Once Upon a Hogwarts - Chapter Two
Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I did own Harry Potter? No, I'd be writing the seventh book! And for gods sakes, I can't wait for it to come out!
A/N-Did I mention that this story is slightly AU? Well, if I didn't, then there you go! I just mentioned it. Please read and review!
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"Attention everyone." Professor McGonagall, now Headmistress of Hogwarts, rapped her spoon against her glass goblet. Everyone in the Great Hall fell silent after the famous reproaching look that she sent in all directions. "This year, we are going to have a ball very much like the Yule Ball that we had a few years ago to celebrate how united we are now, in these dark times."
Ron and Harry looked at each other incredulously and glared at the Slytherins. The Slytherins glared back.
"Has McGonagall finally gone batty?" Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione. "I hope she knows what she's saying; united, my arse..."
"Maybe somebody wrote the speech for her," Harry said hopefully. "Someone who's very optimistic and a bit delusional. Maybe it's that white-haired Ancient Runes witch; she looks perfectly giddy every Friday."
"What about the rest of the week?" Ron asked.
"Oh, then she just looks drunk," Harry snickered.
Hermione, newly appointed Head Girl, glared at them.
"For those of you who were here for the Yule Ball, you know how the rules go. For those of you who weren't, you may only be allowed to go if you were invited by an older student as I can assume all of you are in your third year right now."
"Wish Crabbe and Goyle were kept back four times," Ron whispered to Harry. The two exchanged smirks.
"Shush, you two!" hissed Hermione. "Professor McGonagall's saying something really important! And Harry, you as Head Boy should do some honor to your position!"
"Hey, Ron," Seamus whispered down the table, "wonder if she'll force us to wear dress robes?" Ron instantly turned a pale shade of green at this while Seamus and Dean sniggered softly. Professor McGonagall glared in their direction. The boys immediately fell silent under her burning gaze.
"Ahem. As I was saying, this ball will be just like the Yule Ball, and yes, Mr. Weasley, you'll have to wear proper attire. Dress robes."
Everyone burst into laughter. Everyone who attended the Yule Ball had seen Ron in his dress robes. It was rather quite hard not too, he was simply a walking wad of lace, ruffles, and flaming red hair.
"Also," Professor McGonagall continued. "This time, instead of the Weird Sisters, Celestina Warbleck will be singing." She paused because suddenly many girls were jumping up and down, shrieking within an inch of their lives. "This ball will be called the House-Unity Ball, or HUB for short as many of you will be calling it. Like how the Yule Ball was held to celebrate the peace between the three main schools of Europe, the HUB will celebrate the unity of Hogwarts itself. Now," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I had hoped that it would start at eight precisely and last until eleven on Halloween, but due to the very persuasive methods of the other staff members and some anonymous students - " female giggles were heard " - it will last until two in the morning on December 20th, as a little warm-up for your Christmas." Professor McGonagall sighed again and continued, ignoring the clapping that had followed this announcement. "This date should give you plenty of time to find a partner and get your dress robes. But, however, this ball is not an excuse to blow off steam foolishly and act like a bunch of bumbling, babbling baboons. This is a social event and I hope each and every one of you will uphold Hogwarts' proud name in your behavior."
As soon as she had finished, the Great Hall erupted in speech. Girls began to put their heads together, whispering about what they would wear, which boy they wanted to go with, and which hairstyle would look best on them. Boys winked at certain girls and loudly announced who they were going with.
"Excuse me!" McGonagall said sharply. "I'm not done yet."
"Could've fooled me," Ron said dejectedly, as he was anxiously anticipating the feast.
"I'd like to introduce two new staff members. First is Professor Jocular, who will taking over my previous post as the Transfigurations teacher."
A young man with spiked brown hair and a lip piercing stood up and waved jauntily, blowing kisses to the Slytherins (they were not amused). Professor Jocular was wearing black robes with blood-red stripes running down the sides, and as he lifted his arm up to wave to the students, a lion tattoo was revealed.
"I'm betting that bloke was a Gryffindor," Ron said as he clapped loudly.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out," Hermione muttered. Personally, she thought the teacher rather reminded her of Bill Weasley, though Professor Jocular definitely looked younger than the oldest Weasley brother.
