7.

Her eyes wouldn't open. She was still tired, but she was awake, and her eyes wouldn't open, they were so heavy. She had had the craziest dream. It was that dumbass Malfoy again. He said something to her... something that Hermione couldn't remember. She had enjoyed it, though. His words had been comforting.
'Ha! A Malfoy's words? Comforting?' she thought. 'Sounds like a bad joke.'
She moaned and attempted to open her eyes. They opened a little, and she got a feeling of her surroundings. It was white, just as she had imagined and hoped. She looked around her, trying to find a sign of her mother. But, no, there were more beds. And white curtains. And Draco Malfoy was sitting in a chair near her!
Hermione shook her head. 'No, I'm supposed to be dead! I'm supposed to be seeing my mum right now. I'm in the damn Hospital Wing!'
Malfoy looked up at her. "Hermione!"
Hermione slammed her fist on her bed. "Get the hell out of here Draco Malfoy!"
Malfoy shook his head. "But, Hermione-"
"I said get out! I never want to see your face again!"
Nodding a little, Malfoy stood up and exited the Hospital Wing. Hermione slammed her head back onto the pillow. She was supposed to be in heaven with her mother, but someone found her. Someone saved her life, damn it! Whoever did it was in for a sure beating when she left the Hospital Wing. She shook her head in anger fiercely. Just then, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey came in. Dumbledore smiled.
"It's thankful you are well," he said calmly. "We were all very worried."
"Who brought me here?" Hermione asked, trying to sound thankful rather than outraged.
"You have Mister Malfoy to thank for that," said Madam Pomfrey. "He was nearly crying when he brought you here."
Hermione looked down the bed to her feet and didn't respond.
"Miss Granger," said Dumbledore.
Hermione looked up at him timidly.
"I would very much like to know why you have done this to yourself," he asked.
'Damn, he knows. And it's all Malfoy's fault,' thought Hermione.
"I haven't done anything," she replied, looking back down at her feet.
"Then how do you explain the scars on your arm?" asked Dumbledore.
In her head, Hermione thought, 'Just mind your own damn business, old man!'
But she said, "I'm clumsy. I feel asleep studying and accidentally cut myself with my quill."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow over his half-moon glasses. "Ah, I see."

Hermione knew he didn't buy it. There was no lying to Dumbledore. But he didn't ask any questions. He excused himself and Madam Pomfrey gave her one last check-over. Madam Pomfrey said she was free to go, and it was Saturday. She had an entire day to kill Malfoy for what he had done.

When Hermione had told Draco to leave, he went straight down to his Common Room. He let himself into his own private room and laid down in the king- size, fluffy bed. He closed his eyes and tried to think of Quidditch, or teasing Potty and Weasel, but his mind always drifted back to Her. The girl that he loved, but could not hold. There were so many reasons he shouldn't and couldn't love her, but he did.
Thinking about the girl he could never have, he cried.

Hermione spent the entire day searching for him. He wasn't at any meals. He wasn't in the Library. He wasn't by the Lake. He wasn't at the Quidditch Pitch. He was nowhere to be found. But she had to find him.
The last thing she could think of was his Common Room. She knew where it was from being a prefect last year, but she had no idea what the password was. She walked up to the portrait of a scary-looking knight.
"Thee is not of pure blood, what does thee want?" asked the portrait.
"Let me in, damn it, or I'll shred you to pieces," said Hermione through her teeth. She pulled out her wand threateningly.
"Alright, thee can come in. Thee has the heart of a Slytherin."
The portrait swung open, and a few Slytherins looked at her with question and surprise.
"Malfoy," she said, "where is he?"
Without question, the Slytherins pointed to a door on the far side of the Common Room. Hermione rushed to the door and shoved it open. Malfoy was laying on his bed. Hermione slammed the door behind her. Malfoy jumped off his bed in surprise. Hermione rushed up to him and slapped him hard across the face. Malfoy put his hand where she slapped him and a red mark had already begun to appear.
"Damn you, Malfoy!" she screamed. "I told you never to help me again, did you not think I was serious!!??"
"Hermione, please, listen-"
"No! I told you never to help me, and now all the professors know and I'm still standing! All because of you!"
"You're not listen-"
"I was so..." she started. Tears started to flow down her cheeks. She spoke softer. "I was so fucking close. I was so close, and you took it away from me."

All of a sudden, she collapsed on the floor. Draco could only watch as she curled up into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She sobbed silently with her eyes closed. Draco kneeled down in front of her.
"Hermione," he said softly.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
Draco wondered what he had wanted to say to her. He tried to think of something. "Your friends would never forget you."
'No, I. I would never forget you,' he thought to himself.
Hermione closed her eyes again. "Of course they would. They didn't look for me up in my room yesterday, you did."
She stood up and looked him in the face. She lightly touched his cheek where she had slapped him. It stung, but it felt more like electricity flowing through her hand and into him. His heart leapt. He pulled away from her because of the stinging. Hermione sighed and looked down at her feet.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You were only trying to do something nice." Then she looked back up at him. "Please, don't try to help me anymore. I really mean it this time. Don't follow me around. Live your own life. I don't need anyone to watch over me. Just be the normal Draco Malfoy that would have loved to see me like this."
Shocked, Draco watched her leave. When she closed the door, he said to himself, "I am the normal Draco Malfoy, and I hate to see you like this."

~

A/N: Hey guys! I'm really enjoying writing this story and I'm glad you all are liking it!! Well thanks to these people who reviewed:

MovieStarMissy

Chach-A-Lot

Xamphia

*There were lots of others but those were for the chapter before this one!