Chapter 9
"Bleech!" Ron cried, spitting out his Sure-To-Make-You-Gag Candyball. It fell to the pavement and shattered into little shards of color. They had been new at Honeydukes and Ron, Hermione, Harry and Pansy had all bought a bag. It was Ron they'd convinced to try them first, and according to his reaction the name was very appropriate.
"Er, maybe I'd better not try one," Harry said. He glanced sideways at the bag in his hand and grimaced.
"Why in the world did we buy them?" Pansy sighed. Hermione glanced at her sourly from the corner of her eye.
"It was your idea," she said. "And everyone else was buying them."
They all looked at each other as if daring one of them to try one also. Hermione quickly looked up at the blue sky, then glanced uncomfortably back down.
"Hey look!" Harry said, pointing down the street. Relieved, Hermione looked where he pointed. All the way down the main street of Hogsmeade were little shards of color where other kids had been spitting out their candyballs too. Hermione winced, then looked at her bag.
"I guess we should have known, with a name like that," she said. She glared at Pansy. Pansy gave her an I'm-completely-innocent look back. Hermione sighed and looked away. If it wasn't for Pansy's idea they wouldn't have bought them.
"Um, yeah," Harry said. Casually he slung his candy bag over his shoulder and into the wastebasket. Hermione laughed and threw hers in after.
"There goes two Sickles," Ron said, almost regretfully. Pansy laughed and looped her arm in his. Once that would have made Hermione jealous, but it hardly bothered her today. It just seemed weird to see Ron with a Slytherin. But then, she wasn't much better.
They started walking again, sometimes stopping to talk to people they knew or to look in shops. For lunch they ate their sandwiches the house elves had made them. Hermione hesitated before biting in.
"Hey guys," Fred and George called, coming up to the bench they were sitting on in the square. Harry and Ron waved and Hermione smiled. Pansy nodded cordially, as if she wasn't quite sure what to say.
"Did you see it?" Fred asked. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"What?" Ron asked.
"The broomstick, duh," George replied. "In Edgar Whipwhistle's Sporting Goods. You mean you haven't heard?"
"A broomstick?" Harry asked. "You mean, a new one?"
"No, it's an old one," Fred said sarcastically. "What do you think?"
"Come on Harry, let's go see," Ron said, dropping his sandwich on the ground in his haste. He didn't even notice, and neither did Harry when his sandwich joined Ron's. Rolling her eyes Pansy picked up her smart leather purse and followed. Hermione leapt up after them.
"Boys," Pansy said as she walked. "No matter what house they're in, they're all the same. I bet all the Slytherins are excited too. And Ron goes off without even a Want-to-go-see-Pansy?"
"Oh, I know," Hermione sighed, forgetting her animosity in her agreement. "You'd think we counted for something." They stopped outside the Sporting Goods Store.
"Let's not go in," Pansy said. "Look at the crowds."
The shop was crowded, crammed with boys pressed against a glass box at the back to gaze at the broomstick in it. Hermione didn't want to go in there.
"It looks like any other broomstick to me," Pansy said.
"Probably faster, or something," Hermione told her. "But I don't know how much faster than a Firebolt you can get."
"Yeah, Harry's got one, hasn't he?" Pansy asked. "I wonder where he got it."
Hermione opened her mouth, then shut it again. Sirius Black.
"You don't know either, huh?" Pansy continued, taking her silence for confusion. Hermione nodded and wished Ron and Harry would come out. She did not want to talk to this girl.
"Horrible what happened to Draco, huh?" Pansy said. "I mean, er, You-Know-Who. But why Draco's father?" She stopped at the look on Hermione's face and quickly changed tacks. "It's the end of the year soon. Are you ready for exams?"
Hermione shrugged.
"But of course you are," she continued. "Ron told me you study, like, 24/7. By the way, I heard you and Draco got kicked out of the Library? What ever did you do? Ron said he wasn't sure but you guys were probably fighting because when you came back you had ink all over you."
"Uh, yeah," Hermione replied. "Er - are you ready for exams?"
"Not yet," she said cheerily. "Oh, hi Draco."
It was Draco who'd come up, and Hermione felt her heart jerk. Flushing slightly she looked back at Pansy.
"Hi Pansy, hi Hermione," he said. Though he sounded normal he looked slightly more subdued than before.
