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Chapter 3: Déjà vu

Hermione was regretting leaving his apartment as she walked in the dawn's early light. The air felt cool and she could feel and smell the rain on its way. She hated herself for not keeping herself in line when he spoke out of line. She shouldn't have overreacted; she knew that much and she was feeling like a fool for having done so. She looked around to find herself near The Three Broomsticks and stopped at the door, thinking about going in, but that would mean she would have to eat, and she wasn't ready to do that just yet.

Hermione sighed to herself and started walking again when suddenly; she heard a voice she instantly recognized.

"Hermione! What happened at Draco's? Why did you leave?"

She felt her stomach sink as she turned around to see Blaise heading towards her, his hands in his pockets. "I left… because I'm stupid, and I'm scared."

He looked at her with uncertain eyes and felt nervous about the fact that he could clearly make out the bones in her arms as they pressed firmly against her skin. He then noticed the bandage on her hand and dried blood in her hair.

"Damn it. Harry found you again, didn't he?"

She hid her bandaged hand against her shirt and looked down, hating how vulnerable she felt right now. "I'm fine. Draco healed me."

"You're lucky he found out, you know that, right? You could've been killed."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him now and started walking again, frustrated at herself, Draco, and now at Blaise. "I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

He shook his head in partial disbelief. "Oh yeah, so you've told me. You've really proven that you can take care of yourself," Blaise replied sarcastically. "If you could, then you wouldn't need Draco to save you every time Harry jumped you."

Hermione stopped walking now and looked down at her pencil thin legs, knowing he had a point. She wanted to be independent. She wished that she didn't always need Draco's help, and she wished Harry would just leave her alone. Blaise must have sensed her defeat because he unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug. She let herself melt into his comforting embrace and tried to stop feeling so weak. Hermione let him hold her on the street for a couple minutes before she reluctantly pulled out of the hug.

"It's going to be okay, you know that, don't you?"

Hermione shrugged but then nodded, running a tired hand through her hair. She closed her eyes, feeling a tidal wave of dizziness sweep through her.

Blaise looked at her uneasily now and wearily. "Do you need to sit down somewhere, Hermione? You're looking pretty pale."

She shook her head and opened her eyes to look at him but instead, saw double of him. "I'm okay… I know that it's going to be alright. Thank you, Blaise…"

He nodded and then wrapped a casual arm around Hermione's shoulders now and started to lead her to his club.

"Why do we have to go into your strip club, Blaise? I don't like it in there…"

He unlocked the door and led her inside before he locked it back up, still too early to officially open to the barflies and the regulars. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I'd rather have you be inside here than out there where you can get hurt again."

She followed him against her own will until he lead her over to the bar and got behind it before he grabbed a bottle of water and set it in front of her. "Drink up."

Hermione looked at him hesitantly before she shook her head. "I-I don't have any money, Blaise."

He shook his head back and motioned for her to keep it. "It's fine. Just drink it, please. If you refuse to eat anything, you need to at least stay hydrated. And you left your money here when you changed clothes yesterday. I can go get it for you later."

Hermione uncapped the bottle and drank some of the cold water before looking at him. "I don't plan to stay here very long."

Blaise began to clean off the top of the counters of the bar area. "Well you better change your plans because you're staying here until I have Draco come to get you."

She looked at him now with ice in her eyes. "I'm not a child, Blaise! I don't need supervision all the time!"

He walked over to her and chuckled. "You have to be more convincing than that, Hermione! You need to be a hell of a lot smarter than you've been and you need to put your pride aside for five goddamn minutes! You need an escort to get you safely across the streets. At least let Draco do that. He's a good man, and if you open your eyes, you'll see he isn't the same asshole he was in school."

"He called me a whore. Oh yeah, he's a real gentleman."

Blaise smiled now and leaned against the bar. "Sometimes, when people are angry they say things they don't mean. And I know Draco better than anyone, so I know he didn't mean what he said. I think you just took it out of context."

Hermione relaxed now, knowing that yet again, Blaise was right. Why did she make things so hard for everyone? Why couldn't she just listen to Blaise and Draco?

"I don't want to be dependent on Draco for everything. I don't want to be his burden that he has to take care of. He just thinks that I can stop being what I am, and he says he understands but he really doesn't… get it,"

Blaise listened intently and let her go on.

"I just want him to try to understand, and I want him to understand that I can't eat on demand. I have physical goals, and I don't see this as a mental illness. To me, losing weight and wanting to be thin is normal. It's not a problem, and Draco and you treat me like it is."

