Chapter 2: Dark Secrets

Hermione curled up on her bed, looking out the window. Rain beat against her window and she felt as if it were her emotions running down the window instead; cold, running wildly and mixing in confusion. Before she knew it, tears poured down her face as she clutched her pillow to her. Of course the other girls had said hello to her but she had never been close to any of them, they all avoided her now as well. What Hermione needed was Ginny or Luna but they weren't there. Ginny wasn't in her grade and Luna wasn't a Gryffindor but…

She felt a hand touch her shoulder while a weight sank the edge of her bed. "Hermione," Luna muttered to her, "I know it hurts."

You've no idea. "Luna, how'd you get in here?"

Despite herself, Luna laughed. "Everyone has the password to each dorm so they can say hello to their friends. Mainly people are keeping to their dorm rooms but, it's a choice Dumbledore is offering us."

Hermione felt her heart leap, could she visit Draco? Reading her mind, "The Slytherin password is 'twiddlefuss' but it may be dangerous to go in there. Many of them have, as promised, turned evil or at the very least, dangerous.

"Weren't they always?" Hermione asked.

Luna grinned at her, "Anyhow, Dumbledore told me to tell you that you're allowed to sleep in the Heads' room, since this is re-enacting our last year. He wouldn't tell me the password, he said you'd know it already, that it hasn't changed."

Quickly, Hermione hugged her old friend. "Thanks, Luna."

"Hermione," an upward glance, "I know you're…subtle sometimes but I think for one night you should act impulsively."

With that, Luna left heading back to her other friends in Ravenclaw. For a few moments, Hermione sat, listening to the jumble of thoughts in her head before she threw her pillow the ground and ran.

Paying no attention to the speed at which her heart beat, Hermione was sprinting desperately through the hallways. She knew she would not collapse because every part of her knew that Draco was waiting. Teachers yelled but no one bothered to stop her, the determination was radiating off of her.

"Twiddlefuss!" she screamed and hurled herself through the trapdoor, running still with all her might. Slytherins stared at her and she heard the whispers of people as she ran by but she didn't care, she had never liked any of them as it was anyway.

Desperately lost, she turned a corner and watched as Draco staggered rather rapidly, especially for someone staggering out of the room. "Draco!" She yelled for him while hurrying towards his disappearing figure but before she could reach him, she slipped and fell. Scrambling to her feet, she got up fast but not without first noticing what caused her to slip. She had slid on a razor blade, sitting in the middle of a small pool of blood.

A quick shriek of worry was all that escaped her lips before she was hurdling down the stairwell that Draco had wandered through just a moment before. He was at the bottom, walking now, but quickly so she ran towards him. Listening to the footsteps, Draco turned and opened his arms just in time for Hermione to hurl herself at him.

Hermione threw her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest, waiting for him to hug her back. Instantly he threw both his arms around her back and held her close to him. "Hermione," he whispered, "what are you doing here?" She didn't answer but looked up at his concerned face and kissed him.

Slowly they pulled away from each other, however they still remained close. Draco lifted his hands and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why have you been crying? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I…I was worried and confused but I'm fine now." Draco smiled and held her hand.

Silently, he pulled her over to a deep emerald couch, and the two sat down. Although Draco began to talk, Hermione cut him off. "What happened to you?" she gasped, carefully tracing around the cuts on his right arm.

He sighed, "It's nothing." Her look demanded more information. "It's depression." Another gasp and he threw his arms around her, "Hermione it's nothing. I'm fine now, everything's fine now that I have you."

"But Draco," she whispered, "why?"

Again, a sigh. "A horrible habit but it gets rid of pain. If I open my body it feels like all the physical pain washes away as the blood pours out and the emotional pain follows, everything washing out through the cuts."

Tears poured down Hermione's face and Draco held her closer. He felt tears form in his eyes but he held them back and she buried her face in his chest. "Hermione, listen, everything's going to be okay." Neither of them spoke but everyone who passed by heard what they were saying to one another as they sat, such a tragically beautiful pair. I love you.