"Hey Draco," Pansy said. "Me and Hermione were just talking about exams. Are you ready?"
Draco shrugged. "Stupid exams. Are you here with Ron?"
"And Harry," Pansy added. "They're in the shop, if you're trying to avoid them. Have you seen the broomstick?"
"It's not any better than the Firebolt," he said. "My Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-One could probably even outclass it.
"W-what's it called?" Hermione asked, wishing her voice were calm.
"Goal-trap #1," he said. "I think it was invented for Keepers."
Hermione watched him, his clean jaw-line, brown eyes and pale hair, and flushed. Nervously she glanced back at the shop to see if Harry and Ron had come out yet, but they hadn't.
"So, what have you been doing lately, Hermione?" he asked.
"Not much," she told him. "We, er, tried the Sure-To-Make-You-Gag Candyballs."
"Sooooooo disgusting," Pansy put in. "I'm glad I didn't try one."
"Well, I'll see you around, I guess," he said. "There are Terence and Martin, keeping Crabbe and Goyle out of trouble. I'd better go help them." And he left.
Hermione watched him go, then looked at Pansy. She was staring at Hermione with an amused expression on her face.
"What?" Hermione snapped.
"You have a thing for him, don't you," she said. Her grin widened.
"Wha - How'd you know?" Hermione gasped. Heat rose to her cheeks.
"Girls sense these things," Pansy said flippantly. "Don't worry He probably has no clue. But girl, it's so obvious to me when you act that way."
Hermione stared down the street as if something interesting was going on at the end of it. That Pansy! Was it really that obvious?
"I say, go for it girl," Pansy said, watching her. "Draco's not as nasty as he seems. Besides, you two would look good together."
Hermione smile at her gratefully. Pansy really wasn't a bad sort, for a Slytherin. She just hoped Ron could hang onto her so Draco couldn't get her.
That would be disaster.
Sorry this chapt took sooooooooo long. You try having three band concerts three weeks in row, and they keep forgetting to make a place for the bass guitars to sit. Us bass guitars always get squished in the back corner between the trombones and the drums, with our guitar-necks jamming into the wall. But anyway. Hope you like this chapter.
"Bleech!" Ron cried, spitting out his Sure-To-Make-You-Gag Candyball. It fell to the pavement and shattered into little shards of color. They had been new at Honeydukes and Ron, Hermione, Harry and Pansy had all bought a bag. It was Ron they'd convinced to try them first, and according to his reaction the name was very appropriate.
"Er, maybe I'd better not try one," Harry said. He glanced sideways at the bag in his hand and grimaced.
"Why in the world did we buy them?" Pansy sighed. Hermione glanced at her sourly from the corner of her eye.
"It was your idea," she said. "And everyone else was buying them."
They all looked at each other as if daring one of them to try one also. Hermione quickly looked up at the blue sky, then glanced uncomfortably back down.
"Hey look!" Harry said, pointing down the street. Relieved, Hermione looked where he pointed. All the way down the main street of Hogsmeade were little shards of color where other kids had been spitting out their candyballs too. Hermione winced, then looked at her bag.
"I guess we should have known, with a name like that," she said. She glared at Pansy. Pansy gave her an I'm-completely-innocent look back. Hermione sighed and looked away. If it wasn't for Pansy's idea they wouldn't have bought them.
"Um, yeah," Harry said. Casually he slung his candy bag over his shoulder and into the wastebasket. Hermione laughed and threw hers in after.
"There goes two Sickles," Ron said, almost regretfully. Pansy laughed and looped her arm in his. Once that would have made Hermione jealous, but it hardly bothered her today. It just seemed weird to see Ron with a Slytherin. But then, she wasn't much better.
They started walking again, sometimes stopping to talk to people they knew or to look in shops. For lunch they ate their sandwiches the house elves had made them. Hermione hesitated before biting in.
"Hey guys," Fred and George called, coming up to the bench they were sitting on in the square. Harry and Ron waved and Hermione smiled. Pansy nodded cordially, as if she wasn't quite sure what to say.
"Did you see it?" Fred asked. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"What?" Ron asked.
"The broomstick, duh," George replied. "In Edgar Whipwhistle's Sporting Goods. You mean you haven't heard?"
"A broomstick?" Harry asked. "You mean, a new one?"
