Author's Note: Sorry this update took a while! I hope I'll be able to update more frequently. I don't know why I'm awake at this ungodly hour but I can't sleep so I thought I might as well post a new chapter. Please review! Reviews make my day, they really do. Well, I don't want to bore you and I doubt many of you are even reading this, so I'll just continue on…
The beautiful reviewers: Nangini, kk1999, Saku-Chan9876, NotSoSlightlyCrazy, mikenewtonislove, teekim17, krissie92, veranatalie.
teekim17: Oh, I can't believe I made that silly mistake! Thank you for pointing that out.
veranatalie: Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean by developing Hermione's thoughts. Could you be a bit for specific? How do you think I can develop them? Love that you're trying to help me out, so thanks!
Chapter Three – The Boys Are Too Refined
The next few days passed as a blur to Hermione, who was so busy with homework and studying that she did not get caught up in the IIQT craze like the rest of her fellow students. Students that had signed up for the tournament were spending almost every moment of their spare time practicing on the Quidditch pitch, which was so crowded most of the time that students could barely fly around without bumping into each other. Friday soon arrived, and Dumbledore cancelled lessons for the day so other students could come and support those who were trying out for the team.
Hermione woke to the excited and shrill screams of Lavender and Parvati, who were completely ecstatic about watching the tryouts.
"Oh, be quiet!" Hermione snapped and rolled over in her bed.
"Get up, Mione! Quidditch tryouts start after breakfast!" Lavender tugged at her leg.
"I don't care!" Hermione whined. She was going to use this opportunity to practice her gymnastics while Lavender and Parvati were gone.
"You don't care? Harry and Ron are trying out!" Parvati stood by her bed. Hermione immediately sat up immediately.
'Oh, right.' Hermione thought. 'Terrific! Now I have to go.'
"That's right, get up. Since you're the last to wake up, we get to use the bathroom fir-" Parvati was cut short as Hermione pushed past her and rushed to the bathroom before her other two roommates had a chance to react. Hermione slammed the door shut and locked it. "Hermione! That's cheating!" she heard Parvati's muffled shout of outrage on the other side of the door.
After a refreshing shower, Hermione walked out of the bathroom in her robe only to find Lavender and Parvati with their arms crossed.
"You cheated, Hermione." Lavender gave her a fake look of anger as she made her way to the bathroom. "Now I have to rush with washing my hair!"
"I'm so sorry, girls." Hermione took her clothes out of the trunk and began getting dressed.
"Sorry my arse!" Parvati hit her on the back of the head, causing Hermione to glare at her. "I have to look good today!"
"Ooh, does Parvati like someone?" Hermione teased her as she slipped on a pair of shorts.
"Maybe…" the Indian girl blushed slightly and looked away.
"You do!"
"Oh, alright, I do!"
"Who is it then?" Hermione put on a thick red hoodie that she thought would be fitting to support the Gryffindors that were trying out.
"It's… Dean."
"Dean?" Hermione blinked. "I would've never guessed."
"He's just so cute. And funny!" Parvati giggled.
"And taken," Hermione pointed out. Dean Thomas and Ginny had been dating since the end of the previous school year. They were an unexpected couple, but they seemed quite happy with each other. As usual, Ron disapproved of their relationship and took to constantly threatening Dean until Harry and Hermione managed to discourage him from doing so.
"I know, I know." Parvati huffed. "But it's not a crime to fancy a boy who's taken."
"But you can't go after him or anything," Hermione said. "Ginny really likes him."
"She doesn't really. You can tell she likes Harry."
"Even if she did, it's not important." Hermione brushed her long hair thoroughly. She didn't want to admit that Ginny liked Harry, but she didn't want to lie to Parvati either. It was true; Ginny did have a big crush on Harry. A very big crush. But Hermione had advised her to see other people since Harry didn't show any interest in her romantically. "Ginny's dating Dean now."
"You're right." Parvati sighed unhappily. "I'll just wait."
"Who says you need to wait?"
"What do you mean?" she blinked.
