Okay, there's a lot going on in this chapter and it covers a lot of time so yeah... I don't know the point of telling you that, but there it is! I'm getting my thoughts together for the next few chapters. I can't believe how well I'm doing with this! I had a little bit of writers block in the middle of this chapter but it went away, so here is chapter 6! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

The Game

Chapter 6: Will Things Ever Be Normal Again?

Madame Pomfrey insisted that Hermione stay in the hospital wing over the weekend. The Medi-witch explained to her that she would have to get help for her problem and that Draco had volunteered to help her. She would not be allowed to be left alone with any sharp items. Her room had been searched for anything that could be used to cut.

Hermione didn't talk much in her stay in the hospital wing. Draco came by everyday, more than once, even if he ended up just sitting next to her bed in silence.

Hermione knew that this was for the best and that they only wanted her to get better. And she wanted to get better too. But she couldn't help but feel the way she did. Her cutting had become an addiction, so quitting would be very hard. Sitting in bed all weekend in the hospital wing did not help at all. She just sat there thinking all day, not knowing what to do with herself. Her hands craved to just hold the knife again.

It bugged her a little that it was Draco Malfoy that would be in charge of keeping her wand. She didn't know why because he had seemed to prove that he didn't want anything to happen to her. He had been the only one to visit her over the weekend. Of course, she wasn't sure if anyone else even knew she was there. She definitely didn't want anyone else to know why she was there.

Sunday night she was allowed to return to her own room. Draco came to walk back to the Common Room with her.

"You haven't told anyone why I was in the hospital wing have you?" Hermione asked, quietly.

"No, of course not. If you don't want anyone to know I won't tell. I promise." He reassured her.

"Thank you." She said. Draco just nodded. "Well, I guess back to normal tomorrow…"

"Yeah, I guess so."

They stood in the Common Room in front of the staircase. Hermione turned to face Draco.

"Well, good night, then." She said, and turned to go upstairs. She stopped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned back towards him. "Yes?"

"It's going to be okay." Draco said. "If you need anything I'll be here for you. You don't have to do this alone."

Tears glistened in her eyes. She nodded. "Thank you." She whispered before turning to go to her room for the night.

This time there was no little wooden box and no pain to ease her craving.

The next day Hermione went back to her classes like nothing ever happened. She was quiet and didn't say anything the whole day. She ignored Harry and Ron like the plague. They tried to apologize to her but when she saw them coming towards her she fled in the other direction.

At the end of Potions, Hermione made her way towards Draco.

"Draco, can I have my wand please?" She asked, holding out her hand, expectantly. "As I'm sure you've noticed, we don't have our next class together."

"I know, but I have strict orders. I'll walk you to your next class, then give it to you." He said, while gathering his school supplies and putting them into his bag.

Hermione sighed. "I'm just going to class." She said, quietly.

"Hey," Draco said, in a soft voice. "I would give it to you, but I have to obey orders. Besides, it's a good excuse to be late to class." He smirked.

"Oh, wipe that smirk off your face! And speaking of being late, if you don't hurry, I'll be late for class!" She exclaimed.

"Now there's the Hermione I know!" Draco commented. Hermione glared at him. "Relax, Professor Snape will write us a pass. Come on."

Hermione stood back while Draco got a note from Snape. She hadn't spoken to the Potions Master or even seen him since the incident happened. She felt weird around him now, not knowing what to expect from the man she had run to when she lost control. He had ignored her the entire class. He didn't even look at her. He was just as unsure about her as she was about him.

At the end of the day Hermione walked to her Common Room. She was hoping that Draco wasn't busy because she had found that she enjoyed talking with him, and she needed someone to talk to right then.

What she found was Draco with his friends. They had stopped their conversation when she entered.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't realize you had company. I'll just leave you guys alone then." She turned around and started to walk up the stairs.

"Hermione wait." Hermione stopped because she didn't recognize the voice. She was pretty sure that the only girl she had seen was Pansy Parkinson and the girl who had just spoken didn't sound like Pansy. She turned back to the group. "Yeah, that was me." Pansy said. "This is my normal voice. You can join us if you want."

