Chapter Four:
Shattered
Her name was Evelyn. A transfer student from Durmstrang. Hermione hated her. Hated her with such a strong passion, she couldn't bare to look at her. Which was getting increasingly more difficult since Malfoy kept bringing her back to their common room. Even as she slammed her enormous oak door shut, Evelyn's giggles still passed through. Hermione ran to her bed and buried her face deep inside a fluffy feather pillow. But it still came through. What in god's name could she be laughing about like that? She thought angrily. Studying was absolutely impossible. Burying her face in the pillow once again, she screamed as loud as she could. After that, she felt slightly better. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to her massive desk and attempted to work on her History of Magic essay. Blocking out Evelyn's laughter seemed to be working...until a particularly loud giggle pierced the almost silence. Hermione threw down her quill and headed for the door, intending to burst into the common room and tell Evelyn to either shut up or leave. The closer she got to the door, the slower she walked. When her hand was resting on the doorknob, she sighed. Maybe she was being too sensitive. She was just used to having a silent workspace, and she didn't work well with sudden change. Deciding that she'd let it slide for the time being, she flopped down onto her bed. She felt so tired. She had been working harder than ever, determined to finish all of her assignments at least three days before they were due. Now with the Christmas season approaching, she wasn't quite sure what she would do with herself. Without any assignments over the vacation, she wouldn't be as occupied. And she might be forced to listen to Evelyn's laughter for the entire break. Hermione shuddered. Now that was a nauseating thought. Somehow, and she wasn't sure how, she had fallen asleep on her bed. She awoke the next morning to Malfoy, singing in the shower. He had a wonderful voice, no denying, but it was altogether a strange occurrence. Timidly, Hermione approached him in the common room. He was still humming to himself, and she almost smirked.
"Malfoy?"
"Yes?" He asked, in a rather pleasant voice. Hermione blinked, expecting him to attach an insult to the end of his comment, but nothing followed.
"Are you all right?" She asked, carefully. He turned to face her.
"I'm marvelous, Granger. Absolutely marvelous. How about you? Did you sleep well last night?" He asked, giving her a genuine smile. Hermione was so shocked she could have died right there in that moment. She merely stood, frozen like a statue, with her mouth hanging open. He gazed back at her, intently, waiting for her response as though nothing was wrong. He's gone completely insane. Hermione decided.
"All right, Malfoy...don't take this the wrong way, but it has to be said." She watched him carefully, and he nodded her on. "You're bloody insane!" Then came forth from Draco Malfoy's mouth the most sincere, beautiful, and cheerful laugh Hermione had ever heard.
"I feel fine, Granger. Actually, I feel better than fine. I feel-"
"That's the problem, Malfoy! You're never like this."
"Yes...it's a glorious transition, isn't it?" Hermione's eyes almost popped out of her head. Glorious? He is mad. Biting her lip in nervousness, Hermione prepared the final test.
"Malfoy, you're a slimy git with the brain of a big fat stupid monkey." She winced, waiting for him to attack her at any moment.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Granger." Was all he said before giving her a cheery wave and disappearing from the common room. Hermione waved back weakly. In a daze, she gathered her books and headed outside to study on the grounds. With a proper heating charm, it would be quite nice outside. She needed a quiet place to think about what the hell was wrong with Malfoy. She turned a corner sharply and gasped at the sight she saw. At the end of the corridor, Hermione saw the answer to what the hell was up with Malfoy. He was standing there, with Evelyn in his arms. A new emotion heated Hermione's blood, and she looked away.
Hermione was ready to go Avada Kedrava on herself. Death had to be better than her life at the moment. Thinking she had the common room all to herself Saturday night, she had spread all of her textbooks and parchment over the entire long table. She was moving along the table, picking up new things she could put in her essay, when the door opened. Malfoy entered with Evelyn on his arm. She was giggling. Hermione felt every muscle in her body seize. It took every ounce of her strength to smile in greeting. She wrenched her eyes away from the despicable sight and attempted to concentrate on her work.
"Oh, Drakie! You're so sweet!" Evelyn would suddenly squeal, destroying Hermione's focus. Setting her jaw, Hermione would then continue working until the next uncalled for outburst. Then things would suddenly get quiet, and Hermione knew that they were probably making out on the couch. Something in her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the visual. Then Evelyn would start giggling again, and Hermione felt like killing herself. It's going to be all right...as long as they stay to themselves, I'll be fine. I'll get through this-
"Hermione? Have you ever considering dieting?" Evelyn suddenly asked.
