The next morning she awoke on time...she had taken the precaution of taking her alarm clock into her bed last night so that someone wouldn't turn it off or just steal it. She hurriedly washed and dressed before fleeing Gryffindor. Thorfinn was waiting for her and together they walked to the Great Hall and had their breakfast. Hermione was unable to finish her's as her fellow Gryffindors were making her meals a living hell with their pinches and pokes, as well as with the filthy names they were calling her.
Knowing Hermione wasn't going to finish her breakfast, he discreetly hid a few muffins and a few pieces of fruit inside his robes. His fellow Slytherins looked askance at him and then continued with their own breakfast. And once Hermione had fled the Great Hall, he swiftly followed, to Snape's dismay. He had been hoping that he would break little Miss Granger but it appeared that Rowle was supporting her. He would have to up his game and make things really unpleasant for Miss Granger and then she would finally tell the truth and he could then send Rowle packing!
Thorfinn quickly caught up to Hermione. By now, he had memorized her schedule so he knew where she was going. They both sat down to await her teacher and he handed over the muffins and fruit that he had secreted away for her. Hermione quickly scoffed the lot and thanked Thorfinn profusely. Then while Thorfinn sat quietly beside her, she hurriedly finished her homework and assignments. This time, she thought, she would have the work ready for her teachers.
With the exception of Potions, her classes went fairly smoothly that morning. In Potions, however, someone again shoved her from behind. She then accidentally added too much of one of the potion ingredients into her cauldron and it boiled over on her. Snape was upon her immediately and docked Gryffindor 15 points for her clumsiness. He, of course, didn't acknowledge seeing someone shove her from behind...
And thus went the rest of her week...her fellow Gryffindors venting their spleen on her at any and every opportunity. The only thing that made life worth living was that Rowle continued to escort her to and from her house, to the Great Hall, as well as to and from her classes and her detentions. He also continued to sneak her some food from the Great Hall as she was spending very little time there. With all the stress and missed meals, she was beginning to look pale and haggard.
