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Chapter 11 – A Notice
HG
After Hermione bid Cedric a goodnight, she clambered the stairs to the Gryffindor tower. After she told the fat lady the password, she climbed through the portrait and looked for her friends but couldn't spot one.
"Hey, Hermione." Harry said as she passed them on her way to the girls' staircase. "Katie asked me to tell you, they all went out to practice quidditch."
"Oh, okay. Thanks Harry." She smiled at the boy, who was losing again at a game of chess with Ron. She walked up to her dormitory, she dropped her schoolbag at her desk before sitting on her bed and pulled off her shoes. She let herself fall on her back, staring at the curtains above her. Before she knew it her eyes fell shut as she drifted off to sleep.
HG
The next morning, she woke up covered in blankets, her head beneath the pillow. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and pushed herself up. Katie was already awake and was getting dressed in workout clothes.
"Morning, sunshine." Katie said chipper.
"Morning." Hermione mumbled, swinging her legs off the bed.
"When I came in last night, you were deep asleep." She turned to look at her. "Your legs still dangling from the bed." She chuckled. "I pushed you further in the bed and covered you up."
"Thank you." Hermione smiled, now better awake. She started to change out of her clothes as she switched her uniform from yesterday to her casual clothes. "Are you practicing again?"
"Yes, I know we haven't spent much time together, but try-outs are soon and..."
"It's okay, Katie. I understand." Hermione said as she buttoned of her jeans. "Are you leaving now, or do you have time for breakfast?" She grinned.
"I have time. Angelina and I agreed to practice after breakfast." She said looking away from her. Again, Hermione notice her change in behaviour. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately and changed the subject.
"Let's go then, I'm starving." Hermione pulled a sweater over her head before she took Katie's hand and dragged her out of their room.
"Wait." Katie stopped her and quickly grabbed her broom before they bounded down the stairs. The only one of their group that was in the common room was Lee. "Morning, Jordan."
"Bell, Granger." The boy smiled at the pair. "Can I escort you two lovely ladies to the Great Hall?"
Hermione and Katie rolled their eyes but took his arms and walked out of the common room together. It wasn't that early, but since it was a Saturday, the castle was still quiet as most of the kids were still asleep.
"You are up early." Hermione said as they reached the Great Hall.
"I forgot to put on the silencing charm around my bed, and Fred and George woke me up when they started talking in their sleep again."
"Both of them?"
"Hm." Lee nodded. "They were actually answering each other. I went over to check if they were awake. But the snores in between and the way they were laying in their beds, they were definitely asleep." He said sitting down, the girls across from him.
"What were they saying?" Katie asked, as she placed her broom against the bench.
"I couldn't understand everything, but they said something about their mum can't find out."
"Probably one of their pranks." Katie snickered as she loaded her plate.
"Probably." Lee grinned. "So, Hermione. Sitting at the Hufflepuff table..."
"Cedric invited me since we had a meeting with Professor McGonagall right after."
"And here we thought you had abandoned us to join the Hufflepuffs." George's voice made them look up. The twins, Angelina and Alicia were standing next to them.
Hermione pursed her lips at George. "Cedric said you guys are all welcome to sit with them."
"I might take him up on that offer." Alicia said excitingly, looking over at the Hufflepuff table.
Angelina couldn't hold back a snicker as she sat down next to Katie, leaning her broom against the bench next to her. George and Fred sat down across from the girls. Alicia was still searching the Hufflepuff table for Cedric when Angelina pulled her down by her sleeve.
"Have you seen the notice on the board?" Angelina asked the group as she buttered her toast.
"No, why?" Hermione asked, lowering her fork with scrambled eggs on it.
"The first Hogsmeade weekend is the first weekend of October." Alicia answered first, the excitement in her voice clear.
"We can raid Zonko's." Fred rubbed his hands together.
"Oh and get some sweets from Honeydukes." Lee chimed in.
"Maybe I can ask Cedric to go with me." Alicia craned her neck, trying to spot said boy again.
"You guys have fun." Katie mumbled next to Hermione. Both of them had been quiet since they talked about the announcement. The others looked at them confused.
"We're only second years, remember? We aren't allowed." Hermione explained, a little saddened.
A general "Oh." went around the group and it went quiet. Hermione had finished her plate and pushed it aside.
"Where you guys mad at me for sitting with Cedric?" She asked, looking down at the table. Brushing her fingers over the wood.
