[A/N: So, this is a Draco and Hermione fic, and it takes place during their sixth year. I also have a bit of my own writing in it, so this isn't strictly something that could be contained in the canon Harry Potter universe, though it is all set in that world. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.
Warning: This is rated M due to the presence of a suicide attempt and the aftermath thereof.]
Chapter One- The Only Way
The castle was still in the dark night. The new moon shone no light upon the castle or its grounds, and the starlight could not filter through the thick clouds. The night's curfew had long since gone into effect, and the halls stood empty. All but one.
Draco could not quite remember how he ended up where he was, nor was he even entirely sure where he was. He had been at school for just a week- had it already been a week? He knew enough about the patrol schedule to know that his current location was already checked, and it would not be checked again for quite some time. Plenty of time for him to do what he intended to do. It was long past time for his plan to take effect.
A part of him had tried to raise a defense against his plan for months, but that part had been sufficiently silenced prior to this night. He knew what he had to do. As he leaned against the cold stone wall, he felt his legs give way, and he fell so that he was sitting propped up by the wall. He took the knife from his pocket, and placed it against the skin of his right forearm near his elbow. He hesitated momentarily. This is the only way, he thought as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. In a steady motion, he began to cut, moving the blade across his forearm and down toward his wrist. The combination of his warm blood against the cold stone of the floor as his hand fell provided a calm sensation that he felt just enough to reinforce the idea that death was his only escape. A moment after he cut his right arm, he took the knife in his right hand and repeated the cut on his left forearm.
The second cut was what did it. His right hand fell to his lap, and the knife clattered as it fell to the floor. He was distantly aware of the scarlet blood running down his already pale skin and onto the floor. He watched the blood pool in his lap and on the floor before he leaned his head back against the wall. As the seconds passed, his eyes drifted shut, and a sigh escaped his lips.
This is the only way.
Aislinn Connall turned another corner. She ran her right hand through her hair before she rested it against the wall and thought, Where did he go?
She had been following the older Slytherin. Although first years were supposed to have been in bed long ago, she had been sitting in the commonroom when Draco Malfoy left the boys dormitory and exited the Slytherin dungeon. There were times she was glad she possessed the abilities she did, for she was invisible when he passed her. She kept that invisibility intact as she teleported out of the commonroom. She arrived on the other side of the portrait just in time to see the sixth year turn one of the corners. She teleported again toward that corner and arrived at the spot with a shimmering of the air around her. She followed behind him, though she lost him several times with the shifting staircases and such, but she would find him shortly thereafter. Something definitely seemed off with him, particularly judging from the comments she had heard from the other Slytherin's during the first week of classes. It seemed to be a significant change, and not necessarily one for the better. From the impression she had gathered, it seemed to be differently bad compared to his normal self.
She also had to admit that the Slytherins seemed to have a certain detached nature within themselves compared to the other houses. She knew from talking to friends in the other houses that the unity found in them seemed more solid, and not just from the loyalty of the Hufflepuffs. Still, she could not really complain. After all, she did fit well in Slytherin, but she seemed to follow the older path of Slytherin before his friendship with Gryffindor came to an end. The Sorting Hat had seemed to sense that she possessed not only the magical ability that classified her as a witch, but also an even rarer form of magic that connected her more to the natural world. Her presence in the school as one of the few members of the Snake Clan at Hogwarts, though she was also belonged to the Jaguar Clan from her mother's side of the family, had prompted the Sorting Hat to offer her her given House, to which she agreed. She knew several others at Hogwarts who were not just witches and wizards. They, while human in nature, also had been bonded to certain animals, and through that bond gained several abilities, not the least of which was being able to change into that animal. They also received other abilities, unique to each Clan. For instance, the Snake Clan could become invisible to the people around her, and they could teleport, even in places with anti-Apparation fields. She found herself having to use that skill frequently tonight.
Where is he going? she thought as she continued following him up another staircase. She was having trouble keeping him in sight, but at the same time, she was also trying to avoid getting too close, which probably didn't help. Still, she usually managed to find him a few moments after she lost him. Even though he could not see her, she knew that if she got too close to him, he could hear her, especially in the eerie silence of the otherwise empty halls. Hopefully this place gets less creepy as time goes on, she thought.
They were already almost to the top of the castle when she realized she had lost him again in a series of turns. She tried to see him once she reached the corner in front if her, but she did not find him there. Luckily she had been making a mental map during her past week at the school during her daily and nightly wanderings. She knew there were three possible hallways he could have taken from the spot she last saw him. She found him on the third one.
She froze in shock for a moment, seeing him in a puddle of his own blood. She did not know what she had been expecting, but that was not it. In the next moment, she teleported to his side, did her best to lift him enough to get under his right arm, and get her left arm around him. Just as quick as she got to his side, they were both in the hospital wing.
As soon as the room steadied, under his weight she collapsed from a low crouch onto her knees. ″Help!″ she cried, hoping someone was within earshot. ″Help!″