Draco wasn't at breakfast.
It was the first thing Hermione noticed as she entered the room. Not all the Slytherin hissing at her. Not all the Hufflepuffs leaning over each other to stare at her. Not all the Ravenclaws whispering and pointing at her. And not all her past friends, the Gryffindors, turning their faces away like they couldn't bear look at her.
No, she noticed Draco's seat was empty.
She sat in her own old seat without thinking, right beside Ron and Harry.
Ron was staring at her, astonished; as if she'd just jumped up on the table and started playing African drums, naked. He couldn't believe she had the nerve to sit down beside him.
Harry's face was twitching. He seemed to be opening his mouth to say something but then closing it hastily and then opening it again. It made him look distinctly like a gold fish.
Ginny, who was sitting near by, was glaring at her and whispering catty comment to anyone that would listen to her.
Hermione, though, noticed this only briefly. Her mind, at that moment, was on why Draco hadn't come to Breakfast. Surely, he didn't care about all the attention they were receiving. After all, if she could go on with it, so could he. He wasn't the one to shy away from this; he wouldn't normally leave her to face these things alone, would he?
No, he should be there, smirking at the students and mocking them all by blowing over exaggerated kisses to her in which she, in response, would do something terribly cheesy, like capture them in her hand and put it over her heart, just to annoy their audience.
But Draco wasn't with her and suddenly she did start to notice all the attention she was receiving. She reckoned, if Draco had been there, it wouldn't have bothered her, but without him, it slowly did start to itch at her.
She started to butter her scone.
Didn't they have anything better to do? Who cared, really, if Draco and herself got together?
Slowly she bit into her scone, not really tasting it.
Slowly, it started to burn. All those eyes on her. Even the Gryffindors were looking at her now. It seemed as if the whole school had joined together to slowly push the outsider, her, out of the Great Hall with their eyes.
She swallowed a part of her scone. It was somewhat harder than normal, getting caught in her throat.
Stop it, she yelled silently. She tried to meet Ginny's glare with her one of her own but it didn't work.
Why didn't it work? Because these were her former friends! They weren't the Slytherins, who had never been nice to her anyway. No, these were Gryffindors. Her house. Her friends. She had memories of them all, she liked them all, and she didn't want them to hate her. She wanted them to like her.
Slowly Hermione stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Class would begin in another twenty minutes. Her chair made a terrible shrieking noise as she pushed it back to let herself out. Then she made her way for the door, trying to control herself, trying not to run, as they all stared at her. Her footsteps sounded very loud to her ears.
She didn't slam the door on her way out. Part of her wanted to but she was Hermione Granger. Slamming a door would be rather childish of her.
''''''''''
Her first class was Transfiguration. It was with the Hufflepuffs. Hermione sat at the back of her class, on her own, and took notes. Professor McGonagall asked seven questions throughout the class that she knew but she didn't raise her hand once. Not even when McGonagall caught her eye when asking a particularly difficult one that she knew Hermione knew.
Her second class was Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. She walked down slowly on her own, making sure she was late. As much as she hated breaking the rules of punctuality, she really didn't want to be there when they were all picking pairs. If she was late, Hagrid would either put her with someone who was also partner-less or she'd be left work on her own. She somehow knew that Draco would not be there.
When she entered the class, nobody gave her too much attention. They were studying McGlows, a creature that, when scared, glowed with a strange orange light and burnt anyone who touched them. Neville's hands were already covered in blisters and a lot of other people were in the process of getting burnt. Many of the creatures were making a run for it and could not be caught because of the heat.
Another words, there was the usual chaos of Hagrid's class.
Harry and Ron didn't help her when a McGlow caught onto her leg and was causing her robes to sizzle against her skin, even though she saw them looking. Hagrid helped her immediately and when she offered him her thanks, he gave her a kind smile.
Hermione appreciated his kind smile so much at that moment.
Where was Draco? Why wasn't he at class? Why was he leaving her face this alone?
Near the end of class, Hagrid asked her to stay behind to 'help him clean up.'
The rest of the class shuffled out, nursing their many burns. Hagrid threw all the McGlows into the box without hesitation, his thick skin not as easily burned as his students'.
"Hermione, how yer holdin' up?"
She took one look at his concerned face and admitted, "They all hate me, Hagrid…"
"Nonsense, Hermione. They just ain't as mature as yeh. 'Arry and Ron were looking rather sheepish in themselves. Doubt they hate yeh. Yeh can' believe that! Yeh just have ter hang in there!"
