She left the common room in a haze of Ron. She could still taste him on her lips as she wandered out of the portrait hole and traipsed slowly down the corridor. She came to the turn in a corner and saw Draco standing there. He looked disheveled, his eyes gleamed and looked rather bloodshot, and his shirt was un-tucked, and wrinkled.

"Draco." Said Hermione, surprised by his presence. "What are you doing down here?"

"Where've you been?" He asked, ignoring her query. The heavy smell of alcohol hung in his breath as he gazed at her.

"I was in the common room with…" she stopped short.

"Say it." Draco spat. "I can smell the weasel on you, you filthy mudblood."

"And I can smell alcohol on you." She said cautiously.

Draco stepped forward. "So…So you two are going to do what? Live in a hovel together? With pigs and brats rolling around on the dirt floor?"

"Draco, what are you talking about?" Hermione spoke quietly, taking a step backward from him.

"Don't call me that." He growled. "Just 'Malfoy' was good enough for you all those years, it's good enough now."

His words were slurring slightly as he spoke, and he took another step closer to her.

"Draco, don't be like this. We can still be friends." Hermione whispered.

Draco's gaze softened as he looked at her half-lit face in the dim corridor. He held a hand up to cup her cheek softly. Hermione stood perfectly still as his cold fingers caressed her jaw.

"I loved you." He choked. Hermione took a deep breath,

"Draco… I understand. But…I don't feel the same way. I'm sorry." Her voice broke, not in anguish, but fear as his eyes grew cold again. Even in an intoxicated state Draco dueled far better than she…She didn't want to aggravate him…He was stronger, too.

"You're not sorry. You're happy with the weasel. What does he have that I haven't? I'm smarter, I have more money. You should beg to be with me you mudblood. Beg!" he stepped forward, more forcefully now, so that Hermione had to step back just to keep out of his way.

"What do you want from me?" She shouted, her voice trembling in fear, as he glared at her wildly.

"I want you." He said coldly. "And I always get what I want."

Hermione's hand flew to her pocket for her wand but Draco was too fast.

"Expelliarmus!"He shouted, his voice echoing down the corridor.

Her wand was torn from her hand and flew into his. His eyes narrowed maliciously.

Hermione now had one choice left. She had to get back to the portrait hole. Before Draco could make another move she whipped around and darted as quickly as she could back down the corridor. She could see the painting of the soundly sleeping Fat Lady coming into view. She was several feet from the doorway and she opened her mouth to shout the password when she suddenly felt as though she had run into a brick wall. She fell to the ground and when she tried to stand found she could not move her legs. Draco jogged up to where she lay, the wind knocked from her lungs from her sudden fall, she looked up at him, clutching her ribs and gasping for breath.

"Don't try to run you nasty little slut." He bent down and grabbed her by the collar of her robes and then dragged her down the corridor.

Hermione was gasping for air. If she could only fill her lungs she would scream so loud every tower in the castle would tremble, but it seemed running into the invisible wall had some sort of paralytic effect on her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of what jinx or spell would cause this and if she could disarm it. This wasn't her specialty though. This was Draco's domain. Give her arithmancy, transfiguration, she would shine. Her whole body ached as he continued to pull her further and further from the portrait hole. Suddenly he stopped dragging her and roughly pulled her up and against the wall, half sitting. He looked down at her smugly, and her eyes were full of fear as she looked up at his form. He twirled his wand carelessly in one hand and then knelt down in front of her.

"How does it feel mudblood?" He growled. He looked down the hall toward the portrait. "Your little Ronny's right down that hallway, and he wont know what I do to you…He won't hear a sound."

Hermione's breath still came in short gasps, and her vocal chords seemed stiff. She tried to scream with all her might and all that came out was a short breathy squeak. Her arms and legs felt like they were tied down with weights and her muscles ached from fighting against the force of the spell. Something in her told her just to shut down…To close her eyes and wait till whatever would happen was over…But she couldn't just sit there and give in. Hadn't she faced worse than him before? Three headed dogs and dementors and dark witches and wizards beyond imagining.

Draco raised his hand and brought it in a blow across her face. The back of her head slammed against the stone wall and her cheek stung. Again he brought his hand back the other direction and pain seared through her skull. He beat her until blood trickled from her mouth and nose and then he stopped and pain pressed in around her eyes.

Draco bent forward, his face inches from hers, his eyes bored into hers and she tried desperately to move her face away as his lips pressed roughly against her own, and he kissed her fiercely. His hands moved down across her body touching her, feeling her through her robes. He tore at her robes, no longer Draco, not the boy she'd sat by a fire for hours talking with, or sharing secrets or laughing with. This was someone else. This was…and with an inward gasp she saw it.

This was Lucius.

Her robes came off, and her stomach lurched as he tossed them aside greedily, his hot breath on her face, still carrying the stench of liquor. Her eyes burned with tears of fear and frustration as she tried with all her might to fight him, to fight the spell that was on her. He clawed at the buttons on her shirt for a moment and then thinking better of it tore at her shirt as well, buttons tearing from their threads and her blouse soon forgotten on the floor beside her.

Tears poured down Hermione's face as she looked into his malice filled eyes. He was now fully bent on his task. His eyes did not meet with hers, his hands groped and she tried to drive away the physical feeling, to go numb. Her body painfully aware and yet her brain trying to drive her somewhere else, put her thoughts in some other place. But all she saw was Ron and felt cold pain clench on her heart when she saw his face in her mind.

Draco's face was against hers again, her hot tears splashed down her face and dampened his as well as he kissed her mouth again, roughly, his tongue lashing against her clenched teeth.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no.

Her brain shouted, screamed it in agony again and again. Why did this happen to her? Why? Why couldn't she stop it? Why couldn't she just scream? One scream that would raze this castle to the ground and end whatever was happening to her.

She looked down at Draco's hands as they pried her belt buckle open and began to pull it out of the loops, his clumsy drunken fingers undressing her…and as she looked down she saw the locket on her chest from Ron…It slid from side to side as her body writhed against him…And suddenly she realized…She was writhing. Her arms were not so heavy, her legs grew lighter…And her lungs…Her lungs were filling deep with fresh clean air. She took one gasp as Draco forced her pants down off her waist and then released a scream that shook the walls and corridors. Every painting in every hallway and every student and teacher in every dormitory awoke to the piercing scream that careened off every wall and window. Hermione, in the split second that Draco stood, stunned and fearful, reached down and snatched his discarded wand from the floor and with a beam of red light, Draco landed with a heavy thud on the ground.

She heard thundering footsteps from all around, drawing nearer, doors swinging open and voices. She reached, hands shaking for her robes that had been thrown away and pulled them over her body. Blood dripped from her nose and lip and she rested her head backward on the cold stone, the world spinning in pain and delirium. And then she was being gathered in someone's arms. Someone strong and gentle. She dreamt that it was maybe Ron as her body quaked and gave way, but as she looked up through half-closed eyes she saw a silver beard and half moon glasses glinting in the torchlight.

a/n: I started this fic a while ago and thought I'd ended it, and then realized I'd left Draco's character hanging. This is not the end.

There will be more coming. Please review.