~The Assistant~
Chapter 1: Unknown Assistant
AN: what do you know I'm starting another new story! actually I've been writing this one for sometime in a spiral notebook and have chosen my anniversary month to begin posting :D. Lemme say this is the longest I've ever written, my apple notebook pushes me because the layout makes me feel like it's not long enough.
I don't own the Harry Potter-verse obviously, but I DO own Merida Grovestone.
Hermione Granger was well acquainted with the library of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. She knew that area and all it's occupants almost better then Madame Pince she cared to think from time to time. In fact since her arrival a few years ago she several older students joke she was a long lost relative of the Librarian's. So to say she was -quite- baffled one day when she looked up from her copy of 'Fantastical Beast' {not that she needed to read it for she had it memorized, she was merely reading it so she look at the dates again}, to discover somebody new in her sanctuary!
Standing right in the middle of the restricted section was a slightly taller then herself girl who couldn't be much older much then any of the students either from her dress, but her robes didn't indicate a house. In fact she was barely in dress regulation as it was! Yes she had your standard cloak but other than that her dress was almost entirely muggle attire complete with jeans, a dark blue top and Hufflepuff yellow boots. Her hair was disarray with her wand stuck in the middle, which when poor Hermione saw that it put her over the edge and simply could NOT sit by in silence while this person drove her precious to madness for one more moment!
"Excuse me, but even if you ARE a new student you really shouldn't put your wand in your hair like that! It could just set off horribly so- also your house could lose points for you not being in uniform right now, we are only aloud to do casual dress on Hogsmeade weekends"
The young woman blinked at her a few times, calmly placed the books she had been placing on shelves down onto the cabinet next to her and promptly began to laugh heartily, "That's very kind of you to tell me all this Granger, but as I'm Assistant to Madam Pince the uniform rule while doing all this- kind of thrown out. Also as for being the new kid comment, I've been here since the end of your…I believe third year so not exactly newish around here. Gosh I thought your friends and you were better at picking up at this kind of thing", and with that the girl picked up her books and left Hermione before even telling WHO she even was.
"WAIT, the Professors have Assistants now?! Does that mean Umbridge is going to have some mini-nightmare version of her running around doing her twat stuff she can't be bothered with?"
"No Ron, She was never hired by the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I immediately asked Professor McGonagall about that when I discovered this and she told that very thing because that vile woman tried to get one already. And no little law of her can get her one either apparently, the Minister backs us up on this. But the rest of staff, i.e.: not Filch, they have prefects to lean on as assistants. Which makes me wonder who exactly this girl is. I've never seen her around before and now with Ron and I as prefects we would seen her at a meeting or two by now! We've got essentially a student body of 280 here, give or take on acceptance per year. It's hard to hide!", Hermione pointe out to the now significantly calmer boys on opposite chairs in the Common Room opposite from her.
"Guys, are you both forgetting I have that rather neat Marauders Map from my Dad & his friend's and by extension Fred & George?", Harry interrupted Ron & Hermione. That statement made her groan in frustration.
"That's the thing Harry- she's an OLDER student who more then likely is in another house. If anyone would know the name of the transfer it'd Fred or George"
"You summoned Granger?", one of them inquired as they popped up from behind their chairs joining them to sit while plopping bags of goodies in front of Ron's greedy eyes.
"OH did you just sneak over to Hogsmeade? Any chocolate frogs for me of favorite brothers of mine?", as he made for reach for the sizable pile they both swatted him quite hard.
"As we were saying, there's a new older girl who we estimate is your age working as Pince's Assistant and none of us have seen her before. We didn't even get to catch her name before she blew me off. We were about to check the map when we realizeed you two would probably be better at identifying her", Hermione summed up.
George's interest was peaked while Fred with a piece of miscellaneous candy, "So you lot want to hex this bookworm or something? You know we have to be careful with Umbridge being around"
"We just want to know if the bit about her getting here around when Snuffles left is true and right now checking the map is our only way- well also following her with my Dad's cloak once we know where she is", Harry added with a smirk. The group looked at one another for a split second before shoving Harry up to his & Ron's dormitory to get the map. He was back in record time with his hair even more disheveled then ever.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good", they scanned the map until both the Twins' index finger pointed at a pair of names on the Astronomy Tower: Professor Sinistra & Merida Grovestone.
