Happy Holidays part three of three.
For anyone worried about this "bomb-style" update format, don't. This isn't going to be a regular occurrence. I wanted to update sooner and didn't, so I decided to say fuck it and put chapters 12,13, and 14 out in one go. Wednesday will still be my typical update day next year, with singular chapter updates.
Planning all the foreshadowing and expansion for this series has been a pain in the ass. But goddamn does it feel worth it.
You say filler, I say FULfiller.
Enjoy.
As the end of the year rushed towards Hogwarts, the school began to fester. Students and teachers alike felt the pressure of the season as everyone squeezed the last bit of knowledge into their memory. The older years suffered from the shadow of OWLs and NEWTs, and the fever over first place for the House Cup increased.
It wasn't all bad. Spring decided to bloom at the start of April. Thunderstorms shook the towers every night and Filch was too occupied with leaky timbers to fuss over muddy footprints and wet coats. The few days without rain brought a fine mist over the castle grounds, marring out the renewed grass and green foliage with drab grey smears.
Holly left the blanket of mist behind her as she entered Greenhouse One. Since her deal with Daphne, the badger often reserved a seat for her so they could work together on class assignments. Today it appeared to be occupied with Hannah Abbott, so she slipped onto the bench beside Neville. "Partners?" she asked him.
The shy boy gazed at her in surprise. "Shuh-sure." He stuttered out, scooting along the bench to give her more room.
"Morning class," Professor Sprout clucked as she shut the greenhouse door. "You can put the gloves away; today's lesson is all notes." The class fumbled with their bags as they followed her instruction.
"Now, this plant is one of the more dangerous in your year one curriculum." Sprout said as she unlocked the cabinet in the back of the room. "If anyone tries any sort of funny business today, you will be kicked out immediately and receive a zero for the lesson. Am I understood?"
A chorus of 'yes professor' sounded from the students as Sprout relocked the cabinet. She turned around to reveal a yellow plastic pot. Inside sat a pale yellow-green sprig with several sharp, dark green leaves. The leaves shuddered and began to curl around in midair as she set the plant on the table.
"This," Sprout cast her eye over the class. "Is devil's snare. A dangerous herb due to its nature of ensnaring anything in its reach, where it then strangles and consumes the remains of the captured prey."
"How does it consume prey without a mouth?" Dean Thomas asked.
"Devil's snare is quite adept at waiting between meals. After the corpses decompose, the nutrients are fed through their white roots to provide sustenance." Answered Sprout. "Because of this, they are known to emit a rather unpleasant smell during the summer blooming season."
"Where do they grow?" asked Fay Dunbar.
"It prefers damp and dark areas." Sprout replied. "Because of this, it is not uncommon to run across it in shady areas with a lot of rain. The best way to clear out an infestation is to cast a spell based on light or heat." Sprout removed her wand from her robes. "Lumos!" The plant inched away from Sprout's wand as she pointed the tip towards it, the leaves curling inward and the stem bending as far away as it could.
As Holly scribbled notes, she noticed Neville's hand rise into the air. "Isn't it prevalently found in medicinal potions?" Neville said after Sprout nodded to him.
"Very few," Sprout extinguished her wand and returned it to her robes. "The ingestion of devil's snare has been studied as a remedy for epilepsy. Although the inherent toxicity of the plant has rendered much of the investigation into it unable to continue."
Daphne raised her hand. "What kind of toxins does the plant release?"
"Tropane alkaloids." Sprout shook her head. "The plant can cause powerful hallucinations and limits proper neurotransmitter function. This causes many automatic brain functions—namely digestion and breathing—to fail." She smiled at the assembled children. "This is why it is normally kept in greenhouse seven. Why the ministry has kept it in your curriculum, I have no idea." Sprout carefully lifted the pot and returned the shuddering plant to the cabinet.
"Now then, I have a couple of photographs based around how the flowers and seeds look…" Holly tuned Sprout's lecture out to focus on Neville. The boy's quill scratched furiously over his parchment. He had managed to transcribe not only the entire lecture but even managed to squeeze an accurate sketch of the plant next to his handwriting.
