Chapter Seventeen- Rita Skeeter's New Article
The only people in the common room when Harry returned from Professor Trelawney's class were Ginny and Neville. Ron wasn't there, and neither was Hermione. Harry clambered through the portrait hole looking scared and aghast about what he had heard, and was anxious to tell all of them.
"What's up Harry? What's the matter?" Ginny asked, looking up as he entered.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked, urgently.
"Well, Ron went downstairs to Dinner and Hermione's in the girls dorms. Want me to go and get her?"
"Yeah, hurry up"
Ginny sprinted from the sofa, and headed to the girls dorms and closed the door behind her. Neville looked slightly pale.
"What's the matter?" Neville asked.
"I've only just heard something from Professor Trelawney.it's about the orbs. Its urgent!"
Hermione and Ginny emerged from the girl's dorms and headed back down to the common room. Hermione's face was all red, and her eyes looked red as well. Harry guessed she must have been crying while she was upstairs in her dorms. The portrait hole opened and in came Ron, looking furious. He looked at the others.
"Well, why aren't you all down in the Great Hall?" he asked.
"Because Harry's got something to tell us and it's very important!" Ginny retorted. Ron looked at Harry, and didn't say a word.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione, clearing her throat so that she could sound normal.
"I've just come from Professor Trelawney's room, because I left my book there, and she made a prediction.she went all crazy, and before she could return to normal, I left"
"A Prediction? About what?" asked Neville.
"I don't know, but it was about Voldemort" Harry answered.
"Don't say his name" Ron hissed through gritted teeth.
"She said, "THE DARK LORD WILL KILL HER, BECAUSE SHE STANDS IN HIS WAY OF THE POWER. HE WILL VANQUISH HER FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE POWER, BUT HE WILL NOT PUNISH HARRY POTTER. HARRY POTTER WILL INSTEAD PUNISH THE DARK LORD.THE ONE WHO PROTECTS THE POWER SHALL DIE UPON THE HAND OF THE DARK LORD, AND SHALL NOT BE BROUGHT BACK.THE DARK LORD." and that's all I heard because I ran out of there.
"Wait a second, who is the she that Trelawney's referring to?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. He also began to gather some thought. Who else knew about the orbs, and were also protectors of them, without Harry knowing about them? He didn't understand it, but he decided he could think no further because at that moment, his scar gave a sharp pain, which ran through his entire body. He tried to suffocate the pain, but the pain seemed to be suffocating him. Voldemort was very angry.something had just went completely wrong, and he was on the verge of punishing all his death eaters.. But the only problem was what was it that went wrong?
There was another Hogsmeade visit at the end of January, but Harry told the entire team at a Quidditch practice one night that they were not allowed to go. They needed to ensure a victory against Ravenclaw to stay in a running for the house-cup.
"Why can't we go?" asked Dean, apparently angry at Harry's decision.
"Listen, the Ravenclaw team has gotten a lot better since the last time we played them. If we loose against them, there will be no way we'll win the Cup unless we beat Hufflepuff in April and Slytherin in June. I want us to stay ahead"
"Yeah, so do we but-"
"Oh look, its Pathetic Potter, and his Pathetic team of losers" came a drawling voice from behind them. They turned to see Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and two Slytherin girls to whom Harry did not know standing on the edge of the Quidditch Pit.
"What do you want?" Harry asked, filling with anger.
"We just wanted to come and cheer you pathetic team on, Potter. We're trying to show a bit of school unity"
Hermione snorted, and then spoke. "Yeah, whatever. The only unity you've got is the unity between you and a plate of food"
The Gryffindor's exploded in laughter, as Pansy flushed red. Crabbe however, stepped forward, and actually spoke.
"Hey, where's your friend Longbottom? Too afraid to show his face after that Stranglehold I put him in last year in Umbridges office? Or is he too afraid to show his face because his whacked out Grandmother-" SMACK!
Hermione had strode forward and smacked Crabbe hard across the face, leaving his skin red, and a handprint on her face. The Slytherin's gasped, while the Gryffindors looked horror struck.
