The Bookworm Diaries

A/N. Yes, chapter eight, there we are then....

Chapter Eight: The Raging Beast

At this point I had managed to block out the humiliation (which, by the way, is returning) not knowing that the events that were about to follow would drive them from my mind.

I was squeezing though the assembled bodies in the Entrance Hall in order to find Gilbert when I saw Amanda Griphorn. She looked stunning. Her long blonde hair had been crimped and her pale pink dress robe turned many a head (and quite a few girls stomachs, I might add).

That was my rival.

As much as I long to explain what happened next, I can't or, to use the old phrase, I simply do not know what came over me. When I saw her waiting for him, I was overcome with such jealously that I saw red...or green...whatever. I saw Gilbert sidle towards me out the corner of my eye but I no longer cared. Dropping my shawl to the floor, I marched across the Hall to where she was stood. I saw a vague surprise cross her face as I stood before her. But her expression quickly changed.

I don't know what made me do it, I don't even remember making a conscious decision to do it but the fact was that I did.

I slapped her so hard across the face that the noise echoed across the Hall, everyone fall silent. Well, nearly everyone.

'Hermione!' shouted a voice from behind me.

It was Ron. He had seen everything.

I looked for the shocked look on Amanda's face, to the rage in Ron's then the disbelief in Harry's.

And I ran.

The best idea would probably to have gone sobbing to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and stayed there but, alas, my mind was not rational and, half way down the corridor, I stopped and turned. I was still angry. Why should I be ashamed? Why should I let that spoil my evening? I wish I could tell you that I thought about how poor Gilbert Moon must be feeling but, I'll be honest Dear Diary, I didn't. I didn't think about him at all. Just myself. So I walked back, walked back to where an apologetic Ron was trying to calm down a shell-shocked Amanda, who was milking the slap for all it was worth, with tears and cursings.

The first person to notice I had returned was Harry (many of the others, seeing no bloodshed, had got bored and had filtered into the Great Hall to begin the evening.) He motioned me to go away, signaling that I shouldn't let Ron see me. Without taking heed to his warnings I stormed over to Gilbert, grabbed the flabbergasted Ravenclaw by his hand, and pulled him with me over to them.

I have to admit that, witnessing this, it must have been quite impressive to see them turn to see me, identical looks of rage on their faces and me, standing there triumphantly, about to say a good one-liner to finish them off but...the one-liner didn't come. For the first time in my life words had failed me. I just stood there getting redder and redder under their accusing stares until Harry, trying to recover the situation grabbed me (with Gilbert still attached to my hand) and pulled me into the Great Hall, away from Amanda and Ron. I was distressed to see that he too was angry with me.

'What the Hell do you think you're playing at Hermione? What's got into you? You can't just go around slapping people!'

'She deserved it!' I hissed, trying to get away from his grasp, but he held me firmly.

'Hermione. Listen to yourself! You're acting like a madwoman. Just calm down and LISTEN TO ME!'

That made me stop struggling, it wasn't customary for Harry to raise his voice, not to anyone (unless their last name happens to be Malfoy) and I was surprised.

'Thank you,' he said calmly as he let go of me. 'Hermione, I know you're upset but please, let me reason with you, reason with yourself!'

Now, I think I should explain. Up until that point slapping Amanda had seemed a perfectly good idea. It appeared to make sense in my mind; you don't like someone you slap them, simple. But, after hearing those words from Harry, whatever had overtaken me stopped.

'Oh God what have I done?' I gasped as realisation of my irrationality had hit me. 'Oh God, what am I going to do? What am I going to say?'

It was amazing how many times I'd gone from confident and self-assured to a gibbering mess that evening. I genuinely didn't know what to do but Harry, a pillar of strength in such emergencies, ordered me to go sit down with Gilbert at the table and he'd go and speak to Ron.

By this time Gilbert was shaking with fear and flinched when I turned to him to apologise for my behaviour. Whispers followed me until I sat down at the table and I could feel myself getting hot with embarrassment as I thought of what I'd just done.

About five minutes later Harry, Ron and Amanda entered, the latter two giving me evil looks. Harry, still keeping his rationality, sat them down as far away from me as possible and proceeded to tell me not to approach them for the rest of the evening, an instruction I could have done without.

After supper the tables were put away and the music began. Determined to salvage the rest of the evening, I asked Gilbert to dance (which is what we're there for) and he stammered a yes. I don't think he had ever expected his bookworm date to turn into a raging beast.

If I had thought the evenings events were over, I was dead wrong.

A/N. Yes, I'm going to stop there! And, the good thing is, I now have a plot for this (handy that.) It's sorted in my mind what's going to happen so I can sleep easy now!

OK, so I said I'd introduce Harry's date. I haven't. Because I don't know who it is. I'll introduce her next chapter, k?

If you're sat there thinking 'Hermione wouldn't do that, she waaaaay out of character' which, I admit, I would be, I can tell you she's MEANT to be out of character. This is Hermione and how she really feels, everyone goes psycho occasionally, even the most patient person, and this is Hermione's day!

I'm in the middle of writing chapter 9 at the mo, which is to be released on Valentine's day. I'll warn you know, if you're alone on Valentine's Day I wouldn't read it, it will make you extremely depressed!:}

Disclaimer: JK owns all except Amanda Griphorn and Gilbert Moon. Oh and the whole thing about Amanda turning boys heads but girls stomachs was based roughly on something Black Adder once said to the Prince Regent. Aaaah, such a funny man...