Dare You To Move: Chapter Three
By: Teenlaunch
a/n: Alright, I know this story is confusing. It will get better. If you want to know more about it, tell me to e-mail you personally in your review. The only reason I didn't answer your reviews was that I heard a rumor about punishment for answering reviews in chapters, so, ask your questions again and tell me to e-mail you about it. Thanks for all the reviews. To missbillehboyd, your guesses are nowhere close. So, here's the third installment.
Last time: "Running, Granger?" a husky voice asked from a few feet behind her.
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before
"Maybe," Hermione muttered. She hesitated. "How did you find me?"
"I've heard of this place and its rooms from…a reliable source. A house elf if you must know. It turns out that I saw you and your dimwitted friends didn't because of some enchantment placed on that room. No one's really sure what it does though, so don't even ask." Hermione kept her back to the Slytherin, determined to not let down her guard. "Why?" The question hung in the air for a few seconds before Hermione realized he was talking to her.
"What?"
"Why? Why are you running? I'm the only one here. You shouldn't run."
"Why not, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped.
"Am I the reason Potter keeps hitting you? I don't think so. It's that girl, Rane, isn't it?" Hermione didn't answer him. She kept her back to him. "You're jealous of her, aren't you?"
"Oh, yes!" Hermione shot sarcastically. "I'm so jealous of her I just feel like bawling!"
"Listen, Granger! I didn't come here because I wanted to!"
Hermione spun around. "Of course you didn't! No one would even think of being a caring human being and just come out of the goodness of their heart! I'm not worth it. All I am is a mudblood." Hermione spat venomously. She ran past him, flung open the door and ran out. Hermione stopped in a row of books. She gasped when she heard the door to the balcony open. She shrank into the shadows of the nearest alcove as he passed by.
He was holding a small black book. It turned a deep red. Hermione felt her breath catch as she realized what he was holding. It was her diary and she could practically see the words emblazoned on its front. Draco paused and frowned at the words. Hermione could read them from her spot perfectly.
Property of Hermione Granger
(1987-present)
Warning: Charms and jinxes have been placed on this book. If you somehow manage to get past them…I hope you are stout of heart for this book contains thoughts and secrets only recorded here.
"Clever, Granger."
Hermione jumped, thinking he had spotted her, but he merely took out his wand and waved it over the book. The lock clicked open. Draco walked back around the corner and back onto the balcony. Hermione raced after him, but when she reached the door, she found it locked. Hermione groaned, knowing which entries he would read. As she tried to open the door again, she repeated the words of the entries over in her head, trying to remember what information he might find before she was able to get her book back.
Aug. 10, 2004
Dear Diary,
My world is falling apart. I've known some thing was wrong for a while. As you already know from previous entries in my other diaries, my parents have been fighting for a while. Now I know why. I will not reveal why in this entry. I don't want to write it, because, that would mean I am accepting it as true. I will tell you that my world will never be the same. I'm scared someone will find out. That's another reason I won't reveal it in full force here. All I will tell you is that my father made a mistake in his earlier years.
Hermione Granger
Hermione heard a distinct growl from the other side of the door. Obviously, Draco had gotten frustrated with how blunt she had been. She heard him flip through the pages and he finally stopped at the last entry. Hermione's heart picked up its pace. He wasn't allowed to read those entries, no matter what they said.
Nov. 1, 2004
Dear Diary,
Harry crossed the line last night. If he keeps this up I will scream. He gave me another bruise, even larger than the last one. I feel so betrayed. No one else knows, of course, well, unless you count Malfoy. And he could be a problem. At least Ron and Rane don't know about Harry's backstabbing routine yet. I'm not too sure Rane needs to be here, no matter what her reason is. Now Malfoy's being really obnoxious. He knows that Harry has hit me before, but I think he knows something else is up too. He's too smart for his own good. I think he's following me as well. What is he? A stalker? Just what I need.
Hermione Granger
Hermione gasped as the door suddenly gave way and she stumbled into the room. Draco jumped and a small flash of black told Hermione he had hid her book in the couch cushions. She stormed over to him. Draco smirked at her. "Yes?"
"Give it back," she hissed.
"What, Granger? Lose something?" Draco drawled lazily. He rested his head on the back of the couch and watched her from the corner of his eye.
"If you read that…"
"Read what?"
"You know very well what."
"Do you honestly think I would touch anything you've had your grimy hands on? Please, I'm not stupid. I could get your germs all over me." Hermione's mouth fell open. She turned her back to him. She heard him shift on the couch to look at her, the wood creaking slightly under his weight. "What now, Granger?"
"It figures."
