Chapter 2

"Playing" too far

Hermione awoke the next day in the Hospital Wing. Harry and Ron stood hovering over the bed bewildered and frightened, well Ron was frightened, but Harry only looked worried almost as if he was expecting this to happen.

"W-what happened?" Hermione asked after slowly pushing herself up onto her pillows.

"Well, last night one of the girls from Gryffindor came screaming through the Great hall yelling all around saying to almost everybody at our table that when she walked into her dormitory she found you laying unconscious a bloody knife in your hand and your wrist bleeding and stuff!" Ron explained, shaking slightly.

"Oh, ya…" Hermione mumbled, feeling rather bad to have made such a fuss.

"Hey Ron, could you give us a minute?" Harry said finally speaking. Ron nodded, his ears pink. He looked rather hurt and disappointed but opened the door and walked off anyway.

"Hermione, I told you yesterday in Honeydukes. Death isn't the way to get rid of this feeling." Harry said quietly but looked serious as he gazed into Hermione's eyes.

"I, I know but, it's just. I don't know…" Hermione replied trembling turning away and staring out a window.

Harry stood, and then sat onto the edge of the bed. He sighed deeply. Then waved goodbye then also left the room. Hermione relaxed and rubbed the bandage on her arm gingerly. She winced, the pain was mild but it stung. Then suddenly the door swung open, revealing a boy Hermione's age, his blonde hair scattered across his head giving him the appearance of just waking, he had broad shoulders and muscular hands. It was Draco Malfoy; he walked over to Hermione's bed and sat down.

"Hermione…"

"Draco…" they both spoke softly, staring at each other.

"Um, I, look Hermione, about before when I acted like a jerk…"

"I understand." Hermione broke in, partly lying.

"No, you don't, you see, it was more then the issue of Pansy knowing that we were together, but my father ordered me to marry her, because she's a pureblood you know, you know how snobbish my father can be?" He muttered.

Hermione didn't say anything just sat on her bed, looking slightly tense.

"If he ever found out that we were seeing each other he would kill me!"

Hermione sighed, a slow and painful sigh.

"That makes sense, so I guess we won't be seeing each other anymore." Hermione said, her eyes feeling watery.

"Well, ya, I guess not. So, I just wanted you to know that I'm really sorry." Draco replied, looking pale. Hermione bent over and kissed him gently on the lips, he kissed back, but then they separated. Staring, aching with pain at each other. Draco shoved himself up, waved goodbye then slowly retreated out the door and down the marble steps. Hermione slid down onto the bed again, tears dripping down her cheeks.

She then fell into a deep slumber…

The following day, her wrist was now fully capable of writing and moving, so she was released from the Hospital Wing and sent to her first class of the day, double Potions with Slytherin. Sigh, life sucks! Hermione thought negatively, scrambling to the classroom quickly. Creak! She opened the large door and stepped into the dungeon, three cauldrons on each table; she sat between Harry and Ron and gave a weak smile. Ron grinned back and then turned back to the front of the class; Harry only returned the small smile and then wrote down some notes onto his blank parchment.

And there was Draco, sitting at the table across from hers, deliberately trying not to look at Hermione in order to not go into the pain of just seeing her. Hermione didn't bother to stare too long; Professor Snape was a strict and crabby person especially when Ron, Harry, and Hermione were involved or any other Gryffindor for that matter. He was the head of Slytherin and only liked his own students; his hobby was picking on once certain Gryffindor student who just so happened to be Neville Longbottom.

"Everybody, page 529!" he spit furiously, pointing his wand at his book, it flipped a numerous amount of pages but then finally rested on a page near the end of the large book. Ron and Harry flipped through their books quickly, but Hermione only slowly scanned from page to page, barely making it to the 34th page during 10 minutes of speaking by Professor Snape.