"I reckon if McGonagall let him take her spot, he must be a pretty good teacher," Harry said.
Across the table from Harry, Ginny Weasley scoffed. "I don't care if he's good at Transfigurations, I just want to see if he has more tattoos on him!"
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil erupted into giggles.
"Well, he is very fanciable," Lavender agreed.
Ron looked wounded. "I guess I have to get a piercing and a tattoo now if I want a girlfriend," he said glumly. "No wonder Bill was so keen on his earring and long hair; it got him Fleur!"
Harry and Hermione slowly blinked at Ron and returned their attention to McGonagall.
"Next we have Professor de Vellofides, who is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." A hardened-looking man with olive skin and many wrinkles stood up and acknowledged the students with a brisk nod. He then sat down quickly.
McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Welcome first-years, welcome new teacheers, and everyone else - welcome back to Hogwarts. Now let's eat!"
"That was a surprisingly pleasing speech," Ron said as he grabbed a chicken drumstick. "I never would've thought those last few words would ever come out of McGonagall's mouth!"
Hermione was still thinking about the ball. She was hoping this ball would not turn out like the Yule Ball. What had happened at the Yule Ball and the day after it was firmly imbedded in her head, possibly forever. That morning, when she came down for breakfast, she couldn't believe her eyes. Draco Malfoy was snogging Daphne Greengrass at the Slytherin table! It wasn't until she pretended to be interested in Parvati and Lavender's gossip that she found out what had happened, the whole gruesome story. Hermione had felt sad, jealous, and betrayed all at the same time. She had worked so hard for something, only to have another person swoop in and claim what was supposed to be Hermione's for her own.
But, Hermione had thought angrily, Daphne had amazingly fit every detail of Draco's Cinderella - the blue dress, the brown hair and eyes, even the missing sapphire earring! She couldn't blame Daphne for taking the opportunity, though. For many nights, Hermione had put herself in Daphne's shoes and finally decided that if she had been in Daphne's place, she would've snapped up that opportunity in a flash.
Besides, she knew that she probably wouldn't have had a chance with Draco anyway. The situation was far too complicated at the time, and it was even more convoluted now.
Anyway, Draco and Daphne seemed like a nice couple. Sure, the girl could be a bit mean and demanding at times, but Malfoy had the same traits. They looked and acted just like an ideal couple would. She just hoped they were as happy as they claimed, but Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that there was something funny going on underneath the surface.
"...Hermione? Hermione? HERMIONE!"
Hermione snapped out of her daze with a start, knocking over her fork with a loud clank. Ron and Harry were peering into her face anxiously.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" Harry asked.
"I'm fine, Harry. Just drifted away a bit," Hermione assured him.
"Alright…oh, hey! Do you think Lavender will go with me this time, Hermione?" Ron asked her. "Last time, Harry and me waited like fools until they were all gone and I had to go with Padma Patil."
"Harry and I, Ron," Hermione automatically corrected. "It's Harry and I."
Ron gave her a confused look. "No, you got asked by Viktor Krum early on, remember?"
Hermione sighed. "Never mind, Ron. Anyways, it's a risky chance. You guys broke up last year, but there's always the possibility that Lavender still likes you and the fact that she thought you broke up with her to be with me, but we're since not together…" she trailed off, making a heart in her gravy.
"Thanks, Hermione," said a relieved Ron. "I'm glad I asked you. Your advice is always better than Harry's." Harry punched him on the arm. "Ow! That hurt, mate!"
"So, Harry, are you taking Ginny to the ball?" Hermione said in a loud voice when she noticed that Ginny was listening to their conversation.
Harry looked incredulous. "Of course! What other girl would I go with? Are you thinking alright, 'Mione?"
"Aw, that's sweet, Harry," Ginny said, blushing. "This time, you're probably one of the first people that got partners to the HUB."
Hermione smiled. Her work was done here.
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The Gryffindors and Ernie Macmillan, the lone Hufflepuff in NEWT Potions, were standing outside of the Potions classroom facing the Slytherins and Ravenclaws, waiting for Professor Slughorn, Potions Master and now Head of Slytherin.
