Shattered hearts and broken paths

Discalimer: Not mine, Sorry, I just like to use other people's characters. I promise, I wont harm them... Much! All these Characters belong to the Brilliant JKR! I take no credit!

~*3*~

Silnece fell through the corrider where Hermione just screamed and ran off. Draco shot Ron a look of pure hate and by the look on Ron's face you could tell the feeling was 100% mutual. Lavender backed away from the two young boys trying to slip away without being witness to what could happen next.

"Where are you going you filthy whore?" Draco spat with a look of discust in the direction of the girl inconspiculously trying to flee from the situation.

"I was uhh.. just going to... uhmm... go back to the gryffindor common room." she said knowing that Draco and Hermione heard her recent confession to Ron.

"Dont call her a filthy whore." Ron said slightly turning red.

"Well, She just clearly stated that she knew you were still with Hermione, and that she knew it would wreck your relationship, thats pretty whore-ish if you ask me. And second off Mr. Weasely, I would suggest that you stay away from Hermione, and do not harrass her to listen to the pathtic excuses you may come up with, or beg for her to take you back. It will not be happening if I have any knowledge of it. Now if you excuse me, I am going to go and try to calm Hermione down as you have already broke her heart and stripped her of any self confidence that she had." Draco said harshly, and turned to walk away.

"Why in Merlin's name does he care if I try to apologize or not? Hasn't he been the one to call her down and degrade her infront of everyone every chance he got?" Ron asked under his breath.

"Drop it Ron, At least we can be together now." Lavander said as she walked towards Ron wrapping her arms around him.

"Yah... right..." Ron said as he walked away from Lavander's embrace.

***

As Draco walked towards the Heads Dorm he thought to himself, Did I just fuck up my chances completely with her? I was only trying to make sure he didnt say anything to hurt her. I wouldn't want to talk to him if I were her. Its bad enough that I already feel something a bit more of a friendship feeling for her.

The portrait hole opened and Draco climbed through into the Heads common room. Hermione was sitting on the couch and stood up quickly when she seen Draco.

"Hermione.. I am..." Draco started but was interupted.

"Dont..."

"But, I really just..."

"It's ok Draco, I understand."

"You.. what?"

"Understand Draco, Understand that you didnt want to see me hurt again.. with last night and this morning, I have come to realise you are a decent human being Draco Malfoy, and I want to Thank you, Thank you for stopping Ron from saying anything, and Thank you for just listening."

Draco was taken back by this, She didnt care that he tried to stop Ron from saying anything? She was greatful for it.

"Uhmm. Your Welcome I guess, So lets forget about that, Lets make you.. not so boring." Draco said with a smirk.

"Ok.. what first?" Hermione asked pulling out a quill and a piece of parchment.

"First" Draco said laughing. "We put away the books, and dont talk about classes and tests."

Hermione put her parchment and quill back into her book bag, picked the books up off the tabel and took them up to her room. A moment later she walked back downstairs in a pair of black sweat pants and a light pink t shirt.

"Ok, well as you know there are many ways in having fun, You can play games, like quidditch, chess, exploding snap, but as a group of people sit around and socialize you can have fun by telling jokes, playing other games that dont involve seriousness and concentration, do you follow?"

Hermione shook her head.

"What do you do for fun in the muggle world?" Draco asked.

"Well, When I go home for the summer, I see kids that live on the same block as me, But, I dont go out with them, I usually sit and enjoy my summer relaxing and reading."

"Should have guessed, well Hermione, everyone finds different things fun, I find fun being, fooling around with girls,okay bad example thats more pleasure, I find fun being, having a snowball war with my friends when we go to Hogsmead, or knocking on Snape's door and running off before he answers to hear him scream down the hall at no one."

"You really do that?" Hermione asked in shock at his confession about Snape.

"Well yah, He is my God father, I have to find a way to pester him, and this way he doesnt know its me, have you ever wondered why he's so sinister to all the students? Because he doesnt trust them, he doesnt know which one it is that is always interupting his paper grading or his readings on finding a new way to brew potions quicker."

