Next Potions class, Hermione noticed that Harry and Ron could not restrain themselves from giving Malfoy a rather disdainful stare. She rolled her eyes and elbowed Ron before leading them to the last empty table. Unfortunately, they were a little later than usual and had the table third from the front. This table happened to be right behind Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione looked down and began arranging her cauldron and Potions ingredients next to her book. The Potion they would be working on and its ingredients were already posted on the board and she didn't dare waste any time. Not to mention besides, she hadn't the slightest interest in the glaring contest continuing between the two tables.

Sighing in exasperation, she lifted her head again. "Please, if you two keep at it –"

She didn't get to finish. Professor Snape (my sister hated me for saying he was dead, so just pretend her lived, lol), using one of his usual entrances (kicking open the door) to attract attention chose that moment to appear. He strode to the front and Hermione straightened her back and lifted her chin. When he turned, he folded his hands thoughtfully and glowered at them. Ron cringed back a bit.

"If you have half the intelligence of a mountain troll, you will have noticed the instructions on the board by now." He purposefully did not look in Hermione's direction. She supposed this was because she ruined the image of Gryffindors he tried to portray as irresponsible dolts. "Begin." He finished, and then swept off the dais to swoop on unsuspecting students like a vulture for the rest of class.

Hermione diligently began working, and even the Professor could find nothing to chide her for when he came round their table. He spent a good five minutes torturing poor Ron, ending by telling him to re-chop his lemongrass in the correct manner. Hermione was far ahead of them and so she leaned over and helped him when Snape wasn't looking.

"Thanks…" he said, voice filled with shame.

"You had them well enough before, Snape just wanted trouble." She said comfortingly.

"No."He argued, depressed. "I'm just no good. At anything…"

"Well, you've got that much right, Weasleby." Malfoy said, turning and leaning against their table as though he were something to look at. He didn't even bother lowering his voice. If he knew anything, it was that he wouldn't get in trouble with Snape. In all seriousness, Malfoy shouldn't even have been at Hogwarts, as he had the dark mark and had been in the service of the Dark Lord along with his father and mother. His father had managed to get out of trouble, again, looking as pathetic as he did. Of course, Malfoy was a student, and besides, he technically hadn't done anything to be chucked into Azkaban for even if he weren't. And so, he was still here.

"Stay out of this." Hermione said venomously. Regardless of the truth she'd discovered and her slightly-changed tone toward him, he still had no right to treat people badly.

"Come on, Granger. Weasley needs to face the music sometime. He's worth about as much as dragon dung." He looked at Crabbe and Goyle, their cue to laugh at whatever he'd said whether it was funny or not.

"Speak for yourself." Harry said, his fists clenched at his side.

"Don't!" Hermione hissed.

"Oh, please do." Malfoy sneered, and Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward. This was, after all, their area of expertise.

"Shall I have them teach you a lesson too, Granger? About why Mudbloods shouldn't be at Ho-"

Malfoy was cut off as both Ron and Harry dove over the table, lunging at him even though Crabbe and Goyle were who they met. In all the commotion, Harry's robes hung under his cauldron while Ron's shoe caught his. Hermione didn't realize in time, and though she tried to stop it, both cauldrons tipped and their contents splattered to the floor. Both Ron and harry had been so far off in their work that the potions mixing produced something entirely different than the courage elixir they'd been concocting. With a sinister 'hiss,', smoke, thick and green rose into the air.

"Idiots!" Snape roared as he coughed. He'd gotten the brunt of the smoke since he'd been making his way over at the sight of the scuffle. It quickly spread throughout the entire dungeon, as thick as swamp fog. No one could see further than a foot in front of them.

"Fools!" Snape bellowed again. "Everyone out! I can't work a spell to fix this with all of you nitwits in the way!"

The sound of coughing and shuffling hesitant feet filled the room as everyone headed for the door. It was very easy to get turned around when one couldn't see, even in a room as small as that dungeon.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice came through the fog.

"Hermione, where are you?" That was Ron.

"I'm fine!" She shouted in reply. "I'll be right behind you, go on!" They didn't sound within reach or she would have tried to grab for their arms.

They didn't answer her again, so she assumed they'd done what she asked. When the throng seemed to die down a bit, she held her hand out in front of her and began carefully stumbling toward the door. She wasn't even sure if anyone was in the room with her anymore.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her back. She shrieked in surprise and turned. Draco Malfoy stood behind her.

He scoffed in disgust and wiped his hand on the front of his robes. "Believe me when I say I did not mean to touch you." He spat.

"There's nothing wrong with me." She replied confidently.

"Oh, yes there is, Mudblood. As I was saying before your two idiot friends –"

"Don't call me that! And Harry and Ron aren't idiots!" She was still traveling through the smoke, hand outstretched, and he followed. "If you hadn't been antagonizing them earlier…"

"As if it's my fault!" He said as though in shock. "Drop it, Mudblood."

She stopped, dropping her arm and turning to him. Compared to the things she and Harry and Ron had faced together, Malfoy was hardly a threat and she wasn't afraid of him. He hadn't been expecting her to stop, so he'd come even closer than she thought. "Stop. Calling. Me. That." She said, her voice lower than usual and deadly serious. "I know your secret, Draco. Both of us. And you have NO right to treat me this way. I will never take offense at that word again because if comes form the mouth of a liar. But believe me when I say it would be better to stop it altogether."

"I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about." He backed away as he spoke, sneering.

"Yes, you…" She paused as she realized…he was telling the truth. He'd never looked more confused and he wasn't a good enough actor to pull that off. "You really don't know…"

He glared at her, but did not have a response.

She regrouped quickly, thinking only for a second. "Ask your mother. Get her to tell you what you really are. I'm not doing her dirty work for her."

And then, she left him alone in the thick smoke. He would ask, she knew that for sure.