[A/N: I stopped writing my other story about the point of view of a
beautiful new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! Gah! Just kidding, I'm
thinking about posting some of my better stories on fanfiction... nah. Oh,
and the pairing is still being decided, it's going to be a surprise! Oh
well, I'm introducing it in this chapter anyway]
Chapter V
Weeks passed, Hermione continued to cut, her pain as strong is ever. Soon, the leaves of autumn began to fall, indicating the approach of the holidays. And Hermione was on the verge of getting pushed over the edge.
Hermione passed through the halls, head high, and books clutched to her chest. Life seemed to not be giving her a break. A foot went out to trip her, causing her books and homework to go flying down the corridor, as she herself fell hard on the ground. Laughter rang in her ears, her fustration at a boiling point.
Finally haulting in the empty corridor, where the entrance to her common room was, she dropped her books to the floor to open the door. She stopped, arm stretched out to reach the door knob, and turned her head slowly to the footsteps.
Hermione's brain screamed at her to run before she lost it, but her feet were stuck. Draco sauntered through the hall, not noticing her at first, but as he turned his head, he smirked.
"Well, well, well," he said, nonchalantly, leaning on the wall in front of her.
'RUN!' her mind screamed.
"Tell me, is that broom closet as roomy as your house?" Draco asked, his smirk as wide as ever.
"Shut up," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"How many muggle guys do you manage to sleep with at home?"
"Shut up," Hermione repeated, voice slightly louder.
"Muggles are always dumb and blind enough to do something like that."
"Shut up."
"Were your parents idiots too? Probably, for having you as a daughter. They'd probably kill themselves."
Hermione felt her eye twitch, a nerve breaking, then causing a domino effect on her other nerves. She had never been so angry in her life.
"Plus-"
Hermione cut him off.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! I AM SICK OF THIS! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF MORONIC FILTH BAG?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I HAVE GONE THROUGH! MY FUCKING PARENTS ARE DEAD!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes.
"THEY HAD A FUCKING FIGHT! MY MUM WAS BEHEADED BY MY FATHER! I SAW HER BODY! I SAW HER FUCKING HEAD! MY FATHER KILLED HIMSELF IN FUCKING SHAME! I WAS SENT TO THIS SCHOOL! I WAS HOPING, AN INCH OF HOPE, THAT MAYBE MY FRIENDS COULD COMFORT ME! BUT NO! THEY GO AND HATE ME BECAUSE OF YOUR TWISTED JOKES!" Tears were falling freely down her face.
"What-"
She cut him off again.
"I WANT TO DIE! I HAVE NO HOPE! I HATE LIVING ON THIS SCREWED UP EARTH! I HATE BEING ATTACKED BY PEOPLE I USED TO CALL FRIENDS! I HATE THAT I HAD TO TURN DOWN THE POST OF HEAD GIRL! I HATE THAT RON AND HARRY HATE ME SO MUCH! I HATE THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO SCREW UP MY LIFE EVEN MORE!" Hermione fell to the floor, her body shaking with sobs.
Draco kneeled down and wrapped an awkward arm around her, never having dealt with a girl in the middle of a nervous breakdown before. She moved away from him, crying harder.
"I'm... er... I'm sorry," he stammered.
"Don't pity me," she muttered, moving away from him once again.
"I don't. I'm just sorry that I acted so cruel," he grabbed her forcefully and pulled her into a hug. She continued to cry in his chest as they sat outside her common room.
Minutes went by, as they sat there undisturbed, and soon Hermione had calmed down. She slowly pulled away from him, face blemished with dried tears.
"Gods, why didn't anyone know?" he asked, asking himself why he was being nice all of a sudden.
"It was so hard to admit. I tried to tell Ron, but he just called me the M word," Hermione looked at her arms, noticed that the sleeves were up and revealing the cuts, she hastily pulled the sleeves back down.
"Does anyone else know?"
"The staff, because Dumbledore told them. He was the one that found me. Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" she scooted away from him, and was about to get back up when he grabbed her forearms, and pulled her back down in sitting position. Hermione winced in pain.
