A/N: I hope you like this story! It's only my second one and I know that I have been out of commission for a while, but I just felt like writing one now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song "Whisper" by Evanescence. If I did, then I would have more money than only $20.
Hermione slowly dragged her body in through the portrait of the Head Dorms. The Head Girl's face was stained with tear trails and the mascara that had run down her face. Her knees began to buckle and she slid down the door, sitting on the ground. She thought that tears would once again threaten to spill over her eyelids to stain her already red and swollen face, but she didn't want to cry anymore. She remembered what happened that night.
Flashback
Hermione decided to see Ron while he was in the Gryffindor common room. They had started going out at the end of their sixth year and they were both happy. It was a while since they had seen each other, because of all her Head duties, and she wanted to surprise him. She entered the Gryffindor common room and found Ron standing by the window. She tried to sneak up on him, but he turned around before she could get halfway across the room. He stared at her, unblinking, until there was an awkward silence between the two. Hermione was the one to break the silence.
"Ron, are you okay? Is there something wrong?"
"Yes, Her-miooone, there is something wrong," he said. His words were slurred and Hermione could barely make out what he was trying to say. Hermione moved closer to him and could make out a distinct odor of alcohol around him.
"Ron, are you drunk? You need to sit down. You're not talking clearly," Hermione tried to tell him and walked to him bringing him to the couch, but he pulled away from her grasp forcefully.
"I don't wanna sit on the couch! We need to talk!" Ron was now swaying slightly in his position and looked like he was about to fall. "I never see you anymore and I'm getting sick and tired of it! You always have 'Head duties' to do…you're probably not even doing that! You're probably sneaking away and seeing someone else! That's it, isn't it? You don't want to go out with me anymore. I can't believe this!"
Hermione looked shocked at what her boyfriend was saying. "Ron, I'm not seeing anyone else! How could you think that? I'm going out with you and I would never do that to you!" She was starting to get angry with him and thought that surprising him tonight was out of the question. But Ron wasn't finished with his endless tirade. He moved closer to her once again.
"Don't take me for a fool, Hermione. I know better than to believe that crap. How could I be so stupid?!" He was shaking slightly now. Hermione needed to stop this before it took a turn for the worse. She tiptoed to his side and, again, took his arm lightly.
"You need to lie down. Come on," she said, as patiently as possible. That didn't work.
"I said, GET OFF ME!" Ron swung his arm and hit Hermione in the face. She fell backwards onto the ground, clutching her slowly reddening cheek. At first, Ron looked stunned, like he didn't know what had happened. Then, gradually, he regained his composure and glared at Hermione on the floor.
"That's what you get for not listening to me. I'm going up to bed now. Leave now," he said with a hint of coldness in his tone. Hermione's eyes were welling up with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall in front of Ron. She got up quickly and almost ran out of the common room.
End Flashback
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Hermione walked up the stairs into her bedroom and shut the door as quietly as possible, as to not wake up the Head Boy. She looked into her mirror and saw a noticeable bruise forming on her right cheek. She didn't know how she would be able to fully cover this up without having people all around asking questions. Hermione's eyes were red and puffy from the crying that she did and was now doing. Her tears fell silently until she reached her bed, where she hid her face in the pillows and sobbed loudly.
What Hermione didn't know was that the Head Boy was not, in fact, sleeping at all. For some unknown reason, his mind would not stop thinking about what he had just seen. Draco knew that he shouldn't care that Hermione was crying, but he kind of felt bad that she had to go through something that made her act this way. Ever since first year, he has been teasing and taunting her, and never once had he seen her cry.
'Why do I even care anyway? She's just a mudblood and I should be the one to make her cry,' he thought. Draco smirked at his thought and went back to his room, finally being able to go to sleep.
The next morning, Hermione dreaded going down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She knew that she would see Ron there and memories of the night before would come pouring back. But Hermione knew that she had to be strong when coming face to face with Ron. Hermione tried everything that she could think of to try and cover the now purple bruise on her cheek, but nothing worked. She had to settle for using some Muggle cover-up that she brought form home.
It was still early when Hermione decided to go to the library. She thought that she could get some reading done before she had to eat. On her way, though, she went to the Gryffindor common room to try and talk to Ron. She found him sitting near the fire, playing wizard's chess with Harry. When they noticed her, Harry smiled and Ron looked down, away from her gaze.
"Hey Hermione, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, somewhat confused. He hadn't seen Hermione in a while either and now she was in their common room. Not that he minded his best friend coming to see them.
