Chapter 5
"Ron, I still can't believe you put Parvarti Patil's head on fire!"
Hermione exclaimed angrily. She, Harry and Ron were in the hallway of
Hogwarts heading for their Defense Against the Dark Art's lesson. "I swear
she was really angry with you!"
"Hermione, it's not my fault her hair was in the way when I performed the charm," Ron complained.
Harry tried not to laugh and thought back to the Charms lesson with Professor Flitwick. Flitwick was teaching the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor 6th years how to perform the fire charm: Incendio. Somehow, a breeze came in from an open window and had blown Parvarti's waist long hair in front of Ron while he was casting Incendio which caused Ron to set fire to Parvarti's hair! All the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindor boys began to laugh while Parvarti was running around the room with her head ablaze. Luckily, Professor Flitwick cast a water spell on Parvarti and the fire was gone. Parvarti immediately began to cry and she ran out of the classroom feeling humiliated.
"Come on, Hermione. She's not exactly your favorite person, anyway," Harry pointed out, hiding a smile.
"Yes well, I'd be pretty upset if my hair was burnt," Hermione said, patting her bushy brown hair fondly.
"It would be an improvement, actually," Ron whispered to Harry.
Hermione heard what Ron said and glared at him. "Thanks, Ron! Not like your hair is any better!"
Ron touched his hair and narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "Oh, really? At least my hair doesn't look like a bird's nest!"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron. "Oh yeah? At least my hair doesn't look like it's on fire 24/7!" With that, Hermione sped off angrily.
"She's so..." Ron's voice trailed off. He began to curse under his breath.
"Why are you two always biting each other's heads off?" Harry asked frustratingly. "I thought we had settled this last year!"
Ron made a fist. "I don't know. We just don't get along, I guess."
Harry stopped walking and looked at Ron disbelievingly. "When you two aren't arguing, you're always together! Not to mention holding hands when we were at the Ministry of Magic last year, saving the prophecy. And you two were also hugging when we thought Buckbeak was being killed. Not to mention the constant flirting." Harry stopped to grin at Ron. "You like her." Ron began to blush, but his expression changed immediately. "We are not always flirting! And the hugging and holding hands... well we were just scared at the time. And the fact about as being together all the time, I'm always with you, too! Does that mean that I have a crush on you? NO!"
Harry looked at Ron doubtfully again. "Just spill. I know you like Hermione."
"Yeah, I guess I do," Ron finally confessed. "I don't think she likes me back, though. Don't tell anybody."
"I won't," Harry promised.
"Do you still like Cho?" Ron asked.
"Nah. She's hot and all, but I guess we don't have anything really in common."
"But didn't you two kiss?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ron, a kiss doesn't mean anything!" Harry protested.
"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off!" Ron said grinning.
"Whatever." Harry looked out the windows of the second floor. Snow was falling steadily. It was December 26. "When does that band arrive anyway?"
"In a week. On January 2nd," Ron recited.
Harry grinned. "I have no idea who I'm going to ask. I don't want to go alone either." He looked hopefully at Ron. "You want to go to the first dance with me?" Harry teased.
"Harry I thought you'd never ask. But it's so obvious that you should take Malfoy as your date. You two are the perfect match!" Ron joked.
"Oh definitely," Harry said sarcastically. The enmity between Draco and Harry still hadn't ended. "Are you going to ask Hermione?" Harry asked, getting serious.
"I hope so," Ron said. "She'll probably turn me down though. She hates me," Ron added sheepishly.
"Well, maybe if you weren't always so malicious, you would actually have a chance with her," Harry pointed out.
"But- I- Well," Ron stuttered. "Hey! Why are you taking her side? She's mean to me, too!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron, don't be stupid. Why are you so mean to her anyway?" "Because I don't want to make it obvious that I like her," Ron admitted.
"Right now, it's seems like you really hate her!" Harry mentioned. "You have to be nicer to her, Ron!"
"I don't want to be telling her compliments all day!" Ron complained.
"I don't mean compliments. Just, I don't know, do whatever you two do when you are getting along. Say jokes, talk, whatever..."
"Oh, I see," Ron said thinking. "Do you think this plan will get her to like me?"
"Absolutely," Harry assured. "I'm not sure if she'll go out with you, but it'll guarantee that she'll be friends with you."
