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AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I really appreciate them all. From now on you might have to wait a little longer for my updates as I'm working really hard to make them better and longer for your enjoyment. I brought a Thesaurus the other day so it should, hopefully, be better written. Here are some replies to your reviews:
Krisitna - I know my chapters have been kind of short but I promise you, they will become longer as the story develops.
FisheyBoy - Ron isn't with them in the cottage, he got put into a different group.
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A Tearful Hermione
After an hour or so, the group of students congregated in the living room to discuss the plans on how things were going to be run around the cottage. Hermione had brought down a piece of paper and a quill to write everything down.
"OK then, let's get down to business shall we?" Hermione crossed her legs and put the quill to the piece of parchment.
Harry pick up the letter Dumbledore had left them and scanned down the list of tasks. "Well it looks like we have three main daily tasks: collecting wood, food, and water." Harry's gaze met Hermione's and she scribbled down the tasks.
"I think we should split them between us all. You know, some do one and some do another," offered Neville. "I could fetch the water!"
"'Bout all you can do!" Pansy added and both she and Draco burst out laughing. Neville turned red.
"Shut it Parkinson," spat Harry. "As if you could do anything better. All you do is whine and shoot mooneyes at Malfoy every split second!."
"You better watch your mouth Potter before I sock ya one!"
"Is that supposed to be a threat?"
"Yeah it is you stupid asshole!"
"Well bring it on then you flippin' ponce!"
Both Harry and Draco shot up and began pushing each other about, passing insults back and forth.
Neville and Lavender sat watching with amusement, finding the whole situation rather entertaining. For some reason they'd always thought it was funny when Draco and Harry started digging at one another.
"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Hermione had gotten angry with all the nonsense and was now between the two of them. "This is stupid. Is this how you're both going to behave, huh?"
"He started it!" Harry mumbled as he straightened his glasses. "That stinking git!" Harry pointed towards Draco.
"That's enough Harry!"
Draco smirked and smoothed out his robed. "Ooh, your girlfriend telling you what to do now is she?"
"Enough Malfoy." Hermione shot him a glare.
The room fell silent as they sat back down. Lavender and Neville tried to muffle their laughs as Hermione frowned at them.
Hermione sighed and pick up the quill and piece of parchment. "Let's just get this over with; does anyone have any experience with an axe?"
Draco raised his hand.
"Really Malfoy, we're trying to be serious here."
"I am being serious. What makes you think I'm not, huh?"
"I'm sorry it's just that, I would never have thought you'd actually done any labour in your entire life. Don't you usually have house-elves for that?" chortled Hermione.
"Ha, ha, ha." Draco laughed sarcastically.
Clearing her throat, she wrote his name down. "OK then Malfoy. Anyone else? Harry?"
Harry shifted around uncomfortably on the chair. "I um, no I've never actually handle an axe before. Dursley's remember?"
"No worries Potter," Draco slapped him on the back. "I'll show you how to pick one up!"
"I…I'll help Neville with the water." said Lavender shyly.
"OK then. Neville and Lavender for water duty." Hermione wrote down their names. "So that leaves the food to me and…"
Pansy shot out of her seat to protest, shaking her finger at Hermione. "Oh no, I'm not working with her!! You've gotta be joking with me."
"Why? What's wrong with me?"
"You're a filthy Mudblood!"
"Excuse me?" This time it was Hermione and pansy who were shoving each other.
"You heard me you stupid cow!"
"I've had enough of you and your snot nose remarks. You call me one more name and I'm gonna hew you all the way to China."
Harry tried to pull her back down onto the chair but Pansy began laughing. "What are you laughing at?" The friction between the two was beginning to heat up and Hermione's jaw was clicking.
"Have ya forgot already Granger? Your wand is back at Hogwarts."
Tears began to sting Hermione's eyes as she turned on her heal and darted up the stairs, slamming the door behind her. The remaining students looked at each other with open-mouths.
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Harry opened the bedroom door slowly and, with caution, poked his head inside. Hermione sat kneeling on her bed, face in her hands as she cried. When she noticed he was in the room she wiped her eyes and patted the space next to her. Sitting beside her, Harry pulled his best friend into his arms as she began weeping again.
"You shouldn't let her get to you like this," said Harry. "she's not worth it Hermione."
"I know but it's not just that." She lifted her head to look at him.
"Then what is it? You know you can tell me anything." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and she wiped a stray tear off of her face.
"Well, it's just that I'm so tired of all this. I'm so sick of people giving me dirty looks and talking about me all the time." Hermione stood up and began pacing the room. "Ever since I was a little kid people have been treating me like this. I never asked to be like this you know, it's not my fault." Tears began to fill her eyes again and Harry, noticing this, pulled her into his arms once again.
"I know Hermione, none of us do but…"
"I can't take it anymore!" Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as he rubbed her back to calm her down.
"Listen to me Hermione," Peeling her arms from around his neck, Harry held her at arms length and looked into her eyes. "I know how hard this is because I've been through it too remember?" Hermione shook her head in conformation. "The only reason they pick on you is because you're a threat." Hermione, not quite understanding him, gave him a quizzical look. "Your smart, funny, caring, and beautiful Hermione. Everything their not. They know your better than them so their just trying to bring you down." Harry pulled her back in for a warming hug and stroked her hair. "Don't let them get to you OK? Your stronger than this."
Hermione wiped the final tears from her bloodshot eyes. "Thank you Harry," she whispered into his ear and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a really good friend. Thank you."
She got up off his lap and walked over to the window and opened it. Breathing in some fresh air she turned back to Harry. "Shall we go back down then?" Harry smiled and they walked out the room of them together.
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The living room was quiet when they got downstairs seeing as everyone had gone out side. Hermione sat down on one of the old, dusty sofas as Harry went outside.
"Harry is she OK?" asked Lavender when she spotted Harry come out of the cottage. "She seemed pretty upset when she ran upstairs."
"Yeah she's a little upset at the moment. Listen guys, try not to act all sorry for her when you see her. Pity is the last thing she needs right now."
"Sure thing Harry. It's because of Pansy isn't it?" Lavender turned round to face Pansy. "You just had to open your big mouth didn't you?"
"Hey it's not my fault she gets so emotional!" Pansy bellowed.
"If you could've just left her alone for once in awhile maybe she wouldn't be like it!"
Shaking his head is disbelief, Draco parted the two arguing girls. "As much as I'd love to see you two fight, now's not the right time."
"Wow Draco! That's quite a revolution with you."
"Look OK Longbottom, we need to get some supplies before night falls. Even I'm not that stupid to keep fighting all day long. You lot might want to starve and freeze tonight but I'd rather not." Draco strode back into the cottage and straight into the smallest room. Opening the door of a tall ,pine cupboard he scanned the contents.
The Essentials Cupboard consisted of two axes, two small carving knives, a first aid box, a couple of large water jugs and weaved baskets.
"Oi, Potter!" shouted Draco as he grabbed the two axes. "Come an' give us a hand will ya?!" He dumped the axes in Harry's arms when he entered the room. Grabbing the water jugs and baskets, he closed the door and followed Harry back into the living room.
"Bit early isn't it?" Neville asked as he checked his wristwatch. "Not even half twelve yet!"
"We don't know where anything is though do we?" Hermione replied as she retrieved one of the baskets from Draco. Their hands brushed against each other and she felt a weird tingling sensation shoot through her body. Ignoring it, she sat back down.
"We'll all go together tonight just in case we get lost." Draco said whilst handing out the rest of the supplies.
"Everyone ready to go then?" Harry asked and they all nodded. Following him, they made their way out of the cottage and towards the forest.
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