Scars

by PurpleSkye05

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy- lifelong enemies or two people more alike than either of them realise? After returning to Hogwarts to complete their final year, Hermione and Draco end up serving detention together. As they get closer they may just discover that the only person in the world who can help them heal is the last person in the world they would ever have suspected.

23. Chapter 23

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'Hermione Jean Granger! Get out of there right now!'

I would recognise Ginny's dulcet tones anywhere. After the display that Draco and I put on in the great hall, we had walked out of the room hand in hand, ignoring, or trying to ignore, all the whispers that spread around the room like wildfire. We went to the room of requirement for some peace and quiet. It had been a little awkward at first with both of simply looking at each other, unsure of what to say. I had been so nervous as I looked at Draco, who had been utterly silent since leaving the great hall. He had simply looked at me with an intense expression on his face that I was trying to figure out what it meant. That was until he kissed me. One minute he was giving me those intense grey eyes and the next he had swooped down and captured my lips in his, walking me backwards until my back hit the hard stone wall behind us. I had wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, feeling the last little piece of doubt being pushed away into a small dark corner, replaced by the warm glow of happiness that I hadn't felt in a long time.

The repeated banging on the bathroom door pulled me out of my happy musings and brought me back to reality with a bump. I might be happy, but not everyone was.

'Please tell me that the entire castle have gone bloody mad and have started having the same wild hallucinations and are now talking a load of complete bullshit,' came Ginny's shrill voice again from through the bathroom door. I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

'That depends on what you've heard,' I said lightly, opening the door and coming out of the bathroom in our dormitory. I was playing dumb. I was stalling for time. She would find out the truth, but she was still completely terrifying when she was pissed off.

'Don't you play dumb with me, Hermione Granger! Is it, or is not true that you walked up to Draco Malfoy in the great hall and kissed him? And is it also true that you then walked hand in hand with Draco Malfoy out of the great hall?'

Even after knowing the girl for eight years, it still never failed to amaze me how much Ginny sounded like her mother. Mrs Weasley had the ability to raise her voice several octaves, keep her tone deceptively sweet and yet somehow be menacing at the same time. Normally the effect would have me cowering slightly, but not today. Today I just smiled. Nothing was going to bring me down.

'That would be true and also true.'

'Hermione have you lost your mind,' she exploded. 'Seriously! What would possess you to do something like that?'

'I would have thought that was fairly obvious' I laughed lightly, trying to sound more confident than I felt, 'I like him Ginny. I mean I really like him. We're, well, we're going out with each other.'

Ginny simply looked at me like I had grown another head.

'Hermione, what are you talking about? How on earth can you be going out with Draco Malfoy? That is not possible unless I feel asleep in divination again and woke up in some creepy alternative universe.'

'Ginny, stop being so melodramatic.' I gave her a dramatic eye roll. 'I like Draco, he likes me. He's not the person we all thought he was. I've gotten to know him during our detentions and we've being seeing each other for a while,' I explained simply.

'Now you see I must be imagining this. I must be in some alternate world, because my friend would never have lied to me. My friend would never have hidden something as huge as this. My friend would have told me at was going on in her life.' Ginny had her arms crossed in front of her and she was giving me one almighty accusing stare.

I sighed deeply. I don't know why I spent so much time worrying over Harry and Ron. Boys were so much simpler than girls. Boys would be annoyed and then move on. Girls held grudges and girls did not let things go. It would be a long time before Ginny would forgive me for this one.

'Ginny I didn't lie to you. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even know how I was feeling. I tried to fight it for so long and I guess I only just realised how I felt. I certainly didn't mean to announce it to the entire school like I did this evening. It sort of just happened.'

'But you could have talked to me,' she exclaimed. 'You could have told me how you were feeling.'

'Oh come on Ginny. If I came to you and said 'Ginny I think I like Draco Malfoy. Ginny I just kissed Draco Malfoy', you would have thought I was insane. You would have tried to talk me out of it.'

'I wouldn't...' Ginny began to protest, but I don't let her get that far.

'Ginny, you would,' I said cutting her off. 'And you have been only looking out for me and I love you for that, but this was something that I needed to work out on my own.'

