Harry Potter - Fanfiction

Year 4 - Hermione's Predicament

And the aftermath of the second task is that everybody is very keen to hear details of what happened down in the lake, which means hordes of students crowd around the champions asking them for the blow by blow.

However, my sister is being teased non-stop now for being the thing that Viktor Krum will miss the most, which is putting her in a rather tetchy mood.

As we enter March the weather becomes drier, but cruel winds skin our hands and faces every time we are out on the grounds. There are delays in the post because the owls keep being blown off course. Poor Draco's owl delivered his usual supply of sweets one morning with his feathers all dishevelled and looking tired from battling the harsh winds.

One Saturday morning Tracey and I leave the castle at noon to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather is milder than it has been all year, and by the time we arrive in Hogsmeade, we have taken off our cloaks.

Heading off to Zonko's Joke Shop first to buy some supplies for pranking Pansy and her gang, then Honeydukes for some sweets and then taking a slow stroll through the woods towards the Shrieking Shack where we find ourselves a small hill to sit on, a little way off the path of others passing through that is still in view of the Shack.

We sit in silence as we munch down on some Fizzing Whizbees.

Tracey looks over to me as she helps herself to another one. "I heard a rumor about George the other day."

"Why do you involve yourself in the gossip of Hogwarts, it's mostly made-up stories anyways," I sigh.

"This one isn't," she adds.

"How would you know?" I peer at her questioningly.

"Because I heard it happening right in front of me," she admits.

I lay down on the grass and stare up at the sky, using my cloak as a pillow. "Then how is it a rumor?" I ask as I make myself comfortable.

Tracey stays silent for a moment. "Okay, I don't know why I said rumor... I think all the sugary sweets is eating my brain away."

I chuckle as I look over at her again, "then stop eating them and save some for tomorrow."

"Fine," she huffs with a smile placing the sweet she had just taken back in the packaging. "So?" she asks expectantly.

"So, what?" I shrug.

"Don't you want to hear what I heard?"

I look up at the sky one more time before closing my eyes. "I couldn't really be bothered; I don't take interest in what other people say. But I know you going to tell me anyways."

"I told you it's not a rumor, I heard it out of George's mouth," she objects.

I raise my eyebrows, my eyes still closed. "Really? I hope you weren't off with one of your stalker groups again, stalking him."

"Maybe, maybe not," she answers sheepishly.

"Why am I not surprised... Well go on," I sigh, "tell me what you heard."

"Well, he was talking to another girl, from Hufflepuff," she pipes up excitedly. "She was asking him out on a date for Hogsmeade today, but..." she pauses for dramatic effect.

"But?"

"He turned her down, said that he can't say yes when he has feelings for someone else." She beams. "Now the rumor that's going around is that it's you."

I gaze over to her with a serious expression. "But you know it's me, I told you he confessed how he felt, so it's not really a rumor... Again."

"Yes, but nobody else knows that. So, it's a rumor for them okay." She pouts out her bottom lip as she crosses her arms across her chest.