Disclaimer: As I played Phase 10 with my friends upon arriving at camp I discovered that I don't own Harry Potter…

Author's Note: OMG! I am so, so, so, so, sorry that I didn't post this before I left for camp! I tried, but I got really busy ad their were a few bad storms so I couldn't. So now, here I am, listening to my friends gossip in out cabin…now on with the story…

525,600 Minutes: In Truths That She Learned, or in Times That He Cried-
-Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hermione had never felt this way before. It was like she had hit rock bottom. She felt torn. She felt mad. She felt sad. She felt confused. But most of all she felt hurt. It was like someone had ripped out her heart, threw it on the ground, and jumped up and down on it.

Part of her was telling her that he had just said it because of his anger. That he hadn't realized he was saying it. But the other part was telling her that despite it might have been out of anger he still said what he did. He had promised herself, and him, that he would never say that blasted word again. It was the way he said it, his tone of voice. It was said with so much spite and anger, it was like they had never had a friendship at all. And that was the side that she was choosing to listen to.

But, perhaps, the thing that bothered her most was what he had said after it. What she had heard him say as she ran from the kitchens. "Hermione, I-", the words still rang in her mind. It was the first time he had called her by her first name, ever.

Hermione burst through the portrait hole to the Gryffindor Common Room.She intentionally paid no attention to anyone, her only focus was the staircase to her dormitory. She didn't even let herself cry like she desperately wanted too, wait till you're alone she kept chanting in her mind. She hastily pushed through the crowded common room, not even stopping to apologize to people she ran into. Just as she reached the stair landing she roughly pushed herself between two people.

She heard the unforgettable voices of Harry and Ron yell, "Hermione! Wait-" But she didn't, she didn't look back. She just continued forward.

She threw open the door to the seventh year girl's dormitory and slammed it shut. Much to her dismay the room was not empty. There, sitting on Lavender's bed were Lavender and Parvati, gossiping like all girls do.

"Oh Hermione!" Parvati gasped, jumping off the bed when Hermione walked in. Hermione quickly plastered a fake smile on her face. "These came for you when you were gone!"

"The most beautiful Eagle Owl brought them." Lavender added, getting off of the bed as well. Parvati handed Hermione two, brown paper packages, tied nicely with string.

"Thanks guys." Her two room mates nodded before leaving the room, gossiping about some Ravenclaw or another.

Hermione slowly went over to her bed, looking at the gifts, turning them over in her hands. She absentmindedly sat down, still staring at the gifts. One was quite big and the other small. She placed the small on the bed and opened the big one.

An old book met her sight. She turned it over to read the title and drew in a gasp of breath. Magical Maladies: A Guide to Fixing Them All. Hermione couldn't believe it. The book from Hogsmeade that she wanted was sitting before her. Still starry eyed she set the book down and picked up the smaller package, quickly opening it.

Her stomach dropped. The small bit of happiness that she had just experienced washed away as she gazed at yet another book. But not just any book. Her book. The book that she had been missing from her collection since the summer: The Noah Conspiracy.

She gave a quick glance at the small calendar she kept on her bedside table and she looked at the day's date: March 19th. Hermione's stomach dropped. If today was the 19th that obviously meant that the next day was the 20th. Which gave her only one reason as to why she was receiving these parcels. Her and Malfoy's three month anniversary.

Hermione felt tears build in her eyes and anger beginning to build. With one last look at the book she threw it across the room.

"OW!" the voice of Ginny yelled.

Hermione looked up to see Ginny standing in the door way, rubbing her head with Hermione's book at her feet. "Oh, sorry Ginny."

"Good arm." Ginny said, trying to make Hermione laugh, but it was no use. "Harry and Ron told me that you looked upset. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hermione said under her breath.

"Of course nothings wrong, that would explain the tears in your eyes." Ginny said concerned, as she sat next to Hermione on her bed. "What happened."

Hermione shook her head before recounting the events of the night.

"…And then he called me a-a-a-" she paused and took a deep breath. "mudblood." she said, barely audible.

Ginny gasped. "NO! Oh Hermione!" she said, wrapping her arms around Hermione and giving her a hug. "I can't believe it." They sat in silence, Ginny allowing Hermione to finish her cries. "You know, don't tell Harry or Ron, but I was really beginning to think that he had changed." Ginny said. Hermione gave a small laugh. Don't tell Harry and Ron indeed. What was she to tell them when they asked what was wrong? She knew that they wouldn't take to the news lightly, she just hoped they wouldn't do anything rash.

The two friends sat in silence. AS the seconds ticked on Hermione' s sadness and pain was slowly replaced with anger and hurt.

