Here is my first lengthy story, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I am not the brilliant writer J.K. Rowling and I don't own the characters unless otherwise stated.

Chapter One: Friends or Not

The night was cold, unbearably cold. The air was so still it was as if everything was frozen in time, except for a single person. The person was a girl with long gleaming chestnut hair and deep hazel eyes wearing only a black dress, the one that she had worn to a funeral a few weeks before. She was walking on the grounds of Hogwarts, floating like a lost soul. She stopped for a minute and continued to walk, eventually stopping at the towering tree by the lake. She fell to her knees and let out a shriek, then collapsed into herself on the ground. Laying there she shivered and sobbed, unaware that someone was watching her.

She couldn't bear it anymore; she couldn't deal with it, not the loss of her parents and then…him. They were not supposed to die; no one had told her it was going to end up like this. No one had explained that while she sat by and cried at her parent's funeral that her only friends would be fighting a battle. She pounded her fist into the ground, and sobbed even harder, no one told her that her boyfriend…..ex-boyfriend, would die trying to save the wizarding world with Harry. It wasn't supposed to happen like this it was supposed to get better; everything was supposed to get better.

FlashBack

"Ronald, please you have to understand…"

"Understand what, that you, you can't be with me anymore because…."

Hermione sat on a bed with a look of pain on her face. She bit her lip and watched him. Ron sat next to her, his face and tips of his ears red. She went to put her hand on top of his, he pulled away, and tears budded in her eyes.

"Because I just lost my parents and I need time to deal with it. I can't think about you," she sighed, "us, right now. I can't worry about what is going on between us; I need to focus on me, only me. I care about you Ron; I just…just need some time to figure things out. Please, you have to understand."

"Hermione I understand, understand that you are afraid of commitment. Afraid to accept the fact that we are together and that you care. Damn Hermione, everyone has lost someone, it's a goddamn war out there. And just because you lost your parents you are backing out of our relationship."

"I can not believe that you are being so insensitive, I lost my family you idiot, I lost my mother and father. I have to go to a funeral tomorrow, and see their bodies. I am not afraid of commitment and I am not afraid to admit that I care about you. But if you really cared about me, you will let me be on my own for a little bit so I can sort things out!"

"What if I find someone else?"

"What if you do, am I going to stop you? I don't care what you do Ronald." She looked miserable and got up off of the bed.

"I don't want anyone else, I love you Hermione."

"See, the thing is, is that I don't know if I love you."

She turned to leave and opened the door. She hesitated for a moment as if she thought of something, "Actually, I know I don't love you and please I don't want to see you anymore."

End Of Flashback

She buried her face into her arms, she didn't intend on hurting him, she just needed some space. She told herself she did that right thing, she wasn't ready for that big of a commitment anyways. She had needed time to figure out what she wanted, she was not sure if she even loved Ron. Everything was not supposed to happen like this. She was the smartest student here at Hogwarts, she was heading somewhere. She had the best couple of friends anyone could ask for. Now it was all gone, she thought, her perfectness was now a perfect mess. Her friend was dead now and to think that they could have been something. She wiped her nose angrily on her sleeve, she had told him that she didn't love him, and that was what hurt him. It was what drove him to go into that fight. No, she had been told that Harry and Ron were ambushed outside of Diagon Alley. She blamed herself for what had happened and that her last words to him were that she didn't want to see him anymore.

Picking herself up off of the ground she willed herself to go on. She raised her teary eyes, seeing the lake, she started over to it.

He watched her intently, watched her cry herself into oblivion. He remembered how she used to be, a bookworm, know-it-all and he remembered how he had treated her. He had hurt her so many times he lost count. She had grown up and so had he. He was trying to be a better person; he was trying to right his wrongs. She had become a woman since he had first seen her. She had filled out and made that transformation from girl to woman. She took care of herself, and although they had never gotten along, he watched her grow up. He may never admit it but he felt a twinge of jealousy when ever another guy would look at her. He wanted to go and comfort her, but he was afraid she would turn away from him. He wanted to go and kiss her tears away; it pained him to see her lying there freezing. She was destroying herself; he saw the way that she was acting. No longer the one to shoot her hand up in the air to answer a question only she knew. He knew what had happened to her but she couldn't keep carrying on like this, she had to stay strong.

Backbeat, the word is on the street
That the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don't know how

He finally decided he didn't care what she thought; he was not going to let her stay out there. He moved from behind the tree where he was standing. He saw her start to run over to the lake. Afraid that she would throw herself in, he darted after her. He ran and watched in panic as she drew nearer to the edge of the lake. She raised her arms out as if to embrace death.

