Chapter Nine already…I love this story so much…

Chapter Nine (yay!)

Continued as a regular story

After Draco hit Hermione, she stared at him with such raw anger that Draco began to get a tiny bit scared. Suddenly, she threw out her fist and punched him in the arm.

Draco growled menacingly. He had tried a thousand times to be nice, to make up for that comment, and he wasn't going to take anymore.

He slapped her across her face, and she fell off her stool and cracked her head on the corner of a wooden table. Draco's eyes widened as blood began gushing from the crack in Hermione's head, and the entire room was silent.

"Shit," He whispered, and bent over. "Hermione, are you okay? I'm so sorry-" And he was. Just because he didn't like her didn't mean he wanted to hurt her.

'Go away! Just…go away!' The gold words flickered and went out as she became unconscious. A tear slid down her cheek.

Draco stared in horror as Snape came and picked Hermione up. "Draco Malfoy!" he yelled, eyes blazing. "I would have expected better from you!"

"Sir, please-" He said softly, but Snape cut him off.

"Take her to the hospital wing immediately!" Snape shouted.

"Professor-"

"NOW!" Snape screamed, and shoved Hermione into Draco's outstretched arms, the blood still dripping softly from her head.

Draco nodded, and quickly left the dungeons, racing through the classroom. He wasn't looking where he was going, just looking at Hermione. "What have I done?" He whispered.

He banged through the door of the hospital wing loudly, and Madam Pomfrey looked up, startled. Her eyes widened, and she took Hermione gently out of Draco's arms and set her down on a bed.

Draco sat on a stool next to it. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked unhappily.

"I think so," said Madam Pomfrey. "She fractured her skull and has quite a bit of bruises at the base of her neck. What happened to her?"

Draco looked away and didn't answer.

Madam Pomfrey straightened up and looked at him sternly. "Mr. Malfoy…"

"That would be my father. Do you want him?" said Draco dryly, trying to distracted her from the subject.

The woman banged her fist on a tray. "Draco Malfoy! Do you want Hermione to get better or not? This could be critical!"

Alarmed, Draco softly told her the entire story about what happened in the dungeon-editing out all the stuff that concerned the dream and his failure at comforting.

"Mr. Malfoy," tutted Madam Pomfrey disapprovingly as she got down various bottles. "What are we going to do about your temper?" She poured a potion down Hermione's throat and handed Draco a lotion. "Rub this on the injuries. I have to go run some errands, and since you were the one responsible for the injury, you need to watch over her. I trust that you will not lose your temper-as hard as it may be to do so on an unconscious girl." She left the wing, muttering to herself.

Draco gulped, and poured out some of the sticky salve on his hands. He looked down at Hermione. She's so peaceful when she's sleeping, he thought. He rubbed his hands on her neck, where some of the major bruising was.

Why did he have to hit her in the first place? Right…she was being so mean to him. Just because of a stupid comment about a stupid dream. He just had to deny that he cared about her. Just a little bit of him wanted to say yes, I do care about you, that moment. Even if it was only a little bit. But why did that tick her off so much? It was only a dream. But maybe it wasn't.

He sighed unhappily and put some lotion on her wounded scalp. At this rate, he would probably never know.

Not that it mattered.

Okay, maybe it did matter. He did care about Hermione. He cared enough to not want her hurt, upset, or unhappy…with him too.

Was he becoming friends with her? Did he really want to be friends with someone he had hated for years and years?

The answer was yes. Yes, he did want to be friends, yes, he was becoming friends with her, and yes, he did want to make up to her about that comment. But most importantly, yes, he DID want her to wake up first!

Draco groaned as he rubbed the oily glop into Hermione's neck. If he really did want to apologize, it would be a long wait.

Hermione suddenly moaned, her face creased with worry and terror. Draco looked around for Mrs. Pomfrey, alarmed. Nobody was in the hospital wing. Hermione suddenly screamed.

Draco jumped back, then leaned over her. "It's a dream," he said quietly in her ear. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream."

