Thursday. Usually that would have meant Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Muggle Studies and Charms for her. In a way it still did, only now she had to study it on her own back in the Room of Requirement instead of heading to her lessons. She did try to stick to her regular schedule but with the training and the research happening as well it was harder than it looked. Sometimes she found herself wondering if those in the fifth or seventh year were even more stressed out by this since they had OWLs and NEWTs coming up, if everything worked out according to plan, but none of those affected by this had showed any signs of extreme stress.
"Rebecca, which spell is best used against a Venomous Tentacula?" Brianne asked, drawing her attention once more.
"Diffindo", Rebecca quickly answered. "I wish we could try it out, though. Do you think the others are?"
"Probably", Brianne said and leaned back against her bed. "The Venomous Tentacula was used against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts; what if we could find a way to use it against JLW?"
"I don't think Professor Sprout would allow us to even cut one leaf from her plants", Rebecca pointed out. "Your turn; best defence weapon of the Snargaluff?"
"Its thorn-covered vines", Brianne responded. Her had subconsciously touched her confirmation mark behind her left ear, tracing the thin lines. Rebecca looked down at her own mark, a square with tons of squiggly lines drawn on the inside of her left ankle. They had been practicing with George Weasley in order to transform into Animagi for nearly two weeks, the time-frame Snape had set up for them. Or rather he had said that the ability to transform happened within two weeks, yet no one in the group had managed it so far.
"Do you feel any different during trainings now than you did earlier?" Brianne asked silently while studying the group of four on the other side of the room, consisting of Natasha, Kyle, Caitlin and Benjamin. Rebecca shook her head.
"Nothing. I'm starting to think the potion did nothing but give us these tattoos."
"Well, it hasn't been exactly three weeks yet", Brooklyn said, looking down on them from her bed. "It will be on Sunday but before then every group will be able to train and try to transform once again, so we've got enough time."
"Seriously?" Brianne asked. "You call three days enough time?"
"Oh please, if three hours is enough to finish up a week's homework then three days is enough to make people become Animagi", Brooklyn said with a grin. Rebecca groaned; the youngest girl in the group was certainly the biggest optimist when it came to time that she had ever met.
"Where's Mariah, by the way?" she asked, turning towards Brianne. "I thought she would be studying with us."
"She's on Prefect duty", Brianne answered. "The school's scheduling us during school hours now, so we only catch people who are trying to skip class, basically."
"Did you know she had a crush on Kyle?"
Brianne shook her head.
"I mean, I knew they were close friends and I sometimes pictured them as a possible couple, but I never believed it actually was like this", she explained. "It makes me feel rather terrible; I've known Mariah since we met onboard the Hogwarts Express during our first year. I should be able to tell when something's up."
"Well, she might not have realized it herself", Rebecca suggested. "Maybe she didn't want to ruin their friendship by suddenly going 'hey, you know what, buddy? I think I'm in love with you'."
Brianne giggled.
"Yeah, maybe."
"So what about you, then?" Rebecca continued. "Is there a special someone?"
Brianne blushed furiously.
"No."
"That blush tells me something else", the Ravenclaw said with a wide smile. "Here let me guess. Is it a he?"
When the blush continued to increase in strength she grinned even wider. Her technique was working.
"I am also guessing he's in our year..."
The blush increased further.
"And that he's a..."
"He's a Gryffindor, ginger, speaks in an Irish accent and he's got a cousin or something that fought in the last war", Brooklyn interrupted.
"Brooklyn!" Brianne exclaimed.
"What?" the brunette said, looking up and adjusting her glasses. "Oh come on, like you wanted to endure the torture she was putting you through. You would have no blood left in any other part of your body except your face if Bec had it her way."
"Not fair", Rebecca muttered. "I'm supposed to be the matchmaker here!"
"I was just stating the facts", Brooklyn said with a shrug. "You still get to play matchmaker; set up a date for them like you did with Toby and Hazel."
"But how did you know who it was?" Brianne asked.
"Simple. I know my way around the castle and I cannot even count the times I've seen you glancing at that boy and the moment he looks back you blush furiously. The rest was very simple to figure out."
"So who is he, then?" Rebecca asked. Brianne sighed.
"His name is Eamon Finnigan, the cousin of Seamus Finnigan. We were paired up during our first Charms lesson and I've sort of had a crush on him since then."
"Six years and you haven't told him?" Rebecca gasped. "Wow, I can see I have my work cut out for me."
She put the Herbology-book aside and rose.
"Where are you going?" Brianne asked.
"Out to prepare, and you're coming with me", the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team answered with a wide smile. "Come on."
Brianne groaned but rose and followed her friend out from the Room of Requirement. As expected the hallways were empty; students were, after all, meant to be at their assigned lessons. Rebecca doubted they would get punished if anyone found the two of them out here now for two reasons; they were members of Dumbledore's Army and, if that somehow did not count as an excuse, Brianne was a Prefect and she herself a Quidditch Captain. The only thing they had to do now was find the perfect location for what she called an "unexpected meeting".
"What do you mean with that?" Brianne asked once she had explained what they had to do.
"It means that, with a little coordination, we can get you and Eamon to bump into each other at this place and get you to talk", Rebecca answered. "Corners are excellent for this."
"Exactly how many people have you paired up?"
"Well, the only one that I really planned from scratch was Toby and Hazel, but I've always loved those cheesy romance novels. Believe me, it will work out."
"Everything doesn't work out like it does in the books, you know", Brianne pointed out as they started to climb a set of stairs.
"Well, maybe not, which is why we also need a Plan B and Plan C", Rebecca responded. "I also think we should involve Mariah in this; she's your best friend, after all."
"If we can find her", Brianne pointed out. "I don't even remember where..."
They stepped off the stairs and turned around a corner, only to freeze where they stood, staring at the scene in front of them. A boy was pressing a girl against the wall and the two of them looked like they were, literally, trying to eat the other one's face; that's how intense the kiss was. Rebecca found herself wondering if Benvolio had ever kissed her like that and also what it would be like.
However that was not why they had stopped so abruptly. That was due to the fact that they knew both parts of the pair very well.
"I guess we found her", Rebecca breathed, knowing that also Brianne had recognized Mariah's strawberry blonde hair.
"I can honestly say I did not expect us to find her like this, with him", the Hufflepuff girl said, also her voice low. Rebecca could only agree. Not even she, the matchmaking queen, had considered those two to be a possible couple.
The boy that Mariah was furiously kissing was none other than Taimoor Black.
