Not many people have seen Ron eat. No one really looks at us when we're eating, so they've never seen Ron eat… Lucky them. Uh! I can't stand it, he chews with his mouth open and there is this sickening noise. Besides that you can never understand a single word that he is saying. Is that not reason enough to get away to the library?
There is a reason of course why I'm going over all this in my head. I'm looking back to the beginning of seventh year to find out when all of my trouble started. Yes, I believe I found the reason why too: stupid Ron with his stupid horrible table manners. If he had not eaten with his mouth open and shoving food in his mouth like it was the only thing keeping him alive, the year might have gone differently. Unfortunately Ron never had table manners and he is never going to get them so I went off to the library.
That is when I saw something that intrigued me and frightened me slightly. I was tiptoeing past the rope cutting the library off from the restricted section when I heard it. Someone was sniffling and I heard a faint sob. Being a Gryffindor at heart I just had to go see who it was and maybe comfort them. Nothing and I mean nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next.
The person was crying, huddled in the chair right near the roped of area for the restricted section. He was curled in a small ball his hair obscuring his face. I didn't need to see his face though; only one person in the school had blonde hair like that. Draco Malfoy was crying in the library. Wait, pause, rewind… Draco Malfoy was in the library crying. I blinked a few times and just stared, where was a camera when you needed one?
Now that may seem mean, but I wouldn't taunt him with it… much. What? I am not the goody goody everyone thinks I am. I in fact got a tattoo over the summer, right on my left hip. It is of a small tiger, not a lion, a tiger. Ok, so I didn't tell my parents, but it is only the size of my thumb! Now back to the point, he had taunted me for seven years. Let me repeat that incase you didn't get it. SEVEN YEARS!
No one would believe me anyway, not with out proof. Yet the Gryffindor inside me did the stupid thing, or rather the right thing I suppose…
"Malfoy are you alright?" I asked hesitantly taking a step towards him. His head snapped up and before I knew it my back was against the wall and his arms were pinning me back.
"Mudblood," he seethed into my ear. "Don't tell anyone about this. I mean no one! If I hear a single whisper about this, I'll know who to come after," with that he was gone.
Now any sensible person would have left it at that and gone on their way, maybe just a little shaken. Somehow though outside of school, I'm not that smart. Hence that tattoo that my cousin made me get.
No, I was not sensible to most things. Why was Draco Malfoy crying, something rather uncharacteristic of the Malfoy heir. He did tell me or rather threaten me that if I told anyone he'd hunt me down. Though I couldn't just not tell anyone I had to tell Harry and Ron right? Wrong! My first mistake. My being in the library was all Ron's fault and I take no blame for it!
"Hey 'Mione," Ron said as I ran into the common room. Note; I hate this nickname for me. "Is something wrong?" He obviously noticed that I was panting; I had just run from the library to Gryffindor tower. You would be panting too!
"Ron, I told not to call me that," I said agitatedly. "You'll never guess what I just saw, Draco Malfoy was crying in the library," I whispered.
"No bloody way!" Ron shouted.
"You have to be kidding me," Harry said excitedly.
"You can't tell anyone though, he threatened to hurt me if he heard anyone talking about it," I warned.
"Don't worry we'll protect you 'Mione," Ron said again with the hated nickname. It didn't matter though, I felt like those two boys could protect me from anything. How wrong I was…
That day was a Friday. By Saturday morning the whole entire school was whispering about it. That also happened to be the week of Hogsmead. As Head Girl I got to decide when the Hogsmead weekend was, unfortunately I decided along with the Head Boy Draco Malfoy.
Harry and Ron were on either side of me like a body guard when we walked into the village. Malfoy must have seen us walk in through the window of a shop because moments later he materialized.
"Malfoy want a hanky?" A Gryffindor laughed as he passed by. Malfoy shot him such a murderous glare that he stopped laughing and quickly walked away.
"Granger, I need to talk to you," he hissed and Harry and Ron immediately closed in tighter around me. "About Head stuff," he amended and I nodded my head.
"I'll be right back," I said and Malfoy sneered as he grabbed my arm and pulled me down a side alley.
Should I have trust Malfoy? For I knew that we had no Head Duties to talk about. I knew the moment he showed up that he wanted one thing, revenge… Dum… Dum… Dum… Sorry I just had to do that.
