Stolen Innocence

Chapter Nineteen



The next morning came all too fast for Hermione. She and Draco hadn't stayed long on the roof, even though she'd wanted to.



It had been so amazing dancing around in the rain, doing something she'd never done. For once, she hadn't cared what people thought of her, she hadn't worried about getting sick from the cold, she just went with it. And that in itself was a rush.



But unfortunately, the night had to end. It grew colder the longer they stayed on the roof, so the two had returned back to their dorms through the secret passageway and then silently bid eachother goodnight.



Hermione hadn't felt this good in so long. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush, or maybe it was the feel of Draco's soft hand on her's, but something about that night had made her feel so happy.



When they'd returned, Hermione had quickly showered and then dressed for bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, pulling her into a content and peaceful sleep.



Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of the shower shutting off. She sat upright in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was still half asleep when she got out of bed, grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom. Thinking Draco had already left, she opened the door and was about to step inside, when a wonderful sight caught her eyes.



Draco had just stepped out the shower, a towel around his waist and his pale skin glistening with water and steam from his usual hot shower. His hair was wet, hanging down his face, nearly covering his eyes. His body was like none Hermione had ever seen before, except for in the muggle magazines she'd seen in the grocery store. Normally she hated muscles, always having been partial to a flat stomache, but Draco's abs had cause an interesting sensation in the pit of her stomache.



Draco noticed Hermione staring and gave her a little smirk. "Shower's all yours." He told her, gathering his clothes and walking passed her. She turned around to watch him walk up the staircase leading to his room, her mouth hanging open.



Hermione shook herself mentally as she walked fully into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. She tried to rid herself of her unacceptable thoughts as she turned on the water, being sure that it was rather cold.



'Why hadn't I ever realized how completely gorgeous Draco is?' She thought to herself as she brushed her hair in front of the mirror. Of course, she'd never tell anyone that Draco's body alone had stirred things inside of her that hadn't even been thought about for months. But, it was not a good idea to become attracted to someone like him, Hermione was a smart girl and knew it would only turn out badly. She would have to just go on like nothing had happened, she was getting pretty good at that by now.



But just as she was removing the last of her clothing, Hermione's sight was caught on the locket Draco had given her that weekend. She knew it was unlike him to give presents, it was a well known fact that Draco rarely bought anything for anyone, being more of a taker then a giver. She thought it odd that he would choose her, of all people, to give the locket to.



Although she thought it had been a nice gesture, the gift still made her a little uneasy. She couldn't think of any reason behind this unexpected present that made sense to her. It wasn't as if the two were very close friends really, they didn't even talk outside the Heads' Quarters. Perhaps it had been a bribe, Draco was known for being quite the ladies man, even with his arranged marriage to Pansy.



Hermione felt herself begin to grow angry. Well, if Draco Malfoy believed she was some trashy tart he could woo into bed, he had another thing comming!



She rubbed her temples lightly, feeling one of her headaches comming on, deep thinking did that to her often. She sat down momentarily, giving herself more room to think sensefully. Draco knew she was not like the other girls in their year, she was sure he had more sense then to think he could trick his way into her knickers. There had to be another reason why he'd given her the locket.



Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.



"Charms in twenty minutes, you might want to hurry up." Came Draco's voice from the other end.



"Alright, I'll be out soon." She called back, quickly throwing off her knickers and stepping into the cold shower.



Ten minutes later, Hermione was fully dressed as she spelled her hair dry. She looked at her reflection, contemplating whether or not to put on her glamour. The bruises and cuts were pretty much gone, but she still had some scars from Ron she wished to hide from others. She performed the glamour on herself, then hurried out the bathroom door, taking her bookbag from Draco's extended hand as they made their way into the corridor.



Hermione took her usual seat beside Harry in Advanced Charms, happy that Ron didn't share this class with them. He gave her an odd look as she began to remove books from her bag.



"Did I just see you come into class with Malfoy?" He asked her in a hushed voice, eyeing the locket. Hermione blushed slightly, placing the necklace under her uniform shirt.



"Yeah, so?" She answered, busying herself with her ink bottle.



