Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, as much as I might wish I did. J.K. Rowling must always be granted that honour.
Chapter 2
Hermione only made it half-way down the secret passage before breaking down. She curled up on the floor, her body heaving with heavy sobs.
Talking to Malfoy had destroyed the fragile walls she had built to contain her emotions. Anger, fear and hurt were forming an inescapable tornado of emotion in her mind.
She buried her head in her hands and screamed. Images of Lupin, Tonks, Fred flashed through her mind. The lost people of the war, remembered as heroes.
How she wished she could be like them. Killed defending what she believed in. She couldn't handle the burden of being a survivor. The wizarding world looked up to her. The weight of thousands of eyes was crushing her. She did not have the strength to stand in the deceased's shoes.
The dead were not the only lost. She was lost. The girl she had been had died in the war and she had turned into a strange thing that she couldn't begin to understand.
Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius. The pillars of strength that had ensured victory. They had never shown weakness. She was nothing but cracks.
The pain in her chest was unbearable. How could she be expected to pick up the pieces after that war?
With that thought the pain overcame her and her mind went black.
FF~FF~FF~FF~FF~FF
Several hours later she awoke on the cold stone floor. Her entire body was wracked with pain and her throat was dry and scratchy. Her side was numb from the cold and her head felt as if a troll was hammering the inside of her skull in a steady pounding rhythm.
She dragged herself into a standing position, leaning on the wall for support. Slowly, one step at a time, she began to make her way back to Gryffindor tower. It was past curfew but the corridors were empty. Security had become more lax since the war had ended and it was rare now that you'd meet a teacher at night. The prefects were the only ones patrolling and she wasn't worried about them. After all, would any of them have the nerve to reprimand Hermione Granger?
The common room was almost empty when she pushed open the portrait. She immediately made her way to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories and climbed them. Once in her room she fell onto her bed and pulled the curtains closed. She wanted to avoid talking to Parvati, the only other girl left in her room. Parvati had been heartbroken and bitter since the war. Lavenders death had turned her into a cold, unfriendly girl, liable to lash out at anytime. After all, Lavender had been her girlfriend. Soon after Lavender and Ron had broken up the two girls had realised what they felt for each other and become a couple. Seeing Lavender dead on the floor, savaged by Greyback had broken something inside of Parvati.
There was a knock on the door and Ginny's voice issued from outside."Hermione, are you alright?"
"Of course, I'm fine Ginny". Her voice sounded hoarse and raw to her own ears and she knew that Ginny would see right through it
"Please let me in Hermione" Ginny pleaded. "You don't have to go through this on your own"
Hermione didn't answer and after a few minutes she heard her friends footsteps retreating down the stairs. More tears, quieter this time, were flowing down her cheeks and being absorbed by the pillow.
She lay there in the dark, thinking of all the pain in her heart. She wished there was a way to relieve to awful hurt.
FF~FF~FF~FF~FF
At the same time in the Slytherin dorm Draco was lying in bed, staring up at his green and silver drapes. His earlier confrontation with Hermione had left him full of self-loathing. He knew that he did not deserve forgiveness but still he pursued it like a bloodhound. He wanted to do what would have made his mother proud, had she still been alive. She had never been as deeply attached to the dark arts as his father. She had only ever wanted to protect her family and that was the only way she had been capable of doing it. She would have wanted him to earn forgiveness.
Authors Note: Thanks so much for reading this. Also thanks to the people who have followed this story! I'm not sure about this chapter but I think it's necessary to show how damaged everyone is from the war. How do you feel about it? I hope you liked it.
ShHpBookworm xxx