Hermione looked at the other guys and then Draco. They all nodded their heads.

"Alright." Hermione said, and walked back towards the couches and fireplace and took a seat between Draco and Blaise on the couch.

"So, Hermione. It's okay if I call you 'Hermione' right?" Pansy asked.

Hermione nodded. "Sure."

"Okay, then you may call me Pansy if you want. How have things been going?" Pansy asked.

"Um, things have definitely been better, but I suppose I'm doing alright now." She answered.

"I know what you mean." Blaise said. "And school has been crazy. I have no idea what possessed me to take so many Advanced classes. It'll be a miracle if I make it through the year."

They continued to talk well past dinner and late into the night when they finally realized that they had classes in the morning and they still needed to do homework if they really did want to pass their classes.

Draco and Hermione stayed where they were though, sitting on the couch. Draco moved to put his arm around her shoulders, and Hermione rested her head on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Draco asked.

Hermione didn't answer right away. "Not really." She whispered. "It's just… so hard. I don't know what's happened to me. It's gotten so out of control and I don't know what to do anymore. I miss my parents, Draco. I miss them so much!" She choked out before her tears started flowing. "Wha-what would they think of me now? Their precious little girl, cutting herself. I don't know what happened to me. I don't know why I'm like this now. And look at me now, crying like a baby. Will things ever be normal again?"

"You lost your parents, Hermione. It's not just something you can let go of and be all right with. Especially, with the way they died. It's okay to cry, Hermione. As for things ever being normal again, I don't know. But maybe things change to help us get stronger and to become a better person. You can get over this and become the strong, beautiful woman I know is inside of you." Draco told her. She nodded her head, tears still falling down her cheeks.

Draco just held her as she cried. After a while they started to slow down and her eyes started to get heavy.

"We should go to bed." Draco said.

"Mm hmm." Hermione mumbled, half asleep.

Draco sighed and picked her up. He carried her upstairs to her room and placed her in bed pulling the covers up around her.

"Good night, Hermione." He said, and turned off the light.

Before he closed the door he heard her speak. "Thanks, Draco."

"You're welcome." He said, and closed the door.

Halloween came and went. The Ball was just like every other Halloween Ball, or that's what Hermione though anyway. The orange and black theme with bats and spiders and pumpkins. Hermione had to go to open the dance, but she didn't stay long. She still wasn't in the mood for anything social.

She and Draco had been talking a lot and spending a lot of time together. He let her rant and rave when she needed to, or cry when she couldn't handle anything else. She felt comfortable talking with him. He would tell her about his problems with his father and what was expected of him.

On one such day, they sat in Hermione's room, on the floor, leaning against her bed. It was just after dinner and they were waiting until it was time for them to patrol the halls.

"When you're young," Hermione started. "You have such high expectations of the world. Such high hopes and dreams for yourself. You expect nothing but the best and what you want to happen. They call it innocence. If you grow up and still have the same thoughts of the world, well, then they call it ignorance. Both are wonderful places to be. Until the real world falls into place around you. Well, I think you can guess when that was for me."

"Didn't that happen when you first helped Potter fight Voldemort though?" Draco asked.

"Oh, no." Hermione said. "I still kept my innocent perception of good and evil."

"And what was that?" Draco asked, curious.

"That good will always overcome evil and everyone will live happily ever after." Hermione explained.

"I'm sorry I can't sympathize with you over your loss of innocence. I never had the chance to view the world that way. The moment I took my first breath I took my first steps into the real world of good and evil. As a child my father filled my mind with knowledge that kids should never know. He tried to mold me into the perfect mindless driod to do his evil deeds and serve the Dark Lord. He almost succeeded. Actually, I'm pretty sure he thinks he did. I think I might become an actor when I graduate. My friends and I have had all of you fooled for quite some time haven't we?" Draco said, lightly.

Hermione smiled and let out a small laugh. "Why did you decide to stop pretending?"

"I was sick of being the thing my father wanted me to be."

Both students were suddenly silent, having the feeling that all that had been needed to say had been said.

Except for one thing that Draco had had on his mind for quite a while. Draco decided that he needed to tell her so it wouldn't be floating in the back of his conscious.

