From the Point of View of a Mudblood

Chapter 5: A Nervous Stomach

At breakfast, Draco was asleep on the table.
The boys around him were stacking silverware on his head. She giggled and found Harry and Ron.
"Malfoy is the worst. This morning he walked up to my brother and stepped on his foot. I'm not saying Percy didn't deserve it, but Malfoy could have at least waited until Percy did something to him to hurt him. Don't you guys think?"
Hermione was astonished by Ron's statement. How could Draco do that? Sweet, thoughtful, loving Draco? "Malfoy as in Draco Malfoy? The one asleep on the table?"
"Yeah! Who else? His father works with my dad and they don't get along. His entire family is filled with prats."
"Are you ok, Hermione? You look a little pink. Did you sleep alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine. I just need to go do something."
She ran out of the Great Hall and into a girl's laboratory. She started crying. There was a knock on her stall.
"Go away."
"Hermione, it's Harry. Are you alright? Ron and I were worried when you ran out."
She opened the stall.
"Bloody hell Hermione. What has gotten into you? Do you like Malfoy?"
"No. I'm just homesick. Malfoy is a-" She gulped and felt the guilt crawling up her throat, "a prat."
She turned around and threw up her breakfast.
"Hermione, maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing. You don't look so good."
"I'm fi-"
More vomiting. She's always been awful at lying. Her parents would always know when she was lying.
"You like him, don't you?"
"No. I don't li-"
Vomiting.
"Hermione. We are gonna take you to the Hospital Wing now. Come on. Let's get you to the nurse."
In the hospital wing, she fell asleep very quickly, but was awaken by Nurse Pomfrey.
"Mrs. Granger, you have a visitor."
She woke up to see Draco. She suddenly felt sick.
"Granger. What happened to you? I woke up in the Great Hall and saw you running out. I followed the Weasley boy and Potter out. I waited for them to leave but when they did, you were with them. Are you ok? Your eyes are puffy and your breath is awful. You've been crying and vomiting, haven't you?"
"I'm sorry. They kept saying I liked you and I know you didn't want people to know. I'm a dreadful liar. I'm sor-"
"Hermione? What's Malfoy doing here? Are you ok? Is he hurting you?"
"Shut up Weasley. She's fine. We're ok. I'm not doing anything. Get well soon, Granger."
Draco walked out of the room and Ron sat on the edge of the bed with Harry.
"There's something going on between you two."
"There's nothing going on between us. We met at the station. We're friends."
"Some friend. Honestly, Hermione. You need to sort out your priorities. He's dreadful! Earlier, I heard him telling one of his chums that he snuck a Gryffindor out of her dorm up to the roof. He's a tool!"
Hermione's cheeks got red and she felt like she was going to throw up again.
"Hermione? I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sure he's a good friend to you. You are a great person after all. Ron is just a little insensitive at times, you know?"
She giggled and didn't have to throw up anymore.
"We have to go to class now. We'll pick your work up from our lessons."