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Silencio	By : AkashaTheKitty Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 40943 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
Author�s Note 1: Sorry about the time it took. There
were two factors to the delay. 1) I got sick. It was a really bad cold and for
3-4 days I didn�t even consider trying to write. 2) I want this story to end
about as much as you do, so I was procrastinating. Yes, this is the last
chapter of Silencio. More notes at the end.

Thanks to MissNibbles for repeatedly scaring me by getting
contractions and stuff. You are not
having a premie, dammit!
Thanks to Maz
for catering to my every need. ;) Thanks to kazfeist for not completely roasting me when I make stupid grammatical mistakes.

**********

Hermione had no
idea how she should feel. This, in itself, was not really something new, as her
relationship with Draco frequently threw her and turned everything she thought
she knew upside down.

But no matter
how she should feel, she felt
remarkably happy. Ecstatic even.

He had said he
loved her.

She didn�t quite
understand everything he had done to push her away over the months, but that
didn�t matter much now. All that was about to end.
Everything that had seemed so dire and important before was now fading in the
light of their love.

Love.

Could it really
be? She wasn�t deluding herself, was she? She hadn�t fallen asleep and was
dreaming up this whole thing? She pinched herself. Ow. No, she was awake, and he had truly said the words and assured
her that everything would be ok, they would be together.

Of course, she
knew it wouldn�t be easy for him to date a Muggleborn,
with his parents and his House and everything, but somehow, everything would
work out now. It had to. She couldn�t bear the thought of some stupid
prejudices keeping them apart. Not again.

She refused to
believe that the danger was as great as Draco had always claimed. It had just
been another way for him to push her away. If there was any danger, then it could be overcome by contacting the Order �
easy as that! If the Order would accept someone as horrible as Snape, then surely a repentant Malfoy or two wouldn�t make
people as much as raise an eyebrow.

She wouldn�t
acknowledge any obstacles. She wanted happily ever after.

Forever?

Well, nobody
could guarantee that, could they? Her logic told her that they were both still
very young and statistically, they were both bound to date several more people
before settling down. Her heart didn�t seem to care about the statistics,
though. It wanted to conquer all odds and be with him and nobody else. Who cared about the future; it was the now she
had to live in.

And he wanted to
be with her, too. Right here, right now.

Hermione�s heart
skipped every time she thought of that.

She hadn�t meant
to do what she had done. She supposed it was true what they said about full
moons making everyone a little crazy. She had felt the old attraction to him,
but he had been so cold, distant and annoying, and she had assumed that he
truly was over her. It had sobered her, and made her focus on the task at hand
until she had looked up and caught him gazing at her like that. He had looked
at her with such a pained yearning that it had stolen her breath, and her good
sense, away.

Of course he had
tried to deny it. Tried to get away from her. So she
had captivated him the only way she knew how � with her body.

And it had
worked. Merlin, had it worked.

He loved her.

He obviously had
never meant to say the words, for whatever foolish reasons he had for trying to
resist. He had meant to go on pretending that he didn�t care about her,
allowing both their hearts to break in the process.

I�ll have to punish him for that.

Hermione smiled.
Yes, she definitely had to punish him for trying to deny them both. What
possible reasons could he have that were good enough? None
that she could think of. No, he�d had some stupid idea about what would
work and what wouldn�t work and he had tried pushing her away, enforcing his
idea that their relationship wouldn�t work. Well, he was wrong!

Yeah? And what about punishing him for the fact that
he slept with Marilyn Shaw?

The familiar
pain twisted her insides and her smile faded. She was fairly certain that it
had been another stupid and desperate scheme of his to push her away. It did
hurt, and she did hate that he would even do this to her, but she wasn�t going
to allow it to break them apart. She wasn�t going to give up on them. Not this
time.

And if he does it again?

If he did it again� Then he couldn�t
really love her, could he? If he did it again, he�d prove that he was incapable
of staying faithful and staying in a meaningful relationship. But he wouldn�t
do it again. She was sure of that. Wasn�t she?