"I have no idea," he whispered, looking at her in a different way. "I'm asking myself the same thing."
Hermione nodded, and stood up again, reaching for the doorknob to see if it was still unlocked.
"Your not going to continue living in that broom closet? Go back to Gryffindor tower, I'll help you," he offered her his hand.
"They'll kick me out again," she replied.
"Well, we'll ask Dumbledore to give you somewhere to live."
"Dumbledore already gave me a place. Malfoy, can you keep a secret?" Hermione asked him.
"Because it's a rare ocassion, and I am now nice to you, and we are now friends. Call me by my first name, okay?"
Hermione nodded.
"This isn't a broom closet," she said, her voice in a hushed whisper.
"Of course it is," he cried indignantly at being proven wrong.
Hermione sighed, and opened the door. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the breath-taking common room.
"Merlin's beard," Draco gasped.
"Promise me you'll never tell anyone, or else I will 'obliviate' you," Hermione whispered, closing the door behind them.
"I promise."
"So, did you say you were my-my friend?" she asked, her heart beat returning to normal.
"Yes, Miss Granger, you are no longer a loner," Draco replied, and soon began to gasp for breath as she embraced him again.
Hermione was actually happy, for the first time in months, she was happy. She hoped that he never left or betrayed her, because she had finally found someone to lean on. Draco finally returned her hug, and she pulled away from him, smiling her first true smile in so long.
"I am always haunted at night, Draco. I see that moment every night, the same image. I have to take a Dreamless Sleeping Potion, to save me from the horrible memories. I can't close my eyes, or relax at all, they'll come back. Please save me from my nightmares, Draco, don't leave." She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes as she recalled the past months.
"I won't, I will stay by your side, no matter what people say," he whispered, and her eyes twinkled as he said those words.
"I liked you, Hermione, even before now," he said, as they embraced eachother.
"Why are you always so mean?"
"Because I either did not want to admit, or I couldn't let the Slytherins know. But now I don't care if they make fun of me, you have been through way more and managed to keep your head high," he lifted her chin slightly, and gave her a rare and charming smile.
"Gods, I was so close to the edge," she muttered, burying her face in the front of his robes.
He took Hermione in his arms, with a quidditch beater's strength, and carried her up to the room on the second level. She began to breathe softly, her eyes shut as sleep overtook her. He set her on the bed, and got up to go to into the bathroom to take a nice shower.
Finishing up, he exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair soaking wet. Pulling his clothes back on, with caution of Hermione's sleeping form, he decided to leave her alone to sleep. As his hand reached the doorknob, he heard a high pitched scream fill the room.
Draco whipped around abruptly, still questioning why he was suddenly worrying for the girl. Hermione was convulsing in bed, letting out terrified shrieks.
He took his belt from his pants, knowing what to do in these situations, and put the leather part of it in her mouth. She continued to convulse, but he made sure she didn't swallow her own tongue. He then tried to shake her awake, but it grew hard, because she wouldn't give in.
After almost being severed a few times, he took out his wand, "Petrificus Totalus."
Her body went rigid, and her eyes began to look around nervously.
"Sorry Hermione, I hope your awake now," he said, then released the spell.
"God, I keep seeing them," she groaned, trying to keep her eyes open.
"I'll stay with you," Draco climbed into bed with her, causing Hermione to blush.
"Th-thanks," she replied, turning over to go back to sleep.
"Where are the potions?"
"Under the bed."
Draco nodded, and climbed out of the bed to retreive the bag. Then handed her a bottle, as she drank it, he watched her in fascinated curiosity.
"Sorry I ruined your life and almost made you commit suicide," Draco mumbled, climbing back in again.
She laughed slightly at his straight forward apology. Then immediately fell asleep.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Draco awoke early that morning, laying back in bed, eyes wide open, lost in thought. He did question his sudden hero act with Hermione, it honestly did not fit him. What would his friends say if he started to hang out with a mudblood, that he had been trying to destroy for years? And when he had finally succeeded, came to her rescue...
Hermione mumbled something and turned over, so that she was now facing him. Her straight hair falling in her face, she scrunched up her nose as it tickled her slightly. Her eyes opened and she gave a nice stretch.