"No, of course not." Angelina and Alicia answered in an instant. Hermione looked up to the twins as she remembered their reaction the day before.
"Fred, George?" She asked quietly.
"No, it's just-" George started.
"It took us by surprise." Fred finally looked up from his plate. "I know you two got close during the summer but-"
"We just haven't seen you much ourselves."
"I'm sorry-" Hermione started but was cut off.
"No." The twins said.
"You don't need to be sorry, little Granger." Fred shook his head.
"We're just, uhm, overprotective?" George said uncertain. "We just need to get used to not being the only ones you hang around with."
"Alright but I promise I'll make time for the both of you." She smiled at the twins. The twins looked at each other, communicating wordlessly with each other before they grinned at her.
"Maybe we can sneak you out of the castle and you can come with us to Hogsmeade." Fred said.
"I'm not sneaking out of the castle with you two." She leaned forward in a hiss. "That's breaking school rules." She whispered, looking around the great hall.
"It's just a teeny-tiny rule." George smirked.
"No." Hermione shook her head determent. "If you want to hang out, we do it without breaking any rules."
"Fine." The boys sighed disappointment. "Maybe we can find ourselves a date." The twins looked around the room.
"I think you'll find enough candidates." Hermione laughed, the girls agreeing.
"You think so?" George cocked an eyebrow, and when his eyes found a Hufflepuff girl smiling at him, he gave her a wink and the girl turned beet red. "I guess you're right." He turned back to her grinning.
"Ready to get going?" Angelina asked Katie as she finished her goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Yes, let's go." Katie grabbed their brooms as she jumped up and handed Angelina hers as the girl stood up. "See you guys later."
The two girls walked out of the great hall with their brooms on their shoulders. Hermione turned to the others.
"When are try-outs?"
"Next week." Alicia answered. Her eyes flickered away from Hermione before she jumped up. "I'll see you guys later." And then she was off. The others looked at each other confused, not knowing what the girl was up to.
"That was -" Lee said, looking at the retreating back of the girl.
"Weird." Hermione and the twins said, their eyes on Alicia too.
"So, what are your plans today? I'm actually all caught up with homework, so if you want to do something together?" She asked the twins.
"Uhm, we have plans." George said, rubbing his neck.
"Oh."
"The three of us are working on something new." Fred explained. "Do want to help us?"
"No, no it's fine. You three go have fun, but don't explode anything, alright?" She pointed at the three boys.
"You know we can't make that promise." George winked at her, making her roll her eyes. The three of them rose from their seat and they too, left the great hall, leaving Hermione by herself.
HG
Hermione took her bag and placed it over her shoulder as she stood up and walked out of the great hall. She stopped as she stepped through the doors, looking from left to right, deciding what to do. With a shrug she turned left, not really knowing where she was going. She walked for about ten minutes in a daze, when she noticed she had walked into the nearly empty library. She smiled to herself before walking closer to the shelves, her fingers grazing the spines of the books softly. Her fingers stopped at a book about becoming an Animagus. Ever since she found out about Professor McGonagall, she's been intrigued. So, she pulled out the book and headed to the hidden spot in the back of the library. When she turned the corner, she saw the place empty, no Cedric, no Zabini. She expected that on a Saturday morning. She sat down on one of the chairs, placing her bag next to her. She opened the book in front of her and sat cross legged on the chair. After page one, she grabbed a quill and parchment form her bag and started to jot down notes. She was nearly in the half of the book when a voice called her back to the real world.
"Hey, Mi." Cedric said sitting across from her. Hermione looked up from her book and saw Cedric in front of her with a wide grin.
"Morning, Digs." She smiled. In the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar Slytherin walk by. For a moment he stopped, books in his hands, before he turned and walked away.
"Guess what." Cedric said, bringing her attention back to him once again. "Alicia asked me to Hogsmeade."
"Really?" Hermione chuckled lightly. That's where she was going. She thought to herself.
"Yeah, she doesn't waste any time, does she? The notice only appeared this morning." Cedric laughed.
"So, what did you say?"
"I said yes. Don't really know her that well, so will see." He shrugged.
"Thanks for the warning." Hermione grinned.
"Warning?"
"Yeah, Alicia will tell us all about it later, I'm sure."
"Ah." Cedric said a little uncomfortable.
"Digs?"
"It's nothing." He waved her off. "Half an hour later someone else came up to me, to ask me to Hogsmeade too."
"Aren't you mister popular." Hermione chuckled, pushing his shoulder. "Alicia and the other girl have quite the confidence to just come up to you and ask you out. I could never do that."
