Chapter 11

Harry's eyes down the corridor looking for a familiar brown and red head. He had wanted to talk to Hermione that morning about her tears the night before but she hadn't come down for breakfast. There was a chance he could catch her before she headed to potions that morning but so far he hadn't seen her.

He sighed. "Oh Moine, where are you?"

"Lost your Mudblood whore Potter?"

Harry looked up at the group of boys in front of him. "Deleciox." He sneered. "What the hell do you want?"

Michael smiled. "I just wanted you to know what you were missing Potter. Or maybe you aren't missing it. Is she giving you some of the action as well as Weasley."

"What are you talking about?"

"That Mudblood Granger. She's quite the piece of ass. I mean she takes as good as she gives. Last night when she begged me to screw her I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I mean you must know though. I'm sure that she gives you a piece of it as well. She's pretty sweet."

"That's enough Deleciox!"

Harry turned his head to see Draco standing to the right of Michael. His regular sneer directed towards his fellow Slytherin.

"Hey Draco. I was just letting Potter know that I appreciated how he and Weasley had trained their little friend. Quite the experience."

"I said that was enough. Us Slytherins are supposed to keep each other's secrets. We never rat to another house nor do we flaunt our exploits."

Michael smiled. Draco wasn't mad that he was bugging Potter, just like the night before he was protecting his house. "Yeah I forgot. Sorry. Potter." He nodded and headed into the classroom.

Harry looked at Draco. "Malfoy. What the hell was he talking about? If I ever find out that you, or any member of your house did anything to Hermione, you'll be sorry."

"Calm down Potter, no one in Slytherin is doing anything to Granger that she didn't ask for."

Harry glared at his schoolmate. A flash of regret glimmered in the grey eyes. If Harry didn't know better he would think that it was hurting Malfoy to be talking about Hermione like that. "Whatever Malfoy. You've been warned."

"Harry"

Harry turned his head in the direction the voice came from.

"Hermione!"


Draco had woken that morning with a terrible headache. After he had returned to his rooms the night before he had lay down and tried to sleep. But it wasn't possible. Images of Hermione flashed through his head. Her eyes haunted his dreams. The first image was of her in Diagon alley that first day he had seen her new look. She had looked at him with her wide brown eyes, widened by fear. The next image was of her as he moved to kiss her the night before. Her brown eyes laced with nervousness and surprise. The last image that came to him was of her in Deleciox's arms, her eyes on the verge of tears as she tried to push him off of her.

Damn that boy for hurting her. He had no right to push himself onto her. She was his. And no one touched what belonged to a Malfoy.

That was the thought that had kept him up for the majority of the night. It was the thought that consumed him when he closed his eyes and brought the images of her to his mind. She was his. He wanted her. He wanted her despite her heritage, despite everything he had been taught by his father to believe about muggleborns. He wanted her.

But as he knew from before he went to his rooms, it wasn't lust that brought her to his thoughts. Sure she was beautiful. She was more then that. The way her hair fell in front of her face when she was deep in thought, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled at something Potter or Weasley had said. Oh she was beautiful all right. But it was more then that. He respected her. Her beauty, her poise, her intellect; even the way she reached out to comfort him even after she had been attacked. She had just been assaulted and there she was thinking about someone other then herself. He knew she was brave, but not only that, she was strong. Much stronger then he ever could be. She was everything he had ever wanted. More then he could hope for.

It kept him up all night. His brain telling him it was wrong to feel this way about her. That she was beneath him, that it could never be. She was Weasley's. But despite all that he had come to the only conclusion he could draw. He was going to fall in love with her, if he wasn't already.

His father's voice sneered at the back of his head. "But Draco, she's a worthless Mudblood. Not worthy of you. Besides that it is impossible for you to love. A Malfoy knows not the meaning of the word."

Draco pushed the thought out of his mind and thought back to what his mother had said to him the day before. "Anything is possible if you believe enough, anything. Promise me you won't close your heart."

Draco stood up and looked in the mirror. His mother was right. It had to be possible. It was the only explanation for what he felt. "I promise mother. I couldn't promise that day because I didn't think it was possible. But I swear to you now that I will never close my heart to love. I can't. I think love is already forcing it's way in."

Slowly he dressed and went down to the great hall for breakfast. He hoped to see her, and yet at the same time hoped she wasn't there. How could he face her after his discovery? How could he watch her with Weasley and not have his heart break into a million pieces? He had finally found it; he didn't want to lose it now.

His prayers were answered when she didn't show for breakfast. He had sat all through the meal listening to Deleciox describe to his fellow Slytherins how good she had felt beneath her robes. How she had barely anything on. The whole topic disgusted him, but he couldn't say or do anything about it without letting his housemates suspect how he felt.

He was the last one to leave the hall from his table and slowly made his way to class. Double potions with the Gryffindors was usually cause for dread. Any length of time where Longbottom was given dangerous chemicals was no fun. But it did mean that for two periods he got to see her. He longed for it and dreaded it at the same time.

As he approached the classroom he noticed Michael talking to Potter. "What is that about?" He decided to get closer and listen.

"Is she giving you some of the action as well as Weasley?"

Draco knew Michael was talking about her. How dare he? After what he had tried to pull the night before what right did he think he had to talk about her like that? Draco was fuming.

"Last night when she begged me to screw her I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I mean you must know though. I'm sure that she gives you a piece of it as well. She's pretty sweet."

Draco couldn't stand by and do nothing. He couldn't let him talk about her like that. He felt his mouth open. "That's enough Deleciox!"

Obviously Potter had been surprised that a Slytherin would defend his friend. But it wasn't just that. Potter had, until this point, to believe that he hated Hermione.

