Hello, my lovely readers! How are you all? I hope you're all fine and I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas enjoyed it to your fullest :D Nevertheless, I know I have some explaining to do XD I am super duper sorry for taking such a loongggg hiatus without informing you all beforehand. My life became a bit too busy with my college work and job, and it suddenly took a turn for the worst :( However, everything is fine now, thank goodness, and I promise I'll update sooner now, and not disappear for months on end :D :D
Moreover, I had initially planned to post this chapter and the 12th chapter as one single chapter, but it was becoming too long and didn't seem to flow right. So I separated it into the 11th and 12th chapter. Which means that I will be uploading the 12th chapter today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow (No later than this, promise :3).
Also also, I would like to respond to emilysouza221b's review. First of all, thank you for having such a concrete opinion on my story, and second of all, literature is based on the matter of perspective and opinions and how the reader interprets the story. Hence, the fight you believed was utterly ridiculous seemed reasonable to me and other readers as well. I have been told that I captured teenage angst perfectly with that fight, so you see, it's all about perception. Also, I have combined what I felt like as a 15-year-old girl with Hermione's character, whilst being careful of the fact that I portray her character like it was depicted in the books.
Anywho, do follow, mark as favourite and review! It literally makes my day and motivates me a lot :D Sincerest thank yous to the people who followed this story during my unexplained hiatus XD Love you all and happy reading!
Morning light flooded through the window, brightening up his dormitory as Harry woke up, feeling sore all over. He had a very restless night. He kept tossing and turning in his sleep and kept reminiscing the events that happened some 7 hours ago.
He reached for his glasses and put them on to check the time, and found out it was only 6 am. Since it was a Sunday, it wasn't a surprise that all of his dorm mates were still sound asleep. And because Harry had a restless night, it was a bit frustrating to see that his body woke him up naturally, at 6 am, on a Sunday, when all he wanted was some sleep.
With a sigh, he settled back in his bed and got lost in his thoughts.
Thinking about the events of last night was painful - and anger-inducing. But Harry felt a bit guilty, too. He shouldn't have let Hermione down like that, even if it was for his own reasons.
Now that he thought about it, he felt that he wasn't being reasonable last night when he said he wouldn't teach some students who didn't openly say they were on his side. Sure they weren't being loud about their opinions, but at least they thought Harry wasn't lying, and that should be enough.
The truth was - this tiny part existed within him that was selfish. Excessively selfish. And that part only acted up in situations like last night - when nothing seemed fair, even if it was.
That part of Harry had made him refuse to teach the other students - because he wanted them to suffer. It wasn't fair that he had to get all the suffering when other people led such easy-going lives.
They should suffer, too. No reason I should be the only one, Harry had thought last night, while disapproving of the idea. But once the night went by and Harry had time to dwell on his thoughts, he realized that he was being ridiculous. And it was Ron and Hermione who were being smart, by coming up with this plan.
I should apologize to Hermione, thought Harry, envisioning her face on the ceiling of his bed. That'd be the third time I'd do it this year.
Making up his mind, he rolled to his side and after a few tries - fell asleep.
A few hours later, Hermione opened her dormitory door to find Crookshanks mewing persistently. He was scratching the door.
"Aww, are you hungry?" Hermione cooed at him, picking him up in her arms, "Let me get you some breakfast."
She went back inside her dorm to prepare Crookshanks's food. Lavender and Parvati were still getting ready for the day. Lavender was brushing her long blonde hair while Parvati was inspecting herself in the mirror beside her. Meanwhile, Hermione got her cat's bowl out and poured some food in it.
"Here you go," she told him, scratching his head, "Enjoy."
Crookshanks nosed the bowl and eagerly dug his face inside it. The sight was ridiculously adorable for Hermione, so she caressed the fur on his back lovingly.
"I am going down to the Great Hall," she told him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her, "Have a great day."
Leaving him with his food, Hermione trudged down the staircase and exited the common room. The Great Hall was much louder than it usually was, as it was a Sunday. Hermione took her seat on the Gryffindor table, next to Neville. Ginny and her gang of gossiping girls were huddled at one corner of the table, laughing about something. Hermione tried to block out their discordant chatter as she wondered why Harry and Ron didn't arrive yet.
