Chapter Three
Hermione trudged back up towards the castle after a few more minutes alone with her thoughts. The event with Malfoy gave her something else to add to her list of thoughts. What was on that piece of parchment that he clutched so tightly? What could have possibly made Draco Malfoy cry? She didn't have too much time to think about it before she had to run to class. Hermione Granger had never been late for a class and she didn't intend on starting now.
When she entered the classroom, there was no sign of Ron. Harry sat alone at a desk near the front of the room. She strode across the room quickly before one of the many students milling around could take the empty seat next to him. Hermione dropped her bag next to the chair and sat down, giving Harry a weak smile. Harry returned the smile somewhat confused.
"Why aren't you going to sit with Ron?" Hermione stopped in her tracks and looked at her best friend incredulously.
"Are you kidding me? After what he did?" Harry gave her a blank expression. It was apparent that he wasn't informed on the situation.
"I can't believe he didn't tell you. Well actually I can." She said, rolling her eyes. Hermione explained in a hushed voice what transpired on Saturday afternoon. Harry's eyes glinted with something that looked like fury. As Hermione finished her story, Ron walked into the room and headed toward him, but after the intense glare he received from Harry, he thought better of it. He looked toward Hermione but the look on her face told him that if he came any closer, he would very likely have problems peeing straight.
After class, Ron dared an approach. Harry had calmed down, if only slightly. As Ron got closer, Hermione noticed Harry clutching his wand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Ron looked increasingly uncomfortable under their glares, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other a few times before Hermione prompted him to speak.
"What, Ronald?" She barked. Ron jumped at the sharpness in her tone.
"I just wanted to apologize and explain what happened." Hermione laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"An apology won't get you out of this one, mate." Harry said coldly.
"What are you going to say, Ron? That she raped you?" Hermione sneered. "You seemed to be enjoying it every bit as much as she was."
"No, Hermione, I-,"
"Save it Ron." She said, cutting him off. "It's over." Hermione brushed past him and strode off down the hall in the direction of her next class. Ron ran his hand through his red hair and sighed.
"Can you believe her?" He scoffed. Harry snorted derisively.
"Yeah, I can. How could you do that to her?" Harry snarled, and without waiting for an answer he followed Hermione towards History of Magic, leaving Ron standing alone to revel in his solitude.
Hermione climbed through the portrait to the heads' dormitory after a long day of avoiding Ron's attempts to apologize. She dropped her bags at the door of the common room and sank into the plush cushions of the navy blue sofa. Hermione didn't know how long she sat there staring into the leaping orange flames in the fireplace, but she was startled out of her reverie when Malfoy climbed through the portrait hole. It was obvious that he was back to his usual arrogant self as soon as he opened his mouth.
"No Weasel today?" He sneered. Hermione looked up at him with sad eyes. Draco was thrown off guard by the pain in her expression and the lack of a snarky reply. She simply shook her head and went back to staring into the flames. Malfoy looked at her quizzically. He could tell that there was something off with her today. "Was it the Weasel or Pothead?"
"The Weasel," Hermione answered bitterly. Draco almost laughed when she used his rude nickname for Ron, but he could tell his amusement would not be appreciated. Draco dropped his books next to hers and sat down beside her on the couch. Hermione looked up in surprise at his unexpected presence.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Do you want to talk about why you were crying down at the lake this morning?" Hermione asked, not expecting an answer. Draco's grey eyes darkened his guarded mask back in place. "I didn't think so." Hermione replied and turned to face the fire once more. Draco quickly stood up and snatched his books from the floor.
"Forget I even asked," He snarled as he stormed into his bedroom. It didn't escape Hermione's notice however, that for the first time there were no 'Mudblood' comments involved in their conversation. Despite her shitty mood, this small piece of knowledge brought a tiny smile to her face.
The next morning, Hermione headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It still felt strange to walk alone without Ron's talkative presence to break the silence. However, as she thought about it, she realized that she didn't miss it as much as she thought she would. As she waited for the moving staircase to return to its post in front of her, she heard footsteps approaching. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping it wasn't Ron, and to her relief it wasn't. Draco stopped next to her, dressed head to toe in black, his Slytherin robes draped over his left arm.
"Morning, Granger." He grunted. Hermione was caught off guard by his uncharacteristic politeness and could only nod. The staircase locked into place in front of them and she hurried forward, anxious to get away from Malfoy. She walked into the Great Hall, her eyes scanning the Gryffindor table for Harry. Hermione's heart skipped a beat when she saw Ron sitting across from Parvati Patil and holding hands with Lavender. Lavender felt Hermione's gaze and looked up. When she noticed who was staring at her she smirked and raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow. Turning toward Ron, she planted a wet, over the top kiss on his lips. Ron, clueless as ever, eagerly returned the kiss. Hermione pursed her lips and continued to walk past them to take her seat next to Harry, not noticing the perplexed expression of Draco Malfoy who had witnessed the entire exchange.
After breakfast, Harry and Hermione parted ways so that Harry could walk Ginny to her History of Magic class. Hermione headed downstairs to the dungeons toward Potions. As she approached the classroom, she could hear Lavender's obnoxious giggle behind her.
"Oh Ron, you are so funny!" Hermione rolled her eyes; she knew from experience that Ron was not actually that funny and that Lavender's exclamation was for Hermione's benefit. Suddenly, Hermione was pushed up against the wall by a heavy male body. A hand discreetly covered her mouth before she could even gasp in surprise, to anyone watching it would look like a loving caress.
"Play along," Draco's gruff voice whispered in her ear. His hand dropped from her mouth to her neck. He placed feather soft kisses on her ears and her jaw. Her eyes fluttered shut, but not before seeing Ron and Lavender's shocked expressions. Hermione felt a rush of triumph and then something that felt like pleasure. Draco's fingers left tingles in their wake as they traveled downward towards her waist. His lips left a burning sensation on her jaw as they left her skin. After Ron and Lavender entered the Potions classroom, Draco stepped away from her.
"Why did you do that?" Hermione whispered. She was still feeling a little weak from his touch.
"I saw what happened in the Great Hall this morning. Weasley's a git."
"Lavender is the biggest gossip in Gryffindor. The whole school is going to know by dinner." Draco shrugged. He didn't care; it wasn't like he talked to any of the Slytherins anymore.
"Thank you." Hermione smiled and turned to head into the classroom just as the warning bell rang.