The gleaming sun pounded on Hermione's soft, delicate skin. She pulled the covers protectively over her face and groaned. She grudgingly rubbed her eyes and flung the covers off. Ever since school let out she was counting down the days until it started again. About three months before school let out her parents got into a huge argument and it ended in a divorce. They had not owled her with the news and it was quite a shock when she was only greeted by her father on the platform. He had a fake smile on when he greeted her, but the tears were swimming in his usually cheerful eyes. Once they were in the car he told her what had happened. How they separated and her mother ran off to America. Hermione couldn't believe it. Ever since the divorce her father had been drinking and yelling. Hermione was forced to be the parent instead of him. She would have to nurse him when he was to drunk to do anything. She would have to clean up after him when he got sick, she had to make all the meals and do all the house work. She had only been home a week and she already hated it here. She longed for those carefree days she had so wrongfully taken for granted.
Every morning was just another day in hell. She knew that deep down her father loved her, but he no longer showed it. He could hardly look Hermione in the face without braking down in tears and getting another drink. It was heart breaking for Hermione to see that. She hated that her mother left her here. Hermione loved her father, but he wasn't the greatest now. He was cruel and almost abusive. Hermione had only been hit a few times, but it was enough for Hermione to flinch every time he was angry. He had a tremendous temper and it was only worse when he drank. He used to be such a loving parent but it was no longer so.
Hermione stumbled out of bed and got dressed. She put on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. She tied her hair back in a pony tail and put on some make up. Last night was the most recent time that her father had hit her, well he didn't really hit her, it was more that he held on to arm so tightly that there was a bruise in the shape of his hand around her upper arm. She turned to leave when she saw it. She was forced to change her shirt so no one could see it. As much as she hated to admit it, she still needed her father so no one could know of these brief slip ups with his temper. She changed into a three-quarter length sleeve shirt. She walked down stairs, and rounded in front of the front door. She looked down the long hallway that was in front of her. The pictures of her and her mother were torn down and now broken glass and ripped photos lined the floor.
Hermione quickly looked to her left. Her father was hanging off the sofa, a bottle of scotch in his hand. The coffee table was over turned and the ambers in the fire were glowing slightly. Hermione rushed to her father's side and turned him so he was fully on the couch. He was mutter things under his breath, Hermione told him to be quiet and everything would be ok. She removed the bottle from his hand and rushed to get a blanket and start some coffee. He was sleeping soundly when she returned. She laid the blanket across him and picked up the table. Her CD player was underneath it and it was completely crushed. She looked sullenly at it before getting up and throwing it away in the kitchen. The kitchen looked completely untouched by her father's wrath. She started the coffee and made herself some cereal. She looked out the window which was beside the table. The birds were singing, the sun was shinning, it was a happy day outside, but inside it was still the everlasting hell Hermione was slowly becoming accustomed to.
She poured a cup of coffee for her father. She kneeled beside the couch with the coffee in her hand. She looked him over. He was sleeping peacefully but soon he would be awake with a pounding head ache that he would blame her for. In this house everything was her fault. She put the cup on the coffee table and left. She walked out into the gleaming sun. It bathed her in warm light. She smiled out at the street that was before her. Children were running around and playing, parents were watching from their front steps. She began her journey down to the center of the town. She would have to take the sub-way to get to the record store. She wanted a new CD player, she knew her father wouldn't give her the money for one, but she luckily had saved up some from past "jobs" her father had gotten for her and she had done them, without a second thought. She walked down into the sub-way station. She was franticly trying to get the change she needed to get on. She was too busy fumbling through her pockets to see that was just about to walk into someone. They collided head on and both went tumbling to the ground. Hermione picked herself up and wiped the dirt off of her butt. She offered her hand down to the person she knocked down.
"I am really sorry, I wasn't paying attention," She said apologetically. The person stared up at her; she was met with the steal gray eyes of her taunting enemy. She was stunned. "Malfoy?" She asked unbelievingly.
"The one and only, what the hell are you doing here Granger?" He sneered picking himself up off the ground.
"I should ask you the same thing," She replied, she could feel her anger rising.
"I forgot, you're a mudblood, you should be in the muggle world," He shot at her.
"Shut up," She hissed at him. They were getting weird glances from passerby's. "Come on," She grasped his wrist and pulled him out of the station. Once out of everyone's way, she threw his hand back at him and spun away angrily. "What the hell are you doing here Malfoy?" She said angrily.
"I decided to take a trip, just to see you mudblood," He said sarcastically. "What do you think I am doing here?"
"I honestly don't know, you hate muggles, you hate me, you have no purpose her, yet you are here," She replied.
