Draco looked at the almost indistinguishable scar on his elbow. He ran a finger over it, a little bothered by the way the slick, milky skin felt. He sniffed in the cold air of the Slytherin common room. What a wretched existence.
Life was fine up to now. Recently he just didn't feel the shallow joys of living anymore. Except when he was with, or though of, Hermione. But that though alone made him sick. "I hate her," he said to himself so no one else heard. Crabbe and Goyle were leaving him alone on his command, and no one else risked sitting next to him for the moment. He took out the small package his father sent him. In it a small silver snake glistened; the green eyes piercing Draco every time he glanced at it.
He sighed and ran a pale hand threw his platinum blond hair. "I hate…everything." "I-" he started, but he found out he didn't know what he was trying to say. He didn't even know what he felt. Someone entered the common room and Draco's heart jumped, thinking it was Hermione. But the fifth year who entered with bushy hair didn't have Hermione's face, and Draco's smile faded away.
"Mudbloods," he heard someone spit with disgust in a heated conversation. Draco pretended to read the titles of books close to him while ease dropping. "They're everywhere in this damn school."
"Luckily they're not in here," a girl giggled.
"But what about when we graduate? Where's our damn haven then?"
"In our homes?"
"Shut up!"
"I dunno," the girl said after a short pause.
"With You-Know-Who?" offered a small boy. Everyone laughed.
"I don't think you should go near You-Know-Who, Rupert. That man's bloody dangerous."
"Is it true what everyone's saying? That the attacks are by him?" the girl cut in again.
"Probably. It adds up, everything's that been happening in the past years."
"You s'pose he'll get Potter next?"
"What I can't see is why he hasn't gotten Potter during the summers. He lives with muggles!"
"You know what would be fun?" the girl asked.
"Shirley, stop interrupting."
"Playing pranks on all the Mudbloods," she finished.
"Shirley, that's so god damn childish."
"Why?"
"Pranks?" The ringleader dawned a girlish voice, "Ooh! Ooh! Look at me, I'm Shirley. I switched a Mudblood's wand with a stick." He giggled lightly and the rest of the group snickered. Now his voice was back to normal. "Who cares if a Mudblood cries? The only good revenge is through the path of You-Know-Who."
"What; are you saying we should kill them?"
"Yes, Shirley," he said sarcastically. "That'll be the smartest thing for us schoolchildren to do…Hey, Malfoy!" Draco's head shot up and he looked over at the convening group who were all staring at him. Kyle, the ringleader, waved him over and reluctantly Draco walked over and took a seat in the group. "Now don't worry, you can tell us. You gonna follow in the footprints of your dad and take the righteous path?"
Draco looked at all the eyes pouring into him. He turned to Kyle. "What are you talking about? Everything my father's done is perfectly legal." The group laughed and Draco joined them, feeling Kyle hit him on the back.
"Good man, Malfoy. So. What do you think of all this impurity in our life?"
"It's, er-" Draco coughed on an invisible block in his throat. "…Bad."
The group laughed again. "True, true," chuckled Kyle. "I hate Anderson the most," Kyle growled with a new anger. "What about you?"
"Is there any worse than Potter?"
"You've had quiet a few run-ins with Potter haven't you? You gonna demolish him in the next Quidditch match?"
Draco noticed the new feeling as the eyes looking at him shimmered with some sort of pride. They had pride in him. "Of course. That is if he doesn't fall off his broom again." The group howled and the conversation went on, Draco smiling broadly like he used to when he was with his friends. He felt like a part of the group again.
Hermione tossed and turned in her sleep. She awoke sleepily with a tired growl. All she wanted was a good night's sleep…well that's not all she wanted. She sat up, sick of the headache that was attacking her. She tried to pull her bushy, tangled hair into a ponytail. It ended up as a knot in the back of her head, but at least it was out of her way.
She found her robe and carefully walked down the stone steps into the abandoned common room. The fire was out and the room was lit by cloudy moon light.
