Hogwarts High II
By Siriusly Amused
Author's Note: -sings- Why, oh why, is this fic so hard to write? Anywho, this is the part where I talk about my numerous excuses as to why there's so much time between updates. -clears throat- Right after I updated Chapter Three, I started on Chapter Four, got two and a half pages in and got writer's block. End of story. I'm actually not certain if the writer's block is cured, but I'm intent upon finishing this chapter tonight even if it kills me. As always, your patience with me is greatly appreciated! -hands everyone homemade cookies to munch on whilst you read-
Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Harry Potter…'Times Like These' by the Foo Fighters…The Foo Fighters themselves…
Chapter Four
Return to Hogwarts High
µ I am a streetlight shining, I am a wild light blinding bright, Burning off alone µ
···Ginny···
"Oh, Ron! We have to pick up Noelle!"
"What? Doesn't she have her own car?"
"Well, yeah, but I told her that she could ride with us."
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
"I forgot."
"What street does she live on?"
"You just passed it."
"Dammit, Ginny!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed a hold of the dashboard as Ron quickly performed and illegal U turn at a speed that nearly caused Old Betsy to tip over. He muttered obscenities under his breath and yelled at a squirrel to get out of his way before making a sharp left onto Noelle's street and curtly asking me which house she lived in.
"The sixth on the left," I replied quietly, wondering if I made a mistake inviting Noelle to ride with us. It was only yesterday that Ron had read Hermione's e-mail about her finding a guy that she liked and he has been acting like a rampaging gorilla ever since.
The tires made a horrible screeching noise as Ron pulled into Noelle's driveway. Noelle, who was sitting on her front porch, waiting for us, raised her eyebrows as if contemplating whether or not she really wanted to ride in a car that Ron was driving. Her dubious look was quickly replaced with a friendly smile as she slung her schoolbag onto her shoulder and skipped down the drive, giving us a slight wave before entering Old Betsy's back seat.
"Hi, Ginny!" she said brightly, closing the door.
"Hi!" I greeted back, twisting my neck slightly so that I could give her a smile.
"Hi, Ron!" she said, addressing my brother.
"Umph," Ron grunted in reply, putting the car in reverse and tearing out of the driveway. Noelle sent me a look that seemed to ask, 'What the hell is his problem?' I mouthed 'Hermione' to her and her mouth formed an understanding O. Ron continued to speed down the streets of Hogwarts Hills and it wasn't long until we reached the downtown area and the early morning traffic. Ron shouted out the F word at the top of his lungs, simultaneously hitting the steering wheel.
"Relax, Ron, would you?" I asked exasperatedly. "We've got plenty of time to get to school!"
"We're going to miss breakfast and it's biscuits and gravy day!" Ron shouted back.
"Oh, like you're not going to bring a pop tart to your first class anyway!"
Ron's angered looked shifted slightly to a more pensive one as he let up on the brake and allowed Old Betsy to creep forward a little in the traffic.
"I forgot about those," he stated in a normal-toned voice, reaching back behind him to open his school bag and take out a box of pop tarts. He opened the box like the pro that he was and took out one of the shiny pop tart bags, placing the bag between his teeth as he twisted around once more to return the box. It was then he seemed to remember that Noelle was in the backseat and in a moment of kindness (probably brought on by the promise of pop tarts), he held the box out to her, making a "Won won?" sound as he asked her if she wanted one. Noelle hesitantly reached out a hand took a hold of one of the bags; her face clearly showing that she was worried that Ron would go off on her if she refused his gift of pop tarts.
Ron replaced the pop tarts and turned back around, letting off the brake once more as the traffic eased up. Minutes later, we were just outside of town, following the line of student cars and yellow school buses making their way to the gleaming Hogwarts High.
Ron managed to get one of the better parking spaces in the student parking lot and the three of us opted to stay in the car and finish our pop tarts (Noelle had offered one of her pop tarts to me). I tried asking Noelle and Ron what classes they were taking this year but Ron glared so fiercely that Noelle stopped after 'Honors English III first period' and we were silent for the remainder of breakfast lest we invoked Ron temper.
