Chapter 10 the Hogwarts Express
Their summer had passed by rather quickly, too quickly in their opinion. The majority of the Death Eaters had been caught, only a few were left out in hiding and they were the weaker members anyway. So Molly let Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione out to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies for the upcoming year. She was now quite confident in their abilities to defend themselves; and she didn't want them just running off like Ron and Hermione did when they retrieved her parents. They got all their books required for their seventh year. Ginny was allowed to take her sixth year exams at the Ministry soon after her birthday, and she passed with flying colors, much to everyone's expectations.
They met up with Dean Thomas, who hadn't attended at all last year, Luna, and Neville. They all would be taking their school year over; Luna had to repeat her sixth year because she disappeared after Christmas, and Neville had to repeat seventh year because he went into hiding shortly after the New Year. Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, and countless others who joined them in the Room of Requirement took their NEWTS at the Ministry; their grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts were off the charts, much to the surprise of the Ministry. They all thought Delores Umbridge wasn't teaching them in combat, but they didn't know about Harry's little DA extracurricular activities. Draco Malfoy would be attending as well, due to the fact that the Ministry pardoned his family. They had sworn, under Veritaserum, that they were trying to get out of the organization, and they didn't fight against the light side during the final battle. They had been terrified of Voldemort. So the whole family was on probation, had to pay fines and give up several properties, but they stayed out of Azkaban.
Hogwarts had been repaired, and restored to its former glory, now having Professor McGonagall as its new Headmistress. Professor Flitwick was made Deputy Headmaster, and Hagrid was made head of Gryffindor house. For the new Defense Against the Darks arts post, they had a joint professor'ship'. Viktor Krum and Bill Weasley had agreed to take the position up. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny agreed heartily to the new appointments, and looked forward to see the school's reaction to this new team.
September 1st had come, and Molly and Arthur escorted them off to King's Cross Station. Harry felt a bit overwhelmed by the thought that the last time he was "here" was with Dumbledore talking before he killed Voldemort. Hermione and Neville headed off to the Head's Compartment to get things settled with the rest of the Prefects. They got to lecture Ron and Luna and the other prefects on how they should all act in the school. Harry, Ginny, and Dean all found a compartment together and waited for the others to get back. Although Ginny and Dean had dated two years ago, they got over it, as well as Harry, and they had learned to all be friends again. They were all still dressing in Muggle clothes when Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna returned to the compartment. The girls immediately left to go to another compartment, getting changed into their robes. The boys quickly changed and talked all about what happened over their summers.
"Well, my mum was killed while I was on the run, and now my dad showed up again, and has a really bad drinking problem, probably can drink as much as Hagrid now and still not be completely pissed," Dean admitted. He found out that he was a half-blood and his father has just ran out on them before he knew about Dean.
"I'm sorry to hear about your mum, mate," Harry said truthfully.
"Ron, no offense or anything, but after staying with your Auntie Muriel, it made me appreciate what family I have left," Dean said, even if it was his drunk father. Muriel was a horrible old wretch, and having those extra people stay with her wasn't really helping matters much.
"She's no barrel of monkey's that's for sure," Ron said grimly. "She even confused me for Ginny at my brother's wedding last summer, just because my hair was long."
"Still is," Dean commented, flicking the little pony tail that Ron had pulled his hair back into.
"Well, mate, you look nothing like your sister, thank Merlin," Harry said through bursts of laughter. The whole compartment shared funny stories from their youth to lighten the mood, including the time Neville's Great Uncle Algie dropped him from the second story window and he bounced around the yard. Their stories came through gales of laughter until they reached Hogwarts. Younger students would look in their compartment and have puzzled looks on their faces at the hysterical seventh years.
The girls on the other hand all sat in their compartment, after getting changed, and talked about their up coming school year.
"Hermione, how are going to deal with being away from by dear brother all the time, now that you're Head Girl and all?" Ginny asked.
"Well, it'll take some getting used to but I think we'll be able to manage it," Hermione said confidently. "I get a private room, so that's plus, if you catch my drift."
"Ewwe," Ginny cried. "That's my brother you're talking about; I don't want to know about that!"
"Okay, calm down Gin," Hermione soothed. "Now, what about you?"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, a bit confused.
"You and Harry, of course," Luna supplied.
"What about us?"
"Are you two gonna get back together?" Hermione prodded a bit more than gently.
"I don't know. I mean, we're friends, and I don't want to jeopardize that," Ginny said nervously. "I know that he's going to have to make the first move, but I don't want to go fast."
