A/n: K, I was going to have this up last weekend, but it (obviously) didn't work. So here it is. Also: look who just went past 200 reviews! (screams ecstatically) To each and every person who has reviewed - whether you liked my story or not - thank you from the top and bottom and middle and sides of my heart. Reviews are why I keep putting stuff up here, so thank you, THANK you, thank YOU and THANK YOU!

Chapter 26

Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall for supper rather slowly, her mind whirling with everything Dumbledore had just explained to her. Besides her worry about how things could "mix", Hermione had no idea what she was going to tell her friends.

Other than Pansy and Cedric, none of them knew of her earlier decision to stay and not drink the potion. All day she had been secretive and nearly giddy, promising to reveal the reasons behind her mood following supper. Now that she knew there was no way she could stay after all, what was she supposed to tell them instead?

As she entered the Hall and headed for her table, she still didn't have an answer. When her friends looked up at her coming with expectant grins on their faces, she felt worse but hurriedly rearranged her own features into a smile she hoped looked like one of the ones she'd been wearing all day.

I have the whole meal to think of something. She thought. Oh Merlin, help me.

"So, tell us, Hermione! What's the big secret you've been keeping all day?" Draco prompted the instant Hermione was seated.

Her heart sank. Before she could answer, however, Pansy piped up,

"No way, Draco. The deal was after supper. No questions, concerns, comedic remarks, complaints, or other comments until then."

"Oh, that's hardly fair!" Vinny moaned.

"All right, I'll let you have 'comedic remarks'." Pansy giggled.

Trying to give herself more time, Hermione said, "Ally's not here, you know. I should wait until we're all back in the Common Room so I can tell you all the same time…"

Her friends protested heartily and Pansy had to make Hermione promise to tell the others immediately following dessert in order to quiet them. Then she had the others promise not to say another word on the subject until then. They all agreed, leaving Hermione desperately trying to come up with some sort of an explanation that would satisfy her friends.

On top of that, she somehow had to communicate whatever she came up with to Pansy so she wouldn't go ahead and tell everyone Hermione was staying before Hermione had a chance to tell them something else.
All through the meal Hermione was distracted with her predicament and didn't really join into the conversations that went around. Her friends, however, either didn't notice, were too preoccupied themselves, or didn't mind.

The end of dessert came far too quickly for Hermione's liking, as she still had no clue what she was going to say. She had thought several times about just telling them the truth, but she couldn't bring herself to dump the horribleness of it all on her friends if she didn't absolutely have to. If she didn't come up with something good very quickly, however, she was going to end up having to tell them about the mixing worlds.

"All right Hermione, it's time!" Greg rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Wait, don't you want Cedric to hear this too?" asked Draco.

Hermione almost blurted out that he already knew before she remembered he only knew about her earlier decision to stay. She jumped off the bench, snatching the opportunity for just a few more seconds to gather herself.

"Absolutely! I'll go get him." She hastily and rushed over to the Ravenclaw table where Cedric was just standing to leave.

When she reached him, she clutched his hand and whispered urgently, "I can explain everything properly later, but because of what Dumbledore talked to me about, I can't stay here after Halloween."

"What are you going to tell your friends?" said Cedric as they started to slowly make their way towards the Gryffindor table.

"Help me think of something." She answered and added pleadingly, "Quick."

Hermione put on another forced smile as she settled back down on the bench this time with Cedric beside her. She held his hand nervously under the table and he gave her an encouraging squeeze. All her friends looked to her, eagerly awaiting what she had to say.

"Well." Hermione cleared her throat uneasily. "As you all know, there's something you… that I have to tell you. And actually, after all the… um, the grinning on my part and guessing on your part, I think that… that what ever I have to tell is going to be… well, will be, a… uh, a let down. It's really not as funny, cool, secretive or wonderful as you might be thinking. Basically, what I mean to say is… that you may haven gotten excited over nothing."

"Oh, get on with it already." Vinny said.

"Yes, okay, well, see, the thing is…" Hermione began and nothing came to her mind. "The, uh, the thing is… um, well, it's… I…"

Some of her friends looked a little confused, a little disappointed or even a little concerned.

Hermione sighed. I guess I have to go with the truth after all.

"Okay, the truth is…"

"Hermione has come up with a very clever Halloween costume idea." Cedric interjected swiftly.

Draco, Vinny, Greg, and Millicent shifted their gaze to Cedric.

"Oh, that's not it." Pansy laughed.

"Of course it is!" Hermione said and looked at Pansy imploringly, silently praying she would play along.

Pansy glanced at Cedric puzzledly.

"Yes, that is what she's been smiling about all day." Cedric said. "You ready to hear the details now?"

"Oh the build-up, all for a mere costume!" Greg threw his hands up in mock aggravation.

"That's our Hermione." Draco winked.

"She's going to go as the Muggle fairytale character, Cinderella." Cedric stated. "Seeing as how she's going to have to be leaving close to midnight because of her, er, 'situation', she thought it would be quite clever to go as Cinderella."

Hermione held the smile on her face which quickly turned into a genuine one at Cedric's words. She squeezed Cedric's tight to say "Thank you" as she exhaled in relief. She wasn't going to have to reveal to them the mixed worlds after all.

"That actually is quite brilliant." Draco admitted. "So that's the big secret, then?"

Hermione nodded.

"So why in the heck were you grinning all day too, Pansy?" He turned to face Pansy and Hermione was struck with a stab of panic.

Please Pansy, she begged. Please go with this.

"I… " Pansy hesitated. "I… am… making her costume!"

"Oh, I see. Well, it'd better be awfully good after what you two put me through today." Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "I was terrified I was going to get pranked."

