A/n: One of my longest chapters yet! Fourteen pages on Microsoft Word! Well, I hope this gets you through the days or weeks until my next update. Oh yeah! Before I forget, this chapter as some cursing in it. Enjoy and R&R!
Draco was left in the dark of the empty corridor with only the flickering torches illuminating his face. He stood staring at the spot Hermione had just been. She loved him. And it had just been shattered to pieces in a matter of minutes. His sadness was soon turned to rage as he thought of the cause of it all. Her.
He turned back to the Head's common room. There was going to be hell to pay.
X
Hermione walked crossing her arms as turned the corner to go to the only place she felt a bit better. It was the Gryffindor common room. She really needed to talk someone.
She looked at the Fat Lady with tears in her eyes, telling her self not to breakdown.
"What is it dear?" the portrait asked.
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Diligo est losus," she said quietly.
The Fat Lady opened up. "I hope you feel better,"
"Thank you," Hermione said quietly.
She walked in the GCR to see the only people she really wanted to see.
The two men looked up from the chessboard from where they were playing.
"Hermione!" Ron said first, but then saw her solemn expression, "Bloody hell, what happened?" He asked.
Harry got up, put his arm around her and put his chin on her head. Hermione couldn't help it, she cried in his shoulder.
X
Draco walked back, well, really speed walked back to see the Head's Common Room empty. He closed the portrait door and went to pay a visit to the Slytherin Dungeons.
"Look who it is," the portrait said, "I was beginning you forgot about Slytherin,"
"Ferveo," Draco said hotly. The portrait opened up. When Draco walked in the common room looking like a volcano ready to blow at any minute.
"WHERE IS SHE?" Draco yelled.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
"Who?" asked a fifth year.
"PARKINSON," he shouted.
The timid third year pointed to the girl dormitories.
He walked fuming to the foot of the girl's dormitories. He inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"Pansy, dear," he said as politely as he could.
I know, I know, but he had to sound like he was okay; she wouldn't come down if he sounded if he was some sort of caveman with a giant club ready to hammer her to death. Which to Draco, didn't sound like a bad idea right about now.
"Yes?" he heard her say timidly.
"Come down, will you?" he said, growing already irritated of this annoyingly calm voice he was using.
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"No, of course not," he lied. Well, he wasn't mad. He was beyond mad. He was enraged.
There was silence. "Okay," she replied slowly coming down the stairs. Once she put a foot down on the Slytherin Common Room floor, Draco grabbed her arm.
"OUT!" he shouted at the people in the common room and they were out like a fat kid in a dodge ball game.
X
Hermione stay sitting in the GCR's chair with her head on her knees and arms wrapped around them. Harry was looking at the fire and Ron sitting on the sofa.
"So, it's over," Harry said quietly, trying not to hold a fiesta. Hermione nodded. She told them everything. About the fight, about Draco and Parkinson, everything except the Dark Mark part. Something told her she should keep quiet about that.
"Go ahead, say it," she said.
"Say what?" Ron asked.
"You told me so," she said bitterly, "I should have listened to you. I was just so damn stubborn,"
"It's okay," Harry said, "We understand that you… liked him," struggling to say the words. It was like venom on his tongue.
"I'm just going to stay here for the night, can one of you stay here with me?" She asked, "I don't feel like being alone," she said quietly.
"I'll stay with you," Harry volunteered.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
Ron looked at the time. Midnight. "It's getting late, I'll talk to you later. I really do you hope you feel better, Hermione," he said sincerely.
She looked up and gave him a small smile.
X
Draco paced the Slytherin Common Room while a nervous looking Pansy watched.
"I…I don't even know where to fucking begin with you!" he shouted.
"Draco, it was for the best," she pleaded, "I couldn't let you taint your-"
"Stop lying to yourself!" he boomed, "It was never about me, Parkinson, it was always about you!" he shouted, "You are full of shit!"
"No, that's not how it happened!" she said in a whiny voice of hers.
"Shut the BLOODY HELL up, Parkinson!"
This seemed to piss her off.
"You shut up! You never treat me with respect; I treat you like a king! A king Draco, and you choose that mudblood bitch over me?" she shouted pointing towards the entrance.
