When Hermione returned to her dorm to grab a few books, she'd noticed the owls had delivered her post.
There were her usual howlers from some nosy people she'd never met.
There were also two letters.
The first was from Harry.
She ripped it open. Her eyes sped across the page. By the time she was done, tears were welling in her eyes.
Hermione,
I hope you're doing okay. I'm doing all right on my end. Training is going well. I've been assigned to Proudfoot on my first few cases recently. The work is hard, but very rewarding.
I heard the news. It was a bit of a shock, but I suppose I'm not entirely surprised after what we discussed at Christmas. I won't pretend I understand it, but I hope he treats you well. I still have his old wand if he wants it back.
Ron is Ron. Had a bit of a tantrum, but I think he'll come around eventually. He just needs time. Same for Ginny.
I think it's just hard for people to accept. Everyone is still healing.
I trust you. I'm always here if you need anything. Keep your head up. If anyone can get through this, it's you.
Cheers,
Harry
PS: Crookshanks is doing well. Molly said he caught a gnome the other day. I think he misses you too, though.
Oh, Harry.
Hermione laughed as she re-read his letter two more times.
He didn't hate her!
His words of encouragement seemed to reach deep within her. He didn't hate her and he wanted things to work out.
Ron's displeasure was to be expected. She didn't know how things would be if Draco met Harry and Ron. There was so much history there. Harry mentioned Draco's old wand though- which meant Harry was open to it! That exceeded the best possible scenario she could hope for.
She'd been worried about leaving Crookshanks at the Burrow but, ultimately, frolicking in the Weasley's enormous garden seemed like a better option than being stuck in the castle dorms.
She couldn't wait to see him. She couldn't wait to see them all.
She immediately recognized the writing on the second envelope and her heart stopped.
It was from her parents. Her father, to be precise.
This one she opened tentatively, afraid of what she might see. Were they officially disowning her? Her hands trembled as she read.
Dear Hermione,
I hope school is going well and that you're flourishing there, as you always have.
Your mother and I have talked and we both agree we miss you very much. We would love for you to come home for the summer holidays, if that is something you would like to do.
We received a visit yesterday, from your friend, Harry Potter. He was very kind. He talked about you very highly.
He told us about the war, about what you'd done. He said he hoped it would help us understand a little bit more. He even brought a few newspaper clippings. We didn't know the Minister of Magic had given you an award!
We want to tell you how very proud we are of you. You've accomplished so much and saved many, many lives from what we could tell. Harry told us that he wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you. We hope you can tell us more of what happened to you last year, when you feel more comfortable sharing.
We are terribly sorry for taking so long to come to terms with what happened. We understand why you did it. We were just frightened. But we should have taken more time to hear you out. To understand why you did what needed to be done.
Life is too short and we almost lost you. We don't want to lose you again. We love you very, very much, with all our hearts.
We hope to hear from you soon,
Lots of love,
Dad and Mum
She barely managed to read the end as tears were heavily blurring her vision.
Harry had gone to them and told them probably much of what she could never bring herself to talk about. He knew she would probably need all the support she could get right now. Her heart was ready to burst for him. He truly was and will always be a brother to her.
Hermione felt like she could combust with happiness.
Her parents loved her and they wanted her back! Everything felt too good to be true.
It was going to be okay.
She felt more like herself then she did in ages. Like Hermione before the war.
She wanted to learn, to be with Draco, to visit her friends. She wanted to travel, to try new things, to read and read and read until she'd read every book in the world!
Before, she wanted to hide, to be left alone. Now, she wanted to take a bite out of life, savour every little thing!
She sat on her bed and called Draco on her TeleGalleon, bouncing excitedly, crying tears of happiness.
She told him everything and he was ecstatic for her (though he went a little quiet when Hermione mentioned Harry and the wand). They made plans to celebrate later.
She hung up, feeling on top of the world.
She summoned a quill and parchment and began writing her replies straight away, buzzing with joy.
