Author's note: i'm not so sure about the name Mia... but it seemed the easiest way to incorporate Hermione into a royal sounding name. if anyone out there can helpt me, please, please do! thank you!
Chapter VI - Learning to be a Pure Blood
Hermione was grinning as Mercedes had bid her a nice day and told her she would be seeing her later.
It was then that a major wave of doubt and guilt just had to appear out of nowhere.
She felt horrible for liking this woman, Mercedes Russeux. As if by accepting her, she was betraying Georgina Granger, her own mother who had raised her from a baby. This brought a wave of anger due to the fact that she remembered Georgina Granger had lied to her for her enitre life.
Oh God, she was so confused.
Someone knocked on the door.
"come in." she cried absently, she was completely engrossed in her own thoughts.
Blaise Zambini entered the room silently and closed the door behind her.
"Hi, Hermione." she greeted in what she hoped was a cheerfully, friendly voice. Blaise was not used to being cheerful, she was even less used to being friendly, But Hermione was one of them now, so the necessary tact had to be observed.
To her great surprise, the brown haired witch burst into tears.
Well, reducing people to tears Blaise was used to, but that was not really what she had been going for.
"uh," she said walking up to the sobbing girl, not really sure what to do. reaching her hand out to pat her, "Hermione?"
"Don't call me that!" Hermione screamed slapping her hand down on her comforter.
Needless to say, Blaise retracted her hand.
"What do i call you, then?"
Between sobbs, Hermione was able to tell the black haired witch her new name.
Blaise nodded.
"well, you cetainly don't sound like a 'Mia'." she said cooly.
Hermione's head snapped up. Her face was red and mottled, her hair was tangled and she still had tear tracks running down her face, she did not look her best at this moment, and it was highlighted by the large scowl on her face.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"you do not look at all like a pureblood of you station should look." Blaise told her simply. she was not being a snob, nor was she being malicious about it, she was simply telling Hermione as it was.
she chose to ignore that comment.
Blaise began to sit in one of the arm chairs when a high pitched yowl stopped her.
"What is this infernal ball of orange yarn doing here?" she demanded.
Hermione stepped out of her bed, she was still wearing the robe of yesterday, it was all crumppled.
Blaise bit her lip. Hermione had a long way to go.
"That's my cat!" she cried. "Crookshanks."
Blaise looked down at the ginger furred feline.
"Right." she said. Then she turned back to Hermione. "Anyway, Draco told me about you er-conversation yesterday."
Hermione had been fussing over cat, but as soon as Blaise had mentioned the magic word (Draco) her head snapped up and she glared at Blaise.
"And frankly," Blaise continued. "i agree with him."
Hermione's glare intensified.
"you are still a muggle-born." Blaise continued, not affected at all by Hermione's murderous glare. "and only because you still think of yourself as one, honestly, Hermione,"
"Its Mia." Hermione corrected.
Blaise shook her head.
"Not even you believe that." she said. "You need to believe it before you can convince anyone, Hermione. Like it or not, you are missing something, Mercedes sees it, but she will never comment upon it sne thinks you will come to it in time, and you will, its in your veins."
"How can you presume to know so much about me?" Hermione demanded she was holding on to Crookshanks and stroking her.
"Don't you think that Draco and i went through the same thing?" Blaise asked. "you aren't the only one who is decended from royalty, Hermione, you are just the only one who still has a crown in her bedroom."
Hermione listened wordlessly, still petting her cat.
"indeed." she said. "the Zabini's were the royal family of Italy, as were the Malfoy's of England. All the countries had them, Hermione, france had the Russeux's, Ireland has the Finn's, Germany and the Schnabel's, Spain and the Del Rosario's."
She shrugged.
"You came here to critisize me, Blaise?" Hermione demanded. "well, you've done your part, I feel horrible are you happy now?"
Blaise shook her head.
"If you think I am here to make you feel bad about youself, Hermione, I am afraid you are mistaken." she said.
"what are you here for, then?" Hermione asked tiredly.
