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The tension in his face drains away at her tone. "I have it down pretty well with a certain size piece of gravel, but that's not enough for the smaller pebbles. And I can't seem to stack the same charms on the same object; if I get it wrong I have to cancel it and try again."
"We've still got time, but if all else fails you just carry a few pieces of gravel with you and keep trying until you get it right," Hermione says, tapping her lips in thought.
"That's perfect," I say to Harry with a grin, "then I can ask you if you've got a pile of rocks in your pocket or if you're just happy to see Fleur in her swimsuit."
"William!"
"What? Harry will be the one with the solid bulge in his pocket, not me," I say.
"I dunno, William. You might be carrying some gravel, too, depending on how skimpy her suit is," Harry says with a smirk.
"Harry!"
"It's not Harry's fault, Hermione," I say, then a bubble of laughter escapes me at a funny thought. "Actually between him, Cedric, and Viktor, you might be carrying some gravel in your pocket right along with the rest of the female population."
Hermione scoffs. "That doesn't even make sense!"
I grin widely. "And yet you'll know exactly what I mean when I say it."
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The next morning, the surprise – well, a surprise for Harry and Hermione – comes as promised. The three of us receive formal invitations to Greengrass Manor over the Easter holidays.
Hermione immediately replies with a squeal of excitement and a bone-crushing hug for Harry, causing Daphne to smile and shake her head over at the Slytherin table.
"Hey Hermione," I say with a smile, "is that gravel in your pocket or are you just happy to read your letter?"
She's too excited to even roll her eyes at me.
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"Hey Hermione, McGonagall wants to see you."
Those few words send a chill straight through my body.
It would have been enough that Fred and George delivered the message without any jokes or pranks, but given that it's February twenty-third, the day before the Second Task, I know exactly why she's being taken away.
"William?" Harry asks with furrowed brows.
Hermione looks back in concern, and I realize I'm breathing harder than I should be. "What's wrong?"
How the hell am I going to get out of this one? I close my eyes to seek the Void and force myself to calm down. "Just a bad feeling is all."
"I'm sure it's fine, it's just Professor McGonagall," she says with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure I'll be right back."
"Of course," I say back. I look away quickly to stop myself from seeing her walk away, because I'd be too tempted to stop her.
She had kept her distance from me since the kiss, which just goes to show how much stronger she is than I am.
We still catch ourselves sharing the looks that Harry had noticed, but thankfully our physical contact had been limited to entwined arms.
"What's going on, William?" Harry asks.
Neville and Ron look up from the chess board with concern as well as we lounge about in the Common Room shortly before curfew.
"Later," I say, stalling for time.
I turn my eyes back to the book, avoiding Harry's questioning gaze for some time.
Pretending to read isn't working for me, so I stand up and walk away without a destination in mind. I come to one of the stained glass windows and stare at it without taking in any details.
"Nervous, William?" Parvati asks from a chair next to me. I turn my head to see her and Lavender sitting with a younger girl I don't recognize.
"Mm," I say noncommittally.
"Why?" Lavender asks with furrowed brows, and Parvati shoots her a look.
"Harry doesn't seem to be nervous," Parvati says more diplomatically. "You guys have been training for this, right? I'm sure he'll be the best again."
"He's Harry Potter, after all," the other girl says.
"He is that," I say.
Parvati stands and wraps her arms around me. It startles me at first, an effect exacerbated by the small gasp that Lavender makes, but I relax enough to return it before she stands back and pats my arm with a smile.
Surprisingly, it does lift my mood; obviously I am a sucker for hugs. "Thanks, Parvati," I say, returning her smile.
"You looked like you could use a hug."
"I could pretty much always use a hug from a pretty girl," I say. "In fact I think I'm going to walk around looking morose more often if this is how it's going to turn out."
The three of them giggle at that. "I've already said you don't need to resort to tricks with me," Parvati says.
"Although from what I've seen you usually do have a pretty girl on hand for hugs. I can hardly believe you actually managed to become friends with Daphne Greengrass after what Lav and I saw in the dungeon."
"Just a bit of tough love is all," I say with a grin.
"What's the deal with all you guys, anyway?" Lavender asks hopefully. "I even saw Viktor Krum spending time with your group." I see the other girl also leaning in hopefully, which makes me have to suppress a laugh.
"Fishing for the latest gossip, are we?" At her embarrassment I have to let loose a light chuckle. "I'm afraid that the rumors probably make for a far more interesting story. There are no couples among us."
At first I think that she might faint with gossip-induced excitement if I told her what happened between Hermione and I a few weeks ago, but then I remember that she thinks something way more interesting happened even before that.
"What did Krum want, help with the Tournament?" Parvati asks.
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Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 27+ chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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