/
Things started looking up for Hermione in the following weeks.
She received more hate mail, but amongst that were a few gems.
Percy wrote to her, to tell her to stay strong and that he and Harry were vouching for her. Percy knew a thing or two of how one could end up on the wrong side of things. He also knew how much second chances could mean to someone and he'd be a hypocrite not to give anyone the opportunity to redeem themselves.
He also mentioned that he and Stewart Marchbanks, one of his Ministry co-workers that he had met at a work function, were now officially together. He'd brought Stewart round to meet the family and the reception had been delightful. He wrote that the outpouring of support had made him rather emotional and thanked Hermione for being his confidente in the early stages of his identity discovery. Without her support, he might not have had the courage to take the plunge.
Homework was beginning to pile on faster with the upcoming N.E.W.T. exams.
Their study group was expanding.
To everyone's astonishment, Padma showed up one day, with Ernie, Susan and Terry Boot in tow. Their group had now taken over two large tables in the library.
Daphne had also decided to finally rejoin, though she shot Hermione a healthy amount of glares from across the table.
"Her grades were falling, so she had no choice but to come back. Though I think she missed it as well," Blaise whispered to Hermione, with a wink.
They practised Defence in the duelling arena down in the dungeons.
Hermione noticed Theo giving Padma some pointers and adjusting her wand arm with his hand. It was impossible to miss Padma's bright blush, even from across the room.
She watched as Daphne and Ernie argued over the proper duel etiquette.
She spotted Susan, Blaise and Neville practising their forms and learning from each other.
It was truly a wonderful thing, to see how they'd all come together. It reminded her warmly of when they had built Dumbledore's Army, but this time without a mad old toad threatening to end them.
Suddenly, a spell hit her thigh and her legs began to dance, dragging her around in circles.
"Draco!"
"Tarantallegra is an easy dodge, Hermione. You weren't paying attention. Your reflexes are still slow."
He waved his wand and her legs stopped flailing, crumpling underneath her.
She huffed in frustration, rubbing her bottom where she'd fallen.
"I wasn't ready!"
"Most of the time, no one ever is when it comes to defence. The trick is staying alert."
Draco extended a hand and helped Hermione to her feet. She brushed off her robes, trying not to look too sullen.
"I don't understand why it's so hard!"
The truth was, she was frustrated at how slow her progress was. She was used to excelling at everything she did. Studying and wandwork and creative problem-solving were things she naturally liked, things she was good at. She enjoyed following instructions, following a method. Taking her time.
Moving and jabbing with her wand at lightning speed while dodging jinxes was not something she enjoyed. Even though she'd had plenty of practice in the past, she still had a lot of difficulty aiming anything true at Draco.
"You'll get it with time. You've made great progress actually."
"Progress? I haven't been able to hit you once!"
"Yes, well, that's because I'm the best."
She glared at his swagger.
Draco smirked.
"Hermione, it's normal you can't hit me yet, I've practised for much longer than you. You only become the best by training with the best. You're better than you think."
She sighed and reluctantly resumed her duel stance.
"Excellent," Draco grinned, mirroring her.
He proceeded to out-duel her another six times.
/
Life sorted itself into a routine.
She'd go to classes, study in the library, practise Defence and often fall asleep exhausted.
Her sleepovers with Draco lessened a little due to the large amounts of homework they were receiving. They still managed at least two Room nights a week and she called him at the end of every day to say goodnight.
The hate mail had dwindled down to a trickle. People still shunned her, but it was dying down considerably, especially given her friend group had expanded and all of them stuck up for her. Draco's glares singularly seemed to cow enough of the younger years at least.
After a particularly loud skirmish that involved Padma cursing a few sixth years with giant webbed feet, and Theo's quip of "Don't you think you'd be better off worrying about that great big puck of a nose of yours instead of Hermione Granger?", bullying in general died down.
The new duelling wards had been erected and Padma jubilantly relayed that they worked better than ever.