She quieted down, then suddenly shrieked again. Draco jumped up, and rushed for the sink. With Hermione in the background, he hurriedly filled a bucket with water, and ran over to her side. At the loudest scream yet, he poured the water over her head, covering her in it.

Gasping, Hermione sat up and looked around wildly. Her eyes landed on Draco, who was holding the bucket, and narrowed.

'You!' read the gold script above her head. 'What is your problem? I was having a pleasant sleep, and you-'

"You were screaming!" Draco protested angrily. "If you call that pleasant, you're more of an idiot than I thought!"

'I can't believe you!' Hermione stood, dripping. 'First you crack my head open, and then you dump water on me?'

Draco rolled his eyes. 'Look, I'm sorry about that, but you were yelling and I didn't know what to do-'

'Sorry doesn't change it!' Hermione glared at him.

"What do you want me to do, go back in time and change it?" said Draco.

'No, but-'

"But what?" Draco said. "Wait, never mind. I don't care. I just want to apologize for the comment back in your room, I really did care!" He looked at her hopefully.

This just made her more enraged. 'What? You lied?'

Draco backed away. "Yeah, but-"

"First you want to rip me off, then you LIE about something incredibly important-I bet you're lying right now!' read the script.

"Hermione, I swear, I'm not!" Draco said.

'I really don't care what you have to say now, Malfoy. Just leave me alone. And forget about the bet.' Hermione turned away from him, and put her nose in the air.

"Hermione-"

'Forget about it Malfoy!'

Draco turned red. He had tried to apologize. He had cared. He had tried hard to be nice. But now? He didn't care, and he didn't want to apologize again. She wanted to have nothing to do with him? Fine! See if he cared! He didn't-not anymore.

"You little Mudblood!" he hissed angrily. "If you weren't a girl, I swear I'd make you run back cowering back to that pigsty you crawled out of!"

Hermione whipped around. 'Okay, let's say I'm not a girl!' read the gold lettering.

"Okay then," Draco smirked and rolled up his sleeves. "This is going to be fun."

Hermione bared her teeth. 'Bring it, Malfoy. I dare you. I just dare you.'

And that's when Madam Pomfrey bustled in, with Hermione, sopping wet, glaring fiercely at Draco, who fist was up.

Madam Pomfrey immediately dropped her laundry. "Mr. Malfoy!" she gasped. "I cannot believe your atrocious behavior! Get out! Out with you I say! Out!" She began to herd him out of the room.

"I'll get you Granger!" He yelled. "I swear I will! You better watch your back!"

Madam Pomfrey gave him one last shove and slammed the door out in his face. Draco growled and pushed his hair out of his eyes. From now on, he hated Hermione Granger, and as far as he, or anyone else, was concerned, he didn't care about her, never had, and never will.

He stomped back to the Heads' common room, and flopped down on the couch. He yanked a notebook out from underneath a cushion and began to write furiously.

Draco's black and white composition notebook

Forget it. Forget EVERYTHING. I hate Granger. She drives me insane. I'm just going to avoid at all costs. I won't talk to her, stand next to her, hell, I'm going to hit Blaise over the head if he says one word about the nasty little Mudblood.

The only time I will talk to her or about her is to insult her or degrade her in some way. She's going to regret ever messing with Draco Malfoy!

A napkin in the Great Hall, lunch time

Oh my god, Hermione, are you okay?

Did that ferret hurt you really bad?

Hermione, are you okay?

Yes, I'm fine. God, Malfoy's so annoying!

What exactly happened?

Well, we were exchanging insults, and he slapped me, and then I slapped him back-

Go Hermione!

Shut up Ron, and let her talk!

Thanks.

Get on with it!

Okay. And then he slapped me again, so hard that I fell of my chair and into a corner of the table.

Holy crap.

I know!

Actually, Hermione, he seemed kinda sorry. He was talking really softly, and seemed pretty upset.

Yeah right! Malfoy, upset about me? He did try to apologize to me, but of course, I told him to forget it.

Yeah, he's really scraping the bottom of the barrel, apologizing to you.