"I am here to help you become Amelia Russeux," she said. "its stifling, I know, Purebloods are always expected to be the best, and that's why Draco always resented the others, the half-bloods and the muggle-borns not all of them grew up with magic, so no one has high expectations for them. you are just lucky that I am here to help you through it."
Hermione stared at this girl as if she was completely out of her mind.
Just where did Blaise get off thinking she needed her help? Did she think Hermion-Mia was not good enough for all of this?
Blaise exhaled, had it been anyone else, it would have been classifed as a sigh.
"I know what you are thinking, but you cannot do this alone, Hermione." she said. "first order of business, the cat has to go."
Hermione clutched Crookshanks protectively.
Baise rolled her eyes.
"I mean out of the room." she said. "I'm rather allergic to cats."
Hermione stared at Blaise for a long moment, the black haired girl really looked as if she wanted to help. And as much as Hermio-Mia wanted to deny it to herself, she could not do this alone, the transition was just too big.
finally, she sighed coming to her decision. She opened the door and let Crookshanks out, the cat happy to be free trotted away to find some mice to chase. Hermione, however, turned back to Blaise.
"Okay." she said. "Tell me what i need to know."
Blaise shook her head.
"You don't need to know anything." she said. "You need to be told that you made the right choice."
Hermione just stared at her, how could Blaise know exactly how she was feeling? how on earth did she manage to get all these complicated and confusing thoughts summed up into one sentence that would make it all better?
"H-how do you do that?" She demanded.
Blaise smirked, a self-satsfied twist of lips that would have even made Draco Malfoy proud.
"Spend all your life as Draco Malfoy's best friend and you begin to get really perceptive." She answered. "He dosen't give you much to work with, and compared to him, you are an opn book."
Hermione considered this.
"Well, if you two get along so famously, then why aren't you the one marrying him?" she asked curiously.
"That is a very good question, to answer that," Blaise said considering her words for a moment. "You were born first."
Hermione arched an eyebrow.
"Draco was born August the eleventh, and unless I am very much mistaken, which I doubt, your birthday is August twnety-seven." She waited for Hermione's nod. "I did not come until November Third. Answer your question?"
Hermione nodded.
"I really can't get out of this, can I?"
Blaise shook her head.
"If it makes you feel any better, Draco is considering suicide for the very first time since I've known him." She said shrugging lightly, (Hermione should have picked up on something fishy at this moment, Blaise never shrugge) "He said you weren't good enough. That he'd rather marry Potter."
Hermione's eyes flashed.
"Said he'd rather marry Harry did he?" She demanded furiously. "Oh, that damned ferret! I'll show him."
She stomped into her closet intent on being beautiful. He thought she was not good enough huh? well, she would show him good enough. She pulled her hair into an extremely messy top knot.
"Do you know what that fink said to me, Blaise?" she demanded.
"What did he say, Hermione?" Blaise replied barely managing to conceal her wince at hermione's appearance. "do you know that you have a dead animal tied to your head?"
hermione ignored the second part.
"That stupid ferret said that I was still a common little mu-well, a horrible name for a muggle born!" she ranted. "That vile scum-bag!"
"you know, he's right?" Blaise piped up at the thresh hold.
Hermione whirled on her.
"what?" she demanded.
"purebloods are expected to be well," she looked Hermione up and down. from her wild frizzy hair to her tear stained, blotchy cheeks and her rumpled robe to her bare feet. "a little more... more... you have a long way to go, Hermione, no offense meant to you."
Hermione continued her hard glare. Blaise was right, she was still hermione but she needed to incorporate Amelia into something that was distictly her. learning to be Amelia would be the best course of action to take, especially if she wanted to show up that damnable ferret. Harumph! mudblood indeed. He wanted a pure-blood? Oh, he would get pure-blood.
"you are going to teach me, Blaise." Hermione said.
Blaise pretended to be surprised. Then she nodded.
"Iwould be honored to, Hermione." she said. she should savor the moment, she could manipulate Hermione now, but when Blaise was finished, nieve little Hermione Granger would be long gone and oh, Blaise would revel in Draco's face when he saw what she would do for her. "I really would."
AN:the next chap is typed up and soon to come. :)