punctuated every sentence with some sort of hit or kick to Hermione, which was unusual for Snape. Bother Hermione and Draco never would have thought Snape would act like this. Draco stood in the corner uncomfortably watching for what seemed like an hour. He wanted badly to do something, but was afraid of only making it worse for her. When he was finished, Snape let her fall to the floor. Now it was Hermione's turn to cry.
"Draco, help this little Mudblood to her common room if you want." Snape said as he stalked out of the room. Draco felt incredibly guilty for the first time in a long while. She had come to comfort him after all of those years of his bullying, and now here he was letting Snape hurt her.
"Granger." Draco said. "I'm sorry. If I had told him-"
"I know." said Hermione. "Snape would have been mad, and if your father found out we would already be dead. It just would have made it worse for the both of us." She coughed up blood and started to shake.
Draco was shocked into silence. Now she was forgiving him. Draco felt even worse. It would have been better if she had shouted at him. When he finally regained his senses, he knelt by Hermione and tended to her cuts and bruises. Then, he helped her up and placed her arm around his waist, and out his hand on hers. Hermione hadn't said anything, and Draco guessed she was in a lot of pain.
With the occasional whimper from Hermione, they made it back to the Gryffindor common room.
"Thank you. I won't breathe a word about this to anyone, like you asked, Malfoy." Hermione said.
She slipped into her common room without a backward glance, leaving Draco standing there completely speechless yet again. This was going to be a long sixth year if she continued to make him feel strange new emotions like this, Draco though. It was all such an odd situation.
And as Draco walked away towards the Slytherin common room, he couldn't help but think he had been wrong about Hermione.