Parcheesi
Chapter 5: Silent Cries For Help Are Never Heard
By: Keiko
Disclaimer: Check the last three chapters, I don't like repeating myself.
StarPhoenix: I know! I wanted it to be like that so that if the characters seemed Ooc, Draco would be the least Ooc. I don't want him to be easy on Hermione, I want him to break her, and then fix her.
Monday Mornings: Thanks! Yes, I have definitely read Terrifie. It's really great. Oh, and don't shut up.
KarmaJayne: Even more yayness! Thanks, girl, you know we're cool.
KrystaGurl04046: Thanks! I will definitely write more. I'm just going to put Blaise and Draco scenes in to add more level, but it wont be in every chapter.
Paris97: Thank you! I love Hermione/Draco fics too. I will keep the trio as friends. They'll probably break up for a little while, but it wont be because of Draco. I hate that too. Keep rambling if it means more reviews. (lol)
ADepressedSpooty: You are like, SO sweet! Thanks, with all the love in the world. If you like this story you should try Terrifie, unless you read it. And definately check out KarmaJayne, her stories rock.
A/N: Sorry you guys. I absolutely DESPISED this chapter! Don't hate me, but it was just a move along chapter. It'll get better, I swear. As I said before, do you think they should fall in love first or become friends first? As always, reviews give me inspiration, so, yeah. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate all of your support. That poem is actually titled To Be Afraid, and I wrote it. It's been copyrighted, so, no stealing. Hehe, just joking, I know none of you would steal it. It really is copyrighted, though. PEACE OUT HOMEDOGIIES!
Hermione counted to three as slowly as she could, extending the time by adding fractional integers in between each solid number. "One, one and a half, one and three quarters, one and three fifths, two…"
Finally she reached three, and an unknown force in her mind made her turn the doorknob to the left and tentatively place a delicate foot over the large threshold.
"Professor Snape?" she called "Professor Sna-"
"How can I help you Miss Granger?" Proffesor Snape drawled wearily, not very pleased to find his second to first least favorite Gryffindor student in the school standing outside of his office.
"I need to speak with you about a matter." She said, studying his face.
"What about?" He prompted, already wishing she would leave.
"You, ah, paired me with Malfoy on the potions assignment, and I don't think that we're such the best pair."
"Why not?" he asked, a smirk on his face.
"Well, we don't exactly get along."
"Miss Granger, this assignment is not about getting along. It's about passing my class, and making me happy."
"Professor, how do you expect us to do a good job on the assignment if we can't hold a civilized conversation?" Hermione shrieked, racking her brain for ways to get Snape to grant her request.
"I don't expect anything. It's up to you and Mr. Malfoy whether you and he do well on this assignment. I just review them. I have no control over either of your emotions." He said, looking at her.
"But-." She started,
"You're dismissed." He said sharply. So sharply, that Hermione didn't even bother arguing. She knew it would be of no use.
Hermione turned around, and walked out of the very large room, sulking, and brooding over the fact the situations went from bad, to horrible.
Working with Malfoy was hard for her. The verbal abuse just mirrored what she got at home. And it weakened her. She had cried like a lost child after Malfoy had left. She didn't return to the Common Room until well after three A.M.
Even though the little tiny rational part of her mind was telling her that it wasn't her fault that her parents had been murdered, and that Death Eaters were just evil, the really big irrational part of her mind was telling her otherwise. Of course, she believed the latter, rather than the former.
Hermione just couldn't deal with Malfoy. Well, she could, but she knew that it would be hard. She knew that she could go to Ron and Harry, but she was afraid that they'd blame her parents death on her as well, and turn her away.
Maybe she could be sick every day and check herself into the Hospital Wing, but then Snape would just use that as an excuse to give her a B minus. No, that couldn't do. Grades, grades, grades. Appearances, appearances, appearances. Had to keep up appearances, or people would pry, secrets would be spilt, and hearts would be broken. Hermione didn't need anymore weight on her shoulders than she already had.
So, it seemed that the only way was to endure Malfoy and his demeaning behavior. He probably went back to the dungeons every night and bragged about how he made her cry, and how she wasn't as much of a Brave Gryffindor as everyone thought. He didn't know how right he was.
Draco sat quietly in the comfortable seat inside of the classroom that held his Divination class. 'Why do I bother taking this stupid class? It's so stereotypical. Only those who are stupid actually understand it, and we don't even get good credits!'
Professor Trelawney walked around the classroom, gazing into the crystal balls on the tables, and periodically letting out a worried shriek, and putting tears in her eyes to worry the children to the point of actually believing the foolishness. Every time a student would utter anxiously, "What is it Professor? What do you see?" Draco and Blaise would chuckle boldly. It was amazing how gullible those people seemed.