Hermione was happy. It felt like everything was finally falling into place.
One afternoon, Draco caught up with her as she was leaving Runes.
"Room, tonight?"
"I dunno Draco, I've got so many symbols to study. I don't think I'll be much fun."
"I can help you study."
He said it in a lascivious way that implied the opposite.
"I'm serious Draco, I have eighteen new words that I need to memorise and a new page to decipher!"
Draco held a hand over his heart.
"I promise. We'll study and do nothing else."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. He flashed her a sanctimonious smile.
"Nothing else," she waggled a finger at him.
She would have been disappointed that he'd kept to his word if she didn't actually really have quite a lot of work to do. Was it necessary to study the origins and etymology as in depth as she did? Perhaps not. But she found a better comprehension of a subject made for stronger memorisation.
She muttered the words under her breath, almost like a strange chant, trying to commit them to memory.
She glanced aside and was almost jealous to see Draco splayed out on the bed, immersed in her copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He seemed awfully relaxed. Too much so.
"Don't you have work to do?" She asked waspishly from her spot at the writing desk.
"Certainly. But they've only just turned the missiles into a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias and I'm dying to know what happens next."
Hermione rolled her eyes and returned to her mumbling.
"Might go faster if I help."
She jumped so hard, her chair scraped along the floor.
Draco had snuck up on her and was now looming right behind her chair.
Before she could answer he snatched the paper up from her hand, examining her notes.
"Wha-"
"What does 'Raidho' mean"?
Hermione forgot to feel indignation in her eagerness to answer a direct question about her studies.
"'Raidho' means journey. Used for travel and dispelling obstacles. The earliest Portkeys were derived from magic generated by this Rune."
"That is correct."
She suddenly felt his fingers trail along the side of her neck. Hermione inhaled sharply.
"Draco…"
"What about 'Kenaz'?"
"'Kenaz' is- is light and conjuring. It…erm-"
It was hard to focus when Draco's hand was now undoing the front buttons of her blouse.
"We said studying!" She protested, though she gasped as he palmed her breast over her bra.
"We are studying. You'll be under pressure when you sit your N.E.W.T.s. So we're practising studying under pressure-"
He squeezed her firmly and she sucked in her breath.
"You were saying about 'Kenaz'?" He said in a low voice, his hand sneaking under her bra.
"It's used f-for light and- and illuminating torches and such. The ancestor to …ahn! To Lumos!"
He'd pinched her nipple, causing her to squeak.
"Very good."
His mouth was near her ear. His breath was hot. She moaned softly, squirming a little in her seat.
"Tell me more about 'Isa'."
He deftly undid the rest of her shirt buttons with one hand. She looked down and could see the rise and fall of her bosom as she took deep breaths.
"Isa…"
He pulled up the hem of her skirt, bunching it until her black panties were showing.
"Focus, Hermione," he urged, though the flat of his hand travelled down her abdomen, sending shivers up her spine.
"Isa is- is ice. Being frozen. It was cast upon barriers, doors, buildings to k-keep people from going in. Anti-Muggle spells draw similar strains of magic. And also- also- ahnn! Wards!"
His fingers found the spot between her thighs. She closed them around his hand but it only increased the pressure. Her head fell back and she found she was looking right up into his face. He looked at her intently, his eyes dark. She bit her lip.
"Please, Draco…"
"We're not done here. You only get a reward if you can name all of these by heart."
He pulled aside her damp underwear, her pussy now exposed. She whimpered.
"'Inguz'," he prompted.
"Inguz- oh! Oh gods!"
His finger slipped inside her. She tried to rock against it. His hand stopped and she let out a cry of frustration.
"Tell me about 'Inguz' and I'll give you more."
"'Inguz' symbolises fertility! Sexuality! Intensity!" Hermione was panting, her hips wiggling with desire. Draco pushed his finger all the way inside her.