She stared at me for a long moment, contemplating. 'Fine,' she said eventually. 'I'm not saying I like this. I'm not saying that I'll accept him, but I'll try. And you had better promise me that you will tell me everything in the future, or if he does anything to hurt you.'

'He won't,' I replied once again rolling my eyes at her reaction. 'But yes I will tell you, I added when she arched her eyebrow in doubt. 'Ginny, I am sorry you know.'

'Yeah, I know,' Ginny said, flopping down on the bed and resting her head in her hands. 'But you can make it up to me by telling me everything. And I mean everything. I want to know all of the juicy details.'

Now that everyone was back from the Christmas holidays Draco and I didn't get to spend as much time together. It felt strange after being around each other so much and I actually missed him. We had a few classes together and I couldn't help but look over at him. It was like my eyes were drawn to him. It didn't matter where he was, my eyes seemed to automatically find him. I could see that there was a slight smile that was almost visible at the corner of his mouth. You had to look really hard to see it though. The rest of his face was the steely, cold hard mask that he usually wore, but I could see it now. The almost imperceptible lift of the corner of his mouth that I knew meant he was happy. It was a small thing, but I liked the fact that I knew him well enough to tell. I was smiling myself. I couldn't even care about all of the people staring at me and Draco, mouths open in amazement at what they were seeing. Let them stare I thought. I didn't care who knew how much I liked Draco and if I was looking at him anything like he was looking at me, then it must have been pretty obvious.

It felt amazing to have everything out in the open and to not have to hide. With Ginny on my side and Harry agreeing to give Draco a chance, things had gone a lot better than I could ever have imagined. Not that it was completely smooth sailing. Ron wasn't the only one who had a problem with Draco and I. I could see the confusion, the judgement, the repulsion of some of the older Gryffindor's who knew all about Draco's reputation. However none were quite as vocal as Lavender Brown. Her reaction had been fairly similar to Ron's. She called me a traitor, left the room whenever I entered and said that she was refusing to sleep in the same dormitory as a deatheater sympathiser. She had stormed out closely followed by Parvati. Parvati however had gotten over it fairly quickly and had returned to normal, though Lavender, who had also returned after one night was still being particularly frosty. We had never been the closest friends, but I had known her for eight years and I would have been lying if I said that her reaction didn't sting. But I could deal with a sting, it was the open wound that Ron was causing that I was struggling to deal with.

Despite Harry and Ginny coming around I still had to try and persuade Ron, although I had a feeling that he would be harder than anyone to convince. Ron was stubborn and he was hurting, but he was hurting me in return.

Despite my best efforts to talk to him, to explain, Ron didn't give me a chance to be alone with him. If we were alone, he walked away from me, only staying if Harry and Ginny were there, but even then he acted like I wasn't even there. If I asked him a question, he answered me with single words and only when he absolutely had to. After a while he began avoiding me completely, sitting with Neville or Seamus at mealtimes and in the common room, but more than once I caught the angry glares that he shot in my direction.

Unfortunately for Draco, it was him who was getting the brunt of my anger. He sat and listened to me as I stomped around the room of requirement, ranting about Ron and how much of an idiot he was. I knew it couldn't be easy for him, listening to me talking about Ron all the time, when he knew perfectly well what had been between us, but to his credit, he didn't join in the Ron bashing. Although that was probably most likely because he knew that I would just get pissed off with him if he tried. Especially after the one time when he snorted in laughter at what I had said about Ron and I shot him one hell of a glare in response.

Draco didn't seem to be having as many problems as I did. Or at least he said that he didn't. I did suspect that some of the older Slytherins would have had a problem with us being together, but many of them still seemed afraid of Draco. He did still wear the dark mark after all. I did begin to wonder if he had done or said something to the rest of the Slytherins when they began to part like the red sea when Draco and I walked down a corridor together. If anyone so much as got in his way, he just gave them one his trademark looks and they scuttled off as fast as their legs would carry them. Even on the very few occasions when I was alone they didn't say anything which surprised me. I caught their looks of pure revulsion, but I had expected a lot worse. I wondered how far he'd gone to protect me. I wanted to ask him, but I couldn't. I knew if I asked it would be like I didn't trust him and if I did ask, I was almost afraid of what the answer would be.

