Harry Potter Alternate Universe: Year Four
A/N: Hey, glad everyone's enjoying it. Sorry for the people who find my grammer and spelling terrible but its how I spell, sorry. Sorry about the Fred, I just wanted the dinner to be as awkward as possible with who was sitting at which table. That will probably be the last of Fred unless I need him again. Sorry if they weighed down Harry and Hermione getting together. But I told you they would get together before the end. Enjoy!
Harry made his way into the Great Hall, he was so glad that the Yule Ball was over and done with. Too much drama. He quickly sat beside Lindsey, it seemed as if she had no drama around her.
"Morning." He said to his friends, the boys just grunted and nodded while stuffing food in their mouths.
"Morning Harry." The girls said, they all rolled their eyes. Hermione smiled as he leaned over and kissed her, not really surprising the group.
"You two finally together?" Ron asked, Harry and Hermione exchange confused looks.
"Yes." They said, the group all smiled.
"Finally." Luke and Becca said together.
"Its about bloody time." Ron said with a grin, Harry and Hermione looked at each other before shaking their heads and smiling. Luke looked up when Taylor came in, she didn't have a lot of friends, he noticed. Steph looked in the direction her boyfriend was looking in and saw Taylor looking around for a place to sit. She sighed.
"Ask her to sit with us."
"No, its fine, Steph. You first, and she has to get over her crush on me." Luke said turning back to his food. Steph shrugged before picking up the paper. Her jaw dropped as she read the headline. "Dumbledore's big mistake? Hagrid's a half-giant?" They all looked to her, Becca took her paper before they all saw her features harden slightly.
After breakfast, all they heard was about Hagrid being half-giant. They were on their way, minus Lindsey since she had a catch-up lesson with Professor Snape, to see Hagrid before dinner. They noticed that all the windows were covered by the curtains. Steph knocked on the door.
"Hagrid! Its us!" Harry yelled, five minutes later, they all were knocking on the door, Ron and Hermione tried to knock on some windows.
"We'll come back tomorrow, guys. He's not opening up." Luke said, Steph shook her head.
"You guys go on. I'm gunna wait here for a few more minutes." Steph said as she sat down on Hagrid's doorstep.
"You'll come in soon though?" Luke asked slipping off his jacket and handing it to her.
"Don't worry about me." Steph said as she put it on.
"You want someone to stay with you?" Hermione asked as she glanced up at the castle, Steph smiled.
"No, you have a date if I'm not mistaken." Steph said, Hermione blushed but nodded anyway. "Have fun." Hermione grinned before smiling at Harry. Harry and Becca gave her a quick hug before all three walked up to the castle.
"You sure you don't want someone to stay with you?" Ron asked laying a hand on her shoulder, she smiled softly as she took his hand in hers.
"Ron, I'm sure you're starving. I'll be in later." Steph said, she let go of his hand and hugged him tightly. "Don't let Becca keep you down too long." She whispered, he nodded. She moved over and kissed Luke lightly.
"Love you." Luke said, Steph smiled.
"Love you too." Steph replied, the two boys walked off with an uneasy feeling in their stomach. Steph sighed as she knocked on the door again. "Hagrid, I'm staying out here until you open up!" Steph yelled through the door.
Hermione, who had been rushed away from the common room by Becca for the last half hour, was just now getting into the common room. Once she was in, she was stopped in her tracks. Harry, using magic, had transformed the common room into a romantic setting. The furniture was gone except for a lone table that had been set up for two. Harry smiled at her from the table nervously.
"This is…amazing." Hermione said as she walked over, she kissed him lightly before he pulled out her chair. She smiled as he hurried to his seat. "You know, this doesn't have to be awkward." He smiled.
"I know. I'm just a little nervous. I mean, you're the first girl I've ever fallen for." Harry said, Hermione's eyes widened.
"You're…you're in love with me?" She asked, Harry shrugged and looked extremely nervous.
"I, uh, guess so." He said before looking at her. "So, uh, how do you feel about me?"
