January 2, Lunch 1993
Harry watched as the lead bully Malfoy approached Hermione at the end of the table. Normally she would be with him and Ron at this end of the table. But after she had told McGonagall about his broom he had felt betrayed. Harry honestly was ready to forgive her though, he missed her, but Ron was still mad at her over a possible take out of Scabbers Ron's weird rat by her cat Crookshanks. He was going to go over there and kick Malfoys butt. He could see her getting red, her eyes tearing up. But something was weird, her hair was sticking up on end making her hair look like a storm cloud, and Malfoys smug look had faded into something close to nervousness. As Harry got close he could hear Malfoy stammering and could see this odd spark in Hermione's eyes. Almost like a. Suddenly Malfoy jumped with a high-pitched scream. Harry could have sworn an honest to god lightning bolt had shot out of her fingers into the prat. " Stay away from me you weak, loathsome, little cockroach." She screamed at him as he nodded franticly and bolted back to Slytherin table, his posse following confused and not a little ashamed. Harry just stared; he had never seen his best female friend get upset about something like that.
The look she gave those staring at her could have killed as the starers quickly turned. He slowly, very slowly at that, approached. "What the bloody hell do you." She tapered off as Harry plopped himself down in the newly vacated seat, a poor first year girl had all but abandoned the table and was as far as she could physically get herself from his friend.
" Harry, what." He raised a hand and she stopped. "Hermione, you know I felt betrayed when you told Professor McGonagall about the broom right?" she nodded a bit abashedly. "Well, I'm sorry I ignored you so long you are one of my best friends never forget that no bloody broom can take that away."
She had tears in her eyes as she hugged him, suddenly, he felt a static shock. Maybe he had not been imagining things when he thought he had seen the lightning bolt. That little spark was still there but it did not scare him, maybe something had changed but he felt almost safer than he ever had near her. He could see an odd group with a look of longing from throughout the room, from Gryffindor, Ginny and Neville both looked like something was wanting, From Slytherin of all places Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson who both looked like the others and a tall brown-haired boy he did not particularly recognize, looking at Hermione in an unusual way Harry could not Identify. Also interested in them were a cute little blonde from Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuffs, that Perfect, Harry could not remember his name and Susan Bones. As Harry scooted a little closer to his friend, he could see Pansy and Blaise moving toward Theo, and Susan almost rise till the perfect put a hand on her shoulder. Harry was almost positive she whimpered but he could not be sure as Ginny and Neville had moved to where they sat. Ginny started telling Hermione how cool her telling off of Malfoy was while Neville whispered to Harry, "Is it just me but do you feel safer near Hermione?" Harry did know something, something had happened, and it was changing things into something much more different.