[BOOK THREE]
With Voldemort at large, the whole wizarding world is on edge. With the murders of wizards and muggles alike every other day, the only seemingly safe place in the continent is at Hogwarts.
With Sirius dead, and Cedric having to go into...
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03
Hermione's stomach fluttered with butterflies as she, along with Ron and Harry, ran through the barrier leading to platform nine and three quarters. Finally, they were going back to Hogwarts. Finally, she was able to see Cedric again, and finally, they were going to spend their time in classrooms with most of Hermione's favourite teachers. Oh, how she longed to see Professor McGonagall's look of approval when Hermione handed in her first assignment of the semester.
As they boarded the train, Hermione caught a glimpse of Cedric up ahead. She wished that she could go see him, but she and Ron had to go to the prefects' compartment for their first meeting of the school year.
"Who do you think are head boy and girl this year?" Hermione Asked as she and Ron made their way to the front compartment.
"I bet Katie Bell is Head Girl, but I don't know about Head Boy," he replied.
"It's probably a Ravenclaw," Hermione suggested.
"Maybe that one who was a prefect last year."
"Who, Octavian Brown? I don't think so, he's not very responsible. I'm surprised he even made prefect in the first place. I always see him abusing his powers. Did you know he makes first years do everything for him? I swear I saw one feeding him once."
"I'm all for using our status to play jokes on first years, but that's a bit much, isn't it? Those little midgets are still confused at Hogwarts, I remember trying to find my way around the castle for the first few months, it was brutal."
"Ron, come on, stop calling them midgets. Don't you remember how short you were in first year? They're a whole head taller than you were at their age," Hermione observed as they passed a group of young students with confused and excited looks on their faces.
"Okay, okay, whatever, 'Mione."
Hermione and Ron pushed through the last compartment until they got to the one belonging to the prefects. At the front of the carriage, as they had guessed, was Katie Bell, and beside her, Cedric, disguised as Cormac McLaggen.
"That guy?" Ron muttered. "Seriously? He's so dull he can't tell the difference between a rock and a potato."
Hermione held her breath; Ron didn't know who the head boy actually was, she reminded herself. "Dumbledore must have picked him for a reason, there's got to be more to him than it looks."
"I think Dumbledore's finally lost his rocker."
Hermione caught Cedric's eye and gave him a small smile. "Let's go sit down," she told Ron. "We should get ready for the meeting."
Ron grumbled the whole way to the front of the compartment, they had to sit closer to the front since they were experienced prefects.
The meeting began when the last prefect walked in, Draco Malfoy. Ron's scowl grew deeper and Hermione rested a hand on his shoulder to keep him from provoking Malfoy.
