2. Attacks and Timetables
The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling stiff and bruised.
She'd let Neville kiss her and take her back to the common room but she'd abandoned him there.
Yes, he stopped any more possible torturing by the ferret and his cronies but he could have came a bit sooner, Hermione thought to herself, trying to reassure herself that she'd thanked him enough.
She hauled herself out of bed with a sigh and got changed into her robes before grabbing her books for her morning classes and heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.
She would have waited for Harry and Ron but they shared a dorm with Neville and that may have been a tiny bit awkward.
She was in the middle of a glass of pumpkin juice when Ron stormed into the Great Hall looking furious with a timid looking Harry in tow.
Ron stopped beside her, his ears going as red as his hair as he glared at him.
Harry slipped into the seat next to Hermione with a sympathetic smile on his face.
"I tried to slow him down," He whispered, "Sorry."
"It's OK, Harry. I-"
"Why did you leave without us?" Ron demanded, cutting Hermione off, "We were sitting in the common room for ages, waiting for you!"
"I'm sorry, Ron but I had the Potions essay to finish," Hermione told him truthfully.
Well, almost truthfully.
She did have a potions essay to finish but she was also avoiding Neville.
"That's a lie, Hermione and you know it! You always do your homework after dinner either in the common room or the library! We didn't even know if you had come back to the common room last night!" Ron raged.
Yes, I usually do do my homework but I was corned by Malfoy! Hermione shrieked internally.
"Fine! Want to see what I've done for potions?" Hermione yelled over him, pulling a piece of parchment with a few words scribbled on it out of her book and shoving it into his hands, "See? Now, will you give me a flipping break?"
Ron went quiet, blushing deeply.
Hermione snatched the parchment back out of his hand, drained her glass of pumpkin juice and stormed out of the Great Hall.
Idiot, Hermione snarled internally, heading to the common room to finish her essay, He was playing Quidditch, anyway. He wouldn't notice if I was being tortured on the pitch below him.
"Password?" The Fat Lady asked as Hermione reached the door of the common room.
"Aperta," Hermione replied.
The portrait swung open and Hermione strode inside before swinging herself down on a chair in front of the fire to write her essay.
After rummaging in her bag, she found a clean piece of parchment and a bottle of ink, along with her favourite quill.
Uncorking the bottle, she dipped her quill inside and brought it to the parchment, writing the title "Polyjuice Potion" as neatly as she could.
"Ingredients..." Hermione frowned, thinking back to her second year where she'd successfully managed to make a Polyjuice Potion in the abandoned girls' bathroom without any help.
With a sly smile, she started writing.
She wrote everything she could remember about the potion she made, making the essay over ten inches long, despite the fact it was only supposed to be eight, and still had more to write.
"You're going to be late for class," A voice said quietly from the chair beside her.
She jumped in fright, snapping her quill as her hand jerked violently.
"Neville!" She exclaimed, wondering how long he had been watching her from the chair beside her without her noticing.
"You feeling OK?" He asked.
"Ah! Look what you made me do," Hermione scowled, ignoring his question completely, "You made me break my favourite quill!"
"Sorry... I'll buy you a new one," Neville replied after a pause.
"No, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Hermione said quickly, her eyes wide.
She didn't really blame him.
He just frightened her, that was all.
"No, I want to," Neville insisted, "Just wanted to tell you, you're late for Transfiguration."
With that, he got up and left.
Wait... Hermione thought to herself, He's not in my class... How does he know my timetable?
Feeling slightly freaked out, Hermione rounded off her Potions essay and stuffed it into her back along with her ink and broken quill before rushing to Transfiguration.
"Late, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagal tutt as Hermione rushed through the door.
"Sorry, Professor. I was doing my potions essay," Hermione apologized, heading to the back of the room to sit with Harry and Ron.
Yes, she was still angry at Ron but she always sat there.
"No, you won't be sitting with Mr Weasley and Mr Potter today, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagal said, causing Hermione to spin around in shock.
"Pardon, Professor?"
"Yes, you heard me correctly, Miss Granger," McGonagal frowned, "You'll be sitting with Mr Longbottom."
"...But... Neville's not in our class," Hermione said slowly.
"He decided to change his career choice last night and so moved classes," McGonagal replied, "Not that I should be telling the class this anyway! Now sit down, Miss Granger. You'll be helping Neville to catch up on the work he's missed this term so far."
"But-"
"No but's, Miss Granger! Sit!"
Reluctantly, Hermione sat.
"Hi, Hermione," Neville whispered.
"Why did you move classes?" Hermione demanded, turning her head to look at him.
"To be with you," Neville smiled.
"Well, you shouldn't have!" Hermione snapped.
Neville frowned in confusion as Hermione got out her ink and a new quill and started copying down the notes that Professor McGonagal had wrote on the board into her notebook.
When the class was finished, Hermione agreed to meet Neville in the library that night after dinner to get him caught up on the work he'd missed.
