Chapter Thirty-Four:

(A/N. Hello! Yet another chapter that I forgot to send to my beta-reader. Well the encounter you've all been waiting for is coming up…RON AND HARRY find out next chapter!!!!! Heehee. So anyway thank you all for reviewing! I'm not sure how long this story will be or if there will be any sequels. We'll see how it ends. Okay read on! Don't forget to do a part and REVIEW!)

Hermione and Ginny slowly walked out of the Gryffindor Tower. After making arrangements with Hagrid to keep the beautiful horse in a paddock they had come back to the Gryffindor Common room and found that they had missed lunch. Now, they were going down to dinner. Ginny continued to beg to be told who had given Hermione the hybrid mare. Hermione would only smile slyly and shrug. They sat down with Harry and Ron.

"Hey guys! Thanks for the presents." Hermione said cheerfully. Harry smiled and nodded but Ron glanced away. Hermione's eyes wandered to the table furthest from her own seeking out her silver-eyed prince. She frowned as she saw Crabbe and Goyle and even the simpering Pansy but she could not find Draco. She looked down at her food and bit into it thoughtfully. Perhaps he had come to dinner earlier or he would be coming in later. She pulled her thoughts away from Draco yet she couldn't push away the worry that kept nagging at her.

"So what did you get for Christmas?" Harry asked her. Hermione was about to answer but Ginny jumped in.

"Oh! She got this beautiful mare that's half unicorn from a secret admirer!" Ginny cried. Harry seemed surprised and glanced at Ron who shook his head, blushing furiously. "It must have cost thousands of galleons! Unicorns can never be tamed so it must be really rare!" Ginny continued, not noticing the tension in the air. Anger flashed in Ron's eyes.

"So, Hermione. You found yourself a rich boyfriend. We aren't just good enough for you, are we?" Ron snapped. Hermione glared at her friend.

"You know that's not true Ron." Hermione said softly. Ron scowled at her and crossed his arms.

"Really? I wouldn't know would I? I don't even know who you are anymore. For all I know money and looks could be what matters to you know. In fact, I remember you being madly in love with a certain Professor, just for his looks." Ron said.

"Ron that's not true…" Hermione said, tears forming behind her chocolate eyes. Ron looked at her contemptuously.

"Go back to your rich boyfriend, Hermione. We don't care for stuck-up, superficial people like you." Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she stood up and ran. The betrayal had been too much. She kept running through the hallways not even seeing where she was going. She suddenly felt the change in the air as she ran outside and the rain began to beat down on her. She slid in the mud and fell onto the hard cobblestones. The tears overcame her and she curled up into a fetal position on the sodden ground. The sobs wracked her body as the rain drenched her clothes.

"I love him." She muttered into the cold night air. "I love him!" She screamed, her tears mixing in with the cold rain. She knew her friends would never accept her if she stayed with Draco, but it didn't matter anymore because they loved each other and nothing could stop that. Exhaustion filled her and her eyes fluttered close and soon she was asleep out in the freezing rain.

Draco walked back to the Slytherin common room as his mind ran over all the things that had happened to him. He went into his bedroom and put the book down on the bed. He sighed and touched it feeling the strange magic that flowed through it. He turned and walked back out of his room. He couldn't deal with the prophecies and magic. He needed a walk. He brushed past the Slytherins and headed for the stone courtyard. He stepped out into the cold rain and welcomed the fresh air that blew around him. As he walked through the courtyard he saw a pile of wet robes in the middle. As he drew closer he saw a mop of brown curs that made his stomach wrench. This wasn't a pile of discarded robes, it was a body. He rushed forward and felt the floor drop as he recognized the sickly pale face.

"Hermione." He groaned and he dropped to his knees. His hand flew to her throat and he sighed in relief as he felt a faint and erratic pulse. He pulled Hermione's limp body into his arms and he carried her out of the rain. He clutched her desperately as he ran to the infirmary, unaware of the tears slipping down his face. He ran into the room and Madame Pomfrey quickly got to work without asking any questions. She bustled about and Draco hovered at her side. When he got in her way she glared at him sharply.

"She'll be fine! Now, get out! You can come back tomorrow." Madame Pomfrey said. Draco kissed Hermione's forehead and walked out. He wandered back to the Slytherin common room and made his way back to his room. He stripped off the drenched clothing and took a quick shower. He fell into the silk-sheeted bed gratefully and was soon fast asleep.