Hermione's POV
"They what?" I hissed Saturday afternoon as we sat by the lake. Ginny had just told me of the events of the previous night, since I had been in the library. I winced at the thought of the feast tonight. She had told me about the prank, or at least, what she knew of it. It was a frightening thought.
"You heard me. They're pranking Umbridge tonight; apparently, they need to 'finish what they started'," Ginny air quoted. "Honestly, I can't wait!" After a pause, she asked, "Are you alright, Hermione?"
I set my book at my feet, marking my page before closing it. "I'm fine, Ginny."
She stared at me a moment longer before changing the subject. I looked around, watching other students laze on the grounds, enjoying the last bit of sun and warmth. The trees proudly displayed their new coloring, leaves fluttering in the soft breeze. Above, the sky was a bright blue, slowly bleeding into oranges and reds as the sun began to set. By the lake stood a group of students, a few tickling the Giant Squid. All in all, a peaceful setting. If only my own mind were as peaceful.
I was conflicted, extremely so. My mind replayed that awful night over and over, a constant reminder as to what I had thrown away. One part of me was shot through with guilt, telling me I acted rashly, that it was just a harmless joke. Another part said it wasn't just a joke, it had been borderline cruel. The third and final part ignored its companions, willing me only to talk to him. So far, I agreed most with the third part. It bothered me to see Fred upset, even if he claimed to be a master of hiding emotion. I knew him a little better than that.
Ginny stood suddenly, shaking me from my musings. "Ready?" She extended a hand. I grabbed it, pulling myself up. We set off for the doors, watching as others began to follow our lead.
The Entrance was decorated, the product of the prefects' hard work. Creepily carved pumpkins stood at the doors to the Great Hall, spiderwebs gracing the case that housed the House hourglasses. The door was opened a crack, allowing me to glimpse the charmed ceiling. In honor of the occasion, Flitwick had charmed it to look like the sky at twilight. Stars barely peeked out before angry clouds rushed past, small rumbles of thunder sounding every now and then.
Outside the doors was a crowd of milling students, the sound of the excited chatter easily being heard. Luna danced over to us, a beautiful smile on her face.
"I love Halloween!" She declared, stopping in front of Ginny and I. Ginny shared her sentiments while I shrunk my book, tucking it into my back pocket.
"Have you seen Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Oh yes. He was with the twins, they left only a few minutes ago. He said to stay away from the mashed potatoes."
Ginny's eyes widened, but she nodded. I frowned, concerned. Sometimes the twins didn't know when to stop.
Before long, the doors opened wide, inviting the mass of teens into the hall. Luna sat with us, settling across from Dean. She stared curiously at the potatoes before scooting them farther away from her, and by extension, Ginny and I.
Just as everyone sat down, the trio of pranksters entered. Harry, George and Fred rushed over to the table, sliding into the seats saved for them. Fred sat next to me, while Harry and George sat across from us. All three were smiling like idiots.
"Attention, please!" McGonagall called from the head table. She stood in the center, commanding and stern. Her face softened as she surveyed the tables. "Tonight, as you all well know, is the Halloween Feast. May the feast begin!"
Food filled the plates quickly, the talking coming to a stop as everyone dug in. Fred fidgeted in his seat, leaning towards me.
"Don't touch the mashed potatoes, yeah?" He whispered, his breathe tickling my ear. I could barely nod back.
Someone from down the table pulled the potatoes closer to them, easing my worries about them attacking me. I instead tuned in to the conversation around me, trying to ignore the presence of the man next to me.
"So, if the spell is cast right-" A shriek pierced the air, from somewhere near the Slytherin table. I watched Draco stand up, trying to calm down a second year. (A/N:The Beta wants to keep the spell check for "Slaughtering table" in there, but no, Cammy won't do it :P )
"What's going on?" I asked anxiously. The girl shrieked again, and screamed.
"It moved, I swear to Merlin, it moved!" She shouted again, promptly fainting. Madam Pomfrey rushed over, checking her over. With a swift wand flick, the poor girl was on a stretcher and on her way to the Hospital Wing. (Reminds me of our cafeteria food.-Cakey)
"Poor thing." Ginny murmured. I nodded, noting with surprise the looks on the boys' faces. They had changed to a worrisome form of glee, and all looked ready to jump out of their seats.
Another shout rent the silence. "The pumpkin moved!"
All eyes set on the pumpkin nearest the teachers' table. It was larger then normal, but Hagrid had a knack for charming them bigger. The hall grew silent as everyone watched with baited breath. Suddenly, the pumpkin winked.