"Shhh," giggled Shirley. The Slytherins outside the Gryffindor common room shook with silent laughter, all except Draco and Kyle. Those two were too serious to be joining in with the excitement. All the Slytherins were in fifth to seventh year and were the gutsiest of the group. At the moment their pureblood faces were masked or covered in some way so they couldn't be recognized by anyone if they happened to spot them. They all had had Invisibility potions, pre-bought by Virginia, the richest girl in school who bought everything and everyone, but the potions had worn off. "This is going to be great," snickered Shirley.
"Shut up," Kyle hissed. He took out his knife.
"Kyle," Draco whispered. "Won't she scream?"
Kyle paused. "Ok then. Let's write the message first, take the next round of potions, slash her, then get the hell out of here." The group nodded. Kyle and two other boys started working on writing something with a potion that acted like paint. It needed a charm to be removed. "James! You're doing it wrong, you drunken bastard."
Draco peered around the hall nervously. He had been pressured into going with the group and still didn't feel too good about it. Of course, he hated the damn Mudbloods, but…the nagging thought of Hermione still troubled him. It shouldn't. He didn't care about her. He listened for the sign of someone or maybe Ms. Norris' footsteps.
Hermione, who had been resting on a Gryffindor couch, thought she heard something from outside. She perked.
"Quiet!" Kyle quietly screamed. Shirley had lost control and let out a shrill laugh that had pierced the silence.
Draco looked at the sleeping Fat Lady, praying that she was too sleepy to wake up. He was surprised she hadn't already been awake, as it was her job to guard this place. Kyle had assured them that he had taken care of this. How he did so, Draco wasn't sure. He still wasn't certain this was the right painting in the fist place, but the kids back in the common room insisted on it. A Gryffindor first year told his twin brother in Ravenclaw last year. The brother told his best friend who traded it to the Slytherins for money. Draco bit his lip nervously.
"Malfoy, come look!"
Hermione could swear she heard voices. Maybe she was imagining things. Now it was starting to scare her. The memory of Ron's near death experience with Black reemerged from her subconscious as well as plenty of fears she harbored about rape and death.
Kyle and the others were cackling with satisfaction. They had written 'Death to Mudbloods' on the opposite wall of the painting. He jabbed Malfoy's arm. "Whatdya think?"
"It's-Are you sure this is the right place?"
Kyle teased Draco. "Don't be such a worry wart. Now come on." Everyone took a potion from Virginia. Draco felt the ice cold sensation burn over him as he shivered. He started to fade away like the others, and so did everything he was touching.
Kyle's knife on the ground disappeared as Kyle touched it. He took a soft footstep.
Hermione was thinking about running away, just because the fear was starting to consume her. But then, a shriek cut threw the air and screeched inside her ears. Hermione jumped, but instead of screaming herself, she leapt forward and tossed the door open, not even checking to see if she had her wand.
Hermione peered out into the blank hall with terrified eyes. She heard footsteps which came to halt. Her heart beat started climbing. She had to run, she knew it, but she couldn't. She was glued there. 'Death to Mudbloods.' She had to run.
Hermione was summoning up the courage to turn her back and escape to her dormitory. Out of no where a splurge of red paint threw itself at her. She took a step back in surprise and heard hooting and laughter. Then whoever it was ran away again.
Malfoy watched as the events unfolded. He felt a crushing pain in his chest but he ignored it. It was funny what happened to her…it really was.
Malfoy turned away, disgusted as he heard the red potion splash unto Hermione. She fell against the painting's door, panicked and mortified. He couldn't enjoy it. It hurt him, seeing her in such a disgraceful state. She wasn't crying at least. Then again, she looked like she was overwhelmed with shock. He saw such humiliation in her chestnut eyes.
The Slytherins started to jog back home. He hadn't told his legs to move yet. Shirley paused, noticing Draco was still behind. She was just another of the Slytherin girls who craved after him, but she acted very coolly on it. Shirley, a girl whose assets who were more on her looks and popular personality then on her brain, was completely caught up in the exhilaration on the moment. She called for Malfoy to hurry up. "Come on, Dra-" Kyle kicked her before she could finish his name but it was too late. One of them had been identified. Hermione looked desperately around, trying to see him.
'Did she say 'Draco?''
Draco's heart plummeted, seeing Hermione look for him with such regret. Leaving on that awful note he took off, following the group.