Hello, my lovely readers! Okay, so um...I am veryyy sorry for updating after almost two months. I realized that if I kept my updating speed at this rate, I will never finish the story before this year ends!
Therefore, I have a strict updating schedule now! I will be posting two chapters every month - one on the 15th and one on the 30th, including September, too! I will try my very best to stay on this track. Please forgive me if I am a day or two late XD
Anyways, a HUGE thank you to everyone for viewing, marking as favourite, following and reviewing. It means the absolute world to me :D
As always, happy reading!
The afternoon sunlight flooded in from an open window in the Gryffindor common room, brightening up the place extensively. But the lively atmosphere it offered was contrasting with the people inhabiting the area. For starters, it was practically empty, and the few students present had a very torpid air around them. Sunday was here, and it was lazy. Not that you could blame the students, who got only one day to rest all their stress and exhaustion away. However, the situation wasn't the same for Harry, Ron and Hermione.
There they sat on their usual table, the warm sunlight cascading down their open books. They were studying and doing their homework or were at least trying to. Edginess was surrounding them as if they were waiting for something to happen. Hermione was reading a book, but her eyes kept roaming around the room instead of focusing on the words before her. Ron was pondering over the parchments lying in front of him, and Harry kept glancing at his watch.
"Okay, I think it's time," the latter suddenly whispered, addressing his two friends with an urgent look. "Let's go."
As unsuspiciously as they could, the three got up from their table and exited the Tower.
"Right. It's this way," Harry said before setting off down the corridor. Ron and Hermione exchanged terse looks with each other and followed him. Thankfully, the corridor they were searching for was utterly deserted. Not a single soul was in sight, but again, it was a corridor that didn't contain anything significant apart from a few unused classrooms. Or at least most people saw it this way.
Harry stopped in front of an ordinary-looking wall and turned to face the other two. "This is the place."
"How will we enter it?" Hermione asked, nervously side-eyeing their surroundings. She was scared someone would pop in on them and catch them red-handed for what they were about to do.
"That part is kind of tricky," said Harry, then proceeded to explain what he knew.
The day to carry out the first private class had finally arrived, but it did not prove to be easy. To begin with, Dobby had promptly turned up in Harry's dormitory right after dawn, and the two went to the supposed location of the Room of Requirement fully hidden under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, even if they later came to realise that they didn't need it. Dobby had shown him where the sacred room resided, but that was where the troubles began. The door did not want to appear by command.
Harry tried everything. He thought about his requirement clearly in his head, pictured it, even took a risk and said it out loud, but none of this worked. The door simply refused to appear.
It was his frustration that led him to solve the mystery. Pacing back and forth in front of the Room's supposed location and mulling over the issue, Harry almost missed the door materialising.
There it was finally, just a hue first that gradually became more solid. A magnificent door, made out of oak wood and decorated with silver, had appeared, looking inviting.
This is how Harry had discovered the secret of the Room of Requirement. But he didn't tell his friends right away. They had a lot to do first.
For starters, they had to figure out how they would inform the students where the class would be held. Luckily, the fake Galleons had come in handy. Hermione had scrawled the location in tiny letters on her coin, which were to appear in an exact manner on the duplicates. They decided they would hold this class in the afternoon because that's when the 7th corridor was emptiest. And they had been proven right.
So now they were finally there, standing in front of the invisible door as Harry explained the trick to make it come out.
"Here's the thing," Harry said. "The door would only appear if you'd walk three times back and forth in front of it with your requirements etched clearly in your mind. Do you get it?"
In return, Ron and Hermione just gave him blank stares.
Harry sighed. "You don't get it. I'll show you."
Slowly, gradually, the two of them started to get the hang of this action, and within minutes, the door began to take shape right in front of their eyes.
"This is incredible," Hermione whispered, but the rest of her words died out as they went through the door.
They had never expected they would get a fully resourceful room that possessed the ability to make these classes even easier to conduct. Yet here it was, a chamber-like room that seemed to stretch on for miles. Different objects and cushions were resting on the floor at the sides, and bookshelves were lined up against each other on the western wing. A beautiful low-lit chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, providing enough light, and at the very end of the place resided a giant blackboard. The room had given them exactly what they wanted – an area to teach and learn Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"This is bloody brilliant," Ron said, half to himself, but then addressed Harry with a grin. "And to think that Hogwarts was hiding a place like this!"
