Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters recognizable within this fan fiction. It's all just for fun!

Sorry I Ever Tried, Deer

The day had started out just fine. Hermione hadn't given too much thought to Scabior over the past few days, busy with studying for her upcoming finals. She hadn't seen him at all over the weekend, and she had purposely not given him a way to contact her. Hermione had shuddered to think of him calling her house, asking her mother or father if he could speak with her. After school on Monday, of course, he had been waiting. She hadn't argued, but had quickly informed him that she was desperately wanting something from the coffee shop a few doors down from Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore they had gone into last Friday. Scabior had gotten a look that made her sure he had previously had some sort of plan, and... Hermione shuddered again. There was no way that she was going to let him take her out on an actual date. However, he hadn't refused, and the time they spent together had been - well, the only way Hermione could think to describe it would be awkwardly pleasant.

Hermione had wondered about his strange actions in the park the whole of her Friday evening. Scabior had appeared scared, of what, she didn't know, she had, unfortunately, been too busy thinking that he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. She had thought he had been acting, pretending he was going to stay and waiting just long enough to stalk her back to her house. At any given noise, Hermione had found herself whirling around, startling squirrels as they scampered across the path, or finding nothing at all behind her. At least half of the time she had found herself searching the tree tops, pleased that the foliage was mostly scattered on the ground, to give her a better view of the branches. Scabior had not been hiding in any of them. He had been telling the truth, so far as she knew, though it hadn't relaxed her feelings about him at all. She couldn't shake her suspicion.

There had been a moment in the bookstore where they had been speaking easily though and Hermione had felt slightly guilty for ruining it. Yet, the guilt was minimal; she didn't want to become accustomed to him, or to have him constantly around, throwing a wrench in her plans, though her plans for Ron always seemed like they were going nowhere fast. She had noticed, on Monday, after she had gotten home and both Harry and Ron had shown up, wanting her to accompany them to the movies, that Ron had been acting strange. He seemed tense, and Harry had continually been telling him to forget it. When Hermione had asked about the reason, Harry had thrown out a story about Ron and Ginny, but the brunette knew when one of her best friends was lying. Harry had that guilty look and couldn't stop frowning at Ron whenever the redhead said something in a sullen tone. She hadn't pressed, though looking back on it, Hermione wished she had.

Looking back on all of it, Hermione wished she had left Scabior, clutching his eyes full of pepper spray and had immediately called the police. She should have, it would have saved her a lot of trouble. It would have saved all of them from being caught up in this entire mess.

o0o

Hermione clutched the cup of hot chocolate and huddled around the warm sandwich she had bought for her lunch. It was cold today, the wind holding an icy undertone and she was wonderfully happy that she had her long, thick hair to keep her ears warm. She glanced at Ron; the tips of his ears were pink. Harry and Ginny were pressed together along the hip, chattering about Ginny's track season, sitting on the top of the wooden table. Neville and Luna were sitting with them, though not quite as obvious about their relationship. Hermione knew though, that their hands were entwined discreetly between them. She was sitting on the top of the table as well, but Ron had chosen to sit on the bench, part of his arm leaning up against her legs and butterflies had decided to flit around her stomach, just from the small contact.

Ron had been quiet all morning when Hermione had seen him, eyebrows drawn together as he thought deeply about something that was obviously bothering him. It was only a matter of time before he said something though; Ron could never keep his thoughts to himself. Hermione took a sip of her hot chocolate and then bit her bottom lip, turning her head the slightest bit to look at Ron again. She took a shallow breath and opened her mouth, ready to ask him what was wrong - when Pansy Parkinson stopped in front of their table. The chatter between Harry and Ginny died down, Neville got a pinched look on his face and Hermione knew that her expression wasn't very happy either. Luna was the one to speak.

"Why, hello Pansy. Did you reconsider joining us on the fairy hunt this Thursday?" Pansy gave Luna a disgusted look, and then turned away from Luna as if she didn't exist.

"Well Granger, I saw you with your boyfriend yesterday. How are you two doing?" Pansy sneered and a sick feeling twisted Hermione's chest. Ron had tensed against her leg and shifted so he was no longer touching her.

"I really don't believe that's any of your business, Parkinson. If you're here just to pick at me, I suggest you leave. Or maybe you really are interested in the fairy hunt Luna has organized?" Hermione lifted her eyebrows, as if in surprise. Of course, she knew that Pansy Parkinson would never willingly spend time with Luna, but if anything would help make the girl leave... Pansy scoffed, though her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

"Fairies? Of course- I would never- Really Granger!" Pansy turned her face away, but she didn't leave, until Luna decided to interject again.

