Silver Eyes (restless Sleep) By tearsofher Rating: R

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Hermione or Draco or anyone else except Nickolas Gottery, and the plot. Hermione and Draco and the rest of the cast belong to.. ( drum roll..) J.K. ROWLING!

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Chapter three: The Unmeant Cruel words, Slipped.

Draco and Hermione had been meeting (secretly) in the library after that day to study, or, well, talk. Their chats weren't anything of a deep or personal matter, for they felt they hadn't known each other in a 'friendly' way for that long a time yet. They just often talked about their classes, quidditch (Hermione actually had fun talking about quidditch with Draco, not bored out of her mind like when Harry or Ron was trying to explain it to her,) and. Well, their 'favorite' professor.

" Draco (Hermione had become used to calling him that), is it true that you're Snape's favorite?" She asked, scribbling something down on her parchment. Draco smirked at her question. "I honestly don't know. Although it does seem like it, doesn't it?" Draco still couldn't believe he was on friendly terms with the pretty Gryffindor girl. Once or twice, he had thought it was all just a dream, and when he woke up he would still be calling her that foul name for a muggleborn (he could no longer call her that, it was strange), and she would just look at him disappointedly. Draco remembered that look she used to give him everytime he had teased them last year, or the years before. It was a look of pure disappointment, disgust, and each and everytime he was sure he had seen the hate grow bigger. Visualizing it in his mind, he felt his heart sink. How he'd hate himself if he made her give him that look again. "Snape's just odd, that's all. I pity him sometimes, no wife, not even a girlfriend. The poor old man seems to have no trace of happiness in his life. Not even satisfaction or contentment," Draco said. His comment made her look up at him. They looked into each other's eyes again, and her eyes were filled with questions. He never got tired of looking into them, even if he saw them everytime in his dreams. " I agree. He's so bitter, it's kind of hard to hate him once you find out he's alone, and has been for many years. But I forget all that once he starts to torment and pick on the Gryffindors," she said. Draco nodded. He just now saw how unfair it was; Snape always being hostile towards the Gryffindors. He had always wondered why. He never acted that way to the Ravenclaws, or the Hufflepuffs. Just the Gryffindors.

Just then the library doors opened, and who else but Nickolas Gottery strode into the library. Draco stared at him in horror. Nickolas was sure to see them sitting together.. he was sure Nickolas was going to humiliate him.. Just then Nickolas stopped dead in his tracks. Then he turned towards Draco, and an evil smirk smearing across his face. His eyes glimmered; he was thinking of how to humiliate Draco in front of everyone, Draco was sure of it. Draco glared knives at him. Just then Nickolas's gaze traveled to Hermione, who was completely unaware of Draco's situation. She was just reading, completely absorbed in her book; she hadn't even realized Nickolas was there. Nickolas gave Draco one final smirk, then went over to find Madame Pince. Draco felt his heart sink. As much as he liked Hermione, he didn't want everyone else to know he had been spending time with the girl, let alone his feelings for her. Sure, his name, he didn't care. The 'malfoy' name didn't matter anymore. But he still had his Malfoy pride, something that was awfully hard to erase. He couldn't let everyone else find out, he would be humiliated. But what was he to do? What would he say when Nickolas confronted him about it, in front of everyone else?

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Draco was surprised when Nickolas hadn't confronted him about it, that day, or even the day after. In fact, it had been four days since he had seen them together. Draco finally shrugged, and came up with the conclusion that he had forgotten. Which was, an awfully big relief for him. Draco ate his food at his usual pace; still having a hard time keeping his eyes off Hermione. But he also noticed that Potter had been awfully clingy to her lately; she was almost barely never alone. He had heard Hermione's excuses to go to the library alone to be with Draco. Draco was getting awfully irritated, more than he already was with the boy. He was getting the feeling that Potter was after the same thing Draco was after.
Her heart. And Draco was determined. Just because potter had gotten the snitch many more times than Draco did, didn't mean he was sure to be victorious over this situation. This situation was far more different than any old quidditch game. And Draco knew, as much as he loved quidditch, he would choose the pretty brown haired girl over it anyday.

Little did he know, as Draco was staring over at the Gryffindor table, lost in his thoughts, Nickolas Gottery was watching him, with a smirk plastered on his face. Nickolas had been watching him over the past four days, trying to get more clues that Draco liked the filthy little mudblood. It was awfully hard; waiting four days to humiliate him. But he knew it would be worth it; it would make Draco's suspicions of Nickolas's demise disappear. Nickolas knew he would forget, especially when he was busy looking and thinking about the mudblood all the time. Just then, Nickolas knew it was time.

" Yeah, that Mudblood's quite a looker, isn't she?" he said, loud enough that he was sure the whole table heard, and Draco. The whole table fell silent. Draco stared at him, horror and surprise on his face. But he quickly hid it with a glare. " Those legs, I'd love to trail my hand up them anytime. And those breasts, she's grown over the summer, hasn't she, Malfoy? I'm sure you'd know. But of course, even if I did have a choice to touch the girl, I wouldn't. BECAUSE SHE'S A FILTHY, DISGUSTING-" " YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Draco bolted up, and shouted. Draco's anger was boiling. He should've known.. He should've known.. Nickolas had just been waiting for him to forget. The whole hall fell silent, and they turned around to look, curious. He heard whispers, around him, but all he saw now was Nickolas. " Oh? Did I strike a nerve, Malfoy?.. You don't actually.. Have feelings for the Mudblood, do you?" Draco felt frozen. His thoughts were in a frenzy.. What was he to say? He couldn't say yes.. But before he knew it, words had slipped out of mouth. " of course not. She's a filthy disgusting mudblood, after all. I apologize; I thought I head heard something else." Draco felt his heart break at his words. WHY had he said that? He was sure everyone had heard.. He felt his throat tighten, and he realized he really wasn't breathing anymore. But he let out a deep breath, and let his famous smirk spread across his face. Nickolas looked at him in surprise, and the Slytherins jeered. Draco looked at the girl, but she wasn't there, as she had run from the hall, with tears in her eyes.

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Hermione had heard Draco's words, and ran from the hall. Harry had called after her, but his voice was drowned out by the Slytherins' jeers. Hermione sobbed, as she turned corridors. Her heart was aching, her mind felt like it was sore. Finally, she leaned against a wall, and slid down, head in her hands. She had thought they were friends.. SHE WAS SUCH A FOOL! This had all been a game for him! To humiliate her, in front of everyone! The tears slid down her cheeks, and she felt no need to stop them. How foolish of her, to THINK HE HAD ACTUALLY LIKED HER! TO THINK HE HAD ACTUALLY WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH HER! But what hurt her the most that she had believed he had changed.. She was mad at herself; for letting him get to her, to play her like this. But most of all, she was mad at herself to be driven to tears by his words. She had liked him. Worse, maybe more than liked him. The one boy, that had made her feel happy, content.. It was all a game. IT WAS ALL A BLOODY GAME!
After she was quite sure she was all cried out, and she heard voices down the hall, she walked to the Gryffindor dormitories, uttered the password, and fled to her room. It turns out, she wasn't really all that cried out, as she sobbed into her pillows. He had hurt her, more than anyone else had. And what was even worse, she had let him. She had let him get close enough, close enough to stab her in the back, with her unknowing.
The knife was still there, but it turns out, he hadn't stabbed her in the back. He had stabbed her in the heart, breaking it in two, the condition far too worse than to be ever repaired by some potion, or some disgusting medicine Madame Pomphrey often gave her ailed patients. And now, here she was. Hermione Granger, the broken hearted mudblood.