The Gryffindors were all looking forward to this year of Hogwarts. Besides the fact that they would be taking their NEWTs this year, it was supposed to be a relatively good year for them as Professor Snape was finally gone. ("Why, he's off having loads of fun with Voldemort in a dark, dirty dungeon!" Harry had snapped waspishly on the train to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione had responded with disgusted looks, questioning him if he knew how wrong that sounded.)
"Come in, everyone! Come in!" boomed Slughorn as he waddled towards them, wearing bright green robes with gold accents (the dark hallway was instantly brightened). "Excellent, excellent, everyone's here!"
Slughorn spread his arms wide. "Welcome to another year of NEWT Potions! Now, today we will begin by making a most complicated potion. In fact, I doubt any of you, except for Mr. Potter with his exceptional potion-making skills, will come even halfway!"
Hermione glared at Harry, who was squirming in his seat. Seeing his guilty face, Hermione scowled. "You didn't throw the book away," she accused in a hushed whisper. Harry looked very uncomfortable.
"Er…well…you see…the thing is that…well the thing is…erm…no, I didn't," Harry finally admitted. Hermione's scowl increased tenfold.
"Now," Professor Slughorn was saying, "I will pair you up in groups of two since this potion is quite complicated, and since I am very fond of the wonderful English alphabet, you'll be paired up alphabetically. The people that you are paired up with will be your Potions partners for the rest of the year, on the occasion that we need groups, and also, I have decided to take a leaf out of a Muggle teacher's book and make up a seating chart! Oho! Aren't Muggles the most fascinating people? What with their intricate little diagrams and stick figures!" he laughed cheerfully. The Slytherin side snorted. "I heard that, Mr. Zabini, but you are quite right - I have gone through a lovely period of enlightenment over the summer. Anyhow, two to a table, you may switch left and right sides!"
He pulled out a piece of parchment and read,
"Mandy Brocklehurst and Anthony Goldstein!" He tapped the table in the front left.
"Hermione Granger and Daphne Greengrass!" Hermione nearly groaned out loud. Stuck for a year with the girl that was Draco's girlfriend and had also happened to steal everything that as supposed to be hers! This was ridiculous.
Oh well, I guess some good might come of it, Hermione reasoned optimistically. Though I don't really know what good is defined as of right now. At least I'm sitting in front and center.
Hermione looked around and saw that Morag MacDougal, a Slytherin that sometimes hung around Malfoy, but spend most of his time in the library, sit down with Ernie Macmillan on her left.
"Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter." A hush spread around the room and Hermione couldn't help but look at Slughorn like he was crazy. What sort of madman would put those two enemies, each capable of casting Unforgivables, together? Was Slughorn just deaf and blind or did he just not hear the uncannily sinister silence and see everyone's shocked faces?
"Orla Quirke and Lisa Turpin and here, Ron Weasley and Blaise Zabini."
Slughorn looked up. The only people actually satisfied with their partners were the Ravenclaws, who were all amazingly sitting together.
"Oh dear," Slughorn said, smiling at the scowling class, except for the Ravenclaws who were practically beaming with their good fortune. "We might have to change the seats a bit." He surveyed the class for a minute, then clapped his hands. "Right then, Mr. Potter, you switch seats with Miss Granger, and Mr. Zabini, you switch seats with Mr. Goldstein."
Hermione looked stricken, though on the inside she was cheering and dancing and jumping for joy. This was her chance! She could get Draco back and make him realize that she was the girl that he had danced with at the Yule Ball!
"Sorry, Hermione," Harry whispered as he passed her with his bag.
"It's okay, Harry," Hermione whispered back. "It wasn't your fault."
Hermione neatly put her bag down while Harry dumped it unceremoniously on the floor. Zabini, however, threw his bag maniacally on the table, stomped around on the floor, flailed his arms a bit, took a deep breath to compose himself, and slid neatly into his new seat, scooting it to as far as it could without banging up against the table.
The rest of the class wached with uncontained humor. It was like watching a human cat having a silent hissy fit.
Professor Slughorn was amused too. "Well, Mr. Zabini, if you're done, we can start with our potion now."
