It was break and Hermione was walking alone down the halls, humming to
herself and trying to picture the page she had memorized in the book she
had just borrowed from the library.
Suddenly there was a clatter behind her and she spun around. A statue of armor had been knocked and it was standing in a slightly bumped way. From out behind it came Malfoy.
Hermione suddenly remember that cold, stare at breakfast, the thing he had said to her on the train, and how alone she was.
She managed to stammer, "W-what do you want, Malfoy?"
But Malfoy did not answer, not right away. First came a smirk, curling across his pale face, a cold, evil, smile. Then he spoke.
"There are many things I hate about you, Granger. The first one is this: You're a mudblood," Hermione cringed at the word, "The second is that you are always hanging around with that Weasley scum, and St. Potter," he spat the words as if they were poison, "And third, you are too smart. I don't like people who are smarter then me. It gives me a bad name."
Suddenly Hermione realised why Malfoy was such good friends with Crabbe and Goyle. They were so stupid that being in there presence would make even Neville look like a genius.
Malfoy took another step forward; Hermione took another back. "I mean look at you!" spat Malfoy. Hermione looked down at herself. She was holding several schoolbooks. Her clothes were neat and her shoe properly done up. There seemed nothing wrong with her,
"You cart around schoolbooks all day long, you are a walking dictionary, and," he paused again and leaned even closer, "You are mudblood filth."
"Get away from me. You say I'm filth, look at yourself!" retorted Hermione angrily. Malfoy held the stare viciously.
"People like the person I am. My father likes me too, which is all that matters." He hissed.
"All you think about is how you look in other's eyes! You're ridiculous, honestly! I can't believe I'm even talking to you! Good-bye!" said Hermione, turning her back on him ..
.. Which was the wrong thing to do.
Malfoy struck her on the back of the head and Hermione cringed, dropping her schoolbooks on the floor.
"Ah!" she screamed.
Malfoy hit her again, but with more force and she fell.
Everything was foggy, but Hermione could make out the outline of a figure darting away down the corridor.
Which a soft moan she slipped unconscious.
Footsteps clattered down the hall. Laughter rang out. A group of students were coming down the hall.
Hermione groaned and lifted her head slightly.
Three shadowy forms were bounding toward her, talking and laughing.
She slowly propped her self on her elbows, then rose to her knees.
"Ah!" she yelped, the back of her head was stinging and she felt dizzy.
A student stopped talking, saw her and pointed her own to the others with him.
"Who's that?" she heard a girl ask.
"Hermione Granger." Said another. Abigail.
A few seconds later someone was pulling her up and Hermione looked into Abigail's face.
"Don't move." Said Abigail calmly, then she called behind her, "Hannah! Come help me!"
The other girl hurried forward, and helped get Hermione to her feet.
Embarrassed, Hermione brushed her hair out of her eyes and mumbled, "Thanks."
"No prob-ooh! Are you bleeding?" said Hannah anxiously.
"Yes. You took quite a beating, Granger. I think we'd better take you to the hospital wing." Said Abigail.
Hermione touched the back of her neck where Malfoy had hit her and felt blood . and extreme pain.
"Ok. Thanks." She said at last.
Hannah and Abigail helped Hermione up properly and then Hermione gathered her schoolbooks and they set off for the hospital wing.
As they passed the boy, Abigail took Hermione's schoolbooks and shoved them at him.
"Here, Ernie. Lend a hand." She commanded.
"My goodness, whatever happened here?" asked Madam Pomfrey, examining Hermione carefully.
"Someone drew blood here, dear, and here too." She pointed to two spots on Hermione's neck.
"Thank you for bringing her, miss Snape, miss Grove, Mr. Mcfetchet. You may leave now."
"Thank you!" called Hermione as Madam Pomfrey helped her to a bed to sit on.
"Now then, dear, where did you get cuts like these, eh?" asked Madam Pomfrey kindly.
Hermione hesitated, should she tell Madam Pomfrey about Malfoy, or would that make him hurt her worse? She decided that it would be safer to lie, although we all no that is not the right answer.
"I fell down some stairs, and banged my head. Stone steps, they hurt." She answered dumbly.
Madam Pomfrey did not look convinced, but she didn't say anything about it. "I see dear. Now bend your neck forward so I can tend to it, that's it. That's just fine."
Hermione bend her neck forward and Madam Pomfrey put some ointment on it, stinging like heck, and then rubbed it with a cool cream.
