Hermione and Ron looked at each other, at Dumbledore, then back at each
other.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "I tied Hermione!" He turned bright red when Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Ron. "Sorry, Professor," he said sheepishly.
"Oh no," Hermione said under her breath, but Dumbledore heard her.
"What was that, Miss Granger?" It was Hermione's turn to blush. She was caught. She had to deny the galleons now, before Dumbledore came up with some other plan that she couldn't say no to. Now or never, she told herself.
Clearing her throat, Hermione looked Dumbledore straight in the eye. "I don't know what you have in mind, Professor, regarding the galleons, but I've got something to say." Dumbledore nodded at her to continue. Hermione glanced at Ron, who was staring at her, before she spoke again.
"I don't want the galleons." There, she had said it. But Dumbledore and Ron were looking at her rather oddly, so Hermione elaborated. "I mean, I know I've worked hard for the past seven years. But Ron, he deserves the galleons a lot more than I do. All these years, I've just been working for the recognition, you know? But Ron, he needs those galleons. I don't. He's worked so hard these past weeks, and for a lot better cause than I ever have. So just let him have the galleons. He deserves them." Hermione stopped and looked at Ron, who was red with anger and embarrassment. He was glaring at her.
"Think you're so noble, don't you," Ron hissed as he turned on his heels and ran out of Dumbledore's office. Hermione looked at Dumbledore.
"What. . . ?"
"Admirable sentiments, Miss Granger, but put across the wrong way. You have hurt his pride, and Mr. Weasley considers that a most serious offense." Hermione's shoulders slumped. Ron was right, Dumbledore was right. It had come out the wrong way, and now Ron was mad at her. Worse, it was her fault. Hermione hated fighting with Ron, but she especially hated it when it was her fault.
"I guess I'd better go, Professor," she murmured, and turned and fled down the spiral staircase. She was halfway to Gryffindor tower when she ran smack into someone.
"Watch where you're going, mudblood," a cold voice drawled. Hermione looked up, her vision blurred by tears held in.
"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she said quietly, and attempted to walk around him.
"Not so fast. Heard you and the Weasel got summoned to Dumbledore's office. Are you finally getting expelled?"
"I told you to sod off, Malfoy," Hermione said edgily.
"Although, come to think of it, Potter wasn't with you, so it can't be expulsion. Ah, is the mudblood upset? She seems to be crying," Malfoy continued, smirking.
"I'm not. Just leave me alone, or I'll-"
"You'll what? What can a little bushy-haired mudblood like you do to me, hmm?"
"Ten points from Slytherin, and if you don't get out of my way, I'll make it twenty," Hermione declared, showing Malfoy her Head Girl badge. He sniffed at her and wrinkled his nose, walking in the opposite direction as her.
"I smell blood- MUDblood," he called after her.
"You've always got to have the last word, don't you, Malfoy," Hermione muttered to herself. As if her day wasn't already ruined. Although, she wasn't crying any more. Malfoy had taken care of that. "House elf," she added as she reached the Fat Lady.
The portrait swung open, and Hermione climbed in, intending to go up to her dormitory and read. However, she was stopped by what seemed like the entire Gryffindor house.
"Hermione Granger!" Squeaky first-years called. Ginny pushed her way to the front.
"Have you heard?" She asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Obviously not." Ginny's eyes widened.
"You're not going to like this. . ." she said.
"Ginny! What?" Hermione exclaimed.
"It's Ron. And Harry. They just. . .left. Ron stormed in here, motioned for Harry to follow him, and they went up to the dormitory. They didn't come back down, so twenty minutes later, Neville and Seamus went up to look for Ron, and they were both gone! The window was bolted, and everything seemed ordinary, but, but, it was like they had. . .APPARATED or something." Ginny stopped for breath.
"Ginny, how many times do I have to say it? You CANNOT apparate in Hogwarts," Hermione said, gritting her teeth in annoyance. Of course, she knew what had happened. Ron had been angry and embarrassed, and he didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone. So he and Harry used Harry's invisibility cloak to sneak out. But she wasn't about to say that- the cloak was still a secret.
"Do you know where they went?" Ginny asked anxiously. Hermione shook her head, feigning cluelessness.
"I'm going to go have a look around," she told Ginny.
"Bye then," Ginny replied, waving. Hermione pushed her way to the front of the crowd, as she fended off questions.
"Did You-Know-Who kidnap them? Is he gonna get you?"
"I heard you and Ron are fighting. Did you vaporize him?"
And the most absurd: "Oh no, Hermione! I was right all along! You ARE You- Know-Who in disguise! Could you do this to us?" Hermione rounded on the frightened second-year.
"Honestly! I am NOT You-Know-Who, I did NOT vaporize Ron, and, as far as I know, Harry, Ron and I are not presently in any danger of being kidnapped. Good afternoon!" And with that she stormed out of the portrait hole to look for Ron.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "I tied Hermione!" He turned bright red when Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Ron. "Sorry, Professor," he said sheepishly.
