Hermione and the Werewolf (Also know as the mystery of the centuar sould stealing theif Parts 1-3)
Harry calmed down enough to issue a knock on the cabin door, but almost before his hand touched the wood, the door flew open, and Hagrid's gigantic form appeared towering over him. But his usual smile was nowhere to be seen, and he gazed at the three fifth year's somberly.
Ron didn't notice, his mood, if possible, growing better as he met another person to spread his good fortune to. "Hagrid, they broke up! And SHE dumped HIM! Sandri dumped Pete!"
"That's good, Ron," Hagrid said wearily, dismissing Ron's enthusiasm off hand. "Harry, I'm glad your here. You too, Hermione. You better come in."
Harry and Hermione, worried by Hagrid's serious tones, pushed past Ron inside. Ron, with only a faint look of dissapointment on his face, followed.
Hagrid's one room cabin, which was always a mess, was even more cluttered than usual, and not just with it's array of various 'critters' ( as Hagrid lovingly referred to them), uncleaned dishes, dusty furniture, and his enormous boarhound Fang. Stacks of books and scrolls stood on every possible piece of space, leaving very little room for a giant and his three small visitors. Harry and Ron both perched themselves on one of the piles, Hermione, not quite able to bring herself to show suh disregard for books, folded herself into a tiny spot on the floor in between them.
"What's up, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Well... I don't quite know," Hagrid replied, scratching Fang absently. "That's what all this mess is for, I'm trying to figure out."
"Wait a moment, I don't think..." Hermione looked shocked that anyone could call books 'this mess.'
"Whoa, Hagrid, where'd they all come from?" Ron asked, Sandri momentarily gone from his mind. "I think we would have noticed if the library had been cleared out."
"Friend of mine sent them up." Hagrid wouldn't say more on the subject. "Some weird things have been happening out by the Forbidden Forest."
"Like what, Hagrid?" Harry didn't bother to keep the worry out of his voice, his expeirences with the forbidden forest had not been pleasent.
"Well, it's the centaurs... I mean, their always strange, but somehow they've gotten, well, stranger." Hagrid let out a long, heavy sigh.
Hermione wouldn't let him off that easily. "Like what, Hagrid? Get to the point."
"They've been becoming more...horselike. Less like humans." Hagrid glanced around thecabin, as though something would jump out of the shadows and berate him for letting this secret slip. "I've told Dumbledore... but he's got worries of his own, with you-know-who and all, but I've got a feeling this is important. I've been trying to research it on my own..." he gestured his hands helplessly to the books around him "...but I'm afraid I haven't been doing a very good job. And it's no good talking to the centaurs nowadays," he finished gloomily.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Hermione said, standing up. "We'll help you." She fixed him with a stern glance. "But you're leaving stuff out, which you'd better tell us. Just who is this 'friend'?"
"Charlie," Hagrid muttered unwillingly. "The books are from Charlie Weasly and his friends."
"What!" Ron asked, toppling off the pile of books. "But Charlie studies DRAGONS!"
"Now he does," Hagrid told them. "But while he was in school he had this fascination with centaurs."
"Hagrid," Hermione said warningly, sounding much like Professor Mcgonnall. "There's more, isn't there?"
Hagrid nodded meekly. Hermione, like Professor Mcgonnal, had an authority which would not be ignored. "Thing is, it's happened before. 'Round when your father was in school. And..."
"Snape," Harry finished, catching his drift. He looked over the books more carefully now,and saw that they were all potion books. "You think Snape had something to do with it?"
"Oh,no!" Hagrid said feverently. "But, well, when he was in school, he did an awful lot of research on potions and dark arts...stuff nobody else knew, or had forgotton long ago, and...he had this friend...Nero Bronze...-
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all let out a gasp. Nero Bronze was one of the only criminal wizards to have escaped the Ministry of Magic in the past year, and while no one suspected him of being in league with Voldemort, he was responsible for various crime such a smuggling what Hagrid referred to as 'Harmless Critters' out of England.
Hermione recomposed herself quickly. "So you think he may have used a potion Snape found years ago, and come back to do it again? But why?"
Hagrid shrugged. "Don't know, really. But there was one report of seeing Bronze in Hogsmeade a couple weeks ago...y'all should remember that, you weren't allowed to go...-" All three nodded grimly, too vividly remebering haing to forfeit their Hogsmeade weekend "-...so I figure it has to be him. Trouble is, I can't find any potions that have anything to do with it." He glanced over at Hermione, who was notorious for her studiousness. "But I suppose y'all got other stuff to do, with the spring dance coming up and all..."
"Don't worry, Hagrid, we'll help," Harry said, glancing outside at the setting sun. "But we do have to go to dinner now."
Hagrid nodded, looking grateful. "Sorry...shouldn't have kept you...what was I thinking?" His voice became more authoritative. "Now hurry along, it's getting dark outside."
Ron dismissed this offhand. "Oh, don't worry Hagrid, it's a full moon out tonight. There's plenty of light."
Hagrid, netherless, looked worried. "No, I'll walk you back myself...never know what might be out there..."
As they walked out of the cabin, a two dim shapes could be seen approaching the slowly aging Whomping Willow. But the figures soon dissappeared,and were dismissed as vague visions of the imagination.
***
Though not as serious as it had first appeared, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were unusually quiet as they ate there dinner in the great hall that night, each pondering over what Hagrid had said. They didn't even notice as well planted dung-bombs exploded at the Slytherin table, Fred and George Weasly had to nudge Ron to point out their handiwork to him.