"Why not?" Cedric asked, cocking his head.
"Because I'm-" She stopped. Because I'm not that pretty, funny, popular, ... She thought to herself. She looked down at her book, avoiding Cedric's eyes. "It's just not me."
"Doesn't matter." Cedric said, making her lift her head to look at him with a questionable look. "Next year, once you'll be able to go, the boys will be lining up to take you."
Hermione snorted at that but before Cedric could open his mouth to reply, she quickly said. "It's nearly the end of lunch, want to go grab something to eat before it all disappears?"
"Sure." He said, helping her pack up her things. She stopped at Madam Pince's desk to check out the Animagus book. She stuffed it in her bag as they walked out the library. "Want to sit with us again?"
"Why don't you sit with us?" Hermione asked as she looked up to Cedric.
"Normally I would say yes-"
"But?"
"Alicia just asked me to Hogsmeade, I don't want to get her the wrong idea when I sit with you guys at the Gryffindor table."
"Oh. No, I can understand that." Hermione nodded. "Maybe they already had lunch, it's rather late."
"Otherwise, you can sit with me." He bumped her shoulder.
HG
When they arrived at the great hall it was fairly empty. Hermione's eyes roamed the Gryffindor table but could only see Angelina and Katie seated. She told Cedric she would ask if the others still had to come by or were already gone. Cedric saw Hermione talk to the two girls, who glanced his way for a moment before Hermione headed back.
"Alicia had her lunch already, she and her sister had something to send to their parents." She looked up at him. "So, want to join us lions?"
"As long as you don't bite." He grinned and followed her to Angelina and Katie. "Hello, ladies."
"Hey, Cedric." The girls smiled as Hermione and he dropped down in front of them.
"What have you two been up to?" He asked, pointing at their wet clothes.
"Quidditch practice, but it started to pour. So, we quickly got inside."
"Not quickly enough by the looks of it." Hermione chuckled, she pulled her wand from her back pocket and dried their clothes the best she could.
"Thanks." Katie said. "Can't believe we didn't think of that."
"We were shivering too hard to think clearly." Angelina laughed, bumping against Katie. The four of them looked up when they heard a commotion in the corridor. After the noise died down, Fred, George and Lee walked in trying to look as innocent as possible but failing miserably. They walked over with a quick strut and sat down next to them. Lee next to Cedric and the twins next to Katie. Hermione gave the three of them a pointed look, making them scream out simultaneously.
"We didn't blow anything up!"
The others looked at each other for a second before the four of them fell into a laughing fit about the boys' reaction. A few minutes later, Filch walked in, his face and hands red, covered in small bumps. He glared at the twins' direction and stomped his way over with Professor Snape right behind him.
"I know it was you two!" Filch said through gritted teeth, pointing at the twins furiously.
"Argus." Snape said, Filch stepped back and Professor Snape looked at the group in front of them. "Care to explain?"
"We didn't do anything, professor."
"We've been sitting here the whole time." George said as innocently as possible. Snape squinted his eyes at them before his eyes travelled to Hermione and Cedric.
"Miss Granger, can you confirm this?"
Hermione looked from the twins to the professor. "Yes, they've been having lunch with us for the past half hour." She didn't tear her eyes away from the professor. Snape however dropped his gaze to Cedric.
"What are you doing here, mister Diggory?"
"Having lunch?" He looked at the professor. "Hermione invited me to sit with them when we were in the library together." His eyes flicked over to the twins before coming back to the greasy-haired man. "We bumped into the Fred and George when we arrived at the doors and we're just having lunch together when Mr. Filch came barging in, professor." Cedric said.
The professors' eyes went around the group for a moment. "Miss Granger, don't forget our appointment this Tuesday."
"No, sir." Hermione nodded. The professor turned and dragged a muttering Filch with him, probably to the hospital wing.
"That was close." Lee let out a breath of relief.
"Yeah, thanks Hermione." Fred winked.
"And Cedric." George added with a nod to the Hufflepuff. "You're quite good at lying."
"Thanks?" Cedric chuckled.
"But you need work, little Granger." Fred pointed out and had just enough time to duck away from the bread roll she tossed his way. When Fred had ducked to the side, Hermione's eyes met the almost black ones of Blaise Zabini, one of the last ones at the Slytherin table. One side of her mouth twitched up in a small smile, receiving one back before Fred returned to his spot, making the boy disappear behind his form.