"Excuse me?" Hermione looked at Evelyn, trying hard not to wretch.
"Dieting." Evelyn prompted. "I was just noticing that if you got rid of some of the flab on your arms and legs, you'd have a decent figure." Hermione had to process Evelyn's suggestion several times in her head before admitting that she had just been told that she was fat. Hermione had never thought of herself as fat, but she wouldn't call herself skinny. Truth be told, she didn't want to be either. Evelyn was the perfect example of what it was to be too skinny. She was extremely petite with a small waist and large chest. Probably the only reason Malfoy likes her anyway.
"I'm rather content with the way I look, Evelyn." Hermione replied through clenched teeth. Don't...say...another-
"You are? That's unfortunate. Make up would probably do you some good as well. Some mascara, and you could definitely use cover up. That would make your face look less infested with acne. A touch of lip-gloss would make your lips look more full, since they're awfully thin now. And perhaps some blonde highlights in your plain brown hair..."
"By the time you get done putting all that shit on me, I won't be able to breathe." Hermione was slowly losing her cool. For your own health, Evelyn, don't say another word-
"At least you'll be easier on the eyes."
"That's it. I can't take this anymore. I could not stand the giggling. I thought that would be the worst. Guess I was wrong. The making out on the couch as though I'm not sitting right here in the same room...I was expecting to throw up everything I've eaten for the past year. Once again, I thought that that would be the worst. But no. Now I have this bitch all up in my face about how I look. Here's a newsflash for you, sweet heart. You're not pretty! Take off all of the extra make up, take away the breast enhancements, and what do you have? Nothing. You had to pay a shit load of money to look like that, and what do you get from having that kind of beauty? Thousands of men sniffing at your skirt? Is that your biggest accomplishment? So you can tell me that I'm not pretty. At least I'm not a fucking whore." When Hermione paused to take a breath, Evelyn started to open her mouth to reply. "No! I am not finished here! And when I am, you still can't say a damn thing. Now get out of here before I make you." Hermione hissed, ripping out her wand. Evelyn's eyes widened in fear and she jumped off Malfoy's lap. Once the door had slammed, Hermione sighed with relief.
"Oh thank god. I thought I might have had to kill myself."
"Granger! What the hell did you do that for?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Didn't he even hear what Evelyn had just said to her?
"Earth to Malfoy! She had the nerve to insult my appearance when she looks like a damn whore." Malfoy was on his feet in an instant, his eyes flashing with anger.
"Don't you dare say that about Evelyn!"
"I'll say it again in an instant, Malfoy."
"Go ahead. I dare you. But you won't live to see tomorrow." Hermione snorted at his empty threat. It would have sounded convincing if he were actually capable of murder.
"Evelyn is a fucking whore." Hermione spoke slowly, calling Malfoy's bluff. In a flash, he had grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and slammed her into the wall. She whimpered as pain shot down her spine.
"I warned you, Granger." He growled, shaking her hard. Fear possessed Hermione suddenly as she realized he was dead serious. She began to struggle against his iron hold, but it was a futile attempt.
"Let go, you bastard!" She shrieked, desperately yanking to free herself. He did let go. But he threw her to the floor. Her head smacked against the stone floor and an eerie blackness swept over her mind.
After throwing her to the ground, Draco had stormed into his room. He had been positively fuming. Not five minutes had passed and there was a knock on the common room door. Jumping up from his bed, he hurried into the main room. Granger was still lying on the floor, unconscious. Quickly, he picked her up and shoved her into the nearest room, not realizing that the nearest room was his. Composing himself, he walked over to the door and opened it. Evelyn was standing there, looking pretty and innocent. She opened her mouth to say something, but Draco was so relieved to see her, he captured her lips with his immediately. Somehow they made their way to the couch, leaving a trail of clothing on the way. Kissing her, Draco was absolutely positive that Evelyn was the one. She was his girl. The girl he had been looking for his entire life. Well, ever since he stopped believing girls had cooties. She did things to him. He smiled at the thought of her. He felt happier within her presence. Her touch set his body on fire. She had to be the one for him. He had known it the first time he saw her. Her bright red hair touching her shoulders; her violet eyes that danced when she was near him. One glance at her, and he decided that she was his. And god forbid any man tried to stand in his way. She was wild, yet innocent. Never afraid to take a risk, but never afraid to slap a man who was out of line. After a particularly fervent kiss, Draco pulled away to look into her eyes. They were dark and almost dangerous looking. Sparks of lust and desire were strikingly visible, and Draco kissed her to soothe her raging passion. In the midst of their making out, Draco felt the sudden need to tell her exactly how he felt about her. When he felt the moment was right, he pulled away again to look her in the eyes.
