"Don't be stupid," said Pansy "You can get any girl you want,"
"I know that much," Draco smirked, looking up for the first time."I bet you couldn't get the Granger girl," Blaise said.
"Don't be disgusting," Draco said, a look of horror on his face, "She's a mudblood, but even so, I could,"

Hermione jumped as his breath tickled her ear, making her drop her knife onto the floor. Pretending that she hadn't heard him, she bent down to pick it up. As she resurfaced, she and Draco banged heads and he found himself with a mouthful of her unruly mane. Scrunching up his face, he spat it out, feeling queasy as the over powering smell of her shampoo entered his nostrils and left a nasty taste in his mouth.

For the first time, Draco saw Hermione Granger as a fragile young woman, with real feelings and emotions as she stood there, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. Not the brave, fierce young Gryffindor mud-blood, friend of the chosen-one. As an actual human being.

"I care, because it's Malfoy! The slimy git that has bullied you for six years!"
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again abruptly. She took one last look at Ron, shook her head sadly and walked away in the direction of the castle.
 
Ron watched her disappear into the distance. He felt like his insides had been ripped apart. He sunk down onto the floor and placed his head in his hands. "I care because I love you,"

She smiled slightly before replying; "I have no idea what you mean,"
He looked down and lowered his voice further, "You were trying to flirt with me," he said, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
Hermione suppressed a smile when she saw Malfoy blushing at the thought of her flirting with him. "I think your minds playing tricks on you," she said, looking back down at The Secret Story of Salazar Slytherin. "Perhaps it's wishful thinking," she suggested, without looking up.