Magnets// Dramione

A Confrontation

*Trigger Warning: Slight mention of Suicide and cutting/scars *

Hermione knew she had to say something. She knew she had to talk to Draco about it. She couldn't just let him hurt himself like that. She had first noticed the scars during their shared potions class. Hermione sat at the table to Draco's left and had casually looked over at him once to see he had partially rolled up the sleeves of his robe. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to the pink scars crawling up his wrist and forearm. She might have gasped because Draco looked over at her, followed her gaze and pushed down the sleeve of his robe and didn't say a word.

The next time Hermione saw the scars, it was because she was looking. Knowing that Draco liked to take off his quidditch uniform as soon as he got back from practice, Hermione would sit and read in the common room on the couch, waiting for him to come back. Then when he did, she'd sneak glances at his arm to watch for the scars. She always caught glimpses of them, never enough of a look though to confirm to her that she hadn't simply been imagining things that day in class.

If Draco was hurting himself, if he had tried to kill himself over the summer, Hermione knew that as Head Girl, she had to talk to him. She had to get him some help. She had to tell him that life was worth living. Even if he didn't want to hear it from her, he had to hear it anyways.

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"Draco, we need to talk." Draco gave her a funny look as he watched her put her book down and lean forward in the oversized chair.

"Okay but can I change first? And shower? I just finished practice." Hermione nods.

"I know. I'll wait." Draco wrinkled his nose again and was so confused by her sudden question that he walked all the way back to his room in his sweaty gear before stripping everything off. He needed to wash these clothes well again tonight. He never did like how much of a sweat he managed to work up during quidditch.

Draco took a shower agonizingly slow it seemed to Hermione, who hadn't moved past the page she had been on since Draco walked into the room. What was taking him so long? Was he making an effort to not talk to her? Hadn't they moved past this? Weren't they getting acquainted with one another? Meanwhile Draco, was bewildered. He'd never seen Hermione with such a serious look before. Maybe she's always looked this serious but he had never seen her direct the expression towards him.

Pulling down a comfortable long sleeve shirt over his head and pulling on a pair of joggers, Draco ran his hand through his damp hair, pursing his lips at the awful color it had become now that it was wet. He dragged a towel over it quickly, trying not to fluff it out to much so he could just let it air dry. He hated the way he looked with his hair wet but there was nothing he could do about it. Hermione was waiting. When he walked out of the bathroom, Hermione was still sitting in the armchair. She looked up to him expectantly and Draco held up his pointer finger, asking for another moment while he put his stuff away in his room. Hermione nodded, eyes gliding back down to her book as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. If Draco took much longer, she might just loose her nerve.

As soon as Draco dropped his stuff off in his room and sat down with Hermione in the living room, she immediately gave up pretending to read and laid her book down on her lap before folding her hands delicately on top of it. Draco eyed her funny but said nothing, thinking she would talk first. But when she didn't speak, Draco prompted her. "You wanted to talk?" He asked. Hermione took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the scars on your arm." Draco sighed and Hermione became more determined, sitting up straighter. "This is serious Draco. You shouldn't hurt yourself like that." He looked over at her startled. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was leaning pretty far forward, her elbows on her knees. Draco thought she wanted to talk about the Dark Mark. What did she mean about hurting himself?