Chapter 13
Authors Note: I know it's been forever since I updated and I'm sorry but I basically have the entire second year done so it will be posted very quickly. As far as the third year I'm not sure when I will be posting that. Thank you to everyone who read this story and left wonderful reviews.
Harry and Ron somehow did not get expelled for flying a car to school although they did get detention and an earful from Hermione.
"What did you think you were doing!?" She shouted. Harry and Ron had the decency to look ashamed staring at the floor as Hermione ripped into them.
"Hermione…" Cedric tried to interrupt.
"I would really like to know who thought it would be a good idea to fly a car to school!" Hermione continued yelling at Harry and Ron and ignoring Cedric.
"Blimey Hermione we didn't want to take th car but the platform 9 ¾ entrance wouldn't open for us." Ron said with his hands raised in a shrug as Harry stood by looking a little afraid of the tiny witch.
"Herm…" Cedric tried again to interrupt but Hermione didn't so much as glance his way.
"Then, to top it off you crashed into the Whomping Willow! You manage to find the one tree in the forest that could kill you!" Hermione shrieked.
Ron no longer looked ashamed. Instead he had the audacity to find the whole thing amusing. He snorted a laugh at Hermione's anger and Cedric trying in vain to shut her up.
"Don't laugh at me Ronald Weasley!" Hermione glared at Ron who put his head down to hide his smirk.
"Hermione!" Cedric yelled.
"What!" Hermione yelled back finally turning to face Cedric.
"Why don't you cut them some slack? They couldn't get onto the platform, what were they supposed to do?" Cedric asked.
"Oh I don't know how about the smart thing and wait for Ron's parents!"
"Blimey Hermione you're worse than my mother." Ron said rolling his eyes and rubbing his hand over his face.
"I don't know about that one." Cedric whispered to Harry giving him a little shoulder shove.
"You could have died. Do you understand that?" Hermione said with her anger finally dying. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Yeah, it was stupid, but we were afraid that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be able to get back to us if we couldn't get through to them, so we were desperate. At the time it seemed like the best idea to fly the car to school." Harry said shrugging.
He looked sorry unlike Ron so Hermione had no other choice but to forgive him.
Cedric and Ron chuckled at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Honestly I don't think I will ever understand you three." Hermione said shaking her head. They made their way to the Gryffindor table.
Most of the other students were gone as the festivities were long over.
"I'm surprised you two didn't get suspended or expelled." Cedric said smiling while walking between Ron and Harry and clasping them on the back.
"We almost did. If it was up to Snape we'd have been expelled." Harry said.
"If it was up to Snape half the school would be expelled." Ron added trying to shrug off Cedric's hand. "But Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall said we could stay. All we got was one detention."
"Well we all know who Dumbledore's favorites are now." Cedric said as he rubbed his hands into Ron and Harry's heads messing up their hair.
"Oy get off!" Ron and Harry exclaimed at the same time.
"Besides I broke my wand in the crash. I think that's punishment enough for me." Ron said showing his friends his wand. "Mom's going to kill me."
"So what did we miss?" Harry asked.
"Nothing too important, just that dolt's introduction as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Oh and the boring sorting ceremony" Cedric explained.
"Ginny! Is she…" Ron exclaimed.
"Gryffindor" Hermione pointed down their table where Ginny was talking with her new friends. She turned and looked at them and waved at Ron who guiltily waved back.
"Blimey I missed my sister get sorted."
"Best sorting I've ever seen hands down." Cedric said with a wink at Ginny who blushed and giggled with her group of friends. Ron punched Cedric in the arm.
"Ouch! What?" Cedric asked.
"Well it's good to see some things don't change." Harry said smiling at his friends antics.
Then next morning at breakfast Ron got another earful from Mrs. Weasley's howler. The whole school had a good laugh at that. Ron turned as red as his hair while the whole school listened to his mother yell at him. Ron found out for sure in that moment that Hermione was definitely not as bad as his mother.
Things went back to normal after that. All the girls loved their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and all the boys hated him. To Harry, Ron and Cedric's surprise Hermione was not immune to the Professors charms, so of course they relentlessly teased her about it.
"Bloody hell you may as well go to your common room and let Hermione give you a lesson. At least you'd learn something. He is the biggest joke of a teacher I've ever seen!" Cedric whispered in anger.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Who gives his students a quiz about himself?" Ron shouted at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
"The most handsome professor to ever walk the halls of this school that's who" Cedric said in a girly voice pretending to swoon, and in his normal voice he said "Be honest Ron you would have failed if the quiz was about actual defense against the dark arts anyways."
