Can You Spell Awkward?
Heh, I am obsessed with fire right now. :)
"Come on; hurry up, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione!"
"Do you have your Prefect's badge, Ron?"
"Hermione, are you sad about your last year?"
"George, I will KILL you for charming my badge!"
It was utter chaos as the Weasley family, Harry, and Hermione prepared to Apparate to Kings Cross Station. But in the end, they were all organized and ready to depart. Except that one time Ron had to go back because he forgot his owl, Pigwidgeon.
Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all hugged their family (and friends-but-basically-family in Harry and Hermione's case) goodbye and lugged their trucks, cages, and etcetera onto the train. They took the first empty compartment they could locate and clambered in. Ginny peered out their window to say bye to her family one more time.
"Bye mum, dad, George!" she hollered loudly. Her parents came over and gave her a quick hug and kiss, and George too.
"Don't forget to get that toilet seat," George said cheekily. "We forgot to give it to you all those years ago." Ginny chuckled and nodded, bidding him one last goodbye before the train started moving. Everyone was acting as if they weren't coming back. But they were, of course.
"Harry, Ron, Hermione," Ginny said as she plopped back into her seat. "We need to get a toilet seat from Hogwarts," she said so seriously, it was quite creepy. The trio that had an ice cream named after them gave her odd looks. "George's request," the red head shrugged.
"OH," said the trio simultaneously. That last statement made everything make sense.
"You're not actually going to do it, are you?" Hermione asked. "That's against school rules and policies!"
"Aw, come on, Hermione. Can't you start being all Head Girl-y once we get to Hogwarts? Loosen up, if only for the train ride!" Ginny complained. Hermione scowled at the comment and returned to the book that no one had noticed she had taken out until now.
Harry checked his golden watch. It was a bit battered up from wearing it during the whole war, but it still worked fine and that was all that mattered to Harry.
"When is your Prefect and Head meeting, Hermione?"
"10:15," the brunette answered automatically without looking up from her book.
Ron grabbed Harry by the arm and looked at the watch. "Blimey, that's in ten minutes!"
Harry wrenched his arm back, put his feet on the seat across from him, and put his hands behind his head. "Well, I'm not a Prefect, so I don't have to go. You guys can just run along," he said with the slightest smirk gracing his features.
"Oh shut up, Harry," Ginny chuckled, good naturedly shoving her boyfriend's feet off of her and Hermione's seat.
"Well, I can trust that I'll see you guys there, alright?" Hermione asked. "I have to meet the Head Boy there right now, and stay a bit after the meeting, too."
"We'll be there, Hermione," Ginny said reassuringly.
"You are excused, high and mighty Head Girl," Ron and Harry quipped simultaneously.
Hermione shook her head, trying to look offended, but her giggles ruined it. Then, she was out the door and headed for the front of the train. When she arrived, the blinds were drawn and the door was closed. She knocked lightly, and when no one answered, Hermione let herself right in.
-d-m-h-g-
Draco put his luggage in his compartment and headed right to the place where the Prefect's and Head meeting was to be held. He just took out his pen and notebook when the door opened and Hermione Granger walked in.
Draco rushed to shove his supplies back into his secret robe pockets (he had some custom sewn into the inside of his robe so he could sneak things around) before anyone saw. When Hermione saw that he was fumbling with his robes, she instantly backed out and closed the door with a shrill, "Eeek!"
"Sorry," Draco heard Hermione's muffled voice from the other side of the compartment door. "I didn't know there were people changing in here."
Draco stifled a chuckle at her reason for panicking. "It's fine; I'm not changing," he called out to the girl.
She cautiously inched the door open a crack, slowly and suspiciously, and peeked in. When she saw that there was, in fact, no one changing in the compartment, Hermione opened the door all the way and walked back in as if she did not panic and screech, backing out of the door like a little girl moments before.
"Of course," Draco said. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him in question. "Who else would be Head Girl, eh, Granger?" he quipped a bit quietly, but still with the same mischievous, arrogant, yet natural, lazy, and relaxed smirk.
"Thank you," she said with an air of finality. "Now, I suppose your Slytherin prefect again?"
He shook his head. "Head Boy."
Hermione's eyes widened a bit.
"Surprised, Granger?" he asked, his smirk growing a bit.
Before she could answer, Ron and Ginny walked in followed by a few more Prefects. Hermione smiled at her friends and waited patiently as the rest of the Prefects trickled in.
