Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
AN: My first fanfiction after years of reading these anonymously. Wish me luck! :)
The library at Hogwarts was well known as one of the most peaceful and soothing places in the castle. Its stoned walls were filled with shelves housing magical books that hummed powerfully with knowledge, encasing the room in an ethereal atmosphere. Any stress that brought itself unto a person could easily be washed away by the soothing distraction of newly learned information. This was Hermione's sanctuary.
She sat there now, choosing the most secluded corner possible to envelope herself in a book. She leaned back into one of those stiff chairs and was wrapped in a conjured blanket, shaking slightly. The Reactionary Stirring tome on the table in front of her had been sitting on the same page for a while as Hermione had her head resting tensely on the side of her chair. Small tears slid down her bottom lashes as Hermione furrowed her brow in anger.
Ronald Weasley was an idiot.
After half a year of being official with the redhead, Hermione realized what had been itching at the edge of her happiness. It happened nearly every time she was with him in the past – how could she not have realized? Walking through Hogsmeade, in the Great Hall, even in the ever-hated Potions class. Ron had a problem. An intolerable problem: he couldn't keep his eyes to himself.
At first, Hermione felt a little foolish for even thinking that Ron would behave that way – he loved her! But as time went on and they went on more dates, she noticed it happening more and more. Almost every time they were together his eyes would stray to that woman in red with her heels on. There was always a different lady he would ogle, but they seemed like the same to her, the perfect woman that she wasn't.
Hermione struggled to convince herself that this was petty, but as it kept occurring, her chest would grow tighter and her body would ache. Ronald was the man she was supposed to be with, so why did the ache in her heart grow every time she saw him now?
Then there was that cursed day.
In potions class two weeks ago, Professor Snape assigned partners to work on a simple Pepper-Up potion. Harry was partnered with Millicent Bulstrode, herself with Draco Malfoy, and Ron with Astoria Greengrass. It was the typical Gryffindor/Slytherin enemy partnership that the Professor seemed to enjoy.
Hermione was setting up her station as Draco collected ingredients when she glanced to Ronald's side of the room. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that as Astoria was bending slightly over their cauldron, Ron was eyeing the cleavage she revealed by her movement. He even tipped his chin up to get a better view! Instantly her pulse starting pounding and tears glazed Hermione's eyes.
Draco, in an uncommonly amiable mood, noticed Hermione's trembling hands adding ingredients to their now simmering potion and looked to her eyes discretely. The edge of his lip turned down a fraction at the chaotic emotion he saw.
"What the hell?" he wondered.
Hermione was stiffly stirring their potion and Draco was more than a little confused, even if he didn't really care.
Out of curiosity, Draco looked at the Weasel's workbench and saw whom he was working with.
"Astoria," he thought, understanding a little better.
He continued to watch the two work and noticed the Weasel's reaction when Astoria went to add some chopped merlots in their cauldron. With a mixture between a mental sigh and a grimace he turned back to his potion.
"Granger, you might want to tighten your weasel's leash."
Hermione's head whipped towards Draco in shock.
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?"
Hermione's heart was fluttering with hurt already, but she didn't want to accept what she had seen.
"Your weasel-rat boyfriend needs to learn some manners. Especially when that blood traitor thinks he can check out one of our purebloods. He can stick to your mudblood scum."
Hermione stubbornly responded to his harshness, "Ronald would never be so low as to bother to do that! Besides, they're working on a potion that needs concentration! So.. so just shut up Malfoy!"
Draco chuckled darkly and whispered, "Granger, don't be so damn naïve. Even a mudblood should know better than that."
Hermione's hands continued to shakily add ingredients and stir their almost finished potion. Draco smirked knowing that she finally got the point. But as that feeling of accomplishment settled into his shoulders after her "defeat", he couldn't help the strange prickle he felt as well. "Stupid mudblood," he thought.