"That's not the point!" Ron shouted again. Harry laughed while Hermione scowled.
"Honestly Cedric jealousy doesn't suit you. He can't be that bad or Dumbledore would have never hired him." Hermione reasoned.
"Oh Yeah Dumbledore has a great track record it's not like he ever hired a guy with Voldemort on the back of his head or anything!" Cedric yelled and earned laughs from Harry and Ron and elbow to the gut from Hermione.
"Come on Hermione you have to admit he's an awful professor." Harry said and Hermione kept the scowl on her face.
"Don't give us that look Hermione I know you aced that quiz but even you have to know that was not appropriate subject matter to put on a quiz." Cedric said looking expectently at Hermione.
Hermione wouldn't budge on her opinion of Lockhart even if deep down she knew the quiz was inappropriate.
"Well he just started as a teacher. Give him some time to get used to it. Teaching you lot is not easy you know." Hermione said annoyed.
"Aww don't be mad at us Hermy." Cedric said throwing an arm around Hermione's shoulders. Hermione just rolled her eyes. "When are you going to stop calling me that?"
"I wouldn't hold my breath on that one Hermione." Harry said giving her a sympathetic look. "Ugh I can't believe I have to serve detention with Lockhart tonight. " Harry huffed running his hand through his messy hair.
"Good luck with that mate. I'll see you three later." Cedric said and walked away with his Hufflepuff classmates.
After a long day of transfiguration and pulling Mandrakes out of flower pots Harry made his way to detention with Lockhart and Ron went to detention with McGonagall. It was going to be a long night.
"At least the year can't get any worse… right?" Ron said to Harry trying to be optimistic.
Before they knew it, it was Halloween and with Halloween came the anniversary of Nearly Headless Nick's death. Cedric was on his way to dinner when Hermione stopped him in the hallway.
"Um Cedric can I talk to you for a second?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Granger you can talk to me for 2 seconds maybe even 3 if you're lucky." Cedric said smirking.
"Shut up Diggory." Hermione said rolling her eyes.
Cedric laughed at her response. "What's up?" He asked.
"Well, Nearly Headless Nick invited Harry Ron and me to his death day party tomorrow night. He said we can bring anyone we want so I figured I'd ask you." Hermione said looking down at her shoes.
"Are you asking me on a date Hermy?" Cedric smiled as Hermione's face turned red.
"No of course not, just as a friend obviously." Hermione said in rushed nervousness turning even redder.
"Relax Hermy you look like you're going to pass out. Of course I'll go to the party. How can I pass up a death day party when I know I'll be the life of the party? Ha…right…right...get it?" Cedric asked entirely too proud of himself.
Hermione tried to keep a straight face but smiled a little. "You're an idiot." She said as she walked away.
The next night Ron, Hermione, Cedric and Harry walked together to the party.
"I can't believe you talked me into going to a death day party. We're going to be the only living people there." Ron grumbled.
"How many living people can say they've been to a death day party? We couldn't say no. Don't worry Ron I'm sure it'll be fun." Hermione reassured him.
"Yes I'm sure it's to die for." Cedric said and Harry shook his head and snorted. Ron laughed as well.
"Don't encourage him" Hermione scolded Ron and Harry. She turns to Cedric. "They are laughing at you not with you."
Cedric just shrugged smiling. When they made it to the dungeon room they were pleasantly surprised to see a ghost orchestra playing music. There were chairs and tables surrounding the band and the dance floor. "This looks nice." Hermione said looking around and the boys nodded in agreement. It was kind of creepy to be somewhere with so many ghosts, but they didn't want to offend anyone so they just tried to ignore the fact that everyone in the room was dead. They then noticed Nearly Headless Nick on his way over to greet them.
"Welcome you four. Thanks for coming to my celebration. Let me introduce you to my friends."
Sir Nicholas introduced them to many ghosts but the creepiest by far were The Headless Hunt. They were all riding on horseback headless. Sir Nicholas didn't pick up on any discomfort with the four students and just continued telling them all about his death.
"Do you know it has been 500 years since that fateful day in which I became Nearly Headless Nick?" Sir Nicholas asked proudly.
"How did it happen?" Ron asked with no embarrassment whatsoever.
After a long story about a mishap with a certain Lady Grieve's teeth turning into a tusk or something Ron asked a hundred more follow up questions until Cedric finally saw his opportunity to get away from Sir Nicholas' stories and Ron's boring questions.
"Oh they're playing my favorite song. Come on Hermione let's dance!" Cedric practically dragged Hermione away from the conversation.
"Cedric I don't dance and I doubt you've ever heard this song in your life." Hermione said nervously.