She felt something hard and metal twist against her hole. She looked down and was taken aback. He used the finger with his family heirloom ring. The shiny emerald had a sheen of her wetness. Something about that almost made something snap in Hermione's brain. She let out a sharp cry.
Draco put down the paper with her notes.
She felt him slink a hand around her throat, holding her firmly against him as he fingered her with his other hand.
In and out. In and out. She could feel the metal of the ring slide a little inside her. It felt taboo. Wrong.
Exciting.
"Yes, yes, please don't stop-"
"'Tell me what 'Nauthiz' is and I won't," he murmured.
"I- It's- ahn!"
It was so hard to think. She wanted to cum so bad but she could feel Draco's finger start to slow down.
"Need!" She cried out, her hands scrabbling to cling to his arms. "Want! Yearning! Struggle! Please, Draco, please, please, please-"
He pressed his palm on top of her clit, while his finger immediately resumed rubbing her sweet spot. She immediately bucked upwards.
"Oh god, oh god!"
She felt him gripping her neck. He pushed another finger inside her with no trouble at all. She arched and ran her hands clumsily over her breasts, pulling the cups of her bra down and pinching her nipples. She heard him let out a ragged exhale.
"Fuck-!"
At his expletive, she unravelled, coming hard as she furiously rubbed herself on his hand.
It took a moment for her orgasm to abate. And then:
"Get up."
Hermione had never obeyed anyone so quickly in her life.
He easily picked her up and sat her hard on the desk, her notes scattering. Hermione could hardly care. She'd just proven that she knew them all by heart, anyway.
When his cock entered her, she cried out in relief.
He fucked her so hard, the desk rattled against the wall, creating a ruckus. Hermione was too busy making a ruckus of her own to notice as she cried out wantonly with each thrust.
Her nails scratched against his back, pulling on his robes. His breath was on her neck. She squeezed him with both her legs and walls.
Draco finished inside her with a loud, satisfied groan, while she was still propped on a pile of her homework.
"You know, I still have some memorising to do for History of Magic…" Hermione said with a smile, burying her face in Draco's shoulder.
"You're the only person who's ever managed to make that prospect exciting," Draco murmured, pulling Hermione in for a kiss.
They studied late into the night.
/
The weeks seemed to weave into one another as the snow melted and the days lengthened.
The warm weather improved Hermione's mood considerably along with the fact that she finally managed to disarm Draco in their last training session.
Every day was a mix of class, studying, walks around the grounds and idle chatter with her friends.
She and Draco continued to monopolise the Room of Requirement twice a week if not more.
The only downside of being outside the common room so often was that Hermione was more prone to missing the password changes.
One evening in particular, she returned and found herself locked out.
"Sorry dear, it was switched this morning before breakfast," the Fat Lady chided.
"I've been attending this school for seven years! You must recognize me by now?"
"No password, no entry," the Fat Lady trilled, fanning her wig.
Hermione pursed her lips and sat on her haunches, hoping it wouldn't be too long before some Gryffindor came along to let her in.
She was considering her other options when she heard some talking down the hallway.
Hermione stood just as Ginny and Demelza rounded the corner.
Hermione froze.
Ginny still wasn't speaking to her. It felt like every single Gryffindor, save Neville, had taken her relationship with Draco as a personal affront. Whenever Hermione slept in her dorm, she could feel the cold shoulders of the other girls. Whenever she sat by the common room fire, she was avoided like the plague.
Hermione had hoped that Ginny would come round before the school year's end. She'd thought maybe Neville and Harry might have talked to her, convinced her somehow to give Hermione a chance to explain.
But Ginny, like most of her brothers, had inherited one of the most prominent Weasley traits: pig-headedness.
All the same, as Hermione stood awkwardly by the portrait, she thought she could see a glimmer of regret in her ex-friend's eyes.
"I don't have the password," Hermione mumbled.
Ginny opened her mouth, but before she said anything, Demelza leaned in and whispered something. Ginny's expression hardened.
