Chapter 4
A/N: I love all of my reviewers! You guys are waaaay too good to me. I will try to keep this story moving along at a pace that's decent. (By the way, I know I never out-right said a date that this story is taking place, but it has been a few months since school has started for our favorite trio. So I think it's safe to assume that the holiday season would be fast in approaching. Right?)
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. There I said it, now you can't sue me!
The next couple of days went by peacefully enough. Ron and Hermione actually had not even had a row worthy of note. This gave all of the Gryffindors' ear drums a break, putting them all in rather good spirits. Of course, the close approaching holiday season might have had something to do with the happy nature of the castle as well. Everything was still relatively calm on the news front as well. . . It made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They knew that something was going to come eventually.
And it did come, in the form on Draco Malfoy.
"Well, if it isn't Hogwarts' own 'dream team'. . ." he drawled just outside of Potions on a particularly blustery Friday, in close proximity with his two burly friends. Considering that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had helped to land his father in jail the pervious summer, Malfoy had been suspiciously quite over the beginning of the school year.
"What is it that you want Malfoy?" Hermione snapped at him. Ron and Harry we're surprised at this outburst, Hermione usually told them to just ignore Malfoy; which was about as easy as ignoring a gigantic three-headed dog.
"Who said I wanted anything, Granger? You know Weasley you might want to teach your Mudblood girlfriend here some manners."
Ron's face turned red with anger and he took a step toward Malfoy. "You better shut up."
Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and, despite the situation, his stomach gave a familiar lurching feeling. "He's not worth it, Ron."
"Sticking up for Weasel, are you Granger?"
"Sod off Malfoy." Harry spoke up.
"You know, I warned you about hanging around with these two."
"What are you on about?"
"It's too bad you didn't get on my good side early on in the game, Potter." Malfoy continued. "The Dark Lord is back, and your pathetic friends and you will be the first to go."
Happy opened his mouth to speak, but Ron beat him to it.
"Have a visit with your father? And he told you all this from inside his cell in Azkaban, did he?"
The smallest hint of pink rose to Malfoy's face. He stepped closer to Ron and hissed, "Mudblood's and Muggle lovers first Weasley, you can rest assured of that."
And with that Malfoy turned on his heal and sauntered off down the corridor, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. Hermione glanced nervously at Harry. She never knew exactly what kind of effect the mention of Voldermort would have on him.
"That's old news." Harry brushed off the encounter, "We know Voldermort's back. Malfoy must be as deprived of information as we are." Harry shouldered his bag and began to walk down the corridor. Hermione went to follow him but then noticed that she still had her hand clamped firmly over Ron's from when she had tried to restrain him from beating Malfoy.
"Oh. . . er. . . sorry!" she squeaked all her blood rushing to her face. Hermione quickly let go of a now, very red, Ron.
"Er. . . that's okay." They both glanced at each other for a moment before taking off after Harry.
"Why does Lupin have to be a bloody werewolf?" Ron grumbled as the trio made their way out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Professor Lupin had taken his leave for that month, thus resulting in Snape teaching his, less than thrilled, classes.
"I can hardly get by just seeing him in Potions. Twice a day is far too much Snape for my liking." Harry agreed. Griping all the while, Ron, Harry, and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Oi, Ron!" Lee Jordon waved him down as he, Harry, and Hermione had seated themselves at the table.
"Hey Lee." Ron said.
"Have you heard from Fred or George lately?"
"No. . . Why?"
Lee stood up abruptly. "Oh well. . . er. . . never mind then. Just asking." He laughed nervously, "I haven't heard from them either. . . uh. . . well, I'll be seeing you." And with that Lee fled hastily to the other end of the Gryffindor table.
"That was odd." Harry commented.
"Yeah. First, why the bloody hell is Lee here? And what did he mean by my brothers?" Ron said, still staring at the spot where Lee had just been standing.
"You don't think they're up to something, do you?" Hermione asked.
Ron gave her a skeptical look. "Hermione, it's my brothers we're talking about here. They're always planning something."
