The Prime Princess

Hermione walked out of her bathroom and let Pansy in. She had been postponing one thing for several weeks already and when it turned into a whole month, she finally dug up a case from under her bed. Inside it was her staff.

“I need some training,” muttered Hermione to herself and took the staff. Coming into the VIP Suite common room, she noticed Millicent gathering up her books and scrolls she had left there last night.

“Hi,” she greeted Hermione and smiled, “What are you doing up so early?” she asked and stuffed some books into her schoolbag.

“Oh, no reason,” said Hermione and hided the staff behind her back. She steered herself around Millicent so she couldn’t see the staff and slipped out of the VIP Suite. The Slytherin dormitories were still quiet because no one cared to wake up in the Sunday morning.

Walking out of the castle, Hermione hiked towards the forest. She passed the Hagrid’s hut and swallowed a groan. In this borrowed life she was not friends with that giant.

The forest grew darker the deeper she went. She lighted her wand and showed some light to the road she had taken. After walking that felt like miles, cobwebs started to appear on the ground, on the trees and everywhere. She smirked. She was getting closer.

Suddenly eight long and hairy legs landed behind her with a thump. Hermione twirled around and saw one big spider approaching her with its shining black pincers clicking. Then there was another thump and the next gigantic spider with eight eyes and eight legs came at her, clicking its pincers excitedly.

To the spiders she was just food but for Hermione they were target practicing.

“The bigger they are…” muttered Hermione and whirled her staff around. The crystals had started to glow bright green. Slipping into combatmode, she started to slay the furiated spiders that were coming from all directions.

Take this, haters

N-N-N-now th-th-that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can’t wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can’t get much wronger
Man I’ve been waitin’ all night now

Harder, better, faster, stronger

Unexpectedly Hermione calculated the distance wrong and she fell into a clearing amongst thousands of spiders in every size. Few had already gotten a taste of her flesh when she had been too busy killing. Her heart rate went skyrocketing and then the freezing clarity came.

N-N-N-now th-th-that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can’t wait much longer

Hermione struck her staff to the ground and the green light from the top crystal exploded.

I know I got to be right now
Cause I can’t get much wronger
Man I’ve been waitin’ all night now
That’s how long I’ve been on ya

The clearing was washed away. Hermione fell to her knees.
***
The Valentine’s Day was approaching and Hermione found herself wondering around the castle and picking on everything. She didn’t like the winged hearts flying around or the armors singing love songs. It just felt so irritating that Carmen had organized all that. Hermione felt awful because she was supposed to be the Head Girl, she was supposed to organize the party and she was supposed to give orders around. But she was not. She had lost her status before she had any chance to start her career in changing some things at school.

With a sour mood, she stalked the dark corners of the castle and searched something to do, something that would help to ease her bitterness. And there it was. Carmen Granger in all her glory.

“Oy, Ariston, help me with this!” she called out as she noticed Hermione in the Entrance Hall and waved a huge banner. “It’s going up there in front of the hourglasses!”

Hermione stared at the pink and red banner with loads of golden hearts, and wanted to scream. It was so stupid.

“No,” stated Hermione. Carmen turned away from her decoration work.

“No?” she asked and glared at Hermione who was not going to take orders from a Mudblood. “I happen to be a Head Girl.”

“And that gives you a right to order people around?” sneered Hermione.

“Yes!” hissed Carmen angrily, “And put the banner up right now!”

“No, it’ll hide the score,” said Hermione and looked at the hourglasses. Slytherin was way ahead of Griffindor.

“I don’t care about the score! Get it up!”

“You? Head Girl doesn’t care about the score? Wow!” mocked Hermione and suddenly she was pinpointed under a wand.

“Don’t,” growled Carmen and approached.

“Or what?” taunted Hermione with a leer. Looking an inch to the left of Carmen, she noticed Professor Snape coming up from the dungeons stairs.

“I’ll hex you real bad. And I’ve just about gotten enough of you,” hissed Carmen, “Fiat Dolor!”

