Sunrisepainter: Because of Snape
Hatred
The next morning sat at the breakfast table and thumped absentmindedly trough the Daily Prophet. There were always inflammatory articles about Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore who absolutely insisted that Voldemort was back.
Her mother was a loyal supporter of Dumbledore and refused to believe that he had become insane. She always divined that one day Voldemort would resume power. So Hope grew up with this opinion and considered the articles of the Daily Prophet as obnoxious. She always thought of Harry as a brave and responsible guy, even if she didn't know him personally, and couldn't imagine that he was lying. This baleful reporters! All ignoramus!
She folded her newspaper and tucked it in her school bag. She was about to apply herself to her breakfast when someone plopped down next to her.
"Hey Shycates, how are you today?", Cormac grinned.
"Everyone would feel down if he or she had to attend a double period Defense against the Dark Arts by Umbridge!", she snorted and wasn't very pleased by his company.
"Maybe we should forget about lesson and make a bolt of it!", he leered. She raised an eyebrow:
"You wanna ditch?"
"But only with you together!"
Disgustedly she veered away from him. She never liked this guy.
"No, but thanks, McLaggen!"
He pretended to feel sad:
"But why not? After all even the most intelligent girl of Hogwarts deserves a timeout and together with the best looking guy of this school it would be the time of her life!", he leaned closer and whispered:
"So, what do you think?"
Dumfounded she stared at him. Was he hitting on her in public? Seriously? Yes, he did namely fiercely.
"I don't know what's your intention, but it's never happening!", she hissed threateningly.
Hope raised onto her feed and grabbed her bag. Before she left she said:
"I would never, never ditch class, McLaggen, but much, much unwillingly I would waste my time with someone like you!"
What's wrong with him?, she asked herself as she was heading to the class room, is he serious or just playing around?
But one thing was for sure: She would rather stab herself with a knife than trusting the worst guy of their year (apart from Fred Weasley).
Tauntingly Fred watched McLaggen's first steps approaching Hope. This guy was nothing but dumb! You had to be careful by dealing with a girl like her species, they had sharp claws. She shew them when McLaggen sat down next to her. He could tell from her expression that she was everything but amused. McLaggen leaned in and whispered something to her. She looked back at him in a shock and raised an eyebrow. But McLaggen didn't let go he kept talking at her.
Satisfied Fred remarked the darkening of her face and saw her eye twitching. All of a sudden she raised onto her feed.
"I would never, never ditch class, McLaggen, but much, much unwillingly I would waste my time with someone like you!", were her last worst before she whooshed away and Fred smirked. The winner of this battle was already decided.
"It looks as McLaggen wasn't as successful as he planned", George murmured.
He looked at his twin brother with grin: "I got the feeling my dear brother, that we'll soon gonna have a new victim for our joke articles!" They started laughing.
"What' going on?", Alicia Spinnet eyed them carefully.
"Nothing, what could concern little girls", George said still laughing.
"You didn't do anything improper, did you?, Hermione asked who sat near them and was able to understand every word.
"Of course not", Fred outraged playfully, "we would never dare to play a prank in the presence of a prefect!"
"I hope so!"
"Oh Hermione, don't be so strict! That's just their philosophy!", Harry defended the twins.
"What? You mean being immature and crazy?" Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.
George felt his heart aching a little. Did she really think they were that bad? That they were crazy? All of a sudden he did not felt so great. He watched her shaking her head and reading something out loud in the Daily Prophet. By doing so her lips moved quickly and her brown eyes were filled with worry.
Fred eyed him suspiciously:
"Whats wrong, brother?"
"Nothing", George just smiled dreamily while he still was observing Hermione. Fred followed his gaze and nearly choked on his granola.
"Do you have a crush on Hermione Granger?"
Angrily George looked at his twin brother:
"Do you have nuts? She's the friend of our little brother and two years younger than me!"
"So what?"
"What do you mean: So what?"
"Nobody cares about age."
"I do and furthermore she's like a sister to me."
"Don't you believe it!"
In anger George raised onto his feed:
"Just stop with your creepy fantasies! I don't like her in that way and that's it!"
"Hey man, no reason to make a fuss. I'm just kidding", Fred said pacifying and had troubles to keep back the laughter.
"I hope so!", George growled and sat down under the curious looks of the other student. The subject was dropped.
My brother actually fell for this bookworm, he thought smiling. He would have never that this would happen but it was just too obvious now. Di she feel the same?
Inconspicuously he looked to Hermione who argued with Ron at the moment. Both of them had red faces and Ron waved his arms wildly in front of her.
She was not ugly. He could understand why his brother liked her. She changed during summer holiday. She looked older than before.
He had to lay back and watch the evolution of their relationship. The school year just started and there was enough time for George to confess to her. And there was no doubt about it that he was already crazy for her.
