Chapter 1- Vulnerable
Hermione stood there as if she were petrified. Lavender just kissed Ron. Everyone-even Harry-seemed oblivious to her frozen figure. Finally, she found her legs and ran out in full speed. She needed to go somewhere, anywhere, just somewhere far enough. She wiped away the tears threatening to escape-she didn't want people to see her crying out in public. She neared a corridor and finally thought of a safe place to hide, The Room of Requirement. She darted up the flight of stairs and finally made it to the 7th floor. 'I just need a place to hide. A place to vanish for awhile.' she thought for 3 times until the wall revealed the iron door of the Room of Requirement. Hermione ran inside and when her knees gave up in a corner, she gave up. The tears waiting to escape finally got their wish.
Hermione stopped crying, but was still in the Room of Requirement. Somehow, the quiet atmosphere calmed her down. She heard the doors creak and heard a set of footsteps. She thought Harry finally noticed her absence. She decided to go to him. She muttered a quick freshening spell to make it look like she hasn't cried for who knows how long. She spotted a shadow and followed its direction. Her breath hitched when she caught sight of the shadow's owner. Draco Malfoy. He was... fixing this cabinet-thing.
Hermione hid behind some dusty shelves and looked through the gaps. He kept groaning, he was probably doing something wrong. Suddenly, the dust was too much for Hermione. She sneezed. At that precise moment, Hermione ran as Draco spun around. But then, she stopped in her tracks as Draco caught up. She turned her heel to face him. He was aiming his wand at her face.
"What are you doing here, Mudblood?,"he demanded, his tone fierce.
"Sod off, Malfoy! Besides, I was here first.,"she defended. Anger coursing through her veins.
Draco lowered his wand to her chest and said,"You will not speak of this to anyone, understand?"
Hermione nodded stiffly. She retreated later on, anger still boiling up inside her. She's always hated Malfoy. Especially when he crossed the line in their second year by calling her a 'Mudblood'. And of course, their hatred was evident. Though, something was different about him. His eyes. They were a bit watery. As if he cried. Hermione noticed that when she was caught.
She reached the Gryffindor tower and muttered the password to the Fat Lady. She stepped into the Common Room. Which was finally clear. She was very tired, yet she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and finally,she gave up. She sat on her bed. Malfoy suddenly popping to her mind. 'His eyes. He was never that vulnerable,'she thought,'he's Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake!' Hermione suddenly found out what she actually thought.
"What are you thinking, Hermione?,"she muttered to herself.
'Ugh! Now you're talking to yourself! Not a good sign,'she thought. She stood up and grabbed her cloak and her wand. 'There's only one place to calm me down,'she thought. And set off for the library. Malfoy was still probably in The Room of Requirement.