"No, I completely understand. I mean, I'm glad Ron and I are taking things slowly," Hermione agreed.
"Not that I want to know about my brother's sex life, but how are things going?" Ginny asked.
"Well, all I know is that he is fine waiting until I'm ready, which I'm really glad for."
The girls discussed their love lives until the train reached Hogwarts. Both sexes rejoined each other and made their way to the thestral-pulled carriages. Harry, Neville, and Luna could always see these magnificently eerie creatures, but now Hermione, Ron, Dean, and Ginny could see them as well. So many others could see them now.
"So this is what we rode on when we went to the department of mysteries," Ron commented, carefully inspecting the creatures from his seat in the carriage. Harry felt his stomach drop, he thought it was his entire fault again; his fault that everyone could see these creatures that represent nothing but death. He never intended or wished for anyone to see these things. Ginny noticed him tense up and squeezed his hand gently and he squeezed back; she seemed to always know how to make him feel better in any situation. They all made it back up to the castle in silence.
When they reached the front doors they were greeted by a familiar cackle; Peeves. "Ooh, ickle sevies come back to Hoggywarts, what fun!"
"Peeves, not now okay?" asked Harry. Peeves just looked at him, gave an evil grin, and zoomed off to go bother some of the younger students. Everyone was amazed at how Peeves took the orders from someone other than Dumbledore and the Bloody Barron. Even the Weasley Twin's order was a rare occasion for the pesky poltergeist.
"Wicked," Dean said as they made their way into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall had repaired the school to exactly they way it had been. She was seated at the head table and gave the group of teens a smile. They took their seats close to the staff table. Professor Flitwick came in, several minutes later, joined by the new first years. Harry noticed that they all seemed smaller than he remembered.
"Did we always look that small?" Harry asked Ron.
"Nah, mate, not me and you, but 'Mione here is still the same size," Ron joked before getting a gentle elbow in the ribs from his brown haired girlfriend. "I like your size, tiny enough to fit me perfectly."
"Nice save, mister," she whispered before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.
Professor Flitwick conjured a stool, placed the worn sorting hat upon it, and backed away. The hat sprung to life and began its little song:
Welcome to yet another year;
I'll make my song brief and clear.
For where I place you, never fear,
At Hogwarts, you'll do fine all year.
If Hufflepuff is your chosen path
You're kind, and honest, so you do the math.
If in Ravenclaw your mind should be
It will thank you most pleasantly.
Now that Slytherin has done its part,
To relieve us from that tyrannical tart
You should be cunning and true
You never know, the next noble wizard could be you!
Now in Gryffindor, should you be
There's integrity, prowess, and honesty.
For any of the houses should you be
They can all live in harmony.
Applause erupted from all four of the house tables. They knew that they hat spoke the truth and they were all going to try to be closer this year. Deputy Headmaster Flitwick picked up that sorting hat and opened his scroll of names. He called the students one by one, having them sit on the stool, try on the sorting hat, and then be sorted into their appropriate houses. The Gryffindor's gained nine new students: Sheldon Brown, Nelson Nickles, Amanda Murphy, Jaman Ragone, Laura Blades, Gabrielle Gallows, Alexander Josun, Anthony Salvus, and Rachael Gridenka. The classes were all going to be bigger than normal this year because of the after effects of the war. Last year, no Muggle-borns were admitted to the school, and some just didn't come back after their last year. When all the students were settled down, Professor McGonagall stood up. "May I have your attention please?"
The hall quieted down. "There are a few announcements that I would like to make before we dive into our delicious feast," she eyed Ron who already was being antsy about getting some food soon. "Firstly, since Professor Snape is no longer here, we really needed a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. But I'm sad to report that we couldn't find one," the crowd gasped. "Instead, we found two. They have agreed to teach together rather than having just one. They both have skills that you all can benefit from. I would like to introduce Bill Weasley and Viktor Krum!" she indicated the appropriate red head and Bulgarian wizard at the far end of the table. They stood up and gave slight smiles, but sat back down rather quickly.
"I would also like to announce that Professor Hagrid will be taking the roll of Head of Gryffindor house." A tumult of cheer resonated through the hall, starting at the Gryffindor table. The seventh years all stood up and clapped for him. "Okay, settle down you all. I would like to remind everyone," she looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron pointedly, "That theForbiddenForestis, as its name suggests, forbidden. There is also a list of contraband still posted on Mr. Flich's door. The list reaches nearly five hundred items; the majority of which are products from Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes.