"Hermione!"

She screamed in terror as she was tackled. As she hit the ground she made a small strangled noise as the air was knocked out of her. She struggled to get out from under the heavy body that was on top of her.

"Get off of me! Are you crazy?"

She gasped as she saw who had taken her down. She watched him get up and dust off the dirt from his jeans. He had blonde hair that was almost silver and piercing gray eyes that stared out from a pale face. He looked at her and tried to explain.

"I thought that you were…you looked like you, um," he looked like he was trying to get a grip "I'm not crazy I was trying to help you."

"Why? Oh never mind just go away." She sunk to the ground and covered her face with her hands.

"I thought…you looked like you were going to jump into the lake. It's, uh um… too cold to go swimming." He offered the last.

He moved closer to her and conjured up a blanket for her. He wrapped it around her shoulders, and knelt in front of her. He put a hand on her chin and raised it up to his level.

"Please, go away." She pleaded looking miserable. "Stop trying to be nice to me, I don't deserve it. You of all people, trying to help me, you hate me."

He studied her for a moment and wished he could take away her pain, especially the pain he caused her. He lifted her up; it wasn't very hard she was light as a feather. He shook her by the shoulders as she started to cry again.

"I don't hate you. You need to stop crying you'll only make yourself sick. I'm going to take you to the hospital wing, alright."

She nodded and tried to stop crying. All she managed to do was give herself the bad case of hiccups. Draco wrapped the blanket tighter around her and told her she was going to have a bad cold if she kept going out at night without a cloak. She didn't answer him, just stared blankly ahead. They stopped at two large doors; Draco pushed them open and pulled Hermione in.

"I don't really think that I need anything…"

"Be quiet, you're lucky you haven't died from being out there in the cold." He winced at her muffled sob.

Madam Pomfrey came out from the back and took a look at Hermione. She pushed her into a hospital bed. She took out a small potion bottle and gave it to Hermione.

"Drink up."

"What is it?"

"Why is it everyone always has to ask me what it is? I'll tell you what it is; it's something to make you feel better. Now drink up."

Hermione made a face as she gagged down the horrid potion. She laid back and put her head on the pillow. Her eyes closed and she fell instantly into a deep sleep. Madam Pomfrey covered her up and closed off her bed. Stepping out from behind the curtain she glanced at Draco. He moved closer to her and she hushed him.

"Don't be too loud, I've got sick patients in here. I know what do to with her, actually I've been wondering when she would wander in. The Headmistress told me that this girl was having some problems and things to deal with. She just needs some rest and support. I can give her the stuff to make her rest but her friends are the ones to support her."

"We're not exactly friends,"

"You brought her in here didn't you, only someone who cares enough about her would take the time to get her some help."

"Yes, I suppose." He glanced at the curtain hiding Hermione's bed.

"You should go; you can come by here tomorrow if she's not asleep. Don't bring more than six people to see her though, only six that's the rule you know."

"Yeah I know, thank you." She waved him away.

Hermione woke when she heard Madam Pomfrey bustle around her bed, checking to make sure everything was in order. Her eyes popped open and Madam Pomfrey smiled at her. She put her hands on Hermione's cheeks and forehead.

"You temperature is back to normal. How are you feeling?"

"Al-alright I suppose." She looked over to see what Madam Pomfrey was doing. She was pouring a bunch of different potions into a bottle. She poured some of the contents of the bottle into a cup. She turned to Hermione and handed her the cup.

"What is it?" Hermione took a small sip from the cup. It smelt like honey and flower nectar, which was the only thing Hermione, could compare it to. It tasted sweet, nothing like the potion she had taken before.

"That is a relaxing potion; I want you to take it before you go to bed, and just a spoonful you hear. I trust you haven't been getting much sleep?" She looked at Hermione seriously.

Hermione hesitated and knew that Madam Pomfrey knew about her whole ordeal. "No, no I haven't. I wonder if you could tell me how long I've been in here for?"

"About four days or so, you needed to get some rest so I gave you a sleeping potion that would knock you out for a good couple of days. It did its job I'd say, you look refreshed. Physically you are better, but you should work on talking to someone. That friend of yours will be glad to see you awake. I dare say he thought that you were never going to wake up. He was miserable; he really worked himself up over you."

Hermione looked startled. "Harry, Harry was here?"

"Harry?" Madam Pomfrey said absent mindedly, and then laughed. "Oh him, no. That cute little Weasley stopped in for a minute but no that wasn't who I was talking about. That blonde haired boy that brought you in that night, I believe his name is Draco. He has been in here everyday and stays for a couple of hours sitting right there in that chair." She gestured over at the chair sitting next to the bed.