When everyone was here and seated, Professor Sprout, the new Deputy Headmistress, came in and gave the students all their patrolling assignments for the first month and the train ride. With the information given, she asked the Heads to stick back. Everyone then filed out.
"So, Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger, you two are the best students in your year. I trust that you are aware that the Heads have to lead the first years in their House to the Common Room, must plan all Prefect meetings and events, patrol along with the Prefects, and share a Common Room?"
They nodded.
"Good." The Professor seemed pleased that she had received to complaints or questions. "I hope that you are aware of the House Unity Movements we have established this year." She just received blank looks. "Ah, the Headmistress has planned a Winter and Spring Gala this year in December and April, respectively. You two are to plan that, and the Prefects will help decorate. Miss Granger, you and Mister Malfoy can discuss then, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "We shall see you at the Feast!"
She left Hermione and Draco alone in the compartment, trusting that they would behave and discuss civilly.
"So..." They said and trailed off simultaneously.
There was a very awkward pause.
Draco was itching to scrawl some fresh new thoughts onto his notebook. He wanted to talk now so he could write later. "We're having two galas this year," he repeated.
"Yea, I think we should try to keep the colours neutral for House Unity or something," Hermione mumbled, still sitting stiffly with her hands folded in her lap.
Another awkward silence formed. And Draco still wanted to write something down.
Can you spell awkward? Hermione thought to herself with a mental chuckle. Shortly afterward, she wondered if there was an actual spell for things like that. She'd have to look into that.
"Well, as nice as it is to sit here awkwardly, staring at passing trees," Draco said with a healthy amount of sarcasm, "we can surely discuss any other time, Granger. I'll be going now." That being said, Draco left the room and let his hand slip to his secret pocket, where he fingered the Muggle pen, clicking it repetitively as he walked back to his compartment.
Hermione left not soon after him.
-d-m-h-g-
Hermione had to admit: Dumbledore always did do the Welcome Speech best. McGonagall did fine, really, but she didn't have that same all-knowing, calm, and breezy aura about her. After she had led the new Gryffindors to their Common Room, she met McGonagall on the fifth floor corridor next to the painting of Sir Isaac Newton (Yes, he was a wizard, too. After discovering gravity, he soon invented the Wingardium Leviosa spell.) Draco was there, too, hands in his pockets.
"Ah, you're here, Miss Granger," McGonagall said when she noticed Hermione's presence. "I had just explained the Head's dorm's rules and such to Mister Malfoy, who hadn't read about it in Hogwarts: A History. I assume you have?"
Hermione nodded eagerly.
Hermione could have sworn McGonagall looked proud for a moment.
"I'll just leave you two to decide on a password, then. Sir Isaac Newton will be your dorm's guardian. Good day to you both," the Headmistress said curtly before walking off.
"Password?" Hermione asked Draco. He shrugged, as if saying, I don't care.
Hermione thought for a few seconds. Then she finally decided on a password. "Our password will be Hocus Pocus," she told Isaac Newton with a wry smile.
Draco couldn't hold back his quip. "What the hell does that mean?" he asked.
"It's a Muggle phrase. Muggle magicians use those 'incantations' as part of their 'magic spells'," Hermione said with a small smile. She remembered when she used to run around her house as a child, with a twig, yelling that and many other 'spells'.
Draco just shook his head, and walked into the now open portrait hole, muttering something about barmy Muggles.
Hermione followed him and was immediately awed by the Heads Dorm.
It had its own fireplace. Hermione loved curling up by the closest chair to the fire and reading a good book. There was a big armchair by the fire, which was even better. A sofa, a loveseat, a coffee table, and one more armchair filled the center of the room. On each side, there were desks and one bookcase, obviously for each of the Heads to work on. Best of all, it didn't look like some crackpot Christmas scene on steroids. The colours were natural and earthy, and Hermione liked it.
She said a curt good night to her fellow Head and floated up the stairs with her name engraved to the side of it, only to find a private bedroom and a huge (unfortunately shared) bathroom.
Hermione smiled. She had a long day, and couldn't wait to drift off to bed. She quickly brushed her teeth (her parents are dentists, after all) and changed into her night clothes and was in her bed in no time. She couldn't help but reflect on what a great day it was. She hoped the rest of the year would be this good, too.
I guess I'm leaving in about a week. I won't have a computer on vacation, but I shall definitely have a paper and pen/pencil/writing utensil! :D Hasta la pasta!
I just wanted to say that... XD