Chapter 26

The next day was relatively quiet. Hermione, Harry and Ron attended their Charms class and Hermione caught up on homework and spent time reading. She pestered Ron to finish his as well if he wanted to go with her to watch Harry during Quidditch practice.

Hermione had made a point of not missing one since Oliver had invited her, and she learned a lot about the sport. Ron would often try to tell her something about it, and she would just roll her eyes and go back to either watching what was going on, or back to a book she'd taken with her.

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron asked incredulously the next morning. Hermione sighed. Ron, it turned out, hadn't really cared to watch practice, he just wanted a go on Harry's broom — which he couldn't do until after practice was over.

"Haven't even started yet," Harry said, and Hermione noticed the jealous look he gave the toast and marmalade she and Ron had brought with them from the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us some new moves."

"Well, I'm going to go get a seat," Hermione said and waved as Harry kicked off from the ground, leaving them behind, and she headed off ahead of Ron toward the stands.

Just as she heard the clicking of a camera, she looked up, slowing her steps and grimaced to see Colin Creevey, the blond boy from the train who was in his first year with Ginny Weasley.

"Look this way, Harry! This way!" Collin called shrilly.

Hermione shuddered and glanced up to see one of the twins talking to Harry, but they were too far away for her to hear properly. Watching them, she saw Oliver head over and converse with them for a few moments, then saw the twin — it was really hard to tell who was who when they were on the brooms so far away from her — point to the opposite stands and followed his finger with her gaze to see several Slytherin students coming onto the field with broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Oliver fumed, his voice coming to Hermione's ears. "I booked the field today!"

Hermione winced as she saw him dive and hit the ground rather hard, causing him to stagger slightly as he dismounted, knowing from the way he had touched down that he'd been angry and not thinking clearly. She hoped he didn't hurt himself too badly and that the stagger was just a shock from the hard landing.

She had been debating on getting involved or not, but as loud as Oliver was, she decided that it didn't matter if she was or not. Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed Ron's curious look as Harry and his brothers also descended, until he saw what they were all looking at. "Uh oh," he muttered as she moved to follow them. "I smell trouble."

Together, they headed over to the team that was now all there in a standoff with the Slytherin team. As they got there, she saw Oliver holding a piece of parchment that Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain had given him, and he read aloud:

"I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practise today owing to the need to train their new Seeker." He paused and looked up at Flint. "You've got a new Seeker? Who?"

The Gryffindors watched as the Slytherin team parted.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked incredulously.

"That's right," Malfoy replied snarkily. "And that's not all that's new this year."

He brought their attention to his broom by shifting it in his hand, and they noticed all the players had the same model.

"Those are Nimbus 2001s," Ron said, his voice wavering in a mixture of awe, envy and fear. "How did you get those?"

"A gift," Flint replied. "From Draco's father."

"You see, Weasley," Draco said, smirking at him. "Unlike some, my father can afford the best."

Hermione glared at him for the jab at Ron's family that she'd met over the summer and had grown fond of. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had tobuytheir way in," she replied snarkily. "They got it on pure talent."

Her gaze remained level with Draco's unwavering as he turned, stepping up to her. She didn't know if she'd suddenly gone deaf, her ears closing out all sound around her save her own heartbeat as he glared at her menacingly, uncertain of what he might do, or if everyone around her was just holding their breath waiting to see what he was going to do also. It seemed to her that the moment lasted an eternity, but it couldn't have, nor could she have gone deaf if she could hear her heartbeat.

And then, time sped up again when he spoke, his voice dripping with disgust. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy littleMudblood."

Hermione paled, and everyone seemed stunned. She spun her head around breaking her gaze from Malfoy when Ron spoke beside her. "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" She watched, his wand suddenly appearing in his hand, and he shouted, "Eat slugs!"

Yet in that moment, everything went wrong. Ron was propelled backward by the force of the spell backfiring and landed with a groan. She hurried over to him as the Slytherin team burst out laughing, but ignored them. "Ron!" she called, reaching him at the same time as Harry. "Are you okay?"

Ron opened his mouth to speak but belched instead, and several large, slimy brown slugs fell from his mouth.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's," Harry said. "It's nearest."

While not enjoying the idea, particularly as no one seemed to want to touch the slugs, Hermione nodded bravely and together, she and Harry hoisted Ron up between them and headed off to Hagrid's hut.