"But she should be in her common room by now!", Hermione shrieked in horror. The guys just rolled their eyes as they recalled the times in the past five years she had been out of bed past hours.
"Does that mean your staying here while we take cloak for a spin, 'Mione?", Fred goaded her with one his classic smirks. Her eyes widened and face went almost alarmed at the very idea.
"Heavens no! I want to know who she is now and if your bloody well going, so am I"
They reached the Astronomy Tower just as the girl in question was descending down the steps with Professor Sinistra.
"Are you quite sure you don't want me to escort you to your dorm dear after what-?", The dark-haired professor asked concerned- which none of them had ever heard her use that tone before.
"Positive", she cut off Sinistra with an angry scowl but her features quickly softened into a smile. "I'll be fine really. Besides if Peeves does try to do anything again to me he know's he not only has your wrath but the ever scary Headmaster"
The two chuckled like two school girls giggling over a pair of cute boys passing them by at that. They were both smiling quite widely and the elder of the two had even reached out and grasped the younger's hand.
"Just remember this Merida, only a few more months now that you'll be here", they both sighed rather wistfully at that statement which perked the hidden groups attention.
"Then we can move to someplace that actually has more then just the winter and fall season, like Greece or Istanbul!"
"You know perfectly well young lady I'm stuck in my contract with the Headmaster for now so unless some master of Astronomy graduates from school by the time you want, I'm not joining you as much as I'd like to travel with you", she sounded quite mournful at that statement. Who was this assistant to this teacher, who wasn't even her assistant to begin with?!
Merida rolled her brown eyes and stuck out her tongue, "The exact same thing can be said for the illustrious Snape, McGonagall or Hagrid even but the only reason he says no to you is because your not part of the Order. And speaking of our favorite Potions Master….how was date with him on Saturday night?"
All five hidden occupants had to work quite hard to restrain themselves from crying out in horror and surprise at this but they did notice she was blushing about the question. How odd.
"Let's just say he will be seeing me again missy and that is ALL you are going to get to hear from me! Besides you know how long I've liked him, almost as long as you've liked-", she didn't get to say who as Merida quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
"HEY- you never know who is patrolling the halls at night OR what gossiping ghosts are about these parts. Don't you remember our rule? Talk of crush belong's only inside your office or my room", as she said this she slipped her glance over them. "Besides, I hardly think liking that particular person is coming along as it is still at a dead end slash square one seeing as the majority of the school has no clue has no idea I even attend really. Hell, Granger came up to me today while I was re-shelving the Restricted Section and gave me some crazy version of 'welcome to Hogwarts, by the way your going to lose house points the following ways' speech. All the staff here have told me time and time again how her, Weasley and Potter are like a mini- Sherlock Holmes crew when they put their minds to it but I've been here since Sirius left and or escaped that night their third year! What all does a girl need to do to get noticed around here? Can't cry like Myrtle since Cho has got that down to a key and she still is pissed at me after what happened last year, what with snogging Cedric when they 'were on a break'. Oh please don't look at me like that we both did it to get other people's attention, worked for him in spades and me not at all. Don't get me wrong I found him attractive but my heart lies with somebody who is just like…well YOU know who. Anywho's I don't want to dress cheap to get attention so guys just look at my chest and then never find out who I am.
As she lamented and ranted it was as if ages of tension were un-balling from her entire being. The revelation about the late Cedric and her shocked Harry for just a moment. He briefly recalled after the ball him spending a lot of alone time in there before the second task without Cho beside him. At the time he thought nothing much of it, just slightly odd he didn't want to spend time with her. He now wishes he had talked to him more instead of just things about Quidditch and the Triwizard Tournament because now he feels like he hardly know the young man he failed to save from Voldemort.