"I love you, Evelyn." She blinked at him, then pulled his face down to hers once again. He tried to soothe himself with the rationalization that that was her way of saying she loved him too. No, he knew that had to be it. She did love him. There was no question in his mind. They were both so in love, and Draco knew that he would end up marrying her. She left around midnight, and Draco remained on the couch in the common room. He was clad only in black silk boxers, his hair was mussed, and his lips were swollen. But he was smiling. He was completely content with himself. Something he had never felt before. There was always a defect he found in him that would drive him insane until he corrected it. It was something Lucius forced him to do. Find his faults and amend himself. The blazing fire crackled merrily, lulling Draco into sleep. Pictures of his beloved Evelyn flashed in front of his eyes, and his smile widened. She was beautiful. Everything he wanted. Who was Granger to say that Evelyn was a whore? Granger is just jealous. Wait, where is Granger? Draco stood up and looked around, finally remembering he had stuffed her into his room. She was still lying on his bed, motionless. Her chest was rising and falling with each breath. Red marks tainted her arms where he had grabbed her so roughly. Slowly, he sank onto his bed next to her and traced the marks his fingers had made. I'm sorry... He thought to himself. Exhausted and delirious, Draco lay down next to the sleeping beauty and closed his eyes.
Hermione awoke the next morning and was immediately confused. Since when is my room decorated in green and silver? She wondered, glancing around. Suddenly the reality hit her and she gasped. She was in Draco Malfoy's bed. To her extreme horror, she couldn't remember anything about the previous night. Nervously, she snuck a glance at the sleeping Slytherin beside her. He was dressed only in black silk boxers and was sleeping like a baby. She inched carefully off the bed so as not to wake him. Never disturb a sleeping dragon. Once she was in the safety of her own room, she collapsed onto the floor. What the hell had happened? All she could remember was her telling off Evelyn...she smiled at the memory. Oh, it had felt so good to say all of that out loud. Feeling slightly better, she dressed in navy blue sweat pants and a red tank top. It was only five o'clock in the morning, but Hermione knew that if she asked, Dobby would bring her breakfast. She had just exited the common room when she heard two females giggling quietly. Hermione's eyes narrowed. She'd know that giggle anywhere. Realizing that the giggles were coming closer, she panicked and ducked behind a large statue of a phoenix with out stretched wings.
"I have him wrapped around my little finger, Colette." Evelyn was saying. Hermione felt her heart skip a beat. She's talking about Malfoy...
"When are you going to dump him?"
"We haven't had sex yet. That's the only reason I'm with the poor boy. He's not ready for a woman like me." Hermione felt her blood boil with fury. It took everything she had to keep her silent. Hang on just a little longer...
"Definitely not. When are you going to seduce him?"
"Tonight. I'm going to need some help though. I need that stupid Granger girl out of the dormitory all night." Hermione's breath caught in her throat.
"What do you want me to do? Kidnap her?"
"Of course kidnap her. Ambush her when she's going to library or something. Keep her in a broom closet or something until morning. By then she won't be of help to anyone." A mix of fear and fury filled Hermione, and she could feel her hands clenching into fists.
"Fine. You always leave me the dirty work." The girls giggled into the distance. An extremely horrified Hermione emerged from behind the statue. Malfoy! I have to tell him. She decided quickly, turning around and bursting into the common room. As if on cue, the blonde Slytherin emerged from the bathroom, looking particularly sexy clad only in a towel.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you've had a run in with a dementor." He remarked, shaking out his wet hair. Then he eyed her shoulders, and Hermione looked at her own arms, noticing the red marks for the first time.
"Look, I meant to apologize about that-"
"There's no time. Listen, Malfoy, you have got to listen to me. Evelyn's using you." Confusion clouded Malfoy's eyes, and then it was quickly replaced by anger.
"Granger, I know how you feel about Evelyn; hell you made it inescapably clear last night. But come on, you don't have to try and sabotage our relationship."
"I'm not telling you this for my own health, Malfoy! She has this master plan in which she's just going to use you for sex. It's all happening tonight. She's going to seduce you, and her accomplice is going to kidnap me so I'll be out of the way-"
"Granger, you're talking crazy. It's early. You probably just dreamt it."