This seemed to fuel his anger more. He turned to the fireplace. At first he seemed still, until he grabbed a vase and threw it against the wall.
"You're such a selfish little bitch!" Draco shouted wit his fists in balls, "I HATE YOU, Pansy!"
"Hate me?" she said with tears in her eyes, "You have no idea what you're missing!"
"Missing?" He laughed to himself, " I'd like to pass on the STDs please," he said boiling.
"Oh don't you dare degrade me on how many guys I've been with, I did it to make you jealous!" Pansy said rigid with her fists in balls and feet stomping the ground.
"It pretty much backfired, didn't it!" he shouted, "Just tell me, how'd you do it?"
"It doesn't matter, now you're as miserable as me!" she shouted with a twisted smirk on her face, "You don't get it, you were supposed to be with me! We are betrothed!"
"If I gave fuck about us being betrothed and old traditions, I wouldn't have been with Hermione!" he shouted "What makes you think, I would want such a clingy, unattractive, pitiful, desperate, obsessive, whorey wench like you!"
Pansy at first looked shocked, but she lifted her head up defiantly, "Then tell me this, why would you want an ugly, boring, dull, know-it-all, bossy mudblood bitch, like Hermione Granger!"
Draco stalked towards Pansy. She backed away from him until she hit the wall. Draco raised his hand to strike her, but his hand landed right next to her ear.
"You are so lucky you're a girl," he said so quiet, it was eerie.
X
Hermione lay cuddled up to Harry on the Gryffindor Common Room couch and as she listened to his steady heartbeat. He always made her safe. Which was ironic, because being friends with Harry Potter had never been a safe thing.
She woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone. Or so she thought. "Harry?" she said groggily. Surprisingly, the fire was alive, but barely.
"Boo," someone said in the darkness. Hermione jumped and grabbed her wand from beneath the pillow. Only it wasn't there.
"Harry, is that you?" Hermione said trying to hide the fear in her voice, "Stop playing, this isn't funny, you know I don't need this,"
"Looking for this?" a familiar voice said coming out of the shadows holding Hermione's wand.
She strained to see who it was. When she did, her eyes grew round.
X
Draco gave Pansy one last cold hard stare. It was a stare that could give the person with the warmest of hearts, chills.
He swiftly walked out of the Slytherin Common Room without a word.
Once he got to his room he went up to the window. It was a new moon and the skies were empty and dark. He looked at the Dark Mark on his arm. He remembered how it all happened.
------------------FLASHBACK------------------
"Helen, please put the lights back on," Mr. Granger finally said as he reached for Draco's hand and shook it. "Take care of Hermione," he said with a smile, "But if you break her heart, I'll hunt you down like a dog,"
Draco nodded. "Sir," he began "I believe it's getting late. "Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger, It's been a pleasure,"
"I'll walk him to the fireplace," Hermione said getting up and grabbing Draco's hand.
Once they were in front of the fireplace, she stopped and smiled at him.
"What?" asked Draco.
She was still smiling.
"Hermione…"
"It's nothing, thank you," she said.
He cocked an eyebrow.
"For the bracelet," Hermione said raising her hand up and jingling the charms on the bracelet.
"Oh yea, no problem," Draco said scratching his head.
She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Good night, Draco," Hermione said.
"Good night, Hermione,"
He stepped into the fireplace and took out floo powder. "Later, Bossyboots," he said with a wink quickly. Before she could scold him, he was gone in a burst of green flames.
X
He walked into the empty Head's common room. It was so dark, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He sighed and lit the fireplace. When he did, he was a face in the shadows. He squinted and sighed in relief.
"Severus, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I apologize for what I'm about to do," Snape said as he took out his wand and pointed to Draco.
Draco looked confused. Before he could say anything, everything went foggy and he was stunned on the floor.
X
Draco groggily woke up to see everything blurry. Even though he couldn't see well, from the dark atmosphere and the mysterious figures encircling around him. He knew he was in the presence of Voldemort.
He rubbed his eyes and after a while they were clear.