The school lot was nearly empty when we trudged up the sloping lawns of Hogwarts High and headed into the building. None of us were prepared for what awaited us just inside the front doors of our beloved high school.
···Noelle···
As per usual, the halls of Hogwarts High were crammed with students, all of which were talking, squealing and hugging one another after the long summer break. Ginny and I, wanting to keep some distance between ourselves and Ron, allowed Ron to enter the school first, opting to follow two feet behind him. With Ron a safe distance ahead of us, Ginny and I finally felt comfortable talking and we complemented each other on our outfits. It wasn't until we were down several corridors that we realized that something was different: while one typically needs to weave their way through the crowd of students in the hallway, Ginny and I had no problem walking in Ron's wake as he parted the sea of students.
For a moment, I wondered if the other kids could sense that Ron was in a mood not to be bothered with, but after a short observation, I realized that many of the upperclassmen were clapping Ron on his shoulder and welcoming him back, asking him if he had a good summer. The underclassmen, with the exception of the freshmen who seemed to be scared of everyone who looked like they knew where they were going, were giving Ron timid smiles, as if they wanted Ron to notice them. Upon further observation, I realized that Ginny was getting much of the same treatment.
"Bye you two," Ginny called when Ron and I reached our lockers (my locker was across from his). Ron and I both let our school bags drop from our shoulders and land on the floor at our feet as we did our locker combinations. My locker opened immediately and I began filling it with my notebooks and other supplies. Behind me, I heard Ron mutter yet another explicative as he began to pound his locker.
"Problems, Ron?" I asked, ignoring the fact that twenty or so faces were staring at us as Ron's locker finally gave way.
"My locker hates me," Ron mumbled back, bending down to pick up his school bag and hazardously throw his notebooks into his locker. He pulled out one notebook, a pencil and pen, and yet another pop tart before closing his locker and turning toward me.
The bell rang and I began making my way up the stairs to my first class. I was immensely surprise when Ron followed me into the classroom and sat down in a desk next to mine.
"You're taking Honors English III, Ron?" I asked, wincing slightly at the obvious shock that sounded in my voice.
"Yeah," Ron sighed next to me, slouching down in his chair and looking around the cramped room dubiously. I must have been staring at him with open-mouthed incredulity because he elaborated: "I signed up because Hermione was taking it," he told me. "I'm fully aware that Mr. Slughorn is an insane drill sergeant when it comes to studies and English. Even my brother, Percy, admits that the man belongs in an university, not a high school."
"Oh my God, I can't believe I signed up for this class! I must have been mental!"
Ron and I turned in our chairs to see Seamus shuffle into the room, one hand thrown dramatically over his eyes, the other holding his notebook and pen.
"Because you know you're good at writing and that you can handle this class," Parvati stated exasperatedly, coming through the door and pushing Seamus slightly so that he would move on. "Stop being such a baby, Seamus, and sit down."
Seamus did as he was told, ignoring the baby comment and sitting down in front of Ron. Parvati settled across from Seamus and in front of me. She gave me a slight smile which widened incredibly for Ron.
"Lavender can't wait until Chemistry," she announced, looking directly at Ron.
"Why?" Ron asked, bringing his hands behind his head casually and cocking an eyebrow at Parvati. "She got a thing for test tubes and Bunsen burners?"
"No," Parvati replied, kicking Ron across the aisle. "It's the only class she has with you."
"How does she know my class schedule?" Ron asked, looking shocked. "I don't even know my class schedule." And with that he bent over and pulled his schedule out of his bag.
"Never underestimate the power of a woman," Parvati declared with an air of superiority. Seamus snorted.
"Seriously, how did she figure out his schedule?" he asked, jerking his head toward Parvati.
"Everyone's class schedules are in those big, black binders in the office," Parvati explained.
"You have a stalker, Ron," I told him, hoping he would get the hint that Lavender was after him like a starving lion after a plump gazelle.
"Why me?"
"Why Ronnie?"
Parvati rolled her eyes at the boys. "That should be obvious. I mean, you have noticed that people are treating you differently this year, right?"
Ron stared blankly at her. Parvati seemed to be getting frustrated.
"Fred and George were pretty damn popular, right?" she asked, leaning closer to avoid being overheard by the other nameless kids in the classroom.
