Annnnnd I'm back with another update. Let me know what ya think.

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It would be almost three weeks before Hermione returned to the real world. It had been days full of nothing but crying and arguing, mostly on her part. She had to admit that Draco had been incredibly patient with her, which was more than she deserved because even she had to admit that she had treated him like garbage. It had taken a minute, but with Draco's help she had finally accepted what had happened to her. Although, Draco didn't necessarily like how she was dealing with it. 'I get it. I was raped, but life must go on,' was what she had told him. It was awful what had happened to her and she of all people knew that, but that didn't mean that the world stopped spinning. She was Hermione Granger and it definitely didn't stop spinning for her.

He had been pushing and pushing for her to tell Professor Dumbledore, but she refused. Even if he hadn't have threatened her, she would still keep quiet about it. She decided that she didn't want anyone to know. She didn't want to have to deal with the sympathetic gestures and looks of pity. She didn't want people to see her as something ruined. She didn't want the rest of her life to be defined by this one horrific thing that had happened to her. Like Harry, she thought. If anything, this would make her stronger. It would be more than enough motivation to make sure that he and the rest of Voldemort's followers got what they deserved. She would go on with her classes as normally as possible. She would show him that he had not broken her.

This was what she found herself thinking as she stood in front of the Great Hall. It was breakfast time and she could hear the buzz of students on the other side. Draco had offered to walk in with her and when she had refused he suggested she meet up with her friends earlier so that they could walk in together; she refused that too. This was something that she had to do own her own. She looked up at the doors apprehensively. They seemed bigger than usual for some reason. She clutched her bag to her and let out a shaky breath. He was in there, but so was Professor Dumbledore and her friends…and Draco.

She owed him a lot and she never would have thought she'd say that. He'd been doing his best to make sure that she would be comfortable around her friends so that she wouldn't give anything away. They had done plenty of exercises and scenarios and she had been fine with all of them. She had told him that she was ready. They weren't friends, far from it. She didn't know what they were. She just knew that she had a lot of gratitude for him and there was no way she could continue to hate him despite the circumstances surrounding them. With a sigh, she pushed the doors open.

As she walked towards her table, it wasn't long before students began to notice. She smiled at her schoolmates as they greeted her and sent well wishes her way. She waved at Dean and Seamus as they greeted her rather loudly. She had barely made it half way down her table before thin arms wrapped around her. She visibly tensed, but forced herself to relax as she realized who it was.

"Oh Merlin, I was so worried," her best friend sobbed into her neck.

"I'm okay, Ginny. It was just a little flu," she lied as she patted her friends back.

She pulled away before righting her shirt. She had looked up just in time to see Ron coming towards her. She stuck her hands out, immediately halting him. She had done it as a reflex, not even realizing it. He looked at her with confusion and a little hurt. She took a deep breath before smiling at him.

"Sorry. It was just really contagious and I want to be on the safe side," she quickly explained.

Ron nodded, accepting her explanation along with Harry. They both smiled at her.

"We're just really glad that you're okay," Harry said.

"You had us so worried. I mean, it's you and you never miss classes. I thought for sure you were dying," Ginny said.

"Guys, I'm fine. Really," she reassured as she sat down beside Ginny.

She jumped as she felt something brush against her hand on the table. Her shoulders sagged with released tension though as Ron gently wrapped his fingers around her own.

"I'm so glad that you're okay," he said as he brought her hand up to his lips.

She forced herself to not shrink away from him. This was Ronald and she knew that he would never hurt her, but she couldn't help it.

"Thanks," she responded with a small smile.

"Can we talk later, just the two of us?"

Hermione pulled her hand away as she reached for her fork.

"Uh…I actually have quite a bit of catching up to do…"

That was a lie. She had made absolutely sure that Draco brought her assignments to her every day. Actually, she was sure that she was ahead. She just…she didn't think that she could be alone with Ronald just yet. She knew what he was like when they were alone and she might literally kill him if he even tried to snog her.

