AN: I'm really soooo terribly sorry for making you guys wait for weeks and weeks. Do forgive me. And I still write awfully. Sorry about that too. Anyhoo, here's Chapter 3, finally! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything HP.

Hermione Granger had the shock of her life the following morning.

"Good morning."

She almost tripped at the sound of his voice.

She looked over at the couch where he sat.

"What?"

He picked at a microscopic dirt on his very neat robe. Sometimes, it annoyed her how tidy he was: his shoes were tidy, his shirt crisp and white, his tie perfect. He even used to keep his hair plastered to his head. Now his hair was almost as messy as Harry's, some falling over his forehead. The bags under his eyes were very visible too. The only problem with this not-so-perfect Malfoy was the urge he triggered in her to step up, push the hair out of his eyes and give him a hug. Beyond those clothes, he was a mess.

"What?" she said again, missing his answer.

An amused grin graced his pale face. "I said-and you better listen this time-that that wasn't the response I was expecting."

"Well a friendly greeting wasn't what I was expecting from you either."

"Yes, well, I thought it was something you needed."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes turning into slits out of suspicion.

"Well, after last night I...," he trailed off upon seeing her eyes turn into wide, surprised orbs again.

"Last night?" Good grief, was he talking about her crying? Did he hear?

From his own shocked expression, she knew he did. But he mustn't have meant for it to slip for he cleared his throat and tried to fake a casual tone. "I mean, you know, when you got back here after whatever you were doing yesterday. Hanging out with those losers, I bet."

Hermione knew he was lying but didn't want to press on the matter of her crying either so she let it go.

"Well, good morning to you, too, then," she said, deciding to ignore his comment on her friends. And noting the dark circles under his eyes, "You seem to need it as well."

And she walked out the portrait hole.

"Good morning, 'Mione."

"Harry. Good morning."

She eyed Ron, who was too busy eating to notice her, and shook her head. "Morning, Ronald."

He grinned at her, mouth stuffed with food.

"Really."

Harry looked amused at their exchange. It was no wonder they stopped dating over the summer. Hermione was patient with Ron but when he began eating "like some savage" as Hermione put it, she couldn't take it anymore. Of course, that wasn't the actual reason they ended things. The two agreed that they weren't cut out for a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. They were better off as friends. Somehow they realized that whatever feelings they had, or they thought they had, were nothing more than infatuation or something like that.

"Slept well?" she heard Harry ask as she speared some eggs.

"Oh yes," she lied. "You?"

"Very well."

"Good."

She immediately bit on a piece of toast to stop herself from telling him right there and then. Whenever she lied to him or Ron, or her parents, or anyone else for that matter, she felt awful. She wanted to tell them and maybe that would ease the heavy feeling but they were all happy, trying to move on with their lives-have moved on. Except for her. And she told herself that she would not drag anyone one of them back into the past.

She was happy. Save for when the nightmares came at night. She thought she was getting over them when they came less often back home. But ever since she came back to Hogwarts, they grew worse. Maybe it was the feel of the surroundings, maybe she felt safer when her Mum and Dad were around, maybe she's just kept it in too long. Maybe. She didn't know what to do. Telling someone wasn't an option. But she's been crying herself back to sleep for the past months and she didn't want it to stay that way forever. She was baffled. As much as she would hate to admit it, she was dumb founded. Hermione Granger was stumped. This was a problem she had no solution to. It was a puzzle she couldn't figure out.

She fell out of her trance as a hand waved in front of her face.

"Hermione!" Harry called.

"W-what?"

Ron was standing up and dusting the crumbs off his robe. "Well that got your attention."

"Did you have to shout into my ear?"

"Well I did call you a couple of times now."

"Oh."

"'Mione. Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure?"

"YES!" she shouted in frustration.

The Great Hall fell silent.

Realizing that everyone's eyes were on her, Hermione turned red as a tomato and cleared her throat. "I'm fine, Harry. Now let's go, we'll be late for class."

And with that, she grabbed her things and walked off, pulling Harry along. As they trudged past the tables, she felt a prickling sensation behind her neck and risked a look back. Malfoy was watching her. She shook her head and walked faster.

"Hermione."

She looked up to see Harry and Ron peering at her with concern.

"Harry. Ronald."

She turned back to the book she was reading, hoping that they'd leave her to the comforts of the library and her fortress of books.

"We have to talk."

"Can't it wait? I'm trying to study for NEWTs."

"This early?" Ron said. "Wow, Hermione, you've reached a new level of in-"

"Shhhh," Hermione interjected. "We obviously can't talk here or else Madam Pince will have a fit!"

"Muffliato," Harry muttered, waving his wand at the direction of the librarian.

"I'm studying," she repeated.

"It's the first day of class, Hermione!" Ron said.

"I'm already a year behind!"

"We're all a year behind!"

"Well you never did care about your studies, Ronald!"

"Now hang on-"

"Stop it, both of you!" Harry shouted.

The pair quieted down.

"Good," he said and sat down the bench across Hermione. "Now, tell us what the matter is. We know you too well to fall for any excuse you'll be trying to make."

Hermione's eyes darted from one boy to the other with a helpless look. "I'm fine."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem fine."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well there was this morning's outburst at the Great Hall," he recalled.

Ron spoke up. "And you've been awfully quiet the whole day. And you look really tired."

"I am tired, Ron. But only because I've been caught up with studying. But I'm okay."

They didn't seem convinced.

She sighed. "Very well, I promise to take things a bit slower. Will you stop badgering me if I do?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. "Okay."

"Brilliant." She threw them a smile she hoped was convincing enough.

Ron stood up and stretched. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

His friends rolled their eyes and they all burst into laughter.

"You boys go ahead." Her statement caused them to shoot her a look. "What? I'm just going to put these books back. Save me a seat!"

Her enthusiasm must have relieved them because they both nodded and walked out, knowing that she never appreciated them trying to help her with returning the books to the shelves. Oddly enough, she enjoyed doing it.

As soon as the pair left, her smile faltered and she slumped in her seat.

"Merlin's beard."

She groaned and gently banged her head against the book she had been reading.

AN: Yay! So yeah, sorry again! And I'm not as clueless as I used to be so hopefully, everything will go according to plan. Review! :)

PS This chapter still isn't as long as I wanted it to be but I did try my best. Sorry for any typos!