"Don't you even dare talk about Neville's grandmother that way, you sick evil twisted-"
"MS. GRANGER!" came a cold voice. Snape apparently was walking over to the Quidditch pitch at that time, and saw Hermione slap Crabbe hard across the face. Everyone turned toward Snape. "What in merlin's beard do you think you are doing? Attacking a fellow student?" said Snape, his voice colder than the chilling air outside. Apparently, he'd been waiting for this moment or something of the sort since Hermione's abrupt departure from his class. "Fifty-"
"Oh, no Serverus, that wont be necessary" came a girlish voice from behind. Again, everyone turned around, and saw Professor Umbridge, looking normal again striding toward them, smiling pleasantly. Harry felt that Hermione was about to be in even more trouble than she anticipated.
"Dolores? I see you are well" said Snape, his voice still cold.
"Yes, thanks to Dumbledore. Now, I saw what had happened here from afar, and I must say Ms. Parkinson, that was very rude of you"
Hermione's mouth fell open. Ron looked as though a thousand galleons fell into his lap. The Gryffindor team looked as though the snow had melted and the sky was clear. Harry was about to faint.
"Excuse me, but you have got it all wrong. Ms. Granger was the one-"
"Who attacked Mr. Crabbe? No, No Serverus, I thought your eyesight would have been better than that. Ms. Granger was trying to stop Ms. Parkinson from attacking Crabbe. What you only saw was her hand" she said indicating a finger at Hermione.
Snape looked as though he was fighting with himself to say this. "F-Fifty points from S-S-Slytherin house.and a D-Detention for you, Ms. Parkinson" He led her back to the castle followed by the rest of the Slytherin's. Everyone turned to Umbridge.
"I would like a word with the four of you" she said politely. She was talking to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Er.ok. The rest of you go and get changed for practice. Start with some Bludger work," said Harry, as Lavender, Dean and Parvati shuffle away.
"The Minister has just informed me that it was all of you who returned me safely to school, and I want to thank you" she said, still sounding polite. Harry wondered whether or not this was some kind of trick.
"Your welcome" said Hermione through a strained voice.
"Well, I have to be getting back to the Ministry. So much to do." Umbridge said, standing up, nodding to them and heading back into the Castle.
Harry didn't even want to ask whether that just happened or not. Instead, they all went into the changing rooms, and pulled on their robes, and headed onto the field for practice.
The Practice was going fairly well. Hermione, Ginny and Dean were doing extraordinary passing of the Quaffle, and Ron blocked almost every goal. Lavender and Parvati performed excellent Bludger work. Harry captured the snitch six times, without having to strain his eyes to see it. The all began to retreat back to the castle an hour later, because snow had started falling heavily, and visibility was near impossibility. They retreated back to the Gryffindor Tower (and was pleased to see the Fat Lady had returned). They welcomed her back, gave the password and entered the Common Room.
The Minute they entered, Neville brandished Hermione with a piece of newspaper. He was reading Witch Weekly and by the looks of it, Rita Skeeter had returned and was up to no good again. There was a large picture of Hermione, looking angry. Harry had never seen such a bad picture of her.
"What's this?" Hermione asked.
"Read it!" Neville said, sounding urgent. Lavender, Dean and Parvati went to their dorms, while Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny moved by the fireplace to read the article.
HERMIONE GRANGER
AND HER SECRET HEART-ACHE
Hermione Granger, 16 who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was currently found dating the Ireland Seeker Viktor Krum, who two years ago, competed in the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. During that year,
Ms. Granger was reported "linked" to the Irish Seeker, but also found playing Harry Potter false. Now, two years later, it seems that the story is playing itself once again, this time with a new twist. Hermione Granger is currently dating Arthur Weasley's youngest Son, Ronald Weasley. However,
she is playing him false too, because just last week, it was discovered that she sent Viktor Krum a note expressing her love and affection for him. In the future, we hope that Ronald Weasley picks a better canidate for the position of his girlfriend, rather than the likes of Ms. Granger, who has
been known to wreck boys hearts, and not have a single care afterwards.
Hermione snorted loudly. "Is that the best she's got?"
"Where did Rita get this information anyway?" Harry asked, taking the paper and scanning the article again.
"Who knows, but if she thinks because she's allowed to report again, she can go and print false articles about me, then she's wrong!" said Hermione, who was now red.
"Calm down Hermione" Ginny said.
