Brilliance

Cho stormed up to her tower room, cursing. "THREE points higher! THREE! That's like, ten minutes of studying! Why didn't I study last year? Why?!?"

Again, Hermione had beaten her record for the year. "Stupid, ugly mudblood!" She muttered viciously, conveniently forgetting that her best friend was muggle-born and that she had nothing against non-magical people at all. Being caught up in the heat of the moment did have its benefits.

Every year it was the same. Every year, Cho would predictably set a new school record, and the next year, that Granger would predictably top it. Never by a lot, but just enough. Just enough that Cho's name got taken off the shiny trophy. Just enough that, on the hanging wall plaque that should have had mostly Cho's name, maybe with a touch of James Potter, an Albus Dumbledore or two, and the odd Minerva McGonagall in Transfiguration, it currently read "Hermione Granger" in every subject (even Divination! She wasn't even taking the stupid subject, was she?!?), from first through fifth year. Cho's name all but swept the sixth year; however, she knew that it would be gone soon enough. Then, Cho would swear forwards and backwards to study next year (which never happened).

It wasn't that Hermione was smarter than Cho- far from it. She was an absolute moron by Ravenclaw standards. It was just that the little pest was always studying! Didn't she have a life? Everyone was always going on and on about how Granger would have made a wonderful Ravenclaw. Ha. She wouldn't have survived a week. They would have burned her textbooks and made her read something interesting. Boot had a Tolkien fix at the moment; he'd probably enjoy shoving them down her throat.

People didn't study in Ravenclaw. It just wasn't done. It was the main reason no one outside of their House ever really understood Ravenclaws. They were all too smart for their own good; every last bloody one of them. Ravenclaws were naturally brilliant, while Granger just studied too much. Cho hadn't picked up a textbook outside of a classroom in about... was it six years? And none of the other Houses noticed. They saw Ravenclaws as the smart ones, and assumed that they studied their brains off. The Ravenclaws had just never bothered to correct the misconception.

They walked around with their noses in science fiction books, or arguing about the meaning of magic. Could they help if everyone assumed they were reading up on the latest charms, or reading ahead in Potions? It helped them get away when the masses were getting too stupid- "Sorry, I've got homework to do." Yeah, right. Everyone did their homework in class, if they did it at all.

Ravenclaw was a very tightly knitted House. There were biweekly debates, usually taking place on the metaphysical couch, as some 'Claw of old had dubbed it during a rather impassioned speech. Just because they didn't study school didn't mean they weren't up to date with current events! Why, just last week the whole House had roared with laughter when Michael Corner had done his Fudge impression. "No, no, Voldemort isn't back! Whoever told you that is a very bad man and should be sent to his room with no supp- Oh, hello, Professor Dumbledore! I was just telling these lovely people what an excellent teacher you are!"

The 'crazy' hand motions hadn't helped much, really.

But what only the Ravenclaws understood is that Granger wasn't a Ravenclaw because Ravenclaws don't try.