She tamped down her
insecurities. It wasn�t that she was going to forget this easily, but she had
already decided to forgive, and she refused to let it bother her more than was
necessary. It was necessary to remind
herself that she wouldn�t tolerate any more
infidelity, but it wasn�t necessary
to become bitter and suspicious and start chasing shadows.

He had made a
mistake. A big mistake, yes, but, nonetheless, just a mistake.

When she�d asked
him about it, when they were just lying together at the lake, he�d tried to
avoid her questions, but ultimately he had admitted to feeling horrible ever
since it had happened. He had admitted that he�d felt it to be a betrayal, too,
in spite of trying to convince himself at the time that it didn�t matter
because they weren�t really together. He�d said he didn�t feel like he could
make any excuses for it, but he�d been lonely and miserable and Shaw had come
upon him when he was feeling particularly vulnerable. He�d said that he�d never
done anything that he regretted more.

That helped a tiny
bit.

She knew,
intellectually, of course, that sex wasn�t always as intimate and fulfilling as
when she and Draco did it. Yet� She had no basis for
comparison, did she? In fact, he had had three times the partners that she had.
He had grudgingly admitted that he�d only slept with Pansy a couple of times,
and not since meeting Hermione, and that he had only been with Shaw that one
time. He had said that they didn�t compare, that nothing was like being with
her, but still�

No, this was
pointless. She believed him when he said he loved her. Merlin knew he�d lied to
her often enough and she had learned to tell the difference. He had been so
sincere, so vulnerable, so sad�

Why does loving me make him sad?

Because he didn�t believe in them.
She had clearly seen what he hadn�t tried very hard to hide, even as he
reassured her. He didn�t believe that they would make it against all odds. He
didn�t truly believe that they could be together.

Well, she�d show
him!

**********

�All right,
class, let me see what you have to show for it!� Slughorn
said, and then began making his way around the room.

It was the
second Monday after the full moon, they had Potions again, and Hermione was not happy. Their project was going very
well, to be sure, and they virtually had nothing to do but stir at it every few
days, but Hermione�s dissatisfaction was not academic.

It was Draco.

He had not tried
to get her alone again, not once. He hadn�t smiled at her or talked to her� He
barely even looked at her!

She was fairly
certain that that wasn�t how he was supposed to act � even if they were still keeping things secret. He had
never wanted to keep a distance like this before! Something was going on that
he wasn�t telling her about.

�And you two?� Slughorn asked, surveying the hate potion, which by now
mostly resembled something that somebody had already partially digested once.
It smelled a little that way too. �Ahh,
very good, very good. Yes, the color is just right.� He looked at Draco,
who was sitting with his head in his hands, his bored gaze fixed on the
cauldron. �Perhaps, since this potion requires timing more than labor, you can
use your free time in class to write me an essay on the properties of the
ingredients and the potion itself, yes?� He made his way to the next pair.

�Bloody
brilliant,� Draco grumbled, getting out parchment and quills. �We get to do extra work.�

�Well,�
Hermione�s patience was pretty thin today. �Maybe if you had looked less like
you were in a coma and more like there was an actual use for you, then perhaps we wouldn�t have to.�

He looked taken
aback, but then it was as if understanding dawned on him, and he held his
tongue. Hermione knew what conclusion he had drawn and it annoyed her even
more. Why was that always the first
conclusion that boys drew? It wasn�t as if she was only annoyed with him at that time of the month! Far from it! And
it wasn�t that time! She felt like
growling at him, but what was the point? She wouldn�t get anything useful from
him while anybody else was around.

Instead, she
wrote the title of her essay in her neat handwriting, and glanced covertly at
him again. He was scowling at his parchment. Really, sometimes he was just
impossible.

�The properties
of aconite�� Hermione mused aloud, hoping to get him started.

�Also known as
Dumbledore�s Delight, monkshood or wolfsbane � not to
be confused with the potion of the same name. Highly
poisonous. Has been known to cure aches, which is kind of ironic if you think
about it�� Draco�s expression hadn�t changed in the least and he didn�t seem
more than slightly aware of what he�d said.

Hermione gaped.
�Very good!� she exclaimed, getting a somewhat confused and annoyed look from
Draco.