"No, it's an old one," Fred said sarcastically. "What do you think?"
"Come on Harry, let's go see," Ron said, dropping his sandwich on the ground in his haste. He didn't even notice, and neither did Harry when his sandwich joined Ron's. Rolling her eyes Pansy picked up her smart leather purse and followed. Hermione leapt up after them.
"Boys," Pansy said as she walked. "No matter what house they're in, they're all the same. I bet all the Slytherins are excited too. And Ron goes off without even a Want-to-go-see-Pansy?"
"Oh, I know," Hermione sighed, forgetting her animosity in her agreement. "You'd think we counted for something." They stopped outside the Sporting Goods Store.
"Let's not go in," Pansy said. "Look at the crowds."
The shop was crowded, crammed with boys pressed against a glass box at the back to gaze at the broomstick in it. Hermione didn't want to go in there.
"It looks like any other broomstick to me," Pansy said.
"Probably faster, or something," Hermione told her. "But I don't know how much faster than a Firebolt you can get."
"Yeah, Harry's got one, hasn't he?" Pansy asked. "I wonder where he got it."
Hermione opened her mouth, then shut it again. Sirius Black.
"You don't know either, huh?" Pansy continued, taking her silence for confusion. Hermione nodded and wished Ron and Harry would come out. She did not want to talk to this girl.
"Horrible what happened to Draco, huh?" Pansy said. "I mean, er, You-Know-Who. But why Draco's father?" She stopped at the look on Hermione's face and quickly changed tacks. "It's the end of the year soon. Are you ready for exams?"
Hermione shrugged.
"But of course you are," she continued. "Ron told me you study, like, 24/7. By the way, I heard you and Draco got kicked out of the Library? What ever did you do? Ron said he wasn't sure but you guys were probably fighting because when you came back you had ink all over you."
"Uh, yeah," Hermione replied. "Er - are you ready for exams?"
"Not yet," she said cheerily. "Oh, hi Draco."
It was Draco who'd come up, and Hermione felt her heart jerk. Flushing slightly she looked back at Pansy.
"Hi Pansy, hi Hermione," he said. Though he sounded normal he looked slightly more subdued than before.
"Hey Draco," Pansy said. "Me and Hermione were just talking about exams. Are you ready?"
Draco shrugged. "Stupid exams. Are you here with Ron?"
"And Harry," Pansy added. "They're in the shop, if you're trying to avoid them. Have you seen the broomstick?"
"It's not any better than the Firebolt," he said. "My Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-One could probably even outclass it.
"W-what's it called?" Hermione asked, wishing her voice were calm.
"Goal-trap #1," he said. "I think it was invented for Keepers."
Hermione watched him, his clean jaw-line, brown eyes and pale hair, and flushed. Nervously she glanced back at the shop to see if Harry and Ron had come out yet, but they hadn't.
"So, what have you been doing lately, Hermione?" he asked.
"Not much," she told him. "We, er, tried the Sure-To-Make-You-Gag Candyballs."
"Sooooooo disgusting," Pansy put in. "I'm glad I didn't try one."
"Well, I'll see you around, I guess," he said. "There are Terence and Martin, keeping Crabbe and Goyle out of trouble. I'd better go help them." And he left.
Hermione watched him go, then looked at Pansy. She was staring at Hermione with an amused expression on her face.
"What?" Hermione snapped.
"You have a thing for him, don't you," she said. Her grin widened.
"Wha - How'd you know?" Hermione gasped. Heat rose to her cheeks.
"Girls sense these things," Pansy said flippantly. "Don't worry He probably has no clue. But girl, it's so obvious to me when you act that way."
Hermione stared down the street as if something interesting was going on at the end of it. That Pansy! Was it really that obvious?
"I say, go for it girl," Pansy said, watching her. "Draco's not as nasty as he seems. Besides, you two would look good together."
Hermione smile at her gratefully. Pansy really wasn't a bad sort, for a Slytherin. She just hoped Ron could hang onto her so Draco couldn't get her.
That would be disaster.
Sorry this chapt took sooooooooo long. You try having three band concerts three weeks in row, and they keep forgetting to make a place for the bass guitars to sit. Us bass guitars always get squished in the back corner between the trombones and the drums, with our guitar-necks jamming into the wall. But anyway. Hope you like this chapter.