Ron however, remained silent. Harry looked at him, and saw him staring at the floor, his eyes remaining solid. It was clear that he sort of believed Rita Skeeter, because Hermione had been writing to Viktor Krum, and refused to share the information with Ron.
"What's the matter, Ron?" Neville asked.
"You.is it true, Hermione?" Ron muttered.
"W-What? Of course it's not true!"
"But you cant exactly prove that its not true can you?" asked Ron. His voice sounded serious, a tone Harry barely heard.
"Wait, what are you-"
"All those ruddy letters you were sending to Krum, you never told me what you wrote. You always made up some excuse to why you couldn't tell me"
"No, Ron, that's not true at all! What I wrote in those letters, are between Viktor and I"
"So, you admit to the things you've been writing him, do you?"
Harry knew he shouldn't sit here, and listen to anymore of this, but he couldn't leave.
"Ron, you know I would never lie to you-"
"I find that hard to believe Hermione! Because you've been acting really.Moody these last few days. Snapping at Snape, walking out of his class.and crying! What, has Viktor broken your heart or something? Am I not.'good' enough for you?" asked Ron, standing to his feet, and shouting. Harry had never seen him like this before. It appeared that his dislike for Krum just exploded and he wasn't going to stop.
"Is that what you think?" Hermione asked, standing up too, so she could defend her ground. "You think he broke my heart, and that's why I've been acting the way I've been acting? NO! THAT'S NOT WHY I AM ACTING LIKE THIS, RONALD!"
"Guys, stop-"
"YOU KNOW ITS TRUE HERMIONE! VIKTOR IS BETTER THAN ME, AND THAT'S WHY YOU'VE BEEN SENDING SECRET OWLS AT NIGHT!"
"Who told you-"
"Parvati! She said she'd gotten up to get a drink of water, and she saw you sending an Owl. Actually, it was Hermes, because I'd let you borrow him that day!"
"RON! YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'D NEVER PLAY YOU FALSE! I LOVE YOU!"
And at those words, everyone who was in the common room (Harry, Ginny and Neville) gasped, and their mouths fell open. Ron widened his eyes. Hermione loved Ron?
'' Y-You-You what?" asked Ron, slowly as though he just heard the invention of fire.
"I love you," said Hermione.
The only people in the common room when Harry returned from Professor Trelawney's class were Ginny and Neville. Ron wasn't there, and neither was Hermione. Harry clambered through the portrait hole looking scared and aghast about what he had heard, and was anxious to tell all of them.
"What's up Harry? What's the matter?" Ginny asked, looking up as he entered.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked, urgently.
"Well, Ron went downstairs to Dinner and Hermione's in the girls dorms. Want me to go and get her?"
"Yeah, hurry up"
Ginny sprinted from the sofa, and headed to the girls dorms and closed the door behind her. Neville looked slightly pale.
"What's the matter?" Neville asked.
"I've only just heard something from Professor Trelawney.it's about the orbs. Its urgent!"
Hermione and Ginny emerged from the girl's dorms and headed back down to the common room. Hermione's face was all red, and her eyes looked red as well. Harry guessed she must have been crying while she was upstairs in her dorms. The portrait hole opened and in came Ron, looking furious. He looked at the others.
"Well, why aren't you all down in the Great Hall?" he asked.
"Because Harry's got something to tell us and it's very important!" Ginny retorted. Ron looked at Harry, and didn't say a word.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione, clearing her throat so that she could sound normal.
"I've just come from Professor Trelawney's room, because I left my book there, and she made a prediction.she went all crazy, and before she could return to normal, I left"
"A Prediction? About what?" asked Neville.
"I don't know, but it was about Voldemort" Harry answered.
"Don't say his name" Ron hissed through gritted teeth.
"She said, "THE DARK LORD WILL KILL HER, BECAUSE SHE STANDS IN HIS WAY OF THE POWER. HE WILL VANQUISH HER FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE POWER, BUT HE WILL NOT PUNISH HARRY POTTER. HARRY POTTER WILL INSTEAD PUNISH THE DARK LORD.THE ONE WHO PROTECTS THE POWER SHALL DIE UPON THE HAND OF THE DARK LORD, AND SHALL NOT BE BROUGHT BACK.THE DARK LORD." and that's all I heard because I ran out of there.