"It'll only be for a minute… We can go outside. I'm sure you're tired of looking at four walls," he proposed.

She reluctantly nodded.

"Okay," she said, completely unaware of the fact that two sets of eyes had been watching the entire exchange.


Hermione sat on the grass beside Ron, a light jacket wrapped around her. It was a bit breezy out, signaling the gradual change in weather. She sent Ron a small smile as he turned to look at her.

"I really am glad that you're okay, Hermione."

"I know," she said with a small chuckle.

He had told her that at least four times by now.

"No, you don't-"

He suddenly cut himself off, obviously unsure of how to proceed next. She gazed at him with a confused expression. She could clearly see that Ron was struggling with something.

"What is it, Ron?"

He sighed before reaching for her hand. She hesitantly laid her hand in his. She was getting a bit better with this. She knew Ron very well and knew that he would never hurt her. As long as she kept reminding herself of that she would be fine. It was just…odd that she was much more comfortable around Draco than she was Ron and Harry, her own boyfriend and close friend. She decided not to dwell on that though. He gazed at her with an unfamiliar expression.

"These past few weeks without you made me realize that…that I want to be with you."

She chuckled.

"Well I would hope so," she joked.

"No, no. What I mean is that before…I figured we'll see what happens, you know. I didn't have a plan, just kind of go with the flow, but I realize now that five years from now I still want to be with you. I really care about you, Hermione and I know that I don't always say the right thing or react how I should. I know that I screw up, but I just don't want you to give up on me," he confessed.

Hermione stared at him with wide eyes, trying to process everything he had just said. Was he saying that he wanted to marry her some day? She was so confused; this was unlike him.

"R-Ron…what brought this on? I don't understand…"

"Three weeks. We went almost three weeks without seeing you and hearing your voice. You weren't there to nag us and scold us like children. There were things that happened that I wanted to tell you about so we could laugh at it together, but you weren't here. You weren't here and I didn't like that. I know now that I always want you here…with me," he finished.

Hermione looked away, completely puzzled on how to react. Merlin, why couldn't he have figured this out weeks ago? Why now when she wanted and really needed a little space? His hand touching hers made her about ready to jump out of her skin.

"Ron…we're so young. Who knows what could happen?"

"I know. I know that and you don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that, Hermione."

"Well…thank you. I uh…I have to go and do some catching up. I'll see you later," she said as she stood.

She needed to get out of here. Fast.

"I didn't…I didn't scare you off, did I?"

She looked down at Ron with a small smile as he worriedly looked up at her. She shook her head.

"No, you didn't. I'm glad that you were honest with me," she replied.

That was a lie, but he beamed anyway. She really wished that he had just kept his mouth shut.

"I'll see you later, right," he checked.

"Of course."

She turned and made her way back to the castle, forcing herself to hold it together.


"Where is Malfoy? Is he here," she demanded.

Zabini and the fair boy beside him looked up at her with wide eyes, probably a bit shocked that she was standing in their common room. Draco had given her the password in case of emergency, told her to use the excuse of 'prefect business'.

"Why-"

"Prefect stuff," she rushed out, interrupting the blue eyed boy.

"Yes, he's in his room. I'll show you," Zabini said before slowly standing.

Hermione didn't even acknowledge the stares she was getting as she followed the dark haired Slytherin to the dormitories. He gestured to the door before leaving her, but not before giving her a puzzling look. She frantically knocked on his door, her heart going a mile a minute as she brushed her hair away from her face. She shuffled from foot to foot, finding it impossible to hold still. She felt like she was going to be sick. She barged inside as soon as the door opened.

"I don't think I can do this. I can't- I can't do this," she gasped as she laid her hand on her chest.

She heard him close the door before walking over to her.

"What is it? Was it my father?"

"No, no! It was Ron. Oh, Merlin," she breathed as she sank to the floor.

