Harry and Hermione could not find Ron after getting off the train. Harry didn't mind though at least Hermione was with him. Hermione on the other hand wasn't so hot, she kept muttering to herself throughout the ride. Probably chiding herself for what she did on the train ride to Hogwarts.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry said, nudging Hermione. "Over there. I think I see Ron." Harry pointed out the window. "The second coach."
Hermione's expression of dismay did not flicker. Only when they met up with Ron did she crack a smile.
They reached the table and sat down, but not in the usual arrangement. Ron was in the middle with Harry to his left, and Hermione to his right. Compared to the previous four years with Harry in the middle with Ron to his right and Hermione to his left, it seemed strange. It seemed like Harry was the only one who noticed, or maybe he was the only one who cared.
The first year students piled in the room. This year only fourteen. Harry knew it was because of the death of Cedric Diggory last year. Parents probably read about it and decided it would be safer to go to another school, though Harry was sure the Dursleys would probably start asking him to continue going to Hogwarts.
A young girl caught Harry's eye. She was taller than the rest of the first years, at least two heads. She had black hair draped over her shoulder in a braid, her face sullen. McGonagall began calling names.
"Creevey, James!"
"Gryffindor!"
"Celic, Tom!"
"Hufflepuff!"
McGonagall took a minute before calling the next name. "Diggory, Christina!"
Phhht!
The sound of dozens of students, mostly the Hufflepuffs, spitting out their pumpkin juice was heard across the hall. It was the sullen faced girl. No one knew Cedric had a sister. Ron and Hermione shared the same look of shock. Harry though wore a look of anxiousness. He still felt somehow responsible for Cedric's death.
"Gryffindor!" Gryffindor House applauded absentmindedly.
"Doran, Derick!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Dumbledore, Steven!"
Phhht!
The sound of all four tables spitting their pumpkin juices echoed through the Great Hall. Everyone, excepting Dumbledore, was shocked. Was he Dumbledore's son or grandson or nephew? No one knew. Harry looked at the professor's table. Snape took a break from looking sinister to look unbelieving, which returned sinister quickly.
"Ravenclaw!" The whole of Ravenclaw stood on their feet, even the first years. The Ravenclaws burst into an applause even louder than Harry had received his first day.
"Freeman, James!"
"Slytherin!"
"Garmond, Jeffery!"
"Slytherin!"
"Garrison, Dirk!"
"Slytherin!"
"Hammond, John!"
"Hufflepuff!
"Harvard, Stuart!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Levy, Arnold!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Li, Jet!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Wood, Elijah!"
"Gryffindor!"
Jim Creevey, who sat directly to the left of Harry, stared at Harry since he had been chosen as a Gryffindor; Jim left his plate empty. Harry was talking to Elijah about Quidditch and what Oliver, former Keeper of Gryffindor House Quidditch team, was doing. Christina and Ron talked animatedly about chess. Cedric had told her about him and the giant chess game. Christina was a big chess fan. Hermione ate her fried chicken in silent anger, she was starting to hate Christina.
"What year are you in," Ron asked.
"I'm staring fifth year," she elaborated seeing everyone's confused face. "I was nearly a squib so I went to a 'special school'. Hogwarts accepted me this summer. I guess I'm magic enough now."
"I could help you with homework, and show you around the castle," Ron said before taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.
Hermione was in shock. What was he playing at? Ron was near the bottom of the class. And Harry and he got lost in the castle at least twice a month.
"Thanks. I'd like that," Christina said also taking a swig of pumpkin juice, accidentally picking up Ron's goblet.
Christina's face flushed.
Hermione suddenly got up, but toppled over instantly. She was too close to the table.
"Wingardium leviosa!" Christina had her wand, out pointing at Hermione. Hermione was levitating in the air. She was set down slowly by Christina.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, are you all right Hermione?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine!" Hermione replied harshly.
She in fact was not fine. She was highly embarrassed that she was saved by Christina. She got up, dusted herself off and walked toward Gryffindor dormitories.
"What was up with her," Harry asked. "She didn't even say thank you."
"Oh really!"
"Ginny! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Ron said, grasping his chest. Ginny had walked up behind him.
"Didn't you notice something different about her?"
"Well…" Ron and Harry said in unison. They both hadn't forgotten about her antics aboard the train, especially Ron. He had been the one whom she was giving a tongue bath to his ear.
"She didn't have a prefect badge. She didn't become a prefect."
"What?!" The whole table had given a collective inclination to finding out why this was.
"Hanging around you two," she said glaring at Ron and Harry. "Knowing that she has been breaking all those rules during her four years at Hogwarts out weighed her top scores, which I can tell you were the best throughout the world."
