Tradition

22/09/96
Hermione had always felt like an outsider to the magical world- being from a muggle family she felt she’d missed the opportunity to be a true witch the day she’d been born. But she never felt it more strongly than she did every year on Mabon. Every other major celebration that the purebloods and many of the halfbloods participated in so she could at least pretend that she didn’t notice over half the school seemingly disappearing to go spend time doing god knows what, but Mabon; Mabon happened not a month into the school year when her separation from the wizarding world felt the strongest and unlike samhain there was no halloween to throw herself into.

Ignoring her traitorous thoughts that seemed to insist on reminding her she didn’t belong, she started to zone back into the monotone of Binns giving his seemingly never ending lecture on goblin wars. Though Hermione could never find it in herself to complain about the repetitive nature of the class because it provided her with an hour of thinking time where the boys weren’t bugging her asking for help on their next essay, she wasn’t expected to know everything and most importantly she wasn’t risking her mark but not paying attention. Looking around the class looked empty, well more empty than the NEWT level history of magic class normally did; with the only remnants of the school population not following the old traditions and so not excused from today’s classes; even Ron and the rest of the Weasley clan had been excused for the day. She truly would never be capable of being a proper witch would she? It was with this thought that she’d knocked her ink pot over and ink was currently dripping down her desk and more importantly her hand. Without thinking she retrieved the tissues from her bag and started wiping up the mess.

“You’re a shitty excuse for a witch Granger- can’t even use your magic to clear up a little ink? Pathetic.”
Of course. Of course Parkinson and her little gang of pureblood pricks had to decide this was the perfect time to rejoin school life. Why were they even here? They were meant to be gone all day. Then as if on cue a slytherin that Hermione hadn’t even noticed hopped out of her seat muttering rushed apologies about forgetting and this being her first year celebrating. And like that they were gone, leaving Hermione back in her little pit of self-pity.

It took potions, charms and runes before it hit Hermione. That slytherin was a muggleborn, Parkinson had not only spoken respectfully to a muggleborn but had also seemingly invited them to celebrate wizarding tradition with her and her stupid friends. More importantly, if Parkinson could do this why hadn’t her friends done the same for her? Ron was away with family and Harry was off celebrating with Sirius and Remus- his chosen family. Yet she was stuck here all alone, miserable, and completely forgotten.
If all it took for them to forget about her was one measly celebration, she’d make them realise that it could take a lot less for her to forget about them and it would cause them a lot more pain.