"Uh, Holly? Can you back up please?" Neville asked quietly.
Holly blinked. She hadn't realized she was subconsciously leaning over his paper. "Sorry," she straightened out of his personal space to focus on the rest of the lecture.
At the end of the lesson, she stuffed her notes into her bag in her rush to catch up with the boy. "Neville!"
He turned around from his tagalong pace behind Seamus and Ron.
"Yes?" He asked after she had reached him.
"Sorry for leaning over your notes during class," Holly said, a bit out of breath from her jog to catch up to him. "I didn't peg you for the kind of guy to have such great notes."
"I don't, really," Neville admitted as they walked back inside the castle. Holly noticed that Ron and Seamus were nowhere to be seen. "I only manage to do this for Herbology. It's the only subject I'm good at."
"You sure care a lot about it," Holly said. "And it's not the only class you're good at. Just your best one."
"When you consistently scrape by in your other classes like me, it makes it the only one you're good at," Neville replied glumly. "I can't get the hang of spells in Charms or Transfiguration like you and Hermione. I constantly mess up in Potions, no thanks to Snape's hovering."
Holly frowned. "Do you actually enjoy any of your other classes?"
Neville hesitated, then shook his head. "Not really."
"Well, there's the problem." At his confusion, she elaborated. "You aren't going to work as hard as you can if you don't enjoy it. People work harder when they are happier; and when what you are focusing on doesn't make you happy, you don't do as well in it."
"I guess that might be it," Neville said as he rubbed his chin. "Most people chalk it up to me nearly being a squib."
Holly looked at him like he had said he'd found a banana hanging from a pine tree. "Why do people say that?"
Neville shrugged. "My family thought I was one for the longest time. Apparently, I didn't cause that much accidental magic as a baby. My Great Uncle Algie took to scaring me so I would do something, but I rarely worked. And since I do so poorly in class, people think I'm a squib here, too."
Holly shook her head. "It's all about attitude, Neville. You need to tell yourself you can do the assignments, and you'll do better. Trust me."
Neville nodded. "Thanks for the advice."
"No problem. Southern frog spit." Holly told the Fat Lady. "See you tomorrow."
Daphne stared at Quirrell as he attempted to lecture on wraiths through his pronounced stutter. It had grown worse as the year progressed and matched the grim appearance of the man himself. His skin had gone pale to the point of near transparency around his joints; so much so the blue veins of his neck could easily be seen. He had thinned to the point of near-skeletal appearance, and his face had grown pinched and sunken in. His robes looked like they were too heavy for him to wear, and his turban wavered precariously with every step.
Some undead body needs a sandwich. She ignored him, barely registering his voice as she worked on other projects.
"Now then, wuh-when a ray-wraith becomes a—ray-wraith, they origin-originate from the s-soul of a human." Quirrell spluttered as he clutched the side of his desk. "In the mid-mih-Middle Ages, this was thought to ha-have been a pun-punishi-pun-punishment for—m-misdeeds."
"Ray-Wraiths would—not be able to re-rest—until their—f-for-forgotten bus-businie-business was com-completed. Of c-course, this was m—muggle propo-propoganda meant to—explain the exist-existin-existence—of spirits. In re-rea-reality, wraiths are con-cont-cun-constructed—through a simple act of v-violence. The forcible removal of a soul—f-from its—body."
Quirrell hauled himself to his feet, his arms braced on the top of his desk. "Who—here knows of the un-unforgi-unforgiv-able c-curses?"
A few of the hands in the classroom went up. Susan Bones' did. So did Su Li's.
Quirrell nodded. "The m-most heh-heinous of those—curses." He bit out. "Is of c-course, the kil-killing curse."
The class was silent. Daphne raised her head from her Transfiguration homework.
"The curse—is hearse-harshly punished by the m-Ministry of m-Magic." Quirrell continued. "I will n-not be tea-teaching—how to preph-preform it. However—know it acts by rip-ripping a person's—s-soul from their—body. The process—is said to be—ex-excruciating." Quirrell shivered, his arms wobbling. "Many—hit by the—curse exp-experi-experience—too much pain—to suff-suffishy—sufficiently m-manifest as a w-wraith."
