Chapter 15

(Rewritten July 06)

For the first time in Harry's life, the Marauder's Map was unable to identify the person who had just crossed his path.

'What the hell,' he thought, 'That's really odd. Since when was this map unable to identify someone?'

Harry then decided to follow the person to see what house they were in. That way he could figure out if it was a friend of Draco's or a stranger but the man walked too briskly and just suddenly disappeared from the map.

"Shit," Harry whispered. "Who the hell was that?"

He paced the corridor and then stood back in front of the Head portrait. He was about to whisper the password to check on Hermione when Mrs. Norris turned the corner.

"Son of a bitch," Harry groaned and ran back to the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione was in pain. Never had she felt this sore, this abused, this used. She crawled along the ground and felt for her nightgown which she pulled back on slowly.

"Oh, damn," she cried as she climbed into bed and wrapped the messy sheets around her. She was in denial of her current situation. She couldn't even think of the words that would describe the man and the act he had just committed.

She was simply too numb. She was too shocked. She needed to sleep. She tried, at least.

"Oh, Draco," Veronica whimpered as he pushed himself upon her. She arched her back. The sweat glistened upon her forehead and he smirked at her intense pleasure. "You're so, oh, good."

He groaned as he continued his thrusts. Her back arched higher and her arms wrapped around her neck. She pulled him into a lustful kiss. His hair was a mess and so was hers.

'Sex hair,' he thought. 'And claiming the virginity of this black haired, Ravenclaw vixen.'

This was two years ago but the memory suited him nicely. Draco groaned in his sleep. He awoke right before the best part due to the massive tent he had been sporting for the majority of the night. He groaned and glanced at the clock and then between his legs.

It was five in the morning.

'Might as well take a shower,' he thought. 'This hurts.'

As he entered the bathroom, after removing the silencing spell upon his room, he glanced into Hermione's room. Inside, he saw her wrapped in her sheets. Her hair a mess, her room a mess, her clothes and books scattered everywhere.

'That's not like her,' he thought.

"Oh, fuck it," he whispered and shut the door. "Fuck her, that mudblood."

He grinned as he turned on the shower, rid himself of his choking boxers and spent a pleasurable twenty minutes inside.

The halls were quiet at six thirty in the morning as Draco walked them. With a new outlook and without any restraining relationships, he was happy and he was excited.

Actually, he was looking for a new girl to take his mind off of Hermione. He needed another girl to help him regain his old demeanor, his old, fuck and go, attitude.

And as he was strolling the Slytherin corridors he spotted just that person.

"Pansy," he growled as he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Pansy melted beneath his touch.

"Draco," she moaned.

"You're just the person I wanted to see."

"Oh, really," she muttered seductively as she turned to face him. At this point, Draco didn't give a shit how pathetically unattractive she was. Right now, he just needed some. "And why is that?"

"You'll see," Draco whispered into her ear. He then pulled her into the nearest broom closet. Pansy moaned.

"How'd you know this was my favorite place to screw?"

"Just a guess," Draco growled.

Hermione groaned as she awoke. She turned and fell out of bed. When she opened her eyes, she witnessed last night's destruction.

"Shit," she muttered as she grabbed her wand and fixed the room with a spell. "Ow," she groaned while she flicked her wrist. She glanced down to see the problem. She screamed when she saw it.

There were bruises everywhere. Her wrists were covered in black and blue hand prints. Her legs were darkened, so were her upper thighs and torso. The only part of her body left untouched was her face even though her lips were considerably swollen.

"Oh my god," she whispered as she walked to the bathroom. She shed her nightgown and looked at her reflection. She was a mess, one big, black and blue, mess.

Hermione winced as she entered the warm shower. The soft water pressure against her skin burned and the extensive, hot showers she once adored were now only five minutes long.

In desperation, Hermione covered any visible bruises with her concealer. After Transfiguration she was determined to find a spell to hide these bruises. The last thing she needed was for them to be found. Then that would result in her endangering her friends.

'Great, just great,' she thought as she went to the Great Hall, 'Just bloody great.'

"Harry," Ron shouted as Harry descended into the Gryffindor common room the next morning. "I'm glad you're up. I want to apologize for last night, if either Ginny or I upset you."

Harry shrugged. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."

"So, how was your walk, then?"

