AN: So this is the second chapter. I don't know where I'm gonna go
next. Eh, I'll figure something out.
Enjoy it, embrace it, review it.
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Hermione didn't even look at Draco for the next few days. Besides the fact that her eyes sprang with tears each time she tried, she was straight out too angry, and too hurt. At that, she couldn't look at Lavender without wanting to beat her to a right pulp. So she stuck with Harry and Ron those days, not bothering to talk to them about what she'd seen. All they'd say was "Told you so." and she could certainly live without that.
But her growing clingy-ness and lack of speaking was finally noticed one day as the trio walked towards Lunch. The sky was particularly gray and cloudy, and lightning could be seen every few seconds. It definetly matched Hermione's mood. They sat, Ron and Hermione on one side and Harry on the other. She sighed quietly as she grabbed an apple and took a rather small bite.
Harry was staring at her. "Hermione, is something wrong?"
She'd been staring off at the Slytherin table, willing herself to look at Draco without shedding tears. It barely worked, and soon she tore her eyes away from him. Harry was still staring at her worriedly when she met his gaze with a weak smile. "No, I'm fine." she croaked.
"Bullocks. What's wrong Hermione?" Ron asked, putting down his fork. She looked to the plate before her, feeling her eyes burn with a fresh wave of tears. "I can't tell you." she said tonelessly, placing her apple upon her plate. Something in her eyes made Harry press on. "C'mon Hermione, we're your friends. You can tell us."
"Exactly, we won't badger you or anything." Ron added.
She looked at them, then stood. "I can't tell you here." her eyes darted quickly in Lavender's direction. "Come with me, and I'll tell you."
The boys put down their forks, grabbed a fruit, then walked with Hermione out into the Entrance Hall. She led them to a place that was completely secluded and quiet before she finally stopped and turned to look at them. Tears had been welling in her eyes, and a few had trickled down her cheeks in the minute or so she had been walking. "Okay... now I can tell you."
The two boys both looked attentively at her.
"I found Draco and Lavender in the Room of Requirement last week, and he was... she was..." her voice was trembling with a fresh wave of hate and hurt. Harry immediately embraced her in an awkward sort of hug. "It's okay Hermione, he's the daft one." he murmured into her ear. "He's the one who's missing out, not you."
"Exactly Hermione, has Harry ever been wrong? Wait, strike that question..." Ron said, adding the afterthought in a mumble. Hermione rolled her eyes and managed a weak laugh as she pulled away from Harry. "You aren't going to tell me 'told you so'?" she asked, glancing from Harry to Ron and back. They looked at each other, then back to Hermione. "Nah, we figure you learned that on your own." Ron replied easily.
"I can't help but wonder what would've happened if I..." she trailed off.
"If what?" Harry asked, sitting down. Hermione and Ron sat down also. "Well, I'm wondering if he waundered because I...er... I... well I wouldn't... you know..." she stammered, blushing vividly. "He asked you to sleep with him? After two months?" Ron asked incredulously. She nodded, gulping. "You think that's why he went to Lavender?" she asked, more directed toward Harry.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I suppose so..."
She sighed heavily and hugged her knees. "I don't care if he did do that to me and make me feel so... betrayed. I still want him back. Well, that is to say if we're officially over."
"Well, that's thick." Ron said bluntly. Hermione smacked his arm. "Shut up! You think I'm proud of this damned feeling right now? He's a bloody playboy and I'm in love with him..." she said, trailing off. She stood slowly and looked to the boys. "I'm going to the common room. As awkward as it is, I'll need to be giving Draco Muggle Studies help tonight. Want to make sure I know ahead of time what I'm doing."
The only reason she was really leaving was the aching her friends were suddenly making her feel. Talking of Draco to Ron and Harry seemed very un- natural suddenly, even if she had been doing it for two months now. "Well, do you want us to come up with you?"
"No, it's fine. I'll be awhile, so... if I'm late to Charms, tell Professor Flitwick I'm in the Hospital Wing... I may be there if I don't show up..."
She turned on her heel and walked away before they could reply.
Draco waited quietly by the Room of Requirement, his mind ticking. He wasn't even sure why he was in that room with Lavender, but somehow he felt he couldn't just go crawling back to Hermione... that is, if they were officially broken up. That was still a question that was nagging him, and he figured he'd tell by her greeting.
After a few moments of contemplating, Hermione appeared. "Hello." she said stiffly. 'Okay.... so we are broken up.' he thought, staring at her. "Hi." he replied flatly. If she was going to be unfriendly, then he would be too. After all, he had more practice at it then she did. They both attempted to go through the door at the same time, which ended up in Hermione falling back because of Draco. She frowned in disgust. 'Rude little...' her mind even stopped as she quickly collected herself and walked back into the room.
Draco sat at his normal seat, Hermione in hers. "Accio Book." she said, pointing her wand toward one of the books on the large shelves. It came flying towards her hands. She caught it and basically dropped it onto the table in front of her, then flipped through the pages until she the number she was looking for. Then, she turned it at an 180 degree angle and slid it in front of Draco. "Read it." she told him tonelessly.
