Chapter 5 – empty tears

Hermione forgot all about it. She had forgotten how well Shiina could change her voice to make it sound like someone else's. Hermione remembered how Shiina used to play that trick on her during family reunions. And she remembered how she hated that trick.

"It's not ladylike to leave your date during a ball, cousin. You know that don't you?" Shiina said playfully.

Hermione stepped back and stopped as she felt the wall was behind her. For some reason she was trembling. Was it fear? Or anger? She herself didn't know what it was.

"You're shaking, Hermione. Are you scared of me?" Shiina smiled even broader.

It was the same sinister look on Shiina's face. Hermione saw that look when she met Shiina for the first time when they were 2 years old. The same look when Shiina pulled the chair from under Hermione when they were 5. The same look when Shiina 'accidentally' killed Hermione's pet rabbit when they were 9.

"What do you want from me?" Hermione asked finally.

Shiina shrugged and scratched the back of her head. She laughed a bit and sat down on the floor. She sighed with that same smirk on her face.

"Remember the day when I pulled the chair from underneath you when we were 5?" Shiina asked.

Hermione nodded, not taking her eyes off Shiina.

"Well, Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben and Mom and Dad kept saying what a good girl you were. You were the best student in kindergarten and I was just average. I got really really angry. I wanted to get back at you so badly. But at that time, I didn't know what to do other than pull the chair from underneath you. You cried like a big baby."

"So did you after your mom called you a bad girl," Hermione added.

"That's why I threw out your little play chemistry set."

"Where is this conversation going, Shiina?"

"Hermione, can't you see? You were ALWAYS better than I was. When was the first time someone actually said I was a good girl?"

Hermione had to admit that Shiina had a point. It was always Hermione versus Shiina, Shiina versus Hermione. Even Hermione hadn't noticed it earlier, it was true. Hermione was always the center of attention and Shiina was always pushed aside.

"When we were 11... You got into the most prestigious Japanese school for witches and wizards..." Hermione answered slowly.

"Exactly. That was after god knows how many praises you got." Shiina got up and walked to the window. "I never liked you, Hermione," she said casually. "I hated EVERYTHING about you. The way you talk, the way you walk, the way you do things. It's always 'why can't you be like Hermione, Shiina? She is such a good girl!'. Good girl indeed."

"You were jealous..."

"OF COURSE I WAS, YOU DIMWIT!"

"But you're better than me at a lot of things. You can do magic naturally without a wand, you can play a lot of sport, you're artistic, you're-"

"Evil? Bitchy? Sarcastic? Come on. What else do you want to throw at my face that I have YET to hear? Face it, cousin. People will always think you're BETTER than I am."

"But-"

"But I know you're not."

"Wha... What?"

"I know you're NOWHERE near my level. As much as people praise you, you and I know you can NEVER beat me."

"Shiina, what are you-"

"One more thing," Shiina cut her off. "Stay away from Draco."

That came as a surprise. Hermione stepped forward, "Shiina, what are you saying?"

"I know all about it."

"About what?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, HERMIONE GRANGER!" Shiina shouted with rage Hermione had never seen before.

The breeze from outside the tower turned into strong raging wind. Hermione was knocked off her feet by the wind. She looked up at Shiina. She was angry. In her eyes were strong hatred and rage.

And sadness.

A tear trickled down her cheek and fell to the floor. Hermione stared at the small wet dot on the tower floor and looked up at Shiina. Shiina turned away and walked towards the door. She opened it.

Without turning around, she said, "Just stay away from him. You'll never be happy together..." and left.

Hermione buried her face in her hands. Oh God... What is going on...? she thought.

Shiina clenched her hand at her chest as she made her way up to the Slytherin tower. Her breathing was faster and louder than usual. Her movements were slower. She couldn't make up 3 steps without putting a little more effort than usual.

"I guess I used a little too much energy shouting at Hermy, didn't I..." she muttered to herself.

"Your body..." said a raspy voice in Shiina's head.

"No... Not now..." Shiina muttered back.

"Now is the perfect time..."

"But my body's weak... I won't be able to..."

"Remember Shiina... who made you live till this day..."

"Please... not now... just give me more time..."

"I gave you more than enough, Shiina... it's time you repay your debts..."