Just as she was exchanging morning greetings with Neville, they arrived. Harry was looking very down.
"Hey, guys," Hermione greeted them, looking at Harry with concern. Last night events were still fresh in her mind.
"Hey, Hermione. Neville," Ron replied, nodding towards each of them and then immediately starting on food, "Gosh, I am famished. Who knew sleeping for a long time made you hungry as heck?!"
"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before answering her, "I am fine."
"I am sorry about last night," Hermione blurted out.
At once, Ron demanded, "Did something happen last night?"
"What happened last night?" Neville repeated, coming in the loop.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Harry said firmly while putting his glasses back on, "And it's okay, Hermione. It's fine."
Ron was looking at them, curiously, "Is there something you guys are not telling me?"
Harry sighed. He couldn't understand how stupid Ron could be at times. Did he really think that they could discuss something obviously secretive in front of Neville, who was listening intently?
So, he kicked him lightly under the table.
"Ow! What was th-"
"Hermione and I got into a little scuffle last night," Harry said, speaking over Ron, "It is not that of a big deal, so it is nothing. Right, Hermione?"
She nodded, sensing his frustration, "Absolutely."
Ron stared wide-eyed, but thankfully, didn't say anything. The next few minutes went without further incidents. When Neville's attention got diverted by Dean's and Seamus's conversation, Harry said to Ron in a hushed whisper, "Can you keep it down in front of Neville?"
"But you guys are keeping something from me!" Ron whispered back, agitated. Hermione rolled her eyes at his response. He and Harry were keeping a secret from her and she was being forced not to think about it. Didn't Ron realize that?
"We are not. We just don't want to talk about this in front of Neville," Harry explained.
"Yes. What a way to be ironic, Ron," Hermione added, feeling a bit ticked off.
He raised his eyebrow, "Ironic?"
"Yeah, because you and Harry are keeping a secret from me, which you still haven't told me, remember?" she finished, in an accusatory tone. The boys stared at her like two deer caught in headlights. Ron had gone scarlet and was scratching the back of his head, "Oh, that."
"We'll tell you, Hermione," Harry declared. Now it was Hermione's turn to stare at him dumbfounded, "You will?!"
"We will?" Ron said, looking surprised. Harry nodded, "We shouldn't keep secrets from each other. I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Hermione. I was just...looking out for you."
Baffled, Hermione was speechless. But before she could say a word, an overly feminine voice rang out close to them.
"Good morning, Won Won!" Lavender declared, coming into view.
"Oh, hey Lavender!" Ron said, a smile coming to his face out of the blue. Lavender giggled, "Why is your face all red?"
Realizing that Ron's face was still beet red, Harry and Hermione stifled their laughter.
"Uh, I saw you coming!" Ron said, coming up with an excuse, "And couldn't help but wonder how a beautiful girl like you decided to put up with me."
"Don't be silly! I am the lucky one here," Lavender said and kissed him on the cheek. Hermione smiled at the sight. She was so glad she played cupid for them.
"Oh, and hey, guys!" Lavender said to her and Harry, finally realizing they were also present. They greeted her back and after some more small talking with Ron, she left.
"Won Won, really?!" Harry laughed, "What a cool name! Maybe we should start calling you that instead of Ron."
"Please don't," Ron said, "It is already more than enough to hear it from her."
"I think it's cute," Hermione shared, whilst thinking what nickname she would give Harry if they ever, in an alternative world, dated. She decided she wouldn't. His name was already so endearing.
"Yeah, cute. For you," Ron murmured.
Hermione laughed, "You can always tell her that you don't like it, you know."
"If I do that, she will get offended."
"Then put up with it."
They finished the rest of their breakfast and went out of the Great Hall and into the courtyard. The latter was housing hardly any students, so it made itself a safe place for the three to discuss things openly among themselves.
Ron's curiosity about last night's events was at the highest point, but Harry thought it would be much better to do something else first. And that was to apologize to Hermione.
"Before we get into anything else," he began, "I wanted to say...I'm sorry, Hermione. For last night."