"There are books on the subject, too!" Hermione shared excitedly as she had, of course, bounded to the bookshelves and was examining them. "Look! The Defending Forces Against Unwanted Magic, the Most Notable Achievements of Aurors, the 20th century and Beyond. Oh! And The Most Useful Spells to Cast on Foes and Enemies! These are so helpful!"
Harry, who had already seen the room and was now watching his friends' reactions with amusement, finally spoke up. "I know, right? It's more than we expected. But I do hope we won't rely on books only," he finished with a wink.
"Of course!" Hermione laughed before settling herself on one of the cushions with a volume.
"Forget the books," Ron said, still looking around the area with awe. "Look at this place! It's incredible! It gives you anything you want!"
Harry shook his head. "Not anything you want. Anything you need. There's a difference."
"Well, in that case, I really need a new broomstick!" Ron exclaimed, shouting the word 'need' louder than the rest. "A Firebolt would be nice!"
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think the Room can give you specific objects. It's more directed towards areas we require." He paused to observe his surroundings, noticing Hermione reading already. "Dobby deserves an award for showing me this. It's like a miracle!"
"I agree, mate," said Ron, going over to the huge space they would use for practising.
Harry turned towards Hermione, who was still immersed in her book. "Hermione? We should call the students now, don't you think?"
"Oh, of course! Sorry," she said, jumping up from her seat and putting the book back into its place. "I'll call them."
With that, she fished out her fake Galleon from her robes, pointed her wand at it and muttered, "Calora Autem!"
Instantly, the little coin in her hand started to get hot, and so much that she was certain anyone could feel it. The location she had scribbled on the coin also remained clear as ever. Satisfied, she returned the coin to her pocket. "They're informed."
"Great," said Harry, glancing at the big clock that was positioned on one of the walls. "It's almost 3. Let's prepare the room."
"What do you mean? It's already prepared!" Ron insisted.
"Yes, Harry. Just leave it be," Hermione added.
Harry looked at them thoughtfully. "But I feel like we're missing something...oh yeah, the students wouldn't know how to make this room visible. Someone has to be outside to help them."
Hermione smiled at him. "You should do it. The teacher needs to be the one who welcomes the students to his class."
"You're right," said Harry, nodding his head. "I'll go outside then."
After he left the premises, Hermione went up to a wall and fixed the list of students on it. She scrutinised it, then spotted Ron contemplating the practice area with sheer amazement.
"Why are you so interested in that part of the room?" she asked him.
"I dunno. It all feels so...surreal." He shrugged. "Like, are we really doing this?"
"I know how you feel!" she giggled, excitement coursing through her.
Little by little, the students started to arrive. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs all came in intervals, each sporting a look of wonder as they assessed the Room of Requirement. It was a little difficult for Harry to explain how the door to the room could appear, but in the end, he had managed to let everyone in. He got incredibly nervous when Cho came with her friends and somehow forgot the whole trick altogether. Luckily, it came back to him before he could make a fool of himself.
As they waited for the class to fill up, Hermione found herself talking to Lavender. Parvati had gone off to her twin and her friends, causing the other two girls to strike up a conversation.
"Oh, these are beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed. Lavender was showing her the charm bracelets Ron had gifted her.
"Yeah! But he still has the nerve to think he got me something ridiculous," said Lavender, rolling her eyes.
Hermione lightly touched the accessories. "And what did you get for him?"
"The Chudley Cannons merchandise," Lavender answered.
In surprise, Hermione looked at her. "What? That must have been so expensive!"
"Oh, it definitely was. It cost me about six months of my allowance money."
"Wow...I guess that's why he called his gift ridiculous. It's nothing compared to what you gifted him."
"But I don't want him to feel that way," Lavender sighed, "I don't regret spending all of my money on his present, Hermione. I know how much he loves the team. And it's like...we're willing to do anything for the people we love, you know?"
"Hmm," said Hermione, thinking of Harry. "I can understand what you mean."
