Burden of the Enemy's Baby

CHAPTER ONE: Blood Insanity

Hermione Granger winced in pain as she slowly dragged the small scissors down her left arm. Biting down hard on her bottom lip, she stared in the direction of the moving scissors as it left its long, red, scratch mark on her pale, creamy flesh. Hermione blinked and watched as a tear fell onto her bloodstained skin, the tear mingled with the fresh blood coming out of the wound. She gasped as the tear stung the cut and Hermione bit down harder on her bottom lip until her teeth tore the skin and she also felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she possibly could, trying to stop and block out the pain and especially to prevent the quick, coming flashback rushing back to her memory:

Hermione rested her arms on the ledge of the many big windowsills of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The window was steamed up and the first signs of condensation were forming due to the whipping, cold air from outside which contrasted with, the warm, blazing heat from within the castle created by the fire-lit torches. Hermione's arm stretched out in front of her and she rubbed a clear patch in the steam of the window with her hand and scanned over the Hogwarts grounds with her perforating brown eyes.

The magnificent sight below was breathtakingly beautiful! The trees sparkled like jewels, caused by the gentle, fallen snow on the deep, brown branches. The dark clouds of the midnight sky masked the white, snow-covered mountains in the distance. The lake below shimmered and reflected the moon...not a movement could be seen, and it was still like an artists' painting. Hermione opened the enormously wide window as quietly as possible and was severely startled that no draught swept into the building in the middle of midnight December. Curiously, not a single sound was to be heard either, as if the World had frozen along with the fallen snow that day or that the World had finally gone and descended into a deep slumber, meticulously desperate not to be woken up ever again. So, that it could enjoy its ultimate peace, once and for all!

Hermione jumped slightly as a pair of arms wrapped themselves lovingly around her dainty waist and the human responsible buried his head in Hermione's hair inhaling the scent of vanilla, lavender soap and roses. Hermione smelt like a garden full of flowers.

She giggled, quietly. "What are you doing, Draco? It's midnight!" Hermione whispered.

Draco removed his head from the mass of Hermione's curls and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I could ask you the same question," he replied.

"You could..." Hermione chuckled again. She was filled with such exhilaration: it was midnight and she wasn't fast asleep as she was supposed to, instead she was roaming the endless corridors of the school. Adding to the fact that Hermione was now with her lover, making it seem more dangerous since he was supposed to be her worst enemy. Which, therefore, signified that no one on any account should ever discover that they belonged together because each and every dream they shared then would be shattered into a thousand, broken pieces of glass.

Draco straightened up and let Hermione rest her head on his shoulder, while they were wrapped in each other's arms. He felt a sense of ecstasy as a brief, cool breeze blew in from the window and whipped his hair back. Whereas, Hermione let out a mellow sigh of bliss. There just wasn't anywhere else in the world she'd rather be right now – not at dear home or in bed.

"I love you, Hermione..." Draco croaked suddenly. He swallowed trying to force down the huge lump, which had suddenly formed in his throat.

"You do?" Hermione said softly as her breath caught in her throat.

"Yes, Hermione. I love you."

"Thank you. You are very kind!" Hermione smiled up at him. Draco looked down at her and smiled back.

There was a minute of comfortable silence before Hermione piped up, "Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco asked.

"I..." Hermione was just cut off telling Draco her feelings for him, by another voice saying, "Where are you? I can hear you! My, my, we are in trouble!" It was the voice of Mr. Filch, the school caretaker and if they were discovered out of bed - they would be in dead serious trouble!

Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and yanked him to his senses. And, they started running down the corridor, speedily. Their footsteps were fast and light because if they made one, single sound, they would be as good as dead!

Hermione smiled softly to herself and her curls billowed out prettily behind her as she ran. Hermione had never once in her seven years at Hogwarts broken a school rule and she was usually proud of that thought but not tonight. Tonight was different; instead, tonight she was happy she was breaking a school rule! Quite a contrast for our dear goody-two-shoes Hermione!

