Going Under

Going Under

Interlude: The Great Hall

She seemed happy.

Her eyes sparkled with the brilliant radiance that he had fell in love with. She laughed with her friends, delight showing through face. She glowed as she chided with Harry Potter, who smiled and nudged her gently. She turned to Neville Longbottom and blushed as he whispered something to her. She glared at Seamus Finnegan as he told a dirty joke. She seemed uninhibited by the pain.

Maybe she was still the same. Maybe he had not destroyed her life so much.

He watched with a sneer on his face as her smile suddenly faded. He watched frozen as Ron Weasley stood up, towering over her, his arms gesturing wildly. He watched as she pleaded with him. He watched as her wall shattered around her, shards falling to her feet.

"Shut up!" Her scream reverberated off the castle walls and he watched as Weasel leaned in toward her face. He watched as Weasel said something only that she could hear and watched more as her hand struck the git hard across the face.

He couldn't help but smirk at that. He had a right to be proud of her, didn't he?

He watched as she fled from the table, Potter and Ginny Weasley trailing at her heels.

He sighed and left while everyone's attention was focused elsewhere. His heart thumped strongly in his chest and his entire body felt on fire as he focused on her magical signal, leading him to her hiding place.

He realized that maybe he was just deceiving himself.

* * *

Chapter 5: Torn

I wish they would only take me as I am. ~ Vincent van Gogh

* * *

"How come you never told us?!"

"What?"

She stumbled through the halls, her tears making her blind. Her hands clutched at her unborn child, burying themselves in her dark robes. Her heart drummed harshly in her chest, fear tearing at her soul. She sobbed pathetically, passing a few students. She continued on as they laughed and hurled insults at her back. She let out a shudder as her feet walked in an unknown journey.

"I know what your baby is!"

"Ron, stop it!"

"Hermione, tell them. Tell them or I will!"

"No, I can't. You just have to understand that I can't."

"Parseltongue..."

She ducked into the Prefect bathroom and leaned heavily against the door. Her world shifted uneasily under her feet, a nauseous feeling rising from the pit of her stomach. She swallowed past the bile that ascended in her throat. She slowly slid to the floor, legs crumpling beneath her. She leaned her head gently in her hands and let the pain descend upon her.

He'll reveal the truth, you know. He knows and you don't know how. He will show you for what you are. He will show all of them what you are. He will tell them what your baby is and when he does, the Order can do nothing to protect her.

Nothing, Granger.

She heard someone outside before she felt the tingling sensation in her palm. Her hand stung sharply before the reaction of warmth spread across her body. Her head swam with the heat, calming the sick feeling left in her. He was coming for her, she realized, the tears drying in her eyes as the door opened.

She looked up into his pale face, grey eyes taking her in. He gathered her in his arms, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs and brushing her hair behind her shoulders. She gave him a weak smile and leaned into him, longing for more moments with him. She buried her face and hands into his immaculate robes, sighing out a shuddering breath.

"Draco... Ron knows..."

"What?"

She backed away and stared into his eyes, his hand coming to cup her face.

"He knows about the baby. He knows..."

"You can't? You can't what, Hermione?!"

"Ron, please..."

"What did they tell you?"

"Nothing."

"Did they threaten you not to tell anyone?"

"No, he didn't."

"Who?"

"No one..."

And suddenly, he no longer looked like her best friend. He looked sick, sinister...cold. Then he leaned forward, a crazed gleam in his frozen blue eyes.

"I've seen it. He sent his protection out to me. I know what that bastard child is, Granger, and it deserves to die a monster's death."

* * *

He walked ahead of them, his body rigid and straight. He took carefully controlled steps, glaring at anyone who whispered as he passed them. He gritted his teeth every time he heard Hermione Granger's baby. He knew what they said about her. He knew what they said about him. Girls would look at him with a slight anger and the boys would give him claps on the back. He was not the father and he just wanted to forget that.

"...Ron Weasley's the father of the Head Girl's baby, you know."

But it was not like he ever would.

"How did that ugly cow ever get a Quidditch player? Surely, Potter and Weasley only kept her around for their grades."

He remembered how she glowed when she laughed. When the light would hit her hair, it would shine like molten gold like a halo. Her eyes would sparkle when she was solving a mystery or making a potion or doing her homework. She would smile in her sleep and look like an angel. She would sigh at Ginny's idea of romance, shaking her head. She would stick up for herself among the prejudiced. She had a fire in her soul that one really could not drown.

"I heard that she slept with all the boys on the team last year. I bet the little slut doesn't know who the father is."

He felt sick as he heard a swirling, whooshing sound in his head. He saw the skull in his mind. He watched as it opened its mouth and the snake slithered out, shining emerald. It raised its head, hissing at him, warning him to stay away.

"Ron, are you okay?"

He blinked as the world once more came into focus. He turned and saw his sister, standing next to him holding hands with Harry. She was looking at him concerned, her eyes kind and bright. He felt anger grow up inside of him and he scowled at her questioning face.

"Sod off, Ginny," he growled out before swiftly traveling away from her

The girl stood rigid with an odd expression on her face. Harry watched as her cheeks became dark pink with rage and her hand tightened around his. With an indignant huff, she stuck her tongue out at her brother's back, cursing when he just kept walking.

* * *