"Have you gone mad?" Harry asked, half joking. Hermione gave him an annoyed look.



"We walked to class together, so what? We came from the same place and we were going the same way. He has practically no friends now anyways, what's the big deal?" She told him simply, not wanting to argue about Draco.



"Well I just hope you're careful, getting mixed up with someone like him." He said with a small nod towards Draco.



"Oh please, do you think I'm stupid?" She asked him, rather irritated by his childlike behavior.



"No, I just know that he's a sneaky little ferret." He replied with a shrug.



"Well I can take care of myself, thank you." She said, ending their conversation just as Professor Flitwick began the class.



*



After class, Hermione tried to hurry out so she wouldn't have to stay and chat with Harry, but just as she was packing up the last of her things, she gently touched her arm, getting her attention as her heart began to race, staring at his hand on her sleeve.



"What's the hurry? I thought we could walk to Defense Against the Dark Arts together, I feel like we haven't done that in forever," Harry told her, giving her an odd look. But when she just continued to stare at her arm, he quickly added, "Are you sure you're alright?"



Hermione wretched her arm away from him, giving him a slightly terrified look. He raised his eyebrows at her and took a slow step back.



"Mione?" He asked cautiously. Giving him an appologetic look, then dashed out of the classroom. Out of concern for his friend, Harry chased after her.



Hermione was nearly halfway down the corridor when her brain caught up to her body. She slowed down slightly, not really knowing what had come over her. She couldn't think, oblivious to everything around her, including the locket around her neck warming on her skin.



She hadn't really wanted to run from Harry like that. He was one of her best friends, but something inside her had panicked when she felt his gentle hold on her arm. She'd froze, feeling her heartbeat speed up. She wasn't listening to what he'd said, it all just kind of sounded like unintelligable words. Then, something had told her to run away, as far from him as possible. So, without thinking, she did.



She'd never really realized before that she could get so scared over Harry. He'd never even yelled at her before, he'd yelled infront of her, just never at her. And now, here she was, running from him over him touching her arm. Maybe Ron had made her more mad then she'd thought.



At this thought, tears began to well up in her eyes, but for some reason, she didn't stop running. She could hear Harry catching up to her as she slowed down unvoluntarily. Soon, he was running beside her, saying words she couldn't her under her sobs. Harry grabbed her shoulder lightly, turning her around as she slowed to a mere walk.



Hermione's sobbed got louder when she saw the worried look on Harry's face. His hands were firmly on her shoulders as he shook her slightly. Hermione dropped her bookbag to the floor and stopped completely, sinking down beside her bag. Harry sat down, embracing her tight.



Harry held her while she cried, still unable to get a response to his questions. After a while, her sobs had decreased as her body began to shake.



"Hermione, please, tell me what's wrong." She heard Harry say, his voice full of concern.



"I can't tell you." She said through sobs, hiccoughing between words.



"Why not? You know you can tell me anything." Harry replied, trying to look her in the eye.



"No, Harry, just leave me alone." Hermione told him, pushing him away weakly, her strength having left her.



"No, not until you tell me what's wrong." He said firmly, trying to hug her tight. She felt her heartbeat quicken again, fear flooding her.



"Harry, get off me!" She half shouted.



"No, tell me what's wrong!" He demanded, equally loud.



"GET OFF ME!" Hermione screamed as the sounds of someone running in their direction echoed through the empty corridor.



"EXPELLIARMUS!" Rang through the corridor as Harry went flying into the wall opposite him. Hermione screamed again and looked towards the spell caster, seeing an angry looking Draco pointing his wand at an Harry as he began to rise.



"What the hell are you doing to her, Potter?" He asked, his voice filled with rage as he advanced towards Harry.



"That isn't your concern, Malfoy." Harry replied, pulling out his own wand. Draco tried to stare him down, but his wand never wavered.



"It became my concern when you refused to listen to her." He said coldly as Hermione watched on in horror. She tried to say something, but couldn't find her voice.



"Leave us alone, you disgusting excuse for a wizard." Harry told Draco, fixing him with a glare of his own. Hermione could see the anger flashing in Draco's silver eyes, his arm straining out of self control.