She arrived at the Slytherin common room entrance. She said the password and crawled in. She slumped into a chair in front of the fireplace. Shiina felt her temperature rising, her breathing became faster and her heart was beating like crazy.

"You must give me your body now, Shiina..." said the voice again. "I made you live till this day... your mother made a promise..."

A sharp pain pierced her chest like a nail. Shiina let out a scream. She felt like she was being choked. She held her hand close to her neck to find a way to relieve the pain. She coughed. She screamed again and coughed out blood.

Draco Malfoy and other Slytherins came running down into the common room to see what was going on.

"It's Shiina!" some girls shouted, "What's wrong with her?!"

"OH MY GOD SHE'S COUGHING OUT BLOOD!" some others shouted.

Draco made his way through the crowd and went to Shiina.

"Shiina! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Draco shouted, holding her in his " she choked on more blood. She coughed it out onto Draco's clothes.

He looked at his sleeve and stared at the blood. "Shit..." he muttered. "SOMEONE GO GET PROFESSOR SNAPE!"

Draco placed a hand on Shiina's forehead. Shiina was restless. She clenched her chest. Now it felt like she was on fire. She screamed once more. Draco couldn't wait for Snape any longer. He got up and carried Shiina.

"I'm going to take her to the hospital wing," Draco decided.

Draco walked out of the common room as fast as he could while carrying Shiina. She tried to speak but her voice was so raspy, Draco couldn't make out a word she was saying. She coughed out more blood and wailed in pain.

Why am I doing this...? Draco thought to himself. He doesn't normally help people like this. But there was just something about Shiina that he had to help. What the reason was, Draco didn't know.

At the same time, Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fireplace. She thought long and hard about what Shiina said to her in the Astronomy Tower.

"One more thing, stay away from Draco." Shiina had said.

Why did she say it?

"Hermione," a voice called.

Hermione looked in the direction of the boys' dormitory. Ron stood at the stairs with his right hand in his pocket. Ron smiled his nervous smiled and walked towards the empty chair next to Hermione.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"Nothing, really..." Hermione replied, sighing heavily.

Ron dug his pocket and took out a pendant. "Here. You dropped this in the Hall earlier." He tossed it to Hermione.

Hermione caught it in the palms of her hands. She looked at it. Her eyes widened. The pendant was a locket and in the locket was a picture...

Draco's picture.

Had Ron seen it...? She asked herself.

Hermione looked at Ron, not brave enough to ask whether he had seen it. Ron stared into the fire, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry, I've seen it," he said, as if knowing what Hermione's question was. "And don't worry, Harry doesn't know."

Hermione sighed in relief before realizing it was a bad thing that Ron known that she had been keeping a picture of Draco Malfoy, someone who Harry and Ron (and maybe half the school) hate so much.

"Ron, please don't be mad..." Hermione started, "It's not –"

"Don't worry. I'm not angry. I don't know about Harry, but... I'm not. A bit disappointed maybe..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier..."

Ron laughed weakly, "I don't think any of us wanted to hear it anyway." Ron took a deep breath before turning to Hermione, "Hermione, I have something I wanted to tell you for a-a while now... I – "

Ron was cut off by Ginny who came barging into the common room from the portrait hole. Ginny looked as if she just ran a mile. She panted, trying to catch her breath. "Hermione!" she called.

Hermione and Ron got up and rushed over to Ginny.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Ron asked his little sister.

"Hermione... Quick... it's... Shii... Shiina...!" Ginny spoke, still trying to catch her breath.

"Shiina? What about her?" Ron asked, confused.

"She's... in the... hos... hospital wing... coughing... blood!" Ginny continued. "Malfoy... carried her..."

"Ginny, what's wrong with Shiina?" Hermione asked, partially worried.

"I don't know, Hermione," Ginny replied, finally regaining her energy to speak, "But I saw Malfoy running down the stairs towards the Hospital Wing carrying Shiina. Malfoy's shirt and arm and Shiina's dress were covered with blood."

Hermione ran out of the Gryffindor common room. Images played in her mind. What was happening to Shiina? Why was she so eager to run out and go to her side? Didn't Hermione hate her so much when the term started?

Yes, Hermione hated her. But she was family nonetheless.

Family.