"MALFOY! STOP BEING SUCH A STUBBORN JACKASS! I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE SERIOUS IN MY LIFE!" Hermione exploded, losing her patience.
"Let me explain this to you, Granger. Evelyn and I are in love. We'll probably even get married someday. She's not using me for anything. She wouldn't hurt me like that." Hermione felt her anger rising to an unbearable temperature.
"Malfoy...I tried explaining it to you in a calm manner. I tried explaining it to you in a not so calm manner. You still don't understand. But I tried...so I feel no guilt. See you later."
She left, leaving a very confused and annoyed Malfoy behind.
Hermione kicked a rock as hard as she could. Harry and Ron were sitting on a stone bench next to the lake having a debate about Quidditch. She could never get into their conversations. But today it didn't even bother her that they completely ignored her presence. She was being torn apart by two things. The first, was obviously Malfoy. Why wouldn't he believe her? A little voice in the back of her head said because neither of them has trusted the other since day one of year one. She kicked another rock angrily. Well he shouldn't hold such a strong grudge. The same little voice in the back of her head called her a hypocrite. Discovering she was getting no where fast, she dropped to the ground and rested her head in her hands. The second thing that was driving her absolutely nuts was the question of why. Why the bloody hell did she care so much that Malfoy was about to get hurt? Why did it matter to her? He hadn't been the nicest person to her in the past, so why was she worrying about him? It was the damned kiss. That stupid kiss, one dumb little brush of the lips, and she was going all soft inside about Malfoy. It's not worth it, she reminded herself. He wouldn't listen anyway. Besides, he obviously believed he could handle himself, so who was she to interfere and try to stop him from going on an ego-trip.
"Hermione? Are you all right?" Harry asked, waving his hand in front of her face. She jumped in surprise, but relaxed when she saw Harry.
"Malfoy issues." She explained briefly. Ron and Harry exchanged dark looks.
"Do you need us to pummel him for you, Hermione?" Ron asked, massaging his balled fist. The glint in his eye was murderous, making Hermione nervous.
"That won't be necessary, Ron, but I'll let you know if I ever need you two."
"Yeah, we're here for you, Hermione. Just say the word and we're all over him." Harry added. Ron glared around the school grounds as though hoping he would see Malfoy. The reddish hue in his cheeks hinted to both Harry and Hermione that they shouldn't say anything for awhile that would provoke him. So Harry wisely changed the subject from Quidditch to Divination. Ron seemed to be happy with bashing Professor Trelawney. So after they became lost in their conversation about whose death prediction was more gruesome, Hermione returned to her conflicting thoughts. Malfoy was becoming her friend, she realized. More and more often, she was happy to see him when he entered the common room. She enjoyed their debates over the direction of the Ministry of Magic at breakfast and dinner. They usually ate their lunch elsewhere, but Hermione almost wished that they spent that mealtime together as well. Not because of course she had a physical attraction to him, she was quick to remind herself. Suddenly she had an idea.
"Hey, you guys?"
"Yeah, Hermione?"
"Would you mind if I spent the night in the Gryffindor tower?" They both exchanged glances that Hermione could not interpret. They were both smiling when they turned back to look at her.
"Of course, Hermione!"
"You know you're always welcome."
"Thanks guys." She beamed at her friends, but they were already sucked into their conversation...again. That evening, Hermione didn't sleep at all. She tossed and turned in her Gryffindor bed, worrying about Malfoy. She hoped he would be all right. The next morning, she woke up early. By four thirty, she was heading towards the Head dormitory. Passing the window, she noticed a solitary figure sitting by the lake. A second glance forced her to change direction. She approached the Slytherin boy slowly and quietly, only making her presence known when she was sitting on the ground next to him.
"Malfoy? Are you all right?" She asked quietly. A tear slid down his pale cheek and he didn't bother to wipe it away.
"Why do you always have to be right?"
"This time...I wish I wasn't." He shifted his gaze to her soft face. Something warmed inside of him for only the second time in his life. She had been the cause of both times.
Draco was faring as well as he could. His grades were slipping and his concentration was failing. He didn't like to think about how he had shunned Granger when she had only been trying to help him. And why did she do that? She didn't have to. It was the kiss, he finally decided. It was also the kiss that made his mood change abruptly when Hagrid announced that he was to be partners with the Head Girl in Care of Magical Creatures. He became suddenly determined to forget about what had happened with Evelyn.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, but yeh're paired up with Malfoy." Draco watched Hagrid glance over his list again, and shrug apologetically. Hermione let her head drop into her hands. She sighed and moved over to where Draco was. Made suddenly uncomfortable, Draco struggled to find something to say.