He was in a dark room. In the air were floating red candles. Even though the room had no windows, there seemed to be a draft. Through the Death Eaters surrounding him, he was able to see Voldemort sitting in a black marble throne. Beside him were two clothed figures. The first one, he assumed was his father, the other, he wasn't sure of. Then, his eyes met up with red ones. They glared at him with such an intensity, it made him want to get up and run like he just saw Potter in leather pants singing to himself in a mirror 'I'm too sexy'.
"Leave us!" Voldemort commanded to the Death Eaters. Once they left, he, Voldemort and the two robed figures were the only ones in the room.
"Are these allegations true?" Voldemort said in a soft high-pitched voice.
Draco put his right fist on his left shoulder while kneeling on one knee.
"I am not unaware of any allegations, my Lord" Draco replied as he got up.
"There is news of you and a girl from Hogwarts" Voldemort said, "The mudblood friend of…Potter,"
"I am simply using the her to get information," Draco lied.
Voldemort's frown turned into twisted smile. "Excellent," he said slowly, "Have you any advances?" he asked.
"No, unfortunately, she doesn't like to talk about Potter, M'Lord"
"That is…unfortunate," he commented, "Terrible things would have happened to you, if these rumors had been true, Draco,"
That was the first time Voldemort had ever said his name. It sounded horrible on his lips.
"A gift, from me to you," Voldemort said, "It will also tell where your loyalties lie,"
With a wave of Voldemort's hand, the doors opened with a creak and the Death Eaters returned to the room in two lines.
"The Dark Mark?" Draco asked confused, "But my Lord, I'm not supposed to get it until-"
"DO YOU DARE DEFY ME?" Voldemort boomed.
"No, my Lord," he said.
When the mass cleared, a Death Eater placed before him a large pot with a boiling red substance in it. When this Death Eater set it down, he dropped a single droplet into the concoction, without Voldemort and the other Death Eaters noticing.
Draco tried hard not to smirk. It was Snape.
"Let us now begin," Voldemort said sounding weaker.
Just then a Death Eater came out with a branding stick. Draco's eye grew round.
"Step forward," Voldemort hissed. Draco did so. Voldemort began to chant something.
"Malum vadum victum vestri pectus pectoris
Vos vadum suo atrum pars
Totus illorum quisnam defus atrum senior mos sino
Quod totus benevolentia pereo ex vestri pectus pectoris
Permissum totus quisnam discrepo pereo ex
vultus orbis terrarum"
His chant grew louder until it seemed it occupied all the space in the room. The branding stick grew brighter with heat as Voldemort said each syllable. Then he stopped and looked directing at Draco.
"Place your forearm out," Voldemort said softly.
Draco reluctantly did so. He thought to himself. "How the bloody hell did he go from Christmas with the Grangers to this? He mentally sighed. A day in the life of Draco Malfoy,"
The branding stick was dipped into the concoction and pressed against Draco's forearm.
Voldemort watched with a sickening glee in his eyes.
Draco tried his best not to scream. To scream would show weakness, and surely the Dark Lord would not tolerate weakness. That is, if you exclude Pettigrew's case.
The pain. All he could think about was the pain. It was an equivalent to the Crutacious Curse. Hell, it felt worse. It was like hot melted lava was being poured over his head. And to think, all this pain from this one spot on his forearm.
That is when everything went blank.
------------------FLASHBACK------------------
He grew angry, turned to his desk and knocked all books on the floor. He turned the bed and tore all the expensive silks and fabrics in half. A few minutes later, Draco lay sitting in his wrecked room, sitting in the darkness, waiting for the pain on his arm to go away.
X
Pansy wandered to the forest that was growing more and more familiar with each passing encounter.
She repeated the chant that she recited only seemed a fortnight ago.
"Era of Obscurum
Era of Nox noctis
Era of Decor Quod
Era of Vires ego adeo vos is
Plenus luna nox noctis
Succurro mihi triumphus
Sic ego may smitus
Era of Obscurum
Quod Era of Nox noctis…"
She braced herself, and the earth swallowed her up once more.
X
She was in the dark hall again.
"Lady?" Pansy called. Her echo seemed to go on forever.
The red eyes that haunted her came out of the shadows.
"Have you completed your task?" the lady asked covering her face.