"It's worth a shot," Ron shrugged. "I want Hermione to at least still talk to me. I'll be nice to her next lesson."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Which will start in 5 minutes! We better hurry! The new DADA teacher hates when we're tardy!"
"What's her name again? Professor Tem-temald or something?" Ron said. He squinted his eyes, trying to remember the teacher's name.
"Professor Temaldad," Harry said. "Now let's go!"
The boys rushed up the staircase and ran into the classroom. Luckily, class wouldn't start for another 2 minutes.
Harry and Ron spotted Hermione sitting at their usual table. She saw Ron and Harry come up to sit beside her, but she didn't greet them with the cheerful smile she usually gave them. Hermione was also always ready to talk to Ron and Harry but she didn't talk at all to them. She was obviously still hurt about Ron's comment about her hair. The trio sat in their usual order with Ron in the middle and Hermione and Harry on his sides.
Class had begun. Ron gulped nervously at Harry but he turned to Hermione anyway. Harry tried to listen and pay attention to Professor Temaldad's lesson, but he couldn't help but watch Ron whispering to Hermione from the corner of his eye.
"I wonder what they're talking about," Harry pondered. Something Ron had whispered to Hermione made her smile. Then Ron and Hermione started whispering back and forth to each other, laughing every 10 seconds.
"They definitely like each other," Harry thought with a smile. "I wonder how long it'll take them to finally be going out." Harry scanned the girls in his classroom, wondering if any of them were right for him. Harry decided that they weren't. "Oh my gosh! What if I grow up alone and ugly?" Then, Harry thought it was ridiculous to think such a thought. "Why am I worrying about this now? I'm only 16 years old!"
The Defence Against the Dark Arts class was about review of the past term, so Harry wasn't interested at all. He was, however, interested in the band coming to play for Hogwarts every Friday. Harry remembered that Professor Dumbledore had informed the students that the band, School of Rock, was going to be treated as students of Hogwarts. The members of School of Rock were 16 going on 17, which meant that they would be 6th years, just like Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Also, Harry remembered Dumbledore mentioning that one of the members was almost 30 years old and he would be supplying for the Muggle Music teacher, who would be away on maternity leave. Harry hoped that he could meet the band members and perhaps make new friends.
"Hermione, it's not my fault her hair was in the way when I performed the charm," Ron complained.
Harry tried not to laugh and thought back to the Charms lesson with Professor Flitwick. Flitwick was teaching the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor 6th years how to perform the fire charm: Incendio. Somehow, a breeze came in from an open window and had blown Parvarti's waist long hair in front of Ron while he was casting Incendio which caused Ron to set fire to Parvarti's hair! All the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindor boys began to laugh while Parvarti was running around the room with her head ablaze. Luckily, Professor Flitwick cast a water spell on Parvarti and the fire was gone. Parvarti immediately began to cry and she ran out of the classroom feeling humiliated.
"Come on, Hermione. She's not exactly your favorite person, anyway," Harry pointed out, hiding a smile.
"Yes well, I'd be pretty upset if my hair was burnt," Hermione said, patting her bushy brown hair fondly.
"It would be an improvement, actually," Ron whispered to Harry.
Hermione heard what Ron said and glared at him. "Thanks, Ron! Not like your hair is any better!"
Ron touched his hair and narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "Oh, really? At least my hair doesn't look like a bird's nest!"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron. "Oh yeah? At least my hair doesn't look like it's on fire 24/7!" With that, Hermione sped off angrily.
"She's so..." Ron's voice trailed off. He began to curse under his breath.
"Why are you two always biting each other's heads off?" Harry asked frustratingly. "I thought we had settled this last year!"
Ron made a fist. "I don't know. We just don't get along, I guess."
Harry stopped walking and looked at Ron disbelievingly. "When you two aren't arguing, you're always together! Not to mention holding hands when we were at the Ministry of Magic last year, saving the prophecy. And you two were also hugging when we thought Buckbeak was being killed. Not to mention the constant flirting." Harry stopped to grin at Ron. "You like her." Ron began to blush, but his expression changed immediately. "We are not always flirting! And the hugging and holding hands... well we were just scared at the time. And the fact about as being together all the time, I'm always with you, too! Does that mean that I have a crush on you? NO!"
