I do not own these characters or Hogwarts or anything, they belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own the idea of Hogwarts cheerleaders, Professor Haley, and Winky's baby, so ask before you use this stuff in your own story.
Views expressed about cheerleading are not necessarily mine.
Note to readers: I know very little about cheerleading.
*Chapter One*
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were standing in front of the portrait hole, having just returned from a particularly horrid Divination lesson, in which Harry's death had been predicted for about the fifteen millionth time, in his opinion. Harry gave the password in a somewhat breathless tone, as if he were trying to escape Professor Trelawney's classroom as quickly as possible. He and Ron hurried through the portrait hole quickly and found themselves in a deserted common room.
"Seems like we are the first ones back from lessons," commented Ron.
"Well," said Harry, "I was in a hurry to escape Trelawney today." He put on a misty, dreamy sort of voice, imitating his Divination teacher. "Those who are born in late July will have early deaths when Jupiter is in this curious position."
Ron, sounding as though he wanted to change the subject, said quickly "Look, there's a new notice on the bulletin board." As they walked over to it, a few people came in the portrait hole.
* * *
Hermione Granger climbed in through the portrait hole and immediately noticed a small group of people crowded around the bulletin board. 'Must be a notice about Hogsmeade or something,' she thought. She walked over and spotted her friends Harry and Ron, said a quick hello, and read the notice. It said:
Attention students second year and above!
The Gryffindor Quidditch team needs new players,
so Madame Hooch will be holding tryouts for the
positions of one keeper and two chasers. There will
also be a need for reserves, in case of player injuries.
Tryouts will consist of a physical test of skills, and
will be held September 17th at 10 AM.
A sign up sheet is attached below.
Hermione, Ron and Harry walked over to the nearest table and pulled out their homework.
"So," Harry said, "are either of you going to try out for the Quidditch team?"
"Yes," said Ron, "I think I'd be a good keeper."
"How about you, Hermione?" said Harry.
"What?" she said, poring over her Transfiguration notes.
"Are you going to try out for Quidditch?" Harry repeated.
"Oh... no, I don't think I will," she said.
They got to work on their homework, and Ron, who didn't understand anything about human transfiguration, kept asking Hermione if he could look at her essay, which she refused to do. Harry let Ron look at his, which got on Hermione's nerves, and Ron got annoyed when she got a when-will-you-learn attitude. Harry got tired of their bickering quickly and changed the subject.
'Honestly, those two are perfect for each other,' thought Harry.
* * *
Tryouts for Quidditch were held the next week, and Harry didn't get to see them because they were held during lessons, so he sat in Potions while half the class was excused to the Quidditch pitch. He and Hermione worked at the same table, whispering quietly.
"Could you hand me the vial of powdered wormwood?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Here you go," Harry said, handing her the vial. "Anyway, I think it would be really good if Ron got on the team, of course, we haven't been able to start practicing yet because we need more players..."
Hermione wasn't listening to Harry at all, she had tuned out of what he was saying awhile ago and just interrupted when she needed something from his side of the table that they were working at.
'Honestly,' she thought, 'all he can talk about is Quidditch. He should write a ruddy book about it if it's so darn--'
"Hermione, are you listening to me?" Harry interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm hanging on your every word," she said sarcastically. He snickered then wadded up a small scrap of parchment and threw it at her.
"Hey!" she protested quietly, so that Snape didn't hear her and come over. She got the parchment out of her hair and threw it back at him, but he ducked to the left and it barely missed Malfoy's head.
"Be careful!" Harry mouthed at her, then grabbed some onion roots and flung them toward the cauldron, deliberately missing it so they hit Hermione.
"Hey, don't waste potion ingredients!" she whispered back, and flung them back at him.
"Well, well, well," said a voice behind them. Both Hermione and Harry froze. Severus Snape had just caught them messing around in his class, which meant nothing but trouble. "Two Gryffindors flirting in my class! I think it will be fifteen points from Gryffindor for each of you. This is Potions class, not some bloody social event." The bell rang. "Now all of you get out of my sight!"
When Harry was halfway out of the dungeon doors, he turned and flung a shrivelfig right at the back of Snape's head, then ducked out of sight. Hermione was still at her desk packing her things up when she saw it, and Snape was infuriated beyond reason. When she looked back at the doors Harry had gone, and she couldn't help but thinking about how brave Harry was.