"Oh, I um, what?"

"Don't look so startled."

"Well actually we are not really friends."

"Really? Well I thought that only a friend would bring you in when you're trying to give yourself hypothermia. Only a friend would come in and stay by your side for hours at a time. And that is what that young boy has done for you." She clucked her tongue, "Not friends, kids these days."

"Um, Madam Pomfrey, am I able to leave?"

She waved her hand as if to dismiss her, "Yes yes go on and don't forget to take that potion, remember only a spoonful before bed."

Hermione got out of the bed and pulled the curtain back around the bed. She looked around to see if maybe someone had brought her clothes, all she was wearing was a hospital night gown. She tried to remember what she had been wearing the night she was brought in, and then it hit her, the dress. She looked around for it and saw that it was sitting on the table nicely folded on the floor next the chair. She picked it up and sat down on the bed. Sighing she looked at the dress in her hands, she didn't know why she had the urge to wear the dress that night. Just like she didn't know why she got the urge to go and buy that dress for, she held down a sob, the funerals she had to go to.

She started to put it on since she had nothing else to wear. Then she saw a small bag sitting next to the chair. She opened it and saw a pair of jeans, a sweater, a pair of her flats and a cloak. She figured that Ginny had packed it for her when she got out. She slipped into the clothes and placed the dress and potion into the bag. She slipped her feet into the black flats and slid on her cloak. Grabbing the bag, she headed out of the hospital wing. She nearly collided with someone outside of the doors.

"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione cried out and grabbed her friends.

"Hermione!" Ginny allowed herself to be grabbed into a hug. "Why are you out of the hospital wing?"

"Madam Pomfrey just released me and I was coming to look for you guys."

"Oh well we were just," Ginny looked at Harry, and then smiled. "Coming to see how you were doing."

"What exactly did you do to get into the hospital wing, Hermione?" Harry asked

Hermione turned a bit red, "I took a small spill, nothing really." She mumbled.

Ginny and he exchanged glances, "Is it about you know..."

"It was nothing really, and if you wanted to know so badly why didn't you come and visit?" She interrupted trying to steer the conversation away from Ron.

"Well really Hermione we had things to do, like classes and well things." Ginny replied nervously.

"Classes don't start till tomorrow and there was no Hogsmeade visit this weekend. I've been in the hospital wing for nearly four days now and only you," she pointed to Ginny, "have been to see me, and that was only for a minute."

"Did you expect us to stay at your bed for the entire four days you've been in here for?" Harry said angrily.

"Harry," Ginny hissed

"No I didn't Harry I don't expect that at all. I expected you to be a friend. A person I thought would never even care has been at my bedside everyday, someone who has not been my best friend for the past seven years, yet you can even stop in and see if I am alright or how I am going to be."

"Who's that?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Hermione, you are not going to be alright until you get yourself together. Pull out of your mourning and get your life back together. Figure it out. You can't keep wallowing in self pity."

"You think that I don't know that?" Hermione cried out, "You figure it out! I know that I have to pull myself together, I am trying, but a little support would be nice!"

"I have tried to be there for you and you keep pushing me away. I can only do so much for you."

"I could say the same for you."

Hermione looked at them for a moment and turned quickly around. She stomped in a almost childish way, away from them. All she heard was Harry yell out.

"I lost him too you know, along with my parents. You are not the only one that has lost someone Hermione!"

As she turned around the corner, she kept walking, not looking anywhere but straight ahead. She ignored a few calls of her name; she came to a deserted hallway, and stopped. Sighing, she leaned against the wall. Her bag dropped from her hand, and she choked back tears. She shouldn't have fought with them; she should have just sucked it up. She understood that they probably had things to do. But they could have asked Madam Pomfrey if I was going to be alright, she thought bitterly, couldn't break away from each other for a minute to see how their best friend was doing. She shook her head, what had she become? A person that blames her friends for what's wrong with her. Harry was right; he had lost Ron too, along with Ginny. They just didn't realize what had happened, they didn't know about Ron and hers fight.

"They just don't understand!" She thought out loud.

"What don't they understand?" A voice said from behind her.

Hermione gasped and whipped around. "D-Draco."

And that is the end of chapter one. The song that was in here is Wonderwall by Oasis. I like to interpret music into my stories, so heads up. If you like this REVIEW, even if you don't please REVIEW. I like constructive criticism, it improves the writing. So again REVIEW.