He glared at her for a moment before resting his chin in his arms and beginning to read the miniscule text. A silent moment passed before Hermione finally lost it. "Why would you do that?" she asked, swallowing the growing lump in her throat.
"Do what?" Draco asked in a bored voice, keeping his eyes on the book.
"Come here of all places to snog Lavender! And do that of all things! Weren't you happy?"
He allowd his eyes to look at her. "Of course I was, but... well... I don't know."
She frowned deeply, looking exasperated. "You don't know?"
"I bloody don't know, get off my back about it." he retoroted hotly, gluing his eyes back to the text. She sat silent once more and watched him in a furtive manner. Then he sat up and looked at her. "Why couldn't we have talked earlier?"
"Because earlier I was upset and angry and hurt all mixed into one emotion, and it's not wise to talk while in that state."
"You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"
She stood. "What was there to explain Draco? You were between Lavenders legs, kissing her neck and basically fondling her. Or maybe I was seeing some trick of the eye, is that what you're going to tell me?"
"No, but you still could've bloody talked to me so we could work it out, instead of hiding from it." he was also on his feet.
"I didn't hide! I just didn't talk to you!"
"You did too hide Hermione, you hid behind Potter and Weasley, like you always have."
A ringing silence followed this, where they both glared at each other. "I don't hide behind them. They are my friends and if I happen to spend a lot of time with them-"
"Stop." he demanded. "You've always done it. If you didn't hide behind them, you wouldn't be around them all the time! If you didn't hide behind them, you'd have more than just them and their relatives for friends. If you didn't hide behind them, you wouldn't have hated me all the years you did!"
"You can't throw that into this argument Draco." she replied, moving around the table to face him. "You can't say I hated you because I hid behind them. Because you did the same to me, didn't you? You just hated me because all your little Slytherin pals hated me! Now you are just being hypocritical!"
"I did not! I hated you because thats what I was taught to do when I was growing up, Hermione. My father, my mother, everyone in my family hated Muggle Borns, and I was taught to do the same!"
"Forget it Draco, there is no need for this conversation to be happening." she grabbed her wand up and started for the door. He grabbed her wrist quickly and turned her. "Don't you run out of this Hermione, this conversation does need to be happening!"
"No, it DOESN'T." she said audibly, pulling her wrist back. They glared at each other once more, then finally she turned on her heel quickly and walked out of the room.
Enjoy it, embrace it, review it.
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Hermione didn't even look at Draco for the next few days. Besides the fact that her eyes sprang with tears each time she tried, she was straight out too angry, and too hurt. At that, she couldn't look at Lavender without wanting to beat her to a right pulp. So she stuck with Harry and Ron those days, not bothering to talk to them about what she'd seen. All they'd say was "Told you so." and she could certainly live without that.
But her growing clingy-ness and lack of speaking was finally noticed one day as the trio walked towards Lunch. The sky was particularly gray and cloudy, and lightning could be seen every few seconds. It definetly matched Hermione's mood. They sat, Ron and Hermione on one side and Harry on the other. She sighed quietly as she grabbed an apple and took a rather small bite.
Harry was staring at her. "Hermione, is something wrong?"
She'd been staring off at the Slytherin table, willing herself to look at Draco without shedding tears. It barely worked, and soon she tore her eyes away from him. Harry was still staring at her worriedly when she met his gaze with a weak smile. "No, I'm fine." she croaked.
"Bullocks. What's wrong Hermione?" Ron asked, putting down his fork. She looked to the plate before her, feeling her eyes burn with a fresh wave of tears. "I can't tell you." she said tonelessly, placing her apple upon her plate. Something in her eyes made Harry press on. "C'mon Hermione, we're your friends. You can tell us."
"Exactly, we won't badger you or anything." Ron added.
She looked at them, then stood. "I can't tell you here." her eyes darted quickly in Lavender's direction. "Come with me, and I'll tell you."
The boys put down their forks, grabbed a fruit, then walked with Hermione out into the Entrance Hall. She led them to a place that was completely secluded and quiet before she finally stopped and turned to look at them. Tears had been welling in her eyes, and a few had trickled down her cheeks in the minute or so she had been walking. "Okay... now I can tell you."
The two boys both looked attentively at her.
"I found Draco and Lavender in the Room of Requirement last week, and he was... she was..." her voice was trembling with a fresh wave of hate and hurt. Harry immediately embraced her in an awkward sort of hug. "It's okay Hermione, he's the daft one." he murmured into her ear. "He's the one who's missing out, not you."
"Exactly Hermione, has Harry ever been wrong? Wait, strike that question..." Ron said, adding the afterthought in a mumble. Hermione rolled her eyes and managed a weak laugh as she pulled away from Harry. "You aren't going to tell me 'told you so'?" she asked, glancing from Harry to Ron and back. They looked at each other, then back to Hermione. "Nah, we figure you learned that on your own." Ron replied easily.
