A.N. Hello again, my sprites! I got major writers block halfway into this chapter, so don't blame me if there's drabble. And here's a shoutout to Erin and Sophie, my besties and fellow Potterheads, and if you added this fic to your favourites, then thank you. 5 house points each!

~RowanDryad

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fanfic now would I?

Chapter Two

Gossip and Rowans

After Hermione's tears had been roughly scrubbed away by the back of her hand

she lay under the rowan trees in the grounds, watching the icicles wave gently in the crisp winter air. Rowan, she thought, meant to keep away witches. She didn't know if the staff were aware of this irony, but she laughed bitterly to herself.

When did Draco's words start affecting her like this?

Why did her stomach turn when she thought of being married to Ron?

Her head was full of questions, with nobody there to answer them.

And why was Harry always the golden boy – brilliant at Quidditch, defeating Voldemort, and had the girl of his dreams. And they were jetting off to the new memorial for Harry's parents and the war heroes. There she was, stuck at Hogwarts, with no friends and an over-loving boyfriend. What a great life for the "brightest witch at Hogwarts".

1 day later

After she had said no to Ron's proposal, he had stormed off and she had seen him talking to Lavender Brown in the common room with a scowl on his face. That was not good news. Ron's eyes flashed darkly as he saw her lingering on the girls dormitory stairs.

She ran up them while sobbing quietly, then thought better and hurtled out of the portrait hole.

Tears blinded her as she ran through the maze of corridors. She didn't notice as she ran into a blonde figure. "Oi! Mudblood! A little upset, are we?"

That bastard! She thought, but without any conviction. After all, she still felt a stab of pity for the boy every time she saw him.

And revulsion for what his parents had done.

And, well, something that might be a little more than just pity.

"No!" she said through her teeth "I cannot be falling in love with Draco Malfoy!"

And then she collapsed.

3 days later

She woke up blinking at the light in the Hospital Wing. "W-what happened?" she asked Madam Pomfrey. Her voice sounded as if she smoked 20 cigarettes a day.

"You collapsed in the grounds. You have had a light case of hypothermia, so we kept you sleeping while it ran its course. You should be fine now, except your voice may sound a bit funny and you may feel slightly dizzy and weak."

"W-who found me?" Hermione croaked again.

"Funny you ask actually. It was that Malfoy boy. I never thought he'd do anything for anyone. But there he is, at that door, with you in his arms. Now, have a bit of a nap, Miss Granger, and see if you can have a bit of dinner."

Hermione laid still, mulling things over...

A.N. Sorry this chapter's a bit short, the next one will be longer.

~RowanDryad