But Ron's thoughts of centaurs quickly vanished as Sandri Hallen, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, entered the Hall. She looked no worse for her breakup with Pete Ameryhst, who, also a sixth year Ravenclaw, was nowhere to be seen. In spitefulness quite unlike him, Ron commented,
"Probably ashamed to show his face...must have known she never liked him..."
Harry nudged him in the ribs and Hermione gave hima stern glare, between the two onsets Ron shut up. Sandri took no notice of the Gryffindors but walked right past to the Ravenclaw table; Harry felt his eyes follow to her best friend Cho, the Ravenclaw seeker. Hermione looked at her two bewitched friends in disgust.
"I," she announced, standing up, "Am going to the library. And if you two would get this nonsense out of your heads, you might care to join me."
Ron and Harry looked at eachother,than watched Hermione saunture out with the dignity of a wounded cat.
"I guess we should go..." Ron said unwillingly.
"Yeah..." Harry wasn't pleased about it, but they had promised Hagrid. Together, hey walked up to the library, each hoping that a certain pair of eyes had followed them out.
***
Hermione slammed the book in disgust. "There's absolutely nothing in here!" She frowned, frustrated.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione clustered around one of the library tables, books piled in disarray around them. Madam Pince had come and gone, turning her nose up in distaste as she saw the mistreatment of her charges. Hermione had blushed under the librarians hardened gaze, and made an attempt to pile the books neatly, but the samll table had soon returned to a state of disorder.
"Maybe we should try looking somewhere else," Harry suggested, adjusting his glasses. "I mean, we don't know for certain it's a potion."
"It's Snape," Ron muttered darkly. "Of course it's a potion."
But Hermione agreed with Harry. "We should look up books on centaurs. I mean, Hagrid's probably got all the books on potions ever published crammed into his cabin."
"That doesn't mean he's actually read them," Ron said, thinking back to the mountains of dusty books.
"Well, I say we continue tommorrow." Hermione stood up, fixing them with her stern gaze. "Unless I'm mistaken..." Hermione gave them a look, daring them to say she was ever wrong, "...you both have a Dark Arts essay to write on the dangers of werewolves."
Harry and Ron both groaned. Professor Moody, the real one, had, after several months of convincing, agreed to come back to Hogwarts and teach Defense Against Dark Arts. Unfortunately, Moody's uneasiness increased during his recent ordeal, and all his essay assignments started with 'The Danger of...'.
"You'd think we knew enough about werewolves already," Ron muttered. "I mean, Lupin..."
"Lupin didn't teach us a thing about werewolves all year," Hermione interupted. "And if I remember correctly, neither of you did the essay Snape assigned us on them."
"Hermione..." Harry groaned, shaking his head. "I really thought you'd lightned up."
Ron just shook his head. "You know she never will."
Together, the three friends returned to their house.
***
"Ron!"
"Brother..."
"Pal..."
Fred and George swooped down upon their tired, red eyed brother in the Breakfast Hall the next morning.
"Can we borrow Pidwigeon?" Fred swung his arm around his brother in comradely fashion.
"Please?" George went down on his knees, clasping his hands in mock beggary.
"Sure, whatever, just leave me alone." Ron groaned, and collapsed back on the table. Fred and George rushed off without so much as a thanks. Hermione nudged Ron, only slightly harder than she had intended and he jumped up, yelping.
Ron rubbed his bruised elbow, commenting sourly, "This is your fault, you know. I never knew werewolves were so complicated...-"
"That's why you did the essay, dolt." Sandri was walking past. "Catching on a bit late, aren't we?"
"But...I...um...," Ron stammered, his face turning bright red.
Sandri laughed, not unkindly. "See you in Defense against dark arts."
Ron's face turned even pinker that than before. Once a week, the fifth year Gryffindor's had class with the sixth year Ravenclaws. It seemed that the imposter Moody had not done a very good job of instructing any classes except those Harry was in; consequently, all the other classes were a year behind. Unfortunately for everyone else, but to Harry and Ron it seemed to be a blessing, for it enabled them to have classes with their respective crushes.
"We have Transfiguration BEFORE we have dark arts, remember?" Hermione stood up, glaring at Harry and Ron. "And don't think Professor Mcgonannll is going to take kindly to you two daydreaming during class!" With a huff, Hermione stood up and swung around to leave, her robes imperiously sweeping behind her.
"You know, I think she's gotton taller," Harry commented, watching her walk sauntuer away.
"And grumpier," Ron grumbled through stifled yawns. "She's right though, we should go."
Gathering up there books, the fifth years walked, or stumbled, out of the Hall.
***
Hermione was right; Professor Mcgonannal was not pleased when Ron's Transfigured broomstick retained the little wings of a golden snitch. Even Hermione's retained a slightly gold tint. Harry, however, despite his preoccupied thoughts, managed a perfect transformation between two objects so familiar to him, and re-earned the points Ron had lost.
So Harry was in a good mood when he walked into to Moody's classroom, and Ron's alreadybad temper took a turn for the worse when, not only did Sandri not come sit at there table, but Pete Ameryhst, of all people did.
Ron scowled darkly at the fifth year, who despite his usual good looks, looked tired and weary. With dark hair and dark eyes, he had a slighlty mystical look abou him, above and beyond the calling of a normal wizard.
