Hermione's Mistake

Hermione reassured Lavender and Parvati that she had simply slept badly because she was nervous about the exam. They took some convincing, but eventually they left her to have a quick shower and pull on her robes hurriedly. She had hoped the shower would help her to feel better, but despite having the hot water as high as it would go, she was still left feeling cold and shaky, not to mention her head, which was still aching terribly. Realising she was running late for breakfast she ran out of the room, before returning to grab 'Dastardly Drafts and Potent Potions'. Hopefully she would be able to read it at breakfast, and remember something about Potions before the exam. She raced out the room and down the stairs to the Great Hall, only the anti-tripping charms preventing her from missing her step and falling down the last five flights.

Everyone looked at her curiously as she entered the Great Hall. Hermione was famous for her punctuality (apart from a few strange incidents in third year, but everyone seemed to have forgotten them). Not quite as famous as for being a know-all, but famous nonetheless. She bowed her head and walked quickly to the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Seamus made room for her.

"You all right, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"For the last time, I'm fine!" Hermione said sharply. "I'm just nervous about the exam." She sighed; she didn't want to be mean to Harry, but Ron hadn't even bothered to say 'good morning' to her. As she sat down hurriedly, she missed Ron shooting her a concerned glance. He looked as though he was about to say something to her, but instead he blushed and turned his attention back to his porridge. Instead it was Seamus who spoke to her.

"You think you're nervous," he said, "you obviously haven't seen Neville." Hermione glanced past him to where Neville was sitting. He was about the same colour as Trevor the toad. In fact, with a look at Trevor, who was sitting on the table, Hermione decided the toad actually looked better than Neville. Still, looking at Neville wouldn't help her learn anything about Potions. She pulled the textbook out from her robes and set it down on her lap, hoping that no one would see. They'd probably tell her she studied too hard and take the book away.

"Aren't you going to have any breakfast, Hermione?" Seamus asked.

"Oh, I'll just have some toast." With that, two slices of toast materialised on the plate in front of her. The topping varied from day to day. On special occasions Dumbledore would let them have Naxyberry jam, which had happiness-inducing properties. On one occasion when Professor Snape had been it an especially foul mood he had gone down to the kitchen and ordered the house elves to change the topping. The next morning the students had found their toast covered in an especially distasteful version of anchovy-and-flobberworm paste. Hermione wondered if maybe he'd decided to give them a surprise just before their exam when her toast appeared covered in some sort of brown goo. She raised one piece and sniffed it, before biting a corner gingerly. Feeling sick as she was, it was also she could do to not spit it out. "What is this?" she asked. Harry laughed.

"You're not the only one," he said, gesturing at numerous students around the hall gagging on their breakfast. "See her?" he said. Hermione looked where he was pointing at an unfamiliar student sitting at the Ravenclaw table. She seemed to be the only person in the room enjoying the toast. "She's the new exchange student, just arrived here from Australia. Dumbledore decided to make her feel at home by putting Vegemite on the toast." Hermione smiled wanly.

"I don't know if that was a good idea," she commented, "everyone will probably be wanting her to leave now. Anyway, I'm going back upstairs, I might try to do some last-minute revision."

"But you haven't had any breakfast!"

"You sound just like my mother," she snapped, and hurried out the room. Ron made to go after her, but Harry pulled him down.

"Why's she being so mean to me, Ron? Anyway, I liked her mum." Ron shrugged.

"You know what Hermione's like around exams. She'll be right this afternoon." Ron looked around to see if he could go after her again, but his way was blocked. His worst enemy, Draco Malfoy, stood there shadowed by his friends Crabbe and Goyle.

"What's wrong with your girlfriend, Potter?" drawled Malfoy. Harry opened his mouth in surprise, but Ron beat him to it.

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

"Oooh, a bit touchy are we, Weasel? I suppose it's jealousy. After all, everyone knows you're never going to get a girlfriend. Who'd want someone with a family as poor and disgraceful as yours? Not to mention those freckles. Ugh." Ron swung his arm back, ready to punch Malfoy so hard he'd be seeing stars for a month, but Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"Get lost, Malfoy," Harry said calmly, "don't you have something better to do? Some more embroidery to do?" The Gyrffindor table sniggered at the reminder of the time he had been caught embroidering a handkerchief for his mother. Draco blanched, and then turned on his heel and walked away, Crabbe and Goyle trailing after. "Oh, and Hermione's not my girlfriend," Harry called after him.

"Why on earth did you say that?" Seamus asked him.

"But she's not my girlfriend," Harry said.

"Yeah, but saying that's hardly going to help. It'll be all over Witch Weekly: 'Harry Potter denies relationship.' Then people will be on the look out to prove you wrong, show that you and Hermione really are an item. Even though you're not."

"Well, what am I meant to say. If I deny it, they won't believe me, but if I lie and say we are going out, they will believe me!"

"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy," muttered Dean.

"What?" said Seamus.

"Nothing - Muggle joke."

"I don't know it," said Harry.

"Well, yeah, but you had a deprived childhood."

"There was nothing wrong with my childhood!" retorted Harry heatedly.

"Mate, you spent it with the Dursleys," pointed out Ron.

"Oh, yeah," said Harry quietly. Everyone got up to leave. Ron sighed, only ten minutes until the Potions exam, not long enough to go and check if Hermione was alright. He followed the others out of the Great Hall, and down to the dungeon.

~ooo~