Disclaimer: No.
The days seemed to drag on forever for both girls before the awaited day had arrived when they'd be heading out for Hogsmead. Hermione had dreamt about all the sweets she'd be adding to her stash, and of course about having fun with her new best girly friend. She didn't see Ginny much these days, though she did talk to Harry a lot. Especially after he found out she was buddies with Cho.
The boy had it bad, she couldn't care less. He just wouldn't shut up. Everyday he was in the vicinity he'd talk about the girl, like a love sick fool, and that's exactly what he was.
Sadly she was going to have to trick the poor boy today, she needed that map before meeting up with Cho.
"Harry, I've been meaning to ask you, but can I borrow the map?" Hermione inquired.
"Sure 'Mione, but I might need it by the end of the week." A simple smile adorned his features.
"About that, I kind of need it for the rest of the year…" She fidgeted as she looked at him. A look of curiosity and slight shocked overcoming his features.
"But why?"
"Ah yes the fated answer. I wondered how long it would take him to ask, obviously it took much longer than anticipated." Hermione thought to her self.
"I'm kind of helping Cho out with something and well I need that map for it." Hermione explained.
"Cho as in Chang?" His face taking up a dreamy look.
"Yeah." Hermione deadpanned. "Cedric's fangirls don't really agree with her." She spoke nonchalantly as if it where no big deal.
"So you're gonna play hero then?" He asked slight jealousy in his tone.
"Pretty much." She stated shrugging.
"Mione you love me right?" He queried, his eyes brimming with hope.
The brunettes eyes narrowed at the boy who lived. "What do you want Harry?" Already knowing the answer revolved around her Ravenclaw friend.
"Promise you won't get mad, but would you set me up with Cho just to talk or something or even just try and convince her to let me help her? Please!" He was begging at this point.
"No." The answer coming out immediately, she didn't have to think about it. "Cho doesn't like you like that Harry. What type of friend would I be if I forced you on her." She tried to use 'reason' on him but she knew his temper. He'd probably do something stupid next then apologize later.
"Well you can't have the map then. 'What type of friend would I be if I gave you an 'illegal' map and help you brake the rules?" He'd used her words against her, blast. Well fine, she'd use a certain something to her advantage. It was a blessing and a curse to be underestimated by most if not all.
"What if we make a game of it? Say whoever wins gets ownership of the map?" The brightest witch of her age suggested. Hook
"What sort of game?" He was suspicious but clearly interested.
"I'll make it easier for you Harry, how bout a game of Quidditch, even Ron can assist you. If you win, then I'll set up something with you and Cho." She pointed behind her where said girl was making her way over to them, curious as to what Hermione was up to. His eyes followed the movements of the raven haired girl, with each step his emeralds glistened with triumph. He would definitely win this. Line.
"Alright 'Mione, if you can score 3 goals past Ron and then grab the snitch before I do and I'll give you the Map!" And sinker.
"Is that it? No, I also want Ron's secret stash of goodies if I win." She would milk it for all it was worth. She'd heard and seen a good part of the ginger boy's stash and she wanted it added to her own but the situation never arose where she could get them without suspicion.
"What! No way Mione! You'll probably just burn them or throw them away you being you!" Ron exclaimed clearly against the idea of losing his stash he worked all summer to achieve.
"Just give em to her, what chance has she got anyway?" Seamus whispered to Ron.
"Yeah Ron, it's not like I have any real chance of winning I'm just the frail bookworm remember, so why don't you just agree to my terms." She added to the mix, the more they underestimated her the easier it'd be for her to win this.
"Yeah your'e right, and even if she gets past me, she'll never beat Harry." He stated aloud mostly reassuring himself rather than stating a fact.
An evil smirk made it's way onto Hermione's face. No one noticed, no one was the wiser. She'd win this for sure.
"Shall we begin?" Hermione asked, wanting to get this over with. Cho already at her side, her hand reassuringly on her shoulder.
