Disclaimer: I disclaim all of the characters. 'Cept Addison. He's sessay! XD Oh, and I'd like to say that the first half of this chapter is very abrupt, but it gets much better as it goes. So please keep reading.
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Harry and Hermione were leaving Potions with Ron.
When Harry turned to Hermione to ask exactly how to concoct the Lieflock Potion, she looked rather flustered and snapped, "Harry, I am SICK of you asking me for homework all the time! Why don't you ask Ron there, he probably knows more than I do about this! I don't understand why everyone thinks I know everything, that I'm obsessed with school, only because I want good grades, why can't they see—" Her eyes went downcast and she walked quickly ahead of them.
"Gee, what's up with her? She knows perfectly well that I'm no good at potions. And since when do you ask her about homework all the time?" Ron's tone was concerned.
Flabbergasted, Harry couldn't answer.
"Harry, have you been holding out on me? Making me do the work while you sit around?! Sometimes, I wonder if—" He cut off abruptly and was silent. His lips pursed and a few seconds later he turned around a corner and walked quickly away.
"What the... why is everyone mad at me all of a sudden? Did I do something?"
Harry ran to catch up with Parvati, who was walking with Seamus a little bit ahead of him.
"Lavender, have you talked to Hermione lately? She's being acting odd around me. Acting like she's not obsessed with school. Or at least the classes I've got with her."
Lavender replied in a rather icy tone, "Harry, of course she's acting odd. And as if it weren't enough— what happened in Arithmancy yesterday..."
"Yes, Hermione has been rather erm, academically challenged lately, hasn't she?" Seamus remarked. Lavender and I were just talking about how Dean had gotten better marks than her in Study of Ancient Runes."
At this, Harry started. Hermione, not the top of the class? This wasn't just strange, it was positively SPOOKY. He didn't understand what the problem could be.
"Well, Harry, it's really none of your business, after all. Why are you prying into Hermione's life like that? That's really nosy of you. If I were Hermione, I certainly wouldn't want you poking around like that! Honestly..."
Lavender gave him a dirty look and continued walking, as Harry had stopped abruptly when she'd started to tell him it wasn't any of his business. Hermione was one of his best friends! Harry didn't know what he'd done so he decided to corner her later in the day and ask her about it.
An opportunity arose before Care of Magical Creatures. Harry observed Hermione standing alone (behind a group of Slytherins which included Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle) near Hagrid's cabin, staring at the sky with a pained look on her face. He wandered over near her and waited for a sign of acknowledgement. After ten seconds she looked squarely at him and said, "What?"
Harry gulped and said, "Hermione, why are you slacking off school? I know it's the most important thing to you and... well, it's just not right. And why-"
"Listen, Harry. Something's come up. I really don't want to talk about it."
Harry stared. "Hermione, come on, you're my best friend, I can keep a secret..."
As Harry said this Hermione was gazing at him, an almost sorrowful look on her face. She looked at Harry, and in a stubborn voice said, "Harry, I can't tell you. Anyway, class is starting."
Hagrid was taking roll by the paddock, and Hermione rushed toward the class, leaving Harry very confused.
Later that day, on the way to Divination, Harry stopped in the corridor as he heard harsh-sounding voices in an adjacent hallway. Putting aside a past vow to stay out of any business that wasn't his he nonchalantly sneaked to the corner and peeked timidly around. He started— a harassed looking wizard was there— and so was Hermione.
The wizard she was with didn't look pleasant at all; on the contrary he looked very intimidating. He had greasy dark brown hair, sunken eyes, as though he hadn't slept in days, and was pale and unshaven. The mysterious wizard was reprimanding Hermione for something— she was looking pale as well, and close to tears. As Harry watched them the man stopped talking loudly and started in a low, threatening-sounding voice. With a small grin, Harry thought this man could be Professor Snape's brother. Abrubtly the wizard stopped talking, took a furtive look around, and stormed through a door near them, looking fierce. Hermione's shoulders slumped and she walked slowly away, probably toward her next class.
Harry puzzled about what he'd seen all day. Hermione hadn't acted this strange since... well, never. The strangest thing of all, however, was that there seemed to be two things going on: one with her schoolwork effort decreasing, and one concerning that pale bearded man talking to her. And, of course, the fact that she wouldn't tell him anything. That night in the Gryffindor common room, Harry resolved to find who the man harassing Hermione was, and to smooth things over with Ron. He was sitting chatting with Seamus about the Chudley Cannons' brilliant Quidditch match last week when Ron entered. He was talking animatedly to Lavender Brown, who was looking interested in whatever Ron was saying, and Harry stared. Ron never, never got friendly with girls. In fact, he suddenly realized, he couldn't remember Ron ever saying more than a sentence to any girl besides Hermione.
Ron, sensing someone's eyes, looked up and saw Harry watching him and Lavender intently. He stopped speaking and Lavender gave him a quizzical look that he didn't see.
Harry stood and walked casually up to Ron and Lavender. In a serious voice he said, "Ron, I need to talk to you."
