SuperPotterLock- The Prisoner of Azkaban

The Quidditch Final

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors.

'Have you ever seen anything so pathetic?' said Malfoy. 'And he's supposed to be our teacher!'

The three boys made furious moves towards him, but Hermione got there first – SMACK!

She had slapped Malfoy around the face with all the strength he could muster.

Malfoy staggered and the rest of them looked flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.

'Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul – you evil –'

'Hermione!' said Ron, trying to grab her hand.

'Get off, Ron!' Hermione pulled out her wand.

Malfoy stepped backward, and Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.

'C'mon,' Malfoy muttered, the three of them disappearing into a passageway to the dungeons.

'Hermione!' Ron said again, both stunned and impressed.

'Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!' Hermione said shrilly. 'You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin win!'

'We're due in Charms,' John reminded them. 'We'd better go.'

'You're late, boys!' said Professor Flitwick as they entered the classroom.

John felt an odd vibration behind him and turned, but there was nothing there. 'Wait,' he said, 'where's Hermione?'

'She was right behind us,' said Ron, frowning.

'That's weird,' Harry said. 'Maybe she went to the bathroom or something?'

But she didn't turn up all lesson. They'd split up into pairs and practice Cheering Charms on each other. Neville only managed to produce a weak chuckle out of John, but several times, John heard Sherlock's laugh across the classroom. He turned every time to see Sherlock doubling over, eyes creasing at the corners.

They all left the classroom in a very good mood, but Hermione wasn't at lunch either.

Sherlock and Castiel left for Transfiguration, while the rest of them hurried up to Gryffindor Tower.

'You don't think Malfoy did something to her?' said Ron anxiously.

They scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room, where they found Hermione fast asleep at her table, head resting on an open Arithmancy book.

Harry prodded her awake.

'Wh-what?' said Hermione, waking with a start. 'Is it time to go? Which lesson have we got now?'

'Divination, but not for another twenty minutes,' said Harry. 'Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?'

'What? Oh, no!' Hermione squeaked. 'I forgot to go to Charms!'

'How could you forget?' John asked, confused. 'You were with us till we were right outside the classroom.'

'You know what, Hermione?' said Ron. 'I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much.'

'No, I'm not!' Hermione insisted, brushing her hair out of her eyes. 'I just made a mistake, that's all. I'd better go to Flitwick and say sorry... See you in Divination!'

Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later. 'I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms!' she said. 'And I bet they come up in our exams. Professor Flitwick hinted they might.'