By then, the whole room was teeming with people. As Harry ushered the last students in, he leaned against the wall beside the door and heaved a big sigh. Man, that was hard. He ran a hand through his messy hair, took a chance to recollect himself, then went back inside.
The class was chaotic and the students appeared even more in number from the way they were behaving. Most of them were chattering excitedly, some of them were still observing the room, and a couple of them had even started joking around – namely Fred and George. Harry didn't know how he could quieten a class this loud or if their voices could travel outside the Magical room. But he still shared a smile with himself. He was happy to see that these many people were eager to learn from him.
"Excuse me," he said politely to a Hufflepuff girl who was blocking his way. She blushed and stepped aside.
Harry managed to get to the centre of the group, but the cacophony was far from getting stopped. He caught Hermione's eye and mouthed, "Help!"
She nodded, pulled out her wand, pointed it at the Room's ceiling, and exclaimed, "Crepitus!"
BANG!
A loud sound, like something heavy falling on the floor, issued in the area. It had done its job, for silence had befallen the classroom as the students looked around to see what had caused such a loud noise. Harry took this opportunity to start the lesson.
"Now that I have your attention, hello everyone and welcome to the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class," he said as every pair of eyes turned on him. "First of all, I would like to thank you for showing up promptly and without having any doubts. Second, you can see that we had managed to find the perfect place to conduct these classes. Don't forget the little trick you'd need to do to make the Door appear, and you're good to go!"
A few people chuckled at this.
"Nevertheless, I must inform you that this Room of Requirement, as we like to call it, will remain as our classroom till we don't need it," Harry went on, "But it is also important for you to keep this under wraps and make sure that no one outside the class knows about our secret. Hermione? Would you care to elaborate on this?"
"Yes, this part is the most important, of course," Hermione spoke up, "We cannot afford to let Umbridge or her Inquisitorial Squad know about this in any way, as it will put us at risk of severe punishments or even expulsion. Which is why I have to warn you," she took a deep breath before resuming, "that if someone lets out this secret to a person who is not a part of this group, there will be consequences."
A buzz of whispers erupted among the students at this. "Hence, I would advise you to please be tight-lipped about this," Hermione added, "You do not want to face the consequences."
Doubtful and scared looks were thrown her way, and she had to suppress a smile. If the students were afraid of the consequences, they wouldn't snitch, which was precisely what the trio aimed for.
Harry was also watching the reactions with amusement before speaking out, "Thank you for informing us, Hermione. Now, let's move on to how these classes are going to take place. We will be tackling a list of spells and techniques that will come in handy during a life-threatening situation. Today, we are going to start with the disarming charm, Expelliarmus. It proved to be very faithful to me in many circumstances. Luckily, it is also one of the easiest to learn…."
As he went on, Hermione smiled a little. She wished she could tell him how proud she was of him. Seeing him there in the centre of the room, with every student hanging on to his words, was heartwarming. He looked so professional and so...handsome in his teacher persona. It really suited him.
Admiringly, she listened to him talk about the lesson until a girl behind her started to whisper rapidly.
"Okay, I have to admit it. He's cute!" she giggled.
"I know!" Another girl answered in the same tone. "He also seems very nice."
"I don't know about that," her friend said, "But who cares? It's the fact that he's handsome that matters."
Hermione almost groaned. Apparently, not everyone was listening to Harry with rapt attention. She wanted to give him her entire focus, but the obnoxious giggles and whispers of the two girls behind her were making it impossible. Oh, can't they gush over this boy some other time? She thought angrily.
She was about to settle on blocking out their voices – if their following remark hadn't frozen her.
"I heard that fame makes people more attractive," the girl murmured, "He defeated You-Know-Who! That makes him even more desirable, don't you think so, Cho?"
So, the whispering girls were Cho's friends. Big surprise, Hermione thought, scowling furtively, but she strained to hear the Ravenclaw's answer all the same.
"I agree," she said, "But it's not about facing You-Know-Who only."
She refused to elaborate further and fell silent again. But that didn't stop her friends from blabbering.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. Their voices were so annoying! She couldn't fathom how other people standing close to them were not getting frustrated. She, on the other hand, wanted to turn around and tell them to shut up.