�I do know
stuff, Granger,� he said after a few seconds. �I�m just not a bloody
know-it-all like you.�

She frowned.
What was this all about? Why was he acting as if� As if�

As if they hadn�t made love under a full moon.

�Right,� was all
she said, glad that her voice remained steady.
�Sorry.�

She turned back
to her parchment, blindly staring at it. Hadn�t he meant what he�d said that
night? Had he just been playing with her? Did he enjoy hurting her? Was it
possible that she had misunderstood everything that they had together? After
all, it wasn�t as if she had a lot of experience with boys. Perhaps all sex
really was like what they were doing. Or, maybe�

She felt him
touch her arm, but didn�t look up. He probably needed help with his essay.
Well, he could write his own damn essay.

�I�m sorry,� he
whispered. �You know I don�t mean it.�

She ventured a
glance at him, but he wasn�t looking at her. No, Gods forbid that anybody might
catch him looking at her and actually talking to her civilly. After all, he�d
only told her he loved her a week and a half ago.

You�re overreacting.

Perhaps she was,
but she was sick of the hiding and the lying and the pretending. She just
wished that Draco would show some backbone in this matter.

And what if people might really get killed if he did?

She ignored that
thought and began writing her essay instead. No matter what, she would still
have to hand this in.

�Why haven�t you
tried to see me?� she asked a little later in a calm and steady voice.

He jerked and
quickly glanced around the room. �Merlin, Granger. Not here!�

She didn�t look
up. She knew nobody was within earshot. �The only thing people might notice is
you being skittish and acting as if
something is out of the ordinary.�

He blushed.
Hermione looked over at Harry, who had indeed seen and was raising an eyebrow
at her, but she simply shook her head, dismissing his questions.

�Look, I�m just
not comfortable talking about it here,� Draco said. �Can�t it wait?�

�If you regret
what happened by the lake,� Hermione couldn�t keep a slight tremble out of her
voice at the last word. �All you had to do was say so. I�d understand.� No, she
wouldn�t. But it would have been a lot kinder than leading her on.

�Regret?� he
asked incredulously. �Merlin, I don�t�� He broke off
and lowered his voice, which had risen. �Hermione, I don�t regret it.�

She glanced at
him. He looked sincere. She relaxed a bit.

�I�m just not��
he continued. �You have to give me time to get things sorted. You said that you
were good with this. If you aren�t, then I�ll� I�ll understand. I won�t force
you to stay with me.� There was a flicker of something in his eyes that
Hermione couldn�t clearly decipher. Sadness? Hope, of all things?
Something else entirely?

�Of course I�m
staying,� she mumbled. I just wish you�d
seem happy about that.

�Then please
don�t be like this,� he said, looking away. �Soon, none of all this will
matter.�

**********

Draco wasn�t the
only person who had changed. Ginny, who had been treating Hermione as if she
had dragon pox ever since she�d caught her with Draco, was suddenly acting as
if nothing had happened. Hermione didn�t know how to react to that.

She�d tried
broaching the subject without actually mentioning it, but Ginny had just said �I don�t really know why I got so mad at
you. I�m really sorry. Can�t we just forget it?� and Hermione had agreed.
She didn�t enjoy being at odds with her friend and was glad it was over.

They were having
dinner in the Great Hall and Hermione�s eyes kept darting back to the Slytherin
table.

Why is he talking to her?

Draco was
sitting next to Shaw and they seemed to be having an animated discussion, maybe
even an argument. For the life of her, Hermione couldn�t figure out what it was
that he needed to speak to her about.
She didn�t like him being around the girl he�d slept with and who he supposedly
didn�t want to sleep with again.

The jealousy was
eating away at her and she saw no reason to deny it or even hide it very well.

Draco looked up
and caught her eye and he went very still, just looking at her for a second.
Then he quickly glanced around and shook his head slightly as if to say that it
was nothing.

Hermione
narrowed her eyes. She decided when
it was something.

Abruptly he
stood, and with a final glance at Hermione, he hauled Shaw to her feet and took
off with her.

What? Surely, taking off
with Shaw to where she couldn�t see what they were doing wasn�t supposed to
help anything?

�They deserve
each other,� Ginny said, having followed Hermione�s look.

