Chapter Six

My eyes avoid you

I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around

My faith in you is fading

After Breakfast Hermione rushed to the Slytherin dungeons. She was given an odd look by a fourth year she recognized as Marley Johnston but she didn't care she had to speak to Draco. She continued on past the one armed goblin next to the entrance of Draco's study. She whispered the password at the snake but the snake did not move, she tried again.

"I have got it wrong," she thought but her heart plummeted in her chest. It was no co-incidence that Draco had been gone before she woke up, ignored her at breakfast and now changed his password.

In arithmancy the next afternoon she attempted to get his attention she only sat two desks over. She knew he couldn't have missed her whispers indeed Professor Vector didn't and lost her five points from Gryffindor for talking in class and shook his head tutting as if he expected better.

That evening found Hermione in her own small study that came with the head girl room. It was past midnight and her arthimancy, charms and potions homework had laid done for nearly two hours. She wasn't sleepy however and was very reluctant to lay her head down without a distraction. She knew her thoughts would all be brought to him. Thus she was reading her way through "a history of the troll wars" something they didn't cover in history of magic for another month in an attempt to distract herself.

The next morning, or rather later the same day Hermione headed down for breakfast blurry eyed and woolly headed. She did not even look at the Slytherin table sitting down with her back to it. She grabbed an apple eating it slowly.

"Late night?" Harry asked her slightly concerned whatever Hermione thought of her best friend's emotional receptors he was quite astute to her mood changes but unlike his girlfriend had no idea how to make her feel better. Ginny looked at her watch.

"I am gonna be late for Flitwick," she smiled kissing her boyfriend on the cheek and passing Hermione a note slyly. Hermione read the note after transfiguration when she had five minutes alone.

I am coming up to your room tonight to talk 8pm. No excuses. I am bringing chocolate.

Ginny

Hermione frowned she really didn't need the other witch concerned about her when she was trying to keep her boyfriend alive and pass her sixth year exams. But she also knew Ginny was probably the most stubborn person she knew and would not take "no" for an answer. As expected at exactly 8pm Ginny knocked on Hermione's door. She held in her hands two mugs of frothy hot chocolate and a bar of Honeydukes best popping out of her left cardigan pocket. Hermione opened the door and led her into the door and led her into the small study. At which Ginny sat on a pile of cushions she conjured and Hermione on a chair that accompanied her desk.

"Spill the beans then," Ginny said.

"There's not much to tell," Hermione said quietly "he just stopped talking to me. He changed the password on his room and he won't even look at me." She paused "Just like you predicted."

"Hermione I didn't predict anything I would have given you the same advice if you where dating Seamus or Ron," they both shuddered "or Ernie, Justin, Terry or whoever I honestly wasn't saying those things because it was Malfoy."

"Well," Hermione said grumpily "he was obviously just saying those things to," her voice dropped "you know what."

"No," Ginny said wrinkling her forehead in confusion.

"You know," Hermione said nodding her head towards the bedroom.

Ginny couldn't help herself "sex!" she said loudly in a shocked voice. "You had sex with Draco," even his name stung like a hot poker into Hermione's heart."

"Yes," she said quietly "it was the first time for me, gosh," she shook her head "how stupid of me. Here it is before my N.E.W.T.'s and I am worrying about a boy like a fifteen year old with a bad crush."

"Don't feel so bad Hermione I bet he pulled this trick loads of times Luna said that Lorna Cartwright that Ravenclaw sixth year was really upset the other day because Malfoy had dated and dumped her in the matter of a couple of days." These words were like ice to Hermione somewhere in her deepest heart she had been hoping against hope that Draco had made a mistake. That he was too busy with work to talk to her, that the password was a mistake.

"You know I could tell Harry," Ginny said cheerily "him and Ron might beat Draco up."

"No," Hermione almost shrieked, "no, he would go mental and he has enough to concentrate on with the war and his exams. He doesn't need to be fretting about me."

"Hermione," Ginny said. "You are our friend, just because Ron and Harry have girlfriends does not mean that they are any less your best friends. Harry in particular needs all the friends he can get you know he thinks he has cracked where the last Horcrux is hiding?"

"No I didn't," Hermione said "what is it." Their conversation turned away from Draco Malfoy and towards the topic of Voldemort.

Three weeks later Hermione was sat in her study with the little window open listening to the commentary of the Quidditch match far away. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the last game of the season and the one that would decide the Quidditch cup.

Hermione had told them she wasn't coming because she had too much work to do. She felt guilty about this both for lying and missing the match. The truth was she could not bear to see him. Every time she saw him in class or in the corridor her heart gave a horrid little jolt before remembering its place and sinking back to the pit of her stomach. Even now as Mercury Jones, a second year Hufflepuff, that was proving herself rather good at commentating said

"Malfoy looks like he's seen…" or "Malfoy almost collides with his own keeper…" or "Malfoy looks exhausted," her heart gave that same jump. She soon decided the best course of action would be to shut the window as she had read the same line several times over.

It was six hours later when Gryffindor all trudged in through the portrait hole caked in mud and their hair flecked in snow. However they all had beaming expressions upon their faces.

"You won!" Hermione cried at the front two, Harry and Ron, who nodded.

"You should've seen it Hermione a seven hour game." Ron shook his head "we were well in front we didn't even need the snitch not that your catch wasn't excellent mate." He looked at Harry who was grinning at Ginny. The three together managed to tell the entire game blow-by-blow. Hermione smiled she had her old friends back and everything was normal as long as no one mentioned the name Draco Malfoy.