"ADELAIDE! WAKE UP! COME ON" Hermione called, shaking Adelaide awake.
"Huh?" Adelaide asked blinking sleepily as she sat up
"Really! You need to wake up. You'll be late," Hermione said
"I'm up! I'm up...I'm...up...Up..." Adelaide said trailing off, and poof she was under the covers again.
Hermione sighed exasperatedly.
"Adelaide! Come on! Wake Up!" Hermione yelled, pulling the sheets away.
"Noooooo!" Adelaide cried as she felt the sheets leave her.
"How could you, Hermione? How could you?" Adelaide grumbled sleepily, as she was pushed out of bed by Hermione. "It should be a criminal act, I tell you. No one should dare to snatch the covers from someone when they are sleeping. It is a crime! I'll sue you; I tell you. I will sue you!"
Hermione shook her head at her best friend's antics.
☆ ♥ ☆
"What happened? You are usually up early," Hermione said as Adelaide pulled her robes on, who was now fully awake and more like herself.
"I don't know, Hermione," Adelaide said.
"I'm so tired, Mione. I'm soooo tired~ I'm so worried, Mione. I'm soooo worried~" Adelaide sang gloomily.
☆ ♥ ☆
As they entered the Great Hall, there was a lot whispering and weird glances as the went over to the Gryffindor common room.
"Hermione, is it just me or are people staring at us?" Adelaide asked.
"It's not just you," Hermione said. "I'ts really uncomfortable" she confided.
"What's up?" Adelaide asked as she sat beside Harry, who was totally sulking.
"How did the wand weighing go, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry groaned in reply.
"Terrible, I see," Adelaide said, helping her self to pumpkin juice.
"Harry, do you know why they're all staring?" Hermione asked, looking around tentatively.
"Er...well...just something in the paper," Harry said trying to wave it aside
"Paper?" Hermione asked. "The Daily Prophet?"
"Wait!" Adelaide said looking up sharply.
"No way! Neville, can I borrow your Daily Prophet for a bit?" Adelaide asked Neville, who nodded and passed her the Daily Prophet while looking extremely awkward.
"What did that Skeeter woman write now?" Adelaide said as she straightened out the folded paper.
"How did you know it was Rita Skeeter?" Harry asked.
"Who else would write such utter bullshit?" Adelaide said as her eyes scanned the page.
"Harry, since when were you twelve?" Hermione who was reading over Adelaide's shoulder said.
Harry sighed.
"She spelled Krum and Delacour's names wrong" Hermione pointed out.
"Get your facts straight, woman!" Adelaide yelled at the paper. "Cedric isn't even mentioned." she continued
"Yeah, it's all me," Harry said sadly.
"Listen...I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now.... that they will be" Adelaide read out from the paper, adding her own comments.
"Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it. ...what nonsense? ... I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me. . . .I guess that's true"
Harry groaned.
"Harry, did you tell Skeeter that you cry at night over your parents?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't! And I don't cry over them either!" Harry snapped.
"That's what I thought," Hermione said. "So she made this all up?" she continued, frowning.
"Yup. Since when were you the top of your class, Harry?" Adelaide said mockingly.
"Don't talk to me about that," Harry said, shaking his head.
Suddenly Adelaide started laughing.
"Oh, dear...what the?... Oh, Merlin..." Adelaide said gasping for breath, as she laughed.
"What I-am-a-little-teapot bullshit is this?" Adelaide said incredulously after she composed herself. She cleared her throat.
"Listen to this...No offence, Harry but this is stupidly hilarious," Adelaide said.
"None taken," Harry said throwing his hands up.
Adelaide read the paragraph out for Hermione to listen,
"Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of Hermione Granger and Adelaide Gracia, two stunningly pretty Muggle-born girls. The girls are said to be inseparable. Does this mean that the boy who lived is torn between a love triangle? Who will Harry choose? Will this strain the girls' friendship as they fight for the boy who lived?...No wonder people were staring weirdly."
Hermione's mouth had fallen open furiously. Adelaide was staring at the page incredulously. Ginny who was sitting two seats away was looking at them tentatively. Then suddenly Adelaide got a brilliant idea. A sneaky grin spread on her face, before she wiped it off, and put on an expression of hurt.
"Hermione! How could you?!" Adelaide said loudly, getting the attention of many people in the Great Hall. Hermione blinked in confusion, but caught on quickly and played along.
"Adelaide! Why didn't you tell me?!" Hermione cried loudly clamping a hand to her mouth. Ginny who understood what they were doing laughed, Harry was smiling weakly, Ron who was sitting away from Harry, was grinning too.
"How could you do this to me?" Adelaide said, putting a hand on her forehead, pretending to be distressed.
"This is some serious betrayal, Mione."
