I'm going to do some more thanking, considering I didn't last time, and I believe all you awesome people need some thanking!

Ptrst: I'll thank you again, this time on the internet, that I'm so happy that your my beta. Ladies and Gentlemen! My wonderful beta, Ptrst!

RebelSheepSayMoo: May I first say that I really like your screen name? And I'm glad somebody likes the relationship between Draco and Pansy. Truth be told, I really actually do like writing Draco and Pansy together, well, in this type of scenario. I'm trying to not make Pansy be such a bimbo as every body else makes her out to be, because JKR really doesn't write much about her, and everybody just assumes she's a ditz. And I'm glad that you like my POVs. Sometimes I worry about having too many POVs, so I'm really pleased that you like them all. And please! Keep reviewing! I'd love to hear your comments! You have no idea how your review made me feel so warm and good inside. It's not everyday somebody writes you such a long review (not that I don't mind short ones, but I really do like it when people like you really express yourself and become philosophical in the review. It's interesting to see how other people's minds work). And I'm delighted that your impressed with Ron's character. If you don't mind me asking, what impresses you? I'm just thoroughly curious on what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Catmar/Catsphoenix x: Yeah, schoolwork always gets in the way, doesn't it? Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm glad that I achieved both a good plot and character substance to keep you interested! And yeah, I'm sorry for constantly leaving people at little cliff hangers. It's a horrible habit of mine, well, for the readers I suppose (mwuhahahaha), and I'll try to be better, although I don't think I ended this chapter with a good stop – another cliffie! But thank you so much for finding my story again! Thanks bunches for reviewing!

Cedar1: Well, I'm glad you reviewed this time to let me know that your still reading:blushes: I'm a good story teller? Thanks! And I'm really happy that you don't think I use too much detail. I seriously hope I never go incredibly overboard with details…

Winnifred Dumbledore: Yes, Dangerous and Dark Draco is now what I really enjoy to write. What can I say? I love characters that are like that, and they're really fascinating to write. Thanks for reviewing!

LadySnake: We'll see…:turns around throws hands in air and laughs like a maniac: Muwhahahaha!

Babmidnight: See? I didn't forget the B this time:chests puffs up in pride: Well! I'm glad I surprised someone in Hermione being a Controller! And I'm glad you like her element as Wind. I have to say, I was going to have her to be water…but we'll just have to wait and see where my fingers will type, won't we:large grin: And yes, Controllers can control more than one. I think I wrote in an earlier chapter (I simi-edited the previous chapters. Not much, just corrected typo's and added small details that aren't too important) but this other Wizard was able to control three elements…unfortunately, he ended up exploding himself because he let his Elements get out of hand…at least, I think I wrote that in a previous chapter…I've had so many other mini-chapters, I can't tell what I write and what I post any longer…sad, really. Thanks for reviewing and still reading!

Big thanks also to BreezenBy, Cheez Wizz, AnaisWolf, Kace08, multiple elements, foxeran, Bre, firefairy91, DracoDraconis, Ellie, and Anastasia Ju-Bok.

Cry Me Tears of Fire

By Pensive Puddles

"I'll miss you, Draco," Pansy whispered in his ear, slowly wrapping her arms around him in a good-bye hug. Draco knew she wanted more. She always did. All girls did. It annoyed him.

The morning sun covered the train platform of Hogsmeade in a warm, bright blanket, quite un-winter like. The sky was clear, showing no evidence of falling snow, which disappointed many of the students; they were all wishing for a white Christmas. Draco looked over Pansy's shoulder, watching students bid farewell to their close friends, promising to see each other over the break, and wishing each other a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Draco wished that they would all just get on the train and leave, and – hopefully never come back.

"I gave your Christmas present to the house elves. They'll give it to you on Christmas morning," Pansy said, pulling Draco out of his observations. He leaned away to look at her, taking in her choppy blond hair and large blue eyes. He inwardly sighed and leaned down to give her a kiss. It was pitiful how desperate she was for his touch. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly to her. She tried to get some reaction out of him, unleash the passion she so desperately wanted him to give to her. She forgot that she meant little to Draco.

Eventually, she pulled away from him and gave him a soft smile, pleased with what little effort he put into their kiss. At least it wasn't that dull; he had added his tongue and nipped her lip. She gave him one lest peck on the mouth, squeezed his hand and then boarded the train. "I'll save a spot on the train for you, Blaise," she called over her shoulder before losing herself in the mass of students who climbed onto the train home.

