The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|44| Dragons

"I didn't start this," Harry said stubbornly. "It's his problem."

"You miss him!" Hermione said impatiently. "And I know he misses you —"

"Miss him?" said Harry. "I don't miss him..."

"Liar," Hermione and I said.

Harry still hadn't mastered Summoning Charms, despite Hermione's and my help. Hermione insisted that learning the theory would help. We consequently spent a lot of time poring over books during their lunchtimes.

Viktor Krum was in the library an awful lot too, and I wondered what he was up to. Was he studying, or was he looking for things to help him through the first task? Hermione often complained about Krum being there— not that he ever bothered us— but because groups of giggling girls often turned up to spy on him from behind bookshelves, and Hermione found the noise distracting.

"He's not even good-looking!" I muttered.

"They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky Faint thing —"

"Wronski Feint," said Harry, through gritted teeth, correcting Hermione.

On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Hermione told Harry and I that it would do us good to get away from the castle for a bit, and we didn't need much persuasion.

"What about Ron, though?" he said. "Don't you want to go with him?"

"Oh, well," Hermione went slightly pink. "I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks—"

"No," said Harry flatly.

"Oh Harry, this is so stupid —"

"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak."

"But you act as if Ron won't suspect that you'd be with us—"

"Cloak or not at all," Harry said.

I rolled my eyes and, together, Harry, Hermione, and I set off for Hogsmeade. As we entered the village, I saw most of the students sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges and some even changed them to Potter Twins Suck when they noticed me.

"You're lucky you're not at the butt of the joke right now," I grumbled as we walked out of Honeydukes.

"For now," Harry whispered.

"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here," Hermione whined.

"Oh yeah?" said Harry. "Look behind you."

Hermione and I turned to see Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione and me; then as she tried to talk to me, we sped passed them. When they were gone, Harry said, "She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task."

My stomach flipped at the thought of the task. Harry and I hadn't spoken about it since the day we were called. I had no clue what to expect and I was terrified.

"She's gone," said Hermione, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. "Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You guys don't have to talk to Ron!"

The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying our free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people I rarely saw anywhere else.