Disclaimer: must you really torture me so? I don't own anything!
FAÇADE
Dealing
*~ Draco reached into his robes and pulled out a small black book and placed it on Hermione's lap.
Curiously she picked up the book and opened it. She glanced at the page realizing what it was and her stomach sank.~*
An awkward silence hung about the room. Draco was looking from the floor and Hermione, but Hermione's eyes were fixed on the book that held all of her secrets; she felt exposed, and by her worst enemy at that.
Draco tried to break the silence, "Herm…"
"Get out!" she interrupted her words short and fierce, causing the blond to jump from his chair.
"But,"
"Did you not hear me? Get out!" He took a few steps towards the door, but still faced her. "OUT!!" Hermione chucked the book at him narrowly missing his head and hitting the door frame; he fled. Once he was gone, Hermione collapsed into a fit of sobs.
Draco had expected something like this to happen, but it was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. While he had cared for her when she was ailing, he had nurtured a part of himself that had never had room to grow before. Through her, he had learned what it was like to care for someone, and to worry about them. He had learned to love, but he had also learned to hurt. You can't get hurt if you never feel; but once you open yourself to good feelings, you become susceptible to negative ones also.
Once his life had been easy; he studied, did well in school, played seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, thought ingenious snide remarks to throw at Wonder Boy and his Gryffindor groupies, nothing he couldn't handle. It was simple and predictable; the way he liked it. But now everything had turned upside down and crashed on top of him. He had feelings he couldn't comprehend, thoughts he did not want to register, and desires that he dare not pursue.
There were too many things to think of, and too many things of which he did not want to think. He needed to clear his mind; get away from this place and be alone. His thoughts turned to an incident the year before when he had seen the Dream Team disappear behind the hump of a statue of a one-eyed witch, and noticed later that they had all kinds of Honey Dukes candy and pranks from Zonko's.
Draco decided that Hogsmede would be a good place to lose himself for a while. When he stepped out of the portrait hole, he ran smack into a red haired girl. Not waiting for him to speak she asked, "Is Hermione in there?"
"What have I told you Weasley? I do not make it my business to baby sit Mudbloods!"
Ginny figured she'd try her luck and ran behind the portrait as it was closing. Her eyes could barely believe what they took in; the room was gorgeous! All this for two people? Hogwarts certainly had a way about outdoing itself. There were soft sobs coming from a room up in the hallway. Mione! Draco is such a bastard, he had to have known she was here!
Ginny ran up to Hermione's room and seated herself on the bed, "Mione, Mione what's wrong?"
"G-ginny?" she managed through tears, "H-how d-did…"
"Draco was going out and I was in the hallway. Oh Mione what happened?"
Hermione sat up and threw her arms around the younger girl; Ginny rubbed her hand up and down her back comfortingly. "Come on, you and I are going to talk okay? No more tears for now." Both girls settled on the bed with their backs on the pillows and had a really long conversation.
Hermione told Ginny all about how she had been keeping a diary; and about how Draco had stolen and copied it and been reading her most private and secrete thoughts.
"That Bastard!" Ginny understood how powerful a diary was and how wrongly it could be used when others became involved. What you write in a diary is for no one but you, and when some one exploits that it is damaging.
Hermione wanted so badly to tell Ginny what was written in the diary, about what had happened and how she felt. But the words would not come; there was no way to express this verbally. So instead she shifted the focus.
"What happened with you and Harry?" she did really want to know; it obviously had been upsetting the girl.
"I broke up with him; it wasn't working." She looked down at the bed spread.
"I would have sworn that you guys were happy, in love even."
Tears now came to Ginny's eyes as she said in a soft voice, "We were,"
Noticing the tears that were about to spill from the girl's eyes, Hermione pulled Ginny close to her, so that Ginny's head rested on her shoulder. Hermione stroked her red hair comfortingly.
"What happened Gin? You can tell me."
With a new burst of tears Ginny began. "I told Harry that I didn't want to do anything, sexually speaking. I mean we kissed but I didn't want to do more than that, I couldn't…But Harry didn't understand, he wanted more. And he didn't realize that my reasons were sound. He thought that we should do stuff after all we had been going out for some time now, but…I couldn't. And I understand his need, he is a teenage boy after all, but, but…I couldn't give him what he wanted. And he wouldn't stop asking. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to do it. It was for the best." Her tears had become steady now, but her body had stopped heaving up and down. Hermione held her close, comforting the girl and in a sense comforting herself. It was nice to feel like there was still caring in the world.
"Do you know what we need Ginny?"
The younger girl looked up but did not reply.
"We need a break! We need to get out of here and away from stupid boys! We're going to Hogsmede!"
Ginny thought this was a wonderful idea. The girls got ready and headed to the passage that would take them where they wanted to go. The first stop the girls wanted to make was the Three Broomsticks.
They sat in a table on the side of the pub, not noticing the pale blond boy sitting in the booth at the back corner in the shadows. The girls had just ordered their butter beers when four wizards entered the pub. They were all tall and well built, and rather cute. Judging by their looks, they were at least twenty-five. The men approached the two young witches and asked if they could sit with them. The blond boy's eyes widened and his nostrils flared as the men sat down at the table.
What are they doing! Those men are too old!
