Weasley and Granger

Chapter 27: Gryffindor's new Keeper and Peeves

The next morning Hermione met her friends, and the twins at breakfast in the Great Hall. As walked through the hall she received stares from other students and many were whispering as she went past. As she sat down next to Fred, she only received more people whispering. Frowning Hermione asked her friends, "What's up with everyone?".

Her friends exchanged glances but shrugged in response. "Today's classes were better," Hermione thought to herself. She had Double Charms then Double Transfiguration. In both of those classes, Flitwick and McGonagall would lecture the class about the importance of OWL results. Hermione sat there listening to every word the professors said, in their respective classes, intently.

That afternoon they had Care of Magical Creatures, but unlike previous years, they had Professor Grubbly-Plank teaching them. Sometime during the class, Harry asked the professor where Hagrid was, but she told him that it was none of his concern. Then there was Herbology, where they were again lectured about OWL importance, and Harry continued to complain about Hagrid not being there to teach them.

At dinner, Hermione felt sorry for Harry, as he had to go to detention for Umbridge, for not only that night but for the rest of the week at five o'clock. But she also felt bad for him as Angelina Johnson came up to him and yelled at him since the detention on Friday was right at the time for the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.

As he left for detention, Hermione suggested that they continue to do homework in the common room and wait up for Harry. Ron said that he wanted to but he couldn't as he had to go and do another 'thing'. A thin excuse but Hermione said okay and they went their separate ways.

The hours seemed to drift on, and Harry never showed in the common room. So around eleven or so o'clock, Hermione decided she would talk to him about it in the next morning. When she did see him the next day, it was brief periods of time between classes. But she felt a little better for Harry when she learned that for his detention he had to write lines.

The second and third days of Harry's detention was the same again. Harry went to detention, stuck there for hours and didn't return before Hermione went to bed. Hermione would spend her time doing homework and wondering how Harry was going to catch up with it all.

Then there was Ron who had declined to do his homework and keep Hermione company but instead was off doing something else, which he wouldn't tell her what it was. Both nights, Hermione had also not seen the Weasley twins. But in the back of her mind, she still knew that they would be trying to be more sneaky at testing their products on first years.

Finally, on Friday night, Hermione considered going to watch the Quidditch tryouts as opposed to another night by herself in the common room. But she eventually decided against it, she wanted to get some more homework out of the way before the weekend.

By the time she had been doing homework for a few hours, she was quite tired. Harry wasn't back yet and she didn't really expect him to be and Ron was also absent. She figured he went to the Quidditch trials to cheer people on. She was half asleep in the chair by the fireplace when all of a sudden loud voices of cheering came through the common room door.

At the front of the happy group of Gryffindors was Ron, he immediately saw her and handed her a Butterbeer and told her, "Hermione I made the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"

"Really?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Yes really. That's why I've been out all week, practising my flying!" He explained.

"Congratulations Ron!" She said as it all made sense now why he was so absent during the weeknights. He returned to the party and Hermione took a sip of her butterbeer. But she snuggled in the chair and within moments she found herself drifting into sleep.