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"Deanna, we got a letter from Hannah." Susan whispered to her during their Herbology class. Deanna glanced at Pomona who was busy checking some papers at her desk and she went over to her three friends to read the letter.
Dear Deanna, Ernie, Susan, Justin,
I'm sorry I've only been able to send a reply now, but I've been better. Mum's resting well up there, and Dad and I are currently taking a break as well. I don't know if I'll be able to come back this year, but I don't think so. I'll see you four soon though, and thank you for everything.
Love,
Hannah
"At least, she's fine." Justin said when they finished reading.
"I'm still worried about her." Susan sighed and pocketed the letter.
"Maybe we can go visit during the summer." Ernie suggested to them, making the other three agree immediately.
"Deanna Dumbledore?" Pomona suddenly said, making Deanna look at her with surprise, and the serious look on the Head of her House's face was making her feel worried. "Come see me after class."
"What's that about?" Justin asked her worriedly.
"I don't know." Deanna whispered back. Did she forget to submit her assignments? Did she do something wrong? She did not know... She just hoped it wasn't anything serious.
When class ended, Deanna walked up to Pomona with her hands clasped together. "Professor Sprout?"
"Jeez, why'd you call me Professor Sprout so suddenly?" Pomona raised an eyebrow at her. "I heard about what happened last Saturday. I just wanted to know if you were fine?"
"You scared me." Deanna let out a sigh of relief then she smiled at her old friend. "Yeah, just swell. How about you, Pommy? It's been a long time since we got to talk."
"Ah, you know..."
The two Hufflepuffs laughed and conversed with each other just like the old times. Aside from Hagrid, Pomona was the only human friend she had left from her time. Even Scrivenshaft had left Hogsmeade now for fear of his life. And Deanna knew that through these coming dark days, she would have Pomona all the way.
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"Deanna dear! You haven't gone to the last dinner." Slughorn suddenly brought up while they were walking down the hall together to the surprise of some of the students. Then again, Deanna Dumbledore was full of surprises. From her Quidditch skills to the truth behind her return. This was just a normal thing in the Dumbledore's crazy life.
"Ah, Professor." Deanna grinned apologetically. "Sorry about that. I had Quidditch practice that day."
"It's fine. Anyways, come to the party we've got this Christmas, yeah? I'll be expecting you." Slughorn said with an expectant voice.
"Yes, sir." Deanna simply waved him off and stopped in front of his office. "Well, see you soon, Professor."
"All right, dear." Slughorn was about to enter when he remembered something. "Also, you better speed up, yes? Mister Cormac McLaggen might beat you to asking Miss Granger out to the party." With a satisfied smile, he left a gaping Deanna there. That would surely make the Hufflepuff pluck up the courage and confess.
"Flies may come in if you keep your mouth open like that." Deanna jumped at the voice and she turned around to see a smirking Pansy Parkinson.
"B-But he's trying to ask Hermione out." Deanna sulked and crossed her arms.
"Who?"
"Cornick Sluggers... Whatever his name is." Deanna started complaining to Pansy who found it amusing despite the little crush she had on the Hufflepuff. She was working on her feelings and somehow, because of a certain Daphne Greengrass, she was making lots of progress on that part.
Hermione turned the corner and to her surprise, she was met by the sight of Pansy Parkinson ruffling Deanna's hair. Her Deanna. And it seemed like Deanna was fine with it because she was playfully shoving Pansy away. And Hermione wasn't the only one staring because this was even more surprising than seeing Deanna with Slughorn.
All Hermione wanted to do was to go to them and take Pansy's hands off Deanna. She was jealous, but she calmed herself down or she could do something she might regret. When Pansy had finally left Deanna, Hermione quickly went to the smiling Hufflepuff. "What's with you and Parkinson?"
Deanna was surprised at the animosity in her voice. "Er... we're friends. We became friends during the weekend." She didn't know why but she felt nervous under Hermione's scrutinizing gaze. It was like she should know something but she didn't know what it was.
"Hey, Mione. How about some hotdogs, yeah?" Deanna changed the subject to get rid of the tension between them.
Hermione nodded and took Deanna's hand in hers, talking about their classes as they went to the kitchens. She observed how Deanna laughed and smiled. Maybe, that was just it... Friends. She didn't have anything to worry about. Right?