"Yeah," Ron and Seamus answered right away.
"And Draco was the school heartthrob. And Harry had this mysterious air about him and lived with an ex-convict. And Hermione was the perfect student."
"Uh huh," the boys replied once again.
"And. They. Are. All. Gone. This. Year." Parvati enunciated each word.
"Okay." The boys weren't getting it.
Parvati gave an exasperated sigh and tipped her chair slightly so that her face was very, very close to Ron's. "You're Fred and George's brother. Harry's best friend. Hermione's ex-boyfriend. Draco's…best friend's best friend. They're gone so the school has transferred all of their popularity onto you." Parvati finished, letting her chair fall back down with a thump.
All the color drained from Ron's face as he stared at her with his mouth open. It was at that moment that the late bell rang and our teacher, a stoutly man with a large, silver mustache, entered the room pompously. Mr. Slughorn had taught at Hogwarts Hills for nearly fifty years and was infamous for his strictness and the level of difficulty he placed in his classes.
He walked to the front of the class and wrote his name upon the whiteboard before turning around and smiling at us: his victims for the next nine months.
"Good morning," he stated brightly, knowing that none of us thought that the mornings would ever be good again. He went on with his typical back-to-school lecture, waving a hand to a board on which he had written the week's schedule. The entire class groaned as one when we saw that our first spelling/vocab test would be on Wednesday.
"Now, now," Slughorn scolded as he handed out our text books. "You're juniors. I must prepare you for college. Pop tart away, Mr. Weasley. There will be no eating in my class."
Ron stared at him in disbelief, his third pop tart of the morning halfway to his mouth. Ron and Slughorn had a staring contest for what seemed like five minutes before Slughorn finally won and Ron placed his pop tart back into his bag.
"You're Percy Weasley's younger brother, are you not?" Slughorn asked, eyeing Ron with scrutiny.
Ron looked as if he were going to be sick, but nodded anyway.
"Good man, Percy. It was I who wrote his letter of recommendation. Fred and George were also good students."
"Fred and George took this class!" Ron asked, leaning forward in his seat.
Slughorn chuckled.
"You bet they did! I think they were hoping to break me, but I broke them."
"No way," Ron replied disbelievingly, his eyes wide.
Slughorn chuckled once more and went over to a row of file cabinets muttering, "Let's see, two years ago," under his breath as he flipped through the files. After a moment, he pulled out two files and extracted papers from both, holding them in front of Ron.
One paper was titled, 'Heroes in Breast Mail and Camouflage: A Comparison Between Beowulf and the Modern Day Military Man.' The other paper was titled, 'Triple Trouble: The Witches Behind Macbeth's Vaulting Ambition.' The first paper was written by Fred, the second by George. Both papers were in perfect formatting and contained no passive voice. Large, red A's were scribbled on the front of both papers.
The class gasped audibly; Ron even fell out of his seat, swearing loudly.
"There will be no swearing in my class, Mr. Weasley. You may go to in-school suspension."
"But!" Ron protested, standing up and waving at the papers in Slughorns' hands with incredulity.
"Off you go," Slughorn replied, waving Ron away.
Ron glared for a moment before picking up his things and making his way out of the room. Several students patted his arms comfortingly as he left.
···Harry···
Larry and Susan had enrolled Draco and I into a prestigious prep school, but they had neglected to take us in to see our councilor to be placed for classes; therefore, Draco and I found ourselves sitting in our councilor's office on our first day of school as she, a middle aged woman who looked like her skin had been pulled too tightly across her face, asked us a range of questions.
"How many languages other than English are you fluent in?"
"Er…I took Spanish I at my old school."
"I like to think that I have my own language called Draconish that is exclusive only to me."
"Do you listen to classical music while you study?"
"I popped my Godfather's old Rolling Stones CD in once while I was studying."
"I listen to that soundtrack from the movie where this British boy realizes he's a wizard and goes off to that magical boarding school. I can never remember the name of that movie though."
"Did you practice Geometric proofs over the summer?"
"Um…no."
"What the heck is a proof? Did I take Geometry?"
"Yes, you did, Draco. You always asked me if lines were congruent."
