( A few words -
Eggplant and Caviar - XD You caught me. Guilty as charged. /Wolfwood all the way/ And what I meant by what happened was that they were becoming able to see inside the other's head. Hurrah for pulchritudinous!
melody - That's actually a very good idea, and I agree (grudgingly) that I need to add more Harry. Not like I particularly 'want' to... I will do something along that line, and I give credit to you.
Sas-Kia-Tje - /laugh/ Oh, be certain, a confession of undying love would mean lots to me, and who cares about being embarrassed, you can't be any weirder than I.
/uncorks some rum/ Celebration! I hit 200! I feel so happy! And I love you all if you reviewed! )
-/-
Hermione managed to make it through Care of Magical Creatures in her own head, though she did feel a twinge of panic as Hagrid described how to handle chimaeras, but that could have been her own. I mean, he talked as if he actually had some that they would be handling. Which, of course, was ridiculous, as their eggs were classified as Class A Non-Tradable Goods. She ignored that suspicion, figuring she already had enough to deal with. Walking back into Hogwarts, however, she was beginning to wish she could trade.
It seemed that the girls had not given up so easily on Hermione.
"Come on, Hermione, you can tell us! Is he cute? What House is he in?" Lavender persisted, following her. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'm telling you, I don't-" she began, but Parvati cut her off.
"Ooh, is he older, is that it?" she asked eagerly, eyes round. Hermione huffed loudly, agitated.
"Is it you don't want them to hear?" Lavender said with sudden realization, eyeing Harry and Ron slyly. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, indignant, but the group of Gryffindor girls was already closing around her, shutting them out. She could cast them only one frantic, despairing look before she was surrounded completely.
"So..." Parvati and the other girls looked at her expectantly.
"So what?" she snapped, annoyed. They seemed unfazed.
"Ooh, you know what! I bet it's that Ravenclaw sixth year that's always staring at you!" Lavender squealed. Hermione wrinkled her nose. She knew whom they were giggling about. And she wouldn't fancy him if he paid her.
"What's that?" cried a voice from outside their circle. Hermione groaned. Pansy Parkinson, flanked by Millicent Bulstrode, shoved their way to where Parvati and Lavender were standing.
"Granger's got a boyfriend?" she shrieked, laughing. Millicent chuckled at her side. Parvati eyed her coolly.
"It's rather none of your business, Pansy," she said. Hermione resisted the urge to add that it was none of their business in the first place. Pansy looked at her with a sudden suspicion, and before Hermione knew what was happening the other girl was leaning in to whisper in her ear before turning on heel and stalking off. Hermione looked after her in surprise.
'You'd better have a Ravenclaw boyfriend, for your own sake'
What was that all about? She shook her head and ignored the questions about Pansy's cryptic statement. Hermione had no idea what she'd meant. Oh well.
--
Harry and Ron stood outside the crowd, speechless.
Ron turned nervously to Harry.
"You don't reckon..." he began, not needing to finish the thought.
Harry shook his head, though he wasn't entirely convinced himself.
"No... She'd tell us.... I'm pretty sure," he added, thinking about how odd his friend had been acting the past couple of days. It would make sense... but no, she wouldn't keep something like that from them. Just then he noticed someone else had stopped.
Hearing Hermione, a certain Slytherin had turned around, and realized what the huddle of girls must be. He listened to what he could hear of the conversation with mild interest, not really caring.
Harry looked at him, standing there, with familiar hatred. The fact that Hermione had stuck up for him, and then the stupid lie that Giselda girl had spread suddenly made Harry hate the Slytherin more, which he hadn't thought possible. Almost unaware of what he was doing, Harry walked towards Malfoy and shoved him roughly on the shoulder.
Catching himself from falling, Malfoy turned on Harry, annoyed.
"What's that about?" he snapped angrily. Harry glared.
"Well, it's more the fact that you're alive than anything else," he said icily. ((A little note - /sheepish grin/ I know, I know... but I wanted to use it, and hey, you know how the saying goes)) He was still glaring at Malfoy, waiting for him to snap back, so he could vent some of his frustration.
Surprisingly, though, Malfoy only looked at him, frowning slightly.
