The Battle of the Highest (Dramione)

Chapter 13: Break-through

*DRACO*

I have tried to go check in on Hermione the past couple days, but each time she pushes me away. No one knows what she saw during the second challenge, and I doubt anyone wants to find out.

Earlier today Hermione was released from the hospital wing and has come back to the prefect's house. Now it's just me and her. As the third challenge creeps closer, I dread what's going to happen. It's either me or Hermione dying and I'd rather neither of us die.

So as before, I have been trying to talk to Hermione. She won't let me near her or sit beside her or anything. She constantly has her nose in a book (more often than before) and she doesn't even talk to her friends. She seems to have gotten trapped in her own world in her mind; the mental barrier has gotten stronger, and it's practically impossible to help her now.

I walk into the common room and see Hermione sitting on the couch staring into the fire.

"Why do you think I'm dead?" I ask and I startle her. She turns to look at me, and her eyes grow a little.

"I saw you lying there, of course," she replies. "You were there...lying on the ground. And you were dead. Now this..." she says, gesturing to me, "is part of my mourning. It's just a memory of you; you're not really there." She turns back to the fire. I walk over and crouch in front of her. She looks at me and scoots back as far as she can into the couch.

"I can prove to you that I'm living, Hermione," I say calmly.

She swallows. "Okay. Prove it."

I set a hand on hers, and she jumps when I touch her.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Your skin..." she says, "it's freezing." She pulls her hand away. "See? You're a ghost. You're cold and you're even paler than I remember you being."

"There's only one other way to prove it to you," I say. Before she can respond I lean in and kiss her. A couple seconds later I break away. "Don't you remember?"

She sits up straighter. "I remember perfectly well," she says. "But I'm only imagining this because I miss you." She stands and walks away to her room. I hear the door click, signaling that she locked it.

I sigh. This is going to be impossible to break her through by the next challenge.

At lunch, Pansy starts talking about Mudbloods and how much of a disgrace they are.

"Shut up, Pansy," I say with an aggravated tone.

"What's wrong with you?" she asks with disgust.

I ignore her. I turn around to look for Hermione. And there she is, sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, reading a book, not eating, away from her friends. I stand up, put Pansy pulls me back down harshly.

"I've been noticing something, Draco," she says. "I've seen you eyeing her."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on! It's obvious isn't it? Everyone knows now that you're the one that saved her. Why'd you do it?"

"Well, I thought it was obvious?"

She glares at me.

"I like her, Pansy, all right? What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with it is that she's a Mudblood. What would your father say?" She sniggers.

"My father will hear about this, but not from me," I spat.