Disclaimer: Like none of the characters here are mine, and most are the intellectual right of JK Rowling. In fact, even the ones I make up eventually own me anyway...
Authorial Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside with your niceness (urgh. I hate the word nice... not because I'm not nice... it's just the English-student attitude permenently burnt into my mind.) I apologise if this is a "shorty", but I didn't really have much to say at this point in time, and as one of my anonymous (*cough*Next Tangent*cough) said, it wouldn't make sense to have all the action in like... one week. But then again, I don't want it to drag, and not make sense... so yah. Enjoy!
Next-tangent - Welcome back from the land of the beaver. Or something. I dunno. HAI. I shall consider your advice carefully, before ignoring it totally ;).
tris2 - Thanks for you continued cheering on of my story! It really makes my day! (no exaggeration... I lead a rather boring life.) I hope you like this one too :p
Rhyanna - I'm glad you enjoy my cliffies (or at least hate them properly.) The funny thing is, in the last chapter, I didn't plan to end on a "cliffie", it just kinda happened. It's now hard-coded into my system, but as sure as 5 + 1 = 4, I'll try and make at least ONE chapter in this story that leaves everything all nice and tied off... oh who am I kidding! Glad you're liking (or have the tact not to insult) this so far!
LuciusAndSnapeRock - Thanks for the compliment on my last chapter! I'm very sorry that this is a short one, too.
yellowpages - Keep reading, and I'm sure I'll be able to fit more about him in sooner or later! Thanks for reading!
Phire Phoenix - Thanks for the compliment and your continued intrest! And yes... everyone should know to stay away from Ron's sister... though I wonder if Ron ever got romantically attached, would Ginny have her revenge, hmmm?
Innocent Little Birdie - Thanks for reading so far! And I'm not sadistic... ok. Maybe I am. But my cliffie's aren't that bad are they? :p
baby chaos - I've updated... though this doesn't count as soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
This chapter is dedicated to Laura's internet cable, as if she's reading this, it means that it is no longer hidden.
Chapter 10 – Encounters, and the lack of them
"No one touches my sister like that."
Ron was adamant in his protests. With his eyes slightly glazed, he turned towards the shocked Dean, who was propped up against the wall. Ron slowly raised his wand again. Hermione, however, did not need to resort to magic. She took a couple of bounding strides from across the room, raised her hand. She brought it down. The palm collided majestically with the side of Ron's cheek. The crisp echoes of the slap bounced around the room gleefully.
"Oh, snap out of it!"
Ron was taken aback, and suddenly very conscious again. He flushed a strange red - a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. He scowled, and Hermione raised her hand once again.
"Stop!" Ron cried out. "I'm over it!"
Hermione lowered her hand, slightly disappointed.
This was Ron's cue to leave. Huffing to himself, he furiously made his way out of the room, and began his valiant efforts to avoid Hermione.
Life at Hogwarts went on as usual, and as far as Harry could tell, no more attacks were made on members of the Gryffindor house using Slytherin's Gift. In fact, the long periods of silence that he was exposed to, due to Hermione and Ron's fall out, made Harry rather nervous. He kept on expecting sparks to start flying over his head if he turned away for even half a second when their lessons forced them into close proximity.
"Hmm... I'm hungry. Do we have to go to the next lesson?" Ron wondered aloud, as the bell rang signifying the end of break, on their first Wednesday back.
"I think we'd better..." Harry replied, readjusting his stance to remove a rather pointy claw of a statue that was poking into his back. "After all, it's our first lesson of this subject..."
"Oh?" Ron asked, now looking at the brown door in front of him with mild interest. "What subject is it?"
"Something like, 'Theory of Magic.'" Harry informed him. Hermione, standing on the opposite side of the corridor, shuffled her feet at something.
But Ron, using alternate vocabulary, decided to ask to Harry elaborate more on the exact nature of the subject.
"Five points off Gryffindor! I will not have language like that outside my classroom!"
The new teacher had arrived, and Ron had evidently not made a good impression on her. She leant her hand on the heavy classroom door and it clicked open. She strolled inside, her black robes trailing behind. Harry wondered if all teachers at Hogwarts received training on how to make their cloaks billow so violently.
"Who is she?" Harry whispered worriedly to Hermione, who had begun to follow her in.
"Don't tell me you've not met Professor Ward yet!" Hermione exclaimed almost scornfully.
But before Harry could ask how, exactly, Hermione knew her, the class was beckoned inside.
They all took seats behind their mahogany desks in the chapel-like classroom. With the over-enthusiasm common in all newly qualified teachers, Professor Ward strolled down the aisle.
"In these lessons," she began shaking a board-ruler threateningly, "I intend to teach you the under-researched workings and complex mechanisms of magic."