Blaise stepped next to Draco, having given the unofficial couple a couple of moments to themselves. He sighed, watching their female friend struggle to find an empty compartment. "It's rather pitiful. I wish she'd get a steady boyfriend," Draco remarked, sighing and looking at the cloudless sky.

"You know she always wants you in the end," Blaise replied, turning to his friend. The two boys stared at each other in an awkward silence. Neither of them had ever been good with good-byes.

"Take care of yourself, Draco," Blaise said, not bothering to extend a hand for a handshake or give him a manly hug. That wasn't the way Slytherins bid each other farewell. The Slytherin way was a curt nod, which Draco returned.

"I'm stronger now, Blaise. I told you," Draco said, pretending that a pair of arguing second years had drawn his attention. He could feel Blaise's warning gaze. Blaise had been there when Draco had fallen ill to his own powers. He couldn't recall the amount of times Blaise had been at his side, helping him up during his moments of complete weakness, never ridiculing him or alerting the others of his Achilles' heel. After all, Slytherins were cannibals in the end anyway. They preferred the blood of their own kind over anybody else's.

"Merry Christmas, Draco. You're welcome over at my house if you ever get sick of staying here at Hogwarts by yourself," Blaise offered after a pregnant moment. Draco nodded and watched his friend board the train. He turned and left his two comrades, never once looking back.

:-:-:-:-:-:

"Get on the train. Now," Draco ordered curtly, giving the 1st year Hufflepuffs a threatening glare. Trembling, the children flew up the stairs in a frenzy, knocking others aside in their haste. Draco chuckled, listening to the shouts of outrage at the scramble. He loved causing hell. Usually he didn't even have to say anything. One glance towards the door of the train was enough to send the younger years hurrying inside.

When will you people leave? he demanded silently. He was getting annoyed with the loud commotion of the train sputtering steam, luggage banging against everything, and students yelling. "Come on, get on the train. It's about to leave. Yes, merry Christmas to you too," wished a familiar voice. Draco turned towards it, and watched as Hermione helped a little girl with her large suitcase onto the train. How could she smile like that? Didn't her face hurt? Draco knew his would have.

His face twisted into a creepy grin, scaring even a few of his fellow seventh year Slytherins, who quickly avoided him. Time for some fun, Draco thought.

"I'm not the only one with a…dark secret, am I?" Draco remarked to her telepathically. His head buzzed slightly. It had been awhile since he had talked to anyone through his mind. After all, not many people were able to respond, so it was more of a one-sided conversation. Although it was quite easy to send people messages telepathically, it tended to freak them out whenever they suddenly heard Draco's voice in their head while they were listening to a Professor talk or while writing a complicated essay.

Draco watched as Hermione froze, looking wildly around her, trying to find where the voice was coming from.

"Don't bother looking, darling. You don't know where to look," Draco replied, hiding amongst the crowd, enjoying messing with her mind. He never took his pale eyes off her. He savored the petrified look in her eyes, although she tried to keep her body from trembling.

"I'm watching you…at this very moment. Always watching. Always…" he whispered, and he could see her visibly trembling from where he stood. Someone grabbed onto her sleeve, asking for help; he didn't know where he was. Hermione shook her head, put on a fake smile and helped the child onto the train. She then walked in the opposite direction of Draco. He smirked. He could smell her fear, even from where he stood. Her fear was definitely the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

"Where's Hermione? I want to say goodbye," Draco heard an annoying voice say. Oh, his day definitely got better.

Walking over to the pathetic red-head, along with his younger sibling, and of course, the obnoxious, pompous Potter, Draco held his head in an aristocratic manner, looking at them with an arrogant and bored expression, as if conveying that they were a waste of his time. All three scowled at him.

"Weasley, I'd advise you to get on the train. It's about to leave. And I, for one, don't want to be stuck with you for the winter holidays," Draco remarked.

"Not until I say good-bye to Hermione," Ron declared, shoving his way past Draco and bumping shoulders hard against him.

"She's busy helping others get on the train, doing what Head's do. Get on the train," Draco ordered, resisting the urge to shove the two boys onto the train. He was looking forward to two weeks Weasley-and-Potter free.

"Not until we see Hermione," Harry said in a low growl.