"What-"
"It figures you have to come along and torment me. Even Harry would be better. You're such a jerk, Malfoy."
The couch creaked again and Hermione tensed up. She could tell he was right behind her and maybe about to strangle her. She did the only thing she could think of. Hermione spun around, her hand raising and aiming straight toward Draco's face. Draco reacted just in time to catch her hand before she hit him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Hermione struggled for a moment. "Let go."
"No." His grip tightened so she couldn't get away from him.
"Let go of me, Malfoy!"
"Don't talk to me in that tone, low-life scum."
Hermione's expression was one of extreme hurt. "I could call you so many names right now."
"But you won't call me any of them now will you?" Draco smirked. "What makes you think you can stand up to me when you can't stand up to Potter?" Hermione turned her gaze from him. She stared at a spot some ten feet to his left. "Aw, come now, Ganger. It's not that hard to admit."
Hermione looked back at him. He back up a step involuntarily, dropping her wrist. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her eyes looked sad and lost. "You have no idea what I'm going through, Malfoy. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't think without something going wrong. I've done everything I can think of. I've told Harry. I've prayed. I think God might just want to leave me to wallow. He's helping, but He hasn't fixed anything. He's letting everything happen to me. Why am I telling you anyway? It's not like I expect you to know what I'm talking about."
Draco's eyes flashed. "Granger, everyone has heard of God, at least everyone in our country. Besides, you're the one doing this to yourself. God does have control, but only when you give Him everything. Obviously, you're holding something back. I will tell you something, Granger. It wasn't me who chose to come here today. God was." Draco seemed astonished by his own words.
Tears streamed silently down Hermione's face. Draco, unsure of what to do, put a shaky hand on her shoulder, not even thinking of his actions. Hermione looked up at him and jumped into his arms. She held tightly to the front of his shirt. Draco stood there and fought over his choices mentally. It was only when he noticed Slytherin's shadow out of the corner of his eye, that he hesitantly put his arms lightly on her shoulders. He relaxed slightly when Slytherin moved and was unaware that his embrace on her became slightly tighter as Hermione sobbed into his chest.
Hermione groaned softly. It had been a few weeks since she had cried so freely. She was miserable. He should never have seen her like that. Now he was following her, or so it seemed. Every time she turned around, he was behind her. It was no exception that day in Potions. Hermione doodled on her parchment. I am so bored, she wrote.
"Well, Miss Granger, I can see why. Your art is not exactly lively." Hermione jumped and looked up. Snape was glowering down at her. "Perhaps you would like to spend tomorrow afternoon in detention?"
Sniggers became apparent. "Not really, sir."
Snape pursed his lips. "Fine, but don't let it happen again, Miss Granger." He turned and walked away, leaving Hermione dazed. She turned around and saw that Draco was watching her. He smirked and looked back to his notes.
Hermione sighed slightly as she rounded the corner in the hall and sat on the steps leading to another room. She pulled out her notebook and flipped to her exam notes. After only minutes of reading, she heaved a heavy groan and laid her head on her arms. She heard footsteps just behind her, but she ignored them. The student would just pass her up anyway. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice that the student had stopped only a few feet from her.
"BOO!" A deep masculine voice yelled just above her. Hermione's head shot up, and she felt her skull connect with something hard. She grasped the throbbing spot and turned around to look at what she had run into. Her eyes met with a pair of stormy gray ones and she groaned again.
"Not you."
"Hey. Don't take that attitude with me. I wouldn't have stopped if I knew you would attack me." Hermione looked up and saw that Draco's mouth was bleeding. A dark red line dribbled down his chin. He sat down on a step and began to move his jaw around, making sure nothing was broken. "You've got a really hard head, Granger."
Hermione shook her head. "You should go to Madam Pomfrey. She'll fix it."
"Nah, Granger. That takes all the fun out of it. For all anyone else knows, I got into a fight and this is what I got for it. Makes me sort of like a hero to the other Slytherins." He smirked, more blood leaking from his mouth in the process.
"Have it your way. It never would have happened if you hadn't been stalking me."
"Stalking you? Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Oh please, no matter where I go, you are always somewhere nearby."
"Am not. We just happen to cross paths because of classes, Know-It-All Mudblood."
"Uh-huh," Hermione sniffed, not bothered by the names. "How do you explain that you're always there right before I get in an argument with Harry and you happen to throw an insult at Harry so he gets distracted?"
"You're delusional, that's how."
"Just…just- argh!" Hermione stood and walked away from him, never looking back.
Only a few days later, Hermione was walking down another corridor, heading toward the Great Hall when someone called her name. "Hermione? Hermione?"
