Complicated

Chapter 3: Sorting and Fighting

"HERMIONE! Gosh will you quit thinking about that damn Malfoy twit! She's just as bad as her brother! A Malfoy is well, a Malfoy after all!"

Hermione shook her head several times and stared at the red haired boy glaring at her from across the Gryffindor table. Hermione knew that glare all to well. She knew when Ron was angry and now was one of those times.

Hermione shrugged, "How do you know I'm thinking about Jewel, Ron? You can't read my mind, I hope. There are many things I don't want you to know about me."

Ron continued to glare harshly at Hermione, and ignored her comment, "Who else would you'd be thinking about other then 'Jewel'? You've barely talked to Harry or me! Malfoy is all you've been thinking about the whole time!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Which Malfoy?"

"Shut up! Why haven't you said a thing to either or us?"

"All you two have been talking about is Quidditch. You know I really care about that!"

"OH YEAH! Why don't you stop thinking about that arrogant first year prick!"

"She is NOT arrogant!"

Harry cut between the two of them, "Would you both stop! Sorting is about to start! I want to check it out. It's so cool watching the Sorting Hat putting everyone in their proper houses. Anyway, you two are giving me a headache. Gosh."

The Sorting Hat, looking as old and battered as ever, was sitting on the stool in front of the Great Hall, ready to sort the new first years. The first years were all huddled together and looked extremely nervous. Jewel didn't look scared at all though. She kept smiling at everyone, and waving.

"Doesn't she ever stop smiling?" Ron muttered in a perturbed tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and didn't respond to Ron's comment. She instead focused on the action that was going on up front.

Professor McGonagall, looking as stern as ever, was reading names from a long list of parchment, "ALOVE, JOSHUA"

Joshua stumbled out of line and approached the sorting hat. He nervously placed it on his head. The hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table burst out with applause as Joshua went to take a seat. Joshua looked very pleased with himself and he marched over to the Hufflepuff table. Professor McGonagall continued to read the list, "BOLA, CHRISTINA"

"Gryffindor!"

Hermione clapped along with the rest of the table as Christina took a seat. She smiled and sat down next to Lavender, who immediately told her how great her eye makeup looked.

"CORLE, SUSIE."

"Ravenclaw!"

The Ravenclaw table clapped, and Harry blushed as he watched Cho clap for Susie. Ron was snickering at him. Cho smiled and let Susie sit next to her. Hermione could see Cho's Head Girl Badge shining. Hermione was happy for Cho. If anyone deserved to be Head Girl, she did. Cho had dealt with depression and many other problems since the death of Cedric. At least Cho had a little happiness in her life now as being Head Girl.

"DASER, GREG"

"Gryffindor."

Harry and Ron burst into applause and welcome Greg as he went to sit at the table. Greg smiled, and whispered, "Who's that? She's hot."

Ron snickered, "Parvati? She's is hot, isn't she."

Hermione rolled her eyes as McGonagall continued to read, "ERIKSWIT, SELENA."

"Slytherin!"

Ron and Harry booed loudly. Selena walked up to the Slytherin table looking quite confident and smug with herself. She sat down next Blaise Zabini, who was busy brushing her curly black hair. Selena also looked over at the various guys at the Slytherin Table. She giggled and continued watching the sorting.

"FRESON, JOHN"

"Ravenclaw!"

Everyone at the Ravenclaw table clapped excitedly. Hermione, however, was getting bored. She was hungry, and she just wished they would start with the feast. She hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, because she was too excited to get to Hogwarts. Now she regretted it not eating a thing.

Hermione felt herself beginning to dose off when suddenly Professor McGonagall called out, "MALFOY, JEWEL"

Hermione suddenly looked up, her face full of interest. Jewel was now in her school robes and she slowly approached the Sorting Hat looking confused. She shrugged and threw the hat on.

"Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table cheered. Hermione could see Pansy Parkinson, a petite blonde girl who was known as a ditz. Pansy was jumping up and down tugging at Malfoy, who looked very annoyed. Malfoy eventually pushed Pansy away, his face full of disgust. Crabbe and Goyle clapped stupidly and kept making immature faces. Hermione could hear Pansy's laughter, "Oh my God! Your sister is so unbelievably cute, Drakie!"

Jewel started to walk over to the Slytherin Table looking proud of herself, but she suddenly stopped. She noticed that she was getting glares from the Gryffindors.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who had his fists clenched Hermione then glanced at Harry. He was frowning at Jewel, and all the other Slytherins.

Jewel didn't ignore the glares from the Gryffindor table. Instead, she turned around to Professor McGonagall, and the other teachers, including Headmaster Dumbledore, said very firmly, "Why are these prats staring at me, as though I am a piece of trash instead of a person? I demand an answer! Why aren't they clapping at me instead of glaring? I am proud of myself right now!"