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In the kitchens, Deanna was reading for her Transfiguration homework and at the same time, she was pondering how to ask Hermione out to the Christmas dinner. She tried to ask her out countless times already, but somehow, her tongue would betray her and ask something else. She just hoped Hermione didn't say yes yet to McSluggish.
"That ginger git!" The doors to the kitchens opened, bringing Deanna out of her thoughts. Ginny, Noah and Eleanor came in. The two girls were seething while Noah was frowning.
"What happened with you three?" Deanna spoke up, making the three younger students jump.
Eleanor gritted her teeth. "It's all because of that stupid ginger git!" She, Ginny and Noah proceeded to tell them how Ron caught Ginny and Dean kissing and proceeded to tell her off. When Eleanor tried defending Ginny, he accused her of kissing Blaise Zabini like that as well. That's when Eleanor blew up and started shouting at him too.
"Indeed, he's a git." Deanna nodded at them before looking at Noah in confusion. "Wait, how do you fit into this story?"
"Stupid scarhead." Ginny muttered under her breath. Noah explained that Harry was trying to calm them down and it turned into a full-blown argument. Noah happened to be passing by and Ron had exposed that a certain Colin Creevey was asking him out. And Harry was being Harry....
"He said, "I could care any less. It's not like I like him."" The usually quiet Noah shouted out, making some of the house-elves jump. "He could have told me before that he didn't like me like that instead of asking me out on dates and leading me on."
The three girls exchanged glances at that. They knew Harry and Noah liked each other, and Noah was obviously telling Harry he liked the Chosen One through his words and actions, but Harry was too slow to realize that. They were indeed best friends, Ron and Harry. Slow and slower.
"Don't worry, Noah." Ginny pat him on the shoulder. "He just missed the chance of having the best boyfriend he could have."
"Yeah, two gits, they are..." Eleanor sighed and rested her head on Deanna's shoulder. "Boys are so stupid."
"Hear, hear." The three chorused back, and they all laughed in unison. Boys may be stupid, but her three friends here would still love those boys the same, and Deanna's appreciation for Hermione Granger increased even more. She sighed as she remembered her problem. When will she ever get the courage to ask Hermione out?
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"Oh, Ron."
Deanna was surprised to see Ron on the Quidditch pitch early in the morning. It was the first match of the season between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and she decided to practice before she would meet with the rest of her team, but there was Ron, trying to catch the charmed Quaffles thrown at him. However, the force he was using to throw back the Quaffles was too much. He would break the Quaffles if he exerted more force.
Realizing that the ginger couldn't hear her, Deanna flew up to him and handed him a bottle of water. "You're going to break your hand if you play like that." Ron almost fell off his broom but Deanna quickly steadied him. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah." Ron and Deanna flew down to the ground and sat on the bench. Ron sipped his water while watching Deanna warily. "Aren't you going to get mad at me?"
"You were wrong..." Deanna said after a moment of silence. Ron bent his head down at that and he was about to say something when Deanna continued. "But you're sorry. You're not fine."
Ron looked at her with surprise before letting out a sigh. "I will be. It's my fault anyways. I should have chosen my words carefully. I just... got mad, and I stopped thinking."
"Give it a little time." Deanna gave comforting pats on his back. "Give it a little time and apologize. Ginny's your sister and Eleanor's been your friend since you were children. It will be all right in the end."
"Thanks, Dee." Ron gave her a quick hug, the weight lifting off his shoulders for the first time in days. Deanna's words were what he needed to hear so desperately because even if he was the one who made a mistake, he was only human. He too needed comfort, and he was just glad Deanna was there for him.
Ron waved goodbye to her and Deanna flew around for a bit, just letting herself relax in the air, then she flew down to get freshened up for the game, but she was surprised when she saw someone down there.
"Hermione?" Deanna ran over to her. "What are you doing here?"
"You're sweating and smelly." Hermione said teasingly, making the Hufflepuff Captain blush and subtly sniff herself. "Here."
Deanna became confused at that and she was about to ask what Hermione meant when the Gryffindor stepped forward and started wiping Deanna's sweat away with a handkerchief. Deanna blushed at her actions but she did not move away and just stared at Hermione's focused face, making the Prefect blush under Deanna's intense gaze.