"So." Professor Moody looked around the classroom with his one good eye. "Did you learn all the danger's a werewolf poses, past the normal bite?" He turned to Ron with sudden ferocity. "You, Ron! What effect does a werewolf have on half-human creatures, when it bites them?"
"It turns the human part of them into a wolf," Ron said dully. Thanks to Hermione, he knew it by heart. "But they can be cured be the potion that makes human werewolves harmless." Hermione gave him a slighty superior smile; Ron scowled.
Professor Moody wasn't entirely satisified. "Pete! What are the signs that a human is a werewolf?"
Pete smiled without humor, as though he'd just thought of some small, private joke. "Other than them becoming a wolf during the full moon, you mean?" He lifted an eyebrow, as though he was condesending to answer. Despite his weariness, there was a slight cockiness about him. "Dark, serious, with predator sense and often very good a dark arts. Oh, and very practical."
Moody fixed Pete with a penetrating glance before moving on to his next victim. With Moody's attention no longer on them, Ron turned to Pete.
"So, Sandri dumped you?" He asked in a vicious whisper, leaning closer. "What you do?"
"Ron!" Hermione looked embarrassed by her friends rudeness. "Will you get over it?"
But Pete just stared right back at Ron, before breaking off with a smirk. "And I suppose you know more about what happened then I do?"
Ron blushed as Moody swooped back upon them with vindictive swiftness. "Young Pete Ameryhst?" He asked, lowering his face until his glass eye was within an inch of Pete's nose. "Thought I wouldn't hear, did you? I, who can here a pin transfigured from a mile away?"
"Professor Moody," Hermione interjected, leaving Harry, Ron, and, dignity momentarily forgotton, Pete, to stare, mouths gaping open. "I provoked by calling him a teacher's pet." Several students smirked at this; Hermione was known for being many of the Professor's favorites. With delibrate cunning, she added, "You must have heard me, as well."
Moody stared at her, bewildered. Of course he hadn't heard Hermione, but he didn't want to admit that. "Very well, Ms. Granger," he growled. "You and Mr. Ameryhst will share your detention."
Hermione frowned slightly. Moody turned back to Seamus, who he had been relentlessly questioning before the interuption.
"Hermione, what were you thinking?" Ron wasn't yet over the shock. "You didn't say anything..."
"You may not realize your acting like an insecure fool," Hermione hissed. "But I do, and I'm ashamed for it."
Ron glared at Pete, who hadn't said a thing but instead studied the two of them intently with maddaning superiority. "You could at least say thank you!" he muttered. "She tried, which is more than I would have done..."
"MR. WEASLY! DETENTION!" Moody stormed back over. "Mr. Potter as well, for failing to keep to keep the rest of you quiet."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but seeing Hermione's face, closed it. It was odd, but he almost liked the imposter Moody better. HE had at least feigned liking Harry. The real Moody seemed to fear Harry, and out of the fear came resentment.
On top of that, he was paranoid.
The rest of the class did not go well.
Moody divided the class into pairs and had them work together to subdue gremlins, sneaky little creatures who kept blending into parts of the classroom. Unfortuanatly, both Cho and Sandri seemed to have a certain weakness for the pesky creatures and their 'adorable little noses.' Their gremlin managed to escape and perch itself on Moody's shoulder. Moody, always on the lookout out, jumped up and placed a freezing charm on Neville and his unfortuante partner, Parvati. Both were caught in the act of placing an incomplete color spell on their gremlin to keep it from dissappearing; it had backfired, and they were both bright orange. Moody was infuritated.
All four got detention.
"You know," Ron commented as they walked out of the classroom. "I could learn to despise him."
Hermione whirled to face him. "You deserved to get detention, you know that, Ron! You've been acting like a bitter, immature child recently and I can't stand it! What would Percy say?"
"Percy WEATHERBY can very well rot in Azkazban for all I care," Ron muttered darkly. "Are we going to lunch or not?"
***
It was at dinner that evening that, while George and Fred were distributing real dungbombs, Professor Dumbledore dropped a figurative one on them.
"Attention please!" Dumbledore was smiling, but what he smiledat and what other's smiled at do not always coincide. "Becuase we know everybody's been working extremely hardthese first couple months of school, we've decided to give you a little break next week, with the first annual Halloween Ball!"
Professor McGonanall took over, and even she was smiling. "We've, umm, arranged for a full moon that night, so the dance can be held on the Quidditch Field. Attendence is not mandatory, but I strongly urge you to attend."
Harry looked at Ron and groaned. "I won't do it," He muttered. "I can't do it, I can't ask her again."
Ron's thought's were much difference. "YES! This is the perfect oppurtunity for me-" He stopped short, noticing the stares of fellow Gryffindor's. "-to try on those new robes mum got me," he finished hurridly, while Harry and Hermione smothered giggles. Ron glared at them, then looked anxiously over to the Ravenclaw table to make sure certain people hadn't heard.
"Angelina..." Fred slid into the seat next to the tall Quidditch Captain.
"Nice, good, kind Angelina..." Geore pushed his brother aside.
"Angelina whose a much better Quidditch player than me, or George for that matter," Fred jumped back in.
"Will you go to the ball with me?" The twins asked simultanously.
Angelina giggled, slightly embarrased. On her other side, Alicia feigned hurt.
"Neither of you want to go with me?" she asked in mock sorrow.
Fred and George looked at eachother, than pushed Angelina out of the way to get to Alicia.
"Alicia..."
"Nice, kind, good Alicia..."
