Title: Anger Management

Author: S.L. Pagniello

Chapter: 6

Ship: Dr/ Hr

Rating: R

Synopsis: He hates her, everything about her. Her hair, her eyes, her fucking muggle clothes! Now, during their 7th year at Hogwarts, he must not only deal with her but also learn to live with her. However, that may take the destruction of everything in his room... (HBP totally blows this into AU, but oh well!)

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The day's classes came and went. Draco spent most of his class time attempting to catch up what he'd missed, collecting work and books as he went. By the end of the day, he had quite the stack of things he needed to get finished, and an exhausted look on his face. He was beginning to think that he'd let Hermione fret over him for a few more days, just so he could get some rest and get back to full strength. Smirking, he also knew he didn't want to pass up the chance of seeing her in her nightie again. However, he squashed that thought. Hermione had been taking care of him, something she hardly needed to do. He shouldn't be thinking of her in such a crude manner!

Sighing, he tried not to let his mind drift back to his old Malfoy ways or towards a new pristine Draco. Both, at this point were sickening to look at. Couldn't he just be... normal, like other people? Why did he have to choose between supreme villain or grand deity? Draco switched his books into the opposite arm, his left one becoming tired of the weight. Arriving at the gargoyle to the Head boy and girl's common room and speaking the password, he was thankful that it moved itself.

Upon entering he saw Crookshanks curled up on the top of one of the sofas. The animal turned its furry head up to look at him, then lay back down with hardly a glance. Draco scowled lightly at it, as he headed walked to the other sofa, dropping his books and his bag on it. He stared at it all for a second, before decided to dress a bit more comfortably before settling in for a long night.

Hermione walked in not even five minutes after he did, waving someone off at the door, scolding them as she did so. She turned to look at Draco, who now sat on the sofa wearing a soft pair of pajama pants and a wife-beater's shirt. She smiled at him.

"Have a good day today? You did well in Transfiguration, I saw you write down all your notes." She said with a chuckle, neatly setting her things on the coffee table. Draco tried to smile back at her, but he knew he was going to have to talk to her tonight. Hermione was loosening her tie with one hand and flipping through an assignment book with the other. Draco watched her, etching every movement into his memory. After tonight she may not look at him again, and he wouldn't get the chance to look so closely at her again.

She turned to him, pulling some extra parchment from her back, and neatly written on to hand to him. Draco watched her, and politely took the parchment. Then, Hermione idly began speaking to him, telling him of her day and asking him silly questions about his. He answered shortly, paying attention to every detail of her voice and face without trying to seem like he was doing so. After a few moments of this, he took a breath and decided it was time.

"Stop, Hermione." He said, his voice more of a grumble than anything. He didn't want her to stop, of course. He could listen to her silky voice for hours and never tire of it. But, it had to stop, didn't it? He couldn't let this happen to her. She couldn't let herself care about him.

She turned to look at him, blinking. She blushed, obviously thinking that he meant for her to stop talking. She nervously tucked some hair behind her ear, not used to this.

"I'm sorry Draco, I was just rambling on and on, I didn't even stop to think that you may just want to work--" Draco waved a hand to cut her off. She took a seat beside him, though half a cushion away.

"I meant, stop all this. Everything you're doing." She only stared at him more, confused. He frowned, not wanting to have to explain himself, just wanting her to follow orders.

"All this fretting over me. Just stop... caring." He said, staring into her honeyed eyes. She stared back in response, her lips forming a thin line now.

"What do you mean, 'stop caring'? I can't just simply forget you exist, Draco. You are you're silly mood swings, and-"

"That's right, Granger, my silly mood swings. Just stay out of it." He said, raising his voice. He knew that telling her nicely wasn't going to sway her. He knew being cruel just this once wasn't going to stop it either. He was going to have to turn into a real prat again.

"But... But Draco, I don't mind helping you, or being here for you. I don't! I just want to-" Again, he cut her off.

"Look, I don't want your help, Granger! I can do fine on my own! Look, thanks for helping me and whatever, but just lay off." He growled, his eyes flashing. Hermione was obviously hurt at the use of her surname instead of her given, but she still tried.

"Why, why are you being like this? I thought that... I thought... I don't know! That you'd changed! We... we shared things, you and I! We have... something, right?" She pleaded, tears brimming her eyes. God he felt like such a fuck for doing this to her. She looked so dreadful crying like that, like a lost kitten.

"Look, you helped me. I can't deny it. But there's nothing. You were just there when I needed something. End of fuckin' story." She said, now standing abruptly to look down on her. He'd had far too much practice in being a cold blooded Slytherin. It was coming back easy... However, if he looked at her much longer his face was going to redden with the pent up emotion.