The class listened in silence, still afraid to test the patience of this unknown entity.
"Unlike simpler subjects, where the only skill involved is the mixing of coloured fluids and the weighing of powders, this will require your full attention. I do not expect you all to understand everything I teach straight away, but if it is evident that you have not been listening, then I shall not jump to accommodate your lack of common sense."
Suddenly, she flicked the ruler outwards, and pointed it at Seamus who was about to mutter something to Dean. "You! What did I just say?"
"Umm, something about... powder weighing?" the nervous pupil suggested.
There was a fatal breath of silence.
"I have not been impressed by this class so far today." The angered teacher declared. "And you're the Gryffindors too, right? Hmm... I expected better of you."
Whilst this chastise dulled the mood of the entire class and as usual, it seemed to strike Hermione the hardest, even though she was in no way responsible. A frown imposed upon her face, she sat up straight, brandishing her feather pen keenly.
The lesson rolled on, and it was as confusing as promised. In fact, confusing was an understatement. It was downright bizarre. Dudley, when pressured by a visiting aunt, had once described this atrocious sounding muggle lesson called, "Physics." Harry could see the similarity.
It had been going down hill all the way, since the teacher had printed the words, "What is Magic?" on the board, and that had been pretty much the first thing she had done. Ron shook and moaned quietly, as he copied down the third formula given in fifteen minutes. Harry was forced to think very carefully to get his head around the topic. Hermione, however, was positively revelling in the chaos, taking notes furiously, and letting out periodic gasps of comprehension. Harry noticed that for Ron, this merely added insult to injury.
When at last their torment was over, the three left the classroom in bamboozled silence. Almost instantly, Hermione broke away to location unknown, leaving Ron to express his disgust to Harry.
"Gah! How could anyone teach a subject like that? It's... evil!"
Harry laughed, as they walked along the corridor. "It kinda makes sense though, when you think about it..."
"No!" Ron insisted, "It does not! It's... numbers.... with letters... and lines... in funny places!"
Harry thought about this for a moment. "Weren't you taught maths before you went to Hogwarts? I mean, at your first school."
Ron blushed slightly. "I wasn't paying attention at the time..."
Harry was just about to chuckle at this too, when he came across a sight that was guaranteed to wipe the smile off his face.
Snape was leaning furtively against a wall along the corridor, turned away from them, his hands concealed by his wide cloak. However, upon hearing their arrival, there was a frantic shuffle followed by a high-pitched shatter. Snape span around furiously to face them, a rather familiar smell now being emitted from underneath his feet.
"Potter? Weasley? What are you doing here?"
"Going to lunch..." Harry started to explain, but seeing the white fury burning across Snape's face, was forced to add, "Sir."
"Well..." Snape snapped. "Go to lunch elsewhere!"
The was something distinctively odd about the way he was neither focusing on Harry or Ron. Usually, when confronted by Snape, Harry's eyes would lock into an inescapable hatred with his.
"There's another lunch hall?" Ron asked.
"I will not be spoken to that by a student!" Snape barked, dropping his usual sarcasm. "Ten points from... umm... ten points off..."
Snape couldn't find the word to finish his sentence. After a couple more attempts, he eventually gave up.
"Just get out of my sight." he hissed.
It was only when Snape's command had been readily carried out that Harry recognised the smell.
"Ron," he commented, "I think that the thing he dropped, the thing in his hands... it was what I made in potions last week."
"Really?" Ron was slightly curious about the subject of substances with the ability to incapacitate his least favourite teacher. "What was it called?"
"I dunno." Frowned Harry. "He didn't tell us."
The rest of the day's lessons were uneventful, but when they returned to the common room, slightly tired due to an evening session of quidditch training, Hermione was not in her usual chair. In fact, Hermione was not to be seen at all.
About two hours after they'd sat down to procrastinate their homework with casual chatter, she clambered through the portrait hole, slightly dishevelled.
"Where've you been?" Asked Harry as she passed by. "The library?"
"No," Hermione yawned. "I'm tired. Going to bed..."
Without any further explanation, she disappeared once more. Ron dropped his quill and sighed.
"Bah!" he exclaimed, "She's so... so..."
"Hermionish?" Harry suggested.
"Yes! Exactly!" Ron agreed.
"You really need to talk to her..." Harry worried, concerned that Slytherin's Last Gift may have taken its hold on both of them.
"I know, I know..." Ron replied mournfully. "It's just sometimes... she's as irritating as a sunburnt neck would be to a giraffe!"
Wondering whether or not Ron had a dictionary or list of stupid expressions and phrases which he was slowly going through, Harry eventually retired to the boy's dormitary. Unfortunately, he did not have a restful night's sleep...