"Alicia who might not be better at Quidditch than me, but is definitely better than Fred..."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry could not suppress their laughter as they walked out of the hall.
But there smiles fadedas they found three identical notes waiting for them.
"We're helping out in the library tommorrow night!" Hermione's face turned bright red; Harry and Ron didn't know whether from anger or from shame that she was happy.
Ron looked at his note again. "Mine says I'm going to the Forbidden Forest." He groaned, collapsing back into the chair behind him.
"Yeah, mine too..." Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder at her note. "...that's kinda weird, they usually put us all together."
Neville came down the stairs, looking white-faced and ashen, and clutching a scrap of paper so hard his knuckles became as clear and transluent as Nearly Headless Nick.
"You got yours too?" he whispered, as though afraid he would get attackedfor making such a statement. "I don't want to...I can't...go THERE!" he couldn't call the forest by name.
"Don't worry Neville." Harry swung his arm around Neville's shoulders. "We'll be there."
"And we've been there loads of times,"Ron muttered. "Far more than I would have liked..."
Hermione issued as swift kick to his shins.
"Hermione!"
"Not now!" She muttered through pursed lips, indicating Neville, who was now shaking as he recalled his last trip to the Forbidden Forest.
"Fine." Suddenly Ron brightened as an idea struck him. "Maybe Sandri will be there!"
"Or maybe she'll be in the library with me. Really, the two of you..."
***
Hermione jumped up the stairs, two at a time. She wasn't sure why she was in a rush, but she wanted to get to the library as fast as possible, if only so she could see who she was working with...
Hermione wasn't used to dealing with feelings that weren't easily described in a dictionary; she wasn't sure she liked it. Harry and Ron were her friends, she would have done anything for them, but she had no idea what had prompted her to stand up for Pete, a sixth year she hardly knew, yesterday.
Who just happened to be there in the library when she got there, wearing his normal, slighlty sarcastic smile. Hermione, not knowing how to react, gave him a look of disgust. Pete's smile grew larger.
"What I want to know," he said when she walked in. "Is why, if you can't stand me so much, you tried to get me out of detention."
Hermione said the first thing that came to mind. If she pretended she hated him,it really wasn't that hard. "Ron was acting likea jackass. I had moral obligations." Hermione scowled. Pete lifted an eyebrow, disbelieving. "You do realized you have an ego as largeas a bulger, right?" Pete looked slightly taken aback,and Hermione immediatly felt bad. Fortunatly, befor her 'moral obligations' required her to apologize, Madam Pince walked in, frowning as she saw the two of them.
"They only gave me two? Hagrid got six." Madam Pince frowned again, surveying the two. "Well, Hermione's good for something, but I'm not sure about you..." She fixed her glare on Pete. His superior smile having returned, Hermione had no scruples giving a little smile of pride herself.
"Well, I guess you'll have to do," Madam Pince said,in a way that suggested she very much doubted it. "It's quite simple. Hagrid donated a few books to the library..." Hermione groaned, knowing exactly how many a 'few' were "...and all you have to do is put them on the shelf by author. "Got it? I'll check back in half an hour to see how your doing."
Hermione looked at the gigantic pile of books Madam Pince indicated. "I may kill Hagrid," she muttered, walking over to where the books were stacked. "You think there's some spell for this?"
"You're the one whose supposedto be good for something, remember?"But Pete was smiling (of a sort); he wasn't bitter. "Besides I'm sure the excercise, seeing as it was assigned by wise and all knowing teacher's, will have some mind beneficial effect."
"'Sarcasm is the refuge of the insecue student'" Hermione quoted.
"Something you've picked up from studying, no doubt?" He lifted an eyebrow with a maddening air of superiority. Hermione couldn't take it and longer.
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU? ARE YOU ALWAYS LIKE THIS, OR JUST WHEN YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOUR BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?" In her anger, Hermione gestured with her wand and sent several books flying across the room. Pete ducked, looking suprised, but recovered quickly. This time he gave her a real smile.
"Just checking to see if you really were incapable of human emotion." THe patroniing tone was still there, but the superiority was less.
Hermione lowered her wand. "Is that what people say about me?" She'd never though of herself as cold before.
"You get straight A's, you're always keeping your friends in check before they do something stupid for puppy love, and the only guy anyone's ever known you to have liked was Viktor Krum," Pete told her, putting several books onto the shelves. "What are people supposed to think?"
Hermione looked slighty startled. "I never really thought about it, just because I don't go around shouting who I'm in love with, like Ron-" She clamped her mouth shut, but, seeing no suprise on Pete's face, accused, "You knew!"
"It's only slightly obvious." Pete laughed. "Why else would he have gone into a jealous rage?"
"That's why I 'keep them in check'!" Hermione burst out. "So they won't go around making fools of themselves which they have already done..."
"So? They're having fun." His voice dropped, and he looked straight at her. "Is that so bad?"
Hermione stared back, breathless, and for a moment didn't know what to say. BUt as though she was about to reveal something and quickly changed her mind, she said,
"I don't see you ever show emotion, either," she accused. "You just hide behind your sarcasm."
"Fair enough. But I still date once in awhile," he countered. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Madam Pince bustled in just the, which was fortunate, because Hermione couldn't think of anything to say.
"Really! I expect you to get some work done, and look at this! All of three books placed on the shelves! What were you doing, reading them? Now ...
So Hermione and Pete dutifully began to place the books on the shelves under Madam Pince's watchful eyes.
