Scars in the Rain
(Crimson Leaves)
It's been almost a week since Hermione was attacked. All she does is listlessly move about. She study's, she attends classes and has yet to tell me who attacked her. I don't know why she refuses to do so. I'm just glad it's Saturday. There are no classes, nothing at all for me to worry about…
"Ron? Ron, you okay?" Harry asked me in the common room. I was staring into the fireplace. It was devoid of fire and I don't know what I was looking at, probably nothing. I didn't respond to Harry, I don't even think I heard him. I was suddenly aware of a hand on my shoulder, though, and snapped out of my little trance. I jumped and looked over at him. "Ron?"
"Yeah?" I asked him, playing dumb. "Just worried about Hermione.' I said, manning up at the last minute. I had kept my word to her and told no one, but everybody knew she wasn't okay. She acted nothing like the old Hermione. She let people get away just about everything. She still studied, but I guess that was just an escape for her. I don't really know. Until this moment in my life, I had never known anyone that had been…through what she had.
Harry nodded and placed his hand on my arm. "Me too…has she told you anything?" he stared at me with his green eyes. I honestly didn't know what to say. He deserved to know. He was my best mate and Hermione's too…but I had promised the girl I love. I had told her so, though not as I had been planning. I had had it all planned out for weeks. That night in the astronomy tower, I was going to sit behind her, wrap my arms lovingly around her waist and whisper it into her ear just before a long romantic kiss…so much for that. Saying it to her hadn't had the effect I wanted either. It had been supposed to make her feel better. Instead, it just seemed to make her even more…numb.
I shook my head at Harry to answer his question and looked down at my lap. "I just think I'm going to go for a walk. If she comes down or anything, send me a patronous.' We had learned that our fifth year. We still can't send messages via our patronous, but I knew if I saw his, then I was needed and had to come back ASAP.
I was out by the forest around twenty minutes later or so. I walked with my head hung, kicking stones and sticks and such as I walked. I lifted my head; sounds of birds were all around me. It was peaceful, quiet and pleasant. "Out enjoying a bit of sunshine? Be careful you don't blind anyone with it glaring off your hair." I knew that voice and snapped my head around to see Draco Malfoy. He was smirking at me with his arms folded over his chest in a cocky posture. "I understand Hermione's in a bit of a slump." I knew what he was trying to do. His back was to the forest so I wasn't sure what he was up to.
"Shut up, Draco", was all I could manage to say. I kept my eyes on him, cold and hard as I could make them, but half my brain was so preoccupied with Hermione.
"Ooh, what's that supposed to be, your scary voice? You shouldn't use such harsh words, Weasley. You might hurt a fellow's feelings." We stared at each other for a moment. I could hear Hermione's voice in my ears. 'Ranold, it isn't worth it.' I shook my head and turned to walk away from him. I made it about three paces before he spoke five words that would end up altering his life and mine forever. "She was pretty damn good, you know." I froze. My body went stiff all over and for a moment, I couldn't move. I felt ice-cold tingles go up and down my back. It was a few moments, a few heartbeats, before I could turn.
