Chapter 3: The Issue that is Iris Parkinson
-Hermione's POV-
"OK, Hermione, spill. I know something's up."
"You're too perceptive Ginny. I swear, sometimes I think you should be the Auror instead of your husband and brother. You'd probably be better at catching Dark Wizards on perception alone."
"Flattery will not get you out of talking. Now, please tell me what's going on."
"I don't know Gin. It's all kind of hard to say. I have this student who just gets to me. She's going to be a seventh year and let's just say that the war hasn't changed her views. She gets under my skin and says really awful things about me when she thinks I'm not listening and to top it all off, she's not very bright. I feel really bad for her, but at the same time, I can't help but loathe her very existence. She makes me hate myself."
"How is a seventeen year old girl doing that? I mean, really, how can you let what someone say get to you? You're dating the ferret Hermione. How can anyone really top anything he's ever done to you? You've gotten over everything he's done, why is this girl any different?"
"She's Pansy's sister."
-Draco's POV-
"There's more than one Parkinson chit? No wonder Hermione wants to pull her hair out. Is she pug faced too?" I swear, sometimes Weasley is more of an idiot than previously thought. I wonder if he'll ever reach his limit of stupidity.
"It's not that at all. Well, it is, too an extent. She doesn't like to talk to me about it and I can only fathom as to why. The last time she shut me out about an issue was when we met my father. And we all know how that went." Needless to say, not that great, even though, now, you couldn't separate the pair. Sometimes I think my father likes her more than he likes me, which I guess isn't saying much, but regardless, "There was a lot of animosity in the beginning, especially in regards to our relationship. I can only guess that Iris is just like Pansy and making Hermione question our relationship. Which believe me, is not something I want her to be doing."
"You really love her don't you."
"Thank you Potter for your astute observation, now let's talk about something that's not so obvious. We need to figure out what's wrong with her, and figure out a way to fix it."
"We can always use our profession to put some pressure on the Parkinson's to get their little girl to behave with Hermione." Leave it to Weasley to jump to violence, or anything close, first.
"What do you think Hermione would do if you two did that?"
"She'd maim us…"
"Smart Potter. Now seriously, I'm almost 100% sure that Ginny is talking to her about this now and she's the most likely to get anything out of her. If you want in on Plan: Cheer Hermione, you need to be at the park tomorrow to get all the details when I do."
"Plan: Cheer Hermione?" I guess it's a silly name, but the silliness is part of what Hermione loves about me now and I enjoy it. I keep forgetting that these two idiots still have their heads in the past.
"Just shut up about that ok. If you want in, you won't question it and will be there tomorrow to help us figure out what's going and how we can fix it. I can't stand Hermione breaking down at least once a week. It's not like her at all, and its almost worse than it was with Lucius and he's my father."
- Hermione's POV -
"I don't know who is worse, Iris or Pansy. To be honest, I think that Iris is far worse only because I have yet to deal with Pansy Post-War. I can only imagine what that would be like. I get enough as it is with those pureblooded snobs, you know? And to see Iris every day and have to hear the things she says, it just makes me question my choices." I start crying again. This is getting ridiculous, three times in one day. I try repeating the mantra Draco said to me earlier.
Ginny is rubbing my back now trying to soothe me, "There, there. Come on Hermione. You never let Pansy get to you back in school. And the Greengrass sisters are just bitter that you were able to impress Lucius to void Draco's contract. You can't let anything Iris say get to you because you've already converted the most bigoted family to your defense. That is a big accomplishment, you know."
"I know, and I try to tell myself that, but it doesn't seem to be helping anymore. Iris just has logical arguments to almost everything. It's not like before where it was blind arrogance, she actually has logical arguments that prove me to not be worthy of Draco, or my position at Little Phoenix. It's just, I don't know, what am I supposed to do? It angers me that she is bright when it comes to tearing me down but isn't smart enough to avoid this program to begin with. I just don't understand."
"What does she say to you?"
"Lucius is only tolerating me because I'm giving his family a good name after his stint in Azkaban –"
"That's rubbish and you know it. Draco did that before you and he even started dating."
"True. But I sometimes cannot understand why he tolerates me. I've seen Lucius at his worse, as have you, and I don't think he wants to relive that part of his life. So why does he allow me to be such a big part of it you know? I'm just a reminder, and I can only assume that it isn't something he wants to be reminded of –"
"Why do you think you shouldn't be a teacher?"
"Because everyone assumed I'd be an Auror, or work in the Department of Control and Regulation of Magical Beings or Magical Law Enforcement, or at the very least a Healer. But here I am, a lowly teacher who regularly teaches six year olds. What has become of me Ginny? I was supposed to become the person who brought change to the magical world and here I am wasting away teaching summer school to ungrateful teenagers."
"You do realize that by teaching you're helping shape the future. In many ways you might be helping change the world in the best capacity you can. And if I recall correctly, you did this because it wasn't expected of you. It was exactly what you wanted to do because no one else pushed you to do it."
"I know Gin, but it doesn't feel like that. And sometimes I question if that was reason enough. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to do something that wasn't expected. Maybe I should have just done what everyone thought I should do. Then I wouldn't be mis –"
"Hermione Jean Granger, don't you dare finish that sentence! Do you really think you're miserable? You have a loving man out there who would do anything for you. Give you the world if you'd let him. You have the support of your family and closest friends in everything you do. Granted, some of us might not have in the beginning but the point is we are here for you now and the poppy-cock of some seventeen year old girl regardless of familial relations should mean nothing to you."
I couldn't help but giggle. It was really hard not to. "You said poppy-cock. Does anyone even say that anymore?"
"Good, now keep laughing because we have to go out there and make sure no one is bleeding or dead."