"If it is so hard to manifest, professor, how do we know so much about wraiths?" asked Cornfoot.
"From—y-years of study, of—c-course." Quirrell answered. "One of—my old—c-contacts studied one—whilst live-living in Alb-bania."
Daphne tuned the man out as she resumed her homework. She needed to research this "killing curse". For purely academic purposes, of course.
"Miss Potter," the emotionless voice of Professor Snape said from in front of her. "Stay behind, please."
She gave Hermione a confused glance and waited as the room cleared. Only once the door had shut did Snape speak.
"At the start of the year, you asked me why I paused at your name." Snape's gaze was affixed firmly to the small vial containing her Alihosty Draught. "I told you there was no deeper reason beyond your preferred caster." He sighed. "I paused because I was reminded of your mother."
Holly waited for him to continue. "I do not know if any of my fellow staff have informed you of this, but your mother and I were friends when we were children. We both attended Hogwarts; although we were divided by our Houses."
"Slytherin and Gryffindor?" Holly asked. Snape nodded, rolling the phial in his hand.
"As we aged, the animosity between our houses grew too great to bear. And after some terrible mistakes, I shattered our friendship like glass." Her drought sloshed in the crystal between his fingers. Snape exhaled through his nose, his conviction tightening. "If you have any questions about your mother, I am willing to answer them." His head finally rose, his hair no longer covering his eyes from looking at her.
Holly shook her head. "None at this time, professor."
Snape nodded as the door swung silently open. Holly grabbed her bag and walked away from the classroom without looking back.
"Goddamnit, this is stupid," Daphne griped.
"You're the one who wanted an ear in the Wizengamot," Hannah reminded her, not for the first time. "You have to deal with it."
"I don't have to enjoy it," Daphne hissed. Hannah was kind enough to continue to coach Daphne without desiring any onerous return, but the Greengrass heiress had not expected the sheer size of what would be taught to her. The Abbotts saw no reason to prevent their heir's access to current government events, unlike the Malfoys. At least they were firm with Draco on that rule, as well.
Hannah had procured an empty classroom (approved by Sprout) for them to study the operations of the Wizengamot and to further teach Daphne how wizarding culture worked. Their lessons covered topics in a range from the study of current activities undertaken by the Wizengamot (summaries were sent by Hannah's father) to a weekly quiz on her family's genealogy. To ensure she paid attention, the Abbott heir would hit her with stinging hexes, a sensation she had developed an immense hatred for.
"Now, what bill has recently been pitched to the Wizengamot on the topic of Muggles?" Her tutor asked her from across the table.
Daphne suppressed a growl. They had reviewed this bill during their last session. "A Muggle Protection Bill was proposed by Arthur Weasley and Miranda O'Keefe. The Bill would ban Muggle-baiting and raise the penalty from a fine to a maximum of six days in the Auror department's temporary incarceration cells." At Hannah's waiting expression she flashed a smile. "That's everything."
Hannah gave a weary sigh. "Technically correct, but you need to remember the new classification of proof."
"The item used in the bait must be purposefully detrimental to the Muggle in question. Weasley and O'Keefe are trying to argue for minor annoyances to be worth the same punishment as intentionally harmful enchantments. The change is unlikely to be made, given how trivial small slights can be, although the addition may go through if they play from the angle of 'saves Ministry resources from the Obliviators'." She gazed at Hannah and kept her voice polite. "Is that explanation sufficient?"
"Good enough," Hannah replied as her pocket watch chimed. "Help me pack up, will you? I want to make sure I have good seats for the game."
"I doubt there will be any bad seats," Daphne said. "Hardly any of the Gryffindors will be there. Plenty of space in the stands."
Hannah rubbed the back of her neck and flicked her hair. "Why would I sit in the Gryffindor stands?" She asked with a nervous laugh.
"Why, so you could have some alone time with your crush of course." Hannah's face reddened. Daphne smiled wickedly. Even though she was not at the same level of friendship with the redhead as Susan was, the two were close enough that teasing counted as a sign of affection.
