Ok I'd like to thank one of my best friends for drawing me something that gave me the plot-bunnies. Yeah, you know who you are! Thank you!
Slytherins were horrible. Hermione tried to keep an open mind about everyone but, Slytherins were just plain mean. And it seemed that the whole house had it out for her. Well not just her, Harry and Ron too, but Harry was used to it. He got it all the time at "home" with the Dursleys. So he knew how to keep his head down and ignore it. Ron, though he never got bullied had five older brothers so he could handle teasing.
Hermione, on the other hand was an only child. Her parents were loving and protective, they never uttered an unkind word in front of her neither had anyone else until she went to school. But it was worse than it had ever been before. She was teased for having Muggle parents, and being smart, and according to the Slytherin girls having buck teeth and frizzy hair.
They walked quickly through the free rec area, enjoying the crisp winter air but trying to reach it to the hallway across the way before their peers noticed they were there.
"Oh look it's Scarhead!" Called a particularly nasty boy named Blake Hunter, taking on Malfoy's favorite nickname for him.
Just ignore them. They all mouthed to one another, huddling in closer as if creating a barrier between them and the unkind words.
"Where are you parents Potter?" Hunter continued taunting.
Harry cringed, even in the shallowest of insults, if they were about his parents, he got upset. So did the others. Ron clenched his fists so hard his already pale knuckles turned bone white.
"Don't go there." He warned under his breath, instinctively reaching for his wand.
Harry shook her head. "Ron." He whispered "It's okay, I can handle it." They all glanced at each other and came to a silent agreement. Walk straight ahead, don't look back.
"Boy who lived, Ha! It would be better off if you had died." Another Slytherin joined in. Her small eyes narrowing into slits.
They all wheeled around at this one. This girl had crossed a line. Her pudgy, pink face and the way she sneered at them reminded Harry of Dudley.
Ron drew his wand and raised it at the insult, ready to come to his friends defense, Harry and Hermione just managed to hold him back.
The Slytherins noticed this and laughed, doubling over as they did so.
"That second hand wand couldn't curse the broad side of the castle Weasley!" They choked out. "Luckily your little friends are holding you back, otherwise you'd be on your arse in twenty seconds flat!" Hunter taunted, twirling his own wand around for effect.
Ron deflated, looking at his chipped wand he knew they were right. It was too badly damaged. It'd be a miracle if he managed to cast even a simple charm without it backfiring. Still, he couldn't back down, Blake Hunter had given him a challenge and if he were to decline it the teasing wouldn't stop! It'd go on forever and there'd be little he or any of his friends could do about it. But at the moment he was about to step forward a voice came from beside him.
"Your right!" Hermione said sharply, "His wands much too broken to put up a real fight."
"Gee thanks Hermione." Ron rolled his eyes and thought to himself Now look what you've done, you've made it worse.
Hermione shot him a look and continued, stepping in front of her friends she walked straight up to the group of bullies and pulled out her wand.
"So why don't you face one that can." She finished with a determined gleam in her eyes.
Hunter's eyes glinted at the challenge. Nodding in approval he bowed, wheeled around and walked several paces back. Hermione did the same following the rules of wizard combat.
"Disarming spells only?" She asked
"Why of course." The boy grinned evilly and if Hermione had been paying more attention she would have noticed the sarcasm dripping in his voice. But she didn't. She was too lost in her own thoughts, trying to decide which spells to cast, which blocks would block what, that she completely missed the malice of his tone.
Without warning Blake attacked. He didn't wait for a signal, some kind of okay. Out of the blue he raised his wand and cast a charm, not using a disarming charm, but a spell that felt like you were being hit by a bulldozer throwing the opponent back. With a loud bang and a sickening crack Hermione was cast back against the castles stone wall.
"That's what you get, you filthy, good for nothing, Mudblood!" Blake Hunter spat at her unconscious form. "Teach you to challenge a pureblood. Like you could actually beat me." He laughed.
Pain, that was all she could feel. She couldn't see anything, She couldn't feel anything below her fingertips, just the fiery darkness. But as she grappled desperately with the blackness she found she could hear things. The connection of a fist to a face. It was probably Harry or Ron, any second now they would come rushing over, she was sure of it. But no, they were already here. Hermione could make out their voices quietly whispering over her. Then who punched Hunter? Then she made out a voice, a voice she never expected to here in connection with the sentence it uttered
"Don't call her Mudblood." Draco yelled poison lacing his voice.
Then she blacked out entirely.
Hermione woke up in the hospital wing a few days later. Harry and Ron had never left her side during that time, making their professors pretty cross as they'd chosen to skip most of their classes to spend time with Hermione.
"Mmm, What happened?" She groaned startling the three of them out of their conversation. Wait Three? That wasn't right. But sure enough there they were, Harry as expected, Ron also as expected, and...Draco. She guessed she shouldn't of been surprised, he did, or so she believed. take on Blake Hunter for her.
"Hermione!" All three chorused together, their faces lighting up with pleasure. Harry and Ron rushed over to her bed side, telling her how worried they were and shoving boxes of sweets at her. Well, Ron mainly did that part. Harry gave her paperbacks and grinned like an idiot.
"Harry." She chided "You broke your glasses again." Sure enough the glass was splintered on one of the lenses. Whipping out her wand which had been placed in her robe pocket she whispered "Oculus Repairo."
Harry just laughed. "Yeah after Malfoy decked him I got in a few punches too."
So Draco did stand up for her.
"Draco?" She craned her neck to look around Harry and Ron.
He came to her bedside his pale skin tinged pink.
Hey, Granger." He smiled weakly.
"You punched Blake?"
"Yeah guess I did."
"Why?" Now this was the big question, why had this person who absolutely despised all Muggle-borns help her?
He didn't answer. Instead Malfoy smiled at the floor, mumbling incoherently, then he rummaged in his pockets and pulled out his own small gift.
Shuffling awkwardly he handed Hermione the small box
Inside was a small charm bracelet, with two charms already on it. A lion and a serpent.
Giving a little gasp she looked at him in wonder, a small blush beginning to creep on her cheeks as well. It hadn't been said, but the message behind the bracelet had been clear. She threw her arms around Draco while Harry and Ron exchanged knowing but slightly grossed out looks.
Pulling away, Draco took in the sight of her bruised body and whispered
"Wait 'till my father hears about this."
A/N: Ta Da my first one shot! Hope you guys enjoyed it.