"Now just leave me alone. I'm sure Potter and Weasel have been wondering where you are, anyway." She said, waving a hand sarcastically, as if he could care less. He gathered up what he'd been working on, and turned his back on her.

"But, Draco!" She yelled at him, leaping to her feet and lunging for him. She touched his arm, and he turned on her, grabbing her wrist. He twisted it, only hard enough to hurt her a little, and it destroyed him to do it.

"Don't use my first name anymore, it hurts my ears to hear it on your tongue." He growled, his eyes silvering. She stared into his face, searching it for anything, anything at all. But Draco Malfoy had been taught by the best, to hide emotions and cow people into believing what he wanted them to believe. He tossed her arm back to her, and she held it as if he had bit her and drew blood.

"You're a bastard, Malfoy." She hissed now, eyes darkened, but she wouldn't look at him now. "You're an ungrateful bastard, and I hate you." The words struck him right in the chest, and he thought he'd fall. However, he simply turned his back on her, going to his door and slamming it behind him. He left her sitting now in the common room, trying not to make so much noise in her weeping.

"God, I'm such a bloody prat." He said, sliding down his door, dropping his things to the side and he set his face in his hands. Silent tears trailed down his pale face, as he wondered how he could do something to someone so pure? He reminded himself that it was needed to be done. She deserved someone like Potter or Weasly... someone who wasn't like him. Draco Malfoy was tainted; he'd done awful things for a pathetic Lord in the name of what? In the name of hate for muggle-borns? How fucking close-minded could one be? They were acting like the muggles a hundred years ago, hating others just for their skin color. Now instead, they tried to hate each other for their ways of life.

He stared at the floor through his fingers and wondered just how he was going to get through the rest of the year like this. He was a wreck, and now he could really feel it. That morning, with Hermione fretting over him so, he'd been in shock. But beneath the shock, he'd loved every second of it. He'd just glowed beneath her little quips.

"Oh God, baby I'm going to miss you... and everything that will never happen..." Draco grumbled, shaking his head and sinking far deeper into despair.

Hermione sat in the Great Hall the next morning in between Potter and Weasly. Potter sat beside the Weaselette, staring into her eyes like some love struck idiot. It made Draco sick. Weasly wasn't even paying attention o Hermione as she spoke, he was staring across the table at God knew what, Draco didn't take the time to find out. Instead, he sat at the Slytherin table silently.

He felt Hermione's gaze shift to him, felt her staring at him for any sort of sign. God, she still didn't want to give up. He looked up, and stared right at her, eyes hard and gaze molten. He sneered, before looking away, filling his plate with food. He knew he shouldn't eat so much after not having eaten solid food in so long. But with any luck he'd be bent over the toilet later that day instead of transfiguration with her. Pansy initiated conversation with him, and he grunted answers at her, enough to make her think he cared at least partly about what she was saying.

Weasly must have noticed Hermione staring at him, because he'd started yelling at her. Inwardly Draco smirked, how would Weasly like it if he'd known that Hermione had kissed him in the hall the other day, eh? Draco just wanted to walk up to the red headed little bastard and sock him good, just because he could. That, and he knew that Weasly had always had something for Hermione, she'd just never let him go anywhere with it. His smirk dissolved instantly into a frown as he thought that Hermione would finally give the Weasel a chance now that Draco had shot her down so bad. Christ he hated that bastard.

"Draco, Jesus, are you even paying attention to me?" Pansy was whining. God dammit. He turned to look at her, idly swiping some hair form his face,

"Of course, Pans. I always listen to you." He lied. Looking back, he could hardly recall a conversation between the two of them that he'd never really paid full attention to her. Oh well. At any rate she was pleased by his answer, and by then it was time for class anyway.

As he'd predicted, the onslaught of food and brought a foul ache in his stomach, followed by the purging of the entire contents of his gut. He had made it to the Head common room at any rate, and now leaned against his bathroom wall, attempting to catch his breath before another wave of nausea hit him. He stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out just what he was going to do. He couldn't avoid her forever; he was going to have to continue what he'd started. God, this was fucking bad.

He heaved again, stress and the idiocy of eating solid food so soon after his illnesses getting to him. This was awful, bloody awful. He couldn't picture his life getting any worse should the Dark Lord come back from the dead and want vengeance on his betrayer.

He heard Hermione come in. He didn't hear her door shut though, and strained to listen. What was she doing in the common room? It really was none of his business; it was as much her common room as it was his.

"Don't be to depressed Hermione. It was just Malfoy, you know that." Ah, Potter's voice. Draco snarled in disgust. The two must have thought Draco was skeeving class.

