Title: I did not sleep with that wizard!

Pairing: mainly Drarry; with many other referenced/implied pairings

Rating: M

A/N: This chapter showcases self-harm. This is not safe and is in no way to be taken as approval of such behaviours. Transpersons often battle with severe depression and dysphoria, which can result in self-harm. There is also a bullying incident, it is, of course, dealt with but off 'screen' as it were. Ron is almost on his final strike. He is wearing everyone's patience thin; Dean and Pavarti would be more comfortable if he wasn't around Lavender at all to shield her from his temper. One more incident and he will likely be given the choice of quitting school or being expelled. Expelled would mean his wand being snapped and his magic bound...

Chapter 55

Since Hermione came out to Harry, not that it had been intentional on either of their part's, she had officially moved into Draco's apartment. The castle had given them another bedroom, it just appeared one day.

Hermione had tried to put on a brave face, having someone she trusted who just accepted her had done wonders for her self-esteem and Harry was grateful he knew now.

Knowing people like Luna and Terry who were different like her had definitely been a source of strength.

Harry didn't attend the Pendulum club meetings anymore, Hermione went to Luna or Terry.

Harry had watched from Slytherin when Ron went off on Lavender only to have his wife defended by Pavarti and Dean. Being shamed by Pavarti, Dean and the professors hadn't changed his ex-best friend at all.

Harry worried for Hermione because she still shared a lot of her classes with Ron, even if she spend her non-class hours studying in Draco's apartment with them.

Harry watched from Draco's side in horror as Ron pushed Hermione out of his way and she started to fall down the stairs.

Then to his surprise, Stephen Corner wrapped himself around Hermione. While he didn't seem able to stop her fall, he seemed to be shielding her.

Draco yelled for everyone to grab the bannister to keep others from being injured.

Surprisingly, the other students regardless of house or age obeyed. Harry scurried down the stairs, avoiding the trick ones to keep from falling himself.

Hermione had landed on top of Stephen when they stopped on one of the landings of the giant staircase.

Harry fell to his knees beside her, the first thing he noticed was her pendant was missing. He whispered in horror, "Mione, where is your pendant."

Hermione was sobbing, "It's gone… I fell. Stephen tried to help but it's gone…"

"Come here…" Harry forcibly removed Hermione from Stephen, who was visibly annoyed. By what, Harry didn't understand or care.

Hermione clung to Harry, sobbing, "It's gone… it's gone…oh, what will I do?"

When Draco joined Harry, he barked at his husband to find Hermione's pendant.

Draco raised a single eyebrow at the threat of no kisses if he didn't find it.

Harry was grateful to Stephen for protecting Hermione, but he was too absorbed in his distraught friend to check on the Ravenclaw.

Stephen hadn't moved or even put up much of a fight when Harry pulled Hermione away from him.

Harry's heart broke when he saw the pendant in Draco's hand.

The pendant had been crushed in the fall or stepped on by an oblivious student, the crystal had shattered.

Harry didn't know much about pendants like Hermione's but with the charmed focal point destroyed, it was probably useless.

Hermione was inconsolable as she clutched the pendant after Harry placed the bare chain in her hand.

Harry held out a hand to Draco who pulled them both up.

His husband didn't argue when Harry muttered that he was taking Hermione to their apartment.

Draco stared at them for a moment before he likely went to excuse them from classes.

The last thing Harry heard before he stepped off the staircase on the First Floor was a groan from Stephen…

"Tell a professor, detention for Ron."

'good,' Harry thought viciously. 'that rotten git deserved a harsh one.'

Harry let them into the apartment and escorted Hermione to her borrowed bedroom.

He felt so helpless as she cried herself to sleep…

Harry didn't leave until Draco appeared, his mask gone and he had questions in his eyes. He inwardly groaned; this was not going to be a pleasant conversation…

Harry stayed silent until they reached the settee in their apartment's common room. "Just ask…"

"What was so important about that pendant that you felt you needed to threaten me?" Draco fumed.

Harry sighed, "It's her lifeline, she's different… special. It was charmed to present what she wanted to the world…"

"A glamour pendant?" Draco frowned, "What's the point?"

"It's not my secret… it's hers… I only found out because you locked me out of the bathroom and I had to pee."

Draco flinched, clearly remembering her curled up on the bathroom floor wailing in horror before Harry slammed the door in his face. "You know I'm half Black and that metamorphmagi run in our family line… whatever it is, I'm not going to judge."

"Like you didn't when we were twelve?" Harry snapped.

Draco groaned, "I was a stupid child, I was jealous because of how close you were to them. We're together now, I'm certainly not going to use that word again. Besides, you know I've tried very hard to be kind to Hermione. Especially, after she accepted us. I didn't expect her to, I mean I was awful to her. I have already decided that she would be a wonderful godmother. She is so gentle and sweet with Orion and Scorpius, I look forward to her having children of her own someday."

"She thinks that being affected by the Lilithean is the only reason I got pregnant. She was passed over, so… she doesn't think she can have children."

"So… she has a male body then?" Draco said thoughtfully.

