I Am Hermoine Granger....

Thursday night was Culinary Skills class. I was nervous because I had read the majority of the assigned reading but still had a few pages left that were covering sauce production. I soon found out that I had nothing to worry about. I seemed to have been the only person who had read as much as I did. I was answering questions left and right with my textbook closed, while others were answering based on the info in the books opened before them! I was beginning to think that I may want to consider playing it cool and maybe not raising my hand for EVERY question the Chef was asking. Then it happened. The moment that made me wish I could whip out a magic wand and go back in time and have my arm broken so I couldn't put it in the air! The Chef asked another question and like a rocket, my hand shot up knowing that I knew the answer. It was as though I believed I would win ten points for Gryffindor with this correct answer. Chef looked at me and said "Jeffrey, I know you know this. I've taken more correct answers from you than anyone else in the class combined. You all have to do the reading. I can't do the reading for you and Jeffrey can't be the only one answering questions". Gulp. The following thoughts ran into my head like bludgers in a Quiddich match "Nerd" , "Geek", "Brown Noser", "Loser", "Know-It-All". I was suddently a child again, proud to have known the answer and at the same time dying of embarassment for not being a "cool kid". Then suddenly, my innervoice seemed to have popped open a can of whoop-ass and approached these nasty thoughts and said "Why should you care what any of these people think?! They aren't paying your tuition?! It's not your fault they're lazy and didn't do the work! You're here for an education, not friends". I must say, my inner voice sometimes makes me very excited. It was with this inspiration that I willed my face to change from tomato red back to it's normal pale and blotchy color. Well, inspriration and it was now time to move into the kitchen. My seatmate then asked me if we could study together this week. So, I learned that while I was like Hermoine who could be viewed by some as a know-it-all, I was also a bit like her that I also had friends!