Broken Home

A/N-- Yay for chapter 3. This shit starts getting interesting! will we finally find out about Hermione? Maybe:P

Just wanna say thank you to Magzie, Lady Lynn, Lisa and Saya. France..cool:P

Welll anyway, i will get on with the story, enjoy!!

P.S-i might post 2 chapters today because i will not be home till wednesday night sometime, so this will make up for that lost day. And by the way, this story is gunna start getting crazy, i have a few more chapters written up, and im gunna start another one right now.
Oh yea! I know Draco is OOC, sorry for not putting that in the warning..didn't think it was really important:P
Peace--


Chapter 3!

The first two weeks of classes went by slowly. Hermione avoided Draco as best she could, even though everywhere she looked he was there.

Everytime Draco seen Hermione with Harry and Ron she would always be smiling, but the smile rarely ever reached her eyes.

Whenever they were in close proximity of each other, barely anything was said. Hermione was still walking around in pain, Draco would catch her grimacing to herself. But nothing was said about it.

The last time he found her laying in the common room he didn't make to sit down, and he didn't try to get her to talk. He just stated, "You may be able to hide it from your friends, but I notice. You aren't truly happy Granger." she was shocked. She knew he was right, not like she would ever admit it.

One night a week later he entered the common room fairly late. Hermione was laying on the couch by the fire, a letter in one hand and the other hand, once again, thrown over her eyes. As he got closer he could see the tears in her hair.

He turned and started for the staircase to his room. 'No sense talking to her, she doesn't answer me. She just sits here brooding to herself.'

She never moved her arm, but she muttered, "Do you ever feel as though nothing will ever be normal again?"

Draco stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "No" he said truthfully. 'Is she finally going to talk to me? Do I REALLY want to know the truth?'

She flung her arm down. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy. She was glaring at him.

"I was just being honest." He told her.

This seemed to be a good answer, she settled her arm back over her face.

"Well its horrible." she said, she could reluctantly feel herself opening up to him. 'At least he's being honest with me' She thought sadly to herself.

"Why won't your life ever be normal again?" He asked her in a deep, slow voice. He knew he was prying, but he needed to know.

'The tears on her face are everlasting' he thought to himself bitterly. ' I want them gone..'

She suddenly reached to her shirt and pulled it upwards. He gasped, the bruises were still as they were when he secretly seen them that day. Large bluish bruises were all over her ribs, her stomach. It was like she was one large bruise. The cuts were still fairly deep, and looked as though she had just gotten them yesterday.

He reached down and touched one gingerly.

She still winced.

'She must be in a lot of pain'

"Who did this to you Hermione?"

She shook her head. The word 'Hermione' rings in her ears everytime she heard him say it.

"I understand that it must be traumatizing for you, the bruises wont let themselves be healed. Talk to me..please." Draco begged her.

She threw her arm down again and looked into his eyes. She was shocked to find sincerity in them. She took in a deep, shuddering breath.

"Okay.." she said slowly.

'Finally!' he thought.

"My mother died 4 years ago, on Christmas eve actually, in a car wreck." She said hastily, as if saying everything quickly would make it that much less painful. "That was in our 3rd year. I got the news and I was devastated, she was my best friend. My real dad died when I was about 3, so I honestly don't remember him. Archie is my stepfather, he has been since I was about 5. I've grown up with him as my dad. Anyway, after my mom died, Archie ended up spending alot of time a pubs, drinking, or at home drinking... It's almost like he died with my mother that day. He changed enough, hes like a different person..."

She trailed off and her eyes glazed over as if remember something, but she continued talking a couple seconds later. Draco held his breath.

"One night, I remember this so clearly. He came home, really pissed off. I mean REALLY pissed off. For some reason. He walked straight up to me and slapped me so hard that I reeled backwards into the wall. I thought that was going to be it, because he usually would come home hammered and slap me around a bit after my moms accident. But this time....well, it was different."

She stopped talking, tears more steady now.

'Shit' Draco thought, letting out his breath.

"How was it different Hermione?"

"It just was..he never stopped..."

"Never stopped hitting you?" He asked, a bit confused.

"Never stopped anything.."

"Hermione.."

She was shaking.

Her eyes met his, "What, Draco?", she asked timidly, finally using his first name.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and it hit him hard in the gut. It felt like lead had been poured into his stomach. His eyes widened. He didn't even notice that she had said 'Draco'.

He looked at her.

Her shaking figure.

Defensless.

Bruised.

"Did he..well did he rape you Hermione? Does he still?"

