Hermione had endured a terrible night's sleep. Everything had gone as usual, well, almost everything. After everyone had been seated in the great hall, the sorting ritual had been completed. This year there had been much more Hufflepuffs than anything else, which made one section of the school very glad.
Hermione had said good night to both Harry and Ron quickly, trying her best to avoid Harry after the scene on the train just a few hours prior, and hurried to the third floor where the Head Dorm's were located.
"Finally I can get a good night's sleep." Hermione thought smiling gingerly. All summer she had slept terribly, and usually ended up sleeping at her neighbor's house, or even the local park, because of the arguing that was going on in the floor below her. She would wake up in the middle of the night due to very horrid and vivid nightmares containing either Harry, or her parents, sometimes both. On a few occasions she had even dreamt of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
A chill ran down her spine as she remembered all the occasions when she had been faced with Death Eaters…
"Password dear," The painting before her said.
Hermione looked up to see a beautiful painting of a simple girl with sandy coloured hair, which was placed in two simple braids. Behind her in the portrait, you could faintly see a house with wrap around porch, red shutters, and small fence.
Than a thought occurred to Hermione. She didn't know the password! She had forgotten that immediately after dinner she was supposed to go and meet Malfoy and McGonagall in the Transfiguration teacher's classroom, in order to find out the password and Head's duties.
"Oh well…" Hermione thought slightly regrettably. "Malfoy will be along soon enough, and he'll have to say the password to get in. Whether he wants me to know it or not I'll find out."
Hermione began to grow impatient as she stood outside of the painting of the sandy haired young woman. She began to tap her foot rapidly as she grew extremely bored, and tired. "Where IS he?" She began to wonder, seeing as he should have been there ages ago.
After about 15 or 20 minutes of non-stop foot tapping, Hermione finally heard footsteps other than her own. She stood up straight, no doubt to try and maintain perfect posture, and turned her head slightly to see not one, but two shadows turning down the hall.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she saw the unmistakable white-blonde hair that belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy. She did not recognize who he was with however. She had short brown hair, and an unmistakably large bust. No wonder he was with her…
Hermione cleared her throat loudly, causing the brunette to stop kissing Malfoy long enough to look up, but Malfoy however, continued kissing down he face and neck. "Stupid git…" Louder yet, Hermione cleared her throat. Malfoy wouldn't have even acknowledged the fact that Hermione was standing a mere meter away, if it hadn't been for the fact that the girl he was with pushed him away slightly, and nodded her head in Hermione's direction.
"What do you want Granger?" Malfoy asked obviously upset with the fact that he now had to wait until he could continue with his lady friend.
"All I want is the password Malfoy, now, if you would kindly give it to me I would be on my way."
"Why would you ask me for the password?" Malfoy said rolling his eyes, looking extremely impatient.
"Because I had forgotten to go to McGonagall after the feast-"
"YOU forgot?"
"Yes okay? Blimey is that so hard to believe, now tell me the password!"
"I can't tell YOU the password Granger, when I don't even know it."
"What?" Hermione responded. "No…come on, you must know it…" Hermione began mumbling more to herself than to either Malfoy or his friend. Things such as, "it's after hours", and "Where will I sleep?" and also "He must be lying".
Meanwhile Malfoy had pulled the short girl over against the wall, and was kissing her quite passionately, shocking Hermione to see that while one hand was placed behind the girls' head, Malfoy had his other placed firmly on her rear pulling her closer. Apparently this was how he said goodbye, seeing as a few moments later (moments which seemed extremely long to Hermione) she left looking slightly flustered, with bright red lips, and a slight blush appearing on her face.
"Enjoy the show?" Malfoy said raising an eyebrow to Hermione as she looked at him with great disgust.
"I'd rather be chased around by a Hungarian Horntail than have to witness that again," Hermione replied, on the verge of gagging.
"Than why didn't you look away?" Malfoy questioned smirking evilly.
"Ummm…uhhh…" Hermione herself didn't even know the answer to that question. Something about the way that Malfoy had kissed that girl made Hermione watch. Yet she wasn't sure why… "Who said I was watching Ferret?" Is what she came up with, because, after all, unless he had been kissing with his eyes closed and looking in the direction of Hermione, he wouldn't know either way.
Malfoy just smirked at Hermione. It didn't seem as though he wasn't sure what to say, because he was known for always having come backs, he had just chose to keep his mouth shut (and if Hermione hadn't still been embarrassed by his question, than she most likely would have remembered to make this a historical event).
Hermione yawned. "Okay Malfoy, now if you don't mind…password please."
"I already told you mudblood, I DON'T KNOW THE PASSWORD. As you may have seen, I was otherwise occupied." He rolled his eyes, than turned to the painting seductively. "You wouldn't mind telling me the password, now would you?"
The painting blushed before saying, "Sorry sir, but I couldn't."
"Oh but a beautiful painting like you COULD" He winked at her.
"Oh, well…just this once! The password is Strawberry Cluster"
"Thanks doll," Malfoy smirked. "Strawberry Cluster."
The painting giggled and swung open.
