Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…
Placing:Mid of fourthyear.
Challenge: 'Prompt of the day'. Prompt: (location) garden. 1610 words. Gryffindor, Hogwarts.
Just an idea I had thanks to EmmALewisS' review.
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THE SLYTHERIN WAY
PART VI: Behind The Scene
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Hermione Granger was walking in the gardens of Hogwarts, trying to relax after a day full of homework and classes, when Harry Potter found her.
"Harry," she said surprised. She had thought that the other boy was somewhere inside, sulking. Harry had been sulking now for weeks – ever since the teachers had told them about the Yule Ball.
"Hermione!" he said, then frowned. "Have you heard the newest gossip, yet?"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Which one?" She asked. "That one about George asking out McGonagall after classes?"
"No," Harry replied before doing a double-take. "Wait! George asked out McGonagall?"
"He did," Hermione replied. "At least according to rumour."
"Why did he ask out McGonagall?" Harry asked confused.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Because it's George?" She asked sarcastically. "I've always wondered if one of the twins doesn't have a crush on her. They're far too often caught by her and nobody else, you know…"
"But –"
"And they're immature enough to believe that even negative attention is still attention," Hermione added sighing. "Honestly, those two! I'm surprised that at least Fred already has a date for the Yule Ball!"
"George has one as well," Harry said glumly.
Hermione looked at him surprised.
"When did that one happen?" She asked. "I haven't heard that he has asked out anybody else…"
Harry shrugged.
"Dunno," he said. "But Katie Bell came into the common room before I went looking for you and told Alicia that George asked her out to the Yule Ball."
Hermione couldn't help but look a little bit stunned at that.
"The twins don't waste time, huh?" She said surprised. "I'm really surprised that they're mature enough to handle to ask a girl out…"
Harry waved it off.
"That's not important, 'Mione!" He exclaimed. "Did you hear the other rumour?"
Hermione frowned again.
"That one about Seamus and Morag -?"
"No!" Harry cried. "That one about Malfoy and you!"
Hermione blinked surprised.
"Huh?" She asked confused. "What about Malfoy and me?"
"Everyone says he has a crush on you!" Harry exclaimed in disbelieve. "They also say that Malfoy asked you out to the Yule Ball!"
Hermione just raised an eyebrow.
"As long as they don't say that I accepted, that's fine," she stated, softly smiling while hiding the evilness she truly wanted to express after hearing Harry's words.
"Are you crazy, Hermione?" Harry cried. "That's Malfoy, we're talking about! Who knows what he wanted to achieve by that rumour!"
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, when another voice answered for her.
"I don't think that he wanted to achieve anything by it," the voice said dryly.
Harry and Hermione turned towards the new speaker, and Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Nott," he said coolly, clearly unhappy to be anywhere near a Slytherin.
Nott rolled his eyes.
"Potter," he said evenly, without any malice in his voice. "Miss Granger."
"Mr Nott," Hermione replied, keeping to the same politeness he had used on her.
Harry's eyes just narrowed further.
"What do you mean, Nott," he said icily. "When you say he didn't want to achieve anything by those rumours?"
"Exactly what I said," Nott replied sighing. "Honestly, Potter, if you want to spread rumours, listen to them until the end before spreading them further!"
"Huh?" Harry looked confused for a moment, but then suspicion returned to his face.
Hermione decided to intervene before Harry did something stupid.
"Harry," she said softly. "It wasn't Malfoy who spread the rumours this time around."
Harry just frowned.
"Hermione," he said slowly. "That's Malfoy we're talking about! He's always up to something! You can't believe that –"
"Harry," Hermione interrupted him more firmly. "It wasn't Malfoy!"
When Harry didn't look as if he believed her, she rolled her eyes.
Funnily enough, Nott was doing the same.
"It was I who suggested that Malfoy was the one who wanted to ask me out to the Yule Ball, Harry," Hermione said amused.
"You also suggested that he has a crush on you," Nott added as amused as Hermione. "I had a lot of fun with that part…"
Harry stared at Nott with even stronger suspicion.
"But Hermione," he tried to object. "Why would you want to –"
"Because I could," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. "He is always calling after me in the hallways – I just made sure that he would think twice about it in the future!"
"Quite Slytherin of you, Miss Granger," Nott said, adoration in his voice.
Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Hermione," he said slowly. "Is a Gryffindor, not one of you slimy snakes!"
Nott rolled his eyes.
"Snakes aren't slimy, Potter," he said unamused before turning to look at Hermione. "He's nearly as bad as Malfoy!"
Hermione just looked at Harry in disappointment.