Worried Draco would hex Harry into next week, she somehow found her voice and shouted, "Leave him alone, Draco!"



Draco tore his eyes away from Harry, giving her a questioning look.



"He was trying to hurt you." He argued, his wand still pointed at Harry who was watching them talking, an equally confused look on his face. He'd never heard the two talk so civilly to each other.



"No he wasn't!" Hermione said, fresh tears still staining her cheeks.



"What do you mean, I heard you scream." Draco told her.



"I was just trying to find out why she was crying!" Harry defended himself, deciding to step in before he had to hex Draco.



"Is this true?" Draco asked Hermione, who nodded in response. Draco lowered his wand as Harry breathed a silent breath of relief.



"Then why the hell were you screaming?" He questioned.



"That's what I wanted to know!" Harry exclaimed, taking a few steps towards her, but Draco's raised wand stopped him.



"Not another step, Potter!" He warned the other boy. Harry gripped his wand tighter, fully prepared to duel if necessary. Both boys turned their attention to Hermione as more tears began to run down her face.



Draco knelt down infront of her, his look of anger replaced with a look of pure concern. "Now, tell me what's wrong."



"I-I don't know." She sobbed.



"What do you mean you don't know?" Draco asked, raising his voice.



"Don't yell at her!" Harry shouted, stepping closer.



"Shut it Potter!" Draco replied, raising his wand again as Harry stoof mounted to the spot. "What do you mean you don't know?" He repeated, his voice softer.



"I don't know!" She said again, raising her voice as well. Draco let out a sigh of frustration before continuing on.



"There must have been a reason. What did he do?" He asked.



"I didn't do shit! She just started running from me!" Harry said angrily. He was not going to be made out as the bad guy here.



"What the fuck did I tell you?" Draco yelled back. "If you can't keep you're damn mouth shut, I shut it for you!" Harry glared back at Draco, but didn't say another word.



"What did he do?" Draco continued, rubbing Hermione's shoulder.



"Nothing! He touched my arm, and I froze." Hermione told him, sobbing louder.



"Why?" Draco asked her, trying to keep his voice down.



"Why do you think? He's made me mad, with everything he's done to me! Look at what he's turned me into!" She cried. Harry was about to say he hadn't done a thing, but when he saw Draco didn't turn on him, he realized she wasn't talking about him and looked on in confusion.



"Hermione, it's all in your head. You're not mad, you're just still letting him control you." Draco told her as he went to embrace her, but she pushed him away roughly.



"I am not letting him control me!" She shouted angrily. Draco had no clue what was going on in her head, she hated how he always acted as though he did. "He's fucked me up, I've told you before, I'm tainted and it's all because of him."



Hermione broke down and Harry let out a small gasp. He'd never heard Hermione use such profane language before.



Draco wrapped his arms around her shaking form, holding her tight as he'd done on so many other occassions.



"He's fucked me up so bad, Draco. I can't even stand to be touched by my best friend anymore." She said as she continued to sob into Draco's chest. Harry felt his heart go out to her as he watched the scene before him.



"Potter, do you mind?" Draco asked, giving Harry a dirty look. He was about to object, but when he glanced back at the crying Hermione, he shut his mouth.



"I'll be stopping by the Head's Quarters tonight to talk with her." He said, then walked away with a sad look on his face.



Hermione continued to cry after Harry had walked away. Her body shook from her tears, but she couldn't seem to control it anymore. She was just so sick of this, of all of this.



Everything that Ron had done to her, she had begun to believe she may be over that, but she wasn't. His mark was still left on her, mentally and physically. She wanted so bad to be back to normal, to not have to fear her two best friends, to have everything as it had been before. She couldn't stand what he'd made her into anymore, it just wasn't fair.



Draco held Hermione as she cried, he didn't say a word, just held her tight while she cried her heart out. She felt terrible for bringing him into all of this and destroying his day. She knew he was missing DADA class because of her, and she was sure Moody would lecture him for his unacceptable reasons for his absence.



She had been feeling so amazing just the night before. But that was all gone to hell, Ron had managed to ruin her once again, and this time he hadn't even been there. It was entirely his fault and this just upset her more.