"There is one final thing that I should warn you all against. Would everyone who fought here earlier this summer, please rise?" Many students stood. "Please take notice all those who are standing. You are not to question these students about the battle. If I find out that you do, you will receive a weeks worth of detentions, suspension of privileges, and any other punishment I deem necessary." There were various nods in acknowledgement. "They are not to be harassed as to what when on here, as it was a traumatizing experience for all involved."
"Thank you Professor," Harry said, nodding appreciatively.
She nodded then sat down. Food appeared on everyone's plates. They dug in; even Hermione ate the food, appreciating the house-elves this time around. Ron grabbed her hand halfway through the meal, entwining her fingers with his, and squeezed gently. She smiled up at him. 'He really matured a lot over the summer,' she thought.
Once the feast was over, Hermione and Neville met with Professor McGonagall while Ron led the first years to the common room.
"Ah, Miss Granger, Mister Longbottom, I hope you found the feast to be satisfactory," Professor McGonagall greeted.
"Oh, of course Professor, it was wonderful," Hermione said. "And thank you."
"I know I wouldn't like to be harassed; I just assumed that you all wouldn't either," she said. "Now, are you two ready to go to your new dormitory?" They nodded and followed her to the Head's Dormitory. They ended up outside a tapestry with three witches working over a cauldron. "Freedom," Professor McGonagall said as a password. Hermione and Neville grinned inwardly. The tapestry magically moves aside, revealing an entranceway. The common room was lavishly decorated in red and gold. They had a large sofa in front of an ornate fireplace. There was an expansive bookcase on the back wall, but it was completely empty.
"Don't worry Miss Granger; it won't be empty for long. All you have to do is tell is what you want, duplicates from the library will appear. If you put the books you need to keep for a while on one side, the other side will be returned to the library. And this bookshelf does topic searches, quite a nifty invention by Professor Flitwick," the headmistress said, noticing the teenagers' reaction. She guided Hermione and Neville around the common room. Eventually she led them to Neville's room, which was just as lavish as the common room. There as a king-sized four-poster bed in mahogany, adorned with scarlet and gold hangings. There was a large closet and a door that led to a large bathroom. In the bathroom there was a large Jacuzzi type bathtub embedded in the floor, large enough to fit ten people in there comfortably. There was a shower off in one corner, while the sink and toilet were near the other. There was a mirror that ran the expanse of one wall opposite the shower. There was a door directly across from Neville's entrance. Professor McGonagall led them through it. Hermione's bedroom was just as ornate but with softer colors, lighter wood; very feminine looking.
When they all returned to the common room, Professor McGonagall gave them a run down on the rules. "You each must have your own personal password to your rooms. The common room may be used as you please; a gathering place for your friends to study when your NEWT's are coming up."
"Okay," Hermione said brightly, already drawing up a study schedule for several of her classmates.
"Well, I'll say congrats again, and show you one more thing before you leave," Professor McGonagall said as she walked over to a tapestry of Godric Gryffindor. "I belong in your house," she said, and pulled open the tapestry to reveal a small walkway to Gryffindor common room.
"Ooh," Hermione breathed,
"Wow," said Neville.
"You have access to this room at all times," she said. "But also you have access to other common rooms as well. I suspect that the only on you'll really be using would be Ravenclaw's," Neville blushed. "In which case, all you have to say is 'Head Boy to Ravenclaw common room'."
"Thanks," Neville muttered, very highly embarrassed. The professor bid them good night and left them to exchange passwords for easier access. Then they headed out to the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione walked over to the couch to sit next to Ron, who didn't notice at first because he was talking intently about Quidditch with Harry. Hermione slipped her hand onto his knee causing him to jump. "Hermione, you scared me," he panted.
"Sorry," she said, kissing his cheek in apology. She entwined her fingers with his.
"So, what are you doing in here? I never saw the portrait open," Ron observed.
"There's a special entrance through the tapestry to the Head's dormitory," Hermione clarified. "Neville's even got access to the Ravenclaw common room to visit Luna."
"That's amazing 'Mione," Ron said brightly, kissing her briefly on the cheek.
"And there's one more thing," she said slyly. "We can have people over in our dormitory for 'study' sessions," she stressed the word 'study', praying that Ron got her meaning.
"Oh, really," his eyes widening in feigned shock. She playfully slapped him on the chest.
"Not for that," she giggled. "People could see in the common room."
"Wha-? Oh," he breathed, realization hit him. "Who would have ever thought that Hermione Jane Granger would be making her room available to her boyfriend?"
