Author's notes: Ok, here I am again. It's looking pretty good with those one chapter per day, don't you think? Warnings on this one for violence, but I won't say who's involved, you'll know in about ten minutes anyway, and I'll be hiding from you by then lol

No individual thank you:s this time, but this chapter is dedicated to my lovely BETA SugarQuill Cutie, don't know what I would do without you, and to hilary, who was number 100 to review.

Thank you!

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Previously: "Hermione, wait, you don't know who's out there!" Ginny protested, but Hermione had already pushed open the portrait.

Someone was standing, no, leaning against the wall outside, someone who looked very familliar, even in the darkness.

"Draco?"


Part V

Draco was leaning against the wall outside the portrait, and he was staring at Hermione with a wild look in his eyes. He looked terrible. His hair was a mess, it looked as if he'd just thrown the clothes onto his body, or as if he'd slept in them, and when Hermione looked closely, she saw that he carried an half empty bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky in his hand.

"Draco, are you allright?" How many of those had he drunk?

He took a swig from the bottle and stumbled towards her.

"'Mione, I'm so sorry for last night, I didn't mean what I said, I love you, we could make it work, just come back to me!" He tried to kiss her, but when Hermione felt the strong smell of alcohol, she backed away.

"You're drunk, Draco, you don't know what you're saying."

Draco violently shook his head and took another swig.

"I might be drunk, but I definitely know what I'm saying. I love you, 'Mione, can you ever forgive me?" He tried to drink once again, but Hermione grabbed his arm and lowered it, at the same time pulling the bottle from his grasp.

"You've had enough," she said and made the bottle disappear with a flick of her wand.

Draco stared at her, first in disbelief, but thenhis eyes narrowed, andHermione knew this was the calm before the storm, she'd seen it many times before.

"Give me back the bottle, Hermione," he said in a voice that was very low, but still threatening.

Hermione shook her head. "No, you've had more than enough. Go back to bed, Draco, this it too late for you." She turned around to walk back in, but was instead pushed up against the wall.

"Don't turn your back on me, Mudblood!" Draco whispered, his face less than an inch from hers. Hermione turned away, the smell of alcohol was too much to take, but Draco grabbed her chin and turned her back to face him. "I said, don't turn away from me. When I talk, you listen." He moved his hand to her throat, and for a moment, Hermione feared he was going to kill her.

"Draco, you're hurting me," she moaned.

For a second, Draco's face was lit by an evil grin, and he squeezed a little harder around her throat, but then, suddenly he let go and backed away from her. Hermione remained were she was, waiting for him to jump at her again, but instead she saw, to her own astonishment, a tear fall down his cheek, soon followed by others. Draco slid down the wall and landed in a heap on the floor, where he hid his face against his knees.

Hermione was at a loss for what to do. For a long moment she just stared at him, but then she sat down next to him on the floor and put her arms around him. Draco lent againts her shoulder, the sobs shaking his whole body.

"Sch, sch, it's allright," Hermione whispered, stroking his hair.

"No, it's not allright!" Draco pulled away from her, still hiding his face. "Every time I'm near you, I hurt you. I'm turning into my father," he said bitterly.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She wanted to comfort him, but he didn't seem to want her to, and still he looked so lonely. After a moment, Hermione reached out a hand, hesitated, and then touched his shoulder. Draco pulled back again, but Hermione grabbed his shoulder, and suddenly he'd thrown himself around her neck and was hiding his face and sobbing against her neck. Hermione felt tears fall down her own cheeks, for reasons she didn't know.

What a picture we must make, she thought. Two teenagers curled up on the floor, crying in each other's arm. She entangled her fingers in Draco's hair, whispering calming words in his ear. He's drunk, she reminded herself. He won't remember this in the morning.

After a while, Draco finally seemed to calm down, and Hermione eased her grip around him and stood up. She brushed away the tears from her cheeks, corrected her clothes and went back into the common room. Harry, Ron and Ginny were still sitting at the table, but they didn't seem to have heared what had gone on outside. Ron and Ginny were having a heated discussion, but they silenced and looked up when Hermione cleared her throat.

"Was that Draco out there?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded. "Very drunk, so I need to get him back to the Head's." She picked up her bag from the floor and threw it over her shoulder. "Do you mind if we call it a night?"

Ginny shook her head, and Ron and Harry looked at each other. Then they suddenly both rose and walked out through the still open portrait hole. Hermione and Ginny looked confused at each other, and then they followed the two boys. They emerged just in time to see Harry and Ron pick a nearly unconscious Draco off the floor.

"We'll carry him back, 'Mione," Harry said in a voice that did not tolerate arguing, so Hermione just shrugged her shoulders, gave Ginny a quick hug and led the way back to the Head's dormitory.

Harry and Ron dumped Draco on one of the couches, and Ron headed for the exit, but Harry remained where he was.

"You wait outside, Ron, I'll be right out," he said and turned to Hermione. He waited untill they'd heared the portrait close, and then he asked her, "Does he always treat you like this?"

Hermione began shaking her head, but then she realized what he'd said. "You heared that?" she asked, looking at her shoes.

Harry nodded grimly. "If he ever does it again, I'm going to kill him, 'Mione, I promise."

Hermione smiled and gave him a hug. "I don't think he will, Harry, but thanks."

But Harry didn't let go off her. "Will you be allright tonight?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow, allright?"

Harry seemed to want to say something more, but instead he just nodded and left the dormitory.

Hermione dropped her bag on the floor and sat down next to Draco, gently but firmly shaking his shoulder. He stirred but did not wake up. Hermione sighed and did it again, a little less gently this time. Draco slowly opened his eyes, and after having stared at her for a moment without recognizing her, he mumbled, "Hermione."

She nodded and stroke his cheek. He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm, suddenly wide awake.

"I love you, Hermione, and I'm so sorry. For everything," he whispered.

Hermione's common sence asked how he could love her and still hurt her, like he'd done tonight, be she didn't say anything, just smiled at him and gently pulled her hand free.

"Sleep," she said, and began to rise.

Draco violently shook his head and tried to grab her hand again. "Stay."

Hermione sighed, but at the same time she smiled and sat down on the floor with her back to the couch he was lying on.

"Allright, I'll sit here untill you fall asleep," she said and took his hand. "Now sleep!"

That seemed to calm him down, and a moment later, Hermione could hear that he was sleeping again. She gently pulled her hand free again and rose. Draco was smiling slightly in his sleep, and Hermione bent down and kissed him. How can you love someone and still hurt each other so much? she wondered as she walked up to her room. On the landing she stopped and looked down over the banister at Draco. He's going to have such a hangover tomorrow, she thought and went into her room.


Author's notes: We'll see if there's a chapter tomorrow, if I have time, I'll post one. But if not, you'll get two on Monday, allright? Meanwhile, leave me a review, and SugarQuill, mail me!

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