Note: Thanks again reviewers! As usual, I own nothing. Oh, and for those who were a tad upset for poor Ron- I am too! *sheds a tear* Don't worry, he will find love again in the future, though maybe with someone you wouldn't expect.
Hermione scowled at her reflection in the lake, hating herself intensely. Ron was distraught and it was all her fault. How could she make it up to him? She was confused and angry, mainly with herself. She sat near the lake, throwing stones and watching them skim the rippling surface. How could she cause him so much pain? It was all her fault, and nowadays that was all she seemed to inflict... hopefully she could make it up to him later, but she doubted that things between them would ever be the same.
Maybe I should get back to the Common Room and do some revision, Hermione thought to herself, and stood up. She was just turning to leave when she heard the same cold drawl that sent tingles up her spine and made goosebumps on her arms.
"Going somewhere Granger? Looks like you've hurt poor Weasel's feelings. Boo hoo." Malfoy stepped out from behind a tree, the same smirk on his face. Hermione felt physically sickened as she came to understand that he'd heard everything that had happened between her and Ron. Not only had he been rejected, but it had been overheard by his worst enemy!
"Push off Malfoy, I'm not in the mood," she growled, walking faster. Ignore him, she told herself. Don't let yourself get angry. But no matter what she told herself, she could feel the rage rising inside her and her heart thumping madly in her chest. All the pain from previous years was welling up in her chest, though she would never let him see her cry again.
"So you don't like Weasel- maybe you actually do have some sense," Draco laughed. "I mean, look at him, nobody in their right mind would like him. He hasn't got two Sickles to rub together!"
"Ron's twice the man you are!" Hermione shouted, hatred bubbling up and erupting like a volcano. She faced Malfoy and sneered at him, intending to hurt his pride. Two can play this game, she thought to herself. Belittle him. Humiliate him. Make him feel the sort of embarrassment she had felt seeing Pansy draped over him.
"Yeah right. Ask every girl you know, and they'll say different."
"You're shallow!" Hermione bellowed, her cheeks going furiously red. "You're sad and pathetic! You think everything is about money, and your whole life exists around making others feel bad. WHY do you always put us down? Ron is kind, loyal and honest- three things you'll never be. Are you jealous, is that it? I hate you, and if other girls like you it's only because they think you're good-looking! If you came here determined to make me miserable then don't bother, because I already am! And you can leave Ron alone, he's done nothing to you- I bet you're going to wind him up something rotten after this!"
"And what if I do?"
"Then you'll have me to answer to!"
"Seems you have a right little temper when you want to, Granger."
"Oh shut up Ferret boy!"
Draco's pale skin flushed slightly and he took another step forward. "Mudblood!" he hissed into her ear. That was the final straw. Hermione pushed him viciously and smacked him across the face, her long fingernails tearing at his skin. Already as her hand dropped from his face, two long angry red lines were dripping with blood from his battered cheek. Hermione's hand went to her mouth in horror at the angry white welts, instantly regretting losing her temper in such a savage manner.
"You little bitch!" Draco roared and grabbed her by the wrists, squeezing them so tightly that Hermione cried out in pain. He threw her onto the floor, her back thudding onto the hard ground. Hermione struggled as Draco pinned her down, kicking her in the ribs and causing her to double over, breathing heavily. Her bruised wrists clutched at her stomach, her eyes squeezed shut.
There she lay, Draco standing over her. She opened one eye and glared at him, trying to hide her overwhelming disgust, appalled shock at what had just happened. Draco was clutching at his cheek and stemming the blood with his fingers, coldly watching Hermione struggle to sit up.
"You're a Mudblood, and that's all you'll ever be. I hate you and you hate me- that's all there is to it. But NEVER, never EVER, try and hit me again. You slapped me once before in the third-year, remember? Well this is the second and last time. You try again and it'll be your death."
Hermione moaned and got shakily to her feet. Large blue marks were appearing at her wrists and her back was aching dully; all she could concentrate on was the agonising pain and the proud "stiff upper lip" she would retain.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yes."
"And you understood?"
"Y- yes." Hermione hobbled away, ignoring the lump in her throat. She wasn't going to let herself cry- especially not in front of Draco, not again. She didn't care what happened to him right now, she just needed to lie down and sleep away her troubles.
Draco watched her leave, cursing himself. His angry temper had left him and now all he could feel was the pain in his cheek, and a terrible urge to go over to Hermione and- and what? He didn't know how he felt about her. It was passionate hate, yet sometimes he felt almost- almost warmly towards her.
"Father would be proud," he said to himself. Yes, Father would be proud- after all, didn't Father like to beat women himself? Draco had seen him do it enough times. Still- he didn't want to be like his cruel, dominating father. He wanted to be himself, strange as it must seem to the other power hungry Slytherins.
Hermione reached the tower, where Harry was sat with Ginny. Hermione painfully straightened her back so she was walking typically and didn't give away the excruciating agony she felt, and tugged at her robes to cover her sleeves. Ginny looked back to normal and had lost most of her tomato features, though she did blush a little when Hermione entered and saw her chatting to Harry.
"It was the Vegamillus Curse," Ginny told her friend. "Madam Pomfrey said it was one of the worst cases she had ever seen, but she cured it."
"Shame we couldn't prove it was Malfoy though," Harry said regretfully. "Hey, Hermione- what's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a bit of stomach ache," Hermione lied, getting up painfully. "I'm off for a lie-down. Erm, Harry- you didn't by chance see Ron around, did you?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did," Harry said. "He looked a bit upset. Is there anything wrong?"
"Oh no, nothing. I just wondered, because I haven't seen him around for a while. Anyway, I'm off for a rest, then I think I might do a bit of homework. See you later." Hermione said her goodbyes and made her way up to her dormitory, where she laid on her bed. It was only midday and now she'd got to her bed, she was totally restless. All she could think of was Draco and the strange influence he had over her- why was it she could never act her usual self around him? She could always deliver some cutting remark, but nowadays all she ever did was cry or get angry. It was like she was some blubbering wreck. And Ron! She felt overwhelming sympathy for him and all she wanted to do was to hug him and make him feel better, but she couldn't even do that anymore, not in the unenviable atmosphere that Hermione had made for herself by rejecting Ron's advances. Why did things have to be so complicated?
She made her way over to the mirror and slowly pulled off her trousers and vest top, trying to inflict minimal discomfort on her sensitive wounds. Blistering welts ran down her back and all her shoulders, wrists and hips were battered black and blue with large swollen bruises. The pain was slowly decreasing but she'd still have to go to Madam Pomfrey and make something up later. Yes- later. Now her eyes were slowly getting tired again.
And so Hermione crawled into her bed and closed her heavy eyes, until slowly but surely she fell asleep.
R&R please, clickie on that little link at the bottom, I would be very grateful indeed! Thanks very much for reading.