"We actually weren't going in, only passing by. Sorry, Granger," Demelza said, looking not sorry at all.
She walked off, her arm looped tightly with Ginny's.
For a moment, Ginny glanced back at Hermione, but with another tug from Demelza, she shook her head and walked away without a word.
Hermione slumped dejectedly back down on the ground and rummaged around in her bag for her revision notes. She might be here awhile.
/
Hermione was starting to feel the pressure more and more as the final exam dates sped towards her.
She vibrated with nerves.
Her last exams at Hogwarts.
It was hard to believe they were finally here.
She wanted all her N.E.W.T.s terribly. It felt like the final challenge, the final hurdle to an almost perfect record in all her Hogwarts' studies.
She was able to parry and attack Draco more and more during their duels. To her surprise, she'd even managed to beat Nott a couple of times.
Her revision checklist was looking more and more complete. She spent almost every waking hour muttering under her breath and snapping at people who interrupted her train of thought.
Everyday she was grateful for her beaded back, which held every single book she could possibly need for revision.
None of her teachers seemed worried about her, which only stressed Hermione out more. Slughorn beamed with pride as all his students each turned in an impeccable Wolfsbane potion. He stated he had never had the pleasure of teaching such a gifted class, nor had he ever seen so many of his students get along.
She and Draco sniped a bit more at each other from the stress but he was also the best study partner she'd ever had. She knew he wanted a perfect report card as well, to make up for his reputation as much as possible. Every little thing helped.
The night before Charms and Transfiguration, Hermione huddled on the bed in the Room Home with Draco. They quizzed each other and practised spells to see who could do them better and wagered salacious favours.
When Draco lost to the bulk of Hermione's spellwork, he knelt between her legs and ate her out until she tugged on his hair and cried out his name and begged for him to fuck her - which, of course, he obliged.
They lay in a comfortably naked heap and Hermione snuggled into the blankets, concentrating on getting as much sleep as she could, but of course she always had trouble sleeping before exams. The more she told herself she needed sleep, the harder it was to drift.
Draco, sensing her agitation, pushed her on her side and traced his long fingers along her back.
His touch slowly calmed her. The sound of his breathing was like a lullaby. Her own breathing eased, goosebumps and shivers travelled up and down her spine and her eyes drooped shut.
"I love you," she managed to mumble before sleep took her. Right before she drifted off, she heard his soft answer:
"I love you, too."
/
Hermione tried not to tremble as she entered the Great Hall for her exam. The room was eerily silent, since all spells had to be performed non-verbally. There was only subtle murmuring and the occasional shout and grunt.
You can do this.
She steeled herself, before sitting at her assigned table.
Hermione recognized her Charms examiner from her O.W.L.s whom incidentally, Hermione realised was also a relation to Percy's new boyfriend.
Griselda Marchbanks had a few more wrinkles, but otherwise seemed unchanged with her sharp gaze and smart robes.
Professor Marchbanks gave Hermione a curt nod.
"Now then, right to it,"
With a wand wave, three boxes appeared before Hermione, one of wood, one of steel and one of gold.
"Let's see if you can unlock these magically sealed boxes," Professor Marchbanks instructed.
Hermione nervously gripped her wand.
/
The first day passed by surprisingly well.
The Transfiguration exam had been mildly chaotic, what with all the tortoises being transformed into trumpets.
Hermione had been pleased with her result considering the tortoise she'd been assigned had been rather large and baleful looking, but her shiny trumpet had made a jolly toot.
There was hardly any time to celebrate however. As soon as the exams were done, everyone escaped to the library to cram as many dates, symbols and numbers into their heads as possible for History of Magic, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy the following day.
Hermione's hair was a frizzy ball of stress. She was one of the few of her friends who had all three and she barely spent a minute away from her books.
She only took one small break when Draco offered her a cup of tea and a sandwich that night in their Room.