"Nice day, isn't it?" He commented, then winced. One look at the darkened sky, and she smothered laughter. He was so captivated by her gentle sparkling eyes, it took him a moment to realize that she was laughing at him. He narrowed his blue eyes.
"Find something funny, Granger?" He watched her eyes sparkle again.
"Quite, Malfoy. Quite." She had stopped laughing, but her lips were still curved in a smile. A raindrop fell and landed on Draco's nose, causing Hermione's smile to widen.
"I agree. It's such a beautiful day." Hermione mocked him. He glared at her. He especially did not appreciate being made fun of.
"I didn't hear you make an attempt to start a conversation."
"I didn't know you wanted to start a conversation." Unable to reply to that, Draco snatched the scroll of parchment Hagrid was handing out.
"The firs' team to find all of the creatures on the list will get a prize."
"I'll bet it's some of Hagrid's treacle fudge." Hermione joked in an attempt to make him smile, but it went right over Draco's (hot) blonde head.
"Good, I'm starved." Hermione stared at him like he had suggested they go shake hands with the Whomping Willow.
"You don't want to be eating that stuff."
"Why not?" Hermione shuddered.
"I can't even imagine what it would taste like if I could actually chew it." Draco found laughter escaping his lips for the first time in what seemed like forever, and he watched Hermione's expression turn to relief. Luckily, most of the other groups had already left for the Forbidden Forest, so no one could observe the scene. He stopped laughing immediately, and cleared his throat.
"Well we should start our scavenger hunt now. The groups already have a head start." He started walking, and Hermione followed, still talking.
"Well we have my genius. So we are, in a sense, ahead of the others, anyway." Draco snorted at her confidence.
"Oh please. I'm smarter than you are." Hermione pretended to choke as she took a sip of her water bottle. The front of her robes was splashed with water, and they clung to her figure a bit.
"Good god, Granger, can you please control your spasms?"
"It wasn't a spasm. I was merely choking in disbelief."
"Turn left over here."
"First of all, don't order me around. Second, we should keep going straight. Hinkypunks like swamps, and the sloppy mud on the ground means we're getting close to a swamp that lies straight ahead."
"You're wrong, Granger. Hinkypunks reside in grassy thickets, which means we should go left here to get away from the swamps." He made to change direction, but Hermione grabbed his arm. A million volts of electricity surged through him, and his breath caught in his throat.
"Trust me, Malfoy, I know what I'm talking about."
"Well I know what I'm talking about!" Draco shouted back at her. No you don't, you git! Hermione released Draco's arm and sighed.
"Then you go your way. I'm going this way. I'll bet my entire fortune on me finding a Hinkypunk before you do."
"Fine!"
"Fine."
"FINE!" Draco stalked off into the trees, temper raging. All of his pent up emotions had come spilling out in his fury. He had walked about five minutes before he began to think clearly again.
"Shit, what the hell am I doing?" He muttered, angrily, whipping around and rushing in Hermione's direction. A couple of raindrops hit his head, and he cursed under his breath. Pretty soon after, the rain was coming down in sheets. Soaked and exhausted, Draco continued to plod through the forest. He paused and backed up a few paces. He had definitely seen that large blue rock before. Draco kicked a tree stump in frustration and slumped down onto the rock. It was wet, but so was Draco.
"FUCK!" He shouted angrily. Then there came a rustling of leaves. Draco's head snapped up, and he glanced around. An odd sort of bird cawed loudly, and he jumped. The rustling came again, and Draco reached for his wand. He positioned himself behind a tree, and when the moving object emerged, he sprang out and pointed his wand at it.
"Malfoy, what the HELL are you doing?" A girl screamed. Through the rain, Draco could make out Hermione's confused face.
"Granger?!?" He brushed his hair out of his eyes to make sure it was her.
"Malfoy! You idiotic git! If you had just listened to me, I wouldn't have had to come looking for you. Now, it's raining, I'm freezing, and we're LOST!" She sighed and rolled her eyes. Draco thought she looked awfully cute when she was distressed.
"Well maybe if you have come with me, none of that would have happened either!"
"That's ridiculous! If we had come this way, we'd still be lost."
"But we would have been together! Two heads are better than one, you know!"
"Last time I checked, my intelligence doesn't match yours."