Professor McGonagall was too shocked to speak. She just raised her eyebrows and replied, "I beg your pardon?"

Hagrid looked down from the table where the teachers were sitting at and muttered, "Argh! Sit down Malfoy! Please. The other first years are watin teh be sorted."

"No, I won't sit down! I want to know why these people, that I don't even know, are staring at me! What did I do wrong? Is being in Slytherin bad or something?"

Professor Snape glared down at Jewel with his cold back eyes, "You will NOT speak to your professors that way! You are a Slytherin, and I won't have you disgrace my house! Do you understand, Miss Malfoy?"

Jewel's gray eyes bravely met Snape's black ones, "I am NOT frightened of you! You seem like a sweet soft fluffy bunny compared to some, no, a lot of other people I know!"

Snape was stunned. He had never had a student speak back to him in front of the whole school like that ever. He was rigid with anger. "What did you say to me, Miss Malfoy?"

Jewel snickered, "Oh! I am pretty sure you heard me the first time."

Meanwhile, the Slytherin table was starting to get nervous. Nobody ever spoke like that to Snape. Pansy whimpered, and buried her head on Malfoy's shoulder. Malfoy pushed her away, and gave her a dirty look. Pansy smirked and buried her head on Crabbe's shoulder instead.

McGonagall finally found her voice, "Sit down."

"I need some answers first." Jewel said in a fake sweet voice, "Oh! This reminds me of the time when-"

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Miss Rosemary, a young witch with masses of bouncy red hair snapped, "We do not want to hear you stories right now. Sit at your proper table please!"

Draco Malfoy decided enough was enough. He ran up to Jewel, and spoke softly and sweetly, "Come on. Sit down. Don't worry about the Gryffindors. Please Jewel! Sit down! For me?"

Hermione stared at the whole scene. She couldn't believe Malfoy could speak so gently to anyone, but then again this girl was his sister. She also couldn't believe Jewel wasn't afraid of Snape. She thought Snape was very intimidating.

Hermione continued to look around her surroundings. Snape was looking murderous; McGonagall had her arms folded and was tapping her foot impatiently for Jewel and Draco to take their seats.

Now, the Gryffindors were starting to laugh, along with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Hagrid looked over at the trio and winked. Hagrid seemed to be amused by the whole scene.

Hermione glared at Ron and Harry, who were laughing. Ron was doubled over, "Look at them! They look like incredible fools! Stupid prats!"

Harry nodded in agreement, "Yep. Look at how embarrassed Malfoy is!"

Malfoy was blushing furiously as he was trying to get Jewel to sit down at the Slytherin table. Everyone, except the Slytherins were cracking up now. Pansy was giving Malfoy revolting puppy eyes, and Crabbe and Goyle had their eyes to the floor.

Hermione noticed that Cho wasn't laughing. Instead she was saying something about people being so immature. Some of her Ravenclaw friends nodded in agreement.

Jewel suddenly turned around to see the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws laughing at her and her brother. She gave them a very angry look and shouted, "Go to hell!"

You could here a pin drop. The Great Hall went completely silent. The first years waiting to be sorted looked at each other, wondering if this kind of thing always happened. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws stared at the Gryffindors and Slytherins. Harry and Ron were smirking still and they stared at Malfoy. Malfoy turned to them and glared harshly. Then he turned back to Jewel, "Just sit down, dammit! If I write to father, he will be very angry."

Jewel looked from the Gryffindors, to the Slytherins, and finally to Malfoy. She flushed pink and slapped Malfoy hard across the face. She shouted, "Why is everyone acting so stupid?"

Malfoy staggered backward, clutching his face. Jewel had slapped him so hard she drew blood. Pansy immediately ran up to him and squealed, "Oh Draco! Are you okay? Jewel? Why are you acting like this?"

Jewel stared at Pansy, "Draco will never ever be okay. I hate him! Oh and Pansy? Can you ask all of the stupid bloody morons in this school why they're acting like this. Okay? Thanks."

With those words said, Jewel spun around and blotted for the exit of the Great Hall. Pansy grabbed her arm to stop her, "Jewel! Please this is ridiculous! Do you really want to piss off Draco, and everyone else on the friggin first day? I think you should just sit down!"

Jewel pushed Pansy away from her, "I don't care what you think! Clear? Good!"

Jewel sped up, and ran out leaving everyone out of sight. Pansy shook her head, and went up to Snape. Hermione caught the words 'mentally disturbed' and 'has issues in her home life.' But Hermione didn't listen to anymore.