"What?" I asked him. My voice was low to match my heart and stomach. Had he just manned up to what I think he did? I found it odd that he had no back up. I would find out why shortly…
"I understand she hasn't been well lately. You know why?" he asked me this with slits for eyes. They seemed to grow darker as he smile grew wider. He swayed over to me, walking with a swing in his steps, absolutely dripping with cockiness, leaving it's stench behind with each step. "You see, Weasley, I've been saying all along I would get her, you and Harry. I already got Harry when I froze him on the train last year. I'm getting you now by saying this to you." He walked up to me, nose to nose and whispered to me. "I raped the mudblood bitch." He pushed past me, shoulder bumping mine…
I'm sure my whole face was red. I turned around and hit him square in the back with a spell, sending him to the ground. I leapt on him and began sending fists and blows down on him. He brought his foot up into the back of my head as he was on his stomach on the ground. The blow sent me off balance and he easily threw me off. "You…" He managed and got to his feet. He drew his wand, but I speared him and we both went into the forest. We tumbled over dead tree trunks and tumbled down a steep hill. We came to rest, me on top, at the bottom in a clear spot, shaded with trees and littered with leaves. There was a red flash in my face and I was knocked backward, stunned for a moment. Draco got to his feet, blood trickling from his lip and nose. "You damn Blood Traitor. That Mudblood bitch got what she deserved, and now so are you, crucio!" The spell hit me and sobered me up in no time. It felt like red-hot pokers hitting every inch of my body. I let out a scream that caused several birds to fly away; the flapping sound of their wings was lost in the sounds of my agony. I thrashed and whipped every which way. Then it was gone. He had lifted it off me. "Maybe if I kill you. I think then I should gain some respect back." My eyes were watering, but I gathered all my strength and managed to clear my vision. It was a little doubled, but I saw Draco pick up a stick a little longer then a human's forearm. He held it in one hand and pointed his wand at it, transfiguring it into a dagger of the same length. It was long and shiny, but I couldn't make out any details other then the blade. That tended to happen when a knife was pointed at you. His face was et, serious. His breathing was heavy and I could hear it as he came closer. I was weak, but he must have thought I was a lot weaker then I was. I wanted to scream, but nothing came as he sat straddling my body. He placed the dagger on my throat. The cold point poked my throat and in a last effort to save my life, a desperation attempt, I threw my hands up and pushed Draco in his chest. He was pushed backwards a little, but still straddling me. I grabbed the dagger and began to fight with him over it. I shoved the dagger to the side and freed a hand, bringing my fist up into his face. That sent him off me. He was stunned and thank goodness for it. I rolled over on my hands and knees and saw my wand lying in the leaves. They crinkled under my hands. I picked my wand up off the ground and rolled over on my butt, leaning back against a tree. Draco got to his feet and pointed his wand at me.
It all was a flash. He screamed something, but just before he did, I did too. "Avada-Kadarva!" He'd caused so much torment. He'd ruined my girlfriend. He never gave Harry a moments rest and he had tried to kill me! He deserved it. The spell shot him in the chest, causing his spell to miss me by inches. I noticed it too glowed green. He must have tried to Avada-Kadarva me as well. The spell hit the tree I was leaning against, missing my head by inches. Splinters and bits of wood shot around my head like little wooden bullets. I covered my head and fell sideways. The tree began to creek and sway and I knew it would come down. I rolled to the side just as it started to fall, crashing to the ground with a loud crack, missing me. I lay there, looking up at the sky. My breaths were shallow, my body ached and I was bloody…what had I just done?
It was an hour, maybe more before I sat up. The forest was quiet. Quieter then I had ever heard it before. The tree was at my feet, blocking my vision of wherever Draco was. I was now bathed in sunlight due to the great trees absence. My stomach felt sick and I slowly got to my feet and could see a bit of black and platinum blond hair in the tall grass and leaves at the edge of the small clearing. I swallowed. Maybe the spell had missed him. Maybe I had seen wrong. Maybe he had leapt away to avoid the tree and been knocked out. I slowly crept over to him and fell to my knees. Maybe I wasn't a murderer. "D-D-Draco?" I asked and gently touched his shoulder and rolled him over. He had a big gash on his forehead, his blood staining the leaves crimson. His eyes were hallow, his mouth slack. He placed two firm fingers on his neck, no pulse. I leaned down and placed my ear by his mouth and nose…no sounds of breaths. I sat back and looked down at him, into his eyes. My breaths grew harder and faster and harder and faster. I turned and heaved, vomiting on the forest floor, the retches so intense my stomach ached. When all was out, I moved back, curled up against a tree, and began to sob. I wasn't crying for Draco. I was a murderer. I would go to Azkaban! There was no proof to what had happened. I don't even know where the dagger was. I sobbed loudly and hard.
"Ron?" A familiar female voice said. I looked up and saw Hermione and Harry looking at me with shocked faces…
(3rd chapter! Hope it's to your liking. Review!)
