WHEN MY TIME IS UP

Chapter Three

Author's Note: So far I'm writing this story out in bulk, and then dividing it into chapters just in case I get a bout of writer's block, that way, you won't be waiting for ages to get a new update, so I'm sorry if this one feels a bit shorter than the rest. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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No matter how much she tried, she could not get it off her mind. She'd read the same paragraph at least six times now, trying to force herself to focus on something besides her most recent encounter with Draco Malfoy. But it was pointless, no matter what she did, or what book she turned to, nothing captured her attention more so than his words had.

"I'm sorry."

Draco Malfoy had never apologised to her. He'd never even shot a look of sympathy her way in all the years she'd known him. His opinion of her was very low, and he'd made them quite clear numerous times. But there had been such a look of sincerity in her eyes that she believed this had been genuine. He was not mocking her or standing on formalities, he had really meant what he said. But that lead her to her next train of thought: why was he acting that way? What had changed to cause such a reaction?

Now that she thought about it, Slughorn had been right. Draco looked considerably paler compared to his usual fair complexion. And the way he'd stared off into nowhere, several times now, completely lost in his own mind, gave Hermione the impression something wasn't quite right with him. For some strange reason, she wanted to find out what. It wasn't every day a Pure-Blood Wizard with a low opinion of Muggle Borns apologised to one. Especially one who had been raised by Lucius Malfoy of all people.

Pulling out an empty notebook from her bag and grabbing her quill, she dipped it in ink before beginning to jot down her encounters with Draco Malfoy. Maybe making a note of them and what she'd seen would help her determine what was going on with him.

Sunday 1st September: Malfoy was the last to leave the Great Hall after dinner. He was staring off into space, deep in thought it would appear. He caught me looking at him, but said nothing.

Monday 1st September: Malfoy has spoken to me, and glanced in my direction numerous times so far today. In potions, he handed me two vials, glanced at me as I was identifying the potions, and apologised after bumping into me and helped me pick up my books. He removed what appeared to be a Niffler feather from my hair and put it in his pocket. Unsure as to why.

Closing the notebook, she tucked it back into her bag and returned her attention to her book on Advanced Potions, hoping that she'd be able to get a head start on their next lesson. Being all but annihilated today by Harry made her determined to do better. There was no way she was going to struggle or fall behind like that again, in any of her classes.

"Hermione! Thank Merlin I found you. Can we talk?" The soft voice of Ginny Weasley gasped, relief seeming to fill every aspect of her voice. Looking up from her book, Hermione greeted the red-haired woman with a bright smile, gesturing for her to sit down in the seat opposite. But as Ginny sat down, it was then Hermione was able to notice the slight redness to her eyes, the wetness of her cheeks. She'd been crying.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, reaching out to hold her friend's hand.

"It's Dean. We had a fight. Our first fight. This morning, before you and Harry came in, he was all but screaming at me for helping Harry last night with his nose, said he saw the way I looked at him, that I shouldn't be touching other guys when I'm with him." Ginny sighed.

"Well, all disrespect intended, but Dean is being an absolute ass. He can't control you, Ginny. You're your own person, you can talk to whoever you like. Besides, you were only helping Harry. It wasn't like you were raking your hands all over him. But I suggest keeping a little distance from Dean, give him today to calm down. I'm sure he'll see reason once he's had some time to think and come grovelling back. But don't let him think he's the boss of you. Make that very clear to him." Hermione advised.

It was always difficult, love. Not that Hermione had much experience in that respect. Sure, she'd had some crushes growing up, but nothing she could ever say were serious feelings. But she'd seen it happen enough times to know it wasn't always smooth sailing. Plus there was the fact Ginny had always had a crush on Harry from the first moment she saw him. But when his attention was swept up by Cho Chang last year, something changed in Ginny. Hermione noticed her talking to other guys as if trying to distract herself.

Was that what Dean was to her? A distraction? Or was she simply trying to move on with someone else? There had been times where she'd seen them together, both in and out of school, looking completely head over heels for one another. So maybe there were some real feelings there, maybe Ginny was serious about Dean? But now that Harry was single again, and pining after her, how long that would last Hermione couldn't say. So for the good of all, Hermione decided to keep Harry's feelings towards Ginny to herself.

"Thanks, Hermione, I know I can always count on you." Ginny smiled, her shoulders instantly relaxing. Giving Ginny's hands a gentle squeeze, Hermione smiled back at her.

"Don't mention it. Tell you what, me and my dorm mates always have a slumber party of sorts after the first day of lessons. It's kind of a tradition. You should come and join us, maybe it'll help take your mind off things?" Hermione offered.

It had started during their third year, when Parvati Patil suggested playing a game of truth or dare after their first day back at Hogwarts, then it extended to pampering sessions, fun little games, and just generally having a good time. It seemed to Ever since, they'd made it a tradition, sometimes inviting others to join in on their fun as well. The more the merrier.