It still hurt, but it was better. Hermione thanked the nurse and left, gathering the books that had been sitting on the next bed.
Where on earth where Harry and Ron? She had only left them and gone to the library a few minutes ago, they couldn't have just disappeared, could they?
Then she remembered Malfoy. How long had she lain unconscious is that hall? Not more than twenty minutes, she thought, because I still heard classes while walking to the hospital wing.
Deciding to try the common room, she set off at a jog.
In the common room Ron and Harry were sitting in a corner, reading something on a piece of parchment. When she drew near, she asked, "What are you reading?"
Ron and Harry looked up suddenly and Ron automatically stuffed the paper behind him while Harry muttered, "Nothing. Just homework."
Not believing their tale at all, but overlooking it, she sat down and looked at them closely in turn.
"What, Hermione?" asked Ron.
"What time did I leave you too by the library?" asked Hermione suspiciously.
"I don't know, three?" suggested Harry.
"What time is it now?" asked Hermione.
"Around four." Answered Ron, checking his watch.
"FOUR!" cried Hermione, and both Harry and Ron jumped.
"It can't be four already! That means I've been unconscious for at least forty-five minutes! Think of all the time I wasted when I could have been stud-" exclaimed Hermione, but Harry interrupted her.
"Unconscious? Hermione, what do you mean?"
Hermione looked up, still babbling to herself about all the time wasted, "Hmm?"
"You said you were unconscious and you wasted time. What do you mean?" said Ron.
"What? Oh, yes. Malfoy knocked me out or something, but that's not important right now, I have Charms in twenty minutes and then Care of Magical Creatures and I haven't reviewed our lesson yet!"
" . . . Malfoy, Hermione, this could be . . . " said Harry worriedly, but Hermione suddenly wailed, "OH! I've forgotten by Care of Magical Creatures book! I must have dropped it when I fell!" and she stood up and dashed out, moaning, "Hagrid won't be pleased at all!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other anxiously.
"What's up with Hermione all of a sudden?" asked Ron, "I mean, I knew she loved her studies and everything, but she's never been this attached to it! I mean, I haven't noticed!"
"I . . . don't know." Said Harry, puzzling over the fact.
Suddenly they heard a scream.
Suddenly there was a clatter behind her and she spun around. A statue of armor had been knocked and it was standing in a slightly bumped way. From out behind it came Malfoy.
Hermione suddenly remember that cold, stare at breakfast, the thing he had said to her on the train, and how alone she was.
She managed to stammer, "W-what do you want, Malfoy?"
But Malfoy did not answer, not right away. First came a smirk, curling across his pale face, a cold, evil, smile. Then he spoke.
"There are many things I hate about you, Granger. The first one is this: You're a mudblood," Hermione cringed at the word, "The second is that you are always hanging around with that Weasley scum, and St. Potter," he spat the words as if they were poison, "And third, you are too smart. I don't like people who are smarter then me. It gives me a bad name."
Suddenly Hermione realised why Malfoy was such good friends with Crabbe and Goyle. They were so stupid that being in there presence would make even Neville look like a genius.
Malfoy took another step forward; Hermione took another back. "I mean look at you!" spat Malfoy. Hermione looked down at herself. She was holding several schoolbooks. Her clothes were neat and her shoe properly done up. There seemed nothing wrong with her,
"You cart around schoolbooks all day long, you are a walking dictionary, and," he paused again and leaned even closer, "You are mudblood filth."
"Get away from me. You say I'm filth, look at yourself!" retorted Hermione angrily. Malfoy held the stare viciously.
"People like the person I am. My father likes me too, which is all that matters." He hissed.
"All you think about is how you look in other's eyes! You're ridiculous, honestly! I can't believe I'm even talking to you! Good-bye!" said Hermione, turning her back on him ..
.. Which was the wrong thing to do.
Malfoy struck her on the back of the head and Hermione cringed, dropping her schoolbooks on the floor.
"Ah!" she screamed.
Malfoy hit her again, but with more force and she fell.
Everything was foggy, but Hermione could make out the outline of a figure darting away down the corridor.
Which a soft moan she slipped unconscious.
Footsteps clattered down the hall. Laughter rang out. A group of students were coming down the hall.
Hermione groaned and lifted her head slightly.
Three shadowy forms were bounding toward her, talking and laughing.
