Chapter 9: The heart does not heal

Previously on Right Defintion

Right when Ginny read 'Harry needs your help with Hermione,' she jumped out of her seat and gathered her things before running out of the library and up to the head's dormitory.

When she got there, she gasped at what she saw.


Harry was sitting on the couch with blood all over his robes and Hermione with blood everywhere on her body. Ginny moved quickly to Hermione's side and saw that underneath her bloodied face, there were no cuts. The same went with her body with a quick and thorough inspection.

"What happ…

"My parents…are…are… they are…dead," Hermione said hiccupping.

"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry!" Ginny said pulling Hermione into a hug.

Hermione cried harder on Ginny's shoulder and Ginny started tearing up too. "McGonagall said you needed my help?" she whispered to Harry.

"Help her get the blood off her body," he whispered back.

Ginny nodded. "Mione, I think you should go wash up."

Hermione nodded.

Ginny helped her up and walked with her upstairs.

Harry stayed downstairs and scorguified the blood of his body and clothes. Harry pulled off his robes and his oxford shirt leaving him in just his inside tank top and black slacks. He put his face in his hands and let the tears fall.

He wanted to help his best friend forget this memory, but he knew that even with a very powerful 'Obliviate' this memory of seeing her parents completely mutilated will forever be sketched into her brain.


Ginny decided that a bath wasn't a good idea, so she helped Hermione into the shower cubicle. When she felt that the water was warm enough, she helped Hermione out of her bloody clothes.

"Do you want me to put your clothes in the clothes bin?" Ginny asked.

"Burn them…please," Hermione pleaded.

Ginny nodded and just dropped the bloodied clothes on the floor. "Come on Mione, I'll help you wash the blood out of your hair," she said.

Hermione nodded.

Ginny brought the chair from Hermione's vanity sink into the shower cubicle and let Hermione sit on it while she washed her hair.

The water felt so good on Hermione's body. In her parents' home, she felt cold and distant. She felt like the loneliness and the death around her was going to consume her. But now, with the heat of the water, the sound of the now falling rain, and Ginny's soft humming as she combed out the blood in her hair was peaceful.

Hermione didn't want to close her eyes, because every time she closed them, she saw her parents. She saw their mutilated bodies, their horrified faces, and just blood… blood everywhere. She kept her eyes opened and watched the blood that was once on her body flow down the drainage of the shower.

She watched as the clear water spun around the mixing with the blood like it was hypnotic that she didn't hear the door open.

Ginny looked up and saw Hailey and Luna coming into the bathroom. Hailey looked at the clothes and then back at Ginny. Ginny nodded. Hailey picked up the clothes and walked out of the bathroom. Luna entered the shower cubicle and helped Ginny washed Hermione off.


Harry had explained to Draco, Blaise, Hailey, Luna, and Neville about what happened and they all decided that they were going to stay in the head's dormitory for as long as Hermione needed them.

"How long has Ginny been washing off Hermione?" Blaise asked.

"Three hours," Harry answered.

Before anyone could talk, Hailey came down the stairs with a bunch of bloodied clothes. Harry, Neville, Blaise, and Draco stood up quickly, but Hailey stopped them. "Everything is fine. Ginny and Luna are making sure there isn't any more blood on her and I'm going to burn these," Hailey said.

The four boys watched as Hailey walked to the fireplace and threw the clothes into the fire. As the clothes started burning, Luna came downstairs. Everyone looked up and saw Luna's puffy eyes.

"How is she?" Draco asked.

"Ginny and I helped her into bed, but I don't think she's ready to talk," Luna said.

"You should go check her, mate," Blaise said.

"We'll be down here," Neville said.

"Luna and I will get dinner started," Hailey said with tear-filled eyes.

Draco nodded before going up the stairs. He walked up to Hermione's door and looked inside. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione while she was lying down. Even from here, Draco could see the pain in Hermione's eyes. He didn't want to see that in her eyes. He wanted his girlfriend back.

Ginny looked up and saw Draco. "Draco is here," Ginny told Hermione.

Hermione didn't answer. She just stared at the rain falling. Ginny got off the bed and walked towards Draco. She put her hand on Draco's shoulder. He looked at her and she smiled.

"We're with her just like you are," Ginny said.

Draco nodded and Ginny closed the door behind her. He walked up to Hermione's side and right when he was in touching distance, Hermione jumped out of her bed and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. Draco had to hold on one of the bed posts to keep balance.

"I'm here, I'm here," he said as he sat down with Hermione on his lap.

Hermione was crying harder on the curve of Draco's neck. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

"Don't leave me, Draco, please," Hermione said into his neck.

"I won't leave you."

"Stay with me tonight."

"I promise."