"Send her a card," Draco said, narrowing his eyes as Ron held back Harry, whose green eyes were wild with anger. Draco wondered what Harry would look like with his hair on fire. Fortunately, someone stopped him before he could make his dream a reality.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Malfoy with this one, Mr. Potter. He's doing what he was told to do, and that was to get all the students onto the train. Please, now, get on the train. It'll be leaving very shortly. I must insist," Professor McGonagall pressed, lightly pushing the trio onto the train. They looked over their shoulders, desperately scanning the crowd for Hermione to yell a good-bye.

Draco gave Potter his trademark smirk, as he was shoved into the train, and he nearly wanted to unleash a yell of excitement. No more Potter! However, his dignity kept him from expressing the joy bubbling inside of him.

He turned around, the large smirk still on his face that quickly faded as he saw Hermione standing near by. "Thank you," she mouthed, and then turned and walked away. Draco stared after her, deeply confused and frustrated. He wanted to piss her off, torment her that her friends never even said goodbye to her. But she seemed…pleased that she didn't talk to them. Upset that his plan backfired, Draco took his frustration out on the stragglers on the platform, actually using physically force to get them onto the train. What part of 'Get on the bloody train' don't you understand!

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Draco watched as she played with her food at the dinner table later that night. It was a simple meal and there were so few people that had stayed for the holidays that everyone sat at one table in the Great Hall. Draco merely watched Hermione, tormenting her; it was better than the food before him. She would glance up every so often, wondering if he had looked elsewhere. But every time her eyes met his, and she looked away immediately.

"Did you really think you could hide that big of a secret?" he asked, watching her movements. He could see the urge tempting her to look up at him. And he silently wished she were telepathic as well. It would be interesting to carry a conversation in the middle of the Great Hall amongst the oblivious students and professors. Snape never really engaged into conversation; he was a very quiet man.

She took another bite of her pasta, and Draco watched as she slurped up an extra long noodle. She raised her napkin to her mouth and wiped away the sauce that had ended up splattering along her lips. It was kind of cute.

"You must have known someone was going to discover your attraction to the Dark Arts. Who would have ever suspected innocent little Granger walking down the path of Darkness? What your friends would think! What next, will you be joining the Dark Lord's servants?" Draco taunted. Her shoulders stiffened.

"I'm just curious, Granger. Are you going to pursue it? I know that the Dark Arts are awfully tempting. How far will you go for it? Will you betray your friends? Would you kill them if it gave you more power? I can see your true desires. I know you want it. You need it."

Hermione stood to her feet, excused herself from the table and left the Great Hall. Draco merely watched her retreat before returning to his pasta, taking another large mouthful. Yes, vacation wasn't going to be as boring as he thought it would be.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Hermione exited her room, and instantly wished she hadn't. Draco was lying on the couch in the middle of their Common Room, reading a book. She knew he had detected her presence. It would show weakness and fear if she turned around and cowered in her room. So instead, she marched to a chair nearby and sat down, picking up the book she was reading earlier and joining him.

Despite the turning of pages and the crackle of the fireplace, the room was silent and Hermione realized she actually liked the atmosphere created until

"How long have you been a controller?" Draco asked, not once taking his eyes off the paragraph he was reading. She again wished she had stayed in her room.

"How long have you?" she replied, resting her book in her lap.

"I asked you first." He never turned away from his novel. Hermione watched him, observing how the shadows played across his face from the fire. His fair hair was ruffled from lying on one of the pillows, and his pale eyes never looked more sharp and intelligent as they scanned the complex book in his hands. Hermione would know; she had read that book last week. She voiced her thoughts, asking him what he thought of it so far.

"You're avoiding the question," Draco said, setting down his book and turning to look her in the eyes. She wished he had kept reading. Never had she felt more exposed in her whole life. She always felt naked in front of him when he looked hard at her with his eerie, yet somehow beautiful pale eyes.

Should she tell him? She hadn't told anyone. Not Harry, not Ron, not her parents, not even Dumbledore. And she was going to just bare her soul to her enemy? In a sense, Draco would probably be more understanding than any of her other friends or mentors. After all, he possessed the same ability. She took a deep breath and finally decided to tell him the truth. It had never felt so odd.

"Since September, maybe. I'm not sure. I haven't really used it, really. I mean, I thought something was odd because it became windier whenever I was upset or whenever my emotions were really high. But I just thought it was one of those things when your magic gets carried away when you lose control of your emotions," Hermione confessed.

