AN: I just had to tell you the title of the next...maybe entice you to review to actually GET IT. It's called "I've got Draco boogies on my wand." mmm...interest you? Well it's gonna be damned funny, right it will be. I'm letting my humour loose on this dark and dreary story. Oh don't worry, there shall be muchly in the ANGST department, and more lovey dovey eyes from Draco, but for now...fwahaha.O.o That's right...fwahaha.

Also, thank you to Isi who seems to be the only person on here who reads my fics. This, since you asked for it, is for you darling.

Chapter Three - Exposed

The stone wall felt cold against her fingertips as Hermione traced along the cracks, slowly making her way up the steps to her first class. Her bang hung limply at her side, and she dragged her feet. She had never been so unenthused about anything before, especially classes. Her body felt heavy, and her thoughts were slow. Dark circles laced beneath her eyes, showing the night's restless sleep she had gotten. And most of all, her arm was throbbing with pain.

She had found a spell to reduce the inflammation, make the cuts disappear, and the scarring vanish, but she had no time this morning. She had fallen asleep, her arm cradled next to her. When she awoke, her sheet was stained red, and she looked down at her arm, the blood turning its dark, brown, dried colour. She had gone deeper last night, stroked down the centre of her forearm, only three, but long. She had willed herself to push harder onto the shining razor that night, and it split into her skin neatly, cleanly. The same steely piece of destruction was stained red, the dried blood flaking off at ones touch. Her arm was covered only by the thin fabric that was her robes. She felt as though the robe was invisible, and that everyone would know…the material was too thin, the sleeve was too short. She kept placing her right palm over her left forearm, not even noticing she was doing it.

Ron watched wearily as Hermione trudged through the Potions class door, his chin resting in his hand. He hadn't seen Harry come in yet, and wasn't really looking forward to it. He had something else to worry about. Hermione looked as though she had been hit with a most potent flu, her eyes were drooping, and her spirits were low. But Ron, for once, didn't give into the simplest of excuses. There was something wrong with her, this went deeper than just being tired, or having the flu. He decided that after several years of being there for him, he would now do the same for her.
"Hermione!" he called out, his voice cracking slightly. Hermione looked up, and smiled weakly. She shuffled over to the empty seat beside Ron. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Hermione, did you sleep at all last night? You look horrible."
"Gee, thanks." Hermione cast one eye up at Ron, pulling her books out of her bag. Ron's ear went red.
"No, I didn't mean…I just…" but Ron never finished what he was saying. The door opened, the sounds of laughter and chatter from the outside filling the room, and dying when it was closed. And from the doorway strolled a very smug and content looking Draco, his cloak floating gracefully behind him. His gaze swept the room, landing on Ron, and his mouth unfurled into a nasty smirk. Ron's mouth was still open form being in mid-sentence, and Hermione looked carefully up into Draco's face.

"Good morning, Weasel. Granger." Hermione's face remained in the same sombre gaze, and Draco met it with a sudden look of realisation. He scanned down the front of her robes, down her torso and arms. He stopped for a moment upon her arm, then opened his mouth slightly. Ron was still dumbfounded at his behaviour. Hermione felt as though his gaze was a red hot iron, piercing through her robes. But then she realised he didn't need x-ray vision to see what he was seeing. She looked at the spot where he was fixated on, and found to her horror, her sleeve has been swept up to her elbow, her entire forearm exposed. Very exposed. She quickly slipped her hand beneath her desk, and stared up at Draco defiantly, her stance saying, "Go ahead. I dare you to say something." but her eyes were screaming for him to shut up. Draco then closed his mouth, and looked into her eyes. He then did something he didn't often do. He gave her a playful wink, a wicked smile, and sat in silence in the seats at the back row.

Hermione felt as though she could die right there. He saw. He knew. And yet…he didn't react. Not as though she thought he would. Ron's mouth was left open, still, he being even more perplexed by this strange behavious.
"He…he didn't…"
"Take the mickey out of you? I know. It's weird." A familiar voice came to the right of Hermione and she jumped slightly, finding Harry standing behind her. Ron quickly looked back at Harry and then to the empty seat beside him. Harry seemed to have miss this, for he sat heavily into the seat in front of Hermione. "What's his problem?" Harry's eyes were still narrowed on Draco's back. Ron shrugged and turned back to Hermione.

"Hermione, what's with you? You seem…I dunno. Something's not right."
"Oh don't be silly, Ron." Hermione brushed his comment off, her voice higher pitched than usual. She busily took her books out of her bag. For a moment, Harry and Ron's eyes met, but Harry pulled out of the gaze quickly and began taking his books out as well. With a sigh of resignation, Ron bent over his bag as well.

Potions seemed to drag on forever, and Hermione was still thinking worriedly about what Draco had saw when she quickly scurried out of the classroom before Ron could interrogate her further, when suddenly,
"Well, well, well." Draco's arm came out of nowhere, and stopped Hermione against the wall. She tried not to look at him, his head craning over hers. But two, delicate white fingers pushed her chin up again, and she was forced to look into the cold grey eyes. His eyes seemed to sparkle, but not with the usual menace they usually had. He smiled slightly, as only Draco could, and spoke in a small whisper,

"You've got a taste for blood, do you?" Hermione didn't see what was coming next, but Draco's hand shot quickly to her arm and pulled it up. Hermione squirmed and whimpered.
"Please…please let go." she cried softly, watching as more Slytherin's and Gryffindor's went by, some looking on in interest, most looking on in disgust. Draco merely jerked his head back to the other Slytherin's and they disappeared from sight. Hermione kept one eye on Draco's hand, the other was watching helplessly as the Gryffindor's vacated the hall. "Please." she tried again. To her surprise, Draco let go. But only to roll his sleeve up as well. Long white lines stretched across his arm, deep, meaningful. Hermione looked down at them in surprise. She then shot him a disgusted glance. "What, you think I'm some sadistic psycho who enjoys this? A masochistic freak who likes to se-"
"You do it to feel. You do it to feel control, to feel yourself. To feel alive." Draco's words hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. She stared up at him, open mouthed. Draco smirked darkly. "Though of course, has become a hobby for myself as of late. How deep…how hard…how much…" He caressed the side of Hermione's face, her eyes closed slowly.
"Oi! OI!" Ron's voice broke the heavy silence, and Draco spun around to face a livid looking Weasley. "Keep your slimy little hands off her, Malfoy!" His arm swung around, clocking a unaware Draco in the head. His blonde hair flew over his face as his head bounced off the stone wall. Harry ran past them to Hermione's side, whilst Ron advanced on Draco again.
"Ron! Ron stop!" Harry said loudly, as Ron picked Draco up by the front of his robes, his arm swinging back for another hit.
"STOP!" Hermione cried, and Ron looked up, surprised. He dropped Draco with a thud, and straightened to look at Hermione. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide. Ron stood, confused for a moment, but was then kicked in the knee, and brought to the ground by a very flustered looking Draco. He pulled out his wand, and flung it up in the air in an elaborate swish, still holding Ron in a headlock, when Ron's wand came flying up from his pocket, and straight into Malfoy's…