The next morning Hermione and Draco woke with a start. Pounding came from the other side of the wall as well as shrieks from the portrait guarding the Heads dorms. "Hermione! Hermione! Open up, you weren't at breakfast and you missed potions," screamed Harry, his voice full of concern. "Malfoy wasn't in potions either," Harry continued, "Has he done something to you! If you don't answer I'll grab McGonagall, She knows your password." Harry continued with his tirade as Hermione lazily removed herself from Draco's arms, leaving them empty for the first time in hours.

Hermione opened the portrait hole allowing for Harry and Ron to barge right in. "Hermione are you ok, if you need me to I'll teach that bloody git a lesson," said Ron, completely red in the face. "Where is the ferret, I'd just like to…" Rom stopped abruptly as his eyes landed on Malfoy—feigning sleep. "What's up with Malfoy," said Ron: slightly calmer with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Nothing Ronald," said Hermione-turning to Harry, she found it easier to lie to him. "Harry, Malfoy and I had Head duties to attend to last night, we both fell asleep in the common room so we were not up to hear our alarms. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Are you sure you're ok Hermione you've been acting rather strange lately?"

"I'm fine—really. Now why don't you and Ron go grab lunch and I'll see you in transfiguration."

Ron and Harry left without a fight, yet they felt dejected. What was Hermione hiding that she couldn't share with her best friends?

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Granger," said a sleepy-eyed Draco.

Hermione grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at Draco. "Shut up you stupid prat."

"No need to loose your gobstones Granger, I'm just surprised to hear you lie to wonder boy and weasel."

"Seriously Malfoy, I'm not in the mood for this," sighed Hermione "I had to start my day off lying to my best friends (something I never do) and I am royally screwed because not only did I miss a class without good reason, it just had to be double potions!"

"Hermione--"

"Don't even start with me Draco; this is all wrong, we're all wrong!"

Hermione went to her room and closed the door; rushing to her desk she found her safe haven, her release."

Walking over to her bed Hermione flopped down and placing the blade to her wrist felt the tug of her skin breaking. The heat of her blood as it ran down her arm onto the bed spread. She repeated this act again and again, leaving long, deep gashes all up her left arm.

He hated it when she stormed off like that and it had happened many times in the past few months. They hadn't been friends for too long, but Draco knew there was something wrong with her. Her eyes were dead.

Getting up from the couch Draco made his way to Hermione's room. The door was bound to be locked, but maybe he could coax her out.

Draco tried the door; he wasn't really sure why he just felt he should. It swung open to reveal a sickening site.

He watched in horror for several seconds, and then burst into the room. "Stop! What do you think you're doing to yourself?" Draco swooped in and confiscated Hermione's blade.

"Give it back Draco," said Hermione in a calm cold voice.

"Why so you can kill yourself? I won't stand by and watch you do this to yourself."

"Good then don't, this is none of your business anyways…just leave Malfoy."

Draco grab Hermione's arm and murmured a healing spell as fast as he could. He calmed slightly as he saw her cuts heal, leaving barely visible new scars in a sea of old ones. Pulling the reluctant girl into the tightest embrace she'd ever experienced Draco felt a feeling he had knew very little of--He was scared.

How did this happen? I'm in love with Hermione. What if she kills herself, I don't think I could bear it. Yea, I still act like a bastard as far as the rest of the school knows, but there's something about her. I don't know, Malfoy's aren't supposed to have hearts. I'm not supposed to be capable of love. I need to stop thinking about myself right now.

"Hermione…Hermione"

"What is it Draco?"

"Why?"

"Why?" Hermione asked with a cruel laugh. "Do you really want to know why Draco, because this is the one chance I'll give you to back out. You can leave right now and I won't think any less of you, it would actually be one of the few good choices you'll have made as of late."

"I'm not backing out now, I've fallen in love with you and I don't think I could stop loving you if I tried. I need you in my life so I need to know this, I need to know everything."

Draco kissed Hermione's forehead and tried to stop the tears that were running down his pale cheeks into her unruly mane.

Her voice remained steely and cold as she began to let Draco in. "The summer before third year I went home to be with my parents. I was only thirteen at the time and my parents felt that I was still too young to be left unsupervised." Hemione glared at Draco daring him to laugh, but he didn't so she pressed on. "There was this kid in our neighborhood-David-he's five years older than me, my mom used to watch him sometimes so he had known me since I was really young. One night my parent's had a dinner party to go to and they asked David if he would watch me while they were out.

Well the night started off fine, more than fine we were having fun together just like we did when we were younger. We ordered a pizza, played a few board games and them we popped in a movie. We were just sitting on the couch when he…he…"

Draco held her closer as she finally allowed her tears to fall. "It's ok Hermione, I'm here. I've got you."

"He turned to me and told me we were going to play a new game. He said I would have fun and that him and all his friends played it at parties they went to. I just kind of shrugged; I was tired and didn't really care. He pulled me to him and began kissing my neck. I got really stiff and told him I didn't like the game; I asked him to stop. He told me to just shut up and enjoy it. I was so scared I couldn't even cry."

Draco could feel the anger and hate inside him pulsing through his veins. He wanted to break something, do something. Even though he wasn't there at the time he felt like he should have been able to protect Hermione.

"He slipped his hand up my skirt and ripped off my underwear, I tried to kick him away, but I couldn't he was to strong. I started crying as I felt his fingers enter me. Then I moaned, he was massaging me there and I moaned. Draco how could I like that, he's right I am nothing more than a slut."

"No! No, Hermione I never want to hear those words leave your mouth again. You are not a slut. You didn't want that and you can't control how your body responds to such things."

"I've tried to tell myself that. Trust me I've tried.

He settled himself between my legs and thrust into me. I screamed so loud. It hurt so much Draco, I felt like I was being ripped in two. He finished up with me and made me go wash up. Then he told me if I told anyone he would kill my parent's when I was away at school. I believed him and never said a word. A few months into third year I realized I was pregnant, I couldn't have his baby the thought of it was enough to almost kill me. During a Hogsmeade weekend I stayed behind and went to Madame Pomfrey. I aborted the baby." Hermione was shaking each sob wracked her body. "I don't deserve to be alive Draco, I am nothing more than a filthy mudblood. I killed an innocent baby. I killed my baby!"

Draco rocked the broken girl in his arms. He could have never imagined this to be the cause of her pain. How had she lived with this for four long years? "Hermione, listen to me. You were just barely a teenager, still basically a child. Of course you weren't ready to have a child especially one resulting from rape, what you did is understandable. You are a wonderful person, I don't understand why something like that would happen to you, but you didn't deserve it. You deserve the world. I will give you the world and more. I just never want to see you hurt again. I will never hurt you."

They sat there for a while until her sobs subsided.

"Draco."

"I don't think I can go to class today, but you should go. It will raise too much suspicion if both of us are missing all day. Will you tell the professor's I'm feeling under the weather?"

"Are you sure? I will stay with you?"

"Yes, Draco. Now go, you might still make it to McGonagall's on time."

"Ok."

Draco laid Hermione in her bed then accioed her razors.

"Dobby!" called Draco when he entered the living room. The house elf appeared immediately and began cowering when he saw who had called him. "y-yes Mr. Malfoy."

"I need you to keep an eye on Miss Granger. Come alert me if anything is wrong and do not leave her until I return-no matter who instructs you to. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

"Good. Now I have to get to class."

With that Draco used his wand to dress. Then grabbed his bag and ran all the way to his Transfigurations class.