Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
A/N: Thank you to everyone for your wonderful reviews. They are extremely encouraging and I enjoy checking my mail for them…Please keep reading…
Ron was headed for the common room after dinner when he bumped into Ginny racing towards the library. She looked flustered and was annoyed when Ron stopped her.
"Hey Ginny, school is over, you don't really need to go to the library do you?" said Ron intuitively. Ginny glared at him.
"It's none of your business Ron, Okay?" she said quickly glancing at her watch.
But Ron persisted.
"So are you meeting lover boy?" he teased. Ginny's face started to crumple into tears.
Ron gulped stuttering that he was sorry but Ginny raced off into the other direction. He stood watching her until out of sight, confused by what could have upset her so.
'Ginny must have gone back to the common room so whoever she is waiting for will still be in the library,' Ron thought to himself.
He opened the heavy wooden and entered into the huge room. Alone at one of the far corners of the room sat Draco Malfoy. He did not seem to hear Rom come in either. Ron quickly hid behind a bookshelf.
'I thought Ginny was meeting Neville, so what is Malfoy doing here?' he whispered to no one. Ron peeked behind the corner at Malfoy again. Why wasn't he packing? Where were Goyle and Crabbe? Ron didn't wait long for answers. The library door opened and Pansy Parkinson entered. She walked over to Draco and sat down next him handing him a letter. Ron in the meantime crept closer try to hear what was being said. He wished Harry was with him, but he had his wand out in case. This year his wand would not backfire, or so he hoped nervously.
Draco broke the red seal on the letter and sighed. He was not sure that he wanted to read the contents. Pansy looked on eagerly waiting for Draco to read it to her. She had gone through a lot of trouble to meet a messenger at Hogsmede because Draco felt he was being watched. He started to read.
Draco Malfoy,
Meet the werewolf in the forbidden forest tomorrow for a new package and make sure Dumbledore gets it. You are to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas until further notice.
Servant of V.
Draco finished reading it. He shook his head in frustration but Pansy was already clambering on about what was in the brown paper bags. She suspected that it was something to remind Dumbledore that Voldemort had returned. But Draco knew that it was not the case. He had sneaked a peak at the contents of the bag the previous time. It had contained sweets and it had bothered him terribly when he heard Dumbledore was ill. Still he was not sure there was a connection. He had noticed Snape watching him closer than usual too. Draco told Pansy to leave him alone and continued to stare quietly at the letter. She tried to speak to him but eventually got annoyed when she got no response and left in a huff.
'What happened to Ginny,' Draco thought to himself. He had planned to meet her straight after dinner but she had not shown up. At least one person still believed in him.
Hermione finally spoke, after about ten minutes of silence.
"Harry as you know, I am going home tomorrow and well I don't think that we should, I mean you obviously have interest in Cho and well-" she broke off in mid-sentence, her eyes downcast.
"Hermione, Cho was under a spell, Ron was there ask him," erupted Harry.
She looked at him unsure if to believe him. She knew that she could not go on ignoring him forever.
"Um alright Harry but I still think we need a break from each other," she said quietly. Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Hermione was not sure it he was crying or not but she instantly felt bad. She went over to him and hugged him. There they sat saying nothing until Hagrid returned with Ron tagging along after him.
On the way back up to the castle Ron told them about Malfoy. After Pansy had left him Malfoy had sat there for another hour and then had left. Ron had followed him and it had seemed that Malfoy was comp-tinplating going to the Gryffindor tower, but eventually turned back, narrowly missing Ron who was hidden behind a statue. Ron had then raced down to Hagrid's hut and sat on the step waiting for them until Hagrid had found him sometime later.
"Draco is defiantly up to something, but he obviously doesn't realise that Dumbledore has figured it out, about the sweets," Ron finished his story. Hermione looked shocked, as this was the first time she was hearing about this. Back inside the common room Ginny was sitting by the fire alone while a few other Gryffindor's were in a group in the corner playing exploding snap. There was no sign of Neville so Ron begged Hermione to go talk to Ginny to find out what really happened. Ron and Harry were tired and headed
upstairs to their dorm. As Ron opened the door a pillow hit him in the face. Seamus, Dean and Neville were having a pillow fight and there were feathers flying everywhere. Ron and Harry quickly grabbed their pillows in trying to defend themselves from the onslaught.
