Dramione- Back at Hogwarts (Hermione's 7th Year)

Chapter 46- Hurt

After dinner, Hermione and Draco proceeded to their Dormitory. They walked together while discussing about their duties as Heads and when to meet with the prefects.

As the Head Boy and Girl, they were both assigned by the Head Mistress to patrol the corridors for the first two weeks back.

"Draco, when do you want to meet with the Prefects?" Hermione asked him once she had sat on one of the couches at their Common Room. The first week of classes was overall peaceful, she thought happily.

"Well, we could meet them this Sunday after breakfast so there won't be any conflict on all our class schedules," he replied, sitting beside her, as close as he dared and draping his arm on the back of the couch where Hermione's head rests.

"Alright, I guess," she replied, noticing his closeness. She inhaled deeply, letting his scent engulf her senses. "We still have time before patrol starts, do you want to study?" She asked.

"There's no homework, sweetheart," he stated. "Let's just relax first, snog a little, and maybe talk about things," he suggested.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked, moving so she was facing him. She ignored his suggestion about snogging, even though she knew she wanted it too.

"Nothing in particular. I just want to to spend my time with you," he replied seriously, looking at her in the eyes.

"How's your housemates treating you, by the way?" She asked blinking, not wanting to stare too deeply into his eyes, and fall to his seductive eyes. She was keen on not kissing him, she had succeeded for a few days now.

"Blaise and I actually talked for the first time this year during lunch. He was always a cool guy. I haven't talked to anybody else yet, but I think they were waiting for me to approach them or something like that. It's quite difficult now that I don't know what they're thinking about me when they look at me. They seemed to have changed drastically too," Draco replied opening up to her, playing with Hermione's fingers with his.

"That's a good start, with Blaise I mean," she told him. "Maybe you could try talking to your other friends too. How about Parkinson? Isn't she your girlfriend?" she asked.

"No way! Pansy's not my girlfriend and she never was. She's just someone who's there when I need a date. And I haven't had a real girlfriend anyway, just casual snogs," he admitted. He was not keen on telling Hermione that he had done more than snogging with other girls. "Actually I'm quite happy that Pansy has not talked to me yet. She was so clingy before, and I don't want her to be anymore, not that I had enjoyed it before," he revealed, wanting her to know that she's the only girl that he wants to be with now.

Well that's good, Hermione thought to herself. "How about Goyle then?" She asked again.

"Well, I don't think Goyle would want anything to do with me, not after what happened to his best friend. He was not really a friend, just one of my cronies because of my father," he told her bitterly. He just knows that Gregory Goyle blames him for what happened to Vincent Crabbe at the Room of Requirement, even though he was not the one who casted the Fiend Fire that led to its caster's own demise. He also knows that the Death Eaters' sons just followed him before because he was his father's son, his father was Lord Voldemort's right-hand man after all.

Hermione noticed the bitterness and sadness in Draco's eyes, so she tried changing the subject to lighten up the mood. "Do you want to read a book instead? We still have an hour before patrol," she suggested.

"I don't want to study nor read a book, Hermione. I told you, I want to talk or snog," he replied seriously, interlacing their fingers again.

"If I remember correctly before we parted at your hotel, we both agreed that as friends we should not kiss anymore," she replied, standing her ground, and controlling herself not to pounce on him. He looks so handsome, she thought.

"Well, we already broke it right? Twice, I might add," he said, grinning cheekily. "Have you broken up with the Weasel yet?" He asked as an afterthought.

She had deliberately not told him about her breakup with Ron. But she can't lie to her friend about it now that she was asked directly. "Yes, I have," she whispered to him.

"When?" He asked curiously, leaning closer to her so he was now on all fours at the couch.

"The night before we went back to Hogwarts," she replied quietly. She saw the hurt in his eyes after her reply. It was now Friday, September 11th, and she broke up with Ron on the 30th of August. It has been a few days now, but it doesn't mean she would want to date immediately after. She likes Draco, but she still wants to wait.

"That's like, over a week now then?," He replied quietly. "Almost two weeks," he added bitterly. He moved so that he was farthest away from her on the couch they were sharing. He leaned on the backrest of the couch, then closed his eyes. "Why did you keep me in the dark, Granger?" He asked her quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how to tell you," she lied, wanting to move closer to him, but was now afraid of him. She knew he had hurt her friend by not mentioning it to him. Ginny had told her that Draco would be hurt if she didn't tell him about her breakup with Ron immediately, when they had their talk about Draco. She was also told by Ginny that as her friend, Draco would want to know about it, not only because of his interest on her. She was adviced just to tell Draco that she's not yet ready to date again, instead of not letting him know that she's not in a relationship anymore.

"Am I not your friend?" He asked in a deadly whisper. "I thought I was, that your comfortable enough to tell me anything," he added, opening his eyes and looking at her now.

"You are my friend, Draco," she replied quietly.

"Or maybe, you think I will pounce on you once you have told me that you're free of that Weasel? Is that it? Sorry to disappoint you, Granger, but I would have asked first if you were ready," he told her, his hands closed into fists. "I'm going out, I'll patrol alone later," he added, standing up and walking to the portrait door.

"Wait! Draco, please let's talk about this?" Hermione pleaded, standing up and running to him. She grabbed his arm, and tried pulling him to face her. "Please, Draco," she pleaded again.

He stared at her for a few seconds that seems like hours to Hermione, there was a coldness in his eyes she did not like and was afraid of. He firmly but still gently, took off her fingers on his arm, and just shook his head no.

Then Draco Malfoy was out of the Head's dormitory, leaving a crying Hermione Granger.