"It doesn't have to! Together, we're smarter than Dumbledore." By now, they were both shouting at each other, not really acknowledging the rain. Their attention was snatched, rather harshly, by a streak of lightening dancing across the darkened sky. The entire forest lit up in the moment. There was a moment of brief silence, then a deafening rumble of thunder. Hermione cringed and trembled faintly.
"All right. Let's find our way out of here." Hermione muttered. Draco nodded and took her hand, dragging her with him. They walked in silence for awhile; the occasional thunder and the rain were the only sounds. Draco increased his pace, eager to get out of the forest. Hermione had to break into a light jog to keep up. A painful cramp sliced through her left side.
"Draco- wait." She gasped in pain. Then she tripped over something on the ground and fell, her hand ripping from Draco's grasp. Draco stopped and fell to his knees beside her.
"Are you all right?" Hermione closed her eyes tightly, willing the throbbing pain in her ankle to disappear. Draco watched her face contorted with pain, and lifted her head gently into his lap. "Where does it hurt?" He held his hand above her eyes, blocking the rain so she could look at him.
"My ankle. I twisted it when I fell." He glanced down at her ankle, which was covered by black knee socks. Not wanting to removed her shoes and socks, knowing it would be a nightmare trying to put them back on, he gathered her in his arms and got up. She wasn't particularly difficult to lift, thanks to her petite figure and his muscular upper body. He continued to walk through the foliage, making mental images of where they were. Twenty minutes later, Draco recognized the same place were Hermione had tripped.
"Bloody hell." Draco groaned, collapsing onto a tree stump, still holding onto Hermione. Her hair was completely drenched and it clung to her cheeks in long, dark strands. His own blonde hair was plastered to his head, and he brushed a few irritating pieces out of his face. For a moment he considered using his wand to dry them both, but he figured they'd just get wet again, so there was no point. A particularly loud crash of thunder sent Hermione into a tremble, and Draco instinctively held her closer to him. They remained quiet, listening to the rain.
"You can't forget it either...can you?" Hermione spoke suddenly. Draco glanced down at the girl in his arms. Her gaze was directed towards the trees, but when she sensed him looking at her, she shifted it to meet his.
"Forget what?" Draco asked, although he knew perfectly well what she meant. She sighed and moved her suddenly teary eyes away from his.
"You're that ashamed? You're so damned ashamed, that you can't even acknowledge what's happening between us when we're alone?" Draco paused. She was right. He was worrying too much about what everyone else thought...he had almost forgotten what he thought. But what did he think? He couldn't even make sense of Transfiguration, let alone his feelings towards Hermione.
"Look, Hermione, I can't do this right now. There's just too much going on in my life, and I can't handle this reality." He sighed, loosening his grip on her frail body. He watched the emotions in her eyes evolve from disappointment to anger.
"Well maybe if you had just listened to me in the first place, Malfoy, you wouldn't have so much going on in your life!"
"I didn't know if I was able to trust you or not, Granger. In my position, you would have done the same exact thing."
"I don't know what I would have done, all right? But arguing is not helping our current situation! I want to get out of this forest right now. And once we get out of this mess that you got us into, I never want to hear you, see you, or in any way come in contact with you ever again! Do I make myself clear?" She shouted, shrilly. Draco felt his already damaged heart being pierced even further. But once again, his anger took over instead of his hurt.
"Fine! I want the same exact thing. Hanging around with a mudblood wouldn't do much for my reputation!" It wasn't a stinging comeback, but he had little energy to go on. She looked as though she was about to reply, when a familiar voice interrupted.
"Hermione? Hagrid, I found them!" Draco glanced through the woods and saw Weasley's red hair approaching. He was instantly reminded of Evelyn, and his thoughts darkened. Life was so horrible, death would be an improvement.