That issued a small sigh from Hermione while Ron asked, "What are you apologizing about?"
Ignoring him, Harry continued, "I thought about it and I reached the conclusion that I was being ridiculous. This plan is actually very brilliant!" he sighed, "I was just being selfish."
Hermione couldn't decide how to reply to this. Should she say that he shouldn't apologize because he had a rough night and was bound to act like that, or be thankful that he was finally appreciating the plan?
Vacillating, she said, "It's alright. Don't worry." Her response earned a smile out of Harry, causing her to smile back.
Meanwhile, Ron groaned loudly, "Now can you guys please tell me what's going on?"
Finally taking him seriously, they filled him in about everything that happened last night. As expected, Ron was shocked about what happened in Dumbledore's office.
"You...You-Know-Who can control you?" he asked fearfully.
Harry shrugged, "Well, not entirely. He is only able to control some of my emotions yet. Like anger."
But Ron wasn't convinced, "Blimey, that's something worse than facing dementors!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "I faced dementors earlier this year, remember? Encountering them is one of the worst things that can happen."
"It is bound to be," Hermione said, "Dementors are the foulest creatures to walk on Earth. Imagine if they joined the Dark side…"
"Which they definitely would…" Harry added.
"Bloody hell…" Ron murmured. There was silence for a few moments, until Harry said, "Now, Hermione. About that secret,"
"Yes?" she replied, leaning forward eagerly.
"The Ministry is really getting to me by painting lies about me and Dumbledore, which is obvious. I thought I should do something about it. Fight back, you know?" Harry said. Hermione nodded and waited for him to continue. Ron was still looking shell-shocked.
"So, I thought about contacting someone," Harry continued, "Remember how Luna said her father is the owner of the Quibbler?"
"Yes…" Hermione said, already guessing where this was going.
"That's why I thought about talking to Luna and asking her if her dad could do the job for me. I'd pay him, of course. Luna's dad agreed and Dumbledore allowed his entry because he liked the idea. But there is a problem - Mr Lovegood doesn't have the time. He can only interview me for some 15 minutes in unscheduled mornings, after which he has to go somewhere else. Because of this, our pace is extremely slow," Harry explained.
Hermione's face dawned with realization, "Oh, so that's where you disappear off to before class,"
"Exactly," he nodded, "Mr Lovegood interviews me at that time to write the article I want. He's a very nice man, but he just doesn't have enough time."
"A nice man, but still a crackpot like Luna," Ron smirked.
"But why did you keep this from me?" Hermione asked, puzzled, "I think the idea is fantastic, so I wouldn't have put a stop to it!"
"Oh no, I never assumed that," Harry said, "I just…" he trailed off, at a loss for words.
"How does looking out for me fit in this context?" she asked again, genuinely confused.
"Oh, I'll tell you," Ron spoke up, "He didn't want you tiring yourself out by attempting to help him with this."
Hermione stared at him, wide-eyed, "What?"
"Hermione, look," Harry said, "You're an exceptionally bright witch, yes. But you sometimes work too much, both academically and otherwise."
"But I'd -"
"So that's why I thought," he went on, interrupting her, "I shouldn't tell you, or discuss this with you. I knew that the moment I told you about my plan, you would have gone to lengths finding a reliable journalist or writer, and wearing yourself out excessively in the process."
Hermione was rendered speechless. Yes, that's exactly what she would have done.
"So, there you have it," Harry declared, "Luna's father is helping me voice my opinion and side of the story, but it's taking a lot of time. And I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but I thought it was for the best."
"Not an impressive secret, I know," Ron added.
But Hermione was suddenly thinking of something else entirely. The thought that was possessing her mind at the moment grew from a seedling to a plant, with branches that expanded inside her mind, causing her to beam at her friends.
"I think I have the perfect plan!" she declared, excitedly.
"What?" said Ron and Harry in unison.
"Rita Skeeter!"
The boys stared at her with surprise. Ron was the first to speak up, "But she's trapped in a jar as a beetle, isn't she?"
"Yes! But I'll let her out!"
"Oh no, no. You shouldn't do that!" Harry exclaimed, "What if she escaped and started writing for the Ministry again? It will only make things worse!"
