Disclaimer: Come on people, if you've gotten this far you know the drill. But just to be on the safe side, the following characters are used without J.K Rowling's permission, but no money is being made off of such characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This is not my alone work. This piece of writing was made with a friend, Rosie and I give her any credit she wants. I'm just posting it as she doesn't have an FF.net account. This is also why writing styles may change, we take turn writing each chapter and then blend our own ideas into it.

Strange Temptations

Chapter three
. esspeeeEdoubleyou


"Hermione where are you going?" Ron called after a figure that was running up a staircase. Hermione stopped still and sighed, she had successfully avoided Harry and Ron all dinner, but now, just as she was about to meet Cho without any questions, Ron had spotted her. She turned around on her heel slowly.

"Oh, hi Ron." Hermione said with an unconvincing smile. Great, Hermione thought to herself, now here comes the questions, what did you speak to Cho about earlier? Where are you going? Aren't you coming to the common room? Hermione rolled her eyes as she imagined the kinds of questions Ron would ask.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked with increasing curiosity.

"Erm, to the library, for some studying." Hermione improvised on the spot.

Ron shrugged and then grinned, "I should have known." He said with a chuckle and then headed off to find Harry. Hermione watched him go and then carried on her way up the stairs.

The usual deadly silence greeted her as she walked into the library and took a glance around for Cho; she spotted her. She was sitting by a small table with a book lay out in front of her, and an interested look upon her pretty face.

Cho looked up at the sound of Hermione approaching and smiled,

"Hi."

"Hi Cho, sorry I'm late, got held up." Hermione replied, sliding upon the chair opposite Cho, then she added with a curious look, "Ooh what you reading?"

Cho gave Hermione an embarrassed smile, and said with a tinge of pink in her cheeks, "It's a book about houselves."

"Really? What subject is that for?"

The pink tinge in Cho's cheeks turned to an embellished red in a mass of embarrassment, and Cho look down at the table and became awfully interested in the edge of the book while she spoke.

"Well, you see, its not actually for school, just erm, more for reading. " She said finally looking up at Hermione's confused face and continued, "I just find them interesting and I love the way they have their own magic and stuff, and I hate the way no one else respects them and all that. " Her voice came out rushed and all the time she kept her eyes fixed on Hermione's face.

Hermione broke out into an uncertain grin.

"Are you taking the mick? Is this something about my S.P.E.W thing?!" Asked Hermione.

Cho furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Hermione through the corner of her eye, as if surveying how crazy she was.

"Who's esspeeeEdoubleyou?" Cho asked.

Hermione laughed and waved her arm, "Never mind."

Cho gave Hermione an uncertain look but then broke out into a smile too,

"So why did you want me to meet me Hermione?" She asked casually.

"I wanted to invite you to Housemaid this weekend."

"And you had to meet me in the library just to act a simple question like that?" Asked Cho playfully.

"Yes. Because, Ron's going to be with us. . and Harry."

"Harry. Oh. Of course." Said Cho softly, setting her book down. She turned in her chair to face Hermione. "I told you before Hermione, I turned him down before because it didn't feel right. I don't want to give him the wrong idea by going to Hogsmaed with you three."

"Cho, it won't be anything like that. I just want you to give him a chance -- get to know him a little better. Besides, if anyone asks, just tell them the truth. That I invited you."

"Yeah, but Hermione, why would you invite me? Before now we barely even ever talked!"

"Tell them you were interested in S.P.E.W. Its a house elf organization."

"Oh." Cho's face lightened. "Your into that stuff to?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome."

"So. . . You'll come?" Asked Hermione, getting back to the topic.

Cho bit her lip and gave Hermione an unsure look. "I. . " Cho appeared to be deep in thought, but finally sighed and said, "Sure."

Hermione smiled. "Great! So, Outside the Hogwarts gates around Noon Saturday?"

Cho nodded and Hermione's smile grew.

The rest of the evening, the two spent in the library talking wildly about this and that, including S.P.E.W, until the librarian kicked them out for being to noisy. Hermione looked at the Library as the Librarian shut the door behind them.

"Last time I'm ever going to help her re-organize the books so they're all in alphabetical, subject, and sized order." Said Hermione indignantly.

Cho laughed lightly as the pair started to make their way down the corridor together. Before long they were at the first set of stairs, laughing their heads off. They began up the stairs when it jerked suddenly.

Hermione grabbed onto Cho as the staircase began to move, and Cho laughed even harder, "Wooooah! After all this time I still haven't got used to this!"

Hermione tightened her grip and chuckled too. She tried to take a step downwards whilst the staircase was still moving and lost her footing. She fell down onto the stairs, multiplying her hysterics and pulling a laughing Cho down with her.

"AHH!" Yelled Cho as the two rolled down the stairs until they were at the platform as it connected. Hermione smiled weakly and slowly stood, helping Cho do the same.

"At least it connected in time. Could you imagine falling all the way down?"

Cho's eyes widened and she blinked. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"

Hermione's smile grew and she nodded, beginning to make her way up the stairs again. Cho did the same but grabbed onto Hermione before she tripped.

"What is it?"

Cho smiled meekly, "I'm dizzy. A little help?"

"Of course."

The two made their way up the stairs together, Hermione's arm around Cho's waist to help support her. That night when they departed on their own ways, they were both happier then they had been in a long while.

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