"How'd you become a Controller?"

"I don't now."

"No one just wakes up one morning and finds themselves able to control one of the elements. Therefore, you must know," Draco accused, his voice evidently full of suppressed anger.

"I don't know," she repeated, her voice firmer, and her eyes dancing with anger at being accused.

"Don't lie to me!" Draco yelled, standing to his feet and throwing his book aside. His eyes were livid, and the shadows cast by the fire contorted his face ferociously. She stared down at the carpet, her arms wrapped around herself, shaking fiercely. Draco grabbed her head and forced her to look up at him, showing him the fear that swirled in her amber orbs. And something else… She knew how she became a controller. She just wasn't going to tell him.

Angry, he sat back down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Her question was quiet compared to the roar that had previously disturbed the room, "How'd you become a Controller?"

Chants…possession of dark spirits…and his father watched it all from the side lines…

"I don't have to tell you anything, Mudblood," Draco replied coldly and lowly.

She narrowed her eyes and spat, "You're such a git!"

"Control yourself before you cause another tornado in the Common Room," Draco advised, obviously pleased he had incensed her to equal his own anger.

"Control myself? Oh, so I assume you had control over yourself at the breakfast table the other day? Or you had control over yourself when you punched Ron and lit his face on fire? Good control there, Malfoy," she snapped sarcastically.

"The Weasel deserved it," he muttered.

Silence.

Draco turned to look at her. "What? You're not going to defend him?"

More silence.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to fight," she finally sighed, staring intensely into the dancing flames.

"You started it," he accused.

"How so?" she demanded.

"By reading Dark Magic." Draco glared at her, and she narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, a spark of realization gleamed in her brown eyes, aggravating Draco.

"You're upset that I'm able to control an Element as well, that a mudblood like me could be powerful enough to possess an element. Admit it, Malfoy. That's why you're so pissed off," Hermione smirked triumphantly.

"Yes, Granger, I am pissed and I have every right to be! It's bad enough that we have mixes like you in the world. Dark Magic wasn't meant to be wielded by mudbloods. Your kind are incapable of so much power," he retorted.

"You're unbelievable!" she exclaimed. "You still can't accept that fact that I'm just as good as you, if not better!"

"Wrong. I will always be better than you. I will always be superior to you. Why? Because I've got the better, purer blood. And that makes all the difference," Draco stated, staring down at her.

It upset her to no end. She had wanted so desperately to show people like him that she was capable of conducting magic just as well as any pureblood, if not better. But no matter what she did, no matter how excellent and more skillful she showed herself to be, they wouldn't care because that one flaw in her would always count greatly against her: her mixed blood. She could feel the heat of the fire grow, and she knew he was growing angry. She could hear the pages of an open book flutter, and she knew that her wind element was kicking in.

"You're such a pompous ass," she snarled and pushed her way past him. Draco watched as she stormed to her room and slammed the door louder than necessary.

Still breathing deeply, he calmed himself. And then he smirked. He loved getting under her skin. As he lied down on the couch, Draco continued to ponder how Hermione became a controller.

:-:-:-:-:-:

The chugging of the train is steady, so unlike her life. The girl wipes tears away from her face and returns to her book. She wasn't going to go home for the rest of the summer. She didn't want to have to choose between her parents. How could people be so heartless, forcing a child to chose between them? How could parents be so cruel, to force their child to make such a life-altering decision?

Men in expensive suits, carrying leather brief cases. "It's a simple question. Do you want to live with your mother, or with your father?"

Simple question? How would they know? It wasn't going to change their lives.

Run away. Now that was simple.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" a friendly voice asks. She looks up at the smiling face of a boy about her age with dark, short hair and warm brown eyes. She nods and he smiles, immediately sitting down. He looks over at her. "What are you reading?"

She glances down at the book in her hands, the cover old and batter and the title illegible. She could never explain it to a commoner. It was too much for their mind to grasp. "I'm studying Latin," was all that she said.

The boy raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow. That's really cool. I never met a person like you," he smiles, meaning it as a compliment. She returns it, pleased. They talk of little things, things that mean nothing to anyone else. In fact, they're inaudible.