The next day, Hermione and Becca were in the pub in Hogsmeade drinking their butterbeer. They were waiting for Luke and Ron to come back from the bar and for Harry to meet up with them after he had finished his necessary shopping.
"So Steph stayed outside Hagrid's cabin all night? And he didn't let her in?" Hermione asked, Becca nodded.
"We couldn't even get her to come to Hogsmeade." Becca said, Luke and Ron were talking about the same subject.
"She's just being stubborn." Ron said as he sat down in the seat across from Becca.
"Its one of those things I'd hate if I wasn't so in love with her." Luke said with a smile as he sat down next to Ron. Hermione smiled at him softly only for it to fall when she heard a familiar voice. She looked over Luke's shoulder to see Rita Skeeter, Luke spun around in his chair and sighed. Rita was sitting at the next table.
"Ah, if it isn't my favorite reporter to hate." Luke said with an unpleasant smile, Rita looked up from her notepad to see him.
"Lucas Black. I see you've ditched that girl. It was a good choice." Rita said, Luke's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Actually, she's comforting a friend of ours. You might remember him, Hagrid?" Luke asked, his voice ice cold.
"Harry and you not enough for her?" Rita asked with a smirk, Luke's features hardened dangerously.
"Lets go, Luke." Becca said, Luke glared at the reporter before getting up and walking out of the pub.
Later that night, Steph still did not come back into the common room. The rest of the gang, minus Lindsey, were sitting there.
"Hey, Harry." Neville said as he walked over to them. "There's a rumor going around that Hagrid's not coming back to teach his classes because of that article about him in the newspaper."
"What?" Luke and Harry demanded at the same time, Neville jumped slightly.
"Dumbledore's been getting letters from parents that say he shouldn't be letting a half-giant teach us." Neville said, the group exchanged a look before running out of the common room.
Steph was sitting against Hagrid's door when she heard someone coming. She stood up and started knocking on the door again.
"Hagrid, can I at least have some tea?" Steph asked, hoping to get anything in return. Dumbledore smiled at the girl.
"Good evening, Miss Blane." Dumbledore said, Steph turned around to see him. "Do not worry. You're not in trouble. On the contrary, I'm quite amazed by you. Such loyalty to stand out here all night, missing a Hogsmeade trip. Mind if I try?"
"Good luck, Professor." Steph said getting out of his way. He knocked on Hagrid's door swiftly.
"Professor Hagrid, would you be so kind as to open the door?" Dumbledore asked, the door opened and Steph put a hand to her mouth at the sight of him.
"Oh, Hagrid." Steph said lightly as she and Dumbledore walked in.
Harry and Luke were at Hagrid's first, they started knocking on the door furiously as the girls came up behind them. They almost fell through the doorway when the door opened unexpectedly, the boys quickly grabbed the doorway.
"Hagrid, we don't care if you're half-giant." Becca said in one breath, Dumbledore smiled at the group.
"See, Hagrid, living breathing proof of what Miss Blane and I have been trying to tell you." Dumbledore said, Hagrid was wiping his tears away.
"It wasn't enough for Steph to camp outside your door for almost two days?" Luke asked with a kind smile, the exact opposite as to what he used with Rita. Hagrid turned to Steph, completely surprised.
"You were outside all night?" Hagrid asked, Steph blushed.
"Well, I had to talk to you." Steph said shyly, Hagrid smiled before hugging her gently.
"And if you think you're sacking him…" Becca trailed off.
"I do not wish to sack Hagrid. Miss Blane and I have been trying, and failing, to get him to stay on board." Dumbledore said, Steph nodded in agreement.
"Hagrid," Harry said looking straight at his friend. "If Hermione and Steph believed that they weren't good enough for the wizarding world because they have Muggle parents, what would you say?"
"I'd say that's ruddy non-sense." Hagrid said quietly, Harry nodded.
"And how is you quitting any different?" Harry asked, Hagrid looked down at him.