Hermione P.O.V
Abby has been acting strange ever since the beginning of the Triwizard tournament.
She made excuses to not show up at our studying sessions on Tuesday and Thursday plus she doesn't even meet my eyes.
It's like something changed so suddenly that made her rethink the whole thought of studying with me.
Honestly I have never understood why she would ever even think about studying with me.
The increasing hours that we have been spending together in the back of the library have been enough to push the question of 'why' out of my mind.
I'm a mudblood.
She's a pureblood and a Slytherin.
And a Yaxley.
I'm nobody who's stuck in the shadow of Harry and Ron, the original golden children.
At least Rons a pureblood and he is liked by so many people in all different Houses-of course aside from Slytherin.
And Harry...
Well I don't think that he needs a long explanation, I mean he's the "chosen one" and he is loved by just about everyone.
But me?
I'm smart.
That's all I am.
I'm smart or clever-but so is Abby.
She's the smartest person in the Slytherin house and she's second in all of the school.
Second place to...me.
I contemplate this as I walk down to the Great Hall.
Tonight was the choosing ceremony, once it was over I planned on confronting her.
Only of course when there wasn't anyone around.
Ron and Harry sit beside me in the Great Hall watching everyone pour in sitting down at their table.
Harry and Ron talk about who they believe will win the Hogwarts spot in the tournament.
They hope for either Alicia Spinnet or Angelina Johnson who both entered as their birthdays were a week before the goblet had arrived.
Once we had finished our dinner-yet again a magnificent feast- we were waiting rather antsy, anticipating the drawing ceremony.
Finally everyone had finished their dessert, the leftover crumbs disappearing from the golden plates leaving them sparkling just as they had been when we arrived.
Professor Dumbledore allowed the commotion to subside before looking out onto the crowd now silently awaiting his announcement.
Eyes were locked on the goblet as the light dimmed inside of the Great Hall.
Behind Dumbledore Professor McGonagall waits looking at the goblet.
The goblet burned a bright magenta spitting out a single piece of decorated paper.
"The Drumstrang champion is-Viktor Krum!"
He read out just as the crowd broke out into applause.
Everyone claps and cheers as Krum makes his way to the front to shake the Headmasters hands.
It was unsurprising really- his victory, I mean he'd clearly the most relevant candidate.
Another sliver of white and gold paper shoots out from the goblet, Dumbledore catching it neatly before reading out:
"Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons!"
I take this opportunity to glance at Abby who rolls her eyes as she hears the announcement.
I wonder if she knew the girl from Beaubaxtons, I mean judging on her response she looks like she does.
The girl who had enchanted Ron when she had asked for the Bouillabaisse at the first banquet makes her way to the front, her fellow classmates crying in her wake.
"Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts!"
I hadn't realized that the final slip of paper had shot out of the fire until I saw the handsome Hufflepuff make his way to the front of the hall.
Professor Dumbledore begins to drone in until the Goblet decides that it wasn't finished with the choosing ceremony.
It spit out two pieces of paper, one that Professor Dumbledore caught and the other Professor McGonagall caught.
"Harry?"
Oh no. I feel the dread looming over me.
"Harry Potter?" Professor Dumbledore calls out into the silent but curious crowd.
"Harry you need to go," I say, nudging his shocked form.
He leaves to the front of the hall grabbing the piece of paper Professor Dumbledore held barely touching his hand.
"Abby?"
Now my heart was palpitating when Professor McGonagall read off this name.
"Abby Yaxley."
I was astonished.
Both Harry and Abby?
I watch the Slytherin table, a shaking Abby standing up walking to Professor McGonagall , she takes the paper glancing at it, dread filling her expression.
She left the hall with a terrific silence following her.
Ron nudges me, I look at him.
"Both Harry and Yaxley found a way to enter huh? I'm surprised about Harry, I thought he'd at least tell me how to enter," he says. "But honestly that Yaxley girl is just pure trouble, so I'm not surprised."
"Shut up!" I growl. "She wouldn't do that, she wouldn't even put her name in the cup if she wanted to! She isn't that kind of person!"
"How would you know that?" He growls back. "It's not like your friends!"
He said this angrily, his face turning as red as his hair.
"You wouldn't either, Ron!"
I stand up storming out of the Great Hall leaving an amazed Ron alone, his gaze following me.
I stomp up the stone stairs to the Gryffindor tower barely missing the vanishing step.
The Fat Lady was laughing with a painting nearby, I mumbled the password just enough for her to hear me and allow me inside the silent, empty common room.
I head up to my room grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill.
Almost as if I was having an adrenaline rush as I wrote the short letter to Abby in a matter of minutes before running to the Owlery passing the whole Gryffindor and Ravenclaw house.
Everyone was leaving the Great Hall, a quiet hush as they talked about what happened with the Goblet of Fire.
I mean five champions?
This was making history of course it was going to be talked about excessively.
I slow down when I arrive at the Owlerys steps.
I slowly walk up the stone steps contemplating the stupidity of this choice.
I see the school owls cowering away from the large black owl.
I tie my letter to a small, brown barn owl and carry it to the window.
The owl gazed at me apprehensively as if it was asking me 'right now'?
"Yes right now-go," I nudged the owl.
It glares at me before flying off, it flies around a newcomer while it dives down the steps and out of sight.
Draco Malfoy was trudging up the stone steps with a proud look on his face.
But then he sees me.
His face falls into a sneer.
"What are you doing here, mudblood?" He growls a letter in hand.
"Sending off a letter-same as you Malfoy," I rolled my eyes seriously wondering why Abby was dating him.
"You didn't touch my girlfriend's owl did you?" He peers into the Owlery, his eyes landing on the magnificent black owl.
"No, I didn't," I sighed.
"Good...also my girlfriend is going to crush Potter," Draco laughs.
"I don't doubt that Malfoy," I agree, thinking the same thing.
He looks at me shocked.
"What do you mean by that?" He asks suspiciously.
"If you were any more dense I'd suppose you wouldn't understand that your 'girlfriend' is out of your arrogant league," I say, stepping around him.
"She's too good for you-you should realize that."
I left him shell shocked as I made my way down the steps back into the castle.
Draco Malfoy was an arrogant, egotistical ass who didn't deserve Abby.
She deserves someone better.
And somehow I was going to tell her.
