Darkness Falls

Twelve

1992 - Second Year

Ron sat in Hagrid's hut with his head in a bucket, occasionally heaving as slugs left his body. Harry tried to comfort him by rubbing his back, but it seemed nothing was helping the situation as every few minutes Ron would turn purple and another slug would appear.

"Nothin' to do but wait until it stops I'm afraid," Hagrid said over the sounds of Ron's retching, "Better out than in. Who was Ron tryna curse anyways?" He asked.

"Malfoy. He called Hermione... Well... I don't know exactly what it means. I've heard Zabini and Nott use the word before but I've never understood what it meant," Harry answered.

Hermione removed herself from beside Ron and walked toward the window as she felt the tears prick in her eyes, "He called me a mudblood," she told Hagrid as she stood with her back towards the rest of the room.

"He did not!" Hagrid gasped.

"Whats a mudblood?" Harry asked as he realized their reactions meant the word must be highly offensive.

"It means dirty blood," Hermione answered as she spun around to look at Harry, tears rolling off her cheeks, "A mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is muggle-born, someone with non-magical parents, someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation," she finished.

Harry felt his cheeks burn slightly with rage, he couldn't comprehend someone being judged for something they had no control over, nevermind one of his best friends.

"You see Harry, there's some wizards, like the Malfoys who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pureblood."

"That's horrible!" Harry scowled as Hagrid explained.

"It's disgusting," Ron said after he threw up another slug.

"And its a load of codswallop! Dirty blood, there isn't a witch or wizard alive today that isn't half-blood or less, more to the point! They're yet to think of a spell that our 'ermione cant do," Hagrid said as he turned from Harry to Hermione, "Come here," he said, lowing his voice as he held out his hand for her to hold.

"Don't you think on it 'ermione, don't you think on it for one minute! Ey?' he said as he smiled at her, patting her hand and making her shake slightly.

Hermione could feel herself smiling at the warmth that Hagrid's fatherly touch gave her, she wiped her tears from her eyes and went back to sit next to Ron who had nearly stopped throwing up slugs.

"I have to go do something, I'll meet you both at the common room," Harry announced as he stood up and left Hagrid's hut.

He made his way up the hill towards the castle, determined to seek out Draco. After hearing the meaning of the word he had just witnessed Draco call on of his best friends and seeing the aftermath of what the effect that word had on her, he wanted to find him. He wasn't quite sure what he had planned to do once he did, he just knew he had to do something.

As he reached the castle he made his way through the courtyard and to the hall, it was supper time which meant most of the school should be gathered there. He walked through the doors of the hall, examining the Slytherin table until his eyes landed on the familiar blonde-haired boy who sat laughing with his friends. Before he could think about what he was doing, Harry had marched over to the table, the group of Slytherins that surrounded Draco turned the gaze to Harry, curiosity plastered across their faces.

"Where's your girlfriend Potter?" Blaise asked with a knowing look on his face.

"Yeah, and where's Granger?" Theo asked, causing the Slytherins to erupt in laughter, Harry's ears burned as the Slytherins continued to mock Ron.