Thank you to ~lizstomania for helping me edit! Hopefully she'll continue to help me, and this story will be a beautiful collaboration! :D
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Chapter 1: Draco Shows Some "Heart"
Horrible images flashed through her head. Ron lay unconscious on a giant chessboard. Mrs. Norris lay petrified, while a threat shone brightly on the wall. Ginny's red hair was replaced with fire as she screamed in agony. MacNair swung an axe down on an innocent Buckbeak. Harry was holding Cedric's lifeless body in the middle of the maze. Her mother and father lay dead at the hands of Bellatrix. Draco stood behind her in Umbridge's office, his arm acting as a vice around her neck while his other was holding a wand to her temple. Harry and Ron lay dead in the garden of the Burrow.
Hermione woke up with a start. Sunlight was shining through the library window, blinding her as she heard the lunch bells toll.
"Damn!" she mentally scolded herself. She had slept through potions. There went her plans to do something productive during her free period. Being friends with Ron and Harry had apparently been rubbing off on her.
She gathered her things, shoving everything haphazardly into her bag as she rushed out of the library. She veered left towards the Great Hall and ran headlong into a warm body. Her bag caught on something and tore open. Draco Malfoy did not look pleased at all to see the contents of Hermione's school bag strewn around his feet.
"Have you always been this clumsy, Mudblood, or is it a recent development?" Malfoy sneered, earning a few snickers from Slytherins in the hall.
He marched off laughing, while Terry Boot ran over to help her.
"Reparo," she murmured. As her bag magically repaired itself, Terry said, "You would think after that punch you threw three years ago, he would know better than to call you that."
Hermione accepted the parchment Terry was holding out to her and shrugged.
"It's Malfoy. Could you honestly expect anything different than the usual discrimination?"
They stood up as she buckled her bag once more and thanked Terry.
"No problem. Just know that there's a few of us who wouldn't mind seeing Malfoy getting taught another lesson."
He winked and headed off with the crowd towards lunch. Hermione followed his path at a slower pace. When she finally reached the table, she was greeted with stares from her two friends.
"I never thought I'd see the day Hermione Granger would skip class," Ron said between mouthfuls of food.
"I didn't mean to. I went to work on my Arithmancy homework in the library when I fell asleep," she said while propping her book against her goblet.
"Why so flushed?" Harry asked.
"Huh?" she looked up from her book. "Oh! I ran into Malfoy outside of the library. Literally. My bag split, he called me a Mudblood, the usual."
"Did you happen to see where he was coming from?" Harry looked up with wide eyes.
"No. You know I don't pay him any mind. And neither should you."
Harry sighed.
"She's right, you know. You have been worrying about him quite a bit, mate," Ron said through a mouthful of boiled potatoes.
"Because he keeps disappearing! I would bet every Galleon in my vault that he was behind Katie's attack!"
With that, Harry picked up his bag and left the table. As he was walking out, Malfoy was strutting into the Hall, surrounded as ever by snickering Slytherins. Pansy looked over at the Gyffindor table and laughed harder when she caught sight of Hermione.
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, and she, too, gathered her things and left.
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Hermione wiped her tears away as she ran up to the seventh floor. She walked past the familiar wall three times.
I need a place I can lose myself in. I need a place where I can just empty my mind. I need a place where no one can find me.
She opened her eyes to a large oak door in front of her. As she opened it, she couldn't believe what she saw. Piles upon piles of rubbish laid in front of her. She ran up and down of various aisles, trying her hardest not to remember which route she was taking. She finally settled herself in what looked like a pile of dusty blankets and let the tears pour.
Hermione had walked into the common room to an already swinging party. She looked around for Ron to congratulate him, despite the argument they had earlier. When her eyes locked on the red-headed boy, he was entangled in Lavender Brown's arms. She choked back a sob and ran out of the room. She headed for the first unlocked class room she could find.
"Avis," she murmured. Enchanted paper birds blossomed from the tip of her wand and started flying around. She looked up and saw Harry standing in the door.
"Oh, hello, Harry," she acknowledged. "I was just practicing."
"Yeah… they're – er – really good…" he replied. He scratched the back of his head as he shut the door behind him.
"Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations," Hermione spit out.
"Er… does he?"
"Don't pretend like you didn't see him. He wasn't exactly hiding it was - ?"
The door burst open again, and the third of the trio with his new arm candy walked in.
Ron locked eyes with Hermione. "Oh," was all he could say.
"Oops!" giggled Lavender as she pulled Ron out of the room.
Ron stood his ground for a few moments. "Hi, Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!"
Hermione jumped off of the desk. "You really shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she whispered. "She'll wonder where you've gone."
She held back another sob and headed for the door. She turned around and shrieked "Oppugno!" The birds made their way for Ron's head. Hermione ran without looking back.
A shadow making its way towards her drew her out of her memory. Before she could stand up and escape, a tall figure stood above her, looking distraught.
"Malfoy?" she couldn't help but question.
He cleared his throat. "Granger?"
"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned in his usual patronizing manner. "It looks like I can't say the same for you, can I? Crying over Weaselby, are we?"
She wiped another tear out of her eye, shook her head, and stood up to leave.
"I'm fine, Malfoy."
He grabbed her arm, and she tried to pull away.
"Just let me go. I don't need to hear it. 'Oh, what'd he do to make the filthy Mudblood cry? I need to shake his hand.' Let me go."
He pulled her to face him and let out a sigh. "Despite what you think, Granger, I have been known to occasionally display something close to a heart."
She couldn't keep her disbelief off her face.
He let go of her. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll just find out tomorrow and torment you in front of the whole school. That's what you want, isn't it?"
She sighed. "Who's to say that you won't go off and tell everyone as soon as I tell you?"
Malfoy shrugged. "That's a good point, too. Have it your way then."
He headed down the aisle, determined never again to reach out to any girl, crying or no.
"Ron was snogging Lavender Brown," she muttered.
He turned around and almost knocked into her.
"Damn it, Mud… Granger," he corrected. "Don't they teach you Gryffindors anything about personal space?"
She looked down at the ground.
"I don't remember how to get out," mumbled Hermione. "I thought I'd follow you, and then sit around for a bit longer. So we're not walking out together, you know."
"Who said I'd let you follow me?"
"You'd really leave me trapped in here for Merlin knows how long? What happened to that heart you mentioned?"
"I told you it was only occasionally. Here, I'll make you a deal."
Hermione looked up at him. She never truly noticed the depth of the steel of his eyes. They were quite distracting. She tilted her head.
"What are you looking at?" he spat.
"Sorry," she whispered, shaking her head.
"As I was saying, you tell me what's wrong, and I might consider letting you out of here."
