Chapter Three – SAVE A BROOMSTICK
"No!" Hermione declared emphatically at the t-shirt that Declan was holding up suggest she buy.
"Why not?" he asked.
"It's vulgar" she replied.
"What? 'SAVE A BROOMSTICK! RIDE A QUIDDITCH PLAYER' is funny. Come on, Hermione. Lighten up. It's cute. And you'd be cute as hell in it. Just try it on? Please? For me?" Declan said, giving her the look that he knew she couldn't resist.
"Stop it with the puppy dog eyes, Dec. It's not fair" she replied.
Declan just smiled and held the t-shirt out for her. Hermione rolled her eyes and took it from him.
"You're incorrigible, Kennedy." She sighed.
"I love you too, Granger" he said, and followed her to the fitting room.
Hermione couldn't be serious with the t-shirt on. She started poking stupid faces at Declan who responded saying "You simply have to buy it."
"I know. It's not my style at all, but for some reason I feel compelled to own it. I must be going crazy." She said, laughing.
"Going crazy? You're about the craziest girl I know." Declan replied.
"Ha ha, most amusing Dec. Maybe I should just take it off and put it back on the rack ... " Hermione's voice trailed off as she teased her friend.
He responded by walking over to her, ripping the price tag off the t-shirt and saying "I'll pay for this. Keep it on. It's cute. Go grab you old t-shirt and we'll get them to throw it in the bag."
"Declan", Hermione replied, "I can't let you pay for that."
"You paid for lunch" he reasoned.
"That's different." Hermione argued.
"Hermione? Shut up." Declan replied, heading off to the counter to flirt furiously with the assistant while paying for Hermione's vulgar t-shirt.
They walked hand-in-hand, as they often did, back through the campus grounds.
"Are you going to the Autumn Ball?" Declan asked, not sure whether Hermione would be interested in anything as seemingly frivolous as a ball.
"Perhaps. Depends on if anyone asks me, I guess. I'm not exactly interested in going alone." Hermione replied.
"Come with me, then." Declan suggested. "That way we know we won't be alone. And that way of either of us pick up that night, we won't feel bad about ditching one another."
"Dec, your priorities are messed up, you know that right?" Hermione said, smiling.
"Just because they're not your priorities, Hermione, doesn't make them messed up." Declan said, and Hermione was flawed by his honesty.
"You're right. Ok, Dec, I'll go with you on one condition: You have to help me pick a killer dress, and do my hair and make-up" she said, smiling.
"My very own Barbie doll? Of course woman, you're making my dreams come true." He said, poking fun of her.
"Shut up, Kennedy" Hermione laughed
Passing the Quidditch training grounds, Hermione was glad to see that Harry and Ron were no longer there. But her hopes of them both being back at their flat completing assignments were dashed when saw them walking out of the gates.
"Hey, Herm, Declan" Harry called out and jogged over to them, Ron slightly behind him.
"I thought you two might be at home doing some work, but clearly that was a misguided thought." Hermione said, trying to avoid the look on Ron's face as he read her t-shirt.
"Nice t-shirt" Ron said, sarcastically.
"Isn't it though?" she replied coquettishly.
"You guys had lunch?" Harry stepped in, trying to avoid the Ron and Hermione Saga beginning a new chapter.
"Yeah, mate, we've just been." Declan replied. Hermione knew that Declan had a bit of a crush on Harry. She also knew that Harry still had a hell of a crush on Ginny. She had almost broken Declan's heart when she told him that there was no way Harry would be interested in him. It hadn't taken him too long to get over it. That was what she loved about Declan. He never moped around. He didn't wallow in self pity. He held his pretty little head high and moved on.
"We were just heading to the bar for a beer or something before heading home. You guys want to join us?" Harry suggested.
"Don't you have assignments to write?" Hermione stated more than asked.
"Half an hour. That's all I'm asking." Harry said.
"Half an hour is all he's asking, Granger." Declan repeated, looking at Hermione with the puppy dog eyes.
"30 minutes." Hermione stated, and the party of 4 headed off to the bar.
"You guys coming to the Autumn Ball?" Declan asked Ron and Harry as they returned with a round of beer for the group.
"Olivia's been talking about it for weeks now, so I guess I should suggest we go, huh?" Ron asked rhetorically.
"What about you, Harry? Are you coming?" Hermione asked, trying to ignore the small pangs of jealously she was feeling towards Ron's girlfriend, Olivia. Why does he have to be with her of all people Hermione thought to herself. She's an idiot.
"I've asked someone, and she said she'd love to go. I'm just trying to arrange to get her here that night." Harry said.
"I'm sure Arthur and Molly will let Gin stay with us for the weekend." Hermione said, hoping that she would trip Harry into admitting that it was Ginny Weasley he had his heart set on taking to the ball.
"You're being awfully presumptuous, Herm." Harry said.
"I've got grounds to be, haven't I?" she replied.
"Yeah. Molly doesn't see why she can't just floo home afterwards. I don't think she realises that we probably won't get in till the early hours of Sunday morning." He said, taking another sip of beer.
"She's their only daughter," Hermione tried to see Molly's reasoning, "it's not surprise she's being protective of Gin."
"Want me to talk to her?" Ron offered.
"Not sure it'll do any good." Harry said.
"I guess. I'm not all that reliable a chaperone." Ron admitted.
Hermione internally rolled her eyes before saying "I'll send an owl off to her tomorrow telling her that Ginny is welcome to stay in my room and that I'll keep an eye on her."
"Would you, Herm? That would be awesome. She'll be sure to agree to it if you ask. Who wouldn't trust Hermione Granger?" Harry said, his spirits lifted.
"I wouldn't." Declan said, cheekily.
"What?" Hermione asked, having taken the bait Declan had so carefully cast out.
Ron watched as Hermione and Declan had a little argument about Hermione's responsibility, and hoped he wasn't turning green as Declan tickled her to the point where she was on the floor in a fit of laughter. He didn't listen to their conversations anymore. It made him too upset. The way they carried on was ridiculous. He ignored Hermione's argument that she and Declan were just friends. No man that looked at her, or touched her as much as Declan did was just a friend. And now, from what he could gather, Declan was taking her to the Autumn Ball.
"So who are you going with?" Ron asked Hermione as she regained a little composure and sat back at the table.
"Dec here has kindly offered to take me. I wasn't going to go, but he's so damned persistent." Hermione replied as Declan wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Sorry, boys," Declan said, "But I'm going to have the best looking date on the night."
The rest of the conversation was a blur for Ron. He wondered why it bothered him so much who Hermione was going to the stupid ball with. He wondered why his thoughts were cast back to the Yule Ball in their fourth year at Hogwarts. He hoped that the Autumn Ball would be more enjoyable than the Yule Ball had been.
Harry and Ron left the bar, promising Hermione that they would return straight home to work on their assignments. Looking at her watch, Hermione realised the 30 minutes she agreed to, had stretched to almost an hour and that she and Declan were cutting it fine to get to their afternoon class. Grabbing his hand she dragged him in the opposite direction from Ron and Harry, and the two headed off to class.