A bright flash of light pierced Hermione and filled her with great pain like everything inside her was being crushed into a tiny cubicle. With a scream, she fell to the floor.

“Expelliarmus!” roared Professor Snape and rushed to the sight. Carmen was thrown into a wall under the hourglasses. The hit to the head didn’t knock her out but gave her an idea to summon back her wand and point it at Professor Snape’s back.

Professor McGonagall galloped down the great stairs and stupefied Carmen on spot.

“What is going on here, for crying out loud?” demanded Professor McGonagall when she stepped to unconscious Carmen and took away her wand. Potion Master had managed to lift the hex from Hermione who was loosing the battle to stay awake.

“Head Girl attacked Slytherin Prefect when she said no to the banner,” he summed it up. Professor McGonagall looked at the banner lying on the floor and shook her head.

“Yes, it is rather tacky and tasteless,” she confirmed and then turned to look at the girl curled up on the floor. “Better have Madam Pomfrey look at her.”

“I agree.”
***
Hermione was still in a fussy state. She felt like every bone in her body had gone limp.

“Have you heard this…”

“Granger…”

“She lost…”

“No way!”

“… did too!”

“Who’s gonna be the next…”

“Alright, off you go! Miss Ariston needs some rest!”

“Bye, Mione!”

“See ya later!”

Then there was silence. No voices babbling around. But there was a hand stroking her forehead. She was afraid to open her eyes to see who it was.

“You too, Mister Zabini!” hollered Madam Pomfrey.
***
On the next morning Hermione got out from the Hospital Wing and went to have some decent breakfast in the Great Hall. Many of the students glanced at her and went on with the whispering. She passed the Ravenclaw table and heard some strange things. The gossip about the little fight between her and Carmen had turned into a real battle.

“Hey, stranger!” called Pansy and scooted away a little to give her some room to sit down. Hermione sat next to her and looked around and saw many curious faces. Her Quidditch team was sitting closely around them and waited for her to speak up.

“Alright, I tell you the truth!” she said out loud and almost half the slytherins in hearing range gathered around.
***
In the Herbology class, Hermione was dealing with the grownup Venus Man-Eater that tried to suck her blood and get a chunk out of her. Hermione constantly punched its jaws when the plant got too hyperactive.

“That was one exciting story you told back there,” whispered Draco as he moved past her to get a real big shovel for his Venus Man-Eater.

“Yeah, I thought so but that wasn’t my fault.”

“You know, Granger has been taken down from her Head Girl post because of you,” said Draco and turned around with a shovel in his hands. He looked like a serial killer ready to strike.

“I, uh, well, that’s good news. Right? You don’t have to share your dorm with her anymore,” replied Hermione and for the first time she felt hope in becoming the Head Girl again.

“Yes,” agreed Draco and brushed past her, “I hope to see you there.”
***
Headmaster hadn’t announced yet who was the new Head Girl and so Draco attended the Prefect Meetings alone. Hermione figured that Dumbledore was taking his time when deciding to choose one girl out from numerous choices. Ravenclaws were trying their best to show how great leaders they could be by taking over the whole Valentine’s Day ball. Hufflepuffs were patrolling around the castle and looked for a chance to become Filch’s favorites. Griffindors, well they only demanded to get Granger back on her post.

Hermione really hoped that she had redeemed herself and deserved to be Head Girl but the fact, that she was going to share a dorm with Draco, was a bit intimidating. Their relationship was still fragile. She didn’t trust him fully, but he only seemed to be interested in her body. Just like all men.

N-N-N-now th-th-that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can’t wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can’t get much wronger
Man I’ve been waitin’ all night now

Harder, better, faster, stronger

She started to feel the need to kick some ass again. The damn Venus Man-Eater almost snapped her finger off, so she just hit it quite hard few times before the plant fell limp. Just then she wished she had punched Carmen into a bloody pulp when the Mudblood had hexed her. She hated herself for letting her attack her with such simple curse. But to become a victim had proven useful – Carmen had lost her status instantly.

“Gotta slay something tonight,” muttered Hermione and finished off her work with the unconscious plant.