A/N: Thanks for the 2 people who reviewed :) Its going to get more better i hope :)

Fall to Pieces

Chapter 5

Draco reached out and grabbed her arm. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't look at him. "It's pretty late." she felt raw. The darkening evening pressed around her like a gloom of the hallway in her dream.

Draco looked at her quizzically. "Will you turn into a pumpkin? or what?" He followed her off the patio into the lawn. "Please don't go. Did I do something? Whatever it was, I'm really sorry."

"That song you were humming-"She fought back the panic and looked up at him. "I heard it in my dream last night. It was awfaul- a nightmare." She swallowed. "I'm being a jerk, I know."

He was frowning. "That is weird. I mean, I don't know why I sang it. It just came into my head." He tried to make a joke. "I know my voice isn't great, but it never sent anyone running in terrror before!"

Before Hermione could respond, Amanda called to them. "Hey, Hermione, Draco, come on over here!" she had changed into her bathing suit and was standing by the pool with some of the other kids.

"You go ahead." said Hermione

"I don't want you to leave." His gray eyes looked into her brown ones."Please dont leave yet. Let's just go see what she wants. Then we can dance again- and i promise I wont sing."

" I didn't bring a suit, anyway. I don't like to swim. I guess Amanda told you?"

"She just said you got in trouble for not taking a swim test or something."

He reached for her hand and led her across the lawn. "You mean you really can't swim at all? I could teach you easily, you know. We could start tonight." He pointed at the swimming pool.

"No thanks." No way!

"this water's heated, so it'll probably be nicer."

The hollow guilt formed in her stomach again. "I'm so sorry," she told him.

He looked at her puzzled.

"I mean, I'm sorry-sorry that you don't likecold water." The more she tried to make sense, the more idiotic she sounded. What? Sorry about what?

Amanda laughed. "No water could be warm enough to tempt Hermione." She nudged Hermione.

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand. "Look, we'll start easy." He tugged her over to the side of the pool. "First thing we do is,we sit here at the side of the pool-like this."

She shook his hand off hers. "Listen, you don't understand."

"Come on, just stick your feet in. You don't have to get your dress wet."

She bit her lip, then kicked of her sandals and sat down cautiously, bunching the skirt of her sundressup around her thighs. The warm water closed around her long legs. The sight of them, pale beneath the surface of the water, made her shiver.

"Great! Okay, now just dip your hand in the water. Just one hand. Like this." He stuck his fingers in the water and wiggled them. "See?"

She kept her arms folded stubbornly. Enough is enough.

"We'll have you off the high dive in no time," teased Draco. Or maybe he wasn't teasing.

She felt ridiculous sitting fully clothed at the side of the pool while this boy cheered her on and Amanda watched with an expression of encouragement.

Draco's voice grew soft, deeper. "Come on, now both hands in. Like this."

She dropped her hands into the water next to his, waved her fingers around under the surface. And under her own surface, the ever-present lump of fear expanded.

"Now down to the elbows." His face was impassive. She leaned forward slightly and lowered her arms. "Good job," he said.

"Way to go, Hermione," shouted Ron from the diving board. He held his nose and danced at the end of the board. Harry stepped up behind him and shoved. Ron plunged out of sight, then came up sputtering and laughing. He swam to the shllow end and stood. "See?" he appealed to Hermione. "Easy as pie." Then he splashed away to chase one of the girls.

Hermione pulled her arms from the water. She held them, dripping away from her sides. "There. Lesson's over."

Draco crouched beside her. "Hang on a sec." She was very aware of his bulk, his strength. "Listen, I know your afraid," he whispered. "Lots of kids are at first, you'd be surpised. But I really want to help you."

"I don't think so." She stood, norrowing her eyes as she saw Draco and Amanda exchange a look. The smell of chlorine was very strong. She moved her shoulders up and down and rubbed the tight muscles at the back of her neck.

"How am I going to teach you anything if you wont even get into the water?" Draco said.

"I admit it's a problem." She smiled through her heart was pounding. She tried for a joke, "Thousand before you have tried and failed."

He stripped off his shirt and jumped into the pool in his shorts. The water slapped out into the tiles. Hermione shuddered.

"Jump in. You can do it."

"No." Why didn't she just walk away? There was a change in the air that had only partly to do with her fear. Something about Draco drew her, but something equally strong now warned her away.

He splashed some water onto her feet. "Last chance." When she didn't respond, he began the song again. He sang softly, gently, splashing water onto her feet in time to the tune. "Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin'. Clementine. You are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, Clementne!"She leapt back out and screamed at him. "You shut up!"

He vaulted out of the pool in a single motion and towered over her. "Get in the pool," he said in a low voice.

"Way to go." shouted Ron from the deep end.

"Hooray for Hermione." called someone else. "It's swim time!"

Hermione turned to run, but he caught her by the shoulders. "Get in, or I'll throw you in."

"Go to hell."

Then his arms were lifting her-one around her shoulders, one under her knees. He carried her without effort. She screamed and beat him with her fists. He flinched at the blows but stepped closer to the pools edge.

"Help me! Michael, Amanda, help me! Help!" Screamed Hermione. She saw her friend s laughing. They didn't understand it wasn't a joke.

"It's all right," Draco called over to them, stuggling to keep his grip on Hermione.

"You're trying to kill me!" She wailed, striking him. She felt the salty wind rise mysteriously, blowing fiercely now all around them. The water of the pool-so close-grew choppy, rising in great white peaks of foam.

"You'll be fine. You'll be a regular"- Draco ducked his head as another of her blows hit his ear-"fish!"
Then he let her out over the water and dropped her in.

She sank immediately, as if she had fallen from a great height. The water of the pool surged over her-and it was red, it was blood, it was blood foaming around her, filling her ears and eyes and nose and mouth, engulfing her.

She lay on the bottom of the pool, her ears roaring with the pressure of the water; her eyes were wide open, seeing not the blue-and-white tiles of the pools floor but, through the dark water, tangles of green. Seaweed in Michael's pool?

Hermione breathed deeply and her lungs filled. Just before all the red went to black, she looked up at the surface and saw lengths of broken wood and webs of net; she saw crates tumbling in the waves; she saw something like a round, patterened box, floating away.

A/n: here's a sneak peak of what happens next:

"Mom"- Hermione turend her head on the pillow to look at jenny-"the kids wouldn't help! They thought it was funny. They let Draco throw me in. I said I couldn't...I told them no, but they-"

"Shhh," said jenny. "I know, I know."

"I hate Draco!"

"I can't believe it," her father growled. "What kind of friends are they who would let some strange guy come to a party and nearly kill a girl?"

A/n: Please review!