He walked around the bar counter and sat down beside her on a barstool. "You're not looking at it from the outside. You're the one trapped in the body, and you deal with it every day, so you think it's normal. What me and Draco see though… we see a skeleton turning thinner and thinner every day. How much do you weigh right now, Hermione?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't weighed myself since… after school, and I was 105 then."

"You've got to be at least 98 right now. If you get any thinner, you will die, and that's why Draco and I act so frustrated sometimes. And it's another reason why we treat you like a child, because really, you weigh as much as one."

Hermione shook her head, not approving how they got on the subject of her weight. "No, I don't… I don't believe you, but that's not the point. This isn't about me."

Blaise looked at her sadly now and placed his hand in her own bony fingers. "You don't realize, Hermione. It really is all about you."

Hermione had drunk two more water bottles since their talk and she wasn't feeling dizzy anymore. Blaise still hadn't opened the club and she was sure there were customers waiting outside.

"How are you feeling, better?"

She nodded soundlessly and looked back down. "Good. Umm… I need to let these people in. Do you want me to call Draco?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Blaise kicked himself for his next move, but he needed her to trust him. "Yes, you do. I won't call him if promise me that you'll try to stay away from trouble."

"I don't go looking for it! Christ, Blaise…"

Blaise sighed and looked at her. "Go then. Leave. I'll get in trouble, but if you can't go back to Draco, then I hope you'd come back to me at least."

Hermione was feeling guilt eat away at her now but she was grateful he wasn't going to call Draco. She'd never hear the end of it from him. She wasn't sure where she was going to go, but she knew Harry wouldn't try to attack her in broad daylight. She just wouldn't go through any of the alleyways.

Blaise set another bottle of water on the bar, seeing the decision on her face. "Will you come back here if you even think someone is following you, or if you feel like you're in danger?"

Hermione nodded and took the bottle. She stood up and then kissed Blaise's cheek in a friendly manner and then unlocked the door, letting the patrons inside first before she exited the club.

She walked down the sidewalk for awhile and then decided to go see Ginny. She didn't really have anyone she could go to, and she was afraid of bothering Ginny. Hermione apparated herself out of Hogmeade and into Diagon Alley. She knew that after school, Ginny became a Quidditch senior editor for the Daily Prophet. Hermione could just hope that she was working that day.

She walked inside the building and looked around to see several witches and wizards scrambling to print the newspaper in time for the morning edition.

"Excuse me!"

Hermione turned around and saw a man rush past her. She followed her, not seeing Ginny anywhere. "Wait, excuse me! Do you know who Ginny Weasley is?"

The woman turned around and her impatient face filled with one of surprise and excitement. "Hermione? Hermione Granger?"

She wasn't sure how this woman knew her until she saw the woman's smile. "Oh Merlin… Katie Bell? Is that you?"

She ran over to Hermione and hugged her tightly. "It's been ages! And you're almost skin and bone! What happened to you?"

Hermione hugged her back with weak arms and finally escaped the embrace to look at her. "N-Nothing… I'm just fine. I was just wondering if you know where Ginny leaves?"

Katie Bell's smile diminished now, almost as if she had hoped Hermione would've asked her for coffee to catch up. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down an address before handing it to her.

"She lives in London, with her husband."

Hermione raised an eyebrow now. "Husband? Who did she marry?"

"Cormac McLaggen, of course. They were practically inseparable in my last year," Katie answered as she put a paper under the printing press and turned it on.

"Wow. I never did like him. He almost had a temper and he was so cocky. I can't believe Ron would allow them together. He despised Cormac."

Katie chuckled. "I know, but I guess Ginny convinced Ron that Cormac was The One. He was always a righteous git though, if you ask me."

Hermione looked down at the piece of paper. "Thank you, Katie. It was really great seeing you again," she smiled halfheartedly.

She smiled weakly and nodded. "Good luck, Hermione."

Hermione walked out of the Daily Prophet building and apparated into London, arriving at the address Katie had given her. She fixed shirt and her hair and then took a deep breath before knocking at the door.

It had been only a second when someone opened the door abruptly and looked down upon Hermione.

"What do you want Hermione?" Cormac almost seemed to growl.

She looked past him and then back at the tall figure. "Is Ginny home?"

He tongued his cheek impatiently and then opened the door wider before yelling. "Ginny! Hermione's here!"

