Disclaimer:Only the story idea is mine. The characters you recognize and Hogwarts and such are all J. K Rowling's.

A/n: I know it's a bit late, well a few days late, but I started a new job so its harder to update now. I will aim for once a week if not more, but at least once a week. Sorry guys, but life is full.

Oh, waves of time, seem to wash away the scenes

Of our crimes. For you this never ends…

Can you stay strong? Can you go on?

Granger are you doing okay?

A rose that won't bloom, winter's kept you

Don't waste your whole life trying

To get back what was taken away.

The following morning Hermione woke up and stumbled into the bathroom, ready for a shower. Stripping down, she turned the water on as hot as she could handle and stepped in. Not a moment later she looked down and cringed.

The single scar he had left on her still hadn't turned white. She doubted he had been trying to leave such damage, since the mark was fairly large, but it had happened anyways. When he had… violated her she had been cut just below her rib cage and magically stopped the blood on her own before Draco spotted it. Now, after so many days later, it was still so very ugly on her fair skin.

It also made horrifying memories explode in her mind. The near-encounter with Ron had her on edge, and she found herself wondering what would happen if he got too close to her during breakfast, or in class? She could not just go around hexing him the entire day, nor could she hide either. She found it difficult to think about what would happen if he caught her off guard. Oh, this looked like it would be very difficult.

She finished washing quickly and stepped from the shower, drying her hair first to try and keep it semi-tame, seeing that she would need to have it down to do anything today. She did not want to think what would happen if Malfoy saw it, or ever Harry, who would at least question it.

A few minutes later she had her things and was heading out of the room for breakfast. Someone clearing their throat behind her stopped her cold, and she turned around slowly to find that it was only Malfoy, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, good morning," she said half-heartedly, putting on a strained smile.

"You look like someone attacked you with a stick," he commented, voice without emotion.

The girl frowned and looked in the nearby mirror, noticing the small scratches he was talking about. She had assumed they were from falling on the floor last night. "Yes, I… tripped." Well, it's the truth.

He nodded once, walking past her. "I see."

Hermione had been receiving strange looks the entire morning. Looking around, multiple eyes were on her, and all her friends had avoided her at the table. Instead of asking what was going on, she put her head down and searched for sleep. She could worry about it during her first class, which was just around the corner.

Turning, she ran right into Neville. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, smiling up at him.

"It's okay Hermione," he said back kindly, although his eyes danced around nervously. Unsure what that meant, she moved to walk past him but his voice stopped her. "Is it true what everyone's saying?"

The girl frowned, and turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

He inclined his head in the general direction of the rest of the crowd. "Well its just… people keep saying that you hexed Ron last night."

She closed her eyes. Of course he would find a way to use that against her. It explained the strange looks she had been getting, and why Harry and Ginny had abandoned her for a different spot at the table. Ron saw them first every morning, so he had made sure to apparently get as many people on his side as possible.

Now what would she tell people? Telling them he assaulted her meant she had to reveal something that she was not ready to even confront in her mind, but without telling everyone something it would make her look bad. She was certain he did it to put her in this position, because the cocky bastard believed she would not say anything.

Damn, he seemed to be right, and least for the moment, so what would she tell Neville?

"I did," she replied, opening her eyes. "but he was out of line when I did so." Without waiting for him to reply, she turned quickly and hurried from the spot, off to her first hour.

Class passed by slowly. She could feel the strange gazes on her back, but the direct glare Ron had on her from the seat behind her was dominate and distracting. She was situated as close to her desk as possible, trying to ignore how close he was. Draco and his friends sat on the other side of the room in the same row. She wished she had chosen someplace else to sit.

"Now, everyone partner up," she heard the professor yell.

Hermione watched people around her move to sit with the people they wanted to be partners with, and rested her head against her hand, in no mood to search for a partner herself. Whoever was left could work with her, and she would probably do most of the work anyways.

Someone pulled up a seat next to her and she looked up to notice a red tuft of hair. Eyes widening, she looked into Ron's own eyes.

Fuck.

"Harry suggested we should talk," he said, eyes gleaming. "He wants us to sort out what happened last night."

"Of course he does," she muttered, scooting her chair away a bit so their legs would not touch. "But there's nothing to talk about," she continued quickly, pulling out a book and avoiding his eyes.

"Yes there is," he said gruffly, nudging her ankle with his foot. She bit her lip and began working, zoning the boy out.

"No, there isn't. We both know what really happened yesterday, and we also know that you are going to ruin my life by doing whatever you can, so shut up Ron and just work. Like I said, there is nothing to talk about."

His foot kicked her ankle, and she suppressed a hiss by gripping her quill, nearly breaking the flimsy writing utensil. Glaring up at him she noticed the same dark expression on this face that seemed to often be there when he looked at her. Adverting her eyes, she focused on her work and hoped he would get the hint that they had nothing else to say to one another.

