160Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…
Placing: Mid of fourthyear.
Challenge: 'Prompt of the day'. Prompt: (insult) Monkeyslut. 1317 words. Gryffindor, Hogwarts.
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sSsSsSsSs
THE SLYTHERIN WAY
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"Mudblood!" Draco Malfoy screamed through the halls of Hogwarts.
A lot of the surrounding students stopped when hearing the insult, but the one aimed for just walked on as if nothing happened.
"Hey Granger!" Malfoy cried again. "I'm calling you! At least react when I bother to take time out of my busy schedule for you, mudblood!"
Hermione turned around to look at her nemesis, rolling her eyes. Throughout the last year, she had grown and now, in fourth year she was a lot less bothered by the insult than she had been when she had been younger.
"Did you want something, Malfoy?" She asked coolly.
Malfoy grinned nastily.
"Why do you think I want something, mudblood?" He asked, obviously waiting for her to react like she had the year before when he insulted her like that.
Hermione decided to ignore his insults instead. He wouldn't get his satisfaction by angering her today.
"Normally people call others when they want something from them," she pointed out while noticing that a lot of other students had stopped to watch their interactions, clearly interested to see how long it would take for Hermione to smack Malfoy again.
Well, Hermione decided that they wouldn't get to see her losing her temper today if she had any say in it at all.
"So what?" Malfoy sneered. "You thought I wanted to talk to you, mudblood?" Then his grin turned evil. "What did you think I wanted to talk to you about? Your impure blood, or what?"
"You called me," Hermione reminded him coolly. "Meaning that you should know what you wanted to talk to me about. How should I know what you wanted to say?"
Then Hermione decided to add a little bit more to her question.
She was sure that she was able to wipe that grin from his face if she just tried.
"But then, considering the time frame and circumstances I guess that I can make a good bet on the topic you wanted to address, so just that you know: If you intend to ask me out for the Yule Ball, I have to disappoint you. I've already been asked," she added, her face kind, but her eyes gleaming maliciously.
Malfoy's eyes widened comically at that.
"What?" He screeched.
It was obvious that he hadn't even thought about a counter like that.
"Yes," Hermione said, misunderstanding him deliberately. "I've been asked. It's not long until the ball, after all, so you shouldn't be too surprised about that!"
"No," Malfoy countered a little bit faintly. "I meant: How did your damaged brain come up with something idiotic like that, mudblood?"
Hermione crooked her head.
"You just yelled at me to get me to stop," she pointed out. "It's two weeks until the Yule Ball, I'm a girl, you're a boy and as far as I know you're still without a date – what else should I think at a time like that?"
Malfoy paled at that.
"No," he croaked. "That's utterly crazy! How touched in the head are you that you think I would ever ask you something like that, Granger?" He asked, a little green in the face.
Hermione just raised an eyebrow at that mockingly while other students around them snickered.
"Well," she said amused. "I just figured that since you're always using the same juvenile insult on me, always screaming after me and always trying to fight my best friends, means that you're either in love with me or maybe with Harry or Ron. Since I'm currently alone here, I just figured that it's me you're crushing on."
To Hermione's amusement, some pupils even nodded at that exclamation, obviously seeing it as a true possibility to explain Malfoy's behaviour.
"What are you talking about, mudblood?" Malfoy asked, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.
Hermione just shrugged.
"I was walking down the hallway, Harry and Ron nowhere in sight," she pointed out. "And yet, here you are, yelling after me like you always do. I wasn't even near you before, meaning that you had to be on the look-out for me to even see me walking by in this crowd. My parents always told me that a lot of the more immature boys try to 'pull a girl's pigtails' to get their attention."
"I'm not pulling your pigtails in any way or form!" Malfoy said, still a little green in the face. "How did you even come up with such nonsense, mudblood?"
"Well," she said, ignoring the insult. "I simply figured that always using the same insult on me has to mean something else than just the usual cry for attention."
Malfoy opened his mouth, but in the end was unable to say anything, too shocked by her words to even come up with a witty reply.
"I mean," Hermione added. "If you truly aren't interested in me, why do you only just use this one insult on me? Don't you know some others? You have to admit that it sounds odd, doesn't it? One insult for me - and that's it? In the muggle world we're at least creative when it comes to insulting each other – especially when we mean it!"
Malfoy sneered at that.
"Do you want to tell me that the muggle world is better at something than we are, mudblood?" He sneered.
Hermione shrugged.
"At least muggle children are a lot more creative than you are, Malfoy," she answered smugly. "Or is it that your lovesick brain can't find another insult but the one you must have heard since you were in nappies?"
"Bushy haired know-it-all!" Malfoy growled.
Hermione crooked her head.
"Sounds like something Professor Snape might use," she said. "I bet you stole that from him, monkeyface."
"Monkeyslut!" Malfoy countered heatedly and Hermione blinked interestedly.
"Seems I was right," she said surprised. "You are in love with me!"
"What?" Malfoy screeched.
Hermione just rolled her eyes.
"I just called you a monkeyface, Malfoy," she said amused. "And you countered by making me your slut. That should say it all."
She shook her head seemingly sadly at his actions.
"Truly, Malfoy," she said. "If you want to ask me if I go to the Yule Ball with you, just say so. You're obviously really bad when it comes to insulting while trying to hide your crush on me from everybody else."
"I'm not crushing on you!" Malfoy screeched.
To Hermione's amusement a lot of sceptical glances were shot at him at that exclamation.
"You're not crushing on her but you try to ask her out, really, Malfoy?" One of the older Slytherins asked sarcastically. "I've heard better."
"I'm not trying to ask her out!" Malfoy screamed.
Hermione just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Then why did you call after me to begin with?" She asked him, seemingly interested.
"Because you're a mudblood!" Malfoy argued.
"So is at least the half of the other people in this hallway," Hermione returned amused.
Malfoy opened his mouth. Then he closed it again, gawking.
Hermione made sure to look sorrowfully at him.
"I'm sorry, Malfoy," she said. "I understand how hard it is to ask a girl out. I'm even sorrier that I have to turn you down. Truly, if you had been faster, I might have considered it, but I've already agreed to take another. The next time, just ask a little bit earlier, will you?"
And with a pat on Malfoy's cheek, she went on.
Malfoy just stared at her retreating back, still unable to say anything.
"Say, Hermione," Harry asked later that day. "Why is half of Hogwarts consoling Malfoy? Do you know what happened?"
Hermione shrugged and patted Harry's arm.
"As far as I know," she said. "He was turned down by the girl of his dreams. Poor guy!"
This would be the last time that Malfoy would call after her when she walked by in the halls of Hogwarts.
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Just a little idea
Hope you liked it
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