But she didn't. Instead, she sighed again, louder this time, causing Lavender, who was standing beside her, to cast a befuddled look her way. Hermione gave a little shrug in reply.
Cho's friends were now talking about all the boys they'd ever dated. Couldn't they discuss something like this elsewhere? It was definitely not class appropriate!
Hermione could now see why other people were not annoyed by the girls' constant whispers. They weren't standing close enough to hear them, like Lavender and her. Even Lavender was starting to display clear signs of discontent, but the Ravenclaws showed no signs of stopping.
Harry was now talking about the techniques that suited him the most for implementing the Disarming spell. An important part of the lecture! But no, the girls behind Hermione continued to talk as if he was discussing something as insignificant as his daily routine.
Why did they even join this class? They weren't even listening to the lecture! What good would it do?
I guess some girls are just plain stupid, Hermione thought, rolling her eyes yet again.
She wished someone would silence them – and her wish got granted just a few seconds later.
Lavender had turned around and said politely but with repressed anger. "Excuse me, can you please stop talking? Your voices are distracting for people who actually want to hear the lecture."
The two girls stared at her, open-mouthed. It seemed like they were shell shocked at her audacity to talk to them like that. Hermione's mouth was open, too. But she didn't realise it, for she was too busy looking at Lavender and Cho's friends in turns.
After recovering herself, the girl with curly reddish-blonde hair spoke up, "As you can tell, we're whispering. Please try to mind your own business."
Hermione watched Lavender's forehead develop a frown. "Oh, I assure you, your voices are loud enough to wake up a whole neighbourhood. So please, try to be considerate of your fellow classmates and focus on the lecture. It will do you good, I promise."
Hermione almost laughed out loud, both at Lavender's fantastic response and the girl's stunned face. It had done the trick. The girls actually fell silent after that.
Hermione caught Lavender's eye, causing both of them to stifle their laughter.
"The Disarming Charm has even helped me defend myself from Voldemort," Harry was saying as they finally turned back to his lecture in peace. "So don't think that it's a useless spell. In fact, I would say it's one of the best defending spells a person can use in a challenging situation. And this is the spell we'll be learning today."
He paused to observe the faces of his students. A lot of them were showing worried and nervous expressions, so he decided to encourage them.
"You may think this is too difficult for you. How will you be able to learn all of this? Are you even skilled enough to apply these spells?"
An intense silence had permeated the room upon his words.
"Well, let me tell you something. Many great witches and wizards came before us. Our headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, the founders of Hogwarts, even great Merlin himself! Do you know what all these witches and wizards have in common?"
None of the students answered him, so Harry did it himself.
"They all started somewhere! They were once just like us – feeble, doubtful, unconfident, and felt everything we're feeling now. But what did they do? They overcame those feelings, put in their best, and tried to learn as much as possible. They believed in themselves, and look at where it led them."
The class murmured enthusiastically as Harry went on, "So, this begs the question...if they can do it, why can't we?"
His attempt proved to be successful. The students had erupted into whoops of joy. Involuntarily, he smiled to himself. He was already loving being a teacher!
The class progressed further as Harry announced that he would now divide them all into pairs. The spell seemed easy enough for Hermione. Besides, she had even tried it herself a few times.
"Harry's such a great teacher, don't you think?" Lavender said to her as Harry created pairs. "He can make a crowd fall silent!"
"Oh, he's amazing!" Hermione beamed. "He'll definitely make this class a success. I would have listened to every part of his lecture if it weren't for those bothersome girls," she added, rolling her eyes.
"Yes! They were so annoying."
"Thanks for shutting them up, though. I owe you one."
"Oh, you owe me nothing!" Lavender laughed. "They were just as annoying to me as they were to you."
Hermione chuckled. "Still! I didn't say anything because they're Cho's friends."
"Who's Cho?"
"She is that Asian girl. Harry likes her, by the way."
Lavender's eyes went wide. "Her?"
"Yes." Hermione sighed. "Remember Cedric Diggory? The champion who died last year? She was his girlfriend."
"Oh...poor her. That must be so devastating."
"I agree. To be honest, I can tell she likes Harry back."
Hermione didn't know why she was telling Lavender all this, but she did know that talking to her was very easy. It felt good to borrow a fellow female's ears once in a while.
