This chapter is dedicated to Louise - you'll know why love!
Astronomy Tower
"Hello bastard." Draco heard a cold voice from behind him. He turned round, startled, to find the surly blue eyes of Ron Weasley staring angrily into his own.
"What do you want Weasel?" he spat, trying to control his emotions. After his encounter with Hermione earlier, he had come up to the empty Astronomy tower to think. People rarely came up there during daylight.
"You fucking bastard!" Ron yelled, his face now red. He swung a fist at Draco, who was so shocked that he didn't have time to move out of the way. He felt Ron's fist make contact with the lower half of his face.
"What the bloody hell was that for?" he screamed, cradling his bleeding lip.
"You know what for!" he delivered another swift blow in Draco's direction, but this time he was alert and ducked out of the way.
"What are you on about?" he screeched.
"You fucking raped her!" he yelled.
Draco looked at him for a minute. "Rape? What the hell? I didn't rape anyone!"
"Oh yeah, cause we're going to believe you. She said you did and I believe her, you asshole!" Draco stepped back out of Ron's way.
"Who the hell is she? Who are we talking about?" Draco exclaimed, completely bewildered.
"Hermione!" Ron said through clenched teeth, his cold eyes not leaving Draco for a single second.
"Hermione?" Draco whispered.
"Yes, Hermione. Why, how many girls do you rape in a day? Hard to remember all their names, is it?" Ron cried.
Draco chuckled inwardly. "So that's what this is about, is it? Believe me, I did not touch Granger."
Ron stared at Draco incredulously. "Hit him, Harry." He breathed. Draco's head swung round and for the first time he realised there was more than two in the small room. Of course - Potter. He thought. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum… More like Beavis and Butthead.
Harry fidgeted nervously. "Ron, I'm not sure if-"
"Fine, I'll do it." Ron said decidedly. Draco took his eyes off Potter just in time to see Ron's knuckles bruise his cheek. He gasped in agony and fell to the floor, massaging his swelling cheek.
"I'm telling you!" he screamed at them both. "I didn't touch her!"
Harry shifted apprehensively as Ron drew back his arm to strike Draco again.
"What's going on up there?" they heard a voice call from downstairs.
Ron let his arm drop and stared menacingly at Draco. Harry bit his lip and looked fearfully at Harry.
"Nothing, Professor Sinistra. Nothing at all." Ron replied monotonously. Draco breathed quickly, looking at Ron.
"You're lucky I didn't take Fred's bat, seeing as you're practically a bludger - a nasty pest who just gets in peoples way and annoys them." He spat. Draco scuttled back into a corner as Ron walked slowly towards him. Ron looked behind him, making sure the Professor wasn't coming up the staircase.
"I'm not done with you Malfoy. Not by a long shot." After delivering a compassionless kick to Draco's side, the red headed boy turned and went to the staircase, motioning to Harry to follow. Harry had turned a pale colour and looked at Malfoy with disgust and shock mixed on his face. He turned and followed Ron down the staircase.
The door slammed behind him, and Draco was left in the dark room with only a splinter of sunlight coming through the window on the cloudy day, confused and in pain.
*~*~*~*~*
"Gee thanks for helping me out there, Potter." Ron murmured sarcastically.
Harry blushed. "Well, it was just…you know."
"No Harry, I don't know. I have no idea why you stood there and didn't say anything to that scum." He spat.
"Well, well w-we don't, well…" he stammered. Ron stopped walking and looked at Harry expectantly. "We don't know if he did anything!"
Ron looked livid. "What the fuck do you mean?"
"Well, he says he didn't, so how do we know-"
"Well he's hardly going to say 'Oh, yeah – I raped her' is he?" Ron whispered harshly as a group of giddy first years walked past.
Harry chewed on his lip. "I don't know." he whispered almost inaudibly.
"Harry," Ron said calmly, looking more upset for Hermione than angry now. "If you-know-who said he didn't touch your parents, or any of the others he killed, would you believe him?"
Harry looked up into Ron's eyes.
"No." he said loudly and clearly. "You're right. He deserves what he got."
Ron nodded and they stood in silence for a few minutes. Ron felt ashamed for mentioning Harry's parents, but how else could he get him to understand?
