Chapter 23 – Days in the Tower
HG
"Missus Granger." The little elf named Darla squeaked. "And Master Diggory."
"Hello, Darla." Cedric smiled at the elf as he held out his hands and a basket flew into his hands without another word. Hermione looked surprised from Cedric to the elf.
"Of course, you would know your way around the kitchens." She rolled her eyes.
"Well, most of the Hufflepuffs know, if you pay attention. It's in the same corridor, you would be blind if you don't find out."
"And when did you found out?" She asked, as she smiled at the elf as she handed her another basket.
"Right before Christmas break, first year." He grinned wide. "Thank you, Darla."
"Tell masters Weasley they did a great job protecting missus Katie."
"You watched?" Hermione asked surprised at the little elf, who nodded enthusiastically. "I will tell them." She turned to Cedric, as they both held a large basket. "We better get everything upstairs before the team arrives."
"Let's go. See you soon, Darla." He waved to the elf before he opened the portrait to let Hermione out. "Here." He waved his wand and let the baskets float in front of him.
"Thanks." She smiled. "They always give too much."
"That, they do." Cedric chuckled. "Last year, I stopped by for a late-night snack. I asked for one cupcake, and they brought over an entire plate."
They walked up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower, the castle already busy with the students coming back from the quidditch pitch. Hermione and Cedric talked about the game as he kept his wand steady on the baskets in front of them. Lee was waiting on the other side of the painting the moment they walked in. He grabbed the baskets out of the air, but nearly dropped it when he felt the full weight of them.
"You should know it would be too heavy." Hermione rolled her eyes as Cedric went to help Lee put everything on the table. Lee looked over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue. While the boys set the table, Hermione waved her wand across the room. Red-golden banners and flags appeared on the walls. And right above the fireplace was a large banner with a proud lion on it, standing on a trampled snake.
"You've outdone yourself, Mi." Cedric grinned as he and Lee stepped up next to her, looking at the banner.
"They deserve it." She smiled as she looked at her work. "They were so nervous and then that Flint scum..." She grumbled, not finishing her sentence.
"I loved your commentary today, Lee." Cedric grinned over Hermione's head to Lee.
"I think McGonagall would disagree." Lee chuckled when the portrait slung open again. Loud chanting came from the grand staircase and filled the common room. After a dozen of kids climbed through the portrait, the team had walked in, singing along with the others.
Hermione ran over to the group and slung her arms around Katie. "You were amazing!" She called in her ear, trying to be heard over the singing. She pulled back and beamed at her best friend. "Absolutely amazing."
She turned to the others behind Katie. "You all did great! Told you, you would win." Hermione couldn't help the cheeky grin that crept on her face. She hugged Angelina and Alicia before she turned to the twins.
"Can we get our victory kiss." The twins chimed with a large grin, as the girls walked over to the table where Lee and Cedric handed them a couple of butterbeers.
"No, you already got a good luck kiss." She waved her wand behind her back. "But you can get a celebratory drink." She pulled out two butterbeers. The boys pouted as they accepted the bottles from her before they leaned down and both gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"Ew, gross, Weasleys!" Hermione wiped her cheeks with her sleeves.
"We stole our victory kiss." The chimed and ran away laughing while Hermione chased them around the common room.
HG
Hermione's plan was in action. She was sitting at the breakfast table with her eyes focused at the two particular Ravenclaw girls. She didn't tell anyone what she had planned, not Katie, not the twins, not anyone. But she knew the girls had to pay for what they did to Fred and George. She contemplated to ask Darla for help but decided against it, she didn't want the elf to get into any trouble. Her glare was fixed on the girls when the others arrived at the table.
"Hermione?" Katie's voice snapped her out of it. She looked to the girl that had taken the seat in front of her. She glanced around and saw Fred and George sitting on either side of her.
"Sorry, lost in thought. Where are the others?" She asked as she searched for the others at the doors.
"Alicia and Lee are sitting at the Hufflepuff table." Katie said pointing in their direction.