Hermione smiled at her roommate, "I heard from a very reliable source that Terry Boot fancies you." the reliable source being herself, of course. She had overheard Terry Boot telling Michael Corner that he was considering asking Parvati out on a date.
"Really?" her brown eyes brightened. "Does he really, Hermione?"
"Yes!" Hermione nodded.
"He's quite good-looking, isn't he? And he's really smart. Thank you, Hermione!" Parvati hugged her. "Oh, guess who likes you? It's a rather long list, actually."
"I highly doubt that." Hermione snorted.
"Don't say that! A lot of boys fancy you. You're just… sort of intimidating?"
"Intimidating?" Hermione laughed. She didn't understand how on earth anyone could think she was intimidating. She was friendly. And polite!
"They're afraid if they ask you out, you might try to bite their heads off." Parvati tried to explain.
"You can't be serious, Parvati."
"I am, Mione. Dead serious."
"Really? So who are these boys that fancy me?" Hermione questioned.
"I know for a fact that Seamus has liked you for a while. And Neville-"
"Neville asked me out two years ago." Hermione cut in. "So he can't be intimidated by me, can he?"
"Well, just let me finish! There's Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, Cormac McLaggen and Jeremy Stretton. Is that it? I think it is-"
"Are you telling me that you think all those boys like me? That's completely impossible, Parvati, and you know it," Hermione said just as Lavender walked out of the bathroom in a pretty dress and her hair soaking wet.
"What are we talking about?" Lavender asked.
"Hermione thinks it's impossible for boys to like her." Parvati informed her.
"Oh, lots of boys do." the blonde nodded while drying her hair. "Jeremy Stretton does. You know, that fit Ravenclaw who's on their Quidditch team."
"Right?" Parvati nodded and turned back to Hermione. "See, Hermione?"
"You're both mental." Hermione rolled her eyes. In her mind, it seemed very unlikely that a handsome seventh year like Jeremy Stretton would even taking a second glance at her. "Parvati, just shut up and go take a shower."
Parvati gave her a small smile before going to the bathroom. Hermione sighed as she watched Lavender attempt to dry her hair with her towel. She took out her wand and tapped Lavender's hair with it, drying her locks immediately.
"Thank you, Mione!" Lavender beamed. "How can I live without you?"
"You can't," Hermione joked. Soon the three roommates made their way down to the Great Hall. As they entered, Hermione's eyes fell on Jeremy Stretton. It was the first time she had really paid attention to the Ravenclaw, but she wanted to see if there were any signs that he did like her. Sure enough, Jeremy's eyes locked with hers for a moment before he smiled slightly and turned back to his friends.
'Was he… blushing? I must be imagining things.' Hermione brushed the thought away and sat down next to Harry and Ron, who were already downing their breakfast with their Quidditch uniform on and their brooms lying on the empty space beside them.
"Hello, boys." Hermione smiled.
"Morning, Mione," Harry said. Ron was having difficulty swallowing his food, so he merely waved at her.
"You both ready for the tryouts?" Hermione asked.
"Not really." Harry started playing with his bacon. "You know they're going to pick a captain, too? What if Malfoy or someone becomes captain?"
"You're a much better Seeker than Malfoy!" she assured him. "If anyone's going to be captain, it's going to be you."
"McGonagall told me if the tournament wasn't on this year, I would've been captain for Gryffindor."
"That's great, Harry. You see? You're captain material," Hermione said. They spent the rest of breakfast discussing the IIQT, as was the rest of the school, and everybody made their way down to the Quidditch pitch after.
"Hi!" Ginny popped up next to Hermione as they walked to the pitch.
"Hi, Gin." Hermione smiled back. Her eyes landed on the broomstick in the younger girl's hand. "You didn't…"
"I signed up for the IIQT." Ginny grinned.
"Oh no, not you too." Hermione groaned. Then again, she should've known. Ginny was easily a very talented Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and one of the most entertaining players to watch on the pitch when she lost her temper.
"It's an amazing opportunity, Mione!"
"I'm sure it is, I just don't think Quidditch is that incredible."