RON!

Actually, Ginny's right. He did seemed upset when he carried you to the hospital wing.

Now that I think of it, yeah…but who cares? Anyway, what happened next?

Well, the next thing I knew, he was standing over me, holding an empty bucket. And I was sopping. Then he started telling me all this bull about how I was screaming in my sleep.

What a liar.

Yeah. Completely.

I have to agree with you on that one.

And then he tried to feed me some stupid apology crap, but I didn't buy it.

What an asshole.

I second that.

Me too.

Me three.

Yup.

Whoa, Hermione, you okay?

Yeah…I'm fine…

You just groaned and clutched your head. Give me a break. You are not 'fine'.

I think…I think I'll go and get some rest, okay?

Okay. See you later Hermione.

Feel better!

Yeah!

Thanks guys.

No problem.

That's what friends are for, right?

Yeah.

Over at the Slytherin table

Uh…Draco…you okay?

Yes, Blaise, I'm great! Why ever do you ask?

You are? You keep looking over at the Gryffindor table and growling.

It's called sarcasm, Blaise! NO, I am NOT okay!

Why? What's wrong?

The Mudblood!

You too? I know, she's so hot…

NO! She's such a little know-it-all! I HATE HER!

Why?

Never mind that! I just hate her, that's all!

...okay

Don't give me that look!

What look? I wasn't giving you any look! –whistles innocently-

The look! The one where you roll your eyes and look at me all pityingly like there's something wrong with me, like I'm incredibly dense-like you-or something!

What does pitingly mean? Or is it pityyingly? Or pityingly? I can't never remember…

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!

Do I?

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Pansy, help! Draco's gone insane!

I wouldn't worry about it. He's always been that way. You just needed to egg him on a little to get his true self out.

Oh. Okay. Thanks.

No problem.

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Draco…stop it…you're starting to scare me…

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Draco…

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

DRACO…

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

DRACO!

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Good job! He's gone!

Thanks. Ugh…I've gotten a headache now. Think I'll go up and take a nap…

Okay. Bye.

Ugh…bye…

Hermione's dream, while she's taking a nap

So I had decided that I would confront Dylan. It wouldn't be that hard, I thought. He would understand. He was a very understanding person.

So that afternoon, we were in the park, sitting on the swings, talking and laughing. Every passing moment, I got more and more anxious. When should I tell him? Now? No, not now. Now! No, that's not right either!

Tired of waiting for the right moment, suddenly I spoke up. "Uh, Dylan?"

"Yeah, Hermione?" He cornered me with that intense glare of his.

"Um, don't you think we've been spending a bit too much time together?" I asked timidly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice going high-pitched.

"Well, don't you think we should be spending some time alone? Like by ourselves?" I said.

"What? Are you breaking up with me?" His eyes widened and he started breathing a bit heavy.

Unable to see the warning signs, I continued. "No, I just think that we should spend some time apart, okay? Like you don't have to come to my house every morning and night, and we don't have to go out every single day."

"Oh. Right." He said. His voice was really high and he was acting really jumpy.

"And you don't need to bring me chocolate every week, and stuff. I mean, it's nice, but kinda unnecessary, don't you think?"

Dylan jumped up, twitching all over. "H-hermione?" He said.

"Yeah?" I said confidently.

"I gotta go!" He ran out of the playground, and to his house. I heard the door slam.

I stood, frowning. Now that was weird, I thought. Oh well. I did what I had to do. I walked over to my house, and forgot about it.

The next morning the doorbell rang. My mother got up and answered it. "Hello?" she said, peering out the door. She had forgotten her glasses, so she couldn't see that well.

"Mrs. Granger?" said Dylan's voice, still incredibly high-pitched.

"One second, let me get my glasses on," said my mother, and she fumbled around, and shoved them on. "Here we are."

She jumped back. There was Dylan, disheveled and blank-eyed, looking back at her, holding a gun to his head.

"Is Hermione there?"

…

DUN DUN DUN DUN!

Review please. XD

Mel