"Hey Draco. I was just letting Potter know that I appreciated how he and Weasley had trained their little friend. Quite the experience."

"I said that was enough." Draco was slowly giving in to the urge to hex his housemate then and there. This was not the place to loose his cool. Never in front of another house, and especially never in front of Potter could he lose his cool. He couldn't risk it. "Us Slytherins are supposed to keep each other's secrets. We never rat to another house nor do we flaunt our exploits."

Michael had only smiled and headed into the classroom, making Draco think about what an arrogant bastard he was.

Draco saw Potter turn to him. "Malfoy. What the hell was he talking about? If I ever find out that you, or any member of your house did anything to Hermione, you'll be sorry."

Not wanting to overstep his bounds where Hermione was concerned Draco just sneered. If Potter didn't know about last night then he was not going to tell him. It was her place to tell him, not his. Hermione could tell him later. That is, tell him the real story not Michaels version. "Calm down Potter, no one in Slytherin is doing anything to Granger that she didn't ask for."

"Whatever Malfoy. You've been warned."

Just then Draco heard what was probably the sweetest sound in the world. Turning his head towards it he knew. Hermione was there.


Hermione had taken her time getting out of bed that morning. Which seemed understandable to her, as she had not slept well the night before. After she had left the boys dormitory the night before she had run to her room to hide under her blankets and just forget about what had happened. But it wasn't to be. When she had gotten to her room she had found a lovely red head sitting on her bed.

*** Flashback***

"Ginny what are you doing here?" Hermione bit back the tears that were threatening to fall and looked at her friend.

"Hermione are you okay?" Ginny had come to ream out her friend for snubbing her brother at dinner but after seeing the tears in her eyes she knew that she couldn't. "Hermione talk to me. I can't remember the last time I saw you like this. What's going on?"

Hermione took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Ginny about that night. She started after she had left the Great hall and with her run in with Malfoy. "He accused me of casting a charm on him that made him think and dream about me. He thought that Harry and I were in it together. And then he tried to kiss me."

Ginny gasped. She guessed Hermione's feelings for Malfoy had not changed much from the year before. "Hermione you know what this means then don't you. Malfoy likes you; he admitted he had feelings for you right. He thought you had cast some sort of charm on him to make him dream about you. Which means that he was searching for an explanation of why he felt that way?"

Hermione looked at her friend. "I don't think so Gin. I mean he was really angry about it. And after what happened at Diagon alley and how he's treated me since I don't think he cares about me."

"What happened at Diagon Alley?"

"We had a run it, nothing really big, but he bruised my wrist." She showed her wrist to Ginny. "He apologized after; I could tell he felt awful about it. And then we had this moment."

Ginny smiled. "You like him still Hermione. I had thought so but now I'm sure. You wanted him to kiss you tonight didn't you?

Hermione thought back to her fantasy about kissing Draco in the hall. Did she really want him to do that? Was it what she truly wanted?

Ginny saw the red creep up into Hermione's cheeks. "So what happened? Did he?"

"I pushed him away and then he left. I sat down to try to compose myself and then Michael Deleciox showed up."

"Who's Michael Deleciox?"

"A seventh year Slytherin. I think he's got some issues with Malfoy being the top in their house. Anyway he attacked me and almost raped me when Draco came back and rescued me."

Draco? Not Malfoy? Ginny was going to comment but realized it wasn't a good time. "Oh Hermione I'm so sorry this happened to you. I can't believe it. It's a good thing he showed up when he did. Deleciox could have really hurt you. We owe a lot to Malfoy. No wonder you're upset."

"No Gin. I was upset about that, but I'm fine, nothing happened. It's what happened with Ron that got me really upset."

"What did that sorry excuse for a brother do this time?"

"After Draco helped me he took my hand and helped me up. Ron saw and
accused me of cheating on him with Draco. I explained what happened, that Draco had helped me and Ron seemed to understand. He started to comfort me and then the next thing I knew he was on top of me, pawing me and no matter how much I told him to stop he wouldn't. If Harry hadn't come up when he had I think Ron would have forced me to…"

Ginny was speechless. How could her brother do such a thing? She knew
why Hermione was more upset about this then about Deleciox. It's one thing to have a stranger attack you, but a friend, aboyfriend. "Oh Hermione you don't deserve this. I mean to escape a rape and then have my brother try to force himself upon you. It's not fair."

Hermione broke into tears. What was she going to do?

*** End Flashback***

Her talk with Ginny had comforted her and the reassurance that she had not deserved it had made her feel much better.

After Ginny had left Hermione had crawled into bed and closed her curtains. She had tried to go to sleep but every time she closed her eyes she felt Ron on top of her. Push her down, touching her, violating her. In her dreams he raped her. Forcing himself into her as he got his pleasure. Just as he was about to cum she would wake up in a cold sweat and sit up. Shaking her head she would lie back down and tell herself it was just a dream. Then closing her eyes she would dream it again, this time Michael Deleciox taking the main role. It was a sick circle that kept repeating itself.

Finally she fell asleep for the last time. This time the dream was completely different. It wasn't about rape or violence. In her dream she was getting married. She was in a white muggle gown walking down the aisle towards her groom. When she got to the end of the aisle she looked up and there stood Draco.

Just as the vows were being said she woke up to the sound of her alarm telling her she had missed breakfast and she ten minutes until potions. Cursing the fact she wanted to finish the dream she got up and got dressed. But one thing was clear. Today she had to end it with Ron. She couldn't continue seeing him. Her mind and made the choice for her. She was in love with Draco Malfoy and she couldn't fight it anymore. He was the one she wanted to be with.

Slowly Hermione opened the door to her dorm and made her way to class.