Ok, that was my first three centaur one's lumped into one. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review.
Harry calmed down enough to issue a knock on the cabin door, but almost before his hand touched the wood, the door flew open, and Hagrid's gigantic form appeared towering over him. But his usual smile was nowhere to be seen, and he gazed at the three fifth year's somberly.
Ron didn't notice, his mood, if possible, growing better as he met another person to spread his good fortune to. "Hagrid, they broke up! And SHE dumped HIM! Sandri dumped Pete!"
"That's good, Ron," Hagrid said wearily, dismissing Ron's enthusiasm off hand. "Harry, I'm glad your here. You too, Hermione. You better come in."
Harry and Hermione, worried by Hagrid's serious tones, pushed past Ron inside. Ron, with only a faint look of dissapointment on his face, followed.
Hagrid's one room cabin, which was always a mess, was even more cluttered than usual, and not just with it's array of various 'critters' ( as Hagrid lovingly referred to them), uncleaned dishes, dusty furniture, and his enormous boarhound Fang. Stacks of books and scrolls stood on every possible piece of space, leaving very little room for a giant and his three small visitors. Harry and Ron both perched themselves on one of the piles, Hermione, not quite able to bring herself to show suh disregard for books, folded herself into a tiny spot on the floor in between them.
"What's up, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Well... I don't quite know," Hagrid replied, scratching Fang absently. "That's what all this mess is for, I'm trying to figure out."
"Wait a moment, I don't think..." Hermione looked shocked that anyone could call books 'this mess.'
"Whoa, Hagrid, where'd they all come from?" Ron asked, Sandri momentarily gone from his mind. "I think we would have noticed if the library had been cleared out."
"Friend of mine sent them up." Hagrid wouldn't say more on the subject. "Some weird things have been happening out by the Forbidden Forest."
"Like what, Hagrid?" Harry didn't bother to keep the worry out of his voice, his expeirences with the forbidden forest had not been pleasent.
"Well, it's the centaurs... I mean, their always strange, but somehow they've gotten, well, stranger." Hagrid let out a long, heavy sigh.
Hermione wouldn't let him off that easily. "Like what, Hagrid? Get to the point."
"They've been becoming more...horselike. Less like humans." Hagrid glanced around thecabin, as though something would jump out of the shadows and berate him for letting this secret slip. "I've told Dumbledore... but he's got worries of his own, with you-know-who and all, but I've got a feeling this is important. I've been trying to research it on my own..." he gestured his hands helplessly to the books around him "...but I'm afraid I haven't been doing a very good job. And it's no good talking to the centaurs nowadays," he finished gloomily.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Hermione said, standing up. "We'll help you." She fixed him with a stern glance. "But you're leaving stuff out, which you'd better tell us. Just who is this 'friend'?"
"Charlie," Hagrid muttered unwillingly. "The books are from Charlie Weasly and his friends."
"What!" Ron asked, toppling off the pile of books. "But Charlie studies DRAGONS!"
"Now he does," Hagrid told them. "But while he was in school he had this fascination with centaurs."
"Hagrid," Hermione said warningly, sounding much like Professor Mcgonnall. "There's more, isn't there?"
Hagrid nodded meekly. Hermione, like Professor Mcgonnal, had an authority which would not be ignored. "Thing is, it's happened before. 'Round when your father was in school. And..."
"Snape," Harry finished, catching his drift. He looked over the books more carefully now,and saw that they were all potion books. "You think Snape had something to do with it?"
"Oh,no!" Hagrid said feverently. "But, well, when he was in school, he did an awful lot of research on potions and dark arts...stuff nobody else knew, or had forgotton long ago, and...he had this friend...Nero Bronze...-
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all let out a gasp. Nero Bronze was one of the only criminal wizards to have escaped the Ministry of Magic in the past year, and while no one suspected him of being in league with Voldemort, he was responsible for various crime such a smuggling what Hagrid referred to as 'Harmless Critters' out of England.
Hermione recomposed herself quickly. "So you think he may have used a potion Snape found years ago, and come back to do it again? But why?"
Hagrid shrugged. "Don't know, really. But there was one report of seeing Bronze in Hogsmeade a couple weeks ago...y'all should remember that, you weren't allowed to go...-" All three nodded grimly, too vividly remebering haing to forfeit their Hogsmeade weekend "-...so I figure it has to be him. Trouble is, I can't find any potions that have anything to do with it." He glanced over at Hermione, who was notorious for her studiousness. "But I suppose y'all got other stuff to do, with the spring dance coming up and all..."
"Don't worry, Hagrid, we'll help," Harry said, glancing outside at the setting sun. "But we do have to go to dinner now."
Hagrid nodded, looking grateful. "Sorry...shouldn't have kept you...what was I thinking?" His voice became more authoritative. "Now hurry along, it's getting dark outside."
Ron dismissed this offhand. "Oh, don't worry Hagrid, it's a full moon out tonight. There's plenty of light."
Hagrid, netherless, looked worried. "No, I'll walk you back myself...never know what might be out there..."
As they walked out of the cabin, a two dim shapes could be seen approaching the slowly aging Whomping Willow. But the figures soon dissappeared,and were dismissed as vague visions of the imagination.
***
Though not as serious as it had first appeared, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were unusually quiet as they ate there dinner in the great hall that night, each pondering over what Hagrid had said. They didn't even notice as well planted dung-bombs exploded at the Slytherin table, Fred and George Weasly had to nudge Ron to point out their handiwork to him.
