Crimson Rain Drops
Chapter 18
Dedication: To all my past, present and future readers and reviews, thank you for your support and amazing amounts of patience!
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the characters that obviously aren't in the books.
I only own the plot and the characters that obviously aren't in the books.&&&&
Cold as Ice
Hard as Stone
Both believe
They must face this world alone
What happens
When Enemies Meet
All they share; a love of hate
But what they find; they do not seek
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Previously:'
On the left was a picture that had recently been taken of the five of them. In the stupidest positions they could think of. They had been having an absolutely killer time, and Collin came by and snapped a picture of them, without any of their knowledge. The first that they heard about was when the found a picture slid in with a book he had borrowed from Hermione for some research. Hermione had blown the picture up and magic-ed it onto the wall, for the world to see.
As she stood back and admired all the work she heard footsteps and gasps behind her as the others entered.
She spun to see Luke, Dallis and Eva awestruck and Draco standing there with a small smile on his face, and slight surprise in his eyes.
"So, what do you guys think?"
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Draco sucked in a deep breath as he looked around the room. It was beautiful. Everything had such symbolism behind it. There was even a picture from a time that he and Hermione had gotten into a fight years earlier. From a time where Hermione's biggest worry was getting an A on the next potions assignment. Oh, how he missed that innocence.
Yes, he missed little innocent Hermione Granger, the one he used to spend hours fighting with over things that he couldn't even remember now. The one who was always with Potter and Weasly AN: That looks wrong. . . Someone please help me fix it, helping them with their homework or going on one harebrained adventure or another.
The Hermione that stood before him now was nothing like that Hermione. This Hermione was breathtakingly gorgeous, but all that innocence was gone. Her biggest worry now was figuring out where she was going to live when Hogwarts was done, how she was going to get rid of Matt, who had appeared to be stalking her for the last few weeks. Most importantly, how she was going to let go of her complete past without letting the people that were contained within it go at the same time.
This scared Draco more then anything. The fact that there was a chance, however slim, that Hermione would let everything that had to do with Hogwarts go on the day of Graduation. The thought that he could ever lose Hermione absolutely terrified him.
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Hermione watched her friends closely, trying to gage their reactions. Eva had a few tears creating a little river down her cheeks. Luke's mouth hung opened as he spun around in slow circles and Dallis was seated on the couch, just staring at the wall in front of him. Draco stood there with a. . . well, she would have to say serene look but that wasn't possible. Draco Malfoy looking serene? Who ever would've thought? But that's exactly what it looked like.
She smiled to herself. Maybe, just maybe, they liked her work. Glancing around at the walls and then down at the pile of paper that sat on the floor, she decided that now was the time to leave them to their peace. She had somewhere else to be anyway.
Picking up the paper, she quietly departed the room, leaving them in their silent state and walking down the corridor to the Head commons. Harry and Ron would be waiting there for her, just like she had asked them to be. One of the only things she had left to fix or clear up with anyone. She had to apologize to them for being the way she had been with them, though she still saw that it was partially their fault. On one hand, they had been so wrapped in themselves they had never noticed that she was changing. On the other hand, she had not actually flat out talked to them about anything that was going on until their fight in the hall way. She owed them an explanation.
It wasn't only them that she owed an explanation, but she figured she would start with the easiest and finish with the hardest. That way she could build up to what she had to tell Luke, Eva and Dallis. Draco knew most of it already. She had told him while they had had a couple days together after she got on of the hospital. She felt kind of guilty about that actually. He hadn't slept the entire time she had been unconscious, so Dumbledore had granted him three days to laze around and relax before he started classes again.
It was time to come completely clean to everyone about her past. So, if she started with Harry and Ron, who knew the least, maybe telling the others would be easier. The one that she was truly terrified to tell was Luke though. He had always been so near when she was in pain and she had always pushed him the farthest away. She was scared to let him near because he might learn how to read what she was feeling. He might have found out what was going on in her life at the time.
No more hiding from the world for Hermione though. She was going to tell her story and make sure it was heard. She had talked to Dumbledore about returning each year to talk to the students about certain aspects of what she was going through and that anyone there going through the same things was not alone. In fact, she planned to trained to become a councillor while she was in school to become a teacher at the school.
She finally reached the portrait and spoke the password to it. "Endless Pain". It seemed so long ago that they had set that, but it really only been just under four months. Four months. It wasn't even Christmas and already she could see that she was starting to change.
