~*Love & Rumors: Part 8*~
A/N~ I'm writing a prologue for those of you who thought the "three little words" came too fast. Anyway, you'll remember that Hermione was in the library when last we left our favorite heroine...
Disclaimer~ I don't own the characters, except Cassie, Bria, and Lizzy. Their home is in the mind of the bestest author around J.K. Rowling.
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"Oh no!", Hermione said softly, perturbed with herself, as she realized she'd left the one book she actually needed in the Common Room. She heaved a sigh, then went to retrieve it. She almost ran headlong into Ginny outside the Fat Lady's portrait. Once again, Ginny was red-faced and breathless. This time she was smiling evilly.
"Where did you disappear to? And what is that look for?", Hermione asked interestedly.
"Visiting Colin to give him a taste of his own medicine!", Ginny began, filling Hermione in on her plan of revenge. By the end, Hermione was giggling gleefully.
As they entered the noisy common room, filled with many people dancing, talking, and eating among other things, Hermione said, "He deserves every bit of everything in that basket! Good Luck!" Ginny went to tell Harry, and Hermione went to grab her book. She was on her way out when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped, and let out a small yelp of terror. She whirled around and found herself face to face with Ron. She breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Where are you going? The party's only just begun!", Ron asked.
"I have homework to do. I'd stick around, but I've got two essays and a few other things to finish. I'm going to the library. Come get me for dinner, OK?", was her reply. She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, turning to leave.
"Right," he said, looking slightly abandoned because Harry was now talking animatedly with Ginny.
"Love you!", Hermione called as she left, returning to her table, and beginning the essay. She was interrupted a few paragraphs later by a quiet voice in her ear. Thinking it was Ron again, she angrily turned around, but was surprised to find Harry. He looked terribly uncomfortable, and she noticed he was fidgeting.
"What's up?", Hermione questioned curiously.
"Um, I just wanted to-to say, uh, that, "he paused, obviously pondering what to say next. It came out rather rushed, "that I'm sorry. I should've been happy for you and Ron, but I was just worried about what it'd do to our friendship."
"And I'm sorry I've been such a distracted ditz that I couldn't even take the time to figure out why you were mad at me!" Impulsively, she got up, and threw her arms around his neck.
"Well, sorry to interrupt!", Ron's slightly injured voice came from behind the reconciled friends. Harry and Hermione broke apart.
"Is there something going on between you two that I need to know about?", Ron asked. Both Hermione and Harry looked incredulously back at him, not daring to speak. Hermione would have burst out laughing if Ron's hadn't looked so serious.
"Honestly! Come off it, Ron!", she said, unable to stifle her laughter any longer. Between giggles, she managed, "Harry and me?!" Another round of laughter sent her reeling back into her chair, clutching her stomach.
"Thanks a lot!", Harry said in mock-anger. He too was laughing.
"Then what were you doing when I came in?"
"Apologizing," Harry shrugged. Relief spread over Ron's face. He finally saw the humor in the situation, and began to laugh. They continued on in this fashion until Madam Pince kicked them out. Still smiling, the group obliged.
An idea hit Harry as soon as the trio entered the Common Room.
"Hey guys, why don't we go into Hogsmeade tonight?" Harry asked, casually lowering his voice.
"We can't do that! We'd get in sooooooooooooooooooooooo much trouble!", Hermione contradicted, looking astonished.
"That's what my cloak's for.", Harry said, almost sarcastically.
"Come on Hermione! It'd be fun. You can find something to ruin Colin's life with," Ron added, throwing a forlorn, puppy-dog look her way.
A gleam shone in her eye at that prospect, "Fine," she said, "Let's find Ginny. She has to come!"
"Of course she does!", Harry agreed quickly.
"Harry would want Ginny to come," Ron said teasingly. Hermione set off to find Ginny, and Harry went to fetch his cloak. In ten minutes, the group, comprised of Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, was in the passage on the way to Honeyduke's. They paused to browse here, but Hermione finally dragged them out.