Authorial Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside with your niceness (urgh. I hate the word nice... not because I'm not nice... it's just the English-student attitude permenently burnt into my mind.) I apologise if this is a "shorty", but I didn't really have much to say at this point in time, and as one of my anonymous (*cough*Next Tangent*cough) said, it wouldn't make sense to have all the action in like... one week. But then again, I don't want it to drag, and not make sense... so yah. Enjoy!
Next-tangent - Welcome back from the land of the beaver. Or something. I dunno. HAI. I shall consider your advice carefully, before ignoring it totally ;).
tris2 - Thanks for you continued cheering on of my story! It really makes my day! (no exaggeration... I lead a rather boring life.) I hope you like this one too :p
Rhyanna - I'm glad you enjoy my cliffies (or at least hate them properly.) The funny thing is, in the last chapter, I didn't plan to end on a "cliffie", it just kinda happened. It's now hard-coded into my system, but as sure as 5 + 1 = 4, I'll try and make at least ONE chapter in this story that leaves everything all nice and tied off... oh who am I kidding! Glad you're liking (or have the tact not to insult) this so far!
LuciusAndSnapeRock - Thanks for the compliment on my last chapter! I'm very sorry that this is a short one, too.
yellowpages - Keep reading, and I'm sure I'll be able to fit more about him in sooner or later! Thanks for reading!
Phire Phoenix - Thanks for the compliment and your continued intrest! And yes... everyone should know to stay away from Ron's sister... though I wonder if Ron ever got romantically attached, would Ginny have her revenge, hmmm?
Innocent Little Birdie - Thanks for reading so far! And I'm not sadistic... ok. Maybe I am. But my cliffie's aren't that bad are they? :p
baby chaos - I've updated... though this doesn't count as soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
This chapter is dedicated to Laura's internet cable, as if she's reading this, it means that it is no longer hidden.
Chapter 10 – Encounters, and the lack of them
"No one touches my sister like that."
Ron was adamant in his protests. With his eyes slightly glazed, he turned towards the shocked Dean, who was propped up against the wall. Ron slowly raised his wand again. Hermione, however, did not need to resort to magic. She took a couple of bounding strides from across the room, raised her hand. She brought it down. The palm collided majestically with the side of Ron's cheek. The crisp echoes of the slap bounced around the room gleefully.
"Oh, snap out of it!"
Ron was taken aback, and suddenly very conscious again. He flushed a strange red - a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. He scowled, and Hermione raised her hand once again.
"Stop!" Ron cried out. "I'm over it!"
Hermione lowered her hand, slightly disappointed.
This was Ron's cue to leave. Huffing to himself, he furiously made his way out of the room, and began his valiant efforts to avoid Hermione.
Life at Hogwarts went on as usual, and as far as Harry could tell, no more attacks were made on members of the Gryffindor house using Slytherin's Gift. In fact, the long periods of silence that he was exposed to, due to Hermione and Ron's fall out, made Harry rather nervous. He kept on expecting sparks to start flying over his head if he turned away for even half a second when their lessons forced them into close proximity.
"Hmm... I'm hungry. Do we have to go to the next lesson?" Ron wondered aloud, as the bell rang signifying the end of break, on their first Wednesday back.
"I think we'd better..." Harry replied, readjusting his stance to remove a rather pointy claw of a statue that was poking into his back. "After all, it's our first lesson of this subject..."
"Oh?" Ron asked, now looking at the brown door in front of him with mild interest. "What subject is it?"
"Something like, 'Theory of Magic.'" Harry informed him. Hermione, standing on the opposite side of the corridor, shuffled her feet at something.
But Ron, using alternate vocabulary, decided to ask to Harry elaborate more on the exact nature of the subject.
"Five points off Gryffindor! I will not have language like that outside my classroom!"
The new teacher had arrived, and Ron had evidently not made a good impression on her. She leant her hand on the heavy classroom door and it clicked open. She strolled inside, her black robes trailing behind. Harry wondered if all teachers at Hogwarts received training on how to make their cloaks billow so violently.
"Who is she?" Harry whispered worriedly to Hermione, who had begun to follow her in.
"Don't tell me you've not met Professor Ward yet!" Hermione exclaimed almost scornfully.
But before Harry could ask how, exactly, Hermione knew her, the class was beckoned inside.
They all took seats behind their mahogany desks in the chapel-like classroom. With the over-enthusiasm common in all newly qualified teachers, Professor Ward strolled down the aisle.
"In these lessons," she began shaking a board-ruler threateningly, "I intend to teach you the under-researched workings and complex mechanisms of magic."