Again, Lavender appeared surprised. "Wow, she moved on quickly!"
"And that's what bothers me," Hermione added, "I can't help but feel like she wants to use him somehow..."
"I see your point," Lavender agreed, then smiled, "Well, either way, Harry's going to have a hard time if he ends up dating her. Because I don't think those friends of hers would spare him alive."
Hermione couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, causing Lavender to laugh, too.
"Poor Harry!" she exclaimed amidst her giggles.
"Are you two talking about me?"
Hermione stopped laughing and blushed a little as Harry approached them. For some reason, she started stuttering, "N-no we –"
"Yes!" Lavender interrupted, flying to her rescue. "You're going to be a great teacher, I can tell."
"Thanks. I hope so." Harry smiled. "Also, I've got a special demand for you. Ron specifically requested for you to be his partner."
Now it was Lavender's turn to blush.
"Did he?" she giggled. "It's probably because he wants to take his revenge on me for beating him in Exploding Snap. See you!" she finished, waving at Hermione.
"Bye!" Hermione said, then secretly mouthed, "Thanks!"
Lavender gave her a thumbs up in return.
"So, what did you think?" Harry asked Hermione after she left.
"Oh, I think you were absolutely splendid!" she answered, then added humorously. "Sorry. Absolutely splendid, professor."
"Please don't do that," he laughed, "I'm just Harry to Ron and you."
"You're right," she laughed, too. "Anyway, I'm glad you approached me because I wanted to talk to you about something. The thing is...I have practised this spell a couple of times now, and I can say I already know it a little. So, can you pair me up with someone challenging because I want – um, Harry?"
She paused to find him looking past her and not listening to her at all. Just by contemplating his eyes, she could tell he was looking at a certain someone.
Groaning silently, she turned around to follow his stare, and sure enough, Cho Chang was returning his gaze very steadily.
Annoyed, Hermione turned back to Harry and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey!"
He immediately stepped out of his stupor. "Sorry. You were saying?"
"I was asking you to partner me up with someone challenging because –"
"Oh, I can't do that, Hermione," he said, looking at her apologetically. "Neville already asked for you."
"Oh..." Hermione couldn't help but feel a wee bit disappointed. "Okay then. I guess Neville wouldn't be too bad."
"Yep."
"Well then, see you."
Once more, Harry didn't seem to hear her because his gaze was fixated upon Cho again. Hermione felt her anger rising, and she walked away from him before she could explode.
As soon as Hermione left, Harry made a beeline for Cho and her friends. He was feeling very confident today. He handled a whole class! So surely talking to one girl wouldn't be too difficult.
But he was proven wrong the minute he approached them.
"Erm...hello..." he began awkwardly. Cho blushed upon his arrival, giving him a mischievous smile while her friends snickered.
"Ooh, look who's here!" One of the girls said, "The great Harry himself. What do you want from us, my lord?"
He laughed, "I think 'professor' would be better. And I'm here to set you in pairs so..." his words died out as Cho crossed his vision again. "You people can choose your own pairs, that'd be fine and..."
"You performed amazingly today, Harry," Cho suddenly spoke up, rendering him speechless almost instantly. "I think you're going to be a great teacher!"
"Really?" he blurted out, then hurried to correct himself. "I mean, thanks."
"You're doing such a noble job by taking these classes," Cho went on, giving him such a smile that made his heart beat faster.
"Thank you," he said again, already feeling ridiculous. He reckoned he should move away from her before he became a blundering mess.
"Well, since you girls are an even number, you can make your own pairs," he told them, backing away. "So, go ahead."
And before Cho could say anything else, he left.
Good going, Harry, he thought to himself. You can face Voldemort, but you can't face Cho. What's the problem with you?
Shaking away these thoughts, he went up to the blackboard set at the very end of the room to officially start the class.
Meanwhile, Hermione had reached Neville. The said boy's eyes widened as she arrived.
"You came," he uttered, "I thought you would decline my request."
Hermione smiled at him. "Of course not. Why would I?"
"Thanks. I just wanted someone friendly during the first class ever," he explained, nervously wringing his hands. "You know how bad I am at this stuff."
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," she assured him, and right at this point, Harry started the class.
