Stay Away From Me
By: the enchanted kneazle
Okay, I have decided that this is the last time I will say it. It applies to the whole story, however long it will be. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 8
Over the next few days, Hermione didn't know how to feel. It wasn't as if she was in love with Malfoy. No, not even close. However, they had shared a very intense sexual experience and she couldn't help but to feel as if they shared some type of connection, however inconsequential.
Even though it had only been a couple of days, Hermione already felt so much better. She had come to realize that most of the stress was stemming from her constant guilt at the feelings Malfoy brought out in her. But, now that she had accepted it and had even decided to embrace it; she was sleeping better, paying more attention in class, and feeling a lot healthier.
Everything was looking up until that Friday, when Harry happened to catch a glimpse of Hermione's neck as she was taking off her sweater. It was hot in the Potions classroom, and she just couldn't stand it anymore. So, just as she was slipping it over her head, her hair was pulled back off her neck and Harry saw it.
The almost bruise-like hickey that Malfoy had left on her when he had bitten her was right there on display. Harry's eyes widened and he gasped at the sight of it.
"What the bloody hell is that, Hermione?!" He questioned rather loudly, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
"Shhh, Harry," she whispered looking around; drawing his attention to the fact that everyone was staring. He looked around until everyone eventually went back to what they were doing.
"Did someone hurt you Hermione?" A look of concern flooded Harry's features at the thought of someone attacking her.
"Of course not!" Hermione quickly searched for a plausible excuse. She hadn't expected this situation to arise.
"I got it in Defense class during dueling practice. Seamus cast a spell that was a little bit too strong for my shield and it crumbled. It's not his fault though, my shields are always strong and I was just tired that day so he wasn't expecting it to be weaker. It looks way worse than it is." She was shocked that she had come up with that one so quickly.
The concern quickly changed to disbelief and even a little amusement when he realized that Seamus had gotten one over on Hermione. He couldn't believe it. He knew she had gotten more than a few good hits in on Seamus in the past and he thought it just a little bit funny that she had lost to him for once.
"Stop enjoying it so much, Harry," she rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry; it's just that you are just so good at everything. It had to happen sometime." He reasoned with her.
"Whatever," she said light-heartedly, just relieved to be away from his scrutiny. She asked a question about quidditch which quickly drew his attention away from the subject. It was all but forgotten until that night at dinner.
They had just sat down to eat when Harry look over to Seamus and called him out on it. "So, Seamus, I hear you got in quite a good hit on Hermione the other day."
Seamus looked at Harry, then over at Hermione with a confused glance. "Her shields were a wee bit weaker than normal, bu' I think I would remember hittin' the lass!" He laughed at the thought and turned back to his friends to talk about Quidditch.
Harry immediately shot a look at Hermione, shocked that she would lie to him. She shook her head slightly with a pleading look that begged him not to question her about it in front of everyone. Ron picked up on the exchange, but noticed her desperate look and didn't say anything.
After everyone had finished eating, Hermione tried to slip from the group unseen to hide out in the library, but Harry noticed and pulled Ron away to follow her, quietly filling him in on the details of his earlier conversation with Hermione. They trailed behind her all the way to the back of the library to a spot that would be perfect to confront her in.
She had just sat down at a table when she heard someone behind her. Thinking it was Malfoy, she sighed. She had no clue how she was supposed to act around him. She steeled herself to face him and turned around.
To her surprise, Ron and Harry were standing there with expectant looks on their faces.
"What's going on Hermione? And don't try to tell me Seamus did it to you, because he cleared that up at dinner." Harry stated with an intense look. A little hurt that one of his closest friends had lied to him.
"I really don't want to talk about it guys, can we please just drop this?" She pleaded.
"No, Hermione, you can't just lie to me and then ask me to drop it. Not when you could be in danger. Are you in danger? Is someone threatening you, is that why you're trying to hide it?
"NO!" She yelled, panic entering her mind at the thought that they might find out about her and Malfoy. That would just be the worst thing to have to own up to. She had to give them something to appease them without completely giving everything away. She took a deep breath and said in a much softer voice, "No. I am not being hurt or threatened.
"Then what the bloody hell is going on?" Ron all but yelled.
Her cheeks flamed with the knowledge of what she was about to admit to them. "I…Merlin, this is so embarassing! Okay…the mark on my neck is from….a guy." She watched them closely for a reaction.
They stood motionless for a moment and then looked at each other, expressions unreadable. At the same moment, they burst out laughing. They laughed and laughed, tears rolling from their eyes, until finally Harry spoke.
"Oh god, Hermione, if you're willing to make up something as crazy as that and open yourself up to our laughter, then you deserve to keep your secret. I mean, it can't be that bad, can it? Its Hermione, after all." He stated, looking to Ron for agreement, who quickly nodded his head, bursting into laughter again as he looked over at her.
They left the library continuing to make jokes about her, hurting her feelings slightly. Oh well, she thought, better to be the butt of ther jokes for awhile than for them to really know what's going on. Little did she know how much more her feelings would be hurt because of it.
It happened the next day in Herbology. They had class with the Slytherins and Hermione was chagrined to be seated only one table over from Malfoy and his friends, still unsure if she should even look his way.
She was broken out of her worried reverie to find Ron relaying the events of last night to Dean Thomas.
"I mean, can you imagine it?" He said with a guffaw. "Hermione getting a love mark from a bloke?" Their sniggers turned to scowls when Malfoy approached the table.
"What's this I hear about Mudblood Granger?" Draco said with a quirked brow. He had obviously heard the whole thing and had decided to rub it in a little. "What are you, doing his homework or something?" His friends burst into laughter at his cruel joke.
Hermione was shocked. She had been expecting him to act differently toward her. But not like this.
Malfoy looked at her expectantly, daring her to fight back.
"Well, Malfoy," she sneered "at least someone likes me for me, and not my money or power, or because they're scared of me." She knew she had hit a nerve and almost regretted what she had said.
His face contorted with anger and he said "As if anyone would touch you with a ten foot pole. You're so hideous that I doubt even Filch would come near you. You probably made up that story so you'll seem less pathetic. All your friends are with someone and you are all alone. Can't you see, Granger? No one wants you." He fairly spat it at her, fury showing through his eyes.
Her eyes filled with tears as the cruelty of what he had said sunk in. Is that what he thought of her? Was this whole thing just a game to him? She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to feel even a little bit of concern for his well being.
She turned her head so it was facing straight ahead and she could do nothing to stop the few tears that flowed down her hot, embarrassed face. She saw him staring at her out of the corner of her eye, a shocked look on his face.
Clearly he hadn't realized the effect his words would have on her. He had been expecting her to fight back like she always had. Well, she wasn't the same Hermione anymore. And this Hermione was very, very upset.
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