Hello hello lovelies!

I posted another chapter a few hours ago, so go check that out first if you haven't read it yet!

It's here! The end of part II! I'm not sure whether I should try and write more chapters of part III, or post the first two that I've finished over the course of the next week or so? You can let me know. You either get two chapters really soon, or more consistent updates...eventually?

Caprubia and I had a conversation quite a while ago now about this chapter. I would tell you what the conversation entailed, but that would spoil the chapter and the surprise! HAHA. Either way, she inspired this chapter, and thank you for that lovely x

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.

For Caprubia xxx

"And I'd choose you;
in a hundred lifetimes,
in a hundred worlds,
in any version of reality,
I'd find you
And I'd choose you."

- The Chaos of Stars

Tuesday, December 1st, 1998
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Draco Malfoy was infuriating.

I don't know what Slughorn was thinking, pairing the two of us for the rest of the school year. Hermione Granger huffed out a breath as she pulled the sleeves of her robes over her hands. The temperature in the corridor had dropped significantly, and a draught brushed against her ankles.

"Granger!"

Hermione quickened her steps, she was not in the mood to converse with Draco Malfoy any more today than was absolutely necessary. The wizard was a peculiarity she didn't wish to ponder on or figure out. Draco had been keeping a low profile since the school year started, and his personality was more subdued than it had been before. It was as if he was empty, and it was unnerving.

(They'd traded several snide remarks, and gotten into a few heated discussions over the past few months, and it was the only time Hermione saw the remnants of the boy she used to know.)

Hermione found she preferred a quiet Malfoy over the wizard she'd just brewed a potion with. He'd been listlessly but perfectly performing his set of assigned tasks. She'd equally divided the tasks between them when the class began. Malfoy hadn't said anything, he'd just nodded dully.

Hermione added the dried lavender four seconds later than she should have, and it was as if fire had been breathed back into Malfoy, and his bite and snark was back.

In a strange way, Hermione wondered if she was unknowingly provoking him on purpose. She hesitated to put the lavender in, even though she knew exactly when to add it. Hermione halted harshly as the thought occurred to her; her knees wobbled. Truthfully, she despised seeing Malfoy so lifeless and bland.

Footsteps echoed across the stone floor behind her for several more moments, and they stopped just shy of her. Hermione inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and tried to centre herself.

"What, Malfoy?" Hermione asked with acidity bubbling across her tongue. She whirled around, eyes snapping open, honey brown curls flying about.

It was infuriating how composed he always looked. Hermione's eyes raked over him, as if dissecting him and his intentions. She wasn't in the mood for an argument. She wished to head back to the Head Dorms, draw herself a vanilla-scented bath, and have an early night.

Draco flinched under her seething gaze, and narrowed his eyes. It was only then that Herrmione noticed the Potions textbook in his hand.

"You forgot your book," Draco said callously, his deep voice rumbling forward. He tossed the book in her direction. It flew open, and Hermione watched in horror as it landed so that several pages were twisted and bent, the hardback cover facing upwards.

"What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you?" Draco shot back, striding forward. His platinum blond hair was messily arranged on top of his head, and some of his bangs fell forward into his eyes as he towered over her. Hermione evenly met his gaze, and she pushed her sleeves back to reveal her bare forearms. Draco flinched as he caught sight of the scar etched into her skin.

"Was that necessary?" Draco asked, venom dripping from his words.

"No, but apparently your Aunt thought it was," Hermione smiled sweetly. Draco visibly stiffened, and unwittingly rubbed at his covered left forearm.

"What the fuck do you want from me, Granger? To repent for my sins? To die? What?" Draco snarled. He stepped over her book, and there was barely any room between them. Hermione's heartbeat quickened, out of shock or fear she wasn't sure.

"I never said I wanted you to die," Hermione replied. Her anger drained from her features at the blatant hurt that had cracked Malfoy's normally flawless marble façade. Draco opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words left his lips.

"Well what do you want?" Draco asked coldly.

