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Enjoy reading!
Chapter 4
Hermione had decided at that moment never to love again. Loving only caused confusion and pain. And that was something she didn't want to experience ever again. Besides, love would only distract you from your goal. And her goal was to get high grades while she was still in Hogwarts and to work for the Ministry of Magic after that. Loving won't help her achieve any of those goals.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her door.
"Hermione? Hermione, are you awake?"
Hermione groaned. *I forgot. Harry's not the only one I have to avoid. Ginny.*
"Hermione! I know you're up! Please! Let's talk," Ginny said as she continued knocking.
"I'm still in bed," Hermione replied tonelessly.
"Can I come in then?" Ginny asked.
"No! I'm-I'm not feeling so well. I think I'm coming down with flu or something," Hermione replied hurriedly.
"Are you sure? Listen, about last night--," Ginny began.
"I told you! I'm not feeling well. Can't we talk some other time?" Hermione interrupted her. *Or never?*
She knew she was very rude, especially since it wasn't exactly Ginny's fault. But she stopped knocking anyway and left quietly. Hermione stood up and got dressed. She hoped she was really sick so she wouldn't have to face Harry and Ginny and even Ron today. She didn't know what she would say to them. In fact, she didn't want to say anything to them. She got her bag and made her way out of her room.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Miss Granger," Draco said boringly.
"What are you still doing here?" Hermione asked.
"It's my common room, too, you know," he replied.
"Don't talk in circles, Malfoy," she snapped. "Why did you let Ginny in here? You know, we're not supposed to let anyone know about our common room."
"So?" Draco replied simply. "I figured you needed someone to talk to."
"You are such a jerk," Hermione said.
"Oh! You mean to tell me, that Ginny is part of your problem?" Draco asked, grinning.
"I didn't say that," she said hurriedly and walked towards the portrait whole.
Draco stood up and went after her. "Why won't you just tell me what happened?"
"Because you're not my friend!" Hermione Granger gave him one last look of loathing and left the common room.
**
"Hermione! Hermione!"
*Not now! Please! Make him give up.*
"Hermione! Please, wait," Harry called again and this time he caught up with her and grabbed her arm, making her turn around and faced him.
"What do you want?" she asked icily.
"Hermione, about what happened--," he began but she cut him off.
"You don't have to explain to me. It's perfectly okay," she said and forced a smile. She gently removed her arm from his grasp. "I have to go. I'll be late." She gave him a small sad smile and walked away.
But Harry didn't give up that easily and went after her again. "Hermione-- ."
"Harry, I thought I said--."
"But you didn't even listen to me," Harry pleaded. "Just listen."
"I'll be late for the meeting," she said, not even looking at him. "Maybe next time."
Harry stopped walking and called after her, "When will that be?"
*Never?*
** Hermione did her best to avoid Harry, Ginny and Ron the whole week. There were close calls, but she always managed to excuse herself from them. Just now Ron was running after her, but she managed to get in her common room before he actually grabbed her. She closed her eyes as she caught her breath.
"Running away again?" Draco asked, smirking at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up, Malfoy." She dropped her bag and books on the couch and sat down.
"No wonder you have no friends besides Potty and Weasel. No one else could understand the way you behave. I sure don't."
"I don't care. Obviously, they don't understand or even know me very well."
Hermione sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Another thing that upset her was the fact that they didn't tell her. Ron obviously knew about them. Because now, Hermione understood what the 'wary looks' to Harry meant. And then the scene of Harry and Ginny flashed in her mind. Her lip trembled.
*I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry.*
She took deep breaths and sat up straight. She looked at Malfoy, who was staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied. "It's just--."
"I thought you said nothing."
"Yeah, but. whatever it is that happened, it must really, um, hurt you," he said, looking away.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I don't get hurt, Malfoy. I don't really care what other people do or don't do."
He snickered. "Yeah right. Then why were you crying again?"
"That was before. But I promise you--."
"Before you promise me anything, which I'll doubt you'll keep, can't you just tell me what happened? Can't you just pretend even for a couple of minutes that we're friends?"
This totally surprised Hermione. And it was obvious that it surprised Draco, too. She thought about it.
*Maybe letting this out to a stranger won't be so bad.*
"Um, well. I'm just upset because I just found out that Harry and Ginny are- -," Hermione said.
"Wait. Don't tell me they're going out," Draco said, interrupting.
Hermione felt annoyed. "Well, you would've heard me if you waited for me to finish, wouldn't you? Anyway, they're going out and they-."
"Didn't tell you?" Draco finished for her.
She ignored him. "I mean, why wouldn't they tell me. I thought we were best friends. Obviously--."
"We--."
"What now, Malfoy? You keep on interrupting! Don't you know how to just listen?"
Draco turned a nice shade of crimson and his eyes flashed. "I was just going to ask, were best friends? Aren't you best friends anymore?"
She looked away at this. "I don't know."
"Well, you obviously haven't put much thinking into this," he said. "Listen- -."
"No! You listen! I don't have to sit hear and wait for your advice. We're not even friends, remember?" she snapped.
"Looks like you don't have any friends anymore."
"Who cares?" she said, standing up. Tears were so close to pouring down her face. "Who are you to lecture me about having friends when you yourself don't even have one?"
Draco also stood up. "I have friends!" "Oh yeah! Crabbe and Goyle must be really fun to talk to," she said sarcastically. "I'm sure you guys have really intellectual conversations."
"We're not nerds, Granger!" he said, almost yelling. "Unlike some people."
Draco had touched a spot and this put Hermione on edge. Tears began to fall. She stood there for a while. Draco didn't know what to say to her, so he just turned around and left. She watched him go and decided to skip classes for the day.
*Who would care, anyway?*
Thank you for all of those people who reviewed! Keep them coming!