* * *
Ron Weasley walked into the common room after Quidditch tryouts. He was just thinking about how good he did when Harry rushed up to him, a huge grin on his face. 'I wonder if he's heard anything about the new players yet,' Ron thought automatically.
Harry started laughing hysterically, which wiped the thought from Ron's mind a mere second after he'd thought it. "Ron!" he managed to gasp between laughter, but he started laughing again almost immediately, which got Ron chuckling at how funny Harry looked.
Just then Hermione walked into the common room, took one look at Harry laughing like a maniac and Ron looking bewildered, and she grinned. Harry sat in a chair at a near table and tried to stop laughing so hard.
"What is so funny?" asked Ron impatiently.
"Harry just got away with the funniest thing!" exclaimed Hermione, since Harry couldn't speak.
"Tell me!" Ron demanded.
"He threw a shrivelfig at Snape and hit him in the back of the head!" said Hermione.
Fred and George walked up to them just when she had said that. "What?" said Ron and the twins, all disbelieving.
"I can't believe I missed that!" said Ron, starting to laugh. He sat down next to Harry and Hermione, Fred, and George situated themselves at the same table where they were sitting.
"I can't believe he didn't see you!" said Fred.
Harry had finally stopped laughing. "It's almost time for dinner, and I've got to go do something, so I'll see you all down there!" He rushed up to his dormitory.
'Didn't he want to know about Quidditch tryouts?' thought Ron.
* * *
Harry opened his dormitory door and went straight for his bedside table. He rummaged in the drawers and pulled out a magazine called Witch Weekly. He flipped to the back where there was an order form for a golden bracelet with diamonds in it. 'This is what I want to give Cho,' he thought. 'It will be perfect for her.' But then he thought about Hermione. He had definitely felt something for her when they were flirting in Potions, and Cho barely talked to him lately. He decided he'd order it and decide which girl to give it to later. He filled out the form and put it in his bedside table drawer. He'd send it off later, but now he needed to go to dinner.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to dinner together. Hermione kept thinking about Potions class. She wasn't going to report what Harry did, not after the way they were flirting in Potions. She did not want to throw that away, she wanted so much to believe that Harry liked her, even if he was just flirting for no reason. Was he flirting with me because he liked me, or was it just something he felt like doing? she wondered as they entered the Great Hall for dinner.
At dinner Hermione barely ate anything, and Ron and Harry were talking about Quidditch again, so she tuned out and just sat there, thinking. She left the table early and went up to the dormitory. She got her diary out of a secret drawer that only she new the spell to open and started to write:
Dear Diary, September 17th
Today my feelings for Harry sort of came out when we started flirting in Potions. I know he used to like Cho Chang, but he never talks to her anymore. Maybe he's gotten over her. And maybe Ginny Weasley has stopped liking Harry, so now I can. I would never want to hurt Ginny, she is my friend. But I really like Harry, I've liked him ever since last year when he so bravely dueled with Lord Voldemort. The thing with Viktor just couldn't last. I'm glad I stopped seeing him last year, because I like Harry SO much now! I think I'll start showing him my feelings more often.... I don't know, what if I just IMAGINED that he might have feelings for me? I suppose I'll just have to see what happens. I must say, I was really attracted to him when he flung that shrivelfig at Snape, and I normally hate rule breaking! I just hope Snape doesn't ask me if he did it, because I hate lying to teachers, but I'm NOT going to turn him in!
* * *
Ron and Harry walked into the common room after dinner, and noticed a new notice pinned to the bulletin board. They walked up with interest, and read:
Attention Gryffindor Girls!
For the first time in the history of Hogwarts there
will be a cheerleading squad for each Hogwarts
House! Cheerleaders will learn broomstick choreo-
graphy and cheers so they can support Gryffindor
during Quidditch matches.
There will be a two-week training course beginning
September 21st, and on every Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday afterwards. There will be 7 girls on each
cheerleading squad, so not everyone who takes the
training course will be chosen, although there will
be a 2nd-string team in case of injuries.
The chosen cheerleaders will be announced shortly
after the training course, and will be given uniforms
and practice schedules.
Notice: You cannot be on the cheerleading squad
if you are on the Quidditch team.
A sign up sheet is attached below.
"Cheerleaders," said Ron blankly.
"Cheerleaders are girls who dance around and act perky and scream stuff to support their sports team," explained Harry. "Muggles always have cheerleaders for sports like football and basketball."