�W-what?�

�He�s a total
jerk and she�s a total slut. I hope they live unhappily ever after.� Ginny�s
voice and eyes held no malice or I-told-you-so; she was just stating what she
considered a fact.

Hermione stared
at her, feeling rather hurt. What kind of a thing was this to rub in her face
when she knew?

Ginny, however,
just continued eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Hermione got up.
�I have to go,� she mumbled and then she proceeded to her dormitory as fast as
she could without drawing attention to herself.

**********

It was exactly
two weeks after their little adventure at the lake, when Draco finally sought
her out a couple of days later. Hermione was hurt and angry that it had taken
him so long to bother. There hadn�t been as much as a touch or a kiss in two whole weeks. She should turn him
down. She really should.

Yet, when he
suggested that she met him outside that afternoon, in a secluded spot just at
the edge of the Forbidden Forest, she found herself accepting.

After all, she
could always give him a piece of her mind, then. And she did.

�What are you
doing with Shaw?� she demanded as soon as she got there.

Draco forgot to
look nervous and twitchy long enough to scowl at her. �You know you have no
reason to be jealous.�

�Do I, then?�
she demanded. �I suppose it�s normal to accept that your�� boyfriend? The word stuck in her throat. He still wasn�t really, was he? ��lover
is going off with the girl he cheated on you with.�

�I needed to
talk to her, OK? And you were giving everything away with the way you were
looking at us.�

�Needed to talk
to her about what?�

He opened his
mouth as if to reply, but there wasn�t a sound. Finally, he said, �I�ll tell
you later. But it�s not what you think. Please, can we not fight?�

�Why?� She wanted to fight, damn him.

He smiled
cynically. �Because it�s my birthday?�

Hermione gaped
at him, all accusations forgotten. �Y-you didn�t tell me.�

�I�m telling you
now.�

�It�s a bit
late, isn�t it? I didn�t get you anything.�

�Who needs things?� he asked, moving closer to her.
�You�re all that I want��

His words, the
way he looked at her� Even if tinged with sadness, it was the old Draco, the one
she had fallen so hopelessly in love with. She felt her resolve melting away.
She knew there were issues that they had to work at, but they didn�t have to do
it right here, right now. It was his birthday and he was spending it with her.

She offered him
a shy smile and said, �Happy birthday, Draco,� before pulling his head down for
a kiss.

He pulled her
closer, enveloping her in his arms. She sighed with contentment at the contact.
In spite of just having yelled at him, there was no place she�d rather be. His
lips slowly caressed hers. It was a gentle kiss, full of affection rather than
passion. It wasn�t anything like his normal kisses, but she liked it a lot. She
felt treasured. She felt cared for.

She felt
special.

She caressed the
seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue and he shivered, breaking the kiss,
before hesitantly pulling back.

She was a little
confused. Why had he broken the kiss when it was just getting nice? Surely he
expected more for his birthday than just a chaste kiss and she would be more
than happy to oblige.

He pulled out a
flask.

�What�s that?�
she asked.

His lip twisted.
�It�s not pumpkin juice.�

�I didn�t think
you drink.�

�I don�t,� he
said weighing the flask in his hand. �But a boy�s got to be allowed to do
something different for his seventeenth, right?�

She glanced
towards the castle. Nobody would see them here. That was the exact reason why
he�d chosen this spot for their meeting. They were hidden by a few trees at the
top of a slope that went down towards the lake.

He looked at her
for a second and then sighed. �Should have known that you�d be the consummate Prefect.
You�ll probably be Head Girl of the Century next year.�

Hermione was
feeling a bit miffed at his unfair characterization of her. �Would the
consummate Prefect have been fooling around with you all year?�

�Then please
share a birthday drink with me?� he asked, offering it to her.

She accepted the
flask and took a big gulp. It was Firewhiskey as she
had suspected and it burned. It also had a slight aftertaste that she couldn�t
quite define. She took another swig and had to steady herself with a hand on a
tree trunk as the world became unfocused for a second.

�That�s enough,
I think,� he said hoarsely, reaching to take the flask from her.

