The Gryffindor Malfoy

Chapter 19

Summary: Carina tries to cheer Hermione up by inviting Stella and Emma to visit the Gryffindor common room. The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw takes place.

Now it looks like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. On one hand, I understand Ron's anger, if another animal had hurt Lyra I'd be just as furious, but on the other hand.... well... the animal's owner is Hermione... As happened during the holidays, Hermione ends up staying with me more than with Harry and Ron because of the fight, so she ends up joining me and my friends from my year: Ginny, Beatrice, Lydia and Amber.

I don't know how a cat as cute and fluffy as Crookshanks can be so dangerous... Not just with Scabbers, Ron's rat, but with others in general, he's not friendly at all. I even get a chill in my stomach when I realise that I'm one of the only people that Crookshanks seems to like, and that he doesn't mind (and even likes) me petting him. Maybe it's because he ended up making friends with Lyra, my cat, or (the hypothesis I like best) maybe he's friendlier with the people his owner likes best. 

Because of this fight, I end up trying to cheer Hermione up a bit. I come up with the idea of inviting Stella and Emma to visit the Gryffindor common room (Stella has been insisting for some time that I take her and Emma, who is also a friend of mine and Hermione's, I imagine would also like to visit the common room of her brother's and parents' house), taking advantage of the fact that the Quidditch team will be training and Harry will be debuting the Firebolt, so most Gryffindors will be outside on the Quidditch pitch watching the training.

"All right, maybe I'll take you to the Gryffindor common room today?" I say one morning in the Great Hall, after approaching the Hufflepuff table. 

Stella immediately widens her eyes in excitement. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" 

I briefly explain to her that Hermione is a bit upset and that I'd like to cheer her up, which obviously causes her to raise an eyebrow mischievously. I just roll my eyes, ignoring her. 

"Great, let's go after class today then." I say before going to the Gryffindor table to have my breakfast.

I invite Emma in the Transfiguration classroom just before the lesson begins, taking advantage of the fact that we're sitting in pairs. 

 "Don't you think it's a bad time for that?" she asks. "Considering we're in the middle of school year and the common room will probably be full?"

I shake my head, giggling. "Oh, that won't be a problem."

She raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, maybe this isn't good news for you, but it's definitely good news for me and the other Gryffindors, but... your brother got the Firebolt back." I say.

She rolls her eyes and sighs, probably because the news is not good for her. 

"I still don't understand what this has to do with the common room." she says, confused.

"We'll go when the Gryffindor Quidditch team is practising. Everyone knows that Harry will be debuting the Firebolt, so I'm pretty sure the common room will be practically empty." I say. "Please?" I ask, pouting. "I'm trying to cheer Hermione up a bit, she's been very irritable and also sad..."

"What happened with Hermione?" she asks curiously.

I let out a sigh. "She's had a fight with Ron. Apparently Scabbers, his rat, has disappeared and he thinks it was Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, who did something. Plus she's upset because she feels that your brother is on Ron's side."

Emma seems to reflect on my invitation.

"I've also invited Stella to come with us." I say.

"All right..." she finally accepts the invitation.