"That sounds great Hermione, and I really appreciate the offer, but I've already made plans for tonight. But thank you anyway. I have to get going, but I'll see you at dinner?" Ginny muttered softly, politely declining Hermione's offer, giving her a hug before departing. Watching until Ginny was out of sight, Hermione paused for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. It seemed everyone was in love. Harry was fawning over Ginny, Ginny was stuck between him and Dean, Lavender was clearly drooling over Ronald, who in turn had the hots for anything with a nice pair of legs. Romilda Vane was supposedly trying to slip Harry a love potion, as well as half of the girls in their year.

Ever since the Dark Lord had returned, Harry had gained a lot of attention. Of course, the majority was from the press, but a lot of students had now started believing that he was the Chosen One, and a lot of her female classmates found that very appealing. So much so that they were apparently willing to take extreme measures to earn his affections.

Cormac McLaggen seemed to have some interest in her. The thought alone was enough to make her shudder, he was such an awful human being, and his desires were pretty much written across his face. He was not looking for a relationship, he was looking for a good lay. Plus there was very little intelligence residing within that brain of his. She would get a far more insightful conversation out of Viktor Krum and all the man ever spoke about was Quidditch. Still, she enjoyed writing to him. He was a good friend, someone she could turn to outside her usual circle and could offer her unbiased opinions or advise.

In her most recent letter, she'd expressed her concern about the Dark Lord's return, how people were going missing, the attack on Diagon Alley, how she was worried there would be no one left or willing to stand up to him. But thankfully, Viktor had swiftly calmed her nerves by telling her as long person was still fighting then it wasn't over, and that he would fight to his death if it called for it. While she didn't want him to throw his life away, it reassured her knowing there was at least one person, besides her and Harry, who wanted to fight. That reminded her, she really did need to respond to him. It had almost been a week since his reply had reached her.

In all fairness, starting a new school year, she was sure he'd understand if she was a little late with her responses. But Hermione made a mental note to get her reply done tonight during her pamper night with the girls. It would definitely help her relax after a long day.

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Nowhere to be seen. But this time it wasn't Harry. It was Malfoy. Glancing over at the Slytherin table at dinner, Hermione couldn't spot him anywhere, and it would seem his friends were doing the same as her, particularly Pansy who had quite the look of worry plastered across her face. Something was definitely going on with her Slytherin classmate.

Excusing herself, Hermione got up from the dinner table, leaving the Great Hall. It was crazy, but there was this awful feeling spreading through her. Almost as if something was telling her to go find Malfoy, and despite having no idea where to look her body seemed to have that covered. She marched down the corridors, up the stairs, round the corners, never pausing for a single moment to think about where she was going. It wasn't until she came to a dead-end that she finally stopped, staring at a wall.

Why had she come here? Before she could have thought on it any further, intricate markings started forming on the wall before her, taking the shape of a door in mere seconds. Leaping behind a column, Hermione watched curiously as the doors opened and Draco Malfoy walked out, brows furrowed and looking down at something in his hand. After squinting her eyes, Hermione was able to determine it was the Niffler feather he'd removed from her hair earlier, but now it was smoking, glowing dimly as it silently burned.

After a moment Malfoy dropped the feather onto the ground, watching as it fluttered slowly in a hue of orange embers and smoke. But he then suddenly looked up, catching her eye for a brief moment before she retreated behind the column, cursing to herself. It had been too short of a time for him to identify her, but he was now aware someone was spying on him. She could hear his footsteps approaching cautiously, his wand being drawn.

"Whose there?" He demanded. Pulling up her cloak so the hood rested over her head, Hermione quickly rushed down the corridor, yelping in shock when some kind of spell was sent her way and missed by mere inches, causing parts of the wall to break off and crumble to the ground behind her. Was he insane?! Attacking someone for spying on him?!

Hermione didn't stop running until she got back to the Gryffindor common room, her heart beating frantically in her chest. Now she was within the safety of House's protection, she could think through what she'd seen clearly. Malfoy had clearly come out of the Room of Requirement, with the burnt remains of the feather he'd taken her from earlier. He seemed confused by this, so it obviously wasn't him that burned the feather. But why would this be so concerning to him? It was just a feather. Unless it played part in something more? But if so, what exactly was Draco Malfoy up to?

Had Harry been right? Had Malfoy been recruited by the Dark Lord? No. That was ridiculous. It was probably best she kept this news on Draco Malfoy to herself, at least until she had a more concrete idea of what Draco was doing in the Room of Requirement. Until then, she would just have to keep an eye on him, and try to find out what he was doing. And find some way to do it a bit more carefully, seeing as she nearly got caught just now. If it hadn't been for her cloak, Malfoy would have known it was her.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Hermione grimaced at what she was doing. She was spying on Malfoy, invading his privacy. That's exactly what she'd been so irritated at Harry for doing. Now she was just being the world's biggest hypocrite. Then again, Harry's motives were to find out what 'evil deeds' Draco was up to. Hermione was merely concerned for her classmate. There was something wrong, he looked ill, and she wanted to make sure he was alright. Despite all the hardship she'd gone through because of him, he was still human. Treating him unfairly because of a few nasty comments when he was in trouble was cruel.