But Ron's thoughts of centaurs quickly vanished as Sandri Hallen, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, entered the Hall. She looked no worse for her breakup with Pete Ameryhst, who, also a sixth year Ravenclaw, was nowhere to be seen. In spitefulness quite unlike him, Ron commented,
"Probably ashamed to show his face...must have known she never liked him..."
Harry nudged him in the ribs and Hermione gave hima stern glare, between the two onsets Ron shut up. Sandri took no notice of the Gryffindors but walked right past to the Ravenclaw table; Harry felt his eyes follow to her best friend Cho, the Ravenclaw seeker. Hermione looked at her two bewitched friends in disgust.
"I," she announced, standing up, "Am going to the library. And if you two would get this nonsense out of your heads, you might care to join me."
Ron and Harry looked at eachother,than watched Hermione saunture out with the dignity of a wounded cat.
"I guess we should go..." Ron said unwillingly.
"Yeah..." Harry wasn't pleased about it, but they had promised Hagrid. Together, hey walked up to the library, each hoping that a certain pair of eyes had followed them out.
***
Hermione slammed the book in disgust. "There's absolutely nothing in here!" She frowned, frustrated.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione clustered around one of the library tables, books piled in disarray around them. Madam Pince had come and gone, turning her nose up in distaste as she saw the mistreatment of her charges. Hermione had blushed under the librarians hardened gaze, and made an attempt to pile the books neatly, but the samll table had soon returned to a state of disorder.
"Maybe we should try looking somewhere else," Harry suggested, adjusting his glasses. "I mean, we don't know for certain it's a potion."
"It's Snape," Ron muttered darkly. "Of course it's a potion."
But Hermione agreed with Harry. "We should look up books on centaurs. I mean, Hagrid's probably got all the books on potions ever published crammed into his cabin."
"That doesn't mean he's actually read them," Ron said, thinking back to the mountains of dusty books.
"Well, I say we continue tommorrow." Hermione stood up, fixing them with her stern gaze. "Unless I'm mistaken..." Hermione gave them a look, daring them to say she was ever wrong, "...you both have a Dark Arts essay to write on the dangers of werewolves."
Harry and Ron both groaned. Professor Moody, the real one, had, after several months of convincing, agreed to come back to Hogwarts and teach Defense Against Dark Arts. Unfortunately, Moody's uneasiness increased during his recent ordeal, and all his essay assignments started with 'The Danger of...'.
"You'd think we knew enough about werewolves already," Ron muttered. "I mean, Lupin..."
"Lupin didn't teach us a thing about werewolves all year," Hermione interupted. "And if I remember correctly, neither of you did the essay Snape assigned us on them."
"Hermione..." Harry groaned, shaking his head. "I really thought you'd lightned up."
Ron just shook his head. "You know she never will."
Together, the three friends returned to their house.
***
"Ron!"
"Brother..."
"Pal..."
Fred and George swooped down upon their tired, red eyed brother in the Breakfast Hall the next morning.
"Can we borrow Pidwigeon?" Fred swung his arm around his brother in comradely fashion.
"Please?" George went down on his knees, clasping his hands in mock beggary.
"Sure, whatever, just leave me alone." Ron groaned, and collapsed back on the table. Fred and George rushed off without so much as a thanks. Hermione nudged Ron, only slightly harder than she had intended and he jumped up, yelping.
Ron rubbed his bruised elbow, commenting sourly, "This is your fault, you know. I never knew werewolves were so complicated...-"
"That's why you did the essay, dolt." Sandri was walking past. "Catching on a bit late, aren't we?"
"But...I...um...," Ron stammered, his face turning bright red.
Sandri laughed, not unkindly. "See you in Defense against dark arts."
Ron's face turned even pinker that than before. Once a week, the fifth year Gryffindor's had class with the sixth year Ravenclaws. It seemed that the imposter Moody had not done a very good job of instructing any classes except those Harry was in; consequently, all the other classes were a year behind. Unfortunately for everyone else, but to Harry and Ron it seemed to be a blessing, for it enabled them to have classes with their respective crushes.
"We have Transfiguration BEFORE we have dark arts, remember?" Hermione stood up, glaring at Harry and Ron. "And don't think Professor Mcgonannll is going to take kindly to you two daydreaming during class!" With a huff, Hermione stood up and swung around to leave, her robes imperiously sweeping behind her.
"You know, I think she's gotton taller," Harry commented, watching her walk sauntuer away.
"And grumpier," Ron grumbled through stifled yawns. "She's right though, we should go."
Gathering up there books, the fifth years walked, or stumbled, out of the Hall.
***
Hermione was right; Professor Mcgonannal was not pleased when Ron's Transfigured broomstick retained the little wings of a golden snitch. Even Hermione's retained a slightly gold tint. Harry, however, despite his preoccupied thoughts, managed a perfect transformation between two objects so familiar to him, and re-earned the points Ron had lost.
So Harry was in a good mood when he walked into to Moody's classroom, and Ron's alreadybad temper took a turn for the worse when, not only did Sandri not come sit at there table, but Pete Ameryhst, of all people did.
Ron scowled darkly at the fifth year, who despite his usual good looks, looked tired and weary. With dark hair and dark eyes, he had a slighlty mystical look abou him, above and beyond the calling of a normal wizard.
"So." Professor Moody looked around the classroom with his one good eye. "Did you learn all the danger's a werewolf poses, past the normal bite?" He turned to Ron with sudden ferocity. "You, Ron! What effect does a werewolf have on half-human creatures, when it bites them?"
