"I was with him?" I was trying to grip on to everything she had said. I was trying to hold myself to this proposal as a studious girl, always up for new adventures and knowledge, but this was getting a bit sickening.
"He took you and hid himself for a year. I only tracked him because I have links with some Deatheaters." Swell stated this to me with a broken heart look in her eyes. She probably thought I blamed her. Yea, deep down inside of me I feel like she betrayed me, if she had been there I would still have my parents, I wouldn't have been with Voldemort in the first place. But in my heart I know that she did what she could and that she loved me, loves me still.
"I spent a year in Voldemort's home." The conclusion actually gripping me. Sue Ellen nodded.
"Matter a fact, when I finally got there and took you away with me, you asked where he had gone. It seemed like you missed him..." I saw Draco look at me with awe and I returned him glance with a confused but determined to hear her out look. He nodded at me.
"So, let me get this straight, I am a half vampire half sorceress thing, that will be maturing this year, that has a grand mother and father that look like my peers, one of which who has deatheater contacts, who put me up for adoption in the muggle world, after I was rescued from Voldemort, who I seemed to be quite taken with." I blabbed.
"Yes." Swell said as if it was common knowledge or something. I nodded my head and stood up. With my head high for a second, I clasped my arms over my stomach that just flopped over on itself,
"I think I'm gonna be sick." With that I made my way out of Dumbledore's office.
*Draco's POV*
Granger seemed to be taking all of this news rather well. I was astonished myself and it has nothing to do with me. And then when she stood, I saw first hand her Gryfindore confidence break. I was sitting staring at the ajar office door that Hermione had left out of when I heard someone clear her throat. Looking back to Sue Ellen she had a look of question on her smooth face.
"Lucius's boy." She grinned. "Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to go help Hermione?" Her voice was playful but had a truthfully commanding edge to it.
I got up and ran after Hermione. No doubt she had gone to Moaning Murtle's girls bathroom. She probably didn't know, but every time she had a problem with the wonder boy or the weasel I would follow her enough to see her retreat to that bathroom every time. Sure enough, pressing my ear up against the door I heard some water running.
"Granger?" I called softly. Opening the door more I saw her sitting on the tiled floor against an open door to one of the stalls. Her robe was on the floor in front of her along with her vest. The uniforms crisp button down shirt clung to her body with more than five of the top buttons unbuttoned. Her long hair was in wet strands around her face. She looked up at me with indifferent eyes.
"Your not allowed to call me Granger anymore. I'm not a Granger. And I never will be again."
"Please, to me you'll always be smart ass, teachers pet Granger." I smiled at her and finally provoked her to smile back.
"Your such a pain in the ass, Malfoy." She said shifting her legs to stand up. I held my hand out for her and surprisingly she took it. I leaned against the door she had been and watched as she walked over to the sinks (the chamber of secrets sinks *doesn't have anything to do with the story but hey thought you'd like to be reminded*). She had leaned her arms against the sink and stared at her reflection a while before turning the water on. I watched in curiosity what she was doing. Filling the sink up half way she did the unexpected, pulled all of her hair from the back of her head forward and shoved her head into the sink. The only though that ran through my head was, She might be trying to kill herself!. I rushed over and picked her head up. With a flick of her head her hair flung backwards like a whip, splashing water to the wall behind her. Her wet hair had no curl and seemed much longer than when it was dry. She was giving me this look of wonder.
"You can't kill yourself over this, it's not worth it." She smiled at me for a second and then frowned a bit.
"I wasn't trying to kill myself. I just needed to do something spontaneous. I'm not Hermione anymore; I'm something I don't even know. How am I supposed to act? What changes will I have to go through? Swell had Toma to help her with all this crap. And what do I have? Two quiddich crazy little babies who are so wrapped up in their own lives that they have forced me to become this overworked wreck who strives for perfection. I hate it." Hermione yelled out, seemingly more to herself than to me. She backed up to a wall and slid down to the ground. Her skirt had rolled up under her, exposing her thighs, very un-Hermione like. I picked up her robe, vest, and tie that was in one of the other sinks and took a seat next to her. I turned her body to look at me, she held eye contact for a second before looking down. I felt the overwhelming sense of determination to make her feel better for some reason. Lifting her chin towards me,
"You have nothing to feel guilty about. Potter and Weasel deserve that for what they have been doing to you, it's been obvious. As for not having anyone to help you through all those changes you'll be going through...well, I could be there. I mean Swell kept me in that office for a reason and I think she wants me to help you. And I will, if you let me." Our faces had gotten close, the only thing I was thinking about what how I could make her feel better. She gave me a small smile that I've rarely seen from her, and then I noticed she shivered.
"Come on, your cold and your hair is wet." I pulled us both to our feet, loosened the tie a bit more and slipped it over her head, removing her hair from underneath the noose I realized how soaking she was.
