Disclaimer: Don't own, never will

Author's Notes: This fic is AU, it is also a Draco/Hermione pairing, or rather will be. If you like the way I write, I can be persuaded to do a H/Hr.

She felt like she had nothing left, that everything she was, everything she thought she had was now gone, ripped away. The tears even refused to come now, the agony slowly poisoning her inside with no way to release it, and soon she knew she would be numb to even that. They didn't even realize, they didn't care that she was fading. Of course they wouldn't care, they were the ones who caused this, who hurt and betrayed her, and to think she once considered them friends.

It was the end of there fifth year, Harry and her had been going out since that summer. He had even said that he loved her, what a lie. She knew she had loved him, taken in by deceptive emerald eyes and untidy pitch black hair that added an air of innocence to his appearance. She thought she knew him, she had made a huge miscalculation and now she was paying for it with a broken heart. He had taken her in and she had been a gullible fool believing in everyone.

She still remembered that day, the one she saw them kissing. Harry and Ginny, whoever thought little Ginny would date her crush. She didn't even know why she thought she had been good enough to date him, after all he was bloody Harry Potter he could have anyone he wanted, why would he chose her? But she had thought perhaps he had seen something in her worthwhile, well guess not. Fiery red hair, chocolaty eyes, a sun kissed complex, how could she ever compete with that? But it hurt knowing she wasn't enough, she still remembered the conversation later that night.

The fire was dancing casting shadows upon the red carpet and Hermione's eyes never left the captivating sight, lost in the seductive dance that promised she wouldn't have to remembered, wouldn't have to think as long as she didn't look away. It seemed to burn everything away for a moment but only for a moment.

"Hermione, we have to talk," Harry's voice intruded upon her reprieve, wrecking it. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, strange she used to find that endearing.

"I know, wait let me guess," her voice dripped sarcasm, "your breaking up with me, it just isn't working, you confused love with friendship. What do you think, have I got it, have I hit the nail on the head?" She lifted veiled eyes to his, " how long?"

It took him a moment to recover from his shock and to form a coherent word, "how long what?"

"How long have you been messing around with Ginny? How long have you been lying to me? Even if our relationship meant nothing, I had thought our friendship was worth more at least. Guess I was wrong?" The anger was pouring off her in waves now leaving room for nothing else, not the pain or the betrayal or the indescribable sadness.

"Don't do this," his eyes silently pleaded with her to forget it.

"Fine," she couldn't do it, not to him, though he deserved it, not to herself though she deserved the truth if nothing else. Slowly she stood and made her way to the portrait hole, back straight and chin high, determined to keep her pride if nothing else. After all her heart was broken and her soul was slowly dieing and it didn't appear anyone was coming to save it.

She went to the library, hoping to find consolation in her books as she did as a child but the words were empty and she longed to do nothing but cry but she wouldn't, couldn't let herself break, not yet. Ron found her there sometime later, she was expecting him but she already knew who he was going to side with. Knowing something doesn't stop the hurt though.

"Hermione she's my sister," his voice was soft, he wasn't yelling instead he seemed to be looking for vindication but she wasn't going to give it to him.

"So that justifies her actions!" Her voice was an angry hiss, venom touching every word her mouth uttered, " you, Harry, and Ginny were supposed to be my best friends. The people I could count on, the ones who were never supposed to do anything like this."

"Forget it, you aren't worth the hassle. I was going to try and patch it up so we all could at least put up a civil front to one and another but honestly I don't care," he spoke with such cold malice Hermione wondered if he had ever been her friend or if he had been just using her. His chair slide back from the table and he exited the library leaving her alone with the pieces of herself scattered upon the floor, too bad she didn't have the will to pick them up.

Time crept by, she wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there staring at nothing, eyes glazed, but suddenly she couldn't take it anymore and she stood up and ran from the library and kept running. Eventually she got lost in an unused part of the castle, the torches low, casting menacing shadows upon the walls, but she didn't care, this suited her mood perfectly. After making another turn she came to a dead end, the tears finally breaking through her will and she collapsed into a sobbing heap upon the floor.

Harry and Ron, her best friends, the inseparable golden trio. Ginny, her only girl friend, the one she could take her problems to and talk with. All a lie, everything a lie, even her parents. She was adopted, they had finally chosen to disclose that bit of information and on her birthday no less, she hadn't told the others though and she was extremely happy that she hadn't. The ground had been pulled out from beneath her and she was falling with no one to catch her and the landing wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Crying doesn't change anything and doesn't help. I won't let them get to me, I won't let them win, I am stronger." Shakily she rose, wiping her face, determined not to let them see her weak. " I will show them all."

So she did. She hadn't cried since then and hadn't been able, even if she had wanted. Instead she threw herself into her studying surpassing everyone by lengths on the final examinations in all of her classes. She knew she had lost a lot of weight since then, it was just that eating hadn't been a priority and besides she didn't like seeing them at the great hall, hearing their laughter and happy voices.

Of course the school noticed the split. They assumed that Harry had broken up with her and started dating Ginny. They figured she was being childish and that was why they were not talking. Boy were they off the mark, too bad she just didn't give a bloody hell and therefore didn't correct them. Let them think what they will.

Quite frankly she was glad that everyone was leaving on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. It meant that she wouldn't have to see any of them till next year at least, maybe longer if she had her way. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the glass of the dorm window as she stood thinking to herself. Aunt Josephine, her mother's sister, well her adoptive mother's sister, had offered to let her stay with her in France and attend the school there. She had even said she would pay for it and everything else, though she had offered this when Hermione was eleven and going to attend Hogwarts.

Her aunt had married a wizard and deemed anything that was French as better. Her mother was originally from France and her grandmother had lived with them up until Hermione was nine and she died, they had spoken nothing but French considering that was all her Grandma knew. Her aunt had no children of her own and would have liked nothing better than to kidnap Hermione and claim her for her own.

It would be good she reasoned to get away for at least a year, maybe for the rest of her school career, she only had two more years left afterall. Yes she decided she was going to do it, her 'parents' would probably be more than willing thinking that it was her way of coping with the news they had given her at the beginning of the year. She even looked like she was doing bad, they probably would be more than anxious to send her off. They hadn't been close since she had started attending school and had grown apart. With that she turned away from the window and shut her trunk, 'wonder if I'm still fluent in French?' A tiny genuine smile touched her lips for the first time since everything had occurred. Maybe she could get a piece of herself back.

Author's Notes: If I don't get enough reviews, I won't continue with the story and I'll delete it. Toddles