Disclaimer: I own only my tiny little plot (which can't really be called a plot because its just ramblings…)

Changes Without Words

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as he walked into the bathroom in the Head dormitories.

Hermione spun around, a cloth over her left arm. "Nothing," she said in a tone that clearly stated that she did NOT want continue the discussion.

"Bleeding all over the bathroom is not nothing," Draco said as he pointed at the droplets of blood on the counter, the floor and the sink.

"Look, its not important," Hermione said, stressing the not.

Draco simply raised his eyebrows and walked over to her, taking her arm in his hands. He pulled the towel off her arm and was greeted with half a dozen bright red lines on her left forearm. Hermione's eyes filled with tears as he examined them. She had never let anyone else see them, they were her dark little secret, and here, her worst enemy was the first person to have ever known about it.

Draco said nothing, he simply pulled out his wand and muttered a healing charm over her arm. The cuts stopped bleeding and closed over. Without another word he walked out of the bathroom into his bedroom. Hermione could do nothing except stare at the closed door. It took her a few minutes before she shook herself from her thoughts and walked into her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Sleep didn't come so easy to the blonde Head Boy. Engraved in his memory was the vivid image of the cuts on Hermione's arm. After an hour of tossing and turning in his bed, he gave up on the idea of sleep and got up. He didn't bother to put a shirt on, going down to the common room in just his pajama pants. The fire had gone out, but with a flick of his wand it was back, roaring with red and orange flames. For a few moments he sat on one of the chairs, staring at the flames, lost in thought. Ever so slowly, he turned his left arm over. He saw the old scars that covered his forearm, and the freshest wounds across his wrist, which were from only two days before.

Draco was so lost within his musings that he didn't hear the opening of the door to Hermione's room, or the sounds of her feet coming down the stairs. She couldn't say what had woken her, but when she had, the sound of the fire made her feel the need to go down to the common room.

It was only when Hermione was directly in front of him that Draco snapped out of his reverie. The two locked eyes, and then Hermione saw his arm, so similar to her own. She looked back to his face, tears in her eyes once more.

No words were passed between them, none were needed. Draco stood, and his arms went around her waist, while her hands went to his neck. Hermione began to cry, sobbing into Draco's chest while he simply rested his head on hers. That night, they both let out the hopelessness, the anger, the fear, the anxiety, and the pain that they had kept locked inside themselves for so long. At some point the two moved to the couch, Hermione's sobs becoming less frequent and less forceful. Without meaning to, they fell asleep on the couch in the common room, each taking comfort in the other's presence. That was how Crookshanks found them the next morning - sleeping in each others arms. The highly intelligent cat simply cocked his head to one side and walked out, sensing the change that had taken place the night before. He doubted that things would ever be the same between the two.

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The ginger colored cat was right. Three years to the day that they found each other, Hermione Michelle Granger and Draco Lucius Malfoy were wed. The simple, small wedding was presided over by Proffessor Dumbledore on that cool November evening. As they slid their wedding bands on the others hand, they could clearly see the old scars that covered their arms. But scars were all that there were. For they had made a promise to each other. After that night, neither had picked up a razor blade. There had been close calls, but they were always able to get past it, thanks to the support from the other.

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On September first, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade, justas it always had. Among the students were two first year girls standing side by side. Both had slightly bushy brown hair and startling gray eyes. One was shy and bookish, the other outgoing and arrogant. They were equally brilliant, always trying to out do the other. These two girls reached the Great Hall with the rest of their year. They waited for their turn, at times looking at each other and communicating in the way only twins can.

Finally, Deputy Headmaster Severus Snape called out, "Malfoy, Aimee." One of the girls walke slowly up to the stool.

The hat was placed on her head and she heard some muttering. 'Very intelligent, yes. Always the sensible one. Courage, of plenty of that, and simply loaded with righteousness. Definitly a GRYFFINDOR!' The last word was shouted for the entire hall to hear.

Aimee smiled slightly and walked over to the cheering table. She sat down and turned her eyes to the front of the hall eagerly. She had a feeling...

"Malfoy, Zoe." The second girl walked up confidently and the professor placed the hast on her head. 'Ah ha what have we here. Intelligence, of course, but also a fair amount of cunning and stealth. Bit of a trouble maker aren't you my dear? I do believe that you are a SLYTHERIN!'

With a smirk, Zoe approached the cheering table. After she sat, she looked across the hall and locked eyes with her twin. They smiled at each other with understanding and then turned to watch their classmates.

At the professors' table at the front of the hall, two teachers in particular watched the twins with interest. The Herbology master, Neville Longbottom, leaned over to his collegue, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Harry Potter and said, "Something tells me those two are going to be just like a little Hermione and Draco running around."

Harry looked at his friend and coworker. "No," he said with a grin, "They're worse."

fine