"Merida, before bed why don't you do a few laps? I'll send a message to Dumbledore from my chambers so he won't worry. It's obvious it's been to long since the last time you went"
"I think it was just before classes started back up, when we all got back from summer break? So a little over a month now, your right I'll head over there now", she waved goodbye and started right in their direction! They quickly moved to the right and followed her as sons as she passed them. Before they knew it they were on the seventh floor corridor and kept passing by the portrait of Barnabes the Barmy's, which Hermione had pointed out who's picture it was after the first passing. However after the fourth passing of the frame Merida turned around right in front of them and shouted,
"Accio cloak", and there they stood before her revealed but how she knew they'd been there, they didn't know.
"If you lot were going for subtle under that thing then you seriously failed. Granger, you should know of all people the acoustics in this wing and corridor echo quite loudly so even the slightest whisper is amplified- shame on you. Also all of your shoes or maybe it is just one of them, it's hard to tell, is squeaking like mad against the slab. So what more did you lot want to know about me as I am going to go ahead and assume you heard my chat with Sinistra outside the tower", she was giving them an icy glare and spoke coldly.
"What house are you in?", Ron eventually stuttered out after a moment.
"Pfft, what the little Grffyndors scared I'm an wicked Slytherin who has an evil plan to come after Harry there in the middle of the night to turn him over to Lord 'I'm into myself'; please! As I'm obviously not in your cherished and highly loved house but not with the snakes… well then what then?", she was grinning maliciously at them but her eyes sparked with a familiar mirth that Harry couldn't quite place.
"How do we know your not some Deatheater just feeding us some lines to throw us off right now?", Harry barked out at her in frustration. Her smirk dropped and sparkle was gone now as she casually lifted up her left sleeve to reveal several burn marks that Hermione gasped in horror and was shaking as she saw them. They looked familiar to Harry but he couldn't place how or where...
"So do I pass you little lions test now and can I go back to what I was doing since I actually DO need to get it done in order to sleep well", with that she put her sleeve back and turned back in the other direction to leave.
"But there is nothing up here", George added before she could walk away, which stopped her mid-step and had her swivel back around.
"Wow, someplace you two don't know about even with that map you lot have? Interesting. Dumbledore swore he said something to Harry about it…any who's clear off now. I wanna go for a dip and don't particularly care for an audience"
"Hogwarts doesn't HAVE a swimming pool, I've read 'Hogwarts; A History' several times and it never once mentioned once!", the bushy haired fifth year proclaimed.
"Only if it is required", the elder brunette smirked.
"Wait, if your going swimming, don't you need a bathing suit?", Harry inquired innocently as the Twins gapped at him.
"Oh Harry you really are so young, ask one of the doubles there as I do believe they've figured it out. I just need you lot to clear out now please", and she began to resume her pacing back and forth in front of the portrait again. They were almost to the Fat Lady when Harry finally turned to Fred and was about to ask but was cut off, "She is going to be naked Harry now shut it, you'll ruin the image for George and I here"
"Ugh, you boys are utterly revolting sometimes", Hermione spat out as she shoved past them as they entered the Common Room.
"Don' think we haven't noticed you checking out boys while they were playing on the Pitch Granger so don't get high and mighty on us", George cackled after her as she dashed up the stairs with her face aflame.
"Wait, Hermione's been checking people out? Why? I'll kill them!"
"Calm down Ron, I'm sure they are just referring to last year with Krum- right?"
The elder pair of red heads looked at each other with an odd knowing look Harry and Ron didn't understand before they cackled like while heading up the seventh year dorms.
"What the blazes do you suppose that meant?", Harry indicated up to the stairs.
Ron just shrugged , "I might have grown up with them Harry but I still don't understand half the things they do from time to time"
By the time Harry fell asleep that evening there a few things he couldn't get out of his mind about the discoveries of the day. This Merida girl knew about too many things for his liking: the map, she called his godfather by his given name without even a flinch, had a close relationship with a Professor AND had quite a severe injury done to her at some point. The last point bugged him because it was obviously muggle done injury with the pattern but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen something like that of that nature before.
But what hadn't occurred to him, or the others, is Merida had never given them back the invisibility cloak.
~Vixen519