The Hufflepuff

Six

The next two weeks breezed by in a flurry of homework assignments, meetings for the Hufflepost, tuition with Malfoy and prefect duties twice a week that had more and more frequently resulted in Eleanor and Reggie being paired up together for reasons she couldn't explain.

"So have you heard about the meeting some of the fifth year Gryffindors were organising in Hogsmeade this weekend?" Reggie asked Eleanor as they set off on their route for the night, patrolling the halls for any adventurous students.

"Cyn did mention something that Hermione had told her about when they met up to discuss S.P.E.W, but I don't know what it's about."

"Well from what I gathered it's supposed to be some sort of Defence class that actually teaches something instead of that rubbish Umbridge has been making everyone write. You should definitely go and afterwards we could get lunch from the Three Broomsticks?"

"Sure sounds great, I'll make sure to let Cyn know when I get back to the dorms. She never can turn down food."

"Oh-yeah Cyn. Right." Reggie flushes for a second before falling into silence, only speaking again to say goodnight to Eleanor at the end of their patrol.

Making her way as silently as possible through the common room Eleanor pauses by Cynthia who is asleep huddled over her latest story for the Hufflepost. Knowing better than to wake her she grabs a blanket from the nearest couch and tucks her in, moving the ink bottle out of the way should she shift in her sleep.

"He just lacks basic manners," Eleanor says to Cynthia as they discuss Friday nights tuition during the walk down to Hogsmeade.

"Oh come on now he isn't that bad, don't you remember Moody last year? He proved to us that Malfoy, though not a good person, makes for an excellent pet ferret. And you can hardly expect a ferret to have manners, can you?"

"I dunno, my cousin had a ferret once and he could've shown Malfoy a thing or two about manners." Susan says, joining in on their conversation.

A snort escapes from Cynthia as she bursts into a fit of laughter, prompting both Eleanor and Susan to join in all the way up to the door of the Hogs Head inn where a group of students are making their way inside.

"Have you ever been here?" Cynthia asks, sobering up and handing some coins over to one of the red haired Weasley twins while the other hands out dusty bottles of butter beer to everyone.

"Hmm, you know funny enough it's not really my scene," Eleanor says, eyeing some of the more suspect clientele skulking around the bar.

Taking a seat with Susan they look towards Harry and Hermione who are clearly leading this meeting, Eleanor spotting Reggie with some of his friends across the room.

"Oh yeah Cyn we're going to lunch with your brother afterwards."

"Um. Why the fuck would he take us to lunch?"

"I don't know, he asked me while we were doing Prefect duties Wednesday night."

"And you said yes?"

"Well yeah, and I told him I'd let you know but I forgot until just now."

"Wait. What exactly did he say when he 'asked us to lunch'?"

"We were talking about the meeting today and he said I should go and then he said after we could go and have lunch at the Three Broomsticks."

"And so you just inferred by we he was including me?"

"Of course, why on earth would he want to go to lunch with just me? It's not like I'm his sister nor are we particularly close friends."