"Harry?" he said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Sorry for getting mad at you…and for…"
"It's ok." Harry answered, cutting Ron off. "We all react differently I guess. I should've been there for Hermione."
At the mention of their friend, both boys fell silent and walked slowly back to the common room.
*~*~*~*~*
Hermione was reading the musty spines of the books in the Transfiguration room. It was a Saturday, but Professor McGonagall had given her permission months ago to use the books anytime she wanted. She had decided to escape to the empty classroom when she couldn't stick the dorm anymore, and she definitely wasn't in the mood for small talk in the common room.
"So I raped you did I?" she jumped at the cold voice. She spun round to see Draco standing at the door.
"Draco." She whispered.
"Ten out of ten for observation, Granger." He said callously.
Hermione breathed in sharply and moved towards the door. Draco took out his wand quickly and placed it on the door handle.
"Amitto." He said. As soon as he uttered the word, the handle dissolved. Hermione looked at him, enraged. Draco smirked. She pushed him out of the way and took out her own wand.
"Alohomara." She said. Nothing happened. She looked back at Draco and back to the door. "Alohomara!" she yelled. She shook her wand. "What the hell? Alohomara!"
"That won't work, you know." Draco drawled. Hermione turned and scowled at him. He was sitting casually on a desk.
"What do you want Malfoy?" she spat.
"I want to know why you told your minions I raped you when we both know I did nothing of the sort." He stood up and took a few steps toward her.
"Oh, that." She said quietly, looking away.
"Yes, that." He spat. They were both silent.
"Well have you anything to say?" he said after a while. Hermione looked up into his once mesmerising, now angry, eyes.
"I-I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Hermione," he said quietly as he sat back at the table and put his face in his hands. "I don't care if you're sorry, I'm passed that. Why did you say it?"
"I don't know. It was the easy way out I guess…"
"The easy way out?" he exclaimed, looking up at her. "Well thanks to your 'easy way out' your little friends did this to me!" he thrust a hand at his face. Hermione looked at him, horrified, at his bruised cheek and swollen lip.
"Draco…" she whispered. She was shocked that Ron or Harry would be capable of doing this to someone. She put a hand out and touched his bruise.
"Don't touch me, bitch!" he snapped and pushed her away. She stumbled backwards, surprised. Draco scowled at her as he leapt off the table and walked towards the door. He took out his wand and pointed it to where the handle should have been.
"Accio Ansa." He murmured under his breath. The handle formed and he grabbed it, yanking the door open. He took one last look at Hermione.
"I hope you're happy now."
The door slammed shut and Hermione collapsed into a chair, once again wondering how the hell this had happened.
A little not from me: wow- look at me I used Latin!! Amitto means 'I dismiss, send away' and Ansa means 'a handle'. Hehe I'm all proud! I was going to use the words for I open and I close but I couldn't remember the word for I open. And I wasn't sure if 'Alohomara' was spelled right or if I got the Professor right. Ah well! Please r/r!
Thanks to all my reviewers, I was all happy I got more than usual I think!
Draco's one and only: Lol, don't worry I'm definitely going to keep writing at this! And yes, I think Ron has gone insane!
Femme Fatale: Here you go! Em, actually, haven't decided what Hermione's going to do….mwahahaha…..!!
Yotama: Yes dear, I am evil, and proud of it! Oliver Wood? What I meant was Sean Biggerstaff (hehe)! By the way, I got that song you told me – it rocks!
LostAngel: Yeah you're loved! Aw I know, I have 11 days left of my summer and it feels so short, plus I have my GCSE course beginning in September and it's not over until 2 years! Well anyway, have a tolerable time at school J
Louise: you're quite vicious really, aren't you? Lol I'm only joking love! Did you like? I was thinking of putting him into a coma but then I'd be missing a main character, it would probably go all fluffy with Hermione at his bedside etc, but this way another fight scene isn't ruled out, although I'm not promising anything!
Thanks to all reviewers and anyone else reading please review! Gets the chapters out faster! As always (well, for the past two or three chapters anyway) leave your e-mail address if you haven't already if you want me to e-mail you when the chapters are out.
mystical xx