"Toad." It croaked, sending shivers of horror down my spine. It moaned again, this time moving slightly. We watched as it shifted itself again, going closer and closer to the table. Some teachers backed up as it came near, but it didn't stop until it reached a pink clad administrator.
"Toad!"
A laugh broke out as Umbridge blushed, matching her outfit in hue. She quickly stopped as the pumpkin grew vines, climbing onto the table. She squealed, falling backwards out of her chair.
One nimble tendril pointed to her. "Toad! Revenge...revenge...revenge!" It roared.
In that instant, every pumpkin shifted, chanting the same thing. People leaped from the seats in order to avoid being near them. They gathered in front of the table, as if waiting for some signal. At some unspoken command, they turned around, towards the students.
"Run!" A Ravenclaw screamed. Students scrambled from the seats, cries of panic crowding my ears.
"Ahh!" I shouted, ducking under the table. A pumpkin crawled toward the table, nearing me with surprising speed. The floor was too crowded to even attempt to get up, the doors having been shut. I closed my eyes, hoping nothing dangerous would happen.
"Girl want revenge on Toad?" It snarled. I felt the eyes of everyone near me on my back. Fred, who was standing by the Hufflepuff table(How did he get over there?), gave me a nod. Gulping, I replied.
"Yes?" I said tentatively. The pumpkin grinned evilly and sauntered to the front of the table.
"Revenge!" It cried. The other pumpkins took up the cry. Students relaxed slightly, standing and watching the spectacle.
I looked to the teachers table, coming out from under the table. Some stood laughing, watching the show with everyone else. Others, like McGonagall, were casting spells, trying to stop the madness. Nothing seemed to be working, though.
A flash of blue cut through the air, heading towards the ceiling. It hit the candles, causing the lights to go nearly dark. Screams picked up again, especially when the mashed potatoes exploded.
Bats flew from the dishes, floating around eerily. They started towards the doors, which surprisingly opened. Back up front, the pumpkins were chanting, looping themselves around students and teachers alike as they hastened to Umbridge.
Students were just realizing the doors were open, and were leaving as quickly as possible. Filch snuck in around them, slinking to the front.
The pumpkins had now picked up Umbridge and were wrapping their vines around her mouth to silence the screams. They flocked to the front, snatching up Filch as they did so. Everyone followed, enraptured with what was happening. I followed, finding myself next to Harry. He grinned.
In the Entrance Hall, it became obvious that no one had really fled. The stairs were packed with those who had escaped, and more were adding to the madness. I stopped near the hourglasses, watching the pumpkins carry their prisoners towards the doors. Without a word, they opened, allowing the vegetables out.
"Harry!" I said loudly, drawing his attention. "What is happening?"
He smiled. "Well, now that the show is done in there," he nodded to the Great Hall. "I think this means that they are headed for the lake. Thanks for helping, by the way. I was supposed to meet the leader, but Gin pulled me away."
My jaw dropped. "This is-I mean, you-all this was- the lake?"
Harry chuckled at my words. "Yeah. We couldn't let the pumpkins do any real harm, they were really just there to freak people out. Same with the bats, although we did charm them to fly at Toad and Filch when they come back in. Nice, huh?"
This is breaking a ton of rules. I thought confusedly. I loved the revenge, because both did deserve it, but rules were there for a reason. Stilling my thoughts, I decided to not even worry about it. It wouldn't hurt me to let someone else handle the responsibility for one night.
"It's brilliant."
Teachers rushed from the hall, subduing the commotion. "Back to your dorms! The feast will be sent up! Make haste!"
I lead Harry to the passage in the dungeons, sneaking our way back up the seventh floor. As we entered the common room, I saw my fellow Gryffindors crowding around the window. Above the noise was a loud scream and the sound of splashing water meaning Umbridge and Filch had just gotten dunked. I felt my smile widen, until I was laughing with everyone else.
X-x-X-x-X-x-X
Nothing is as far away as one minute ago*, I thought. It was undoubtedly true. It seemed like only yesterday it was Halloween, and Harry and I were eating in the common room, laughing with everyone else about the prank. That one moment of carefree laughter had lightened my mood considerably. A pleasant end to an awful week, in the end. The day after, however, had been a little chaotic, with the teachers attempting to apprehend the culprits. It was a failure at best, for no one would rat out the ones who had done it. While there was still House rivalry, we all shared one common bond: no one had any love for Umbridge or Filch. Our professors hadn't given up easily, even going as far as to interrogate during classes. The Toad, as many now called Umbridge, had been livid. These past two weeks in her class had been a nightmare, her attitude having become similar to Snape's. I was glad it was over, and hoped that her mood would improve. Her death glares became annoying after the first five minutes.
