Confusion?

Chapter Seven

"Lavender, what is wrong with Hermione?" Parvati asked her best friend on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I know what you mean! It's as if she's afraid to have fun or something!" Lavender said in her patently bubbly voice.

They both giggled.

"You messed up last night," Lavender continued.

"What do you mean?"

"You sighed and mumbled 'I wish Harry were here!'"

"You don't think Seamus heard that?" Parvati asked, sounding concerned.

"Nah, but, everyone knows you still have a thing for Harry!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Then why did you say that?"

"It just came out!" Parvati said in her defence.

"Suurrrrre!" Lavender said, rolling her eyes.

"I swear on Moody's eye! I don't still like Harry." Parvati said, trying very hard to keep a straight face only. She looked like she was eating a lemon.

"I've read your diary," Lavender answered smugly.

"Excuse me?"

"September the seventeenth, and I quote, 'Oh, I wish Harry would notice me!'" Lavender repeated from memory.

Parvati gasped.

Lavender continued to recite passages from Parvati's diary until Parvati poked Lavender."The boys are coming over. Shut it!" Parvati said sternly.

Seamus and Ron approached the two girls.

"H-hi," stuttered Ron. Ron was still shocked he was dating one of the best looking girls in his year.

"Hi," Lavender said, nodding.

"Are you well?" Seamus asked Paravti.

"Uh, I guess so. How about you?" she responded.

He just nodded. There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Has anyone seen my little brother? I wanted to ask him about his first few days at Hogwarts," Seamus questioned.

Hermione came up behind them. "He's over there," she said, pointing to a group of firsties.

Seamus walked over to his brother, Ron followed.

"How was your 'escapade' last night?" Hermione asked, in a slight mocking tone.

"You are missing out on something, Hermione. You really should hook-up with Dean!" exclaimed Lavender.

""I don't get you, Lavender, you could do so well with your studies, but you waste all your time reading American fashion magazines that chalk full of words that don't even resemble English!" Hermione said, feeling frustrated.

"So - that's a maybe?" Lavender asked cheekily.

"No, Lavender, it's a NO!" Hermione walked away.

They started another gab-fest as soon as Hermione was distant.

"She is so mean-"

"She always has her nose in a book! Padma does too - but is she so bossy-"

"I know what you mean and her hair is just-"

"UGH!" they said in unison

"Do you remember last year before the ball when we did her hair? It was beautiful! She ruined it all by the end of the night. And she used up all of your Hair Potion and didn't even buy you a new one!"

"They are getting to be so expensive. Did you see the prices at Warts Wellington?"

"They sell some pretty low-end stuff there! I mean what modern-day witch would actually want a wart?"

Just then Wanda the Warted, a ghost, flew by. Both of the girls just couldn't stop giggling.

***

Was Catherine sure she could do this? The Dungbombs were ready, the worms were ready, Pansy and Millicent were at the top of the stairs waiting. All that was left to do was to wait for Hermione to come out of the Prefect meeting. Pansy and Millicent were getting restless. They waited, and waited, and waited - until finally a few people started to come out.

First came a group of Hufflepuff Prefects then. Sally-Anne and Draco and some Sixth Year Slytherin and Ravenclaw Prefects. Sally-Anne gave Catharine a little wave and whispered, "Hermione should be out soon."

Hermione finally came out; she was with Dean, the boy who flirted with Catharine on the Hogwarts Express.

"Hi, Catharine!" he exclaimed, slightly blushing.

"Uh, hi, Dan," Catharine said, trying to shrug him off.

"It's Dean. Howja like your first weeks at Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Uh, it was great. Listen, I really have to go," she said abruptly, trying to ward him off. Hermione was walking away.

"I was wondering if you wanted to - on the next Hogsmeade trip - I was wondering if you wanted to maybe have a drink with me at the Three Broomsticks?" he asked her, blushing very much.

"Uh, sure, whatever. I really have to go now!" she said, walking away.

"See you in Hogsmeade," he winked.

"Hermione! Hermione! Hermione! I need to talk to you!" Catharine called.

"What?" Hermione asked, sounding very frustrated. She had had a rough day: Parvati and Lavender gossiping about her, Ron pulling her hair, someone called her a Mud-blood again, the worst was when someone told her that Catharine didn't like her.

"I was just wondering if you could help me with my Arithmancy homework? We didn't have Arithmancy at Constance," she asked.

"Okay," she said. Maybe she doesn't hate me after all, Hermione thought.

"Let's go upstairs to the library," Catharine suggested.

"I can't right now, I need to change," Hermione said.

"No! I mean you look great," Catharine said, trying to convince Hermione.

"Oh, okay," Hermione said begrudgingly.

The girls walked up the flight of stairs. Pansy was there, and immediately pulled her wand out, using a spell which ripped the fabric. Millicent passed the jar of Dungbombs and worms to Catharine who poured them down the back of Hermione's robe.

If there was one thing Hermione hated, it was worms. She started to scream. The three Slytherin girls laughed. A bruly Slytherin sixth year came out with Coiln Crevery's stolen camera. She snapped some pictures of Hermione. Hermione started to cry and ran off.

***

The prank was a success. This Catharine wasn't so bad after all. Millicent had never had seen Hermione cry like that before. The day was going great.

Millicent was on top of the world until Goyle came in with some bad news.