Enjoy reading!
Chapter 4
Hermione had decided at that moment never to love again. Loving only caused confusion and pain. And that was something she didn't want to experience ever again. Besides, love would only distract you from your goal. And her goal was to get high grades while she was still in Hogwarts and to work for the Ministry of Magic after that. Loving won't help her achieve any of those goals.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her door.
"Hermione? Hermione, are you awake?"
Hermione groaned. *I forgot. Harry's not the only one I have to avoid. Ginny.*
"Hermione! I know you're up! Please! Let's talk," Ginny said as she continued knocking.
"I'm still in bed," Hermione replied tonelessly.
"Can I come in then?" Ginny asked.
"No! I'm-I'm not feeling so well. I think I'm coming down with flu or something," Hermione replied hurriedly.
"Are you sure? Listen, about last night--," Ginny began.
"I told you! I'm not feeling well. Can't we talk some other time?" Hermione interrupted her. *Or never?*
She knew she was very rude, especially since it wasn't exactly Ginny's fault. But she stopped knocking anyway and left quietly. Hermione stood up and got dressed. She hoped she was really sick so she wouldn't have to face Harry and Ginny and even Ron today. She didn't know what she would say to them. In fact, she didn't want to say anything to them. She got her bag and made her way out of her room.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Miss Granger," Draco said boringly.
"What are you still doing here?" Hermione asked.
"It's my common room, too, you know," he replied.
"Don't talk in circles, Malfoy," she snapped. "Why did you let Ginny in here? You know, we're not supposed to let anyone know about our common room."
"So?" Draco replied simply. "I figured you needed someone to talk to."
"You are such a jerk," Hermione said.
"Oh! You mean to tell me, that Ginny is part of your problem?" Draco asked, grinning.
"I didn't say that," she said hurriedly and walked towards the portrait whole.
Draco stood up and went after her. "Why won't you just tell me what happened?"
"Because you're not my friend!" Hermione Granger gave him one last look of loathing and left the common room.
**
"Hermione! Hermione!"
*Not now! Please! Make him give up.*
"Hermione! Please, wait," Harry called again and this time he caught up with her and grabbed her arm, making her turn around and faced him.
"What do you want?" she asked icily.
"Hermione, about what happened--," he began but she cut him off.
"You don't have to explain to me. It's perfectly okay," she said and forced a smile. She gently removed her arm from his grasp. "I have to go. I'll be late." She gave him a small sad smile and walked away.
But Harry didn't give up that easily and went after her again. "Hermione-- ."
"Harry, I thought I said--."
"But you didn't even listen to me," Harry pleaded. "Just listen."
"I'll be late for the meeting," she said, not even looking at him. "Maybe next time."
Harry stopped walking and called after her, "When will that be?"
*Never?*
** Hermione did her best to avoid Harry, Ginny and Ron the whole week. There were close calls, but she always managed to excuse herself from them. Just now Ron was running after her, but she managed to get in her common room before he actually grabbed her. She closed her eyes as she caught her breath.
"Running away again?" Draco asked, smirking at her.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up, Malfoy." She dropped her bag and books on the couch and sat down.
"No wonder you have no friends besides Potty and Weasel. No one else could understand the way you behave. I sure don't."
"I don't care. Obviously, they don't understand or even know me very well."
Hermione sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Another thing that upset her was the fact that they didn't tell her. Ron obviously knew about them. Because now, Hermione understood what the 'wary looks' to Harry meant. And then the scene of Harry and Ginny flashed in her mind. Her lip trembled.
*I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry.*
She took deep breaths and sat up straight. She looked at Malfoy, who was staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied. "It's just--."
"I thought you said nothing."
"Yeah, but. whatever it is that happened, it must really, um, hurt you," he said, looking away.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I don't get hurt, Malfoy. I don't really care what other people do or don't do."
He snickered. "Yeah right. Then why were you crying again?"
"That was before. But I promise you--."
"Before you promise me anything, which I'll doubt you'll keep, can't you just tell me what happened? Can't you just pretend even for a couple of minutes that we're friends?"
This totally surprised Hermione. And it was obvious that it surprised Draco, too. She thought about it.
*Maybe letting this out to a stranger won't be so bad.*
"Um, well. I'm just upset because I just found out that Harry and Ginny are- -," Hermione said.
"Wait. Don't tell me they're going out," Draco said, interrupting.
Hermione felt annoyed. "Well, you would've heard me if you waited for me to finish, wouldn't you? Anyway, they're going out and they-."
"Didn't tell you?" Draco finished for her.
She ignored him. "I mean, why wouldn't they tell me. I thought we were best friends. Obviously--."
"We--."
"What now, Malfoy? You keep on interrupting! Don't you know how to just listen?"
Draco turned a nice shade of crimson and his eyes flashed. "I was just going to ask, were best friends? Aren't you best friends anymore?"
She looked away at this. "I don't know."
"Well, you obviously haven't put much thinking into this," he said. "Listen- -."
"No! You listen! I don't have to sit hear and wait for your advice. We're not even friends, remember?" she snapped.
"Looks like you don't have any friends anymore."
"Who cares?" she said, standing up. Tears were so close to pouring down her face. "Who are you to lecture me about having friends when you yourself don't even have one?"
Draco also stood up. "I have friends!" "Oh yeah! Crabbe and Goyle must be really fun to talk to," she said sarcastically. "I'm sure you guys have really intellectual conversations."
"We're not nerds, Granger!" he said, almost yelling. "Unlike some people."
Draco had touched a spot and this put Hermione on edge. Tears began to fall. She stood there for a while. Draco didn't know what to say to her, so he just turned around and left. She watched him go and decided to skip classes for the day.
*Who would care, anyway?*