"T-There, all done." Hermione stepped away and she now noticed how well the Quidditch gear fit the Hufflepuff. Now Hermione knew why people loved watching Quidditch matches so much. She now had a reason to go to Hufflepuff's every match.
"Anyways, I just came to say good luck... So yeah, good luck." And Hermione took a leap of courage and placed a short yet sweet kiss on Deanna's cheek, running away after and leaving a stunned phoenix. Deanna slowly raised her hand to her cheek that was warm from the touch of Hermione's lips and she grinned widely despite the hard beating of her heart. She was going to win this.
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"All right!" Deanna clapped her hands and smiled at her teammates. "Stay calm, don't be nervous. We've practiced well, and we've done good so far. Let's show them what we badgers have, yeah?"
A chorus of cheers came from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and Deanna sent them a wink and mounted her broom, her teammates following immediately. They kicked off and flew out, the cheers of the crowd surrounding them. Deanna couldn't help her eyes from roaming around and she waved at Pansy who was wearing a yellow scarf. She looked around again for the person she wanted to see the most and she grinned widely at that person.
"Captains, please shake hands." Deanna shook hands with the captain of Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, firmly. They all went to their positions and Deanna smiled slightly. Finally... It was their time to shine. The balls were thrown and Deanna and Noah nodded at each other.
The seven players of Hufflepuff worked like the gears in a machine. It amazed everyone because Hufflepuff had never played like that before. Even Ravenclaw was overwhelmed. The trio of Ernie, Justin and Macavoy would pass the Chaser to each other easily and steal from Ravenclaw. Summerby who Deanna had trained and taught tricks was now doing feints here and there to confuse Cho Chang. Scamander was blocking almost every shot the Ravenclaw Chasers would throw at him while Deanna and Noah were flying everywhere, defending their Chasers and Keepers and attacking the Ravenclaws.
Hermione watched Deanna fly with awe. She may have seen Deanna fly before, but it was her first time seeing Deanna play in a match. Now, she wondered why Deanna did not play the previous year when she was such a great player. Hermione promised herself then she had to attend every match Deanna played in because this was something she just couldn't miss.
"What is this?" Zacharias Smith exclaimed in disbelief. "Summerby has caught the Snitch and Hufflepuff wins 320-20." Deanna and the Hufflepuff team flew down and cheered each other, sharing hugs and laughing around. The whole Hufflepuff house ran down to them and some were even crying. Maybe, this was their year. The glory of Hufflepuff was coming.
Deanna looked around and smiled when she met eyes with the person she wanted to see.
"You did well." Hermione mouthed to her.
"Thank you." Deanna mouthed back, joy rising in her. She cheered along with the rest of the Hufflepuffs and grinned. The Boisterous Badger was back.
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"Good luck, Ron, Harry." Deanna patted them on the back as they passed by on their way to the Pitch. "You'll do well."
Ron, who looked confident and did not have any nerves at all, grinned at her. "Thanks, Dee. I'll try."
Deanna watched him go with confusion and Harry who was also grinning thanked her and went after Ron. Hermione suddenly came up beside the confused badger.
"Hey, Mione. What's wrong with them?"
"Idiots, the both of them." Hermione muttered angrily. "Harry poured the Felix Felicis the two of you won into Ron's drink!"
"What?" Deanna's eyes widened in surprise. She thought it was brilliant, but she knew Hermione was mad so she decided against saying that. "And that's why he's not feeling nervous at all." She glanced at the still fuming Hermione and wondered what she should do.
Hermione was about to rant more when a hand slipped into hers and gave a reassuring squeeze. She looked up in surprise and saw Deanna smiling at her like the ray of sunshine she was. "Come on, yeah?"
Hermione could only nod because her throat suddenly went dry and her face heated up even more when Deanna intertwined their fingers and led her to the stands. Deanna though did not notice because she was too busy calming her heart down from her sudden actions.
And the match soon started with the sarcastic and unnecessary comments from Zacharias Smith that Deanna could only roll her eyes at, but soon, she was so immersed in the game that she couldn't see how Hermione's eyes were on her instead of the Quidditch pitch. Hermione smiled widely when she noticed that Deanna was still holding her hand because she had no intention to let go.
