DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, all rights belong to JK Rowling.
"Honestly, Ronald! Just because you didn't complete the essay Professor Snape assigned us does not mean that I will allow you to copy mine!" scolded the 16 year old witch.
"Come on, Mione! This'll be the last time, I promise!" pleaded the Weasley boy.
"Absolutely not! You have no right to make a promise that you are not going to keep!" snapped Hermione.
"I only need five inches more!" he implored, looking desparate now.
"You are not going to copy my work," Hermione said firmly. She was growing irritated, fast. She didn't know whether Ron was simply stupid or oblivious. She'd been snapping at almost everyone the past few days. Even Malfoy hadn't said anything to set her off, probably fearing getting smacked again.
Harry snickered as he watched his two best friends quarrel. Hermione and Ron's squabbles were normal now, he'd given up trying to make them stop a long time ago. Now, he settled on trying to find a source of entertainment in them. He realized that he sounded disturbingly like Dudley, who always found it funny when Uncle Vernon yelled at him. With a digusted shudder, he turned his attention back to his friends.
"And I suppose you've done your essay, Harry?"
He abruptly stopped as Hermione rounded on him, eyebrows raised.
"Well, actually, yeah" he stuttered. "I was thinking that maybe...I, uh, could look at yours and..compare it?
He trailed off, looking down at his shoes. He didn't mean to offend her, he really didn't but when she went redder than he already was, he braced himself. He and Ron were in for it now.
"Harry James Potter and Ronald Billius Weasley," she shrilled. "I can't believe the two of you! Is that what you think of me? Some sort of answer sheet for both of you to cheat off? But of course, what else is Hermione Granger, Bookworm Extraordinaire, good for other than copying off? I thought we were friends, but I see now that I thought wrong."
Harry felt mortified when he saw Hermione's eyes brighten with tears towards the end of her rant. He felt like smacking Ron around the head when he blurted out,
"So are you going to help me or not?"
Hermione stared at him, blinking disbelievingly before answering. "The nerve of you, Ronald Weasley. I've told you a thousand times and I'll tell you again. I'm not letting you copy off my essay! I suppose you can't take no for an answer can you? If you ever come to me with intentions of seeking help with your homework, you can be sure I'll owl you mother and you heard her in second year, didn't you? If you put another toe out of line, she's going to take you straight home! And I suppose you thought it only applied for that year as well! My answer is and remains NO!"
The whole common room quietened down and even those in their dorms could hear an irate Hermione Granger tell off a now very red faced, Ronald Weasley. He stood up and glared down at her but she didn't falter under his gaze.
"Hermione, you know as well as I do that no one in the whole school studies as much as you do. You're practically the smartest in the whole school!" She huffed at this, flicking a stray hair away from her eyes. "Why don't you actually be nice for once and help me out here, I just need five inches!"
A moment of silence before a loud SMACK! rang in everyone's ears. She'd slapped him.
"And don't you ever, imply that I don't help you out because Merlin knows I do, every second of every day," she hissed threateningly before storming out of the common room. Everyone stayed quiet, watching Ron with bated breath for his reaction. He scowled and flopped back down on the couch, nursing his stinging cheek.
Lavender Brown made a sound of annoyance and murmured quietly to Parvati, "What an attention seeker, goodness."
"Oh shut up, Lavender," Ginny dismissed her, ignoring her protest of outrage. "And you both are so oblivious."
She directed the last part to Harry and Ron, raising her eyebrows as though she couldn't believe them.
"What?" Harry said defensively. "If I'd known she would get upset I wouldn't have said anything."
"I thought you two were her best friends? Haven't you noticed her behaviour at all?" Ginny wanted to laugh at their confused expressions. They hadn't. "For the love of Merlin, Harry! She's been snapping at everyone nowadays! Why do you think she came to visit us way after you came in the summer? Merlin, you both really are idiots."
That said, the fourteen year old witch went up to her dorm, not believing she'd talked to Harry like that. A part of her was cheering, proud that she'd stood up to him even though she liked him and the other part was a bit worried, what if she'd blown her chance? She reminded herself firmly that it was for Hermione and she'd do it again if she had to.
Meanwhile, Hermione muttered to herself as she went in the direction of the library.
"The nerve of him! Thinking he could just copy off my work!"
The library was the only place where she could actually get anything done and she often went there to clear her mind. The books were her companions and wouldn't judge her or use her. She thought of the one person who hadn't ever used her, even for the slightest thing.
"I wish you were here, Stephan," she murmured, shaking her head as she wiped away frustrated tears. She wouldn't cry, not now, not ever.
She sat down by a window in one of the far back corners of the library. It was peaceful there, no one but Madam Pince would find her and she doubted the librarian ever went there anymore. The bookshelves were stacked with large dusty tomes that looked as though they were untouched for years. Just as she was about to open her book, something glinted in the shelf across her.
Hermione tried to ignore it. It was probably someone's ring or something and anyway, it wasn't any of her business. But then it started to give off a strange glow and she could hear a sort of humming sound. Her senses were immediately on alert.
Reaching for her wand, she approached it cautiously. In times like these, you could never be too careful. But at the last minute, her resolve weakened and she reached out. As soon as her fingers made contact with the peculiar object, she disappeared right out of Hogwarts.
It all happened so fast. She heard a snapping sound and felt pain searing through her wrist. Hermione moaned out in pain, holding it tightly, trying to stop the pain.
She sucked in a deep breath and tried not to focus on her wrist. More importantly, she had no idea where she was. She seemed to be in a wood of some sort and there was a lamp post, a few feet away.
How did she get here? That object must have been portal. This wood was definitely not on earth. That, she had no doubt about. The air was fresh and the soil, rich and fertilized. There wasn't a sign of pollution. In fact, the whole wood seemed to be quite young, as it was. It was very much alive, she could see.
Suddenly, there was a loud snarl. Hermione's heart rate picked up. She stood up carefully, not making a sound. She heard the leaves rustling and looked around frantically for her wand. The young witch grew more terrified still when she couldn't find it. Without her magic, she was defenseless.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she slowly turned around. She came face to face with a Minotaur. An almighty scream tore from her lips as she cowered away from the beast that up until now, thought was pure fiction.