Guilt
It was the worst sort of feeling in the world. It was the sort of feeling that only certain times and certain people could bring about. It was the sort of feeling that you felt so deeply, no wand could cause it, and no wand could cure it. It was a horrible, horrible feeling, and it was all Granger's fault.
Who did she think she was, anyway? He was an amazing seeker! Much better than Potter-- not that that was very hard. Bought his way onto the team? It was called generosity! No surprise she'd never heard of it, though, hanging around Weasley, who couldn't even afford it.
She'd deserved it. And besides, it wasn't like he'd even done anything. Well, sure, he did something, he called her a mean name. But it wasn't like it wasn't true! It was one thing to call someone something they weren't, it was quite another to call someone something they were. It wasn't an insult-- it was an observation! Plus, it wasn't like being a mudblood was some huge deal, it happened to people every day. Unfortunate, sure, but not something to get all upset over—especially when someone was just making an observation in response to a complete lie.
He didn't do anything wrong, so why was he the one suffering? Sure, Weasel was probably off in the hospital wing suffering, but he'd done that himself with his idiot wand. Granger got off unscathed, and Potter benefited from it, really, seeing as he should have had something really awful happen to him, and nothing did.
He was completely innocent, and yet, he didn't feel innocent. He felt dreadful. Filthy-- dirtier than Granger's blood. It was the sort of feeling where your stomach is churning like you're going to hurl, but you know you're not going to, because you aren't sick or anything. And it was like you were going really fast on a broom, and so your eyes get kind of wet, even though there's nothing to cry about. And then it was also like when you were watching a quiditch match, and you leave the booth to sit with your friends, and you see the slow motion replay of everything that happened in the air, except you're seeing stuff that you did, and things that you said, and instead of looking cooler the second time they seem a lot worse.
Stupid Granger. This was all her fault.
Disclaimer: This universe and the characters within it are not my own. They belong to J.K. Rowling, and all other not aforementioned respective owners. This is a work of fan fiction that no one will be profiting off of. No copyright infringement is intended.