Veritas

Title: Veritas

By: Majestyic a.k.a. hazel_eyesforu a.k.a. Rebecca

Rating: This chapter is rated PG for cutting. The fic as a whole has gotten up to an PG-13 rating.

Summary: Hermione is depressed and in an emotion whirlwind, her heart broken, her sanity in question she returns to Hogwarts for her seventh and final year. She befriends someone unlikely and confesses her 'sins' to him. Will romance ensue or are we just kidding ourselves?

Also archived at: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=918873

E-mail the Author: hazel_eyesforu@yahoo.com

Hermione looked down at her Head Girl badge and sighed. She felt the edges to see how sharp they were. She sighed again when she discovered how dull they were. 'I don't know why my dad took away my knife, I can stop cutting whenever I choose to . . . I just don't want to at the moment, that's why I need something sharp'. She cursed the Ministry and their damn laws about magic outside of school. Then maybe she could make a knife, but no that stupid Fudge had to uphold that law. If she could wait just a few more hours, then she could sit in her private room and cut all that she wished.

Hermione had been depressed for a long time. On top of having tremendously low self-esteem, her mother had died a year ago. She never told anyone though, not even Ron or Harry. Hermione wasn't gothic or anything like that; she was just withdrawn. During the summer, her hair had straightened out; it wasn't bushy like it was before, it was just thick. She finished packing up her trunk for the last time as it was her 7th and final year. She went downstairs dragging the trunk with her. Her father came over and held out his hand. Hermione handed him her purse and he started to look through it.

"Is this absolutely necessary?"

"Yes it is, I don't want you to get into trouble," he said handing the purse back to her. "Now come along, we have to get you on the train".

What Hermione's father didn't know was that she knew about his hiding spots for knives, and while he was loading her trunk into the car she grabbed a small kitchen knife and put it in her purse. She smiled, content with herself, grabbed Crookshanks and ran out to the car before her father suspected anything.

* * *

The car ride to the platform was quiet, as usual. The father sat there, not knowing how to communicate with his daughter and the daughter sat there not wanting to communicate with the father.

They arrived at King's Cross station with only fifteen minutes to spare. Hermione's father put her trunk on a trolley and looked at his daughter. Surprised about how much Hermione looked like her mother. He gave her a quick hug and watched her walk through the barrier.

Inside, Hermione boarded the train and sat down in a deserted compartment. She quickly got out her knife. She made an incision on her arm. She felt the quick release of all of her pain as the blood dribbled down her arm slowly. 'It's absolutely beautiful' she thought to herself as she put her knife away. Then suddenly, the compartment door burst open a tall redhead walked in

"Hermione! Here you are!" Ron exclaimed. "Oy! Harry, she's in here!" he called

"Hi Ron," she said nonchalantly

Harry bounded in a few minutes later and stared at her arm. "Hermione, you're bleeding!"

"Really, I'm glad you noticed," she snapped. "For once," she muttered under her breath

"You want me to fix that up for you, 'Mione?"

"No Ron," she smiled "I can do it myself."

* * *

Hermione changed into her robes just as the train was pulling to a stop. She got out and realized that her school robes were now a bit too small for her. 'Great, now I have another thing to be self-conscious of' she thought. Suddenly, she felt as though she was being watched; she turned around, and saw no one. 'And now I'm hallucinating! Perfect!' she sighed.

The Great Hall was buzzing with activity. Hermione sat down at the table, only thinking about the knife in her purse. She felt the same feeling, that she was being watched, she lifted her head up slightly, only enough to see. She looked at the Slytherin table and saw Draco Malfoy staring at her. She raised one eyebrow and stared at him right back. Her stare was broken by the sound of applause. She looked up at Dumbledore.

"This year, it gives me supreme satisfaction to announce Miss Hermione Granger as Head Girl," he paused beaming at Hermione, "and Mr. Draco Malfoy as Head Boy." He beamed down at Draco, "Now, please excuse my babbling, on to the sorting and the feast".

* * *

After the sorting and the feast had ended Hermione was eager to go up to her private room to avoid Harry and Ron. She reached the portrait door when she felt someone grab her arm. She winced as the stranger's grip hit her fresh cut and spun around to see who had grabbed her. It was Malfoy.

"Jesus, Malfoy!" she said, rubbing her arm

"Whoa Granger! Calm down"

She looked at his gray smoky eyes for a moment, then said, "Do you know the password?"

"Veritas."

"Truth."

The portrait door swung open and the two went inside.