Hermione Granger is the only child of two loving, hardworking muggles. She loved to read and study, always eager to prove herself, but her intelligence often made her feel out of place among her peers. When the letter from Hogwarts arrived, inviting her to a school for witches and wizards, she was ecstatic. Finally, she felt like she belonged to something greater. She devoured every book she could find about the magical world, memorizing them before even stepping foot in Hogwarts.
Being sorted into Gryffindor, the house of courage, was a proud moment for her. Her life at Hogwarts had its ups and downs, but she loved it far more than her old, mundane school. She poured all her effort into being the top of her year, determined to prove herself in this new world. But no matter how hard she worked, she couldn't surpass Draco Malfoy, an arrogant, insufferable boy from a pure-blood family. He looked down on muggle-borns like her and made no effort to hide it. His family's reputation as one of the worst in the wizarding world only reinforced her dislike for him. His pettiness and bullying of Gryffindors only made it worse.
Hermione threw herself into her studies, determined to beat Draco, but to her frustration, she couldn't. And then there were the rumors about Draco's older brother, Dante Malfoy. A prodigy who had left Hogwarts before even finishing his first year, only to return with groundbreaking research and achievements. Hermione found it hard to believe such a person could exist. How could someone so young be so far ahead of everyone else?
The next year, Hermione finally met Dante Malfoy. He was nothing like Draco. He was calm, intimidating, and carried an air of authority that commanded respect. From the very beginning, he showed his vast knowledge, identifying the ancient magic that had saved Harry's life with a single glance. Even after she had spent hours in the library researching that magic, she barely scratched the surface finding only some references and mentions here and there. The fact that Dante knew it so effortlessly left her in awe—and a little intimidated.
Then there was the incident with Gilderoy Lockhart. Hermione had idolized Lockhart, but when Dante attacked him and sent him to the infirmary, her perception of both men shifted. Lockhart's fear of Dante only added to the scary image of the older Malfoy brother. Hermione began to see Dante as a greater evil than Draco or even their father. He was smarter, wiser, and undoubtedly more powerful.
But there were contradictions. Rumors spread about Dante stopping the bullying of a younger student, and when the first attack happened, he was the one to clear Harry's name. Hermione couldn't reconcile these actions with the image of the evil Malfoy eldest she had constructed in her mind. When Harry and Ron snuck into the Slytherin common room and reported that Draco claimed Dante "loved muggles," Hermione was baffled. It didn't align with the monster she had imagined.
The day of the dueling club was a turning point. Dante showed up, seemingly oblivious to the recent attack. Hermione couldn't believe someone could be so focused on their studies that they ignored a lurking danger. But then, in a matter of minutes, Dante deduced the monster's identity, located the Chamber of Secrets, and went to hunt the basilisk as if it were a school trip. Hermione was terrified. Dante wasn't just a better student—he was in a league of his own. She finally understood why the professors didn't mind his rule-breaking. He wasn't at Hogwarts to take classes; he was there because he chose to be.
A week later, the news of Dante's groundbreaking research and prototypes spread. Hermione felt a pang of despair. She could barely compete with Draco, and here was someone only two years older than her who had already achieved more than she ever might in her lifetime. For the first time, she began to question whether pure-bloods were inherently superior.
Days passed and one day, She woke up in the hospital weeks later, her head pounding and her parents and Professor McGonagall by her side. They explained what had happened—how Lockhart had tried to harm her and how his panicked Memory Charm had left her mentally disabled. No one had been able to heal her until Dante returned to Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall told her how Dante had spent five days working tirelessly to heal her, barely sleeping more than an hour a day. And when she questioned why she couldn't remember anything of the attack despite remembering everything else. Professor Mcgonagall believed that Dante had removed that memory as he might have viewed it as harmful.
Hermione was stunned. The boy she had labeled as a monster had gone out of his way to save her, even though she had been at odds with his brother.
She began to feel a deep sense of guilt. She had been so quick to judge Dante, convinced he was evil. But what kind of evil person would work tirelessly to heal someone they didn't have a good relationship with or viewed as lesser? She thought of Luna Lovegood and how the girl had described Dante as kind and respectful. Hermione realized she had been wrong. Dante wasn't the monster she had imagined—he was a good person, even if he was difficult to understand.
The next day, she and her parents met with Dante in Dumbledore's office. Her parents thanked him profusely, and even her father apologized for their earlier rudeness. Dante was indifferent, his expression blank as he accepted their gratitude. Hermione wondered if, with all his power and intelligence, he simply struggled to express himself.
Her musings were interrupted when her parents announced they wanted to withdraw her from Hogwarts. A heated discussion erupted, but it was cut short when Dante suddenly seemed unwell. He clutched his head, his face pale and his hands trembling. For a moment, Hermione was worried about him, but his eyes began to glow strangely and then he quickly composed himself followed by threatening her parents with memory modification if they tried to take her away. Her parents, still traumatized from being put to sleep for days by him before, took the threat seriously.
Later that day, in Potions class, Hermione saw Dante again. He looked even paler than before, his hands shaking slightly. He called Draco out of class, ignoring Snape completely. Hermione noticed how Snape didn't intervene, likely because he, too, could see that something was wrong with Dante.
Hermione couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Dante had saved her life, but he was clearly struggling with something. She didn't know what it was, but for the first time, she found herself genuinely concerned for him.
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After Potions class, Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked together through the corridors of Hogwarts.
"Dante didn't look okay back there," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "I've never seen him like that."
Harry nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Yeah, I've never seen him so pale. Something's definitely wrong."
Ron snorted, his tone dismissive. "Maybe some dark magic backfired. Serves him right, if you ask me."
Hermione glared at Ron, her eyes narrowing. "Don't bad-mouth him. He's not what you think he is."
Ron raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Oh, come on, Hermione. He's a dark wizard and the son of a death eater, and you know it. Just because he helped you doesn't change that."
Hermione's voice grew firmer. "Luna was right about him. Dante's a nice person. He hasn't done anything bad to us, and even the altercations with your family were mainly your family fault to begin with."
Ron's face twisted in anger. "Our fault? Are you serious? Did he put you under the Imperius Curse or something?"
Harry stepped in quickly, sensing the argument was about to escalate. "Hey, calm down, both of you. Let's not fight over this."
Hermione crossed her arms, still glaring at Ron, while Ron muttered under his breath. Harry sighed, hoping the tension would ease before it turned into a full-blown argument.