Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything to do with Harry Potter- the books or the movies. If I did, I would be RICH! And.. probably doing more fun stuff than this! No, I'm kidding. Please review if you like it... even if you don't! I'll try to post the new chapter again soon. Cheers!
Once in the common room sitting quietly in her favourite chair by the fire beside Ron and Harry, Hermione had to admit that she'd rather be here now than the library. All the others were there- Neville Longbottom waving in a friendly way to her as he chatted with Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley smiling at her from across the room, looking like she was coming over to chat, and best of all, Harry and Ron absorbed in a deeply exciting- not- talk about Quidditch.
"Don't you talk about anything else?" Hermione laughed, stroking Crookshanks as he lay purring in her lap.
Ron laughed. "No! Not really, and especially not since we're having tryouts tomorrow. I really can't think of anything else."
Hermione smiled. "Do you know if anyone is trying out for anything? Or will it all be a surprise?" She shot a cautious look at Harry, knowing he'd been kicked off the Gryiffindor Quidditch team last term by the horrible Professor Umbridge, a nightmare in teacher's robes. But Harry didn't seem to mind. In fact, excitement was written all over his face.
"I don't know anyone who's trying out. Uh, Harry?" Ron asked, also not sure how sensitive his friend would be over the subject.
Harry smiled mysteriously. "We'll just have to wait until tomorrow, I guess." But Hermione saw something in his eyes that made him less aloof than he tried to sound.
"Harry, I can't take it!" exclaimed Ginny, who'd just heard the last bits of the conversation, since she'd walked up to talk to the three. "Are you trying out for the team? If I have to try out against you I just know I'll fail miserably." Ginny was the seeker in Harry's place after he'd been kicked off the team.
Hermione smiled at Ginny. "Harry'll be easy on you!" she laughed. Then she turned to look at Harry.
"I might try out," he said, trying to keep that air of mystery about him. "But Ginny, even if you don't get seeker, they'll definitely keep you on the team." He smiled at Ron's sister. "You definitely don't have anything to worry about."
"Thanks," Ginny said. Turning to Hermione, she said, "It's great to see you again, Hermione. I hope we can chat and catch up together soon, but I've got to go now." With that she waved to a group of girls her age and left them.
"Actually," Harry said, lowering his voice. Instinctively, Hermione and Ron moved their chairs closer to him. "Angelina told me last year, before she graduated, that I'm the new captain of the Quidditch team."
Hermione and Ron looked delighted. "Harry, that's great!" Ron said, smiling from ear to ear. "Now I won't feel so nervous at try-outs."
"Yeah, it's awesome, but a lot of responsibility," Harry replied. "On top of that, I've heard of something that's going to happen in Hogwarts very soon."
"What is it?" asked Hermione, her attention piqued to the fullest it could be.
Ron laughed. "Don't get so excited, Hermione, I don't think they're going to give us extra exams." Hermione punched him in a friendly way but didn't reply. She was waiting for Harry's response.
"We're going to have exchange students," he said, his voice to a whisper. "They come tomorrow. The sorting hat will sort them into which houses they'll be staying at for this year."
A look came over Ron's face that Hermione didn't understand. So what? That was really great news, and interesting, but it didn't deserve that look of nervousness on Ron's face. When she looked at Harry's, she saw that his mirrored it.
"So...?" she said. She didn't see what the big deal was.
"So," said Ron with a groan, "they're probably really great students in everything to come on an exchange like this."
"Yeah," said Hermione, still not clueing in.
"Hermione," Harry said, his eyes full of expression. "They're coming just in time for the Quidditch try-outs!"
Lying in bed that night, Hermione wasn't the only one who couldn't get to sleep. Lavander and Pavarti were excited about the foreign exchange students- the male ones, to be precise. Just after Harry had told them Dumbledore had called a last-minute meeting in the Great Hall and told all the students. When Hermione and Ron asked Harry how he knew about it before, he just smiled and said there were benefits to being captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Once in the common room sitting quietly in her favourite chair by the fire beside Ron and Harry, Hermione had to admit that she'd rather be here now than the library. All the others were there- Neville Longbottom waving in a friendly way to her as he chatted with Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley smiling at her from across the room, looking like she was coming over to chat, and best of all, Harry and Ron absorbed in a deeply exciting- not- talk about Quidditch.
"Don't you talk about anything else?" Hermione laughed, stroking Crookshanks as he lay purring in her lap.
Ron laughed. "No! Not really, and especially not since we're having tryouts tomorrow. I really can't think of anything else."
Hermione smiled. "Do you know if anyone is trying out for anything? Or will it all be a surprise?" She shot a cautious look at Harry, knowing he'd been kicked off the Gryiffindor Quidditch team last term by the horrible Professor Umbridge, a nightmare in teacher's robes. But Harry didn't seem to mind. In fact, excitement was written all over his face.
"I don't know anyone who's trying out. Uh, Harry?" Ron asked, also not sure how sensitive his friend would be over the subject.
Harry smiled mysteriously. "We'll just have to wait until tomorrow, I guess." But Hermione saw something in his eyes that made him less aloof than he tried to sound.
"Harry, I can't take it!" exclaimed Ginny, who'd just heard the last bits of the conversation, since she'd walked up to talk to the three. "Are you trying out for the team? If I have to try out against you I just know I'll fail miserably." Ginny was the seeker in Harry's place after he'd been kicked off the team.
Hermione smiled at Ginny. "Harry'll be easy on you!" she laughed. Then she turned to look at Harry.
"I might try out," he said, trying to keep that air of mystery about him. "But Ginny, even if you don't get seeker, they'll definitely keep you on the team." He smiled at Ron's sister. "You definitely don't have anything to worry about."
"Thanks," Ginny said. Turning to Hermione, she said, "It's great to see you again, Hermione. I hope we can chat and catch up together soon, but I've got to go now." With that she waved to a group of girls her age and left them.
"Actually," Harry said, lowering his voice. Instinctively, Hermione and Ron moved their chairs closer to him. "Angelina told me last year, before she graduated, that I'm the new captain of the Quidditch team."
Hermione and Ron looked delighted. "Harry, that's great!" Ron said, smiling from ear to ear. "Now I won't feel so nervous at try-outs."
"Yeah, it's awesome, but a lot of responsibility," Harry replied. "On top of that, I've heard of something that's going to happen in Hogwarts very soon."
"What is it?" asked Hermione, her attention piqued to the fullest it could be.
Ron laughed. "Don't get so excited, Hermione, I don't think they're going to give us extra exams." Hermione punched him in a friendly way but didn't reply. She was waiting for Harry's response.
"We're going to have exchange students," he said, his voice to a whisper. "They come tomorrow. The sorting hat will sort them into which houses they'll be staying at for this year."
A look came over Ron's face that Hermione didn't understand. So what? That was really great news, and interesting, but it didn't deserve that look of nervousness on Ron's face. When she looked at Harry's, she saw that his mirrored it.
"So...?" she said. She didn't see what the big deal was.
"So," said Ron with a groan, "they're probably really great students in everything to come on an exchange like this."
"Yeah," said Hermione, still not clueing in.
"Hermione," Harry said, his eyes full of expression. "They're coming just in time for the Quidditch try-outs!"
Lying in bed that night, Hermione wasn't the only one who couldn't get to sleep. Lavander and Pavarti were excited about the foreign exchange students- the male ones, to be precise. Just after Harry had told them Dumbledore had called a last-minute meeting in the Great Hall and told all the students. When Hermione and Ron asked Harry how he knew about it before, he just smiled and said there were benefits to being captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.