"Granger, you have to tell me what's going on. Did he do something?"

"Yes, I mean no. No! He just…gah! Why, why now? Why couldn't he have done this a month ago when I was ready for it? When I wanted this," she cried.

"What happened?"

"He started spewing all of this crap about wanting to be with me years from now and how much I mean to him. How am I supposed to be okay with this? I can barely look at him. I can't even touch him without my skin crawling," she bawled.

"I don't understand…," he began as he knelt in front of her "…I thought that we had made progress. Everything was fine with me."

"Yes…with you," she tearfully whispered as she looked up at him.

He looked at her in confusion.

"I don't…I don't know. I thought that everything was fine. If I was comfortable around you then obviously I would be comfortable around my friends."

"But you're not," he said.

"No, I'm not," she quietly confessed.

"It's just me."

"Just you."

They stared at each other in an awkward silence before she looked away. Those eyes…

"Well…why can't you just tell him that you want space," he said while standing, changing the subject.

"He won't take that very well and I don't want to hurt his feelings," she answered.

"We are talking about the same weasel who has hurt yours on numerous occasions, right?"

She scoffed. There was the Draco that she knew…

"It's not like that anymore."

"I'm just saying-"

"What are you saying, Malfoy," she demanded as she stood.

"I'm saying that he's a tosser. It takes one to know one, right? I just think that he's messing with your head. He's always taken you for granted and maybe this is just his way of making sure that you don't go anywhere. He gives you bullshit about wanting to be with you forever and you stay," he shrugged.

She reared back as if she had been slapped. Ron would never do such a thing... Would he? She shook her head.

"You're wrong," she hissed.

"You don't know that," he replied.

"And you don't know that you're right."

"I never said I was."

She scoffed.

"Since when do you care, anyway," she demanded.

"Excuse me," he hissed.

"Since when do you care about my love life and whether or not Ron is trying to trick me, huh?"

He opened his mouth before immediately shutting it. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he folded his arms over his chest. His shirt sleeves tightened around his muscles as he did so. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You think that just because you've seen the almighty Hermione Granger at her lowest point that it is now your job to save me," she questioned.

"No. That's not-"

"That is exactly what this is…and you wonder why I won't tell anyone," she tearfully whispered.

"Granger…"

She threw her hands out, gesturing towards him. Her vision was blurry from the water in her eyes.

"This! This is exactly what I don't want; people treating me like some fragile little doll," she spat.

"Granger-"

"No. You've seen me at my most vulnerable and now you think that I can't look out for myself. You think I constantly need to be rescued or something. Well, I don't need your help, Malfoy."

"Are you forgetting that you came to me? Are you forgetting that? As soon as you couldn't handle it you came running to me," he snapped.

She stubbornly glared at him before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore," she said.

"Fine."

"Fine."

She followed him as he walked towards the door before opening it. She glanced at him one last time before exiting his room.


Hermione stared up at her ceiling that night, completely restless. Her mind was…all over the place to put it simply. She couldn't stop thinking about Draco. Was he right when he'd said that Ron was merely trying to keep her trapped? She knew that Ron could be a right git sometimes, but he wouldn't do that, would he? Maybe Draco had been right. After all, it did take one to know one. He had definitely been through his fair share of women and she was sure that he had pulled that stunt numerous of times. Besides, he had been right about one thing; Ron had hurt her feelings a lot. Surely, he would be okay if she just told him that she needed space and if he wasn't… Oh well. Her feelings were more important than his right now. She turned over on her side with a sigh.

Why couldn't she just be comfortable around her own friends? Well she knew why, but it just didn't make any sense. Draco had touched her plenty of times as part of their exercises. He had held her hand and hugged her for minutes on end and she had been so relaxed. She hadn't tensed up, her skin hadn't been crawling. He had asked time and time again was she comfortable and every time her answer had been yes…because she was! She just didn't get it. She knew her friends, had known them for years and yet she could barely let them poke her. While on the other hand, she was absolutely positive that she could sleep in the same bed as the ferret and be perfectly fine. Well, maybe not perfectly fine, but that was beside the point.