Harry was in complete shock. Ron was not able to breathe. The thought that Hermione didn't' make prefect was far off from his mind. He never thought it could happen. He and Harry had pulled Hermione down with them. It was their fault that she didn't attain what she would have been able to without their help.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Ron asked wonderingly.
"I don't know. Why don't you go up and ask her?"
Harry had gotten up already and was walking toward Hermione quickly.
"I'll ask her Ron. You just keep eating." Harry said, his voice becoming distant as he walked briskly to catch up to Hermione.
"So what's your Quidditch team Christina?"
Outside the "Fat Lady"
Harry found Hermione sitting in front to the Fat Lady with her hands encircling her legs. Her knees covering her face.
"Hermione, are you all right?" Harry asked genuinely concerned.
"Yes, I was just embarrassed that I fell."
"Why didn't you tell us that you didn't make prefect?"
"Well, it's not information one just parades around," Hermione said shortly.
"You should have told us. We're your friends."
"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked quickly changing the topic.
"He's still at the Great Hall, with the rest of the school. Eating dinner, which is getting colder by the minute," Harry said in a singsong voice.
"I'll be going to bed. Good night Harry." Hermione tried to walk through the walk way, but ran headlong into the picture of the Fat Lady.
"Ruddy – what's up?" Hermione said angrily.
"You aren't a prefect, and since you don't have this months password, no entrance," said the Fat Lady finally.
Hermione sighed and dragged her hand down her face.
"Let's go back down Harry. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long year."
On the way down the stairs Hermione thought of how she spent the rest of her summer. She had called Lavender Brown asking for help.
"Hello, Brown residence," Mr. Brown said.
"Yes. May I speak to Lavender please?"
"You surely may," Mr. Brown said happily. "Lavender felly tone!" Hermione shook her head.
(A/N: Author here. Since I am a male, the female psyche eludes me. So if this sequence does not capture the dialogue of two teenage girls talking about boys, I apologize and ask for your forgiveness, and patience)
"Hello," Lavender said questioningly.
"Yes, Lavender it is I Hermione. I need your help." Hermione sounded desperate, but Lavender misunderstood.
"I'm sorry Hermione, but you're the top student of the class, I'm not. How can I help?"
"I need help…" Hermione's words were sticking to her throat.
"Heeeeeeelp…"
"I need help… with… getting… a boyfriend." Hermione had said the last part ludicrously quick, and quietly, but Lavender was miraculously able to hear every syllable.
Her ears were riddled with the sounds of giggling. It was minutes before Lavender regained her composure.
"Okay. Is it anyone I know." Lavender sounded hopeful. Hermione was about to tell her, but something else came to mind.
"Why, does it matter?"
"Of course it matters. Answer the question."
Hermione sighed. She knew Lavender would ask who if she said yes, and would have stalked her to find out who if she said no. Hermione sighed again.
"Yes."
A barrage of giggles assaulted Hermione through her phone. Though this giggle was short lived, the next one would be unstoppable.
"Who is it?"
Hermione knew there was no going around this. If she wanted Lavender's help she'd have to say.
"Ron."
Immediately Hermione thought that she'd go deaf over the giggles she expected to come, but none ever came.
"Ron… Weasley?"
"Yes," Hermione said unsurely, not knowing where Lavender was going with this.
"Oh my God. I have to go call Parvati. Bye." Lavender said all this ludicrously quick, and what surprised Hermione was she said it without giggling.
Hermione had thought of hanging up long before she said she needed help getting a boyfriend, and in hindsight she told herself she should have.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Hermione had stepped on the trick step that the rest of the older students had known to jump. Hermione had other things in mind, so she of course stepped on it accidentally. Harry quick as a flash grabbed her arm before she fully went through the step.
"Thanks Harry," Hermione said gasping for air. She had nearly fallen through, and she cursed Ron for being so – Ron like.
Hermione and Harry reached the Great Hall a few seconds later, greeted by: Ron, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and to Hermione's great displeasure, Christina.
"Are you all right Hermione?" Everyone asked her, everyone except Ron and Christina who resumed their discussion of Quidditch.
"No way! I can't believe they made that trade," Ron said surprised.
"Yeah, Britain got Krum for the Keeper and that one Beater," said Christina sagely. "Ruddy good deal, I say."
"Yeah, have you ever met him? He's a great guy," Ron said taking a swig of pumpkin juice, this time accidentally picking up Christina's goblet. Christina flushed once again, and Hermione looked furious, or constipated. Ron of course couldn't see any of this, all he saw was the bottom of the goblet.
"I'm going to the library."
"What? We just got here."
"Well, I have some studying to do, if it's okay with you that is," Ron said sarcastically to Hermione who he thought would have jumped at the chance to go to the library.
"Do whatever you want then!"
"All right I will!" With that Ron was already heading out of the doors, surprisingly followed by Christina.
I did it again didn't I Hermione? Yes you did.