Disclaimer: yawn . . . you know it's not mine. To bad, I could use some extra cash.
Dedicated: to my Gone with the Wind purse. It came home, yeah!
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As the first week dragged out, Harry noticed a distinct change in Maddie's behavioral pattern. The biggest hint that something was different from that first day was the fact that he never saw her anymore. She stopped eating with everyone else. She sat by herself in the back of the classrooms. She was never in the common room.
Hermione had changed too. She too stopped eating with Ron and Harry and was seen almost everywhere with Parvati and Lavender. Ron found this a bit odd and wasn't afraid to speak loudly about it whenever the three girls passed by.
Double Potions on Friday was the thing that really got to Harry. He had paired up with Ron and, with everyone else paired up, that left Maddie and Hermione together. Their cauldron was right next to Parvati and Lavender's and Hermione kept leaning over and whispering and giggling with them. It wasn't long before Harry could figure out what they had been whispering about. Hermione had grabbed a jar of dead cockroaches and had leaned over and dumped them all down Maddie's back. Maddie's screech had made most the class turn and look at her. She didn't look up, but kept working. She brushed them off and without a word finished the potion.
At the end of class, Maddie made a beeline up to Snape's desk. They conversed for a moment and then Snape got up and made his way over to Hermione. "Miss Granger, tell me, what potion did we just finish making?"
Hermione glanced at the board that had already been wiped clean. She was at a loss because she hadn't helped at all through the whole class. "I don't know, Professor," she mumbled, embarrassed.
"Fine, than little Miss know-it-all gets a zero," he turned and swept away as Maddie came back over and grabbed her stuff. Like always, she was the first out the door. Hermione was seething about the zero and as she made her way past, Harry heard her say, "She'll pay for that."
"You deserved that zero and you know it."
She wheeled around. Harry's face was set and hard as she snapped, "Shut up, Harry. Why don't you stay out other people's business for once in your life?" she turned on her heel and left leaving Harry and a very impressed looking Malfoy in her wake.
Malfoy, who Harry had been fortunate enough not to come in contact with much since the school year had began, looked at him, smirking, and said, "I think I like this new Granger."
Harry just brushed past him and Ron, who looked highly confused, followed. He looked at Harry and said, "Something weird definitely happened to her over the summer."
"Yeah, well, you tell me what's up with her because you're the one who spent all summer with her."
Ron blushed and they continued up to the Great Hall. It was after they had eaten and had gone back to the common room that they found Maddie again. She came flying through the common room with tears running down her face. Most of the occupants went back to their work after she passed through, but Harry got up.
"You know maybe Hermione's right about you staying out of other people's business," Ron stated.
Harry sent him a look and followed Maddie out of the common room. He wasn't sure where she would've gone. "That way," the Fat Lady pointed.
He started down the hall, with no idea where he was going, when he found just what he was looking for. Maddie had stopped in the middle of a dark corridor and had ended up sitting on the floor with her back up against a blood red, velvet drape. She sent darting eyes at Harry as he made his way over to her. "Go away."
"Why? What happened to you?"
"Go away," she snapped again.
"No, I can't do that."
She looked at him through swollen, red eyes and he felt his heart skip a beat. He wasn't sure why, but she looked very pretty right now. "You are nosy, aren't you?"
He looked at her, "You heard that earlier?"
"Yeah," she sniffled.
"Look I didn't mean to intrude. It's just—"
"No, it's nice having someone stick up for me for once. Normally, everyone just laughs."
"Normally?" he came over and sat down next to her. She smiled an almost reminiscing smile at her obviously bittersweet memory.
"You know that kid that everyone makes fun of? Well, at my old school, that was me." Harry sat silently. So, Maddie continued. "I'm not really sure of the reason why. I never really did anything to anyone. I just came to school, sat silently, and then went home. I never interfered with anything. I lent people pencils and paper and then would get upset when I needed something and no one would lend me anything. Then they would laugh some more. Somehow, I was their target. I guess it was because I was different." She looked at him. "You've noticed it too."
"I have?" he looked at her taken aback.
"Yeah, by asking about my books. I did the same thing there only I would read magic books instead of muggle ones."
