The Houses Competition: Year 11, Round 2

House: Slytherin

Class: History of Magic

Category: Drabble

Prompt chosen: (Dialogue) "You cannot do that!"

Word Count: 527

Warnings: None

Notes: We're a little bit using Cursed Child canon of Hermione becoming Minister for Magic, so ye. Also this plot is inspired by a conversation i had at a summer camp as a teenager. Credit to my wonderful roommate from that.

"You cannot do that!"

Hermione rolled her eyes as her mum fussed over the mud and grass stains that she'd gotten on her dress and the tear in her tights.

"What if you'd hurt yourself falling from the tree? You're supposed to act more ladylike than that."

"Yes, Mum," she said. But what she was really thinking was why could the boys climb trees and mess up their clothes, but she couldn't? It was like her mum didn't even realize how unfair that was.

"Good girl, Hermione. Now go play with your cousins."

Hermione nodded and watched as her mum went back to the party.

"Hey 'Mione," Jake said. He was the same age as her but seemed to think he was better at everything than she was just because he was a boy. "I bet you can't beat me to the hedge."

She would show him. She put her hands on her hips and turned to face him. "Oh, yeah? Watch me."

ooOoo

"Oh Hermione, love, that book's a bit above your reading level," Miss Johnson said. "If you'd like a good fantasy book, you should try The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It'll be much easier for you to understand."

Hermione held back a frustrated huff. She had already read the first chapter, and she had understood it perfectly fine. "But I want to read The Hobbit," she insisted.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you can read it," Miss Johnson said.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione muttered under her breath. "Watch me."

Miss Johnson glanced up at Hermione's mum, who nodded. "Go on," Mum said. "If it's too advanced, we'll bring it back."

Miss Johnson checked out the book and handed it to Hermione, who took it and walked out of the library with her head held high.

ooOoo

"You're taking every elective?" Lavender Brown said, looking over Hermione's shoulder. "But you can't do that! There's no time."

Hermione shrugged and continued noting her time turner uses on her schedule. "Professor McGonagall spoke with me, and we worked out a plan to make my schedule fit," she said.

Lavender stared at her in disbelief. "There's no way. Look, you have classes that completely overlap," she said, pointing out several places where Hermione's schedule did indeed mean she had to be in two places at once.

"As I said," Hermione said, brushing Lavender's hand aside. "We worked it out."

"Well," Lavender said, "even if that is true, I don't think you can do it. Even you can't study that much!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

ooOoo

Hermione leaned against the door of her office in the Ministry of Magic. She was so sick of stuck-up, blood purist ministry officials—of everyone—telling her what she could or couldn't do. People have told her her whole life that she can't do things. Couldn't climb trees, couldn't read advanced books, couldn't take the classes she wanted to; the list could go on. She had proved them wrong at every turn. This time would be no different.

They might say a Muggleborn could never become Minister for Magic, but she had just one thing to say to that.

Oh yeah? Watch me.