"I don't know who you're talking about," Hannah mumbled, dipping her brick-red face under her bangs.
"Whatever you say," Daphne said through curled lips as they left the library for the quidditch pitch.
Hannah did not get to sit with Neville in the Gryffindor stands. Despite their team placing last in the tournament, the lions had turned out in force to support the badgers in robes dyed yellow with the color-change charm.
Daphne abstained from cheering as their team entered the field. The game was pointless, in her opinion. Cedric was one of the best seekers in the school, evidenced by his consistent streak of wins. Unless he was taken out mid-game, their victory was assured.
Jordan's voice rang out through the microphone. "Gordon Fox and Jason Samuels as Beaters! And the Ravenclaw's reserve seeker, Cho Chang!" His voice was laced with confusion.
"Reserve?" Susan said. "What happened to Mkapa?"
Hooch lobbed the Quaffle into the air and blew her whistle. The game was on.
"Lance in possession, nice barrel roll around Stretton and Burrow… she passes to Corner… he races for the sink… and a drop maneuver hands it to Germaine… and he sinks it!"
Cheers rippled through the yellow of the stands. Even a few Slytherins joined in as the Ravenclaw keeper retrieved the ball.
"Wonder why they're on our side?" Finch-Fletchy murmured behind her.
"Because if the Ravenclaw team wins they'll be even further ahead for the House Cup." She replied, her head turned over her shoulder. "They're in a tricky spot between cheering for their own potential gain and cheering for their allies."
"Stretton in possession… short stop to avoid a bludger, pass to Davies... he guards against Lance's grab… and he's going for the shot… and it's in!"
The blue-clad students cheered as Jordan continued. "A near miss by Davies there, almost looked like he pulled the turn to stop too fast, but it was a clever move in the end to lure O'Rourke from the center rings. Hufflepuff in possession, heading down the field… close shot by Chiles; knocked the quaffle clean from his hands… Ravenclaw now in possession, a pass from Burrow to Stretton. Stretton closing in on the goal… he's thrown it, why's he thrown it?"
"Jordan…" McGonagall's voice warned.
"Stretton's early throw misses, quaffle's back in Hufflepuff's hands… Corner in possession, sweeping down the field with his model of the Cleansweep Seven, brand new model, very reliable… he ducks under Fox, who misses a bludger shot… a feint… Hufflepuff scores again!"
As her housemates cheered, Daphne narrowed her eyes at the two seekers. Diggory had moved slightly. He was now five-eighths away from his starting position, his eyes fixated for something gold.
The Ravenclaw reserve had barely moved at all. Her small, lithe body sat as still as a statue on the broom as her black hair whipped around her. If it bothered her, the girl wasn't telling. It looked like she wasn't even turning her head; instead staring straight at the same place along the green of the pitch grass.
Hooch's whistle cut threw her scrutiny. "Penalty shot for Ravenclaw; unlawful touch of the quaffle with the beater's bat." Her voiced washed over the audience with the aid of a Sonorus charm.
"Burrow to aim, he lines up and packs it in the left hoop. Score doubled up, twenty all; Hufflepuff in possession. Lance takes it down the field, no problem… pass to Germaine… false pass back; Lance fakes a throw, Page isn't fooled… And it's a raised pass to Corner, he shoots for the top hoop! Another goal for Hufflepuff!"
"Ravenclaw in possession!" Daphne watched the chasers weave along the field. "Davies has it, he's heading down… an exceptional overhead pull to avoid Chang, with a drop pass to Burrows… and it's intercepted! Corner in possession, he speeds down the track… the others are trying to catch up, and he's too quick… he shoots!"
A disappointed groan rippled through the stadium. "Page defends with a deft catch." Jordan continued. "She launches it back out to Davies… he catches, dodges a bludger… and a sudden dive? Why would he…"
Daphne knew why. In the seconds before Davies' dive, Diggory had done the same. Their seeker was forced to wheel his broom to the side, narrowly avoiding Davies.
She eyed Chang. The girl had yet to move, still hovering in the open air. She could've passed herself as a corpse for the stillness she possessed.