"It turns the human part of them into a wolf," Ron said dully. Thanks to Hermione, he knew it by heart. "But they can be cured be the potion that makes human werewolves harmless." Hermione gave him a slighty superior smile; Ron scowled.
Professor Moody wasn't entirely satisified. "Pete! What are the signs that a human is a werewolf?"
Pete smiled without humor, as though he'd just thought of some small, private joke. "Other than them becoming a wolf during the full moon, you mean?" He lifted an eyebrow, as though he was condesending to answer. Despite his weariness, there was a slight cockiness about him. "Dark, serious, with predator sense and often very good a dark arts. Oh, and very practical."
Moody fixed Pete with a penetrating glance before moving on to his next victim. With Moody's attention no longer on them, Ron turned to Pete.
"So, Sandri dumped you?" He asked in a vicious whisper, leaning closer. "What you do?"
"Ron!" Hermione looked embarrassed by her friends rudeness. "Will you get over it?"
But Pete just stared right back at Ron, before breaking off with a smirk. "And I suppose you know more about what happened then I do?"
Ron blushed as Moody swooped back upon them with vindictive swiftness. "Young Pete Ameryhst?" He asked, lowering his face until his glass eye was within an inch of Pete's nose. "Thought I wouldn't hear, did you? I, who can here a pin transfigured from a mile away?"
"Professor Moody," Hermione interjected, leaving Harry, Ron, and, dignity momentarily forgotton, Pete, to stare, mouths gaping open. "I provoked by calling him a teacher's pet." Several students smirked at this; Hermione was known for being many of the Professor's favorites. With delibrate cunning, she added, "You must have heard me, as well."
Moody stared at her, bewildered. Of course he hadn't heard Hermione, but he didn't want to admit that. "Very well, Ms. Granger," he growled. "You and Mr. Ameryhst will share your detention."
Hermione frowned slightly. Moody turned back to Seamus, who he had been relentlessly questioning before the interuption.
"Hermione, what were you thinking?" Ron wasn't yet over the shock. "You didn't say anything..."
"You may not realize your acting like an insecure fool," Hermione hissed. "But I do, and I'm ashamed for it."
Ron glared at Pete, who hadn't said a thing but instead studied the two of them intently with maddaning superiority. "You could at least say thank you!" he muttered. "She tried, which is more than I would have done..."
"MR. WEASLY! DETENTION!" Moody stormed back over. "Mr. Potter as well, for failing to keep to keep the rest of you quiet."
Harry opened his mouth to protest, but seeing Hermione's face, closed it. It was odd, but he almost liked the imposter Moody better. HE had at least feigned liking Harry. The real Moody seemed to fear Harry, and out of the fear came resentment.
On top of that, he was paranoid.
The rest of the class did not go well.
Moody divided the class into pairs and had them work together to subdue gremlins, sneaky little creatures who kept blending into parts of the classroom. Unfortuanatly, both Cho and Sandri seemed to have a certain weakness for the pesky creatures and their 'adorable little noses.' Their gremlin managed to escape and perch itself on Moody's shoulder. Moody, always on the lookout out, jumped up and placed a freezing charm on Neville and his unfortuante partner, Parvati. Both were caught in the act of placing an incomplete color spell on their gremlin to keep it from dissappearing; it had backfired, and they were both bright orange. Moody was infuritated.
All four got detention.
"You know," Ron commented as they walked out of the classroom. "I could learn to despise him."
Hermione whirled to face him. "You deserved to get detention, you know that, Ron! You've been acting like a bitter, immature child recently and I can't stand it! What would Percy say?"
"Percy WEATHERBY can very well rot in Azkazban for all I care," Ron muttered darkly. "Are we going to lunch or not?"
***
It was at dinner that evening that, while George and Fred were distributing real dungbombs, Professor Dumbledore dropped a figurative one on them.
"Attention please!" Dumbledore was smiling, but what he smiledat and what other's smiled at do not always coincide. "Becuase we know everybody's been working extremely hardthese first couple months of school, we've decided to give you a little break next week, with the first annual Halloween Ball!"
Professor McGonanall took over, and even she was smiling. "We've, umm, arranged for a full moon that night, so the dance can be held on the Quidditch Field. Attendence is not mandatory, but I strongly urge you to attend."
Harry looked at Ron and groaned. "I won't do it," He muttered. "I can't do it, I can't ask her again."
Ron's thought's were much difference. "YES! This is the perfect oppurtunity for me-" He stopped short, noticing the stares of fellow Gryffindor's. "-to try on those new robes mum got me," he finished hurridly, while Harry and Hermione smothered giggles. Ron glared at them, then looked anxiously over to the Ravenclaw table to make sure certain people hadn't heard.
"Angelina..." Fred slid into the seat next to the tall Quidditch Captain.
"Nice, good, kind Angelina..." Geore pushed his brother aside.
"Angelina whose a much better Quidditch player than me, or George for that matter," Fred jumped back in.
"Will you go to the ball with me?" The twins asked simultanously.
Angelina giggled, slightly embarrased. On her other side, Alicia feigned hurt.
"Neither of you want to go with me?" she asked in mock sorrow.
Fred and George looked at eachother, than pushed Angelina out of the way to get to Alicia.
"Alicia..."
"Nice, kind, good Alicia..."
