Words Only Have So Much Power
Harry Potter is own by JK Rowling as well as various companies including but not limited to: Scholastic Books, Warner Bros.
This is my second response to the One Word Challenge on HPFC. My word of dialogue was "There".
Nine-year-old Hermione Granger jumped off of the school bus in front of her home. She had felt ready to burst since she left school. The school bully who'd been pushing her around all week finally got to her. She had been calling little Hermione names all week but the last one had pushed it. She could deal with 'freak' and 'know-it-all'. Everyone had called her that one time or another – including some family members as 'know-it-all' had become somewhat of a joke in her family. No, what this overgrown whale did this time was tell her that no one actually liked her because she took her studies too seriously.
To be fair, Hermione liked to learn. She'd liked to learn since she was just a child – or at least that was what Mum and Daddy told her. Oh Hermione, your first word was school! She could remember her mother reciting to her. Said she'd learned it from the telly of all places. Hermione took the key from under the mat that said Welcome to any and all whom visited the Granger household. Mum and Daddy were still at work. They were dentists and oh Hermione was so proud of them. Just as they were proud of her – at least that's what they told her about sixty times a week. It had made Hermione want to smile, but the stupid bully's words pierced through her and the moment the door was open and shut, the tears came.
Tossing her knapsack to the ground along with the key to the house, Hermione ran down the hall, passed the bathroom; passed her parents' room and to her own bedroom. The door closed before it had barely open, Hermione squeezing her tiny frame past the small opening. She then flung herself down onto her bed and cried to her little heart's content. She could hear Daddy's voice in her head; don't fret, my little bear cub; they were just words. He always told her this when he would see her crying. Daddy hated to see Hermione crying. Don't fret, Hermione. The words soothed from inside her head.
She knew she wasn't being rational about this – something Hermione prided herself on being despite her young age – but those words hurt. It didn't matter that Mum would tell her: Words only have as much power as you give them, Hermione Jean. But the rotten words that good-for-nothing whale said had too much power as it was before she even gave them more strength. Hermione brought her head up from the safe haven underneath her arms and looked outside into the stormy grey of the clouds. The weathermen were calling for rain and outside looked just how Hermione felt inside. But maybe she was putting way too much into those words. Maybe that bully Sondra Ripley was just waiting for Hermione to come into school tomorrow and be all sullen and sad and upset still over the words.
The rational side was starting to come back out. Lifting her head up more, Hermione wiped away her tears and sat up on her bed. She would go into school tomorrow with a smiling face and a good attitude about the whole thing. Maybe even rehearse something witty to share with Sondra about what she said. I may take my studies too seriously but that doesn't mean people don't like me. Just means I'm smarter than your average bully. Yeah, that would probably wipe the smirk off Sondra's face that Hermione knew was going to be set in place as per usual.
Hermione went to bed that evening with a full belly, a good talking to with Mum and Daddy both present about that day's activities as well as a fresh mouth. And tomorrow was to be a fresh day. When Hermione woke up that next morning, she made sure everything was in place. Her hair was neatly brushed back into a plait, her teeth were brushed, and her face was clean of all particles of food left over from breakfast. "There." She said to her mirrored image with finality. Let's just watch Sondra try and make fun of me today. She finished with a last thought and went to grab her bag to wait for the bus.