"Wait Hermione you've got to wear some protective gear! You can't just fly out like that." The boys stated. Sure they wanted to destroy the girl in the bet, but they still cared about her safety. She was their friend and fellow Gryffindor.
"Don't mind me Harry. I have a feeling I won't be needing it."
They stalked towards the field, everyone apart from Hermione, looking worried for the girl. They'd never seen her fly before and assumed she'd never done so after first year. Knowing this, they feared the worst, that she'd most likely hurt herself. Cho ran to the girl, grabbing a hold of her arm. "Hey, you don't have to do this. I'll spend time with Harry don't worry about it."
"Actually I do Cho. They underestimate me, just because I like to extend my intelligence, not to mention I need that map." Her eyes narrowing, as she thought of whether or not she should do her best and show off, whether or not to have a plan at the ready or just go with it.
"But.." Her friend looked at her with a concerned gaze.
Noticing the true concern written over the Ravenclaw's face, Hermione grabbed hold of the girl's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. With a smile, she hoped was reassuring, she stated, "Cho, it'll be alright don't worry about me. Can't you please support my decision? If I get hurt, will you be my nurse?"
Cho burst into laughter, the girl was crazy but she did love her. "Of course, I'll even get a sexy nurse outfit and everything."
"Careful or Harry might jump you and then who'll nurse me back to health?" The two looked back at the boy in question who'd been glancing longingly at Cho's form, before bursting into laughter once more.
"I don't know whether to be flattered or creeped out really…"
"Don't worry about him, I have a feeling the boy is going to be sulking for a while after this little event ends."
"Oh that's right there's nothing you can't do is there?"
"You've got that right." The girl gave the other a wink before heading out to the center of the field.
"Well guys are you ready to lose?" A cocky smirk mocked the two boys.
"Uh, Hermione are you forgetting something?"
"Yeah like your broom." They all burst in to laughter. "Do you even have a broom?"
"Shut up you jerks!"
"It's ok Cho, let them have their laughs." She took out her wand aiming it at the sky.
"Hermione do you even know how to fly?" Harry questioned uneasily.
Casting a silent 'Accio' she turned to the boy in question a thin brow arching at the dubious question. "Of course I do Harry. In fact here comes my broom now."
The group looked up to find a modified black Firebolt making it's way towards them.
"That's your broom?" Ron asked his face a mixture of jealousy and awe as the broom landed gracefully in her hand.
"Yes, I bought it over the summer and tweaked it a bit so it'd go faster and a couple of other things." She was quite proud of it, if she said so herself. She'd worked hard almost an entire month just to get it perfectly to her liking.
"Now, shall we begin?" She mounted her broom effortlessly as it quickly made it's way into the air in blinding speed, the girl did not even blink.
"Holy shit." The boys gawked at her before running to the stands to get a view. Cho raced to join them all the while thinking how sexy Hermione looked on that broom.
Harry took off into the air as Dean threw the quaffle into the air and proceeded to release the snitch after they'd all taken to the air.
Hermione flew down expertly to the shock of everyone watching and grabbed the quaffle and rushed toward the goal post. With the skill of a seasoned player she threw the quaffle scoring the first point. Weasley never had a chance to stop it.
She maneuvered through the field grabbing hold of the quaffle once more.
"Not this time Mione!" Ron gets steadies himself on his old broom, he's determined to stop Hermione from making all three goals. As far as he knows it's all a fluke. His jealously once more creeping up on him as it usually does. His eyes so focused on Hermione, yet he once again fails to block the throw which almost sends him crashing down. Her throwing too quick for him to block.
Down below on the stands the guys can't believe their eyes, the Gryffindor bookworm is making quick work of Ronald Weasley. Not to mention she's incredibly skilled on that amazing broom. Since when was she that skilled?
"Granger ain't doing half bad up there." George praised.
"When do you suppose that happened?" Questioned Fred.
"Who knows. Do you think she learned it from a book?"
"No, it couldn't be. Do you think she'd fix up my broom too?" Seamus wondered aloud.