She sat up with a huff. This was no use; she would never be able to go to sleep. Every night for the past three weeks or so Draco had slept beside her. Sometimes he had been in that chair and other times he was on the floor, his head leaning on the side of the bed. She had grown used to not sleeping alone. Her dorm mates were here, yes, but it wasn't the same. She looked at her door apprehensively. She knew the Slytherin password and she knew where his room was. She shook her head at her train of thought. She couldn't rely on him anymore; she had to stop using him as her crutch. He had been right earlier. As soon as things had gotten tough for her she went running straight to him. She couldn't keep doing that! You need to sleep though, she thought. It was true; she had class tomorrow.

She bit her lip as she glanced at her door again. She knew where Draco was and she knew that it wouldn't take her long, but…he was out there in the castle somewhere. He could be skulking along the corridors looking for her for all she knew. Merlin, what if she ran into him? What would she do? She pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes as she held back a sob. The tears escaped past her hands and ran down her cheeks. She was…scared. She was so scared to even walk out that door right now. What if he was on the other side or around the corner waiting for her? She knew that was ridiculous because she was in the freaking dormitories, but she couldn't help but wonder. What if he was hiding out in the boys' dormitories? She removed her hands and slowly raised her head as soon as she thought that.


Hermione tucked the map under her arm as she leaned against the wall outside of Draco's door. The invisible cloak hung around her shoulders as she debated on what to do. She brushed her fingers along the door before giving a few soft taps. She waited as she heard soft movement from the other side before the door cracked open. He poked his head out, a murderous look upon his face, before his eyes found hers. He blinked, his expression softening upon realizing who had knocked.

"Granger….," he trailed off.

"Sorry…," she murmured "…I just- I couldn't…"

He ran his hand down his face.

"No, no it's fine."

He backed up and opened the door wider, allowing her to walk in. She laid the cloak and map on his desk and chair beside the door. She turned to face him just as he shut the door.

"You can take the bed," he said.

"And you," she questioned.

He looked around before transfiguring his chair into a small bed.

"No, Malfoy you take your bed. I'll take-"

"Don't argue with me, Granger."

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not letting you sleep on that tiny little bed," she snapped.

"Granger, it's fine," he reassured.

"Stop, just stop," she hissed, on the verge of tears again.

Draco calmly gazed back at her as if he'd been waiting for her to break down again. Maybe he was, it was becoming a common occurrence now.

"Stop what," he quietly asked.

"Stop sleeping with me. Stop reassuring me. Stop helping me and putting up with my mood swings. Stop being so nice to me," she snapped.

"What do you want me to do," he said with a shrug.

"I want you tell yell at me. I want you to sneer at me like you used to and call me mudblood. I want you to stop treating me so differently," she almost screamed.

"That's not going to happen, Granger," he replied.

"Why not, huh?"

"You know why. Just let me help you," he whispered in exasperation as he gestured to his bed.

She just stared at him through blurry eyes for a moment before reluctantly turning around and climbing onto his bed. She laid on her side, resting her head on his pillow as he pulled the cover over her. When he turned to walk away she reached out, wrapping her small fingers around his much larger ones. She could feel his eyes on her as she looked at their joined hands, but she didn't care.

Nothing. She wasn't nervous and she didn't want to rip her skin off. She was completely relaxed as she turned his hand over. She felt absolutely nothing. Well, her heart rate was a little faster but not in the fearful way. It was just…faster, but she was calm. His wands weren't soft, but they weren't rough either. She remembered thinking that the first time she had done this. She remembered that it had surprised her. She had expected his hands to be incredibly soft, almost girly. She couldn't imagine Draco doing an inch of hard work in his life ever.

"I don't get it," she whispered as she let his hand go.

