Hermione entered the castle along with her two best friends. Talking jovially amongst themselves, Hermione decided to sort of fade in to the background.
It's where I belong. Hermione scolded to herself, and frowned. Tucking her nose in to her book, she forked away from them, and slammed her book shut. Yeah, sure; she loved reading. But no bloody witch actually liked to read twenty-four hours a day. It was all a façade for Hermione, separate yourself for everyone, and their feelings for you would start to deteriorate. She couldn't have anybody hurt.
Hermione sullenly trudged up the Astronomy Tower steps, a harmless looking note placed in her hand. She wanted to rip it to shreds in anger, but that wouldn't save Harry's life. She had made a deal with the devil himself. Wrapping her arms around her as the wind picked up, she took off her shoes and placed them in a neat pile to the side. Her feet met cold stone, and she was at peace. Closing her eyes, she heard a loud scream from behind her. Whipping her head around she saw the last person she thought she would ever meet up here.
Pansy Parkinson let out a loud scream, dropped her books with a loud 'clunk' and raced over to Hermione. At the last minute Hermione tried to fling herself over the edge, but Parkinson had a firm hold.
"Draco come help me!" She screeched, and Draco stared dumbly, before racing over. He gripped her other arm and pulled Hermione away from the edge, her thrashing and all. Once she realized she wasn't winning, she let out a loud frustrated scream, and fell limply in their arms. Draco immediately handed her over to Pansy who whispered consoling words in to the distraught witches ear. Hermione began to sob loudly in Pansy's arms, and dropped the piece of parchment in her hands. Draco curiously opened it up, and paled. He recognized the hand writing.
It was Voldemort's.
Kill yourself within the next two weeks, or your so called chosen one will die.
"You? Why?" Draco stuttered, and Hermione stopped crying long enough to look over at Draco miserably.
"It was either me or my best friend." She croaked, and Pansy rubbed her back.
"There has got to be another way." Draco couldn't believe the words that were flying out of his mouth, and it seems that Hermione was surprised too.
"You won't do this. We are going straight to Dumbledore." He declared and he pulled both the women to their feet quickly. Walking down the steps, Pansy wrapped an arm around the trembling witches shoulder.
"Why does he care?" Hermione whispered to Pansy Parkinson curiously, and she stiffened a bit.
"Draco- His mother- She's suicidal. All those times he leaves school? Those aren't death eater meetings; his mother sends him terrifying notes about how she'll hang herself and how she loves him.. I've read one of them before. Really scary." Hermione was dumbstruck by this piece of evidence. Harry was always on about how Draco was busy trying to kill Dumbledore, but here they were; marching straight up to his room for help.
Looking towards him, Hermione saw Draco's eyebrows furrowed, and saw his hand twitching nervously at his side. Hermione took this piece of information in stride; he was nervous and feeling vulnerable. He was literally itching for his wand.
People watched the odd new trio pass by. Even Harry and Ron watched them pass with surprised expressions. Ron was more blatantly obvious about his opinion.
"Hermione! What are you doing walking with the ferret and the toad?" Pansy's arm gripped Hermione's tightly, and released it once she knew what she was doing. Hermione was sickened by Ron's disgusting nicknames and she made sure it came across her face. She loved Ron, but it was becoming childish.
"Get me out of here." She breathed towards Pansy, and she obliged. Harry tried to grab the back of her coat, but she swatted him away quickly.
"Stay away. Please." She begged, and Pansy practically dragged her down the hallway. Harry's face flashed in Hermione's mind. He felt betrayed. Hermione fell to the ground in a fit of sobs, and Pansy tried to quiet her.
"No! No. I can't do this anymore. I can't have somebody's life in my hands. I'm sorry." Hermione whispered a small 'Petrificus Totalus' under both Draco and Pansy. Pansy's face had tears flowing freely down it, and Draco's eyes were closed.
' Dear Merlin, please let this work. Finite Incantantum' Draco immediately stumbled in his steps, and reached out for Hermione, who had her wand to her head.
"How?" She sputtered, and Draco ripped her wand out of her hand, and pocketed it. She glared at him half-heartedly.
"Come on. We can solve this. Harry and you don't have to die. Never doubt Dumbledore's mind." He scolded, and her lower lip trembled. He let Pansy free of the curse, and she gasped for breath, clutching her shirt. Pansy didn't know what to think; she was just in anguish.
"Pansy, you are stronger than this. Dust yourself off and help me take Hermione to Dumbledore's" Draco snapped, and Hermione's eyes narrowed. Why was Pansy letting him speak to her like that? She watched Pansy wipe the tears out of her eyes, and straighten up.
"You're right. I'm not weak." She sniffed, and grasped Hermione's arm. Hermione stumbled in surprise, finally realizing that Draco was just talking to Pansy the way she wanted to be talked to. Some people don't do well with the gentle encouragements, and do better with a firm scolding.
"Probably a pureblood thing." Hermione mused, as they walked up Dumbledore's steps.
"Professor!" Draco called out, and the doors opened. Dumbledore looked surprised to see Hermione shaking in her boots and Pansy and Draco holding her up.
"Hermione… seems to be in a predicament." He worded carefully, and glanced at Hermione for permission to explain. She nodded feebily.
"Hermione had gotten this note from Voldemort that, er, persuaded her to try to attempt suicide. It was her or Harry Potter." Dumbledore nodded slowly at Draco's words, now understand why it was him helping the trembling girl in front of her.