"I don't see why not, Pansy. Did you know that fairies are helplessly attracted to those who wear malachite? I see that you have malachite earrings and if you wear those on Thursday, why, you could even be the bait! Are you sure you're-" Luna stopped, watching Pansy walk away as fast as her legs would carry her. Luna didn't look disappointed, but she did turn to Neville. "That was really too bad. I'm sure the fairies would have loved to see Pansy there, don't you think?" Neville gave her an awkward smile, which was most likely all the agreement that Luna would get out of him.

"I'm not so sure, Luna. Do you think fairies would really be attracted to someone with such an acidic personality?" Ginny asked, a smile growing on her lips. Before Luna could say anything, Ron jumped up from his seat, startling Hermione. Her hot chocolate sloshed in the cup, but she kept herself from spilling it all over her jeans and looked up, ready to chastise him.

"You don't even deny it! I've seen him! He looks like a complete mess and he's way older than all of us! I thought you said it was all just a mistake - you let your anger-" Ron was spluttering now, hands thrown up in the air, his face turning purple. Harry had wide eyes and they were quickly flashing between Hermione and Ron, as if he knew that he needed to stop this, before it got out of hand. Hermione put her food and drink down, her chest constricting again and got off the table, her face flushing.

"I did speak out of anger! And you, Ronald Weasley, should be the one to talk! You say things all the time that are absolutely-" Hermione didn't notice that Ron had let out a noise like train whistle, his face darkening. They were both yelling now, nearly face to face, arms gesturing to either side, Hermione stomping one of her feet, Ron's hands clenched into fists.

"You're spending time with some kind of pervert-" "You never take the time to listen-" The fight would have continued, but Ginny had jumped up and pushed the both of them apart, a hand on either chest.

"OI! Calm down before your heads explode!" The shout of the youngest Weasley made the both of them stop, but Hermione was shaking with anger and Ron still looked disgusted. After a second or two of staring, Ron huffed angrily and strode away, the back of his neck and ears as red as his hair. Hermione held it together for all of another five seconds before she burst into tears and felt Ginny wrap her arms around her.

"He's- so - in-in-infuriating!" Hermione wailed. Ginny sighed and patted the brunette gently on the back and then Harry squeezed Hermione's shoulder gently. He gave her another one of those guilty looks and adjusted his glasses.

"Of course he is. He's a Weasley," Harry murmured, which brought a watery smile to Hermione and a glare from Ginny. "You thought I would let that just lie there?" Harry asked his girlfriend, giving her a cheeky smile.

Neville and Luna were quiet, but it didn't take long for Hermione to stop crying and to settle down to finish her lunch. However, the damage was done for the afternoon. Hermione and Ron could both hold grudges with the best of them, and she didn't know how long it would take for one, or the both of them, to break and apologize. Hermione finished her lunch in relative silence, letting the others do the talking for her. When the bell rang, Luna patted her shoulder and gave her one of her typical dreamy smiles, saying more without words than any of their friends ever could. Though she didn't always get along with the girl, Hermione obviously didn't believe in quite a bit of what she said, it didn't mean she thought Luna was a bad person.

She headed to her next class and hoped that the rest of the day would go quickly and smoothly. Hermione had no idea that the exact opposite would happen.

o0o

The Chemistry problem was giving Hermione a bit of trouble. Mr. Snape had written down a series of questions on the board, allowing them to work in pairs to solve them and unfortunately, Hermione was paired with Gregory Goyle. He of course, wasn't offering any advice, though Hermione thought he likely had none. Mr. Snape wouldn't say anything about it either, as Goyle was a part of the football team and Snape had a bit of a favoritism problem when it came down to it. Quite a few of the teachers did, as well as their Principal. Hermione shook her head and tried to focus on the question again.

What type of decay is evident in the nuclear reaction shown below? Hermione let out a small groan when she saw the person in front of her, Malfoy, of course, turn around to watch them. She suffered in silence, knowing that sooner or later, he would taunt or ridicule and she didn't have to wait for very long. Malfoy shared a look with Goyle, smirking, and then focused on Hermione.

"So Granger, I met your boyfriend the other day." He leaned his elbows on the table, peering at the problem she was working on.

"Indeed," Hermione murmured, methodically going through her work to check the answer she had come up with. Malfoy's pale blond hair shone like a beacon in her eyes, she couldn't completely ignore him, but she resisted the urge to look up.

"Yes, I did. And, well, he had the audacity to threaten me, you know. A Malfoy! He isn't from around here, is he?" Hermione moved onto the next problem, her dark eyes looking at nothing but the paper.