However long she sat there crying, Draco stayed with her, rocking her back and forth. He didn't complain at all, just held her tight through her sobs. After a while, the tears seemed to run out and turn into dry sobs. Draco rubbed her back soothingly until she had calmed down.



"So," He started, pulling her away slightly to get a look at her tear stained face. "Are you gonna tell me about it?"



Hermione wiped her face and nodded, her eyes puffy and red.



"Can we go somewhere else? Class should be letting out soon." She asked in a weak voice just barely over a whisper. Draco nodded and helped her to her feet, leading her towards the Heads' Quarters.



Draco closed the door gently behind him while Hermione lowered herself onto the couch, pulling her kneed up close to her chest. He sat down beside her, placing an arm around her shoulders.



"Now, tell me what happened." Hermione took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself more.



"Well, I don't really know. Something inside me just kind of snapped when he touched my arm," She explained in a shaky voice. "It was like an alarm went off in my head, and before I knew it, I was running as fast as my legs could carry me."



"But there has to be a reason for it, did he say something or look at you funny?" Draco asked her.



"No, well, I don't think so. I wasn't really listening to what he was saying," Hermione told him, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She bit them back, refusing to give into them again. "I really can't take this anymore."



Draco hugged Hermione closer, trying to calm her. It hurt him so much to see her upset, he didn't want her to break down again.



"Hermione, you have to listen to me. You can't let this keep affecting you." Draco said, looking her right in the eyes. His sliver eyes bore into her's, as if searching inside her. She felt her stomache do a flip flop as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. It was as if all the events of that morning were forgotten as the unshed tears disapeared. She stared back into Draco's hypnotic eyes, wanting nothing more then to get lost in them forever.



Hermione felt herself redden when she realized she was staring. It could have been her imagination, but when she broke the stare, she could've sworn she saw a pink tint to Draco's pale skin.



The two sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, their conversation forgotten. Draco recovered first, breaking the uncomfortable silence.



"So, what are we gonna tell Potter?" He asked, causing Hermione to groan.



"Do we have to tell him anything?" She replied, knowing full well the answer.



"Well, we could obliviate his memory, but he will find out eventually. He's not as dumb as he looks." Draco chuckled slightly with his last comment, but the joke was lost on Hermione.



"But what am I going to say?" She said, worry filling her. She didn't want Harry to know about it, or anyone else for that matter. What if he didn't believe her? What if he thought she was making it all up? Harry and Ron were like brothers, surely he wouldn't believe the things his best mate was capable of.



"I don't know, Hermione!" Draco half shouted, frustration evident in his voice. Hermione flinched slightly at his loud tone. "Just tell him the truth, tell him what a sick fuck his best friend is!"



"It's not that easy!" Hermione shouted back, tears threatening to fall down her face once again.



"And why not?"



"Because it's not, okay?" She replied through fresh sobs. Draco quickly pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her shaking body. "Ron is Harry best friend, he's not going to believe that he would ever hurt me."



"But you're one of his best friends too, he knows you wouldn't lie about something like this." Draco reassured her as they heard students crowding the corridors for lunch.



"But what if he doesn't believe me?" Hermione asked, sobbing louder. "Either way I'll be destroying one of his friendships. He's going to hate me."



"No he won't," Draco said, rubbing her back. "If he doesn't believe you, then he's a git. You don't need him."



"Yes I do." She cried. "He's the only friend I have left."



"You still have me, no matter what." He told her in a soft voice. Hermione didn't reply, it was all too much. She just kept crying with her face burried in Draco's chest. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, but she just couldn't stop it. She couldn't help the tears streaming down her face. She hated people seeing her like this, thinking she was weak. But Draco never seemed to mind, he just always held her until she felt better.



This time, she cried for a long time. They heard the corridors empty then fill again, happy students discussing the days events, their classes and their plans for that night.



"It's alright, everything will be okay." Draco kept whispering in her ear.



Hermione eventually tired herself out. Her tears ran dry and she just sat there, shaking and emmitting dry sobs. She held tight on to Draco, holding him in an embrace as if she'd fall deep into the the abyss if she let go. He held her just as tight, trying with all his might to make her pain go away.