My thoughts changed paths abruptly as I sat down at the Gryffindor table. Normally, the Hall was a mass of black clothing. Today it was divided between the colors of two Houses. Many students were clad in the red and gold of Gryffindor, while the rest were dressed in the silver and green of Slytherin. It only meant one thing: Quidditch.
"Morning, Ginny." I said cheerfully. She sat across from me, Harry at her side. Her arms were crossed, and she looked sickly green.
The seats next to me were soon filled by Neville and Dean. They eagerly began discussing the coming game, and with every word Ginny grew paler and paler, a great change from her earlier coloring.
"Gin, you need to eat." Harry insisted, holding out a piece of toast. She shook her head, pushing it away. With a sigh, Harry set it on her plate.
I felt a mix of concern and disbelief rush through me. It was the same every time, there was always someone too worried to eat. What confused me was how Ginny was nervous, seeing as she had been playing Quidditch for years. I decided to remedy the situation.
"Ginny, eat the damn toast!" I ordered, allowing a small bit of anger and irritation to slip into my tone. She jumped at my voice, and glared, but ate the toast with no more problems. Harry mouthed 'thank you' to me from her side and I smiled.
"Luna!" Dean called from next to me. She was the easiest to pick out among the students, her lion hat being very conspicuous. It gave a small roar, making the nearby first years jump. She skipped over, kissing Dean affectionately before sitting down.
"Hello everyone! Only fifteen minutes until the game!" She exclaimed. Ginny's head snapped up from its resting place on Harry's shoulder, her eyes wide.
"What?" She nearly screamed, standing up. She grabbed Harry by the hand and together they left the Great Hall. Dean followed, laughing at his Captains' antics.
"That was interesting." Neville said good-naturedly. I chuckled quietly, watching as the other students began to leave. I set out for the Pitch, with Neville and Luna beside me.
The grounds were covered in a light frosting of snow, only a small hint of what was to come. I pulled the scarf around me tighter, wishing the wind would ease up. Hopefully, the match wouldn't last very long.
We took our seats amongst our fellow Gryffindors. The crowd cheered as the teams walked out onto the field, stopping in front of Madam Hooch. Her whistle blew cleanly, and the game began.
"And it's the lions with the Quaffle! Dodge the bludger, Ginny!" Seamus cried, being the new commentator. McGonagall sat nearby, ready to intervene, like always.
"And Ginny with the Quaffle, passes to Robins! C'mon, score Robins! Ouch! Blocked by Keeper Nott. Passed to Zabini, who passes to Zeller! Dropped to Dean, nice bludger from one of the Weasley twins! I swear, those two are human bludgers themselves..."
"Finnigan!"
"What, Professor? Just telling it as I see it..." The crowd snickered at this. I returned my attention to the game, watching one particular person with interest.
Fred was hovering by the Ravenclaws, watching a bludger carefully. His bat was held loosely by his side. He looked completely at ease on the broom. My sight of him was blocked when Ginny swooped by, Quaffle in hand. Her paleness from earlier was gone, replaced by a fierce determination to win.
She passed to Demelza, who ducked the Slytherin beater's bludger. I winced as she was hit with the other one, making her drop the Quaffle into the hands of Draco's friend, Blaise Zabini. He sped to the Gryffindor goalposts, putting Dennis to his first real test as a Keeper.
He had been the best out of all the tryouts, including Ron. They had tied for the first two rounds of elimination, and during the final one Ginny had called all shots legal. That meant the chasers could use any and all tricks to get the Quaffle in. Ron had missed one of the five shots, while Dennis had missed none. The former hadn't been happy with the results, but could do nothing about it.
Zabini shot forward, swerving around Dean, who attempted to steal the Quaffle. He threw it towards the middle goalpost. Dennis made a grab for it but missed, allowing Slytherin the first goal.
"Ten/nil, Slytherin! C'mon, Gryffindor, I have a bet on this game!" Seamus raged over the magical megaphone. McGonagall scolded him loudly, the sound carrying.
A half-hour into the game and it got vicious.
Beaters were aiming to seriously maim by now, with the scores tied at fifty points each. Ginny scowled darkly as Dennis let another pass in, bringing it to sixty-fifty.
"Ha, if I were on the team, we'd be winning." The sound of Ron's voice carried from a couple rows back. I felt my temper flare at his words, knowing he was being unnecessarily snide.
"Then why'd you miss that last pass, Ronald?" I said loudly, bringing about a round of laughter. His last miss has been hilarious, him having fallen off his broom because the Quaffle 'scared him'. He'd been busy showing off to some girls, paying no attention to the Chaser that was nearing him. Not one of his best moments.
