Hello and welcome to One To Ten, my newest WIP!
So I'll begin with a fair warning. This fix contains depictions of an abusive relationship. Read at your own risk.
I'll also like to add that this fic will be fairly short, with ten chapters max. no epilogues or prologues. With that being said, I hope you enjoy it
From across the packed room filled with intoxicated adults grinding and swaying to the loud music that blared out of the many speakers in the house, their eyes locked, forming an inseparable connection.
It felt quite strange how she was drawn to this stranger that stood across the packed room, his gaze piercing her soul. What was it that was causing this connection? Was it the cryptic look that swam in the grey pools that were his irises? Or was it perhaps the fact that just like her, he had isolated himself from the other partygoers, preferring to loiter in a corner with his drink?
Hermione attempted to look away, in consideration of the fact that she may look like a creep for prolonging her gaze, but every time she attempted to her eyes seemed to drift back to the platinum stranger standing across the room.
And then he smirked. Dear God, he smirked. Who was this absolute stranger, and why the hell did he smirk at her? His smirk stirred a panic within her as she whipped out her mirror and stared at her reflection. Did her concealer smudge off? Was the bruise visible?
Her panic vanished as she peered at her reflection, noticing that nothing was amiss with her face. She gave a sigh of relief as she stuffed her mirror back in her purse.
She shot him a small smile and an awkward wave as he continued to smirk at her, occasionally taking sips from his bottle of beer. Hermione took a gulp of her punch, hoping that the beverage hadn't been spiked by the mischievous hosts of the party.
Hermione couldn't stand alcohol. She abhorred the way it tasted, the way it altered people's way of thinking and acting, stripping them of their inhibitions.
Ron always mocked her because of her abstinence from drinking. "You're such a sissy… come on, a sip won't hurt." She could practically hear his jeering voice. A jolt of cold ran down her spine. It almost felt like he was standing right next to her…
"Boo!" Hermione let out a startled scream, her voice drowned out by the loud music so no one paid attention to her. Her heart thumped furiously, threatening to jump right out of her chest and onto the dirty floor. Her boyfriend of a little over a year, Ron, threw an arm over her shoulder.
"Baaaby… I noticed that you haven't left this corner since we got here. I don't want my friends thinking my girlfriend is some kind of loner that can't socialize." He said, words coming out slurred. Hermione released a shaky breath. She decided she was done for the night. The noise and the acrid smells of tobacco and marijuana were starting to give her a headache. "Ron, take me home."
"Aww but we just got here!" He yelled, causing her to flinch. His eyes were dark and indecipherable, and it gave her anxiety because she didn't know how he truly felt about leaving the party early at her request.
"Please? I'm really tired and I have a test tomorrow." She lied. She threw a glance at the platinum blonde stranger, whose smirk had now vanished, replaced by a frown. To Hermione's misfortune, Ron followed her gaze, locking eyes with the mysterious male. She felt his demeanour shift into something stoic. Hermione blood ran cold.
Ron turned back to her, a smile on his face, and this time she could make out what swam in those jet black depths: ire. "Looks like I was wrong huh? You made yourself a little friend while I was gone."
The ride back home was one of tense silence, the atmosphere smelling of fear and ire, the two creating an acrid concoction that made Hermione feel light-headed and sick. Her stomach turned every time she threw a side glance at Ron, whose face was an emotionless mask. It didn't help that he was driving at the speed of light, running all the lights and almost colliding with a few cars.
He stepped on the brakes suddenly, causing her to jolt forward, almost hitting her head on the windscreen.
Hermione wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but it seemed that action wouldn't be appropriate with what she expected Ron to bestow upon her.
"So, I saw you checking out that guy." He said, the calmness in his voice wavering. Hermione maintained her silence. She itched with the urge to defend herself but she was certain that if she did so he would just knock her in the mouth. He was never happy about anything she said.
She kept her gaze on her hand, not looking up even after she heard the click of the seatbelt next to her.
Suddenly her head was shoved sideways, colliding with the hard glass of the window. She clutched the side of her head,an incredulous look on her face as she stared at Ron, whose stony guise had slipped. "What, you're not even going to defend yourself? So I'm right huh? You're checking out other men?" He brought his palm down to her face in a hard slap. She shook her head, tears running down her face. "I—" He brought his fist down to her mouth.
It had been like that for the past five minutes in the car, him beating her while she pleaded for him to stop. Eventually he took her cries into consideration. The both sat in the car for some time, Hermione crying silently, her face and body painful and injured while Ron reclined in his seat, his hands above his head and the windows rolled down, the night breeze drifting into the car.
It was quite scary how much of an impact one stare could have.
Updates will be two chapters once a week.