Draco wished nothing more then to wave his wand and make it all better. But alas, that kind of magic did not exsist. If it did, the world would be perfect, rid of Voldemort and everyone would be happy.



After Hermione had quieted down, she just leaned against Draco's body while he ran his hands through her hair to sooth her.



"Whatever happens, happens," He told her in a whisper. "Whether he believes you or not, we both know the truth. He'll see it eventually. You just can't get yourself too worked up over this shit." Hermione nodded, her throat too sore from crying to talk.



"Shouldn't we be going to class?" Hermione asked after a while, her voice hoarse.



"No, you're in no condition to be going to class today. We're heads so they won't give us too much trouble for it." Draco said, still petting her hair.



"But-" She went to argue, but Draco silenced her with a finger on her lips.



"No arguements, you're ahead in all your lessons anyways and I'll have no problem catching up. We're not leaving here until dinner. We can call an elf to bring us some food."



"We will not!" Hermione argued stubbournly.



"And why not?" Draco asked, a little taken aback by her demanding tone.



"Because it's cruel to force an elf to wait on us hand and foot when we are both capable of doing things for ourselves." She told him. Draco let out a defeated sigh.



"Fine, I'll head down to the kitchens and get us something to eat," He said, standing up. "You going to be alright here by yourself?"



"I'm not a child, Draco." Hermione replied.



"I know, I was just making sure. I'll be back in a few." Draco then gave her one last comforting hug and walked out, leaving her alone with her thoughts.



Hermione tucked her knees back up to her chest, resting her head on them, determined not to cry again. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, hoping Draco wasn't going to be long. For some reason, whenever Draco was around, she felt comforted. It was like nothing she had never experienced before. She'd never had someone who could make her feel so safe, just by being there.



Draco returned only a few minutes later with a large platter of food in his hands as well as a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two plastic cups. Hermione gave him a small smile as he placed it on their large coffee table, her stomache giving a low growl. Draco chuckled at the sounds as he took her seat beside her on the couch.



"Dig in." He told her, watching as she grabbed for a sandwhich.



"I'm starved." Hermione said after she finished her first sandwhich.



"Well we did miss breakfast." Draco reminded her.



"I completely forgot about that." She replied, taking another sandwhich. The two ate in silence, occasionally glancing at each other. But it wasn't an awkward silence, it was rather comfortable. The two heads had grown so close over the past few weeks that they could just enjoy each other's company, not needing to say a word.



When the dish has emptied, it refilled itself just as it would in the Great Hall. After the two had ate their fill of food, they sat back, pushing the plate aside. They heard the halls fill once again with students heading off to their next class. Hermione was just about to ask what they did next when there was a knock at the door. They exchanged a look, both knowing who it would be as Draco rose to answer it.



Harry walked into the Heads' Quarters as Draco held open the door. He went straight to Hermione with a concerned expression on his face, sitting down beside her on the couch. Hermione gave him a weak smile, feeling both nervous and worried.



"How are you feeling?" He asked her, Draco watching from the door, not wanting to intrude but still wanting to be present just in case she needed someone to back her up.



"Better." She answered simply, avoiding Harry's eyes. He was sitting a little close, so she moved away from him slightly. At her movement, Harry gave her a sad look, but didn't say a word.



Harry looked over towards Draco, glaring at him. "Do you mind, Malfoy?"



"Not at all." Draco replied coolly. Harry stood up and was about to say something when Hermione stopped him.



"Harry, it's okay." She said, causing Harry to sit back down.



A long silence followed, Hermione trying to delay the inevitable.



"Are you going to tell me what's been going on?" Harry asked after a while. Hermione sighed.



"I'll tell you, but please, don't get hate me for it." She told him, a worried look on her face as well.



"Mione, whatever it is, I could never hate you," Harry replied, giving her a small smile through his concerned expression. "Now, please, tell me what's wrong."



"Um, well..." Hermione looked over to Draco for support. He gave her an encouraging nod, which she returned.



"Does this have anything to do with you and Ron's breakup?" He asked, sensing that she needed a little more prodding. Hermione bowed her head, looking at her hands in her lap.



