"It's today Hermione!" Lavender exclaimed excitedly as she busied herself at a mirror.
"I know, I know!" Hermione groaned, rolling over on her bed. "What do you get if you win the boy again, Lavender?"
"A week with on of them. An entire week!" Lavender replied, just as excitedly. She turned to Hermione. "Have your eye on someone in particular?" She winked.
"No, actually," Hermione replied with a sigh as she put her hair up into a messy, simple pony tail. "It's all about the charity."
"I believe that," Lavender replied with another wink.
"Do you have your eye on someone in particular?" Hermione asked, trying to quell her genuine feeling of curiosity.
"I can't decide actually!" Lavender exclaimed. "Harry and Ron are both perfect," she put on a dreamy look, "But it might be better to take my chance with Blaise."
"Blaise?" Hermione asked, shocked. "Instead of Dr- Malfoy?"
Lavender appeared not to have noticed her slip of tongue, but she cursed herself mentally for it as Lavender replied. "Well, yes. I mean, Malfoy is rather good-looking- who am I kidding? He's amazing!- but there'll be so many other girls bidding on him."
"I'm aware," Hermione replied wryly. "We're going to be late if we don't get going right now."
"Right," Lavender replied, touching one hand to her hair quickly. "Let's go." And the two girls set off down the halls. About halfway to the Great Hall, however, they could both hear faint sobs coming from a classroom.
"You go," Hermione said, waving the other girl on. "You don't want to be late."
"Thanks," Lavender replied with a grin and a curious look at the closed door. Then she jogged off down the hallway. Hermione cautiously opened the door and let herself into a dusty classroom. She sneezed a few times, then grabbed her wand and muttered a quick cleaning spell.
"Hello?" She called out, muttering Lumos under her breath. All she could hear were a few more sobs. She crept closer to the sound of the noise only to see Hannah slumped down, head on hands, in one of the rickety old desks. "Hannah?" She asked in plain disbelief.
"Hermione," Hannah replied softly, in greeting, looking up and wiping her eyes. She looked at around the classroom, blinked at Hermione, then wiped her eyes. "Right then. I'm all better now." Swiftly, she stood up and began to walk towards the door.
"Hannah," Hermione said in a warning tone, moving fast and blocking her friend's way.
"Hermione," Hannah replied wryly, smirking.
Hermione half rolled her eyes. "Hannah, I believe an explanation would be in order."
"We're missing the auction," Hannah insisted, moving briefly towards the door.
"And you're changing the subject," Hermione replied in a chiding tone. "I wasn't born yesterday." She raised her eyebrows. "So, what makes my sarcastic friend cry, exactly?" Hannah only shook her head, but she wasn't looking at Hermione venomously, and Hermione pressed. "My bet is on a boy, Hannah. Care to prove me right?"
"A boy," Hannah replied, nodding a little but not dropping her eyes from Hermione's. The two girls were both defiant, stubborn, and witty, though most people would never have thought of Hannah that way. They got along fabulously, but often things were a bit of a competition between the two.
"Who?" Hermione asked, not bothering to dance around the subject, or be consoling. She supposed a better friend would have slung her arm around Hannah's shoulder, but she also knew what Hannah was like. And she was nearly positive Hannah enjoyed this type of twisted therapy rather than sympathetic tones that didn't even sound genuine.
"Do you remember, yesterday, when I told you about that boy?"
Hermione looked thoughtful. "The Hufflepuff on the auction wall? Who you hated with a burning passion?"
Hannah nodded, looking amused. "He cheated on me, you see. It was rather annoying."
"So why were you crying now?"
"Because there's some girl wanting to buy him in the auction!"
"Hannah, this isn't like you."
Hannah sighed. "I know, I know. Look, I'll go win him, OK?"
Hermione grinned. "Then you can make his life a living hell."
"Or toy with his mind," Hannah added, grinning as widely as she usually did.
Hermione matched her grin. "Do you need any money?"
Hannah shook her head. "It was just my birthday, remember? My grandmother told me to put it to a good use…" Hannah trailed off as she walked out of the classroom, leaving Hermione smiling, remembering why she liked Hannah so much.
Hermione was quick to follow after her friend, mind still set on the Ravenclaw. What was his name…? Tevon? Theo? It was a "T" name, she remembered that much….Just then, Hermione heard a strange noise. Rounding the corner at a run, she found Peeves meddling with some First Years. "Peeves!" The ghost looked up, and then flew away as fast as he could. He had a fair amount of fear for the Head Girl, who had earned his respect with her unfaltering temper.
"Are you all right?" She asked the handful of First Years. They nodded, looked the way Peeves had gone, and then took of in the other direction, giggling madly. Hermione checked her watch, realizing that she was supposed to be at the auction.
She took off at a run once again, bursting into the crowded room. She looked around, then headed up to where the teacher's table usually sat, checking the lists posted at intervals showing who was taken, for what price, and by whom.
Harry and Ron had both been swooped up; Ron by Pansy, Harry by a Hufflepuff girl who Hermione knew as being a wonderful person. Maybe Harry could finally think of someone other than Cho…Poor Ron though, and surprising. She checked, found that her Ravenclaw prince was taken by none other than…Cho Chang? She would kill the bit-!
"Hermione?"
"Hannah!" Hermione exclaimed, turning to face her friend.
"I got him."
"Good luck."
"Thanks," Hannah said, grinning and turning away. She looked back over a few people at Hermione. "I heard about Tory; sorry!"
Hermione was momentarily confused. Tory…? But then she remembered, and went back to being mad at Cho Chang.
"And this is our last young man!" Came Dumbledore's cheery voice, amplified through the Hall. "Draco Malfoy! And the opening bid is placed by Blaise Zambini at…Hold on, I can't read this number…"
As Dumbledore finally came to the number, Hermione made her way to the front. Her charity was important, but Draco Malfoy….Then again, she could take Hannah's route and mess with his mind. Or her own suggestion, and make his life a living hell for a week. No, there was no point. She'd never hear the end of it, and no one would believe it was all for the charity.
"Miss Zambini's charity is "The Charity For Girls Who Look Beautiful and Are Misunderstood To No End," came Dumbledore's voice, and Hermione looked at him in shock. Malfoy, who had been shooting Blaise looks of loathing, looked shocked as well.
Hermione had to do something. "I bid fifty galleons!" Hermione cried out, pushing her way through the crowd. She didn't care what they thought; there was no way she was letting it go to "Misunderstood Beautiful People."
After about a half an hour of debating, many cat fights (though Hermione broke them up instead of being involved with them) and far too much money later, Hermione had won Draco Malfoy, #1 on "Hogwarts Top Ten Most Bed-Worthy Guys" list, and already dubbed one of the year's hottest bachelors by several witch teen magazines.
She was definitely crazy. And it was all Hannah's fault…