Chapter 35, Day 6

Hermione

I had been very surprised to see Draco. Part of me had even been happy to know he was okay, but then again, I knew I shouldn't be. He wasn't my friend. He wasn't someone I had to protect. He wasn't someone I cared about. And yet, when I told him I would kill him, every part of me screamed that I was lying. And furthermore, my heart sank at the thought. As if I was threatening to kill Harry or Ron.

As I watched him leave, my heart sank even more. A battle raged on within me. The kind hearted side of me wanted to thank my former enemy, but the logical part of me knew it must be a trap. Draco Malfoy ad I were not friends. And we never would be. We couldn't be.

As I re-entered our camp I tried t put on a face of order, my usual face. But I must not have done a very convincing job, as Ron instantly knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong Mione?"

I shrugged to him, "Nothing. Nothing more than usual at least."

Ron shook his head, "No, it's something else." I was rather annoyed really. He never noticed something was wrong when I actually wanted him to! He turned to Ginny, "Doesn't she seem like something else is up Ginny?"

Ginny looked up from a stick she was sharpening and shrugged without a word. I looked around camp and furrowed my brows, "Where's Harry?"

He had been in the camp when I left, I was sure of it. Ron shrugged before answering, "He wanted to take a look around the area to see if he could find anything else useful. Or dangerous."

Ginny looked up with a glare, "I don't get the point really. Besides, Hermione, don't YOU know where he is?"

I tilted my head slightly with a frown, "Ginny, I'm really worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately. Are you sure you're alright? You've been rather…accusing."

She huffed, "Why on earth would I be accusing? What do I even have to accuse you of? Why, do you have a guilty conscience or something?"

Ginny's glare hardened further as my frown deepened, "Ginny, we're like sisters. I have never lied to you, and I have never kept something from you. Why would I start now?"

"Maybe I just don't think you're the good girl you pretend to be."

We both sat in silence before Ron stood, "Alright you two. I think it's been a long couple of days. I think the heat is getting to you. The pressure is getting to you. You're both getting anxious and you're both imagining things. You're best friends. Let's not fight. These are our last days with all of us together."

I nodded in agreeance, I knew he was right. Ginny, on the other hand, disagreed strongly. "I've had it! I'm sick of being the little, irresponsible, breaking sister! I most certainly am NOT cracking under pressure! Maybe I'm just finally saying how I've always felt! Did you ever think of that? Did you?!" And with those words, she stormed into the woods.

Ron moved to try and follow her, but I caught his sleeve, "Let her go cool off Ron. I think she just needs some space. We're all going a little crazy in here."

He nodded slowly before finally sitting back down. We sat in silence, staring at our small fire. My thoughts wandered back to Dra co as I did so. I felt that he really had meant what he said, that he was trying to help me. I knew I shouldn't, but I really did. I'd already wondered it myself, so his confirmation pretty much made up my mind.

I felt terrible. I was betraying my friends by even remotely thinking of trusting Draco. He was with the rest of the Slytherins. He had been our childhood bully. My childhood tormentor! And, yet, there was something that I couldn't explain. I couldn't hate him like I used to. I couldn't like him either. There was just too much going on.

"Where's Ginny?"

I jumped when Harry's voice startled me. I hadn't heard him approach at all. I looked up to find the sun had moved a few feet. I wondered how long I had been lost in my own thoughts. Ron sighed deeply before explaining the story to Harry. Harry's eyes widened more and more as the story continued. He finally sighed and frowned, "She has been acting strange. Just hasn't been herself. I don't know what's up. But I miss her."

Ron and I nodded in agreeance before we fell back into silence. Harry passed out some meat he had caught and I added some spice leaves to it to give it a little flavor. As we stuck our sticks in the fire, the smell immediately made my mouth water.

Soon enough, Ginny showed back u quietly. She took a seat beside Harry and gave him a big hug before turning to Ron and I. She took a deep breath before speaking, "I want to apologize to you guys. How I was acting was uncalled for. I guess you were right, all of this is getting to me. It's hard, you know? I don't…I don't want to be alone. But I don't want to die. I know you're all scared about it. But I let it make me someone I'm not, and I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Ron and I exchanged a look before grinning and running to hug her. We both gave her our own apologies and thanked her for hers. We all sat down in our former spots and passed Ginny a stick with her share of meat on it.

The four of us sat in silence for a bit before I spoke up, "What do you guys think it will be like if one of us makes it out?"

Ron was the first to answer, "Miserable. I don't want to be without you all. And I don't want to see mum if she lost another of us. It was hard enough seeing her after we lost Fred."

We each nodded before Harry spoke up, "I don't want to be alone again. I was alone for the first eleven years of my life. No friends, no family who loved me. I can't do that again."

Ron gave Harry a pat on the back, "Mum would still call you one of her kids Harry. You wouldn't be alone."

Harry shrugged, "Yeah, but it wouldn't be the same. The house would never be the same again without you and Ginny."

We all fell back into silence before Ginny spoke up, "Who do you think will actually win?"

We paused again before each of us shrugged. I was the first to answer, "Unfortunately, probably a Slytherin. They're the only ones cruel enough to kill each other." There were several nods before we fell into silence again.

Ginny spoke up again, she was the most talkative she'd been in days, "We should probably get to searching for a new place to set up for the night. We've been here too long."