"Oh."
"How often do you read The Wall Street Journal?"
"Erm…am I supposed to?"
"I don't like reading journals. I feel as though I'm budding into someone's privacy."
Our counselor glared at us over her spectacles as if she couldn't believe that people so common as us had gotten into her school. "Do you young gentlemen have any plans for your impending future?" she asked us disconcertedly.
"Er…"
"I want to be utterly handsome and admired by all. And I would like to eat at every pancake house across America."
The counselor stared at us for a moment, a green tinge appearing on her face as she watched the school's academic average go down.
"I honestly feel as though both of you would benefit more from the local public high school," she started, pushing a key on her keyboard that sent her printer into motion, printing our class schedules, "but I'm forced to accept you. I will warn you that if you can't keep up with the curriculum or if you give our school any problems, you will be expelled."
Draco and I were silent, but she looked at us as if she were expecting us to go, 'Oh no! Not expulsion!'
"Kay," Draco said at last, snatching his schedule out of her hand and grabbing his school bag.
"I'll be watching you two very closely. And for God's sake, Mr. Potter, tuck in your shirt!" she called after us as we walked out of her office, examining our schedules which were completely identical…as if my life could get any worse.
"What the hell is Right and Proper class?" I asked Draco, who shrugged.
···Remus···
"I feel as though I should be getting a job," I announced, sitting on the sunny porch late one morning.
"Ew," Narcissa mentioned next to me.
"That defeats the whole purpose of hiding, Remus," Sirius added.
And that ended that discussion.
"I wonder how Tonks is doing," I continued. Sirius and Narcissa immediately straightened with interest.
"Thinking of my beautiful niece?" Narcissa asked.
"Don't read into it," I warned.
"Too late," the both replied simultaneously.
···Tonks···
To my utmost surprise, Ron was the first student into my classroom for his fourth hour history class. I had expected the classroom to be empty for another five minutes and was completely shocked to see a student arrive so early, much less the one student I needed to bond with.
Ron stared at me, his arms at his sides, his right arm loosely holding his books, and his brow knitted as he tried to place me.
"Hey, Ron!" I greeted brightly, waving a hand over my head and propping my feet up upon my desk.
"Tonks?" Ron asked slowly, afraid that he might have it wrong.
I smiled and nodded, watching with amusement as his entire demeanor changed to one that was more relaxed.
"Wow, I haven't seen you in years!" he stated, picking a desk that was front and center in the classroom and sitting down, gazing avidly at me. "How have you been?"
I groaned without meaning to. "The past couple of years have been rough, but my life's starting to look up," I shared, thinking of both my new job at Hogwarts High and the reentrance of Remus Lupin into my life. "But enough about me, what about you?" I asked, getting up from my desk and going to Ron's, taking his arm and making him stand so I could look him over. "You've grown so much!"
Ron was about a half a foot taller than me. His voice, which had been squeaky the last time I spoke with him, was now deep, his smile more confident. His hair was longish and he was beginning to display the broad shoulders and lovely Weasley arms that his brothers were known for.
"It's the first day of school and I've already been in in-school suspension," he stated, almost proudly.
"Really?" I asked, intrigued. "What did you do?"
"I swore in Slughorn's class."
I laughed. "Slughorn sent me to in-school for that many a time," I told him.
"You had him too?" Ron asked, sitting back down at his desk and smiling up at me.
"Yeah, my mom made me take his class."
"Well, I had a good reason to swear," Ron continued. "I found out that Fred and George took that class and that they aced it!"
"Fucking hell."
"That's what I said!"
The sound of approaching students reached our ears.
"Hey, Tonks," Ron said, getting up from his desk once more and following me to mine as a handful of students entered the classroom. "I know that students and teachers have to keep their relationship at a distance, but you're technically family and I distinctly remember sitting at the kiddie table with you one Thanksgiving a long time ago, and…well…I'm sure Mom would love to have you over for dinner some time."
I couldn't believe my luck. I expected Ron to be aloof and avoid me like most students avoid their teachers. I thought my job of getting info about Harry and Draco out of him would be immensely difficult, yet here he was, inviting me over to dinner! I tried to act cool about it.