"Hermione, you stop talking right now," Ron said, feigning outrage. Suddenly, Seamus and Dean appeared next to them.
"You know what I just realized, Ginny?" Seamus said to the redheaded girl. "Your first name and McGonagall's are almost the same. Ginevra, Minerva…"
"Shut up, Seamus!" Ginny turned red, obviously not like the fact that he had just found something similar between her and the elderly Transfiguration professor. Seamus began to run out of fear of being hexed and Ginny chased after him, waving her broom around and shouting threats at him. The students around them began to laugh at the amusing scene.
"Hey, Bambi." Dean smiled at Hermione.
"Will you stop calling me that?" Hermione glared at him. She didn't appreciate being compared to a fictional deer.
"But it's true, you have his eyes."
"Who's Bambi?" Ron asked.
"It's a Muggle thing," Hermione said, thinking it was too difficult to explain to a wizard like Ron.
"Merlin, I'm nervous," Ron said in a whisper as they drew closer to the pitch.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great." Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly. "You both will."
"Of course Harry will. I'll mess up, I know I will!" Ron said loudly.
"Glad you're aware of that, Weasel." the obnoxious voice of Draco Malfoy said from behind them. The Gryffindors turned around to face the blond Slytherin, who was walking with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Draco's eyes flickered to Hermione for a second. "You might as well save yourself the embarrassment and not try out."
"Why, are you scared I'll make it and you won't?" Ron snarled at him.
"Not in the least," Draco said coolly. The three Slytherins quickened their pace and as they passed, Hermione caught Draco's signature scent of amber musk cologne and cigarette smoke. Hermione frowned as she watched the back of Draco's head. There was something very unusual about those three Slytherin boys. They were all handsome, intelligent and possessed far too much grace and poise than any male should. Perhaps it was due to their aristocratic pure-blood upbringing.
Theodore Nott was quite tall, but he looked almost short compared to the other two. He had curly black hair and brown eyes. His extremely thin stature and his androgynous face made him look just like the kind of models you would see on the ads of Muggle designer labels. He possessed an appealing mixture of bad boy and good boy energy that attracted positive attention from the opposite sex, no matter how hard he tried to blend into the background. Hermione had been forced to work with him for an Arithmancy project, and found that he wasn't all that unpleasant. He had revealed to her in an intense moment that when he was eight, he had watched with his own eyes as his mother was killed due to his father's foolish career as a Death Eater, and pledged then and there that he would never follow down the same career path. Hermione felt extremely touched that a Slytherin would trust her with such a secret, and she promised him that she would take it to her grave. However, for some strange reason, Hermione and Theodore stopped communicating with each other once their project had ended. She thought it was quite a shame, seeing as Theodore was one of very few people she had been able to converse with intellectually.
Blaise Zabini was lanky and his skin was perfectly bronze. His dark brown hair was always shaggy and tousled, and he only ever got it cut when it was necessary. He had vivid dark blue eyes that never failed to enchant girls wherever he went. His charm even worked on older women, and he had used it to convince Madam Pince into letting him borrow a book from the Restricted Section. He was perhaps the most charming and sophisticated male out of the entire Hogwarts population. It was widely believed that he had inherited his mother's unparalleled allure and her undeniable good looks. He was always polite to everyone, but he tended to avoid interaction with Gryffindors in order to avoid any conflict, which Hermione personally thought was wise of him. If only Draco would do the same…
Draco Malfoy was the obvious leader of their group. With his perfect facial features and his muscular but lean body, he was considered by many to be the best looking boy in Hogwarts. His hair was a rare shade of platinum blond, even lighter than his father's, and his eyes were a piercing grey with brilliant swirls of sky blue. He had ghostly fair and flawless skin that even years of Quidditch could not tan at all. Bred by his overprotective and submissive mother and his father who had impossibly high expectations for him but cared for him nonetheless, his whole life had been planned out from the moment Narcissa announced to her husband that she was with child.
"I think I'm going to puke," Ron muttered once they reached the Quidditch pitch, which was already packed with students.
"Just take a deep breath, Ron. You'll be fine, I promise." well, she hoped.
