This late at night, Hermione didn't need to worry about anyone seeing her. She ran straight to her room and shut herself in the bathroom. She promptly burst into tears.
How could this be happening to her? What did she do wrong? It had to be her fault. That was the reason Hermione didn't want to tell anyone. She was embarrassed she had screwed up so bad her boyfriend had resorted to beating her. And even worse was that the only person that knew about it was Malfoy and he would probably just make her feel even more humiliated than she already was. Helpless, she sank to her knees. Taking off her shirt, she quickly cleaned it in the sink, rinsing away any trace of the blood. No one would know come morning.
Hermione woke up to her whole body aching. She was used to this feeling all too well. Luckily, Hermione was an early riser so none of the other girls saw her bruises and cuts the mornings after her dates. She stumbled into the bathroom and effortlessly applied the concealment charms that she so routinely executed. She brushed her hair and put on her robes, double checking to make sure no wounds or bruises were visible. She heard the other girls start to wake up and left the bathroom, going down to the common room to wait for Harry and Ron.
She saw them and they all started walking to breakfast, silently at first, but not for long.
"Are you okay Hermione?" Harry looked at her with concern. "You seemed a little beat-up last night"
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" A feeling of dread filled her mind.
"You know, worried, exhausted" Ron added.
"Oh, I was just tired from last night. We stayed out awfully late and had such a great time" Hermione felt the lie easily roll off her tongue. She hated lying to her best friends but she obviously couldn't tell them.
"Are you sure? You seem to have a lot on your mind lately" Harry inquired. Hermione was starting to get frustrated.
"You know, I really don't appreciate being interrogated by my two closest friends before we've even had breakfast" She hadn't wanted to snap at them, but they were getting too suspicious and she needed to steer them off track. "We had a wonderful time last night and I'm not going to disclose the intimate details but it left me more tired than usual, alright?" She really hadn't wanted to go there. Now they were going to think she was going further than just kissing him and she didn't want that either.
Thankfully, Ginny interrupted them as they entered the Great Hall. "Good morning Hermione" Ginny winked at her, implying that she would question her about the details of her date later that day.
They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Ron and Harry began stuffing their faces almost instantaneously, while Hermione and Ginny were slower and pickier, choosing precisely what they wanted. Once they started eating, Hermione tuned out, hearing Harry and Ron argue about Quidditch. She thought least today would be a good day because she had a full day of classes and undoubtedly homework and studying. That cheered her up because not only did she get to immerse herself in learning for the majority of the day but she had a reasonable excuse not to see Landon.
"Malfoy, where were you last night?" Zabini asked curiously. "I didn't hear you enter the dormitory."
"I didn't realize you stayed up for my return every night."
"I don't. I was merely inquisitive. Forgive me for being intrusive."
"I'll consider it." Draco said after swallowing a bite of food. Blaise rolled his eyes.
Staring past Zabini, Draco fixed his gaze on Hermione Granger. She was facing him, sitting next to Ginny Weasley, who was laughing at something Potter had said. He couldn't stop looking at her. She was gorgeous, truly stunning. The sunlight from the ceiling gleamed on her wavy, caramel hair. Suddenly, she made eye contact and he felt lost inside her chestnut eyes.
"Malfoy. Malfoy!" Zabini yelled, waving his hand in front of Draco's face, breaking his concentration on Hermione.
"What?" He said exasperated.
"You've been staring into space for five whole minutes. We were starting to get worried. Its time to get to class. Transfiguration. Draco!"
She knew he was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her from across the Hall. Glancing quickly, she found herself entranced by his grey eyes. They looked like her own personal shining moon. She studied his face; the clear, pale skin, so different from her own. In that moment, she realized how beautiful he truly was. He was mysterious, sure, but that only made him all the more sexy. Hermione broke out of her trance when she felt a hand grip her shoulder.
"Good morning gorgeous" Landon's smooth voice sent chills up her spine. "Can I walk you to potions?" He grabbed her hand to help her over the bench and slung her bag over his shoulder. Ginny beamed at her as she allowed herself to be pulled through the Great Hall and into the corridors. The last thing she saw before being whisked through the door was Draco getting up from his table.