"Why are girls the only cheerleaders?" Ron asked as they walked up to their dormitory to get their homework. "Why not guys, too?"
"You're going to have to ask Hermione, because I don't know, and she always has an answer for everything." Harry snickered. "Anyway, cheerleaders are supposed to be "cute" and I don't think guys fit that category, nor are they cheerleading material."
"I wonder who is going to be on the Gryffindor cheerleading squad?" said Ron, grabbing his homework and leading the way back downstairs, Harry right behind him.
"I think Hermione should be on it," said Harry without thinking.
"Why's that?" asked Ron, not really suspicious, though Harry figured he would be.
"Oh..." said Harry, "I just think it would be cool if we were all involved in Quidditch."
Harry knew the real reason he wanted Hermione to be on the cheerleading squad was that in the Muggle world, the star sports players and the cheerleaders always dated. He was always the star of Quidditch because of his position as seeker, so he figured he'd have a better chance with Hermione if she were on the cheerleading squad. He had not forgotten the kiss she had given him at the end of last year.
* * *
Hermione came down from her room and saw Harry and Ron working on their homework at a table across the common room. She walked up to them and Harry at once stood up.
"Hermione, come look at this notice on the bulletin board," he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her slightly. She was caught off guard and allowed herself to be pulled, loving the fact that Harry was touching her arm. He placed her in front of the bulletin board and pointed.
"Read this notice, Hermione!" he said with urgency. She read it and started to speak when Harry interrupted. "I think you should try out for cheerleading. It'd be so cool if Ron, you and I are all involved in Quidditch!"
"You sure are enthusiastic about this, Harry..." she said suspiciously.
"Come on, Hermione, be a cheerleader!" he said.
'Wow,' she thought, 'he really wants me to do this.' "Okay." she agreed. "Let me use your quill to sign my name..."
* * *
Ron sat at the table watching Harry and Hermione. Hermione was looking unsure about something and Harry was looking really enthusiastic. 'What on earth is going on over there?' Ron thought as Harry handed Hermione his quill. He watched Hermione sign her name on the cheerleading notice. 'Why is Harry looking so happy about Hermione wanting to be a cheerleader?' He drove the thought from his mind and got back to work on his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay as Harry and Hermione walked over.
Views expressed about cheerleading are not necessarily mine.
Note to readers: I know very little about cheerleading.
*Chapter One*
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were standing in front of the portrait hole, having just returned from a particularly horrid Divination lesson, in which Harry's death had been predicted for about the fifteen millionth time, in his opinion. Harry gave the password in a somewhat breathless tone, as if he were trying to escape Professor Trelawney's classroom as quickly as possible. He and Ron hurried through the portrait hole quickly and found themselves in a deserted common room.
"Seems like we are the first ones back from lessons," commented Ron.
"Well," said Harry, "I was in a hurry to escape Trelawney today." He put on a misty, dreamy sort of voice, imitating his Divination teacher. "Those who are born in late July will have early deaths when Jupiter is in this curious position."
Ron, sounding as though he wanted to change the subject, said quickly "Look, there's a new notice on the bulletin board." As they walked over to it, a few people came in the portrait hole.
* * *
Hermione Granger climbed in through the portrait hole and immediately noticed a small group of people crowded around the bulletin board. 'Must be a notice about Hogsmeade or something,' she thought. She walked over and spotted her friends Harry and Ron, said a quick hello, and read the notice. It said:
Attention students second year and above!
The Gryffindor Quidditch team needs new players,
so Madame Hooch will be holding tryouts for the
positions of one keeper and two chasers. There will
also be a need for reserves, in case of player injuries.
Tryouts will consist of a physical test of skills, and
will be held September 17th at 10 AM.
A sign up sheet is attached below.
Hermione, Ron and Harry walked over to the nearest table and pulled out their homework.
"So," Harry said, "are either of you going to try out for the Quidditch team?"
"Yes," said Ron, "I think I'd be a good keeper."
"How about you, Hermione?" said Harry.
"What?" she said, poring over her Transfiguration notes.
"Are you going to try out for Quidditch?" Harry repeated.
"Oh... no, I don't think I will," she said.
They got to work on their homework, and Ron, who didn't understand anything about human transfiguration, kept asking Hermione if he could look at her essay, which she refused to do. Harry let Ron look at his, which got on Hermione's nerves, and Ron got annoyed when she got a when-will-you-learn attitude. Harry got tired of their bickering quickly and changed the subject.