She looked at
him, shocked to see pain in his eyes, and jerked the flask out of his reach.
Something was off. The world became unfocused again, and she knew that it
wasn�t just the Firewhiskey. She hadn�t reacted like
this the last time.

�What did you do
to me?� she whispered.

�I-I�� He didn�t
seem able to actually reply, and he shook his head. �Nothing,
Hermione. It�ll be ok.�

�Don�t lie to me!� she shrieked as she
was now feeling a little sick and her head had started pounding. �Did you�did
you poison me? You did, didn�t you?� Her eyes filled with tears.

His eyes
widened. �Merlin, no! I�d never hurt you like that.
I�m not a complete�� His voice
faltered and he reached for the flask again. Again she snatched it away from
him.

�Then what did you do to me?�

He closed his
eyes and took a deep breath. �I�m making you forget.�

�WHAT?� She stared at him as if he�d
grown an extra head.

He opened his
eyes and they were troubled, but conviction shone in them. �I�m making you
forget about us.�

�Y-you�re Obliviating me?� After everything that had happened between
them? Everything they�d shared?

�It�s not
exactly the same,� he explained. His voice was calm and distant. How could he
be calm? How could he do this to her?
�The Obliviation Spell is more than I dared pull off
and it�s designed to cut out chunks of your memory. I couldn�t risk that you
forgot about my existence entirely as someone was bound to find that out and
cure you. With this potion I could make you forget that we ever�� his voice
broke and he cleared his throat ��that you ever slept with me that night and
anything to do with our� personal relationship, and still keep day to day
memories of me.�

What night? To her great
horror she realized the potion had started working and certain memories were
getting harder to conjure. NO!

What he was
doing to her cut at her and tore her heart in pieces. The tears spilled over
and she couldn�t hold back a sob. �S-so you planned this for a long time?� she
asked, without needing an answer. �You knew
you were going to poison me, violate my memories�� He made a sound of
objection, but she ignored it. �And still you kissed me and told me th-that
you l-loved me�� She covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to regain
some control over her trembling body.

�Hermione, it�s
not like that. It wasn�t a lie.� He
seemed desperate and frantic. �Please, Hermione, it�s why I have to��

�STOP saying my name!� she yelled. �You
don�t get to say my name like you care, anymore!� Raw grief had taken over and
she could feel nothing but an excruciating pain.

He never really loved me. He tricked me. I�m such a
fool for thinking that he could ever love me. He still
thinks that I�m a Mudblood, that I�m beneath his
notice� I�ve been such a fool.

His face became
stony. �No, you�re right. I don�t,� he quietly said. �Please give me the
potion� Granger.�

She stared at
the flask in her hand and realization dawned on her. �You plan on taking it,
too, don�t you? You plan on forgetting your Mudblood affair!� Promptly she
turned it upside down and started pouring it onto the ground.

�NO!� He lunged
for her, but she threw the flask as far as she could, and it tumbled down the
slope, spilling its contents. He stared after it, a look of hopelessness on his
face as he realized he couldn�t salvage any of it, before he turned to her and
grabbed her shoulders. �Do you have any idea what you�ve done?� he choked out.
�Do you have any idea what�� Again, his voice broke
and he seemed unable to finish. �You�re punishing me for everything by making
me remember? Is that it?�

��I loved you!� she said, making him flinch.
�And you did this to me. You RAPED my
MIND!� she pulled free of his grasp
and glared at him through her tears.

She briefly
considered if there would be an antidote, but she knew there wouldn�t. If there
had ever been one, he would have gotten rid of it. He wouldn�t do this without
making sure that it was irreversible. That was why he had stayed away for so
long. He had been plotting and planning.

�I had to do
it,� he said, the remorse plain on his face. �I had no choice. It�s the only
way for us to go on the way we have to. We couldn�t have been together,
Hermione. It just couldn�t be.�

�Because you are
a coward and refused to ever give it a chance!� she railed, her tears refusing
to stop pouring. She hated that he saw her weakness, but she supposed it didn�t
matter because in a few minutes she�d forget.

�That�s not
why!� he yelled in frustration. �You don�t understand!�

�Then why don�t
you make me understand?�

He pulled up his
left sleeve. �Look!�

She looked at his
arm and then up again, uncomprehending.