"I don't want anything from you."

"Right," Draco nodded curtly. The molten silver in his eyes had her ensnared in his grip, and there was a tingly sensation skipping across her toes.

Hermione wasn't sure why her next words exited her mouth, perhaps she really was antagonising him on purpose. "Even if I did want something, it's not as if the Great Draco Malfoy would deign to help a Mudblood—"

Hermione blinked, and Draco's hand was on her throat. He wasn't applying any pressure, but his hand was lightly gripping her skin, and he bent down so they were eye-level.

"What world do you live in?"

"I suggest you remove your hand from my person."

"I suggest you listen, and get some perspective, Princess."

"Princess—"

"You prefer annoying swot?" Draco asked, his eyes flashing in warning. "Because you're both. You are the Gryffindor Princess, and you are absurdly annoying."

Hermione was rendered speechless. Mayhaps it was the way he was looking at her, or his hold on her, or simply the pain trapped in his features as he spoke, but she didn't have anything to retort.

"You may be the 'brightest witch of our age', but you really haven't noticed what's really going on within these walls. Your merry band may have opted to socialise with some Slytherins, but your kindness doesn't extend to all of us, does it? Which signals others that we're fair game."

(For the most part, there was an unanimous truce amongst the older years to put their differences behind them in order to not fester more hatred. However, there were a couple exceptions and isolated incidents, and the unfortunate result of such was that Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson—and a couple others—were getting hexed and mistreated. Mostly it was harsh insults, sometimes they were spat at, and some of Pansy's belongings had gone missing. Once, she'd been doused with paint and covered in feathers. Her only response was a sneer and to criticise their originality.)

"What?"

"You don't even realise the power your little Golden Trio has. Pansy has become a social pariah, and some of the younger years have taken it upon themselves to hex her in the hallways. She's lucky that fucking Longbottom was closeby the other day, otherwise things could have been much worse."

"Pansy?"

"Potter's open disdain of me, simply means that it's okay to hex the former Death-Eater. If the Chosen One doesn't like him, then why should we treat him with any semblance of decency?"

"Harry hasn't—"

"Potter and Daphne are courting, he's started interacting with Theo, Blaise, and a plethora of my friends and housemates. Thus, they have been deemed safe, and good. He may not be intentionally doing anything, but that doesn't mean his actions don't have consequences, Granger."

"I didn't know—"

"Of course you didn't. Because it doesn't affect you and your little mates," Draco snarled. There was a murderous energy wafting off of him, but he reminded her of a wounded animal lashing out and trying to protect itself. Despite their proximity, and the nasty stare he'd fixed her with, Hermione wasn't afraid of Draco.

"Malfoy- "

"I don't want to hear any of your—"

"Will you stop interrupting me?" Hermione roared. There was a breath's distance between them. Malfoy's distinct scent of mint was assaulting her senses, and their noses were practically touching.

Malfoy blinked, and flinched in place. He swallowed thickly, straightened out, removed his hand from her throat and tucked it into his pocket. He lazily regarded her with mild disdain. "I think we're done here, Granger. I'll ask Slughorn to reassign you a new partner and—"

"Why?"

Malfoy's brow furrowed, and he pursed his lips. "Granger, you can't really be that obtuse—"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but then the ground beneath them began shaking. Hermione's eyes rounded, and she stumbled to her left. Hermione tripped over her own feet and hurtled into the nearest wall. She let out a gasp of pain as her shoulder collided harshly with the stone wall.

Black dots were dancing in front of Hermione's eyes, and she hissed as she pushed up off of the wall, clutching her sore upper arm. Hermione vaguely registered that Draco was in a similar position, and his face was contorted with discomfort.

The corridor twisted and rotated so that Draco and Hermione were lying down. They met one another's eyes in fearful befuddlement. Hermione blinked, and she barely caught her breath before the solid surface vanished beneath them, and she plummeted into darkness. The last thing she saw was the silver glinting in Draco's eyes, and his hand reaching out towards her.

End of Part II