From the Point of View of a Mudblood

Chapter 11: Unwanted Attention

She sat down at the Gryffindor table and waited for Harry and Ron.
She had written to them a lot over the summer and was waiting for them to walk into the Great hall. Then she started to expect McGonagall to walk in and tell her that they're dead. The rims of her eyes begin to burn with the salty tears that fill them. She feels something catch in her throat. A sensation of pain climbs up her chest and into her mouth. She has to work extra hard as to not vomit in the Great Hall. Then she hears a voice that sends all of her pain out of the door.
"Granger? You look a little green. Did your friends not show? Well they lost out on a very brilliant girl."
He walks away. His baby blond hair flows in smooth and shiny locks as he walks. His sweater clings to his waist and chest in a way that makes her feel light on her feet. His fair skin is so smooth and soft that she thinks of fresh snow when she traces his arm with her eyes. Her mouth dries and her legs shake. She feels as if she were floating and could never hit the ground. A smile tugs at her lips and forms just wide enough to not cross the line between joy and pain in her cheeks. When he sits, he turns to a fellow Slytherin and laughs quietly, but she didn't need to hear it to know what it sounds like. She's heard that laugh many times. He turns to see her staring and smirks. His eyes are as silver as the rims of the banner that hangs above the Slytherin table. She feels her face get hot and turns away, catching one of the Weasley twins staring at her. Her pupils dilate and her hands shake.
She stands and leaves the Hall with the severed and stringy scraps of her dignity and walks to her dormitory. She flops onto her bed and waits to fall into a restless sleep that she knows will come.