Title: There's No Such Thing as a Painless Love
Chapter Nineteen: Still Here
- -
"Malfoy; Weasley," Harry said, "I don't recall seeing you two since-"
"We beat the shit out of you. Yes, we know."
"What do you want?" Harry asked.
"Well, as much as we'd love another fight, we're here to talk," Ron said, "It's about Hermione."
"What about her? What did you-"
"Relax, Potter," Malfoy spat, "We didn't do anything. She, on the other hand-"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked trying to sound calm.
"Malfoy told me that she's been cutting herself, Harry," Ron replied fearfully, "Now, as much as I don't want to believe him, it all seems to fit." Ron glanced over to Draco, then back to Harry. "No one ever sees her around; she's always in her room, besides classes; she hardly ever shows up for meals; and when we do occasionally see her, she's wearing clothes that completely cover her up-"
"The entire school is required to wear their robes, Ron-"
"Yes. But on weekends?" Draco interjected.
"But she-"
"Just come to the Heads' dormitories with us," Ron offered, "We'll go from there."
Harry eyed the two suspiciously. Was this another ploy to beat him up? No, they could have just done that right there in the corridors. He hadn't seen Hermione for days. It did seem like a better plan to try and find her, then to sit back and do nothing at all.
Hesitantly, Harry followed Draco, Ron staying close.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"ALOHAMORA!" Harry shouted as he burst through the door, Draco and Ron following close behind him.
"Nice way to go in with a bang, Harry."
"Shove it, Ron," Harry said as he frantically searched the room for any sign of Hermione. He ran over to her bed; no Hermione. He went to the closet and hurriedly opened it; no Hermione.
"Malfoy, where could she be?" he asked worriedly through clenched teeth, "Malfoy, are you listening? We need to-"
Harry spun around to face his enemy, who predictably wasn't listening to him at all. Instead he was staring at the portrait next to her bed.
"Malfoy...what is it?" Ron asked stepping closer to him, "MALFOY!" Ron yelled, shaking him back to reality.
Draco just stared ahead. They had never seen him this timid before.
"The portrait...it leads to the Heads' bathroom," he said, barely audible.
Harry and Ron turned their heads toward the portrait.
"Of course," Harry whispered.
"Puffskein..."
- -
The portrait swung open.
"Draco, don't just stand there! Hermione needs help, and she can't know we're in here, understood?" Harry whispered anxiously.
"Potter, did you just call me 'Draco'?"
"Yes, well...desperate times call for desperate measures, and you have to admit-"
"Bloody hell, will the two of you just shut it for a moment! My Hermione needs our help..."
"Your Hermione?" asked Harry and Draco in unison.
"When did she become your Hermione?" hissed Draco.
"Okay we have to stop. We're doing this for her; and if she hears us, which at this point she probably will thanks to your stupid bickering, she might do something drastic," Harry concluded.
"You were doing it too!" Ron said angrily.
"Bloody fucking hell just SHUT UP!" Draco jeered.
Fuming, the three boys slowly stepped inside. They were all very frightened of what they might find in the huge bathroom; none-the-less, they trekked ahead down the stairs...
"This is a really nice bathroom-"
"Weasley...we're here for a reason, you know?"
"Look, Malfoy, I care about her just as much as you do; and even more!"
"I'm not here to argue, Weas-"
"Will the both of you shut up? We need to find Hermione. And as much as it may kill us, we need to find her together," Harry scolded.
Ron's eyes wandered from Harry's face to over his shoulder.
"Look..."
Draco raised his head and Harry turned around to see a light flickering behind a screen a few feet away, and soft sobs coming from behind the curtain. At first they all just stared ahead, a million thoughts going through each of their minds. Then Draco pushed past Ron and Harry and cautiously approached.
"Malfoy," Harry said in a hoarse whisper, "Malfoy!"
But Draco didn't listen. All he did was follow the flickering light and the faint sobs.
- -
Harry and Ron almost caught up as he advanced forward past the curtain.
Draco stood paralyzed, white as a sheet, a look of astonishment on his face.
"What-what is it?" Harry asked in a murmur, approaching the scene, Ron stammering behind him.
Harry skidded past Draco to a halt.
"Hermione...What the-"
She immediately looked up from the dripping blood, tears trickling down her cheeks. The dull candlelight barely illuminated her face.
"What are you doing here?...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I thought I already told you, Malfoy; NO VISITORS!"
"We're not here to visit, Hermione," Harry started, "We're here to help."
"You help me? Right..."
"Hermione, you need our help. Look at what you're doing to yourself! Look at what you're causing-"
"Oh, so you're talking to me now, Ron?"
"Hermione, listen. This isn't about that anymore! This is about you and what you're doing!" Harry shouted, taking a step forward.
"What I'm doing? Harry, this is the only thing keeping me alive! I've lost everything; all of my abilities, they're gone! This is the only thing that proves I can still feel; pain, love, everything. It's my strength."
"It's your weakness," Draco finally found his voice.
"This is all I have," she stated coldly, "I've lost everything."
"Yeah, well you aren't gone yet! You still have us...You still have me. You haven't lost everything. You're still here."
Hermione couldn't speak. Sobs were rising in the back of her throat, and the hot tears continued to leak from her eyes.
Draco glided toward her.
Ron made to step forward but Harry stopped him, "Let them be."
Draco kneeled down next to Hermione and embraced her, holding her body close to his. Finally able to let herself in, she leaned her head on his shoulder and cried...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Hey, folks! We definitely have more time to update over our 2 week break! It may take us a while, but we'll finish eventually. Probably not any time soon, but once we do, we're writing another fic, and another, and another, and you get the point! We can't wait to hear your input. Thanks for reading...R/R, please!
*HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HANNUKKAH/KWANZA, EVERYONE!*
3 FeltonFriends922*
Chapter Nineteen: Still Here
- -
"Malfoy; Weasley," Harry said, "I don't recall seeing you two since-"
"We beat the shit out of you. Yes, we know."
"What do you want?" Harry asked.
"Well, as much as we'd love another fight, we're here to talk," Ron said, "It's about Hermione."
"What about her? What did you-"
"Relax, Potter," Malfoy spat, "We didn't do anything. She, on the other hand-"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked trying to sound calm.
"Malfoy told me that she's been cutting herself, Harry," Ron replied fearfully, "Now, as much as I don't want to believe him, it all seems to fit." Ron glanced over to Draco, then back to Harry. "No one ever sees her around; she's always in her room, besides classes; she hardly ever shows up for meals; and when we do occasionally see her, she's wearing clothes that completely cover her up-"
"The entire school is required to wear their robes, Ron-"
"Yes. But on weekends?" Draco interjected.
"But she-"
"Just come to the Heads' dormitories with us," Ron offered, "We'll go from there."
Harry eyed the two suspiciously. Was this another ploy to beat him up? No, they could have just done that right there in the corridors. He hadn't seen Hermione for days. It did seem like a better plan to try and find her, then to sit back and do nothing at all.
Hesitantly, Harry followed Draco, Ron staying close.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"ALOHAMORA!" Harry shouted as he burst through the door, Draco and Ron following close behind him.
"Nice way to go in with a bang, Harry."
"Shove it, Ron," Harry said as he frantically searched the room for any sign of Hermione. He ran over to her bed; no Hermione. He went to the closet and hurriedly opened it; no Hermione.
"Malfoy, where could she be?" he asked worriedly through clenched teeth, "Malfoy, are you listening? We need to-"
Harry spun around to face his enemy, who predictably wasn't listening to him at all. Instead he was staring at the portrait next to her bed.
"Malfoy...what is it?" Ron asked stepping closer to him, "MALFOY!" Ron yelled, shaking him back to reality.
Draco just stared ahead. They had never seen him this timid before.
"The portrait...it leads to the Heads' bathroom," he said, barely audible.
Harry and Ron turned their heads toward the portrait.
"Of course," Harry whispered.
"Puffskein..."
- -
The portrait swung open.
"Draco, don't just stand there! Hermione needs help, and she can't know we're in here, understood?" Harry whispered anxiously.
"Potter, did you just call me 'Draco'?"
"Yes, well...desperate times call for desperate measures, and you have to admit-"
"Bloody hell, will the two of you just shut it for a moment! My Hermione needs our help..."
"Your Hermione?" asked Harry and Draco in unison.
"When did she become your Hermione?" hissed Draco.
"Okay we have to stop. We're doing this for her; and if she hears us, which at this point she probably will thanks to your stupid bickering, she might do something drastic," Harry concluded.
"You were doing it too!" Ron said angrily.
"Bloody fucking hell just SHUT UP!" Draco jeered.
Fuming, the three boys slowly stepped inside. They were all very frightened of what they might find in the huge bathroom; none-the-less, they trekked ahead down the stairs...
"This is a really nice bathroom-"
"Weasley...we're here for a reason, you know?"
"Look, Malfoy, I care about her just as much as you do; and even more!"
"I'm not here to argue, Weas-"
"Will the both of you shut up? We need to find Hermione. And as much as it may kill us, we need to find her together," Harry scolded.
Ron's eyes wandered from Harry's face to over his shoulder.
"Look..."
Draco raised his head and Harry turned around to see a light flickering behind a screen a few feet away, and soft sobs coming from behind the curtain. At first they all just stared ahead, a million thoughts going through each of their minds. Then Draco pushed past Ron and Harry and cautiously approached.
"Malfoy," Harry said in a hoarse whisper, "Malfoy!"
But Draco didn't listen. All he did was follow the flickering light and the faint sobs.
- -
Harry and Ron almost caught up as he advanced forward past the curtain.
Draco stood paralyzed, white as a sheet, a look of astonishment on his face.
"What-what is it?" Harry asked in a murmur, approaching the scene, Ron stammering behind him.
Harry skidded past Draco to a halt.
"Hermione...What the-"
She immediately looked up from the dripping blood, tears trickling down her cheeks. The dull candlelight barely illuminated her face.
"What are you doing here?...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I thought I already told you, Malfoy; NO VISITORS!"
"We're not here to visit, Hermione," Harry started, "We're here to help."
"You help me? Right..."
"Hermione, you need our help. Look at what you're doing to yourself! Look at what you're causing-"
"Oh, so you're talking to me now, Ron?"
"Hermione, listen. This isn't about that anymore! This is about you and what you're doing!" Harry shouted, taking a step forward.
"What I'm doing? Harry, this is the only thing keeping me alive! I've lost everything; all of my abilities, they're gone! This is the only thing that proves I can still feel; pain, love, everything. It's my strength."
"It's your weakness," Draco finally found his voice.
"This is all I have," she stated coldly, "I've lost everything."
"Yeah, well you aren't gone yet! You still have us...You still have me. You haven't lost everything. You're still here."
Hermione couldn't speak. Sobs were rising in the back of her throat, and the hot tears continued to leak from her eyes.
Draco glided toward her.
Ron made to step forward but Harry stopped him, "Let them be."
Draco kneeled down next to Hermione and embraced her, holding her body close to his. Finally able to let herself in, she leaned her head on his shoulder and cried...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Hey, folks! We definitely have more time to update over our 2 week break! It may take us a while, but we'll finish eventually. Probably not any time soon, but once we do, we're writing another fic, and another, and another, and you get the point! We can't wait to hear your input. Thanks for reading...R/R, please!
*HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HANNUKKAH/KWANZA, EVERYONE!*
3 FeltonFriends922*