"Yeah, well things change," He said crossly.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I don't want to talk about it right now ok?" He said a little less forceful than normal.
"Ok," She replied. She turned to walk away but was stopped by him grabbing onto her arm. She gasped in pain. He looked at her questioningly.
"Gra-Hermione, do you know of some place I could stay? Maybe with you? By the way, what's wrong with your arm?" He asked sincerely.
"You don't have anywhere to go?" She asked half jokingly, but was taken back by him nodding. "Your serious, you don't have anywhere to go," He looked up at her with a pleading puppy dog look. "Look my home situation isn't the best right now, you might not want to stay there," She replied.
"Anywhere is better than on the streets,"
"I guess it would be ok, we have an extra room," She said, she turned and started to walk away. Draco followed like a dog. He didn't say much until they were almost back to her house.
"Hermione, what's wrong with your arm?" He asked, he seemed almost truly concerned. Hermione stopped walking and looked at him.
"Its just a bruise, can we leave it at that please?" She said half worried and half angry. He nodded. They stopped in front of her house. He watched as she took a deep breath as if preparing herself for something awful, before preceding towards the door. She opened it and pushed Draco inside quickly. Before he could even process what the house looked like he was being pushed up the stairs.
"Whoa," He said as she continued to prod him up the stairs. Once at the top of the stairs she let up a little and led him down to the end of the hall. There were two rooms one on either side. She pointed to the one on the right.
"That's your room, the one on the left is mine and the one at the top of the stairs is my dad's. Ok?" She told him. He nodded. She was just about to leave him to unpack when he spoke again.
"What do you mean your dad's , what about your mom?" He asked. He saw the tears coming and then realized what happened. "Never mind," He said quickly before retreating to his room. It was a small room, with a bed, closet and a desk in front of a window looking of the street. They had spent most of the day walking and the sun was now setting. The street lights were coming on and he watched as all the little kids were called into their homes by their mothers. Draco so longed to have his mother with him. She had long ago lost her spark for life when she realized Lucius was a Death Eater. She threatened to go to the Ministry but he placed the Imperious curse on her and from then on she was an empty shell. She could have fought it, if she wanted to, but she knew, somewhere deep down she knew, life was better this way. Draco fought back the tears that came to his eyes every time he thought about this memory. He unpacked what little possessions he had and then walked down stairs.
He watched Hermione hurry around the house cleaning up best she could. He scanned the living room and resting on the couch was her father. He didn't look so good. He keeled over and vomited on the floor and began screaming for Hermione. Hermione rushed into the room to help her father. She cleaned up the mess and brought her father some coffee. Draco couldn't believe that this was the life she now had. Draco had seen this to many times, her father had been drinking. He watched in horror as Hermione's father hit her for the coffee being cold. Hermione apologized quickly and hurried out of the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that Draco was standing on the stairs watching her. She had tears welling up in her eyes and a red cheek from where her father hit her. She hurried down the hall and into the kitchen. She was leaning over the sink with the water running, she was crying.
Draco now knew why her arm had hurt earlier. He wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest. She had taken him in when she already had her father to take care of. He couldn't think of why he was every mean to her. Then he remembered. i His father /i . He hugged her even tighter. Just then her father came stumbling into the kitchen, cursing and rubbing his head.
"Where the hell is the pain medication, HERMIONE! Damn it girl where are you!" He shouted. He hadn't noticed that she was standing there in Draco's arms. She looked up at him, she looked so worried. She pushed Draco away and dried her tears the best she could.
"It's right here dad," She said softly.
"YOU DON'T NEED TO YELL! My head hurts keep your damn voice down!" He yelled at her. "You can't do anything right!" He snatched the bottle that Hermione was holding out of her hand and tried to open it. It had a child proof cap on it and he couldn't get it open. Hermione rushed over to help him but he pushed her back. She fell to the floor and hit her head against the cabinets. She groaned and stood up again. He was banging the bottle against the table to open it, when that didn't work he stormed over to the drawers and wrenched out a knife. Hermione gasped, she didn't trust him with that now. He slammed the bottle down on the counter and raised the knife high in the air. Hermione moved so she could see Draco again. Her father was standing in between them, she motioned for Draco to leave the kitchen and without question Draco obeyed. Hermione's father slammed the knife into the bottle over and over again; medication was spilling all over the floor. He grabbed a handful and popped them into his mouth. He turned and looked at Hermione, cursed and stumbled out of the kitchen.
Hermione fell to the floor sobbing and picking up the medication; her nightmare of a summer was just beginning.
authors
note: i hope you enjoyed chapter 2 of the story! please tell me
what you think! any reviews would be much appreciated! updates coming
really really soon!