The green clad supporters cheered again as they scored, bringing it to seventy-fifty, Slytherin. Draco hovered nearby, turning and winking at me. I blushed faintly, not missing the piercing glare Fred shot at him.
Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again, signaling another foul shot for Gryffindor. Demelza shot forward, corkscrewing in the air before shooting. She made it, bringing about more cheers. I shouted, my voice already going hoarse.
Ginny called a timeout, gathering the team directly below my box. Her voice drifted up, angry and driven.
"Creevey, you can't keep missing. Zabini fakes to the left, while Zeller goes to the right. Berkly goes straight, he's too thick to fake out."
"Got it, Cap'n." Dennis replied. I wondered when he had changed from the carefree little kid to the deep voiced man he was.
"Harry, have you seen the bloody snitch?" Ginny demanded, having finished with the rest of the team.
"No. It's hard to see around Malfoy's big head." He retorted jokingly. I figured he was trying to calm Ginny down, but her next words didn't support my thought.
"Fred, George, aim for his head, got it? Gryffindor on three...one, two, three...GRYFFINDOR!"
The team broke, soaring back up to eye level. Ginny flew towards Madam Hooch, calling the end of the time out. A blast of the whistle later and the Slytherins were back in the air.
Another half-hour passed in a blur of bludgers, shouts, and broken noses. George hit a bludger at Zabini, nearly breaking his arm. Demelza and Ginny had been down twice, each with blood pouring from the noses. A Slytherin Chaser had been replaced, having been knocked unconscious. There was still no sign of the Snitch.
"Bloody hell!" Neville shouted as Dean almost got knocked off his broom. "Foul!"
"That wasn't very nice." Luna commentated, making her hat roar.
I shivered as the wind picked up. A storm was approaching, and I hoped the game would be over before it hit.
"Gryffindor scores! Wait, what's this? Has Harry Potter seen the snitch?"
My eyes followed the flashes that were Draco and Harry as they shot across the Pitch. Every other player froze, watching the two battle for victory. Draco neared the small ball of gold, Harry right behind him. No sound was heard from anyone at the Pitch, everyone watching with rapt attention.
Harry sped past slightly, before Draco grabbed the end of his broom and pulled it back. Cries of anger erupted from the spectators as Harry struggled to right his broom. Insults befouled the air as many Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs cursed the Slytherin Seeker.
"Cheap move from the Slytherin Captain, Draco Malfoy. Also known as 'the ferret'. Sorry, Professor! Anyway, he pulled ahead of Potter, and is now racing towards the Snitch. What was that?" Seamus cried out. Every head turned to the direction he pointed too. Fred had shot forward to hit a nearby bludger, aimed at Draco. The blond didn't notice the ball flying towards him, being entirely focused on the Snitch. Harry, who had since regained control over his broomstick, spun in a circle, heading the opposite way to the Snitch. The bludger hit its target in the shoulder, causing Draco to fall from his broom. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad he was terribly high. "And, yes! Potter's done it, Potter has the Snitch! Excellent shot from Fred Weasley! We won!"
The noise level sky rocketed as everyone began celebrating. I followed Neville and Luna as they rushed to the field, congratulating the players. Harry was spinning Ginny around, kissing her with a passion. Luna rushed to Dean, hugging him tightly. I smiled as I was buffeted by others, glad to have won.
Standing nearby the chaos was Draco, arguing with Madam Hooch. He pointed at the air and gestured madly, but she calmly shook her head. With a snarl of frustration he left, walking towards me.
"Bloody cheap shot, that's what it was." He mumbled, just barely audible over everything else. He stopped before me, and smiled. "Hermione."
"What was that all about?" I asked curiously.
"Trying to get the shot called off as a foul. She said it would have been if the Snitch hadn't been in major play, and that she couldn't do anything." Draco explained, his grey eyes flashing. "Anyways, I have something I wanted to ask you."
I nodded for him to continue.
"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"
Author's Note: *That is a real quote, said by one Jim Bishop. No idea who he his, but oh well.
Left you with a cliffy, didn't I? I kinda like this whole being evil thing... muahaha.
So, I have something to ask you guys. One of my friends used to put a challenge in her notes, asking her viewers to give her phrases or things that would need to be put somewhere in the next chapter. What I want to know is if you guys are up for it. If anyone has an idea for the challenge, leave it in a review. By the way, your reviews really make my day. No joke. My beta often gets texts from me where I freak out with joy from a new review. Keep 'em coming, people! Thanks. :D
P.S. Depending on how many challenges I get, I may not be able to fit them all into the chapter, so they may go into a later chapter instead. But that's only an If. Review, duckies!