"So, why do you read the muggle ones?"
"I'm finishing muggle high school. I figure I've gone this far why not finish right? Plus, I have to. Apparently, many people don't think I can make up a work."
"Well, it is a lot of work. I mean 5 years is a long time. But you could get help." She cut him off with a loud sniff.
"Nah, I caught up over the summer. I did all the tests, exams, and homework assignments. Even the werewolf essay from Snape in third year."
"You caught up?" he was shocked again. "That's amazing. I mean I figured you were smart,"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, in potions you knew just what you were doing without the instructions." She smiled again. She was still tearing but her sobbing had stopped. "What happened tonight?" he asked again.
Maddie sighed and, after a moment of hesitation, she held out a ball of crumpled hair. Harry wasn't sure what to make of it. But then it hit him. She looked so different, so pretty, because her hair was down. He had never seen it down because she always wore it in a ponytail or bun. Then it clicked.
"They cut your hair?" the words didn't penetrate his brain as he said it, but they slowly started to sink in.
"Yeah," she said with a dark chuckle. "This is actually the worst thing anyone has ever done to me." Harry subconsciously took the ball from her. "They cut your hair," he said again. They had cut her hair. Then it sunk in. He jumped up, "They cut your hair! What's wrong with them? What kind of sick people do this kind of thing?"
He looked ready to kill. "Calm down," Maddie had stood up too. She put her hands on his shoulder and her dark, curly hair fell around her shoulders. Looking at her, a calm did set over him. He didn't know why or how, but it did. "It's alright," she told him.
"Go to Dumbledore," he stated.
"What?" she looked very unhappy about this suggestion.
"Go see Dumbledore. He'll stop this."
"No," she stated simply. "He can't do anything about this and neither can you. I'll fight my own battles, thank you very much."
"Ok, so what are you going to do?" Harry asked. "If you're going to fight your own battles you've got to have a plan."
"Nothing."
"What?"
"I'm not going to do anything back to them."
"Why not?" Harry looked at her as if she was crazy. "They cut your hair. Cut your hair!"
"I think you've stated that enough tonight."
Harry gave her a despondent look. "Why won't you do something? I'll help you."
"'You must be the change you wish to see in the world.'"
"What?"
"Gandhi said that. I can't do something to them if I don't want them to do it to someone else. So, you're right I have to do something. I have to forgive them." She smiled a full blown smile, "No easy task. That could take me a while."
"Fine," Harry said dejected. "But tell me, who did this to you?"
"I'll give you 3 guesses and the first two don't count," Maddie said crossing her arms.
"Hermione?" Maddie just smiled and turned. "Come on, tell me!" he called after her as she left.
"'I'll never tell!'" she called in a sing-song voice as she walked away.
Harry knew he was right about Hermione even though Maddie wouldn't tell him that it was her.
"You may say 'be the change', but I say 'don't get mad, get even'," he mumbled after her as he followed her back to the common room.
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"Apologize," Harry slammed his hands flat onto the table.
The three girls jumped. "Excuse me?" Lavender asked.
"Apologize."
"To whom?" Hermione asked innocently.
"You know who, Granger," he snarled the last word and she looked at him in alarm.
"I don't see a reason to," she said recovering quickly.
"Oh, really? I do."
"Hmm, do you? Always trying to defend someone aren't you, Potter?" Hermione asked viciously.
"What'd she ever do to you?" Harry asked and realized instantly that he was echoing his mothers own words.
When none of the girl answered the question, he yelped, "See, nothing! And still you go around making fun of her and throwing dead insects on her. Then you cut her hair. What gives you the right to do that to anyone?"
Hermione looked at him indifferently. "I think you would understand the most, Hermione." He stood back up straight and said rather loudly, "As I recall, it wasn't until this year that these two were nice to you. And if it wasn't for that mountain troll, you probably wouldn't even have friends. Ever thought about that?" he turned and left leaving Hermione gawking after him.
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Yeah! Another chapter! Party over here! Okay, down with my happy dance. I love mean Hermy, don't you? Maybe not. Well, there is chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it.
Leave me some lovin'!