Pansy laughed. "You were worried for nothing."

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'for nothing'." Vinny waved a finger. "He's been on the receiving end of many of Hermione's pranks before. Considering how days leading up to those pranks usually went, I'd say he had a very legitimate reason to be scared."

They all laughed and Hermione was little bit upset to hear she was apparently known for some wild pranks. Though she figured Fred and George Weasley would be proud of her, that wasn't a comfort. She pushed the thought from her mind – after all, it hadn't really been her doing the pranks.

"So how come you let Cedric in on this before us?" asked Greg.

"Because," Hermione replied. "He's going to be Prince Charming." She smiled at Cedric as if to say, "That ok?"

He smiled right back.

"That's right. I'm going as the Prince."

After that, the group hung around and talked before deciding a little while later to head back up to the Common Room for the rest of the evening. Draco, Vinny, Greg and Millicent rose to leave.

"You coming?" Draco asked.

"We'll be right there. I just have some costume issues to talk about with these two." Hermione answered.

"See you soon, then."

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Pansy practically demanded,

"Okay, now tell me what's going on. I thought you were going to tell them about you staying."

"I'm not staying after all." Hermione sighed.

Pansy froze. "What?"

Hermione then proceeded to explain to Pansy and Cedric all that Dumbledore had told her about the two worlds merging and causing all kinds of terrible problems and issues. She finished by saying,

"I didn't want them to know all that. They don't need to know what isn't going to happen."

"I understand." Pansy said quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Pansy." Hermione put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I didn't mean to get your hopes up."

"It's okay." Pansy smiled a little. "I really do understand. There's no way you can stay now."

"Thanks you. And thank you too, Cedric, for coming up with something to say." Hermione said. "It really is rather clever."

"No problem." He replied. "Besides, I quite like the idea of going with you as the Prince."

"We should probably be heading to Gryffindor now." said Pansy.

The trio stood and started across the Great Hall.

"We ought to stop in and visit Ally on the way." Hermione suggested. "See if she's doing any better."

"What happened?" asked Cedric.

Hermione and Pansy explained how Ally had become sick the other day and had been getting progressively worse. That morning they had taken her to the Hospital Wing to see Madame Pomfrey, who promised to look after her and help her get better.

They were almost to the Hospital Wing when Snape rounded a corner ahead of them and said, "Ah, there you two are. You weren't in the Tower."

Hermione and Pansy glanced at each other, wondering why Snape was looking for them. Were they in trouble?

"What is it?" Pansy questioned when Snape had closed the distance between himself, the two girls and Cedric.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, girls." Snape sighed heavily. "But your Ally has been taken to St. Mungo's."

Hermione and Pansy both paled.

"What?" Hermione breathed, feeling as though the bottom of her stomach had dropped out.

"Madame Pomfrey has been keeping a close eye on her all day, trying different remedies to help her get well again." Snape explained. "She was having trouble figuring out exactly what was wrong, and none of the things she was trying seemed to be helping. Ally took a turn for the worse just before supper time. Flitwick, Madame Pomfrey and I took her to the emergency room at St. Mungo's. We've only just got back."

"Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?" Pansy was shaking as badly as her voice. "What's wrong with her? Why didn't Madame Pomfrey know what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to find you and let you know what's going on, because I know you're good friends with her." said Snape sympathetically. "I didn't explain anything to your other friends upstairs. I figured you would want to do that."

"We were just on our way to see her in the Hospital Wing." Hermione said hollowly.

"Can we visit her now? In St. Mungo's?" asked Pansy.

Snape shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. It's quite complicated to get clearance for Hogwarts students to leave the school, even with a teacher, unless it has to do with direct family. The earliest Dumbledore would be able to make it happen is the weekend."

Hermione fleetingly thought of the time Mr. Weasley had been badly injured last year while she, Harry and Ron were Hogwarts.

"I know this is tough to hear. Maybe you should head up to your dorms and try and get some rest."

Hermione nodded numbly and Pansy looked away.

With a last sad smile, Snape left them and the trio continued on to Gryffindor Tower. Pansy was on the verge of tears much of the time and kept asking questions none of them had the answers to, such as why was Ally so sick? What had made her so sick? Why did they have to wait until the weekend to see her? Hermione felt very worried about her friend and almost nauseous. Cedric said nothing and walked beside them the entire way to Gryffindor.

When they arrived, Pansy went straight into the Common Room to inform Draco and the others about Ally, while Hermione waited behind a moment to say good night to Cedric. She sighed deeply, turned to face him and was unpleasantly taken aback by his appearance.

"Cedric! Are you all right?"

He looked even more sickly then he had earlier and sweat had popped up across his forehead. He seemed very tired and he had his hand on the side of his head while pain creased his features.

"Cedric?" she said again, a little more urgently.

"I'm okay." He answered after a moment and took his hand away from head. "Just suddenly dizzy. Bad headache, too."

"You look awful. Should I be walking you to your dorm?"

"No, it's all right. I'm fine. Probably just over tired."

"Are you sure? Don't you dare go and get sick with the same thing Ally has." Hermione said warningly, her voice etched with worry. "Cinderella can't go to the ball alone, you know."

Cedric smiled and it indeed appeared that the worst of his headache had just passed. "She won't. I promise the Prince will be there."

"He'd better be." Hermione hugged Cedric tightly. "Good night. Get some sleep, Prince."

"You too, Cindy." Cedric kissed Hermione's cheek and they parted.

Hermione felt rather uneasy about Cedric's abrupt headache and dizziness, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She just hoped he would be better by morning. He was probably right, though, she decided. He was probably just over tired.

A/n: Hmm. Potential foreshawdowing? I don't know... ;)