"Can you all move closer to the board, please?" he declared, "Right. So, the incantation needed to cast this charm is..."
He turned around to write something on the blackboard and produced a single word – Expelliarmus.
"And how do you pronounce it?" he asked the class, then answered himself. "It's easy. Repeat after me – Expelliarmus."
"Expelliarmus!" The class roared back.
"Good," Harry grinned at them. "Now, I would need a volunteer, so I can demonstrate this charm for you."
Several people raised their hands. Hermione was one of them, but Harry decided to choose Colin Creevey.
"Colin, come up here," he announced, and the overly excited younger boy did with a beam on his face. "All right, so once I've demonstrated this spell, I want you to start practising it on your partners and vice versa. Again, it's a much easier spell as compared to the other ones we will be learning in these classes, so you'll master it soon. Ready? Let's begin."
And just like that, their first lesson began. Once Harry had demonstrated the spell, the pairs set about practising it while he made rounds amongst them and observed their tactics.
The students were actually having fun. Some of them had even secretly admitted that this was the most fun they ever had in a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson!
However, things couldn't be far from the truth for Hermione. Just like she had expected, she had learned the spell in no time at all. The problem was with Neville. He wasn't just bad at this charm; he was terrible at it.
"Neville, focus! This is how you do it!" said Hermione for the fifth time, the exasperation rising in her voice as in all their attempts, she had blasted away his wand, but he couldn't even manage to move hers.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Neville replied, even more exasperated. "I'm trying my best."
Hermione sighed, "I know you are. But you have to focus on the task instead of focusing on me!"
Neville's ears turned pink. "I-I'm not focusing on you!"
"Yes, you are. You keep trying to see if your next move would disappoint me or not," she argued, softening her tone to reason with him. "These spells are for your defence. They wouldn't impress the Death Eaters or anyone bad, you know?"
"I know," he said, letting his wand arm fall to his side. "I just…don't want to mess up."
"And you wouldn't if you concentrated properly," she added, "Now come on, let's try again."
But her efforts were not successful. Neville's problem made her realize that she was not as skilled at teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts as she was at studying it. But even that sometimes backfired.
"Okay, this is not working," she finally said after disarming Neville for the umpteenth time. "I can't see where you are going wrong. I don't know what the issue is, but what I do know is that you have to –"
"Is something wrong?"
"Harry! Perfect timing," Hermione exclaimed as he came to them. "Neville's having trouble with this spell."
"I'm horrible at it," said Neville sulkily, "I can't learn it. I can't do it. I'm just bad at it."
"No, that's not the case," Harry said at once, "The problem is your learning. Let me have a look. Disarm each other."
Hermione sighed. She was exhausted.
"Okay," she still agreed and went into a stance to face Neville. She disarmed him first, but he failed after retrieving his wand.
"Hmm," said Harry thoughtfully, "I think it's your wand movement. And of course, your focus as well."
He then launched off to explain to Neville where he was going wrong. The fatigue was creeping up to Hermione, making her arms feel tired from disarming Neville for such a long period. She just wanted to curl up on one of those cushions with a book from the oh-so-interesting bookshelves. The feeling was so intense that she couldn't resist.
"I am coming right back," she announced, but both Harry and Neville didn't hear her. Without another word, she turned on her heel and went off to the bookshelves. The volumes were even more interesting than she had anticipated, as they were filled with countless aspects of Defense Against the Dark Arts, explaining techniques, methods and incantations. She even found one solely dedicated to disarming and decided it would be really helpful for Neville. But the book that completely took her attention talked about the tactics of the wizards and witches who fought the Death Eaters and even Voldemort himself. It was fascinating – learning about the history of the Dark Ages.
Before long, Hermione found herself sitting on a comfy cushion, totally absorbed in the book. She didn't know how much time had gone by as she sat there reading – until Harry's voice echoed through the walls.
"Okay, class. I think that's enough for today," he announced. Hermione took it as her cue to stand up and rejoin the group. She took the book with her as she wanted to show it to Harry.
