Don't Act Like You Know Me

Year 2 - After You Ruined My Life

It was Draco. Hermione tried to search for words.

"I don't have time for this, Draco."

"No, Hermione!"

"What, Draco?!"

"You have to talk to me!"

"I don't have to do anything! And if you want me to talk to you, you shouldn't've called me that foul and awful name, twice, and if you want me to ever talk to you again, you should probably start with an apology rather than yelling at me!"

"Hermione, I-"

"Goodbye, Draco!" Hermione opened the door to the broom closet and started to walk out. 

"Hermione, wait! Why are you being like this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed after you ruined my life," she spat. "Let me know when you think of a better way to apologize and I'll possibly take it into consideration." Hermione shut Draco inside the broom closet.

She felt kind of empowered. He deserved to be yelled at like that after what he said about her, twice! And after all that, there wasn't even an apology uttered out of that Slytherin's mouth. 

Suddenly, Hermione's gut sank. If Draco really was the Heir of Slytherin, she would surely be next after that encounter. A shiver ran down her spine. She quickly made her way to the bathroom where the potion was brewing, tears beginning to form in her eyes. 

"Hello, Hermione," Mytrle whined as she opened the bathroom door.

"Hello, Myrtle," Hermione said, wiping her own tears.

"Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?" Myrtle floated out of her stall towards Hermione as she sat down and cracked the potion book back open.

"Nothing."

"Well, that's hogwash. You can tell me. No one ever talks to me anymore."

"I don't know." Hermione read her book. "'Part one, step two. One, add four leeches to the cauldron.'" Hermione took out a jar full of water which contained the leeches she collected from the Black Lake. She poured them in. 

"Is it a boy?" Myrtle coerced.

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged. She added more ingredients to the cauldron.

"You know, Hermione, one should never give up on love no matter how hard things get."

"It's not love, Myrtle. Besides, I'm only twelve years old."

"What did he do to make you so angry?"

"He said something... to me."

"What did he call you?"

"He called me a... a Mudblood." Myrtle's jaw dropped. "And he didn't apologize either, but he still wants me to forgive him."

"Oh, Merlin."

"Yeah." Hermione waved her wand over the potion as the book said to.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. People used to call me awful names like that when I was a student here."

"Thanks Myrtle," Hermione said. 

Hermione walked out of the bathroom to head back to the common room. She didn't see Draco in the hallways and she didn't want to. But alas, he didn't leave her thoughts for the entire night. She sat down next to Harry and Ron in the library the next morning. Draco wasn't to be seen.

Everyone in the library stared at Harry. The silence was unbearable. Hermione was reading more about the Polyjuice Potion. Ron was pretending to study while actually reading a Quidditch magazine. Ron and Hermione flashed Harry unnerving smiles. Harry felt uncomfortable and pushed up from the table. As he walked out, every student stared at him. Ron and Hermione watched him until he was gone. "Do you think things will ever go back to normal for him?" Ron whispered.