Finally, Professor Trelawney approached their table and gazed into their balls.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, this is very…peculiar…but you ball is…blank. Are you sure you said the incantation clearly?"
"What do you think?" he said haughtily "Of course I did it right."
"Well, then. I-I- I think that maybe you should get another ball."
Draco sighed deeply and walked to the other end of the classroom, grabbed a ball, and returned to his seat.
"Say the incantation again, if you will." Professor Trelawney said
Draco, already irritated, said "Yah, maybe I wont."
Blaise laughed heartily, which caused the other students to momentarily look up from their own Crystal balls.
Nevertheless, Draco said the incantation once again. "Assez, assez cristal boule', montrer moi que mon futur caoul."
The ball started to steam, and cloud, and then suddenly stopped, and everything faded. It went blank.
"Blank. Just blank." Muttered Professor Trelawney.
"Yeah, it's blank. So what?" Draco said.
"So what? So what? Young man, your future is unsealed. You have the freedom to choose any path in life, and are guaranteed to live!" She shrieked.
She looked at Blaise's crystal ball and saw the same thing in his. It was blank as well.
"That's preposterous." Blaise laughed, "Nobody is guaranteed to see the next day."
"Oh, dear boy, you are. You both are." She breathed, excited. "This is very, very, very rare. You should embrace it."
Right before she dismissed the class, she placed her hands on Draco and Blaise's heads and breathed deeply, then pretended to wipe tears from her eyes.
On their exit, Draco and Blaise burst into large rounds of laughter, trying helplessly to catch their breath.
"That crazy old bat needs to be checked into St. Mungo's!" Draco said, between large bursts of laughter.
"This is very, very, very rare. You should embrace it." Blaise mocked expertly. It made Draco laugh harder.
"She's crazy, I tell you. Pure mad."
Crabbe and Goyle came along just then, and asked Draco and Blaise what they were laughing at.
"Oh, nothing your tiny brain cells would be able to comprehend." Draco said,
"Tell us anyway. Our brain cells could try." Crabbe said.
That comment sent Draco and Blaise into a fresh round of laughter.
"Get the bloody hell out my face, you sorry excuses for a nothing." Draco said after he had caught his breath.
"No, Malfoy, don't make me laugh! My stomach hurts already." Blaise moaned through hard laughter.
"What's a sorry excuse for a nothing?" Goyle asked
The stupid comment made Blaise laugh so hard he slid down the wall and had to rest on the floor to regain his regular state of poise.
Soon enough, the boys stopped laughing and were stable enough to walk upright.
"How can someone be so bloody daft?" Blaise asked, reflecting on their encounter with whom the rest of the school referred to as dumber and dumberer.
"Don't ask me."
Draco and Blaise finally calmed down after about ten minutes of silent giggles.
They were walking along relatively silent as Hermione speed walked to get to her next class. She was looking down at the ground and muttering to herself, obviously in deep thought. Hermione wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally bumped into Malfoy. She and her books both went spiraling to the ground.
"Watch where you're going, you ridiculous which!" Draco sneered.
As Hermione scampered around on her knees trying to collect her books that she had dropped, Blaise realized that one of Hermione's books had fallen at his feet. He bent down and picked it up, extending his arm to give it to her.
She looked up at him for a moment, questioning his motive, and then she grabbed the book, got to her feet and jogged away from them.
Draco chuckled questioningly as he watched her lope off. "What's up with Granger?" he asked.
Blaise looked at Draco with a smirk to match his own and said, "Why do you care? You just pulverized the poor girl."
"I didn't pulverize her, and I don't care. I just made a comment. What was with you picking up her book? It should be against the law to touch Mudblood possessions. Who knows what kinds of life-threatening diseases they carry." Draco said with a forced shudder.
Blaise laughed knowingly and said, "Come on. We've got the quidditch field today."
Hermione ran upstairs, knocking people out of the way in the process, and made her way to the dormitories.
She dropped her books on the bed, and belly flopped in after them.
"It's not fair. It's just not fair," Hermione muttered into her pillows, over and over again.
She still had three classes left of the day, and prefect duties, but forget those. She'd just lie there, in her bed, and wallow in self-pity. She seemed to do that allot lately-- wallow in self-pity.
Hermione raised her tear stricken face from the sheets, pulled the curtains around her four-poster bed closed, and fell back wondering what she did to deserve the horrifying torture that was her life.
Slowly, but surely, Hermione fell asleep, nightmares plaguing her restless mind.
"Hermione, Hermione- wake up." Lavender loomed over Hermione, and woke her.
