Chapter Text
Rushing through the halls, Hermione doesn't stop to risk someone peering too closely at her face. She doesn’t want people to see how much she’s been crying.
She takes a turn down another corridor, not bothering to go to the dormitories as she doesn't feel like answering the password riddle or even facing her peers in the common rooms.
A group of Hufflepuffs stand huddled together as she walks quickly through the hall, she ducks her head to avoid their stares.
It only makes sense that they were the first to discover the end of her relationship, he'd been in Hufflepuff house after all.
Finally she reaches an empty classroom and pushes her way inside, slamming the door behind her.
"Absolutely unfair…: She chokes angrily, trying her best not to cry.
Raelin Soreth was a sweet, geeky boy from Japan who'd transferred to hogwarts in his fifth year.
Having moved countries herself in her third year, Hermione perfectly understood how it felt to be the only person in a completely foreign environment, and worse a new school.
The two clicked instantly, and eventually they grew closer. The mutual crush they had on each other grew into a reasonably strong relationship.
Such a relationship was quite popular within the school, with Raelin having such high social standing.
“It’s unavoidable.”
He explained briefly before he packed up and left for Mohoutokoto to finish his education. She didn't understand.
"If I don’t go, I won't have the right to legally practice magic in Japan. Not when the ministry issues your magical license at graduation......I have to go Hermione.."
He'd said, leaning against the damp trunk of the tree they sat beneath in the early hours before school. He'd stroked her hair.
And she'd understood. She hadn't complained to him as he was probably already feeling like shit. It was out of their control.
“Why’re you breaking up with me?? It’s perfectly sensible that you have to leave but to end our relationship.” Her voice wavered when she’d asked. Thinning patience was obvious in his tone as he answered.
He explained that he wasn’t any happier than she was, leaving everything behind. Leaving her. He would possibly be gone for three years if not longer, depending on what his plans were after graduation.
Another reasonable response. She couldn't wait for him as she had her class to get to. It wasn't actually allowed for them to be alone together so she’d left the room.
It hadn’t hit her until he’d actually left the campus. He didn’t want her, or at least he didn’t want to wait for her.
She sniffles, pulling her knees closer to her chest. A few students pass by the door, chattering loudly enough for her to hear. Luckily they can't see her, crouched beneath one of the tables in the packed room, crying her eyes out.
It wasn't the attention she was afraid of. Though, while she was crying she'd prefer her solitude. It was the fact that she was now truly alone. Harry and Ron hadn’t seen her for ages, so it’s not like she could just go crawling back now.
They would put up a front, pretend Hermione was a stranger after abandoning them for her boyfriend. But it'd been so easy with Raelin.
She pulls herself onto her feet, clutching her navy satchel and walking towards the door.
She thinks about going down to Hagrid's.
It's far more responsible than what she's planning to do, which was to venture down to the forbidden forest alone. The forest is her favorite place to go, to gather potion ingredients, to read.
It is the beginning of her seventh year and she’s about to turn eighteen. She's had plenty of defensive spell practice and knows how to defend herself in the forest.
Still, worry wracks her nerves and she can't help the ominous feeling she gets as she walks through the trees.
A small comfort is offered by the sound of fragile potion vials clinking together in her bag. They were gifted to her by Mattheo, her friend still living in New York. He could not come visit Hermione as often as he'd like to as his family's heir.
It's dark outside, and getting darker by the minute. Five P.M is too late to go traipsing through the forbidden forest alone.
Yet after thirty minutes have passed, thoughts of caution have all but vanished from Hermione's mind with the collection of ingredients she has successfully gathered.
Carefully making her way back to the clearing she freezes at the sound of a branch snapping in half.
She shoots upright, jostling the vials in the process and one tumbles out of her satchel, rolling a few feet ahead of her.
She slowly inches forward to grab the vial shimmering with teal-colored liquid and another crack is heard, this time- along with a clearly gritted out,
"Shit.”
It was a male voice.
She pauses, confused as to who else would be out in the forest on their own.
Ron and Harry are always looking for trouble but- no it didn't sound like either of them.
Neither did it sound like professor Snape's drawling tone.
(Though her stomach lurched at the possibility that it was him).
Peering closer in the direction of the voice she catches a flash of green robes in the dim evening light.
She doesn't have time to think of who else it could be when the hooded figure lunges for her, getting hold of her robe sleeve and yanking her forward. She bends her arm, aiming her elbow at whoever, or whatever had grabbed her and slams into them with the momentum.
"Ow! Who are you?! You’re gonna pay for hitting me!!”
Her elbow is pressed into the chest of whoever grabbed her and she shifts to touch the forest floor.
“You were the one who pulled my robes.” She mutters angrily, surprised at her relief towards him.
“Granger?!” His own voice is also slightly relieved.
"What are you doing out here..on your own…”
She blinks, and her eyes adjust to the bright shine of the over-large flashlight Draco brought with him.
"Malfoy..." she grits, blundering to get off of him as swiftly as she could.
"What are you doing in here?" she scolds, brushing down the front of her robes and easily deflecting the question.
"Not like you're in here too, and I’ve asked first?" He murmurs sarcastically. Draco looks down and scowls as he aggressively swipes at his robes.
"Oh look, you've dirtied my robes.."
"Well you threw me down." She argues. Her hands are twisted around the straps of her satchel, holding onto it protectively.
"Yes, but you didn't need to body-slam me like that.." he mutters in turn with a trace of humor in his tone,
"Besides, you still haven’t answered my question."
Hermione scoffs and instead of answering, she picks up the vial of teal contents and he frowns.
"You know what, never mind Granger. I don't care."
She rolls her eyes at his back as he stalks off toward the grounds and calls out angrily,
"I didn't ask if you cared..”
Glancing over her shoulder with a new scowl on her face, she decides it's time to head back, unaware of what's waiting for her, and how everything it's going to change in the next couple of days.