Disclaimer: I only own the plot and characters that obviously arent in the books. (none as of yet)

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Hermione Granger lifted her shirt to examine the damage of last night's drunken rage. Her parents had been beating her repeatedly for the last three summers. Ever since she walked over to them from the Hogwarts express at the end of fourth years.

She looked over her stomach. Several new bruises stood out on her pale skin. Lord, how she hated her family. Several wounds were scattered across her back. Her 'father' decided that she needed some extra punishment.

&&&&&Flashback&&&&&

&&&&&

Hermione looked up to her reflection. She saw an emotionless expression and black hair. She had perfect skin though. About the only part of her that didn't have a scar of some kind on it. The only part that Ryan left untouched.

Hermione walked across her bedroom. Come on, only one more week of this hell and you never had to come back. She reached her dresser and opened the second last drawer and pulled out a knife that she had hidden by wrapping it in a small piece of scrap fabric..

She unwrapped it and pressed it to her skin. She only pressed hard enough for pain. Only hard enough for a few beads of blood to come. She had gone deeper before but she knew the limits. Knew exactly how far to go for just the simple relief and how far to for death to welcome her.

She looked up saw Hedwig coming towards the window. She took the letter that was attached to her leg, gave her a treat from her desk drawer and sent her off without a reply. She hadn't replied a single time that summer. No matter who the letter was from. She had eventually stopped reading the letters because it simply hurt too much. They were so ignorant, but she liked it that way. She didn't want them to know that the perfect life she had led them to believe she had was all a lie.

She had gotten her letters from Hogwarts a week previous and found out that she was Head Girl, though it didn't tell her who the Head Boy was. She was hoping that it would be someone from another house, because she didn't want a Gryffindor living in close confines with her again.

It had come to close for comfort a few times over the past years in the girl's dorm. They had almost seen her scars so many times, but they just thought that is was a trick of the eye because when they looked next they would all be gone. The guys were a lot smarter than her dorm mates had been, and she had always been careful to have long sleeves or robes on at all times around them.

If she had to live with one of them it would be to likely that they would notice her little problem. That they would see the scars that covered her body. She had kept it all a secret for a reason, and now was not the time for it to come out.

She thought it would most likely be Malfoy as he was second to her in every class, except potions, but the reason there was kind of obvious. Really, she hoped that it was Malfoy.

She hated immensely and vice-versa. He would never care enough to even notice that she was there or notice that there was something wrong. He certainly wouldn't notice any of her scars. Would never care how they got there in the unlikely case he did notice.

She would never let anyone know this though. It wouldn't be good because it would show that she had a problem, that she wasn't the Hermione Granger she had led everyone to think she was.

Hermione laid on her bed and reached over the edge to grab her Journal. It had every secret in it, but it wasn't written in normal everyday English. It was all poems and someone would really have to study them to get what they said.

She opened up to an empty page and began to write.

Hermione closed her journal and put it back in its spot. She never intended anyone to read it, ever. And if she could help, no one ever would.

She went back to her dresser and grabbed a plain black sweatshirt. She wore all black all the time. No one noticed this though. Or did and just thought that it was a change of wardrobe. Whatever the reason she didn't care.

She was always so surprised though. So emotionless were her eyes and face. So hollow looking. Not the Hermione Granger that Hogwarts knew.

She walked out of the house, and wandered around. She hadn't been out of the house for a few days, and knew that she was in for something tonight, whether or not she stayed in.

&&&&Off somewhere in the country&&&&

Draco Malfoy rolled over in his bed only to be hit with a blinding pain. All last night came rushing back to him. His father had decided to give him one last 'lesson' before he left on some business.

Draco was glad to see his father go. It meant less chance of another beating before school started. He had gotten his letter telling him that he was Head Boy roughly a week earlier, and his father had been pleased, for about an hours, than he started on Draco again.

This time about becoming a Death Eater. Something that Draco was dead set against. He may be a Malfoy but he didn't want to be a pure Malfoy if that's what it took. He would never bow down and kiss someone's feet because it counted as family honour.

He had a mind of his own, and he refused to let others tell him how to use it. This subject had earned him a number of lovely little 'lessons'. Lucius just didn't seem to get that no number of these sessions could ever change his mind about this.

