Why Should It Matter?
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Chapter Nine: Secret Revealed
Guilt and strength. Both two different things, both were having two different effects. One was becoming mind-consuming, while the other was deteriorating. Hermione rested her head against the Prefect compartment seat. Everything was blurred, including her friendship with Harry. She didn't understand why she suddenly was acting that way toward him. Every time she wasn't near him, she thought about patching things up with the Boy Wonder, but every time he came near her, all hell would break loose. There was a battle of thoughts brewing within her head. 'He looked more pale than usual, didn't he? Was I imagining things, or was that for real? Did he go cut himself after our fight? Is everything that's going to happen now, my fault?' She wouldn't be able to answer those questions, only time would.
Ron sat next to her, staring blankly at the outside flying by. She knew that Ron was confused about what was going on between her and Harry, but to explain that, she would have to explain the cutting. And no matter how much anger or hatred she would ever develop for Harry, there would never come a day where she would tell anyone.
"I don't see why we're being forced to sit in this compartment all day. I wanted to talk with Harry." Ron muttered. While Ron was angry about sitting in the Prefect Compartment the whole ride, Hermione welcomed the opportunity not to fight with Harry again.
"Well, when Malfoy comes back, you'll be able to patrol." Hermione commented back, wishing to return to her thoughts. Then something struck hit her, Malfoy had been gone for quite a while. "On second thought, since Malfoy has been missing for quite while, maybe one of us should go looking for him. He's probably out terrorizing younger students." Hermione stood up and started to walk toward the compartment door. "And I've decided that I'll go look for him." Hermione slowly closed the door behind her and started to look through the hallway, trying to find Malfoy in it, but came up empty handed. 'I guess that I'm going to have search all of the compartments.' Hermione thought angrily. One after another, she opened up the compartments, trying to find Malfoy. She received many dirty looks every time she was found prying into someone's compartment. Hermione never explained her actions and since she was a Prefect, she didn't need to. It took about five minutes before she opened up a compartment and gasped. Malfoy was lying on the floor, stunned. Hermione spoke the counter-curse to revive him. "What happened to you?" She asked, not truly caring one bit.
"Oh Granger, I never knew you cared." He spat bitterly, trying to sit up.
"I really don't." She replied bluntly, catching sarcasm exit his eyes. "Considering you're nothing but trouble, I came looking for you to see if you were terrorizing younger students!" Malfoy finally sat up, wincing slightly.
"I don't see how it's any of your business how I decide to punish younger years, you stupid little mudblood!" Hermione's eyes narrowed.
"You stupid ferret; get this through your head!" She shouted, taking Malfoy quite by surprise. She took out her wand and pointed it at him. "First off, it is my business on how you treat younger students. Just like you, I'm a Prefect and we're supposed to watch out for younger students. Secondly, you can call me mudblood all you want because I rather be muggleborn than some filthy pureblooded trash!" She stashed her wand inside of her robes and quickly exited the compartment. Feeling herself still angry, she decided to walk back slowly to the Prefect Compartment; she needed to cool herself down.
-ooo-
Everything was blurry and confusing. The mind was relaying one thing, while everything was different. Utter confusion was represented within the girl, but she couldn't escape it. Ginny Weasley opened her eyes slowly, trying to remember the last thing that she could, but it seemed as if someone had robbed her of her memory.
"I think she's coming to." She heard a voice, but it sounded so distant, so unusual. "Ginny, can you hear me?" Two deep green eyes looked down at her, making her know who was by her side.
"Harry," She whispered coarsely. She tried to sit up, but everything began to spin. Lying back down, Ginny tried to remember anything, anything at all, but it all seemed so unbelievably vague. "Where am I?" Ginny asked quietly, re-closing her eyes.
"We're on the Hogwarts Express going to school." Harry replied, throwing worried looks toward the others in the compartment. Ginny started thinking about what Harry said. 'How can we be going back to Hogwarts so soon? Didn't we just get out?' Her mind screamed for understanding and then it hit her. 'That day, walking around, Malfoy cast a certain spell on me, but what could it have been?' Suddenly, thoughts of the summer washed over her, making her gasp in fear. The evil thoughts of becoming a Death Eater and torturing her family and friends. 'Why did I think like that?' The youngest Weasley asked herself.