'Honestly, those two are perfect for each other,' thought Harry.
* * *
Tryouts for Quidditch were held the next week, and Harry didn't get to see them because they were held during lessons, so he sat in Potions while half the class was excused to the Quidditch pitch. He and Hermione worked at the same table, whispering quietly.
"Could you hand me the vial of powdered wormwood?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Here you go," Harry said, handing her the vial. "Anyway, I think it would be really good if Ron got on the team, of course, we haven't been able to start practicing yet because we need more players..."
Hermione wasn't listening to Harry at all, she had tuned out of what he was saying awhile ago and just interrupted when she needed something from his side of the table that they were working at.
'Honestly,' she thought, 'all he can talk about is Quidditch. He should write a ruddy book about it if it's so darn--'
"Hermione, are you listening to me?" Harry interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm hanging on your every word," she said sarcastically. He snickered then wadded up a small scrap of parchment and threw it at her.
"Hey!" she protested quietly, so that Snape didn't hear her and come over. She got the parchment out of her hair and threw it back at him, but he ducked to the left and it barely missed Malfoy's head.
"Be careful!" Harry mouthed at her, then grabbed some onion roots and flung them toward the cauldron, deliberately missing it so they hit Hermione.
"Hey, don't waste potion ingredients!" she whispered back, and flung them back at him.
"Well, well, well," said a voice behind them. Both Hermione and Harry froze. Severus Snape had just caught them messing around in his class, which meant nothing but trouble. "Two Gryffindors flirting in my class! I think it will be fifteen points from Gryffindor for each of you. This is Potions class, not some bloody social event." The bell rang. "Now all of you get out of my sight!"
When Harry was halfway out of the dungeon doors, he turned and flung a shrivelfig right at the back of Snape's head, then ducked out of sight. Hermione was still at her desk packing her things up when she saw it, and Snape was infuriated beyond reason. When she looked back at the doors Harry had gone, and she couldn't help but thinking about how brave Harry was.
* * *
Ron Weasley walked into the common room after Quidditch tryouts. He was just thinking about how good he did when Harry rushed up to him, a huge grin on his face. 'I wonder if he's heard anything about the new players yet,' Ron thought automatically.
Harry started laughing hysterically, which wiped the thought from Ron's mind a mere second after he'd thought it. "Ron!" he managed to gasp between laughter, but he started laughing again almost immediately, which got Ron chuckling at how funny Harry looked.
Just then Hermione walked into the common room, took one look at Harry laughing like a maniac and Ron looking bewildered, and she grinned. Harry sat in a chair at a near table and tried to stop laughing so hard.
"What is so funny?" asked Ron impatiently.
"Harry just got away with the funniest thing!" exclaimed Hermione, since Harry couldn't speak.
"Tell me!" Ron demanded.
"He threw a shrivelfig at Snape and hit him in the back of the head!" said Hermione.
Fred and George walked up to them just when she had said that. "What?" said Ron and the twins, all disbelieving.
"I can't believe I missed that!" said Ron, starting to laugh. He sat down next to Harry and Hermione, Fred, and George situated themselves at the same table where they were sitting.
"I can't believe he didn't see you!" said Fred.
Harry had finally stopped laughing. "It's almost time for dinner, and I've got to go do something, so I'll see you all down there!" He rushed up to his dormitory.
'Didn't he want to know about Quidditch tryouts?' thought Ron.
* * *
Harry opened his dormitory door and went straight for his bedside table. He rummaged in the drawers and pulled out a magazine called Witch Weekly. He flipped to the back where there was an order form for a golden bracelet with diamonds in it. 'This is what I want to give Cho,' he thought. 'It will be perfect for her.' But then he thought about Hermione. He had definitely felt something for her when they were flirting in Potions, and Cho barely talked to him lately. He decided he'd order it and decide which girl to give it to later. He filled out the form and put it in his bedside table drawer. He'd send it off later, but now he needed to go to dinner.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to dinner together. Hermione kept thinking about Potions class. She wasn't going to report what Harry did, not after the way they were flirting in Potions. She did not want to throw that away, she wanted so much to believe that Harry liked her, even if he was just flirting for no reason. Was he flirting with me because he liked me, or was it just something he felt like doing? she wondered as they entered the Great Hall for dinner.