�No, Hermione,�
he said. �Look!�

She looked again
and something flickered. She wiped at her eyes to clear her vision, and then
she saw it.

The Dark Mark.

She gasped and
stumbled backwards. �H-how can it be? How long?�

�All year. You�re the only one I�ve
had to hide it from, nobody else who�s seen me without my robes minded. In
fact, I bet that�s what did it for them. And you� A
simple glamour charm was all it took, because you never even suspected.�

She turned away
from him and gave in to her nausea. He just stood there, his face turned
slightly to the side, looking crushed and bitter. Finally, her stomach was
empty, but her body wouldn�t stop jerking and shuddering. She leaned against a
tree to compose herself.

He�d been a
full-fledged Death Eater all year. All the times they had been together. She
had known that he had different views than she, but she had thought him to be
basically decent. She had believed she could turn him around. She had thought
him incapable of such cruelty. But then again, hadn�t he proved over and over
that he was perfectly capable of being cruel? Hadn�t he been cruel to her time and again?

Still, wasn�t he
a bit too young to have gotten the recognition that the Mark was to his kind?

�I knew you�d
never accept me when you found out who I was,� he said in a hoarse and strained
voice. �We never had a chance.�

�You�re right.�
Her voice was trembling and he flinched as if she�d slapped him. �If that is indeed who you are, then we wouldn�t. If your idea of a good time is to
murder and rape innocents, then we are incompatible.� She had to focus her
thoughts now; they seemed to want to slip every time they turned to him and
their relationship.

�He�ll murder me
and my family if I don�t do what he says,� he said, sounding as if he was
pleading with her to understand. What did it matter? In a few minutes she would
forget and she�d never ever know the difference. �In fact, I have virtually no
chance of surviving the summer,� he continued. �If I tried to be with you, he�d
murder you too.�

�So, you just
decided that I couldn�t be allowed to remember you anymore.� Her voice was
dull, lifeless.

�Now, if you
have to fight me� You can.�

She glared at
him. �As if I would ever
have fought you! You are a conceited bastard and the most spoiled brat I
have had the misfortune to meet, but you�ve always been all bark and no bite.�

�It�s not true,
Hermione�� he began, but was cut off.

�Then why not
just let him kill me? Or do it yourself?�

�Just because I
love you doesn�t
mean that I won�t kill others. I will. I have to.�

�The Order will
help you. They can protect you. It�s not too late.�

�It is too late. They can�t protect me, and
they certainly won�t protect my father, even if he wanted them to.�

�Your father is
in Azkaban, he hardly needs protection from Voldemort
there.�

Draco flinched
slightly at the name. �You have no idea how powerful the Dark Lord is, my
love.�

My love.

�I�m obviously
not your love,� she whispered. �So don�t call me that.�

He looked
disconsolate. �But you are. At least,
until�� he swallowed and looked away. �Until you forget.�

She shook her
head. �You wouldn�t do this to someone you l-love�� She was having problems
holding on to her anger as her heartbreak was taking over again, and more and
more memories were slipping from her mind.

Draco didn�t
seem like he would reply, but then he said, �Instead of sacrificing your life
for our relationship, I sacrificed our relationship for your life. How can you
say that I don�t love you?�

�Others know,� she
said. �How will you keep Ginny from telling me.�

�It�s already
taken care of. I slipped her the potion days ago.�

Days ago. When she�d suddenly become
friendly again.

�Shaw�� she began.

�Yesterday. That�s what we were
fighting about when you saw us. She didn�t want her mind manipulated any more
than you did. In the end she gave in.�

�She gave in or
you forced her?� she asked bitterly.

�I forced her to
give in,� he said coldly.

�Like you did
me?�

�No� I tricked
you.�

She slapped him.
It was one last desperate effort to hurt him back the way he was hurting her.
When he recovered, she slapped him again on the other cheek.

He grabbed her
and forced a kiss on her. It was violent and bruising and passionate and�
exquisite. She clung to him, answering the kiss, tasting tears. His or hers?

Perhaps I won�t forget. Perhaps if he keeps kissing me
like this it won�t take effect.

