Help (Dramione)

Questions

Hermione and Draco took several of these walks in the next weeks. Sometimes a professor would insist on walking with them, usually Mcgonagall. Every once in a while Snape would ask to accompany them. He often just walked close behind them. Hermione understood that the professors couldn't put all of their trust in the pair. Especially now that they had begun being open about their relationship. Draco was more irritated by the company. He wanted Hermione all to himself. Having Snape there glaring at them reminded him that when his parents found out they would not be happy. Hermione and Draco had gone to Dumbledore, Mcgonagall and Snape and asked them to keep this within the walls of Hogwarts. By this they meant both the relationship and Hermiones attempt. She was a little hurt that Draco didn't feel he was able to tell any of his family but he explained that either of them could be hurt or worse. He didn't really care if he was disowned at this point. Hermione changed the way he thought. He didn't have nearly as much hate in him. He had even started getting along with Luna and weaslet. The boys in her friend group were a little less supportive and a little more protective. He was struggling to gain their approval but luckily Draco got the feeling that she didn't really care if they approved.

Hermione was having a very strange time. She had stopped harming. Not because she didn't want to anymore. She just never had the opportunity. She was being constantly monitored. Weither it was Draco walking with her everywhere, professors outside the common room at night, or Ginny banging on the bathroom door if she was taking too long, she was always being watched. Her daily visits to Mcgonagall to check her arms went down to weekly now. And she couldn't charm them away. The older witch could undo them in seconds. She thought about moving to a different part of her body but that felt so unnatural. And she loved wearing shorts when she was home for the summer so her parents would know something was wrong if she suddenly had to cover her legs.

Hermione was having more bad days then ever but she was pushing through them. It helped having a hand to hold on her way to class. The boys were being more helpful now too. They began holding their arms out for her to hook hers around and hugging her more often. What she didn't know was that they had gone to Draco and asked how to help. He told them what he knew. He told them she often felt a little better after being held and that she needs to be told that she's cared about because it's hard for her to feel like she is cared for. The boys had actually asked Draco a few questions. Most of them were about Hermiones habits. She still hadn't told them very much at all. They asked how long this had been going on, how often she did it, why she did it and much more. Draco didn't feel very comfortable answering the why questions. In some ways there wasn't really a reason why she felt the way she felt but the things she did tell him he felt should be hers to tell. The only reason he was discussing any of this with her friends was because he could tell how concerned they were for her. The twins had also joined in on the conversation. They started off with threats of course. It was along the lines of he would be sorry if he ever hurt Hermione. Fred seemed a little more aggressive than his twin. Draco, having no intention to hurt his love, wasn't worried about it. The conversation was just about over when Harry timidly asked his final question.

"Looking back on these last few months I realized many things including the fact that Hermione hasn't really been eating very much and has gotten quite thin. Is she doing it on purpose?" He seemed almost scared of what the answer could be. Draco was caught of guard. First because he had never seen the mighty chosen one so quiet and fearful. Second because he hadn't even thought about that. He had noticed she had gotten thinner but didnt think much of it. She often wore her baggy zip up that would probably hide that sort of thing. He had only recently started eating with the group and had noticed she didn't eat much but he had no idea she had been doing it for months. There was a long silence as Draco tried to decide how to answer. When he finally spoke his voice sounded strained.

"I have no idea"