Hermione finished up their pest of a Pepper-Up and glanced again at Ron and Astoria's worktable. She watched unnoticed as Ron's eyes seemed drawn toward certain areas repeatedly. As the beautiful witch sat down, Ron leant closer to her, even touching her shoulder slightly while saying something with a cheesy smile.
Having enough, Hermione bottled their potion and as Draco went to grab the flask, she snatched it out of his reach, standing to bring it to Professor Snape. Without any remark from the Professor, Hermione watched her boyfriend's table as she marched back to her seat.
Harry, at his table, seemed to notice nothing in his misery with Bulstrode. Millicent had botched up a section of flubberworm, so they had to add newly prepared ones to the dangerously spewing cauldron.
Sitting with a sigh of mixed feelings, Hermione pulled out something that would never fail her: a book.
The rest of the class passed quickly, Draco even began reading without her noticing. As the class was dismissed, she firmed within herself that this wandering eye issue of Ronald's must be confronted. She was Hermione Granger, dammit! Tucking her chair under the desk with more force than necessary, she resolutely sought Ron only to see him saying some parting words to Astoria (he didn't even like Slytherins!).
Tapping him on the shoulder she ground out, "We need to talk, Ronald. Meet me in the Common Room after dinner."
Not giving the idiot a chance to reply, she strode out of Potions class shocking the other students and Professor Snape himself with her likeness to a certain infamous dungeon bat.
Needless to say, Draco was right.
Her back constricted with strain, Hermione continued to ball up in the uncomfortable library chair. Thinking back on the conversation she had with Ronald the night of the potions agony, she was saddened.
Even being the courageous Gryffindor Hermione was, her bravery almost ran short when it came to confronting Ron with his despicable actions.
Ronald finally arrived in the common room and sat next to his girlfriend without much care, slouching and scratching himself absently.
The conversation that followed was enough to leave Hermione certain that he would never change his behavior.
"Ron. I've been noticing you looking at other girls. And I want it to end."
He jumped out of his chair quickly and stood over Hermione with the shock and false justice of an accused. His hair even seemed to stand on end.
"What are you talking about Hermione! Why the hell would I be looking at other girls? You're my girl and I don't need any one else!"
Hermione glared at him angrily. The liar! In the end it was certain what he had been doing, she just wanted it to stop.
They continued arguing until Hermione gave up. She did not deserve a man who not only would look at others without care, but who would lie to her.
Walking to her dormitories, Hermione left Ron red-faced and said, "Its over Ronald. I have loved you for so long, but I don't deserve to be treated like this by anyone."
Ron stood there watching her disappear into the darkness with wild eyes.
Cracking her neck, Hermione dried the last of her traitorous tears and turned a page in Reactionary Stirring. She read with more attention and let her innate interest begin to take her away from thoughts of Ron.
She smoothly stretched her legs out beneath the table as Draco walked lightly to her back area of the library.
Draco had heard about the Weasley/Granger break up and was not surprised. Even he knew women shouldn't be treated like that, even if they were mudblood women. Mulling in thought, he recalled seeing the Weasel-Rat's ugly face in the Great Hall shouting at Potter about something earlier that day. What a fool. Granger deserved better for sure. As soon as that thought entered his shocked mind, he silently turned a shelving corner and took sight of Granger wrapped in her blanket and studies.
He saw that her eyes were a little pink and felt disgusted with himself for noticing. Draco took in the whole sight of her and again subconsciously called Ron a fool. Feeling uncomfortable for looking at Granger at all, he changed his route and decided to research something else instead, preferably in a different section entirely.
That night as the castle slept, a crowd of death-eaters trailed through the forbidden forest with flames on the tip of their wands for eerie light. They grouped in a circle, all placing their flame towards the center of the group to light a huge bonfire in the middle of the forest. Flames ate up the wood (prepared by a lackey earlier) and trailed waves of heat over the cloaked men.
A taller man that parted the crowd stepped up on a chopped tree trunk, took off his pearly white mask, and smiled sickly at his audience. Voldemort would certainly be proud of him tonight.