Chapter II

There was no noise at all, save the echoes from footsteps through the hall. Through her closed eyes, Hermione could see a white light ahead of her. She squinted at it, though it was not very bright at all. It was soon blocked out anyway, as someone stood over her.

"Hermione! Oh my goodness, are you all right? What happened?" a scared female voice said to her. Hermione opened her eyes fully and looked at Mrs. Weasley. She smiled a little at her clothing—obviously she was not very experienced at dressing like a Muggle, for she was wearing a denim skirt, plaid socks that went up to her knees, and an ugly pea-green sweater that Hermione could have easily gotten lost in.

"Nice outfit," Hermione teased. Instead of smiling or explaining her clothing of choice, Mrs. Weasley wrapped her arms around Hermione and began to cry.

"Oh dear, we were so worried about you. Ron sent an owl to ask if you wanted to meet us in Diagon Alley later today, and the owl came back with the letter. So we came by Floo powder to investigate and…and…" Her tears stopped her next words.

A redheaded girl walked into the room with her head hung. She looked up and saw Hermione awake, and her face brightened. "Hey, guys, Hermione's awake!" she yelled down the hall. Almost immediately, running footsteps were heard and two boys walked in. All three ran to Hermione's side.

"Hermione! What the bloody hell happened?" Ron asked.

"Ron, watch your language!" Mrs. Weasley said sternly, but seemed to forgive him due to the situation.

"I…I was cutting something and I slipped and cut my wrist on accident," Hermione lied. She didn't want to straight up tell them that she cut herself because her father beat and raped her.

"What a crock of…"

"RON!"

The doctor came in then, with a clipboard in his hand. He looked over Hermione. "You'll have to stay here for a few more days, not because you're incapable of getting up and about, but because we want to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't try this again." (A/N: I don't think they'd only keep you in the hospital for a few days after you attempt suicide, but let's pretend, shall we? After all, she does have to get to Hogwarts eventually.)

"Try what?" Harry and Ginny asked in unison.

Hermione didn't answer. She merely turned her head away from them to indicate she didn't want to talk about it.

"Ok, children, let's go get something to eat and let Hermione have some rest. Hermione, dear, we'll be back later," Mrs. Weasley said, ushering the three out of the room. With one last look at the brunette laying on the hospital bed, she left.

--After Hermione's had some sleep--

She opened her eyes when someone knocked on the door. She looked up and saw the one person she least expected to be there. Hell, she didn't even expect him to come at all.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she asked nastily.

"I just came to see if what they said was true. So, the Mudblood really did try to kill herself," he replied.

"Call me a Mudblood again and I'll hex you right here and now." Both teens knew it was an empty threat; Hermione couldn't get to her wand if she wanted to. "And how do you know I tried to kill myself?"

"Oh, come of it, isn't it obvious?" Malfoy asked. "You have your wrist slit, with a razor laying right next to you, and that load of crap story you told Potty and Weasel was just plain stupid."

"What, do you listen in on my conversations? Stop calling my friends that. And how did you know all that?"

"Sometimes, no, and I talked to the nurse. She told me your dad had confessed to raping you and beating you and neglecting you, while he was drunk, of course. He's in jail."

"And our of curiosity, how long have I been here?" Hermione asked, knowing she should've asked this before when her friends were in the room.

"Three or four days, I think," Malfoy said. "This is the first time I've come, but loads of other people have come to visit you already, so I've heard."

"What about Hogwarts? Did they excuse me for not being there? Did…"

Malfoy put his hand over Hermione's mouth to stop the words from escaping. "Slow down on the questions. Yes, Dumbledore knows you're here, and he's delayed the term until two weeks from now so as not to let you miss a single thing. He hasn't told the rest of the school, but about half the Gryffindors know through Potter and the Weasleys. No one else, except for me, of course, knows."

"Oh," Hermione said quietly.

Malfoy looked down and happened to notice the scars on Hermione's arms. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

Hermione felt weird talking about this with him, but decided she needed to get this off her chest badly. "I started cutting a few weeks before my ninth birthday. My mum had just died a couple months before, and my dad was so upset he started drinking. Then he started beating me for no reason or for stupid reasons, and just as Dad drank to solve his problems, I cut to solve mine. Then one day it just got to be too much. So I did this." She gestured to the scar on her wrist, where there was a bandage and no doubt stitches underneath.

"I sort of know how you feel," Malfoy admitted. "My father went to Azkaban, and may I say thank God for that, and my mother is dead. (A/N: Again, let's pretend.) I'll show you something, but only if you promise not to tell a soul, because if you do, I'll use the Cruciatus Curse on you." He rolled up the sleeve of his long-sleeved shirt to up past his elbow, and Hermione could see small scars running up and down along the length of it.

"When did you start?" Hermione couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of Malfoy's scars. To know that someone who was so completely different from her and had something in common with her as well, was weird.

"About a year ago, so you've more experience, I'd say." He rolled the sleeve back down.

"Oh," Hermione said again. She looked at her own arm.

An awkward silence followed, neither really wanting to be the first to say anything. Finally, it was Hermione who broke the silence.

"Did…I mean," she started. "Did we just have a civil conversation?"

"I think we did," Malfoy said in a mock shocked voice. "Don't tell anyone."

Hermione smiled. It was the first time that she had ever smiled because of something he had said. "I won't," she pretended to promise.

Just then, Harry and Ron walked in.

"What are you doing here?" Harry said, and Hermione could see the anger in his eyes.

"I have just as many visiting rights as you," Malfoy snapped, then stood up. They had a sort of staring contest, with neither backing down.

"I swear, if I find out you've poisoned her or something, I'll kill you using my own bare hands," Harry said through gritted teeth.

Malfoy merely snorted a little and strode from the room. Ron watched him go, making sure he was really leaving. "Hermione, you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. We were just talking," she answered.

"About what?"

"Just stuff," she said. She knew Malfoy's secret, and he knew hers, and for a while she wanted to keep it that way.