"I'd love to see the family again," I replied, smiling as the late bell rang. "I'll give Molly a call sometime. Now," I adopted a more professional tone, "back to your seat, Mr. Weasley."
Ron smiled. "Yes, Ms. Tonks," he replied, causing me to wince at the formality.
"Let's just drop the titles," I told him. He laughed and went back to his desk.
···Ron···
"Won-won."
"Isn't that new history teacher amazing?"
"Tonks? Oh yeah, she's like distantly related to me."
"Really?"
"Won-won."
"Yeah."
"So is she your second cousin or…?"
"More like tenth, once removed, but my mom used to baby sit her mom, so we're kinda close."
"Won-won!" Lavender jabbed me sharply in my ribs.
"What?" I turned toward her, rubbing my side.
"I was calling you!"
"My name's not 'Won-won'."
"But it's cute! Just like you!" Lavender brought a hand to run through my hair. I couldn't help but blush at that. "Anywho," Lavender continued, ignoring the odd look that Noelle and Neville were giving us from across the lab table, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the school bon-fire BBQ with me this weekend?"
"Really?" I asked, my interest perking. If Hermione could move on so quickly, then so could I.
"Yeah."
"Like a date?"
She smiled. "I was hoping it would be."
I was silent for a moment. I really didn't know Lavender very well. And I also didn't want to be on Seamus' bad side. But Lavender was pretty, and I am a guy.
"Okay," I said at last. "But we're not, like, a couple yet," I added, just incase the night sucked. I didn't think Lavender heard me. She 'eeped' and hugged me right there in seventh hour Chemistry.
···Hermione···
I awoke to find myself on a couch in the nurse's office. "What on Earth?" I asked, bringing a hand to my head and sitting up slowly. I was in my new school uniform and to my horror, saw that it was 4 in the afternoon.
"Awake?" the nurse asked me from her desk.
"What happened?" I asked, turning to face her, my mind foggy.
"You were so excited about classes starting that you short-circuited and fainted. You were unconscious the whole day. I was about to call your parents to ask if you had a condition."
"I MISSED MY CLASSES!"
"Take it easy, a friend of yours dropped off your homework."
"A friend?"
"He said his name was Gavin. He also said to meet him in the student lounge if you want some help getting caught up."
I nodded, my mouth dry as I took the mountain of books that the nurse handed to me and made my way down to the student lounge. At first I didn't see him, then I recognized his messy brown hair amongst a sea of fellow female students. I fought my way through the crowd and set my books down on the table that Gavin was sitting at.
"You didn't tell me that you went to this school," I scolded him.
"You didn't tell me that you were a fainter," he replied, looking amused as several of the girls left us.
"I'm not, normally," I replied, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear distractedly. "But thank you for offering to get me caught up," I continued, sitting down.
"Yeah, about that," Gavin replied, seeming suddenly uncomfortable. "I made other plans."
"Oh."
"Yeah, I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it," I said, forcing myself to smile.
"Thanks, I won't," Gavin replied, following the nearest girl out of the lounge.
Feeling as though my day couldn't get any worse, I opened one of my text books and attempted to read but found it very hard to focus on the words.
"He's a prick."
"Excuse me?" I asked, looking up to find a tall, older boy with longish hair, who was holding a pool stick and staring down at me.
"Gavin," he replied, nodding toward the door. "He's in the same house as I am."
"Oh," I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed that this guy had witness me being ditched. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
He offered a shy smile. "That's because I didn't give it. It's Victor, by the way. Victor Krum."
"Hermione Granger," I replied offering my hand. A bell went off in my head as he shook my hand. "Wait a minute!" I exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "I know you! My ex-boyfriend used to talk about you all the time! You're that young soccer star, aren't you?"
Victor blushed somewhat and sat down across from me. "Yeah, which is why I'm nineteen and still in high school."
I really didn't know what to say to that so I just shrugged.
"So what are you working on?" Victor asked, gazing at my open text book. "Chemistry? I loved that class. Need any help with it?"
I smiled.
"Well…if you wouldn't mind."