The boy goes back to his CD player and she returns to her book, absorbed in the Latin words and symbols scrawled all over the pages. Only, it's not Latin that she's reading. It's Dark Magic. His music is loud so he can't hear her. She takes the risky chance of practicing one of the incantations. Nothing happens. She repeats it again, this time louder. Nothing. She sighs. She wasn't strong enough, it seems.

The train wobbles and she looks alarmed. The boy takes off his headphones and stands up, looking out the door curiously. "That's strange. I'm sure everything will be all right," he says comfortingly. She only nods and looks outside. The train is passing over a large lake far below them. She sees the train tilt again and no moment in her life had ever been more painfully breathtakingly silent than that dreadful, short moment.

Suddenly she's screaming and the train is falling down into the lake. She cries the first thing she can think of, and it's the spell she was reciting earlier. Invisible arms pull her through the glass and she watches as the boy pounds his fists against the window, crying out for her to help him, to save him. She lands in the water, and she watches as the train sinks deeper and deeper into the dark, bottomless pit of the lake. All the while, she stares at the boy, dead from being smashed against the wall at the impact. The window's shattered and his body floats out. His eyes, wide in fear, look at her and the swirling water moves his limp body and sucks him under.

She screams, the water filling her mouth. She coughs vainly as more water chokes her and fills her lungs. She feels her body sinking. She's going to join the other dead. She doesn't want to die. "Help…" she cries out weakly. She feels the same invisible hands under her arms, but she doesn't know what they're going to do because the water turns a dark black and swirls around her, blinding her.

Draco sat up in his bed, his breath slightly irregular. He blinked a couple times, wondering where he was. He sighed and closed his eyes. A pale skinned, dead figure seemed to float in front of him, its eyes unseeing and jaw opened.

"Holy shit!" he cried, jerking himself awake again. He pounded his fist against his head. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" he chanted, wanting to go back to sleep.

With blurry eyes, he searched the room for his clock, and saw it glowing four in the morning. He frowned. There was no point in going to sleep, not that he could. He had a feeling that that dead body was going to disturbed him for the rest of the day. A sniffling noise tickled his ears. Curious, he got out of his bed and quietly went towards the sound.

He opened the door to the bathroom that was connected to his room and hers. The door pulled away from his limp fingers, revealing a girl hunched on the floor, head resting against the cupboard under the sink. Even now, she still trembled and she held herself with her skinny arms. Her brown curls were damp with perspiration, and Draco could see sweat marks darkening her clothes. She looked up at him, and he watched as a series of tears fall from her watery eyes. She sniffled, not bothering to wipe her face. After all, what good would come from it? She was going to continue to cry anyway.

Her tears were somehow sadly beautiful. He watched, mesmerized, as one slid down her pale cheek and onto her arm. She brushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She lifted her head slowly and stared straight into his gray eyes. Three simply words was all that she whispered, yet it chilled his heart terribly and stopped his breathing, but connected the missing pieces of his puzzle and displaying it in a whole new light.

"Now you know."

:-:-:-:-:-:

A/N: I actually had this finished like last week. I was just getting it beta-approved so I didn't make you cry in humiliation when he read all my typos of every sort. So there you go! I hope you guys all go that! And yes, I let you with another little cliffy. I am working on the eighth chapter as you read this so it should be up by next week…hopefully. Just pray that my schedule doesn't become crammed with homework suddenly!

But to tide yall over till then, check out my NEWEST, DARKEST, EVILEST, and INSANELY GOOD (well, I think, because I've never been more pleased about anything I've written until this thing) new one-shot (sorry, another one-shot, but it's long! Please read it anyway!) It's called Guilty by Insanity. I know… the title sounds a little corny, sorry. I always was bad in coming up with titles. I can write the story; I'm incapable of writing the title. Anyway, if you guys could just be so freaken awesome and wonderful and take a little look-see at it, I'd be most obliged!

A quick summary though: George confronts Fred about Hermione's murder. He'll forever wish that he hadn't. Sometimes answers cost a wealthy price; Fred's answer cost George his sanity.

Doesn't sound good? Believe me, it is. Well, I really think so. And for those who have read it and reviewed, thank you oogles, and to those who have read it, but haven't reviewed…um, could you just drop a little note? Please?

Peaches to everybody – well, actually, since I lack peaches, I can give you chocolate bunnies:throws chocolate out into crowd, who grabs bunnies and runs away, leaving an empty handed Pensive Puddles: Drat…