Face Down

Ron looked at Hermione as they walked down the corridor with Harry on their way to the Gryffindor common room. She looked as if something deep inside her soul was tearing her apart.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron asked, concerned.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong," she replied as she tugged on the sleeves of her robes.

"Is it Malfoy? Is he treating you badly?" asked Harry. He didn't notice her pulling down her sleeves to hide her wrists.

"I swear, Hermione, if he is..." Ron trailed off. He noticed what Hermione had done. He wasn't dumb. He could put two and two together...

"He is treating me just fine, as if it's any of your business!" she replied, rather quickly and defensively.

Harry did, however, notice something odd about Hermione then. "Hermione, just out of curiosity, when did you start wearing makeup?"

"Yeah, Hermione. You don't need it..." Ron stopped himself before he said something he might regret. It was something that would include Draco cursing him to death.

"I'm a girl! Girls wear makeup!" she yelled as she stormed off around the corner and out of sight of the two boys.

"I don't feel right about her and Draco. I know there's something she's not telling us," Ron stated.

"I agree. There is something she's not telling us. On the other hand, the only reason you don't like Hermione with Malfoy is because you're crazy about her."

Hey girl you know you drive me crazy

One look puts the rhythm in my hand

Still I never understand why you hang around

I see what's going down

Cover up with makeup in the mirror

Tell yourself it's never gonna happen again

You cry alone and then he swears he loves you

Hermione fell to the ground after another smack from the hand of her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.

"You fucking bitch. I told you not to go hanging out with Potter and Weasel anymore. I cannot have my girlfriend hanging out with that piece of shit and that blood-traitor. Are you some kind of whore? The only man you can see is ME, damnit!"

Hermione crawled towards the door of the Room of Requirement. Draco had dragged her in there after he saw her talking to Harry and Ron. He was spying on her.

"Draco...They're my f-friends..." Hermione mustered out. She used all the strength she had to get those words out. She was laying on the ground with her hand on her face where Draco had hit her.

"DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME! I will not tolerate such talk from an inferior object!" Draco yelled, kicking her away from the door.

Hermione could already feel her skin start to bruise.

Draco grabbed Hermione's face and pulled her upright. His grip on her face tightened and he put his face extremely close to hers.

"I swear, you filthy Mudblood, if you ever pull shit like this again, you will never see the light of day ever again. Do you understand?"

Hermione tried to nod, but the force of Draco's grip was much too strong for her to overcome.

"Yes," she just barely gasped out.

"Good. Now come here," Draco demanded as he smashed his face against hers and stuck his tongue down her throat. "I love you," he added after he broke the embrace. He threw her to the ground and left the room, leaving her crying on the floor.

Do you feel like a man when you push her around

Do you feel better know as she falls to the ground

Well I'll tell you my friend

One day this world's going to end

As your lies crumble down

A new life she has found

After a couple of hours, Hermione managed to make her way back to the Gryffindor common room. Almost instantly, she was bombarded by Ron and Harry.

"Hermione we've been waiting for ages for--What happened to you?" Harry asked, seeing the state of one of his best friends.

"I don't want to talk about it. Please let me leave," she said. She pushed her way past them to her dormitory.

Hermione plopped onto her bed. She grabbed a Muggle Swiss Army knife from her bedside table. She rolled the sleeve of her robes up to her elbow. She looked down at her torn and jagged flesh. There were so many cuts from all the times he abused her, the times he told her he loved her, the times she lied and said the loved him, the times she hung out with Harry and Ron, the times he did well in a class, and the times she realized that she truly loves Ron. It added up to a lot of cuts. She hated doing it so much, but she felt she had to. It was one form of pain that Draco couldn't cause her, but if he found out about it, worse things would happen to her.

Hermione placed the blade on her tender wrist. She sharply and forcefully ripped the blade back across her skin. She sharply inhaled from the pain. The blood flowed from the lacerations in crimson tsunami waves. Hermione started crying the tears that she held back in front of Ron and Harry. She couldn't let them see her like this. They'd have Dumbledore send her to St. Mungo's. Worse, her parents would send her to a Muggle mental institution.

A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect

Every action in this world will bear a consequence

If you wade around forever you will surely drown

I see what's going down

There was a knock at the door.

"Hermione? Are you in there?" Ron's familiar voice called.

"GO AWAY!" she hollered back at him.

Ron ripped back the curtains of her four-poster.

"Wow...You need to go to the hospital wing...What...Why...HIM!"

"No! It isn't Draco!" she pleaded to Ron.

"Don't lie to me Hermione!" He pulled her by her clean right arm and pulled her out of her bed. He picked her up and carried her out of Gryffindor tower to the hospital wing.

I see the way you go and say you're right again

Say you're right again

Heed my lecture

Draco was taking a stroll around Hogwarts when he came across one of his least favorite people. Ron was storming down the corridor when Draco saw him. Then Draco saw who he was carrying.

"Let go of my woman!" Draco demanded, pointing his wand at Ron.

Ron did as he was told. He set Hermione onto her feet, but she crumpled to the ground, her body bruised and bloody. Ron bent down to help her, but Draco wouldn't have any of that.

"You touch my property, and I swear, I will kill you right here," Draco threatened.

Ron backed off, and Draco ran over to Hermione. He picked her off and took her outside. Ron quickly followed.

Do you feel like a man when you push her around

Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground

Well I'll tell you my friend

One day this world's going to end

As your lies crumble down

A new life she has found

"Weasel! What the fuck are you still doing here?" Draco questioned. He threw Hermione down to the ground. She landed in the dirt, face down.

"Hermione!" Ron called to her.

Hermione lifted her head just enough so she could talk.

"Don't worry, Ron. It doesn't hurt. Not anymore."

Face down in the dirt

She said, "This doesn't hurt"

She said, "I finally had enough"

"Draco...I'm...done..." Hermione stammered.

"WHAT! YOU DON'T TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE DONE! I TELL YOU!" Draco yelled. He turned his wand on Hermione.

One day she'll tell you that she has had enough

It's coming 'round again

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Ron saw Draco fly backwards as his wand also flew from his hand. Ron turned around to see who disarmed Malfoy. To his delight, it was Professor Dumbledore.

"Ron, please take Ms. Granger to the hospital wing. I will deal with the perpetrator," Dumbledore explained.

Ron easily carried Hermione up to the hospital wing. As they were going up the stairs, Hermione whispered to him.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you..."

"I love you, too, Hermione."