Chapter 3 - Too Different

"Where the HELLhave you been 'Mione?!" Ginny fumed quietly, pacing around the room while Hermione busied herself unlacing her boots and picking at the dry mud. "I was bloody worried! Gale said she saw you and Draco walking off out of the library and I almost died! I thought he had, like, abducted you!"

Hermione just sat there, feeling a tad ashamed, yet feeling as if she was in a hammock. Swaying gently back, and forth, back, and forth, with Draco there, yeah, back, and forth . . . .

"HERMIONE? Are you even listening to me?!?!" Ginny interrupted the swaying drugdream Hermione was in and stormed over to her. Luckily, Gin had had the sense to cast a silencing charm; she knew she would explode at some point.

"Yeah, I'm here," upon seeing the not amused look on Ginnys face, Hermione decided that now would be a funny time to wave at her and beam idiotically. That was when the slap hit her. Another wakeup call for Hermione.

"Sorry, Gin." She said, looking at her stripy-socked feet. At this, Ginny just sighed, and pulled her best friend up into a hug.

"Don't worry hun, I understand. I knew immediately what was up; I've seen the twins come home like it enough times. It was just the fact it was Draco I was so mad about."

"Jealous, were ya?" Hermione teased, winking.

"No," Ginny replied, sticking her tongue out. "No, it's just, well, Draco."

"Yeah, I get ya." and the two smiled at each other and went up to bed, arm in arm.

Hermione awoke Sunday morning with a dry mouth and a very foggy head. As she sat up, it took about 5 seconds for the world to follow time with her. Groaning, she heaved herself out of bed and had a cold shower, enjoying the way her hair went smooth and straight, then curled gently as it dried a little. She loved her hair like that. But if she had left it lie that it would just frizz up at the first sign of wind, moisture, or well, life. Yet to discover a spell that worked on her hair, she just let nature take it course. So she blow dried it into the usual explosion, dressed, and went into the common room to find signs of life. No-one was in dorms, seeing as it was 1 in the afternoon. Sure enough, Ginny was curled in her chair, reading Lord of the Rings.

Flopping down on the window ledge next to the worn armchair, she poked her best friend in the side to get the attention. Ginny squeaked, flew a foot forward off the chair, ran back and proceeded to tickle Hermione to death. This provoked the rolling of eyes from various Gryffindors, and a few looks of disgust that the pair had never worked out.

"So Hermione, ready for a nice jog? Maybe we can do some hard math, or perhaps I can tempt you to chocolate?" Ginny teased, knowing full well that Hermione wasn't ready for thinking, moving, or eating. Closing her eyes and turning away from the bar of snapping chocolate, she caught sight of Harry and Ron, busy flirting with Lavender. "'Mione, I think you should go over." Ginny said. So she did.

Harry and Ron glanced in her direction for a mere second, and grunted a quick "hi" when she addressed them. Frowning, Hermione waited until Lavender had to go and meet her Slytherin boyfriend, and then tapped Harry on the shoulder as they turned to walk away.

"Hey, dude, why don't you talk to me anymore?"

They both stopped, looked at each other, then at the floor.

"Well come on, it's actually quite upsetting you know."

"We're sorry 'Mione, but your just . . ." Ron began, before trailing off. Sure enough, his partner in crime picked up where Ron left off.

" . . .well, too . . . different"

Her mouth dropped open. Too different?! How dare they!

"As I said, it's not that we don't like you as a person. Because you're intelligent, but your style is too, extreme. It's just, we don't want . . . trouble."

"TROUBLE? What sort of trouble do you think I'm going to cause?! And I guess of course I'm not 'hott' or 'fine' enough to be taken notice of otherwise!!"

Ron cringed. He hated Hermiones explosions, especially the ones from being hurt.

Harry looked down at his shoes again and murmured "you know, from, the Slytherins…"

"FUCK THE FUCKING SLYTHERINS!" She shouted, aware but uncaring of the stares she was getting. No one had heard her swear before. Ron cringed some more. "You're angering them by flirting with their leaders girlfriend! That will get you into more god damned trouble!" Then she lowered her head, paused, and said quietly. "I thought I was your friend."

Silence.

"Mione . . ." Harry began.

"Don't talk to me you guys, I need to think. I can't believe you two. You have your priorities all wrong." Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked up at them again. Then she bit her lip, held her head high, and walked back into the dorm. Ginny picked herself up and walked over to a shocked Harry and Ron.

She said quietly "I thought it was just pure insolence. Not that you were deliberately ignoring your best friend since 1st year. I'm disgusted." With that she began to walk upstairs to see Hermione. At the top step, still being watched by Harry, she turned round and said coolly "oh yeah, and Harry? You're dumped." Then opened the door and walked in.

She came in to see Mione sitting on the window ledge, the threat of tears still present. "Oh darling, don't listen to them. I still love you no matter what yeah? I think you're gorgeous, I would love to have the courage enough to be individual like you. You look so good in all your new shit, it's such a step forwards for you. And those people you were with last night were all the same!"

Hermione sniffed, and received Ginny's hug warmly, tears leaking gently from her eyes.

"Do you know Gin, the reason why I go so mad down there?" Ginny shook her head. "It was because in the holidays, when I first went out looking like this, feeling great. I got the crap kicked out of me. They started shouting stuff across the road at me and Sal, stuff like "Skanky fucking greebo" and "get the fuck outta our town you freaks" and of course I had to retaliate. They came over, and Sal ran. Just ran away. I was calling after her, and they grabbed me, and . . ." she trailed off, and sobbed into Ginnys now very angry body.

"What complete fuckers" was all the could manage for a moment, then added "they hurt you bad?"

Hermione lifted up her shirt to show a bruise on her stomach, then some cuts up and down her arms, and more bruises. Ginny covered her mouth in shock, then gently touched 1 of the cuts. "Oh Merlin . . ."

"I bet you're wondering why I still do it, if get the shit beaten outta me" Ginny nodded. "Well, it's because I'm proud. I want to be different Gin, I want people to notice me. I want to stand out and show the world that I do exist. But it comes with a price, god it come with a price."

Ginny nodded, showing she understood. 1 of those rare nods, which are true. Not 1 of those "oh yeah I will say I understand to shut her up" but 1 of those that says "I believe, understand, and love you"

Jus then, there was a knock on the door. For a crazy moment, Hermione thought Harry had come in to see her, to apologise. But he avoided her eyes, and signalled he wanted Ginny. She kissed Hermione on the cheek, and left, giving her one last "be strong" smile.

As the door closed, Hermione cast a locking charm on the door. She sighed, and ran her fingers over the bruises. They were bad, she thought. Even after over month. She absentmindedly picked at a scab, then let out a small cry as it came right off. The blood flowed slowly out of the cut, and the pain suddenly distracted her. She tried another, and watched the blood flow freely. A smile crept onto her lips, as she opened up all the wounds.

3rd chapter up and running, hope you like :) a bit of drama in this 1 rather than just something going on. R&R please!