"Am I really like that?" Hermione asked, now very serious.
"Well you weren't like that, but I think Harry and I had something to do with that," he said slyly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, would you have, before you met us that is, sleep in the same tent as two teenage boys for nearly a year?"
"Well, no…"
"And would you have helped Harry start the DA before we met?"
"No…" she sighed.
"See you are like that now, you are a mischief maker, whether you like it or not. You took down Rita Skeeter for Merlin's sake," Ron said, promptly kissing her on the lips.
"I guess you're right. But you have to admit," she admitted. "I do keep you two out of quite a bit of trouble."
"I know, all starting with that run in with the troll, first year."
"Oh," Hermione blushed profusely.
"You look so cute when you blush," Ron said quietly. Then it hit him. "Oops, did I say that out loud?"
"Yes, you did Ronald," Hermione said playfully. She kissed him soundly on the lips before getting up.
"Where you going?" Ron asked.
"I'm kind of tired. I think I'm going to write a letter to my parents and go to bed."
"Okay, good night Hermione."
"Good night Ronald," she said softly.
Hermione walked back through the tapestry and made the password for her door "Ronald." The door giggled in response and opened for her. She quickly jotted a note to her parents and hopped into bed, planning to mail it tomorrow morning.
Morning came too quickly for everyone. They all met down in the Great Hall for breakfast, greeting each other groggily. Neville got Luna to join them at the Gryffindor table. Professor Flitwick came by and handed out the schedules to everyone.
First class9-11 AM
Second class11-12AM
Lunch12-1:30 PM
Third class1:30-3:30 PM
Harry James Potter
Monday – transfiguration / break / lunch / potions
Tuesday – DADA / Astronomy (lecture) / lunch / break … astronomy (practical atmidnight)
Wednesday – Charms / break / lunch / potions
Thursday – DADA / break / lunch / transfiguration
Friday – charms / break / lunch / DADA
Ronald Bilius Weasley
Monday – transfiguration / break / lunch / potions
Tuesday – DADA / Astronomy (lecture) / lunch / break … astronomy (practical atmidnight)
Wednesday – Charms / break / lunch / potions
Thursday – DADA / break / lunch / transfiguration
Friday – charms / break / lunch / DADA
Hermione Jean Granger
Monday – Transfiguration / Ancient Runes / Lunch / Potions
Tuesday – DADA / Arithmancy / Lunch / Break
Wednesday – Charms / Ancient Runes / Lunch / Potions
Thursday – DADA / History of Magic / Lunch / Transfiguration
Friday – Charms / Arithmancy / Lunch / DADA
Ginevra Molly Weasley
Monday – Transfiguration / break / lunch / charms
Tuesday – DADA / Arithmancy / lunch / break
Wednesday – Charms / break / lunch / astronomy (lecture)
Thursday – DADA / break / lunch / transfiguration
Friday – Charms / arithmancy / lunch / DADA
Neville Augustine Longbottom
Monday – Herbology / break / lunch / Care of Magical Creatures
Tuesday – DADA / Astronomy / lunch / Herbology
Wednesday – Charms / break / lunch / Care of Magical Creatures
Thursday – DADA / break / lunch / Herbology
Friday – Charms / break / lunch / DADA
Luna Anne Lovegood
Monday – Charms / History of Magic / lunch / Arithmancy
Tuesday – Transfiguration / break / lunch / DADA
Wednesday – Potions / History of Magic / lunch / Arithmancy
Thursday – Charms / Astronomy (lecture) / lunch / Transfiguration
Friday – Potions / History of Magic / lunch / DADA
"I like my schedule this year," Ginny said.
"I do too," said Harry, now munching on some cornflakes.
"We have fifteen minutes before Charms, and Luna has potions," Hermione announced. "You think it'll be bad, in the halls I mean."
"Nah, you heard McGonagall, they'll get into trouble if they bug us," Ron said.
"But that won't stop them from staring," Harry resigned glumly. "You'd think that I'd be used to it by now."
"We'll get through it," Ginny said, that determined look in her face again. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. Harry smiled warmly down at her. All of them go up from the table and returned to their common rooms to get ready for their first day back at school. Slowly people started to file into the room: Dean Thomas, and several kids the trio never really knew (seeing, as they were in different houses and a grade younger), Justin Finch-Fletchly, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbott. No Slytherins. The majority of them had been accused of Death Eater activities and were refused when they applied to return to Hogwarts. There were a few seventh years left though, Ginny said they all had through Charms was a weak subject, so they had refused to take it last year.
