Imperio ⇢ D.M

Chapter Fourteen

"No way! Ew! Grooossss!" I groaned. Cedric laughed, seeing my disgust at Crabbe. He looked at the table again and sighed.

"I give up, there's no one else worth your time in that house. Who is it?" 

"It's me." Harry said. Cedric turned around to Harry and beamed.

"Harry! Oh, nice to know my sister is in good hands. I'm going to warn you though, don't do anything stupid." 

"Come on Ced, Harry isn't a bad guy." I sighed. Cedric nodded and got up from the table, almost tripping while he did. 

"Well, I wish you two the best." Cedric winked. Cedric walked away, leaving Harry and I confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. Harry hid a smirk from his face by sipping pumpkin juice then shrugged his shoulders. I looked over at Hermione, who looked concerned. "What's up 'Mione?" I asked. She leaned forward to whisper something, but noticed Harry and Ron trying to listen in.

"Uhm, say Arden... I think we should go dress shopping! Wouldn't that sound great?" She said, slightly shaking as she faked her excitement. Hermione quickly shifted her eyes to Harry and Ron, who looked like they couldn't understand what Hermione was saying. Hermione wanted to tell me something without them present, which could have worked if she just pulled me away.

Hermione wasn't the best at lying. She would visibly shake, she'd blush like crazy or her tone of voice would sound so overly acted even a troll could know she was fibbing. 

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" Ron asked. Clearly Ron was just as worse as a troll. Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded her head in direction of the exit. We both left the clueless boys and left the hall.

"You know Harry plans to ask you to be his girlfriend at the ball, right Arden?" She asked. I froze. Harry was seriously going to do this? Oh Merlin, murder me please! I had suspicions, but never really thought about it... Harry is a great guy, just not for me. I sighed and hid my face behind my hands.

"Hermione, you're brilliant enough to kill me and get away with it aren't you?" Hermione scoffed and quickly hugged me.

"I can't tell Harry to not ask you, he'll know I told you and he'll be heartbroken... You're probably just gonna have to say no yourself..." She sighed.

"Couldn't you figure out a plan? To distract him from asking me somehow?" Hermione looked down at her shoes, thinking about what she could do.

"Maybe we could double? Or maybe you could find openings to sneak away when things start getting awkward?" Hermione suggested. "These aren't very great ideas, but it's a ball, Harry will want to be on your side 24/7." I sighed, I really wish I never said yes to Harry...

"I'll probably end up tagging along with you and your date, which is...?" I asked. Hermione blushed and turned away from me.

"It's no one." She said sternly, trying to get me to drop the topic.

"No 'Mione, tell me! Do you seriously have a date and you didn't tell me?" Hermione whipped around, looking slightly angry.

"Oh come on, I actually got a date that isn't bloody Ronald Weasley! Someone actually asked me for me! Not as a last resort!" Hermione said, half excited and half annoyed. "It's a surprise, okay? I really want you to be wowed when you see." She smiled. I smiled too, understanding what Hermione wanted.  "Now, did you want to go dress shopping?" She offered.

"You wanted to do that for real?" I asked. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" I mocked Ron. Hermione laughed and nudged my shoulder.