Zabini merely nodded. It was widely known around Hogwarts that during the summer, Mandy Brocklehurst had pushed him into a lake where there were known to be poisonous eels in payback for him putting insects in her bed (God knows how) in payback for her switching his shampoo with scented glue in payback for him destroying five of her favorite quills in payback for her hacking off thirty twigs of his broom in payback for him hacking off thirty twigs of her broom in payback for her burning his hair during Charms class in payback for him passing around naked baby pictures of her in payback for her scribbling 'Blaise Zabini is a self-proclaimed homosexual' on the boys bathroom in the second floor corridor in payback for him attaching her pink nightie with the Care Bears printed on it to the tip of Ravenclaw Tower in payback for her accidentally kicking him in the you-know-where during a practice duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts in payback for him accidentally punching her in the face after she had disarmed him at the same practice duel in payback for her embarrassing him in front of the whole Transfiguration class in payback for…the list goes on and on, all the way leading to first year when Mandy had tripped over Blaise's outstretched foot as she was trying to find a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
Needless to say, Blaise Zabini and Mandy Brocklehurst weren't very good friends, unless friend translated in some language meant sworn enemy.
However, their pranks and tricks and arguing weren't exactly stopped. The professors tried to do their best to keep their fighting from using fists, but the students didn't really care. Now that Fred and George were gone, people sought out new entertainment, and Mandy and Blaise provided it on a regular basis. It was always amusing to walk into the Great Hall one day and find that Mandy Brocklehurst's diary entries were displayed across the ceiling instead of the weather, changing every two minutes, or looking up and seeing a blimp float slowly by in the air bearing the neon words 'Blaise Zabini gets off with garbage bags so he wouldn't have to change the sheets'. (Both of these did happen.) And now, it looked like Slughorn had decided to join the students' side and watch the fun unfold.
Hermione was now looking up at the board, memorizing all the ingredients she would need for a Love Potion. A Love Potion! Hermione did a double take. There, it was on the board in big block letters, Amortentia.
Hermione sighed and crossed the room to get some lacewings, a bezoar, dried rose petals and daisies, and crushed cherry blossoms, half of the ingredients they would need.
Malfoy already had the water simmering away in their cauldron when she got back.
"Okay, now you get the essence of murtlap, peony skin, and some rose thorns, Malfoy," Hermione directed, "while I start the potion."
"Three times around clockwise, add in the rose petals. Chop up the lacewings and add in, stirring counterclockwise until potion turns red," Hermione recited out loud.
Hermione snuck a look at Harry's potion. It was already red, thanks to whatever trick the Prince had up his sleeve...er…page. His potion was bound to be perfect. After all, he was following Snape's instructions.
Hermione silently fumed and started stirring so vigorously that when Malfoy came back, he raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, Granger?" he taunted. "Upset because someone finally beat you in something other than flying?"
"Remember how in third year I punched you?" Hermione said casually, without missing a beat. Draco suddenly looked like he had a lemon in his mouth. "Well, now I'm older and I can punch harder and stronger."
Draco gave her a dark look.
"That is what they say about ferrets," Hermione said in a singsong voice, reminding herself incredibly of Luna Lovegood. "They always come in last. Maybe it's because their cutesy little feet can't run very fast, or maybe it's because all that slinky fur is getting in the way, or maybe, just maybe, they're afraid of breaking a nail."
"Shut it, Mudblood," he growled and elbowed her aside from the potion. "My turn."
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Replies to Reviews:
-xox solarsun xox- Thanks! I really like "Time After Time" too. It was a toss up between Kelly Clarkson' s "Because of You", the Pussycat Dolls' "Stickwitu", and "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. In the end I choose "Time After Time" because it seemed more appropriate for the storyline. Also, it kinda has a more better, even beat to it than the others for slow dancing. You're a little strange? Obviously you haven't met me when I'm not high on life. (trust me, you don't wanna meet me when I'm high on life, I tend to start screaming at random people and start dancing on tables!)
-Harry Hotty(sorry, can't put your email in there)- Strangely enough, you remind me of my friend-who-used-to-be-my-boyfriend. He was always saying stuff like that, though he prefers Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella.
And for my first reviewer, (drumroll please), luvbooks,
OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! YOU ARE THE BOMB THAT GOES OFF WAY INTO OUTER SPACE!
...I think I still am pretty hyped up on those coffees I drank in Washington three weeks ago...
Anyways, to everyone else who reviewed, THANK YOU! and kiss to you too, Marine.
Please review!
-Lily in a Pond