"She won't. I'll make sure she wouldn't," Hermione assured him, "I'll cast enchantments on her so she can't escape. But Harry, give it a thought! Rita, no matter how bad of a journalist she was, still wrote for the most popular newspaper in Britain! And since she's not employed anymore, she can write for you without any haggle of time!"
"Yeah...I guess you're right," Harry said, contemplating.
"Then once she's done, we can send that article to Luna's dad and he'll publish it!"
"Yes, yes," Harry replied, gradually grinning, "Wow, you just solved my problem, Hermione. That's brilliant! You're brilliant."
Hermione blushed, "I don't know about that…"
"But Hermione," Ron said, "You don't walk around carrying Rita's jar everywhere, do you?"
She shook her head, "No, it's at home. But I'll bring it here after the Christmas holidays!"
"Just when I thought this plan couldn't get any better," Harry commented.
"Agreed, mate!" Ron nodded, "It's very good, actually."
Hermione smiled gleefully at them, "So that means we'll start in January. And hopefully will be done before February."
Honestly, she couldn't fathom that she came up with such a superb plan in seconds. Usually, it took her a good few hours with careful planning to devise the perfect idea to tackle something. But now, she was amazed and delighted to find that she could produce perfect ideas without planning, too!
Having settled with the Rita Skeeter plan, their conversation shifted towards their other plan - those private classes. Ron and Hermione informed Harry about the initial planning they had conducted and how they were going to implement it. Harry listened intently while thinking of how productive his friends could be by coming up with such brilliant ideas at such short notice.
"We can only trust our close friends and their close friends with this idea," Hermione told him, "Therefore, we haven't included the Slytherins."
"Good. I am not going to teach some possible Death Eaters," Harry remarked.
"Yes, so that leaves us with the first meeting," she continued, "Which will act like an introduction for these classes. We thought that the last Hogsmeade visit before the Christmas holidays seemed like the perfect choice."
"And since the Three Broomsticks is always packed, we can choose the Hog's Head," Ron added, "It's a pub at a lonely corner of Hogsmeade. There are way fewer customers there, and no student visits that pub, as far as I know."
"That's perfect!" Hermione grinned at him, then asked Harry, excitedly, "So, what do you say? Do you like the plan?"
Harry fixed her with a contemplating gaze, before saying, "Honestly, how do you guys think of such ideas?"
Hermione and Ron gave each other confused looks, before turning back to him.
"You don't like it?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You think it's ridiculous?" Hermione said, her face falling.
"What? Oh, no, no!" Harry immediately exclaimed, "I think the plan's ruddy brilliant!"
"Oh, okay," Hermione laughed nervously, "Thank goodness."
"Indeed," Ron said, regaining his grin, "Or you would have been sorry."
Harry smirked at him, "I would like to see you try."
"All right, as all of this is out of the way," Hermione said, getting slightly annoyed by her friends' harmless bickering, "We should start recruiting members. And we have to be very careful and quiet about it."
"Why? Forming societies or clubs isn't prohibited," Harry said, confused.
"Yes, it isn't," she replied, "But if Umbridge finds out what we're doing, then she'd definitely issue another Decree about banning them."
"Hmm, you're right," he agreed, looking thoughtful, then broke into a little smile, "I like the way you think."
Hermione tried her best not to dwell on this comment and continued, "Okay so, since we are done with the planning, we should start recruiting members. Delaying things will only create a hurdle."
"And who are we going to recruit?" Harry asked, although he already knew the answer. He liked seeing Hermione explain a plan, for some unknown reason.
"People we can trust of course," she replied, her eyes darting at the crowd that was beginning to teem in the courtyard, "Well, we should start. Let's go."
"Wait, what about the list we made, Hermione?" Ron asked, freezing her in place.
Hermione had been trying her best to avoid that topic, but alas...here it came.
"Oh...that list," she said, her voice dropping low.
"What list?" Harry asked.
"Hermione and I made a list of potential members last night," Ron explained, "With every student from each house we thought could fit in."
"Well, it's not here with us," said Hermione, quickly, "So we should better start right now, without it. Time is short."