"And Angelina's sitting." Fred craned is neck. "Right there, with Oscar."
Hermione followed Fred's eyesight and saw Angelina sitting a little bit further at the Gryffindor table with Oscar. After the dance the two kept seeing each other. Katie still avoided her as much as possible and whenever the two of them entered the room, she excused herself.
Now Katie was buttering her toast so hard, her knife went through it.
"Freddie." George whispered over her head.
Hermione looked to George, who nodded his head to the Ravenclaw table. Hermione who knew what was happening, slowly turned to look at the two girls, trying to bite back her laugh.
The girls who had been eating breakfast together, suddenly screamed and made whole the great hall look at them. Red and green boils appeared on their hands and face as the girls jumped up in screams and panic, they rushed out of the great hall trying to cover themselves. Katie and the twins looked wide-eyed at the girls as they ran out the room.
Hermione picked up her cup of tea and slowly turned her spoon in circles. "Oh, poor dears." She said in a very Molly like voice. "Wonder what happened to them." Her voice dripped with fake innocence. Three heads snapped back towards her as she sipped her tea without a worry.
"Little Granger!"
"You didn't?!"
"Did you?" Katie finished with the twins.
"I don't know what you three are talking about." She carefully placed her tea back on the table. "But-" She started as she looked at her friends with a serious look. "No one messes with my friends." She said fiercely.
It was quiet for a moment as the three looked at her in shock. Then twins recovered first and pulled Hermione in a bone crushing twin hug, giving her another sloppy kiss in two weeks.
"Remind us to never get on your bad side." George grinned as he pulled away.
"You're a great friend, little Granger. You didn't have too."
"I told you, I don't know what you are talking about." Hermione said as a smile appeared on her face.
"Right, our lips are sealed." Katie winked as she made a zip lock move over her lips and the twins copied her movement with a grin.
It was then when the owls came flying in through the ceiling windows. A barn owl landed in front of Hermione with a letter for her. Errol, the Weasley owl 'landed' or more like head rolled in front of Fred. He took the letter from the dead-like owl and tore it open as his eyes scanned the letter, George looked over his shoulder as they read it together. Katie had picked up the old owl and gave it a piece of her toast to nibble on, trying to get a little more life in him.
"Mum, dad and Gin are going to see Charlie this Christmas break." Fred said putting the letter down. "We'll be staying at the castle this year."
"Oi, Ron!" George chucked a grape at his brother's head, a few heads away. "We're staying at Hogwarts this year! Mum and dad are going over to Romania."
"What?" He called back. George rolled his eyes and crumbled up the letter and threw it at his younger brother's head.
"I guess we have to do the arcade another time."
"Oh!" George groaned, banging his head on the table. "I didn't even think of that."
"We can go this summer." Hermione chuckled as she patted George's hand and she returned to her own letter. "Oh, it's from Charlie." She said happily. "Oh, the dragon he rescued had just laid eggs." She gasped as she showed them the picture he had tucked inside the letter. While the others looked at the picture, she continued reading the letter. "Ah." Hermione laughed and started reading part of the letter out loud. "Mum and dad are coming during Christmas break already. It feels like I'm just settled in here myself, and they are already coming over. Can't wait to show Ginny everything though."
"Poor Charlie." Fred shook his head laughing.
HG
It was a little over two weeks until Christmas break, and Hermione was studying in the Gryffindor tower for once. She had noticed a certain boy who had trouble studying in the great hall or the library, so she invited him over to the tower.
"Thanks again, Mi." Cedric said as he took out his homework. "When Oaklee is around, I'm more or less... distracted." Hermione snorted at him as she wrote her Transfiguration paper.
"Distracted is one word for it." Fred laughed as he and George sat down at their table. "Hermione mentioned you would be stopping by."
"Trouble with the missus?" George grinned.
"She's just a bit -"
"Much." The twins cut in.