I nodded, "You're right. We should break off into pairs and search for the best spot. And we can all meet back here."

Ginny grinned, "Exactly what I was thinking Mione!"

Harry and Ron both smiled before Ron's turned into a playful evil, "Girls versus boy. Annnd…go!"

We burst into laughter and threw dirt on the fire before the boys took off one way and Ginny and I ran the other.

Ginny and I finally slowed to a walk and surveyed the area for the best resources. Ginny's footsteps turned quiet and I turned around to face her. "You okay Ginny?"

She shrugged, "Hermione, I've been a bad friend."

I furrowed my brows, "What do you mean?"

"Well I lied to you."

"About what?" I was genuinely perplexed. Ginny had been back to normal again, the girl I missed, and now she was back to acting strange.

"I lied about why I've been arguing and so distant lately."

"Then… why have you been acting different?"

She walked closer to me and I could see a dark glint in her eyes, "Well, people change when someone gets in the way of the person they love. Especially when lives are on the line."

I grew even more confused, "What do you mean Gin?"

"I mean that I know what you did Hermione."

She suddenly pulled a knife from her pocket and looked at it, thoughtful and dark. She was beginning to scare me. "Ginny, I don't know what you're talking about. But I'm not going to hurt you. You have to know that."

Her smirk grew darker, "Oh, I know you won't. Because I'm going to hurt you first." And suddenly, Ginny was lunging toward me, knife in hand.

"Ginny! I'm not going to fight you! What are you doing?!"

She slashed outward, making me yelp as she scraped my arm. I continued to move backwards until Ginny had me backed against a tree. "Hermione, I'm sick of your lying."

I tried to push Ginny away, without hurting her, but she suddenly drew back and slammed my head against the tree. My still healing head wound slammed into the rough bark of the tree, fresh blood coming to the surface and pain spreading from within it.

She moved one hand up and wrapped it around my throat. I had n clue what was happening. With her other hand, Ginny raised the knife, "I saw you kiss Harry the other night Hermione. And that was the final straw. That was my breaking point. Why should I bust my ass to try and save the people I thought I loved, when they're going to go behind my back. I just wat to know how long it's been going on." She suddenly laughed a horrible laugh, "Probably awhile. And, what's funny, is I don't even care anymore."

I was seeing dark spots now and the knife was coming towards my throat. I was going to die. I was being killed by one of my best friends.

Just as the knife grazed the sensitive skin of my throat, Ginny was thrown away from me. I could just make out a familiar head of blonde hair through the dizzy haze.

"Don't touch her."

Ginny laughed that dark, unfamiliar laugh again, "What, was she screwing you too Malfoy? You two all buddy buddy now? I'll just take you out too I guess."

Draco jumped backwards as Ginny lunged at him, "I don't want to hurt you Weasley! Just leave Hermione alone and leave."

"No. I have a scorn to settle. And I'm going to settle it."

Ginny turned and ran towards me. Draco ran right behind her, "I said don't tough her! I don't want to hurt you!"

But Ginny was pulling the knife again and diving towards me. Just as I tried to jump out of the way, I saw a flash of silver. And suddenly Ginny was on the ground bleeding.

She moved her hands from her stomach and they were covered in blood. Blood was leaking pouring from the wound quickly.

"No!" I sprang to my feet, trying to avoid the black spots in my vision and ran towards Ginny. I dropped to her side and immediately began to pull the stitches supplies from my backpack, "No, no, no. Hang on Ginny! Hang on!"

I was frantic now, trying to hurry as quickly as I could.

Ginny's eyes fluttered as I tried to pull her shirt up to gain access to the wound, "Don't. I'm… I'm sorry."

"No, don't say that. It's okay Gin, you're going to be alright, Just hang on."

Her eyes closed and red sparks flew into the air above her. She was gone.

I turned to Draco, tears flowing down my cheeks, "You killed her! You bastard, you killed her!"

Draco's brows furrowed in anger, "I just saved your life Hermione! She was killing you!"

"You killed her!"

He was moving closer to me now, "Hermione, I did it to save you. I told her I didn't want to hurt her. I tried!"

Tears flowed more and more now. He was right. He tried. He saved my life. There was no question about it this time.

I suddenly heard Ron and Harry's voices, "Ginny! Hermine!" I could hear footsteps approaching quickly, a solid run. They were coming.

I looked up to Draco, tears still falling. I dropped my voice now, almost a whisper, "Run." Draco looked at me confused, "If they know, they'll kill you. Run. Go!"

He nodded and turned and ran as fast as he could, disappearing into the trees. Within moments, I was staring Harry and Ron in the eyes as they froze when they saw me sitting beside Ginny's lifeless body. And I had no idea what to say to them. And I had just saved her killer from their wrath.

Author's Note: Hey guys, I love that you're all still reading, and that I'm even getting new readers! But I reallllly miss the comments. I loved hearing from you guys! I need to know what you think so I can improve on what you like and don't like. So, if you could leave some comments, it would be a HUGE thanks from me! I would also like to point out that the comment contest from a few chapters ago is still going on as well! So remember to, in your comment, tell me what you like, dislike, favorite part, least favorite part, and maybe throw in what you think will happen! Plus I'd love to hear about your favorite and least favorite characters and why. Anyway, thanks soooo much for reading! -ZutaraDramione97-