Heart in Agony

Chapter 8

Hermione ran all the way to the Slytherin dungeons. A few people noticed that she was crying as she ran past them and they either, tried to stop her to ask how she was, or whispered to each other and giggled. Adding this to the fact that Lavender was most likely up in the common room telling everyone who would listen about what she had seen, she wasn't feeling very confident that she could keep it a secret for long. She would have to get Draco to help her think of something to tell them. He was good at thinking of things on the spot.

She stopped outside the entrance and was glad to see that nobody was around. However, she couldn't be sure how many people were inside but it was most likely to be the whole of Slytherin house. And they were bound to notice a crying mudblood Gryffindor running into Draco Malfoy's bedroom! She decided to risk it though. She couldn't very well go and sit in her common room and just wait for Ron's next move. Whatever it may be.

Her plan, stupid as it was, was to run as fast as she could past everyone and just hope that nobody noticed. Maybe she would be lucky and it would be quiet like the first times she had been there, but it wasn't likely. However she couldn't think of anything else and she could cover it all up later.

So she took a deep breath, wiped away her tears and tried to compose herself. She didn't see the dark figure walk up behind her. He looked at the girl in front of him for a while wondering what she was doing. He realised who she was just as she opened her mouth and said, "Ulysses." The wall may not have opened but he was still shocked. How had the Gryffindor known the old password? They had changed it only that morning, just as they did every week. Who had told her, and why was she now trying to get in?

He had had enough. Just before he reached out to touch her shoulder she burst into tears and slowly slid down so she was sitting against the wall, her head in her hands. She was hardly making any sound but her whole body was shaking. He had no idea what to do. It had been a long time since he had last been confronted with a sobbing school girl. While he contemplated what to do she suddenly started banging on the wall beside her. He realised that she hadn't seen him and she continued banging on the wall as he looked on, bewildered.

"Draco, DRACO."

She once again broke down in tears but he had seen enough to know that he had to say something.

"And what would you want with Mr Malfoy?"

She turned round, a look of dread in her eyes as she recognised the voice.

"Professor Snape?"

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They were now sitting in Snape's office. Hermione had tried to protest but after he had threatened to take one hundred house points off Gryffindor for disobeying a teacher she had reluctantly agreed. She had managed to stop crying by staying silent. She realised that if she didn't talk and she concentrated fully on not crying she could just about succeed.

Snape stared at her for a while. She was clearly having to fight very hard to hold her tears in. What could be making her so upset, and why would she be needing to talk to Draco Malfoy this badly? Perhaps one of his jokes had gone too far and she had been going to try and have her revenge. He decided that there was only one way to find out and so he began questioning her.

"So...Miss Granger. First of all, what could be so awful that the one person you choose to talk to is Mr Malfoy?"

As her tears came back and her mind drew a blank, the only thing that she knew was that she couldn't tell him anything. She just stared at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, wishing for him to just leave her alone.

"Alright then, how did you find out the Slytherin password?"

"It didn't open the door, did it? So I clearly don't know your password."

"She speaks! Miss Granger, you know as well as I do that it was at least the password until this morning. Meaning that it would have opened had you been a little earlier. Who told you it?"

"I was just guessing, I didn't know anything."

"And 'Ulysses' was the first thing that came to mind? And people don't give up after one guess, I was there longer than you think."

But she had gone back to sitting in silence. He knew that she was hiding something, but he couldn't be sure whether she was trying to protect somebody or not. Perhaps it was whoever had told her the password. Draco?

"Did Mr Malfoy tell you the password?"

"And why would he tell a filthy little mudblood like me your precious password?"

"Why were you crying for him?"

"I wasn't and am not crying for him."

"But you were calling for him and crying. It's pretty much the same thing, just answer the question."

"No it is not the same thing! The difference lies in who is causing the tears."

"And who would that be?"

He was growing impatient with her as she once again returned to silence. He hated it when people hid things from him. The girl was infuriating. Whatever she was keeping from him...he would find out. He was thinking of ways to tricking her into speaking when she started, all by herself.

