Getting Up for the Let Down

Once we had collected our books we started down the winding stairs until we found ourselves on the first floor. Although finding our way seemed impossible to me and nearly scared me half to death, to Hermione it was no sweat. I supposed that someday I would be able to do that as well. We entered the Great Hall and she motioned over to where her friends were sitting and this- this was my let down. Her best friends just so happened to be Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Perfect! Harry Potter, as you know, hates my entire family and my entire family hates him. Ron's not so different either. Our fathers work together in the Ministry and loath each other. This summer my dad actually admitted to hating Arthur Weasley more than Harry Potter himself. The point is this was bad- very bad.

Harry looked up from the newspaper, looking angry. He noticed me and his anger grew, if that was even possible.

"What is she doing here?" he asked in a very rude, judgmental tone.

"Harry, be nice," Hermione pushed. Harry looked at her in disgust.

"She's a Malfoy, Hermione," he explained to her slowly.

"You don't even know me," I snapped back angrily and stormed away. I couldn't believe I had been so stupid as to think Harry Potter was a nice boy. The thought that my parents were right kept popping back into my head. I was walking so fast I ended up in front of Hagrid's hut before I even thought about where I was going. Knocking on the door, I wiped the tears off my checks. I hated that I was crying. Why was I crying?

Of course Hagrid opened the door while I was in mid-tear-wipe, so he knew something was up, judging by the worried look on his face.

"Bad day? Come in," he patted me on the shoulder and motioned me in.

"Thanks," I sniffed, pathetically.

"So what is it? Is it a boy? 'Cos I can't help you with that. I mean maybe 'cos I am a boy- or was, whatever," he finished looking as if he was trying to figure out if what he just said made any sense. Sometimes Hagrid has trouble forming sentences and making people understand what he means. For me, I always know. I guess I get people easily. But then why couldn't I make any friends?

"It's not a boy," I assured him, "Well I mean it is, but it isn't…," I went on, making no sense. I sighed and continued. "Nobody likes me in Gryffindor because I'm a Malfoy; nobody seems to get that I hate my family, my life, this stupid position I'm in," I finished with another sigh. Hagrid shook his head. Why do people always shake their heads at me?

"Have you tried explaining that to anyone?" he asked, already knowing the answer. I shook my head and he went on. "Who are you talking about in particular?" he added, curiously.

"Harry Potter," I spoke softly, as if I thought he was listening. Hagrid looked extremely surprised and shook his head again.

"But Harry is- he's- he's-," a knock on his door interrupted him.

"It's us! Harry, Ron and Hermione," a voice yelled from the other side of his door.

"Uh- er- just a minute," he hesitated, "Get in the closet. I'll just show you what I was trying to say." He shoved me in a closet stuffed full. "Listen closely," he advised me, "The doors thick." He shut the door in front of me and everything went dark. It was actually sort of frightening.

"Hagrid, come on!" Harry's voice came again, but it was muffled this time. Listening hard, I heard the door swing open.

"Hey Hagrid! We missed you," said Hermione delightfully.

"Yeah… I think you've er- grown!" I heard Ron say; it almost made me laugh, but thank God I held it in. From his voice I could tell he was smiling very big. They all sounded extremely happy in fact. They started talking about school and Snape and something about Hagrid's new pets while I was zoning out. The smell of this closet was really getting to me. It was like rotten eggs and spoiled milk mixed. Realizing I was sitting on something wet and lumpy, I stood up, wondering if it was an animal.

"Speaking of friends, you guys should make more friends, ya know? Branch out. Make friends with the unexpected," Hagrid said this very loudly and I perked up, listening closer.

"We weren't speaking of friends, Hagrid," Harry stated, suspiciously.

"Oh- well," Hagrid sounded like an idiot who'd just been caught stealing," Well I just want you guys to know that when I was in school there was this girl who nobody liked because her family- uh everyone in her family was a vegetarian. Mind you, back then this was not acceptable. No, you had to eat meat or nobody liked you. And uh," Hagrid said, sounding desperate, "Then one day," he went on; "One day someone gave the girl a chance. That someone was me. I talked to- uh let's see… Margaret! I talked to Margaret and found out she wasn't a vegetarian after all. Everyone just assumed she was because of her background. She turned out to be a really cool girl and one of my best friends. So there ya go."

"Why did you just tell us that?" asked Ron.

"Teach us a lesson I suppose. But I don't know any vegetarians Hagrid," Harry said turning to Hagrid.

"Duh. He's just using an example. Isn't it obvious? He's trying to tell us to give Remy Malfoy a chance. Just because she's a Malfoy doesn't mean she's like them at all. I mean look at Sirius and his family," Hermione finished, proving a perfectly reasonable point.

"That's different," Harry argued, "We have potions soon, Hagrid. We'll come by later," he said, standing up and taking his books off the table. I could hear Hermione sigh and I never appreciated a person more than I did right then. She really wanted to help me; she wanted me to feel accepted. Hermione Granger is the nicest person I've ever met.

Once I heard the door shut, Hagrid opened the closet and I jumped. I had been too busy drowning in my own self-pity to remember I was in a closet. It felt almost as if I'd been watching television. Hagrid looked down at me with a sad face.

"I'm sorry," he spoke gentle and soft. I gave him a half smile, hugged him and left for my class. This would be a long day.