"I hate him, Ginny." she whispered.

"Hermione," Ginny had never heard Hermione use that tone of voice before. "Surely, you don't mean that. I know he did something unthinkable, but you can't actually say that you hate him." Ginny said, looking at her friend with round eyes.

"No, Ginny, I hate him. And I never want to see him again." She may have been acting irrationally, but Hermione didn't care. He had stepped over a line that should not have been crossed.

Malfoy groaned and rolled onto his side as he took a look at his alarm clock. It read: 6:45. He slowly sat himself up on one elbow. He had hardly gotten any sleep last night, his guess was it was an hour worth, maybe two. His mind had been full of the events of the previous night. What had happened. The argument he and Hermione had had. And of course, what he had said.

How could he had been so stupid? He had been talking so fast, and had been so caught up in the moment that he didn't realize what he was saying. The words, just sort of, came out. And now he felt like slapping himself.

He knew he had upset Hermione greatly and he knew that it was likely that she would forgive him. She was to stubborn to do that. He knew that, in her mind, the two were most likely not a couple anymore.

He sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed. While stretching his eyes caught sight of the calendar near his bed and he nearly fell off the bed. Today was March 20th. It would have been their three month anniversary. Boy, did he feel like slime.

As his mood dropped even more he gingerly jumped off the bed, but as his feet touched the ground he almost jumped back on. He looked down to find himself standing on a flat, brown paper wrapped, parcel. He bent down, picked up the package, and sat back down on his bed.

He flipped the package between his hands, before pulling off the string that bound it together. Once the paper fell off and he saw what lay beneath Malfoy felt like falling off of his broom on purpose.

Sitting in his hands were two pictures set nicely in two hand decorated frames, that were merged together. In the top frame he found himself looking at the smiling faces of himself and Hermione in Hogsmeade on Valentines Day. He sighed as the Hermione in the picture waved at him.

Malfoy felt his gaze harden as his eyes fell onto the bottom picture. He couldn't take his eyes off the sight of himself kissing Hermione.

Malfoy felt himself melt away as the realization that he may never get to do that again washed over him….

Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat by the lake later than day during the break. Hermione stared into the depths of the lake as Harry and Ron sat on either side of her, both wondering if their friend would be ok.

Hermione had been usually quiet all day. The only time she recalled talking was when she reluctantly recalled the events of the previous night to Harry and Ron at breakfast. And it's not that she wasn't talking because she was thinking about things. In all reality her mind was blank. It was as if she was a zombie, just moving about.

She had been like that all day. Well, that is, until a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her interest. She turned her head to the right to see a very familiar and an unwelcome sight briskly walking towards them.

"Don't" she said, not taking her eyes off of Malfoy's moving form, as she placed both of her hands on Harry and Ron who had made a move towards him.

"But-"

"No, sit."

Once Malfoy knew he was in hearing ranged of Hermione he began to talk. "Hermione, I-" God, that sounds familiar…she thought.

"What do you want Malfoy? You're not wanted, so leave.."" Ron spat. His face was already beginning to turn red.

"Was I talking to you Weasley?" Malfoy spat back, just as angrily.

"No, but you were talking to Hermione. And that's good enough reason for us to make sure you go away." Harry said, standing.

"Back off Potter. This doesn't concern you"

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll-"

"ENOUGH!" all three boys looked at Hermione. She hadn't screamed, but the tone of her voice told them that she was ready to. "What do you want?" she couldn't even bring herself to say his name.

"To say that I-"

"Yes?"

Malfoy stared from Harry to Ron and back. He didn't want to say it in front of them.

"I'm waiting."

"That I- do they have to be here? I don't want them here." he pointed to Harry and Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The next time you want to talk to me make sure you're mature." she briskly said, before pushing past him. Harry and Ron on her heels.

Hermione stood in the entrance hall, tapping her foot and looking at her watch. It was Friday night, 9:03. He was late….again. Suddenly the door to the dungeon burst open to reveal a tired looking Malfoy.

"You're late," she said without even looking up. "Let's get this over with."

She was about to make her way up the steps of the staircase to start their patrols, but Malfoy caught Hermione's sleeve. Hermione moved faster than light to get herself out of her grip.

"Touch me again, Malfoy" she not longer said his name with compassion. It was like she used to say it, with hate. "and you'll be sorry."

Hermione-2, Malfoy-0.

Author's Note: What do you think? It isn't the longest chapter but hey, it's all I've got. I don't know when the last chapter will be up because…well, Band Drama….that's right people, band drama, those of you in band know what I mean….so expect another chapter in a day or two…

Your humble author,

The Lonely Goatherd