"After that blatant attempt to gain a free penalty shot…"
"Jordan!"
"Ravenclaw resumes possession. Davies has it, he passes to… never mind; interception by Germaine, he's leading it back to Page… he aims… she blocks, knocking it off the broom and… GREAT MERLIN LANCE COMES OUTTA NOWHERE TO CATCH THE REBOUND! SHE'S SAILING UP AND CURVING TO THE RIGHT… HUFFLEPUFF SCORES AGAIN!"
The crowds cheered at the maneuver. Daphne abstained in the celebration to keep a close eye on Chang. The girl still hadn't moved, her eyes trained to the blades of grass far, far beneath her.
She's obviously waiting for the snitch. Clever girl; rather than spin circles and miss it as it flies behind, she's waiting for it to fly in front of her. She vaguely registered her housemates cheering again. With ideas like those, it's no wonder she's in Ravenclaw. I wonder if she has family in Asia…
"Score fifty-twenty Hufflepuff. Lance is in possession, she swings lather low to the field… it'll be a hell of a steep rise to make a goal from there… she pulls up, waaaay up, giving Stretton the slip. Davies is coming up on her right, to intercept… and the ball goes to Burrows, knocked free by a bludger from Samuels. Burrows is heading back down the field… it'll be tricky getting past O'Rourke… and he dives? Swinging around, O'Rourke's ready for him… and it's a score for Ravenclaw…"
Her attention snapped back to Chang. The girl's sudden dive hurtled through the players, nearly ramming into one of their beaters. She leveled off in a turn and shot along after the tiny gilded blur that hurtled ahead of her. Diggory had cottoned on, and he raced after her, gaining by the second…
"THEY'VE DIVED! THEY'VE DIVED! CHANG SPOTTED THE SNITCH, SHE'S LEADING BUT DIGGORY IS CLOSE BEHIND HER! A CURVE ROUND THE HUFFLEPUFF GOALPOSTS; WHO'S IT GONNA BE?! DIGGORY'S NEARING, HE'S LEVEL NEXT TO HER NOW… AND THE SWIPE… WHO'S CAUGHT IT?"
Chang rose into the air, her hair a fantastic tangle, the snitch gleaming in her upraised hand. The Ravenclaw students exploded into cheers; the Slytherins applauded along with them as Jordan's voice rang over the microphone. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THE RAVENCLAW RESERVE SEEKER HAS BROKEN DIGGORY'S PERFECT STREAK IN HER FIRST GAME! SHE BEAT HIM TO THE SNITCH! GREAT MERLIN!"
Waves of blue supporters had broken onto the field, clamoring wildly in a sea of thrown hats and screaming elation. Many of the elder Hufflepuff's shook their heads at the loss while the fourth years gaped, in disbelief their hero had been vanquished.
"We lost…" Hannah said in shock as the Ravenclaw team was lifted into the air and crowd-surfed to the waiting Headmaster. Flitwick's tiny body danced a jig in midair as his House celebrated. The team passed the cup to Chang, who held it high into the air to catch the gleaming rays of the sun.
My version of devil's snare is based on the real version known as Datura Stramonium. Upon discovering it was a real plant, I decided to altar Rowling's depiction to fall better in line with the plant's real-life counterpart.
Quirrell's lesson plans are never explicitly stated beyond 'his fearful nature made his stories seem untruthful and pathetic'. However, I feel like after his possession, he would become more competent; combining his knowledge of his experiences with Voldemort's public speaking skills.
I realize not everyone enjoys Quidditch, but I wanted to include it as a make-up for the tease in chapter eight and because I needed to establish House points subtly.
I don't know what Diggory's official win ratio is, but I'm going with pretty damn great.
Cho is often pegged as Luna's bully in a lot of fanfiction where she isn't with Harry. I want to try something different, so she's more a fringe person in my world at the moment. Now that she has adoration and popularity… who knows.
If anyone's pissed the chapter is so short… so am I. There was a lot more originally, but it felt bloated. I'd rather cut a chapter at a good point than stuff it with two sets of plots.