Chapter 2 – No Pain No Gain

(A/N: This Chapter may not be as good as the last, it didn't take nearly as long to write as the first. I tried to insert some music, but it may not work. Please REVIEW to tell me if it works or not, because if it doesn't I've got themes to rethink.)

Hermione gave Ginny a look that said shoot me now. Ginny returned it with a look that said, only it you stab me first.

"Looks like the Mudblood and Weaselette are starting to panic." Blaise joked.

"I'd like to see them brew a potion." Drawled Malfoy

Hermione was going to retort back but then decided against it. Okay Hermione, stick to the positives. She thought. Maybe if you stay positive they'll shut up. Its Very unlikely, but still possible. Okay 1…2…3…

"Well Malfoy, everyone knows your good at potions, after we decide everything that needs to be done maybe you and someone else can brew it."

"Listen Granger." The blonde Slytherin drawled "Kissing up to me will get you nowhere. You will always be a filthy mudblood in my eyes.

With that comment, Hermione obviously became angry but kept her cool. (Unlike she had ten minuets in the hallway.)

"I am not kissing up to you Malfoy, I am trying to be civil so we can get through our final year at Hogwarts without getting our eyes scratched out in the process. So if you say nothing horrible to me I will return the favor, got it?"

At that, Hermione looked over to see Pansy Parkinson staring at her. Her eyes weren't like Hermione expected them to be. They looked thoughtful. Hermione always thought you could tell a lot about someone by their eyes. For example, Draco Malfoy's eyes were cold and harsh, what did that say about him?

At that moment, Hermione's chain of thought was broken because Malfoy had begun to talk again.

"That Granger… is the stupidest idea I have ever heard." He began "You and I will always be enemies."

"I don't know Draco, Granger may be onto something…" Pansy began, but she was cut of with a sharp glare from Blaise Zambini. "…I mean, if you're a crackpot who hangs around with muggle borns."

Even though Hermione was hurt, she couldn't help but notice that Pansy had used the term muggle born instead of mudblood.

"Listen mudblood, you don't belong here, go back to your filthy muggle parents."

"Draco that's a little harsh…" Pansy began.

"Shut up Pansy." Blaise mumbled through his teeth.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked Malfoy, still trying to keep her cool.

"You heard me." Malfoy smirked "Go back to our filthy muggle parents. You don't deserve to go to Hogwarts or be a witch."

With that Hermione lost it. It felt as if her mind had exploded. She felt herself turning red in the face. She stuck her face in Malfoy's and said

"You listen Malfoy and you listen good. My parents may be muggles." At this, Pansy's eyes grew to the size of golf balls. Hermione decided to keep going. "But at least their not filthy, evil, DEATH EATERS!"

Hermione wanted to see pansy's reaction, but she couldn't because Malfoy had grabbed her by her robes and pulled them even closer. "Listen Mudblood." He began through clenched teeth. "Mention my parents again and I swear I will hurt you."

At that moment Professor Snape stood.

"Class is over, I hope you managed to get something done."

After everyone exited Malfoy thrust Hermione to the ground. Before that moment Hermione had had no clue how strong he truly was.

"Maybe you should learn you place mudblood." He said before leaving the room.

Next thing Hermione knew, she was bolting down the hallway leading to the heads quarters. Next she had Lunch, the Care of Magical Creatures. After muttering the password to the picture of the young ghostly pale girl staring in a mirror. She bolted towards her room.

Once she was safely inside, she grabbed Stella of her post. Stella was Hermione's guitar. How she had managed to name her guitar, she didn't know how she had managed to name her guitar, but she had always used it to express her emotions. Almost like how Ginny used to write in a journal before the incident in second year. Her emotions defiantly needed to be expressed. So she sat on her bed and started to play,

I believe right now if I could

I would swallow you whole

I would leave only bones and teeth

We could see what was underneath

And you would be free then

Once I thought only tears could make us free

Salt wearing down to the bone

Like sand against the stone

Against the shoreline

I am friend to the undertow

I take you in, I don't let go

And now I have you

I wanted to learn all the secrets

From the edge of a knife

From the point of a needle

From a diamond

From a bullet in flight

I would be free then

I am friend to the undertow

I take you in, I don't let go

And now I have you

I wanted to see how it would feel

To be that sleek

And instead I find this hunger's

Made me weak

I believe right now if I could

I would swallow you whole

I would leave only bones and teeth

We could see what was underneath

And you would be free then

I am friend to the undertow

I take you in, I don't let go

And now I have you

I am friend to the undertow

I take you in, I don't let go

And now I have you

"Wow you have a pretty nice voice." Said a voice

Hermione spun around to see Pansy Parkinson leaning on the door frame of her bedroom.

"H-How did you get in here."

"Draco told me the password a few days ago."

"Oh." Hermione mumbled.

"I'm really sorry about what he said to you… about not belonging in the wizard world."

"It's not your fault." Hermione mumbled, still wondering how she should feel about Pansy Parkinson having all access to her room. "He's just so hypocritical!" Hermione put down her guitar. "He wants me to stop talking shit about HIS parents?" Pansy went to sit down at Hermione's desk.

"Yeah Draco can be a hypocrite…but he's okay once you get to know him. I mean everyone has faults."

"Ya I know, you should see the way Ron eats…" Hermione chuckled trying to change the subject.

"I know, Trust me." Pansy mumbled

"How?"

"One time I was at this pureblood thing my parents threw, and I had to sit across from him." She hesitated, "Not pretty." Hermione opened her mouth but Pansy continued. "Somehow I got meat sauce in my favorite dress robes. I don't even eat meat!"

Hermione laughed. The thought of Pansy Parkinson sitting across the table from a hungry Ron was enough to make Snape laugh.

Pansy laughed too, but Hermione was shocked to find that Pansy wasn't laughing like a canary screaming for mercy right before a cat bit into its neck. It actually sounded… normal.

"Your laugh…" Hermione decided to point it out.

"What about it?"

"Its different."

"No it isn't"

"From the one I've heard it is."

"Well that one's fake." Pansy said instantly covering her hand with her mouth.

"It is?" Hermione asked.

"Well…yeah… I mean… who could truly laugh at those jokes Draco makes about other people's blood?"

"Blaise Zambini." Hermione mumbled

"His is fake too." Said Pansy covering her mouth again.

"Really?"

"Yeah…" Pansy sighed

"But they're so believable."

"Blaise and I truly became friends at this muggle acting camp. My parents think that when you own a business, acting is a part of daily life that everyone should know how to do it. That's how we learned to fake laugh, but we can do much more."

"But aren't the Zambinis one of the more 'prejudiced' pureblood families? Why would they send Blaise to a muggle acting camp?"

"Were prejudiced…" Pansy started but shushed herself.

"What do you mean were?" Hermione asked

"I can't tell you… I'm the only person outside the Zambini family that knows."

"Please Pansy, I'll tell you something."

"I can't" Pansy simply replied. "I promised Blaise"

"PLEASE Pansy. I can keep a secret." Hermione pleaded.

"I'll tell you when I know I can trust you." Said Pansy getting up from Hermione's bed. "But now we have Care of Magical Creatures."

Hermione followed Pansy out of the common room and couldn't help but think that maybe spending a year with Pansy wouldn't be so horrible after all.