Chapter 10 - Everyone Needs Some Help

"Look what you've done!" Blaise hissed throwing a book against Draco's chest. He got up from the chair and walked around the table to stand beside Draco that didn't even move a single muscle "She was about to give in! And you ruined it! I thought he had a deal"

"We didn't have no deal" Draco hissed getting up from the chair. He could still Blaise swallowing when he got up and he smirked at his reaction; Blaise was almost as tall as Draco but Draco was way more intimidating than Blaise could ever be. Or that or Blaise was still afraid of his surname "And I didn't give you a challenge. Why would I enjoy watching you trying to snog my roommate that is a Gryffindor? Are you insane or are you just stupid?"

The idea of seeing his best friend snogging with Granger made him sick. But he didn't quite understand if it was because of Blaise kissing her, or... the idea of Granger kissing Blaise "I thought-"

"Well but I didn't! So stop with these stupid games" Draco rolled his eyes and walked around Blaise to grab his books "You want to snog with someone, snog with someone else. Not her"

Later That Day

As soon as Hermione sat on the Gryffindor table that day, people started shouting looks at her. This time weren't looks of 'wow, I know something about you that you don't' but yes 'what are you doing here?'. She could understand their looks if they had seen her with Blaise Zabini yesterday. But they didn't, because she insisted on sitting on the most hidden corner of the library for their meeting.

So, she couldn't realize why people were looking at her like she had grown two heads. When Neville sat in front of her, Hermione sighed in relief. At least, it wasn't something that bad that Neville wouldn't sit with her "Hey, Hermione!" he said in a happy tone. Hermione smiled at him and helped herself with some food.

"Hello Neville, you seem happy" she said in a low tone of voice that she didn't understand why she had it.

"That's because I am" Neville smiled with teeth, is face glowing with happiness.

"Can I know the reason?" Hermione muttered, coming closer to him.

"Well..." he grinned and approached her "Luna wrote me, I received her letter this morning-"

"Really? That's great! What did she say?"

"She is coming back to Hogwarts... and she wants to talk" Neville enthusiasm disappeared and he gave her a nervous smile "I'm not really sure if that's a good thing ya know... The last time she said we needed to talk it didn't go so well-"

"Hey! That's a wonderful thing, don't worry" Hermione gave him a pat on his hand "The last time she wanted to talk she went away, but now is going to come back. I don't see nothing bad in it."

Hermione bit her toast and gazed at Neville, obviously nervous, and looking at his food "You say that because you are brave and... well you have a great self-esteem, and I don't and-"

"Neville, stop" Hermione sighed and swallowed tightly. She wanted to believe in Neville's words, but a good self-esteem seemed to be something impossible to have in those last days. She had troubles sleeping at night... and why? Because she cried everynight, and that was not a brave thing to do. She was not brave, she was an ordinary girl... perhaps even less important than the other girls in that school "Stop being so nervous. Everything is going to be fine, alright? When is she coming?"

"Uh... this weekend, saturday to be exact." Neville nodded quickly and bit his food. Hermione gaver him a smile but she felt a bit sad. It was not that she wasn't happy that Luna was returning to Hogwarts... but once she returned, Hermione would no longer have company for lunch. That was a sad thing because from now on she was going to start walking alone in school, like a lost puppy "Hermione?" Neville coughed and looked nervously to Hermione.

"Yes?" she asked, looking at him.

"You have been a really good friend so... ah..." he coughed again and looked at the ceiling "Maybe I should tell you something" she waited for him to say something, but he was constantly looking at the ceiling, her and the people around her.

"So? Spill it out, Neville!"

"Lavender and Parvati... well they have been saying some nasty things about you..." Neville looked at Hermione now straight in the eyes "I heard it this morning. The rumor it's something about... you beeing involved with someone. Well, they dont' say who that is, but they say that you were already snogging with that someone when you and Ron were dating-"

"What?" Hermione yelled, making Neville jump in his seat "What does that mean? That I was already cheating on him when he cheated on me?"

"Well... yes." Neville scratched his head.

Hermione focused her vision on Ron and Lavender's heads. She couldn't deny it, Lavender was a pretty girl... so much prettier than her. But she had such a terrible persona. And Ron... Ron was the biggest mistake she had done in her life. The boy she was now looking at had nothing compared to the Ron she dated. Instead of losing her head, Hermione just made a small smile still looking at them "That's cute," she said, bowing her head to one side "The girl with whom my ex-boyfriend cheated on me saying that I am the one who cheated... Isn't it cute?" she looked at Neville, still with her head bowed and the smile on her lips.

Neville never had seen Hermione looking so peaceful... and scary at the same time. She was saving all her anger and when Hermione unleash her anger, Neville doesn't want to be around her "Hum I don't know Hermione-" he coughed, trying to clear his throat, avoiding her scary look "I don't see what can be cute about it."

"That's because you don't see it the way I do," Hermione said, calmly, raising from her seat.

"Hermione, where are you going? Don't do nothing you will regret-" Neville grabbed her arm and she stopped.

