Chapter 4: Mister Malfoy and Mister Potter...

Hermione ran to transfiguration. She was always rushing these days along with everybody else, since they were starting N.E.W.T.s this year. Hermione entered the classroom and found an empty seat. The classroom was deserted; the only people there were Hermione and Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Granger, you look slightly troubled." said Professor McGonagall, out of the silence. Hermione's head shot up as she spoke.

"Yes Professor, I actually am." replied Hermione.

"Between us ladies, may I ask what it is that is troubling you?" asked the Professor.

"Well... It's very complicated." sighed Hermione.

"Oh, Miss Granger?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Well... You wouldn't understand." replied Hermione wistfully.

"Miss Granger, I am a woman, who you are sure of, has fallen in love..." replied Professor McGonagall.

"Oh... I forgot about that." said Hermione.

"Miss Granger, love is a complicated thing, take it from my experience. Love is a complicated thing, no one understands it, but one thing I know is that it does not last forever." explained Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you Professor." smiled Hermione.

Hermione sat back down to where she started and took out her rolls of parchment, books and her ink bottle and quill. She wanted to escape from her very own existence, she wished she was invisible. Hermione looked up from across the room and saw Ron sneering at her. Parvati and Seamus were sitting behind her with hopeful smiles, at least some people were supportive, acting like real friends.

The Slytherins began pouring into the room; she could see they were not exactly happy. They sneered at her as well; Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. She expected Lavender to sit next to her, but Lavender was already sitting next to Padma. She actually couldn't care less who sat next to her, but it would be nice to see someone actually want to. Draco sat down next to her, just before she ran out of faith. He smiled at her; she managed to stifle one out of her system. She glanced to look at Ron, she saw him gritting his teeth, growing red as minutes passed by. Hermione began to grow red as well, in embarrassment.

Class was dismissed after one hour, Hermione kept remembering what Professor McGonagall had told her earlier, "Love is a complicated thing, no one understands it, but one thing I know is that it does not last forever." She decided that, that would be a rule she would always remember, when in a relationship. She and Draco were now walking down the hallway when they crossed paths with Harry and Ron with Cho and Luna.

"What's the matter Hermione? The ferret broke your heart?" taunted Ron.

"Ron!" quipped Lavender, "Sorry Hermione." she apologized. Hermione smiled at her.

"No. Just seeing you act like an idiot, disappoints me." answered Hermione quietly.

"Hermione pl-" replied Harry.

"What?" asked Hermione, her eyes now filled with tears, "You think this isn't hard for me? Did you think it was easy for me before seeing you fantasizing about Cho? I waited for you, and you finally came, you finally realized that I love you, but you still liked her, what was the point of me waiting for you if it was going to be wasted?" spoke Hermione into her hands, so that her voice was quite muffed, "I'm done waiting, please don't make it any harder for the both of us as it is. It's over." sobbed Hermione. Cho gasped and Lavender's eyes were watering.

"I-I-I-I-" stuttered Harry, as he leaned against the pillar.

"Please... Just let me go..." Hermione choked out, that was all she could manage to say.

Hermione ran from the five of them, none of them even made the attempt of going after her. She ran into the Girls' Prefects Bathroom. She sat down on top of one of the cubicles, she sobbed uncontrollably.

"What's the matter?" asked a voice. Hermione pulled out her wand and looked up, it was Moaning Myrtle.

"Life. Love. Hate." murmured Hermione out of thought.

"I've been there too." said Myrtle, holding out a hand, she wished someone would hold. Hermione tried to hold it, but she forgot that Myrtle was already dead.

"How?" asked Hermione.

"Harry Potter. I really like him you know, he's really handsome and-"

"Oh, yeah him. He kept telling Ron that you saw him naked once." stifled Hermione, she managed to actually laugh.

"Yeah, it was during the Triwizard Tournament." blushed Myrtle.

"Well, it's actually him, that's making me cry right now." grunted Hermione.

"I'm sorry." apologized Myrtle.

"Myrtle?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah?"

"How did you live, surviving the thought Harry didn't... Well... Have the same feelings you do for him?"

"It was hard at first... It was really hard for me... I wanted to kill myself all over again, but I'm already dead. But I just kept remembering, that it' not the end of the world when someone turns you down..." explained Myrtle.

"That-That was... Thank you." thanked Hermione, as she left.

Students filed out of classrooms to go to lunch. Hermione walked with Seamus and Parvati to the Gryffindor table.

"Where were you, we missed you at Charms." pointed out Parvati.