"I know but Harry... Harry he did so much. Something like all that could get to someone, even Draco Malfoy." She sounded concerned. Dammit, Hermione, stop being so concerned about everyone else's well being! Worry about your own!

"Look Hermione. He's obviously made it clear that it's not your problem. I think... I think he's done you a favor. Caring about Malfoy will only cause he grief." How right Potter was. But it strung to hear it from someone else. So, he truly had made the right decision hadn't he?

"Don't you even say that!" Hermione sounded angry now, "He's a good boy. He's a good man. He's done a lot for everyone! He... he sacrificed a lot you know!"

"Like what? He's still a bloody rich git, still popular! He's still going to get his excellent grades, have his choice of a pureblooded wife with hardly the bat of an eye! His family is still alive, even his wretched father!" Potter raised his voice her Hermione, but she obviously wasn't going to have it.

"Don't you even start with me on that Harry Potter! You know very well that Draco went through a lot to give our side information! He went directly against His orders! Serious harm came to him, you know that!" She cried.

"He's still Malfoy, and he's still who he is! You never really change, Hermione! He'll always be how he is. He just took advantage of your kindness for a day, that's all!" Hermione had broken into sobs now, Draco could hear it. The bile was rising in his throat again, and without hardly meaning to, he retched into the bowl again. Silence from the common room.

Potter strode through Draco's bathroom door as if he belonged, and that much was enough to anger him. "Get the fuck out of my rooms." Draco croaked, anger apparent through even his scratchy voice. Potter glared down at him, and Draco made to get up off the ground.

"You leave Hermione alone, you two faced bastard." He breathed. Draco stood now, wiping the remains of his breakfast from his face. He was paler than usual, and sweat beaded at his brow. Hermione stood behind Potter, looking over his shoulder.

"Fuck you Potter. Fuck you." Draco spat, hardly recognizing his own voice. Potter frowned even deeper.

"You're still pathetic. I don't care what you've done, you'll never be worth my time." He said, as if he could actually hurt Draco with those words. The Malfoy heir laughed, his legs nearly collapsing beneath him. However, he leaned his back against the wall for support.

"Worth your time? Potter, what the fuck makes you think I want to be worth your fucking time? I'm glad you've taken up your place as God, but fuck me if I give a shit!" Draco said. Potter glared, and pulled back an arm to punch him. Draco scrambled out of the way in hardly time to spare, rather unlike himself. Potter winced as his fist connected with the wall rather than the soft flesh of Draco's cheek.

Draco stood hardly a foot from Hermione now, and she was staring at him, wide eyed. He looked at her, and frowned. His eyes flashed for a moment, before Potter turned on his again.

"Stand still, so I can beat you in one place, Malfoy!" He called, running of the anger driven by a friend who's been hurt. Draco didn't have it in him to move again, so he let the pain come. He deserved it anyway, so why bother? Potter's fist connected with his nose, sufficiently breaking it as Draco fell to the floor.

He lay on his back, blood spilling down his cheeks and to the floor, pooling at his head and soaking his hair. Hermione was at his side in a second, only to be pulled up by the arm by Potter.

"Don't fret over him Hermione. He doesn't want that, remember? He just wants to be left alone." Potter said, echoing Draco's earlier words to Hermione.

"But Harry, he's bleeding!" She said, hysteria in her voice. Potter tugged at her, to keep her from dropping to her knees again.

"Just get out of my rooms." Draco mumbled, staring at the ceiling, "Get the fuck out of my rooms and don't fuckin' come back." Draco sat up, holding his sleeved arm to his face to absorb some blood. "You got you knock in, so fucking get out and don't let me see you again, Potter." he growled, staring at the pair.

Potter glared at him before turning to exit, tugging Hermione along. She glanced back at him several times, but Draco held nothing but malice in his eyes. However, his malice wasn't towards her, but towards Potter. A man would could forever hold Hermione in his favor and let her hold him in hers, without ever having either of them being condemned. God, he fucking hated Potter.

Draco sat in the bathroom, now just letting his nose bleed until it clotted itself. He'd perform a spell on it later to fix it, right then he didn't care. He just wanted her. He just wanted to hold her, to have her. He wanted to feel her hands in his hair again, to have the chance to feel her lips on his again. God, life was so cruel, wasn't it?

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A/N - Sorry it took so long to get this out! OO I am bad bad baaaad! But bleh, my week has been crappy. Enough of that! How didja like? This is proving to be longer than I'd anticipated. I think another two chapters and it out to be done. One more for Draco to realize that his life just isn't complete without our Hermione and want her back regardless, and one to wrap up loose ends and be fluffy (smutty!). Yarg, again ignoring my bad spelling/ fast typing. I am a bad bad person x.x;;

Update: … this time I'll pay you for a cookie. I swears it. :D