Chapter 21:
In no time at all, Defence Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favourite class.
"I told you he was great!" Skylar grinned.
Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin.
"Look at the state of his robes," Draco would say in a loud whisper as Remus passed. "He dresses like our old house-elf."
But no one else cared that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed. His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds.
Of course not all of their classes were as good. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt as to why. The story of the boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't seem to find it funny. His eyes flashed menacingly at the very mention of Professor Lupin's name, and he was bullying Neville worse than ever.
It didn't help that the two teachers had never gotten along while in school together.
"Snape hated Remus even before such embarrassment, before Remus even got the job." Skylar confessed to Ron, Harry and Hermione. "They were at school together after all."
Skylar was thoroughly enjoying her Ancient Runes class, though it wasn't an easy subject. She was learning a new language after all.
What get her very interested about the class however, was Hermione. Hermione would go with her to Ancient Runes, while the two boys had a free period, and as they'd be moving off for their next class, Hermione would vanish. She'd turn up coming from the wrong direction or as if she'd backtracked her path. She did it quite a lot, after potions, especially before Transfiguration. Skylar had noticed it was whenever she had a double up of classes. And a lot of the time, she'd been fiddling with her robes as she appeared. Skylar wanted to know what was going on, but had also found herself being pulled in two directions, because she knew Hermione wasn't telling them for a reason. It was this reason why she hadn't asked the girl about it yet.
Apparently Divination wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and Skylar was glad she never chose the subject. Harry complained to her about the hot, stifling tower room where they deciphered lopsided shapes and symbols. Apparently Professor Trelawney's eyes filled with tears every time she saw Harry, still thinking he was going to die.
"It's irritating. She can't even look at me normally without giving me some poor look." Harry grumbled.
"Seems like a lot of effort for an act, how can she be bothered?" Skylar wondered.
Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had taken to haunting Professor Trelawney's tower room at lunchtimes, and always returned with annoyingly superior looks on their faces, as though they knew things the others didn't. They had also started using hushed voices whenever they spoke to Harry, as though he were on his deathbed.
Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the action-packed first class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence.
"Why would anyone bother looking after them?" said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' slimy throats.
"Remember, it was one of the suggestions the governors made to him on the first day." Skylar sighed. "They put the idea into his head."
Skylar's Occlumency lessons were moved to once a month after the first two weeks. She was bordering on the end of her lessons according to Dumbledore and didn't need them as often. Her Occlumency was moving along, but it had become clear she'd always be a better legilimens.
October meant Halloween was approaching, but before that, the Quidditch season would also begin. Harry was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team along with six other players. Oliver Wood was the Captain of the team, and he sort Harry out to call a meeting for one Thursday night. Oliver Wood was a burly seventeen-year-old, now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts.
There were seven people on a Quidditch team: three Chasers, whose job it was to score goals by putting the Quaffle (a red, soccer-sized ball) through one of the fifty-foot-high hoops at each end of the field; two Beaters, who were equipped with heavy bats to repel the Bludgers (two heavy black balls that zoomed around trying to attack the players); a Keeper, who defended the goal posts, and the Seeker, who had the hardest job of all, that of catching the Golden Snitch, a tiny, winged, walnut-sized ball, whose capture ended the game and earned the Seeker's team an extra one-hundred and fifty points.
The team started training three evenings a week, despite the weather getting colder and wetter. The nights were darkening as the mud increased, the wind blew and the rain fell down. None of it seemed to dampen the teams' spirits.
"I don't understand how they can still be so cheerful when they get so cold and dirty." Skylar mumbled as she had her head tilted to the side, leaning her ear into the palm of her hand. Her star chart was in front of her as she, Hermione and Ron were filling them out.
"How can you not be cheerful, it's quidditch?" Ron responded.
"Training isn't nearly the same as playing a game." Skylar believed. "It's missing the energy of the crowd for a start."
"Fred and George said Wood was really determined, after all we should have won the cup the last two years but haven't." Ron said.
"Well, it was cancelled last year what with the petrified victims and the year before You-Know-Who almost killed Harry. It couldn't be helped." Skylar shrugged.
"Hey guys," Seamus walked up to them grinning.
"What's up Seamus?" Skylar wondered.