Hermione smiled at him and said, "Hi, Harry. I was just wondering if I could talk to Ron quickly. Besides, it looks like you could use some extra time to think about what moves you want to use if you want to win this game." She winked at him and he laughed. Ron got up and followed her out of the portrait. He was the one to start talking.
"Listen, Hermione. I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean to do that. Can you forgive me?" He pleaded with her, but she stood her ground and remembered everything that she wanted to tell him.
"Ron, you were right last night, even if you were drunk. We haven't spent time with each other in what feels like forever. I thought that since we were going out, we would be able to see each other a lot more. That hasn't happened at all. Add to that the fact that hit me last night, I don't think that we would really work out." Hermione sighed and continued. "I'm really sorry about this."
Ron was speechless for a while. When he came back to reality, he looked upset. "I thought this would happen. I don't know why, but I did. I guess I understand what you're saying, even I if I don't like it. But can you promise me one thing? Can you not tell Harry or Ginny what happened last night?" Ron looked like he was about to cry.
"I won't. I don't want them to think that you are a bad person when we all know that you're not," Hermione said with a slight touch of humor. She hugged Ron and they both went back into the common room. Harry was ready to go to get some food, so they all went together to the Great Hall.
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never scream never die
Draco watched from the Slytherin table as the Golden Trio came into the Great Hall. He noticed that Hermione looked a lot happier than the night before. Not like he cared anyway. He was pretty sure that he was the only one that knew that she was crying about whatever happened the night before. Draco thought that now would be a good time to torment the three of them. Why not start bright and early?
"Well, well, if it isn't the three people I despise the most. You better enjoy this good food while you can, Weasley, since this is our last year here and you won't be getting this kind of food where you live," he smirked.
"Shove off, Malfoy. We don't particularly like your company so it would be to the benefit of all of us if you left," Hermione said angrily, having to already spend a lot of time with him because he was Head Boy.
"Don't talk to me like that, mudblood, or else you will be living in a life of hell at my hands. What happened to your face anyway? It looks worse than usual," Draco scowled and said at her.
Hermione's eyes widened and looked away. "It's really none of your concern, Malfoy. Now, please leave," she said in a finalized tone. He glared back at them before sauntering toward his table.
Harry looked at what Draco was talking about. "Hey, Malfoy is right. What did happen to your face? It looks a little discolored," he said, concern apparent in his voice.
Hermione glanced over to Ron, where his eyes were pleading with her to remember his promise. She looked back at Harry and said, "I don't actually know. It was just like that when I woke up this morning. Maybe I'm getting sick." Harry was going to say something else, but at that moment food appeared on their plates and all talking stopped and was replaced by chewing.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione went their separate ways to their classes. Once classes were over, Hermione met back up with her two friends and they spent some time together in the common room. Ron and Harry had to go and do their homework that was due the next day. Hermione didn't need to do any of this because she had finished it two weeks in advance. She decided to go to the library instead.
The last thing she remembered was reading her favorite chapter in Hogwarts: A History, when she fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already past 11 o'clock. She got her face unstuck from the book on the table and started to pack her things. No one was in the hallways and it seemed a lot darker and scarier to Hermione now that she was alone. When she turned the corner to the Head Dorms, she saw a silhouette standing outside of the portrait. When she got closer, she realized it was Ron and he was waiting for her. She smelled the same thing she smelled on him the night before – alcohol. She didn't like this situation, not one bit.
Hermione continued to creep steadily closer to Ron and asked, "Ron, are you waiting for me?" He jumped and turned to face her. What he did next surprised her. He kissed her. She managed to push herself away and asked, "What was that for? We're not going out anymore, remember?"
"Hermione, I'm so sorry," his words were slurred again. "You need to take me back. I've been thinking about you all day and it's so hard for me to concentrate on anything anymore. Please…" He got onto his knees, ready to beg if he had to.
"Ron, we already talked about this. I can't do it anymore. You were the one that pointed it all out to me in the first place," she groaned, knowing that he wouldn't understand in his condition. Surprisingly, he stood up and looked serious.
"Then you leave me no choice, Hermione," he said, looking away from her. "If I can't have you, then nobody can." With that, Ron took out his wand and pointed it at Hermione. She stood still, not being able to process what was going on. When she finally realized that a hex was coming toward her, she dived behind a suit of armor. Ron, who was only watching the path of his curse, didn't see Hermione dart out of the way just in time. He swayed back and forth and finally fell onto the ground, passed out.
