Potter Spawn

Chapter 19

If you had asked Hermione a few months ago what she expected Hogwarts to be like, she would have described a very different life than the one she was living now. 

Before she went to Hogwarts, Hermione had pictured herself a star student. Top of her class, adored by all the teachers, her head always stuck in a book. She had imagined finally having a friend, maybe even two - like-minded, studious girls she would share her room with. They could study together and compete for the best grades. She would always be the best out of the three of them, but they wouldn't mind, not really. 

Of course she had been aware the last point was wishful thinking. A girl just like her wouldn't be able to accept being second best academically, but you could always hope, right? 

Well. 

It wasn't like any of that had worked out. 

For starters, she might still be top of her class, but she already had a record of three detentions. She didn't have nearly as much time to read as she would've liked, what with the teachers assigning tons of homework (really, did it always have to be essays?) and her friends demanding her attention more often than not. They were always doing something. If they weren't planning a prank, they were playing some game or other (who even played tag and hide and seek at their age?) or Harry and Ron were doing something stupid and she needed to stop them. Then they spent most evenings with either Sirius or Remus, and she was left trying desperately to snatch some quality reading time here and there. She had resorted to reading at lunch. 

She did have friends. There were three of them, which was so amazing she almost couldn't believe it sometimes, but none of them were girls, so none of them shared a room with her. None of the girls in her room liked her because she was "an annoying stuck-up know-it-all" and because she was friends with "those silly boys" and said "silly boys" and her played "silly pranks". 

She found she really didn't mind. 

Hermione's best friend was Neville, no questions asked. Never mind him being a bit slow at times (though never stupid, she told herself firmly, not Neville), he was always nice to her and didn't mind her constant rambling. He asked her about her books and appreciated her help and she loved the quiet times they spent together. They usually sat in the Marauders' room - it had taken to painting itself different colours, and as it liked Neville and he loved the soft yellow, that's the colour it took during those hours. She'd curl up on the sofa, reading her book, while Neville tended to his plants and one of the calmer records played softly in the background. Sometimes they went outside to soak in the last of summer and Neville told her about the plants around them and their likes and dislikes. (That was how she knew he wasn't stupid.) Sometimes they laid down in the soft grass, staring at the sky and pointing out pictures in the clouds. 

Of course she knew Neville was a calm, shy boy with self esteem problems. Which was why she was so, so proud of him right now. 

Neville had somehow managed to pour a bucked of bubotuber pus over Malfoy's head in front of the whole school, just moments after the bleach-haired jerk had swaggered into the hall for breakfast. 

It had been glorious. And the best part was, nobody had been able to trace it back to Neville. Even more glorious was the photograph he had somehow managed to take while holding up the levitation charm. Neville of all people, Neville who struggled so much with spells! Determination really could do wonderful things to a person. 

Sirius had told Neville it was a very, very brave thing to do to stand up for himself and for his parents, and she had seen in that moment that Neville had realised he wasn't another traitor disaster waiting to happen to Sirius.