Look at Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 1)

04 - Too Quick to Judge

The next morning, Ellie awoke extra early, taking extra time to put her tie on correctly. Though she hated mornings, she wanted to make sure she looked presentable. She constantly adjusted it, but it didn't seem to look right. Nonetheless, Ellie made her way out of her dorm and met with Cedric in the common room, who immediately approached her with a smile.

"Morning," Cedric greeted in a happy tone.

"Good morning," Ellie greeted.

"How was your first day?" Cedric asked as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder.

"It was lovely, actually," Ellie answered as she remembered Hermione.

"Good to hear. Let's get some breakfast, shall we?" Cedric bowed chivalrously, holding his arm out jokingly.

Ellie laughed as she took his arm playfully, and he ushered them both out of the basement. They made their way towards the Great Hall, taking the seats they had occupied yesterday. Ellie was barely listening to Cedric, but she nodded in agreement to the distorted words. He seemed to be rambling with Quidditch again, making vast gestures with his hands to mimic the actions.

They faced the Gryffindor table, and Ellie found that Hermione sat alone, a book opened in front of her. Hermione caught her stare and smiled at her, blushing as she returned to her reading. They occasionally met each other's eyes, yet they always darted away.

Cedric eventually stood up, and Ellie finally focused her attention on him.

"My teammates have been giving me hell for being late to morning practices. With everything going on, it's a shame that they've canceled Quidditch. On the upside, it gives us extra time to work our arses off for next year," Cedric finalized as he swung his leg over the bench to exit. "Anyways, I've got to go. It's still early, so you go ahead and relax at breakfast. I'll see you later."

"Alright," Ellie nodded with a smile. "I'll see you soon."

Cedric flashed a charming smile as he jogged out of the Great Hall, his robes flapping behind him.

Ellie turned her head back towards the Gryffindor table, but she found that Hermione no longer sat there. She frowned her eyebrows as she scanned the other students, but she she didn't see any sign of the curly-headed girl.

She turned to her other side and immediately jumped as she saw Hermione standing over her as she clutched the book to her chest.

"Goodness, Hermione. Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ellie scolded in a joking tone.

"Sorry, I should've warned you," Hermione giggled as she glanced at Ellie's half-eaten plate of food. "Are you still eating? 'Cause, I want you to meet some people, but I can wait."

"No, no, I'm done," Ellie answered as she pushed the plate of food away from her as she pressed her palms against the table to lift herself up. "Who are we meeting?

Hermione smiled as she took a step towards the exit, waiting for Ellie.

"Some of my friends," Hermione answered. "I'm sure you've heard of one of them, at least.

"Harry? Yeah, I'm sure everyone's heard of him," Ellie snorted as she responded sarcastically.

"Well... I was just assuming since you're..." Hermione trailed.

"That was meant to be sarcastic," Ellie laughed.

Clearly, Hermione didn't take much jokes, but Ellie made it her mission to change that fact.

"I was only joking," Ellie reassured as she saw the slightly hurt look in Hermione's eyes. "It's kind of my personality, if you haven't already noticed."