Hermione saw this as her chance to get away from him. She knew that there was one place where she could think about all the things going on and she needed to get there. When Hermione saw Ron fall backwards, she sprinted out of her hiding spot and in the direction of her mental sanctuary.
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be blinded by tears
I can stop the pain if I will it all away
Draco walked down the hallways of the school, not looking up and not caring where his feet took him. He had just received a letter from his father and knew, even before opening it, what it was about.
Dear Son:
You probably know already what this is about since we have been talking about it for a while now. I have talked to the Dark Lord and he is very excited about having you as one of his Death Eaters. He wants you to get the Dark Mark as soon as possible, and since spring vacation is coming soon, I suggested you get it then. The day you come home is the day that you will officially be a follower of the greatest wizard that ever lived. You should be proud of yourself that you are considered to be in such good company. There is no need to reply to this letter because I know how you will react to this wonderful news. I will see you for spring vacation.
You father,
Lucius Malfoy
In all honesty, Draco didn't want any of this to happen. He hoped that it was all a dream and that he would wake up soon. He didn't want to be at all like his father. Draco had his entire career and life planned out and hoped that nothing, even his father, would get in the way. But, knowing his father, he wouldn't accept anything less than what was expected of him, and one thing that was expected of him was to get the Dark Mark. He knew that since he was a child. Strangely enough, though, the thought seemed less and less appealing the closer it came to actually happening.
Draco found himself at the top of the Astronomy Tower. He also found that he wasn't the only one there. Someone with bushy, brown hair was standing at the window, looking up at the sky. Draco cleared his throat to make his presence known. The girl jumped and turned around to look at the person who intruded her thoughts.
"Why do you have to be here, Malfoy? I wanted to spend some time alone, thank you very much," she said stiffly, now that her deep reflection on the past few hours was interrupted.
"I could ask you the same question, Granger," Draco said while smirking. "I honestly don't know why I'm here. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going. But I needed to think." Draco walked closer and closer to her until he was standing next to her at the window.
Hermione looked at him to try and find a trace of doubt in his words, but she couldn't find any. He continued to look straight ahead of him out the window. His words startled her out of her reverie.
"So, what were you thinking about? You looked deep in thought, almost like a trance," he whispered, wondering why he cared in the first place. Hermione was thinking the same thing.
"Why do you care? If you have to think about things and I have to think about things, then it should be quiet so we both can think." She paused. "And I'm not going to answer your question," she finished as an afterthought.
"I'll tell you what I was thinking about if you tell me what you were thinking about," Draco offered, not understanding why he wanted to hear the mudblood's thoughts.
Hermione considered this. Now that things between her and Ron would never be the same, it would be good for her to reconsider some things that she hated in the past, including Draco. She finally spoke. "Fine, but you have to go first."
He smirked, noting her change in attitude towards him. "Okay, then. I was thinking about my father."
"Your father?" Hermione repeated.
"Yes. He wants me to become a Death Eater soon. He wrote me a letter saying that I would get the Dark Mark on the first day of spring vacation," he stopped and sighed, and that gave Hermione an opportunity to speak again.
"Well, isn't that what you want? I mean, you're in Slytherin and it should be expected that you would eventually. Why would you have to think about that?" she pondered aloud.
"That's the whole problem," Draco turned and faced Hermione. He didn't exactly understand why he was telling her all this, but he wanted to tell someone for so long and now was his chance. "I don't want to do what my father has planned for me. I want to live my own life, doing what I want. I don't want to be like my father."
Hermione stood there, stunned. She really didn't expect Draco to tell her about everything he was feeling. In fact, she wasn't even sure before this if he had feelings. She stayed quiet for a while and then said something. "Why don't you just tell your father that?"
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never scream never die
Draco knew that this question was coming. Now that he started this, he would have to explain the entire thing. He turned away from her and to the window again. "My father has a way of – persuading – people into doing things that he wants. It's not something I approve of, but if I voice my opinion to him about anything that he doesn't like, I am 'persuaded' to change what I think." He grimaced at all the memories of his father cursing and hexing him so he wouldn't think of tainting the Malfoy name. There were so many times that he could have died, if it weren't for his mother sneaking down to the dungeons to help him.
"That's terrible! I don't even know how someone could be so cruel," she trailed off, not wanting to upset the boy standing next to her any further.
