What Lays Underneath

Tearing Apart

*1 month before Christmas*
Hermoine believed that today would be the best day to end it with Ron, she had given him months to redeem himself but it wasn't getting anywhere. The only problem is, the only time she would see him today was before Transfiguration. She would have to send a note to him to get to class early. She grabbed a quill and wrote furiously on a piece of paper.

Meet outside transfiguration, 9:15 sharp.
-H.

She then put an enchantment in it so that only he could see it.
9:15 comes and Hermoine awaits to tell Ron the breaking news. She sees a glimpse of red floppy hair jogging towards her. She smiles weakly at the freckled-face boy.
"Hey, Hermoine, what's up?" He says.
"I just want to talk about... Well... Us." She stutters.
"Go on."
"I don't think we're... Meant to be, I mean, I love you Ron, but no more than a friend, I don't want to ruin what we had as friends but I just don't think we can make it as a couple. I hope you see where I coming from."
"Oh. Yeah. Sure, I'll see you at lunch then." He walks off, she could see the anger rising through his veins. She sighs a bit of her stress and tries to keep her act together.
"What's wrong with you, Granger?"
"Oh will you go away!" She yells at the bleach blonde boy who'd been her enemy for 7 years. But to her surprise, he didn't react, nor did he call her a mudblood. His face just softened and he stayed silent. Hermoine opens the door for her next lesson and gets her things ready, Malfoy following after, sitting on the opposite side to her. She could feel his gaze on her back, for what reason, remains unknown. She turned around as she couldn't bare it anymore, he still stares but his mouth fixes into a smirk.
'For Gods sake.' she thought to herself. Turning back around as Professor McGonagall walks in. The class begins to go over things they have learnt since first year, how to turn small matches into a needle and so on. The whole class sat in bore whilst Hermoine scribbled down her notes, preparing for the big exam at the end of seventh year.
"Zabini, you and Mister Malfoy seem to be a bit distracted today, do you remember the spell in which we use to turn a match into a needle?" McGonagall spoke slowly.
"Conjunctor?" He guessed.
"Wrong, it's conjecture. If you were to say that, the match stick would come to make you blind." She scowled. "Have I made myself clear, Zabini." He nodded in response.
Next, McGonagall offered Neville to try to turn a mouse into a snuffbox, instead, he set the place on fire, meaning class was dismissed.
"Neville, it is only you that can do this, no one else can set a mouse on fire whilst trying to make it a snuffbox." Hermoine laughed. Neville gazed down at the floor still processing what on earth had just happened.
"Maybe it's not for me." He said, still baffled.
"Just keep trying, you'll get there." Hermoine smiled. "Plus, you are the hero that killed Nagini. Always remember that, don't put yourself down." Neville smiled at Hermoine.
"Yeah I did do that." Neville grinned. "Thanks Hermoine." She smiled as he skipped along with that happy thought in his head. But she then realised that lunch was nearing and she would have to face Ron. She began to walk slowly to the great hall, every step became a wish for Ron to have fixed up.
She took deep breaths before entering the great hall. She walks through the doors and to her luck, Ron wasn't there. She let out a sigh of relief and sat down with Harry, Ginny, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.
"We heard about you and Ron." Harry said, flatly. Hermoine huffed.
"He didn't take it very lightly, did he?" She half mumbles.
"Not quite..." Ginny answered.
"Why'd you do it?" Seamus asked, more than interested.
"I loved him too much as a friend, as a brother. It was nice having Ron, but it wasn't anything... Serious." On this note, Hermoine couldn't feel any less hungry. She decided to pick up a ham and cheese sandwich and head off to the lake to have some air. As she strolled outside, the fresh air began to clear her mind. She felt as if it was therapeutic to be outside instead of being between walls. She took a seat next to a tree by the lake, closed her eyes and exhaled. She sat like this for a while as the stress slowly evaporated. She opened her eyes to a beautiful blue sky and freshly cut green grass which made her etch a smile. She enjoyed this moment to herself, something she hadn't been able to do for a long time.
Suddenly she was interrupted by a dark shadow, it was Ron.
"Oh, hello Ronald." She says politely. Ron picked her up by her collar and thrust her against the tree, tears streaming down his face.
"Why did you do this Hermoine? Look what you've done!" He bellows. Hermoine's whole body starts shaking and she's lost for words, she had never seen this side of Ron. "Don't look at me hopelessly, answer me!"
"Ron, please, you're causing a scene." She quivers. He pulls her off the tree and slams her fragile body back against it. She lets out a scream.
"You did this to me, I've done nothing to you and look at what you do to me!"
"Ron, stop please!" Hermoine begs, tears streaming from her eyes. "You're hurting me."
"I'm hurting you? You're hurting m-"
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" A voice calls, slicing the side of Ron's body. It was Harry. "What do you think you're doing to her!" He growls.
"Here's Harry come to save the day." Ron mocks.
"What has gotten into you, can't you see what you're doing to her!" Harry shouts.
"Says someone who's never been hurt like this."
"She's done nothing to you. You weren't treating her the way she deserves."
"I gave her my all!" Ron roared.
"You gave her nothing!"
"STUPEFY!"
"ENNERVATE!" A massive beam of light came from both wands battling each other, Hermoine couldn't bear it any more. She pulled her self up and limped over to the two boy and took out her wand.
"FINITE INCANTATEM!" She yells, stopping all the magic. Ron began to storm over to her.
"Ronald Weasley, I suggest you leave before I make another mark on your skin." Harry threatens. Ron stopped in his tracks and turned back to Harry. "Leave, now."
Ron walked straight past him and headed to the Gryffindor common room. Harry ran over to Hermoine and hugged her tightly. Hermoine burst into tears.
"I can't believe he would do this to you. I'm so sorry Hermoine, I'm so sorry." Harry whispered. "If anything happens again, you come to me right away, there is no way I will let anyone touch you like this, okay?" He said firmly, looking directly into her chocolate brown eyes.
"Okay." She sobbed. He took her back in his arms. When he looked down her back, he saw a dark purple bruise across her shoulder blade, this fired his anger but he kept it in to comfort her. "Harry, what do I do? I can't go back inside, he's there!" She exclaimed.
"Stay with me, I won't let him near you."
That night, Hermoine crept through the Gryffindor common room, praying that she wouldn't see him, then sped up to her room. She plastered herself to her bed and hoped for a better day, the next day. She sent a note to Harry, asking him if he could get her breakfast the next day and sit with her to eat, he agreed.
That morning, they sat outside on a bench and had a plate of sausages, beans, eggs and toast each. Hermoine taking every bite with precaution. The two had little conversation but they both knew why. Harry could see that she was still terribly effected by what Ron had done to her. Luckily, it was a Saturday which meant they had no classes to attend.
"So," Harry said, breaking the silence. "What are you doing for Christmas."
"I think I'm going to stay at Hogwarts, I don't feel like home is the place for me this year, I just need to focus on my studies and give myself some time. What about you?" She asked.
"Down at the Burrow, pretty much. Might take Ginny to a Quidditch match."
"That would be lovely." Hermoine smiled weakly. They continued eating their breakfast and settled into the morning sunrise.
"Leave me alone! I don't want you here!" Harry and Hermoine heard the voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy.
"You filthy rat, come back here!" Pansy chased after him.
"What do you not understand about personal space!" Malfoy cried. Harry and Hermoine watched the two argue as Pansy runs up to Draco and punches him hard in the jaw.
"Get your shit together, Malfoy. I don't care what you were forced into, or you past, its over now." She spat. You could see Draco's veins popping out of his skin, he tensed and turned away, to Hermoine's surprise, she saw tears dripping down his cheeks.
"Don't talk about my past." He growled through gritted teeth. Pansy grabbed his collar and dragged him. Quicker than a flash, Draco ripped her arm from his cloak and with a flick of his wand, Pansy flew through the air and landed harshly on the floor. Her face opened with shock. She saw that Hermoine and Harry were watching.
"What do you want you filthy mudblood." She screwed and paced back into the castle.
Hermoine turned her gaze back onto Draco, who you could hear weeping from where they sat.
"I'm going to check on him." Hermoine said. Harry felt as though Draco may help Hermoine as they went through the same thing. As much as he was the enemy, you could see the soft side of him before you saw the harsh side.

