After breakfast, Hermione set off, alone. Despite her protests, Ginny had stayed behind with Harry, which is what Hermione had wanted. They deserved more time together; Ginny was a year behind them, and didn't get to see her boyfriend all that often, thanks to exams, homework, and the average Harry Potter fan club. Immediately, her thoughts drifted to Ron and Lavender. She hadn't spoken to them, nor had they spoken to her after the incident that had arisen.
Hermione walked along the path to the Black Lake, yet again. She breathed in the air as the lakeside got closer. It was calming, she had to admit.
"Oh look! It's the filthy little mudblood." she turned around. Draco walked up to her from the other path to the lake, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. Hermione rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. She crossed her arms.
"And...why should I care, again?" she asked, giving a smirk that could have been Malfoy's himself. "It seemed to have slipped my mind."
A flash of surprise traveled across his grey gaze. "Because some of us," he started, glaring at his two fellow Slytherins. "are..superior to others. And some of us..." he took a step towards her; Hermione looked up at him, gaze not wavering the slightest. "Aren't from filthy muggle families." he smirked. You should go back to where you belong, mudblood." he called, walking back to the other trail. "The wizarding world is obviously too...great for someone like you. Do us all a favor."
Yeah...he hadn't changed the slightest bit. Hermione wasn't surprised...he was Draco Malfoy, for goodness sake. And yet...she seemed to have this small shard of confusion and hurt implanted in her mind. He had been so...normal yesterday. She didn't know what this was about.
"Probably just a fluke." Hermione mumbled to herself, turning around and walking back to the castle. She walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room, voicing the password 'Chocolate Frog' and climbing through the portrait hole. Walking in, Hermione immediately noticed Ron on the couch, Lavender sitting next to him, the two passionately snogging, thrashing like a pair of lovesick eels, as Ginny would say. Quickly looking elsewhere, she could see that Seamus and Neville, who were playing Wizard's Chess on the other side of the common room, shared her dislike in the scene.
Hermione quickly looked away, her face slightly reddening in anger. She quickly walked up to her dorm room, and opened the door. No one was there. Fantastic.