Harry flinched, "Oh Godric…"

"I'm not going to change how I treat her; besides like you, I've gotten used to Hermione the girl. She needs someone…" Draco mused, "Someone who respects her and treats her properly."

Harry nodded, "But who would do that? I mean, people have expectations. Girls aren't supposed to have bodies like her's."

Draco chuckled, "That Stephen Corner… I've seen him watching her lately. Plus, he did try to protect her."

Harry frowned, "I don't know… she said he makes her uncomfortable."

"We'll see." Draco teased.

XoooooooX

Two days…

It had been two days since Hermione's tumble down the staircase and her pendant was broken.

She spent the entire time in bed, she wouldn't eat, hadn't bathed or changed clothes. All she did was sleep and cry…

Harry popped his head into her room to ask if he should bring her food when his eyes widened in horror.

"Mione?" Harry gasped from the door, "Mione!" his voice sounded strangled with shock to his own ears.

Hermione dropped the knife and began to rock, blood dripping down her arm and onto her uniform.

Harry rushed over, his voice trembling in shock and horror. "Hermione, why?"

"I'm not suicidal… it helps…"

Harry shook his head, pulling out his wand and casting a healing charm on her arm. "This is why you knew about Murlap tentacles. I'm sorry I was so oblivious that you were hurting… please don't hurt yourself like this…"

"I didn't want anyone to know."

"I'm here, you don't have to suffer alone…" Harry said hugging her, ignoring the blood on her uniform and that she hadn't bathed in a while at the moment.

"It's gone…" she started to cry all over again.

"I know… we'll have to get another one." Harry would have done so already, but he hadn't managed to get her to name the shop. Without that, he couldn't help… he felt so powerless…

"I can't face anyone…" Hermione blubbered through her fingers.

"Hermione, this is just like when you were a cat. You can come out and do this. You're a prefect, you can't hide in here forever."

"What about Stephen? He was overly interested in my secret… before and now he knows…" Hermione gasped out.

Harry tried to reassure her, "I don't think he knows what he knows."

"But he had to have felt that I had no breasts and my taping came loose." Hermione sobbed all over again.

"Draco bullied it out of me, I did try to say nothing. He thought you were like Luna…" Harry reluctantly admitted. He was pretty sure that Metamorphagi were some sort of intersex…

"I wish…" Hermione said sadly, "At least, well hopefully, my dysphoria wouldn't be so bad. She doesn't hurt herself…sorry, faerself."

"I'm sure being both and neither is just as bad in its own way." Harry tried to assure her, "Besides, she was bullied enough that she probably didn't have to hurt herself… faerself. Merlin, this is confusing…"

"Being trans and straight is confusing enough, but keeping everyone's place on the pendulum is even more difficult." Hermione sniffed.

"If you're not their lover, then their sexuality isn't important. Proper gendering and pronouns are a different story. I wouldn't care if you liked girls and were a girl. To me Hermione, you are still a girl." Harry reassured her while petting her hair.

"You're the best friend ever…" Hermione said as she wiped her nose with a conjured handkerchief.

"I'm trying… please promise me you won't hurt yourself…" Harry whispered into her hair.

"I'll do my best…" Hermione said very quietly.

Harry was going to try trusting her… but it was awful to know that her pain was so terrible that she thought hurting herself was a way to release it.

XoooooooX

The third day of Hermione refusing to leave that borrowed bedroom and despite Harry's entreaties and reminders about her duty as a prefect, he couldn't even get her to shower. He felt so inadequate…

Draco rationalized that she was legally an adult, they couldn't 'make' her do anything.

To their surprise, Stephen Corner appeared and forced their way into Draco's apartment to the Slytherin's displeasure.

He called out very loudly, worried Harry that the Ravenclaw would wake up Orion and Scorpius. "Tell her to get her sorry arse out here. You're a Gryffindor prefect, Hermione Granger!"

"Get out, Corner." Draco snarled.

"No," the Ravenclaw replacement sixth year prefect said coldly.

"It's my apartment."

"Don't care. Do you hear me, Granger? Get out here or I'll drag you out. Stop acting like a snivelling baby and face me."

If Stephen wasn't so rude and Hermione so broken, the whole situation might have been funny.

A Ravenclaw invading a Slytherin's apartment to order a Gryffindor to appear…

Harry saw a familiar looking pendant clutched in his hand and gasped, "Is that…"

"No, it's a phial of unicorn blood. Of course, it's a bloody replacement glamour pendant!" Stephen snapped at him.

Harry had no reply for that, he was stunned. He couldn't get Hermione to even admit where she got the pendant from and Stephen had managed to find out as well as get a replacement.

Stephen continued to call up the stairs, "Hermione, I'm going to count to ten in FRENCH. If I reach nine, I'll blast open that door! Un, deux, trois,"

Then to Harry's shock, Hermione appeared. She was wrapped in a blanket and trembling, "Please don't tease or threaten any more."