Hermoine POV.
I ran over to where Draco headed, he looked as if he was in so much pain and it wasn't from Pansy's punch. I followed the sound of his tears and it lead me to the shrieking shack. I decided not to walk in on him as it might startle him, so I watched from aside as he hadn't noticed me yet. He was bent over a sink with a broken mirror, his muscles were ripping with rage, yet, you could see him shattering. Draco brought his head back up to the mirror.
"You worthless prick!" He screamed, punching the mirror, his reflection shattered into even more pieces. His hand covered in his own blood, it was shaking violently. He paced up and down the room, cursing himself. "You don't deserve to live you waste!" He threw another punch at the wall, causing the same hand to pour with blood. Watching him treat himself this way caused something inside me to break. "That's right, you deserve the treatment you get from her because you don't mean shit!" With that he kicked over some glasses and let's out screams of pain, he collapsed onto his knees, he was weakening, I can't bare him like this. As he was about to slam the nearly-bloodless hand into the ground I had to interfere.
"Draco, No!" I screamed. He turned around, shocked to see me. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy. He was covered in his blood. "What have you done to yourself?" I whisper in pain. His whole body lowered, his head dropped as he began to sob again. I began to walk over to him, kneeling down and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't." He shuddered. I sighed. "I don't deserve comfort."
"Draco, don't say this."
"I said don't!" He bellowed, the anger that came out made me so scared, tears came out of my own eyes, he was showing me his pain, and that was bad enough, how could it be that he feels it.
"Draco I won't leave you alone like this. Please."
"No."
I stammered a bit but I couldn't leave him hurt.
"Episky." I whispered, pointing my wand at his hand. The blood had found itself back inside his hand and his skin grew back in its place. I ran my fingers through his soft, blonde hair, then softly stroked the side of his face, wiping the tears away. I stood back up and began walking out of the shack, Draco's body stayed in that position, his head still hanging low, refusing to even contemplate looking back up. I took one last glance at him, then left.

Draco couldn't believe he let her see him like this. 'Now I'm the weak one, the fool. Every time she's going to look at me, it's going to be with sympathy. Every time I look at her, it's going to break me.' He thought.
He wished she hadn't seen him, he wished she hadn't... Touched him. The warmth that flowed through his body, with such gentle, soft hands. He didn't understand this feeling, he was so used to being beaten down and cursed upon, that when she tenderly stroked his skin, more of him softened inside. His life had been so tensed over the couple years, whether he was tensing to take a beating from Voldemort, for not accomplishing tasks, to tensing out of fear to have to face the Dark Lord. The pressure he had to face at such a young age, not being able to love or receive love, not being able to care or be cared for, he had forgotten what it was like. He hadn't allowed it to come to him since he had to shut out all these happy emotions before.
But that feeling Hermoine gave him was new. He was puzzled. Pansy can give him the same treatment and more, and he feels nothing, but one soft touch from Hermoine filled his whole body with warmth.

A/N: how did this section go guys? Please leave comments and tell me how I can improve so that I can satisfy all readers. Thanks :).