Aw, poor Hermione. Ron was really a twit in his first year. I am sure we have all felt like this at least once in our lives… or perhaps that's just me…
"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly…" Ron Weasley's voice echoed across the grounds and suddenly Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears.
Briskly, to avoid any more humiliation, she half walked half ran towards the girls' bathroom bumping into Ron as she went, tears blurring her vision. Head down she marched through the many corridors and hallways, stumbling over the hem of her robes as she desperately sought the entrance to the lavatories.
She was aware of having knocked into many people as she ran, including a very angry looking Professor McGonagall who seemed to be punishing the Weasley twins for throwing a dungbomb at Mrs. Norris. However, Hermione did not care in the slightest and as she walked through the many foreign and unwelcoming castle hallways, Ron's words kept floating in her mind. No wonder she had no friends if that was what everyone regarded her as Hermione thought bitterly.
At long last she found herself outside the girls' bathroom and, hoping that she would be the only one in there, Hermione entered and rushed into the nearest cubicle slamming the door behind her. With a tremendous sob, her knees gave way and she slumped onto the closed toilet seat lid. It wasn't the first time this had happened in the many years the Gryffindor had been at school.
Hermione sobbed for what felt like hours, she longed to go back home and yet she didn't want to go back home either. Her previous life at school was not a particularly good one and Hermione cried even harder, tears streaming down her face, as the sudden feeling of not belonging anywhere consumed her.
She remembered clearly the day Professor McGonagall had told her she was a witch, and she distinctly remembered the feeling of happiness and pure excitement that surged through her that particular evening. She remembered how a wave of understanding washed through her when she realised that might have been the reason why she was friendless and disliked at school. And she remembered the exhilaration she had felt to know that perhaps at Hogwarts, amidst her own kind, she would be welcomed and received in a better way than she had previously been.
She gave a loud sob which turned into a very sharp intake of the breath when Hermione realised somebody had entered the lavatories and was walking towards the place she was sitting in.
"Hermione? Hum… Are you alright?" Parvati asked tentatively. She slowly walked towards the cubicle in which Hermione was hiding in and knocked on the door with the back of her knuckles.
Hermione bit her lip in hope that perhaps Parvati would go away.
"Hermione please come out," said Parvati rapping on the door yet again. "Look, Hermione, please just come out, you can sit with Lavender and I if you want," Parvati sighed again when Hermione didn't respond and continued to speak. "I'm sure Ron didn't mean what he said, he looks genuinely ashamed of himself now. He was probably just annoyed because he couldn't do the spell…" she trailed off.
Hermione lifted her head from her arms. She felt terrible for ignoring Parvati who was being so kind to her however, she didn't want to see anybody in the state she was in now, especially Ronald.
Parvati shuffled her feet and knocked on the door again, "Ok, I-I'll just tell McGonagall you felt ill or something okay? I'll say you have a stomach-ache so that she won't come looking for you. J-Just come out soon, I'm sure Ron will apologise when you do, I honestly don't think he meant what he said."
Hermione opened her eyes and saw Parvati's feet move from underneath the cubicle door. She felt dreadful but knew that she was in no condition to leave the room and if ever she were to go to McGonagall's class, Professor McGonagall was bound to notice something. No matter how angry she felt towards Ron for insulting her she wasn't the type to backstab others.
If you told Hermione then that in only a few hours time she would make the longest and strongest lasting relationship with the boy who had offended her, she would not have believed you.