"You come?", his thoughts were interrupted by his twins voice, "we have to go to Defence!"
Fred grimaced:
"Yuck! That's something I'd like to avoid!"
And together with Lee, Angelina and Alicia they set out for class.
Hope was already in the classroom starring moodily at the blackboard. She did not even bother to raise her head as the others came in. Fred assumed that she was thinking about Cormac McLaggen.
Something inside of him rejoiced thievishly that she seemed not to like that boy at all. He and George sat down in the row right behind her.
Curtly after all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs found a seat, Umbridge was already entering the room with firm steps and a formal expression. As always she wore her rosy cardigan and a bright pink slide.
"Good morning!", she said harshly.
"Good morning!", the chorus answered stiffly.
"Please open your books at page three – hundred – four and read the instructions of the Apartment of Criminal Offense Third – Degree and the course of action against criminal ploys and violating the laws of our wizarding community", she said and placed herself behind her desk.
Grumbling the students opened their books and started reading. All except for Hope. She still was only starring at the blackboard.
Umbridge looked up from the essays she was correcting and frowned.
"Didn't you hear me, Miss Shycates? You were supposed to read page three – hundred – four."
Hope awoke from her trance and looked at her teacher quizzically.
"Excuse me, Professor Umbridge. I was just thinking about something."
"So Miss Shycates, I surmise that it had nothing to do with our lesson, that's why I'll deduct twenty points from Gryffindor. I hope with this you'll never let your mind wander again while in class."
The class started mumbling and Hope dropped her head in shame. It had never occurred before that her house lost so money points at once because of her.
"Serves her right", George whispered and Fred nodded.
"I don't remember allowing you to chat! Please get back to your text and be quiet or I won't restrain myself from deducting even more points."
Quickly everybody put their noses back between the pages of their books. This time Hope as well.
Some minutes later the door was opened noisily. Everyone's head shot up jerkily. Cormac McLagged walked in proudly and looked as innocent as if he did not do anything wrong.
"Good morning, Professor", he said happily and sat down next to Hope in the front row. Hope, entirely to Freds satisfaction, moved a little away from her new neighbor.
The professor raised an eyebrow:
"Did you actually notice that you're ten minutes late, Mr. McLaggen?" Cormac smiled:
"Yes, professor. And I'm really very sorry. Especially since your class is the most informative in Hogwarts. But unfortunately I was delayed. My uncle, you'll surely know him, is the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and at the moment he's staying in Hogsmead. The reason is wild pack of Chizpurfles going crazy. He ask me to look if some of them made their way to the castle. I hope you don't mind, because it was an emergency concerning our safety."
"Be careful not to slip on your own trail of slime", Fred taunted.
"Stop your ridiculous remarks, Mr. Weasley. I think that Mr. McLaggen is completely in the right. Safety is the first priority. I'll give ten point to Gryffindor for your commendable behavior."
Fred opened his mouth in indignation, but Umbridge silenced him with just one sharp look. McLaggen smirked. Under his desk Fred pulled his hand into a fist. That was just so unjustified!
Hope was angry, too. She lost points just because her thoughts had been somewhere else for just a moment and he even got points for telling such a big lie. That it had been just an excuse, there was no doubt about it. But she did not dare to raise her voice. She did not want to lose any more points. So she just sent Umbridge an angry look and tried to concentrate back on the book.
"That's so not fair!", Alicia pointed out as they were on their way to Transfiguration, "this nasty little pain in the ass! How badly I'd like to mess up his ugly face!"
"You'r not the only one", Hope mumbled. For a change she was walking together with the other Gryffindors. Amused Alicia looked at her:
"Since when are you talking to us?"
"It could've been the first and the last time", the blond hissed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like this. I was just a little surprised."
"It's alright. Sometimes I'm a little overreacting. Especially when I'm in a bad mood."
"That's a good one", Fred snorted, "you're always feisty."
"Who ask for your opinion, Weasley?"
"Who ask you to walk with us? If you can't deal with me saying what I think, then you may as well leave us alone. I don't want to look at your grumpy face any longer."
"You know what? That's exactly what I'll do! Let's never ever meet again."
She hurried away and started to walk a few meters in front of them. Alicia glared at him:
"Thanks, you insensitive tomato! She just was actually talking to us in a normal sense and you had to mess it up by starting an argument!"
"First of all: What does a tomato has to do with being insensitive and secondly: I don't like her."
"We kind of guessed it", Angelina said, "but you should have contained yourself a little more there."
Fred grumbled something under his breath and kept silent for the rest of the walk. He did not want to think about it anymore. Him and Hope had always been enemies and he knew that this would never change. Ever.
End of Chapter Five