"Yes," Pansy said feeling proud and rejected at the same time.
"Now, you want him to love you, do you not?"
Pansy nodded. "Yes,"
"Ahh, I will need a personal item of yours, and the… blood of your beloved one.
Pansy face turned into a twisted smirk.
"No problem," Pansy said confidently. Draco was going to love her, whether he liked it or not.
X
"Hey, hey, hey," Hermione said rapidly as she sat down and poured some pumpkin juice.
"Um, Good Morning, Hermione," Harry greeted her puzzled.
"Goood Morniing!" Hermione said with a smile, "The hills are alive, with the sound of mmuusiicc…"
"Are you okay?" Ron asked looking at Hermione suspiciously.
"Me?" Hermione laughed, "Of course, I am Ron! Why wouldn't I be you silly willy boy?"
"Hermione," Harry said whispering, "Have you been… snorting something?"
Hermione laughed. "Snorting? That's absurd!" Hermione touched her gums. They were a bit raw from flossing so much.
"You shouldn't let Malfoy drive you to," Harry whispered the last word, "Drugs,"
"I am NOT on drugs," Hermione said sharply, her good mood fading.
"Then, why are you so, hyped?" Ron asked, "You can tell us, Hermione" he said reaching out for her hand, "If you need any, support groups or anything, we'll be here for you,"
"Guys, I just had some coffee and a few," she coughed, "Pepping up potions,"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "How many?"
"Many what?" Hermione said innocently.
"Don't play stupid with us, 'Mione," said Ron.
"Okay, okay, about," she looked around the Great Hall avoiding Harry and Ron's gaze, "Five bottles,"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "FIVE-"
"They're just to get me through the day!" Hermione interrupted.
"Those things have side effects!" Ron commented.
"It's just for today," Hermione said, "I promise,"
"Anyways, I shouldn't let this bring me down," she began, "They're plenty of fish in the sea,"
Ron looked confused. "Woof do ish aff woo do wiff ur," he swallowed, "situation,"
"Ron, that's disgusting," Hermione commented.
"Did you have any clue what he just said?" Harry asked Hermione. Hermione shook her head.
"I said, what do fish have to do with your situation," Ron repeated.
Hermione laughed. "Muggle saying, Ron,"
Ron shrugged. "The Chudley Cannons are playing in Ireland tonight, by the way Harry,"
"Yeah, Calvin told me on our way down to breakfast," Harry replied.
There was that feeling again.
"Isn't that the guy who's temporary Head Boy?" Ron asked "Did he say who they were playing?" asked Ron.
Her instinct was to turn to the Ravenclaw table. No one.
"Yeah, he's brilliant funny, I believe he said it was the Kenmare Kentrels," Harry replied, "By the way, how's your detention with Malfoy going?"
She looked at her own Gryffindor Table. No one.
"Oh, still a ferret-like bastard, but he's been tolerable lately," Ron replied.
Alas, she turned to the Slytherin table. Her eyes met with a pair of stormy gray eyes. And they were watching her intently. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and dreams of happy had beens flowed between them. She turned away. Her heart already burned. She didn't need it to burn anymore.
X
"Turn to page 905," Snape barked, "Today we will concoct Gregory's Unctuous Unction," he began, "Does any one know what that is?"
As usual, Hermione's hand shot up. Snape rolled his eyes and relunctantly called on her name. "Miss Granger,"
"Gregory's Unctuous Unction is a potion that causes the person who is drinking the mixture to believe that the giver of the potion, is their best friend. The effects last depending on how much of the potion you drink," Hermione answered.
"Correct," he said, "The ingredients are on the board and I will pair you up"
Hermione, Ron and Harry sent each other worried looks.
"Brown and Millicent, Weasly and Crabbe,"
"Later guys," Ron said gloomily.
"Finnigan and Malfoy,"
Harry and Hermione took a sigh of relief.
"… Potter and… Goyle," and "Granger and Parkinson,"
"Pick a seat, and begin," Snape said as he headed for the doors, "I will be back, I expect you to behave," sending each student a glare.
Hermione stomach sunk as Harry sent her a sympathetic look as he was leaving and as Pansy came her way.