He could not focus when every minute of every day, Evelyn's face flashed in front of his eyes. There were whispers all around. Following him, where ever he went. They talked about him behind his back. His reputation for being the coldest Slytherin in history was ruined. They had finally seen a soft spot in his solid suit of armor. A tear streaked across his cheek as he stared up at the starry sky. He had never known pain such as this. The physical pain he felt when Lucius had mercilessly beat him was almost insignificant compared to the extreme emotional pain he felt at the present moment. It had been a week since the incident, and he hadn't spoken to anyone. Not a word passed through his lips to anyone. Not even to the person who had seemed to be the most concerned. Yes, Granger had been eyeing him with sympathy for the past few days. Despite what she had said in the forest, Draco had been noticing that she kept a close eye on him. She seemed to notice that Draco no longer ate. She would obviously notice that he no longer came to complete their Potions essays at midnight. Deep down, Draco really seemed to miss those late night sessions. Their conversations were civil, and sometimes they got into heated debates that forced Granger to ball her tiny hands into fists. He smirked to himself as he pictured the furious Gryffindor. She was awful cute when she was passionate about something. Especially if she was positive that she was correct. Often, Draco would argue a point that was wrong just to see her defend herself. He had really ruined his chances at a real friendship with her in the forest. She would probably never give him another thought. But he would be thinking about her constantly. It began to concern him that he spent time thinking about her. Of course, she does seem to be the only person in this school who gives a shit about me. But that doesn't make sense...she's Granger. I'm Draco Malfoy. It was predestined that we were never to get along. For the first time in a week, Draco started to think about something other than his misery over Evelyn. His misery over Granger. The door to the North Tower creaked and footsteps approached. Draco stiffened, expecting some group of Slytherins to come by and degrade him. He glanced up to see who had arrived. Confusion swept over him when he saw Granger. How did she know where I was? And more importantly, why is she suddenly caring again?
"How are you feeling today, Malfoy?" She asked, tentatively.
"Peachy." Draco replied sarcastically. She looked wounded, and Draco felt a pang of guilt. After all, she did try to make sure I was all right. "Sorry, Granger. I haven't been having the best week."
"I noticed." She bit her lower lip and looked as though she was hesitating. "Can I do anything to help?" A faint blush crept into her cheeks, making a sardonic smirk curl on Draco's lips.
"I don't think so." He replied. She shrugged and turned around to leave him alone. Some thing inside Draco told him to stop her. Before he realized what he was doing, the words were already out of his mouth.
"Granger, wait." She turned around and looked at him. The sweet amber eyes that had captivated him again and again were shining with concern.
"I-I really need a hug." Draco stammered. Yes, that was what he needed. He truly needed a decent, sincere, comforting hug to make him feel better. She stared at him in shock for a moment, but walked back over to the stone wall he was sitting on. He stood up and almost fell into her arms. Then he did something he hadn't planned on doing. He cried into her soft hair. He wasn't entirely sure why the tears fell, but he couldn't stop them. Silent tears cascaded down his cheeks as he held onto her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Slowly, the familiar warmth returned to his body. Once again, his heart was touched by something he'd never felt. Even Evelyn hadn't been able to penetrate the harshly cold shell of his heart. But she had managed to break it. After Draco felt calmer, he pulled away, but only slightly so he could still hold her in his arms.
"Thank you." He whispered, staring straight into her eyes. A warm smile spread across her full pink lips and a fuzzy feeling came about in his stomach. Both of them remained still, neither one of them truly wanting to move. Finally, Draco let her go, but stared after her with a longing that he had never felt when she walked away. When did she get so beautiful? He wondered, watching her glance once more over her shoulder at him. She offered a comforting smile, and surprisingly, it did make him feel better. Without her presence, darkness came over Draco, and his body went cold. He stared at the grass that was miles below. If he jumped, the impact would possibly kill him immediately. He gazed longingly at the distant ground and began building up the intent to jump. The door creaked open again and he whipped around.
"Sorry if I scared you...I just wanted to make sure that you're coming back to the dormitory tonight." Granger said, looking right through him. Draco wondered how she did it. How could she possibly know that he was thinking about taking his own life? It was as though she knew everything. She seemed to understand what he was thinking about doing, and she approached him slowly.
"Malfoy...I know it's hard. I've gone through this before. The first time is always the hardest to get through...but you can't give up. There's always going to be something good to make up for the bad things that happen."
"It doesn't seem that way."
"No. But it always happens that way. Out of the bad things comes something good."
"Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"
"Yes, it is rather dumb. But life is volatile." She tossed him a pretty smile and he felt his sadness dwindling.
"So who's broken your heart?" Draco inquired, deciding that he thoroughly enjoyed the blushing Gryffindor's company.
"Enough men to make me feel like it's not worth it."
"So here you are preaching to me about how it's going to get better...and you don't truly believe it yourself."
"I do believe it...I just don't believe that it's going to get better by finding the perfect guy. Or girl in your case. Right now it doesn't matter. I wouldn't be able to balance out my time if I had a boyfriend."
"He might start getting jealous of the books you spend all your time with." He grinned at her. Then he suddenly realized how long it had been since a smile had graced his features. It felt awesome. She shot him a glare, but eventually chuckled.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I do spend too much time on schoolwork." She trailed off, looking at the stars, completely lost in thought.
