Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot
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As she made her way back to the common room after she and Malfoy parted, she couldn't help but feel a bit of a likeness towards him. As much as he made her life hell for the past five years, he did stop to comfort her. He could have easily made fun of her and gone on his merry way…but he didn't. He even held her. When she leaned on him, she immediately thought that he would push her away, disgusted, and call her a mudblood, but he just put an arm around her and sat with her for a good twenty minutes, at least.
He also didn't goad Ron, she realized. She unwillingly smiled, and her heart gave a little squeeze of affection for him. Then she scowled. 'He's Draco Malfoy, Hermione! Get a grip!' But she couldn't stop thinking about him. Why had he done that? Why did he have to go and be sweet to her like that? Now she won't be able to stop thinking about him! UGH!
She reached the portrait hole, muttered the password, and leapt in to avoid being seen by Filch or Mrs. Norris. Harry was waiting for her.
"Hermione! Where've you been?? I've been so worried! I went after you but I couldn't find you, so I came back here to wait for you. It's been almost an hour! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Harry," she said, heartened. As much as she cherished Ron's friendship – when he wasn't with his precious Lavender – Harry was her best friend. Ginny was a very close second.
"No you're not, Mione. You were crying."
She smiled at his use of her nickname – one that Harry made up, after which Ron and Ginny started using it. There was no one else in the common room, as it was late and the party had ended, so she sat down next to him. She leaned on him and let her head rest on his left shoulder.
Just then, Ron and Lavender came giggling through the portrait hole – just her luck, Hermione thought. They must have been able to get rid of the birds, somehow, she mused darkly. They quieted when they saw Hermione and Harry, then turned back to themselves.
"Goodnight, Won-Won."
"Night, Lav."
She wiggled noses with him, kissed him soundly on the lips while stealing a glance at Hermione, then they both went upstairs. Hermione couldn't help it; two tears slid down her cheeks. Harry wiped them away and took her into his arms.
"Is this how you feel when you see Ginny with Dean?" came Hermione's teary question. Harry looked surprised. "I know…I see the way you look at her."
"Yeah. This is exactly how it feels."
The morning went on as usual. It was a Saturday, and a Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione seemed to have gotten over being upset and sad over Ron and changed to just glaring, rolling her eyes, and fake gagging when they weren't looking. Harry would agree and laugh, which would cheer Hermione right up. She hadn't told him about Draco – she felt that it did not need to be mentioned.
She glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw him staring off into space, his head resting in his right hand, but she caught something she must have missed last night. His grey eyes held very well-disguised pain. She wondered if she was simply imagining things, that the pain in his stormy eyes wasn't really there at all. So she dismissed it, and went with Harry to Hogsmeade – Lavender and 'Won-Won' went by themselves about an hour earlier.
He watched her leave with Potter, his eyes following her out the doors of the Great Hall. His heart was thumping like mad, and for two reasons – Hermione and the necklace. He could not for the life of him figure out why he had offered her comfort last night. Her sobs were just heartbreaking. He had figured out what she was upset about after Weasley and Brown came and went, and it wasn't too hard to see this morning because she clearly hated every minute the two spent together. He chuckled when he saw her make a gagging motion when the two lovebirds left the Gryffindor table.
His glare at Weasley as he passed his table was particularly strong today because of the events that took place last night, but Weasley, being as thick as he is, just glared back without a thought and left the Great Hall, hand in hand with Brown.
He decided he had had enough of having people around him, so he stood, took the black parcel he had on the table, and left. He was on his way to Hogsmeade. When he arrived, he went into the Three Broomsticks and took a table at the darkest corner. When he spotted Katie Bell, one of the Gryffindor chasers, he shakily, and hesitantly, went into action.
Somehow – she would never figure it out – Ron managed to split up with Lavender. The blonde had to do something or other with her friends, he said. He wasn't too clear, but Hermione didn't care. She was walking back to the carriages with Harry and Ron when they heard a scream up ahead. They ran to where Leanne, Katie Bell's best friend, was standing and saw Katie get lifted into the air by an unseen force. She let out a horrifying scream, then plummeted to the ground.
"I told her not to touch it! But she didn't listen!!" Leanne cried. Suddenly, Hagrid's form appeared through the snow.