Without thinking of what would happen, Hermione jumped up from the Gryffindor table, and ran after Jewel, receiving stares from everyone, including Malfoy, who was staring at her with his icy cold gray eyes.

Chapter 4: Will you be my Friend?

Hermione ran outside as she followed Jewel, who didn't seem to know that there was anyone following her. Hermione didn't know why she was chasing the runaway Malfoy. She just felt so sorry for her.

When Hermione ran to catch up to Jewel, nobody attempted to stop her. Hermione saw McGonagall give her an approving nod. Hermione supposed McGonagall thought Jewel was mature enough to handle the situation.

Jewel heisted at the front of the Entrance Hall. She bit her lip, but then muttered, "Oh what the hell!" and she ran outside into the night.

Jewel continued to run as fast as she, until she reached the lake, which glittered in the moonlight. Jewel sat at the lake's edge, and buried her face deep in her arms. She looked so vulnerable.

Hermione sighed, and pushed back her brown curly hair. Hermione watched Jewel sitting by the lake, all alone. Hermione feel a sick pang in her stomach. Jewel was out here by the lake, all-alone with no friends. Hermione could relate to that very well. She didn't have too many friends until she became close with Ron and Harry during her first year. Before them, everyone just assumed she was a bossy little Know-It-All.

Hermione pushed the memories out of her head, and she cautiously approached Jewel. Hermione gulped and said sweetly, "May I join you?"

Jewel jumped with surprise and turned around. She eyed Hermione up and down several times, before muttering, "Okay. If you want to, I guess. Why aren't you inside?"

Hermione sat down next to Jewel, and sighed, "Are you all right? Do want to talk?"

"NO! Go back inside. You are wasting your time! Let me guess. You are here to make fun of me, right?"

Hermione cooed gently, "No. I would never do such a thing. I really just wanted to see if you were all right."

Jewel stared into Hermione's brown eyes. She then whimpered softly, "Why do they hate me?"

Hermione gulped, and said sympathetically, "Not everyone hates you. I don't. "

Jewel's gray eyes grew wide, " Really? I'm glad. Thank you. At least you had the guts to come out here to try and stop me. Not many people would do that. Why was everyone else at your table glaring daggers at me?"

Hermione shook her head and continued, "The rest of the Gryffindors are just being stupid. I'll be sure to have a little chat with them when I go back."

Jewel smiled slightly, "I can stand up for myself, don't worry-Hey! You're the beautiful girl from the train, with the uh- Famous Harry Potter and the red haired dude!"

Hermione blushed at being called 'beautiful', "Yes, that was me."

Jewel suddenly turned her eyes the other way. She muttered under her breath, "I am sorry for what Draco said to you, about being a, well...mudblood. He gets it all from Lucius, the cold hearted son of a-. Please don't yell at him, okay."

Hermione decided not to tell Jewel that Draco Malfoy and her group of friends were enemies since the very first day of school, and also that Malfoy had constantly teased her about her parentage.

Hermione stared at Jewel and wondered why Jewel kept calling her father by his first name. It wasn't like all normal eleven year olds to say things like that.

Hermione smiled sweetly at Jewel, "I won't yell at Mal- Draco."

Jewel grinned, her gray eyes sparkling, "Thanks a bunch! Ummm...your name is?"

"Hermione."

Jewel giggled, "What a gorgeous name! It suites you perfectly. You seem like a 'heroine' in my eyes. You're the only one at that whole entire table who wasn't taunting me. Or glaring at me."

Hermione gasped. She wasn't used to all these compliments. Usually her friends would call her 'perfect' or a 'know-it-all', even though they did care about her.

Hermione squeezed Jewel's shoulder, "Thank you, Jewel. Thanks so much for all these compliments."

Jewel nodded, "No problem! I'm so glad I met you! You're such a sweetie!"

"Thanks. There you go again with the compliments."

Jewel stood up and looked out at the lake. Hermione couldn't help, but notice that there was some kind of pain in Jewel's gray eyes as she stared across the lake. Hermione put her hand on Jewel's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Jewel gave Hermione a gloomy smile, "Yes. I will be fine."

Hermione shuddered at Jewel's voice. It was a voice in distress, a voice that seriously needed help. Hermione started to wonder what Jewel's home life was like. Hermione knew well enough that Lucius Malfoy was not a nice person, and there was plenty of evidence that he was a Death Eater. What would it be like having a father like that?

Jewel suddenly gave Hermione a very serious expression, "I have a question."

Hermione stared at Jewel, "What's the matter?"

Jewel sighed, "Will you be my friend?"

Hermione felt a lump of pity in her throat, "Of course I will."

Jewel smiled and cheered, "Awesome! I've made a new friend!"

Suddenly a sneering drawl was heard behind them, "Oh. Look at this. Isn't this sweet?"