Shaking her head clear of those thoughts, she ascended the stairs before reaching her dorm. There she saw that the girls were already dressed in their pyjamas, huddled in a circle of pillows and blankets in the center of the room, giggling amongst themselves. As she walked in, they all turned to look at her, eyes bright with laughter and smiles plastered on their faces. Lavender, Katie, Parvati and Romilda, all four of them alive with joy.

"Hermione! There you are, we were wondering where you got to! Get changed and get your ass sat down, we've got a fun night ahead of us!" Katie grinned. Saluting her friend's instructions, Hermione raced off to the bathroom to get dressed into her nightwear before returning and joining them on the floor, sitting down on her pillow to avoid becoming uncomfortable, and wrapping a blanket around herself to keep warm.

Once she was comfortable, Katie handed her a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and Hermione couldn't help but smile as she noticed a dollop of whipped cream on the top. Katie really did pay attention to her friends, what they liked and didn't like. Not even Harry or Ron could remember what her favourite topping for this particular beverage was.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, we were talking about how Lavender's got a crush on Ron Weasley!" Romilda all but squealed, causing Lavender to go bright red and hide her face behind a pillow as the girls erupted into a fit of giggles.

"You must have noticed how she was acting in potions today Hermione. I thought she was going to scream at him like some crazed fangirl when he walked in the room. I couldn't get two words out of her, she was too busy basically drooling over him." Katie scoffed.

"That's not true! I wasn't drooling! Was I…?" Lavender groaned, embarrassment flooding her features. Wrapping her arm around Lavender's shoulders, Katie smiled at her reassuringly, squeezing the girl's shoulders.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think he noticed. Ronald is a bit oblivious when it comes to things like that." Hermione shrugged. She didn't know why, but the idea of Lavender and Ron together was upsetting to her. Maybe because she was simply being overprotective of her friend? It wasn't like she had feelings for him herself. Sure, he made her laugh and smile, but she'd always viewed him as more as a Brother than anything else.

"Boys. They're impossible. They don't know what's standing right in front of them unless they get hit in the face with it." Parvati huffed. For a moment, Hermione was taken back to the moment where she punched Malfoy in the face. Redness rose to her cheeks, why on earth was she thinking of that memory? And more importantly, why was she so flustered?

"From what I hear, Hermione has a few admirers this year." Romilda cooed, throwing some popcorn at the bushy-haired woman who rolled her eyes in response.

Maybe Cormac, but that was it. She wasn't exactly the prettiest Witch in Hogwarts, not in her own opinion anyway. Girls like Romilda Vane spent hours in the morning preparing themselves, putting on makeup and styling their hair. Hermione didn't make an effort in that regard, sure she made sure her hair looked tidy and her uniform was smart, but she rarely used makeup. Save for the Yule Ball of course, or at a family get-together.

So she doubted that there would be anyone at this castle, save for Cormac, he saw her as a possible romantic pursuit. And it wasn't like she had any interests in anyone anyway. But that didn't mean she wasn't interested in learning about who may see her that way.

"Like who?" Hermione asked, emphasising the disbelief and amusement on her voice as much as possible to mask the curiously that was riddling it.

"Well, Cormac McLaggen for one. Mr Chiselled Chin has been watching you from the moment you set foot off the Hogwarts Express. I can all but feel the testosterone radiating off him every time you walk past the man. It's quite repulsive actually." Parvati shuddered.

"I'd rather kiss Mr Filch." Hermione groaned, causing the girls to erupt into more giggles.

Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, she slowly settled into that welcomed sense of relaxation. These evenings always had a way of calming her down, taking the woes and worries of the day away and replacing those feelings with nothing but content.

"I heard the Hufflepuffs talking. Apparently, Wayne Hopkins has a crush on you too. He's been trying to get the courage to ask you out since last year, according to Hannah Abbot." Romilda added, giving Hermione a sly smirk.

Well, Hannah Abbot was a reliable source of gossip. She seemed to know everything about everyone in the castle. If you wanted to know the latest scoop, then you went to Hannah. Though Hermione had known for a long time that this particular female Hufflepuff had been crushing on Neville Longbottom since first year, but had never made her feelings known. Why? That was anyone's guess. Maybe behind that confident exterior was a really shy girl? Or maybe she just had no confidence when it came to boys? Who knows.

"Isn't he the one with all that fluffy black hair and sexy brown eyes? Ooh, Hermione, all the hot guys are coming to you this year." Katie purred, wiggling her eyebrows.

"It's not just those two. From what I heard, Draco Malfoy was seen helping you with your books today Hermione, and took a feather out of your hair, care to explain?" Lavender grinned. Silence filled the room, and all eyes were on Hermione. Her cheeks turned red, and she would have died from embarrassment if there hadn't been a knock on the door.