"So Ron insulted you in front of everyone?"
Voldemort felt the plot veering off course. The Golden Trio might not turn out as perfectly as they had in the books—Harry and Ron had lost their chance to save Hermione, and Harry and Hermione were already friends.
The Harry-and-Hermione pairing was pretty good too. I didn't like little girls anyway, but if she really grew up to be as pretty as she was in the movies... Voldemort's imagination ran wild.
Aside from lacking extraordinary magical talent, Voldemort believed he had considerable abilities in every other area. He was especially good at luring little girls.
"I don't know why, Professor. I didn't do anything to offend him." Miss Know-it-all pouted. The little girl looked utterly aggrieved.
"If I told you I understood, you might not believe me. But if you look at it from the perspective of a Muggle-born wizard, I think you'll understand." Voldemort pursed his lips.
"Muggle-born wizard?" Miss Know-it-all's eyes widened. She thought of that possibility, but she didn't dare say it aloud.
"Discrimination, Hermione. There's nothing we can't talk about." Voldemort said the word without hesitation.
"But we're Gryffindors. How could we possibly..."
"Does Harry hate you?"
"No."
"Does Seamus Finnigan hate you?"
"Um... I don't think so."
"I don't think I need to give you any more examples, Hermione. People who come from the Muggle world are unlikely to discriminate against you."
Voldemort shrugged. "If you were in the Muggle world and someone bullied you, you wouldn't feel so upset. You might even fight back. But in an unfamiliar environment..."
He didn't finish, but Hermione understood. She lowered her head in pain. Even though she'd found the root of the problem, that didn't make her feel any better.
"What should I do, Professor?" she asked with her