The next day seemed to pass in a second. It was a whirlwind of last-minute revision, sweating through the exam, feverishly writing in as much as Hermione could possibly cram into the parchment and breathing a small sigh of relief before she dashed off to do the whole process again for the next exam.
Hermione thought she'd gotten everything right. She'd written more on every single question just to be safe. But how could she really know for sure? One mispronunciation, one miscalculation, one letter that could have been hastily written wrongly. Who could know?
She was itching to pick up her books and look up all the answers but there was no time because she needed to revise for Potions.
Potions was, by far, their hardest exam yet.
There were so many little steps and details to remember, in very specific orders.
Hermione had taken a leaf out of Draco's book and had memorised as much as she could, but even so, she felt herself sweating profusely as she carefully chopped up her Valerian roots so that they were all exactly the right thinness.
She only started breathing normally again when her Draught of the Living Death finally turned a pale lilac.
When she stepped out of the exam room, Draco, Theo and Padma were already waiting.
They had a blessedly free afternoon since none of them had taken Muggle Studies nor Divination.
Hermione had never cared much for Parvati but she was quickly learning that her twin was completely opposite. Parvati had been nosy, obnoxious and, according to Hermione, a little vapid.
Padma was quieter, more cerebral and, while she could be rather direct, Hermione appreciated Padma's honesty. She also had a subtle and sarcastic wit, which Theo especially seemed to get a kick out of.
They strolled along the lake and watched Hagrid setting up for the Care of Magical Creatures exams which would be held outdoors.
The sun dragged down as the afternoon waned. When Hermione felt they'd faffed around enough, she excused herself and Draco followed.
"I give it a week before they start snogging awkwardly in front of us," Draco commented easily, once out of earshot.
"You think? It's a bit more complicated than that. I know Padma had a lot of reservations about Theo. Don't stare, nosy!"
Hermione yanked on Draco's arm as he was peering back at Padma and Theo, who seemed deep in discussion.
"Oh come off it, I know you're dying to spy too!"
As much as Hermione did, in fact, want to spy, they had Defence Against the Dark Arts exams tomorrow afternoon and this was Hermione's last chance to practise for the O she so desired.
She and Draco duelled fairly casually in the Room. Hermione could hit him two times out of three and he swore he wasn't letting her.
When they were both sufficiently out of breath from the exercise, they took a bath together, kissed and gossiped about whether Theo and Padma had planned their first date yet.
/
There wasn't much revision Hermione could do for Defence the morning of. They would be testing her reflexes above all. She just had to pray that everything she'd practised would kick in and that her nerves wouldn't get the best of her.
In order for all the odds to be in her favour, Hermione nipped off to the loo before the exams.
She walked in and headed for a stall when she heard a curious sound. Sniffling.
Was someone crying?
She peeked in each stall.
It wasn't abnormal for people to have breakdowns during exams. Perhaps a quick pep talk was all the person needed.
Hermione found Hannah sitting on the floor in the last stall, her head buried in her arms.
"Hannah? What's wrong?"
Hannah looked up. Her eyes were blotchy and her nose was running. She looked like she'd been having a good cry for a while now.
"G-go away!" Hannah hiccuped, pulling her legs tighter to her chest.
Hermione hesitated.
The exam was in fifteen minutes or so. Did she have time?
She took a moment to glance at Hannah's general appearance.
Hannah looked awful.
There were dark circles under her eyes. She looked thinner than the last time Hermione had seen her. Her hair, usually in a neat braid, was messy.
"Cheer up, Hannah, it's going to be okay. Exams are almost done! Just one more round and then it'll be over."
Hannah laughed. The sound was harsh and pathetic.
"Who c-cares about exams? Do exams m-matter if you're g-going crazy?"
Hannah laughed again, almost hysterically. Then she choked and buried her head in her arms again.
Time was running out. Hermione needed to be on her way. They both did. But Hannah looked like she was on the brink of some kind of meltdown. Hermione sat down next to Hannah.
