As always: rights go to J.K. Rowling

Chapter Fifteen - Unrequited Love Hurts

Unknown P.O.V

Her boots punctured loud and clear as she walked along and she enjoyed watching others back away in fear. She loved to inflict pain and fear upon others in fact she relished in it. She would use anything she could lay her hands on to rise to the top. They said that purity mattered little anymore but she knew differently. She wanted the big wedding with everything expensive. She wanted all the guest to bask in her glory and her moment of social popularity. Her marriage would bring a horde of opportunities forward and once she'd secured a high profile marriage; society wouldn't be able to get rid of her. One step at a time though, for she was too young to be married right away but that didn't mean she couldn't start planning.

Right now she wanted but one thing, she wanted popularity and the control over the two men she sought for. Then she wanted to crush the third person in her sights and make their life a living hell. She wanted to control Draco and Blaise and she wanted to discredit Hermione. Only then could she be as powerful as she wanted.

Who did Hermione think she was? She would never be good enough for Draco Malfoy! She couldn't even argue that blood purity meant anything for Hermione was as pure in blood as she was. However, that meant little now. Hermione was a nuisance and needed to be taken care of...

She would do what any good bitchly little mix would do and hatched a plan. It was a plan that would remove Hermione from the centre of everything that was keeping her from reaching her plans. The easiest way to do that was to discredit Hermione of course. She didn't need complex plans like Ginny or petty words like Ron. She needed a rumour plain and simple. What would be a successful rumour thought? Hermione was so unlike anyone she'd ever met. She would be hard placed to find a rumour sufficient enough. For a girl like Hermione who was so well known for being a pure innocent child with all her naivety still intact, the only way to discredit her would be to start a rumour that would show Hermione up to not be as innocent as she seemed.

The perfect way of course would be to start a rumour that linked Hermione to an older man, surely that would destroy her oh so perfect image. Yet, at first no one would believe the rumour which was the beauty of it. The rumour was so farfetched that it might actually be truthful. The rumour mill was easy to power up and run, especially as it was a school rumour mill. She started with the first and second years and then watched how it spread through the years until it made a circuit around the returning seventh years. It had worked much quicker than she imagined it would. This was rich, so rich and all she needed to do was sit back and watch as the rumour took hold. She certainly didn't need to bother with Hermione now that things had been set in motion. All she had to do was watch as the witch was ruined.

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"Have you heard?" asked Pansy.

Blaise nodded absentmindedly, he'd heard and he knew it was complete folly. If one was to start another rumour about someone, the least they could do was create a realistic one but perhaps that was the point of this particular rumour. It was targeted in a way that would only appeal true to certain people, certain people who were already doubtful about their own feelings – vulnerable and confused feelings. When he spoke of people he really meant just one person who was known for acting before thinking. The man, the legend, the hot god: Draco Malfoy.

The man, the legend and the hot god was currently storming down countless Hogwarts corridors to find the object of his anger. He wanted to roast her alive, he wanted to strangle her, he wanted to hurt her and by god he was so angry with her.

Why would she flaunt her feelings so openly, to tease him with affection when she meant nothing with it? Why did she do it? Was it just to secure secrecy between her and her forbidden older lover? How could he have been so stupid to have hoped for something more than what she was willing to offer?

Draco's anger was obvious to all that saw him and the mastermind behind the rumour couldn't help but think their plan was moving along swimmingly.

"You, Hermione, stop now!" he shouted at her.

Hermione stopped though she refused to turn around. She didn't need any more drama now. She had just finished writing her letter to Fleur explaining all that had happened recently and didn't need more stress added to her shoulders. She was confused about whether or not she should continue her search. She wasn't afraid for her own safety but rather the safety of others especially the ones she loved.

"Where do you get off acting all innocent?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act all high and mighty now we all know your secret."

"What secret?" asked Hermione.

"The secret of your little lover."

"What lover?"

"Stop with the act," said Draco spitting mad with venom in his voice.

His tone made Hermione angry.

"What act? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Their combined shouting had silenced the common room. Half the occupants had run away in fear while the other half were edging closer in an attempt to hear more. Even though Draco and Hermione were standing outside the common room door everyone could clearly hear the argument.

"People have been talking about you."

"Oh so this is a rumour? Since when have rumours ever been correct?"

"Stop the lying Hermione. We all know you aren't as innocent as you seem."

She shook her head in disbelief, "what are you talking about?"

"Your secret lover, your secret older man!"

She laughed.

He growled.

"That's the rumour?"

Draco nodded, too angry to speak.

"You've got to be kidding me. Whoever started this rumour had to realize it was completely stupid. Not just completely stupid but a rumour targeted at specific people, i.e. you."

"What?" he spluttered. "Why are you trying to blame this one someone else?"

