Estranged • Harry Potter {2}

4

Quidditch tryouts. Of course they had to happen on such a dreary and ugly day. Fall had truly come to Hogwarts and the bite of cold signalled winter was coming. It was a good month and half into school and I was doing well in classes so far.

Slughorn worshiped me; thought I had a real gift like him and Snape. I just thanked him kindly, refusing to want to be like either one of them.

Speaking of Snape. Extra classes with him were... interesting. He was just as quiet as he normally was, until I got something wrong. He's saved me from blowing up the school a few times but most of the time he just sat in his corner and grunted. Or did his own work.

I still didn't really know what he was doing with me and why he wanted me there at random times. Some days he called on me and some days he didn't.

I tried to talk to Draco a few times and was met with a sour face and/or Pansy blocking me. Blaise was still giving me warm pleasantries when he could and slowly, he started to seem less suspicious. Still, why would I ever trust him?

I got to the pitch as Harry gave commands as to how the tryouts would work. Snape had kept me a little later than usual but I got out just in time.

"Hermione." I said, sitting next to her. "Surprised to see you here."

"Of course I'm here." She said quickly, glancing at me. "Came to support my friends."

"Of course." I nodded slowly, watching her as she fidgeted with her coat sleeves.

She was sitting a lot more together than she usually did and her shoulders were almost up to her ears. She waved at someone and I followed the direction but the players were too clumped together for me to see.

I decided to stay quiet, a little afraid of Hermione's skittish behaviour.

The players went up and the tryouts began. I kept a close eye on Ron and watching him made me cringe. No matter what he did, my own shoulders drew to my ears and at one point, I had to cover my eyes. Still, somehow, that clumsy boy didn't let a single quaffle get through the hoop.

"Brilliant!" A girl breathed rather loudly.

I searched the stands briefly until I found Lavender Brown, clapping away for our very own Ronald Weasley. She had been going on about a boy the past month but I never really paid attention to who. Now... it just seemed weird.

I clapped for Ron as he stopped another quaffle and Hermione clapped softly next to me. Next up was McClaggen. I knew him by name but not much else. A few girls giggled when he was around but other than that he didn't seem real interesting to me.

He was pretty good. Watching him in all his confidence gave me a twinge of fear. Ron may not make it. Sure, he did his job but he wasn't as confident as this other Gryffindor boy and to be a keeper, it's something he needed.

"Confundo." Hermione whispered.

McClaggen's broom jerked and the Quaffle Ginny threw, went right through the hoop. My eyes went back to Hermione and she clapped softer than before, before feeling my eyes on her.

"What?"

I shrugged and turned away. "Nothing."

Hermione turned away and I smiled a little, unable to stop it. The wheels were starting to turn in my head and I slowly started coming up with some theories as the tryouts came to a close.

Hermione and I walked down together and waited for the boys to change. She stuck her hands in her coat pockets and I watched her as she shuffled her feet and shivered from the breeze that swept over us.