"Is this…about Neville? Did something happen?"
Hermione winced as Hannah wailed.
"Of c-course not! Neville is…Neville is…"
She took a shuddering breath, more tears leaking from her bloodshot eyes.
"He's p-perfect. Too good for me. I couldn't- could never…"
"You know he misses you a lot?" Hermione supplied gently.
"I m-miss him…B-but I can't- I…"
Hannah looked around the washroom in a panic.
"I think I'm going mad," she finally whispered.
Hermione felt a chilliness inside her. This clearly wasn't exam stress. Something was very, very wrong and Hermione couldn't explain it, but she had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Why do you think you're going mad?"
Hannah looked at Hermione mistrustfully.
Hermione sighed.
"I know you disapprove of who I'm friends with, and that's fine. But I promise I just want to help."
"I…It doesn't matter. Nothing m-matters really."
Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"But isn't that why you broke it off with Neville? Because he was hanging out with us?"
Hannah looked at the floor.
"I…Sort of."
More tears streaked her cheeks.
"Hermione…Have you ever…lost memories? Woken up in a-a strange place? Like a closet or-or…in a train compartment not knowing how you got there?"
"No…Is that what's happened to you? Have you gone to Madam Pomphrey?"
"I c-can't go to Madam Pomphrey!" Hannah shrieked, clutching her face, "I can't because- because it isn't just that! There are other things wrong- so many things wrong-"
"What's wrong, Hannah?"
The sound of her name seemed to drag her out of her hysteria. Her eyes looked more lucid but she was whimpering and trembling violently. Hermione put a hand on Hannah's shoulder. Hannah flinched but didn't move.
"Promise you won't tell anyone, please Hermione," Hannah whispered.
"I promise," Hermione said hesitantly.
Hannah took another deep shuddering breath. She kept her eyes clenched shut.
"I haven't just been f-forgetting things. When I wake up…I…I feel wrong. It hurts. Down there. The f-first time I woke up it hurt a lot and I thought…I thought m-maybe it was my t-time of the month. I was on the Hogwarts Express with you and Neville and I got up to use the washroom and…and suddenly I'm in another compartment and I have n-no idea how I got there and I'm s-sore. And I…I have these b-bruises on my ribs and hips but I d-don't know why-"
Hannah hiccuped.
"The s-second time was before Valentine's and…and this time I woke up in a b-broom closet. I felt sore again and…" Hannah sobbed, "I checked myself and…I think- I think- I think-"
She was shivering so hard her teeth clattered. Hermione cast a quick warmth spell and brought Hannah in her arms. Hannah let her without any resistance.
"I think I had s-s-sex! But I…I don't remember any of it! And I know Neville would n-never do anything like that!"
Hannah heaved, but now that she'd started talking, she didn't seem able to stop.
"I had to b-break up with Neville. I thought I might be ch-cheating on him! I thought p-perhaps I was ruined inside and he w-wouldn't want me if he knew! I needed…needed to think…I broke up with Neville for some…stupid reason…And then it happened again, y-yesterday I woke up in the dungeons and I checked again and…and…there was definitely something wet in me! I think it might've been someone's- someone's- But I can't remember any of it and with all the stress of exams I'm having t-trouble just managing and how is this happening to me?"
Hermione felt like her entire body was ice.
It was him.
The stalker.
The poisoner.
He was doing this.
He was making Hannah fall in love with him and then Obliviating her.
And they had had him. They had had him and they just let him flee.
Hermione was shaking with rage.
Something wet fell on her wrist. She felt her face and realised she was crying.
"I'm so sorry Hannah. I'm so sorry."
Hermione held Hannah tightly, rocking her as Hannah cried her throat raw. Hermione wept quietly with her.
Hermione would end him. Whoever he was. She wanted him to hurt. Wanted him to burn. He should feel the pain of a thousand Fiendfyres for ever thinking he could just take love from people.
