After the punch

5. Shut up, Hermione Granger

That know-it-all, bookworm, filthy little mudblood. How does she do it, somehow she always knows how to make someone doubt all their beliefs.

Do you like a certain colour? She probably knows how to make you hate it.

You want to do a certain activity? She probably has some rational reason as to why you shouldn't do it. And when you don't listen, you're proven to be wrong later on, when you're in the hospital wing or dead.

Do you believe purebloods are better than mudbloods? Of course she has to make you doubt if everything you've ever liked, thought, believed or learned is actually right.

Who gave her permission to do such a thing? To have such a brain, such talent. The power to make someone doubt everything.

She never had any influence on him, he absolutely hates her. Why would he let something she said keep him up all night?

She's just a know-it-all, a goody-goody. She only ever does what's rational. It's simply inhuman to always act out of logic. People are bound to have different opinions, different beliefs, different traditions. She shouldn't be able to make everyone only do and think the sensible thing.

If only he had that quality, he could easily rule the world. But no, she's a Gryffindor. She's the good guy. She's smart. She doesn't need to rule the world.

Merlin, he hated her with every fibre of his being.

Had his father ever even given a good reason as to why purebloods are that much better? No he hasn't, not really. He only ever said that muggles are beneath them, because they can do less. They're too weak to perform any magic.

But wouldn't that mean that mudbloods are actually stronger? He was just born with the ability, because of his family. She was born in a weak family, and managed to be stronger than all of them.

Wait what was he thinking? Of course she's not stronger than him. He has generations of strength in his genes, she has none in her genes, she only has that tiny bit of herself. 

"Can you stop mumbling? Some of us are trying to sleep here." A low, grumpy voice came from the four poster next to his.

Draco hadn't realised he was thinking out loud, but quickly apologised to his dorm mate, Blaise Zabini.

Despicable, disgusting, filthy, brainwashing. That's what she is. She's nothing but an ugly, controlling mudblood.

He heard ruffling next to him and soon enough the curtains on his right were opened. "I swear to Merlin. If you don't shut up right now, I'll just knock you out." A grouchy, sleep-deprived Blaise stood next to his bed, a murderous look in his eyes.

"At least I'll get some sleep." Draco said, followed by a deep breath.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Alright, what's got your knickers all up in a knot?" He said, sitting down on Draco's bed.

"Did I ask for a therapy session?" Draco scowled.

"No, but I need to sleep and you're obviously not gonna shut up. So just get it out." Blaise said.

"It's just Granger. I read this book, with racism and shit. All that atrocious crap. She asked my opinion, I told her. And of course she had to make a stupid point about how it's not that different from blood-prejudice. Because you're born with it, you can't change it." He recounted.

"So what? Like you said it's a stupid point. Now go to sleep." Blaise got up again and walked over to his own bed, closing his curtains after him.

Yes, it's stupid. Just stupid. She's stupid. No, she's not stupid, she knows all the answers and gets perfect grades. That doesn't indicate that she's stupid.

He heard a light snore coming from Blaise's bed. Reminding him to go to sleep too.

He laid his head on his pillow and tried to take his mind off of Hermione and his father. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shut off his mind for the entire night.

---

The next morning Hermione had woken up quite early. She went to the Great Hall for breakfast where she sat down next to Ron, who was surprisingly already awake.

"Goodmorning Ronald." She said politely as she sat down.

Ron didn't bother to look up, he kept staring down at his food.

"What's up with you?" Hermione asked him. She had been in a rather positive mood, but seeing one of her best friends this distracted and sullen made her feel somewhat perturbed.

"He didn't even tell us. We're supposed to be his best friends, this seems like something you would share with your best friends right?" Ron suddenly snapped. He looked up into Hermione's eyes.

Hermione gave him a calming look. "I'm sure he would've." She tried, but her calmness only made Ron more upset.

"Really Hermione? He would've? You're sure? Well he didn't. He put his name in that goblet and didn't tell either of us. Anyone else would've been scolded for being the fourth candidate, which shouldn't even be possible. But no, he's Harry Potter, so he's praised and amazing and oh so brave." He spat, turning back to his plate.

Hermione sighed, there was no way she could calm him down now. He clearly felt betrayed and jealous of Harry's fame, so she decided to just eat her breakfast.

"Why are you up this early, anyways?" She tried to change the subject.

"I couldn't close an eye, could I? I tried to find out how he had done it, but of course I'm too stupid." Ron said, making Hermione regret her question.

"Ron don't you think-" She tried to reason, making Ron's head shoot up again.

"If you're not going to agree with me. Please just shut up Hermione." He spat and he shoved almost an entire roll into his mouth. Hermione quickly decided to eat in silence for now.

While eating her cereal, Hermione let her glance glide through the Great Hall, when she suddenly spotted him staring at her. He looked exhausted, he had big dark circles around his hooded eyes. She wasn't sure if they were hooded out of anger or exhaustion.

She didn't exactly know the reason for his death stare, sure she had said something that should've had some kind of effect, but he looked as if she had taken his life and shredded it piece by piece right in front of his eyes. This may have partially been the sleep deprivation, she wasn't sure, but what she did know that she felt extremely uncomfortable. So, she quickly stood up, grabbed a napkin, packed a stack of toast in it and made her way out of the great Hall.

Ron had seemed curious at what she was doing and why, but he was too unsettled with his friend to actually ask her about it.

Hermione was making her way to the Gryffindor common room, when she heard a loud, hoarse voice. "Take it back."