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>Be a gracious host.
Hermione clenches her jaw for the briefest of moments, before she relaxes. The scarlet-haired girl lets out a weary sigh, casually waving off the question with a flick of her wrist. “Oh, it’s really nothing too interesting.” She looks out at the stars beginning to twinkle in the evening sky. “I won’t bore you with some sob story. I wished for respect.”
“Respect, hm?” The blonde puts both her elbows on the table, resting her face on her hands. “Isn’t that a little vague? What did you mean?”
Hermione shrugs. “I merely found that I hadn’t been receiving the respect I was due.” She takes another sip of her strawberry milk, politely wiping at her mouth with her handkerchief. “On the whole, most people are buffoons. They admire things that don’t really matter.”
“I see.” The girl tilts her head. “So you were seeking admiration, then?”
Hermione continues to stare out at the stars. “I wouldn’t say so, no. I just wished for what was rightfully mine.”
The girl seems to be thinking over her words. Eventually, she lets out a small laugh. “I’m afraid I don’t really get it.” She leans back in her chair, watching Hermione with an amused expression. “Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t intended as a particular jab at you. Most people I’ve met have wished for things I find a little silly. Feel free to correct me otherwise, but my impression is that you seem to be looking for something that you can only find if others give it to you.”
The table is quiet for a time. Hermione begins taking out tablets from her pill bottle, crushing them into fine powder with the back of her spoon. “If you’d like to put it that way, you may.”
“Whether we call it respect, or admiration, or dignity, or love, it all really stems from that core premise. You’d like to have it, but you can’t, unless someone else decides you should.”
The girl begins forming little piles of dust. “Alright.”
“It’s a little sad, if you think about it. You can’t even really earn it, either. It just has to be given out of the goodness of one’s heart.” The blonde looks at her, curious. “Why are we all so dependent on something so fickle?”
>Humor her with a response? Or get to the point?