"Nice, calming, sleep," she mumbled, a grin on her face.
"Yep," he replied, his mood changing again.
"I am actually ready to start a new day," Hermione got out of the bed and headed to her dresser, before looking down to see that she was still in her robes.
"Do you want me to hang out with you today?"
"No, it will just give them more reasons to hate me and attack me. It's okay, you have given me happiness and confidence, that's all I want. A friend," she smiled again.
"You act as if Potty and Weasel have never existed before," Draco replied, getting out of bed, also noticing his clothes were still on.
Hermione got out a brush and began to brush her hair, before taking out a wand and muttering a spell.
"So that's Miss Granger's secret, eh?" Draco smirked, walking over.
"You caught me."
"Well, I don't really mind wearing yesterday's robes. They all look the same anyway," Draco shrugged, as he walked over to her vanity picked up her comb, immediately running it through his hair.
"Your vain," she muttered.
"Not as much as, Lockhart," Draco replied.
"Life sucks, but now, it just stinks," she give him a small grin.
"Good to know, how much of an increase is that?"
"Don't care, I'm just still in shock that I actually forgave you."
"I apologized didn't I?" Draco lifted her out of the chair.
"Sure, after giving me a nervous breakdown."
"I'll make it up to you. Are you sure you don't need protection?" Draco asked, opening her door, and descending the stairs with her.
"It'll be fine. It's hard though, no sympathy, although I am not one to ask for that. But the teachers just give me pity, which is worse."
"I sympathize, I care," Draco smiled at her as they reached the door.
"I miss my parents, and last night was the first time I had ever voiced it aloud, thanks for being a prat and breaking my last nerve," Hermione said.
"No problem."
Hermione cautiously opened the door, and saw that the corridor was empty.
"Hurry," she whispered as they snuck out of the door.
"We have Transfiguration next together. Too bad I can't talk to you," Draco shrugged, and gave her a surprising kiss on the cheek, before leaving the corridor with his same saunter, but now it didn't bother her at all.
[A/N: I know, it was short, but that just seemed like a perfect end of chapter. Now you know who brings her out of this, and there will be lots more shouting. Wink wink]
Chapter V
Weeks passed, Hermione continued to cut, her pain as strong is ever. Soon, the leaves of autumn began to fall, indicating the approach of the holidays. And Hermione was on the verge of getting pushed over the edge.
Hermione passed through the halls, head high, and books clutched to her chest. Life seemed to not be giving her a break. A foot went out to trip her, causing her books and homework to go flying down the corridor, as she herself fell hard on the ground. Laughter rang in her ears, her fustration at a boiling point.
Finally haulting in the empty corridor, where the entrance to her common room was, she dropped her books to the floor to open the door. She stopped, arm stretched out to reach the door knob, and turned her head slowly to the footsteps.
Hermione's brain screamed at her to run before she lost it, but her feet were stuck. Draco sauntered through the hall, not noticing her at first, but as he turned his head, he smirked.
"Well, well, well," he said, nonchalantly, leaning on the wall in front of her.
'RUN!' her mind screamed.
"Tell me, is that broom closet as roomy as your house?" Draco asked, his smirk as wide as ever.
"Shut up," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"How many muggle guys do you manage to sleep with at home?"
"Shut up," Hermione repeated, voice slightly louder.
"Muggles are always dumb and blind enough to do something like that."
"Shut up."
"Were your parents idiots too? Probably, for having you as a daughter. They'd probably kill themselves."
Hermione felt her eye twitch, a nerve breaking, then causing a domino effect on her other nerves. She had never been so angry in her life.
"Plus-"
Hermione cut him off.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! I AM SICK OF THIS! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF MORONIC FILTH BAG?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I HAVE GONE THROUGH! MY FUCKING PARENTS ARE DEAD!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes.