"More than likely not."

"No, I didn't think so. Of course, I let my father know about it. Men such as him shouldn't be hanging around a school, threatening the populace… And guess what father found out?" Hermione let out a sigh, her pencil flying across the paper.

"Something incriminating, I'll bet," she murmured again. Malfoy laughed and though Snape obviously knew that there was talking going on, he didn't come over to put a stop to it.

"Incriminating she says! That fellow looks incriminating. He is a wanted criminal." Malfoy held his hand out, picking at something beneath a fingernail. "Of course, father said we couldn't have that. Letting a wanted criminal wander free about a school? It's only a matter of time before the police find and arrest him. I wonder, when he's in jail will you be allowed conjugal visits?" Hermione had just finished the last question, and at Malfoy's words her pencil tip was suddenly smashed into the paper. She took a deep breath and dropped the pencil on the table, finally lifting her toffee eyes to Malfoys' gray ones. His sneer slid, just a bit, but he forced himself to keep it on his face.

"I don't really think this is something to laugh about, do you Malfoy? What you're saying is going to land an innocent person behind bars-" Malfoy scoffed, lowering his voice and leaning towards her.

"I'm not lying, Granger. The man is wanted and now that the police know he's in the area, it's only a matter of time. I hope he isn't coming to visit you today, because I hear we're going to be having a patrol through the school grounds this afternoon, after school lets out." Hermione felt her stomach knot, but her expression didn't change. Of all the things Draco Malfoy had done, this was one of the worst. Though Hermione thought Scabior a bit of a creep, she could almost feel it in her bones, Malfoy was lying. That was what Draco Malfoy did best, after all. If they had been out of sight of Snape, or almost anywhere other than where they were, Hermione would have slapped him. He was a menace, a rat, a lying little – Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself as Draco turned in his seat, going back to working on his own paper. The rest of the class passed by so slow, Hermione thought that the clocks had frozen.

o0o

It was in her second to last class of the day, with Mrs. McGonagall, that Hermione found herself trying to come up with a plan. Scabior hadn't told her he would be visiting today – but when had he ever said anything of the sort? He just, randomly appeared, coming to visit when it suited him and there was a 50/50 chance that he would be there again today. No doubt Malfoy had been telling the truth about one thing, the cops would be there, waiting to take Scabior away for a crime he likely hadn't committed. And it would be all Hermione's fault. Partially Scabior as well, but that wasn't what was sticking in her head. There was only one solution that kept popping up and after three or four times of trying to come up with something else – Hermione decided to go with her gut instinct.

She would have to find Scabior, as quickly as possible and tell him to beat it. This, this favor, she was doing for him, would also help alleviate her guilt over breaking his nose and using pepper spray on him. Hermione would find him, explain the situation as best she could, and then go talk to the cops waiting and testify against whatever claim Malfoy had come up with to try and land Scabior in jail. That would be the end of all of it. After this mess was all sorted out, she would talk to Scabior one last time, tell him he really did cause more trouble than she ever wanted to deal with and that she had no interest in him what-so-ever. He would leave her alone and go back to whatever it was he had been doing before he tried to involve himself in her life.

The pounding of her nervous heart lessened at the thought. Yes, this was the best possible solution. Hermione didn't let herself consider what would happen if the cops found Scabior before-hand. When the class broke into groups, Hermione could barely contain herself. She needed the day to be over now. Harry and Seamus joined her at her table, joking about something Dean had said in their last class, until Harry noticed the strained look on Hermione's face.

"Hermione, what's the matter? You look like you've gotten some bad news," he smiled, wondering if it was about her fight with Ron, but let her explain before he asked anything else.

"Oh Harry, everything is just going dreadfully. You remember last week, when I accidentally told Pansy that-" Hermione couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but Harry acquiesced and nodded his head. "Well, last Friday he overhead Malfoy badmouthing me, threatening to prank me or something idiotic and he attempted to defend my honor." Hermione rolled her eyes, as if to say it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

"So he threatened him in turn. You know how Malfoy is, of course he ran to his father. He told me last period that his father had the police after the man, that he was a wanted criminal," Hermione's voice had dropped and she couldn't bring herself to tell Harry everything that Malfoy had said. If Harry, or even Ron, heard there would be yet another problem rising up between the boys and they didn't need any excuses as it was.

"Do you think he's telling the truth, or was he just trying to get a rise out of you?" Harry's face was serious; he had dealt with the whole of the Malfoy family before, though his father and Sirius had made short work of their issues, much to Lucius Malfoy's dismay. Hermione shrugged, opening her book and flipping hurriedly through the pages.