It wasn't till one day in the middle of January that some Slytherins cornered me, that my resolve was truly tested. I was in the library, one of the few times that I was actually alone. Draco was down at the Quidditch pitch, Harry and Ginny were having 'alone' time and Ron was still treating me like I had the plague. I was deep in my studies, minding my own business when Pansy Parkinson and a group of Slytherin girls that I didn't really know crowded around the table that I was working at.

'Oh look girls, its Malfoy's pet mudblood. How sweet,' she said in a saccharine sweet voice that was laden with the heavy tones of sarcasm. I tried not to flinch at the insult that she used. Although I tried not to let it affect me, it was a word that had too many memories.

'Can I help you?' I asked, lifting my head and giving her an apathetic smile. I closed the book I was reading and edged my hand an inch or two closer to my wand. The war may have ended, but a year on edge and living in fear had heightened my reflexes. My response was clearly not what she wanted or expected. She narrowed her eyes briefly, raising one eye brow in annoyance before she leaned down close to me.

'You do know he's just using you right?' she whispered theatrically. 'Draco, I mean,' she added, as the girls around her snickered loudly behind her.

'Is that so,' I said through gritted teeth, finding it hard to keep my voice light.

'Of course.' She said simply as if there wasn't a doubt in her mind. 'I would have thought you would have realised by now. You being so smart and all,' she said, nudging my advanced transfiguration book. 'It helps his reputation. Makes it seem like he's changed, but don't be fooled,' she said leaning in slightly, forcing me look at her. 'I know who the real Draco and this,' she said gesturing to me, 'isn't it. Draco and I have been together for years and it's only a matter of time before he comes back to me.'

'Then I guess you have nothing to worry about,' I replied, meeting her mocking glance.

'He'll turn on you Granger,' she said, all humour leaving her eyes, 'Just you wait and see. He hates your kind. I would watch my back if I were you.'

'Thanks for the warning,' I said, struggling to keep my tone even. I would never show Pansy Parkinson how much she affected me.

'Oh no problem,' she said sweetly, turning away and signalling for her posse to follow her. 'Just remember,' she said, pausing to look back at me over her shoulder. 'He belongs to me.'

After Pansy left me in peace, I found that I couldn't concentrate. Although I trusted Draco and I knew that Pansy was just trying to stir up trouble, the seed of doubt had been planted. For the rest of the day, I couldn't get the conversation out of my head. Even as I went down to the great hall, I was still mulling over her words. I sat in silence whilst Harry and Ginny talked Quidditch strategy again as they had a match with Ravenclaw soon. I found myself looking around the great hall trying to distract myself. Ron was sitting further down the table, ignoring me yet again. Neville and Luna were looking cosy together at the Ravenclaw table, but my eyes were drawn to the person who was coming into the great hall. Pansy waltzed through the giant double doors and immediately caught my eye. Even from a distance I could see the little smirk that she gave me. As much as I knew what she was doing, I couldn't help but watch. She walked right up to where Draco was sitting and slid in beside him, facing the wrong way on the bench, her back to the table so I could still see her face, whilst his back was to me.

Although I didn't know what they were talking about, I could see exactly the way she was reacting. She tossed her glossy black hair over her shoulder and leant in close to him, laying her hand lightly on his back every so often. Draco must have turned into a comedian since I had last spoken to him as Pansy kept giggling and throwing her head back in laughter, tittering as she reached out to touch him gently on his thigh. A touch that he didn't rebuke. Jealousy was an emotion that I was all too familiar with and no matter how hard I tried not to, I couldn't help but compare myself to her. Whereas her hair was glossy, smooth and straight, mine was curly and frizzy. Whereas she oozed confidence and self-assurance, I laboured over every decision. Whereas she was a pureblood, I was most definitely not. Seeing them together, pale blond beside contrasting dark, they seemed like a perfect couple. Like a perfect fit. I was about as far at the opposite end of the spectrum as it was possible to be. If he had liked her, then what on earth was he seeing in me?

I pushed my plate away and stood up, unable to watch anymore. I quickly walked out of the great hall not even looking in their direction even though I could feel her eyes on me with every step that I took, revelling in her victory.

