For those who reviewed the last story thank you. You compelled me to write a sequel which I don't normally do. This is Hermione fighting back and trying not to turn into someone she's not.

What was life? The time you spend on earth, or simply a pass time till you are decided to go to Heaven or Hell?

Months before, Hermione Granger could have told you her educated idea on the matter, but nothing passed to her anymore that she cared about.

No matter how many words Draco had let spill from his mouth a month ago to heal her wounds, the cut marks in her soul remained. He'd had all of her-life, essence, heart, soul, and then he'd just gone and thrown it all away.

Never again would she allow herself to be blinded-to live in the dark. Life had no meaning now-so why waste her breath telling the people who bothered to ask what was wrong the truth? There was no justice any longer.

Where was the boundary drawn between suicide and murder? Where did you change from wanting to kill yourself to wanting to kill someone else? As she sat sharpening that knife, no words came to mind that could tell her. She had to do this-know that the one who had caused her so much pain was gone from her life forever.

Did one simple murder send you to Hell?

She remembered Draco's kind words-"There are five stages of depression Hermione. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Do you think you'll ever get to the last one this way?"

She had long passed Denial. The time had set in for anger. And she was lustful of it.

Where did the walls fall from sane to insane to insanity? Where did you stop? Did you just keep going or did you tumble over the edge without a hand o help pull you back to the right path. Long ago she'd strayed from the correct path.

She stopped sharpening and pricked her finger on the fine tip of the knife. Hot red lucid blood came, pooling on the tip of her pale skin. She smiled-half mad- and licked the blood away. Sometimes she liked being insane.

The deed had to be done quickly. She'd slipped a note to that bas-Ron! She met Ron, earlier in Potions, and signed it with that blasted girl's name. He thought he was meeting her tonight, not Hermione.

Too bad it was the last person he'd ever meet. Anywhere.

She shoved the knife into a small bag she'd discard later, and slipped her wand in as well in case the Weasel decided to play unfair. Then again, everything about this was unfair. She just shook her head, pulled on her black cloak, and walked briskly from her room-

-straight into Draco.

"Watch it." His tone was so careless she almost hated him for having no problems-well, nothing he showed.

"Whatever ferret."

He noted that she kept her head low, and didn't look up to meet his eyes like she always did when he insulted her. Her voice was a rasp and sounded barely human. He was reminded of the month prior-"Ron cheated on me! Okay? He slept with someone else okay Draco! He cheated on me and then lied to my face even when I caught them! He never cared about me okay! I don't know why I wasted my time living like this but I'm done! Saving me wasn't a favor Draco! Yes maybe it was suicide. Yes maybe it was stupid but it would've taken this away! I wouldn't be regretting every day since then now if I was dead!"

He shook his head and looked at the black figure walking quickly towards the door. Where would she be going in a black cloak? "Granger?" She turned back but proceeded to keep her head down. "Just where are you going?"

"I owe you no answer." But she looked up for the first time in a while and met his gray-almost silver-eyes. "I just need to end something." She proceeded to turn and leave, the black cloak billowing out behind her, nearly getting it caught as the portrait swung shut.

He stood there in shock. His heart might as well have been dead.

Dead, like her eyes.

He must have been crazy.

Crazy like she was.

He didn't wait. He grabbed his own cloak and wand from his bedroom, cast a spell to tell him where Hermione was going, and walked out the portrait.

Ronald Weasley stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest waiting for his girl to arrive. It was chilly and he pulled at the jacket he wore. Where was she? She'd said 9 o'clock on the dot. It was 9:10.

A silhouette appeared in the darkness, illuminated only by the faint moon.

"Ah, there you are. I thought you stood me up." Relief flooded through him, till the girl's face was shown clearly in the moonlight.

"Yes Ronald, it is me."

His heart stopped cold, then he cursed beneath his breath.

Draco stood hidden just inside the trees, watching as Hermione walked towards Weasley slowly, deliberately, like a cat stalking its prey and making the final stand before the kill.

What is she doing?

"Hermione?" His voice was startled and he took one step back. "What are you doing out here?"

He was acting kind, nice. Like nothing had ever happened, like he'd never broken her heart, like he'd never cheated. He was trying to go on as friends, like the last year had never been.

Son of a. . . .she stopped herself and shook her head.

"I guess you got my note."

"WHAT!?"

She almost-almost-smirked beneath the black cloak that hid most of her face. But the hair that billowed out of the cloak had told Ron exactly who she was. "I sent you the note Ron."

"Why did you use my girlfriends name 'Mione?"

"I knew a person like you wouldn't come if it was signed under my name."

"A person like me?" He narrowed his eyes, his think headed stupidity blocking out what she was actually saying. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wow he is as stupid as Hermione told me.

"What's that supposed to mean? A cheating bloody man is what you are!"

His eyes narrowed. He clenched his left hand into a fist, pulling out his wand carefully with the other. Hermione's eyes narrowed beneath her cloak-

-and Draco went on alert for some reason unknown to him. He couldn't say why but he wanted to protect her. He wanted to rip apart Ron for even having the guts to hold a wand out to her. But something in the back of his mind was yelling at him that Ron wasn't the immediate threat.