It meant so much to Hermione that he didn't hate her that she gave him a hug and kept saying, "Thanks, Hagrid, no I mean it, thanks…"
Hermione left Care of Magical Creatures with a small spring in her step.
It left her as soon as she realised what her next class was. Potions.
Hermione had to run because she had spent so long at Hagrid's. Although they would be working in pairs again in this class, Hermione did not dare be late for Snape.
When in class, she didn't know where to sit. All of the tables were occupied. She felt pretty miserable at that moment.
"Hermione…" a timid voice said. "Would you, er, like to be partners with me?"
It was Neville.
"Okay," she said, trying to be casual, although her chest was full of relief. She sat down and immediately Neville started talking, fretting about Snape and guessing all the horrible potions Snape could make them create.
Hermione noticed that Draco's seat was empty again.
Snape stalked in and Neville cut off his blabbering.
The class went spookily quiet. Snape began his lesson, teaching them a brief history of the Memory Enhancement potion. The class passed rather slowly, with the only eventful thing being Snape's several remarks to Neville about how he, particularly, would find the Memory Enhancement potion useful if he could just make it right.
Neville was perfectly friendly to Hermione. When Hermione asked him why this was, at the end of the class, he put on a very serious face and said, "Hermione, I know what it's like to make mistakes. I make 'em very day."
Hermione stared at him, her face slowly becoming red, her anger slowly increasing.
"I'll have you know," she said loudly, "that Draco and I are not a mistake. My mistake was ever being sorted into Gryffindor where they are obviously all judgmental immature gits!" And with that, she stormed out of the classroom, her face the colour of beetroot.
Harry and Ron exchanged surprised looks when she barged past them on her way out, after hearing every word she had said.
'''''''''
"Seen your boyfriend recently?"
Hermione turned at the voice. Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and two other Slytherin girls, Hermione wasn't too sure of their names, were standing there. Pansy was standing in front, having just spoken, and was smirking maliciously.
Hermione was near desperation at that point. She hadn't seen Draco all day. "No," she said. "Do you know where he is?"
Millicent laughed out loud and the other two sniggered coldly. Pansy remained smirking.
"Oh, you won't be seeing him for a very long time." Pansy's eyes were glittering with glee.
"Where is he?" Hermione advanced upon her angrily. "I want to know where he is now."
"Slytherins don't like Slytherins that go with Gryffindors, Granger. We don't accept that. Draco Malfoy's just paying the price for his foolishness. Now don't come any closer," Pansy gestured at Millicent, "or I'll tell her to punish you. Bye now."
The price for his foolishness?
Hermione was left, staring after the girls, pale and shaking. The Slytherins couldn't have done anything too bad, could they? Could they?
''''''''''
The night passed desperately slow for Hermione. She kept turning all night wondering where Draco was and whether he was okay or not.
She had sent an owl out with a letter to him but the owl had come back with the letter, hooting remorsefully. If an owl couldn't find him, then what hope had she?
She considered going to Dumbledore, asking where Draco was.
But she would be over exaggerating. Maybe he was just unwell. Maybe something had happened at home. Maybe… maybe lots of things. But none of them really fit.
She fell asleep late that night but it was a light and unsettling one and when she awoke in the morning she was no better rested.
Grabbing on her robes and forcing a brush through her hair, she rushed down to the Great Hall, hoping among hope that Draco would be there.
He wasn't.
The day was no better than the one before. Hermione was now left on her own for every class and bitterly wish she had not yelled at Neville for Snape now spent the class making subtle remarks as to why she was on her own and not with the 'dream team.'
Pansy was now her partner and kept giving her smug looks and smirks. Hermione wanted to hit her badly.
By the end of the day, she was tired and stressed. She was panicked with worry. Just where was Draco, and how long could she put with this without him?
'''''''
"Harry," Hermione said, standing in front of him determinedly, "Draco's missing."
Harry looked like he didn't know how to react. His mouth twitched.
"Please," she said softly, "help me find him."
It was late and Hermione didn't know what to do with herself. She had been hiding in the library all day but she wasn't allowed after dark now and was stuck in the Common Room. She didn't want to go to bed, for she knew she would not be able to sleep.
She wanted to find Draco.