"Alicia who might not be better at Quidditch than me, but is definitely better than Fred..."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry could not suppress their laughter as they walked out of the hall.
But there smiles fadedas they found three identical notes waiting for them.
"We're helping out in the library tommorrow night!" Hermione's face turned bright red; Harry and Ron didn't know whether from anger or from shame that she was happy.
Ron looked at his note again. "Mine says I'm going to the Forbidden Forest." He groaned, collapsing back into the chair behind him.
"Yeah, mine too..." Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder at her note. "...that's kinda weird, they usually put us all together."
Neville came down the stairs, looking white-faced and ashen, and clutching a scrap of paper so hard his knuckles became as clear and transluent as Nearly Headless Nick.
"You got yours too?" he whispered, as though afraid he would get attackedfor making such a statement. "I don't want to...I can't...go THERE!" he couldn't call the forest by name.
"Don't worry Neville." Harry swung his arm around Neville's shoulders. "We'll be there."
"And we've been there loads of times,"Ron muttered. "Far more than I would have liked..."
Hermione issued as swift kick to his shins.
"Hermione!"
"Not now!" She muttered through pursed lips, indicating Neville, who was now shaking as he recalled his last trip to the Forbidden Forest.
"Fine." Suddenly Ron brightened as an idea struck him. "Maybe Sandri will be there!"
"Or maybe she'll be in the library with me. Really, the two of you..."
***
Hermione jumped up the stairs, two at a time. She wasn't sure why she was in a rush, but she wanted to get to the library as fast as possible, if only so she could see who she was working with...
Hermione wasn't used to dealing with feelings that weren't easily described in a dictionary; she wasn't sure she liked it. Harry and Ron were her friends, she would have done anything for them, but she had no idea what had prompted her to stand up for Pete, a sixth year she hardly knew, yesterday.
Who just happened to be there in the library when she got there, wearing his normal, slighlty sarcastic smile. Hermione, not knowing how to react, gave him a look of disgust. Pete's smile grew larger.
"What I want to know," he said when she walked in. "Is why, if you can't stand me so much, you tried to get me out of detention."
Hermione said the first thing that came to mind. If she pretended she hated him,it really wasn't that hard. "Ron was acting likea jackass. I had moral obligations." Hermione scowled. Pete lifted an eyebrow, disbelieving. "You do realized you have an ego as largeas a bulger, right?" Pete looked slightly taken aback,and Hermione immediatly felt bad. Fortunatly, befor her 'moral obligations' required her to apologize, Madam Pince walked in, frowning as she saw the two of them.
"They only gave me two? Hagrid got six." Madam Pince frowned again, surveying the two. "Well, Hermione's good for something, but I'm not sure about you..." She fixed her glare on Pete. His superior smile having returned, Hermione had no scruples giving a little smile of pride herself.
"Well, I guess you'll have to do," Madam Pince said,in a way that suggested she very much doubted it. "It's quite simple. Hagrid donated a few books to the library..." Hermione groaned, knowing exactly how many a 'few' were "...and all you have to do is put them on the shelf by author. "Got it? I'll check back in half an hour to see how your doing."
Hermione looked at the gigantic pile of books Madam Pince indicated. "I may kill Hagrid," she muttered, walking over to where the books were stacked. "You think there's some spell for this?"
"You're the one whose supposedto be good for something, remember?"But Pete was smiling (of a sort); he wasn't bitter. "Besides I'm sure the excercise, seeing as it was assigned by wise and all knowing teacher's, will have some mind beneficial effect."
"'Sarcasm is the refuge of the insecue student'" Hermione quoted.
"Something you've picked up from studying, no doubt?" He lifted an eyebrow with a maddening air of superiority. Hermione couldn't take it and longer.
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU? ARE YOU ALWAYS LIKE THIS, OR JUST WHEN YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOUR BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?" In her anger, Hermione gestured with her wand and sent several books flying across the room. Pete ducked, looking suprised, but recovered quickly. This time he gave her a real smile.
"Just checking to see if you really were incapable of human emotion." THe patroniing tone was still there, but the superiority was less.
Hermione lowered her wand. "Is that what people say about me?" She'd never though of herself as cold before.
"You get straight A's, you're always keeping your friends in check before they do something stupid for puppy love, and the only guy anyone's ever known you to have liked was Viktor Krum," Pete told her, putting several books onto the shelves. "What are people supposed to think?"
Hermione looked slighty startled. "I never really thought about it, just because I don't go around shouting who I'm in love with, like Ron-" She clamped her mouth shut, but, seeing no suprise on Pete's face, accused, "You knew!"
"It's only slightly obvious." Pete laughed. "Why else would he have gone into a jealous rage?"
"That's why I 'keep them in check'!" Hermione burst out. "So they won't go around making fools of themselves which they have already done..."
"So? They're having fun." His voice dropped, and he looked straight at her. "Is that so bad?"
Hermione stared back, breathless, and for a moment didn't know what to say. BUt as though she was about to reveal something and quickly changed her mind, she said,
"I don't see you ever show emotion, either," she accused. "You just hide behind your sarcasm."
"Fair enough. But I still date once in awhile," he countered. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Madam Pince bustled in just the, which was fortunate, because Hermione couldn't think of anything to say.
"Really! I expect you to get some work done, and look at this! All of three books placed on the shelves! What were you doing, reading them? Now ...
So Hermione and Pete dutifully began to place the books on the shelves under Madam Pince's watchful eyes.
Ok, that was my first three centaur one's lumped into one. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review.