"At least you're out…" Stephen said scowling as they dangled the pendant just out of Hermione's reach. "As you can see, I wasn't lying. I have one. The person who sold your last one was in the shop when I arrived. I told them what happened, and they found this for you. Now, you are going to go back upstairs; take a bloody shower and come down properly dressed. You have forty-five minutes starting now."

"Now see here, Stephen" Harry sputtered.

"Potter," Stephen snapped.

"Potter-Malfoy," Draco said dangerously.

"Whatever, I got her out, which you clearly couldn't do for three bloody days. That's the same outfit she was wearing when we fell down the stairs. I have something she wants; in return, she's going to go upstairs, bathe and return in- forty minutes now. I will be timing you. Well, move it, witch!"

"Stop bullying her ,you big meany!" Harry said stomping his foot.

"If it gets her to stop sulking and acting like a child, I'd do whatever is necessary." Stephen snorted.

Draco reluctantly invited Stephen to sit, since he clearly wasn't going to leave.

Harry was suspicious that he was also feeling guilty for not being able to help Hermione more…

Stephen toyed with the pendant, "She better hurry."

Draco snapped. "Why in Morganna's name, do you even care?"

Harry wondered the same thing, it wasn't like Stephen and Hermione were friends. They shared some classes and were prefects together, but that was it.

"I haven't the foggiest," Stephen muttered. "It's bad enough that I went arse over elbow to protect her. I don't get one bit of gratitude just a panic attack about a pendant."

"It's her lifeline, you heartless bastard." Harry glowered. "It's hard enough on her without worrying that someone is going to see. She wears layers when she can, so we don't realise; well, I didn't realise."

Stephen glanced up at him, looking curious, "How exactly did you learn it?"

"Not your business. It was an accident," Harry punched Draco in the side, "but it's this poncy git's fault! I'm only glad I know because that means she's no longer struggling with having no one here who cares. She's got me!"

Stephen seemed smug when he shrugged, "So? You couldn't get her out of bed."

"She was devastated! She's a legal adult, seventeen and I can't make her do anything. I can beg, plead and cajole but in the end, it's her choice." Harry hissed defensively.

"Then clearly," Stephen said snidely, "I have something that you don't."

Their argument was cut short by Hermione clearing her throat.

"Did you shower properly?" Stephen snapped.

"Um, yes. I've just gotten used to bathing quickly, it's safer." Hermione whispered.

"Why are you so afraid of someone knowing you're becoming a girl instead of being born one?"

"So, people don't treat me badly." Hermione sniffed, "Luna was thrown out of bathrooms and sometimes, Terry is mistreated for using them when ze is fem."

"Dumbledore is bloody gone. I don't get what the big deal is." Stephen grumbled.

"We're still transitioning from an administration where gender non-conforming students are unwelcome." Hermione sighed. "People have to unlearn that bullying us is acceptable."

"What about those who haven't come forward about being well, what you are… do you think skulking in the shadows," Stephen asked exasperatedly.

"It's called stealth," Hermione said firmly but quietly, "not skulking."

"You're still hiding who you are." Stephen retorted.

"Why do you even care? We're not even friends!" Hermione tossed back.

"I don't know. All I know is that you intrigue me. This stealth annoys me. This pendant is a prototype, it's not permanent." Stephen said snidely as he put the pendant on Hermione.

Hermione froze, "That means…"

"It has a limited lifetime, the person who sold it was surprised that your previous one lasted this long. You've had it since just before our second year, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"It is supposed to last no more than three years. Then it's presumed that your dysphoria? Is that the right word?" Stephen frowned thoughtfully.

"Look who did their homework." Harry sulked.

"I'm talking to Hermione, Potter." Stephen grumbled, "After three years, you're expected to need other things. In the Muggle world, I think they would be called prosthetics. We just call them magical sex enhancement devices or sex toys if you're lazy."

Hermione turned bright pink.

"Now as I was saying, you should find something else. Something to practice with, that's part of… passing?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Okay…"

"You should look into magical ways to become a full girl; it might be less awful than you think. The muggles helped you stealth, it's time for you to embrace the magical world's way of becoming." Stephen flicked her in the forehead before he smirked, "By the way, for missing prefect rounds, I talked Giselle into a punishment."

Hermione gaped at him.

"See you tomorrow, partner…" Stephen said before leaving just a brusquely as he arrived.

Harry was partly annoyed with Stephen Corner, but also grateful. While he didn't approve of the Ravenclaw's methods, he had to reluctantly admit they were effective…

Draco had the strangest look on his face…

Hermione shyly admitting to being hungry.

Harry would have spoilt her with all her favourite foods but she hadn't eaten in three days…

He requested soup and biscuits, watching anxiously as she ate.

Harry really did want her to be okay, he just wished that he could have done more. Seeing her weep so brokenly and learning that she had used her potions knife on herself had been painful.

If they shared the same potions class, Harry would have requested she give him her knife. But they didn't and he wanted to trust her…

He really hoped that Stephen continued to help Hermione, Harry hated that she was alone in regular classes.

What do you think? Outstanding? Exceeds Expectations? Acceptable? Poor? Dreadful? Troll?