Resentment | Dramione

Chapter 5

Hermione sobbed as the picture of Ron and Lavender kissing filled her mind. It already sucked that she didn't even know what she felt for Ron, let alone when she suddenly felt like this when he kissed another girl.

A loud shifting noise against a wall caught her attention, and Hermione stared straight at Malfoy who just came out of the Room of Requirement. He wasn't surprised to see her there at all, let alone see her tear stained cheeks.

No, if anything, it seemed like he purposely left the room. Not that he needed to hide the fact he was using it, since she already knew. Why he was using it, though, was unknown to her.

His eyes were empty, his face ice cold. But there was something missing about him. Something she couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was the way he had been looking so tired all these weeks. Or the way he didn't seem to be his arrogant, snarky self.

Came to laugh at me? Hermione asked, not trusting her voice enough to speak aloud. Malfoy remained silent, looking her over with a slight discomfort. She raised a challenging eyebrow, daring him to say something, but he just looked down at the ground.

The high pitched laughter of Lavender caught both their attention, and soon enough Ron and Lavender appeared in sight. "Oops. I think this room is taken." Lavender said, practically hanging onto Ron's arm for dear life.

"What's with the birds?" Ron asked, smiling half heartedly as he nodded to the birds flying above her. Only then did he seem to notice Malfoy standing there near her. "What is he doing here?" Ron asked as he frowned, seeming to find that more important than what he had just done to her.

"Oppugno." Hermione said softly as she got up, and watched as the birds aggressively made their way to Ron, who hurriedly ran away and shot a back glance at her, looking at her like she had gone mad before running after Lavender.

Hermione let out a choked sob, trying not to break in front of Malfoy, but finding it difficult to hold back her tears. No, I came here to compliment you on your wise use of the bird-conjuring charm. Malfoy answered to her previous question, as well as referring to her former studying of the bird-conjuring charm.

And without one last look at her, he walked away, through the same hall Ron just left through. Allowing her to finally completely break down – and promising herself, that this would be the last time she'd cry over Ron Weasley.

As distracting as the studying might have been to her thoughts, the constant physical reminder of Lavender and Ron didn't really help. Sure, she had a good cry two days ago, but she was still just a human. She couldn't make that emotional switch so fast.

And to make herself feel better, just to get back at Ron, she did something she wouldn't have thought she would do. Hermione had been looking all over the school, and eventually came across him in the hallway where she had asked him to go to the Christmas party from Slughorn with her that night.

Cormac, had gladly accepted and even though Hermione disliked the boy greatly, she was very pleased if it meant it would make Ron jealous. After she had arranged that, she met up with Harry in the library, desperately trying to avoid Ron and Lavender.

Hermione warned Harry that he couldn't just take any girl to the party, because she heard enough girls talking about ways to lure Harry – and none would end up pretty.

When everything was taken care of, she had retreated to the girls' dormitory where she got into a salmon pink dress and did some of her makeup and her hair. If she was going with Cormac, she might as well look at her best to create more jealousy. Or at least, that's what she hoped to achieve.

Taking a deep breath, she met up with Cormac near the library, where they would together walk to the party. And oh my, did Hermione regret asking him. Ron's jealousy wasn't even worth it if it meant having to put up with him all night.