"Welcome back everyone!" Professor Flitwick greeted them enthusiastically. "We're going to jump right into our first project. We'll be working in pairs to see who can charm a door to refuse entry to certain people but allow others."
"Yes…" murmured the class, who had already begun to pair off: Hermione with Ron, Harry with Ginny, and Neville with Dean. They had to look up the spell and practice with a model.
Professor Flitwick made his rounds around the classroom, correcting people as he went along. It took about a half hour for everyone to grasp the basic concepts. He had a doorframe in the center of the classroom, for testing. Many of the people tried the charm, but failed. Dean couldn't accomplish it. "It felt weird when I walked through," said Neville. "Like I shouldn't have been there or something."
When Neville tried the charm, he got Dean to stop midway through the doorway. He struggled for a moment and forced his way in.
"Wonderful work Mister Longbottom." Professor Flitwick praised.
Harry and Ginny were next. They came up with the same effect as Neville, as did Ron. Hermione however was successful. She charmed the door to accept Harry but deny Ron. Ron and Hermione went to walk back through the doorway, but Hermione couldn't pass through, and Ron did. She landed with a thud, while Ron roared with laughter. He walked around the doorframe to help her to her feet; she was laughing pretty hard at this point.
"Sorry Hermione," Ron said, still chuckling slightly. "I couldn't resist."
"I didn't hear you say the spell," she said.
"I guess I've finally gotten the hang of nonverbal spells, not haven't I?" he mused. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before returning to their seats.
All of the Gryffindor teens had a free period but Luna had to rush off to History of Magic. No one really knew why she and Hermione took that class. Neville attributed it to her research for the Quibbler, which she now co-ran with her father. All of them hung in the Gryffindor common room, seeing as they only had an hour-long break and no homework. Ron was telling Hermione, in earnest, how he had been trying more and more nonverbal spells, going from simple summoning spells to complex ones, like the one they had used in class. Harry and Ginny were talking about the DADA scheduled after lunch.
"It's going to be weird, having my brother as a teacher," Ginny commented.
"Yeah, I wonder how Ron's going to react to having Krum there all the time, around Hermione and all," Harry said.
"He's going to go nuts," Ginny said simply, leaving both teens laughing loudly, imagining Ron's reaction.
"What are you two laughing at?" Neville asked, chuckling at their giddiness.
"Just imagining how Ron's going to act to Viktor teaching Hermione," Ginny said between laughs.
"W—What?" spluttered Ron, the news that Hermione's ex-person was going to be teaching them.
"Ron?" Harry asked, trying to prevent a melt down on the first day of school. "Game of chess?"
"Uh…" Ron said, losing his trail of anger, thankfully. "Sure."
The rest of the group let go a collective sigh, all silently thanking Harry for nipping this one in the bud. They set up the chessboard and were soon engaged in a battle. It ended with Ron the victor, and five minutes before the lunch bell rang; cheering on Ron and Harry had really worked all their appetites up. When they arrived, only a few first years were sitting near the staff table; you could normally tell what year students are in due to where they sit in the Great Hall. First, second, and third years all sat near the staff table because they want to kiss up to everyone. Fourth and fifth years sat toward the back, farthest from the teachers and closest to the escape route. They sixth and seventh years all sat in the middle because that's all that was left, and they were so tired from all their studying to care where they sat.
Lunch was rather normal; nothing like the start of term feast, but everything was just as tasty. Hermione was still worried about the house-elves, but ate heartily unlike her fourth year. Ron thought he'd be funny and put his hand on Hermione's knee, knowing that she didn't really care for PDA of this sort, especially at meals. Her face immediately flushed, but didn't feel like embarrassing him, so she let his hand stay. He, again, though he'd be daring and inched his hand slowly up her slender thigh, nudging her skirt steadily higher. Once he was halfway up she hadn't said anything. He decided not to press his luck any further that he already had, and resigned to stroking her leg with his thumb, tracing invisible patterns on her inner thigh.
Ginny seemed to notice this slight but of action and tried her hardest not to burst out laughing. She nudged Harry slightly and jerked her head toward the unsuspecting couple. He sniggered quietly to himself. Everyone ate lunch rather slowly, trying to waste time doing something before they had to go to DADA. All the teens who knew the teachers couldn't wait for class to begin. With ten minutes to spare, they all traipsed up to the common room to gather their defense books. Then they headed to the third floor classroom.
Bill and Viktor were conversing in the front of the classroom when the six teenagers entered. Viktor gasped when he saw Hermione.