"Did you see the notice? The first Hogsmeade weekend has been announced." Seamus grinned and the three turned to the noticeboard to see a group of people around it.
"When is it?" Hermione wondered.
"Halloween." Dean grinned as he appeared as Seamus' shoulder. The two were almost never apart.
"Seriously?" Skylar grinned and Seamus nodded.
"Excellent." Ron beamed.
"I can't wait to see the village, it's got so much historical significance." Hermione smiled.
"How about the chance to get out of the castle? With the dementors around the boundary it's like being in quarantine." Skylar rolled her eyes.
"I can't wait to visit honeydukes!" Ron grinned.
"They have the best sweets." The five turned to see Nick behind them with Leon. "Zonko's is more worth a visit though."
"I can't believe you all get to go." Leon frowned.
"You only have to wait a year Leo." Skylar chuckled, "Besides it's not like none of your friends will be here, and the castle will be quiet and empty."
"Big deal, a trip to the Three Broomsticks always sounds better. Apparently Madam Rosmetta has the best butterbeer." Leon grinned.
"If she lets me take some I'll bring you some back." Skylar chuckled.
The portrait hole opened and Harry walked into the room. He looked rather cheerful as he looked around for the three. They were sitting in the best air chairs by the fireside.
"What's happened?" he wondered when he noticed the buzz of excitement throughout the room.
"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."
"Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."
Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, it was clear he was now disappointed. He after all couldn't go to the village. Hermione also noticed his loss in excitement.
"Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," she said. "They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."
Skylar frowned. She highly doubted it, they were looking for a man after all, not a black dog.
"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages —"
"Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry's supposed to stay in school —"
"He can't be the only third year left behind," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry —"
"Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, making up his mind.
"Are you sure?" Skylar asked and Ron looked at her annoyed. "Well, she's bound to say no, if you don't tell her you can at least try to forge a signature or something." She shrugged.
"He could give it to your dad to give to your mum, she was supposed to sign it over the break anyway." Ron grinned.
Skylar frowned. "I don't think they would sign it, for the same reason McGonagall wont let him go."
"Come off it, it's Hogsmeade." Ron said.
Hermione opened her mouth to argue some more, but at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth. Meridiem was with him and she meowed before brushing against Skylar's leg.
"Hello Meridiem, where have you and Crookshanks been then?" she asked as she picked the bright white cat up and onto her lap.
"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling.
"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione.
Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron.
"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."
"Why don't you leave him in the dormitory?" Skylar questioned as Harry yawned.
"He needs care." Ron responded.
"He'd likely get better care asleep in the dormitory than being carried around the noisy school." Skylar believed. "And Crookshanks can't get to him in there." Harry was pulling his bag towards him to begin doing his own star chart. The movement caught Ron's attention and gave him the excuse not to come up with a healthy reason to keep Scabbers on him, rather than in the dormitory.
"You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labelling his last star with a flourish and shoving the chart toward Harry.
Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Skylar smirked slightly at the bushy-haired girl as she rolled up her own finished star chart and put it in her bag. Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Then, without warning, he pounced.
"OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"
Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing. Meridiem growled uncertainly but didn't move from Skylar's lap as the girl hung on to her just in case the white animal decided to pounce too.
"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione; the whole common room was watching; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top —
"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.
George Weasley made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.
Ron and Hermione hurried over; Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away; Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail.
"Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"
"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"
"Skylar's cat didn't move an inch!" Ron snapped pointing towards her.
"Meridiem's been around Scabbers longer." Hermione returned.
"There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"
"Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else d'you think —"
"That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were starting to giggle. "And Scabbers was here first, and he's ill!"
Ron marched through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
"Wow…" Skylar mumbled as Hermione stormed over, began to collect her things, and with Crookshanks under one arm, she marched for the dormitories as well.
"This isn't going to end any time soon is it?" Harry said.
"Doubtful."
"It is weird Crookshanks went after Scabbers and Meridiem didn't." Harry thought.
"Well, honestly, Meridiem and Scabbers are hardly ever in the room together." Skylar said thinking. "And she did growl at the charade."
"Maybe she's just too delicate." Harry chuckled. Skylar rose an eyebrow and Harry grinned.
"Or prideful." she added, stroking the cat who was staring off after Ron and Hermione.