Hailey, Harry, Neville, Luna, Blaise, and Ginny were in the common room waiting for Draco and Hermione, so they could eat dinner.

"I don't think they're coming down," Luna said.

"Hermione needs rest after what she experienced. I think it's best we just let them have their moment," Ginny said.

"Let's have dinner then and we'll bring some food for Draco if he isn't asleep," Neville said.

The group got up, except Harry. He was thinking of what was written on Hermione's father's torso.

"YOU'VE BEEN WARNED"

Those words were echoing in his head. He was trying to figure out what they meant. He was so deep into his thought that he didn't see Hailey sit back down until she held his hand.

Harry looked at her and she smiled. He kissed her hand and then sighed.

"Something bothering you, love?" Hailey asked.

"There's something I need to figure out," Harry answered.

"What?"

"The words 'You've been warned' was curved into Hermione's father's torso and I'm trying to figure out what it meant," Harry said standing up and pacing.

Hailey watched her boyfriend pace and knew that he was really worried about Hermione. She was too. They all were, but unlike Harry none of them saw what really happened to Hermione's parents. From the way Harry explained to them what happened, none of them wanted to see it either.

"Do you think it has anything to do with Hermione and Draco?" Blaise asked.

"It can't be. I mean who would know about their relationship outside of school other than his mother," Ginny said.

That's when it hit Harry. He took out his charmed coin that was similar to the ones from the D.A., but this was a way for them to communicate with Astoria, Daphne, Graham, and Harper. Harry thought for awhile when he felt it burn.

"You think they have an idea who it might be?" Neville asked.

"It's a possibility. I mean Theo has been running off to who knows where in the Forbidden Forest and Pansy goes to the Owlery almost every day. One of them must've let it slip that Hermione and Draco were together to his father," Hailey said.

Everyone looked at her. "You don't thi…

"Right now, we don't know what to think, Blaise."

"Let's eat something and wait for Daphne and the others to come," Luna said.


Astoria and Daphne were the only ones that came to the heads' dormitory when they felt their coins burn.

"Where are Graham and Harper?" Harry asked.

"Graham is in the hospital wing and Harper is in detention," Daphne said.

"What? What happened to Graham?" Ginny asked.

"It's nothing; he just fell off his broom. McGonagall made sure that there was at least one undercover auror with Graham in the wing. Why did you call us?" Astoria said.

Harry filled them up on what had happened. Daphne had to run into the guest bathroom of the heads' dormitory, because she couldn't hold in her vomit and Astoria was in tears.

"How…how is Hermione?" Astoria asked wiping her tears.

"Not doing too good. She and Draco haven't left the room since he went up there a couple of minutes ago," Hailey answered.

"I think Daphne has an idea on who it might be."

Everyone waited until Daphne came out of the bathroom. She came out looking so sick. Astoria and Blaise helped her to the couch. Ginny got her a cup of herbal tea.

"Are you alright, Daph?" Blaise asked.

She nodded. "That really happened?" she asked looking at Harry.

Harry nodded.

"Daph, Tori said you have something?" Ginny asked.

Daphne looked up and nodded. "A couple of hours ago when we were transitioning to get to our other classes, I noticed something off. Pansy was talking to her shoulder."

"What do you mean?" Neville asked.

"Like this," Daphne showed them how, "she was whispering to her shoulder. I was wondering what she was whispering to, so I put a very small bug on her when I passed her. I put it on her rucksack and I waited until I was a good distance to cast the eavesdropping charm."

"What did you hear?" Harry asked.

"She was saying 'She's already out of the hospital wing, so we can't get her from there. Is the back up ready?' I didn't understand the second part, but I knew what the first part meant. Hermione was the only person in the hospital wing during the weekend."

"What else did you hear?"

Daphne paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "She said 'he doesn't suspect a thing. He's too giddy that his Mudblood is leaving the hospital today.'"

"She was talking about Draco?" Blaise asked.

Daphne nodded. "I couldn't hear anything else, because she started to mumble. Then I heard the last sentence."

"What was it?"

"She's been warned."

Harry tensed up when he heard Daphne say those three words. Everyone around him were the exact same. Whoever did what they did to Hermione's parents was the same person Pansy was talking to.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. I think you two should get some rest," Blaise said.

Daphne and Astoria nodded before standing up. "Good night," they both said.

"Night," everyone said back.

Blaise followed the girls outside of the heads' common room. When he got outside, Summers, an undercover auror, was in the corridor. Blaise looked at him and nodded and the auror nodded back.

"Be careful walking down to the dungeons," Blaise told Daphne and Astoria.

"We will. Good night Blaise," Daphne said kissing his cheek.

"Night Blaise," Astoria said repeating her sister's motion.