"I thought I was your best friend! I thought you....me..." Hermione cried. "Why Harry?!" she wailed mockingly.
"Wait. You don't like Harry?" Adelaide asked as though she had suddenly gained enlightenment.
"No. You?" Hermione asked.
"No," Adelaide said as she took Hermione's hands in her own
"Oh, Adelaide," Hermione said looking up at her face
"Hermione," Adelaide said softly.
Ginny was beside herself, laughing clutching her sides. Fred, George, and Ron were banging the table as they laughed. Harry was watching all this unfold as he sipped his pumpkin juice, with a smile.
Many people from the other house were laughing too. But there were a few who took this entire play quite seriously and were exchanging wide-eyed, open-mouthed looks, a few who were even thinking about supporting the 'young couple'.
In retrospect, it was no news at Hogwarts that when Gracia had been petrified, Granger had basically stopped functioning for two days, and if anyone dares to say something about Granger, they had better be ready to face Gracia. Even the way they had entered! They were walking together! At the same pace! And were Holding Hands!!!! Why didn't they see this before?!
"What about Harry?" Hermione asked, still playing her part, although her face was twitching slightly. Adelaide was having trouble maintaining the star crossed lovers-look too.
"I don't know. Do you want him?" Adelaide asked
"No. You?" Hermione answered.
"No. Ginny, you can have him," Adelaide said dismissively.
"Hey!" Ginny said indignantly, going along with their improvised drama, but then she broke into laughter again.
Adelaide and Hermione looked at Ginny and the others who were shaking with mirth, then glanced around the Great Hall, then they looked at each other, then the fell apart clutching their side, and gasping for breath as they laughed uncontrollably.
The reaction and realization were instant. The people who got the joke late giggled and shook their heads. Even the teachers at the High Table cracked a few smiles. McGonagall was rubbing her temple, but her smile was evident. Hagrid's laugh was booming, of course. Dumbledore was chuckling heartily. Snape's face was twitching slightly too. Flitwick and Sprout were giggling lightly and shaking their heads.
"Ohmagosh...did you see their faces...OH GOSH!!" Adelaide gasped between her laughter, Hermione nodded fervently. She was clutching on to the table for dear life.
"Oh, dear...I can't...breathe...oh dear," Hermione managed to get out between her giggles.
"Brilliant! When's the wedding?" Fred and George bellowed. Hermione mimicked a small bow and Adelaide was waving her hand, both giggling as Fred and George bickered over who would be the bride's maid, finally reaching the conclusion that they would need two brides' maids and then went on an elaborate discussion about the dress, roping Lee Jordan in who was giving ideas for the colour.
"Pink would look horrendous with your hair, I'm telling you," Lee said matter-of-factly.
"Nonsense," Fred snapped.
"We look gorgeous in anything," George said loftily as the Gyrffidor table roared with laughter.
WELL THAT THEY DO ;)
☆ ♥ ☆
Cedric's friend handed him that day's Daily Prophet. He was slightly disappointed that he wasn't exactly mentioned in the four-page long article but shrugged it off. It was mostly about Harry. It was only when he reached the last paragraph when he understood why his friend had been so reluctant to give him the paper. He blinked twice at the letters, then involuntarily glanced at the Gryffindor table. Harry was there, but Adele was nowhere to be seen.
"Oi, Ced. You like her don't you?" his friend said. Cedric nodded, not looking away from the paper.
"Then you better ask her out soon. Before she decides to ask Potter out or the other way round," his fellow Hufflepuff said solemnly.
Cedric was miserable trying to not think in the other direction. It was Skeeter after all. And Adelaide and him had exchanged kisses. On the cheeks but kisses nevertheless. She couldn't possibly be playing him. No, he refused to dwell on nonsense written by Reeta Skeeter. He knew Adele all too well.
Cedric frowned slightly, as he folded the newspaper and placed it beside his golden plate, thinking.
He looked up only when he felt his friend nudge him and jerked his head towards Adele and Hermione who had just entered the Great Hall.
☆ ♥ ☆
Many heads turned to look at the girls, who had just entered together.
"They are best friends aren't they?"
"No way!"
"They are coming together?"
"Which one do you think Potter will take?"
"But they seem so close,"
"It's that thing, isn't it? Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer,"
"Are you sure this is reliable? They look quite happy for a strained friendship,"
"Of course. You'll never know the power of a fake smile,"
"Stop being so grouchy!"
"This is so exciting,"
"Do you think they'll have a fight?"
"Imagine that! Two top students fighting. I wonder who'll win,"
"Really? Why don't you focus on your studies or something? You have a lot of time to bother about others,"
"Then why are you staring at them?"
"I'm not,"
"You are,"
"I'm just curious. If they do end up having a duel, who would win?"