Her silence said it all.

"You need to tell someone. It's just crazy not to."

Hermione suddenly became angry, "No!" she said, "I'm not telling anybody, you can't tell anybody. You aren't even supposed to know. Suppose it got back to him somehow.." her eyes widened a bit "Oh my God, if he found out I told...he will surely kill me."

"Okay well we won't say anything then" Draco said hastily.

Hermione felt that her hand was clenched around something. Realization came crashing down on her again.

"I have to go back home this weekend coming up, on friday. At least I get to come back to the school on saturday." She told Draco sadly, looking at the letter in her hand.

"No!" Draco said, "I will NOT let you go back to that house alone."

She started to shake her head.

"I HAVE to go. Don't you understand? This has been going on for years now. If I don't go he will know something going on. Then when I go back for vacations I'll really be in for it. I'll go." she said defiantly.

"But won't he..hurt.. you again? Why would you walk blindly into that? I can't let you go home knowing full well what is awaiting you." Draco said, suprising even himself with the truth of his sincerity.

"Yes, you can, and you will. Don't think about it. Pretend this conversation never happened. I'll be leaving the day after tommorow and I will be back the next night." A slightly sadistic smirk started to spread across her face. "If I don't come back..then you can worry."

"That's not funny Hermione.." He reached down and gently touched her face.

She stiffened.

He withdrew his hand.

She glared up at him, stood up abruptly (causing pain to herself) and started to march towards the staircase.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight!"

"Uhhh..goodnight." 'What the hell?'

************************************

Draco was walking slowly down the dungeon corridor to the Slytherin common room.

'Jesus Christ.. I can't just not do anything. I know I shouldn't care, but I really really do..what the hell is wrong with me. Come on Draco. Be a prick, be like you always were. Malfoys, even purebloods for that matter, don't care about anyone who isn't as pure as them.' He was saying to himself.

'Ohh but you do care, and you care alot.' He fought back.

He let out an audible groan.

"Whats the matter with you?" Blaise asked as he turned the corner.

"Nothing man, Just some serious shit is going on." Draco said.

'Theres noo way I am telling anyone just yet, I just got her to trust me enough to tell me...'

"Serious shit? In Draco Malfoys life?" Blaise was intrigued. "Like what?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe I can help?" Blaise asked. 'What could Draco Malfoy have wrong in his life?' Then he got an idea.

"Shit dude, you didn't take the Mark did you?" he asked seriously.

Draco scoffed, "Do I look like a complete idiot to you? Of course I didn't"

Blaise exhaled. "Good, cause I would have had to slap you." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Yea.....Right" Draco said.

"So tell me."

"No."

"Come on!! I'm your best friend!"

"No!"

"Why?"

"BLAISE!! Just leave it okay? If I need your help bad enough, then I will tell you!!!"

"Fine.."

"Thank you!! Anyway...I'm going to bed..I'm tired." and with that Draco marched away.
*******************************

Draco got back to his room and yanked a towel angrily from the closet.

'Fuckin Blaise...' He was still seething.

He shoved the closet door shut and walked moodily towards the bathroom.

He undressed and was just leaning over to turn on the shower when he heard a series of small moans. They didn't sound pleasurable either. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He was across the bathroom and into Hermiones room within 3 steps.

She was tossing and turning in her sleep, moaning things like,

"No."

"Please no, I didn't mean to I promise I will be better."

"Your hurting me!!"

Every word jarred his heart.

He grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her.

"Hermione, Wake up!!!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she relaxed for about 2 seconds before stiffening again.

He removed his hands.

"You were having a bad dream." He felt as though he needed to explain his presence.

"Oh..."

She still looked frightened. Was it because of Draco, or the dream?

"You know I'm not going to hurt you right?"

She said nothing.

He turned slowly, walking to the door. When he got to the frame he stopped and whispered, "I'll never hurt you.." and entered the bathroom.

*********

Hermione layed in her bed.

"I obviously forgot the silencing charm tonight. How could I be so careless. He will never hurt me? What does he mean? He has ALWAYS been hurting me. Maybe not physically, but hes been in my head for 7 years now. Telling me I'm nothing, I'm a mudblood. He is just as bad as Archie."

She felt the need to verbalize this to Draco. But not now. Now it was time for sleep.

******************

Draco stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash over him.

'I wish it would wash away my emotions. What the hell am I going to do? I actually like Hermione Granger, not only do I feel bad for her but I. LIKE. HER.!! I need to help her. She will never let me. Never! She won't even let me touch her for god sakes.'