"Wait a second, who is the she that Trelawney's referring to?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. He also began to gather some thought. Who else knew about the orbs, and were also protectors of them, without Harry knowing about them? He didn't understand it, but he decided he could think no further because at that moment, his scar gave a sharp pain, which ran through his entire body. He tried to suffocate the pain, but the pain seemed to be suffocating him. Voldemort was very angry.something had just went completely wrong, and he was on the verge of punishing all his death eaters.. But the only problem was what was it that went wrong?
There was another Hogsmeade visit at the end of January, but Harry told the entire team at a Quidditch practice one night that they were not allowed to go. They needed to ensure a victory against Ravenclaw to stay in a running for the house-cup.
"Why can't we go?" asked Dean, apparently angry at Harry's decision.
"Listen, the Ravenclaw team has gotten a lot better since the last time we played them. If we loose against them, there will be no way we'll win the Cup unless we beat Hufflepuff in April and Slytherin in June. I want us to stay ahead"
"Yeah, so do we but-"
"Oh look, its Pathetic Potter, and his Pathetic team of losers" came a drawling voice from behind them. They turned to see Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and two Slytherin girls to whom Harry did not know standing on the edge of the Quidditch Pit.
"What do you want?" Harry asked, filling with anger.
"We just wanted to come and cheer you pathetic team on, Potter. We're trying to show a bit of school unity"
Hermione snorted, and then spoke. "Yeah, whatever. The only unity you've got is the unity between you and a plate of food"
The Gryffindor's exploded in laughter, as Pansy flushed red. Crabbe however, stepped forward, and actually spoke.
"Hey, where's your friend Longbottom? Too afraid to show his face after that Stranglehold I put him in last year in Umbridges office? Or is he too afraid to show his face because his whacked out Grandmother-" SMACK!
Hermione had strode forward and smacked Crabbe hard across the face, leaving his skin red, and a handprint on her face. The Slytherin's gasped, while the Gryffindors looked horror struck.
"Don't you even dare talk about Neville's grandmother that way, you sick evil twisted-"
"MS. GRANGER!" came a cold voice. Snape apparently was walking over to the Quidditch pitch at that time, and saw Hermione slap Crabbe hard across the face. Everyone turned toward Snape. "What in merlin's beard do you think you are doing? Attacking a fellow student?" said Snape, his voice colder than the chilling air outside. Apparently, he'd been waiting for this moment or something of the sort since Hermione's abrupt departure from his class. "Fifty-"
"Oh, no Serverus, that wont be necessary" came a girlish voice from behind. Again, everyone turned around, and saw Professor Umbridge, looking normal again striding toward them, smiling pleasantly. Harry felt that Hermione was about to be in even more trouble than she anticipated.
"Dolores? I see you are well" said Snape, his voice still cold.
"Yes, thanks to Dumbledore. Now, I saw what had happened here from afar, and I must say Ms. Parkinson, that was very rude of you"
Hermione's mouth fell open. Ron looked as though a thousand galleons fell into his lap. The Gryffindor team looked as though the snow had melted and the sky was clear. Harry was about to faint.
"Excuse me, but you have got it all wrong. Ms. Granger was the one-"
"Who attacked Mr. Crabbe? No, No Serverus, I thought your eyesight would have been better than that. Ms. Granger was trying to stop Ms. Parkinson from attacking Crabbe. What you only saw was her hand" she said indicating a finger at Hermione.
Snape looked as though he was fighting with himself to say this. "F-Fifty points from S-S-Slytherin house.and a D-Detention for you, Ms. Parkinson" He led her back to the castle followed by the rest of the Slytherin's. Everyone turned to Umbridge.
"I would like a word with the four of you" she said politely. She was talking to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Er.ok. The rest of you go and get changed for practice. Start with some Bludger work," said Harry, as Lavender, Dean and Parvati shuffle away.
"The Minister has just informed me that it was all of you who returned me safely to school, and I want to thank you" she said, still sounding polite. Harry wondered whether or not this was some kind of trick.
"Your welcome" said Hermione through a strained voice.
"Well, I have to be getting back to the Ministry. So much to do." Umbridge said, standing up, nodding to them and heading back into the Castle.
Harry didn't even want to ask whether that just happened or not. Instead, they all went into the changing rooms, and pulled on their robes, and headed onto the field for practice.