Now it was Ron's turn to stare— what was Harry on about now?— but he said, "Er, okay. See you, Lavender." She looked at them both and glided off. "So. What's so important?" Ron said shortly. Harry gave him a look that clearly said, as if you didn't already know. "What?!" he protested. "What did I do now? If this is about the flower garden in our dormitory, don't ask me, it's Neville you want—"
"It's not about that. This morning, when I asked about the Potions homework, you completely blew up on me. After that, everyone started getting at me for bugging Hermione. Speaking of Hermione," he continued, "do you know what's been bothering her lately? She's been acting really strange."
Ron looked blank. "This morning? I was just cranky, it was morning, you know. As for Hermione, I have no clue what you're talking about, except for when Seamus told me she hasn't got the top of the class in Ancient Runes anymore. Seems kind of bizarre to me, but other than that she seems normal."
"Oh," said Harry, relieved, "I'm glad we don't have to go through the whole 'I hate you, you hate me' deal again. I thought I'd got it out of my system last year. But I've noticed things about Hermione. She's not eating as much as usual, spends so much time in her dormitory that her bed must have a permanent Hermione-shaped dent in it, and..." Harry explained about the cold looking man he'd seen before Divination, and Ron's eyes widened.
"Was he a teacher, do you think?"
"Nope," Harry said disappointedly, "at least, not at Hogwarts; he never sits at the staff table and I've never seen him before."
Silence settled over as they thought.
In another corner of the same room, Fred and Ginny Weasley were in an extremely heated argument. It seemed that Fred had walked into an empty classroom (for unknown reasons) and found Ginny snogging a boy recognizable to Fred as a Ravenclaw fourth year.
"...seem to remember walking in on Percy snogging Penelope in his fifth year and you didn't seem to care then!" shrilled Ginny indignantly.
"That's because he's Percy, he was a prefect, he was a year older—"
"Fred Weasley, you know perfectly well that I'm responsible! I'm a top student; I can handle a boy! Anyway, me and Addison are official, it's not like it was a one-time thing—"
"NOT A ONE TIME THING!? And just how many times do you think you're going to be there in an empty classroom practically ON TOP of each other like that? If Mum knew about this you'd be in so much trouble—"
"No, no I didn't mean it like that... oh, don't tell Mum— please, I'll do anything... I really like him, too..."
"I'm telling Mum."
"NO Fred! Please! It's really nothing serious, we've only been seeing each other for a few weeks—"
"Okay then, I won't tell Mum I saw you two snogging, but I'll tell her you've got a boyfriend."
"This is turning stupid. I'll tell her I've got a boyfriend, okay? Here, I'm getting the parchment, here's a quill... 'Dear Mum, Fred wants me to tell you I've got a boyfriend...' happy now?"
"Um, yes."
"Good. Then go away."
The next morning, a notice on the common room bulletin board surrounded by a small clump of excited-looking people (including a solemn-faced Ginny Weasley) pushed Hermione and the strange man to the back of Harry's and Ron's minds. It read:
**TALENT COMPETITION**
Students from all four Houses will be competing in the semi-annual Hogwarts optional talent contest. Groups of one to five students from the same House will put together an act from two to ten minutes long. Magic is allowed, but must be approved of by the audition supervisors. Auditions for the first competition will be held on January 23 after the morning lesson.
Two groups from each House will be chosen after the first performance, and compete against finalists from other Houses. These eight acts will compete at another performance the next day; from there one from each House will be chosen as their House Champions. At one final performance, judges will choose a winning act. Prizes to be announced.
then, in smaller print:
Please, no: violence, Dark Arts, audience involvement, explosions, tap dancing, or fear-inducing acts. Any further questions should be directed toward the inquirer's Head of House.
Thank you and good luck...
A list of staff signatures followed.
"Harry," said Ron spiritedly, "If we join, we can win easily! We've got you; we can do a reenactment of when You-Know-Who—"
"Nah, it says no violence. And I don't fancy having a lot of green light poured on me and causing another one of these," Harry replied, pointing at his forehead. Then he grinned. "Very creative, though."
"Honestly, Ron, you could at least try to be sensitive once in a while," said a haughty voice.
Ron and Harry spun around. "Hermione!"
"Yes, well who else would it be; who else is thick enough to hang around you two?" she said, looking playfully annoyed. "Talent competition, huh? D'you think we should try out for it? I bet we could come up with some good ideas, like—"
"Wrestling trolls, or battling dragons, or falling off brooms, or even—"
"No violence, Ron."
"Oh. Right."
"Er, maybe we should let Hermione think of an act," Harry said, trying not to look at her too weirdly. She was, after all, acting as though nothing had happened the morning before. "We can do the special effects, or something."
"Oooh, Harry. I've got an idea!" Hermione said delightedly, "And I think you'll like it a lot. Let me just go see something before class. Bye!"
"Where's she gone?"
"Probably to the library."
"Say, why's she acting normal again? Didn't you say she's been acting funny?"
"Yeah. I dunno... we should ask her."
