Chapter 3: Hysterical Tears and Old Fashioned Cures
Draco stood in the threshold of Hermione's room dressed only in black pajama bottoms, watching with pity as she went into hysterical tears. Laying there clutching her pillow, whispering words he couldn't hear, and sobbing openly, he felt her pain again, this time overwhelmingly. He was trembling and felt as though he would fall. The urging to comfort both her and himself shut the thoughts of upbringing, the words his father used to describe girls like Hermione, and everything that he had been trained to think, completely out of his head.
He turned away and into the bath room where he filled the tub full of ice cold water. Moving swiftly, he re-entered Hermione's room and picked her up out of her bed. She didn't even struggle, just moaned sorrowfully into his chest. Draco stood in front of the tub and dunked her in. Emerging from the chilled water, she gasped and shook. Sitting there cold and wet, she quit crying hysterically and sniffed a little. Hermione glanced over at him with blood shot eyes. He knelt down next to the tub and crossed his arms on the rim.
"Better?" he asked, a smile on his face. She just stared at him for a second, nodded, and then splashed him a little in the face. He laughed and grabbed her a towel.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked as stood. He looked at her with sympathy. "I understand what you're going through. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. And I know that going it alone isn't the way to get through it. So, I figured, why not help?"
Hermione's face grew red as he watched. She stepped out of the tub and snatched the towel out of his hands. "You think that you know what I'm going through? You, Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, also known as the boy without a heart. You have no clue what I'm going through. You can't possibly comprehend how it feels to have your heart ripped out!" she shouted. She slapped him in the face. "You son of a bitch! No, you don't know! You don't!" Another slap on the arm. "Stop saying you know! I hate you! I hate you!"
She backed him up against the wall, slamming blow after blow on his body screaming "You don't!" with each. Tears were spilling down her face, but Malfoy didn't lift a finger to defend himself until her hits became weaker and weaker.
Malfoy grabbed her arms to stop her hitting him. He spun her around and slammed her wet body against his bare chest and slapped his hand over her mouth for the third time that day. He looked at her through the mirror. She was breathing hard and staring at him hatefully.
"I admit that I've been horrible to you for six years. I understand that you hate me. But you are just going to have to get over that. Hermione, you are at a bad place in your life and you can't do it alone. I do know what it's like. You know how many times I've watched my Father kill my friends?" Hermione's eyes widened and she leaned back against his chest. He pulled his hand away from her face, closed the toliet lid, and sat her down on it. "I've seen it. I understand and I know your pain." He knelt down and sat crosslegged in front of her.
"I had a friend when I was about 6 years old; his name was Adam. Adam's Father and my Father had business together, so Adam and I passed the time playing. We were close. I was never told the whole story, but one day, Adam just stopped coming over. I asked my Mum, and she said that Adam's Father owed Lucius money. And when he didn't get it, he "took care of them." I figured out later that Lucius killed them himself. Do you know how much that hurt? Knowing that your own Father murdered someone you cared for?" Hermione snorted. She pushed Malfoy back and stood. Leaning against the vanity, she turned and looked at him.
"You are such a hypocrite. You worshiped the ground your Father walked on! It's not the same! It's not! You don't understand! No one does!" With that final shout, Hermione picked up a bottle of bubble bath from the tub and threw it at the mirror. It shattered beneath the impact and fell all over the vanity and floor. Malfoy shot up and pulled out his wand, immediatly fixing the mirror back. Hermione collapsed in tears on the floor.
He sighed and stared down at her on the foor. Such a pitiful creature. He looked up at the ceiling. The Gods must be insane. Malfoy bent and picked her up and took her back to her room. She didn't protest in the least when he pulled her shirt and pajama bottoms off and replaced them with clean, dry ones. He pulled back the covers, tucked her in, then slipped in beside her.
"Why don't you just go?" she whispered. He thought a moment before whispering back.
"Honestly, I don't know. Just taking a step back and looking at you makes me realize how much of jackasses you friends really are. And how much you need the comfort of someone else, no matter if you hate them or not. No one else is stepping up to the job."
She hesitated for a moment before scooting closer and allowing him to wrap his arms around her. "I still hate you though," she said. He chuckled and held her close. "But it's nice to know someone cares..."
Malfoy looked down as her voice trailed off.
"Poor, dear child."
Review please! I like it when people say nice things about my work!