"Hermione?" He started. She turned her head towards him, but his gaze stayed on the floor in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"The night your parents were killed, well, I just wanted you to know that my father wasn't there. He wasn't apart of that. I just thought that maybe you should know." He said.

The room was silent again for a few more minutes before Hermione spoke. "Thank you for telling me, Draco." Although, she knew that he had told her more for his own conscious than for her, she knew that it had been the thing that was keeping them from getting closer. She let herself smile just a little bit, and rested her head on his shoulder. He moved his arm around her so that she could be more comfortable.

And this was how they could be found when their moment was interrupted by a knock outside the Common Room: the two of them sitting against the end of Hermione's bed with Draco's arm around her and her head on his shoulder.

Neither of them wanted to move. "Who is it?" Hermione called out.

They heard a muffled "Harry" from behind the portrait.

Both sighed. Draco moved to get up and leave, but Hermione stopped him. "Stay." She said. "I don't think I can face him alone."

She hadn't spoken to either Harry or Ron since their fight. She just couldn't face them after what had happened.

Draco nodded. "Alright."

"I'm in my room!" Hermione called out to Harry.

Harry appeared in the doorway shortly after. His eyes narrowed as they fell on Draco.

"Hermione, I need to talk with you. What's he doing in your room anyway?"

"We were talking. I'd rather it if he stayed, but if you don't feel comfortable saying whatever you have to say in front of him you may kindly ask him to leave." Hermione said, stubbornly.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Malfoy, will you please excuse us?"

"Certainly, Potter, but if you make her cry I will hurt you." Harry's head snapped up to the blond, his eyes wide in disbelief in what he just heard, but Draco was facing Hermione. "If you need me I'll be in my room okay?" Hermione nodded.

After Draco left the room Harry turned back to Hermione. "What was that all about?"

"Oh, he and I were just talking." Hermione said.

"Since when do you and Draco Malfoy 'just talk'?"

"Ever since… oh, well, that's none of your business! I'm sure you didn't come here to ask me about the people I talk with. What is it that you want Harry?" Hermione snapped.

"We miss you Hermione. We don't know why you avoid us. Why you don't want to hag out with us anymore. It's just not the same without you. We need you Hermione. I need you. How am I supposed to face Voldemort without your help?"

"You don't need my help with anything, Harry!" Hermione yelled. "You have all the power and knowledge and courage to face Voldemort and win without me! But I can't be around you guys anymore. At least not for a while. I don't want anything to happen again. I'm not as stable as I seem." Hermione said.

"What do you mean? What happened? Did Malfoy do something to you?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No, actually, he's the only one who keeps me sane. He's good for me right now. Just trust me, Harry. Please? I can't tell you anything right now. Maybe soon. Maybe not so soon. But whatever it was that we had that made us friends is lost right now. And I don't know how long it will be until we find it again or if we ever will again. I hope things aren't as lost as they seem, but right now I just need to heal Harry. In more ways than one. You'll be the first one to know when I'm okay again."

Harry nodded his head. "Ron and I love you so much Hermione. And we need you, but if this is what you need we'll give you some space. We're here for you though. Don't hesitate to come to us if you need us."

"Thank you, Harry. I am sorry that things had to be like this."

"I am too. Well, I guess that's it then. I'll let myself out." Harry said, and left.

Hermione got up and went over to Draco's room. He was lying on his bed, but sat up when he saw her.

"What happened? What did he want?" Draco asked.

Suddenly, Hermione started crying.

"What? What did he do?" Draco asked, angry.

"No, nothing like that. I just feel like I've broken up with a boyfriend or something. Well, in this case two, that I've had for almost seven years."

Draco held out his arms and she went and sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. He hugged her back, whispering comforting words.

Woot! How did you like that one? Chapter 7 should be up by this weekend at the latest! I'm trying to have the next chapter either done or almost done before I put up the chapter before it, but I didn't want to leave you with that last chapter just hanging where it was. I have a lot of school stuff to do today and tomorrow, so don't expect anything before this weekend. But I promise no later than that! So, while I finish chapter 7, go review! Because you love me and my story and I know you want more! Mwehehehe! lol.