"PAGE 529 GRANGER! WHAT MUST I DO TO MAKE YOU PAY ATTENTION IN THIS BLASTED CLASS?" Snape hollered angrily, his face red and burning, his teeth clenched tightly as he yelled. He pointed his wand at Hermione's book and it burst at light speed to the correct page. Hermione sat stunned, her face pink with embarrassment. She quickly pulled out a spare parchment from her bag, brushed a flying curl of brown hair away from her face and then scribbled rapidly, her face burning, and sweat dripping down the nape of her neck; she could feel Draco staring at her from the corner of his eye.

After class had finally ended she burst out of the room, colliding into someone as she bustled around the desks.

"Oh, sorry!" she heard a familiar voice say; she looked up to meet dark gray eyes, Draco.

"Oh, hi… I mean thanks. I was just in a hurry; sorry I caused you the trouble." Hermione muttered taking her dropped books and running away down the corridors. She burst through the door of the library and plopped into a chair ignoring the grumpy librarian.

"Oh, hi Hermione, come to join me?" A cold yet smooth voice echoed into Hermione's ears.

Hermione looked up from her books; she hadn't bothered to see if anybody was at the table and had just noticed Seamus staring hungrily at her.

Uh oh, it's Seamus the Snake from Gryffindor, the secret woman squeezer. It's a wonder how he didn't get into Slytherin but better split while I still have the chance! Hermione thought, picking up her books and trying to get up but Seamus grabbed her arm and yanked her down right in front of his face.

"I know you want me." Seamus murmured, his hot breath tickling her ear.

Hermione squirmed not able to reach her wand in her pocket, her arms were too cramped together, "No I don't! Now let go!"

"Not until I'm done." Seamus replied letting out an awful laugh, he pressed against her lips, shoving her chest into him, they collided. Hermione squirmed again; trying to push him away, but the more she struggled the more he grabbed her.

"BLOODY HELL!"

Hermione turned slightly while Seamus finished his long hard and soulless kiss then both turned to see Draco staring at them, his jaw dropped.

"What do you want Malfoy, shouldn't you be looking at the mirror right now?" Seamus sneered getting up letting of Hermione, who had forgotten about her wand with all of these distractions going on.

"Shut up Seamus. What are you doing to Herm…Granger?" Draco spit out, shoving a finger into Seamus's chest.

"Why should you care Slytherin?" Seamus snapped angrily.

"Because you're acting like a fool, don't you know that playing with girls is my job?" Draco replied snottily, but Hermione knew that he was only faking this, he never did that to her.

She could feel herself slowly filling with steam, she had a sudden hate and furry with Seamus for playing with her and not letting go this had to be taken care of…

"You're such a prat thinking that you're all that, would you just…" Seamus begun.

POW! Hermione gave him the hardest punch in the nose she could muster; he dropped to the ground soundless.

"Served the git right." Hermione grimaced wiping her hands on her school robes, then turning to look at a surprised Draco.

"You've certainly changed young lady." Draco said, scanning Hermione from her feet to her hair.

"It's been less then 3 weeks sense the Pansy incidents, how could I have changed?" Hermione smiled, her left eyebrow arched curiously.

Draco shrugged then gave a mischievous grin and leaned against Hermione so that she was hitting the edge of the table.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, though smiling all the while.

"Shhhhh…"Draco whispered kissing her lightly. Hermione was drawled into the passionate and loving kiss. She groaned quietly.

"Draco, quite it." Hermione said, shoving out words in between breaths.

"Hermione c'mon I know you want to, and I want to as well, so just kiss me!" Draco ordered impatiently, roughly kissing Hermione.

"Draco, we promised to not see each other because the punishment at the end would be too awful." Hermione explained urgently, pushing him away gently.

"But…" He continued going forward to her once more.

"No, Draco. We need to stop maybe when we mature a bit more." Hermione suggested shakily, again pushing Draco's chest away from her.

"Fine, this time." Draco said, loosening, turning to leave, but before he left, he turned his head back to Hermione and mumbled something, something that gave Hermione a boost of hope and spirit.

"The love between us is stronger then anything, we will be together Hermione Granger, mark my words…"