The Dark Mark of Love

----- This is a role play I did with my friend Joanna [The Divine-Dragon, so half of the credit goes to her, and of course J.K.R. for her great characters. We do not own any of the characters, J.K.R. does. This is a Hermione x Draco story. It was an rp so it's a back and forth type. -----

Hermione gasped and stopped in her tracks and dropped her hand as she stared straight ahead into Ron and Harry's face.

She looked at Draco and started hitting him. "Keep your filthy hands of me! Or I'll hex you!" She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him.

But then she dropped it, when she realized her little act wasn't working on them.

Harry and Ron already had their wands out and Harry was giving Draco a look of pure hatred, even worse than before.

Ron was glaring at Hermione in a hurt defeated way.
"Step aside Monie." on growled moving his attention towards Draco.

"No I will not!" Hermione said stomping her foot. "If you're going to Hex him, your going to have to Hex me too!"

"You don't know what your saying, he's befuddled you!" Ron said look back at her. "Just step away and we'll deal with him for you."

Hermione glared and stood her ground. "No he has not!"

Draco chuckled inwardly at the way her friends were acting. He let out a sigh as he looked at the two of them with a grin and a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Why don't you and Weasel just put your wands away before you hurt someone." He said with a chuckle in his voice as he pulled out his own wand.

"I really don't want to hex you guys, but if you make the first move then I'll come back with my own." Draco told them in a soft voice as he stood there.

"And Granger is right; I haven't done anything to her." Draco said as he glanced at Hermione with a small smile.

"Why must you always jump to conclusions?" He asked as he stepped in front of Hermione.

"We don't jump to conclusions, we know. We know who you work for." Harry said glaring at Draco.

"And you befuddled Hermione, to get information!" Ron said looking back at Draco.

"He did no such thing! It was I who acted first. And I did not befuddle him either." Hermione said putting herself in between them. "Don't be so stupid, he's nothing like you think he is! And please put your wands down!"

Draco, not wanting to face Hermione's anger put his wand away with a slight glare at Ron and sighed. "I won't do anything as long as they don't." He said to her in a whisper.

He stood back and decided to watch how the three of them settled this. He glanced at Hermione with a raised eyebrow and a look that asked her what she was going to do.

Draco watched as Ron stepped up to her and whispered in her ear. "What are you doing with him Mione?"

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do you ask?" She said coldly pulling away from Ron and narrowing her eyes at him

"Just the same as I have been doing." She said and wrapped one of her arms around Draco's waist. Giving Ron a look that just dared him to try and pull any stunts.

"I love him, and whatever you or Harry says won't change that."

Ron blinked a few times and looked at Harry with a look of confusion as if asking him what are we going to do?

Draco on the other hand just placed a kiss on Hermione's cheek and whispered in her ear. "Let's go." As he gently let go of her and walked into the room ignore the other two as he passed them,

Ron on the other hand gave Hermione another look that said why?

Hermione looked back at Ron before entering the class room.

"It's because he's mature, he can express his feelings unlike you, you always gave out the wrong impression, do you like me or not? I've given up on you, you waited to long. I got tired of waiting for you, I was ready, but you weren't, and now that you are, im gone. It's to late, I found someone who likes me for me and shows that he cares, unlike you and your way of caring, yelling at someone does will not make them like you. I'm sorry but we could never be."

She tried not to think of the expression on Ron's face as she walked into the room and sat down, across from Draco, but still on the Gryffindor side.

She glanced at Draco then looked down at the book she had slammed down on the table after dropped her bag on the floor.
Silent tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ron's face saddened at her words as he followed Harry into the classroom. He sat down with a heavy sigh and held his cheek in the palm of his hand. "Stupid Malfoy..." He muttered to himself as he sent death glares at the boy.

Draco took his seat with a slight yawn as he opened his book and idly flipped through to the page he needed to be on. As he looked it over he shook his head. 'Why is it always something boring?' He thought to himself.

He glanced at Hermione with a quick smile before returning his attention back to the book.

The Professor didn't even ask the where they had been, he just went on and on about a subject Hermione would have thought interesting, had it been a normal time. It was different now, she couldn't wait till class was over.

