Sorry about everything, which I hope you would have gotten in the last authors note that I posted a short while ago. Well, I guess I'll just stop with the blabbering. Now, time for the long awaited chapter, THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST, CHAPTER 13!

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The First Cut is the Deepest

Chapter 13

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Hermione walked intot he Common Room, carefully scanning it for signs of Harry or Ginny. As usual, Harry wasn't to be seen (probably sitting on his bed, finishing his school work or staring at the wall, like he usually did. But, fortunately, she 'did' spot Ginny Weasley, chatting with a few of her 5th year friends by one of the many tables. Hermione quickly walked over.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said cheerfully, greeting her before Hermione could even get a word out.

"Oh, hey, Ginny," Hermione said, forcing a smile onto her face. She looked around at the other girls surrounding them, before looking back at Ginny again. "Ummm, I hate to bother you , but, um, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, 'Mione," Ginny replied, her face falling slightly at her friend's uneasiness, and she walked away from her group.

"Um, is everything alright?" Ginny said when they were out of earshot, giving Hermione a conserned look.

"Ummm, not really," Hermione said. "You see, okay, when did you last see Harry?"

"A few hours ago, when I saw him walk up to his room. Why?" Ginny asked. "Is everything okay with Harry? I've noticed that he's been acting really strange lately," she finished, glancing up at the stairs to the 6th year boys dorm, before looking back at Hermione.

"No, he's not okay," Hermione said quickly, anxious to tell Ginny the truth. Hermione sighed. "Alright, Gin, if I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"I promise!" Ginny said, now beginning to get worried.

"Okay, you heard about the thing that Malfoy did to Harry, right?"

" 'Course, who hasn't. There are pictures of Harry all over the school!"

"Right. You see, the rumor about Harry being...gay, well, it's not 'just' a rumor."

Ginny gave Hermione a confussed look.

"It's true," Hermione said.

Ginny stared at Hermione with a quizical look on her face. "Pardon?"

Hermione sighed in frustration. "It's true," she said again. "Harry really 'is' gay."

Ginny's jaw dropped in shock. "How do you know?"

"He told me himself, before the insident, and you see, he really likes this guy..."

"Who?" Ginny asked excitedly when her Hermione wouldn't say who. "I want 'all' of the juicy details!"

"Malfoy."

Ginny's jaw dropped again.

"Ginny, it's true, and you see, Draco really likes Harry. They've even kissed before."

"NO!" Ginny said loudly, shocked.

"Keep your voice down," Hermione hissed at hre.

"Sorry," Ginny whispered, blushing. "But, how can he like Malfoy after what he did to him?"

"That's the thing," Hermione replied, her eyes suddenly huge. "After some research, I found out that it wasn't Draco. It was Justin!"

"Your boyfriend?"

"He was my boyfriend, until I confronted him about the situation, and he dumped me."

"What a wanker!" Ginny cursed.

"Yeah," Hermione said, sighing. "Anyway, it turns out that Justin used a Polyjuice potion."

Ginny was silent, waiting for Hermione to continue.

"And Draco really want's to go out with Harry, but we have to convince Harry that Draco didn't do it. That's where you come in."

Ginny nodded. "It's so romantic," she said dreamilly, then suddenly snapped out of it. "What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to hide in your room, away from Harry so that we can trick him into coming out of his room.

"I don't get it," Ginny said, shaking her head.

Hermione explained everything to her, and Ginny was just ducky with the idea, and went to hide in her room.

Hermione watched Ginny race up the stairs to the 5th year girls' dormitory. At that moment, Ron, Shamus, Neville, and Dean came in through the portrait hole, chatting wildly about an upcoming Quidditch game. They walked over to a corner in the Common Room, making themselves comfortable enough to finish their conversation.

'Good,' Hermione thought to herself. 'They won't be in the Boys' room to get suspicious or freak out when I tell Harry about Ginny and the dementor!'

She took one last glance at the boys, before racing up the stairs to the 6th year boy's dormitory. As she made her way up the stairs, she slowed down, hoping to hear some noice from Harry. She didn't know exactly 'what' she was listening for, but she knew something wasn't right with hom. She tiptoed up to the door and layed her right eear on it. Nothing.

'That's odd,' she thought. 'I was almost sure Harry was here.'

She slowly opened the door and poked her head in, looking around the room. Nothing suspicious. She walked around the room, looking for signs of Harry, and, seeing none, she decided to sit down and wait for him.

She strode over to his bed and was about to sit down, when something caught her eye. One of Harry's pillows were thrown on the floor. She bent down and picked it up. She was about to lay it back in it's appropriate spot on the bed, when she noticed something else. Water sopts and small red dye were scattered in dots across his white pillow case. She fingered the spots.

'Shit,' she thought. 'That's not dye; that's blood!'

In shock, Hermione dropped the pillow. She began scavenging the room for Harry, looking frantically around.

"Harry!" she yelled, hoping he might hear her and call out or something. "Harry!!" she yelled out again, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She walked over to the small bathroom which the 5 boys shared. She was about to finger the door knob, when she noticed blood dripping off of that as well.

She ignored the blood and tried the door handle. Locked. "Harry!" she screamed, frantically searching for her wand through out her robes.

After a few seconds of searching, she found her wand and yelled, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The door unlocked, and Hermione dropped her want, throwing open the door.

She moved to step inside, but froze in place at the site she saw. On the floor lay Harry, a puddle of blood surrounding him, the blood gently flowing form several deep slashes across each of his wrists.

Hermione screamed an ear piercing scream, and seconds later, Dean, Neville, Ron, and Shamus were shooting through the door to her.

Hermione stood in front of the enterance to the bathroom, and she had completely stopped breathing.

" Mione, what is it?" Ron asked, panting, as he made his way over to her. "What's..." He stopped when he saw Harry's motionless body, and fainted.

Gradually, a crowd of Gryffindors started to build up in the room, one of the occupants being Ginny Weasley.

"Ginny, don't look," Neville said, walking up to her.

"What happened?!" she asked as her breathing quickened.

"Ummm, we're not sure," he stuttered.

"Is it Harry?" she asked, her voice small.

Neville nodded sadly.

Tears flooded Ginny's eyes instantly. She turned around towards the eager, on-looking Gryffindors that had gathered in the room.

"S-Someone, hurry and go get Dumbledore!" she said. She saw a small, blone-boy leave. "And someone, please go down to the 2nd floor, the room on the left of McGonagall's room, and t-tell Draco Malfoy to go to the infurmary immediately. Tell him Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley sent you!" She saw a small brunette girl reace out of the room.

"Everyone out!" they heard an old voice roar.

Ginny turned around to see Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall scurrying across the room to them. "Now!"

Everyone except for Dean, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny (and of course, Harry and Ron too) stayed where they were.

"What happened here!?" Dumbledore asked furiously, making her way towards the bathroom door, but froze when he saw Harry's unconcious body.

"Ummm, sir, w-we think H-Harry may have tried t-to...," Dean stuttered, unable to get the last few words out of his mouth, "tried to...tried t-to..."

"Thank you, Mr. Thomas, " McGonagall said.

"Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Thomas, please take Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley down to the Hospital Wing immediately," Dumbledore said. The two boys nodded. "Miss Weasley, please go with them."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny replied.

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A/N: So, how was it? please review! They make depressed people, like me, happy! Teeheehee!