"We need to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes! Now!", Hermione said determinedly, dreaming of horrific things to do to Colin. They entered the Weasley Twin's store, and Hermione and Ginny headed straight to the "Vengeance" section, located in the back corner. Ron and Harry struck up a conversation with Fred and George about Quidditch.
Harry had just finished telling the pair about his capture of the snitch that morning when Fred piped up, "So, how do you like dating my little sister?"
Harry was spared answering by the reappearance of the girls. He heaved an inward sigh of relief.
"What'd you pick?", Ron asked Hermione. She held out what seemed outwardly to be an ordinary chocolate bar.
"It's laced with veritaserum. One bite and he'll be spilling everything. It'll be perfect for the feast on Friday!", she said, beaming. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry bid Fred and George farewell, and started walking over to The Shooting Star, a wizarding fast food restaurant. They passed the fly-thru window, where a line of several impatient looking withes astride brooms was backed up, and entered the line inside to order. After enduring five very long minutes of the little wizard in front of them screaming his lungs out about wanting the Viktor Krum action figure in the Meteor Meal, it was finally the group's turn to order. Ginny went first.
"I'll take a Shooting Star Salad, and a small pumpkin juice. Um, no cheese on the salad, please," she said, absently twisting a lock of her red ringlets around her finger.
"That'll be 5 sickles," said the smiling witch behind the counter. Ginny fished around in her purse to find the money, but before she could even get a knut, Harry had paid for her. Hermione ordered next.
"Oh, I'll have a chicken nugget Meteor Meal with a butterbeer please," she said, and Ron immediately stepped up.
"Don't you just have a burger?", he asked.
"Of course, sir. That'd be our Supernova Burger Special for 6 sickles...", the witch said with phony perkiness, but Ron cut her off with a, "That's fine."
"Your total comes to 11 sickles," the witch said, sounding much like the tour guide Barbie in some muggle movie Ron had seen with Hermione over the summer. Ron paid; they grabbed their food, and walked over to where Ginny was waiting. Harry came over a few moments later with what looked to be the same thing as Ron had ordered. Conversation was just barely possibly over the din of the crowded restaurant. Models of glowing planets, sparkling stars, and shimmery mists of clouds were bewitched to glow and drift around the inky blue ceiling. As Hermione pointed out, the glittering show was quite spectacular. Dinner was calm, and rather relaxing until Hermione unwrapped the toy that had come in her Meteor Meal.
"Awwwwww! How cute! It's Viktor!", Hermione cried. Ron nearly choked on his pumpkin juice.
"Where?", he said looking suddenly worried.
"The toy, silly! Look!", she said, prodding the miniature Krum figurine and making it fly around the table.
"How adorable!", Ginny said as it dove toward Ron's fries. Harry stifled a laugh. They all watched as Ron, with the skill of an experienced seeker, snatched the little guy out of the air. He examined the miniature closely before letting it go again. This time as it flew past his head, he pelted it with a fry. Viktor Krum crashed into the table, his tiny broomstick splitting into two pieces. He didn't get back up.
"Ron! Why'd you do that?", Hermione asked indignantly.
"Hermione! Hush! You're making a scene, and we really don't need to be noticed!", Harry silenced her.
Ron looked at his watch, "I think it's time we got back to Hogwart's." The group left, and Hermione dropped the subject of the assault on the action figure. Secretly, she thought it was sweet, and Ron was so cute when he was jealous. They all huddled under the cloak, and started to sneak back in. At the one-eyed witch, they awkwardly climbed out and raced back to Gryffindor Common Room. They all stopped breathless here.
"Oh fudgecicles! I didn't finish my homework!", Hermione exclaimed, sounding simply horrified. She disappeared to find her books, and when she came back, she began to finish her assignments in a chair by the fire. Ginny and Harry decided to go for a walk alone. Ron came for help just as Hermione ended her second essay. She scolded him for procrastinating, then got him started. It seemed like hours before they were finally finished.
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A/N~ THANK YOU LIZZY! (Is this a substantial note for you?) Well, anyway, Thanks for all the time, effort, and 3 AM revision sessions you've put forth thus far with this story. It wouldn't be a story without you.