"Why do you care so much? You say you don't care for me beyond friendship and even friendship is hard for you. Yet this rumour starts and you act like I've betrayed you in some way so what gives?"

"Why can't you just admit that you're seeing an older man?" he shouted.

"It's not true Draco! The only men I've ever been involved with are our age!"

"Why do you continue to deny it?"

"Why do you continue to believe it?"

"I know it's true!"

"Who told you?" asked Hermione.

His response was muffled.

"Speak like an adult and tell me who told you this."

"Pavarti Patel," he said while she laughed, "but that doesn't make it any less valid. She just wanted to let me know what a disgusting slut you were."

From the shadows Pavarti grinned as her plan had unfolded beautifully. The weak were easy to manipulate and anyone who had fallen under you-know-who's spell.

The Slytherin common room door opened and Blaise stood furiously in the open doorway. Never had he expected Draco to behave this way. Hadn't he explicitly told him to stay away from his sister until he knew his own heart? Trust Draco to fall for something as stupid and farfetched as a rumour. Draco was an idiot, Pavarti was a bitch and Hermione had been left hurting. It may be a cliché but Blaise didn't want anyone to hurt his sister, he knew that was hypocritical seeing as he'd hurt her before but still...no one hurt his sister and got away with it!!

Pansy came up behind Blaise and was followed by Daphne. Apparently they weren't the only people on the scene as other Slytherin's had piled in behind them and no one could mistake the head of blonde hair that belonged to Luna. It seemed that Hermione always had people around to protect her in every situation she found herself in.

From the shadows, Pavarti was loving this. She didn't realise that others didn't believe the rumour, neither did she realise they knew she was there. Pansy sneaked up behind her unnoticed by the oblivious Pavarti. A well placed silent charm ensured that she was unable to move, not that she realized that. Pavarti was great in gossip, fashion, boys and rumours but she wasn't very good with charms or complex magic.

"Step away from my sister Draco."

"Why? She's just a liar."

"When are you going to learn to think before you act?"

"Why are you defending her when she lied to all of us?"

"Who told you the rumour?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that? What does it matter who told me? It's still true."

"No it's not and if you had more than two brain cells to rub together you'd know that as well."

"How's it going Pavarti?"

Pansy uttered the words as she whipped away Pavarti's disguise. The appearance of Pavarti caused both Hermione and Draco to whip around in shock.

"Has she been there this whole time?" whispered Hermione.

Pansy nodded, "she probably followed Draco to see the results of her meddling."

Hermione had had enough of backstabbing bitchy people. When she had found this new identity she knew it would be a little bad but she never expected the drama to unfold quite like this. She imagined that at some point things would die down, new gossip would come along and people would forget all about her. Yet somehow things hadn't quite happened like that, things kept happening and it was infuriating.

"Well let's see shall we? I for one am sick of being constantly picked on," said Hermione as her anger rose. Pointing her wand at Pavarti she whispered the incantation "narrow verus," (*) and watched as the magic worked.

Pansy stepped back. She loved watching Hermione when she used magic. People were right about the cleverest witch of their age, she could be really scary when she wanted.

"Talk to me before the teachers arrive...or I'll just have more time to hurt you."

Pavarti looked at Hermione like she was worse even than the dirt under her feet.

Just once thought Hermione, I'd like to have a drama free day where everything works out as it should and no one is trying to ruin my life. Was it cliché to say that every teenager thinks their life is to be ruined by others, perhaps but regardless of that it was what was happening to Hermione.

"Why should I talk to you?" asked Pavarti.

"You'll talk to me regardless," replied Hermione.

Gulping under the strain of magic she was under, Pavarti cracked.

"I was going to ruin you with the simplest rumour possible. Of course no one important would believe the rumour and there were only two people I was concerned about. Blaise and Draco. I sort of knew it would fail with Blaise but then I didn't really know how close you and Blaise were but I knew Draco was an easy target. I wanted what all girls want; to be popular and have a wealthy, popular man. The man I want is of course Draco Malfoy but unlike Ginny I wasn't stupid enough to create a complex plan to get him. Once I had Draco and Blaise on my side I would be in complete control and then Hermione would have a chance in hell without her two bodyguards."

"It was all a lie?" whispered Draco.

"I told you it was but you refused to believe it!" shouted Hermione.

Draco had the decency to look shame faced, though Hermione couldn't care less. She'd simply had enough. Was this how it was always going to be? – Constant arguments and longing glances? Hermione wasn't sure if she could stomach much more of this. Perhaps it was time to count her blessing and forget all she had hoped for.

"Hermione I'm—"

"Save it for someone who cares Draco," replied Hermione.

She wasn't going to be bullied info forgiving him again. When he was ready to act like a grownup then she'd be willing to walk to him but until then she didn't care for him much.