"Oh I'm not going to do nothing... physically to them," Hermione chuclked. Did Neville really think that she was going to start a fight with Lavender? "I'm just going to do exactly what they did to me"

"The best revenge is to move on Herm-"

"Maybe another time I can apply that, just not this time"

Hermione walked throught the Great Hall, smiling. This time she wasn't going to be kind; she was tired of being kind for the people who don't deserve it.

Her footsteps clicked against the floor echoing along the hall. Her thoughts passed through her mind all mixed giving her no time to rest her head or try to figure out a plan for what she wanted to do next. Hermione leaned her left arm on a near by wall, stopping to catch her breath. She felt her eyes getting wet; she knew that the tears threating to fall down weren't because she was sad - she wasn't sad. She was frustrated.

Ronald and Hermione dated for almost two years and yet he was acting like a big asshole towards her. Her body slipped slowly against the floor, her legs weak. The thoughts of her sixth year came to her mind: the time when Ron and Lavender dated. The way she felt those days was something weird to her since she still hadn't figured out her feelings towards Ron, but she already knew that Lavender couldn't be trusted - in Hermione's mind, Lavender wasn't just a good person at all. And then, another memory slipped to her mind: on the Hospital Wing, where Ron called her name instead Lavender's - and the way Lavender headed off crying. That memory heated up her heart.

Hermione always had seen Ron as her safe haven; she held his hands for so many times when her heart jumped from surprise and fear. Before the war, when she saw Ron walking away from Hermione and Harry's shelter, she missed him like hell and that was when she realized how strong her feelings for him were. Through the war, Ronald Weasley had always been by her side, protecting her from whatever came towards her; and their kiss... Their kiss was the only good thing about the war.

And now, here she was. Alone in a empty hall thinking about them and how much she still loves him, while he was with another girl somewhere snogging her. A tear slipped down her cheek and she rushed to clean it "Stupid tears" she muttered to herself. At least, she was alone and nobody could see how much weak she looked. After a few sobs, Hermione got up and walked to the end of the hall.

She still loved Ron but what he was doing - together with his girlfriend - was not right. And she was tired of people taking advantage of her.

Hermione stopped in front of the Great Hall's door again. She spotted Lavender and narrowed her eyes "If you want to do it, now it's the right time" she muttered to herself, barely moving her lips. She took a long deep breath and walked into the Great Hall, her footsteps furtively clicking against the floor. She could feel the adrenaline rushing in her veins, making her blood boil, creating a wave of courage inside her bones.

"And then Ron-ron came to my bedroom and handed me a-" Lavender was interrupted by Parvati quickly coughing and nodding her head slightly towards Hermione, that was standing behind her and Ron with her arms folded against her chest. Hermione could feel people staring to her back but she didn't move - she was already there, she couldn't turn around her back now "What's wrong, Parvati?"

"Oh I hope that I'm not what's wrong here, Parvati" Hermione hummed a soft voice. She bit down her lip slowly, narrowing her eyebrows like she was feeling guilty. Lavender almost jumped hearing her voice.

"What are you doing here?" Lavender asked turning around to look at Hermione. Ron stopped eating and turned around to see her too.

"I'm here to talk to you" Hermione hissed letting her arms fall down to each side of her body.

"But I don't want to talk to you" Lavender rolled her eyes and turned around to face her food, brushing her hair from her shoulder. Hermione sighed and grabbed her shoulder, making her turn around to face her once more. The shocked expression on Lavender's face made everything even better.

"I'm tired of hearing people talking about your stupid rumurs," Hermione said, the adrenaline still running on her veins "So I say that you stop talking about me behind my back. Mind your business Lavender"

After Hermione said that, she felt like an idiot. Nothing on her words sounded scary and obviously by the look on Lavender's face she didn't care at all about what Hermione had just said "It's not rumurs," Lavender shrugged and smiled "It's just what Ron tells me."

Hermione felt her heart jump; her eyes looked to Ron. He didn't say nothing but she knew that Lavender was lying - but still, he didn't defended Hermione or said that she was lying. Lavender turned Ron into an evil person. Just when she looked back to Lavender again, she realized that she was still talking. "...slut" Lavender smiled. Slut was the only thing that Hermione heard.

Her mouth opened several times but no sound came out. When she realized that she couldn't say anything, she turned back to leave the Great Hall. Tears threating to fall from her eyes once more. She had done a completely fool of herself twice that day.

She entered the room and leaned on the door. Crookshanks was on her bed, gazing at her. Hermione smiled at him and lay beside him, with her head close to his "I'm so stupid, Crookie" the cat meowed at those words "I wanted to slap her, I really wanted to... but I didn't want McGonagall to give me a lecture. I-I don't know what I've done, Crooks. I feel so... so... "the cat continued gazing at her as Hermione stroked his hair, crying now.

That's when she heards a bang of a door and she jumps on her bed, gazing at her bedroom door. Ginny was there, breathlessly, looking at her like Hermione just killed someone "What were you thinking?!" she yelled, closing the door. The only thing that came to Hermione's head was: she is really here. Ginny is here for me.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've been busy with school and all that, and now I've a little puppy and I give her all my attention, haha! And to make it worse, this chapter isn't a big thing. And I know you guys are dying to see some Dramione action but I promise you I'm working on it. Thank you for all the support and patience, I promise I'll post a new chapter soon.