"I can't help but wonder what would've happened if I..." she trailed off.
"If what?" Harry asked, sitting down. Hermione and Ron sat down also. "Well, I'm wondering if he waundered because I...er... I... well I wouldn't... you know..." she stammered, blushing vividly. "He asked you to sleep with him? After two months?" Ron asked incredulously. She nodded, gulping. "You think that's why he went to Lavender?" she asked, more directed toward Harry.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I suppose so..."
She sighed heavily and hugged her knees. "I don't care if he did do that to me and make me feel so... betrayed. I still want him back. Well, that is to say if we're officially over."
"Well, that's thick." Ron said bluntly. Hermione smacked his arm. "Shut up! You think I'm proud of this damned feeling right now? He's a bloody playboy and I'm in love with him..." she said, trailing off. She stood slowly and looked to the boys. "I'm going to the common room. As awkward as it is, I'll need to be giving Draco Muggle Studies help tonight. Want to make sure I know ahead of time what I'm doing."
The only reason she was really leaving was the aching her friends were suddenly making her feel. Talking of Draco to Ron and Harry seemed very un- natural suddenly, even if she had been doing it for two months now. "Well, do you want us to come up with you?"
"No, it's fine. I'll be awhile, so... if I'm late to Charms, tell Professor Flitwick I'm in the Hospital Wing... I may be there if I don't show up..."
She turned on her heel and walked away before they could reply.
Draco waited quietly by the Room of Requirement, his mind ticking. He wasn't even sure why he was in that room with Lavender, but somehow he felt he couldn't just go crawling back to Hermione... that is, if they were officially broken up. That was still a question that was nagging him, and he figured he'd tell by her greeting.
After a few moments of contemplating, Hermione appeared. "Hello." she said stiffly. 'Okay.... so we are broken up.' he thought, staring at her. "Hi." he replied flatly. If she was going to be unfriendly, then he would be too. After all, he had more practice at it then she did. They both attempted to go through the door at the same time, which ended up in Hermione falling back because of Draco. She frowned in disgust. 'Rude little...' her mind even stopped as she quickly collected herself and walked back into the room.
Draco sat at his normal seat, Hermione in hers. "Accio Book." she said, pointing her wand toward one of the books on the large shelves. It came flying towards her hands. She caught it and basically dropped it onto the table in front of her, then flipped through the pages until she the number she was looking for. Then, she turned it at an 180 degree angle and slid it in front of Draco. "Read it." she told him tonelessly.
He glared at her for a moment before resting his chin in his arms and beginning to read the miniscule text. A silent moment passed before Hermione finally lost it. "Why would you do that?" she asked, swallowing the growing lump in her throat.
"Do what?" Draco asked in a bored voice, keeping his eyes on the book.
"Come here of all places to snog Lavender! And do that of all things! Weren't you happy?"
He allowd his eyes to look at her. "Of course I was, but... well... I don't know."
She frowned deeply, looking exasperated. "You don't know?"
"I bloody don't know, get off my back about it." he retoroted hotly, gluing his eyes back to the text. She sat silent once more and watched him in a furtive manner. Then he sat up and looked at her. "Why couldn't we have talked earlier?"
"Because earlier I was upset and angry and hurt all mixed into one emotion, and it's not wise to talk while in that state."
"You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"
She stood. "What was there to explain Draco? You were between Lavenders legs, kissing her neck and basically fondling her. Or maybe I was seeing some trick of the eye, is that what you're going to tell me?"
"No, but you still could've bloody talked to me so we could work it out, instead of hiding from it." he was also on his feet.
"I didn't hide! I just didn't talk to you!"
"You did too hide Hermione, you hid behind Potter and Weasley, like you always have."
A ringing silence followed this, where they both glared at each other. "I don't hide behind them. They are my friends and if I happen to spend a lot of time with them-"
"Stop." he demanded. "You've always done it. If you didn't hide behind them, you wouldn't be around them all the time! If you didn't hide behind them, you'd have more than just them and their relatives for friends. If you didn't hide behind them, you wouldn't have hated me all the years you did!"
"You can't throw that into this argument Draco." she replied, moving around the table to face him. "You can't say I hated you because I hid behind them. Because you did the same to me, didn't you? You just hated me because all your little Slytherin pals hated me! Now you are just being hypocritical!"
"I did not! I hated you because thats what I was taught to do when I was growing up, Hermione. My father, my mother, everyone in my family hated Muggle Borns, and I was taught to do the same!"
"Forget it Draco, there is no need for this conversation to be happening." she grabbed her wand up and started for the door. He grabbed her wrist quickly and turned her. "Don't you run out of this Hermione, this conversation does need to be happening!"
"No, it DOESN'T." she said audibly, pulling her wrist back. They glared at each other once more, then finally she turned on her heel quickly and walked out of the room.