Draco knew that he could easily best Lucius in a duel. All knowledge of the dark arts had been passed on to him by Lucius and all the knowledge from Hogwarts combined with all the extra reading he did plus . . . lets just say that he was a lot more knowledgeable than his father.

The prospect of duelling just sickened Draco right through, though. That and the fact that he was still underage were pretty good reasons to not duel his father at this point. He knew he would have to one day but as long as one day wasn't today he was happy.

He got up and walked over to his dresser and pulled out two items. One a silver blade. The other, a bottle of vodka.

He took a drink of the vodka than put it back and took off his watch. He than took the blade and pressed it the pale skin of his wrist. He wanted to see it bleed, and bleed it did.

He only had one scar on his arm from this. Only one for memory. The rest he magically removed at the beginning of each year. The scars that his father left however were a completely different story.

They couldn't be removed. Not by muggle or magical ways. He had tried everything under the sun and yet they still remained and it was driving him insane. He finally gave up on removing them, and just made sure that they were covered up.

He looked at fresh cut and saw that it was still bleeding. He walked over to his bathroom and rinsed it off then took a towel and applied pressure to it.

Draco knew exactly how deep he had to go. He never went farther than that. The bleeding finally ceased and he tossed the towel in the pile by the door. The house elves never noticed what was on them and there was never anyone else in his room so he needn't worry at all.

He went and grabbed some clothes from the dresser and made sure that the blade and vodka were hidden again. Draco turned on the water and let the water cascade down his back, his muscles relaxing just from the warm water.

After dressing, he grabbed a baseball cap and threw it on (A/N: I Know I know. He would never do this, but its OOC just remember this).

He walked down that stairs to the living room fire place. Draco grabbed some floo powder and flooed to Diagon Alley to obtain his school supplies.

&&&&Diagon Alley&&&&

Hermione eventually found herself standing in Diagon Alley. How she got there, she couldn't remember and she honestly didn't care at this moment. She just glad to be far away from that house.

Ryan and Teresa would be asleep for at least another two hours. But it really wouldn't matter when she got back. As long as it was before 9PM that night when they went to leave for the night. Other than that they would never notice that she was gone.

She walked to Gringotts to get some money from her vault. The one that only she knew about.

She took out what she needed for her school supplies plus a little extra. After wandering and getting almost everything, she headed towards Flourish and Blotts.

She walked in and headed towards the back, when out of no where someone came around the corner and ran straight into her. (a/n: I'm sick of Hermione running into him) She almost went toppling over but grabbed on to the persons arm at the right moment.

She was hit with a sudden dizziness and almost passed out right there, but the stranger must of saw this and made her sit there on the floor waiting for it to pass.

She finally looked at the stranger and saw the disturbing blue eyes that she had loathed for so long. Draco Malfoy. A sudden anger flashed through her but she didn't show it.

Draco looked at the person in front of him. She looked remarkably like Granger but there was no way. Granger had bushy brown hair, not straight, black hair. But he saw her eyes and knew it was her. It was the girl he had loathed for so long.

Hermione glared at him before standing up and turning to walk away when she heard two all to familiar voices.

"I told her that we would meet her here" Harry insisted.

"I understand that but are you sure you gave her the right date?" Ron questioned.

"Yes Ron, yes. I promise you I did. I've written so many times and I never got a reply.

And if I'm right, you never got one either"

Hermione stood frozen on the spot. She would've moved but she was afraid that it would draw attention to her. That they would see her.

She had to come up with a story to tell them by the time vacation ended. Something that they would believe.

Finally the voices started to move away until they were completely gone and she heard the bells on the door jingle signalling that they left.

"O my god. That was way to close. Now what to tell them" Hermione started muttering to herself.

"You know Granger, that really cant be healthy. Talking to yourself" Draco smirked at her.

"Fuck off Malfoy, I cant deal with you today" Hermione snapped.

"I'm wounded Granger" Draco responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just go to hell Malfoy"

"Been there done that"

"Whatever" Hermione breathed. She pushed past him, got what she needed and left.

Walking out of Diagon Alley, she looked all around her making sure that Harry and Ron were nowhere in sight.

Draco stood in the store for a few minutes, stunned at the girl that had just left. She had developed a back bone. A strong back bone. This was going to make his year fun. Lots of fun.