Pulse

Apologies

Friday 22nd November

Voldemort sat through first lesson, dreading what he would have to do when they got out.
It was just so tedious! So much social and domestic nonsense... This was why he had never seen the appeal in marriage; women just got upset far too easily.

Harry and him walked back to Gryffindor tower in break to see Hermione storm into the girls dorms as soon as they walked through the portrait hole. Voldemort sighed.

"I would go and talk to her," he said sadly, "but I can't get into the girls dorms! That's a shame."

"Hey, Alicia!" Harry called, addressing the Gryffindor Quidditch team member Alicia Spinnet. "Would you do me a favour?"

"Sure, Harry," Alicia replied, coming over. "What's up?"

"Hermione is upset and Ron wants to talk to her," Harry told her. "Could you try and persuade her to come down? We can't go in the girls bedrooms."

"What has he done now?" Alicia grinned at Voldemort. "But okay, I'll do my best."

She came back a few minutes later, dragging Hermione who had a face like thunder.

"What?" She demanded.

"Ron wants to talk to you," Harry said.

"Oh, does he?" Hermione asked, looking like she couldn't decide whether to cry or shout. "Are you sure you won't dirty your precious pure blood by even looking at a Mudblood like me?" She threw at him.

People around them gasped.

"It that what he said?" Alicia asked, looking horrified.

"Not cool bro, not cool," Lee Jorden said, shaking his head.

Voldemort tried his best to look apologetic. It wasn't easy.

"Look," he said. "I only said that to get Malfoy out of our faces, I didn't mean it."

"Couldn't you have told him to shove it up his jacksie instead?" Seamus Finnigan said loudly, to general laughter. It seemed the whole of the Gryffindor common room was listening in. Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

"Hermione, I really am sorry, I shouldn't have said it, I didn't mean it at all," Voldemort simpered, nearly retching at his words.

Hermione's face softened.

"Alright," she said grudgingly. "But I still think you're a twat."

"He is a twat!" Fred and George shouted together, and the common room cheered and went back to their own business.

Potter nudged Voldemort and whispered,

"Hug her."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at him, but reached out to the girl, who looked at him like he was about to wipe snot on him. He wrapped her arms around her and she stiffened, but them after a moment she relaxed into him and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry," Voldemort whispered, knowing that he simulation was complete.

They pulled apart, Hermione smiling quietly, and Voldemort once more setting himself up for a tedious rest of the day.

It would all be worth it.