Hey! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I have a new chapter for you! I know it's not that long, but it's something right?

JUST A QUICK NOTE! So a few months ago I had posted a story about Harry Potter characters reading the books, but the website had taken it down. BUT I found anotherv website called Archive of Our Own and was able to post it there! So if you wanna read it the link is in my bio! Please do!

Payback at the Mall

Theo looked around with interest as he entered the room he'd now be staying in. Edward and Emmett were currently out buying three more beds for their three new guests; Theo rooming with Draco and Blaise, Neville with Harry and Dean, and Oliver with Cedric and Marcus. Luckily the rooms were big and spacious, so they could all fit another bed without taking up any room or being cramped.

Theo set his bags in the corner of the room and turned to look at his two best friends. Both had grown an inch or two since the last time he'd seen them, but so had he. Before he used to be shorter than both of his friends, but now they were all about the same height, which made Theo very happy. As he observed his two friends he took in their worried expressions.

"Guys," Theo started, smiling reassuringly, "I'm fine. Really." At Draco's doubtful look he said, "I promise. I feel more bad about the Normans than I do for myself. They were put into danger trying to protect us." Theo looked down in shame and guilt.

Draco walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Theo, they signed up for it. They knew what they were getting into. They knew there was a possibility of an attack. This is in no way your fault."

Theo looked up at his best friend, eyes wide and full of guilt. "But Draco . . . my father was one of them. And . . . so was yours," he said.

The hand on Theo's shoulder tensed as the blonde stared at him, his own eyes widening a little in slight panic. "H-How do you know?" Draco asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"I could see my father's tattoo on his neck," Theo said. Alexander Nott was famously known in the pureblood community for his tattoo of a snake that coiled around his neck with eyes that looked so real it gave everyone chills. "And your father's hair was sticking out of his hood. Guys, what if my father attacked the Normans because of me?! What if he knew I was there?!"

"Stop it," Draco demanded sternly. Blaise moved to stand beside Draco and nodded his head in agreement, an equally stern look marring his face. "It is not your fault, so stop that thought right now. You didn't ask for that, you didn't cause that in any way, whether they knew you were there or not. It happened, but it's over now. There's nothing you can do, so there's no point in dwelling on it."

Theo stared at his two friends before sighing and nodding his head, knowing they were right. "Alright," he said, a hint of guilt and uncertainty still lingering in his tone.

Draco softened his hold on Theo's shoulder and shook him lightly before letting go.

Theo sighed and plopped down on Blaise's bed. "So," he said, "what's it like here?" he asked.

Draco grinned and Blaise's lips twitched. Theo was surprised, never seeing such emotion from either. "It's great here!" Draco exclaimed with a childlike excitement that Theo hardly ever saw. "The Cullens are so nice! And this morning Hermione, Blaise, and I pulled the best prank on Cedric! Last night we—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Theo interrupted. He couldn't help but smirk a little at Draco's annoyed expression, knowing the blonde hated to be interrupted when he was telling a story. "Hermione? As in Hermione Granger?" At their nods Theo's eyebrows rose in surprise. "When did that happen?"

Draco proceeded to tell Theo all that he's missed while Blaise nodded along. Theo thought he saw a hint of a smile on the quiet boy's face whenever Draco would mention Hermione. Well, that's interesting Theo thought, smirking slightly.

"Children! Lunch is ready!" Esme shouted.

"Food!" the boys could hear Dean shout and soon the rush of feet hitting the ground could be heard soon after, running past their door.

Draco and Blaise exchanged a knowing look. "Dean," Draco said, shaking his head and Blaise nodded. Theo got the idea that this was a regular thing. "Come on, Theo. Afterwards you can help Blaise, Hermione, and I come up with a new prank for Cedric."

Theo nodded, smirking slightly, and stood to follow Draco and Blaise down to the kitchen.

When the boys entered the kitchen they saw that everyone else was already there. Blaise immediately took his seat next to Hermione, something Theo noticed right away. Draco smirked at him before leading him to the other side of the table, taking his usual seat next to Harry and across from Hermione. Theo took the seat to Draco's left, across from Blaise.

"How are you feeling Theodore?" Hermione asked. Theo looked up in surprise, not expecting the bookworm to talk to him directly.

"Uh, I'm fine. Better. Thanks?" he said, his thanks sounding more like a question than a statement.

But Hermione didn't seem to notice, just smiling and nodding. She picked up two sandwiches from the platter in the middle and held them up to Blaise. "Ham or turkey?" Blaise took the ham and nodded his thanks. Hermione placed the turkey on Harry's plate, who smiled his gratitude, and picked up another ham sandwich for herself. Theo raised an eyebrow at her actions, but kept quiet and grabbed a turkey sandwich.

Esme stepped up to the table with a pitcher of fruit punch. "So, kids," she said as she sat the pitcher down on the table, "we are going to go to the mall today and get you guys some essentials that you'll need."

"Like clothes!" Alice said excitedly, clapping her hands together. Hermione groaned, already knowing that as one of the only two girls here she would be an ultimate target for the excited pixie. Edward caught her groan and chuckled, causing her to stick her tongue out at him.

Cedric grinned from his place on the other side of Blaise. "Hey you know what I think? I think Alice and Rosalie should take the girls for a girls day out. You know shopping for clothes, makeup, and other girly things. That way us guys aren't in the way and cause an annoyance. What do you think, Alice?" he asked, his grin widening at Hermione's murderous glare.

Alice squealed, bouncing up and down. "I think that's a perfect idea! Ooh, we can buy you girls the perfect wardrobe and get your hair and nails done! And we can . . ." As Alice babbled on Hermione glared so fiercely at Cedric the boys around her scooted away in fear that she'd start spitting fire. All except Blaise and Cedric, the former just looking at the girl with pity while the later sat there grinning widely. He knew she'd probably make him pay later, but it was worth it knowing she'd be suffering for a few hours.