"I guess that would make sense then." Hermione said laughing at the picture of Snape yelling into an empty corrider. "Can we go knock on snapes quarters now?"

"What? You want to go do that?" Draco asked.

"Well yah, In the muggle world the kids do it, they call it, ding-dong-ditch, or nikki-nikki-nine-doors. Where they ring the door bell and run off or where they have to go to nine different houses and do it without getting caught."

"Ok." Draco said. "Lets go, but I am telling you... You better be a fast runner!"

***

~*Meanwhile in a small wizzarding community named Salem*~

Crash!

Bang!

"Someone.. No... HEEELP" A defenceless witch crashed to the floor in her small house as a man all dressed in black stepped forward violently.

"Shut up you stupid wench! You should have known the time would come, You thought you could stow away the child and make yourself dissapear.. do you think HE wouldnt find you? He has known all along where you were, watching, making sure you weren't harmed.. waiting till the proof of the one who betrayed him slipped up, NOW it is time to bring you into the picture and show him how bad he fucked up.. You should have never engaged with Severus Snape in any sexual activities.. Now because of him, You will suffer most painfully!" the black cloaked figure said in an icey tone.

"Severus said.. there was no evidence.. no clues.. charms of concealment.. Why!! Why are you doing this to me? Just leave me be.. Please.. Dont take me to V-V-Volder-Voldermort. I beg.. I'll do anything!" The woman cried knowingly if she ended up at her wits end from the wrath of Voldermort her child would no longer be safe.

"Shut up wench" and with a flick of his wand the woman was unconsious.

The folded up parchment addressed to a young woman whos life was about to be flipped upside down and turned inside out lay hidden beneath the soft blue sofa, and the broken porcelin from the vases that were smashed in the attack on the witch.

With a pop the black cloaked man and the beautiful witch were gone, the house destroyed.

***

Knock Knock Knock!

"Just a minute" Severus Snape yelled from his personal quarters.

Hermione and Draco ran silently out of the corrider and around the corner into a small alcove, hidden out of sight.

"You immature prats! When the day comes when I find out who you are there will be HELL to pay!" Snape yelled before slamming the door shut in a fit of fury.

"Draco... Your standing on my...." Hermione started but was cut off by Draco's hand on her mouth.

"Shh, Follow me." Draco whispered and led Hermione out of the alcove by the sleeve of her robes.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked in a low whisper.

"Just a place." He responded and led her down a hallway in the dungeons she has never been down before.

The hallway narrowed the further they trecked along it. Down two flights of stairs and along another long damp dark corrider they came to a door. Draco grasped the door handel, pushed the heavey oak door forwards, and stepped inside.

Once entering the room Hermione was speechless, long shelves covered the walls and on the shelves were books, jars, cauldrons, trophies from school rival quidditch games, and little vials of long forgotten potions. On the wall across from where they enetered was a fireplace so huge with an elegant mantel, a few desks lined another one of the walls.

"Draco.. what is this place?" Hermione asked.

"Its an old classroom, obviously Hermione, But the neat thing about it, is Dumbledoor left the floo connection open, come with me, lets go somewhere." Draco said smirking.

"I dont know Draco, We arent supposed to leave Hogwarts without permission..." Hermione said unsure.


"Come on Granger! You said you wanted to have fun so lets go to diagon alley to Florean Fortescue's for an ice cream! I promise we will come right back!" Draco said smirking with anticipation.

"Oh Draco.. I really dont know about this.. What if we bump into someone who knows we should not be away from Hogwarts? What if someone reports us? What if we run into a professor? What if..?" Hermione was cut short.

"Hermione, our lives are full of what if's, there is always something we could have done different, but its how we choose to live our life, what if its the wrong decision? Then we get punished, but what if we go and there is nothing to worry about? Its all a rush, You wanted to learn how to have fun, so here I am offering you fun and your turning it down infront of me, Be bold Hermione Granger, take a risk with me, Your suposed enemy, Draco Malfoy, It'll be a rush!" Draco said in an urging tone.