Finally after what seemed to be years, the bell rang meaning class was over. Hermione got up and put her books back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She had free period next, which she was happy about.

She hurried out of the classroom pushing past Harry, and not even looking at Ron.

Draco quickly stood up and left the classroom as soon as class was over. He was hoping to avoid both Weasley and Potter at the moment.

He quickly caught up with Hermione and walked beside her. "I guess your friends aren't happy about us, are they?" He asked as he followed her.

Ron glared at Malfoy as he followed Hermione. "What does she see in him Harry?" He asked in a grumble as they walked in the same direction as the two.

"I mean what does Malferret have that I don't?"

"No their not very happy, but I don't care what they say, they can't rule my life. I'm my own person, only I can run my life."

She said stopping to lean against the wall. "I'm tired, tired of everything, and just plain tired. I'm always tired now days."

She impulsively rubbed her left arm as she talked, looking off down the corridor.

Harry gave Ron an 'I'm sorry look.' "I have no idea, but if you wan her, you should fight for her."

Draco nodded slightly with a sigh. "I know how you feel; I haven't been able to sleep lately." He said with a yawn. "But your friends really need to stop jumping to conclusions." He said softly as he gave her a small smile.

Ron nodded at Harry as they walked down the corridors in the same direction as Hermione had gone. "You're right Harry. She... I... man that Malfoy ticks me off sometimes." He ranted as they walked.

"But seriously, what does he have that I don't Harry?" He asked as they turned one of the corners. "I mean, I've been nicer to her than he has, sure I have my moments but other than that I'm nice to her."

Hermione took his hands in hers and placed them around her, kissing him on the cheek. She really didn't care what people thought anymore. "I think im going to head back to the common room, I'm tired, and I have a tone of homework."

Harry stopped and looked at him. "You haven't always been nice to her you know. Like in our first year, you were pretty rude for awhile, then in the third year you yelled at her about Crookshanks, in the fourth year you were pretty mean to her yelling at her about Krum, and then there was the time you went out with Lavender and that whole time you and Hermione fought. So you can't say you've never been mean to her."

Draco nodded at her and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Ok, I'll be seeing you later then love." He said as he placed another kiss on her lips before letting her go.

Ron gave Harry a small glare. "You know what I mean though; I have been nicer to her than Malfoy has been Harry." He said as a weak come back that he knew didn't do much for himself.

She said Bye before walking away to head back to the common room with a slight smile on her lips.

Harry glared back. "Why don't you stop fussing about it and do something? If you don' want to see them together then your going to have to get off your lazy bum and do something! I'm not going to do it for you. I'm not going to stand here and watch you fall into a depression, that's why your gonna march yourself up to that common room and tell her how you feel."

Draco gave her a small nod as he headed back to his own common room.

Ron nodded a few times with a small smile. "You're right Harry. I can't just mope about and not do anything." He said as he made his way to the Common room as quickly as he could.

He stepped in after quickly stating the password. "Mione?" He called out as he stepped in hoping she would be there.

Hermione was just about to head up to the girl's dormitory when she head Ron call her name. Stopping where she was, not even bothering to turn around she said. "What do you want!?"

Deciding to turn around, she watched his expression change when she said. "I don't want to talk to you and I hate you!"

She said it with such force and meaning, that it felt like a hundred little daggers on his skin.

"I know you've come up here just to yell at me, well I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Afterwards she ran up the girl's dorm stairs and flung herself on her bed to cry.

Ron's face fell at her words he looked down at his feet as he slumped down on the couch with a sigh. He felt a few tears threaten before he was able to keep them away.

"Who was I kidding? I knew this would only make it worse..." He muttered out loud as he placed his head in his hands with a loud groan. "Why is it always like this?"

He let out another sigh as he flopped down onto the couch and buried his face into one of the pillows with a soft thud as his face hit the pillow. What next? He thought to himself.

Harry walked through the portrait hole at that moment with a smile on his face. "So how did it g..." He stopped and frowned when he saw his best friend on the couch.

Harry sat in the arm chair beside the couch. "What happened?" He asked trying to get Ron to talk. "I couldn't have been that bad. You must just be over reacting."