He didn't. He reached below the desk instead and gripped her knee. "I said we are not done."

"We are done," she hissed in response, pulling her legs further away. "We have been done for a while now."

"You don't mean that though," he replied, reaching over to stroke her hip. "I know you are mad Hermione, but I didn't mean anything by it. I just miss having you beside me."

She shuddered. "Well I don't. Thanks to you Harry is mad at me, and Ginny is as well. Leave me alone Ron; you've caused enough issues."

He glared. "I can cause a lot more too if you continue being difficult. I'm trying to be nice to you."

"Nice? You don't even understand the concept of being nice! If you were nice you never would've done that to me."

His grip was back on her knee, forcing her closer. "Careful, I can try again. Maybe you'll like it more this time."

The color in her face disappeared.

Draco watched the pair from across the room. He was working with Blaise, but neither had gotten much done. To anyone else in the room it appeared that the pair was discussing the current rumor circulating about them, but the two Slytherin's knew better. Hermione's straight posture and Weasley's hard expression may seem to be built from the tension of that conversation, but they knew it was because of the emotions jumping between the two. Another desk masked what was happening below the tabletop, but Granger kept squirming further away, causing the two to exchange looks.

"Think he's going to try to kill her again," Zabini asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

The blond shrugged. "Not in class, but Granger's going to hurt herself if she moves any further on that chair; she's practically falling off of it."

Blaise nodded his agreement. "She does seem rather uncomfortable; the color is gone from her face too. Does she often look like that when he is around?"

Draco nodded. "From what I have seen; she looked about the same when she finally got back to the bloody dorm yesterday."

"Ah yes, when did she even return?"

"Rather late; I think someone besides Weasley walked her back."

Blaise frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I was walking past the door and I heard voices, but it didn't sound like the Weasel with her."

"Potter?"

"Please Zabini, I would know Pothead anywhere."

The Italian decided that was probably true, and raised his eyebrow as she scooted over still, paper apparently forgotten. He wondered who else was watching this besides them… Potter hopefully. "How did she return last night? Bloody and red?"

"No," Draco replied, shaking his head a bit, "but she did have a mark on her head, and small scrapes like she ran into a branch."

"The castle floor can do that."

"Yes, but why would she have been on the floor at all?" They exchanged a glance.

"Perhaps Weasley did get a hold of her," Blaise mused, glancing down at the paper. He wrote another fact down and then returned his focus to the real situation.

"No; if Granger had been touched again she would've been in a far worse mental state then she was when she walked in." He remembered her terrified face, but she wasn't screaming and begging him not to hurt her like she had once done, so he would keep assuming nothing too serious had happened until proven wrong. "She was very scared though."

"I would be scared too if I was her; she returned to a common room with him. I wouldn't have even done that."

Draco glanced over at his friend. "Are you a coward? You could easily take Weasel."

"Yes I could, but Granger is not very built. She doesn't have the body strength, and I seriously doubt the girl knows any muggle self defense if that happened at all."

He nodded in agreement. "I suppose you are right." Silence descended over the two as Draco took the paper and scribbled something on it as well; eyes continuously glancing up at Granger to make sure everything was alright.

I shouldn't be this concerned, but then again, Potter shouldn't be acting this stupid so everything is backwards.

He watched the ginger scoot closer and raised an eyebrow. "I think its about time he help, don't you?"

Blaise looked over and grinned. "But of course."

The blond pulled out his wand and quietly muttered a spell, watching with delight as the boys chair disappeared and he fell, smacking his head on the desk behind them and surprising his partner, who looked over at him through half lidded eyes.

Serves Weasley right, he thought as Granger's gaze locked eyes with him for a single moment, before snapping around as people in the class noticed and the professor came over to see what the problem was. He quickly re-pocketed his wand and continued attempting to work on the assignment with Blaise, ignoring whatever the teacher was now saying.

Had he seen relief on her face? Perhaps they would be discussing that later, back in the dorm.

"Now who did this, hmm? I will not tolerate students messing around in my classroom!"

Draco rolled his eyes and exchanged looks with Zabini. The new teacher was certainly a drag.

When the class finally ended, she was the first one out. Ron had kept his distance after the fall, but she was in no mood to deal with his attitude now that they were in the hallways. Besides, Harry still seemed torn between his two friends, and had not spoken to her when she mentioned seeing him in the following class.

A hand locked around her forearm, and she turned to see Ron Weasley gripping her arm, an unreadable expression on his face. She straightened her back, glaring up at him the best she could.

Instead of speaking, he shoved a note into her hand and stomped off. Blinking, she could not believe her luck. She had been expecting crude words and threats, yet all he had done was hand her a piece of paper.

Hesitantly, she opened the paper to read what was written, and quickly wished she hadn't.