When it became clear that she wasn't going to elaborate, Draco walked away, leaving her to fall asleep to the sound of her thoughts.


Draco stared at his hand before glancing at the figure that was on his bed again. He noted that she was breathing evenly before he turned around and looked down at his hand again. What did she mean by that? He turned his hand over several times, somehow willing it to give him a clue as to what was going on inside of her mind. He absentmindedly rubbed his fingers together, missing the feel of her hand.

He didn't know how to explain what had come over him when she had wrapped her dainty hand around his own. He had stared at her as she stared at it, seemingly in deep thought. She had looked so tiny and breakable lying in his big bed with the strangest look of curiosity on her face. He wondered if that was how she looked when she was in the library, her nose buried in a book with a fortress of books surrounding her. He found himself smirking at the thought. She's not so bad, he thought to himself as he glanced over his shoulder.

Her curls were spread along his pillow, partly covering her face. He could hear her breathing through her mouth, the sound slightly muffled by her hair. The more he gazed at her, the more he thought that she didn't deserve this. The more he thought that the angrier he got. Before he knew what he was doing he was up and out the door. The walk to Professor Malfoy's office was a short one considering Draco didn't walk; he practically sprinted. With a quick 'Alohomora', he was inside.

He looked around the office with disdain as he closed the door behind him. Was this where it had happened? In the weeks they had spent together she had never talked about it and he didn't push. Had he thrown her against the wall? His eyes landed on the desk. Or did he simply torment her on the desk? He kicked a table over. Or did he just take her on the floor like some animal?

He slowly walked over to the desk before flipping it over. It made a loud groan as it rolled, wrecking the chairs. The bookshelves and books were the next targets. He watched in satisfaction as he burned the reading material to ash. It felt good as he threw the lamps and pictures against the wall, his eyes ablaze as they shattered. By the time he was done there was hardly much left to salvage. He stood in the center of the office, his breathing coming out in short pants. He tensed as he heard a throat clearing.

"Are you finished?"

There he was, leaning against the entrance to his quarters as if he didn't have a care in the world. That was another unfortunate trait that Draco had picked up from him. Damn him! He charged at him, but immediately halted upon staring at the end of his father's wand.

"Be smart, son."

Draco glared at the piece of wood before knocking it away. He reached for his father, but it was futile. Before he knew it, his shirt was fisted into large hands and the rough wall was digging into his back. His father stared at him in anger.

"All of this over a filthy mudblood," he hissed, disappointed.

"If she's so filthy, why'd you touch her? Huh," he panted out.

They stared at one another for a long time before he felt the blow. He coughed as he was struck again and again before being shoved away. He straightened and wiped the blood from his mouth before facing him.

"She is nothing, Draco. She is dirt, that is what she is," he snapped.

"And what does that make you?"

He took a step back as his father came at him. Draco winced as he dug his hand into his shoulder.

"You stop this right now. End this nonsense. The Dark Lord has plans, wonderful plans, for you. You are letting something that is the equivalent of garbage distract you. Do I need to just remove her from the equation? I figured you'd lose interest since she is nothing but ruined filth now-"

Draco's shook his fist out after the initial contact as he backed up. He watched as his father shook it off. That was going to leave a nice bruise in the morning though.

"I'll report you. I swear on Salazar's grave, I will," Draco said through clenched teeth.

He hated him. Merlin, he hated him.

"That's nice, my boy. I bet they will get an even bigger kick out of that mark on your arm though."

Draco winced as he took a step back, feeling small and foolish all of a sudden. He glared at the sleeve that was covering the horrendous thing plastered onto his skin. How could he forget?

"She's not worth all of this, Draco. Hell, when this is all over I'll buy you one if that's what you're into," he said.

Draco glared at his father, ignoring his remark as he backed up towards the door.

"Stay away from her," he growled.

"And if I don't?"

He stood there in the center of the room with a haughty smirk gracing his lips. Draco said nothing, just simply glared at him as he exited the office.


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