Secrets

Jealousy

"That's what we get for letting her date a Slytherin Harry!" Ron explained, shoveling more and more food into his mouth.

"Well we didn't really have a say in it did we Ron? If she wants to date that Nick guy she's going to and their's nothing we can do about it so drop it already!"

"But Harry! I don't trust him. He has to be turning her against us! She barely even talks to us anymore! She's been so distracted lately she even fell down the stairs! Did you see her wrist?" Ron was ranting about Nick again.

"About her wrist... I don't really think that was the stairs." Harry concluded.

"What makes you think that Harry?"

"Well I know when someone's hiding abuse and I'm almost certain that she is." This made Ron shut up for a second as he began to contemplate what Harry was really saying. After years of being abused by his aunt and uncle Harry knew the signs.

"Well then why would she still be with him? Why wouldn't she just break up with h-"

Ron glared at Harry who had just bruised his shin with a powerful kick.

"What was that for?" Exclaimed Ron, with a twisted visage of pain. Harry darted his eyes to Hermione, who was on her way over the table, ignoring Ron's question.

"Hey Mione." Harry said, trying to be loud enough to break Ron out of his death stare.

"Hey guys." She replied glumly. Which now was normal. Since she was never truly happy anymore.

Not two seconds after Hermione had sat down at the table with her friends, Nick walked over.

"Hermione! Hey babe!" Nick's heavy voice sneaking up behind her made Hermione jump for both surprise and terror.

"Where were you yesterday? You said we were going to study for Potions, and then you never showed up." Even through the calm casualness of his voice Hermione knew he was angry with her for missing their study session.

"I'm really sorry Nick." She turned around to face him, still sitting down. "I got detention and I didn't have time to reschedule with you."

"That's ok Hermione. I'll see you later!" He walked away and Hermione tensed up at his words. "I'll see you later."

"Mione? Are you ok?" Harry asked.

"Fine." She lied.

"I'm actually not that hungry. I think I'm going to go study for that test that I have." Hermione ran out of the dinning hall leaving Harry and Ron shocked at what they had witnessed.

Hermione, once exiting the dinning hall, ran through the halls and into the girls bathroom, that hopefully no one was using.

Luckily, it was vacant.

Once she managed to pull herself together, she dried away her streaming tears and took a deep breath before exiting the room.

Before the door could swing shut, Nick had snatched her thin, twig- like arm and pulled her to wall. Of course he was waiting for her. He was always waiting for her. Following her. Threatening her. He was always there.

"I thought I told you not to hang out with those two anymore!" Nick was referring to Harry and Ron whom he was so clearly jealous of.

"They're just friends Nick! I promise! I love you! You know I love you." Hermione pleaded.

"If you really loved me you would have helped me study like we agreed on. I failed my potions test because of you." He spoke through clenched teeth which Hermione knew was a bad sign. "You don't love me. You've never loved me!"

"That's not true! I do, I d-" She never got to finish her plead. I cold, firm hand shot up and gripped her throat, squeezing tighter when she tried desperately to pry his fingers off. Even if she could scream, no one would hear her from here.

"You're not a good girlfriend." He looked straight into her frightened eyes with his, so black it was as if they weren't even there. "You're a bad girlfriend." Hermione began to see black dots blurring her vision. "And bad girlfriends get punished."

Her squeezed her neck harder as she felt her head spinning in circles the same way it was when she went on her first muggle roller coaster. Her mind drifted, to the place she called home. A safe place. She wished to be in that place. Instead of here. She wished to be anywhere but here. Hermione realized she was about to black out from the dots swimming in her vision.

"Can you be a good girlfriend?" Nick asked in a teasing manner. Hermione, realizing this was her only chance, mustered up her only remaining consciousness to nod her head before the dots expanded covering her sight of his smirking expression.

She heard herself fall and felt her head clang to the stone floor accompanied by a rush of air to her lungs that left her choking and sputtering. The blackness in her eyes subsided and left a filmy lens rendering her only able to watch as Nick walked away without even another word.

Suddenly Hermione's eyes flooded with darkness again and her head shot with pain. She rested the to the floor and her for a split second, felt no pain in her body. Followed by a blackout.