A Story of the Unrefined

~Chapter 5~

     Draco's word's came to a halt as he felt his young granddaughter begin to shake. He ran his thin fingers through her hair. His eyes were filled with concern. He was scared that he had said too much for the young girl to consume at her tender age. Her gentle face looked up at him, tears were slowly pouring down her cheeks.

     "Grandpa, how could someone do that? How could they just attack people like that? Do they feel nothing? Do they have no compassion?" Draco could only shake his head. He had heard the same words pass from Ginny's lips on many occasions the first days after the attacks.

     Draco could clearly see that the story was distressing Catherine, but he knew she needed to hear it, and that if he stopped now, it would leave her in a worse condition. "Do you wish for me to continue?" Catherine looked up at her grandfather and gave a slight nod.

     "Ginny left the hospital wing two days later. Hermione left the following week but a lot of things changed about her. She never raised her hand in class, she always sat in the very back of the room, and she always had her head facing downwards. Her quill was always scratching on parchment, but even the teachers truly wondered if she was actually taking notes. Her homework was still always done, but it no longer had her special flair, everything about her had turned blah. We truthfully didn't think anyone would reach her. And I began to find more ways to avoid all of them, I couldn't handle the guilt I felt every time I caught a glimpse of any of their faces."

     Ginny's anger was mounting. Draco had been ignoring them all for weeks. If any of them even walked into the same room he was in, he left as soon as possible. He was treating them as if they were the plague, and Ginny was not going to put up with it anymore. She had just walked into the Great Hall and she could see Draco standing quickly, trying to exit.

     "Draco Malfoy, stop" Her voice silenced the whole room. Draco turned slowly and caught her eyes. Her brown eyes were sparkling with fury. He made a slight motion with his hand and walked out of the room. She moved to follow him, but noticed everyone was staring at her.

     "What are you staring at?" She glared at a first year Hufflepuff. "Do I look like the main attraction of the evening?" Her voice was still filled with annoyance, and the young boy jumped backwards and shook his head. The whole room seemed to turn and go back to their conversations, and Ginny took her exit. She found Draco leaning against a wall in the nearby corridor.

     Draco loved when she looked like this. Her eyes sparkled with life and purpose. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair seemed to flare out behind her. Draco's eyes lit as his mouth twisted into a slight smile. Ginny's words of anger ceased. Her heart seemed to beat a bit faster, as if in anticipation, but Ginny's mind had yet to reach the same conclusion until she felt a hand tilt her face upward.

***

     Hermione lay curled up on her bed, sobs jolting her small frame. She felt as if her whole world had been sucked out from under her and that she had no where to turn. The walls of comfort she had built around herself and her life had been ripped down in less than five minutes. She had nothing solid to hold unto anymore. She was ready to give in, she was ready to let go of everything. She couldn't handle it anymore. She rose shakily and collapsed as soon as she took her first steps. It was in this position that Harry found her.

     Harry had knocked three times before he slowly cracked the door open to see if she was in the room. Her roommates had assured him she was, but he didn't believe them until he saw her lithe body awkwardly twisted on the floor. He quickly reached her and knelt beside her. He tentatively touched her, afraid she'd waken thinking someone else was attacking her. He cautiously shifted her body and felt her curl into his touch.

     He smiled, leaned back against the wall, and began to watch her face. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she started to awaken from sleep. She threw her arms backward as she yawned and her neck began to stretch gradually upwards. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she tried to fight the sleep that still wanted to claim her. She turned on her side and curled her legs under her. She seemed to have given back into her need for sleep, and Harry pulled a blanket from her bed to place on her.

     He watched her a bit longer, and then stood to leave. He could see by the bags under her eyes that she needed her sleep more than a talk with him. As he reached for the door handle, he heard her begin to toss and turn. He retraced his steps back to her and laid a hand gently on her shoulder. Her eyes jerked open and she looked at him, and tears began to fill her eyes. He pulled her close to him and let her sob onto his shoulder.

     Hermione felt so safe in his arms. Slowly her tears ceased, but he still held her close to him; She could feel his heart beat against her cheek. As they slowly parted, he looked into her eyes, and she gave him the smile he longed to see for so long. He brushed a stray hair from her face. "I'll always be around when you need to talk, or when you just need to cry."