I stormed into the common room, furious with Pansy, furious with Draco and most of all furious with myself for letting her get to me. With my blood boiling, it was bad timing that the person that I ran straight into was Ron.

'Trouble in paradise?' Ron said, his mouth twisted in a sneer.

'Excuse me?' I asked, stunned by the cruelness in Ron's voice.

'I said, trouble in paradise. I knew Malfoy would get bored eventually, but I have to admit, even I didn't think it would be so soon.'

His words stung and I did my best to blink back the tears that were immediately in my eyes. I knew Ron was lashing out because he was hurting, but he was hurting me too. With everything that had happened between us, I couldn't believe he could be so cruel to me. All I wanted in that moment was for Ron to be there for me and give me a hug and tell me that everything was going to be fine. I wanted my friend back. 'Ron can we talk about this? Please?' I added, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

'I don't really think there's anything to say. Do you?' he said, raising one eyebrow in question.

'Of course I do,' I said desperately, trying not to be hurt when he took a step back as I stepped forward. 'We're friends and I want you to understand. I need you to listen to me.' Ron simply scoffed and flopped down on the couch, picking up a book and pretending to read it.

'Ron we have been friends for eight years. Think of all that we've been through. Are you really going to throw all of that away?'

'Me! How exactly am I am the one throwing this away?' he said incredulously, throwing the book to the side and standing up again. 'You made your choice. You picked your side.'

'Ron, don't you get it! The war is over. There aren't sides anymore. We didn't go through of all of it for the same old prejudices to stay the same. If we want people to stop treating muggle borns differently, then we have to start treating all the purebloods and Slytherins differently. Otherwise when does it ever end? Draco can see that, why can't you?'

'Oh yes, I'm sure Draco is just a regular saint now. When did you become so easy to fool Hermione?'

'You know what Ron, I'm done trying to explain myself to you. You have done plenty of things over the years and I have never once held it against you. I have never been cruel to you. I have always been there for you. I need you right now and if you can't be there for me then what's the point?'

I turned away from Ron, heading to my dormitory where I was quite sure I would spend the rest of the night with my head under the covers, sobbing into my pillow.

'Hermione wait,' Ron cried out as I was just about to round the corner and leave the common room. Warily I turned around to face him, unsure whether or not to prepare for another insult.

'Hermione don't you understand. Can't you see what this is doing to me?' Ron said, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him. In truth I could see what it was doing to him. Every time I looked at him I could see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes . I braced myself for what Ron usually did when he was hurt- lash out. I was expecting him to insult me or Draco but he managed to stun me with the words that eventually come out of his mouth.

'I'm in love with you Hermione. I thought you knew that. I thought you loved me too.'

In that moment time seemed to stand still. I was stunned into complete silence and my brain couldn't seem to quite process what was happening. He had mentioned something before, hinted at it, but he had just broken up with Lavender and my head had been so full of Draco that I never really listened to what he was saying. But I heard him now. I was paying full attention now. The sincerity and agony in his eyes told me that what he was saying is true. Instead of piercing my heart, I felt the cruel twist of a bitter knife deep in my stomach.

'Ron, I ...' I stuttered eventually, not knowing what to say. It was like some cruel joke. This is what I had wanted for years. What I'd dreamed about. It's the words that I had always wanted to hear. Yet it was too late. I didn't love him. Not in that way.

'You love me Hermione,' Ron says, stepping even closer to me and gently taking my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. It was a gesture so usual for Ron. It was also very distracting. 'I know you do. I've seen it.'

'Ron I do love you,' I said feeling guilty as his eyes lit up with the bright spark of hope. I dropped his hand from mine and his eyes watched my movement with a confused look. 'I love you as a friend. I did love you that way once. For a long time actually.' I thought of all the years that I'd loved Ron. For all the times that I'd dreamt that he would say these words to me. Then I thought of all of the tears that I'd cried for him. All of the hurt that he caused me when he turned to Lavender instead. My heart didn't flutter when I saw him anymore. It fluttered for someone else. 'But I don't feel that way anymore. I'm sorry.'