"Oh no," Hermione said under her breath, but Dumbledore heard her.
"What was that, Miss Granger?" It was Hermione's turn to blush. She was caught. She had to deny the galleons now, before Dumbledore came up with some other plan that she couldn't say no to. Now or never, she told herself.
Clearing her throat, Hermione looked Dumbledore straight in the eye. "I don't know what you have in mind, Professor, regarding the galleons, but I've got something to say." Dumbledore nodded at her to continue. Hermione glanced at Ron, who was staring at her, before she spoke again.
"I don't want the galleons." There, she had said it. But Dumbledore and Ron were looking at her rather oddly, so Hermione elaborated. "I mean, I know I've worked hard for the past seven years. But Ron, he deserves the galleons a lot more than I do. All these years, I've just been working for the recognition, you know? But Ron, he needs those galleons. I don't. He's worked so hard these past weeks, and for a lot better cause than I ever have. So just let him have the galleons. He deserves them." Hermione stopped and looked at Ron, who was red with anger and embarrassment. He was glaring at her.
"Think you're so noble, don't you," Ron hissed as he turned on his heels and ran out of Dumbledore's office. Hermione looked at Dumbledore.
"What. . . ?"
"Admirable sentiments, Miss Granger, but put across the wrong way. You have hurt his pride, and Mr. Weasley considers that a most serious offense." Hermione's shoulders slumped. Ron was right, Dumbledore was right. It had come out the wrong way, and now Ron was mad at her. Worse, it was her fault. Hermione hated fighting with Ron, but she especially hated it when it was her fault.
"I guess I'd better go, Professor," she murmured, and turned and fled down the spiral staircase. She was halfway to Gryffindor tower when she ran smack into someone.
"Watch where you're going, mudblood," a cold voice drawled. Hermione looked up, her vision blurred by tears held in.
"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she said quietly, and attempted to walk around him.
"Not so fast. Heard you and the Weasel got summoned to Dumbledore's office. Are you finally getting expelled?"
"I told you to sod off, Malfoy," Hermione said edgily.
"Although, come to think of it, Potter wasn't with you, so it can't be expulsion. Ah, is the mudblood upset? She seems to be crying," Malfoy continued, smirking.
"I'm not. Just leave me alone, or I'll-"
"You'll what? What can a little bushy-haired mudblood like you do to me, hmm?"
"Ten points from Slytherin, and if you don't get out of my way, I'll make it twenty," Hermione declared, showing Malfoy her Head Girl badge. He sniffed at her and wrinkled his nose, walking in the opposite direction as her.
"I smell blood- MUDblood," he called after her.
"You've always got to have the last word, don't you, Malfoy," Hermione muttered to herself. As if her day wasn't already ruined. Although, she wasn't crying any more. Malfoy had taken care of that. "House elf," she added as she reached the Fat Lady.
The portrait swung open, and Hermione climbed in, intending to go up to her dormitory and read. However, she was stopped by what seemed like the entire Gryffindor house.
"Hermione Granger!" Squeaky first-years called. Ginny pushed her way to the front.
"Have you heard?" She asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Obviously not." Ginny's eyes widened.
"You're not going to like this. . ." she said.
"Ginny! What?" Hermione exclaimed.
"It's Ron. And Harry. They just. . .left. Ron stormed in here, motioned for Harry to follow him, and they went up to the dormitory. They didn't come back down, so twenty minutes later, Neville and Seamus went up to look for Ron, and they were both gone! The window was bolted, and everything seemed ordinary, but, but, it was like they had. . .APPARATED or something." Ginny stopped for breath.
"Ginny, how many times do I have to say it? You CANNOT apparate in Hogwarts," Hermione said, gritting her teeth in annoyance. Of course, she knew what had happened. Ron had been angry and embarrassed, and he didn't want to talk about it in front of everyone. So he and Harry used Harry's invisibility cloak to sneak out. But she wasn't about to say that- the cloak was still a secret.
"Do you know where they went?" Ginny asked anxiously. Hermione shook her head, feigning cluelessness.
"I'm going to go have a look around," she told Ginny.
"Bye then," Ginny replied, waving. Hermione pushed her way to the front of the crowd, as she fended off questions.
"Did You-Know-Who kidnap them? Is he gonna get you?"
"I heard you and Ron are fighting. Did you vaporize him?"
And the most absurd: "Oh no, Hermione! I was right all along! You ARE You- Know-Who in disguise! Could you do this to us?" Hermione rounded on the frightened second-year.
"Honestly! I am NOT You-Know-Who, I did NOT vaporize Ron, and, as far as I know, Harry, Ron and I are not presently in any danger of being kidnapped. Good afternoon!" And with that she stormed out of the portrait hole to look for Ron.