Hermione carried on running straight down the corridor until Draco disappeared down a turn and pulled her along with him and they fell into a dark, hidden corner. Their breaths caught in their throats as the sound of Filch's footsteps grew closer and closer. Next, they saw the shadow outline of Filch's body, formed by the light of the lantern he always carried, creep closer and closer and both of them froze... Filch, then, to Draco and Hermione's relief passed the dark corner in which they were hidden. They both released the air caught in their throats due to fear. Filch was dreadfully monstrous whenever a student stepped a toe out of line.

Hermione reached out her arms and wrapped them around Draco's neck and she looked up at him. Draco bent down and kissed Hermione on the lips. She closed her eyes and her hands clenched the material of his shirt. Hermione broke the kiss but keeping her arms around Draco's neck, she whispered, "I love you too, Draco Malfoy."

Draco grinned like the cat that had got the cream and whispered back, "Good."

Hermione was snapped out of her flashback and landed back to reality with a bump, what had caused this was the blur of shouts around her. Hermione looked around and tried to focus her eyesight on something, but it didn't seem to recognise anything, all she saw was a smudge of mixed colours. Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled to her feet and dragged by a pair of arms. Hermione jerked abruptly as she felt pain on her left arm. She looked down and saw that it was being held under the tap and the water she saw in the sink wasn't clear. It was red, like blood...her own blood? Someone was slowly sponging around the sides of a cut on the arm trying to be gentle but it stung! Hot tears prickled Hermione's eyes.

"It hurts. It hurts," Hermione mumbled meekly to herself.

"Yes, dear, it will. Did you know you cut yourself?" came a motherly voice.

"I cut? I cut?" Hermione whispered.

"Yes, Hermione. You cut yourself."

"Blood in sink, blood in sink...my blood?" Hermione gabbled.

"Yes, it's from the cut on your arm. But, don't worry, it'll get better," said the voice of the nurse trying to soothe Hermione.

"I did it. I did it. I did it..." Hermione repeated over and over again to herself.

Our Hermione Granger indeed was insane. She hadn't always been like this you know. Once upon a time, far away, she was best friend's with the hero, the most intelligent girl in her year, was a witch also and was living every girl's dream – she was in love...until she was betrayed. Then, the every girl's dream soon turned into every girl's nightmare. It was after that night, things changed and Hermione lost everything she was and that leading onto the consequences, Hermione became insane. She had been admitted into Heartlands Psychiatric Hospital two years ago and she had been there every since. Hermione talked in her sleep, talked to herself, she talked to anything and everything really except to people but she would listen and respond to herself. Hermione was separated from the living world and lived in her own, wandering aimlessly like a ghost, who was forbidden to go to heaven and had to stay down on Earth. It had only taken a year's event, which had jumped from being perfect to, horrendous and all it had taken was a year.

The nurse guided Hermione back to her bed and tucked her in like a child and then left room, leaving Hermione all by herself. Suddenly, Hermione let out a howl in anguish as another flashback came rushing back to her memory. She stood up in her bed and smacked her head against the wall several times, trying to block her reminiscence and stopped when she felt something red trickle down her forehead. She was covered in perspiration and tears were streaming down her face. But, no matter what, Hermione couldn't block out the images promptly forming in her mind:

"Draco?"

"What do you want, Hermione?" Draco hissed, stepping out of the dark shadows and into the moonlight.

Hermione asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Does everything have to be wrong to you?" Draco said, harshly.

"Well, he's certainly in a mood," Hermione muttered to herself.

Draco's pricked up. "What was that, Hermione?"

"Nothing. Nothing..."

"I think it was more than nothing!"

Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she looked up at the sky above her and stared. It was like a paint palette of only blue paint. A swirling of dark blue mingled with an even darker shade of blue at that, with a single, bright, silver moon, which was cast just above the castle of Hogwarts. The moon reflected off a white glow into the blue sky. In ways, it was beautiful, but in ways the sky was cold and acted as if it was cut off from the rest of the World, though, naturally it was part of it. This was exactly how Hermione felt about Draco at the current time being. Hermione heaved a sigh and looked back at Draco. His eyes were piercing and cold and even sinister... "Draco?" Hermione's voice cut through the silence.

"What?"

Hermione decided against saying "What? What do you mean "what"? Don't you dare "what" me, Mr. Malfoy!" Instead, Hermione said, "Tell me you love me..."

Draco's eyes met hers and he smirked, his mouth growing wider and wider until he let out a hollow laugh, which grew. Until, Draco was howling and cackling evilly with laughter...it certainly wasn't a pleasant laugh to hear.

"And, what the hell is so funny?" Hermione cagily.

Draco walked up to Hermione and his height loomed over her. He looked down and his black, gloved hand reached out to caress Hermione's cold cheek. She glared at him but she didn't brush his hand away. "Dear, dear Hermione," Draco whispered, "I never once told you I loved you." He drew back his hand and slapped Hermione across the cheek, the same cheek in which Draco had been caressing only a few seconds ago.

Hermione indeed severely startled nearly lost her balance but she just about managed to remain standing instead of ending up as a heap of the floor. She was starting to feel as if she was in an abusive relationship and Hermione had read many stories of those from her Muggle teenage magazines at home.

"You are a fucking bastard, Draco Malfoy!" Hermione spat the words out at him, her eyes glittering with rage and deep down inside with hurt. Hermione drew back her own hand and was about to slap Draco hard in the face with all the strength she could muster to teach him a lesson. When, Draco caught her wrist and he squeezed it painfully until Hermione let out a gasp. Draco then shoved Hermione onto the ground with a thrust of her wrist.

"You disgrace me, Mudblood," he said before turning his back on her and started making his way back to the castle whilst his cloak swished around his feet behind him.

Hermione lay on the ground, her fists clenched tightly as a tear trickled down her cheek. She remained sitting in that position for the rest of the night until the next morning. Hermione didn't move when the rain started to fall, nor when the wind blew. Or, when a raging storm picked up and thunder crashed and lightning struck. It seemed as if the World was in a fury and full of anger that night. And, indeed, the World was for havoc started to happen after that night and even all the good of the World couldn't stop it...

Hermione's head jerked up as she felt a fresh tear roll down her face, she quickly brushed it away with a sweep of her hand.The event of that night happened only four days after the memory of the day; Draco had told Hermione that he loved her and it was still fresh and vivid to her mind's thoughts. That night, Draco's personality was no longer the boy Hermione had come to know. He had changed rapidly in the course of a few days; it was if he was suddenly a whole new different person but indubitably not for the good. Hermione tried to revive his right side out of him that night by telling Draco to tell her he loved her. Unfortunately it hadn't worked, Draco had slammed it back at her full in the face and it had hurt. It had hurt so much and it still did, Hermione didn't think she would ever stop hurting.

She had given so much of her life to a single living being making it worse for he has always been known as her enemy as well. Why hadn't she fallen for one of her friends or someone who was kind and treated her with respect or someone from her own house at school? Why? Why? Why? But, no matter, how many times, Hermione asked herself that question, she never received an answer. Furthermore, the night right after Draco had left her out in the cold, he had, he had, he had raped her. Hermione let out a cry in angst. Draco Malfoy had killed her self-being that night and Hermione Granger knew she would never be the same...

Hermione slapped herself and stared at the blood red, head print on the wall. She said to herself, "Hermione Granger! Didn't you say that you would never cry again, especially not because of the one who had caused such destruction and trauma in your life? He's gone, Hermione. He's gone. You know that. He isn't here anymore, that was a long time ago..." Hermione nodded to herself and closed her eyes and flopped down on her bed, never once realising that she was being watched the whole time.