The Headmaster put the finally finishes on the preparations for training schedules that Harry, Hermione and Ron would have to adhere to after Christmas. He decided to give them a break considering he was now well. When Dumbledore became sick he too had thought the war was near but now feeling full of life he knew it would still be a while before Voldemort would be able to attack.
After Ginny went to bed, Hermione snuck out to see Snape. She found him in the dungeons pacing up and down one of the corridors.
"Hermione, what are you doing here at this time of night?" he asked surprised.
"I just wanted to tell you to bring something formal for Christmas dinner, I mean to wear," she added seeing Severus confusion.
"Oh all right," said Snape, his mind still registering the thought.
"I thought that we might go by port key and give the train a miss," he added.
Hermione nodded and smiled. She had already thought of how uncomfortable it would have been if they went on the train, whom would she sit with Harry and Ron or Snape?
"After everyone else has gone?" she asked. Snape nodded.
"Now go to bed before I take points from Gryffindor," he said in his usual tone.
Hermione left with a smile on her face, she was actually quite excited to go home.
* * * * * * *
The next morning Hermione waved goodbye to her friends as they boarded the train. She did not notice Malfoy on the platform saying goodbye to Crabbe and Goyle. There was one last loud whistle from the Hogwart's express as it pulled out on the station. Hermione watched until it was out of sight. She turned to find Malfoy standing behind her, arms folded looking malicious.
"Oh, I did not see you there," said Hermione making a move to step around him.
"Staying for Christmas are we?" he sneered.
"Um actually no, I am just leaving later," Hermione, mumbled trying to be a vague as possible.
Draco looked her up then down but finally stepped aside. Hermione walked quickly past only to feel his cold hand on her shoulder.
"Actually mudblood, I changed my mind," he grinned as he pulled her back towards him.
"Do you enjoy the fact my father is rotting away somewhere because of what you did?"
"He is only getting what he deserved, Malfoy, even if it is Voldemort punishing him," retorted Hermione feeling brave. Her hand rested on her wand, and she was prepared if Draco tried anything.
"You are nothing, nothing, you are a little speck of dirt in my life Granger, and I will only be too pleased to see the end of you," spat Malfoy, surprised at his own anger.
Hermione shook her head, pulling away from his grip and started to walk back to the castle. Draco watched her for a moment and then hurried to catch up to her. He pulled the back of robe causing her to stumble to the ground. Noticing some bushes he started to drag her towards them. Hermione tried to fight, but her robe was pulled up over her head, and her wand out of reach. Draco reached the bushes and turned Hermione onto her back. She spat at him and tried to claw at his face. He laughed, and slapped her hard making her wince. It was only when he grabbed her hand tightly she remembered her ring as it dug into her skin. She closed her eyes called for Snape. Opening her eyes, Draco was still pinning her down, his hand between her skirt as she struggled to keep her legs closed. Suddenly he was being pulled off her. Severus Snape had him by the collar, Malfoy gasping for breath. Snape had drawn his wand but Hermione stopped him.
"Allow me," she said. Severus looked at her, the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
Hermione swung her arm and punched Draco in the stomach. Snape let him go and stepped out of the way. Hermione then kicked the now crouching boy in agony. He groaned on impact falling over onto his back, whinging for her to stop. She was about to kick him in the side when Severus motioned her to stop. In the distance, she could see Dumbledore coming down from the castle. They left Malfoy lying there and approached the headmaster, both looking rather guilty. He nodded at them and continued down to Draco who was groaning clutching his stomach. In the distance Hermione heard Dumbledore tell Draco in a harsh tone to get up and follow him. She knew then that he would now be receiving the full attention of the Dumbledore over Christmas. Yet part of her felt really sorry for him.