Breathe No More

Songfic by Raiast.

Lyrics by Evanescence

AN: A one-shot, rated for sexual content (not that bad). My first ever songfic, review please!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I've been looking in the mirror for son long, that I've come to believe my soul's on the other side

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione Granger stood in front of her floor length mirror. She wasn't ugly. Exceptionally pretty, in her own opinion, and she was a very hard person to please.

No, she was pretty, funny, intelligent, caring, kind, courageous, did I mention intelligent? She was perfect.

She had the perfect life; perfect loving family, perfect caring friends, and a perfectly wonder castle to study her perfectly astounded magical abilities.

Hermione thought all this, staring into the mirror while twirling a piece of hair around her finger; something she had, no doubt, picked up from girls like Lavender and Parvati.

There was something wrong, however, and Hermione just couldn't put her finger on it; which bothered her, seeing as how Hermione Granger could figure the answer to any problem.

She stared into her own eyes and it clicked. She finally realized that…

She was too perfect.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Oh, the little pieces falling, shatter, shards of me too sharp to put back together

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione sat down to homework. Her studies always calmed her nerves.

But the second she picked up her quill she realized, that doing her homework was too predictable. She dropped the quill and stood, looking around frantically for something she would never find.

She ran across her room and sat on her bed, picking up a book. She didn't read five words before she gave a little yelp and threw it from her. Too predictable.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Too small to matter, but big enough to cut me into so many little pieces

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She faced herself once again, thanking Merlin that the Head Girl got her own quarters. She'd hate to have someone there to witness her insanity.

Out, I need out. She thought, tearing down her stairs out into the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Checkmate!" Ron pronounced happily. "Hey, Her—what's wrong?" his voice changed to a tone of worry.

"Nothing." Hermione muttered, stumbling over to the portrait hole quickly and, unfortunately, ungracefully.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked standing and following her.

"Nowhere." She murmured, shoving the painting open and climbing out.

"Hermione it's almost nine!" she heard her best friend call as she tore off down the corridor.

"I don't care." She whispered to herself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

If I try to touch her, and I bleed, I bleed, and I breathe, I breathe no more

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath as the cool night air hit her face. She looked up at the clear night, gazing at the doors, the turned her stare to the grounds below, both as silent as the grave.

She turned and sat on the floor, resting her head against the wall and allowing a warm tear to fall down her cheek.

"Moping, are we?" drawled a cold voice from the doorway.

"Go away, Malfoy. I'm in no mood for you." Hermione kept her eyes closed, her voice was shaking. Why was her voice shaking?

"Which is it then, Potter or Weasley?"

Hermione glared up at Draco Malfoy, a pretty boy, in a way, but possibly the biggest prat in the whole of Britain.

"I said not tonight. Bother me later." She breathed through clenched teeth.

"You're crying." He pointed out.

"You care?" she shot back.

Malfoy shrugged. "No."

"It was rhetorical."

Another shrug. "I know." He moved over and leaned against the wall next to her. "So what is it that has Hermione Granger up in the Astronomy Tower, past curfew might I add, crying?"

"It's none of your business, Malfoy."

"No? Tell me anyways."

Hermione sighed. "I just realized something, is all."

"What's that?"

Another tear fell from Hermione's eye. "I'm perfect." She whispered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirit's well, yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Malfoy snorted. "A bit high and mighty there, aren't you, Granger?"

Hermione sniffed. "You don't get it."

"Try me."

"I'm…" Hermione searched for the words, also searching for the reason why she was trying to explain this all to Malfoy. "…trapped" she chose carefully. "in my own perfection."

Malfoy nodded. She continued. "It's like, I'm just…an empty shell. I feel nothing, but I exist."

"Not true." Malfoy intervened.

"How do you mean?" Hermione looked up at him, only to realize he was now crouching eye level with her.

"You feel right now." He explained. "Fear, anxiety, sadness. All negative, but they're emotions, nonetheless."

"That's just it, Malfoy. It's not me feeling them."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Lie to me; convince me that I've been sick forever. And all of this will make sense when I get better

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I see…" was all he said.

They sat in silence for the longest time until he spoke again.

"It doesn't have to be like that, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to feel something? Make yourself feel something."

Hermione was confused. "Malfoy—"

He kissed her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

But I know the difference, between myself and my reflection, I just can't help but to wonder, which of us do you love?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

They parted slowly and Hermione spoke first. "W-what was that?"

"It's called a kiss, Granger." Malfoy chuckled softly and Hermione looked up into his eyes; amusement danced behind the ice grey.

"Yes…" she said slowly. "and what was it for?"

"I'm gonna help you out, Granger, just for tonight. But you need to trust me."

"You must be daft if you think—"

"I can make you feel, Granger." He interrupted.

"You can?" she asked doubtfully.

"I just did."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but closed it once she found she had nothing to say. Tears filled her eyes once again.

Malfoy was moving dangerously close to her. "Do you trust me?"

Hermione let a tear slip and nodded slowly.

He advanced.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

So I bleed, I bleed, and I breathe, I breathe now, Bleed, I bleed, And I breathe, I breathe, I breathe, I breathe no more…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Hermione woke he was gone, only his cloak wrapped around her stark body verifying he had really been there.

She felt rejuvenated, fresh.

Merlin that was wonderful…she thought and she pulled her clothes on.

Hermione was still perfect; nothing had changed that. She knew she could never change it; it was the way she was.

But that night, for one night only she knew, Draco Malfoy had loved her, and that made it bearable.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Whatcha think? I'm not too happy with the ending; I didn't really know how to wrap it up. Please don't review just to ask me to write a sequel to this, I hate to admit it but, Draco and Hermione can only exist in one-shots, it's not their nature to be together.

I regret my other lovey-dovey Draco-Hermione stories for this reason.

I give up Hannah… (Although I am correct in saying that opposites attract! and I still don't want her and Weasley together…pouts)

Miss Nightshade must bid everyone farewell, and must give her thanks for reading her story. She also must ask everyone's input, especially her fellow marauders.