She heard footsteps hurry down the stairs and saw Ginny looking at Cormac, fear in her eyes as he started back up the stairs. Hermione barely recognized her. Ginny was looking almost as thin as she was, she looked more timid and scared. Almost instantly, Ginny threw herself at Hermione, nearly knocking her down as she wrapped her arms around her.

Hermione felt awkward as she slowly wrapped her own arms around her friend. "Are you okay, Gin?"

She forced herself away now and looked up at Hermione. "Thank God you're here. I missed you so much, Mia."

Hermione started to become worried now and gently took her hand and walked into the living room before sitting down with her. It was only when they had sat down on the couch that Hermione saw bruises on Ginny's arms and a red handprint on her face. She felt her heart sink into the pits of her stomach and she suddenly felt sick.

"Did he do this you? Oh my God…"

Ginny put her fingers to her broken lip to shush her. "Shh… please don't tell anyone. I-I deserved it. I can't leave him though. It'll break his heart."

Hermione looked at her with pity in her eyes. "We need to get you out of here. I need you as much as you need me right now but we need to get you away from this creep."

Ginny quickly shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. "N-No! I'm fine… I-I'm okay. Please… please, Mia. Please don't make me leave."

Hermione heard footsteps and looked at the stairs to make sure Cormac wasn't coming back down before looking back at Ginny. "Sweetie, he's abusing you. He's not even letting you eat anything…"

She saw Ginny bite her lips now and then look away. "A-Actually, I just… I've been like this since we graduated. He made me feel loved… he made me feel so good until he started… hurting me."

She didn't want to do this but she knew she had to help her friend before it was too late. "We need to get you out of here. Do you trust me?"

Ginny nodded quickly and Hermione took her friend's hand before apparating her out and in front of Draco's apartment door.

"He's going to kill me now… w-where are we, Hermione?"

She bit her lip, still holding Ginny's hand and then knocked. A few minutes later, Draco opened the door and looked at Hermione in surprise but then when he saw who was with her, he looked nervous and uneasy.

"She needs our help…"

Draco leaned against the door and sighed. "You mean she needs my help…"

"Draco, he's abusing her! We have to do something!"

"Granger, they're married. She's his wife now. He has a right to see her. He's going to find out where she is eventually and he's going to take her right back there. Taking her in isn't going to solve anything."

She looked at him with desperate eyes. "We could save her life! Look at her! Look at her and tell me that you won't help her!"

Draco glanced his eyes towards Ginny and saw faint handprints around her neck that her hair poorly attempted to cover up. He noticed the bruises on her arms and how similar their bodies looked. He felt anger poking at the surface but he tried to hold it back. It was difficult enough to deal with one anorexic, but throw two into the mix, and Draco figured he might go insane. He saw his sister in both of them.

He also saw how this could be his second chance to save her in a way. He had messed up trying to save his sister the first time, but now he had a chance to redeem himself. His anger disappeared and now hope and concern touched his eyes. He opened the door wider and let Hermione walk inside with Ginny.

"Set her on the couch. I'll heal her."

Ginny still held Hermione's hand tightly as they sat down on the couch. She looked at Draco fearfully as he kneeled down on the floor in front of her. She went to try to move away from him but he gently grabbed her free bruised arm.

"It's alright. You're okay, Ginny. You're safe here. I won't let Cormac hurt you again. I promise."

Hermione looked at Draco as he talked to her in the same smooth tones he had talked to Hermione with and then was surprised when he called Ginny by her first name, something he hadn't been able to do with Hermione.

Ginny relaxed slightly but Draco could practically hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. He ran his hand down her arm, healing the bruises slowly.

"W-What if he comes h-here?"

Draco was quiet for a little bit before looking up at Ginny. "Well, Cormac's definitely going to find out you're here eventually. And… we could get a restraining order on him until we get divorce papers."

Ginny looked at Draco. "I-I don't want to divorce him… he's… he's not a bad guy…"

Draco sighed softly and patiently looked up at her, still holding her arm. "Ginny, he's physically abusing you. He hurt you. He just hurts you so he can feel good about himself. That isn't right. He's… brainwashed you into believing that what he does is right, but it's not. Please get a divorce from him. I'll help you."

Ginny was silent now and looked down at her lap. Draco looked at Hermione pleadingly and then took his hand from Ginny's.

"I'll help you too, Gin. We'll get through this together. Me and Draco won't let Cormac hurt you anymore."

Ginny nodded slowly and then leaned against Hermione's shoulder.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, feeling a sense of déjà vu all over again. He was going to not only have to protect Hermione from Harry, but also had to protect Ginny from Cormac, and he knew he was going to need backup.


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