"Oh... I wasn't feeling too good, so I ended up in the bathroom." lied Hermione. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, it was half a lie.

"What were you doing in there?" asked Seamus.

"I was talking to-" stopped Hermione. Harry and Ron were coming near them; they sat down in front of them. Hermione kept her eyes down on her plate as she began to eat.

"We have to talk." ordered Ron.

"Why?" replied Hermione.

"Please look at us, at least." answered Harry.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because... I don't want to."

The tension increased, until Ron exploded.

"You did it with him didn't you?" accused Ron.

"Don't go accusing me like that!" shot back Hermione.

"You didn't even do that with Harry!" shrieked Ron. Hermione and Harry both grew into light shade of pink.

"I didn't do it with Draco, alright?" replied Hermione, growing tired of their tiresome feud.

"Oh." sighed Ron with a look of relief.

"Yeah." replied Hermione, as she swallowed some curry. She walked from the table and to the Girls Bathroom. She washed her face and put another line of eyeliner. Hermione suddenly heard someone walking into the bathroom. She hid inside one of the cubicles. She left the door unlocked of the cubicle, to prevent the cubicle from looking too conspicuous. She squatted on the toilet cover.

"Ugh. I have no idea what Draco sees in her." whined a familiar voice. Hermione recognized it immediately, it was Pansy Parkinson.

"She's not that bad. I mean she's nice to me, even if I dared her to snog Draco." replied another voice. It was Millicent Bullstrode. Hermione smiled, Millicent Bullstrode wasn't always mean. They used to be partnered together sometimes, she told excellent gossip as well. She heard the both of them leave. Hermione ran from the cubicle and looked at the mirror at her face, puckered her lips and then grinned. She walked out of the bathroom and bumped into Hannah Abbott and Blaise Zabini.

"Hey Hermione." greeted Blaise.

"Hi." answered Hermione, looking down at her shoes.

"I need to tell you something, its important." whispered Blaise; he turned back to Hannah, "Hannah d'you mind?"

"No, not at all." she replied.

Blaise pulled Hermione to the corner and they began talking.

"What's wrong, Blaise?" asked Hermione

"Look, during Charms, which I noticed you weren't attending," pointed out Blaise, "Draco was being overly protected of his arm."

"What?" answered Hermione, panicking slightly.

"Don't panic, you'll become too obvious!" scolded Blaise, "Anyways, I think he's a-"

"Please, don't say it; I've been through enough for today" interjected Hermione.

"Hermione, you're the only one who can get through to him. He trusts you." insisted Blaise.

"I know! But still... He's so secretive. Even from me." said Hermione, with exasperation.

"Then use Veritaserum!" suggested Blaise.

"But I can't! The only place to get that is at Snape's office, he's the one that's in charge of all sorts of potions!" reminded Hermione.

"D'you know how to brew it?" queried Blaise.

"No... I'm going to have to look it up in the Library, but what if it takes like, six months to get it properly made!" whined Hermione.

"Then you-"

"No. I know how to get it, right now. I'll get it owled."

"But you don't have an owl, and using the school's owls is too risky."

"Grrrrrrrr..."

"No. Use my owl, just explain to whoever you're owling it to."

"Oh alright!" gave in Hermione.

Blaise, Hannah and she walked to the Slytherin Common Room. Hermione stared at it in wonder, it was glittering green. Everything was green, the couches, the drapes, the picture frames; even all the books were green! Blaise retrieved his owl, and Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment from her bag. She scribbled a note on it as quickly as she could do it, but Hermione had the decency to at least make it neat.

Dear Fred/George,

I'm using Blaise Zabini's owl at the moment, I have no time to explain right now. Please buy me some Veritaserum! I need it as soon as possible, please send your owl back to the Head Boy/Head Girl Common Room (the one on the sixth floor), I'll be waiting for it there and will send you a quick reply.

I promise I'll pay you back anytime soon,

Hermione.

Blaise returned with his owl, he telling it to send the letter to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The owl set off in the distance, Hermione stared out the window until it disappeared. She said good- bye to Blaise and ran out of the Slytherin Common Room. Hermione's heart was throbbing as she ran up to the sixth floor; her mind was blurry and fuzzy. She stared at the portrait in the wall; it looked like the witch was hiding. Hermione shrugged, and called out, "Serpenzortia Illusion." As the portrait opened, a blast of ice blue light shot out from the Common Room, hitting Hermione square in the chest, her body being thrown back effortlessly, to the pillars encasing the stairs below...