Harry simply looked at her as tears started to form in her eyes.
"We've been friends for so long, surely… surely, that means more to you than this stupid thing! Who cares about House Rivalry? Isn't friendship more important to you?"
Harry looked at her for a long time before he walked off into the Boy's Dormitory.
Hermione couldn't believe it! She stood there, shocked and defeated. Tears rolled down her face helplessly.
But Harry then came back down holding his Invisibility Cloak and his Marauders Map.
She watched numbly as he unrolled the map, said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" and began searching it.
"Found him! He's…. Where's that? Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! What's he doing there?" Harry looked up at Hermione, who jerked rapidly from her surprised state to a more efficient one.
"I don't know," she said briskly, "but I'm going to find out. May I borrow that cloak?"
"If you are willing to share," he said.
She gawked at him.
"I'm not letting you out on your own, Hermione. If any of the Slytherins catch you out in the hallway on your own without any teachers around… No, I'm definitely coming."
He gave her one side of the Invisibility cloak to throw over herself and their hands met. She squeezed his for a minute and said, "Thanks, Harry."
He smiled back at her, a small sad smile, and helped cover her with the cloak.
''''''''''
They didn't talk as they walked, manoeuvring with experience around the patrolling teachers and prefects.
When they entered, they heard Myrtle talking, moaning more like.
Hermione immediately went to the cubicle that was closed and jerked the door open. Inside was Myrtle talking to somebody and that somebody –
"Oh, Draco…"
Draco Malfoy was tied up over a toilet, his face in bruises. He was naked and humiliated and completely helpless.
Harry helped her untie him. Draco had a gag in his mouth, which Hermione immediately removed.
"I hoped you wouldn't see me like this," he said weakly. The shame on his face was evident.
Hermione was crying.
"Who did this to you?" Harry asked, shocked. He had to use magic to get the ropes lose.
"Who else? The Slytherins." Draco seemed quite weak.
"Oh Draco…" she cried.
"Sssh, Hermione, it's okay. I'm okay now." Harry helped him get up then threw his robe over him, even though all Harry was wearing underneath it, was one of Dudley's tee shirts and underpants.
"How could they do this?" Hermione whispered. She touched his face tenderly and he flinched but didn't move away from her touch.
"Thanks," Draco said to Harry once he was well able to stand.
"You're welcome," Harry said, his voice oddly serious.
"What are we going to do, Draco? They can't get away with this!"
"I'm not telling the teachers, Hermione. I can't. It's just not the way we do things in the Slytherin house."
"Who gives a hoot what way they do things in the Slytherin house? Look what they've done to you!"
"I'm fine. I'm okay."
"You've been there for two days! On your own!"
"Well, no. I had Myrtle for company."
Hermione left out a half choked out laugh. Her eyes were still full of tears.
"You must have been so cold…"
"I'm fine now," he said nonchalantly. "I'm just glad they didn't do anything to you."
They began on their way back, squeezed under the Invisibility Cloak. They knew Draco couldn't go back to the Slytherin Common Room. Harry had an idea to let him sleep in the Room of Requirement. Draco was so tired that he didn't put up an argument.
Hermione wanted to stay with him but Draco refused.
"To be honest, Hermione, my pride's a bit battered and I'm in a foul mood. I just need to sleep now and get over it, okay?"
Hermione reluctantly made her way back to the Gryffindor tower with Harry.
The Common room was as empty as before when they got back. Harry lowered the cloak and examined her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just… seeing him like that. Seeing what they'd done to him, just because of me… just because of stupid House Rivalry…"
Harry hugged her tightly, and whispered, "Hermione, I'm sorry. I was wrong about Draco. I'm sorry."
She nodded against his chest, knowing that Harry was now on her and Draco's side. He was a comrade now, and would be a useful one. Hermione had one of her best friend's back.
'''''''''
Thanks to all reviews:
Snowyangel83 – I will try my best! Thanks! Mystical4 – Cool, thanks! Snowflake-Shona – I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you. ShimmeringEvil – Thanks for the small but nice review. Lewis – hey, who's MP? I'm glad my stories are keeping you amused. Thanks! PinkTribeChick – Thanks, I'm glad you like it. RisingRen – You got me to update this, I was getting lazy (again) so thanks!
Thanks to all reviewers and all the people who are reading this are great! Cheers!
Also, my summer's gone drastically boring! How about you guys?