He watched as the men bought drinks for themselves, and for the girls. Afraid of looking young, both girls accepted the drinks; although it seemed that Hermione had been drinking more than Ginny. A guy with dark brown hair and a good smile was talking animatedly to Hermione and had just draped his arms around the back of her chair.
Draco clutched the table, his knuckles turning white. "Are you okay sir?" a waitress asked.
"Yea fine," he shook his head, he'd be a lot better if these drunken bastards would stop attempting to sing at the karaoke stage. They were all horrible and it made his head hurt. Turning his attention back to the table, he saw Hermione stand up and walk, thought not exactly in a straight line, up to the stage. She was going to sing!
The music began, and Draco turned his head so he could see her better. Hermione closed her eyes a moment, feeling and becoming the music, and she began to sing.
I'm standing on the bridge
I'm waiting in the dark,
I thought that you'd be here,
By now.
There's nothing but the rain,
No footsteps on the ground,
I'm listening but there's
No sound.
Isn't any one trying to find me,
Won't somebody come
Take me home?
It's a damn cold night,
Trying to figure out this life.
Wont you,
Take me by the hand,
Take me some where new,
Don't know who you are,
But I,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Mmm
I'm looking for a place,
I'm searching for a face.
Is any body here,
I know?
Cause nothing's going right,
And everything's a mess,
And no one like's to be,
alone.
Isn't any one trying to find me,
Won't somebody come
Take me home?
It's a damn cold night,
Trying to figure out this life.
Wont you,
Take me by the hand,
Take me some where new,
Don't know who you are,
But I,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Ye-eh yeah
Oh!
Why is every thing so confusing?
Maybe I'm just out of my mind.
Yea ye-he yea,
ye-he yea,
ye-he yea,
ye-he yea,
Yeah!!
It's a damn cold night,
Trying to figure out this life.
Wont you,
Take me by the hand,
Take me some where new,
Don't know who you are,
But I,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Take me by the hand,
Take me some where new,
Don't know who you are,
But I,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Take me by the hand,
Take me some where new,
Don't know who you are,
But I,
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
The music died down softly, and the entire pub was silent. It wasn't just that she sang the song beautifully, but she sang it with such passion. She had felt every word and put her whole soul into the song; she so much wished that somebody would rescue her. Ginny's eyes were full of tears. "Oh, Mione! That was beautiful! You've always been a good singer, but never have you sung like that."
"Thank you," but it wasn't just a song. I want, no I need someone. I'm so alone.
Draco had watched the whole song and not taken his eyes off the one singing it. Every word that fell from his lips pierced his heart. She needed someone badly. He could tell, not because of the song she picked, but because of the way she sang it. It had been like a plea, a cry for help. It was almost as if she were standing up in the public eye screaming help me! I need you!
But to everybody else, she was probably just a good singer. No one else here knew about her life, knew her pain. Draco wanted so badly to take her up in his arms and hold her, kiss her passionately. But she hated him even more now than she had before. He felt a pang in his chest, and he knew now what it felt like to be alone, yet hopelessly surrounded. There were actual tears that had fallen down from his eyes, but he didn't care: he was no longer above crying.
He sat there and watched as Hermione and Ginny had more drinks. It seemed that Ginny was forcing down her second. When he looked at the mess of cups if front of Hermione, his stomach churned. There were so many! No doubt she was drunk out of her mind. Why would she…but then it hit him.
She had been upset even more now. He had provoked her delicate condition and made it worst. She was here now because of him, and would probably regret it later. There was hunger in the eyes of the men she was with, and he knew that it was for one thing. Hermione was now swaying and laughing too loudly. She was also pushing on the chest of the dark haired man in a rather flirty way. She doesn't know what she's doing!
The six of them now stood up and they were leaving. Ginny, not as drunk as Hermione, who now was having trouble standing, was looking slightly worried, as a light haired guy put an arm around her waist and tried to lead her out of the pub. Draco jumped up; this was not going to be pretty. He ran outside after them, and saw them disappear into an alley way. Draco saw the dark haired guy holding Hermione up against the wall and she had finally realized her peril, although she had no idea what to do about it.
He had to stop this, so he did the only thing he could think of. Draco punched the guy square in the jaw.
"What the…" said one of his companions.
"Who are you?" asked another.
"I go to school with these two. They snuck off today, and there are a bunch of us looking for them. I sent up sparks outside the pub, and the professors will be here any minuet.
"Professors?"
"Let's go!" the guys scrambled away.
Draco walked up to Hermione and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked looking into her eyes which were full of confusion and fear.
She nodded and then collapsed in his arms. All Draco could think of was her, and how it had been such a close call, when he heard a voice next to him, reminding him that Ginny was there.
"I thought you didn't baby sit Mudbloods."
"Shut up Weasley." It didn't take a genius to translate Draco's behavior or the look in his eyes, and even Ginny who had had more than one drink could see it.
"We should take her to the hospital wing," she suggested.
"No," it came out firmly, making Ginny raise an eyebrow. "If they knew she was drinking, she'd be in trouble; she might even lose her Head Girl position. No, that can't happen. I'll take her back to her room and make sure she's alright." With these words, he picked her up gingerly and began to walk. "Coming?"
"Yea,"
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mmm…a longer chapter this was, ::smiles:: did you like it? I have a feeling you'll like the next one! But I'm not telling what happens!
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~Atiannala