This is the translation of a story I wrote for a small competition me and some friends have regularly. The theme given was: „Worn out words"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story. They all belong to JKR. I only borrowed them and am not earning any money with them.
Special thanks: To Deep Shadows for going over this translation not only once but twice until every question was answered, every mistake got rid of and every expression that did not exactly match the intended meaning discussed and changed for the better.
This story is set in OotP.
The Compliment
"I still can't believe that you were made prefect, mudblood!" sneered Draco Malfoy. But Hermione Granger, at whom the verbal attack had been aimed, didn't even twitch; instead she continued her calm reading.
The new year at Hogwarts had started only a few weeks ago, and yet Dolores Umbridge, this year's teacher for DADA, had already managed to win the rank of Enemy No. 1 from Malfoy in Hermione's private conception of the world. Partly due to this, the inflammatory speeches of the blonde Slytherin had proved to be some kind of pleasant diversion. And then, he had used this insult the previous three years so often that it had lost all significance to Hermione. Only her two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, still reacted to it with never ending regularity. But maybe that was only because they never missed an occasion to squabble with Malfoy.
However, at the moment, none of her friends were present, as Ron and Harry were in their Divination class, whereas she was waiting, along with 15 other students, for Professor Futhark, the teacher for Ancient Runes. And so Hermione didn't even bother to react to Draco's comment.
But a Draco Malfoy was not someone to give up so easily. "Certainly there was a decree from the ministry saying that mudbloods are not to be discriminated and demanded a mudblood-quota for all fields. And simply because you are the only Gryffindor-mudblood in our year, they had to choose you. Granger, the quota-mudblood!"
Not even the entrance of the teacher had stopped Draco's babble; it had only caused him to lower his voice a little. But due to his sitting directly behind Hermione Granger he was sure of her still hearing him.
And actually, while Professor Futhark was collecting their essays about 'The importance of the rune 'Eiwaz' for last week's text', the Gryffindor-girl turned around to him with a charming smile on her lips. "If I were you, Malfoy, I would think first and then speak. Because the rubbish you just said, simply means that either you or our dear Parkinson is a, as you called it so nicely, mudblood."
This caused Blaise Zabini, the only other Slytherin who had taken Ancient Runes as subject, to grin, gaining him a scornful look from Draco.
"You know damn well, that there are no mudbloods in Slytherin!" Malfoy hissed to Granger.
"Oh dear me!" Replied Hermione with pitiful mock. "And so good Headmaster Dumbledore thought: 'if not a fully adequate mudblood, we'll have to take those two Slytherins that are nearest a mudblood.'"
"My family can look back on more than twenty generations of purebloods!" Draco retorted angrily. "The Malfoys are one of the oldest and most respected wizard-families."
"What a blow for you to think that, with your more than twenty generations of purebloods, you are the mudbloodiest Slytherin in our class. And who knows, maybe you get an award as Slytherin-mudblood of the year..."
At that moment they were interrupted by Professor Futhark, who called for their attention. Hastily they concentrated on the handed down historical text that was to be translated.
The remainder of the lesson passed without any more incidents, but two hours later, in Care of Magical Creatures, Draco Malfoy sneered again. And this time he had support in the form of Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the Slytherin gang. As soon as the blonde Slytherin had spotted Hermione and her friends he started singing:
"Granger the mudblood,
Thinks she is so very smart!
Granger the mudblood,
Thinks she is so very smart!"
Enthusiastically the other Slytherins joined in, and Pansy, who seemed to like this little song very much, continued it sprightly:
"Thinks she is so very bright
Though it's everything but right.
Her prefect's badge is not a hap
For she has sat on Dumbie's lap!"
Now that was a bit thick! Horrified, the other Gryffindors held their breath, while Hermione felt that Harry and Ron were about to explode. But as Professor Grubbly-Plank might be there any moment, an open quarrel with Malfoy and his friends was the last thing they should risk. So Hermione laid an appeasing hand on Harry's arm.
"Don't, it's not worth it. But", she added a little louder and with a condescending smile, "after all, we now know how Parkinson got her badge!"
