Hermione's POV

i was sitting at a table in Transfiguration as Professor McGonagall went on with her lecture. She was teaching us how to transfigure quills into goblets and I was trying very hard to concentrate. But I couldn't. Something was nagging me at the back of my brain and I couldn't help but ponder over it. It was not like it was something major either. It was very trivial in my opinion and was not worth thinking about.

I couldn't help but wonder how Abby had managed to transfigure that handbag into a snake, and a huge, deadly one at that. Sure you could summon snakes from anywhere using a spell but transfiguring an object into one? It just didn't seem natural. And also, if you wanted to summon a snake, you had to know exactly where it was at that moment.

It was just shocking how Abby had managed it. And then, Vanessa had spoken to the snake in paresltoungue. According to Luna, she had told it to attack her. But that could also be untrue since Luna was not a parselmouth and the only way she knew was by the way the snake was looking at her and about to attack. She could have been wrong about that. Justin Flinch Flechery had been wrong to blame Harry in our second year. Still, it was just odd.. And if there really was some advanced transfiguration that could have made the snake appear, it also meant that it could make other reptiles appear too. So why hadn't I known about it? I was pretty sure I had read every transfiguration reference book there was in the library.

"So for homework," professor McGongall started and a collective sigh issued from the room. "A five hundred word essay on the ability to transform into an animal with special emphasis on amimagi."

And so went by another week in a flash. It was filled with homework and exam prep for me. In that week, I found out that Abby and Vanessa were very clingy, though I didn't think Ron or Harry had any problem with that. They would chat non-stop and would never ever leave. They seemed to just appear every time we went out into the grounds, and they had assumed that they were part of us now. Everyone else had grown fairly accustomed to them too.

They would help anyone who needed it in studies or otherwise, or so I was told anyway.

The first match of the Quiditch Cup was held at the end of November and it was Gryfgindor versus Hufflepuff. I wouldn't have gone to watch, had it not been for Harry, Ron and Ginny being on the team. I had started developing a little interest in Quiditch, but that was just the history. Watching the game seemed too boring.

Nevertheless, I found myself sitting in the stands with Neville, Lavender and Pervatti to cheer for the team. Neville would occasionally yell something at Madame Hoach who was refereeing, and Lavender would poke me after every few minutes to tell me the score when I dozed off.

The game was over in about an hour. Gryffindor had won. Luckily, I had managed to see Harry catching the Snitch, and I had watched as Ron saved the last goal.

The team was currently exchanging high fives, and I saw Ron and Harry being lifted onto the shoulders of the twin beaters. It was exhilarating to watch them this happy.

Abby had not tried out for the replacement spot on the team yet. For some reason, I felt that she was not going to either. She was watching Harry with a strange expression on her face as he embraces Ginny and helped her onto his broom. I smiled as the two sailed towards the Forbidden Forest, but when I looked back at Abby, she was full on glaring at their retreating backs.

Something was clearly wrong here, I thought as I met Ron by the entrance to the castle.

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December had begun and as the christmas holidays grew closer, excitement and laughter bubbled inside the castle and snow fell thickly at night.

It was Monday and our first class was Potions. Professor Slughorn had begun giving us piles of homework now and he was getting very serious about our upcoming NEWT's. Today we'd be going over a cheering potion and a potion to cure bruises since most people in our class always seemed to have problems with those. To be honest, I never really understood why: I mean it only took ten minutes to make and it would always go right as long as you payed attention.

We had Potions with the Slytherins and Harry, Ron and I made our way to a table near the back while Ginny was dragged off by Lavender Brown.

After writing the instructions on the board, the professor turned to us and smiled.

"So," he said."Since we have a double class today, we shall have plenty time to go over anything you are having problems with. We'll start with the cheering potion. You all have to work in pairs of two and whichever team manages to complete their potion first will earn a prize. Now here are the teams you'll be working with." He went on reading from a sheet of parchment. Ginny was paired with Lavender and Ron with Vanessa Parkers. That only left Harry. Abby Pervatti and I. I didn't have a problem with anyone since Abby seemed like a good person. Although that episode in Transfiguration did make me think, but she seemed nice enough, and Pervatti was a very sweet person.

"Harry Potter and Abby Triscot," he read "and Hermione Granger and Pervatti Patil."

So Harry made his way towards Abby's table while Ron waited at ours for Vanessa. Pervatti was waving from a table near the front so I went over to her.

"Well, hello partner," Pervatti smiled.

"Hey," I said putting my bag down and glancing over at the board. We worked comfortably together. Pervatti would fetch the ingredients and we'd take turns between slicing them and stirring them in. We were almost done when I heard loud giggling coming from the back and I turned around to see Vanessa Parkers laughing hysterically, clutching her side.

"Oh, Ron," she said between giggles. "You are so... so funny!"

"Well, I try," Ron smirked, pushing his hair our of his face.

"No, no, this is serious, Ron. We had to stir it anticlockwise and add sliced tomatoes. Not tomato sauce!"

"Hey, the sauce was chunky so I thought it would save us the trouble!" Ron laughed and Vanessa rolled her eyes hitting him on the arm. Was it just me or had that playful slap seemed a little too playful? Why was Ron going scarlet?

But I quickly dismissed these thoughts when Harry's voice rang throughout the room, "We're done!"

Professor Slughorn made his way over to where Abby and Harry were and beamed. "Why am I not surprised? It is after all my star potion-maker! Good job, Harry,"

"Well, it was mostly Abby, sir," Harry mumbled.

"Ohh, was it now?" he asked. "Excellent job, my dear. Just the type of potion-makers I'm proud of. I can tell you are very, very intelligent."

"Well, I do my best, professor," she grinned as the professor walked away, chuckling.

Pervatti and I finished our potion and walked up to the professor's desk to get it graded. As we were coming back, I saw Harry, Ron, Vanessa and Abby conversing in a group. They seemed to be having fun, laughing and joking around. Abby said something and the whole group broke into laughter and then Vanessa whispered something in Abby's ear and she told it to Harry who grinned broadly and then Ron pouted,

"Vanessa! I hate it when you do that!" he frowned cockily and Vanessa laughed and said,

"Come on, guys. We should go to the courtyard before all the good spots by the fountain are taken!" They all proceeded to walk out of the room, laughing and chatting.

"Well, they seem to be having fun," I turned to see Ginny standing behind me with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah," I said simply. I was feeling a little annoyed. It was as if they had forgotten Ginny and I were supposed to go with them. And since when did the two new girls become a part of our group? Okay maybe that was overreacting a bit but being new gave them no right to make plans for morning break without even telling us.

"Vanessa thinks too much of herself," Ginny said.

"Yeah," I couldn't help but agree."She doesn't even laugh right." It was true her giggles were sugar-coated and seemed to be dripping with artificial girly laughter.

"And I'm guessing Abby is not who she says she is," Ginny said thoughtfully.

"How?"

"This fell out of Abby's bag when she was getting up from her desk but she was too busy babbling on and on to even notice,"

She opened up her bag to show me a black leather-bound book with a plain cover. At the back were the words.*This diary belongs to Erin Hunt* and underneath was a picture which seemed vaguely familiar. The girl had blue eyes with brown hair. The shape of the face was just like Abby's and the eyes too.

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A/N

Ooohh someone's feeling left out! But what do you think of the Erin Hunt part? And how do you feel about Harry and Ron completely forgetting about Ginny and Hermione?

Vote and Comment please!!