A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

This is for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment #4 -Journalism - Task #3: Write about a nasty rumour being spread.

Writing Club September:

All Sorts of Space: Lotor's generals 17 - Badass Females: (character) Pansy Parkinson / Voltron alt: (character) Zethrid

Liza's Loves: 7 Folk Hero - Write about a folk hero. Alt: Write about standing up for someone

Film Festival: 7 (color) gold

Wacky Wand Makers: Wood – holly - (house) Gryffindor

Core - Kneazle whiskers - (character) Hermione Granger

Warning: Bullying and sexual language

Word Count: 1108

"So, Dean told Seamus, who told Lavender, who told Ron, who told me that you've been..." Hermione put her hands on her hips. The pair had just arrived in the common room after Friday afternoon classes.

"Who told you what, Harry?"

"That you've been," Harry paused looking at the floor. Hermione glared at him. "sleeping with one of our professors," Harry mumbled. Hermione stared at him for a moment.

"I'm doing what?!"

"Sleeping with one of our professors to get good grades," Harry said a little more clearly. Hermione shook her head.

"Really? Someone thinks I'm sleeping with someone to get a good grade? Merlin, what an idiot. I'm getting good grades because I actually study and do my homework. People are idiots," she muttered pulling out her arthimancy book and setting it on the table. "Speaking of which, I have a one foot essay due on the properties of seven due on Monday that I need to get started on." Harry nodded putting his books on the table also. Hermione might help him after she finished her own essay.

Hermione had nearly forgotten about the rumor Harry had mentioned when they headed to dinner. Ron had joined them and kept staring at her.

"What?" she finally asked spinning around to face him.

"Well, um, nothing," he muttered. Hermione shook her head sliding into a seat.

"If it isn't Professor Snape's little slut," someone said walking behind her. Hermione felt her face flush. She turned to address the speaker, but couldn't tell who had spoken in the crowd of people behind her.

"Blimey, you're sleeping with Snape?" Ron asked, his mouth full of potatoes. Hermione stared at him in disgust. Lavender glared at Ron and pretended to look at her food. She tilted her head slightly listening to the golden trio's conversation.

"No, ew! I'm not sleeping with anyone, Ron. It's just a stupid rumor that some small minded person started. If we just ignore it, it'll go away," she stated taking a bite of her roast. Ron and Harry exchanged glances.

"Um, the thing is, we're not sure it's just a rumor," Harry finally said. "There's a lot of evidence pointing to it being true." Hermione paused, fork in hand.

"Such as?" she asked.

"You had detention a lot with him lately," Ron said. "Even more than Harry."

"So has Neville," she pointed out. "And I was working with him. Guilty by association. Next?"

"You are passing potions."

"So is Draco, and Pansy. You would be too if you were actually paying attention and doing your work proper. Next?"

"Um, Pansy said she saw you coming out of Snape's office with your shirt buttons undone," Ron blurted out. Hermione sighed and rolled her caramel eyes.

"Really? And since when the bloody hell do you believe a word Pansy says?" she asked.

"Um..." Ron didn't answer. Hermione sighed.

"I'm finished. I'm going back to the common room to finish my homework. I'll see you later," she muttered standing and heading towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Snape's slut," someone called behind her. Hermione felt the tears start to prick in the corners of her eyes. She thought after first year, maybe things wouldn't be so bad, that maybe people would stop making fun of her now that she had friends. She pushed the doors open and slipped into the hallway, tears falling from her eyes. She crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep. She didn't even hear her roommates come in. Lavender took one look at the Hermione's drawn curtains and shook her head.

"We have potions first thing this morning," Harry commented as Hermione entered to common room. Her eyes were still slightly puffy from crying. She sighed shoving her books in her bag. She had left them on the table last night.

"You think things have died down since last night?" Ron asked. Hermione shrugged. She doubted it, unless someone had done something interesting last night. Then they would be the subject of the rumor mill, not her.

"Let's just get this over with," she muttered. Ron and Harry followed her to breakfast. She ignored the comments the Slytherins seemed to be whispering every time one of them came near her.

They made their way to the potions' lab, Hermione dreading the whole class. She knew she couldn't really afford to miss class, but at the same time, she wanted to run and hide back under her blankets. The thought of her and Professor Snape doing what people thought made her sick to her stomach. She most definitely did not like him that way. In fact, she realized, she did not particularly like him at all.

"Please be seated, class," Professor Snape ordered. Hermione slid into her usual seat. Neville glanced at her but didn't say anything. "Please begin, the instructions are on the board as usual." Hermione started working on her potion, ignoring the eyes she felt she measured her ingredients.

"So, Professor Snape going to give you another 'O', if you know what I mean?" Pansy asked walking behind Hermione. Hermione felt her face flush. She could hear Professor Snape going over something a few tables over. He didn't appear to have heard, or care, what Pansy had said. She wanted to just run, leave, before the tears that were building started to fall. She hated how Pansy's words were upsetting her this much. Suddenly, Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder. In the corner of her eye, she could see perfectly manicured nails in gold and crimson.

"No, he isn't, Pansy. Hermione doesn't in like boys, you twat. Why would she be wasting her time with him when she's got me?" Lavender's voice stated. Hermione felt a pair of lips pressing against hers. The kiss broke as suddenly as it had started. She wondered if it was odd that she'd actually liked it. She heard Pansy storm off in a huff.

"Sorry about that, Granger. I know what it's like, last year... there was a rumor about me and... well, it doesn't matter. I'm sorry if suddenly the whole school thinks you're a lesbian, but at least it's better than you and Snape?" Hermione let out a half laugh half cry and nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she whispered. "And... I think, maybe I wouldn't mind doing that again?" Lavender's eyes widened.

"You mean the kiss part, or me standing up to Pansy?"

"The kiss," Hermione said softly. Lavender blinked her eyes in shock.

"After class meet me by the lake?" Hermione nodded.

"By the lake," she agreed feeling a small bit of hopefulness for the first time in awhile.