Broken Against a Stone

Chapter 5-Broken Against a Stone

Hermione walked into the room and shut the door. As she turned around, she saw Draco standing by the classroom's bay window with horror etched into his face. Hermione began to feel the weakness consume her.

"It was you!" Draco shouted. "You're the one who sent the note!"

Hermione tried to say something but he continued. Animosity seeped venomously from every crevice.

"Mudblood! Why the fuck would you be remotely concerned about me? You don't even speak my language!" Draco bellowed.

He was right in front of her now. Their faces could almost touch. "Oh my God," Hermione thought. "His face, his essence, his smell." His entire life force mixed with her blood for form fluid mercury. She could almost taste him. Hermione got a word in between his shouts.

"I don't know why I care," Hermione wailed. "I just saw you-and your sadness-and I-I-needed to-

"What did you need to do?" said Draco belligerently. "Get into someone else's private affairs? Want to know what I'm all about so you can go share with your bastard friends?"

"It wasn't like that at all!" howled Hermione with grief-stricken anguish. "I know that hooded creature said something treacherous to you the other day at breakfast. You cannot keep this to yourself! Please let me help you!" Hermione begged.

"Stay the hell out of matters that are of no consequence to you mudblood," said Draco shoving past her. "You're the scum of the earth as far as I'm concerned. I don't let mudblood filth ever associate with me, and I certainly don't allow them to be my therapist," said Draco as he marched out of the room.

Hermione was left alone in the semi-darkness to pursue her own quiet lament. She felt as though she was going to vomit and cry at the same time. She lay down in the middle of the floor cradling herself and sobbing uncontrollably. She turned over on her stomach, and with both hands reached out only to grasp the empty air. She did not know what it was she was reaching for. She raked her fingernails across the cold concrete floor in anguish. She thought about the sound of Draco's voice-the way he made the word "mudblood" seem like a poison arrow aimed for the jugular. She thought of Ron and his hopeless naivety. She thought of her own desperate desire to be possessed by her only wretched foe.

She remained there for about an hour with her own recollections and thoughts severely damaging the charmed life she thought she once owned. At last, she felt like she could stand up and walk to Gryffindor tower. She got up unsteadily and walked to the door. As she walked out, she found Draco sitting next to the doorway with his head in his hands. He looked up at her with his blotchy tear stained face. He spoke not a word, but quickly got to his feet and ran out of sight from her.

Hermione was thoroughly perplexed by Draco's actions. She wondered if he had been sitting outside the door the whole time listening to her perpetual sobs. She was so exhausted. She mentally blocked everything out of her mind at that point. Her urgent objective was to go to bed so that she would not have to listen to her mind's continual babble. It was 1:45 p.m. She put her arms around herself and walked back to Gryffindor tower. When she got to the common room, she found Ron sitting in a plush armchair. He looked at her and leapt from his chair to confront her.

"What is going on Hermione? I've been sick with fear not knowing where you were," said Ron in an almost seizure-like manner.

" I do not want to talk about it now Ron. I am a complete wreck, and I've got to go to bed," said Hermione vacantly.

Ron glared at her with utter disbelief on his face.

"You have been so cruel to me the past few days. I do not understand any of this. I show concern and love for you, and you push me away like I mean absolutely nothing to you. I went to the hospital wing and you were not there! You lied to me Hermione! I cannot believe what you're doing! Where did you go?" said Ron almost in a fit of tears.

"I needed to be alone with my own secrets Ron," said Hermione abysmally. "Just let me be for now Ron, please."

Ron reached out his shaking hand to touch her, but she flinched away and walked towards the dorm. As she was walking, Ron called out to her.

"Hermione! I love you! What have I done to deserve this coldness!" said Ron as tears flooded his flushed face.

"Nothing," Hermione said as she entered her dorm room.