The class listened in silence, still afraid to test the patience of this unknown entity.
"Unlike simpler subjects, where the only skill involved is the mixing of coloured fluids and the weighing of powders, this will require your full attention. I do not expect you all to understand everything I teach straight away, but if it is evident that you have not been listening, then I shall not jump to accommodate your lack of common sense."
Suddenly, she flicked the ruler outwards, and pointed it at Seamus who was about to mutter something to Dean. "You! What did I just say?"
"Umm, something about... powder weighing?" the nervous pupil suggested.
There was a fatal breath of silence.
"I have not been impressed by this class so far today." The angered teacher declared. "And you're the Gryffindors too, right? Hmm... I expected better of you."
Whilst this chastise dulled the mood of the entire class and as usual, it seemed to strike Hermione the hardest, even though she was in no way responsible. A frown imposed upon her face, she sat up straight, brandishing her feather pen keenly.
The lesson rolled on, and it was as confusing as promised. In fact, confusing was an understatement. It was downright bizarre. Dudley, when pressured by a visiting aunt, had once described this atrocious sounding muggle lesson called, "Physics." Harry could see the similarity.
It had been going down hill all the way, since the teacher had printed the words, "What is Magic?" on the board, and that had been pretty much the first thing she had done. Ron shook and moaned quietly, as he copied down the third formula given in fifteen minutes. Harry was forced to think very carefully to get his head around the topic. Hermione, however, was positively revelling in the chaos, taking notes furiously, and letting out periodic gasps of comprehension. Harry noticed that for Ron, this merely added insult to injury.
When at last their torment was over, the three left the classroom in bamboozled silence. Almost instantly, Hermione broke away to location unknown, leaving Ron to express his disgust to Harry.
"Gah! How could anyone teach a subject like that? It's... evil!"
Harry laughed, as they walked along the corridor. "It kinda makes sense though, when you think about it..."
"No!" Ron insisted, "It does not! It's... numbers.... with letters... and lines... in funny places!"
Harry thought about this for a moment. "Weren't you taught maths before you went to Hogwarts? I mean, at your first school."
Ron blushed slightly. "I wasn't paying attention at the time..."
Harry was just about to chuckle at this too, when he came across a sight that was guaranteed to wipe the smile off his face.
Snape was leaning furtively against a wall along the corridor, turned away from them, his hands concealed by his wide cloak. However, upon hearing their arrival, there was a frantic shuffle followed by a high-pitched shatter. Snape span around furiously to face them, a rather familiar smell now being emitted from underneath his feet.
"Potter? Weasley? What are you doing here?"
"Going to lunch..." Harry started to explain, but seeing the white fury burning across Snape's face, was forced to add, "Sir."
"Well..." Snape snapped. "Go to lunch elsewhere!"
The was something distinctively odd about the way he was neither focusing on Harry or Ron. Usually, when confronted by Snape, Harry's eyes would lock into an inescapable hatred with his.
"There's another lunch hall?" Ron asked.
"I will not be spoken to that by a student!" Snape barked, dropping his usual sarcasm. "Ten points from... umm... ten points off..."
Snape couldn't find the word to finish his sentence. After a couple more attempts, he eventually gave up.
"Just get out of my sight." he hissed.
It was only when Snape's command had been readily carried out that Harry recognised the smell.
"Ron," he commented, "I think that the thing he dropped, the thing in his hands... it was what I made in potions last week."
"Really?" Ron was slightly curious about the subject of substances with the ability to incapacitate his least favourite teacher. "What was it called?"
"I dunno." Frowned Harry. "He didn't tell us."
The rest of the day's lessons were uneventful, but when they returned to the common room, slightly tired due to an evening session of quidditch training, Hermione was not in her usual chair. In fact, Hermione was not to be seen at all.
About two hours after they'd sat down to procrastinate their homework with casual chatter, she clambered through the portrait hole, slightly dishevelled.
"Where've you been?" Asked Harry as she passed by. "The library?"
"No," Hermione yawned. "I'm tired. Going to bed..."
Without any further explanation, she disappeared once more. Ron dropped his quill and sighed.
"Bah!" he exclaimed, "She's so... so..."
"Hermionish?" Harry suggested.
"Yes! Exactly!" Ron agreed.
"You really need to talk to her..." Harry worried, concerned that Slytherin's Last Gift may have taken its hold on both of them.
"I know, I know..." Ron replied mournfully. "It's just sometimes... she's as irritating as a sunburnt neck would be to a giraffe!"
Wondering whether or not Ron had a dictionary or list of stupid expressions and phrases which he was slowly going through, Harry eventually retired to the boy's dormitary. Unfortunately, he did not have a restful night's sleep...