No More Tears, No More Sorrows

Joint effort by:

Slytherin Girl, SophieBabe

& Magical Me

Authors' Note: Welcome to yet another journey! This story actually has three authors. I, MagicalMe, am co-authoring this fic with the famous Slytherin Girl and the incredible SophieBabe. We will each write a chapter to add to the story. For the first one, it's MagicalMe, second one is Slytherin Girl, third one is SophieBabe, and so on and so on. I must say that I am extremely honored to work with fan fiction's finest authors, and together we will create the 'crème de la crème' of the fan fiction world. Incase you are unfamiliar with our previous works, Slytherin Girl is author of "I Won't Walk Away", "Making My Head Spin", "Across Uncrossable Lines", and "Unexpected Love". SophieBabe has written the ever so popular "Complicated", and I have written "To Love Someone You Hate" and "Reaching the Unreachable". We hope that you enjoy our attempt at a co-authored story! Bon appetite, and happy reading! (Oh, and I would also like to point out that the beginning of this chapter was written by myself along with SophieBabe. The opening quote, was written by Rhosymedre and was taken from her fic "The Other Side of Darkness.")

Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter or related characters. JK Rowling does and we are not taking credit.

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

"Great and merciful Circle of Merlin and all the Gods of our fathers and their fathers before them…"

She slowly began to unravel the intricate weavings of his psyche – thread by thread at first, but now the need had grown much dire.

He was gone, and no one could have saved him.

Not even her.

She gulped and tried in vain to stop the tears from pouring down her face.

It wouldn't work - nothing could stop her pain.

Not her friends, who admired her. Not her family, that supported her. Not her teachers, who always praised her for her intelligence. None of these people could stop the immense misery and depression that he had brought upon her.

Why? Why did she deserve this? She was an incredible student who excelled in school. She was greatly admired for her grades, and for just flat out being her 'wonderful self'. So why did she deserve this kind of despair?

For the first time, the 'know-it-all' didn't have an answer to a question.

"Hermione," a voice gently whispered. She felt a tender hand on her shoulder and she shuddered under the touch. She slowly turned around and stared into a pair of emerald green eyes.

"Hermione," Harry continued, "we're going to go now. Will you be alright?"

She solemnly nodded and watched as her two best friends walked away from her. 'Everyone's always walking away from me,' she thought grimly, then turned her attention back to the tombstone. Hermione gingerly knelt down in front of it and traced the engravings in the stone with her forefinger.

She drew a single rose from her robes and placed it on the plot as a symbol of love.

Love.

She knew she had loved him – but why? She didn't know. Well, perhaps she did.

She stood up from the grave and let her eyes rest upon it one last time. As she scanned the horizons, she let out a low whisper.

"May your soul forever rest in peace, Draco Malfoy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Albus Dumbledore curiously watched the girl from the window in his office. He sighed and let his pet Phoenix, Fawkes, perch on his shoulder. Fawkes let out a noise and the Headmaster looked at his bird with a half-smile. "Miss Granger will learn soon enough, my friend. Soon enough."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione Granger slowly wandered her way back up to the enormous castle that had been her home for the past six and a half years. 'Soon to be seven,' she absently corrected herself.

For the first six years, the man she had grown to love but known as a child, was a pure terror - a nightmare, at best. Draco Malfoy was anything but nice to her. Always calling her the most offensive name in the Wizarding world, the 'Mudblood' and him had never liked each other. There really was no reason to, aside from her friendship with Harry Potter and Muggle parentage and his rotten family.

The two had come to know otherwise at the beginning of their seventh year.

Hermione edged her way up to Gryffindor Tower and found her way into the Head Girl dormitory. She failed in managing to hold back tears, and a flow of water was released from her eyes as she saw Draco's bedroom. It was customary at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the Head Boy and Girl to share a common room that attached their personal bedrooms. Unsurprisingly enough, Hermione had landed the position of Head Girl, but much to the Gryffindors' surprise, their least favorite Slytherin had gained the title opposite of her.

She seated herself in his favorite chair and bore her eyes into the fireplace. She gazed intently at the roaring flames and remembered – remembered how it all began.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"And now," Professor Flitwick addressed a room full of seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins, "I will explain to you about the research project!"

All the students, with the exception of the bright and clever Hermione Granger, suppressed a loud groan.

"Now, now! I promise you that the Charms you will research are of great importance and each and every one of you will thoroughly enjoy your project!" He smiled. "I have also had a chance to arrange the groups and their members."

"Maybe we'll get in a group together," Ron Weasley told his friends hopefully.

Harry Potter shook his head. "Knowing Flitwick, he'll probably decide that Inter-House pairing is the way to go."

Ron snorted. "Is he mad? Doesn't he know that grouping Gryffindors and Slytherins together will release all Hell?"

"I have decided that Inter-House pairing is the way to go!" the Charms Professor announced.

Harry smirked, Ron's mouth flew open, and Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"The groups are as follows: Harry Potter and Gregory Goyle-"

Harry's face fell, and Ron whispered, "at least you didn't get Crabbe!"

"Ronald Weasley and Vincent Crabbe!"

Harry stifled his laughter. "Yes, but looks like you did." The red-haired boy ignored the snide comment and continued to stare at his Professor in disbelief.

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione's eyes grew wide and her mouth formed a large 'o'. "This is not happening," she muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry you had to get stuck with Ferret Boy," Ron said sympathetically.

Hermione shook her head. "There must be some sort of mistake!"

Apparently, the blonde haired boy must have asked the Professor the same question, because he then said, "No, Mister Malfoy, I assure you there is no mistake." Hermione's mouth dropped wide open again, and Flitwick beamed, adding, "In fact, I expect the work from the two of you to be the best. After all, if our Head Boy and Girl work together, the results should be remarkable!"

