Because You Live

Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart

It's the end of the world in my mind

Then your voice holds me back like a wake up call

I've been looking for the answer...somewhere...

I couldn't see that it was right there

But now I know what I didn't know

~Jesse McCartney "Because you Live"~

BECAUSE YOU LIVE: CHAPTER 1

Hermione Granger gazed out the window, watching as hills and trees flew by. She was aboard the Hogwarts Express, approaching her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She was exhilarated at the thought of being Head Girl for the second year running of course, but the prospect of leaving her home of seven years, along with her friends, was depressing. Hogwarts had always been her comfort zone and always there were her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Although she knew that she would defiantly see them in her future, it just wouldn't be the same without Hogwarts around to provide a bit of protection against the evil in humanity. Yes, Voldemort was still out there, and right alongside him were his pathetic little followers. Harry still had not had his chance at finally defeating him, but did come close last year. If it weren't for that little git Wormtail, who warned him about Harry's whereabouts, Harry would have ended it then and there. She sighed at the thought. Why did Harry have to be the one to go through all of this? It wasn't fair to him, or anyone around him. He didn't deserve this at all. Hermione knew that if Harry or Ron died, a part of her would die along side of them and she desperately hoped that it wouldn't get that far.

"Checkmate." A very uninterested looking Ron said listlessly as he watched his queen finish off Harry's king. "Harry, no offense mate, but you really suck at this game." Ron said gathering up his pieces.

Harry scratched his head. "I don't get it! How do you ALWAYS win! Why do I even bother!?" Harry sighed, still looking irritated at Ron's evident game skills.

They had just finished their sixth game of chess and Ron had won every game so far. From the look on Ron's face, she could tell that he was extremely bored and ready to quit. The thing is, Harry wanted to play until he won at least one game and was now setting up for another round.

"Ur...Harry? How about we take a break for a while?" He asked hesitantly.

Harry sighed in reply and started gathering up his pieces as well, knowing full well what Ron meant.

"HELLO, Y'ALL!" A boisterous voice called out. Harry dropped all of the pieces he was holding and Ron nearly jumped out of his skin. Hermione, herself, jumped a little before turning to find Ginny Weasley smirking at them.

"You guys are so easy to scare!" Ginny rolled her eyes and took the empty seat next to Hermione. "So, finally giving up, Harry?" she asked pointing to the empty game board.

"No, I did." Ron spoke up. "I won every bloody game and it was getting dull. Harry needs more practice." Ron laughed and ducked as Harry chucked one of the pieces at his head in response. Ginny shook her head but smiled at Harry.

It was common knowledge that Ginny still liked Harry, no matter how many times she had denied it and Hermione had a feeling that she wouldn't be surprised if Harry shared the same feelings toward her. She grinned at the thought of two of her friends getting together.

"What are you grinning at?" Ginny asked, peering into her face suspiciously.

Hermione just laughed and shook her head. The two of them were too damn stubborn to admit to their feelings and she wasn't going to be the one to break the ice. At least not yet.

Ginny turned towards Ron. "Oh, Kiera was asking for you earlier." She smirked as Ron's face turned a light shade of pink as she mentioned the pretty blond haired, 5'4", Hufflepuff he had met at the end of last term.

"Oh...really?" Ron tried, but failed dismally, to play it smooth.

"Yeah...she's in the compartment down the hall." Ginny answered, trying with all her might to keep a straight face.

Ron glanced down at his hands. Hermione couldn't take it anymore.

"Ron Weasley! Are you just going to sit there and let Kiera think you don't like her?" She rolled her eyes as he turned scarlet.

"What- I- " Ron stuttered, flabbergasted.

"GO!" Hermione, Harry and Ginny shouted simultaneously. Laughing as he hurriedly scooted out to the hall.

"Why does he do that?" Hermione asked offhandedly.

"Do what?" Harry asked glancing over at Ginny.

Hermione immediately sensed the tension of having her in the compartment at that moment. Not wanting to stay around for whatever Harry and Ginny wanted to do, she quickly excused herself.

"Ur...never mind...see you guys later."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ginny asked suddenly as she reached the door.

"Ur...well, I'm going to grab some food off the trolley up front. I'll be back in a bit." With that, she left them sitting awkwardly unaccompanied.

Hermione of course had no intention of getting food. She wandered up the hallway, hoping to come across someone she knew seeing as her compartment would not be accessible for a while. She grinned to herself as she realized that her two friends were madly in love with each other without even knowing it. Well, for now anyways. Who knew what they were doing at the moment; and frankly, Hermione had no desire to know.

She stopped suddenly in front of the compartment to the left of her. She heard someone sniffle. She put her ear quietly to the door and heard another sniff. She wondered who it was. Was it possible that someone could be crying at the moment? She decided that she would just let it be; that is until she heard someone cry out in distress. Hermione thought that she better take a look.

She slid open the compartment door, only enough to peer in, fully intending to ask if they were ok and be on her way. She didn't, however, intend to find the person she came across, especially if she was the one to find him. Never in a million years, did she expect to lay her eyes on Draco Malfoy, crying. She stood there in absolute shock, one hand clutching the compartment door and the other covering her mouth. She remained fixed on the spot, as he had obviously not taken notice in her presence. She continued to gaze silently as he read the piece of paper slightly crumpled in his outstretched hand. Hermione had never seen him so put out. His eyes were filled with a grief that even Hermione was sure she wouldn't be able to comprehend. His appearance was equally as unspeakable. His eyes were sunken into his face; his face void of any sign of his trademark smirks and his hair was not slicked back as it was customarily, but lay limp, framing his sharp featured face.

He suddenly sniffed, crumpled the paper and discarded it on the floor of the compartment in provisional vehemence. They both watched as it came to rest at her feet. He glanced up quickly; clearly surprised he had an audience. For a moment, she saw his eyes flash with renewed sorrow as hard, deep gray penetrated straight through her, and she sensed the coldness of his heart shooting daggers though hers. It frightened her and she began to slowly back away.

"Granger!" He growled, quickly standing up and striding towards the door, in which Hermione had entirely backed away from and was now up against the compartment opposite his. She gasped faintly as he curved his head slightly to the right, clearly revealing a bluish-purple bruise spread delicately across his pale cheek.

"Um, I heard someone crying and wanted to see if they were all right and I found you there...so...um...areyouok?" She managed to squeak out hastily, slurring her last words together.

His eyes abruptly turned soft, losing the fire blazing inside them, for a moment before misery was restored.

"Why the hell would you care?" He snarled, the hurt in his voice obvious to her as he grabbed the handle of the door and jerked in shut leaving Hermione breathing heavily and very shaken up by the numbness coming from him. He had left her in a cloud of confusion. Why did she care? They have been sworn enemies form the very beginning and nothing has changed since then. Why then, now, was she so concerned with the look of pain he shot at her. She shouldn't care, he has never cared about her, yet, she couldn't shake off the image of his eyes full of hatred and desolation.

"Hermione?" She turned to find a very alarmed Ginny Weasley standing at the end of the hall.

"Sorry?" she asked still a bit shaken up.

"Are you coming? You need to change!" Ginny said, her eyebrows up in noticeable surprise at the way her friend was acting.

"Oh, right. Sure. Coming now." She glanced one last time at the closed compartment door and walked swiftly back to where Ginny was standing, disregarding the nagging curiosity and confusion weighing her down.