A/N- Hi! Okay, this is my first-ever fanfic, so please bear with me. I think it will be 10 chapters, maybe? I'm not far enough along yet to know for sure. Also, I kind of fudged up the Hogwarts grading system and substituted the Muggle one, just for the sake of my sanity. Sorry about that, but please enjoy! And be sure to review down below! Tell me what you think the title should be, I am more than open to ideas(since I appear to have run out;). Don't worry, though, I have plenty for the actual story, more details to come)!

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"AN 86?!" exclaimed Hermione incredulously. "An 86? But how is this possible?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but it's out of my hands," replied Professor McGonagall, "Your vase still had ears."

"But, Professor, I just slipped. There must be something that you can do. Let me retake the test! Please!" At this point, Hermione was practically hysterical.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger, but I've told you, there is nothing I can do!" McGonagall replied rather forcefully.

Hermione took a deep, measured breath, choking back a sob that threatened to escape her lips. "I understand, Professor. Thank you." And with that, she gathered her things and ran off out of the classroom, hurriedly closing the door behind her, but not before McGonagall heard the sob that she had been unable to contain for any longer. The stern teacher sighed at this, and turned to straighten up her desk.

Meanwhile, in the hallway outside the classroom, Hermione felt like she was slowly shattering into a million tiny fragments, like a sheet of glass struck with a hammer. She didn't know what to do. The same thoughts echoed through her head over and over again on a constant loop as she traversed the vast labyrinth of hallways that was Hogwarts. A B. A B! How could I? A B? I've never gotten a single B in my entire life… My perfect record… just like that… gone…. Tears threatened again at this thought, but she fought them back. Hermione didn't know where she was going. It didn't matter. She wouldn't be here much longer. Bs led to Cs, which led to even worse. Her grades would deteriorate so dramatically that they would have no choice but to kick her out of Hogwarts. And then they'd Obliviate her, and it would all be gone. Her wand, her friends, the entire wizarding world… like a dream. It would be as if it had never really happened. Everything that she had worked so hard for…. She had been appointed prefect last year, and was on track to be Head Girl the next. Before this, she reminded herself. She had forgotten about that. There was no way she would be Head Girl now. Not with a B on her record. She had been neck-and-neck with Mandy Brocklehurst, a pretty blonde Ravenclaw in their year, just hours ago. Hermione had even reached a rare window in which Mandy had fallen slightly behind, and Hermione had been able to pick up some of that slack and draw further ahead by working even harder at her assignments. But not anymore. She knew for a fact that Mandy had nothing less than an A on her perfect record. She sighed.

She didn't know how much time she spent wandering the halls, but after what felt like hours, Hermione, still lost in her thoughts, decided to head for the girls' bathroom for a good cry. That ought to make her feel a bit better. She had been able to calm herself not long after exiting McGonagall's classroom, so that only a few people awarded her the concerned looks she so hated(people never seemed to understand that when she was upset, the last thing she wanted was for them to acknowledge that she was upset).

She paused briefly at a fork in the corridor, having momentarily forgotten her destination. A split second later, the memory crashed over her like a tidal wave, and she turned left in the direction of the girls' bathroom as the tears threatened anew. Fortunately, there was nobody there to witness her struggle. However, her luck ran out fast, and she slammed into a tall figure as she rounded the next bend.

"Sorry," she mumbled, fixing to hurry off without bothering to see who the figure was. A moment later, a cool, lilting voice stopped her in her tracks and her heart sank. With a deep sigh and much reluctance, she turned to face her archnemesis, Draco Malfoy, flanked on either side by his faithful cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Well, well, well…" purred Malfoy, lip curling into an evil sneer. Hermione glared at him, but didn't respond. She was still struggling to get a handle on the tears that threatened to spill over, and didn't trust herself to speak.

As she struggled to get a grip on her emotions, Malfoy's smile widened, vastly enjoying her predicament. "What's the matter, Granger? Cat got your tongue?" he laughed at his own joke. Crabbe and Goyle snickered from behind him. Hermione chose to ignore this, instead letting fury overtake her, forcing back the tears, and addressed Malfoy with a furious tone.

"What do you w-want, Malfoy?" she demanded, in the most intimidating tone she could muster. The tremor in her voice somewhat diminished the effect, sending Crabbe and Goyle into another fit of laughter. Malfoy, however, kept a straight face, lip still curled with disgust.

"Oh, nothing," he replied off-handedly, "Just wanted to see what was up with my favorite Gryffindor," this comment was met with exaggerated shrieks of mirth from Crabbe and Goyle.

Suddenly, a sharp voice echoed down the corridor, "Crabbe! Goyle! I don't suppose you've forgotten the detention you were assigned this morning?" Professor Snape swept into the corridor, leering at Hermione, whose face was red with fury, and the tears she had forced back threatened to make a reappearance. Snape sent a reproving look in the directions of Crabbe and Goyle, who glanced apologetically at their leader, before trudging dutifully behind the teacher as he rounded the corner, swishing his cloak behind him like a cape.

Once Snape had left, Malfoy turned back to Hermione, lip curling back into its sneer, "So…" he hissed wickedly, "what's a filthy little Mudblood like yourself doing, wandering the corridors all alone -"

"Stop it, Malfoy," said Hermione, fueled once again by a surge of fury and determination to hold off the tears for good as they threatened to well up once more. Whatever happened, she was NOT going to let Draco Malfoy see her cry. She straightened her spine, whipping out her wand and levelling it at his chest. "I'm warning you…"

"Oh," he purred with mock astonishment, slowly drawing his own wand, "so, you want to duel me, eh? Well, that can easily be arranged," he grinned maliciously, "Cruc-"

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Hermione, the force of her spell knocking her adversary off his feet. He landed in a heap, groaning softly. Hermione caught his wand neatly. "Don't suppose you'll be needing this," she said flippantly, a wide grin spreading across her face, before turning on her heel and stalking off.

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A/N- Thanks for reading! Please review! I would love to hear your feedback! Also, as you likely noticed, this fic does not yet have a title. I would greatly appreciate it if you had any ideas! Thank you so much!

~hermionegrangerandarocketship