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How tragic to go from one fierce argument to the thoughts of unrequited love in just a few simple moments. For however much Hermione and Draco refused to believe it, they both had strong feelings for each other. Feelings that had the promise of turning into something more if they'd just give things a chance. It was no longer an action waiting to happen by their own hands. Other people, other things were at work now. Are you wondering what 'other people, other things' means? Well for starters it refers to all the people who were friends with Draco, Hermione or both. Secondly it referred to a higher power. Some people refer to it as fate and fate had a hand in manipulating the lives of Draco and Hermione so that they would find themselves together. However, the two people involved were making it very difficult not to mention all the other people who kept trying to interfere.

Despite all the anger of the most recent argument, both Draco and Hermione were wallowing in their own self-pity parties and unrequited feelings. Hermione sat alone in the dorm room, Pansy and the others had given up trying to console her for you can lead someone to the water but you can't make them drink.

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Hermione felt a longing, a desire to see him in ways that weren't strictly confined to the realms of friendship. She wanted to hold him and be close to him, she wanted to laugh and joe with him, to share moments and memories with him. She was stupidly falling for a guy that was both totally out of her league and totally and completely wrong for her. How messed up was that? Well it was probably as messed up as most girls' lives are. Countless boyfriends and badly matched relationships later we all find our perfect someone. How tragically perfect that Hermione falls for the perfect someone before her time.

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Draco likewise was having similar feelings. His feelings were along the lines of anger and embarrassment. He couldn't believe his feelings, thoughts and emotions had gotten away from him again. He couldn't believe he still continued to act without thinking first. Unlike Hermione, Draco didn't believe in the hands of fate. He didn't believe in the helping hand of others. If he were to win back Hermione's heart he'd have some serious work cut out for him but wait...where did that sudden thought come from? Why did he want to win Hermione's heart back when he'd never had it in the first place?

Draco was a foolish boy. He didn't believe in things he couldn't understand. He didn't realise that the heart retching feeling in his gut were romantic feelings for Hermione. As soon as he realised he had feelings for her his problems would be much easier. Draco was a foolish boy, he acted before he thought and in doing so he had ruined perhaps, the last chance he had in getting Hermione to be his.

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 Hope was not lost. Don't think that yet. Through the ups and the downs and most importantly the twists to come perhaps there was light at the end of the tunnel for both Draco and Hermione. Perhaps is the word to use here but if they never got together where would the story be?

Let's leave Draco and Hermione for a while as their problems will take a while to work out. If they are spoken about any longer people might think they are the only two characters in this story. That simply isn't true for there are many characters that need attention. Just because they are supporting cast doesn't make them any less important. Besides they all have their own jobs to play, who knows, they might end up surprising you...

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Harry Potter stood outside the Slytherin common room the one place he really didn't want to be. The reason he was here? Well where else was he going to find Luna but in the Slytherin common room where it was said that she hung out. Why she had to hang out here of all places Harry didn't understand. What did the Slytherin's have that other houses didn't? Harry's temper was running away from him before he even had a chance to stop it. He had to pause and take a few controlling breaths. Luna had already explained everything to Harry before and she'd told him to think about everything before he came and found her.

With Ginny out of the picture for reasons unknown to Harry, his head felt a lot clearer and his feelings lighter. It was almost as if he were under some sort of mind spell. That would explain his sudden sense of clarity, with Ginny removed from the picture the spell of whatever had happened to him had weakened, thus he was thinking on his own free will. With Ginny out of the picture Ron was no longer much of a threat. Whether he knew of the spell placed on Harry or not, Harry was no longer as influenced by what Ron said as he used to be.

"Are you going to stand outside of the common room all day Harry?" asked Luna smugly.

"I-er-I."

"You came to apologise?

"Yes you're right, I am. You were right about everything."

"Of course I was Harry but you took longer than I thought to realise the true. Hermione said you would."

He mumbled something unintelligible.

"Oh Harry, you aren't still afraid of the Slytherin's are you? You are silly Harry. You came to apologise yet you're making the same mistakes again."

"Luna wait, please I am sorry."

"So am I."

"Luna don't write him off," said Hermione as she appeared behind her friend.

"Why?"

"I've been thinking and Blaise agrees but we think Harry was under a spell. I couldn't work it out at first but since he's been away from Ginny it's become clear. He's still under the lasting effect so don't judge him too harshly. Make him come inside, oh and Harry you might want to get yourself checked out by Madame Pomfrey."

"Yeah Harry, come inside," said Neville from inside the Slytherin's common room.

"Yeah Harry, the Slytherin common room is so much fun," added the voice of Lavender Brown, "if I'd have known about this earlier I would have become friends with the Slytherin's the first chance I got.

The small group of people walked a very confused Harry into the Slytherin common room, whatever happened behind the door was Harry's decision to make. Only time would tell what would happen.

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