"Give it a rest, Potter," he said, already walking away. "If you have anything further to say meet me after dinner in the Astronomy Tower. Don't try and hide behind your friends this time," he added with a bored wave of his hand. "See if you can manage without them for once," And then he was gone. Ron, having only jogged over to catch that last bit, looked at Harry, confused.
"What was all that?" he asked.
Harry just shook his head.
--
After dinner that evening, Harry made up some mumbled excuse about going to the library for a Potions essay. Ron was preoccupied with Carlee and Hermione was still being harassed by Parvati and Lavender, so they didn't make any further inquiries.
On the way to the Astronomy Tower Harry wondered if it was smart to come alone. He'd been too angry with Malfoy to realize that it wouldn't be the first time he'd tried to ambush Harry. He gripped his wand tighter in his pocket and grimly walked the steps. If he had to defend himself against all three, so be it.
Pushing the door open, he looked suspiciously around the room, searching for hints of hidden cronies.
"Just a bit paranoid, are we, Potter?" a voice came ringing from somewhere inside. Harry turned towards the sound. "No worries, though. Crabbe and Goyle will still be tucking into the pudding right about now." Harry stepped in and closed the door behind him, eyes adjusting to the dimness in the room. He still had his wand out in front of him.
"It's not like you've exactly fought fair before, Malfoy," he spat, still eyeing the shadows. Malfoy snorted.
"Despite what you may think, I am capable of fighting my own battles, Potter," came his chilling reply. It was Harry's turn to laugh scornfully.
"And what battles would those be? Against the evil cowlicks?" He said mockingly. He saw Malfoy narrow his eyes from his sitting position across the room.
"Just because I prefer not to walk around looking like a ragamuffin," he smirked. Harry glared, fed up.
"Well, what is it you want?" he snapped.
"I want nothing," the other boy said calmly.
"You're the one who asked me here," Harry reminded him. What was Malfoy playing at?
"Ah," the Slytherin replied slyly. "But you're the one who came." Harry took a step forward, increasingly frustrated. Before he could open his mouth o reply, though, Malfoy continued.
"Although, I suppose I already know why you're here," he said casually, as though an afterthought. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah? And why is that?"
Malfoy flashed him a smile.
"Hermione,"
--
Having finally escaped their incessant chattering, Hermione sat calmly in the library, staring down at the pages of one of her favorite books. But though she turned the page every so often, none of the words reached her brain.
They had brought up an interesting point.... Who was she going to attend the Halloween Ball with? She had planned on going by herself, not really interested in finding a date, but now.... Of course she couldn't go with Draco, that was out of the question. Still, it's not like she'd refuse if he asked her... but he wouldn't, she knew. He'd probably end up going with Pansy.... She could, she mused, always go with Harry. As friends, of course. She didn't think he had a date lined up yet... oh well. It was always a possibility, even though she didn't favor the idea much.
Thinking about Harry, she looked up, remembering him saying something about heading to the library after dinner. He wasn't there, though.... Odd. She would have passed him if he'd gone back to the Common Room. She frowned slightly, and gazed more intently at the pages of her book. Harry had been acting awful suspicious the past few days... not that he didn't have reason to, in fact, but from what he knew, he shouldn't. He seemed to be getting close to figuring it out... Hermione didn't know whether that'd be good or bad. She saw Harry's face in her mind, going from a look of confusion to a look of shock. Yes, that'd be what he looked like if he found out. It was odd, though... for some reason... he seemed to be in the Astronomy Tower.
Hermione blinked and shook her head, realizing how tired she was. She stood up and closed her book, trying to rid the image of Harry's face from her mind.
She'd just have to make sure he never found out.
-/-
(Hehe... it stops there! I could have added more, but in order to update quicker my chapters will be shorter. Plus, if I keep writing, I'll stay up past my curfew and get in trouble :x I might get grounded off my computer for weeks. You wouldn't want that, would you? Anyway I'm trying to update fast, since I've been getting ideas and stuff, and I still need to work on my new fic, so I figured I'd give you guys something so you wouldn't whine. :p Just kidding. But anyway.
Read, review, and remember - You Can't Stop The Rock.)