Ron muttered something into the pillow. "It went horrible, and I'm not overreacting about it." He said as he lifted his head up from the pillow to speak.

"She yelled at me in a way. Told me I cam up here to yell at her, then said she hated me and stormed up to the girls dorms." Ron said softly before he retold Harry the whole thing after giving the gist of it to his friend.

"What do I do now Harry? I mean she hates me and...Well I dunno what to do anymore. I'm confused." He said before allowing his face to hit the pillow once again with a muffled groan.

Harry frowned and looked at his friend. "That was really harsh of her, but I'm sure she didn't mean it, she's just having a rough day. She'll come around, she always does." He smiled. "Your never going to give up, that's what your going to do."

A pout appeared on Ron's face as he looked at his friend. "Yeah... then I'll end up slapped or something." He said softly as he buried his face into the pillow once again.

"Let's face it Harry, she's mad at me and she'll be like that for god knows how long" He said in a muffled voice through the pillow.

"Fine, sulk all day, see if I care. Hermione seems to like tougher men, but that's not a problem. Maybe she'll start liking crybabies instead." Harry said flopping down in his favorite chair by the fire.

Hermione came down the stairs and ducked out of the portrait hole quickly, so as to avoid Ron and Harry. She clutched her books to her chest and made her way towards the library. She sat down and opened her books; she really had to get her work done. She had two weeks worth of work to do.

Ron glared at him and shook his head. "Watch it Harry." He muttered as he sat up again. "You try being in my spot and I'll tell you all this and then we can talk about me trying to cheer up." He said angrily before sighing. "Sorry about that mate."

Ron stood up with another sigh. "I'm heading out for a walk." He said as he left the Common Room really to follow Hermione whom he spotted leaving as he sat up.

As he stepped into the library he caught sight of her. "Mione, can we talk?"

"I've had my fare share of predicaments. I've felt jealousy before. In before I started dating Ginny, I was jealous of her former boyfriends. I know how you feel, sort of." Harry watched as Ron got up and left the common room. "Good luck." He yelled after Ron.

Hermione without looking up from the book she had been reading she said. "What's there to talk about?"

"I wanted to say I was sorry." He said in a soft voice as he looked her in the eyes. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Ron sighed sadly as he sat next to her, his eyes looking down at the books in front of her. "I was a git and had no right to say those things earlier." He told her hoping she would forgive him.

Hermione sighed and looked up. "No, I've been the extremely rude one. I shouldn't have acted that way, but still it's my decision. I know what I'm doing, and don't try to say that he's befuddle me, because he hasn't. I'm smarter than that you know."

Ron looked away for a second before nodding.

"I won't and I know you are smart." He said with a smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I just wish I could have been faster and told you how I felt... I guess we weren't meant to be Mione."

"Oh Ronald, I hate when you give me the guilt trip." Hermione said slightly smiling.
"I love you, your one of my best friends, but I don't think I can love love you. That time has passed, I gave up, I moved on. You should move on." She said patted his hand.
"Draco's not all that bad once you get to know him, you should try it."

Ron sighed sadly and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said as he looked down at the table.

"But I will have trouble moving on... I will always love you, and if he ever makes you cry and will hunt him down and make him wish he was never born."

"Oh don't say such things. He's not going to make me cry! I trust him." She gathered up her books and stuffed them in her bag. She had barely done any of her work done.
"I'm going to the Great Hall; I'm never going to get my work finished."
Slinging her bag over her shoulder she started to leave.
"Are you coming?" She asked over her shoulder.

Ron stood with a nod. "Sure." He said as he followed her to the Great Hall.

"Mione, I'm still sorry for how I acted about you and Malfoy, I was just jealous that's all." He told her with a sad smile.

"I was being a jerk and should have believed you."

"I know...being a jerk comes with being a man. So I forgive you." She said giving him a warm smile. "All this arguing has made me hungry come on." She grabbed his hand and led him towards the Great Hall.

----- Ok that's it for the second part, please review, I like to know what you think. Hopefully soon we'll have enough to make another chapter. Sorry this one was so long. And I'm sorry it took so long to make another chapter…. - Kara