-1Saving Granger

By - Keshia Kay Mansell

Last Time:

Hermione cleared her throat and thought a moment. She knew that this would change everything. Her story would ruin lives and friendships would be broken. But she also knew that it must be told or certain people would never receive justice and she'd never be free. And so she began, "My name is Hermione Granger. I've been dead to the Wizarding World for three years and four months. And this, is my story…"

Chapter 3 : Her Story Begins

Hermione looked into Draco's eyes and smiled for the second time that night. "You know, I always thought my wedding day would be perfect. I would walk down the isle looking beautiful, preparing myself to make a vow to the one I loved. I thought I'd made the right choice when I accepted Ron's proposal, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I ran away to prevent making a vow that would insure my death possibly quicker then the streets would have. Running away was the smartest thing I ever did."

Flashback: Hermione's P.O.V.

"Oh Ron, he's perfect!" I exclaimed as I hugged my fiancé. He had just shown me the new kitten he had bought to replace Crookshanks, who had died a month earlier. The young kitten eyed me curiously as I approached him.

"I hoped you'd like him." Ron said with a goofy grin.

"Like him? I love him!" I said as I scooped the little guy up and kissed him on his fuzzy little forehead. I admired the kitten's beautiful colouring. He had smoky gray fur with black tiger-like strips and green eyes that seemed to sparkle.

"What are you going to name him, 'Mione?" Ron asked as he walked to the kitchen of our flat.

I thought a moment before following him with my cat snuggled in my arms. "I think I'll call him Scamp." I decided.

"Scamp? What kind of a name is that for a cat?" he teased as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Why, whatever do you mean? Don't listen to him Scampy, dear. I think you have a brilliant name." I cooed, allowing him to leap from my arms so he could enjoy exploring the rest of the apartment. Then I joined Ron at the table.

"So, are you ready to talk about possible wedding dates yet? Mum's getting anxious." Ron asked casually. I knew where this conversation was going, we had it often.

"Ron, We've already been through this. I'm not ready to make that kind of commitment yet. We shouldn't rush decisions like this. I want to be sure we weigh out all the odds first." I reasoned. I watched him carefully as his smile disappeared and his ears began to glow red.

"Hermione, you can't keep delaying the inevitable." Ron said in a serious tone. His face was now emotionless and his hands were balled in tight fists, causing his freckled knuckles to turn white. I couldn't remember ever seeing him more angry. Normally Ron would just drop the subject and demand food, but today it seemed he would not be so easy.

"I'm not delaying anything, Ronald." I said carefully, suddenly aware of how dangerous my fiancé looked at the moment. I didn't like the cold feeling I suddenly felt creep up my spine. "Lets just calm down and I'll cook you some dinner." I said trying to change the subject.

"No, Hermione. I'll not calm down one bit! What are you so afraid of!?" he asked raising his voice at me.

"Ron, I'm not afraid of anything and I'm tired of you accusing me of such things!" I shouted, standing from the table.

"Don't you dare raise your voice to me!" Ron snarled as he stood up as well. Before I could even register what was happening Ron raised his hand and backhanded me. Smack! I cringed in pain as I caressed my jaw with my hand and looked at him in shock.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, Hermione. I thought everything would go smoothly, but apparently you haven't been taught obedience." Ron said sadly as he backed me into a corner.

"Ron, please think about what your doing." I pleaded with him. My voice was hoarse with strain and the fear I felt could not be measured. I had never seen this side of Ron in all the time I had known him.

"Darling, I have thought about this. If you'd quit bitching and get the encyclopedia out of your arse maybe you'd see that." he smirked with an evil glint in his eyes. "But don't worry, I can fix that problem."

"Ron, I don't like this side of you." I said shakily. He had already proved that he wasn't afraid to hit me, I was nervous that he'd pull out his wand and start hexing me. Then I paled, realizing that I had left my own wand on the coffee table in the living room.

"Your not scared, are you?" Ron taunted, knowing full and well that I was terrified. If you stay on my good side, perhaps little incidents like this won't happen." I nodded stiffly at him and he backed off, apparently satisfied by the answer. "I want my food now." he ordered.

We went on like this for weeks. I'd wait on him hand and foot while he'd order me around as if I was a feeble House Elf. When I got out of line he'd hit me then threaten that I wasn't good enough for anyone else. I strived long and hard to make sure I stayed on his good side and avoided anything that would put me on the bad. I was just happy he hadn't hexed me, but that would soon change.

Present Time:

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Draco asked in a shocked tone. He would have never guessed that the spineless weasel was a woman-beater. It just seemed so… un-Weasley-like.

"You don't understand. Each time he beat me or attacked me it wasn't just physical damage he caused, he had gotten to me mentally. I swear, he hurt me worse then you could have ever dreamed of trying on your best day." she explained. "He even went so far as to say that Ginny and Harry had disowned me for my insolence against him. He had such I tight leash on me that I had no choice but to believe him or suffer the consequences."

"That's terrible. I'd never wish that life on anyone." Draco sympathized as he thought back on his own troubled past. He remembered how he had felt when his father had abused he and his mother repeatedly until they had agreed to worship the Dark Lord. He shuddered at the memory.

"M-Malfoy!" Hermione stuttered weakly, causing him to immediately snap back to the present. "I n-need w-water." she trembled.

"Hermione what's happening!?" Malfoy freaked as he rushed to her side. She had began to shake violently as if having a seizure.

"T-tremors." she choked out. "N-need w-water." Her eyes began to roll and the pain was almost unbearable.

"Oh my god, Hermione! I'll be right back!" Draco shouted as he bolted for the kitchen. He had no idea how to act when situations such as these came about. When he returned a short time later she was no longer shaking, but gasping for air. "What in Merlin's saggy pants just happened? One moment you were fine and the next, you were practically causing an Earthquake!"

"I-it's a side effect of a hex gone wrong." she sputtered as she continued trying to calm down her frantic pulse. "T-the scar on my back is from a Crutatious curse that was cast by Ron. He was angry and lost control which caused the curse to attack my nervous system. That's why I went to Knockturn Ally. I wanted relief from the tremors and numbness for the pain. Mundigus has been giving me some sort of potion for the longest time, but I didn't have anything to pay him earlier and he turned me down."

"That bastard used an Unforgivable on you!?" Draco uttered in disbelief. How could someone do that to the person they supposedly loved?

"Indeed he did and it was all because I was talking to a man at Diagon Ally to see if he knew where I could buy a spice for a stew I wanted to make. Ron was so furious with me that he even killed poor little Scamp. I came home and my beloved cat was decapitated, laying on my bed. I never knew he could be so cruel." Hermione said sadly. Her caramel eyes were distant a moment as if trying to remember something. Then they focused on Draco again.

"I had to come up with a plan to leave. I also had to figure out how to do so without being caught." Hermione explained.

"So you staged your death." Draco said, now understanding her motives.

"So I staged my death and made damn sure it was believable. I told no one- and I do mean no one knew of my plan. And when I knew there was no flaws in my plan, I left."

A/N: I guess you guys can tell I'm not a big Weasel fan, huh? The only two out of the whole Weasley Clan that I like are Fred and George. The next chapter will be about how Hermione stages her death and where she goes afterwards. Thanks for the Reviews!

-KKM