In Harry Potter as Neville Longbottom - Chapter 83: Mudblood and Pureblood

The professors and prefects worked very hard to calm down the situation before it could go out of hand. Professors announced that a petrification charm has been used on a student maliciously and they will soon find the culprit and hand out proper punishment.

“Do you think what they are saying is right Hermione?” Pansy asked her friend while they were walking around the forbidden forest.

Since the girls begin to hang around with ‘Luny’ Luna, they have become familiar with the forbidden forest and many secret areas inside. Luna the little girl will always act as a guide and help them in finding little magical beasts that are generally ‘shy’ of humans.

“I am not sure but somehow I know it’s a cover-up,” Hermione replied.

“How?” Pansy asked questioningly.

“I read the politics book from the library when I was living in the manor. It gave many examples of when people try to cover up something and use these kinds of excuses.

As long as they cannot say who did it, what did it and why did it, it is a cover-up.”

Hermione, the young sherlock said in a fashionable style. Somehow it looked like she was giving a speech to an audience.

“Cut it out! Drama Queen! You know you have changed so much ever since you became popular.” Pansy complained.

“Well…. You know…I was never really famous. Never ever. I scored the highest marks and always helped other students in their studies, but I never found real friends and you know… I kinda… sorta… have always been alone.

It was only here in Hogwarts…that I found all of you.”

Hermione said while giving Pansy a smile.

“Fine… Fine… You had a sad life, but it is better than mine. If we will play ‘whose life sucks,’ then I will win every time by a huge margin.” Pansy said before both girls started laughing and walked in another direction to find Luna.

Somehow all three of them had a weird, sad and difficult childhood. Each one, is worse than another. Maybe that is why broken people can find each other easily and bond better.

“Ssshhhh…. Don’t make a loud sound,” Luna suddenly stopped the duo before they could shout out her name.

“What happened?” Hermione asked in a whisper.

“The mother Thestral is giving birth and the whole pack is around her. Protecting her from any danger.” Luna told them but the girls only saw an empty deserted land.

“Are you sure, they are there? They could have flown up while you were not watching?” Pansy teased her but Luna shook her head in denial.

“One day you will see them, but I hope that day never comes,” Luna said and dragged her two friends away.

The girls walked inside Hogwarts and were crossing hallways when suddenly Hermione felt her sleeves get stuck in an Iron Knight statue.

Pansy and Luna turned around but then they moved away unnaturally and left Hermione alone.

“Wai..hmmm…” Hermione wanted to shout something but her lips closed on their own and she could not even shout. Before she could take her wand out and do something, a charm hit her.

“Expelliarmus!”

A disarming curse hit Hermione and her wand flew away. An invisible force tied her like a rope and then she was dragged inside an empty classroom against her will.

She tried to shout and plead or hold on to something but only managed to leave deep scratches on the ground before the doors closed in front of her.

Hermione was completely immobile and could not even move anymore on her own. Someone pressed her to the ground with their feet and spoke in a strange tone

“A dirty rat like you can become the crown of Hogwarts. What a shame! Let me tell you who you are!” The strange voice that seemed like it was mixed of both a man and woman came together scaring Hermione.

However, this was just the beginning of her ordeal.

“Stretch your hand, you filthy Mudblood!” The voice commanded and Hermione’s hand stretched out unwillingly.

“Let me give you a mark to make you remember your origin. Your place. Your reality. Discerpens Carnem (Tearing Flesh Curse),” The voice spoke and used a dark curse to inflict unbearable pain on Hermione’s hand.

Her flesh started cutting and peeling off like dried skin and blood started pouring out before the wound burned itself and wrote a string of words on her hand.

“MUDBLOOD”

It was written in blood with the dark magic on her hand and this was the only thing Hermione remembered before she passed out from the pain.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she found herself in the Infirmary and both Pansy and Neville were sitting on either side of her bed.

“She is awake,” Neville noticed when Hermione opened her eyes and ran to bring Madam Poppy.

“Thank god you woke up,” Pansy cried while hugging her dear friend.

She felt so miserable, so afraid and blamed herself for what happened to Hermione. She was hit by a ‘Confundo’, the confusion charm that made her abandon her friend and she became a victim of some pure blood freak. Luna is still crying in her dorm and refuses to let anyone come near her.

“Oh! Dear…Let me check…”Madam Poppy came with Neville and interrupted the two girls.

She used some charms to check Hermione’s condition and then forced her to drink some potions. Throughout the whole thing, Neville didn’t speak a word.

He was in deep thought about whatever happened with Hermione.

“You two need to leave after ten minutes. Only ten minutes,” Madam poppy left the kids alone for ten minutes and then walked back to her desk.

Hermione kept looking at her right hand, the main hand she used and she could clearly read – MUDBLOOD, etched on her wrists. It was a sort of tattoo made of blood vessels.

Neville silently took out a handkerchief and tied it above Hermione’s wrist without speaking anything. Even Pansy was silent.

“You both can talk, I will come again tomorrow,” Neville finally spoke and then left without doing anything.