"Night," Blaise said before they left.

He waited until they disappeared down the corridor before heading back into the head's dormitory.

They were going to have a long night discussing possibilities of suspects for Hermione's parents' death.


Draco had slept the entire night, because every time he closed his eyes, Hermione started screaming. Hailey had brought him up some food, but he hadn't eaten it. After hearing Potter tell him about what happened to Hermione's parents, he couldn't eat something. Not just yet.

"We're going to sleep in the common room for as long as she needs us. We can transition if you feel the need be," Hailey told him when she brought up the food.

"I don't think it's necessary for you to sleep in our dormitory, Hunter," Draco said in a smug but polite way.

"She's our friend, Draco. After what Harry witness, I'll be surprise if he ever leaves her side again. We're all here for her, Draco. Not just you."

Draco couldn't say anything to that, because it was true.

When Hailey left, Draco spent his entire night shushing Hermione, telling her everything was alright even if it wasn't, and holding her tightly against him.

He also spent his night thinking about things Potter said about her parents.

"Slashed into Hermione's father's torso was the words 'YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.' I don't know what it means."

Draco was collecting all the things Potter told them into his head and trying to figure things out. He came to a conclusion and he didn't like it.


"Filthy Mudblood, your Mudblood parents deserved what they got!" Bellatrix said to Hermione laughing maniacally.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS LIKE THAT!" Hermione shouted.

Bellatrix's demented laugh echoed around Hermione. "I can do whatever I want. I could dispose of you the way the Death Eaters disposed of your parents. I can destroy you from the inside, Granger."

"SHUT UP!"

"You're going to suffer, Granger."

"Why are you haunting me?"

Bellatrix laughed, "Aren't you forgetting what you did? What you drank?"

Hermione thought and then she realized. She drank the polyjuice potion with Bellatrix's hair. "That's not possible," she said.

Bellatrix smirked, "Believe it Mudblood, I'm in you now. I am a part of your conscious."

"No," Hermione shook her head, "you're not real. This isn't real. None of this is real."

"It is real, Mudblood! IT IS!" Bellatrix laughed, "We warned you, Granger. You aren't worth a Malfoy's love."

"Shut up."

"Draco is using you, Granger. You can't change a Malfoy. He was born to be a Mudblood hating pureblood like the rest of us."

"Shut up."

"He doesn't care for you. He is a Malfoy, Mudblood. Born Mudblood haters."

"SHUT UP!"

"He's just going to use you for his sexual needs. He doesn't love you."

"I said SHUT UP!"

"A Malfoy and a Mudblood will never work out, Granger. Everyone you ever loved will suffering the way your parents did."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"First the blood traitors; the Weasels. Then your friend Hailey Hunter and her parents. Then Longbotoom. Then that lunatic Lovegood and his idiotic daughter. And last but not least, the boy who could never die. But I'll make sure he dies. Oh I will make sure."

"SHUT UP!"

Bellatrix laughed even more demented than before. "I'VE KILLED BEFORE, MUDBLOOD. NOW WATCH YOUR FRIENDS DIE!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hermione shot up on the bed and Draco held her.

"Hermione, Hermione, it's okay!" Draco said.

When Hermione heard that, she moved out of Draco's arms completely and went to a corner of the room. Draco got up from the bed and walked towards her. Hermione put her hands up to stop him.

"Please, no, just please, leave me alone," Hermione said with tears in her eyes.

"Hermione, what's…

"I said leave me alone."

"Hermione…

"GET OUT NOW MALFOY!"

Draco flinched when he heard Hermione call him by his surname. He looked at her and saw her covering her face in her knees and crying.

"Her…

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I SAID GET OUT OF MY FUCKING ROOM, MALFOY!"

"Not until you…

"Rectumsempra!" Hermione shouted.

Draco flew out of the room and into the hallway. The door swung shut and locked.

"DRACO!" he heard someone shout and a dozen footsteps coming up the stairs.

"What happened?" Hailey asked examining Draco's head if there was any cracks.

"I…I don't know," Draco said.

Ginny tried to open Hermione's door, but it wouldn't budge. "Alohomora!" Ginny said, but nothing. She knocked on the door.

"Hermione? Hermione, open up," Ginny said.

Hermione was rocking back and forth in the corner she was in. she couldn't believe that she let that bitch think that Draco was using her.

You and him don't belong together.

You and him don't belong together.

You and him don't belong together.

You and him don't belong together.

Echoes all over her room, in her head, and just everywhere. Hermione was in tears. She didn't even bother opening the door.

She was in so much pain. There was a constricting twist in her chest where her heart was. She wanted none of it to be real. She wanted just for it to be a figment of her imagination, but it was all real.