Malfoy strut thorough the, if you would like to call it, door, and entered the beautifully, decorated common room. Both him and Hermione gazed at the walls and furniture wonderfully displayed all around them
To the far left corner from the entrance, there was a large round table, with a few comfortable looking chairs providing both a large, and comfortable working space. A few steps in front of where Hermione and Malfoy were standing, there was a gorgeous black leather sofa, with a large fireplace in front of it. The rooms walls were a deep scarlet, and were decorated with both Gryffindor and Slytherin banners, slightly pleasing, and displeasing both Malfoy and Hermione.
There were two separate staircases. One on the wall where the fire place was, on the far, far left, and the other being on the wall next to that, though quite a bit further away. Hermione walked over to the latter wall, where there was a lion engraved in the wall next to the staircase, and began walking up the stairs, to where she assumed her bedroom would be.
And yes, it was. The room was humungous with blood red silk blankets, and golden pillows. Next to the bed there was a nice oak bedside table where Hermione had planned to place her wand, books, and maybe a picture or two. There was a large armoire on one wall, and a door that Hermione assumed would lead to the bathroom. Oh well… she would find out tomorrow.
Quickly Hermione changed into a pair of pink and blue pj's, and crawled into bed, where soon, she fell into a deep sleep…
Harry and Hermione sat together leant against a tree close to the lake. It was a beautiful night. They had used Harry's invisibility cloak in order to be able to sneak out of the castle unseen for a little bit of moonlit romance.
Hermione had sat with Harry, comforted by his strong hold on her. She felt as though when she was with him, she was in a whole other world. One where there was no pain, and there was no misery. Only him and her, together in each other's arms. That night though, is when it all changed.
"Hermione," Harry had began, "We've been going together for a long time now" He said gently, than leaned in to kiss her romantically. Hermione could still remember the way she had melted into his touch, the way that she had felt there with him, until she realized what he was in the midst of.
Harry had begun to undress, first, taking off his shirt, than starting with the buttons on Hermione's blouse.
"Harry, stop. I'm not ready." Hermione had said, her voice strong, full of confidence that Harry would stop.
"Hermione," He said, continuing to kiss her neck. "You know I love you."
He said that he loved her like that made Hermione ready to give herself to him. But it didn't.
"Harry, I know. But I'm just not ready for this…"
Hermione began to grow frightened when Harry continued to kiss her, and unbutton her shirt, grinning wickedly through it all.
"Harry, I said STOP." Hermione said, fear now being her only emotion.
"No Hermione. No."
Harry continued to take off Hermione's shirt, and the more that she tried to fight him off, the more that she seemed to appeal to him, because it made his eyes continue to grow darker and darker with lust.
"Harry NO!" Hermione began to scream.
She began crying and screaming all at once. She didn't know what to do. She continued to struggle against Harry, struggle against his touch, she wasn't ready. And she didn't want to lose her innocence. Not like this.
Soon Harry couldn't take any more. He began to holler at Hermione to stop crying, and to stop complaining that everything would be all right. When she wouldn't listen, grew angry. Before Hermione had known what had happened, Harry had punched her in the face, quickly bruising her left cheek and under her eye.
Hermione was in shock. Complete, and utter shock. She could not believe that this had just happened. The man that she believed she had been beginning to love had just abused her. And it didn't stop.
He continued to beat her. Hitting her face, her back, and powerfully kicking her ribs countless times, before he finally decided that he was finished with her. When he decided he had had enough, he picked up his invisibility cloak, draped it around himself, and, before presumably leaving to go back to the boys' dorms, muttered one final threat to Hermione. "Tell anybody, and not only will I kill you, but I will kill Ginny, and Ron both."
Hermione could not see his eyes or face when he had said that, and at that moment, she was glad. She couldn't bear to look into his menacing eyes any longer. This was not the Harry Potter that she knew. But at this moment in time, she knew, that the threat that he had just uttered, was one that he would be sure to stick to, if Hermione dared tell anyone about what had happened.
Hermione couldn't contain herself. She began bawling her eyes out. She was in the most pain that she'd ever been in, both physically, and mentally. Her entire body was already bruising, and she knew she'd have to use major concealing charms to hide them away from everybody.
Hermione found her strength after lying in the grass for a long, long time, and finally, dragged herself up to the castle, up to the girls' dorms, and into her bed, only to have a short, restless night's rest…
Hermione awoke at 5:30 to her own screams and cries. How she hated having that dream. It haunted her so often, and each time that she had it, she wished so deeply that it never would have happened. Why did Harry have to beat her that night? Maybe if she would have just given in, than everything would be all right between them. Maybe she wouldn't have upset him even nearly as much, maybe she wouldn't have upset him at all, and maybe, it would be just as things always had been, and she wouldn't have had to continue using healing charms, countless night after night, and enduring questions from Lavender and Paravati about where she had been until 2, 3 in the morning. Just maybe.
"It will continue to haunt me," Hermione thought, a tear escaping her eye. "It will always continue to haunt me, and now that I am back at school with him…it will start all over again…"
HEY HEY! There's the fourth chapter! I wrote 3 chapters today, though I only posted one, lol. Even this one is yet to be posted, and the one before this… Well, you'll read this all soon enough. I truly hope that you all enjoyed it, and I didn't think it would be nearly as lengthy, but it just ended up being so. Please review this everyone.
Love always,
Carly Jayne.