Day One of Six: Saturday
Exams had finally ended, and all of Hermione's classes had almost finished. Though the weather at Hogwarts was always nice during the summer, the pale blue sky seemed even brighter without the pressure of studying.
It was a Saturday— the last Saturday at Hogwarts for the school year as summer holidays began on Friday. The intermittent chirping of song birds slowly rose Hermione. Her eyes groggily opened to see sunlight streaming through the window by her four poster of the girls dormitory. During the school year, Hermione always kept the curtains open at night so it would be easier to wake up in the morning to the natural light. Lavender and Parvati detested Hermione for that; they loathed the morning sunlight and getting up early, as most of their nights were spent gossiping about boys until 2am. So in her 3rd year, Hermione gifted both of them pink silk sleeping masks for Christmas and they stopped complaining.
Now, Hermione groaned softly as she pushed the covers off of her and slid her feet into baby blue, fluffy, slippers. She gazed at still sleeping Lavender and Parvati before getting dressed for the day. Her standard weekend outfit was composed of jeans and a sweatshirt. Paying little attention to her clothes, the grabbed the first sweatshirt, shirt, and pair of jeans she saw and changed in the bathroom of the dormitory.
Hermione absently minded got ready as she pondered what she might do today. Usually she had lists and lists of homework, extra credit work, and readings she wanted to complete. But today she couldn't rack her brain for any other work possible to do. She supposed she would... spend the day with Harry and Ron... The idea sounded preposterous in her mind as any free time she had would be spent in the library, doing extra credit work, not socialising.
Since their 5th year, Ron had been Hermione's... boyfriend. She blushed at the word. At first the relationship seemed new and exciting... She had crushed on him for so long. But the annoying traits Ron had before only seemed to intensify when she had to spend more time with him. And what irked Hermione was that Ron still thought he was perfect, he was great, he was sooo amazing... Hermione quickly stopped thinking of Ron before she got too annoyed with him. She had waited for so long to be with him, that it seemed stupid to break up, stupid to lose such a good friendship.
Hermione checked her watch to see if they would have woken up yet. Nope. It was only 8:34 am and she was nearly certain that the boys didn't rouse until 10 am, except if there was a national emergency. Such as the need to play Quidditch. She decided to go down for breakfast anyways and would meet them there. Hermione grabbed a book to read while she waited and headed for the Great Hall. It was odd to be the only Gryffindor here, as most were still sleeping. Only one other person was in the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy. He had always bullied Hermione and her friends, so she steered far away from him and sat at the corner of the Gryffindor table farthest away from where he sat at the Slytherin table.
Breakfast was an assortment of toasts and eggs. Hermione randomly grabbed some on her plate and propped her open book up on a milk jug to read. Just as her eyes hit the first sentence, a thud sounded. Someone had dropped into the space on the bench next to her. Hermione whipped around, her bushy brown hair trailed behind. Her eyes landed on a pale pointed face, slightly flushed and tinged with pink. Draco Malfoy. Again.
She raised one eyebrow, in need of a serious explanation.
He seemed to ignore that. "What are we reading, Granger?" Malfoy pulled the book leaning on the milk jug.
Hermione pushed it back. "None of your business, Malfoy." She retrained her eyes on the book. He stared at her for a moment before Hermione ordered, "Go back to your own table. I'm trying to read."
"Hasn't anyone taught you manners, Granger? It's impolite to read at the table, much less read while you are having a conversation with someone."
"Conversation? That's a mutual communication. This is just you bothering me, and me ignoring you. So in that case, I am allowed to read. And since there is no one else worthy of my manners at the table, I can perfectly well read here."
"Oohhhh, someone wants to be lawyer..." Malfoy taunted. "Kick all those filthy Muggles in the arse for me when you do, okay, Granger?"
"Shut up, Malfoy. And go. Away." Hermione detested Malfoy. She loathed his disrespect for anyone who wasn't a pureblood, and the way he treated her best friends, Ron and Harry, just because they came from a family that wasn't 'pureblood'. Like it mattered. Hermione had been top of her class since Year One, which proved that she didn't have to be 'pureblood' to succeed. All these years Hermione was sure Malfoy disliked her because she got higher grades and was a 'Mudblood'.
He narrowed his pale grey eyes and scrutinised Hermione's face. She turned away. "If you won't leave, than I will." She glared at him and started to get up when he yanked her arm back down.
"Wait."
She jerked and fell back onto the bench with a thud. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" she yelled.
"Hey, stop yelling. Sorry. Whatever. Just wait."
"No, thank you," she moved to get up again, sure he wouldn't try to pull her down again.
Of course Hermione was wrong. Malfoy grabbed both of her hands now to keep her from getting up, but pulled her back more gently. You foul, evil, loathsome little cockroach, you twisted ferret, you dimwitted weasel. She turned to face him and deliver her best insult yet, but just as her mouth was parted to speak, she halted.
Their eyes met for a brief moment. Pale grey-blue ones gazed into dark brown orbs. Hermione felt something stir in her chest. His soft hands still gripped her arms and they couldn't have been more than a foot apart... Malfoy slowly leaned towards Hermione. Her breath caught in her throat and she was sure her heart had stopped. Just as they were less than two inches apart, Hermione jerked her head away.
The moment was broken. She leapt up from the bench again this time, gasping and fighting back tears. Malfoy didn't try to hold her back this time. Hermione stumbled towards to the door, or the blurry tear-jarred vision of the doorway. She had barely reached the hallway outside the Great Hall before tears streamed down her face. She ran into the first girls washroom she saw, into a stall, and locked the door. behind her. Hermione felt her knees bend and she sank onto the cold, concrete floor. She tucked her knees to her chest and weeped into her hands. Sobs racked her body but she had no idea why. I'm so confused. What was that? Who is he? Why is he talking to me? What was that?! Ron?! What would Ron Weasley think?!
Then she realised an almost trivial thought. It made a laugh rise up, but then she stifled it. She let out a strangled squeak. Hermione had left her book at the Gryffindor table.
Author's Note: I love reviews. I love improving my writing. I love criticism. The harsher the better. Okay, maybe not, but, please. Review me! Gosh, that was a bad author's note... I am cringing.