Eggplant and Caviar - XD You caught me. Guilty as charged. /Wolfwood all the way/ And what I meant by what happened was that they were becoming able to see inside the other's head. Hurrah for pulchritudinous!
melody - That's actually a very good idea, and I agree (grudgingly) that I need to add more Harry. Not like I particularly 'want' to... I will do something along that line, and I give credit to you.
Sas-Kia-Tje - /laugh/ Oh, be certain, a confession of undying love would mean lots to me, and who cares about being embarrassed, you can't be any weirder than I.
/uncorks some rum/ Celebration! I hit 200! I feel so happy! And I love you all if you reviewed! )
-/-
Hermione managed to make it through Care of Magical Creatures in her own head, though she did feel a twinge of panic as Hagrid described how to handle chimaeras, but that could have been her own. I mean, he talked as if he actually had some that they would be handling. Which, of course, was ridiculous, as their eggs were classified as Class A Non-Tradable Goods. She ignored that suspicion, figuring she already had enough to deal with. Walking back into Hogwarts, however, she was beginning to wish she could trade.
It seemed that the girls had not given up so easily on Hermione.
"Come on, Hermione, you can tell us! Is he cute? What House is he in?" Lavender persisted, following her. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'm telling you, I don't-" she began, but Parvati cut her off.
"Ooh, is he older, is that it?" she asked eagerly, eyes round. Hermione huffed loudly, agitated.
"Is it you don't want them to hear?" Lavender said with sudden realization, eyeing Harry and Ron slyly. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, indignant, but the group of Gryffindor girls was already closing around her, shutting them out. She could cast them only one frantic, despairing look before she was surrounded completely.
"So..." Parvati and the other girls looked at her expectantly.
"So what?" she snapped, annoyed. They seemed unfazed.
"Ooh, you know what! I bet it's that Ravenclaw sixth year that's always staring at you!" Lavender squealed. Hermione wrinkled her nose. She knew whom they were giggling about. And she wouldn't fancy him if he paid her.
"What's that?" cried a voice from outside their circle. Hermione groaned. Pansy Parkinson, flanked by Millicent Bulstrode, shoved their way to where Parvati and Lavender were standing.
"Granger's got a boyfriend?" she shrieked, laughing. Millicent chuckled at her side. Parvati eyed her coolly.
"It's rather none of your business, Pansy," she said. Hermione resisted the urge to add that it was none of their business in the first place. Pansy looked at her with a sudden suspicion, and before Hermione knew what was happening the other girl was leaning in to whisper in her ear before turning on heel and stalking off. Hermione looked after her in surprise.
'You'd better have a Ravenclaw boyfriend, for your own sake'
What was that all about? She shook her head and ignored the questions about Pansy's cryptic statement. Hermione had no idea what she'd meant. Oh well.
--
Harry and Ron stood outside the crowd, speechless.
Ron turned nervously to Harry.
"You don't reckon..." he began, not needing to finish the thought.
Harry shook his head, though he wasn't entirely convinced himself.
"No... She'd tell us.... I'm pretty sure," he added, thinking about how odd his friend had been acting the past couple of days. It would make sense... but no, she wouldn't keep something like that from them. Just then he noticed someone else had stopped.
Hearing Hermione, a certain Slytherin had turned around, and realized what the huddle of girls must be. He listened to what he could hear of the conversation with mild interest, not really caring.
Harry looked at him, standing there, with familiar hatred. The fact that Hermione had stuck up for him, and then the stupid lie that Giselda girl had spread suddenly made Harry hate the Slytherin more, which he hadn't thought possible. Almost unaware of what he was doing, Harry walked towards Malfoy and shoved him roughly on the shoulder.
Catching himself from falling, Malfoy turned on Harry, annoyed.
"What's that about?" he snapped angrily. Harry glared.
"Well, it's more the fact that you're alive than anything else," he said icily. ((A little note - /sheepish grin/ I know, I know... but I wanted to use it, and hey, you know how the saying goes)) He was still glaring at Malfoy, waiting for him to snap back, so he could vent some of his frustration.
Surprisingly, though, Malfoy only looked at him, frowning slightly.