"Ginny?!" Ginny looked up and spotted Ron coming toward her. "Are you alright? What happened?" She knew her older brother wasn't going to just believe anything, so she tried to come up with something that would hold him off.
"Dizzy spell, I suppose. I'm fine now, Ron, really I am." She said, sitting up. He shot her a concerned glance before turning to the rest of them.
"If anything else happens to Ginny, come get me immediately!" They all nodded and Ron walked out of the compartment. Ginny shook her head in confusion, she couldn't remember what Malfoy had said to her before he placed her under that spell, nor could she remember what spell was cast, but why would he suddenly remove the spell?
A hand came in front of her face. She looked up seeing Harry stand before her. "You wanna get off of the floor?" She nodded and took his hand. Her walking was a little shaky, but she could maintain her own stance. Walking over to the compartment seat, she sat down and laid her head back. She needed to think about what had happened that day in June; she needed to straighten everything out. But she couldn't concentrate because she felt someone staring at her. She opened her eyes and spotted Harry staring at her curiously.
"Want something?" She asked, hoping that he would receive the hint that she wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"No, not really. Just wondering if you were feeling alright now?" Ginny smiled at his efforts.
"I'm fine, Harry. Really, don't worry about it." He nodded before sitting down beside her. She closed her eyes once more and tried to think again. Even though her efforts continued, she couldn't bring forth a flashback. But all she knew was she needed to remain far away from Malfoy, under every circumstance.
-ooo-
It seemed unreal, but everything was true. 'I've been held at wand point by two-thirds of the Golden Trio thus far.' Malfoy thought sardonically as he walked back to the Prefects compartment. 'In all honesty, who do they think that they are? Perfect Potter and the Mudblood think that can just mess with me?' Once he arrived at the compartment, he inwardly groaned, not wanting to have to sit with Weasley and Granger. There was only one other Slytherin in the compartment and that was Parkinson. He sighed as he sat beside her.
"Dracy, where have you been?" She asked with her highly annoying voice. Draco mentally flinched at the nickname that she decided to christen him with.
"Is it any of your business?" He snarled, turning his head.
"I was so worried about you." She said, placing her head on his shoulder. Draco immediately heard the Weasley and the mudblood snickering.
"Get off of me you stupid pug faced wench." He yelled pushing Pansy off of him. 'Ugh, I smell like her disgusting perfume. I'm going to need to bathe for an hour to remove that stench.' Pansy quickly fled the compartment, sobbing slightly at the comments that Draco had used toward. Draco looked around and noticed that Granger was staring at him. He stared back, drilling his cold glare into her eyes. "Have a staring problem, Granger? Or do you find me that attractive?" Draco asked smirking.
"Dream on, Malfoy." She said, turning her attention back to the Weasel. 'I really don't understand why Dumbledore thought that it was a great idea to place the Gryffindor and Slytherin Prefects in compartment together. Father always said that Dumbledore was an insane old fool!' Draco sat there bored, wish that he had something do. Since nothing really came to him, he decided that causing trouble would be the most fun.
"Oh, look at the time." Draco said, standing up. "Looks like it's time for me to go patrol again."
Hermione stood up and pulled out her wand. "I'm warning you, Malfoy. Mess with anyone and you'll be answering to me!" Ron stood up beside her and pulled out his wand as well. Draco laughed at both of them.
"Yes, because I'm afraid of you and Weasley, Granger. I'm shaking in my boots." He walked out of the compartment, still laughing slightly. Draco wanted to torture younger years again, but he needed to use the bathroom. Walking over to it, he noticed it was locked. 'That odd, this door is never locked.' "Alohomora!" He shouted at the locked door. He walked in and looked over at the sink. "WHAT THE HELL?" The person standing at the blood-stained sink turned around. Draco found himself staring into Potter's eyes. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He smirked evilly. "I think we have suicidal hero on our hands."
AN: That was another interesting ending... and for those of you that want me to tame the story down a bit… after next chapter I'll try to tame it a bit... but at the moment I cannot promise anything. I'm going to let the story guide me and whatever happens, happens. Well, at this point I'm sure if it's going to be Harry/Hermione, but I think that I can still transform into that J!
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