     Hermione looked down and nodded her head. Harry tilted her face back toward him. "I mean that Hermione. I'll always be here for you. I need you." Hermione watched him, as he turned and walked out of the room. For once, she felt she could face tomorrow. She still had people who loved her. She may have felt as if she had lost her self, but she could overcome this. She could overcome anything with her friends by her side.

     The days gradually flew by. Hermione began to look at the world through different eyes. The spark was again evident in her eyes, even Snape shook his head and smiled when he saw her raise her hand in his class once again. Most thought she had totally overcome, only Harry knew the truth. On those late nights when he awoke from nightmares, he would often find her curled up in one of the chairs lost deep in thought. Those were the nights they talked. He always seemed to read her so well that he knew when she was going to cry even before she did. In the mornings, they acted like nothing was different. Although their views of the friendship were gradually changing, they couldn't let it be known.

***

     The days were flying for Ginny as well. She hadn't spoken to Draco since that night, which know seemed so long ago. She could still feel his breath on her cheek, and his lips on hers. She shook her head quickly. She couldn't let the thoughts invade her once more. She'd been fighting them for weeks, but still it was there. She knew she needed to talk to him. The longer she waited, the more urgent the feeling got. She had the hidden fear that something would happen if she didn't, but she ignored it.

***

     Days were cutting close for Draco. He had been receiving letters from his father almost daily. The letters spoke only of positive things, as if trying to convince Draco nothing was going to be out of the ordinary. Draco almost laughed at how gullible his father seemed to find him. He didn't want to go home, but he couldn't force himself to stay. He didn't want to. If he stayed, he would be risking death.

     Emily caught his gaze from across the Common Room, and shook her head. It caught his attention and he walked toward her. "What did I do now that has offended you so, my dear cousin?"

     "Draco, you are so foolish at times. It truly surprises me. You don't actually plan on going home, do you?"

     "What am I supposed to do if I stay here? Sit and wait for him to kill me."

     "Draco, he will kill you anyway. You never wanted to follow after him. What would make you change now?"

     Draco looked at her. Her eyes flashed with the same gray his own did. He knew she was right, but if he didn't follow his father, he could only imagine what Emily would soon go through. As if reading his own mind, she motioned for him to follow her. They both knew, anything said in front of the other Slytherin's could easily get back to his father.

     Emily entered a room, barely visible by the slight crack in the wall. Emily scowled as Draco stood outside the door and just stared at her. She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him into the room. He glared at her from his position on the floor. She warily held out her hand, but it turned into a mistake on her part. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground. They continued to fight, until the hem of Draco's robe was caught by the suite of armor, leaning against the wall, and it all crashed on top of them.

     Draco looked at his cousin and laughed. Her black hair, which she always had pulled up in a ponytail, had come partially undone and it looked quite lopsided. She shook her head, but then a serious expression came over her. "Don't go home, Draco." She stood, dusted herself off, and pulled her hair back into its regular order. She walked to the entryway and turned once more. "I won't get to talk to you like this again, Draco. Please, fulfill my request. Do not go home."

     Draco didn't leave the room until later that night. He couldn't comprehend why Emily had seemed so morbid. She was normally bright, vibrant, and always fighting. He hadn't realized his answer until he awoke the next morning.

     Emily would always be considered an outsider in his family. She would be considered an evil that could be turned against them. She had always been bluntly honest about where she stood. It had been her courage that has set her apart, but it could also become her downfall when a member of his family. When he was younger, he had walked in on more than one conversation that was discussing the attitude of Emily. They had often spoken of trying to tame her, but it had never been possible. Slowly, Draco began to realize that Emily was going to go home, believing she was going to die.

     The only person who would fly to Emily's aid was he, and she had made him promise not to go home. He wasn't one to keep promises, but he knew deep down they would kill her anyway, her sacrifice would then be in vain. She was going to die, knowing that she had kept him safe, but he had to live knowing he let her down. And for the first time, since Draco had been five, he felt a tear slide down his face.