Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter books or movies. This is set after book five but before the last two. I hope you enjoy and feel free to review. I will use the bad reviews to line my owls cage!
Our Hogsmeade Trips!
Chapter 1: The Rules
On the night before the first Hogsmeade trip of the year Dumbledore asked all the students third year and above that had permission to go to Hogsmeade this year to stay behind after dinner.
"I have asked that you all stay behind so that I can explain the new rules for the Hogsmeade trips for the year." He paused to look around the room then continued on. "If everyone would stand up for a couple of moments and gentlemen if you could make your way to the back of the room. Ladies while the gentlemen are heading to the back of the room would you please come up toward the head table." He waited while the students followed his instructions. "Good. Good. Good."
He then looked over at Professor McGonagall (Head of Gryffindor), Professor Sprout (Head of Hufflepuff), Professor Flitwick (Head of Ravenclaw), and Professor Snape (Head of Slytherin) only to see they all had their cauldrons out so he proceeded to address the young ladies in front of him. "Ladies would you kindly take a piece of this parchment and write your name on it. Then you may place it in the cauldron held by your head of house. When you have finished this please return to your seats."
Dumbledore waited patiently as he watched the young ladies do as he had instructed. Then he turned to the heads of the houses and spoke more quietly. "Ok please place the ribbons on your cauldrons and then place them in the chamber as we discussed earlier."
Dumbledore turned back to the waiting students. "Gentlemen please come up to the head table." Dumbledore glanced sideways and saw the heads returning with another set of cauldrons. Smiling he turned back to the young men waiting before him. "Gentlemen would you kindly write your names on a piece of this parchment and then do as the ladies did by placing it in the cauldron held by the head of your house. Then you may return to your seats."
Once again Dumbledore waited as the young men followed his instructions. Upon the completion of this task he once again turned to the heads and nodded his approval for them to do as they had before. When the heads had once again returned the older gentlemen smiled. "Good! Thank you all for your cooperation. Now for the rules which will be enforced for the entire school year. First you will each be paired with someone from a different house. I will pair you tonight and tomorrow morning you will receive the name of your Hogsmeade buddy during breakfast. Secondly you will have the same partner for the entire school year and if for some reason they do not go to Hogsmeade you will be allowed to go however you will be teamed with another couple. Third your Hogsmeade buddy will be someone of the opposite sex so I do expect that you will control your emotions and hormones. This year I am hoping to see some relations built amongst the students of different houses. If you at any point have questions or concerns regarding your Hogsmeade buddy please feel free to ask me. I think on that note we should all get some sleep so as to enjoy our Saturday. Goodnight!"
With that all the students slowly made their way toward their respective houses. Ginny Weasley was quiet as she listened to her brother and his two best friends complain about what had just happened. "I mean really isn't this suppose to be a time we can spend with our friends avoiding the people we can't stand!" Ron was muttering.
"Oh shut up will you Ron! At least you don't run the risk of being paired with Malfoy like Hermione and I do. So grow up and shut it." Ron, Harry and Hermione all stopped suddenly. They turned quickly and stared at her in disbelief. "What are you guys staring at? I mean really hadn't any of you thought of that fact yet?" She just pushed past them making her way to the painting. She mumbled the password to the fat lady and then made her way to her dorm room. She was just about to dress for bed when Hermione came in.
Hermione walked slowly toward Ginny and then rested a reassuring hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Don't worry Ginny! I don't think Dumbledore would put you or me with that little pest. I mean come on Dumbledore knows that some relations will never get any better even if the people spend time together."
"Maybe your right but didn't you see Dumbledore as I put my name in the cauldron? Or the way he looked when you put yours in? How about the look he gave when Malfoy put his name in? I mean he looked from me to Malfoy when I put mine in. Then he did the same thing with you however I think he may have been looking at Crabbe or Goyle. But when Malfoy put his name in I know that Dumbledore definitely looked back at me after watching Malfoy's name being placed in the cauldron."
"I guess I must have missed that Gin! Sorry. I will keep my fingers crossed for you." With that Hermione hugged the younger girl and headed out the room toward her own.
That night Ginny had a hard time getting to sleep and once she did get to sleep she had dreams or rather nightmares of being Hogsmeade buddies with Draco Malfoy.
In another part of the castle Draco was heading toward the Slytherin house with Crabbe and Goyle. He was in unusually bad mood and therefore wasn't talking. This went unnoticed by his two bodyguards who are not the brightest crayons in the box. Draco upon returning to his dorm room dressed and got into bed. He lay awake for a couple of hours thinking of the look Dumbledore had given him when the little Weasel girl had put her name in the cauldron and then again when he put his own name in the cauldron. Once he finally fell asleep he had nightmares or rather dreams about Ginny Weasley being his Hogsmeade buddy.
The next morning at breakfast all those going to Hogsmeade at any point during the school year were called up one at a time and given a piece of parchment. Upon closer look it was the same parchments they had used the night before only it was the one their partner had written their name on. Hermione Granger walked up and took hers. Next Greg Goyle went up and received his as well. They both looked at the parchment with disgust. Apparently they had been paired up. Then Millicent Bulstrode and Ron Weasley in turn went and retrieved their parchments only to find they were paired together. Pansy Parkinson and Harry Potter were the next two to go and receive their names of the Hogsmeade buddies. Unfortunately it appeared they would be buddies. Now it was time for Ginny Weasley to go forward and get her parchment from Dumbledore. She was afraid to look but she did. Upon looking at it she realized her worst fear had come true. Amazingly enough she didn't let her face show the sickened feeling in it. Draco Malfoy went up to Dumbledore and took his parchment as Dumbledore winked at the young man. Draco confused by this gesture looked down to see who he was paired with. He knew even before he looked that he had been paired with Ginny Weasley.