Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, they are the brilliant works of the marvelous J.K.Rowling. I also do not own Coldplay or To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
CHAPTER 22
The next three weeks were horrible for Hermione and seemed to be in slow motion. Draco had made sure she honoured her promise of being his girlfriend and she did all she could to keep up appearances in public. He seemed to be calming down and hadn't lashed out as often over the past few weeks, and she was starting to see some more of her Draco coming back to life. She had even had some fun with him on the odd occasion, even when they were alone in their dorm. But even 'nice' Draco could be harsh. He had insisted that when he kissed her in public she kiss him back. She had to laugh at all of his jokes and sit with him in some of their classes. He had even made her wear a Slytherin scarf at a Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor, which certainly did not go down well with her peers. She had even been told she had to cheer for Slytherin when they scored a goal. She was miserable, but couldn't show it. Occasionally he would swoop over and smile at her and check that she was doing what she was told. Even her friends didn't understand why she would barrack for the other team and Harry and Ron (being on the team themselves) were especially offended by this.
Hermione was doing her best to look genuine in all she did. She thought that maybe the more she pretended, the more she would believe it. She had to admit it was getting easier. Anyway, there was no point looking depressed about it. First of all she was stuck with no way out. And second of all, if she looked upset, she would have to continuously lie to her friends and say that everything was ok. Pretending to be happy and waiting to believe it was certainly the better option.
Despite Hermione's efforts, her friends were still worried about her. Though she looked happy to them, she barely ate these days and they sensed something wasn't right. They didn't know it, but she had been throwing up a lot lately and they noticed her getting thinner and thinner. Despite how happy and settled she looked with Draco, she did not like to talk about him. They had tried a few times to try and show interest and support in their relationship but sometimes she couldn't think of good things to say about him and avoided the subject. She normally just hinted that she didn't want to upset Ron and left it at that. To be honest, she was glad to have an excuse.
Draco let her spend two nights out a week, but expected her to be home after dinner all other evenings, even if he wasn't there. She could easily have snuck out on these nights, but didn't dare in case he came back and found she wasn't there. Hermione didn't mind staying in. She often had homework and if she didn't, it wasn't hard for her find things to do. Her marks were picking up after a slight droop and she had more time to read, which of course, suited her perfectly. She was learning to adjust to her new way of life and if she could live with the guidelines, she figured she would be fine. The fact that he now had control of her also seemed to calm him, and he was lashing out less and less. Her Draco was slowly seeping back, and she was even able – on the odd occasion – to have fun with him.
She had learnt to cope with his mood swings and hadn't fall apart the last three times he had struck her. She had simply healed herself and moved on, and had learnt to ignore him talking to himself now and again.