Where's Hermione?

Chapter 2

Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. Of all people, it had to be Draco Malfoy.

"I still can't believe that Hermione was with...with...Draco," said Ron in disgust as they walked up the staircase to the seventh floor.

"I know," said Harry confused. "I just can't figure it out. Why would she be with Draco? Draco hates her, and she hates Draco."

"Well, when she gets back to the common room, we'll be up waiting for her to ask her what she was doing," Ron concluded.

***

Ron and Harry waited an hour for Hermione to get back for the library, and they were up and waiting.

"So what did you do at the library?" Ron asked Hermione as she entered the common room.

"I studied," she replied as she set her books down on the table. "What else did you think I did there?"

"I don't know," Ron said even more suspiciously. "Maybe I should go ask Malfoy!" Ron suddenly burst out.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked looking very annoyed.

"You know what I mean!" Ron was very angry at this point.

"Ron, stop yelling! Calm down," said Harry trying to cool him off.

"We know that you were in the library with Malfoy," Ron screamed out. " What were you doing in there? Huh? Studying how to make out!"

"What do you think I'm a slut?" Hermione was yelling, too. "We were just talking!"

"Oh, yeah! About what?" Ron asked.

"Guys, calm down. Don't yell," Harry still was trying to settle Ron and Hermione.

"He was just telling me about his dad," Hermione explained, calming down, and sitting down in the chair next to the couch Harry and Ron were sitting on. "The other day in the hallway, about two days after his father died, he bumped into me, and asked me if he could talk to me. I said that I would meet him in the library, so if he tried anything funny, then I would be around other people. He poured his heart out to me that day. He told me that he couldn't tell anything to Crabbe and Goyle, because they are so thick headed to understand, and how he wanted to be just like his father when he was a little kid, and now hat he found out that he was a death-eater, he doesn't know what to do with his life." Hermione was in tears.

Ron was close to tears because he was upset that Draco was spending all this time with Hermione, and Hermione wasn't spending time with him.

"Why didn't you just tell us then?" asked Harry calmly.

"Because I knew that this is what was going to happen. And, I didn't lie. I always said that I was going to the library, and I did, so you can't get mad at me for that," Hermione said, calmly sitting down. "And, well, maybe I'm spending more time with him because now I'm getting to know him. The real Draco. Not the Draco who tries to hurt people. In fact were going to meet each other tonight again." Hermione stood up and walked up the stairs to the girls dormitories.

"Hey Harry," asked Ron, worried.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Do you really think that Malfoy changed for the better?"

"I'm not sure. From what Hermione says he has, but I really don't know."

***

Harry and Ron waited up for hours for Hermione to get back. They had waited past 1:00, until finally, one of them cracked.

"That's it said," cried Ron. "I want to know where she really is. She hasn't been back in 5 hours! I'm really worried."

"Worried about what?" asked Harry. "Worried that Hermione is going to fall in love with Draco and not you?"

Ron's face turned bright red. "Yes, maybe. But I still want to go down there."

"Fine, lets go down there," said Harry, reaching for his invisibility cloak.

"Are we going to go to the library?" asked Ron. "Because the library closes at 10:00."

"Your right, Ron. I guess that we'll just have to look by the Slytherin dungeon."

Harry and Ron spent about 10 minutes to get down to the dungeon; after all, it was in the dark. All of a sudden, they heard a giggle.

"What was that," Ron whispered to Harry.

"I don't know, but it came from over by the Slytherin dungeon. Lets go take a look." Harry led Ron over to the Slytherin dungeon. They opened up the door silently, that led to the dungeons. As soon as they walked inside the corridor, they saw...

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, throwing the invisibility cloak off. "What are you doing?" Apparently, Harry and Ron had walked in on Hermione and Malfoy making out.

"I was getting out for once!" Hermione shouted back. "You, know, not spending so much time reading books! Sorry that I don't fancy you, but that doesn't mean that I can't like someone else!"

"Guys, quiet it down before the prefects decide to come down," Harry tried to calm them down.

"Guys, I was just talking to Hermione when one thing led to another," Malfoy explained. 'Maybe Hermione was right; maybe he has changed. He didn't call her a mud-blood, or make fun of Harry or me,' Ron thought to himself.

"Well, I think that we should all just relax here, and go back up to the dormitories," Harry suggested.

"That sound good," agreed Draco. Draco gave Hermione a goodnight kiss, and the four of them returned to their dorms. Neither Harry, Hermione, nor Ron talked on the way up.

***

Everyone was asleep when they heard a load scream come from the girls dorms.

"Harry, what's going on?" asked Ron rising in terror.

"I don't know, but we better get over to the girls dormitories," Harry concluded putting on his glasses.

Harry and Ron ran to the stairs leading up to the girls dormitories. Harry started to climb up the stairs, but they turned into a chute, and screamed.

"Just hang onto the handrail, and try to climb up," Harry shouted over the screaming.

Harry and Ron finally made it to the top when they saw Hermione chalk white on her bed, and...Voldemort and Malfoy standing over her bed.