Hermione groaned, but managed to mask it with a grin when the Professor looked her way.

"Oh! Class dismissed!"

The three best friends quickly piled out of the Charms room and went off to the Great Hall for Lunch. As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Ron turned to Hermione and said, " 'Mione, pinch me."

She looked at him quizzically and fulfilled his request.

He sighed and let Harry fill his bowl with soup. "I guess this isn't a nightmare after all."

Hermione clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "I don't really understand this. I mean, honestly!"

"I reckon we'd better do what Flitwick wants and get it over with – I mean, I already know that I'm going to be doing nearly all the work," Harry added, sipping the Minestrone thoughtfully.

They watched as fellow Gryffindors Dean, Neville, and Seamus entered the Great Hall and assumed their positions beside them.

"Tough day," Dean said.

Hermione snorted. "Yes, but at least you didn't get paired with that prat Malfoy!"

Dean scowled. "Yes, but at least you didn't get paired with Pansy Pug-faced Parkinson."

"True."

"Blaise Zabini has got to be the worst of the lot," Seamus threw in.

"Not compared to the Serpent King himself," Hermione argued.

"Point well taken."

"Mhmm."

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, before Hermione rose from the table and announced that she was going to go back to her room and study before dinner.

"Figures," Ron muttered to Harry. "Only she would study on a Friday!"

Hermione whirled around. "I heard that, Ronald Weasley!" she snapped, and in a flurry of robes, she was gone.

She strolled down the corridors before finally coming across the portrait guarding the common room that she and Malfoy shared. She scowled at the thought of him before hastily continuing with giving the portrait her password.

Hermione casually stepped into the spacious and luxurious common room decorated in all eight Hogwarts colors. The Head common room had marble floors with Persian throw rugs on the ground. The warm and welcoming fireplace sat on the left side of the room, and in the center stood two sturdy cherry wood desks with their names engraved in gold on them. In front of the fireplace were a long couch, a love seat, and two identical large, plush chairs. Two spiraling staircases also made of marble circled up to the second floor; one staircase leading to a large oak door with 'Head Girl' and 'Hermione Granger' engraved on the door, the other leading to another large door, but engraved with 'Head Boy' and 'Draco Malfoy'.

She steered herself up the staircase and opened the large door that led to her room. Hermione walked into her bedroom and flopped down on the large, four-poster bed, complete with scarlet and gold bedding and a scarlet and gold canopy. She lay down for a few minutes before finally deciding she had better get started on her homework. After a mental checklist of assignments that were due within the next three months, she realized she had nothing to do, and decided to head down in front of the fire and read a book.

She grabbed her copy of a Muggle book called Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and skipped down the stairs. Hermione comfortably settled herself in front of the roaring flames and was swept away into the Parisian underworld in only a matter of seconds.

As she was beginning to fall in love with Jean Valjean, she was brought back to reality at the sound of a door slamming. Malfoy was in.

She turned around and saw the fairly handsome young man run up his own set of stairs. Did I just call him handsome? She shuddered. Well I did say fairly handsome!

Malfoy suddenly felt as though someone was staring at him, and stopped at his position on the staircase. "I know I'm irresistible and all that, but must you stare at me incessantly, Mudblood?"

"Sod off, Malfoy!" she snapped and returned to her book.

He shook his head and retreated to his room. A few seconds later, he emerged and rushed down the stairs.

"What's the matter?" she sneered. "Late for a date with Parkinson's Disease, are we?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You wish, Mudblood." He furrowed his eyebrows. "It's too bad you weren't in Slytherin," he added as an afterthought before his face turned into the 'sexy' smirk as every other girl in the school called it. "Despite your dirty blood, that is."

"It's a funny thing, too," she began. "Even though I'm the first witch in my family, it's a shame I'm so much more intelligent than an arrogant prick from a line of wizards."

His pale face turned a bright shade of red. "How dare you insult a Malfoy!" he hissed.

"Oh," she cried mockingly. "Is big bad Daddy Malfoy going to Avada Kedavra me?"

"You'd better watch it, Mudblood. My Father can do things that will make you wish you were never born!"

"That doesn't matter much," she said knowingly, then at an attempt to digress, added, "It's a shame about the Charms project."

"You're telling me," he agreed.

They both stopped and looked at each other. They had never agreed on anything.

"Anyway," she said quickly, "when do you suppose would be a good time for me to turn it in?"

"You!?" he cried incredulously. "Excuse me, Mudblood know-it-all, but I have earned every grade I have ever received, and I remain intent on keeping it that way."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I never thought you did your homework."

He smirked. "Just because I finish before you Granger, doesn't mean I don't do it all."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. "Now you didn't think that you were the only one who finished assignments as soon as they were given, did you?"

Honestly, she really didn't.

"Whatever, Malfoy. Go and be your little Pure blood self and get away from my filthiness."

"With pleasure," he said and began to head out the common room. "Good day, Mudblood."

Hermione watched as Malfoy exited. She had to admit that he was extremely good looking – there wasn't a single girl in the entire school who wasn't fawning all over him. Even the Gryffindors thought that he was definitely the most dashing bloke in all of Hogwarts.

Rubbish, she muttered to herself, just because of his well-built body, perfect facial features and icy gray eyes to-die-for, doesn't mean he's bloody handsome!

She snorted in amusement and continued reading.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

~This A/N was written by me, Slytherin Girl, as Magical Me either forgot to put one, or left it to me. So, tell us what you think. I'm so excited, my first co-authored story. Please review! You know you want to make me, and the others, happy! Oh and is you want to e-mail us, it's [email protected]. And if you can't get all that, the link is in our profile! And another special thanks to Rhosymedre for the use of her quote!~

~Slytherin Girl, SophieBabe, Magical Me~

~Thanks!~