'So what. You love Malfoy now is that it?' Ron said, his voice turning cold and angry in the face of rejection. He stepped towards me with clear anger in his features. 'You kissed me once Hermione. Have you forgotten about that?' I could see the hurt on Ron's face and hear it in his voice, but as usual when Ron was hurt, he masked it with anger. And that anger brought my own anger and hurt to the surface. It was not my fault that we were in this situation. It was his and I wanted to make sure that he knew it.

'And have you forgotten, Ronald, that after you kissed me you ignored me for months on end and then you chose to go out with Lavender Brown. Did you expect me to just wait for you? That I would just stand by and watch you with her and wait until you finally decided that you like me. Well I'm sorry Ron but I got tired of waiting. I moved on'

'So you're punishing me? You picked the one guy that I hate more than anything in the world just to hurt me?'

'Ron I'm not trying to hurt you. Believe it or not this is not about you. I like him and he likes me too.'

'Merlin you actually believe that don't you. Has put you under the imperius curse of something? How could he like you Hermione? It's Malfoy. He's hated you for years. Feelings like that don't change. Have you forgotten all the times he made fun of you? Of your teeth, your hair. Have you forgotten all the curses and hexes that he fired at you? Have you forgotten that he wanted you dead when the Chamber of Secrets was open? How he has called you a mudblood for years? Hell have you forgotten that he was responsible for Dumbledore dying?'

'Ron, stop it,' I gasped through the tears that he brought streaming down my face from all the horrible memories that he had brought to the surface.

'No I won't. You need to hear this.' He reached forward, grabbing my arms, his grip bruising, shaking me with his words. 'I love you Hermione. Do you think he can say the same? He will never love you like I do. He probably isn't even capable of loving anyone, least of all someone like you.'

I stood in stunned silence as Ron continued, not caring about the tears that had started streaking their way down my face. 'Someone like me?' I managed to choke out.

'He thinks you're a mudblood. He has been brought up hating people like you. His family hate people like you. Do you think that they'll let him be with you? That he'll choose you over them. He thinks you have filthy blood and feelings like that can't change. How can he possibly ever love you?'

I tugged my arms out of his grip and step back. 'You're wrong, Ron,' I said, but even as the words left my lips I could hear the doubt in my voice.

'No, I'm not. And what's more you know I'm not. To him, you're just another notch on the bedpost. You're a conquest for him. Get the mudblood to fall in love with the deatheater. He's probably in the Slytherin common room right now, laughing at you, at how gullible you are. How easy you were.'

'Ron stop it,' I managed to choke out. My throat had gone deathly dry and my whole body had gone cold. I didn't believe Ron and yet that was the second time someone had said that exact thing to me. Pansy said nearly the same thing to me earlier today. Draco was using me. I didn't want to believe them. I knew Draco. I knew he was not lying to me. And yet...

'A dragon can't change its hide, Hermione,' Ron said, coming towards me as he attempted to wrap his arms around my shoulders. 'One day you'll realise that I'm right and I'll be here for you to pick up the pieces. I'll be waiting Hermione for you to come to your senses and come back to me.'

I pushed him off and ducked out from underneath his arms. 'Don't touch me,' I screeched, 'I hate you Ron. How can you be so cruel? Why do you have to ruin everything?' Wanting nothing more than to be away from him I turned around and half staggered, half running towards the portrait hole, blinded by my tears. I turned around the corner, but not before I heard him shout after me, 'no you don't Hermione. You just don't want to hear the truth.'

I came to a halt at his words, clinging to the hard stone walls to keep me upright. Ron was one of my best friends. His words had struck a raw nerve deep down inside of me and ignited the feelings of doubt that I had all but suppressed. He had told me nothing that I hadn't thought before. Things that I thought I had put behind me and yet to hear the words spoken by my best friend- it hurt.

Once I had finally been able to move again I stumbled down the corridor, not even caring where I was going. All I knew was that I wanted to be as far away from everyone as I could be, away from the doubt and confusion swarming around me. I didn't get very far though when I ran into a hard, wall like chest and bounced back, stumbling slightly before a familiar touch gabbed my shoulders and steadied me.

'Hey, where have you been? We were supposed to meet after dinner?'

Reluctantly I looked up into Draco's warm grey eyes and watched all the warmth disappear as he studied my tear stained face.