"Hermy-own!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to her and giving the witch a hug.
"Hello, Viktor," Hermione replied sweetly. "You know we aren't supposed to hug, no student/teacher relationships," she chided gently. She took Ron's hand in her, to prove her point even further.
"I know," he said dejectedly, though he didn't notice this small gesture.
"I can't believe that I'm a teacher, let alone to my siblings," Bill said, finally joining the conversation.
"Yeah," Ginny said, hugging her older brother. Ron and Harry shook his hand in greeting, and, surprisingly, so did Neville. At this point, more people started to show up, so they all clambered for seats near the front of the room near each other. Once everyone was seated the lesson began.
"Hello, everyone. We'd like to start by introductions. I'm Bill Weasley," Bill stated happily.
"And I'm Viktor Krum."
"Please, let's go around and introduce ourselves; we certainly don't know everyone here," Bill commented.
"Harry Potter"
"Hermione Granger"
"Ginny Weasley"
"Ron Weasley"
"Neville Longbottom"
"Luna Lovegood"
"Hannah Abbott"
"Susan Bones"
"Dean Thomas"
"Justin Finch-Fetchley"
"Draco Malfoy"
"Wayne Hopkirk"
"Megan Jones"
"Su Li"
"We're going to be covering quite a bit this year, as well as a review for a few days, to see what everyone knows." There was a murmur of agreement amongst all the students.
"Now for a basic question, who can conjure a patronus?" Viktor asked, really making his Bulgarian accent less noticeable, like he had been getting English lessons. The majority of the class raised their hands. He jotted down their names. "Vell, everyone stand up."
They all stood and he vanished their desks with a sweep of his wand. Another wave and there was a solitary white ring drawn on the floor.
"Please," Bill picked up. "When we call your name, please come up, and stand in the center of the circle. The ministry has asked that we document the shapes of your corporeal patronuses." He scanned the list. "Hermione, you have three attempts."
Hermione strode out to the ring, holding her head high. This was the only spell that she really had trouble with. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her happiest memory: her first kiss with Ron. She let the memory fill her up. "Expecto Patronum!" she screamed. A silvery otter spewed from her wand tip. It gamboled around her feet and giggled as it brushed against her legs; giving off good feelings.
"Vell done, Hermy-own," Viktor complimented. Hermione nodded in reply. He scanned the list and called out "Draco."
Malfoy walked to the circle, not looking at Hermione in passing. He closed his eyes in concentration. "Expecto Patronum," he said rather loudly.
"An eagle, very impressive, Mister Malfoy," Bill said. The teachers went through the list, noting all of their patronus forms: Harry's was a stag; Ron's was a terrier; Ginny's was a horse; Luna's was a rabbit; Hannah's was a cat; Susan's was a chimp; Dean's was a tiger; Justin's was goat; Wayne's was a bird; Su's was a lion; Megan's was a turtle; and most surprising was Neville's, which was a bear.
"Well done everyone!" Bill praised. "Now that we know patronuses, we are going to learn how to send messages with them. Does anyone know how to already?"
Hermione raised her hand, yet again, being the only one in class to know what do to.
"Wonderful, would you care to give a demonstration?"
"Sure," Hermione said, her voice quavering slightly. She cast her patronus, thought of a message and waved her wand again. The otter gracefully swam through the air over to Bill "I guess this was easy enough," her voice said. Hermione blushed and the whole room laughed at her message.
"I guess it was easy enough, may I ask where you learned where you learned to do that."
"Umm… I talked to your Dad about it," she said softly.
"Don't worry Hermione, you are allowed to have a relationship with my family and me outside of school," Bill said reassuringly. "You won't get into trouble for that."
The rest of their DADA class went fairly smoothly. They went over different patronus manipulations; sending messages, shrinking, increasing size, and distorting shape. Viktor explained how patronus' could change due to love. This caught Ron's attention, but only Bill noticed. Once the bell ran, he called Ron back.
"Ron, may I have a word?"
"Uh, sure," Ron said. He turned to Hermione. "I'll catch up with you in a bit."
"Okay," she replied, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yeah, Bill?" Ron asked, confused as to why his oldest brother had called him back. "What is it?"
"You were wondering about love's affect of patronuses. I noticed you after Krum mentioned it," Bill stated.
"Well… Yeah," he resigned.
"It doesn't always happen, but there are special cases. Don't get your hopes up."
"Thanks Bill," Ron said cheerily.
Ron left the classroom and met up with Hermione in his common room.