Love potions were horrible. They shouldn't even be called that. This was not love, not in the slightest.
Love was pure, selfless.
This was greed. This was selfish. You took the person you desired and made their life hell by making yours heaven.
Calling it a 'love' potion was making a mockery out of what love truly was.
The cruel reality was that it was a rape potion.
This was worse than Cruciatus.
Hermione felt sick.
"We'll catch him, Hannah. We'll catch him and make him pay."
Hannah sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
"Y-you promised you wouldn't tell anyone."
"Yes, but Hannah, we need to get you to Madam Pomphrey. You need a contraceptive potion right now and maybe McGonagall might help-"
"You promised!"
"Hannah, other people could get hurt!"
"I d-don't care! I can't have everyone know, it's too much! It's humiliating and scary and- and I just can't! I shouldn't've said anything at all!"
Hermione realised this was way above her expertise. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Her impatient pragmatism was clearly not what Hannah needed right now. Hannah needed to feel safe and Hermione had no idea how to do that.
"Don't you have an exam? You sh-should go…You'll be late…"
Hannah was right, yet the exam was the furthest thing from Hermione's mind right now.
"At least let me walk you back to your common room…"
"No! No thank you…I think I…I just need to be alone. Need to think. Thank you but please…please leave…"
"Hannah-"
"Go! Get out!"
"I'm not leaving you like this!"
Hannah grit her teeth.
"Hermione…you're making things worse. You don't always need to tell people what to do, you know! I know you're smart, but I need to deal with this on my own right now. P-please…please go…"
The last was a pathetic whimper that made Hermione's heart break.
"I can't leave you alone. I'll get someone- Susan or-or someone else from Hufflepuff…"
Hannah shrugged dejectedly, slumping down, her head falling back into her arms. Hermione couldn't get another word out of her.
She departed from the bathroom, feeling harried.
Finding another Hufflepuff who was friends with Hannah seemed like the safest bet. Hannah needed someone she could feel comfortable with and clearly Hermione was the wrong person for that. But of course most of them would be taking the Defence exam and Hermione had no idea where the Hufflepuff common room was.
Could she just barge into the exam room and ask a teacher for a private word? She knew she'd promised Hannah not to say anything, but maybe she could evade the whole truth. All she needed to tell them was that she found Hannah in the girls' washroom and that she looked out of sorts. One thing she knew for sure was that Hannah shouldn't be alone right now.
A part of her that she hated desperately wanted to find someone fast, so that she'd be able to dash to her exam and hopefully have enough time left to finish. Why did this all have to happen now?
Hermione finally decided on Madam Pomphrey as the best bet on such short notice.
As she was on the brink of bursting into a sprint, something wet suddenly shot up her nostrils.
"Arrgh!"
Hermione doubled over, coughing, pinching her nose as it stung horribly. She could feel something trickle down her throat and windpipe.
What in Godric's name was that?
She righted herself, her eyes burning, her cheeks red.
"Draco? What in the name of Merlin's pants are you d-"
She looked around.
She was alone in the hall.
Why had she immediately thought of Draco?
Then, she smelled it.
It was his smell. A sweet and musky wood smell. It filled her nasal cavity.
He must be around somewhere.
She took a step and her vision blurred. She felt dizzy. Her hand flew out to steady herself on the wall.
And then her heart sank.
That wasn't just Draco she was smelling.
She hadn't noticed at first because Draco's odour was overpowering, but it was there.
New parchment.
Freshly mown grass.
"No…" she moaned, her eyes shutting, "no, no, nooo…"
She had to get out of there.
She needed to run.
She took a step, but her movements felt sluggish. She stumbled, fell.
She thought she could hear cautious footsteps.
She clenched her eyes shut. She couldn't look at anyone or it was game over.
Quickly. Quickly.
She rummaged in her pocket and whipped out her wand and the TeleGalleon.
She tapped it and it burned.
And then a spell hit her and she lost consciousness.