'Hermione, what's wrong?' Draco said worriedly, reaching out to cup my face which he tilted it back so he could examine me more carefully. I couldn't help myself as I jerked away from his touch, feeling all the doubt from Ron and Pansy's words swim to the surface. 'What's happened' he asked, his eyes turning wary when they saw the look in mine. 'Talk to me,' he said more urgently when I stayed silent.

'It's nothing,' I replied, trying to control my bottom lip that was wobbling threatening to break my composure. It didn't take long for me to crack under the weight of Draco's stare as I eventually cried out, 'It was Ron. He was saying all these things. Things about you and me.' My voice broke horribly at the end of my sentence as I broke into thick heavy choking sobs that I couldn't seem to stop.

'That bastard,' Draco hissed slamming his hand hard against the wall. Seeing me flinch he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. 'I'll kill him for upsetting you.' As much as I knew he wanted to protect me, the harsh tone and easy threat of violence that escaped his lips made Ron and Pansy's words seem all the more justified.

'Draco don't,' I said, placing my hands on his chest and easing back slightly. 'He's just upset. He's angry. He'll come around. I hope,' I added as I broke down in tears again to which Draco pulled me into another tight hug.

'So what did he say?' Draco said after a moment or two, disturbing the peace that I had felt just a moment before. In Draco's strong arms, with his hand gently stoking my hair, I felt safe. I felt secure. I felt like it was just him and me and I felt like we could get through anything. But with his question, the real world has seeped in again, tainting what we had. 'Or do I even want to know?'

'Probably not,' I sighed, 'He said that,' I paused slightly, unsure about how much to tell him, but I found that I had to tell him the truth. I had to tell him everything. I needed to hear him deny all the things that Ron had said. I steeled myself, pulling back slightly to look him straight in the eye, wanting to see his reaction. 'He said that you hate people like me. That to you, I'll always be a mudblood. That you'll always hate people like me.'

The arms that were around me tightened as Draco stiffened at my words. 'Hermione, come on we've been through all of this.'

Yes he had explained to me when he had changed, when he had stopped believing in Voldemort's prejudices. I knew all of that. Yet the black cloud of doubt still lived in a dark corner within me, waiting to strike at the first sign of trouble. As much as I didn't want it to, it still lingered within me and what's more Draco could see it too.

'What?' he questioned, his tone blunt when I couldn't meet his eye.

'I just don't understand why you're here. Why you're even with me.' His eyes darkened looking at me with both shock and incredulity.

'Are you fucking serious?' Draco spat out. 'You're actually going to let Weasley fuck with your head. Don't you see that he's just trying to turn you against me?'

'But you hate me! You've always hated me. You hate everything that I stand for.'

'Hermione,' he uttered, totally confused by my outburst. 'You know that's not true. You have to know that that's not true.'

'How can I possibly know that? I'm a Gryffindor, I'm Harry's friend and I'm a mudblood. You've spent your entire life making fun of me, putting me down saying how you hate how I look, how inferior I am. You've even said you wished I was dead.' He flinched and tried to take a step towards me, but I didn't want his comfort. I didn't want him to make me forget and to make everything better. The darkness of my doubt had reared its head and it wanted to be heard. 'No one believes we can be together. They all think that I'm crazy. That it will never work. So excuse me for having doubts Draco, because I honestly don't see how your feelings can just change that drastically.'

Anger sparked in his eyes and he closed the space between us, bearing down on me. 'Is that what you honestly think?' I didn't answer but he saw an answer in my eyes anyway. He turned away from me cursed under his breath before spinning back around. 'If that's what you think then what is this? Some fucking test where you get to play around with me and make me fall in love with you until you get bored and run back to Weasley?'

My blood ran cold. 'What did you say?' I whispered disbelievingly, stepping back from him, hoping that I had misheard.

His eyes shuttered as he realised what he had said and although his jaw was hard, a slight blush crept up staining his pale cheeks with pink. He stayed silent and I was beginning to think that he wasn't going to answer me when he straightened his spine and looked me straight in the eye. 'I think I've… I'm in love with you Hermione.'