···
From: I was unconscious during my first day of boarding school
Sent: September 1st, 10:00 PM
To: Gin
Topic: Yet Another Guy
Ginny,
Well, I moved into my boarding school (which is a few miles outside of the town that my parents and I live in). It's a really nice place. So nice, in fact, that I apparently couldn't take it and fainted upon walking into my first classroom and being handed my own personal laptop. I was unconscious until four in the afternoon! I went to the student lounge and found out that: A) Gavin goes to the same school as me, and B) he's embarrassed to be seen with me. But on the plus side, I met a new guy. His name is Victor Krum--yeah, the one in Ron's soccer poster! He helped me with my chemistry.
Love,
Hermione
·
From: My day was uneventful and fill with 'don't run in the halls' speeches
Sent: September 1st, 10: 03 PM
To: She who did chemistry work with my brother's idol
Topic: …
Herm,
O.O
Love,
Gin
·
From: God, I look good!
Sent: September 1st, 10:20 PM
To: Jaclyn
Topic: Help
Jaclyn
Potter and I are having some difficulty with our Right and Proper class. Did you know that a class that teaches one manners existed? I didn't. Anywho, we can't tell our forks apart. And why can't I tie my napkin around my neck like a bib?
Pretty Draco
·
From: Draco's everywhere
Sent: September 1st, 10:23 PM
To: The Feisty One
Topic: I can't get rid of Draco no matter what I do
Gin,
As if living in the same house with Draco wasn't bad enough, I now have every single class with him at our God forsaken school! I think I'm losing my sanity.
How are you? And what's this about Ron wanting to impress Lavender?
Harry
·
From: I should be in movies
Sent: September 1st, 10: 40 PM
To: The guy across the hall
Topic: Missing Remote
Potter,
Do you happen to know where my remote is?
Draco
·
From: I'm right across the hall!
Sent: September 1st, 10:42 PM
To: The lazy ass who can't walk across the hall
Topic: Re: Missing Remote
Draco,
No.
Harry
·
From: I'm Feisty, eh?
Sent: September 1st, 10:50 PM
To: Hot Potter
Topic: Ron and Hermione's love lives…yes…plural
Harry,
Well, we all knew that Ron and Hermione were broken up, but none of us really thought that they'd move on. Well they did. My brother is suddenly popular at school and Lavender has been flirting relentlessly with him all summer. He avoided her at first, not wanting to piss Seamus off and not wanting to move on from Hermione, but Hermione got a crush on some Gavin guy who apparently turned out to be a prick and now she's talking about the soccer player, Victor Krum, who apparently goes to her boarding school. Ron found out about Gavin which of course pissed him right off, and he is a guy and Lavender does wear short skirts so he agreed to go to the school's bon-fire BBQ with her.
Feisty Ginny
·
From: I'm hot, eh?
Sent: September 1st, 10:55 PM
To: You don't look too bad yourself, Ginny
Topic!
Gin,
Do you think Hermione would get me Victor's autograph if I asked her?
Harry
···
End Author's Note: I realized that I can only write Hogwarts High chapters in one sitting (I started this at 6 PM and it is now close to 1 AM). If I stop during a chapter, I get writer's block. That's why this fic is so hard to write. As an extra bonus, I'm going to add a list of random facts about the HH gang.
- Ron played basketball in junior high and his freshmen year of high school. Fred and George also played basketball Ron's freshman year (they once again had a head cold and joined without realizing it). All three boys hated the 5 AM practices so much that they swore that they would never join again. And they didn't.
- Harry also played basketball in junior high but refused to join in high school because he remembered how Fred and George used to complain about it. Not to mention, basketball just isn't his sport.
- The Weasley family only has one cordless phone in the house. Fred once dropped the cordless phone in the toilet and they were without a phone for a week before Mrs. Weasley finally bought a new one.
- Draco tried to eat glue in Kindergarten.
- Hermione and Draco were the only ones who took swimming lessons over the summer when they were young. Harry wasn't allowed and Ron and Ginny's swimming lessons consisted of Bill and Charlie throwing them into the ocean and telling them to swim or drown.
- Dumbledore has a PhD in child psychology.
…
And that's it because it's late and I have to get up early. I BET YOU GUYS WEREN'T EXPECTING KRUM! -laughs evilly- I need to go to bed.