"Hermione!" Ron cried, he scooped her up in his arms and lavished her with sloppy kisses, "There you are!"

Hermione smiled weakly and pushed him away. I mean, for God's sake, Ron was like a brother to her! And to have someone like your own brother kissing you like that was absolutely horrid.

Ron's smile faded away, "What's wrong Hermione?" He hugged her tight, "Did I do something wrong?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, I just… wasn't in the mood."

Ron smiled again and said in a soft voice that brought shivers of disgust down her spine, "I understand."

She and Ron had been dating for a few weeks ever since her big "change" and frankly, she couldn't find the guts to tell him that she had never liked him from the start and had only said yes to him because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Hermione sighed and wished that things were the way they used to be when she had bushy hair and Ron didn't look at her like they did now. She picked up a strand of her silky brown hair and played with it absent-mindedly. She sighed again.

She closed her eyes and laid back on the comfortable seat of the Hogwarts Express and recalled that day she decided to "change" again and again. It wasn't her entirely her fault; all the other males around her had driven her to it. With all the teasing and poking, who could not feel irritated?

"Hermione! Wake up! We need to talk and…" Harry cried, "Oh my GOD! You look gorgeous!"

He suddenly clasped his hand around his mouth and blushed a deep scarlet.

Hermione opened one eye lazily, "What is there to talk about?"

"Well… err… Ron told me that you turned hot and you two started dating… and I didn't believe that because we two thought you were never the dating type of girl."

Hermione, eyes still closed, struggled to remain calm, "And what else did he say?"

Harry shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "He said you two… slept… together. Is that true Hermione? That you slept with him? Because he is telling everyone that he took your virginity…"

Hermione eyes snapped open and narrowed, What did he SAY? That I SLEPT with him? How DARE he? Just because he thinks I'm an insufferable know-it-all doesn't give him any right to make up these types of things! She raged silently in her head. She felt furious and her eyes darkened with anger.

"… and now he is all bragging in the other compartment that he finally got a virgin. I mean, how could you do this Hermione? I mean, you JUMPED on him and ripped off his buttons? Were you drunk? What were you thinking, acting like Parkinson? I mean, him bragging is bad enough… but about YOU? You were kind of… sluttish that night, and I don't like that, I want you to stop acting like---"

Her voice was quiet and cold, "Get out."

Harry's eyes opened wide.

"Get out before I do something I might regret," she hissed.

Harry approached her, "Now, now Hermione, don't feel offended, I mean, no longer being a virgin is no big deal."

'GET OUT!" she suddenly screamed, "I DID NOT SLEEP WITH THAT RED HEADED WEASEL! SO GET OUT OF THIS COMPARTMENT NOW! NOW!"

Harry glared at her and yelled back, "JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK YOUR SO SMART DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTROL ME! I HAVE BEEN THROUGH WAY MORE THEN YOU HAVE! MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! THE KILLER OF MY PARENTS IS OUT TO GET ME! AND HE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE DARKEST WIZARD OF ALL TIME! SO YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SCREAM ABOUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BECAUSE YOU HAVE NEVER FELT PAIN! I HAVE LIVED ONLY IN PAIN WHILE YOU LIVED IN A HAPPY LITTLE HOME WITH YOUR REAL FAMILY—"

Hermione reached out and smacked him right on the cheek, shocking Harry, and said in a low trembling voice that was filled with hatred, "Get out. Now."

Harry stumbled out of the compartment and gave her one last glare before the door was slammed in his face.

Hermione curled into a little ball on the floor and couldn't stop the flow of tears that kept pouring down her cheeks. But these weren't tears of sorrow.

These were tears of hatred.