"It must be in your dorm, right?" Ron inquired, "You can fetch it from there."
Hermione was growing uneasier by the second, but she tried to answer, as calmly as she could.
"The thing is...I can't."
"Why not? Do you think it's a long way off?" Ron said, frowning, "And yet you can run to the library, no matter how far it is."
Hermione took a deep breath, before saying, "Ron, please..."
"Guys, guys, wait," said Harry, finally, as he could sense tension growing between his two friends. He looked at Hermione, "Did you do something with it?"
At that, Ron also looked at her, "I really hope you didn't."
Hermione couldn't meet his eyes, so she answered while looking at the floor.
"I can't bring it...because...because I tore it up."
A deadly silence filled their midst at those words.
Mustering up a little courage, Hermione looked up to see the boys staring at her in surprise, with Ron leaning a lot more to the 'shocked' side.
Seeing the look on his face, Hermione immediately proclaimed whilst trying to keep her voice firm, "I - I am so sorry, Ron! I didn't mean to! I was just..."
"You were just what, Hermione?" asked Harry, his face still registering surprise.
This time, Hermione couldn't meet his eyes.
"I was just...too frustrated. When...when you left, that frustration made me tear up the first parchment I could get my hands on and...it was that list."
"Oh," said Harry, letting awkwardness settle in the silence now.
Ron looked like he was about to explode, so Hermione said again, this time on the verge of tears, "Ron, please. I'm very, very sorry. I know you'd put your utmost efforts in it and..."
"And my efforts got wasted away, just like that," Ron finished, staring daggers at her.
"No, it didn't. I didn't -"
"I put all of my efforts into that list," he interrupted, "Among other things when we were planning. Don't you know how much I hate it when something I had put my utmost on...goes futile?"
Hermione just stared at him. She couldn't speak.
"I want the things that I work hard for get used to their fullest," he continued, still staring at her with anger, "Last night, I helped you loads. But you don't care, do you?"
"Of course I do!" Hermione burst out, "What are you even talking about, Ron?! You're making it into such a big deal! Please keep your priorities straight!"
"A big deal?!" Ron hollered, "This doesn't seem like a big deal to you?!"
"Keep your voice down!" Harry whisper - shouted, angrily, coming in the scene, "It's not her fault! Don't yell at her!"
"It's entirely her fault, Harry," said Ron, "She thinks she's so smart, that it's only her efforts that matter."
Those last words hit Hermione's heart like a sharp arrow. It hurt so much that she couldn't take it anymore...and broke down into tears.
"Hey, hey," Harry said, immediately coming to her side and slipping his arm around her, "Hermione, calm down!"
"Go on...cry. So we can feel sorry for you," said Ron, crossing his arms across his chest.
Harry stared at him, shocked, before exclaiming with gritted teeth, "Can you stop acting like a jerk for a minute?"
"I will if she stops acting like one!" Ron retorted.
"Let's go somewhere else. This place is too crowded," Harry said, squeezing Hermione's wrist as she wept into her hands, "Come on, Hermione..."
They moved away from the now energized courtyard to a secluded part of the entrance hall, behind the Grand Staircase.
Only one thought was running in Hermione's head, as tears constantly fell down her cheeks. Last night, she tried to be such a caring friend for Ron. Told him that he could talk to her about his feelings any time he wanted. Made him realize that he was truly worthy. And this is what she got in return? Pure agony? Did a single piece of parchment hold more importance for him than she did?
Her heart was still paining, but her head commanded her to stop crying. And with Harry's comforting help, she finally dried her eyes.
"I don't believe you, Ron," Harry was saying, his eyebrows knitted in a frown, "It was my fault that your efforts went futile, okay? Not Hermione's. Because I was the one who made her feel frustrated, which led her to do this. I'm the one who should apologize to you!"
"Then do it," Ron replied, just as angrily, "Besides, my hard work won't come back anymore."
"Quit acting like a git!" snapped Harry, "I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry your hard work went to waste. But please, for Merlin's sake, it was just one parchment! The rest of your hard work is still safe and sound!"