"Well, yes," She told him. "You see, when Ron and I were dating, he didn't exactly treat me right."



"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a confused look.



"Well, you know that since he turned seventeen he's been drinking a lot and, well, he kind of...abused me." Hermione said, wringing her hands in her lap.



"Abused you?" Harry repeated.



"Yes, he um...he hit me and took advantage of me." Her voice was now barely a whisper, Harry having to strain his ears to hear.



"Are you sure?" Harry asked in an unbelieving tone.



"What do you mean is she sure?" Draco shouted at him taking a step towards the couch.



"Draco, please!" Hermione said, causing Draco to stop in his tracks. She then turned to Harry. "Yes, I'm sure."



"What exactly did he do, tell me everything." Harry said, sounding skeptical.

"Harry, I really don't-" Hermione began with tears in her eyes.br>


"I want to know." He interrupted. Harry wore a determined expression on his face whereas Draco's was of pure concern. He knew it hurt Hermione to talk about this and he was just pushing it a little too far. If only she would let him hex the other boy.

"Well, he um...he would strike me, push me, hit my head off things, and he um, he would scratch me pretty hard and he raped me a few times." Tears began to flow down Hermione's face as she stuttered through her words. She still refused to look him in the face but she could tell he was not happy.

"And why, exactly, have I never seen any marks on you if he hurt you so bad?" Harry asked, his voice wavering with anger but Hermione couldn't tell what from, the fact that his best friend had done that to another of his friends, or just the fact that she was telling him all this.

"I-I learned how to perform a glamour charm." She told him.

"A glamour charm? I've never heard of that." Harry replied as Draco let out an uncharacteristic snort.

"It's a very advanced charm used to hide imperfections like scars, cuts and bruising." Hermione said, fighting to stop the flow of tears.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked.

"Because I didn't want you to know," She sobbed, finally looking up into his face. Her stomache seemed to sink when she saw his concerned expression had change to a stoney face, his eyes flashing with anger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco tense, his wand held firmly in his hand. "I don't want to ruin your friendship with anyone, Ron is your best friend and-" Harry put up his hand, motioning for her to stop.

"I've heard enough." He said simply, standing up and turning his back on Hermione.



"But-"

"No, that's it. We're done here." Harry then pushed passed Draco and walked out the door, Hermione collapsing onto the floor as the sobs overcame her. Draco rushed to her side, picking her up and placing her onto the couch so she was half laying on him. He wrapped his arms firmly around her as she cried.

"I knew it," Hermione sobbed into Draco's chest. "I knew he'd hate me."

To Be Continued...

Finally this chapter is finished. I've been working on it for about a week and a half. I am so sorry it took so long for this to posted, I've had so many things going on with my friends and everything and I've been going to doctors and such so I've had barely any time to write. But, as part of my apology, I wrote this chapter nice and long. And this time I believe it is actually pretty long. Anyways, thnxx goes out to:

-xwritexorxdiex, I'm happy you liked the last chapter so much. Hopefully you like this one as well.

-lilpapillonbleu, haha yeah, a bathtub scene may not happen for a little while. This story is basically going to progress slowly which means their relationship may not escalate for a while. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, which sounds pretty odd when I'm writing a fanfic about wizards and witches.

-angelnomiko, happy to hear you liked it. Here's your update.

-alice, why thank you.

-Lilium, thank you, I just love hearing those type of reactions. But I'm afraid I may not be able to update too often anymore, but I will always eventually update.

-Murphy, I know what you mean, those types are more for smut then anything else, I just wanted to write one more realistic. I can gladly tell you the names of another story which kind of inspired this one, it has basically the same type of theme with Hermione being abused and is very well written, if you'd like to read it.

-sticky, well thanks, you're so sweet.

I am so happy with all the reviews I've been getting with this story. But, I am sad to say, I may not have too much time to update regularily anymore as I have a lot of things going on. To make up for it, I will make all the next chapter long like this one, so hopefully that will do. Please review as I am worried that you've all forgotten about this story. Please prove me wrong.

Much Love...

XXX

Xx-.k.a.y.y.-xX