Love and Hate: A Dramione

Chapter 21

Damn it!

Draco threw the first thing he touched at the wall. The mug shattered into pieces. Draco didn't bother repairing it with his wand.

With a frustrated sigh, he sat down heavily on the couch. She was gone. He couldn't believe she actually left without saying goodbye. He supposed their earlier argument had something to do with it but damn it, he deserved more than that! He fucking saved her life! He deserved better than a slap in the face! Didn't he?!

Draco ran his fingers through his hair.

Of course, it was only him. She found time to say goodbye to her precious Gryffindor buddies. He heard Longbottom invite Loony Lovegood for an impromptu farewell party in Gryffindor Tower. Of course, he wasn't invited. Not that he would've wanted to go anyway. She can have her stupid Gryffindor friends. However, the overhead invite did confirm her departure. He was surprised by that. He honestly thought that she would accept Potter's help. And he would bet the whole Malfoy fortune that Potter definitely offered to pay so she can stay. But that was her, he supposed: too proud to accept anyone's help. He gave a dry laugh as he remembered the night she jumped. Her whole life had literally fallen apart and still, she asked him to drop her.

Draco felt a sharp pain as he remembered what she looked like that night.

But for all her stubbornness, at least she didn't drag Sophie into their mess. As only she could do, she somehow found a way to say goodbye to Sophie without him knowing. He was surprised to find Sophie upset when he came in after dinner to put her to bed. Sophie told him that Hermione visited to say goodbye earlier.

"She said she was leaving because she had to change schools," Sophie said, nearing tears. "I asked her 'Why? You don't like us anymore?' and she said that she loved me very much but sometimes people have to do things they don't want to do. I told her she can come hide here with me and you would take care of us but she just gave me a hug and said that it wasn't possible." Sophie looked at Draco. "Why couldn't she stay? You can take care of her too right?"

"She wouldn't let me."

Draco threw something else at the wall. Merlin! Why did she have to be so damn proud?! He would've done anything for her – anything, if it meant that she could stay. But even as he stayed up all night in Sophie's room, watching the door, willing for her to come through it, agonizing over the last words he said to her, he couldn't do it. He couldn't make himself march to Gryffindor Tower and demand to see her one last time. He was too scared. He was too proud. And now she was gone. He always knew their pride would ruin them.

oOoOoOoOo

Hermione felt miserable. Miserable was an understatement. Wretched, crushed, desolate, devastated, sad. No words could describe how she was feeling. Walking away from Hogwarts that morning felt like ripping herself in half and leaving the live part behind. Now she was a walking zombie. She went through the motions but for all intents and purposes she was dead inside. She felt that way once before – when Cedric died. She wasn't sure she could survive another round.

Her friends tried their best. They all did. True to their word, they sent her letters everyday, letting her know what was going on. For her part, she answered them faithfully, telling them she missed them and how her studies were doing. But they all, Hermione included, knew it wasn't the same. They all wondered, though no one dared voice it, how long it would last. How long before they all moved on with their lives. Hermione refused to think about it. She refused to dwell on the life she left behind. She didn't know if she could handle it without going insane. Although, an insane daughter is probably what her parents deserve. Nonetheless, she decided to just put all her energy into her studies. If she concentrated on her books hard enough, nothing else existed – not her parents, not the pressure, not her friends, not the life she left behind. Her tutor was actually quite impressed with how fast she was progressing. The old Hermione would've been happy to know that. The new Hermione liked that it shut her parents up for a bit.