Thoughts of expulsion raced through her head. Thoughts of an example the Head girl and boy are supposed to set, and thoughts of change. Her mind made up she smiled weakley at Draco of all people and nodded slightly. "Alright, I suppose it wouldnt hurt." and stepped forward linking arms with him under the mantel while he grabbed the green silky floo powder from the gold dish beside the mantel and whispering "Diagon Alley."

With the flames leaping up from the burning logs and encasing their bodies in a green flame that tickled them both as they went whizzing away from the safety of Hogwarts, Hermione smiled to herself as she took a risk, and dared to start the transformation into a funner person.

***

~*Back in Salem*~

"You told me she was protected! You told me she would never be found! You told me all these things and yet here I stand, the house wrecked, vases and trinkets destroyed and my beloved Evalynn gone." Severus Snape yelled at the Auror's.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, and Alastor Moody searched the house for a sign of what happened.

"Dark wizzards obviously Sev, but she is still alive I am sure of it. If they had killed her the death eater in charge of the raid or attack would have cast Morsmordre over the house." Kingsley Shaklebolt said while searching the floor for any evidence of who may have been behind the attack.

Ever so quietly while searching the floor, Tonks found a carefully folded piece of parchment, addressed to Hermione Granger. With cat like stealth she tucked the parchment into her pocket for proper delivering.

Severus, Shaklebolt, Tonks and Mad-eye-Moody searhced the house from top to bottom and had no luck finding any clues to what has happened to her other then the most likely theory of being taken away by death eaters, the 4 apparated from the small house in Salem to number 12 grimauld place where the order would be having their nightly meeting to report their findings and bring Albus Dumbledore up to date.

***

"Mmmmm! Chocolate Sundae's my favorite!" Hermione said as she slowly ate her ice cream.
Eating his cotton candy flavored ice cream, Draco smiled ammused at Hermione and how easy it was to talk her, and just be himself, not worry about making a impeccable impression, or a show off. The conversation was truthful and relaxed, Sure there were things he wish he could change, but he reminded himself that you cannot change the past,
work with what you know now to make the future brighter.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about, Although! It is getting late and we should be back before we do our rounds." Draco said as he whiped his mouth on the napkin.

"I agree, we shouldnt make a habbit of being gone too long, People might worry, or get suspicious, or come looking for us, and I quiet like having an escape from the stress of the school and knowing i can get away, even if its for an ice cream with the boy i used to despise with a burning passion." Hermione said as she took one last bite of her sundae and also whiped her mouth.

"I know some good places we could get away too." Draco said with a smirk and a wink.
Standing up to exit Florean Fortescue's Draco tucked his arm into Hermione's and together they walked to the fireplace, and floo'd back to Hogwarts.

***

"Well its definitally been a long day, I am glad our rounds are done. I am going to bed, thank you for today, it was nice." Hermione said as she slowly climbed the stairs into her room.

"Good Night Hermione." Draco responded stiffiling a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning."
Draco sat in the common room for 10 minutes after Hermione went up to her room thinking about the days events.

'I dont know why I was so hard on her all these years. Her blood means nothing, It never has, I dont know why but I feel compelled to protect her, make her smile, treat her like a godess.. I hope this doesnt turn out bad, I hope we can be friends.. maybe more? Oh Merlin Draco! What are you thinking! The past is dark and full of hate. What makes you think she will move on more then she has? what makes you think she will forget that and join the likes of you? I guess all I can do is give it a try.
Climbing his staircase to his room he smiled as he remembered her body pushed up against his while they hid in an alcove from Snape.

Once in his room he stripped down into his green silk boxers. His silkey pail skin glowing in the moonlight, he crawled in between the silk sheets that covered his bed and fell into a sleep full of dreams about Hermione.

***

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