Deanna suddenly noticed that Draco Malfoy was not on the Quidditch pitch. She looked around at the Slytherins stands and saw that indeed, the Malfoy was absent. A frown made its way onto her face, but she kept quiet for now, knowing that Hermione did not believe that the Slytherin was a Death Eater. Honestly, she was not sure about that too since Pansy only gave vague answers, but that was what she thought.
"GO RON!" Deanna and Hermione yelled along with Jemina, Noah and Eleanor, the Edmonton being the loudest of them all. "GO HARRY, GO GINNY!"
"Seems like we'll be having a hard time with Gryffindor." Noah whispered to Deanna.
"Ah, you'll surely have a hard time focusing." Deanna whispered back, smirking when her fellow Beater blushed and smacked her lightly. Suddenly, Harry had shot up and somehow, he beat Harper who was closer to the Snitch and caught the tiny, fluttering ball in his hand.
The whole crowd burst into cheers and Deanna took the closest person to her into a tight hug, laughing at Ginny who bumped into the stands and made Zacharias Smith fall down.
"Oh, sorry, Mione." Deanna grinned sheepishly and put her down. Hermione just smiled at her, also jumping up and down in glee. The four of them (Jemina went to Susan) ran down to the Quidditch pitch and gave their friends hugs. Well, Noah and Harry settled for a handshake while Eleanor jumped into Ron's arms.
And Deanna, Hermione, Noah, Harry and Ginny exchanged knowing glances while watching the pair of childhood friends shyly talk to each other as if they were meeting blind dates. Was it finally time for slow and oblivious to get together?
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Of course not because Ron struck again.
"Bloody..." Deanna started.
"... hell." Hermione finished. The two of them were in the corner of the room, simply conversing with Eleanor, Harry and Ginny when suddenly, Ginny called their attention to a couple in the corner, and there was Ron kissing Lavender Brown oh so passionately yet disgusting at the same time.
"Wait, where's El?" Deanna suddenly asked when she noticed that they were only four. She looked at the three Gryffindors who looked as horrified as her once they realized what could have happened. Eleanor must have seen the kiss. "Damn it, Ron. I'll go look for her."
Deanna ran out of the Gryffindor common room without another word, and she was about to look around when she heard footsteps behind her. Ginny followed after her with an expression of guilt. "I'll come with you. It was my fault anyways. I shouldn't have said that."
"It wasn't your fault, Gin. She would have known sooner or later." Deanna comforted her. "Now, come on. Let's look for her, yeah?" Ginny nodded and the two of them started walking down the corridor and they heard a sob inside one of the classrooms.
"El?" Deanna asked quietly and the sound of the sobbing stopped. Deanna led the way to where the sound came from and she turned the doorknob, revealing Eleanor who was hastily wiping her tears.
"Hello, Dee, Gin." Eleanor tried smiling at them. "I was just looking around and thought that there was something here..."
Deanna and Ginny went to her and gave her tight hugs from either side. Eleanor broke down into sobs and held onto the two girls for comfort. She never knew love could hurt like that, but love did hurt like that when you were in love with Ron Weasley.
"I'm really sorry, El." Ginny said comfortingly. "He's just a huge prat."
"Is this really what love feels like?" Eleanor managed to ask through her sobs.
"There is no love without pain." Deanna wiped away Eleanor's tears and smiled at the younger badger. "You may be hurt now, but it'll all be worth it in the end."
"How do you deal with it? Deanna when you see Hermione with McLaggen? And when you see Dean with Seamus, Gin?"
"Well, it's not like I'm in love with Dean." Ginny muttered, making Deanna nudge her slightly. "Sorry."
Suddenly, the doors to the classroom opened and out of all the people, it was Ron and Lavender who had come in.
"Oops. I think this room's taken." Lavender giggled and backed out of the room.
"Hi!" Ron said awkwardly, staring at Eleanor who was determinedly not looking at him. "What are you guys –"
"Ignis Rugiet!" Eleanor suddenly whipped her wand out and sent a fireball in Ron's direction. Deanna wondered then if it was a good thing to teach Eleanor that spell, but it was also a good thing that Ron had bent down and avoided the coming fireball.
"Bloody hell! You're mad." Ron whispered and ran out of the room, leaving Eleanor who had sunk down in between the two girls and sobbed on Deanna's shoulder.
"It hurts like this." Ginny spoke up quietly, and not another word was uttered after that for the sound of Eleanor's sobs was enough to fill the silence.
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