New Love Interest

"Rumor has it that Amos Diggory wants to ask you to go to Hogsmeade with him," Lily whispered from behind her hand. The girls were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast.

"If he looks anything like Cedric, I would love to," Hermione muttered to herself.

"What?" Lily stared at her friend. Hermione looked up and flushed lightly.

"Oh! Um, point him out?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily nudged her and pointed out a boy that looked just like Cedric Diggory.

"I think he just might do," Hermione said thoughtfully. Lily giggled.

"Who might do what?" James asked as he sat down to breakfast, his friends right behind him.

"Nothing," Hermione said innocently and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. Lily giggled again. James' eyes narrowed.

"Evans here is not usually the giggly sort," James said with a frown. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"Right, because you have my sort all figured out, do you?" Lily sneered at him in a sneer worthy of Severus. Hermione raised a brow and toasted her with her pumpkin juice. She must have been practicing in the bathroom with that one.

"Come along Lily," Hermione said airily. She stood and grabbed her bookbag. "We have places to loiter, boys to ravish."

"You what?" James' face had turned slightly red and he was glaring at his sister. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"You are such a prig," Lily huffed at him. "It's Hermione for Merlin's sake. Read the Library for places, and Hogwarts, A History for boys to ravish."

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said thoughtfully as they left the table, "I think there's a new book I might try."

"You unbelievable hussy, you," Lily said dryly. She turned back to the table and gloried in the looks on all four boys' faces. She smiled sweetly at Remus. "See you later, Remus?"

For the first time in Hermione's life, she wasn't going to the library. She and Lily walked casually to one of the courtyards and sat on the edge of a fountain, talking. They watched groups of students leaving the Great Hall after breakfast, and Hermione sat up straight when she spotted the tall figure of the 6th year student, Amos Diggory. He paused in front of them and shifted uncertainly. Hermione smiled kindly at him.

"Can we help you?" she asked politely. Amos flushed slightly.

"Er, has anyone asked you to go to Hogsmeade, yet?" Amos asked in a rush, his ears turning red. Hermione thought he looked very sweet, but fought down a giggle. She knew that teenage boys did not appreciate being giggled at.

"Why, no," Hermione said thoughtfully. Lily nudged her frantically. It looked like the red-head was holding her breath or something. Hermione frowned at her.

"Would you, uh, go with me then?" The tall Hufflepuff seemed to trip over his words. Hermione smiled brilliantly, which transformed her from pretty to beautiful. Amos goggled at her for a moment.

"I would love to," she told him sincerely. Amos swallowed and nodded.

"Okay then," he muttered and then he escaped. Lily started choking and Hermione had to pound her on the back.

"Lily! Come on, you're going to give up the game before it's begun!" Hermione was hissing at her.

"Oh, but Hermione, the look on your face," Lily was gasping for air. "You looked like one of those girls that's always hanging on Sirius!"

"I did not! You take that back!" Hermione growled. Lily tried to gain control of herself, but she was failing miserably.

"Lily, Hermione!" Severus called to them with pleasure in his voice. Both girls turned to him with warm smiles. Hermione kissed Severus on the cheek.

"We are so glad to see you! We need to talk to you," Hermione took the opportunity to whisper in his ear. He nodded.

"Amos Diggory asked Hermione to go to Hogsmeade with him," Remus said in his quiet way in the boys' dorm room.

"Who?" Peter asked curiously.

"Amos Diggory. He's a Hufflepuff," Remus replied, glancing at James, and very specifically not looking at Sirius who appeared to be murdering his bedclothes.

"Wait, isn't he that sort of good-looking one?" James asked with a frown. Remus snorted in amusement.

"I didn't realize he was your type," he said dryly. James glared at him.

"No, I mean the girls are always sighing over him." James growled in irritation.

"Only if I'm not in the room," Sirius drawled arrogantly. Remus and James looked at one another and rolled their eyes together.

"Well, she said no, of course," Peter suggested with a glance at Remus.

"Uh, no. She seemed thrilled from what I heard," Remus said with a shrug. Sirius face darkened, which Remus politely ignored, and James, poor oblivious fool that he was, didn't notice. Peter frowned slightly, but it was more as though he were thinking about something.

"Anyway, back to that lioness, what do you think she was?" James asked curiously.

"Wait, you're not freaking out that Hermione has a date for Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked sharply. Remus hid a smile. James shrugged.

"He's a Hufflepuff, he's not going to try anything with her." James said airily. Sirius quirked an eyebrow at James who smiled wickedly. "Especially not after we have a little chat with him."

"A chat?" Peter repeated with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, a cozy chat, real friendly-like," James drawled with a significant look toward Sirius and Remus. Sirius smiled evilly and struck his palm with a fist.

"Excellent," he said with smug satisfaction.

James Charlus Potter!" The shriek was heard by anyone within a fifty mile radius.

Hermione arrived in the Great Hall, her chest heaving, her black curls trembling, her hazel eyes alight with a golden fire. She advanced on her brother menacingly and he had the grace to look embarrassed. Everyone sat up and paid attention because this was going to be good. No one could recall seeing Hermione Potter quite this furious. Lucius Malfoy was watching with vindictive glee. He hoped his ex-girlfriend gave her idiot brother what for.

"Uh, Hermione, you're looking lovely this morning," James said weakly. His sister responded with an incoherent shriek of rage. Lily Evans arrived in the Great Hall at a flat-out run, and when she saw Hermione hurried over. She started whispering in Hermione's ear, and Remus tried to eavesdrop. Hermione nodded and then shook off Lily's arm.

"Fine. You're so lucky that Lily likes your face," she hissed at her brother.

"I do not!" Lily shrieked and covered her face with her hands.

"Uh," James said cleverly, completely shocked by his sister's words.

"However, I am owling mum," Hermione hissed at him. James paled.

"Hermione, you wouldn't!" James complained.

"I would and I am," Hermione growled at him. She turned and ran from the Great Hall. Lily glared at him and followed her friend. Across the hall at the Slytherin table Lucius sighed in disappointment. His current girlfriend, Narcissa Black frowned at him.

"Hermione, wait!" Lily called out after her, hurrying to keep up. When Hermione Potter was pissed off, she could move quite fast. "Where are we going?"

"The owlery," Hermione growled. Lily's eyes widened.

"You were serious about that?" Lily asked in surprise. Usually, James and Hermione covered for one another, no matter whether or not they actually approved of what the other was doing. It was like some sort of unwritten code that the twins lived by. Hermione stopped in the corridor and the look on her face was almost comical—Lily could see her warring within herself.

"Augh! Fine, fine, but I am going to prank that boy so hard he won't know what hit him," Hermione growled. She glared at Lily. "Are you in?"

"Are you kidding me? Hell yes, I'm in!" Lily said with a grin. Hermione's eyes widened. "What?"

"I don't think I've ever heard you use that sort of language before," Hermione said primly. Lily snorted.

"We'll need Severus, you know," Lily observed thoughtfully. Hermione nodded.

"Of course."