"THEY HAD A FUCKING FIGHT! MY MUM WAS BEHEADED BY MY FATHER! I SAW HER BODY! I SAW HER FUCKING HEAD! MY FATHER KILLED HIMSELF IN FUCKING SHAME! I WAS SENT TO THIS SCHOOL! I WAS HOPING, AN INCH OF HOPE, THAT MAYBE MY FRIENDS COULD COMFORT ME! BUT NO! THEY GO AND HATE ME BECAUSE OF YOUR TWISTED JOKES!" Tears were falling freely down her face.
"What-"
She cut him off again.
"I WANT TO DIE! I HAVE NO HOPE! I HATE LIVING ON THIS SCREWED UP EARTH! I HATE BEING ATTACKED BY PEOPLE I USED TO CALL FRIENDS! I HATE THAT I HAD TO TURN DOWN THE POST OF HEAD GIRL! I HATE THAT RON AND HARRY HATE ME SO MUCH! I HATE THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO SCREW UP MY LIFE EVEN MORE!" Hermione fell to the floor, her body shaking with sobs.
Draco kneeled down and wrapped an awkward arm around her, never having dealt with a girl in the middle of a nervous breakdown before. She moved away from him, crying harder.
"I'm... er... I'm sorry," he stammered.
"Don't pity me," she muttered, moving away from him once again.
"I don't. I'm just sorry that I acted so cruel," he grabbed her forcefully and pulled her into a hug. She continued to cry in his chest as they sat outside her common room.
Minutes went by, as they sat there undisturbed, and soon Hermione had calmed down. She slowly pulled away from him, face blemished with dried tears.
"Gods, why didn't anyone know?" he asked, asking himself why he was being nice all of a sudden.
"It was so hard to admit. I tried to tell Ron, but he just called me the M word," Hermione looked at her arms, noticed that the sleeves were up and revealing the cuts, she hastily pulled the sleeves back down.
"Does anyone else know?"
"The staff, because Dumbledore told them. He was the one that found me. Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" she scooted away from him, and was about to get back up when he grabbed her forearms, and pulled her back down in sitting position. Hermione winced in pain.
"I have no idea," he whispered, looking at her in a different way. "I'm asking myself the same thing."
Hermione nodded, and stood up again, reaching for the doorknob to see if it was still unlocked.
"Your not going to continue living in that broom closet? Go back to Gryffindor tower, I'll help you," he offered her his hand.
"They'll kick me out again," she replied.
"Well, we'll ask Dumbledore to give you somewhere to live."
"Dumbledore already gave me a place. Malfoy, can you keep a secret?" Hermione asked him.
"Because it's a rare ocassion, and I am now nice to you, and we are now friends. Call me by my first name, okay?"
Hermione nodded.
"This isn't a broom closet," she said, her voice in a hushed whisper.
"Of course it is," he cried indignantly at being proven wrong.
Hermione sighed, and opened the door. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at the breath-taking common room.
"Merlin's beard," Draco gasped.
"Promise me you'll never tell anyone, or else I will 'obliviate' you," Hermione whispered, closing the door behind them.
"I promise."
"So, did you say you were my-my friend?" she asked, her heart beat returning to normal.
"Yes, Miss Granger, you are no longer a loner," Draco replied, and soon began to gasp for breath as she embraced him again.
Hermione was actually happy, for the first time in months, she was happy. She hoped that he never left or betrayed her, because she had finally found someone to lean on. Draco finally returned her hug, and she pulled away from him, smiling her first true smile in so long.
"I am always haunted at night, Draco. I see that moment every night, the same image. I have to take a Dreamless Sleeping Potion, to save me from the horrible memories. I can't close my eyes, or relax at all, they'll come back. Please save me from my nightmares, Draco, don't leave." She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes as she recalled the past months.
"I won't, I will stay by your side, no matter what people say," he whispered, and her eyes twinkled as he said those words.
"I liked you, Hermione, even before now," he said, as they embraced eachother.
"Why are you always so mean?"
"Because I either did not want to admit, or I couldn't let the Slytherins know. But now I don't care if they make fun of me, you have been through way more and managed to keep your head high," he lifted her chin slightly, and gave her a rare and charming smile.
"Gods, I was so close to the edge," she muttered, burying her face in the front of his robes.
