Polyjuice: A Dramione Fanfiction

a decision

Hermione found herself caring way too much about Malfoy's grades, which was turning into a problem. She couldn't let him claim number one spot as the most academically successful student, but pushing him to be better was her job as a tutor. Even if she hated every minute of it.

It was a lose-lose situation for her. Either she didn't help him as much as she could, therefore not fulfilling her duties as a tutor, or she did help him and he took her spot as best student.

Why did he have to ruin everything? Well, if she were frank with herself, Ginny Weasley was the one to blame. But she liked Ginny. She hated Malfoy. It was much easier to conclude it was all his fault.

"What'd you get on the History of Magic test?" he'd asked her a few days ago, actually stopping her in the hall.

She'd looked at him, flustered. "Exceeds Expectations. I mixed up Godric the Awful with Godric the -"

"I got an Outstanding," he'd said smugly, brushing past her to rejoin his Slytherin friends. For some reason, the touch had left her shoulder tingling. Looking lazily over his shoulder, he called back to the girl, "See you tonight."

Fuming, Hermione walked back over to her friends. "I hate him," she announced.

"Well, you never said you liked him," Ron said, kissing her in what she was sure was meant to be a reassuring action. "Come on, we're late for Transfiguration."

{ }

Why am I here? Hermione thought as she plastered a smile on her face and followed an eager Ron deeper into Zonko's. This was her second trip to Hogsmeade in the whole year, and she'd really wanted to go to Tomes and Scrolls, a bookshop she adored frequenting.

"Hermione?" Ron hovered in front of her, his face full of concern.

"Hmm?" the girl responded distractedly, her mind still down the street at the place she'd rather be in.

"I was just asking if you wanted to get anything. They've got really good Quik Exam Answer quills here, better than Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, if I'm allowed to say that -"

Hermione looked at Ron in horror. "Why would I want a Spell-Check quill, Ron?"

He seemed to realize who he was talking to. "Oh, I mean - of course you wouldn't need one, I was just generalizing..."

He didn't know her. Even after seven years of friendship he didn't know her.

"I need to leave," Hermione said, turning away as tears started to fall down her face.

"Hermione - No! Hermione, wait..."

{ }

Hermione dashed through the aisles of Tomes and Scrolls, trying to control herself. What was going on with her? She'd wanted to be with Ron ever since her fifth year at Hogwarts. No, fourth. Maybe third?

It didn't matter now. She didn't think of him the way she used to. His flaws seemed much more apparent to her, and frankly, she found him slightly off-putting. Romantically, that is. She'd always like him as a friend.

Realizing with horror what she had to do, Hermione Jean Granger dried her tears and set her shoulders with a newfound sense of determination.

She was going to break up with him. For the sake of her sanity and his.

{ }

"I just - I just feel like I can't, really, imagine anything with him."