"Give it a rest, Potter," he said, already walking away. "If you have anything further to say meet me after dinner in the Astronomy Tower. Don't try and hide behind your friends this time," he added with a bored wave of his hand. "See if you can manage without them for once," And then he was gone. Ron, having only jogged over to catch that last bit, looked at Harry, confused.
"What was all that?" he asked.
Harry just shook his head.
--
After dinner that evening, Harry made up some mumbled excuse about going to the library for a Potions essay. Ron was preoccupied with Carlee and Hermione was still being harassed by Parvati and Lavender, so they didn't make any further inquiries.
On the way to the Astronomy Tower Harry wondered if it was smart to come alone. He'd been too angry with Malfoy to realize that it wouldn't be the first time he'd tried to ambush Harry. He gripped his wand tighter in his pocket and grimly walked the steps. If he had to defend himself against all three, so be it.
Pushing the door open, he looked suspiciously around the room, searching for hints of hidden cronies.
"Just a bit paranoid, are we, Potter?" a voice came ringing from somewhere inside. Harry turned towards the sound. "No worries, though. Crabbe and Goyle will still be tucking into the pudding right about now." Harry stepped in and closed the door behind him, eyes adjusting to the dimness in the room. He still had his wand out in front of him.
"It's not like you've exactly fought fair before, Malfoy," he spat, still eyeing the shadows. Malfoy snorted.
"Despite what you may think, I am capable of fighting my own battles, Potter," came his chilling reply. It was Harry's turn to laugh scornfully.
"And what battles would those be? Against the evil cowlicks?" He said mockingly. He saw Malfoy narrow his eyes from his sitting position across the room.
"Just because I prefer not to walk around looking like a ragamuffin," he smirked. Harry glared, fed up.
"Well, what is it you want?" he snapped.
"I want nothing," the other boy said calmly.
"You're the one who asked me here," Harry reminded him. What was Malfoy playing at?
"Ah," the Slytherin replied slyly. "But you're the one who came." Harry took a step forward, increasingly frustrated. Before he could open his mouth o reply, though, Malfoy continued.
"Although, I suppose I already know why you're here," he said casually, as though an afterthought. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah? And why is that?"
Malfoy flashed him a smile.
"Hermione,"
--
Having finally escaped their incessant chattering, Hermione sat calmly in the library, staring down at the pages of one of her favorite books. But though she turned the page every so often, none of the words reached her brain.
They had brought up an interesting point.... Who was she going to attend the Halloween Ball with? She had planned on going by herself, not really interested in finding a date, but now.... Of course she couldn't go with Draco, that was out of the question. Still, it's not like she'd refuse if he asked her... but he wouldn't, she knew. He'd probably end up going with Pansy.... She could, she mused, always go with Harry. As friends, of course. She didn't think he had a date lined up yet... oh well. It was always a possibility, even though she didn't favor the idea much.
Thinking about Harry, she looked up, remembering him saying something about heading to the library after dinner. He wasn't there, though.... Odd. She would have passed him if he'd gone back to the Common Room. She frowned slightly, and gazed more intently at the pages of her book. Harry had been acting awful suspicious the past few days... not that he didn't have reason to, in fact, but from what he knew, he shouldn't. He seemed to be getting close to figuring it out... Hermione didn't know whether that'd be good or bad. She saw Harry's face in her mind, going from a look of confusion to a look of shock. Yes, that'd be what he looked like if he found out. It was odd, though... for some reason... he seemed to be in the Astronomy Tower.
Hermione blinked and shook her head, realizing how tired she was. She stood up and closed her book, trying to rid the image of Harry's face from her mind.
She'd just have to make sure he never found out.
-/-
(Hehe... it stops there! I could have added more, but in order to update quicker my chapters will be shorter. Plus, if I keep writing, I'll stay up past my curfew and get in trouble :x I might get grounded off my computer for weeks. You wouldn't want that, would you? Anyway I'm trying to update fast, since I've been getting ideas and stuff, and I still need to work on my new fic, so I figured I'd give you guys something so you wouldn't whine. :p Just kidding. But anyway.
Read, review, and remember - You Can't Stop The Rock.)