I'm putting a warning for this Chapter. There is a very detailed description of rape here. If this may upset you, please do NOT read! Rated M for the content. I repeat, Please do not read if this may upset you.

Disclaimer in the Prologue.

Chapter Three

Three tortuous days later, Hermione falls into class, her hair frizzy, no makeup and her shirt untucked. The teacher looks up from his marking and everyone whips round to look at her. She runs a hand through her hair and speaks, answering the question on everyone's mind. "Sorry, Mum got called away and couldn't find anyone to look after me. Plane was delayed and I have jet lag." The teacher tells her to sit down and sort herself out. Everyone gets back to their work, the excitement's died now. I don't take my eyes off Hermione. She doesn't seem right, but I can't put my finger on it and I don't want to jump to conclusions, that annoys her. After she's settled and starting her work, I turn to face her. "Hermione," I begin softly.

"No Harry. Leave me be." She adjusts her collar and pulls her sleeves down like she's cold, despite the heat. I can't figure out what's up. I really can't.

I watch her throughout the day, but she's steering clear of me. She's hiding something, something important, but she won't tell me. It's been no better with Draco, he's been ignoring me since the room incident. Despite the fact we get off at the same stop and everything. It's been three days of torture.

I get home and Mum starts asking me what's wrong. She asks me six times before supper and three after. Maybe if she stopped bugging me, I'd tell her. She pressures me so much, it just pushes me away. It's the last thing I need. I turn off all my lights except my bedside lamp and curl up into a little ball in my bed. Then I let out all my emotions, I cry and I cry and I cry. I sob until I'm sure I can't physically make any more tears. I torture myself in my mind, punishing myself. I reach under my bed and pull out my little box that's been my friend for so long. I pull out the newest blade, the one that I bought last week, it's glinting in the moon light. I drag my boxers down and expose my hip, scars lined neatly in a row. I count them, slowly under my breath. "One, two, three, four, five." I run my finger gently along them, pale and bumpy under my finger tip. I shudder and lift the blade to my hip. To make an identical cut under the previous five. I drag it slowly and painfully across my hip, wincing at the pain. I feel the skin open up and I drag it again. The blood starts to weep out of my skin; releasing the pain that was witheld inside me. I drag it across once more, just for luck. It burns and I get my box of Kleenex tissues from under the bed, pressing them hard against my dripping cuts. Just as I get back up, I'm sure I see someone in the other house, across the street from me. I blink and realise it was just me. Pressing the tissue into my weeping cuts, I climb back into my bed and fall asleep.

"Hey Draco." I call out to him on the bus and he, slightly begrudgingly I notice, comes and sits next to me.

"Hey Harry, what's up?"

"Not much, parents being annoying again, y'know."
"Yeah... I guess."

I look closely at his eyes and see that they're slightly red rimmed. I gently move closer, but not much and say, "Hey Draco, I don't know what you're going through, but I want you to know that you can talk to me. Despite the fact that I've known you about a week..."
He looks into my eyes, deep long and hard, as if he's staring right into my entire life. It's uncomfortable and mesmerising at exactly the same time, his light grey eyes with their darker rims piercing into my emerald green ones, our faces inches apart. He blinks and pulls back.

"Errm, yeah. Thanks. I might. Just things are shit for me right now and I don't know if I want to talk to anyone about it. Let alone someone who I barely know."

I nod slowly, understanding what he means.

"Look, I think you might find it easier to talk to me than anyone else okay? But you need to let me tell you why. Meet me in the theatre dressing rooms at two? No one ever goes in there."

"I might do." And he turns away from me and pushes his headphones in. I look at him for a bit, taking in his messy hair and balled up posture, back hunched, knees up and arms around him. Almost like he's protecting himself. I wish I knew what from.

Hermione gets on and sits behind me. She pokes me and checks that Draco's still deep into his music. "Bubbs, I need to talk to you. It's important. Ten in the dressing rooms?" I look at her huge and worried eyes.

"Yes bubba, of course." I say gently, my insides churning. She slumps back into her chair and gets her latest novel out and starts listening to her music.

I wait in the dressing rooms, admiring my scars on my arm, my back to the door, so I don't hear it. I feel an arm slip round my waist, I flinch and see Hermione there. "God, you scared me." She smiles at me, her eyes glinting, but teary. "Hermione... Hermione what's wrong?" I hold her face in my hands as she blinks and the tears start to flow and she collapses on the floor in a heap. I go down after her and wrap her into my arms so she's pressing into my chest, her breaths raggedy and sharp as she sobs. "Bubba. What's wrong?" I rock her back and forth until I sense she's calmed down. She curls up into me and wipes her tears away with the back of her hand. "It all just happened so fast. I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late. I begged and it wouldn't stop. I deserved it." Her breaths were shaking.

"Okay, Herm, you're going to have to tell me everything that happened. Please."

"I was going out, because Mum needed me to get her some things, I can't even remember what they were now, and then this guy just appeared out of nowhere and pushed me up against a wall. He told me that he had a knife and if I screamed he'd kill me. I was so scared, I don't think I could have screamed if I tried. He heaved up my dress and violently ripped my knickers. Then he... Then he-" She started shaking and crying again. I pulled her so close into me. I felt so many emotions all at once. Anger, pain, sorrow. It was all bubbling up inside me.

"Then he forced himself inside me. It hurt so much, I cried throughout all of it as he pushed me roughly against the wall, it was so so painful. He grabbed my ribs and pushed me and squeezed me. I was so scared. When he'd finished he slapped me and kicked me on the floor. And then he just walked away. He just left me.

My knickers ripped down to my ankles, my dignity shredded apart. I stayed there for what seemed like hours, just numb. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. I got up and smoothed my dress down and walked out of the alley. I got home and Mum immediately asked why I'd taken so long and what had happened to my arm and my thighs and why I was bloodied. I told her I was texting while going down the set of stairs by the co-op and I fell down. She believed me. I had three showers that evening. Then the next morning I woke up and tried to deny it, but it was no use. I took my stash of pills and downed them. Mum found me as I was on the last ones. She took me to hospital without a second thought and I was in there. Hence these." She lifted her arms and pulled her shirt sleeve down to show bandages and bruises. "I was released the day I came back to school."

"Hermy. Hermy. Hermy. Hermy. My beautiful baby. If I ever see that guy, I'm going to tear his throat out and take pleasure in every single second of it as he bleeds to his rightful death. No one does this to you. NO ONE." I pull her in close. She wanted to stay innocent until she felt she'd met the right person. And then someone comes along and snatches it cruelly and painfully away from her, ripping her open and bruising her. Using her innocence for his pleasure.

She shudders and looks at her watch. "Bubbs, I need to go, I've got Physics next and I can't be late." I looked her deep in the eyes, holding her tightly and peck her nose.

"I love you Hermione. Okay? And no one's ever going to do that again to you. Please, I'm begging you. If something like this happens again, call me or text me whatever. I need to know you're okay." She stares into my eyes and without saying a word, gets up and leaves me there. Alone on the floor.

Why won't she let me help her?