From the Point of View of a Mudblood

Chapter 16: Love and Hate

"He's hurt! You have to take him to the hospital!"
She screamed at Hagrid. Draco was scratched by Buckbeak. Sure, Draco was being a little bitch baby and a prat, but hat doesn't mean she didn't still have feelings for him. And yes, half of those feelings were angry feelings because of the last thing he said to her.
'You know what? I don't believe you. I just don't. But why should I? You're just a stupid little mudblood. And we're done.'
She held back tears as she recalled the encounter. She was angry that he had called her that dreadful name. She had cried for days over him. Then she was pissed for days. And she was glad to have Harry to talk to. Harry had kept her secret all summer. If Ron had found out, he would have been so angry at her. But that doesn't keep them from fighting all summer. Ron thought that her cat had been attacking his rodent all summer.
Hagrid carries Draco off and dismisses the class. Buckbeak nudges at Harry's arm, asking for a ferret to snack on. As the boys walk with Hermione back to the castle, she speaks up.
"Harry? Would you tell Ronald that I apologize for grabbing his hand? Because I obviously didn't mean to since he is such a prat and a git and so very daft!"
"Harry? Would you tell Hermione that I don't care that she held my hand because I have some disinfectant in my room that I am going to bathe my arm in?"
"Harry? Tell Ronald that I hope he drinks that disinfectant after he apologizes to me and Crookshanks! And that I hope he doesn't find Scabbers!"
"Shut up! Both of you! Ron! Hermione's cat didn't eat your pathetic excuse for a rat! And Ron isn't going to apologize to you, Hermione, because he has nothing to apologize for! His rat went missing! If it doesn't turn up, then you owe him an apology. But if it does, he owes you one! Now stop treating me like an owl!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk back in silence. After returning to the castle, Hermione decides to head up to her dorm. She would go visit Draco soon once she knew that he was asleep. She would also ask to borrow Harry's cloak just to ensure that he didn't see her. It's not that she wants to stalk him, but she knew that he visited her last year. Even if they weren't really together. She still hates him for what he said. She's been fighting herself for months.
"You hate him, Hermione! He called you that dreadful word! But he is rather cute. Maybe he still likes you"
It's destroying her. The torment. The tears. The trauma of having to pick love or hate.
So she chooses hate. Because she has learned that love hurts her more that hate does. When she loves, she hopes. When she hopes, she gets hurt when her hopes are destroyed. So she turns around and heads back to the Gryffindor tower. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders. For the first time in months, she felt at peace. She wasn't worrying about Draco or stressing about her grades. She was... blissful.