The Practice was going fairly well. Hermione, Ginny and Dean were doing extraordinary passing of the Quaffle, and Ron blocked almost every goal. Lavender and Parvati performed excellent Bludger work. Harry captured the snitch six times, without having to strain his eyes to see it. The all began to retreat back to the castle an hour later, because snow had started falling heavily, and visibility was near impossibility. They retreated back to the Gryffindor Tower (and was pleased to see the Fat Lady had returned). They welcomed her back, gave the password and entered the Common Room.
The Minute they entered, Neville brandished Hermione with a piece of newspaper. He was reading Witch Weekly and by the looks of it, Rita Skeeter had returned and was up to no good again. There was a large picture of Hermione, looking angry. Harry had never seen such a bad picture of her.
"What's this?" Hermione asked.
"Read it!" Neville said, sounding urgent. Lavender, Dean and Parvati went to their dorms, while Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny moved by the fireplace to read the article.
HERMIONE GRANGER
AND HER SECRET HEART-ACHE
Hermione Granger, 16 who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was currently found dating the Ireland Seeker Viktor Krum, who two years ago, competed in the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. During that year,
Ms. Granger was reported "linked" to the Irish Seeker, but also found playing Harry Potter false. Now, two years later, it seems that the story is playing itself once again, this time with a new twist. Hermione Granger is currently dating Arthur Weasley's youngest Son, Ronald Weasley. However,
she is playing him false too, because just last week, it was discovered that she sent Viktor Krum a note expressing her love and affection for him. In the future, we hope that Ronald Weasley picks a better canidate for the position of his girlfriend, rather than the likes of Ms. Granger, who has
been known to wreck boys hearts, and not have a single care afterwards.
Hermione snorted loudly. "Is that the best she's got?"
"Where did Rita get this information anyway?" Harry asked, taking the paper and scanning the article again.
"Who knows, but if she thinks because she's allowed to report again, she can go and print false articles about me, then she's wrong!" said Hermione, who was now red.
"Calm down Hermione" Ginny said.
Ron however, remained silent. Harry looked at him, and saw him staring at the floor, his eyes remaining solid. It was clear that he sort of believed Rita Skeeter, because Hermione had been writing to Viktor Krum, and refused to share the information with Ron.
"What's the matter, Ron?" Neville asked.
"You.is it true, Hermione?" Ron muttered.
"W-What? Of course it's not true!"
"But you cant exactly prove that its not true can you?" asked Ron. His voice sounded serious, a tone Harry barely heard.
"Wait, what are you-"
"All those ruddy letters you were sending to Krum, you never told me what you wrote. You always made up some excuse to why you couldn't tell me"
"No, Ron, that's not true at all! What I wrote in those letters, are between Viktor and I"
"So, you admit to the things you've been writing him, do you?"
Harry knew he shouldn't sit here, and listen to anymore of this, but he couldn't leave.
"Ron, you know I would never lie to you-"
"I find that hard to believe Hermione! Because you've been acting really.Moody these last few days. Snapping at Snape, walking out of his class.and crying! What, has Viktor broken your heart or something? Am I not.'good' enough for you?" asked Ron, standing to his feet, and shouting. Harry had never seen him like this before. It appeared that his dislike for Krum just exploded and he wasn't going to stop.
"Is that what you think?" Hermione asked, standing up too, so she could defend her ground. "You think he broke my heart, and that's why I've been acting the way I've been acting? NO! THAT'S NOT WHY I AM ACTING LIKE THIS, RONALD!"
"Guys, stop-"
"YOU KNOW ITS TRUE HERMIONE! VIKTOR IS BETTER THAN ME, AND THAT'S WHY YOU'VE BEEN SENDING SECRET OWLS AT NIGHT!"
"Who told you-"
"Parvati! She said she'd gotten up to get a drink of water, and she saw you sending an Owl. Actually, it was Hermes, because I'd let you borrow him that day!"
"RON! YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'D NEVER PLAY YOU FALSE! I LOVE YOU!"
And at those words, everyone who was in the common room (Harry, Ginny and Neville) gasped, and their mouths fell open. Ron widened his eyes. Hermione loved Ron?
'' Y-You-You what?" asked Ron, slowly as though he just heard the invention of fire.
"I love you," said Hermione.