"Mate, look." Fred clapped his shoulder. "There are plenty girls around that are more suitable for you than Oaklee." Fred said.
"Yeah, she's all controlling and possessive." George shivered at the thought alone. "You can't even study without her throwing herself at you."
Hermione's stopped listening as her eyes wandered to the staircase where she saw Angelina disappear on, leaving a grumpy looking Oscar behind. She saw Katie's eyes follow the girl until she disappeared. "I'll be right back boys." She said before she headed to Katie. "Hey, Kitkat."
"Not you too?" She let out a dry chuckle after hearing the nickname.
"I've let it drop for the last few weeks, but please go talk to Angelina. You two need to sort this out, and once you do, you know how to move on or see what can happen between the two of you."
"I know." Katie sighed. "I've been meaning to talk to her, but every time I chickened out."
"Go now. If you want, I can put a spell on the door so your locked in together."
"No, that won't be necessary." She smiled as she stood up. "Thanks, Hermione." Katie gave her a quick hug, before she darted up the stairs. Hermione's eyes tracked the retreating back of her best friend until she disappeared from view. She turned back to the twins and Cedric, who were now leaning closer together as they spoke.
"We know she's jealous of Hermione." Hermione heard George say.
"Yeah." Cedric rubbed his face with one hand. "That's the worst part of it all. The way she glares at Hermione or talks about her, I can't stand it. I told her off about it and she never does it in front of me anymore, but I still heard her talk to her friends about her. I can't date a girl who talks about one of my best friends like that."
"That's settles it than mate, you're breaking up with her." Fred said joyous. Hermione picked up the twins' bag before she made her way back to the table and dropped it on their laps.
"Seeing as you both are here; you can start studying."
"But-" The twins pouted.
"No." Hermione shook her head. "Your next match isn't until March, so now you have time to catch up on everything. So, get to it."
The twins mumbled things under their breaths but did as they were told and took out their assignments. Hermione nodded content and with a quick smile to Cedric they all turned back to their work.
HG
That evening Hermione went to bed early with Katie, wanting to know what happened between her and Angelina. That evening they played a game, and Hermione's eyes flickered between her friends. But she couldn't make out what had happened or what had been said. Katie had been up there for an hour before she came back down again.
Katie had just stepped into their dormitory before her. Hermione shut the door quickly and asked. "So, what happened?"
Katie chuckled as she turned to look at her, already changing into her pyjamas. "How long have you been waiting to ask me that?"
"Since the moment you came down." Hermione grinned sheepishly as she took out a set of pyjamas from her closet. Katie had just pulled the pyjama sweater of her head before she sat down on the edge of her bed, looking up at Hermione who was still getting changed.
"She needs time. Ange doesn't know how she feels. About me, about girls and boys in general. She knows she likes me than more than a friend, but she's still trying to figure everything out."
"How do you feel about that?" Hermione asked as she sat down on her bed.
"I can understand, it can be confusing and frustrating." Katie sighed. "We agreed to just be friends for a while, see what the future brings."
"What about Oscar?"
"Angelina says he's nice but doesn't think it will go anywhere. After we caught them in de cupboard, they haven't kissed like that again, just a peck here and there."
"Hm." Hermione hummed as she sorted her thoughts. "What are you going to do?"
"Ange and I will stay friends, but honestly, I'm not going to wait forever, if I find someone in the time before she is ready..." She let the sentence hang in the air. Hermione stood up from her bed, and with two small steps was standing in front of Katie. She placed her hands on her shoulders and looked down.
"You deserve to be happy, Angelina deserves to be happy. May it be together or apart, you both need to think of yourselves, your own happiness. You are still so young."
"Thanks, Mione." Katie smiled as she stood up and pulled her in a hug. "Thank you for being here."
"Always." She whispered before she pulled back with a slight frown. "Mione?"
"You've called me Kitkat." She pointed out.
"Sounds fair." Hermione shrugged with a smile before they climbed into bed. "Good night, Kitkat."
"Night, Mione."