"Granger," he said shoving my back against the wall.
"What Malfoy? Did you really expect me not to tell Harry and Ron? I didn't tell anyone else I swear so can you get off me?" I asked angry. He had no right to throw me around like I was some piece of crap!
"Oh shut up Mudblood, we both know you are just a scared little Hufflepuff underneath that false big brave Gryffindor get-up." Malfoy said and I glared at him.
"For your information Malfoy, I am too a Gryffindor. The hat didn't even consider putting me in Hufflepuff!" I snarled. I told everyone it did of course. I knew if I told them what other house it thought of putting me in Harry and Ron would have well I don't know what they would have done, but it would have been bad.
"Or really then where did it consider putting you if not brave ol' Gryffindor?" Malfoy sneered.
"Just shut up Malfoy," I said trying and failing to push him away.
"My, my, bringing out the bad language now are we Granger?" Malfoy tutted. "Scream for help, you know you want to. Potty and Weasel will run right along and help you get away from the big bad Slytherin," he sneered.
"I have a better idea," I said and I swung my foot up fast and hard until it connected with his groin. He was on the ground in an instant and taking my chance I hurtled over him and into the safety of the street. God Malfoy would so kill me later.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted out a relieved look on his face.
"Hermione, where is Malfoy?" Ron asked looking towards the alley way that Malfoy was still in.
"I'll tell you about it later," I said rubbing some dirt off me. "Right now though I could do with a butterbeer."
The boys continued to press me until we were all the way back into the castle. Finally I broke down, first making sure that no one was around.
I explained to them what had happened in the alley way and by the end Harry and Ron had happy looks on their faces.
"That is twice 'Mione. Twice that you got the best of Malfoy," Harry said happily. "First when you punched him and now, this…" He trailed looking happy.
"We have to tell everyone," Ron said bouncing up in down in his seat.
"Remember what happened last time we spread around something that had to do with Malfoy?" Harry warned. "We don't want to cause Hermione any more trouble then she is already in."
I looked thankfully at Harry before retreating to the table in the corner stacked with books. There were some essays due in three weeks that I still hadn't done yet.
Yawning and checking the clock I realized that I had been working for over three hours. Ron and Harry had already gone up to bed, but I couldn't yet. I still had to patrol the corridors for a few hours tonight with Malfoy. I didn't worry about it though, Malfoy never showed for patrol and I didn't tell Professor McGonagall. I rather liked patrolling by myself. It was the only time of day where I could get some alone time.
Lighting up my wand I headed out into the deserted hallway. If I was lucky I wouldn't catch anyone. If I wasn't lucky I would catch someone and end up having to take them down to Professor McGonagall. I didn't feel like making the track down to McGonagall's office.
Wind rattled the windows and slipped through the broken cracks in them. Why were there broken cracks in the windows id a quick Repairo would have fixed them right up? That I would never understand. Shrugging I just kept walking.
On one particular hallway the wind had blown the candles on the walls out and I held my wand far in front of me. I could barely see two feet in front of my arm! Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind and I was shoved into a wall.
"Granger," Malfoy's familiar voice drawled in my ear.
"Ouch Malfoy. You have to stop throwing me against walls whenever you want to talk to me," I said rubbing the back of my head lightly. I could have a bump there in the morning. My wand was on the ground a few feet to my right. What rotten luck!
"It appears now that I have two reasons to get back at you. One, you spread that little tale about me crying and two you kicked me," he seethed.
"Great, you can count! Now can you let me go?" I asked trying to push his arms off of me. They wouldn't budge.
"You know I have to get you back for that," he hissed in my ear.
"Just one question, what are you going to do?" I asked trying to distract him as I edged my foot towards my wand.
"Wouldn't you like to know? As it just so happens I have a meeting I have to get to, but I'm warning you Granger. Watch your back," with that he disappeared into the shadows.
I knew he said that just to unnerve me, but I just have to say this. It worked. For the rest of the night I jumped at small noises and the shadows that flickered against the wall when the candles were still lit. Patrol that night was hell.
Yet it seemed that my life in hell was just beginning…
a/n Please review and tell me what you thought about it!