"Doubt it, you were a down right git to her earlier."
"So were you!" He countered.
"Didn't say I wasn't!" Dean yelled back
At that moment Gina made it to the stands alongside Neville. "Hey guys what's going on?"
"Harry and Ron made a bet with Hermione that she couldn't score three goals past Ron and catch the snitch before Harry. If she won she'd get some map and Ron's secret stash of goodies." Fred and George managed to explain to the youngest Weasley.
"That's hardly fair! Hermione's rubbish on a broom!"
"That's exactly what we all thought but she already scored two past Ron. Hell she could put skilled players to shame with the way she's been flying up there."
"Bullocks! I don't believe you!" She responded, arms crossed at the chest.
"It's true. Just take a look!" They all mentioned.
"Look she already scored the last goal, she's going for the snitch!" Neville shouted out, in disbelief and excitement.
"A sickle Ron's gonna cry for being beat by a girl!" shouted Seamus.
"Hey!" It seems Ron had flown up to the stands to watch as well.
Up in the air Harry watched the whole ordeal unable to believe Hermione was so skilled. He'd always just believed her to be scared of heights, when they asked her to play quidditch with them at the Burrow or last year on Buckbeak when she'd practically glued herself to him screaming. "Had it all been an act?" He thought to himself forgetting about the bet momentarily as he wondered about the girl he'd called his friend for the past four years. Why hadn't Hermione mentioned anything?
Perhaps she'd overcome her fear over the summer? Yeah, maybe that's why after all why would Hermione lie about that anyway?
He was shaken from his reverie quite literally as Hermione zoomed past him. She'd found the snitch. The girl might be like his sister but he wasn't about to lose to her. Ron would whine for weeks if he did! Harry turned abruptly towards the direction Hermione was heading, not bothering to look for the snitch himself as he flew directly towards her and matched her dive.
Hermione glued herself to her broom, accelerating her speed, she was going to win this. With the map she could help Cho escape Cedric's fan girls that and they could avoid any professors should her 'training' last longer than expected, and so as Hermione was only a few feet away from the ground, she pulled up heading straight for the air in the direction in which she'd seen the snitch go mid dive. She didn't bother checking on Harry, as she closed in on the golden sphere, before taking hold of it. Victory dancing in her eyes as a smirk played across her face.
She'd caught the snitch. Harry had just narrowly avoided possible death, by dropping into a roll just before he crashed. Hermione took her time in getting across the field to where the watchers were waiting, or rather had been watching.
"I'd like the sweets before dinner if you wouldn't mind Ronald. Tell Harry I'll be waiting for the Map in the common room later on tonight." She climbed off gracefully from her modified broom, walking off in the direction of her Ravenclaw companion.
"Wait, Hermione! Where'd you learn to fly like that!"
All they got in return was a gloating smirk before she walked off with raven haired witch.
"We should go check on Harry!"
"Man who knew Hermione could fly that well, did you see that Wronski feint? It was amazing! Not even Harry can do that and he's the best flyer we've seen here at Hogwarts!"
"Hermione, where'd you learn to do all that? I've never seen anyone fly like that before well outside of professional games!" Her scottish lilt a melody Hermione decided she could get used to.
"During the summer I went on vacation, there I met a few witches and wizards who taught me how to fly. They became very...close..friends of mine."
"They must be really amazing flyers as well then! That's incredible, you're so lucky Hermione." That little statement caused the 'younger' girl to become quite enraged, but she hid it well. Well enough to go unnoticed.
"Yeah, I guess I am." A false smile on her countenance. "Aren't the triwizard champions being chosen today?"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure Cedric will be chosen. I'm sure it will do 'wonders' for his self esteem. Can't say it'll save us from his arrogant boasting though. Oh Hermione help me! I'm but a fragile woman trying to keep a narcissistic boy at bay."
"Can't help it can you. I don't blame him you're pretty irresistible my lady. Hahaha."
A/N: hi. Gave Hermione wicked flying skillz, bitches love wicked flying skillz.