Glass Dragons 4/?

By Tacy

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Hermione/Draco

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Dedication: To EEsa for your birthday… last June… sorry? And of course to your tattoo!!! But I'm sorry, that won't happen here. EESA LOVES… HARRY AND DRACO! HARRY AND DRACO! HARRY AND DRACO! LOVE! LOVE!

A/N: SHIIIIIIIIT I MISSED MY DEADLINE! I AM SOOOOOO SORRY EVERYONE!!

Chapter 4: A Tearful Discussion

Hermione awoke the next morning with her dream from the night before still vivid in her mind. She shook her head as she stretched, laughing silently at her idiocy. She couldn't believe that she had dreamed all that up, but she definitely felt better rested than she had thus far that year.

She was still shaking with laughter at herself as she climbed into the shower, but as the stream of water hit her body, she realized what this meant. If that was all a dream, then Draco still hated her, and she was still more alone then it was possible to be in such a school as Hogwarts. As this realization swept through her soul, she began to cry shattering sobs that could break hearts with their sheer meaningfulness. After 10 minutes of attempting to shower through her uncontrollable tears, she gave up, leaving her head against the wall and letting the water pound down her back.

She couldn't do this, not after that dream. She couldn't pretend without knowing he was as well.

Her dream ran back through her head, flitting by as fast as the water that still flowed down her back. She closed her eyes and let it all come back. It had seemed so real.

""Draco, what… what happened to you?"

"Had to ask the hard one, didn't you, MyMy?" he paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before he decided to just let it flow. "As I'm sure the Gryffindors have told you, my father is an evil bastard. My mother told me quite the same thing as a child, only slightly kinder, and let me tell you, it is the truth." He paused again. "When I arrived at home the first night, he kept looking at me funny. He would smile at me, but not kindly, like you always did. Sinister, like he was trying to figure out the quickest way to snap my neck. It scared me. That night, he moved all my stuff into my new chambers, and they were huge, but all I wanted was my little room back home, with pictures of us around the room and my mom right down the hall. I told him as much, and he… he hit me. Hard. Told me I was weak. He wouldn't tolerate weak. The next morning, I awoke to his evil face. He put a glamour over my bruised eye, and warned me that if I told Mother, she'd suffer twice as much as I had. And so started the pattern. Every night, he was there in my chambers, and every morning he hid his creations from Mother. They got progressively worse as the years went by, and at one point he almost couldn't cover one, and Mother almost found out," he took a shaky breath, bracing himself against the onslaught of memories.

"He punished me worse for that one. He said it was my fault, but after that last mishap, he began using a different method. He… he came into my room the next night with his wand out, and… I never thought the Cruciatus curse could possibly hurt as much as it does," he squeezed Hermione's arm at her shocked gasp. "It's alright. I'll live."

"But, Draco, that's an illegal curse! What…" he cut her off, placing a finger softly over her mouth.

"You'll have your turn pet. Please… I need to do this quickly." She nodded in understanding, and he continued. "Anyway, he began that about 3 years ago, and soon after, I was deemed 'ready for training'. It was horrible, because he knew exactly what to ask that I would get wrong. He… he beat me for caring for you. Mother honestly thought he had changed, and told him everything of our lives in muggle England. She told him about you. And the one thing in the world that I will do anything to stop… is your death. So he threatened me with that, and slowly I found what he wanted from me. I… I've made a mask to save you."

Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck as she cried into his chest. She cried for him, for his pain, for his torture. She cried for her part, and his mothers, and his own. And slowly, he began to cry as well, pulling her closer to him, his tears wetting her hair. They clung to one another for dear life, and cried.

And then he pulled away, the implications of his admission finally penetrating his mind. He jumped up, cursing loudly. She got up as well, placing a hand on his arm. "What is it?" she questioned softly.

And he began to cry all over again, this time not for himself, but for her. "Idiot!" he cried aloud to himself. "Bloody idiot! Bastard!" she squeezed his arm, unsure of what he meant. He looked at her, and the anguish on his face tore her heart in two.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Mione. He'll kill you, now that you know. I never should have told you."

She knew that he meant his father, and she frowned as she thought about this specific problem. Then she realized the answer, and her smile lit up the night.

"So we pretend," she murmured into his hair. He pulled away to look at her, and she smiled up at him from her place tucked under him arm before elaborating. "We go on like we hate one another, just as we have this past month. We'll meet at night, and we can still be friends, and in the day, it's a game. Who can get the other the most riled up. And they'll believe us, because what else do they have to believe?"

Draco smiled happily at her. "You know, that just might work." He dried his tears, and pulled her closer again.

He had asked her, as they walked back to her common room, to meet him in the astronomy tower again the next night, and she had smilingly agreed. They had hugged one last time, and each had gone off to bed happy.

Now, as Hermione finally gathered enough strength to turn off the water, she could not have been sadder. That dream would destroy her today. But as she looked in the mirror, she knew that she had to try. She knew that the only way to get through today was to try. So she gathered her things and went ot do that.

Never could anyone say that Hermione Granger was weak.

Ok so that was shit. But I missed my deadline that I set for myself, and I really wanted to get this up! I'm sorry! And trust me, this story is nowhere near finished. Next chapter will clear up many things, and just remember. The mystery has only just begun.

Next chapter:

WAS it a dream?

It has to be… doesn't it?

Ok yea so bye

-Tacy (Beautiful Willow)