"But think about it, Granger. You wouldn't be Head Girl if you didn't spend most of your time studying."
"You don't spend all your time studying and you're Head Boy."
"Well, I was a shoo in for Head Boy."
"I still can't fathom why Harry wasn't selected."
"Because Potter doesn't have the Head Boy look." She narrowed her eyes at him, but amusement sparked in her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that Potter isn't as irresistibly attractive as I am. It's the most important characteristic of the Head Boy."
"Harry is just as good-looking as you are. What are you talking about?"
"So you'll admit that I am indeed irresistibly attractive?" Draco grinned at her blushing cheeks. He had trapped her in a corner, and she had no choice but to answer. "I'm waiting, Granger." He sighed in mock impatience.
"I don't want to inflate your already oversized ego."
"Ah! So you do think I'm irresistibly attractive."
"I never said-"
"Yes you did."
"Fine! You are irresistibly attractive, Malfoy!" She exclaimed in frustration. Draco thought that her confession sounded so much better since she was upset. He winked at her.
"Of course I am."
"Yeah, well, don't expect to ever hear me say that again."
"Once was enough."
"Don't you dare tell anyone I said that."
"Who would I tell? No one gives me the chance to say anything before laughing in my face." Draco replied darkly. Granger went silent for a moment.
"You can't let it bother you, Malfoy. If I've ever known an apathetic person, it's you. I'm actually surprised it affects you this way."
"I'm not completely heartless, Granger."
"I realize that. But you can't keep lingering on the past. Suck it up and move on."
"Oh good. More words of wisdom from the all knowing Hermione Granger."
"Don't put me on the same level as Trelawney." Draco laughed at her expression of distaste. He had heard about her stalking out of the class in the third year. He secretly admired her defiance, but once again, that was something she never needed to know.
"Did you steal all your advice out of a Divination textbook?" Draco asked, knowing that the subject of Divination infuriated her. Just as he had predicted, her face flushed red and her hands balled into fists.
"Of course not! This is all what I've learned from life experience. Besides, nothing in that subject would ever be of use to me! It's a lot of guesswork that doesn't even require real knowledge of anything!" She ranted. Draco quickly smothered a laugh with his hand. She paused, catching the action out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You." He couldn't fight the smirk off of his face.
"Why? What did I do? Is my hair sticking up or something?" She asked, running her hands through her silky hair. Draco followed the action with his silver eyes and felt a stirring sensation inside of him.
"You look beautiful." He replied, not realizing he had said what he had been thinking. She stared at him in shock for a moment before averting her eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the ground, obviously embarrassed. But it was nothing compared to how Draco felt. Mortified was more the adjective to describe him. How did I just let that slip? And why was I even thinking it in the first place? He stared up at the stars, wishing that he hadn't said anything. A shooting star flew across the sky, disappearing behind the tower. When he couldn't see the falling star any longer, he only had to lower his gaze a fraction to stare into Granger's eyes.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry about what I said in the forest. I didn't really want what I said." She murmured quietly. Then she looked down quickly, as though she was frightened. "We should probably get back to the dormitory now." Draco nodded in agreement, wanting to leave the awkward situation behind. He followed her as she walked towards the door. He cast another glance at the starry sky and could have sworn he saw the stars swimming to form a heart. Convincing himself that he was just exhausted and worn out, he pushed it aside and kept walking. The return to the dormitory was silent; the only sounds were their footsteps. Inside the common room, Granger headed for her room. Draco made it to the couch and collapsed onto it. He stared into the fire and felt his eyelids slowly growing heavier. The couch was comfortable enough to spend one night on, he decided. He kicked off his shoes and settled on the cushions. He stared into the fire again. It was almost Christmas. The visit to Hogsmeade was approaching, and usually he had someone to go with. Usually he had millions of girls begging for him to take them out for a butter beer. Evelyn had done something. Spread some sort of rumor, and now girls avoided him like the bubonic plague. Except for Granger. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Content, he began to drift off to sleep. Soon the fire died and the air went cold. He shivered in the dark. He wasn't sure when, but he woke up under a large warm blanket. The design was hand sewn and unfamiliar, but it was the warmest blanket. Granger noticed him wake up and she offered him a smile before leaving. He grinned. He should have known that she had given him the blanket. Snuggling further under his cover, he drifted back to sleep, even though it was well into the afternoon.