My stomach jolted in a feeling of sheer happiness what was quickly swallowed up by the nauseous feeling that was rising up inside of me. Despite my best efforts to push them away thoughts of Ron and Pansy were swimming around in my head and I heard their words over and over. He can't love you. He hates you. He thinks you're a mudblood, He's just using you. I couldn't get their voices out of my head. Ringing in my ears and making me doubt everything. Making me doubt him.

'You can't love me,' I whispered, backing slowly away from him. Draco jerked back in surprise as if I'd hit him, hurt and confusion narrowing his eyes. His face was wary, watching me in the same way that you would a wounded animal. I knew he was fighting his own emotions, fighting his own natural instincts to lash out in wounded pride. He took a deep breath and spoke with a voice that was much calmer than I was sure he felt, though I could hear the effort it took.

'I think I know how I feel.'

The words 'I love you' were the words that anyone should be happy to hear. I had heard them twice today and yet I felt nothing. I felt hollow. Ron's own declaration and cruel words as well as Pansy's warning, span around inside my head and as much as I tried to ignore them, I couldn't. The seed of doubt had been planted and was at that moment growing shoots of mistrust, suspicion and worthlessness that were taking a firm grasp, spreading around my body, winding themselves around my veins. As much as I wanted to tell Draco that his words meant a lot to me, that I thought I might have loved him too, I just couldn't. I couldn't get hurt again by someone choosing to walk away from me. I couldn't allow myself to open myself up to trust someone fully only for them to walk away. Just like I couldn't stop the words that came tumbling out of my mouth.

'Draco, you and I will never work. You're a pureblood and that's what important to you and I'm just a filthy little mudblood. You've said so yourself often enough.' My voice was bitter and harsh but I ignored the immense look of hurt on Draco's face. I wasn't finished yet. I still had the ace up my sleeve. The thing that I knew would push him away and prove that he didn't love me after all. 'I've even got the scar to prove it.' I pulled back my sleeve and thrust my arm out, showing him the angry red scar that still shone brightly on my arm. Showing him the word that had haunted me for years. Showing him what I was.

He looked at my arm, his face twisting with a mixture of emotions that I couldn't make out. However one emotion stood out on his face, clear as day. Revulsion. For a moment he looked like he might be sick. He tore his gaze away and looked to the floor.

'You see, you can't even look at it,' I choked out at having my fears confirmed. 'How can you love me when you hate what I am?'

I waited for him to speak, willing him to take hold of me and make all of the hurt and pain and the doubt go away. I wanted him to tell me that I was being ridiculous, that none of it mattered to him. That of course he loved me and that Ron and Pansy words meant nothing. But he didn't. He just stood and stared at me his grey eyes emotionless as he stared at the engraving carved onto my skin. It wasn't until I yanked my sleeve back down over my arm that his eyes lifted to my face.

'Hermione… I…' He made to take a step towards me but I raised my hand, warding him off, stepping out of his reach.

'Please just leave me alone Draco. It's over between us. We were stupid for ever believing it could work.'

Not even giving him a chance to respond I turned and ran along the corridor, ignoring his shouts after me. Part of me knew that I was over- reacting, that I was stupid for letting others words infiltrate and poison my mind against him yet the look in his eyes when he looked at my arm told me that I was right. He told me that he loved me and yet he couldn't ever truly get over who or what I was and if he couldn't get over that then what chance was there for us? How could he really love me if he hated a fundamental part of me?

I reached the top of the staircase and made it half way down the stairs when blinded my tears I lost my footing and went careening down the rest landing in a small heap at the bottom. The shock of the pain instantly stopped my tears and cleared my head, ridding me of the swarming voices that I had been trying so hard to run away from. Sitting in a heap at the bottom of the stairs the stark realisation of what I had done suddenly struck and I instantly felt regret. I didn't want to break up with Draco. He made me happy. He loved me. I picked myself up off of the floor and turned around to try and find Draco again. To try and talk rationally about what had just happened.

I reached the stop of the stairs when I realised that someone else was there, watching me. I looked into the pair of familiar eyes that were boring back into mine with a look that made my blood run cold and I was instantly afraid. I didn't even have time to open my mouth before I saw the wand raised in front of me as the pain seized my entire body making me scream out in agony as I once again collapsed to the ground.

A/N- Thanks again for reading, reviewing and following.