She slowly propped her self on her elbows, then rose to her knees.
"Ah!" she yelped, the back of her head was stinging and she felt dizzy.
A student stopped talking, saw her and pointed her own to the others with him.
"Who's that?" she heard a girl ask.
"Hermione Granger." Said another. Abigail.
A few seconds later someone was pulling her up and Hermione looked into Abigail's face.
"Don't move." Said Abigail calmly, then she called behind her, "Hannah! Come help me!"
The other girl hurried forward, and helped get Hermione to her feet.
Embarrassed, Hermione brushed her hair out of her eyes and mumbled, "Thanks."
"No prob-ooh! Are you bleeding?" said Hannah anxiously.
"Yes. You took quite a beating, Granger. I think we'd better take you to the hospital wing." Said Abigail.
Hermione touched the back of her neck where Malfoy had hit her and felt blood . and extreme pain.
"Ok. Thanks." She said at last.
Hannah and Abigail helped Hermione up properly and then Hermione gathered her schoolbooks and they set off for the hospital wing.
As they passed the boy, Abigail took Hermione's schoolbooks and shoved them at him.
"Here, Ernie. Lend a hand." She commanded.
"My goodness, whatever happened here?" asked Madam Pomfrey, examining Hermione carefully.
"Someone drew blood here, dear, and here too." She pointed to two spots on Hermione's neck.
"Thank you for bringing her, miss Snape, miss Grove, Mr. Mcfetchet. You may leave now."
"Thank you!" called Hermione as Madam Pomfrey helped her to a bed to sit on.
"Now then, dear, where did you get cuts like these, eh?" asked Madam Pomfrey kindly.
Hermione hesitated, should she tell Madam Pomfrey about Malfoy, or would that make him hurt her worse? She decided that it would be safer to lie, although we all no that is not the right answer.
"I fell down some stairs, and banged my head. Stone steps, they hurt." She answered dumbly.
Madam Pomfrey did not look convinced, but she didn't say anything about it. "I see dear. Now bend your neck forward so I can tend to it, that's it. That's just fine."
Hermione bend her neck forward and Madam Pomfrey put some ointment on it, stinging like heck, and then rubbed it with a cool cream.
It still hurt, but it was better. Hermione thanked the nurse and left, gathering the books that had been sitting on the next bed.
Where on earth where Harry and Ron? She had only left them and gone to the library a few minutes ago, they couldn't have just disappeared, could they?
Then she remembered Malfoy. How long had she lain unconscious is that hall? Not more than twenty minutes, she thought, because I still heard classes while walking to the hospital wing.
Deciding to try the common room, she set off at a jog.
In the common room Ron and Harry were sitting in a corner, reading something on a piece of parchment. When she drew near, she asked, "What are you reading?"
Ron and Harry looked up suddenly and Ron automatically stuffed the paper behind him while Harry muttered, "Nothing. Just homework."
Not believing their tale at all, but overlooking it, she sat down and looked at them closely in turn.
"What, Hermione?" asked Ron.
"What time did I leave you too by the library?" asked Hermione suspiciously.
"I don't know, three?" suggested Harry.
"What time is it now?" asked Hermione.
"Around four." Answered Ron, checking his watch.
"FOUR!" cried Hermione, and both Harry and Ron jumped.
"It can't be four already! That means I've been unconscious for at least forty-five minutes! Think of all the time I wasted when I could have been stud-" exclaimed Hermione, but Harry interrupted her.
"Unconscious? Hermione, what do you mean?"
Hermione looked up, still babbling to herself about all the time wasted, "Hmm?"
"You said you were unconscious and you wasted time. What do you mean?" said Ron.
"What? Oh, yes. Malfoy knocked me out or something, but that's not important right now, I have Charms in twenty minutes and then Care of Magical Creatures and I haven't reviewed our lesson yet!"
" . . . Malfoy, Hermione, this could be . . . " said Harry worriedly, but Hermione suddenly wailed, "OH! I've forgotten by Care of Magical Creatures book! I must have dropped it when I fell!" and she stood up and dashed out, moaning, "Hagrid won't be pleased at all!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other anxiously.
"What's up with Hermione all of a sudden?" asked Ron, "I mean, I knew she loved her studies and everything, but she's never been this attached to it! I mean, I haven't noticed!"
"I . . . don't know." Said Harry, puzzling over the fact.
Suddenly they heard a scream.