"Maybe you should ask Greengrass to do the same to him like I did to Malfoy," she said, disappointment in her voice.
Harry looked at her in confusion.
"Hermione?" He asked.
"No, Harry," she said. "You're as bad as Malfoy, currently."
Harry's eyes narrowed.
"I'm not anything like Malfoy!" He exclaimed angrily.
"You just insulted Nott just because he is a Slytherin," Hermione pointed out. "You're hostile to him just because of his house –"
"But Hermione!" Harry exclaimed." He's a snake! They're all blood purists and bullies!"
Hermione pointed at Nott who was innocently standing next to them.
"As far as I heard so far, there was not one slur against me in anything he said, currently," she said coolly. "You instead definitely insulted him. In my ears it sounds as if you are the bully and the biased party in this conversation!"
"But 'Mione!" Harry exclaimed scandalised. "He's part of the house which constantly bullies everybody else! He's part of Malfoy's –"
"So what?" Hermione asked. "We're part of Pettigrew's house – does that mean we're all cowards and traitors?"
Harry's eyes widened.
"No!" he exclaimed heatedly. "Of course not!"
"Then why does that mean that everybody had to be like Malfoy just because they're Slytherins?" Hermione asked coolly.
Nott just looked amused.
Harry gawked.
Then his eyes found Nott's and his eyebrows furrowed.
"But he's just like the rest of them!" He said darkly. "He might be able to hide it better, but that doesn't mean –"
"Explain to me why you think he's just like the rest of them," Hermione asked of Harry icily. "And please do it without the words 'Slytherin', 'snake' and 'green'!"
Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"Ron said so," he said petulantly.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Ron also said that you put your name into the Goblet of Fire," she pointed out and Harry pouted.
"Alright!" he gave in. "Alright! You're right, 'Mione!"
Then he turned to Nott.
"Sorry for accusing you of being an evil back-stabber and calling you a slimy snake, Nott!"
Then he sneaked a glance at Hermione to assure himself that he had done the right thing.
She smiled at him.
Nott waved it off.
"I didn't mind the snake part," he said amused. "At least as long as you accept that snakes aren't slimy. As for the back-stabber part, well, I might have done that one to Malfoy recently."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at that.
Harry just looked at Nott unintelligently.
"Huh?" He asked confused.
Nott shrugged.
"I might have taken him to take a look at how to ask a girl out," he said amused. "I thought it justified after he spread the rumour about me having a crush on Sprout."
Harry's eyes nearly bulged out.
"You have a crush on Sprout?" he squeaked.
Nott rolled his eyes.
"My girlfriend is Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff," he said exasperated. "Honestly, Potter!"
Harry looked confused but Hermione snickered.
"He's always near the Hufflepuff common room because of his girlfriend, Harry," she explained. "Not to stalk Professor Sprout as Malfoy tried to make everybody believe."
Harry's brows furrowed at that.
"Malfoy is a git," he finally declare, then he looked at Nott challengingly.
Nott raised both of his hands.
"I definitely won't object that sentiment," he said. "And I'm sure a lot of other Slytherins won't as well. We might be in the same house, but we're quite aware that he's not the nicest person around!"
Harry looked at Nott thoughtfully.
"Somehow," he said. "I guess I might come to like you."
Nott just bared his teeth in something akin to a smile.
"And now tell me how you came up with the idea of making everybody believe that Malfoy wanted to ask you out, 'Mione," Harry added, looking back at Hermione.
The girl grinned.
"Well," she said amused. "With all his calling after me he had it coming."
Nott snorted and nodded.
"Still," Harry said. "It was genius! As if Malfoy would have ever the guts to ask out anybody!"
Hermione just raised an eyebrow at that.
"Says the right one, Harry," she said.
Harry pouted.
"But I don't want to go to the ball!" He whined.
"Wait," Nott said. "He hasn't asked out anybody yet?"
Hermione shook her head.
"He hasn't," she said exasperated.
Nott sighed.
"Alright," he said. "Miss Granger, give him to me and I give him to Greengrass. She might have some tricks for him so that he will learn to ask out a girl."
Hermione thought that over.
"A valid idea," she said slowly. "Sure, take him and try to make him learn. Give my thanks to Greengrass as well!"
Harry's eyes nearly bulged out at that.
"Wha -?" he exclaimed. "Bu… but Hermione!"
Then he was pulled away by Nott towards the castle.
A day later, Harry tried to ask out Cho Chang. It failed spectacularly, but Hermione was proud of him anyway.
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Just a little idea
Hope you liked it
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