This caused a small laughter among the Gryffindors and Pansy Parkinson wrapped herself in offended silence.
Any more bickering was ended by Professor Grubbly-Plank, who instead presented another creature, that was likely to be part of the OWL-exams, to the class.
While everyone was occupied with looking after the streelers, poisonous giant-snails that changed color every hour, Hermione still heard from time to time Draco Malfoy humming something that sounded suspiciously like pieces of "Granger the mudblood"; however she simply ignored it with a smile.
It was slowly wearing on Draco that his insults seemed to simply ricochet from Granger. Why, for Merlin's sake, didn't his insults matter to her any longer? For there had been times when things had been very different... But this way it was no longer fun!
That same afternoon Arithmancy was scheduled, and, by chance, it was another subject Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger had together. And once more, Draco took a seat close to Hermione. Maybe this lesson he would manage to extract a reaction from her.
"After having learned the basics of Arithmancy in the previous two years, and after having repeated them the last few weeks, we will now turn to this year's main focus: The linking of the knowledge gained from your calculations with the field of magic." Professor Vector began. Hermione was all attention, for she knew that they were now turning to the most difficult part of Arithmancy. This was why she was very grateful that Professor Vector, unlike her colleagues, had started this school year with a repetition of the basics.
"Arithmancy not only allows us to learn something about the character of a person, and the consequences for his actions due to this, Arithmancy also allows us to see which curses at which times are most dangerous to a person, which spells easiest to learn and which charms most powerful in its protection, etcetera, if we understand and know how to use Arithmancy. And not only the numbers of the spells themselves are important, but also their difficulty and their effect."
Eagerly Hermione drank in the words of the professor and her quill darted so hastily across the parchment that Draco, who was still watching her, wondered that the quill was not smoking with exertion.
"A protection charm that has a 3 for character can, under certain circumstances, be changed into a 2 or a 4 by someone using it. This can happen when..." And the Arithmancy-witch turned to the blackboard and started to write down the rules for the change of numbers.
That was the end to Draco's plan to tease Hermione further. For if there was any subject where he had to pay attention and, more so, take down notes, at least what was written on the blackboard, it was Arithmancy. But that proved to be a little difficult with Professor Vector, who, unlike his head of house, Professor Snape, had a horrible handwriting. If one didn't catch what she was saying while writing on the blackboard, one was completely lost. Which was exactly the problem Draco was facing now, because he had only concentrated on how he could tease Granger, and now he was staring helplessly at the scrawl on the blackboard. It was no use. "Hey, mudblood! What says the scribble on the blackboard?"
Hermione grinned. That's what he got for sitting directly behind her instead of taking a seat as far away from her as usual. Acting shocked she pressed both her hands on her heart. "Oh. My. God! Am I alive to witness this?" she mocked. "Draco Malfoy asks for MY help! I don't believe me and my muddied blood will survive this..." And she pretended to be fainting.
Unfortunately, this called Professor Vector's attention. "What is going on here? Miss Granger, why are you sitting in such a ridiculous way?"
"It's nothing, Professor, nothing," Hermione hurried to reply and sat once more straight up in her seat. "Mister Malfoy merely paid me a compliment."
"I did what?" Draco hissed as soon as the witch had turned once more to the blackboard.
"Paid me a compliment." Hermione answered nicely. "Because nothing else could you mean by calling me a mudblood."
"Pardon?" Cautiously Draco examined his ear. Maybe a little bit of earth had crawled into his inner ear during Herbology the previous hour. He was to have paid Granger a compliment by calling her 'mudblood'? "I have always known that you Gryffindors were a little crazy, but that you were this nuts I would never have suspected."
"No, I'm all seriousness. Because what else than my superiority in all subjects to you do you express this way?" Waiting she looked at him.
"What do you mean with superiority in all subjects? You are quite the worst witch when it comes to riding a broom!" Malfoy reminded Hermione of their first year.
"That may be. But that was in first year. And back then you didn't call me a mudblood. This you started one year later, when there were no more flying lessons. Therefore, if you don't want to pay me compliments all the time, I would guard my words..."
Fin.