They'd barely moved though when Colin came bounding up to them asking questions and wanting to snap photos. Hermione wanted to hex the little twit, even if he was in her own house. I was never that bad, was I? Hermione wondered as Harry yelled at the boy to move, and she hurried to keep pace with him, trying not to drop Ron, who was doubled over between them.

Once they reached Hagrid's, the man said there was nothing to do but wait till Ron's vomiting stopped, and gave them a large bucket. Then the inquiry began, what had happened and who was Ron trying to curse. Harry and Hermione both took turns telling the story, and Hagrid was shocked that Malfoy had dared utter such words. He consoled Hermione by telling her that in truth, there weren't many who weren't half blood or less, and he beamed with pride saying that there wasn't a spell that they'd come up with that she couldn't do.

Hermione guessed that he'd heard the full story of what happened with the trip down the trapdoor last year from Professor Dumbledore, and subsequent refusal of being placed in an upper class, instead choosing to stay with Ron and Harry.

She had to admit, if only to herself, that telling someone how Malfoy made her feel, even if it was only Hagrid, felt good; though she knew allowing herself to finally have a good cry would too. She'd bitten back her tears in front of everyone at Malfoy's hurtful words. She knew that he'd only torment her ruthlessly if he'd seen her in tears. Now, in the presence of her friends, she allowed the hurt she felt to flow and the tears to trickle down her cheeks.

That night, while Ron, who was still belching up the occasional slug, though it had slowed dramatically, and Harry had gone to their detentions, Hermione, still rather upset about 'the incident' as she'd begun to refer to it, and tired of the pitying looks she got, headed up to her dorm to work on her homework. It wasn't long after she got there that a note in the form of a dove fluttered onto her nightstand.

She looked at it for a moment, as it fluttered its wings and shook its head rather insistently when she didn't open it right away. Sighing, she held out her hand, allowing it to hop onto it before tapping it with her wand.

5 September 1992
Hermione,
I hope you aren't upset with me. I — well, the whole team, actually — we're really sorry that Ron was the only one to defend you today. We were all in such shock that little snake — Malfoy — would even dare say such a thing. It's not something one generally hears.

I hope that you're alright, and that if you are mad at me for that, that your anger recedes quickly. If you want, I could go and curse him for you, though I think because of today, the twins are going to be on the look out to torture — I mean prank him especially. I think I even know what to get you for your birthday this year if that helps.
I do want to say though, I am proud of you... the way you told him that no one on our team had to buy their way in, that we got our places on talent, that was the best. I think that hit him pretty close to the mark too, because while I don't know for certain, I don't think he would have retaliated at you with such a remark otherwise. You handled yourself well.
I wouldn't think more of what that little git said; he acts tough, but he's just a silly little boy.
Oliver

Hermione sighed, and clutched the letter in her hand, fighting back tears once more, her thoughts dwelling on the hateful words the prat had said that afternoon. Oliver was right, she knew that, but it still hurt, even if she didn't care what Malfoy thought of her. To hear such words spoken aloud was different than if he'd just thought it to himself.

Brushing away her unshed tears, she took a deep, calming breath and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment.

5September 1992
Oliver,
No, I'm not mad at you — any of you — for what happened today. It was a shock. To be honest, I am still reeling. Thank you for asking about cursing him, no, I don't want you to get into trouble — the twins, well, they do what they're going to do anyway, but no, I don't need you to curse him. I think it would just be better to ignore him as best I can.
I'm sorry you guys didn't get to practise today though... I mean, I don't know what happened after Harry and I took Ron to Hagrid's. I know that Colin got in the way and Harry got mad at him for it, I was kind of mad at him too, him Ididwant to hex to be honest. Was I ever that annoying? I don't know... If I was, or if I ever am... will you tell me?
Talking with Hagrid about everything helped, and I'm doing better. I just need some time I think and I didn't hang around the common room after Harry and Ron left for their detentions — from using the flying car — because I knew everyone was sad and pitying me — wanting to talk to me and ask me if I was okay, but not really wanting to make things worse. I could see it in their expressions... so I had to leave. I actually came up here to do some homework, but now I think I'll just go to bed. I'm tired... Today was just emotionally draining.

Good night.
Hermione

Hermione tapped the parchment with her wand and it folded itself into a phoenix — without the burning — and took off when she directed it. Sighing, she carelessly shoved her books from the foot of her bed into her trunk before she pulled on her pyjamas and crawled into bed. Regardless of how she tried to put it out of her mind though, Malfoy's hateful words echoed in her mind, and she cried, her chest aching from her sobs until her breathing became shallow as sleep claimed her.