"Everyone can dance and I'll have you know I'm well versed in classical wizard music."
"I don't know how to dance." Hermione said blushing and ignoring Cedric's goofy comment.
"It's easy just put your hand on my shoulder and the other one in my hand. I put my hand on your waist and you just follow my lead" Cedric said as he started waltzing around the dance floor.
"This music is good for beginners." Cedric said leaning in to talk in Hermione's ear.
Hermione was still stiff after the first song ended.
"Relax Hermione you're doing great. This is supposed to be fun." Cedric chuckled at the nervous witch.
"Sorry it's kind of embarrassing and terrifying." Hermione said.
"Everyone here is dead except for Harry and Ron and I'm sure their dancing skills are non-existent. Look at Weasley over there. The poor sod walks like a duck I bet you can dance circles around him already." Cedric said leaning into Hermione to talk in her ear.
Hermione chuckled and leaned against Cedric's chest. "Stop it. You're so mean to him." She said but continued laughing.
After that Hermione relaxed and actually enjoyed dancing.
"Where did you learn how to dance?" Hermione asked looking up at Cedric.
Cedric actually blushed. "When I was 6 my mom would take me to her dancing lessons and of course I just had to dance too. Then I turned 10 and realized I was way too cool to go to dancing lessons with my mom." Cedric smiled.
Hermione laughed at the image of a young Cedric dancing with a bunch of middle aged witches.
"No one knows about that and I'd like to keep it that way thanks very much." Cedric warned Hermione.
"I won't say a thing. We can't have the whole school knowing you liked to dance with old ladies. Imagine your fan clubs horror." Hermione laughed.
"My reputation would be ruined." Cedric said in mock distress.
After dancing to a fifth song in a row they decided to take a break and catch up with Harry and Ron.
"Finally! I thought we were going to have to drag you off the dance floor." Ron said as Hermione and Cedric blushed.
"We had to do something to get away from you and your boring questions." Cedric replied defensively.
The party was actually fun. They watched the Headless Hunt play a game of head hockey which was gross but entertaining. After the party ended the three Gryffindor's decided to walk together to drop off Cedric at the Hufflepuff common room before heading upstairs to their own.
"Well the party was pretty enjoyable despite having such a dead atmosphere." Cedric said. The three Gryffindor's gave Cedric a warning glance.
"What? Cedric asked.
As they continued walking and Cedric kept trying to come up with dead party puns Harry began hearing a different more sinister voice.
"Do you hear that?" Harry asked stopping in his tracks.
"Hear what?" Ron asked as they all stopped walking.
They all held their breath listening but no one heard anything.
"Never mind I guess it's nothing." Harry shrugged.
They continued on until Harry heard the voice again. This time he heard the word 'kill' being said over and over again.
"There do you hear it?!" Harry asked while the other three students looked at him confused.
"I think it's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted as he ran after the sound of the voice.
Ron Hermione and Cedric ran after Harry shouting for him to stop and asking what's going on. Harry ignored them and didn't stop running until he came upon a hallway covered in water. He saw a line of spiders making their way out of the window.
Ron Cedric and Hermione caught up to Harry and found him watching the spiders.
"That's strange... right?" Cedric asked.
"I've never seen spiders act this way before." Harry said in agreement.
"What's that!?" Ron exclaimed pointing at the wall behind them.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened enemies of the heir…beware." Hermione read the wall.
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Ron asked. "Is that blood?"
"Look it's Mrs. Norris!" Cedric said pointing to the cat that was so still it looked dead.
"We have to go tell Dumbledore." Hermione said looking at the cat.
"MY CAT! WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU'LL BE EXPELLED FOR THIS THE LOT OF YA!" Filch screamed as he came around the corner and saw the four students with his cat.
"It wasn't us we just found her like this I swear." Harry pleaded.
Some students began to hear the commotion and came to see what was going on. Soon a crowd formed and of course Malfoy was front and center.
"Enemies of the heir beware. That means you Granger."
Cedric was about to reply when Dumbledore interrupted everyone.
"Everyone please go to your dormitories immediately."
"They killed my cat!" Filch yelled to Dumbledore pointing at Ron Hermione Cedric and Harry.
"They did not Argus. Please calm down. Mrs. Norris is not dead. She has been petrified. We can help her once Professor Sprout's mandrake draught is ready. Now Argus please come with me and let's get this sorted out. Dumbledore said as he led Filch away. "You four" Dumbledore said pointing to Harry Ron Hermione and Cedric "Go back to your dormitories like the rest of the students."
The four of them nodded and started walking to their common rooms as Dumbledore watched them from over his half-moon glasses.