"I have no idea, though we can't put either option past him. He told me that the police would be patrolling the campus at the end of the day as well." Hermione looked irritated, she had missed the correct page and had to back track.

Harry sat back in chair, glancing at Seamus, who only shook his head, as if he didn't want to be a part of this discussion. Running a hand through his already untidy hair, Harry leaned on the desk, lowering his voice.

"I know this doesn't have much to do with what you're talking about, but you do know why Ron was upset, don't you?" The way Harry sat, and the tense line of his shoulders and the tightness in his face said that he was uncomfortable with talking about their other best friend. Hermione momentarily forgot about the issue with Scabior and Malfoy, but she said nothing, staring at Harry expectantly.

"It was about that man, what did Ginny say his name was – Scabior. He thinks you're lying to us, that you're really dating him," Harry now appeared downright miserable.

"Of course I'm not!" Hermione all but shrieked. Mrs. McGonagall immediately chastised her, eyes peering over her spectacles. Hermione apologized and turned back to the assignment, her face flushed red.

"Of course I'm not. I told the both of you as much. The man is strange and he's much too old for me anyways and you know that I like Ron." Hermione's cheeks darkened, especially when Seamus and Harry smiled at each other.

"I know that, Hermione. Ron doesn't see anything. He's jealous, of course." Harry shook his head, knowing it was all ridiculous. Hermione opened her mouth and then frowned, looking back down at her paper. She had gotten off track. This conversation was supposed to be about how she could help Scabior, and simultaneously get him out of her life.

"Be that as it may, Harry, I'm still worried about what Malfoy told me. He can be a lying cockroach, but his father wouldn't hesitate to put someone in jail for the sake of his son's lies." Hermione sighed, but Harry had nothing to offer her on the subject. She would have to trust her instincts then. Hermione felt as if she wasn't paying enough attention in both McGongall and Flitwick's classes, but she already knew the material and she had to admit that it wouldn't hurt her. At least, not overmuch.

She ignored Pansy's snide looks and whispered comments to Blaise, who seemed to want to ignore the girl as well. Obviously, Draco hadn't kept the information to himself, though Hermione found that it was hardly surprising. If people didn't know about the atrocities that Draco Malfoy committed in order to get his way, it wouldn't be half as much fun for him.

When the bell rang, Hermione was ready. Her things had already been put in her bag and she snatched it up and shot out the door, the moment Flitwick told them that they were dismissed. Adrenaline seemed to be shooting through her veins, urging her to run, but Hermione kept herself at a quick, but steady pace. The stairs were in sight, and at the opposite end of the school parking lot, just within view, sat Scabior. The reality of the situation suddenly hit Hermione. If Malfoy had been telling the truth, it wouldn't be long before the police showed up and she needed Scabior to get off of hte premises before they turned up. Hermione ran.

Her sneakers pounded evenly along the pavement, her bag thumping solidly against her lower back as she rushed down the stairs. She watched Scabior stand, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the panicked look that was plastered to her face. She crossed the parking lot, tripping just before she reached him and Scabior clasped his hands on her shoulders just in time. She was slightly out of breath, but it didn't matter. She hurriedly shrugged his hands off her shoulders, her hands fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Scabior, you have to leave, now. I warned you that Malfoy's father would most likely take offense and Malfoy told me today that-" Hermione had looked up at Scabior and she stopped talking immediately, seeing fear well up in his eyes. Before she could ask what was wrong, before Hermione could turn to look and see what he was seeing, someone was shouting.

"SIR! I suggest you step away from the student and lift your hands in the air."

Hermione felt her heart shoot into her throat and she nearly choked on it, clenching her jaw. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder, where two officers, one black man and one petite woman, were standing in the middle of the parking lot. She could just spy the man's nametag, which looked like it started with an 'S'. Hermione turned around, her hands held out to either side, beseechingly, though the fear was written plain on her face. Every single student in the vicinity had frozen and from where she was, Hermione could see both Harry and Ron, standing stalk still at the top of the stairs.

"FREEZE!" The female officer shouted and Hermione's thoughts blanked. She found herself rooted to the spot, like a deer in the headlights, unable to look away as the woman drew a gun and aimed it just past her. In her shock, Hermione hadn't noticed the large hand curl around her right shoulder.

A/N: If I continued with how I had originally outlined this chapter, I would have more than twenty pages. I thought it best to split it up into two (forgive me! I know, it's a cliff-hanger!) but know that I'm nearly done with the other half, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait. (One guess as to who the officers are. =] )