"It was alright," Harry replied. He then explained what happened with the Marauder's Map.

"That's bloody creepy," Ron exclaimed as the two made their way down to breakfast.

"I know," Harry retorted with just as much confusion. "I have no idea who it could be. Whoever it was though, was shorter than I was."

Ron nodded. "So, it must be a Slytherin. What do you think? Crabbe or Goyle?"

Harry shook his head. "No, they aren't smart enough to whistle." Ron laughed in agreement.

"What about Blaise," Ron asked.

"Possibly."

As they entered the Great Hall, a roar of laughter erupted from the Slytherin table. It was Draco talking animatedly with the rest of his peers. Pansy was sitting on his lap and Crabbe and Goyle were both on his sides. Their giant bodies heaved with laughter.

Ron scoffed. "How disgusting," he muttered.

"Uh, yeah," Harry replied as they sat and began their breakfast.

When Hermione arrived for breakfast, Ginny, Harry and Ron, frantically made room for her.

"Hermione," Ginny shouted as she sat. Hermione smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry for last night," Ron blurted out quickly. Hermione stiffened. 'Was he the one in my room last night,' she thought. 'Ha, yeah right.' She shook her head. "I'm sorry for ignoring you and being such an ass."

Ginny apologized too.

"I was just shocked, you know," Ginny began. "I didn't think you'd go through with it but it's also my fault as well. If I had never encouraged you to go..."

Hermione nodded.

"It's alright," she replied bleakly. Ginny watched her with concern.

"Are you okay," Ginny asked.

"Just hungry," Hermione explained. The thing is, she barely ate one bite.

After hearing Ginny's blabber about boys for thirty minutes at breakfast, Hermione began to glance around the Great Hall. She went from table, to table, searching for someone, anyone. That someone was Draco and when she spotted him making out with Pansy she gagged.

Ginny, Harry and Ron jumped to her side and asked if she was alright. Hermione nodded with tears in her eyes.

"I'm okay," she sputtered. They sat down again.

Transfiguration is a horrible class to have first period, Hermione decided as she exited the room with a new assignment. Never before had she thought such a blasphemous thing but last night had changed her.

"Um, guys," she asked. Harry and Ron turned to face her.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to head up to the library to begin my paper. I'll catch up with you, er, later?"

"That's fine," Ron replied. As Hermione left, he glanced at Harry. Both knew something was up, they just had to figure out a way to get Hermione to explain.

"What's going on," Harry asked Ron as they walked towards the Gryffindor common room.

"No idea, mate," Ron replied. Harry scratched his head.

"Do you think that man who exited her dorm last night was someone special? Like, a lover or something? Maybe she just doesn't want to tell us about him like she didn't want to about Draco."

Ron nodded. "That's a very good theory." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Bloody hell, Ron, please stop staring at Lavender's ass," he whispered. Ron turned an odd shade of crimson. "But I'm going to the library now to see what's up with Hermione, I guess."

"Oh, shit," Ron began. "I'm come with you but I forgot to do my Potion's homework. Shit, shit, we have that in an hour."

Harry laughed. "Go, Ron. I'll be fine."

Harry arrived in the library seconds before Hermione was ready to depart. Swiftly, he made his way to the back of the library. In order to stay unseen, he stood behind a nearby bookshelf. Hermione was furiously taking notes.

"Good," she muttered as she slammed a book shut and replaced it on the shelf. She left soon after.

Harry, unable to initiate a conversation with Hermione, settled on looking at the book she was reading. It definitely was not helpful for their Transfiguration homework. Those books were on the opposite end of the library.

"The Art of Masquerading Bruises," Harry whispered as he read the book title. He opened the book to a page which had just been marked by Hermione.

'This potion is extremely difficult and complex,' it said. 'If it is made the wrong way, this potion can result in severe bodily damage. You should not use this potion, unless your bruises are extensive. For example, if you were in a severe accident, raped, or severely hexed, this potion will be useful, otherwise use with caution. It is extremely strong. Follow the directions listed below to make this tonic.'

Harry shut the book and placed it back on the shelf as he ran his fingers through his hair. The book itself didn't astonish him but the fact that there was an arrow pointing to the word 'raped' was and it looked like Hermione wrote it.

"Holy shit," Harry groaned, "Was Hermione raped?"

He was then knocked unconscious.