And though it may sound like she was all cured and ready for anything, she wasn't. She was not ready to face Matt again any time soon. She was not ready to attend the Christmas dance that Dumbledore had had them plan. Thee was no way she was ready to present every student in Hogwarts with a Christmas gift on the last day of classes. This was the big surprise that Dumbledore had been planning at their first meeting. Draco and Hermione would walk around during classes, and pass each student their gift and wish them a 'Happy Christmas' then move on to the next student. All those people that cast questioning looks on her whenever she walked the corridors would be watching her that day. It scared her to think that they might be able to read her and see that the whole story of her injuries was a lie. As far as they all knew, she had fallen off a broomstick while she and Draco had been on a date. They had been sitting idle, and she lost her balance while they were about 250 feet in the air and crashed to the ground before Draco could catch her. Of course, no one believed that. Draco, a Seeker, wasn't able to catch Hermione, someone at least a hundred times bigger then a snitch.
Hermione stepped through the portrait hole only to see that it was decorated all Christmassy. It hadn't been that way when she had left earlier the morning but it was so beautiful that she wouldn't even dream of complaining. Harry and Ron were sitting in the arm chairs in front of the fire playing cards, almost like they had been in and out of this place all year.
"Hey guys" she greeted as she walked over to them.
"Afternoon Hermione" Ron answered back, pretending to be all formal and nice.
"How are you guys today?"
"We're…fine, confused as to why we're here, but fine just the same" Harry replied as he picked up the cards.
"I. . . We. . . I'm sorry you guys. Sorry for everything I've put you through for the last few years. For lying to you, for snapping at you, for pretending everything was ok. Most importantly, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I. . ." she was cut off by the sound of Harry's voice.
"Hermione we're sorry. We never even noticed a single little change in you besides your wardrobe. That in itself should've been a huge tip of, but we still didn't clue in. I think that the thought of you changing from being our Hermione, the one that we met on the train that first day of school."
Hermione starred at Harry, and then shifted her gaze to Ron who was nodding in agreement with what Harry had said. She hadn't honestly expected then to crack that fast. She had expected. . . Well, she was sure what she had expected, but it certainly was not this.
"Harry. . . Ron. . .thank you. I needed to hear that but I have a few thing to tell you. . ." and she recounted everything that had happened since the end of their fourth year. The abuse from her father, the way she had used alcohol and cutting as outlet, the pregnancy and her suicide attempt. Then, or course, she had to finish off with the happy note. She had survived through until her eighteenth birthday. Granted, she had been unconscious for it, but still, she had survived.
The her surprise, Harry and Ron sat through the entire story, not interrupting once. In essence, it made everything a lot easier for her. She was able to start and not falter from her course. Finally, she finished her story and waited for their reactions.
Ron gaped at her as she concluded and the first thing out of his mouth was "Pregnant? Slytherin? That bastard!"
Harry's reaction was a little less dramatic and much more understanding. "I wish you would've too, but I couldn't tell anyone at the time. I didn't even want to admit that anything had happened to myself, let alone to you guys."
"But you felt you could tell Malfoy?" Ron fumed. She groaned inwardly, She knew she should've left that little bit out.
"Listen, I was lost, confused and alone. The first person that let me cry on their shoulder got to hear the entire story first. In retrospect, I'm glad that that person happened to be Draco Malfoy. He was the only person at the time who could've possibly been trusted with the information. The only one who would not hold it against me because he had no reason too."
And so it continued for the next three hours. Harry and Ron spit back almost every detail of her story in the form of a question and made her re-explain everything.
Finally, all the questions had been asked and all the explanations had been explained. Glancing at the clock Hermione realizes that dinner was half over and she realized just how hungry she was.
"Guys, come on, I can hear some chicken calling my name" she beckoned to them to follow her as she walked out the portrait hole and down the corridors.
Upon reaching the Great Hall she did not sit with them, despite their incessant asking. No, she didn't feel at home among the Gryffindors anymore. They had shunned her out of their inner circles when she had broke off her friendships with Harry and Ron. Even now, she did not feel at home among them. The people that she felt at home with were sitting three tables away; at the Slytherin table. It wad there that she still felt accepted, even if it wasn't by all.
She walked over to the table and sat herself down in-between Luke and Draco. They were engaged in a conversation about the Quidditch match coming up after Christmas. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. Slytherin was in the lead for the year of all the houses for house points right now. And from the sounds of it, they fully intended to keep it that way.
Hermione just sat listen to her friends talk amongst the selves, helping herself to a dinner roll. This was where she belonged now. Where she had belonged for a while.
To Be Continued...
I'm sorry for the horrendos wait guys! I didnt know how to finish the chapter. By the time I figured it out I decided to extend it into two chapters to make for more updates.
What's left:
Chapter 19 or 18 part 2
Epilogue chapter 20
That's it. That's all! I'm almost done! It makes me sad!
I love you all and thank you for the patience, it was SO appreciated!
Until next time
Pure Mudblood