Saying a hurried goodbye, she ran to catch up with Ron and Harry who were heading towards Defence class.
"Hermione, look, I'm sorry. I -" Ron started to mutter when he caught sight of her.
"Leave it, Ron. You don't have to apologize," Hermione brushed him off.
Yes, he'd annoyed her but after Neville changed classes to be with her after she kissed him...
Well, she couldn't be angry at Ron any more, she couldn't be angry at anyone.
They entered Defence Against The Dark Arts in their usual friendly mood, only to glare at Snape as they walked into the classroom.
He had been changed to Defence Professor at the start of the year and was only covering their potions class the day before, for which they were very grateful.
For a start, Harry and Ron wouldn't have even got into his N.E.W.T potion class and, to be honest, no one could stick another year of Snape leering over their potions, pointing out every little thing that was wrong with it.
Hermione intentionally sat in between Ron and Harry.
Neville had Defence with them and if his changing classes to be with her was anything to go by...
"Sit, Longbottom," Snape snarled as Neville hovered beside Ron's desk.
"Ron's in my seat, sir," Neville said hesitantly.
"Weasley, move," Snape ordered.
Grumbling, Ron got up and, glaring at Neville, moved seats.
Neville sat down in his seat and smiled weakly at Hermione.
"What you're stalking me now? You know that's Ron's seat," Hermione hissed at him.
Neville opened his mouth to answer -
"No talking," Snape demanded from behind his desk.
Neville closed his mouth again and looked up to the front of the class room as Snape rose from his seat.
"Today, we will duel," Snape announced, looking down his nose at the students sitting in front of him, "Each of you will be matched with a student from the opposite house. I will choose someone of equal ability and you will duel immediately."
Hermione gulped nervously.
She was going to be matched with one of the Slytherins.
Please don't be Draco... Please don't be Draco, Hermione begged internally, crossing his fingers for luck.
"First, Mr Longbottom and Mr Goyle," Snape sneered.
Neville stood up and Snape looked around the class in confusion when Goyle didn't rise from his seat.
"Draco! Why is Mr Goyle not in my class?" Snape demanded.
"He was attacked last night sir," Draco drawled, "He and Crabbe were petrified."
Oh, you sneaky little ferret, Hermione snarled internally, You managed to get someone to un-stupefy you before petrifying your cronies! How clever.
"Fine. Draco, you will duel Miss Granger," Snape decided, "Front of the class. Now."
Draco stood with a smirk and strolled to the front of the class, confident as ever.
Hermione slowly stood up and walked up to the front before getting her wand out of her robe pocket.
"Wands at the ready," Snape ordered.
Draco drew his wand with a smirk.
"Now to finish what I started, Mudblood," Malfoy smirked, "Longbottom can't help you now."
Hermione glared at him and bowed stiffly.
He titled his head rather than bowing and got into a duelling position.
Hermione did the same.
"Begin," Snape sneered.
Draco got in immediately with a silent spell that looked suspiciously like a Crucio...
Although it could have been a stupefy...
Hermione dodged to the side before getting ready to cast a curse at him.
She cast a bat bogey hex which had a surprisingly good effect.
She grinned wickedly but the smile disappeared as Draco brushed the spell off with a spell of his own.
"Confringo!" Draco snarled.
The spell caught the edge of Hermione's robes, causing them to catch on fire.
"Aguamenti," Hermione hissed, pointing her wand at her robes to put out the fire.
She succeeded but Draco had already cast a second spell.
"Difindo!" Draco roared.
Hermione's hip split open in exactly the same place as the previous night, making her cry out in pain.
"Bringing back memories, Mudblood?" Draco hissed under his breath.
Hermione took that chance to throw up a shield to protect herself.
"STUPEFY!" Hermione screamed.
Draco dodged to the side and cast another spell, " Excelsiosempra!"
The spell bounced off Hermione's shield, sending it straight back at him.
He ducked just in time but Hermione was on the ball.
"Expelliarmus!" She cried.
His wand flew out of his hand and into Hermione's.
Slowly, he rose and glared at her.
"3 points to Gryffindor," Snape said reluctantly, "Miss Granger wins."
Hermione smugly handed Draco's wand back to him and headed back to her seat.
Draco stayed at the front of the classroom, glaring at Hermione's back as she walked away while sliding his wand through his fingers.
"Next, Potter and... Mr -" Snape started to say.
"DIFINDO!" Draco roared from the front of the class, pointing his wand at Hermione's back.
She screamed as the skin on her back split, leaving a huge jagged, bleeding wound.
She fell forward with the pain and hit her head on the cold, stone floor.
Lights danced in front of her eyes as her head throbbed painfully.
The last thing she heard before she let the darkness claim her was Harry yelling, "I'M GOING TO FRIGGIN' KILL YOU, MALFOY!" while someone called her name repeatedly.