"I just wanted to ask about a homework assignment. We are in some classes together and Harry and...Ron were no help. I just needed to ask him a few questions about it. That's all."

"Who? Draco? Don't you lie to me girl. You two have hated each other ever since you first met and now you are expecting me to believe that you were going to try and get him to help you with your homework?"

"Yes!"

"Then, WHY WERE YOU CRYING?"

"It's none of your business."

A knock on the door caught their attention. As the door opened and Draco walked in a smirk made it's way onto Snape's face. His eyes darted from Hermione to Draco and what he saw momentarily took his mind off Hermione's little secret. Draco smiled at the girl and she began mouthing something back which Snape couldn't make out. But as soon as Draco noticed that Snape was watching them his face turned cold. He turned to face his teacher and Hermione did the same, except she was obviously finding it harder to hide the emotions she was feeling. There was fear in her eyes as she looked upon the man in front of her.

"Sir, I brought you that essay. You know the one I forgot yesterday."

"Ah yes Draco, I assume you had just misplaced it like all the others?"

"Yes sir! But I found it, so I decided to bring it to you."

But Draco didn't leave straight away as he had in previous similar situations. He was glancing at Hermione out of the corner of his eye and he was clearly confused as to why she was there.

"Sir. What's that doing here?"

"By 'that' do you mean Miss Granger?"

"Yes Sir."

"I found her in a heap outside our common room. And as if that wasn't strange enough she started calling for you as she banged on the wall, then broke down in tears."

"Calling for me?"

"Yes. And she is now claiming that it was all to do with homework. Do you believe that Draco?"

"You know how girls are Sir. They don't like to talk about their little crushes, and she was probably just upset because she realised I would never be with someone like her."

Snape was baffled. He was now completely positive that Draco was hiding something too. There had been something in his eyes as he was talking which looked like a lie. And the boy had actually looked concerned when he had heard about her crying. But Snape was no fool. He knew that neither was going to enlighten him on what had forced them to be interacting any time soon. They had made that quite clear by lying. His only hope would be to let them go, but keep a close eye on the pair.

"You are both dismissed. But Miss Granger remember, a show like you put on is not highly appreciated by anyone. If you ever make such a show of yourself again I shall be forced to take the matter further."

Snape watched them both leave. She was clearly furious but walked out in silence with Draco at her side. As soon as they were outside though he heard them start to whisper. Something was definitely going on between them, sinister or otherwise, and he had every intention of finding out just what it was.

"Professor Snape, I heard you were looking for me. I wonder why that would be!"

"Ah yes Kirsty, just the person I wanted to see!"

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Back up in the Gryffindor common room everything was as it always was. For once Lavender had decided to get her facts straight before spreading her story. She had seen something in Hermione's eyes that had terrified her. So as a result nobody else knew that there was even the possibility of something being wrong. Harry and Ron were sitting in their usual place playing wizard chess as the entrance opened and a girl about their age walked in. There was no denying she was beautiful, with dark red hair which hung below her shoulders and she had striking eyes which bore a hole through every boy's heart.

"Excuse me, you two!"

Harry and Ron just gaped at her for about five minutes. Neither had any idea who she was and even although they knew that she was talking to them and they wanted to talk back, they couldn't get the words out. While they were struggling to break out of her trance she took a mirror out of her pocket and began fixing her hair and pouting to herself. The sound of it snapping shut again brought the boys back to reality and they were now aware that she was standing right in front of them looking irritated.

"Are either of you tubes going to answer me?"

"I'm sorry what was the question?"

"I said, 'I'm Steph, I'm new here, what's your name?"

"I'm Harry and that's...Ron!"

"Well, that's nice. Now can you tell me where I might find...Hermon?"

"Who's Hermon?"

"Some girl in my year who's supposed to be showing me around this place."

"Do you mean Hermione Granger?"

"You know her?"