Hermione's heart nearly stopped in her chest before she realised who was behind her. She turned around, hands on her hips. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your common room before curfew?"
The Slytherin jock behind her smirked. "Do you know who I am?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're Clark Foxworthy, sixth year Slytherin, Second Beater on the Slytherin Quidditch team. I know this because you announce it every time you enter a room. Now, I won't say it again. Get to your common room. Before I have to take points."
He completely ignored every word she said.
"Do you remember what you did to me last weekend?"
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "I caught you snogging in the corridor and gave you detention."
"And I missed Quidditch tryouts!" He exclaimed.
"Maybe you should have thought about that before," Hermione replied with a shrug. "It was your fifth offence."
Clark glared at her, before he sneered. "Well. I just thought I'd teach you a lesson. See, I don't just get busted without it being on someone's head."
Hermione sighed. "Please, Foxworthy, I'm very tired. Can I please just let you off with a warning so I can go to bed?"
"Oh, no. I don't think so." He was slowly beginning to advance on her, and Hermione's eyes widened in fear that he might actually try something. She held out her wand in front of her, but he just grabbed it and whipped it aside before she could even blink.
She looked from her wand to his cold eyes and gasped as she realised she was in some serious trouble. "Now, Foxworthy," she said, trying to reason. "You don't want to do this."
She had to keep herself from screaming as his hand came down sharp on her face.
She turned and made to run, but he grabbed her wrist and jerked her backwards, slamming her into the wall and pushing himself against her. His lips crashed against hers angrily and she desperately tried to push him away, screaming into his mouth. He kneed her in the stomach and as she crumpled, he lifted her from the floor and pushed her hard against the wall.
She tried to shake him off but he wouldn't budge.
Suddenly, he was gone. Hermione fell to the floor with a crash and looked around, curling up and trying to avoid being hurt again.
It was Draco and Blaise, running towards her with their wands held out, ready to strike again if necessary. "Get off of her, Foxworthy!" Draco yelled as Blaise came to Hermione's rescue, lifting her up off of the floor. "You okay?" He asked.
She stared up Blaise dazedly. "Hmmm?"
Blaise swore. "Draco, hurry it up! I think she needs the hospital wing."
Draco was in the middle of a horrible duel with Clark Foxworthy, and spells, hexes, and curses were flying everywhere. Draco managed to dodge each one, but Foxworthy, being a beater and second at that, hadn't very good reflexes. He was only good at throwing hexes, which didn't help him when he suddenly found his arms stuck to his sides.
Draco glared harshly at him as he fell to the ground. He put several spells on him before pushing him to the side of the corridor. "I'll send for someone to take you to the headmaster." Draco waved his wand and a note explaining what had happened appeared in his lap. Draco picked up Hermione's wand and glared until they had turned a corridor and were rushing Hermione to the Hospital Wing.
"Goodness, what happened here?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as the two boys came rushing into the room.
"Not sure," Draco said, shaking his head as Blaise set her on a bed. "Found her being, er, forced upon by Clark Foxworthy."
Madam Pomfrey grimaced. "That's too bad. Does anything hurt, dear? Are you alright?"
Hermione felt her lower lip quivering. She wanted Draco and Blaise to leave before she started crying. She pointed to her wrist, and then clutched her stomach.
"You're wrist and your stomach?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
Hermione nodded, wincing again. "And my head, too," she whispered.
"Poor dear," Madam Pomfrey replied, rushing to her potions stock to get a few things. Before she left, she said, "Blaise, dear, please go and see to it Foxworthy finds himself in Dumbledore's office." Blaise nodded and left after patting Draco's shoulder and offering a smile to Hermione. "Draco, make sure Hermione doesn't fall asleep."
Hermione had already curled up on the bed and her eyes were beginning to shut.
"Er, how long will you be in there?" He called.
"Only a few minutes!" She replied.
Draco sighed and dropped to his knees beside Granger.
"Granger, you've got to keep your eyes open."
She made a sort of moaning sound and went back to breathing evenly.
"Come on, Granger, you've got to stay up."
"Please, let me just rest," she mumbled.
Draco sighed and rested his chin on his hands, laid in front of her on the bed. "I think you should keep your eyes open."
Hermione shook her head stubbornly. "No."
"I really think you should."
She shook her head more viciously, wincing at a sharp pain in the back of her head. "No."
Draco sighed again and gave in. His mind began to wander as he thought about earlier that day, when they'd been in the Hogs Head. He'd had so many emotions take him over that weekend that his mind was hardly even functioning properly anymore.
Something told me you needed a friend.
He remembered hearing her say those words and immediately thinking that she thought he was just a scared little boy who needed help. It had made him angry, but now that he thought about it, maybe he did need a friend. He had Blaise and Pansy and Theo. Blaise was the closest friend he had, and of course he told him everything, but having a close friend who was a girl might have been different. She would listen and give her opinion and even sympathy, but not the kind that would make anyone angry for making them feel helpless.
That was when he finally gave up. He finally decided that he should give Granger a chance. For all he went on about changing sides and turning over a new leaf and being a new, better person, he sure wasn't acting like it since Kourtney's death. And though it'd be a while before he could tell her anything so personal, just talking about simple things would be enough for him.
It was then that he decided he owed Blaise ten galleons. He snorted softly. Before Christmas...it had taken less than an hour. That had to be a new record, he thought with a yawn, before slowly drifting off right there beside his new, though she didn't know it yet, friend.