Disclaimer: The characters, settings, and world of Harry Potter do not belong to me. The Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling.
A/N: Just a little change I made: if you look back at chapter five, you'll notice I changed Hermione's Patronus from a lioness to a puma. I feel like a puma captures Hermione's personality more than a lioness does. I know that for me at least, a lioness brings my mind right to the part of Hermione that got her sorted into Gryffindor. That part is definitely a defining factor in her personality, but it isn't the only part of her.
Anyway! Chapter Six!
Chapter Six: The Confrontation
"I'm telling you, Draco. She did not want anything to do with us. I'm starting to wonder if we still want anything to do with her." Blaise insisted, and Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"What did she do?"
"She-well, you see…" Blaise sputtered, unable to put into words the way she had instantly shut him down and made him feel like a fool with a few well-placed words.
"I guess the more appropriate question would be what did you do?" Draco asked.
"I did nothing! Well, besides tell her the plan and try and be as charming as possible to a cranky Gryffindor who looked like she might punch me if it weren't eleven at night."
"I assume she was immune to your charms?" Draco asked, trying to hide a smile.
"There's a first time for everything, Blaise," Theo reassured his friend, laughing.
"I don't see how we're going to be able to get her to help us. She's stubborn as Salazar, and has got a wit to match."
"Changing your decision, Blaise?" Draco asked smugly. Blaise shook his head, refusing to give in.
"So? What are we going to do, Imperius her?" Pansy asked jokingly. "Why are we even bothering with Granger?"
"Because she's brilliant, and none of us are good enough at Defense to teach, and those of who are don't want to." Theo said, giving a pointed glance towards Draco.
"Say that again Theo," Pansy said. "I need to have a recording of that, for later."
"You planning on blackmailing me, or something?" The Slytherin asked, slightly worried.
"Maybe. Or maybe I'd just show it to Granger, and see what she thinks." She threatened, grinning.
"You wouldn't dare," Theo growled.
Draco cleared his throat. "Anyway, what are we going to do?"
"Something will come to us. Just wait." Blaise reassured him.
Hermione and Harry walked into the History of Magic classroom, and took their seats. Scanning the room, Hermione saw that Ron was not there yet. She wanted to talk to him, but so far, her attempts had failed.
At breakfast, she had sat down next to Ron, who promptly got up, claiming he had forgot something in his dormitory.
In Potions, he sat at the other end of the room with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, much to the amusement of Snape, and the bewilderment of the Slytherins. Of course, all the Gryffindors knew about what was going on.
There was nothing she could do in Umbridge's class, who had developed a strong disliking towards Hermione, and she could hardly say anything without being put in detention. Which was an experience she did not care to repeat.
Before Care of Magical Creatures, Harry, Ron and Hermione had been talking with Hagrid, but Ron had refused to acknowledge her. She decided just to leave it, and let him apologize on his own terms. She was glad that she was back on speaking terms with Harry, but they both agreed that Ron had to grow up. He was still their best friend, but he continued to act like a child, refusing to speak to Hermione or even look at her. He was acting as if he was the one who had been wronged, and that, more than anything, was what bugged Hermione.
Ron walked into class, sitting down next to Harry-so that Harry was a sort of barrier between him and Hermione. She was annoyed that Ron was using Harry as a result of his and Hermione's 'fight', but knew that he had to take care of his problems on his own. No more help from 'Mione. She would still be his friend, but would no longer do his homework, or check his essays, or remind him which class they had next.
She ignored Ron, which seemed to nettle him, for some reason. He began talking to Seamus about Quidditch, but continued giving subtle glances towards Hermione, who was talking to Harry. The bell rang, and Professor Binns floated out of the blackboard.
"Today…" Everyone in the class immediately stopped paying attention once their professor began talking.
"Do you know if Umbridge is making us read again?" Harry asked Hermione, and she
shrugged.
"Why?"
"Because I left mine on the Quidditch pitch at practice this morning. I think I'll just see if Parvati can get Padma's for me, but I don't want to get it if I won't need it." He whispered. Padma, Parvati's twin sister, was in Ravenclaw, and so did not have Defense at the same time as they did.
"Ask Fred or George at lunch," Hermione suggested. Ron turned from his conversation with Seamus (still talking heatedly about Quidditch) and shot them a dirty look. Hermione tried her best not to roll her eyes. "Have you talked to him?" Hermione asked Harry, who was also looking annoyed.