"Ughh, what can I do for you Lavender?" Hermione asked, eager to go back to sleep.
"Harry and Ron asked me to wake you and tell you to come downstairs. Oh, and it's about an half-hour away from dinner, so you might as well get up, anyway." Lavender said, tugging the sheets off of Hermione, and dragging her up by her arms.
"Nooo, Lavvy, I don't wanna wake up!" Hermione whined, just like when her parents would try to wake her in the early mornings, back in elementary school.
"It's not like you really-," Lavender grunted in the effort of dragging Hermione out of bed, "- have a choice! So get-"
"No…" Hermione complained,
"UP!"
Hermione screamed in frustration, grabbed her wand off of her nightstand, performed a refreshing spell on her own body, and made her way downstairs.
"Geez, Hermione we sent for you over thirty minuets ago!"
"You sent for me? What are you, my father? That's impossible, seeing as he's dead." Hermione glared at him, and plopped down on the couch.
"Are you, like, PMSing, Hermione?" Ron asked, wondering why she was acting so mean.
Hermione looked at the clock, raised herself and walked out of the common room.
Once again, Ron was left with no clue, and a growing suspicion of sorts.
"Ron, here's a lesson that I hope you never forget." Harry began, chuckling, "Never ask your girlfriend if she's PMSing. Ever. It's an unwritten rule."
Harry got up and walked toward the exit, leaving Ron to ponder on how much he had to learn.
"All prefects please assemble at the table to the left of the professor's table that Mr. Filch has so graciously set up for you." Dumbeldore's voice rang throughout the Great Hall clearly, gaining immediate attention.
Since the prefects were required to be in the Great Hall ten minutes before dinner, they were already assembled and all immediately made they're way to the table.
Hermione sat at the end of the table, with a piece of parchment, and an Ever Flow quill in her hand.
Sitting In The Great Hall Before Dinner 11/12/05
You've entered my mind, and filled me with hate.
The people around me can feel my pain.
You've carved, molded, and decided my fate.
The sky spits tears that are passed off as rain.
What have I done that makes you treat me so?
You dissect and pick apart my whole soul.
I cower from your mean evil laughter.
If there's a way I can escape this pain,
And I can escape the way you hurt me,
Please show me where the hidden tunnels lay.
Yearning to be alone, and nowhere near you,
But afraid to stray from what draws me to you.
Hermione
As the table began to fill, she folded the parchment, and nestled it in her wand pocket.
"Hemione?" Ron said tentatively, "Are you mad at me?"
Hermione turned and looked at him, smiling at his countenance. He looked like a lost little boy.
Hermione leaned over and kissed him reassuringly, then grasped his hand under the table.
He grinned at her, and turned his attention to Harry, who had made prefect that year. Ron squeezed her hand once more.
"Granger, tonight. Project. Be there." Draco hissed.
"What is it these days? Everyone wants a piece of me." Hermione thought.
"Quiet everyone, quiet. You're questions will soon be answered, but we must have silence." Dumbledore's booming voice echoed.
"Perhaps you are wondering why I have our fourteen prefects assembled apart from the rest of you, perhaps you aren't. They are assembled so because we have a surprise for you wonderful students."
The hall began to sound of whispers and questioning murmurs.
"Patience, patience…due to the exceptional performance of our prefects, the professors have decided…to give you all a three day break—"
The murmurs and excited whispers began once again.
"Which will be used practicing for quidditch, catching up on school work, and most of all…catching up on our beauty rest."
The hall laughed softly.
"And the house elves have put together a special performance for you students, on their own will, all due to our prefects. Please reward them with a round of applause."
The hall burst into large gales of applause, the houses cheering out the names of their favorite prefects.
"Now, enjoy the program, and eat to you're hearts content."
The house elves all marched out into the great hall wearing hand knitted scarves, hats, gloves, and socks, under large applause from every table except Slytherin.
They took their place just below the professors' table, and began.
"Before we's begins, de house elves wuld all like to tank Harry Potter's bushy haired friend for de clothes. We have been collect for years, and finally enough for all elves." Dobby said, with tears in his eyes.
The Hall burst into applause and laughter as most of the students looked towards Hermione and pointed.
Hermione laughed along with everyone else, moved closer to Ron, and grabbed Harry's hand from across the table to enjoy the show.
Throughout the show she could feel a pair of eyes staring at her. She could feel it, but tried not to notice it. It scared her. It scared her because she thought she was invisible. It scared her because someone other than who she knew noticed her. It scared her because, though she didn't know who it was, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the attention, and she knew she shouldn't. And it scared her because she knew enjoying it would dig her into a deeper hole than she was in.
A much deeper, darker hole.
