Chapter 4: thank you chocoholic monkeyfish for those reviews. very much appreciated, i hope the rest of you are taking notes and will be kind enough to at least rate out of ten :D...well enjoy...

Disclaimer: same as previously.


Surprisingly enough, Potions passed pretty uneventfully for most of the students. Snape appeared to be in a better mood than normal, as was apparent when he set 5 parchments worth of work on the properties of nightshade rather than the usual 10. Unfortunately for Hermione however, no one had really got over her spectacular fall at breakfast and many students had been imitating her trip quite mercilessly. Harry and Ron tried to reassure her that it wasn't that bad really, but Hermione had seen them trying to smother laughs when Fred and George had started laying into her after Potions.

"Hey Hermione!"

"You're looking fine this morning…"

"Head-bangingly fine if I say so myself"

"A few more falls like that…"

"…and you'll be a beautiful lady"

"I mean Malfoy, he was pretty taken"

"With you. But then he did trip you up."

At this point, Fred did a pretty accurate impression of Hermione strutting purposefully down the Hall and falling flat on her face. The real Hermione turned to see George doubled up and several other pupils incapacitated with laughter.

With a pained expression she turned and walked off.

"Oi Hermione!" shouted Fred, "Don't be angry – be happy – the look on Malfoy's face was priceless. You're flippin' scary sometimes – now I truly understand the phrase 'to piss your pants with fear'"
Hermione grinned but continued walking anyway.


The library was quite full, but even with all the people, it was usually quite easy to spot Hermione. But, thought Ginny, she didn't seem to be here. Now that was really strange. Ginny had seen her storm in, and had naturally followed her to try and calm her down, but somehow, the girl had vanished into thin air. Scanning the crowd for the fifth time, she saw an empty space on one of the benches and decided to sit. Maybe she would have more luck if she was at a different level to everyone else.

"Psssssssst Ginny!"

The flame-haired girl looked around in vain. No-one was looking at her. Maybe she'd imagined it. She knew she should have eaten more at breakfast. Her mother always said that hunger played tricks on the mind.

"Psssssssst GINNY!"

There it was again. More insistent. But who?

"Oh great. I'm going crazy," she muttered.

"GIIIINNY!"

This time something hit her leg. A book. She peered under the table.

"Hermione! What on earth are you doing!" The older girl beckoned and patted the space next to her. Ginny looked around quickly to make sure no-one was watching and then slid under the table.

"I just couldn't bear to stay out there any longer. There's only so many times you can hear the same jokes, and also, this is really hurting." Hermione pointed to the huge bruise that seemed to be spreading itself across the right side of her head. It looked incredibly painful – purple and blue with a yellow edge.

"Bloody hell Hermione," said Ginny in hushed tones, sounding so much like Ron that Hermione would have laughed – if it hadn't been for the throbbing ache.

"You should get that seen to. Seriously. It's not going to be disappearing anytime soon."

"I would," Hermione replied, "but I don't think I can stand anymore insults thrown at me. It was bad enough with Fred and George."

Ginny nodded and patted her friend's shoulder.

"Don't you worry about them," she said with a menace in her voice that hinted Madame Pomfrey would be treating a lot more bruises in the very near future, "Anyway…hold on a sec – isn't that Harry calling you?"

The two girls listened. Sure enough, Harry was calling Hermione's name. Ginny crouched and leant out of the gap between the table and bench.

"Harry! Over here!" Soon Harry's green eyes appeared over the top of the bench.

"Hermione! We've been looking for you everywhere…" His voice trailed off as he noticed her injury, "…ouchhh…" he said, and offered his hand to her, "Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing."

Hermione shook her head, and immediately regretted it, "Ughh" she moaned, holding her head in her hands.

"Harry," whispered Ginny, "she wont come out while all these people are here. You've got to get your invisibility cloak."

"But if I go, then someone else will sit here and find you…oh…hold on…Ron's here. HEY RON!"

Ron ran towards them, "Found her?"

"Yep," grinned Harry, "but you could go back to the dorm and get the coughinvisibilitycloak for me?"

"What?...oh right…" realization dawned on Ron's face and he sprinted out of the library.

"Um, excuse me, but are you sitting here?" asked a scrawny Ravenclaw boy. Harry stood up quickly.

"Y-yes I am actually." He plonked himself down. Someone poked him in the leg. He looked down.

"Er Harry"

"Yeh Hermione?"

"Um could you close your legs please?"

Harry blushed to his roots and snapped his knees together. Under the table, Ginny pouted.

"What did you do that for?" she hissed.

"Don't tell me you were looking…" Hermione wiggled her eyebrows at the red-head.

"Oh shut up Ron-lover."

"How can you say that? When have I ever given you reason to believe I liked your brother?"

"Oh I can think of many an occasion…"

"Oh yeah? Name one…"

"Oi Harry," shouted Ron, "Here it is."

The girls heard the crinkling of material and then Harry's hand appeared. Hermione took it and threw it over herself. When she was ready, Harry stood up and stuck his arm out for her to cling onto. Ginny followed and all three friends escorted an invisible Hermione out of the library and onwards to the Hospital Wing.