"Dear Hermione, you only had to ask for help." He said sadly, as he watched the girl wipe tears away from her face.
"I'll take care of this problem immediately. But Miss Granger- I have to ask; was that the only reason you had tried to end your life?" Hermione stiffened at the question and bit her lip in contemplation. Had it been? She had been having many plaguing thoughts lately. Every time she actually had tried to initiate a decent conversation with her two best friends, they only wanted her for homework help.
That's all she was, homework help.
Hermione's face contorted in to one of pain, and Draco stood watching curiously and slightly puzzled. He felt a foreboding air sweep around the room, as she let out a confused sob.
"No? I- I hadn't thought about it before, how much- I actually- how much pain I've had inside me? What- what's wrong with me?!"She began to sound frantic and she began to tug at her hair.
"Hermione, nothing is wrong with you. As much as it pains me to say this, you've been neglected for a long time now. It would only have been so long before you would start having suicidal thought." Dumbledore stared at her thoughtfully, and started to speak again." Miss Granger, I believe I'm going to have to put you in solitude; without a wand. Only for three weeks."
Hermione stared at Dumbledore, horrified and feeling betrayed by the old teacher.
"But- you-"She began to rant, but the professor merely waved his hand.
"Now, it's not complete solitude. Mr. Malfoy is very, and unfortunately, skilled in helping women be relieved of their suicidal thoughts. I believe we have an extra dormitory, where you will both be staying. I believe by the end you will have recuperated very well." Draco's face paled drastically to the point where he could have been mistaken as a ghost. Pansy patted Hermione on the shoulder, and Hermione winced.
"It's for the best. Dumbledore knows what he is doing." She soothed, and Hermione nodded blankly. She had thrust herself in to this situation, and now she would pay for it. Hermione mentally cursed
"I will lead you to your new dormitory." Draco and Hermione both stood up, and turned their heads to Pansy when they heard her speak.
"Professor, could I possibly visit them from time to time? I- I just want-" Pansy huffed, not being able to find a reasonable excuse to contribute to her argument.
"Yes, Miss Parkinson, I'll allow you to set up that schedule with those two; explicitly of course. I wouldn't want you to go on and tell everyone about Miss Granger's fragile state." He raised an eyebrow, and Pansy nodded.
"Of course." She said quietly, and she followed the Professor and the other two down the stairs and down the hallway. Turning the corner, and stopping in front of a door that said 'Broom Closet' on it, Professor Dumbledore opened the door, and Hermione's jaw dropped.
He had just revealed a cozy common room, with neutral and plush brown carpet. There were two couches and one arm chair, which were all a slate gray. Hermione loved it; especially the fireplace that she now only had to share with one other person.
"I love it! Thank you, thank you." She exclaimed, and turned to her Professor with a weak smile. Draco nodded.
"I like it too. I'm only worried about the door. I don't want random kids stumbling in here for a quick shag, I mean it says broom closet-" Professor Dumbledore laughed merrily, and clapped a hand on the boys back.
"I'll put a simple spell on it; you'll only be able to open it with a password. How about lemon drops?" Both Hermione and Draco nodded. Dumbledore began to stroll out of the room, stating how he sincerely hoped Hermione would feel better by the end of the three weeks. Professor called Pansy to him and she muttered a few goodbyes before following him out of the room. Draco and Hermione were left alone.
Hermione gingerly placed her hand on the top of the couch, and sat down quietly; the couch made no noise as she sank in to it. She watched Draco glide over to the kitchen area, and disappear behind the wall.
"So, how are you feeling?" He called out, and Hermione practically glared through the wall Draco was hiding behind. Leaning her head back, she placed her hands in her lap, limply.
"I feel nothing." She murmured, unsure of why she was telling him her feelings, and if he could even hear her. Draco emerged from around the corner with two steaming mugs. He placed one in Hermione's hands, before striding over to the arm chair next to the couch she was on.
"Well, tell me why." He replied nonchalantly, and Hermione's eyes blazed. How could he be so blatantly at ease with her feelings. She would show him. She threw the mug down on the ground, and it cracked. The burning hot chocolate spread all over the carpet, and she clenched her fists.
"What, makes you bloody think I'll tell you anything. You sit there like- like nothing happened to me! I won't tell you anything." She hissed, before stomping up to her dormitory. When she slammed the door, and fell back on her bed, she was beginning to feel a little guilty. He had merely tried to help her get rid of kempt up feelings, and she totally flipped out on him.
Hermione Granger, you are losing your mind. She thought to herself, before timidly opening her door and padding down the steps quietly. She peeked around the corner to see Draco hadn't moved yet, except the mug was now on a side table. He ran his fingers down his face, and sighed quietly. He remained still for a while, with his hands over his eyes, and Hermione thought he might have fell asleep that way. To her surprise, a few seconds later, Draco pulled his face from his hands and wiped away any remnants of tears he had had. Pulling himself to his knees, he pulled out his wand and muttered a quick Reparo and fixed the mug Hermione had smashed.
"Aufero." The hot chocolate flew out of the carpet and back in to the mug, and Draco took both of them back to the kitchen, where he placed them in the sink. Draco trudged up the stairs with an exhausted posture Hermione had never seen before, and disappeared.
Hermione was feeling a sense of regret within her. He had cleaned up her mess without any groaning at all, and didn't spit back a witty retort that would have sent Hermione spiraling off. Walking back up the steps, Hermione realized that she was making it a lot harder for both of them.