Hermione turned around and smiled slightly. "Hello, Rane. What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing much I just…Well…" Rane looked down at her feet as they walked.
"Harry's been telling you tale's, hasn't he?"
"Maybe…He said you turned on him. He said you hate me? It isn't true, is it?"
"No! He turned on me! And why would you believe him! I don't hate you!"
"Yes you do! You avoid me. I'm just a nuisance."
"Rane, listen to me." Hermione stepped in front of her. "I don't hate you. I just…You seem to be taking my place. Harry never talks to me. He doesn't even ask me to do his homework anymore." Tears streamed down Hermione's face. "He's just pushing me away by being around you all the time, because he never pays attention top me anymore. I am not jealous, at least…at least not in the sense of girlfriend material. I just feel so-"
"Violated?"
"How'd you know?" Hermione wiped her tears away.
"My mom may be a witch, but that doesn't mean she has the most common sense. She gets drunk all the time. The things she says…It's just…It's not pleasant." Rane looked at Hermione. She gasped. "Hermione! Your face!" Hermione turned away, knowing that her makeup had run and now the bruise was visible. "What happened?"
"Nothing. I got in an argument with Harry, that's all, and he kind of…slapped me, twice. I guess you could call it a souvenir.
Rane opened her mouth, but was cut off by a loud crash. Hermione and Rane ran together up to the entrance hall. A small crowd was gathered. Hermione and Rane pushed their way to the front. They gasped.
Draco was standing over Harry. Harry lay on his back. He was clutching his stomach. Draco glared down at him, wincing because of a spreading bruise around his eye. Rane raced forward and knelt beside Harry. "You're a coward, Potter!" Draco hissed as Rane helped Harry up. "You always need someone to hide behind. First it was Dumbledore. Then it was Granger. Now it's this girl. When will you start doing things for yourself? Oh sure, you can stand up to people when you want to, or you're feeling really cocky. You used to walk straight into a trap without a care in the world! You never let anyone do things for you. Well that was then, this is now. It's time you pull yourself together, Potter! Every time you see someone killed you sink into this depression. What happened to the old, Potter? I think I liked him better. You think you've felt pain? Ha! You don't know the meaning until you take a walk in my shoes." Harry slowly stood. "Girl, don't get in over your head." Draco smirked as Rane scowled at him.
"How dare you talk to her?" Harry yelled. "And how dare you tell me about pain!" Harry whipped out his wand. Draco did the same.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione yelled. The boys' wands flew to her hand. They looked over at her. "You two should stop before you hurt each other."
"What do you know?" Draco snapped.
"As much as you'd like me to," Hermione replied. She glared at him. He smirked.
"So, you still stand up for him? I would've thought you knew better!" Draco turned and walked away. Hermione watched him go with a slight feeling of dread. The crowd scurried away.
"Hermione," Harry whispered. "Why did you stop me? I could've sent him to the hospital wing in pieces!"
"That's exactly why, Harry! You don't need to go around blowing people up!" She faced him. "I hate to admit it, Harry, but he's right. You used to be so happy and carefree. Now, you're just a scrooge!"
"Take that back!" Harry stepped up to her.
"No." She stared at him. He turned his gaze away.
"You have turned against him, Hermione. I bet it's because of that evil Malfoy guy." Rane growled.
"That's where you've been going, isn't it?" Harry asked. "You've been meeting Malfoy!"
"I have not!" Hermione stuttered.
"You're such a liar, Hermione! That's all you've ever been. You've always kept something from me and Ron. There's always something! You just want me to believe you every time so it won't ruin your goody-goody reputation!"
"That's not true, Harry! You know it's not! I have not been meeting Malfoy!" Hermione fought back her tears.
"Tell me something then, Hermione. Why did I see you and him together on the map then? You were together on the steps to the Divination classroom. The map does not lie, remember? How do you explain that, Hermione?" Hermione didn't answer. "He's your enemy! I'm not! Why do you treat me like some rebel, like a stranger?"
"Because you are, Harry! You don't care anymore! All you care about is yourself! You're just like Malfoy was in third year! I feel like I don't know you anymore! Who are you?" Hermione glared at him through her tears. "Right now, I'm not sure who is my friend and who's my enemy."
Harry didn't answer for a moment. "I'll get back to you on those when I have an answer. Now, can I have my wand back, Hermione?" Hermione jumped and looked down at her hand. Draco's and Harry's wands were in her hand. "Sure." She gave it to him. "I'll see you later."
"Maybe," Rane muttered. Hermione left and walked slowly to the Founders' room.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
-Proverbs 9:17
Thanks for reading guys! I hope you haven't given up on me. Sorry it took so long. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.
Teenlaunch