It was Hermione.

Hermione just stared at him with the fire in her eyes as Tran-lucid as venom. He could see the rage in there.

"But that's not going to be my problem much longer Ron," she said, her eyes burning. "I'll never let you mess with my head again." Her words were clear, and as Ron's face paled he stuck his wand out at her further, stepping forwards like the fool he was.

"Just tell me what's going on Hermione. This isn't you."

Her head snapped up and he stared at dead, mad, crazy eyes. "It didn't used to be."

"Hermione. . ."

"You will never cheat on me again Ron." With that she pulled out the knife and the wand. "I'm through with listening to you Ron." His eyes went large, then angry.

"Not if I finish you first." He lunged.

Draco watched stunned. She's gonna kill him!? And in a muggle way no less!

He watched from his hiding place behind the bushes, as Ron lunged and sent a spell at her. Help her! Now you idiot!

He jumped out at the trees at the last second, sending Ron's spell away with the flick of his wand, as he was the better Wizard. Ron gaped at him for a single moment before Draco had him tied to a tree, unable to do anything, his wand a couple feet away on the ground. He spun back to glare at Hermione.

"What. The. Hell."

She glared at him. "Get out of here Malfoy." Back step on the last name.

"No Granger. Normal sane people don't go round calling out other people in the middle of the night, then pull out a dagger and a wand to kill them! What is wrong with you?"

"Me?" Her eyes showed life for the first time: fire. Fire burned in their chocolate depths. "Nothing is wrong with me! Its him! Its him! Its him! Its his fault! He did it! Not me! I just want even!"

"Is this even? Or is this murder Granger? Think about it?"

She stared at him, then at Ron still stuck to the tree. She didn't want to say. "Why do you care?"

"I saved you from doing something stupid once. I'm going to stop you from making a huge mistake again Granger."

She shook her head. "Its not a mistake. I have to do this."

"No, you don't. Death wont solve anything."

"Yes it will Malfoy. I'll never be able to rest knowing he's still around." Her eyes stared into his perfect gray ones and she felt herself slipping into them.

"You're stronger than that Hermione. Now prove it to him. Walk away." He was begging her to in his mind, praying she would see the fault of her actions.

She just kept looking at him with her half-dead eyes. Why should I listen to him? He's stopping me from doing what I want to the most in the world. I want him dead!

Or do I want to make the pain subside?

Dang, he messed up my thinking!

Again she looked at him, straight in the eyes, then at Ron, still waiting with fear on his face. She wanted nothing more than to plunge the dagger into his chest. Killing him the wizard way was too quick. She had to know he suffered like she was, like she is.

She dropped the dagger and wand, looking Malfoy straight in the eye. "You're right. I am stronger." He nodded, keeping concealed the smile he wanted to show of how proud and surprised he was that she could walk away like that. She gazed at Ronald. "And I will always be stronger than you."

Draco looked at Ron and waved his wand, chanting a spell, and Ron went limp, slumping over against the tree. "He will remember nothing tomorrow when that oaf comes around."

She watched as he picked up her wand, destroying that dagger with a spell and making it disappear into the earth. He held out the long, slender piece of wood to her, and she stared at it.

Take it back. Take it back. Take it back. Every fiber of her being told her to reach out and grab it, yet she restrained her arms at her sides.

"Hold that for me," she rasped. "I don't think I could control myself to not come back and kill him." Draco was surprised, but nonetheless he put the wand into his pocket, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's just get inside."

He stood in her doorway as she fell into bed without changing, huge brown eyes wide as windows. She looked confused and lost. Her heart hurt and it felt like a part of her had died.

The part that had once loved Ron was dead, like her eyes. Like the way she slumped into the pillows, like the way she stared at nothingness.

He hesitated. She looked so broken and forgotten, like a lost puppy who doesn't know where to go or what to do. It almost-almost-broke his heart. She wasn't Hermione, she was a dead girl trying to survive. Whatever part of her soul Weasel had stole had been large, and it left her drained and broken.

He expected her to cry, to let a tear fall.

But she did nothing of the sort. She wasn't weak, she didn't waste her tears anymore. She wanted to curse his name forever, she wanted to leave an impression on him still. She wanted him to feel the pain she felt every day since he cheated. She wanted revenge.

Instead, she let herself fall away, till she felt like she didn't breathe, just stared, forever, at the stars.

Draco came and sat on the edge of her bed, but she didn't even spare him a glace. He just watched her. The abnormal paleness to her complexion, the dead eyes, the lifeless soul, like she'd died the day she found out, even before her attempt at suicide.

All night she stayed looking at the stars, insanity taking her. Why wasn't she out there? Why wasn't he? At least one of them should be dead. . .

All night Draco sat and watched the abnormal breathing routine, and how broken she was. He never moved, even when she reached out and subconsciously took his hand in her ice cold one.

All night she stared at the stars. Draco is you're new ground. He will never let you make a mistake like you've been trying. He will always be there, just accept it.

And I will keep trying to correct this problem. No matter how often he stops me. Weasley wont get away with this.

They both knew she wasn't done attempting things, and until she was, Draco would be there stopping her.

But only he knew this.

I wont let you ruin you're life Hermione.

I love you.