"Yes, it is," Hermione added, in a quiet voice, "It's all in my bookbag, which is resting in my dorm. You helped me loads last night, Ron, and I appreciate every single bit of it. We wouldn't have been able to come this far with the plan without you."
"Think of Umbridge," Harry said, "She's the one who's the main culprit here. She's the one who is making us do all this, so we can teach her a lesson."
At last, with this and some more persuasion, Ron's forehead began to ease down and he heaved a big sigh, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm so sorry, Hermione. I should prioritize my things in a better way. I'm really sorry. I -"
"It's okay, Ron," Hermione replied, forgiving him instantly, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"I'm also sorry, Hermione," Harry put in, "It was because of me you tore that list. I shouldn't have snapped like that."
"Oh, Harry, I told you...it's all right," Hermione said, finally smiling again. Within a few moments, the tension settled down between the three of them and they started to discuss the plan with newfound energy.
"I'll ask all the girls I think would fit," Hermione was telling Harry and Ron, "We can cover more ground that way."
"Good idea," Harry grinned at her, "This feels so exciting all of a sudden."
"Doesn't it?" she grinned back, "Revenge is fruitful, they say."
"If you mean taking revenge on Umbridge, then I agree," Ron said.
"Of course I mean Umbridge, who else?" Hermione told him.
By now, the cluster of people in the entrance hall was also increasing substantially.
Hermione added, in a hushed whisper, "And remember, try not to act too conspicuous. We don't want to make Umbridge or any other person who's against us, suspicious."
"We know," Ron said, rolling his eyes, "Seriously, you don't have to remind us."
"Better safe than sorry," she retorted, fixing him with a glare.
"Well, since all is said, it's time to do it," Harry declared, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. He felt very excited because the fact that they were doing this to defy Umbridge was satisfying. Hermione was right when she said that revenge was fruitful.
"Well, I'll go now. Meet you guys at supper!" Hermione said, before parting from them and disappearing from view.
"From where do you reckon we should start?" Ron asked as he and Harry inspected the students in the entrance hall.
"Right there," Harry replied, spotting Neville, who was walking alone with his Mimbelus Mimbletona.
Hermione walked - almost ran - to her dormitory, as soon as left her friends behind in the entrance hall.
She felt like she could fly. Her heart was soaring and her smile was fighting to be seen. Insurmountable excitement was coursing through her being because of this plan. But she didn't mind it at all, although they were breaking the rules. She saw this as an improvement rather than a drawback because they were standing up for what really mattered!
I just can't wait to show Umbridge up! she thought, nearing the Gryffindor tower. Especially after she has made our lives so miserable.
Ignoring everyone in the common room, she ran up the stairs and into her dormitory, where she had arrived to get some parchment. She realized that she needed to write the names of the girls down in an organized way because her brain was a mess. If only she had a Pensieve...
After finding a piece of parchment, she settled herself on her bed with her favourite quill and hastily started to jot down the names. Lavender, Parvati, Ginny. She named all the Gryffindors then went for the Hufflepuffs, keeping in mind the fact that the most trusted friends could invite their friends, too.
As she reached the Ravenclaws, she first wrote down Luna's name, then scribbled 'Susan Bones' - a girl who had become a good friend of Hermione and believed Harry's story, even though her aunt worked in the Ministry. After writing down Padma's name, Hermione's quill stopped. She suddenly thought of Cho Chang.
Should I invite her? she questioned herself. Can we trust her?
She almost decided she should enlist that Ravenclaw. But only because of Harry and his 'distractions', although it was the last thing Hermione wanted to do.
But after thinking about it more, she decided that they couldn't trust Cho Chang. Sure, she was the girl Harry liked and was the girlfriend of the deceased Cedric, but they didn't really know her. Hermione hadn't exchanged even a single word with her, so she crossed her off the list.
Finishing this task, Hermione stood up from her bed and exited the room to start the activity she was so anticipated about...
When they met up at supper, all three of them had successfully carried out their tasks of recruitment. Everyone they talked to seemed satisfied by the plan and promised to come to the meeting in the last Hogsmeade visit. The cherry on top was that nobody who had even the littlest chance of reporting to Umbridge had heard anything about the plan. So far, so good.