Disclaimer: none of these characters are mine. I own nothing.

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and review!

(recap)

"Yeah right, stay here, out of your bloody mind." He muttered to himself after she was gone. He got up and headed right for the door where Hermione was standing. "What are you doing here?"

"I, er- came to see if you were alright…" she offered sheepishly.


Chapter 9- Excuse The Candor


Draco looked at her hatefully, he pushed her aside and went to walk around her.

"Well my arms better now, so-"

"She told you to stay!" Hermione protested realizing he was leaving.

"What? Are you going to tell on me mudblood? Tattle to the old mad hatter?"

"No, I just-"

"Learned your place, have you? Good, then get out of the way." he walked through the door and started down the hallway.

"Wait! I just- you were really great out there! At the game, I mean." She called to him jogging to keep up.

"Means a lot coming from some bloody muggle who can't use a broom for anything but sweeping, oh wait… no it doesn't." his voice was cold and oozing with sarcasm.

"Well, thanks for beating Lance. I was cheering for you." she said softly.

"I heard." he admitted entering the prefects common room. He looked around confused when he found it was empty. "Where is everyone?"

"Still on the field, and at their house common rooms celebrating." She told him, "Look, Malfoy, I just-"

"Do you ever shut up?! No one wants to listen mudblood!" he barked at her.

"You know if you keep calling me that all the time, I'll get used to it. If you only say it once in a while it'd hurt more," she shot back.

"People might like you a bit more if you learned to shut your fat mouth. Think your some kind of know-it-all. Walking textbook? Your not. You don't know anything! Your just a filthy mudblood, who doesn't know a thing about wizarding. You're so caught up in your books. But you can't learn everything from a book, can you? No, you can't. Can't learn to fly. Can't learn Divinations. Everyone knows you stormed out of class that one time. But you didn't leave because the professor's an old bat. It was because you realized you couldn't do it. That takes talent, and wizard blood. You don't have either. I don't know how you got into Gryffindor. No backbone. Second you realize your not good at something you run away. Go read a book mudblood! Can't fail at that? Anyone can read, memorize facts. Anyone." his words cut in deep. Tears were streaming down her face as she stood there frozen. Why was he so mean to her? He was right though. He was frozen in place too. Staring at her. Watching her cry.

Just in time Ron barged in the room, "Mione! You should of come to the Gryffindor common room! Harry went to Hogsmede and got us all butterbeer, and- what happened? Malfoy! What'd you do? I'll beat the-"

"Ron, it's fine, I'm just tired." she muttered not looking up.

"But your crying. What-"

"I'm fine really I just need some sleep." she told him and walked into her room. Ron stared at Malfoy who just shrugged as if he didn't know what happened and went into his room.

Hermione lay alone on her bed and cried herself to sleep. She didn't get up the next morning for class. She ignored Ron's attempt to wake her up. He stood outside her locked door for at least half an hour knocking.

"Mione… you ok? Come down to breakfast. Are you awake yet?" he called, but he finally gave up and went to breakfast alone. She stayed in her room through the first 2 classes. She was feeling incredibly guilty for not going. She was going to have to make up the work, of course. But she couldn't bare to go back to class. Malfoy was right. What good were classes when she didn't have the talent. All she had were good study habits.

Once again there was knocking on the door. When was Ron going to give it up?

"Granger?" it wasn't Ron.

"Go away!" she shouted.

"Can you just let me in for a second?" Malfoy groaned impatiently.

'Oh yea, I'm dying to do that! Here take a brick and hit me in the head a few times while your at it.' she thought to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was let him in.

"Alhomora!" she heard him say, and the door swung open.

'Perfect' she groaned to herself.

"Look Granger, I'm sorry about what I said." he sighed flatly. It wasn't a convincing apology at all. Was Ron outside the door? Did someone put Malfoy up to this.

"Don't be." she said wanting to hide her head under the blankets.

"Well I am." he said sounding even less apologetic, if at all possible, "Look Snape is going to kill the both of us if we don't make up this bloody assignment. If you don't come he'll just have us doing detention together. If you don't mind, I'd like getting it over with." he explained, revealing why he was really there. She silently got up and they walked to the dungeon together neither one of them uttering a single word. Hermione made it through the entire make up assignment only once saying "yes sir." Yet, she still somehow managed to lose 5 points from Gryffindor.

Ouch! Poor Mione!

review please! I'll gladly take any suggestions for the story! Or well, consider any suggestions.