"I don't know what to do except give in to the fact that I have to do what my father says, otherwise I'll be punished." Draco's eyes were cold and hardened while he talked about his father. Hermione always saw him like this, but seeing him so vulnerable before made her think that she liked that side of him better.
"I'm sorry about everything," she said quietly. Draco came out of his own world abruptly and looked back at Hermione.
"You don't have to be sorry. You didn't do anything. Now, it's your turn to tell me what you were thinking about." He looked serious and didn't take his eyes off her.
It took a while for Hermione to answer him. She wasn't exactly sure if she would be able to trust him with what she was about to tell him. Then again, he trusted her. 'I just hope I don't regret doing this,' she wondered and sighed, ready to divulge her innermost thoughts.
"You know that me and Ron were going out for a while, right? Well, everything was fine with that until Head Duties started to get in the way. Since we hadn't seen each other in what seemed like forever, I went to the Gryffindor common room to surprise him. The weird thing was that he was standing in the corner, doing nothing. I went up to him and I knew that he was drunk. I tried to bring him over to the couch, but he hit me and I fell. Then I left," Hermione finished, not looking into Draco's eyes.
Draco stood there speechless. He had no idea that all of this could have happened in the midst of the Golden Trio. He was going to say something when Hermione continued.
"That's not all I was thinking about. This morning, I talked to him and broke off our relationship. He didn't seem like he was overly devastated, but I guess I don't know him as well as I would like to think. I was coming from the library and I saw him outside our portrait. He said that he couldn't live without me and if he couldn't have me, then no one would. He pointed his wand at me and I had just enough time to get out of the way of his curse. He fell backwards because he was drunk again and I ran here." At this point, Hermione couldn't control her emotions coming out and she began to cry.
Draco was still at a loss for words, but he tried his best to comfort the crying Hermione. He put his arms around her and stroked her hair slowly. "Don't worry. You did the right thing. Everything will be okay." He didn't know why he was so concerned about a mud – muggle-born, but maybe this would be the way to step out from his father's shadow. To finally change his life.
Hermione was thinking along those lines also. Maybe this is what she needed to finally separate herself from Ron. Her opinion of Draco has changed so quickly because she has seen a side of him that was never shown before. She cuddled closer to Draco without realizing what she was going.
The two of them stayed like that for a long while. It wasn't until Hermione saw the reflection from her watch that they realized it was so late. Since they were Head Boy and Head Girl, they walked together back to their dorms, occasionally talking about what each of their findings in the Astronomy Tower.
Once they got inside their common room, their situation was awkward for the both of them. Hermione was the one to break the silence.
"Well, I'm going to go to bed now. See you tomorrow." Before she left, though, she did something that no one would expect. She gave Draco a kiss on the cheek. Hermione turned around, and with a small smile on her face, she went up to her bedroom.
The boy behind her was in complete shock. He couldn't even move. Draco walked up unhurriedly to his room, holding the cheek that was just kissed, smiling a little at the newfound friendship between him and Hermione, even if she was a muggle-born.
The next morning, Hermione and Draco got ready to go to the Great Hall at the same time, though not intentionally. Before they both left, Hermione pulled Draco aside to ask him a question.
"Draco, can we go to the Astronomy Tower again tonight? It was really nice spending time there last night and I just want to know more about you." She looked hopeful, yet vulnerable.
Draco thought it over for about 3 seconds and said, "Sure. I would like to know more about you, too." Once the conversation ended, they both walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end
At breakfast, Hermione tried her best to ignore Ron, and Harry, who was once before confused, now understood because he heard the whole story from Ron himself. Ron kept trying to catch Hermione's eyes, but not once did she look at him. On the other side of the Hall, Draco was watching her and her attempt to block Ron out of her mind. He had to admit that she was doing a good job. In the incident with his father, he now knew what he had to do. Draco left the Great Hall suddenly and went to the Owlery.
Dear Father:
I know that you wrote in your last letter that I had no need to reply to you, but I feel that I must. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have decided not to become a Death Eater. This may come as a shock to you, but I want to choose my own path in life, and I don't want to be just like you. Please don't do anything rash once you read this because that wouldn't be good for anyone. I am sorry.
Your son,
Draco Malfoy
Draco read it over and over again to make sure that it sounded okay. He then sent it with one of the school owls because his was nowhere to be found. Draco walked down the stairs and toward his dorm, taking his leisurely time. He was about to say the password when all of a sudden, he felt a strange sensation all over his body. It was like he was being pulled down, closer and closer to the ground until he fell right through. What he saw next surprised him.
