Chapter 5
Insanity
"Excuse me?"
"I asked you what you do for a living." Hermione said. Her legs were spread across the floor freely and her hands were folded across her chest. For the first time, she was having a friendly conversation with Draco Malfoy and she knew it was because she had stopped his nose from bleeding.
Hermione didn't care, though. It felt good to communicate with someone rather than be left alone and go insane.
"I work in the Ministry, obviously, in the Head Department of Magical Enforcement. I'm an assistant for now. I have to start small, don't I? What about you? What do you do?"
"I'm head of an Equalities group right now but it's not going as well as I planned."
"Equality for what?" Malfoy inquired.
"Any magical creatures, but we're concentrating mostly on house elves right now."
"House elves? You've got to be joking." Malfoy cackled madly, stomping his feet and clapping his hands again.
"It's not funny! How would you feel if you had to work all your life without pay or respect?"
"But that's their job, Granger. A house elf's purpose is to work all its life."
"Not it! He or she!" Hermione stormed, which made Malfoy laugh even harder. She glared at him, and he stopped.
"Alright alright, I'll stop, but still, you have to admit that it's hilarious."
"Not even a bit. No wonder the world is crashing! No equality whatsoever! Hatred between purebloods and muggleborns is another issue I'm working on."
"Oh yeah? And who's listening?" Malfoy challenged her, and when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. He burst into more laughter.
"At least I'm working on it. All this animosity must stop."
"Damn Granger, you sound like a preacher."
"I'm glad I do."
Was this for real? Was Draco Malfoy being civil to her? It was unbelievable.
"So why did you marry Potter if you don't love him?"
Hermione frowned, "Where did that come from?"
"Our conversation. So, why did you?"
"I do love him, or at least I think I do. It was more that he loved me. He told me in our seventh year and I just sort of…went along with it."
"Ahhh…Last minute confessions, I presume?"
Hermione nodded and said, "What about you?"
"It's similar to your situation. She was following me around like a puppy dog all those years, so on day I thought: Why not marry her? She was really delighted when I told her I was ready. Funny, isn't it?"
"Very." Hermione agreed, "We both married the wrong people. We didn't marry the people we loved, but the ones that loved us."
"Who cares about that now? We're trapped in this bloody room. If I have to spend one more day in this room I swear I'm going to go mad."
After a few minutes of chatting, Hermione's eyes drooped warily and she decided to go to sleep. Lying aligned with the wall; she closed her eyes and broke away from all thoughts. Now she had began to wonder if she would ever be able to wake up the next morning.
However, Hermione did, but she woke up to the sound of loud pounding, making the floor vibrate as if they were in the middle of an earthquake. She groaned and opened her eyes to find Malfoy kicking the wall repeatedly. It produced thumping noises but it didn't crack. Sheer anger was written all over his face as his eyes were scrunched up in pain and torment and his nose remained creased. His blonde hair was loose now, waving back and forth along with him, and his cloak torn on one shoulder. Hermione widened her eyes, not knowing what to do. Should she calm him down? But truly, her mind told her to stay where she was. The only thing that it could result in was another brawl and she certainly didn't want that. What had happened to the calm and kind Draco Malfoy from last night? She guessed that when he had sworn to go mad the next day, he had really meant it.
"Hey. Hey. Can you please stop that?" Hermione said calmly, trying to get his attention, but the banging didn't cease.
"I WANT OUT! I WANT TO GET OUT!" He bellowed. Hermione closed her ears from his screeches, her feeble ears not being able to stand the screams.
"Draco, stop it-" She said more soothingly by using his first name.
"NO! I WON'T! I DON'T DESERVE THIS, DAMN IT! I'M STUCK IN A ROOM WITH A CONTAMINATED BITCH!"
Hermione covered her face with her fragile hands and wept silently. He was going insane and she could do nothing about it. Hopefully, he would stop soon once he was tired, but he found a new way to release his frustration. He banged his head on the wall like a madman, making Hermione jump and shriek.
"STOP IT DRACO, STOP IT!" She used a towering voice to match his, stood up, and went to him. She grabbed a hold of his hands and shoved them to his sides, and then steered him away from the wall. But in return, he slapped her arms away, getting back to his original spot.
"Don't use my name! Don't you say my name with your Mudblood tongue!"
Hermione sighed. They were back to this Mudblood business. What was she going to have to do to take control of him?
"Draco-"
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU, BITCH!"
"Look. Just calm down. Everything will be alright. We will get out of here."
"Don't try to fool me! Do you take me for a five year old? I know I'm going to die! I don't want to die! I DON'T WANT TO DIE, DAMN IT!"
Thump. Bang. Thump thump. Bang bang. Again, Hermione intervened and held him tightly from behind, but it was a tough thing to do since he was much bigger than her. He struggled, pushing her arms from both sides, but Hermione held on. He did break through, and when he did, he shoved her across the room. She landed on the floor. Every bone in her body stung from the fall and Hermione fumbled as she attempted to get to her feet. Malfoy had an evil glow pouring from his face as he inched closer to her with a calm but dangerous gait. She had to admit that this was more frightening than the thrashing and banging.
"What are you doing?" Hermione trailed back a bit but realized that she had collided with the wall.
He came closer and closer, kneeled down in level with her, until his face was thumbs away from hers. He spoke in a dangerous tone that chilled her, "What did I tell you? Never touch me again."
Hermione stared into his eyes and was about to move out from under him but suddenly, she felt something rip. Her left sleeve. Horror dawned upon her as she tried to break free but he grabbed her with his hands in a tight grip. His feet came below hers, and for a second, he simply stared at her with every ounce of malice etched in his gray eyes. Hermione froze, not able to say another word. Her fear had silenced her.
And then, another sleeve ripped.