"Well, well, well, isn't it the mudblood," Pansy taunted. Hermione ignored her and started to cut the scurvy grass.
Pansy smirked and grabbed the crushed newt eyes.
"It's a pity, for you, that Draco chose me over you, ya know," Pansy began again, "but I'm not surprised, but then again, I'm sure he wouldn't want to," she looked at Hermione like she was some kind of gelatinous monster, "tarnish his reputation,"
Hermione's eye twitched.
Pansy smirked when she saw this.
"Pass the dried rattlesnake rattles," Hermione said stiffly.
"Ignoring me are you?" Pansy asked, "Admit it, Granger,"
Hermione ignored her and roughly added the ingredients to the cauldron. She thought to herself.
Ignore her…Just ignore her…
Ignore her, my arse, KICK HER ASS HERMIONE!
What? I'll get in trouble!
Oh yeah? What's the worst that can happen?
I can get in trouble with Snape or worst, get stripped of my Head Girl duties…
Pfft, what's Snape going to do? GREASE you to death?
I just- I just have to be patient…
"Problem Granger?" Pansy continued, "Something got your tongue? Or are you just afraid to admit, that Draco Malfoy would never want a mudblood bitch like you and that he was only using you for a game, something just to use and put back in his playpen…"
Hermione's patience was long gone.
A scream from the back of the room took the rest of the classroom's attention from their potions. When they looked back, they saw Hermione Granger on a terrified Pansy Parkinson, strangling her.
Harry jumped out his seat and held Hermione back. Hermione was charged and ready to go.
"SHE'S MAD!" Pansy shouted clutching her throat and struggling to get up.
"Parkinson, you haven't seen mad!" Hermione shouted, "HARRY, LET GO!" Hermione said hands and legs in the air struggling to get free of Harry's grip.
Draco turned around to see Potter holding back a Hermione with hair looking like she got in a fight with a bear and lost. Then he saw Pansy. "I should of known," he said to himself.
He stood up and watched in the crowd.
"Hermione, she's not worth it!" Ron shouted.
"The HELL she's not!" Hermione shouted.
Harry glared at Parkinson.
"What are you looking at, Potter?" she said as she got up and brushed the hair out of her face. By now Hermione was not moving so much, but Harry was still holding her back. She was still, if not more, super pissed off.
"You're such a wench, Parkinson," Harry spat.
"Ooh, funny," Pansy replied, "Just like your parents, remember that time they died?" Pansy let off a shrieking laugh.
Harry went from glare, to death stare. He let go of Hermione.
A few moments later, Hermione was on Pansy like crackhead on Dumbledore.
Draco watched this with interest. He knew how hard Hermione hit since third year. As for Pansy, from experience from the Astronomy Tower, he knew Madame Pomphrey was going to have a lot to work on. He thought to himself, "If only we had some mud,"
As he was watching, people gathered in front of him and he couldn't see the fight anymore. All he could hear was:
"MY HAIR!"
"Your face will be gone too when I'm finished with you!"
"AHHH! GET OFF OF ME!"
He heard a few glasses breaking and pots being pushed over.
"MY FACE!"
Also, a few 'Go Hermione!'s.
Just then Snape busted into the room, but no one noticed him. He forced his way into the middle of the circle.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" Snape shouted, but once he saw it was between Granger and Parkinson, he was taken aback.
If you looked around, there was extensive damage done to the room. There was potion all over the floors, broken glass from Snape's shelves and weird specimens floating in the potions, hair all over the place, chairs knocked over, but the real damage was done to Pansy. Hermione had her scratches and bruises, but Pansy loss this battle, badly.
Pansy's head was covered in bald spots, and the part were she had the most hair was the back of her head and random spots all over her head. She had two of her eyes blacked out and bruises up and down her arms. Her teeth were all right, but one seemed to be loose and she had cuts under her eyes and on her cheeks.
The sight of her even scared Snape.
With Hermione sitting on Pansy with her fist in the air ready to strike an almost-bald Parkinson, Hermione laughed nervously and said, "We're finished with our potion, professor,"
A/n: Thanks for reading! R&R Enjoy :)