He took Hermione in his arms, with a quidditch beater's strength, and carried her up to the room on the second level. She began to breathe softly, her eyes shut as sleep overtook her. He set her on the bed, and got up to go to into the bathroom to take a nice shower.
Finishing up, he exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair soaking wet. Pulling his clothes back on, with caution of Hermione's sleeping form, he decided to leave her alone to sleep. As his hand reached the doorknob, he heard a high pitched scream fill the room.
Draco whipped around abruptly, still questioning why he was suddenly worrying for the girl. Hermione was convulsing in bed, letting out terrified shrieks.
He took his belt from his pants, knowing what to do in these situations, and put the leather part of it in her mouth. She continued to convulse, but he made sure she didn't swallow her own tongue. He then tried to shake her awake, but it grew hard, because she wouldn't give in.
After almost being severed a few times, he took out his wand, "Petrificus Totalus."
Her body went rigid, and her eyes began to look around nervously.
"Sorry Hermione, I hope your awake now," he said, then released the spell.
"God, I keep seeing them," she groaned, trying to keep her eyes open.
"I'll stay with you," Draco climbed into bed with her, causing Hermione to blush.
"Th-thanks," she replied, turning over to go back to sleep.
"Where are the potions?"
"Under the bed."
Draco nodded, and climbed out of the bed to retreive the bag. Then handed her a bottle, as she drank it, he watched her in fascinated curiosity.
"Sorry I ruined your life and almost made you commit suicide," Draco mumbled, climbing back in again.
She laughed slightly at his straight forward apology. Then immediately fell asleep.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Draco awoke early that morning, laying back in bed, eyes wide open, lost in thought. He did question his sudden hero act with Hermione, it honestly did not fit him. What would his friends say if he started to hang out with a mudblood, that he had been trying to destroy for years? And when he had finally succeeded, came to her rescue...
Hermione mumbled something and turned over, so that she was now facing him. Her straight hair falling in her face, she scrunched up her nose as it tickled her slightly. Her eyes opened and she gave a nice stretch.
"Nice, calming, sleep," she mumbled, a grin on her face.
"Yep," he replied, his mood changing again.
"I am actually ready to start a new day," Hermione got out of the bed and headed to her dresser, before looking down to see that she was still in her robes.
"Do you want me to hang out with you today?"
"No, it will just give them more reasons to hate me and attack me. It's okay, you have given me happiness and confidence, that's all I want. A friend," she smiled again.
"You act as if Potty and Weasel have never existed before," Draco replied, getting out of bed, also noticing his clothes were still on.
Hermione got out a brush and began to brush her hair, before taking out a wand and muttering a spell.
"So that's Miss Granger's secret, eh?" Draco smirked, walking over.
"You caught me."
"Well, I don't really mind wearing yesterday's robes. They all look the same anyway," Draco shrugged, as he walked over to her vanity picked up her comb, immediately running it through his hair.
"Your vain," she muttered.
"Not as much as, Lockhart," Draco replied.
"Life sucks, but now, it just stinks," she give him a small grin.
"Good to know, how much of an increase is that?"
"Don't care, I'm just still in shock that I actually forgave you."
"I apologized didn't I?" Draco lifted her out of the chair.
"Sure, after giving me a nervous breakdown."
"I'll make it up to you. Are you sure you don't need protection?" Draco asked, opening her door, and descending the stairs with her.
"It'll be fine. It's hard though, no sympathy, although I am not one to ask for that. But the teachers just give me pity, which is worse."
"I sympathize, I care," Draco smiled at her as they reached the door.
"I miss my parents, and last night was the first time I had ever voiced it aloud, thanks for being a prat and breaking my last nerve," Hermione said.
"No problem."
Hermione cautiously opened the door, and saw that the corridor was empty.
"Hurry," she whispered as they snuck out of the door.
"We have Transfiguration next together. Too bad I can't talk to you," Draco shrugged, and gave her a surprising kiss on the cheek, before leaving the corridor with his same saunter, but now it didn't bother her at all.
[A/N: I know, it was short, but that just seemed like a perfect end of chapter. Now you know who brings her out of this, and there will be lots more shouting. Wink wink]