"I wonder what it is. . ." Harry mused, as he grabbed a sandwich off the platter in front of him. After having given the twins his winnings from the Triwizard tournament, Harry was interested to see just how far the two had gotten in their joke shop.
Just then a very disheveled looking Neville made his way into the Great Hall and took a seat next to Ron.
"Neville, are you okay?" Hermione asked, leaning across the table to get a better look at him.
"Oh, hello. Yes. I'm fine. Quite all right. If you'll excuse me." and then, Neville simply got up and left the hall in the same fashion he had entered.
"Well that was strange." Ron stated the obvious.
"Poor Neville, I hope he's alight." Hermione looked at the entrance to the Great Hall.
"You know Neville. He's probably just shaken up by having to see Snape twice in one day." Ron said. It was a well known fact that Neville was deathly afraid of Professor Snape.
"Sure, that's it. . ." Harry added helpfully, although not really believing that that was it at all.
"Hogsmade trip this weekend," Ginny told Hermione as she plopped down on the couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
"Hum." Hermione answered from behind her book.
"I've got loads of people to buy gifts for." Ginny continued.
"Hum."
"What would you like for Christmas, Hermione?"
"Hum."
Ginny scowled, "I'm thinking of buying my brother a rather large book. . ."
"Oh Ginny don't be ridiculous." Hermione said snapping her book shut.
"Well that got you out of your stupor."
"You're not really going to buy Ron a book are you?"
"Course I'm not. I'll probably get him some sweets from Honeydukes. Besides, it's your job to give him a book." Ginny smiled.
Hermione simply scowled. "Since when is it my job to buy your brother anything?"
Ginny shrugged and plucked a copy of Witch Weekly from her bag.
"You should really be doing your homework, you know."
Ginny continued to leaf through the magazine, "Hum."
"Telling my sister what to do now, are you?" Ron questioned as he and Harry made their way through the portrait hole.
"How was Quidditch practice?" Hermione questioned.
"It was good I suppose." Harry replied.
"Good?" Ron said, "Good? Angelina is a bloody tyrant." Angelina, although already having graduated from Hogwarts, had come back to teach flying to the first years, as an assistant to Madame Hooch. It had been decided that because Angelina was still at school, and that she had been a master Quidditch player, that she could remain in charge of overseeing practices. The title of "captain" had been given to Harry, but with Angelina still there, it was simply a title, nothing more.
"If we're going to win the cup we have to get back into shape Ron. Last year really threw us off."
Ginny grumbled from behind her magazine. The talk of Quidditch always made her rather bitter. For one reason or another, Mrs. Weasley did not want her youngest daughter to partake in the sport. She, Fred, and George had been sending owls back and fourth plotting how to get her onto the team. They had thought of everything from slipping their mother a potion that would have her say Ginny could play, all the to kidnapping the new Chaser for the team in order to have Ginny fill the unoccupied spot.
"I'm going to take a shower, if you'll excuse me." Ron got up, and made his way up the stairs muttering to himself about cruel and unusual punishment.
Harry rolled his eyes and then followed suit.
"I wonder if Ron will ever grow up." Ginny sighed, she wouldn't have been complaining after a Quidditch practice. . .
"He may be immature at times, Gin, but think your brother is plenty grown up." Hermione replied, opening her book back up.
"You would know."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Nothing, I said nothing."
"Ginny. . ."
"Nothing."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
Ginny got up and ran to the fifth year girl's dormitory. "Nothing!" she hollered before closing the door.
Hermione scowled at the staircase, "Honestly. . ."
A/N: Yes, short, I know. Yes, only one chapter, I know. I'm sorry! IB is a lot more demanding than I thought it would be. Okay, and for the record, I have no idea if Angelina is supposed to still be at Hogwarts or not. Someone who knows enlighten me please! Ug. I've been bitten by the writer's block bug. Hence the choppiness, shortness, and overall blah-ness of this chapter. I'm sorry and I apologize profusely. Anyone got any ideas? Help a struggling writer out.