Blinded Love
Chapter 8: Play it safe

An: GAH! TWO WHOLE YEARS SINCE IVE UPDATED! GOD DAMN! Sorry Sorry! Hopefully this will make up for it and they'll be more updates on the way. Don't fret!

Hermione waded slowly into the Great Hall the following morning. Her hair was greasy and in limp curls from the previous night's lack of showering. Her auburn eyes seemed to loose all their gloss as she stumbled into a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Ello Hermi-" She silenced Ron with the hold of a hand, and breathed in deeply.

"Not this morning Ron, Not in the mood." She gave a quick glance up to the staff table to notice an empty seat. Her heart sped up and wanted an answer, but her pride kept the words from ever forming. Harry glanced at her gal-pal.

"Hermione, did you here?" She gave him a raised eyebrow as a reply as she scooted her pancakes around on her plate. "There's going to be a big party in the forbidden forest tonight." Harry continued, even though she was giving him a blank stare to as if saying ' what do I care?' "Just thought you might like to know." He mumbled to himself as Ron shrugged,

"Nice try mate." And dug into his berry cobbler. Sighing, Hermione pushed her chair away from the table and stormed quietly out of the hall. "Hey Hermione!" Ron yelled out to her, "You didn't finish your pancakes!" Once the door slammed he finished with, "May I have them?" Half the Gryffindor table gave him a glare, with his oblivious attitude.

"Man.." Harry stood up preparing to run after Hermione when an announcement from Dumbledore interrupted him. Malfoy seeing the obvious opportunity at hand, slipped away from the crowd and out to follow Hermione.
---The Head Girl's Dorm--

Hermione slammed the bedroom door, which kept her isolated from the outside world. Launching herself to her bed she grab her pillow and stuffed her head into its cotton material.

"Mia that's not good for you, you could die from cotton intoxication." The prince of Slytherin himself appeared from the shadowed bathroom. Hermione didn't notice the newly arrival until he was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She said in-between sobs in a hiccupped voice. Malfoy smirked and brushed his hand over the back of her head, now was the time to take the lead.

"Shh..Mia." He cooed in a soothing voice stroking her calmed curls. "Everything will be fine, I promise. This isn't the end of the world. You don't need him. Look how he screwed things up for us. We we're perfect together." Malfoy bundled Hermione up in his arms and rocked her gently as she wept with realization.

"Draco.." Hermione whispered hugging him tighter; He silenced her with a hug.

"Don't speak, just say you'll come with me to the mid-winter ball." Hermione did nothing but nod and shiver a bit in his arms. Draco hummed gently in his rough voice and laid Hermione back on her bed. "Everything will be alright." He whispered into her ear and kissed gently across her lips. "Everything. I can guarantee it." Hermione cried herself to sleep with the one last question that hung in the air, 'Why'd he say he loved me so soon..' Malfoy scowled and nuzzled her head whispering the answer in her ear but she was dead to the world and didn't get the reply. Before heading out the door, Malfoy planted a ring on her finger with a emerald Malfoy crest, to show all who exactly she belonged too.

"Hermione? Are you in there? Hermione?" Oliver pounded on the door to the joint bathroom. "Please open up Hermione. Pleases?" His voice started soft then leaned into a plea, cracking as he begged. Hermione stirred in her sleep the voice awakening her from her dreams. It took a moment before she realized whose voice it was.

"Go Away! Haven't you had enough?" She threw a pillow at the door making a loud thumping noise against the aged oak. Oliver winced and jumped back, after a minute of silence he tried again. "I just want to talk.." Hermione slowly raised from the bed her mind spinning with options. What could she do? What should she do?

"Let me take a shower first, I need to think Oliver. Get out of the bathroom, or I shall descend down to the prefects bathroom." The room was silent as Hermione listened for the other door to close. When it did she let out a sigh of relief. Discarding her clothing and robes, she ran the bathwater. Steam arose from the heated water, fogging up the double-sided mirrors in the room. Clearing a space off with her hand, Hermione glanced at her body in the mirror. Trying to figure out what was so special about her. After finding nothing the ordinary girl her age and body build wouldn't have, Hermione stepped into the temperate water. The first thing she noted to do was wash her heap of curls. They fell limp when the water touched them and stuck to her skull. The scent of orange-ginger and papaya fruit filled the room.

Once relaxed and opened minded she decided upon the task at hand. "I don't want either, both have hurt me." She said to herself running a loofa down her soaped up leg. "Maybe, I should just turn lesbian." Hermione heard a gasp them a collision outside the door. Dashing up from the water she grabbed a towel, and charged to the door. On the ground in a heap of body parts laid three curious Ravenclaw sixth years. A bright red rose to Hermione's cheeks as her nails dug into the palm of her clenching hands. "G-g-get o-o-out before I h-h-hex you ALL!" She went for the sink to grab for her wand and by the time she turned back the boys had scampered away. "Cant I get any god damn privacy around here!? Damn! Now I have little pervvy pest to worry about! Ooohh…can't this day EVER end?"

Sighing to herself she washed the shampoo out of her hair and turned to her dresser. Pulling out a pair of deep red corduroy slacks and a white button up blouse, she did a quick dry spell to her hair, and tamed her curls to mild waves. "Now, to get down to business." Grabbing her knapsack and Gryffindor robes Hermione bound down to the Common-room with a stack of parchment in her hands.

Once arriving in the common room, she figured she could find peace and quioet there. But no, two first year girls had to be complaining about someone stealing their lipgloss. Hermione only heard bits and parts of this conversation before exploding on both of them,

"I think that nasty Slytherin girl took it." Yelped the blonde, the red head did a dramatic gasp.

"No! Ewww! What if she…" Both girls looked at each other and erupted in a fit of 'eews!' Hermione had no clue what they were thinking but she had, had enough of it as it was.

"Both of you! Quit it! Your lip gloss is lying over there by the fireplace underneath the sofa, one of those bloody brats hid it there last night. Quit being so childish and concentrate on your studies!" The two girls huddled in each other's arms fearing the mighty wrath of the head girl. Kicking up their heels and running away to the library Hermione finally thought she was going to get some peace and quiet, when Ron and Harry decided to bound into the room. Knocking over her chair and tying a hankie around her eyes they placed her into a body bind and carried her out of the room. Hermione's mind raced with possibilities of where they could be taking her, and if she could of moved or even spoke they both would be receiving an earful.

Once the bind was removed Hermione was led into a dark chilly room. She struggled to get free but then realized there were no restraints holding her. Reaching for her blindfold she took it off to reveal a small table with candles lit. Rose petals that sparkled with golden shimmers fluttered by her feet as she walked through them. Pixie dust decorated the walls, and out of the darkness a slow song started.

A vineland past the candle shine,
that burns every night for someone,
she lets herself go like an angel in the snow,
she lays down on her back, down on her back she goes…

Hahahah cliffy! Review and you'll see more, I hope over 1,000 words is enough for now!