The fyre gripper Goyle, the spies of Slytherin, and the deaths of her parents. She wanted it not to be real.

"Nothing you do can heal a broken heart. The heart just doesn't heal. You will move on, but your heart always feels the pain from your past." Was something her mother always said to her.

That saying spoke to her now. Hermione's heart will not heal, not ever.


Hailey was looking at Draco to see if he was hurt or anything while the others tried to open up Hermione's door.

"Okay, you're fine. You have a slight concussion, but if you drink this," Hailey showed him a dark blue potion, "you'll be fine," she said.

"How do you know this?" Draco asked rubbing his head.

"If your dad is one of the best quidditch players, it's necessary to know healing spells and potions," Hailey answered.

Draco laughed. He never took time to really look at Hailey before, but now it was clear as a day. She had golden blonde hair that fell down her curve waist, a slightly tanned complexion, and the deepest of ocean blue eyes. He understood now why a lot of the guys in school liked her. She looked so mysterious.

"I'm curious, why did you and Potter hook up?" Draco asked with a smirk as she moved away.

Hailey laughed. "We met in McGonagall's office on the first day of term. He helped me find my classes, the Gryffindor dormitory, and just everywhere else. We spent that first week together since Ron was always with Lavender and Hermione was always busy with you and head business. We ended up getting to know each other and then before the first week ended, he asked me to go on a date with him."

"Where did you go?"

"We went for a night fly. It was really romantic."

"So after that, he asked you out?"

Hailey shook her head and smiled, "He asked me when we were 500 feet in the air."

"I didn't think Potter had it in him for this romantic crap."

Hailey laughed and brought him a cup of tea. Draco took it and Hailey sat on the armchair facing the couch he was on now. "Harry has a romantic side of him. He just doesn't show it much," she said.

Draco smirked.

"We can't get her door to open," Blaise said coming down the stairs.

"We've tried everything," Neville said.

"We didn't try everything actually," Luna said.

Everyone looked at her. "What do you mean, Luna?" Harry asked.

"Draco's room. I know they share a bathroom, so why not try there?"

That was when Draco jumped out of his seat, but Hailey put her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with an angry expression and she sighed. "Not you, Draco. It has to be someone else," Hailey said.

Draco felt defeated when he looked into Hailey's eyes. She was telling the truth. He knew that it couldn't be him the one that was going to check on Hermione, but he needed to see her.

"What's your password, mate?" Neville asked.

Draco sighed. "Dragon."

"I think you should go this time, Hailey," Blaise said.

Hailey nodded and walked upstairs. She got to Draco's room, said his password and walked towards the bathroom. She went into the bathroom and hoped that Hermione's door to the bathroom was opened. She was thankful that the door was opened.

She walked into the room and saw that Hermione was next to the window with her head on her knees. Hailey saw that there was nothing in her eyes.

She walked towards Hermione and sank down in front of her. Hailey put her hand on Hermione's. Hermione looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"Hermione," Hailey said.

"Tell me it isn't real, Hailey," Hermione started crying again, "Tell me that my parents are still alive and living in Australia," she said.

Hailey's tears started falling down her face and hugged Hermione. Hermione started crying on Hailey.

"Please tell me it isn't real. Please tell me that was just a dream."

"I'm sorry, Mione," Hailey said.

"No, please."


"What happened in there, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"If I knew I would tell you, Potter, but I don't. All I know is that Hermione woke up screaming NO and I tried to calm her down, but she moved away from me. When I tried to see if she was okay, she wouldn't let me come near her. And then well you saw what happened," Draco said running his fingers through his hair.

He couldn't explain what happened inside the room, because he didn't know what happened either.

"Something is wrong with Hermione," Ginny said.

"Of course something is wrong with her, she saw her parents' mutilated bodies just when she got out of the hospital," Draco snapped.

Everyone looked at him.

"Sorry, I'm just…

"We understand, Draco," Ginny said.

"I think Ginny is right. I mean Hermione wouldn't have done what she did to Draco. I think there's something we're missing," Luna said.

"Like someone is trying to manipulate her or something?" Blaise asked.

"It's the only option isn't it? I mean she's been acting weird since the Room of Requirement."

Everyone shivered when Luna mentioned the Room of Requirement. They tried to forget what happened in that room, but for some reason it seemed to always pop up in a casual conversation.

Hailey walked down the stairs and everyone looked at her.


Author's Note: Chapter 9. So what did you think? I know I've been really posting chapters kinda slow, but I've been really busy. I'll be posting up 10 & 11 soon. What do you think is going to happen to Hermione and Draco's relationship? Do you have any idea who exactly killed her parents?

Read & Review ladies & gentlemen

Xx kae