It was as if a
fog lifted and she gasped, a pair of arms suddenly letting her go.

When she
gathered her wits she frowned and looked around to see Malfoy standing there,
his back turned. He was gazing away from her. He seemed to be trembling a bit.

�W-what am I
doing here?� she asked him.

�Beats me,
Granger,� he said in a voice barely more than a whisper. �But you caught me.�

�Caught you?�

He gestured
towards something lying in the grass further down the hill. �Celebrating.
Apparently you don�t think a boy should be allowed a drink on his own
birthday.� His voice was bitter, as if she had denied him Paradise itself.

He didn�t quite
look at her and he looked� sad. No, not sad. Miserable.
And lonely. Perhaps there had been more to why he had
wanted the drink than what he let on. Why couldn�t she remember?

�Did you hex me,
Malfoy?� she asked suspiciously.

He shot her a
glance. �Hex you? Now, why would I do that?� he asked.

She sniffed.
They both knew perfectly well that if there was any way he could bother her, he
would.

He shook his
head. �No, no need to hex you. A good push down this slope, on the other hand�
You�d break your scrawny neck and nobody would be the wiser.�

His words had no
heat and he was surprisingly unconvincing.

�Are you OK?�
she softly asked, making him start and glare at her. His eyes were red-rimmed.
She wondered what had happened to him.

�I�m fine,� he
sneered. �I don�t need some little Mudblood trying to mother me.�

She folded her
arms across her chest. �Fine, Malfoy, whatever you say,� she said, abandoning
being nice to him. �I won�t give you detention since this is your birthday, but at least try and behave.�

She turned her
back on him and walked away.

**********

�Where have you
been, Hermione?� Harry asked, a little concerned, when she reached the
Gryffindor common room. �You just took off.�

Hermione
shrugged. �I went for a walk and Malfoy was being a prat
as usual. I swear, one of these days his attitude will backfire.�

�I�d be careful
of him, Hermione. His actions are very suspicious lately; we don�t know exactly
what he�s up to and why. You can�t be sure
that he�s not a Death Eater.�

Hermione shook
her head. �I don�t think he is. We don�t know everything there is to know about
him, Harry. Even he has his own problems.�

She couldn�t
shake the image of how unhappy he�d looked as she had left him behind.

~~~End~~~

**********

Author�s Note 2: I see it in most of your cyber-eyes. The need to murder me. I wonder how many are currently
screaming obscenities or giving their screen the finger. Not a very smart move
of me if I wanted to win any of the Dramione Awards,
huh? XD Well, in my defense: I�ve known that I was going to do this for a long
time. I�ve known since I was writing chapter 4. Also, I didn�t kill anyone.
Well, except quite possibly Dumbledore, because now you know he has to go :-P And the whole Hate Potion thing was so a feint. But
as they say: �As long as there�s life, there�s hope.�

Author�s Note 3: About those awards. They seem fun and
if I can find the time I�m most definitely going to go vote in the categories
that I�m not up for myself (which are Best WIP � which sort of ends with this,
I suppose, Best Smut and Favorite New Author). It�s currently preliminary
rounds. I urge anyone to find dramione_awards on LiveJournal and cast their own votes (you do not need an LJ
account). It�s a nice excuse to read a lot of fics
that are generally considered good and giving all the
writers out there some recognition, even if you don�t usually review. And, no,
you don�t have to vote for me. Be honest in your vote, this should be about
skill. :)

Author�s Note 4: Right. So.
I�ve got some ideas for stuff, so I�ll lamentably still write stuff. >_>
Nope, this does not appear to be completely out of my system, DAMMIT! I�ve
already written parts of one fic while trying to
distance myself from Silencio, but it makes so little
sense (the other fic) that I hardly know if I will
ever post it. I�ve also got a pretty detailed outline for another story that
would be in a 7^th year AU.

Author�s
Note 5: Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. There�ll be a sequel� :P
But forget all about it being set in 7^th year or during DH. And I�m
not likely to answer any questions about it, which includes �When will first
chapter be up?� I think I�ll actually take some time to, you know, clear my
head, read DH etc�

But
I so got you there.
- 14
- 15
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