"I place my bets on Granger,"
"I say, Gracia. 10 galleons,"
"Do you think they'll end up sharing Potter?"
"What?!"
Even the teachers at the High Table had turned their heads curiously to see how their students would react. There was no way the article was true, was there? Adelaide Gracia and Hermione Granger always sat together, in every class, in the library, in the Great Hall, everywhere. Everyone saw the way Granger broke down when Gracia was petrified during second year. And Gracia always stands up for Granger.
Interlinked hands, same steps, they entered and went to sit beside Potter. The babble grew more in intensity.
"No way!"
"Who would have thought?!"
Cedric felt relieved that Adele was laughing at the article. He was sure it wasn't true after all.
He was trying to take thing slow, but she was seemingly excellent in everything, whether it's her looks and brains.
And it was at this moment that Cedric finally came to a conclusion; he had to step up his game!
Then the drama unfolded. The Gryffindor table was beside themselves, rolling around and banging the table in mirth. Many caught on. But there were a few who were a bit slow on the uptake. Cedric smiled widely and chuckled at the girls' antics.
☆ ♥ ☆
Things were quite pleasant that day. Harry still wasn't talking to Ron, so he came along with Hermione and Adelaide to the library. Adelaide noticed Viktor Krum sitting at a table a bit away from them, so she made sure that Hermione was in full clear view.
"Harry! Sit there," Adelaide said as Harry went to sit in the seat she had specially adjusted for Hermione, who was picking out books from the nearest aisle.
"Why?" Harry asked confused, half-sitting.
"Just do it. That's Hermione's seat." Adelaide snapped, as she went to Hermione and helped her with her books, and put it on the table, right where she wanted Hermione to sit, which Hermione did. Hermione was talking to Harry about how he and Ron missed each other but wouldn't budge because it's their stubbornness that keeps them alive.
Adelaide's plan worked perfectly. Hermione complained occasionally about how Krum's presence was quite disturbing, with all the girls who giggled and stalked him around.
"He's not even good-looking!" she had muttered angrily, glaring at Krum's sharp profile. "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. Adelaide was a bit too busy shipping Hermione and Krum to bother about wrong quidditch terms.
Hermione sat in the library only for a bit and then walked off because she couldn't work with all the chattering giggling girls around.
Adelaide sighed and looked around. Ron's absence was certainly showing. There was a lot less laughter, Harry always seemed on edge, snapping at anything and everything. Hermione was not all too pleased about the entire situation.
☆ ♥ ☆
Harry was frowning at his divination homework, which was not unusual but there was something off about it alright.
The common room was not exactly empty but it was scarcely populated, except for a few seventh years, and the Creevey brothers who were trying to get the Potter Stinks badge to read Support Potter, but all they had managed to do was get the badge stuck on 'Potter Stinks'
"Harry, what is it?" Adelaide asked
"What do you mean?" Harry snapped.
"This isn't about the first task is it?" Hermione said shutting her book.
"Okay listen here. What is the first task?" Adelaide said
"Test your daring, or something. In the face of the unknown," Harry said
Adelaide sighed. She didn't want it to be Moody who told Harry, but if he didn't; how was Harry supposed to learn.
"Remember what I said. I am going to make sure that you win. And bless your delusional heart if you think the task is going to be kept a secret," Adelaide said leaning forwards
"Do you know what the task is?" Harry asked.
Harry, Hermione, and Adelaide were huddled together and speaking in whispers.
"Hagrid was about to tell us what the first task was, remember?" Adelaide said
"Yeah," Harry said, nodding
"Did you see the look in his eyes?" Adelaide said
"He had that misty-eyed expression, you know...the one which he had when...Oh!" Hermione gasped.
"You don't think so," she said, *removing her hands from her mouth. Adelaide nodded.
"Oh dear," Hermione sighed.
"What is it?" Harry asked annoyed.
"Harry, the only time Hagrid had ever looked like that, was when he saw Norbert," Hermione explained.
"Norberta," Adelaide corrected, which the other two ignored.
"So you are telling the first task is dragons?" Harry said
"Looks like it. Hagrid is all excited, even Charlie said he would come to Hogwarts for a bit" Adelaide said.
"Great. As if I didn't have enough trouble already. Dragons!" Harry said throwing up his hands.
"I'm doomed," Harry said gloomily.
"You are not. It might not be so," Hermione said, sounding a bit hopeful.
"Maybe," Adelaide said.
"I'm completely doomed," Harry said, leaning back on his chair.
KISSES ON THE CHEEK, BUT KISSES NEVERTHELESS!
HE'S TOO PRECIOUS!!!
MY GOD I HAD WAS TRYING TO STOP MY LAUGHTER WHILE WRITING THIS LINE