At dinner Hermione barely ate anything, and Ron and Harry were talking about Quidditch again, so she tuned out and just sat there, thinking. She left the table early and went up to the dormitory. She got her diary out of a secret drawer that only she new the spell to open and started to write:
Dear Diary, September 17th
Today my feelings for Harry sort of came out when we started flirting in Potions. I know he used to like Cho Chang, but he never talks to her anymore. Maybe he's gotten over her. And maybe Ginny Weasley has stopped liking Harry, so now I can. I would never want to hurt Ginny, she is my friend. But I really like Harry, I've liked him ever since last year when he so bravely dueled with Lord Voldemort. The thing with Viktor just couldn't last. I'm glad I stopped seeing him last year, because I like Harry SO much now! I think I'll start showing him my feelings more often.... I don't know, what if I just IMAGINED that he might have feelings for me? I suppose I'll just have to see what happens. I must say, I was really attracted to him when he flung that shrivelfig at Snape, and I normally hate rule breaking! I just hope Snape doesn't ask me if he did it, because I hate lying to teachers, but I'm NOT going to turn him in!
* * *
Ron and Harry walked into the common room after dinner, and noticed a new notice pinned to the bulletin board. They walked up with interest, and read:
Attention Gryffindor Girls!
For the first time in the history of Hogwarts there
will be a cheerleading squad for each Hogwarts
House! Cheerleaders will learn broomstick choreo-
graphy and cheers so they can support Gryffindor
during Quidditch matches.
There will be a two-week training course beginning
September 21st, and on every Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday afterwards. There will be 7 girls on each
cheerleading squad, so not everyone who takes the
training course will be chosen, although there will
be a 2nd-string team in case of injuries.
The chosen cheerleaders will be announced shortly
after the training course, and will be given uniforms
and practice schedules.
Notice: You cannot be on the cheerleading squad
if you are on the Quidditch team.
A sign up sheet is attached below.
"Cheerleaders," said Ron blankly.
"Cheerleaders are girls who dance around and act perky and scream stuff to support their sports team," explained Harry. "Muggles always have cheerleaders for sports like football and basketball."
"Why are girls the only cheerleaders?" Ron asked as they walked up to their dormitory to get their homework. "Why not guys, too?"
"You're going to have to ask Hermione, because I don't know, and she always has an answer for everything." Harry snickered. "Anyway, cheerleaders are supposed to be "cute" and I don't think guys fit that category, nor are they cheerleading material."
"I wonder who is going to be on the Gryffindor cheerleading squad?" said Ron, grabbing his homework and leading the way back downstairs, Harry right behind him.
"I think Hermione should be on it," said Harry without thinking.
"Why's that?" asked Ron, not really suspicious, though Harry figured he would be.
"Oh..." said Harry, "I just think it would be cool if we were all involved in Quidditch."
Harry knew the real reason he wanted Hermione to be on the cheerleading squad was that in the Muggle world, the star sports players and the cheerleaders always dated. He was always the star of Quidditch because of his position as seeker, so he figured he'd have a better chance with Hermione if she were on the cheerleading squad. He had not forgotten the kiss she had given him at the end of last year.
* * *
Hermione came down from her room and saw Harry and Ron working on their homework at a table across the common room. She walked up to them and Harry at once stood up.
"Hermione, come look at this notice on the bulletin board," he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her slightly. She was caught off guard and allowed herself to be pulled, loving the fact that Harry was touching her arm. He placed her in front of the bulletin board and pointed.
"Read this notice, Hermione!" he said with urgency. She read it and started to speak when Harry interrupted. "I think you should try out for cheerleading. It'd be so cool if Ron, you and I are all involved in Quidditch!"
"You sure are enthusiastic about this, Harry..." she said suspiciously.
"Come on, Hermione, be a cheerleader!" he said.
'Wow,' she thought, 'he really wants me to do this.' "Okay." she agreed. "Let me use your quill to sign my name..."
* * *
Ron sat at the table watching Harry and Hermione. Hermione was looking unsure about something and Harry was looking really enthusiastic. 'What on earth is going on over there?' Ron thought as Harry handed Hermione his quill. He watched Hermione sign her name on the cheerleading notice. 'Why is Harry looking so happy about Hermione wanting to be a cheerleader?' He drove the thought from his mind and got back to work on his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay as Harry and Hermione walked over.