"Uh," Draco said hesitantly, cutting Alice's excited babble short. "What's a mall?"

"A mall is a big building made up of small stores," Hermione growled, her eyes not leaving Cedric's pleased face.

Oliver nudged Cedric and whispered, "You're dead, mate."

Cedric glanced at him a whispered, "Oh trust me. I know, mate."

xxXxx

"Remind me again why we need new clothes," Marcus asked with a sneer, as he looked up at the building they had called a "mall".

"Because," Carlisle said as he led them inside, "your wizarding clothes will make you stand out in the muggle world."

Marcus grumbled as he followed the head of the house. His scowl deepened when they entered the busy building that was buzzing with life. People were walking to and from each department, some taking their time while others hurried around, obviously in a rush. The sounds of screams and laughter from children echoed through the loud chatter. Marcus snarled in disgust. Muggles, he thought.

Alice squealed for the millionth time that day and Hermione closed her eyes in annoyance. "Come on girls!" the excited pixie exclaimed, grabbing Hermione and Luna's hands and skipping through the mass of people. Luna skipped along while Hermione was practically dragged. Rosalie rolled her eyes before calmly following after the two.

Harry shook his head in pity as he watched his best friend be taken away. "Poor Hermione," he said. Cedric cackled madly, taking great amusement from Hermione's obvious horror. Blaise's eyes followed the girls until they were out of site, slightly annoyed that he couldn't spend the afternoon with his new friend.

Dean looked up at Esme, who had stayed with the boys. "Why aren't you going with the girls?" he asked.

Esme smiled down at him. "I figured you boys would need a woman's help. If I let these men dress you . . ." she trailed off and shook her head in disapproval. "Come on boys, the sooner we get this over with the sooner you have more time to explore." The boys all nodded and followed after the matriarch.

An hour later the boys and Esme were finished with their shopping. Each boy had at least three bags of muggle clothes. Draco particularly found that he liked muggle clothing. They were much more comfortable then wizarding robes, giving you more freedom to move around.

They made their way to the food court, where they were to meet up with the girls. The wizard boys all looked around in awe as they entered the huge food court. Dean and Harry shared an amused glance, amused by their amazement.

Just as they'd taken their seats Oliver spotted the ladies coming towards them. "There's the girls," he said.

What they saw made some of them laugh and others wary. Cedric was stuck in between. Alice was skipping ahead of the group happily, many bags in her hands. Luna was right behind her, a few bags in her hand, looking completely contempt. What made the boys so wary was Hermione and the deadly expression on her face as she stomped forward, her body rigid and her hands holding her bags so tightly that they were pale. Behind the group walked Rosalie, who just looked annoyed and bored.

"Hey," Jasper said cautiously as the girls reached the table. "How was shopping?"

"Fantastic!" Alice squealed as she skipped up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I got them a whole new wardrobe and we went and got our nails done! It was a great day."

Hermione slammed her bags onto the table, obviously disagreeing.

"Hermione?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Food," she said, her voice rough with agitation. "I need food."

Esme reached into her purse and took out a twenty dollar bill. "Here, dear, get whatever you'd like," she said, feeling sorry for the girl.

Hermione didn't say anything. She just took the money with a nod and grabbed Blaise's hand, starting towards Subway. Before she left, though, she stepped in front of Cedric. Pulling him down by his shirt until they were face to face she whispered, "You're dead, Twig," with a deadly look in her eyes that actually made him gulp in fear. With that she let him go and stomped away, taking a wary, but amused, Blaise with her.

When Hermione and Blaise reached the Subway line Hermione finally let him go. Blaise watched as Hermione glared at everything, waiting for the rant that he knew would be coming.

"Don't get me wrong," she finally exploded, "it's not that I don't appreciate her efforts and the money she spent on everything she got me, but that women can't get it through her head that I'm not a girly girl! She bought me makeup I'll never use, jewelery I'll never wear, my ears aren't even pierced, and clothes that will probably stay in the back of my closet. I mean, I don't mean to sound like an ungrateful brat, but I hate everything in those bags! I'll never wear any of it! Two hours of my life down the freaking drain."

Blaise smiled slightly in, what he hoped was, a sorrow way, feeling bad for his friend. Anyone with eyes could see that Alice was a very intense, excitable person and to her Hermione was like a canvas waiting to be painted on. Blaise hesitated before putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder and squeezing lightly, letting her know that he understood. She finally smiled, thankful.

She threw her arm over his shoulder and grinned. "Thanks, Blaise. What would I do without you?" she asked as they moved up in line. Blaise matched her grin. He pointed to Alice and made slicing motion across his throat. Hermione laughed. "You're right. I don't know how I restrained myself for two whole hours," Hermione laughed and Blaise continued to grin as they reached the front of the line.

After getting their lunches, Hermione helping Blaise decide how he wanted his, they made their way back to the table. They took a free table a few spaces away from everyone else, Hermione scared she'd kill either Alice or Cedric.

A few moments later Draco and Theo joined them with bags of McDonalds.

"So what's the plan?" Draco asked as he sat next to her, Theo sitting next to Blaise across the table.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, please," Draco scoffed. "I know you already have a plan to get payback of Twig Diggory. What is it?" he asked, munching on his fries. Hermione thought it was a strange sight; the great Draco Malfoy eating simple fast food.

Hermione grinned. "Oh, don't you worry," she said, looking at the Hufflepuff across the aisle. "I've got something good planned for that one."

There you go! Uh oh, Cedric's in big trouble! Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!

Remember to check out my story! The link's in my bio!

With much love!

-Olivia Rose