"Well, well, Draco. I seemed to have gotten your letter. I must say that I am not very happy with you answer, and I don't think that the Dark Lord will be too pleased either. He had big plans for you, and you were not supposed to answer me the way you did. I just have to think now, how should you be punished?" Lucius said all of this with a grin on his face, looking eager to cause Draco pain.
"How did you get here? Why are you doing this?" Draco managed to sputter out.
"It's simple really. You will do what I say, when I say it, or else you will get more torture in one moment than you have gotten in all the years that you have lived with me. You will not disrespect me, boy. Crucio!" Lucius yelled, pointing his wand at Draco.
Draco fell to the floor, writhing around in pain. He would not, however, scream at this torture. His father would enjoy that too much. Then, the pain stopped. Lucuis addressed him again.
"I also heard from my many sources that you have been 'getting chummy' with that mudblood, Hermione Granger. I do not want to have to do this again, son, but since you have not listened to me once more…"
The pain that was gone a few seconds ago now came back, even worse than ever. Draco didn't know if he would be able to stand any more of this. As if on cue, his father stopped the curse and continued to talk. Draco didn't hear any of it, though. He was concentrating on the pain too much to focus on anything else. Then, he remembered what Hermione had said to him in the Astronomy Tower last night.
"That's terrible! I don't even know how someone could be so cruel…"Draco felt a surge of anger and hatred toward his father at the moment. He grabbed his wand with all of his strength and pointed it at the chest of his father. Of course, his father didn't notice anything because he carried on with his speech. Draco whispered the words that could land him in Azkaban for life, but he didn't care. "Avada Kedavra!"
A green light shot from his wand and hit Lucius dead on. His face froze in a bewildered expression and his body fell to the floor. Draco felt relieved and also worried. What would Hermione think of him now that he actually killed someone? That was the last thought that ran through his mind before he passed out.
Don't turn away
Don't give into the pain
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the light
Never scream never die
When Draco woke up, he was in the Hospital Wing. It was now dark, and he didn't know how long he'd been there. He tried sitting up, but there was a weight on his arm that didn't let him move at all. He looked down and noticed the bushy hair of Hermione. He smiled a bit and a voice came out of nowhere.
"That was a very brave thing you did, Mr. Malfoy." The voice cam from Dumbledore, who was hiding himself in the shadows. "It was a good thing that Ms. Granger was running around looking for you, otherwise I don't know if you would have survived." He peered at the two Heads over his half-moon spectacles.
"What did she do after she found me?" Draco was surprised that she would go looking for him after he didn't show up at the Astronomy Tower.
"Hermione ran to find me and showed me where she found you. I also noticed that your father was there. He wasn't moving, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore looked serious now.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I couldn't think of anything else –" Draco was cut off once again my Dumbledore's voice, but this time, his tone sounded slightly more mischievous.
"I am sure that this incident will be found as an act of self-defense. You obviously didn't know what you were doing, isn't that right, Draco?" Dumbledore winked and at him and left. Suddenly, Hermione woke up and sat up in her chair.
"You're awake! Thank goodness! I didn't even know what happened where I found you, and I don't know if you should tell me now after all you've been through. I'm just so glad that you're okay." She started to cry.
"Why are you crying? Don't cry over me…I'm just glad that you were concerned about me enough to come looking for me. I owe my life to you," Draco whispered while looking Hermione straight in the eye.
Hermione didn't know what to say. She just sat there, dazed, like this was all a dream and sometime soon she would wake up. She looked down and tears filled her eyes again. She was surprised to feel Draco's hand under her chin tilting her head back up to look at him.
Draco didn't quite know what he was doing, but he didn't care about that. Once Hermione was looking straight at him again, he leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was light and Draco was just trying to show Hermione that he cared about her as much as she cared about him. He didn't know if their relationship would last, but they both hoped it would. Hermione was the one to pull away, reluctantly.
Draco smiled, the first genuine smile that Hermione had ever seen from him. "Well," he said, "I guess we are 'going out' now, right?"
Hermione thought it over for about 3 seconds and smiled, "Yes, we are."
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. I said before that I would make your life a living hell, and this could be a way to do it." Hermione playfully smacked his chest and hugged him. "I'm just glad that you're okay and that you don't have to do anything you don't want to."
Draco smiled again. "I'm glad, too."
A/N: So? What did you think about it? I would really like to know and the only way I could know is if you review! Give to the cause of Silver Hanyou! Please!