"No. I'll try again after class, but I think you should come with. Besides, no one will care if we're late to lunch."
Hermione thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "Alright."
After what seemed like forever, the bell rang, Professor Binns floated back through the wall, and the students hurried out of the History of Magic classroom.
Harry and Hermione packed their bags quickly, and headed out of the classroom to intercept Ron, who was walking slowly towards the Great Hall, probably waiting for Dean and Seamus to catch up.
Hermione put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Listen, Ron…" she began tentatively, and when he grunted in acknowledgement, she continued. "Harry and I have been talking, and-"
"Oh, so you and Harry are all chummy now? What happened, 'Mione? What did I do wrong?" He asked, throwing her hand off his shoulder. She bristled.
"What happened? Harry apologized, is what happened!" She cried. "If you had only had the sense, the sensitivity in you to do that one simple, simple thing, we wouldn't be having this problem!"
"If you'd said something, 'Mione, I swear I would've apologized, it's only that-"
"I shouldn't have to remind you to apologize! I'm not your mother, Ron." She turned around and began stalking back to the Gryffindor tower, no longer hungry.
"'Mione-" Ron began.
"Don't call me that," she hissed scathingly, and he fell silent.
Hermione watched as a group of Slytherins stood up from their table and quickly, quietly left the Great Hall. It was dinner, but she still had no appetite. She had been thinking about what had happened night before all day, and deduced that it had not, in fact, been a dream, as she had been hoping. She figured she may as well put it out in the open, rather than let the situation-and her reluctant curiosity-fester.
Murmuring that she had to use the bathroom and excusing herself from the table, Hermione left the Great Hall. She listened for the sound of voices, and heard the Slytherins going up the stairs. Straining her ears for some sense of where they were going, Hermione stepped closer to the staircase.
"-we'll just see what we get," someone-Draco?-was saying.
"What're you going to ask the Room for?" Someone else in the group asked, and Hermione stepped back into the shadows. They were going to the Room of Requirement; for what, though? Could they really be teaching themselves Defense?
Hermione quickly climbed a different set of stairs, a shortcut she, Harry, and Ron had found sometime during their fourth year. She rushed down the seventh floor corridor, slightly out of breath, and skidded to a stop in front of the blank wall that hid the Room of Requirement. Leaning against the wall-in the very middle of where she knew the door would appear-she caught her breath, rubbing away the stitch in her side, and waited for the Slytherins to arrive. After a couple minutes, they appeared. At first, they did not notice her, but as they neared the Room's hidden door, some Slytherins stopped, gesturing to the others.
One Slytherin at the front of the group spoke. "Granger?" Malfoy asked, eyes widening. He turned to Blaise Zabini, who was standing next to him. "You said she didn't want to help us!"
"And he was right, Malfoy." She said cooly. "I don't want to help. I just want to know why you want me to help. You bully me, call me Mudblood, hex me. I punched you! Why would you ask me to help you?" She asked.
Malfoy's pale face belied nothing. "I figured if we were going to steal your idea, we may as well get some of your knowledge along with it."
"There are books, you know." She said scornfully. "Even if you're too lazy to do any work yourself, I'm sure there are plenty of other people in this school who would agree to help you."
"Listen, Granger." Theo Nott said calmly, placing his hands together. "If you don't want to accept the offer, don't accept it. But just let us continue with our lives, and you'll continue with yours. No harm done."
"Was that a threat, Nott?" She asked, eyes flickering dangerously, and he shook his head, hands raised.
"No, I didn't mean-I only meant that we can both carry on with our lives if you just drop it."
"I was only asking why you decided to forget the five years of torment to ask me to help you-and why you thought I would forget those years." She said quietly. She had never let anyone know they had gotten to her, but she had spent many a night in the girl's bathroom, simply staring at her reflection and wondering whether what they said was true.
She no longer cared what anyone said about her, but her memories from the past five years were enough to fuel a grudge against anyone who had called her names or bullied her.
"We didn't think you would forget them," Theo said. "We only hoped you'd look past them as… our immaturity. We've gotten past that point in life-I know I have, at least."
Hermione considered this. "I don't know if I trust you yet." She said, and walked away.
"Bloody Gryffindor." Draco muttered. "More like a Slytherin, if you ask me."