The next time Draco saw Hermione she was storming red faced into the Great Hall, her robes billowing behind her as her ex-boyfriend hurried to catch up with her.
"Hermione please stop," the redhead begged grabbing the curly haired witches' wrist tightly in one hand so he could tug her towards him. The Great Hall was silent, all eyes on the two Gryffindor's. Hermione let out a pained hiss, an audible crack sounding as her wrist snapped in her ex's tight hold. Whirling around on the boy she didn't let her pain show, instead her eyes were full of hatred for a boy she had been crying over only that morning. From his seat at the Slytherin table Draco had a perfect view of the pair, in all his years antagonising the girl, he didn't think he'd ever managed to get her that railed, her cheeks flushed, her breasts heaving, her eyes glazed with molten fire as sparks of magical energy crackled from the tips of her fingers and throughout her mane of curls. From across the hall his eyes connected with hers, he smirked at her and lifted one eyebrow in challenge, he wasn't sure what she'd do but she seemed to take courage from his glance, her lips turned up in the briefest smile before she spun towards her ex raising the hand that was not clutched in his and slamming her closed fist into his nose.
"Fucking hell Hermione, I only wanted to talk about what happened last night," the boy whined both hands rising to cover his face, blood pouring from his now broken nose.
"I don't want to talk, Ronald we are over," she told the boy firmly, clutching her wrist to her chest.
"You don't mean that Mione, we love each other," the whispered.
"I don't think you ever loved me if you did your dick wouldn't have been inside that tramp last night. I can't love a man who won't respect me, who would hurt me the way you have Ronald, I don't even know if I can forgive you as a friend," she whispered hoarsely ignoring the gasps and mutters throughout the hall.
"I was drunk and lonely, you refuse to have sex Mione, what else was I supposed to do," he questioned the girl as though his mistakes were her fault.
"I was tortured Ron, I was almost raped by Greyback, I am so sorry that I wasn't ready and was healing from traumas that aren't even a year old," the girls voice shook and though he couldn't see her face Draco new she was crying.
"You have nothing to apologise for, Hermione," a familiar voice spoke from the Gryffindor table and Draco turned to see Harry Potter standing up with girl Weasley at his side, both hurried over to the broken girl who was now openly sobbing in the centre of the hall. Draco felt a strong urge to join them to help protect her from her prick of an ex but instead he remained rooted in his seat watching with the rest of the hall as Ginny Weasley wrapped her arms around the girl, leading her out of the hall presumably to have her wrist fixed while Harry Potter punched his male best friend in his already broken nose.
"You're taking her side then," the redhead questioned after spitting blood on the stone floor.
"You may be my first friend, but Hermione is my sister, countless times you have abandoned me, believed lies about me and been a shit friend over the years but Hermione has always stood by me. If it's a choice between the two of you I will always choose her because she is my family, since her parents died, I'm the only family she has left, and I take my role as her brother seriously. You mess with her and you mess with me," the chosen one's voice was devoid of emotion and steadfast, of all the speeches he had given over the years this was the one that made Draco feel respect for his childhood rival and when a Hufflepuff started clapping, he found himself joining in along with the rest of the school.
"Mr Weasley, I suggest as you are no longer a student you vacate my school now and don't bother returning," Professor McGonagall's amplified voice cut through the noisy hall. Watching Weasley walk away with his metaphorical tail between his legs was perhaps the most satisfying thing Draco had seen in a long while.