"Do not touch that!" he said, pointing to the blue and turquoise necklace that was glittering on the snow. "'Cept for the wrappin'." He picked Katie up and they all hurried back to the castle.
Hermione had been designated to carry the box to Professor McGonagall after it had been safely levitated back into it and the box closed.
"Why is it that whenever something like this happens, it is always you three?" McGonagall asked.
"Trust me, Professor," said Ron, "we always ask ourselves the same question."
"Oh, Severus! Can you take a look at this for me, please?" McGonagall asked when Snape walked into her classroom. He levitated it from its casing and looked it over. "What do you think?"
"I think Miss Bell is lucky to be alive."
"It was Malfoy," Harry said suddenly. Hermione looked at him incredulously. Malfoy wasn't capable of doing something like this!
"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," said McGonagall.
"Indeed," agreed Snape. "Your proof?"
"I just know."
"You just…know," Snape repeated.
"He's always up to no good."
"I think you three had better get out of here while we sort this out, hm? Out!" McGonagall said, shooing them out of the room.
"Harry! What's gotten into you?" Hermione asked. "Malfoy isn't capable of pulling something so…so dark!"
"Why not? His father is a death eater! Malfoy would easily walk in his footsteps!"
"Ron!"
"Don't look at me! I agree that Malfoy is bad news."
Hermione huffed and stalked away – probably to the library, her two friends thought. They shook their heads at each other and proceeded to lunch.
On her way to the library, she heard horrible noises coming from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She cautiously stepped inside and her heart broke at what she saw. The same boy who had given her strength and held her just last night was gripping the ceramic of one of the sinks and retching into it. She dropped her bag and ran over to him, pulling back his beautiful hair from his sweaty forehead.
He ran. He felt sick over what he had done, and he had to get away from Hogsmeade. He ran all the way back to the castle, retching once or twice on the way – he couldn't keep track. When he got inside, he made a beeline for the nearest bathroom, which happened to be Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the first floor. He retched into the first of the sinks that were arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. Tears fell down his sweaty, pallid cheeks. He was so wrought with grief and shame, that he didn't hear the door open. When he felt a cool hand brushing back his hair from his face and a supporting arm on his back, he looked up into the stunning brown eyes that were looking up at him last night, red and teary. For a moment, he thought the situation ironic, that their positions had switched.
"Malfoy, what's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Don't call me that name," came his raspy, grief-stricken voice. "My name is Draco."
"Okay, sorry…Draco…what happened?"
But all he did was shake his head and, to his immense embarrassment, retched into the sink again. However, she did not run away in disgust like he expected her to do. She instead began rubbing his back and talking to him with a soothing voice.
"It's alright, you don't have to tell me. Calm down, take deep breaths. You need to slow your heart-rate, Draco, or you'll keep throwing up. Come on, now, please? Deep breaths."
And slowly, his heart began to calm. The cold water in the sink was already running, so she put her left hand under it and then placed it on his forehead.
"Sit," she said gently. As he did so, she reached into her bag and handed him the bottle of water she was saving for later. "Drink that. It'll get the taste out of your mouth and calm your breathing." She went around the sinks and found the roll of paper towels that was in every bathroom in the school. She ripped off two squares of it, ran it under cold water, and knelt next to Draco. She first wiped away his tears, then placed the cool towel on his forehead. She noticed that he drank some of the water.
"Do you feel any better?" she asked. He took a deep breath and nodded.
She saw tears threaten to fall again, so she took him into her arms very much like he had done, and his defensive wall crumbled. His tears fell, followed by more that were accompanied by small sobs. She tightened her hold on him as her heart broke.
"Hermione?" came his deep voice next to her left ear.
"Yes?" she whispered.
"Why are you doing this?"
"For the same reason why you did it for me last night, Draco."
He said nothing more, but she could tell that he did not want her to let go of him. He clutched her as if she was his life force. He needed someone to lean on; he couldn't deal with whatever was plaguing him alone. What happened to the strong, smiling boy who made her feel better last night when she was crying? She found that she was not at all uncomfortable or disgusted by holding him. He was obviously plagued by something horrible, and she no longer saw the annoying, stupid little git who taunted her, Harry, and Ron. This boy's life was much much worse than any of theirs, but she would not push an explanation out of him. He had not done that last night. She would wait. If he wanted to tell her, that was his choice. For now, she would hold him as long as he needed it.
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