Resentment | Dramione

Chapter 41

Luckily for her she didn't have to walk a great distance from the library to the Gryffindor common room, and only four floors later was she giving the password to the Fat Lady who allowed her entrance.

As much as Hermione would have liked to head straight up the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory, she knew that she should spent her last precious two hours before it would turn midnight doing her last bits of revising. She wouldn't have time in the morning, because the first exams would start straight after breakfast.

So that's what she did. Studying until late at midnight – continuing two hours longer than she had intended – and afterwards quickly slipping under her covers where sleep came over her soon enough.

Only to wake up five hours later for breakfast, where she sat at the Gryffindor table chewing on an apple. She was honestly too nervous to get anything down her throat other than that.

Letting her eyes roam around the Great Hall, she was pleased to see that she wasn't the only person who seemed to barely contain themselves. In fact, each and every seventh year student were looking as pale as the milk that almost all were drinking in the early morning. Textbooks and bits of parchment were sprawled around all throughout the room. People huddling up together, tensed chatter carried into the air with questions they asked each other to whom neither knew the answer.

Everyone was revising and nervously tapping their fingers on the table. Everyone except one certain white blond boy. It's not that he looked relaxed in any way; if anything, he looked so stressed out that the open textbook that was laying in front of him remained completely neglected as he could do nothing else but stare at the ceiling above.

Hermione had never seen him like this before. So worried about the exams and his study. Then again, there was a lot more at stake for him now that he had lost his inheritance. She hadn't really thought of it yet, but if he were to fail his exams now, then the chance of a proper job would slip right through his fingers, and he truly would be left with nothing.

Biting her lip, she suppressed the guilt that welled up inside of her. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, but occasionally she did feel miserable for stripping him off his family and his inheritance. For making him choose between that and her. And even though she knew he didn't regret his decision, she couldn't help but feel bad for making him choose something in the first place.

What was even worse was that right now she couldn't even talk to him, tell him he'd do just fine in the exams. Because she was convinced that he would. She might have been the smartest witch of her age, but there was no denying that he seconded that. His intelligence still surprised her till this day on, and as convinced as he was that she would pass her exams with ease, as convinced as she was that he would do the same.

Hermione smiled slightly as she saw his blond locks falling back down into place as he lowered his gaze, letting his eyes roam around the Great Hall, until they at last landed on her. Broadening her smile, she mouthed the words 'good luck', hoping to Merlin that he'd understand that. When he shot her a quick lopsided smirk and mouthed the words 'you too' back, she knew he did.

Right as that happened, the bell rang through the Hall, echoing off the walls now louder than ever – or well, at least for her – announcing that breakfast was over and exams would start for the seventh years.

Feeling the trembling in her legs as she stood up from the bench she had been sitting on, she walked over to the back of the Hall along with Neville and Ginny, waiting for the teachers to arrange the tables. "How do you feel, Neville?" Hermione asked the boy, watching as he nervously glanced at the teachers. "Just want to get this over with, is all." He said, his eyes glued to the front of the Hall where the tables were neatly organized. "Hear, hear." Ginny muttered gloomily, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can't wait to pass my exams and get out of here."