A/N: This ones a little short ... but I want to go to sleep haha and figured, since I'm guessing I'm in a different time-zone from some of you, I might as well give you guys something to read until I get back P
---
"Granger?" Malfoy came up behind me and spoke, quietly.
"Go away" I sniffled.
"No" he said, softly, and walked over in front of me. I tried to hide my tear-stained face.
"They're right, though" I muttered, trying to control myself. "Everything th-they said was r-r-right."
"Now, that's not true."
"Yes it-t is!" I cried, giving up on trying to control my crying. "Y-y-you can't go out with a G-gryffindor. Least of all m-me. I'm just a b-b-bloody bookworm!"
Malfoy put his arms around me and allowed my head to sink into his chest. He stroked my hair, gently. He waited until my sobbing had quietened.
"Look, that was just Pansy and-"
"No! You don't understand! They're all going to say that. You know they are" I lifted my head to look up at him. "Otherwise you wouldn't have told them I was a ... a pure blood. You know they're never going to accept me!"
He didn't look me in the eye for a moment, instead he stared straight ahead. I wondered vaguely what he was looking at.
When he looked down at me, he looked a little annoyed.
"Okay, Granger. I know they're not going to like this. I've always known that. I was just trying to-"
"I know" I said, quietly. "But theres a lot more things wrong with me than just blood."
"Oh, come off it. There's nothing wrong with you."
"Nothing wrong with me? Malfoy, that was not the first time somebody has called me an insufferable know-it-all, and you know it" I sighed, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat. "Maybe we had better just ... forget the whole thing."
"Excuse me?" Malfoy said, his voice low and angry.
"I'm serious. Harry and Ron ... well, they said they were okay but they're not, really. And you heard them, back there! It's like you're fraternizing with the enemy or something-"
"So what if I am? I can do whatever I want!"
I hadn't expected him to yell at me, and pushed myself out of his arms.
"You can't! So many people are going to be-"
"So? Maybe I don't mind lying to them!" he jerked a thumb in the direction of where we'd just been, with the Slytherins. "And maybe your two little friends are just going to have to learn to deal!
"But why? Why do you want to do something that's going to make so many people angry?" I demanded.
He reached out and shook my shoulders, roughly, taking me by surprise.
"Can't you see why? I've fallen for you! You stupid bloody MUDBLOOD!"
He let go of my shoulders abruptly, turned around, and stalked off, shaking his head angrily as he went.
I was left staring after him, while I felt my whole world turn upside down.
---
With nowhere else to go, and no homework to do, I ended up wandering over to the quidditch pitch, to watch Harry and Ron practice.
As I sat, watching them, my mind wandered.
The same thing kept playing through my head, over and over;
'I've fallen for you! You stupid bloody MUDBLOOD!"
I didn't really know what to do with that particular peice of information.
He had fallen for me? How? When? Why hadn't he told me sooner? Why had he told me at all?
And why did he have to call me ... that word? He'd PROMISED that he'd never call me that again. Ever.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice Harry fly over, until he called my name.
"Hermione? Are you alright?"
I looked up. No more lies, I had said. I sighed.
"Not really. Had another run-in with Malfoy this morning."
Harry looked concerned, and flew a little closer.
"Oh? What happened?"
"He ..." I stopped, changing my mind. "He tried to tell some of the Slytherins. They ... didn't react well."
Harry opened his mouth, but I heard Ron call his name from the other end of the pitch.
"Oi! Harry! Come on!"
He looked at me apologetically, and I shrugged.
"It's alright. I'll tell you more later."
---
"Granger?" Malfoy came up behind me and spoke, quietly.
"Go away" I sniffled.
"No" he said, softly, and walked over in front of me. I tried to hide my tear-stained face.
"They're right, though" I muttered, trying to control myself. "Everything th-they said was r-r-right."
"Now, that's not true."
"Yes it-t is!" I cried, giving up on trying to control my crying. "Y-y-you can't go out with a G-gryffindor. Least of all m-me. I'm just a b-b-bloody bookworm!"
Malfoy put his arms around me and allowed my head to sink into his chest. He stroked my hair, gently. He waited until my sobbing had quietened.
"Look, that was just Pansy and-"
"No! You don't understand! They're all going to say that. You know they are" I lifted my head to look up at him. "Otherwise you wouldn't have told them I was a ... a pure blood. You know they're never going to accept me!"
He didn't look me in the eye for a moment, instead he stared straight ahead. I wondered vaguely what he was looking at.
When he looked down at me, he looked a little annoyed.
"Okay, Granger. I know they're not going to like this. I've always known that. I was just trying to-"
"I know" I said, quietly. "But theres a lot more things wrong with me than just blood."
"Oh, come off it. There's nothing wrong with you."
"Nothing wrong with me? Malfoy, that was not the first time somebody has called me an insufferable know-it-all, and you know it" I sighed, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat. "Maybe we had better just ... forget the whole thing."
"Excuse me?" Malfoy said, his voice low and angry.
"I'm serious. Harry and Ron ... well, they said they were okay but they're not, really. And you heard them, back there! It's like you're fraternizing with the enemy or something-"
"So what if I am? I can do whatever I want!"
I hadn't expected him to yell at me, and pushed myself out of his arms.
"You can't! So many people are going to be-"
"So? Maybe I don't mind lying to them!" he jerked a thumb in the direction of where we'd just been, with the Slytherins. "And maybe your two little friends are just going to have to learn to deal!
"But why? Why do you want to do something that's going to make so many people angry?" I demanded.
He reached out and shook my shoulders, roughly, taking me by surprise.
"Can't you see why? I've fallen for you! You stupid bloody MUDBLOOD!"
He let go of my shoulders abruptly, turned around, and stalked off, shaking his head angrily as he went.
I was left staring after him, while I felt my whole world turn upside down.
---
With nowhere else to go, and no homework to do, I ended up wandering over to the quidditch pitch, to watch Harry and Ron practice.
As I sat, watching them, my mind wandered.
The same thing kept playing through my head, over and over;
'I've fallen for you! You stupid bloody MUDBLOOD!"
I didn't really know what to do with that particular peice of information.
He had fallen for me? How? When? Why hadn't he told me sooner? Why had he told me at all?
And why did he have to call me ... that word? He'd PROMISED that he'd never call me that again. Ever.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice Harry fly over, until he called my name.
"Hermione? Are you alright?"
I looked up. No more lies, I had said. I sighed.
"Not really. Had another run-in with Malfoy this morning."
Harry looked concerned, and flew a little closer.
"Oh? What happened?"
"He ..." I stopped, changing my mind. "He tried to tell some of the Slytherins. They ... didn't react well."
Harry opened his mouth, but I heard Ron call his name from the other end of the pitch.
"Oi! Harry! Come on!"
He looked at me apologetically, and I shrugged.
"It's alright. I'll tell you more later."