Harry looked at Ron doubtfully again. "Just spill. I know you like Hermione."
"Yeah, I guess I do," Ron finally confessed. "I don't think she likes me back, though. Don't tell anybody."
"I won't," Harry promised.
"Do you still like Cho?" Ron asked.
"Nah. She's hot and all, but I guess we don't have anything really in common."
"But didn't you two kiss?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ron, a kiss doesn't mean anything!" Harry protested.
"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off!" Ron said grinning.
"Whatever." Harry looked out the windows of the second floor. Snow was falling steadily. It was December 26. "When does that band arrive anyway?"
"In a week. On January 2nd," Ron recited.
Harry grinned. "I have no idea who I'm going to ask. I don't want to go alone either." He looked hopefully at Ron. "You want to go to the first dance with me?" Harry teased.
"Harry I thought you'd never ask. But it's so obvious that you should take Malfoy as your date. You two are the perfect match!" Ron joked.
"Oh definitely," Harry said sarcastically. The enmity between Draco and Harry still hadn't ended. "Are you going to ask Hermione?" Harry asked, getting serious.
"I hope so," Ron said. "She'll probably turn me down though. She hates me," Ron added sheepishly.
"Well, maybe if you weren't always so malicious, you would actually have a chance with her," Harry pointed out.
"But- I- Well," Ron stuttered. "Hey! Why are you taking her side? She's mean to me, too!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron, don't be stupid. Why are you so mean to her anyway?" "Because I don't want to make it obvious that I like her," Ron admitted.
"Right now, it's seems like you really hate her!" Harry mentioned. "You have to be nicer to her, Ron!"
"I don't want to be telling her compliments all day!" Ron complained.
"I don't mean compliments. Just, I don't know, do whatever you two do when you are getting along. Say jokes, talk, whatever..."
"Oh, I see," Ron said thinking. "Do you think this plan will get her to like me?"
"Absolutely," Harry assured. "I'm not sure if she'll go out with you, but it'll guarantee that she'll be friends with you."
"It's worth a shot," Ron shrugged. "I want Hermione to at least still talk to me. I'll be nice to her next lesson."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Which will start in 5 minutes! We better hurry! The new DADA teacher hates when we're tardy!"
"What's her name again? Professor Tem-temald or something?" Ron said. He squinted his eyes, trying to remember the teacher's name.
"Professor Temaldad," Harry said. "Now let's go!"
The boys rushed up the staircase and ran into the classroom. Luckily, class wouldn't start for another 2 minutes.
Harry and Ron spotted Hermione sitting at their usual table. She saw Ron and Harry come up to sit beside her, but she didn't greet them with the cheerful smile she usually gave them. Hermione was also always ready to talk to Ron and Harry but she didn't talk at all to them. She was obviously still hurt about Ron's comment about her hair. The trio sat in their usual order with Ron in the middle and Hermione and Harry on his sides.
Class had begun. Ron gulped nervously at Harry but he turned to Hermione anyway. Harry tried to listen and pay attention to Professor Temaldad's lesson, but he couldn't help but watch Ron whispering to Hermione from the corner of his eye.
"I wonder what they're talking about," Harry pondered. Something Ron had whispered to Hermione made her smile. Then Ron and Hermione started whispering back and forth to each other, laughing every 10 seconds.
"They definitely like each other," Harry thought with a smile. "I wonder how long it'll take them to finally be going out." Harry scanned the girls in his classroom, wondering if any of them were right for him. Harry decided that they weren't. "Oh my gosh! What if I grow up alone and ugly?" Then, Harry thought it was ridiculous to think such a thought. "Why am I worrying about this now? I'm only 16 years old!"
The Defence Against the Dark Arts class was about review of the past term, so Harry wasn't interested at all. He was, however, interested in the band coming to play for Hogwarts every Friday. Harry remembered that Professor Dumbledore had informed the students that the band, School of Rock, was going to be treated as students of Hogwarts. The members of School of Rock were 16 going on 17, which meant that they would be 6th years, just like Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Also, Harry remembered Dumbledore mentioning that one of the members was almost 30 years old and he would be supplying for the Muggle Music teacher, who would be away on maternity leave. Harry hoped that he could meet the band members and perhaps make new friends.