Song for the Chapter: Jar of Hearts ~ Christina Perri

Hermione's POV

"HERMIONE!"

I froze in my tracks. Harry and Ron stood behind me, apparently having just left the library. Parchment was trailing behind them and I winced at the sight of their reference book on the floor. If there was something I would kill for, it was keeping the library in good condition. Somebody's nose was about to get broken.

"Ron? Harry?" I frowned, marching towards them. They'd better not ruin my mood, I thought angrily. Not after Draco had just smirked so cringe-worthily at me, and I'd returned the favour.

"Hermione, we need to talk!" Shouted Ron. I was literally less than a metre away from him, but his face was red and I was seriously worried he was going to explode. He was mad.

"Okay," I shrugged. Then, quietly, I added, "We don't need to shout, though, Ron." 

Ron shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Fine," he said irritably. "Look!" He snapped, suddenly furious again. "I've been talking to Malfoy, and that Zabini boy." 

I tried to disguise the flush in my cheeks and swallowed nonchalantly. "Okay," I said again. "What about them?"

Ron threw up his hands exasperatedly. "What about them?" He repeated incredulously. "Hermione, Zabini told me you and Malfoy saw each other last night! You lied to me." He looked hurt, and for a moment I felt totally guilty. Oh, wait. No I didn't.

"You don't have the right to know where I've been, and what I do!" I cried furiously. "You don't need to know who I meet with, and why. All you need to know is that we didn't...we didn't do anything." I blushed crimson. "Why do you care, anyway?" I demanded. "You're not my boyfriend. I don't belong to you."

Ron flinched. "I just...I just care about you, Hermione," he said. Somehow I didn't believe him. "It's just - if you go around with people like Malfoy, he might - do something. We don't know what he might do! He's a Death Eater." I couldn't believe him.

"It's not like he had a choice!" I flared up instantly. I didn't exactly want to defend my childhood bully, but Ron was being pretty unreasonable. "I'm going to go and find Malfoy and tell him exactly what I think of him."

I had to admit, I was fuming with Draco and the Zabini boy he hung around with. I had really started to think I could trust him. Turned out he was just as much of a snake as his house made out. 

"Go and see your new boyfriend, then!" Sulked Ron loudly. "See if I care."

Carefully extending my middle finger up over my shoulder to him, I dashed through the library and into the corridor leading down to the dungeons, where Draco and Blaise Zabini were leaning against an alcove in the wall, chatting to some other eighth-year Slytherin girls. Thank God Pansy Parkinson wasn't around.

"MALFOY!" I shouted, lingering by the door. Draco turned around, seemed to half-flinch when he saw me, and hastily sent Blaise and the other Slytherins away. When he didn't come towards me I marched over to him, hoping I looked furious enough for murder.

"Yes?" He asked, with mock-innocence so aggravating I considered punching him on the spot.

"Don't 'Yes' me," I said, stepping so close to him he was forced to back up into the wall. "You know exactly why I'm here. Why the hell did you tell Ron and Harry that we had dinner last night? What the heck were you thinking?"

Draco paled a little, and then flushed pink simultaneously. "It wasn't me," he muttered. "It was Blaise. Go and blame him."

"Then why didn't you stop him?" My voice was softer, more desperate. I realised I wasn't angry. Anger didn't help. I was just...hurt. Disappointed. But then again, who would trust a Malfoy?

Author's Note: 80 reads! I'm so happy! Thank you all for voting and commenting, don't forget to do so this time :) I'm going to start a playlist of the songs featured in this book on Spotify if you want to check them out soon. <3