"Almost all of you have learned this charm perfectly, which is great!" he was saying as Hermione returned. "For those of you who didn't, keep trying and practising before the next class, where you'll be able to demonstrate it. The second lesson is not scheduled yet, but when it will be, you all will be informed through your coins, so make sure you have them with you at all times. And for leaving, please leave in a group of three or less after a 5-second interval. It's for avoiding suspicion. That's it for today. See you in the next class!"
The throng of students started moving around as soon as Harry finished his declaration, making it hard for Hermione to navigate through them. She aimed to find Neville first and show him the Disarming book she had found.
Meanwhile, Harry was returning greetings and compliments from his students.
"That was a nice class, mate!" Ernie said.
"I've learned quite a lot," Parvati smiled.
"Bloody brilliant," Terry Boot nodded.
"Thanks," Harry answered to all of them. He was glad that the first class was prosperous, and he really couldn't wait for the next one. Such was the joy of getting to teach his favourite subject that he forgot about his troubles for a bit.
However, one of them came back to him as he spotted Cho Chang through the crowd of students. She was standing alone, her eyes on the list Hermione had fixed on the wall, and was looking forlorn and sad. Was she missing Cedric?
Harry sighed. Something in him wanted to erase all boundaries, go up to her, and finally ask her out. He tried but failed every time. She obviously liked him back and was clearly waiting for him to make the first move, but he wasn't entirely sure about it. He felt like it was cheating on Cedric, even if he was gone.
Lost in his musing, Harry absentmindedly observed her while the students diminished in number. Among them was Hermione, who had finally located Neville.
"Look at this book!" she was telling him. "It contains everything you need to learn Expelliarmus perfectly!"
"Oh, do you think it can help me?" he asked, observing the book.
"Of course! Although I don't think you can take it from here," she admitted, "However, you can access it in the next class!"
"Then I'll be behind everyone else," he muttered, "But that's usual."
Hermione realized he had a point. "I reckon then you have to keep practising it. You can do it, Neville."
"Thanks, Hermione," he smiled. "I really wish I could take this book, though."
"But you can't," she said, taking it from him, "It's purely unfortunate. I would have liked to take some with me."
"Too bad."
"Yes. Well, I'll put this back. See you."
"See you."
She went back to the bookshelves to restore the Disarming book, then returned to the practice zone to find Harry. She really wanted to show him the Dark Ages book. These volumes were so interesting that they were making her giddy!
By now, almost all of the students had left, causing the classroom to become emptier and breathable. Hermione bounded towards Harry, who was standing with Ron.
"Go ahead, shoot your shot, mate," the redhead was saying as she reached them. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"You're right," said Harry, nodding slowly.
"Hey," Hermione greeted, "Harry, I just found the most amazing book, and I know it's going to be an interesting read for you! It's based on the Dark Ages! Look!"
She pushed the book towards him, but he gave her a blank look instead of taking it.
"Hermione, I'm not in the state of mind to inspect books right now," he affirmed, "I'm sorry. Maybe next time?"
Her smile immediately faltered. "Oh, okay. Sure. You must be tired."
"Yeah." He smiled apologetically at her. But that didn't improve her spirits…
Hermione finally left the Room of Requirement after some seconds. She found herself accompanied by Lavender, but she didn't mind it one bit. Parvati had already left with her twin's group and Ron had gotten with Seamus and Dean. Harry had insisted that he would check up on the Room before leaving.
Lavender was very fun to talk to, and soon enough, Hermione found herself completely immersed in chatting and laughing with her as they made their way to the Gryffindor Tower. She was so lost in the conversation that Lavender's next question made her realize something.
"Did you take that book for reading?"
Hermione looked down – to discover that she still had the Dark Ages book confined in her arms. She had forgotten to return it to the bookshelves.
"Oh no," she groaned, "It's from the Room. I'm not supposed to take it."
"Why not? Won't it just disappear once the Room disappears?" Lavender wondered.
"Yes, it most probably will," Hermione agreed, "But it didn't disappear yet."
"Maybe someone is still in the Room."
"Maybe. But what if it doesn't disappear?" Hermione said, "It can cause suspicions. Either way, I should put it back."
"All right then."
Hermione gave her a nod and departed from her to return to the Room. The corridors were deserted. It seemed like everyone had left, so the Room must have vanished.
However, Hermione was surprised to find it right there – solid and just the way it was.
Maybe it's because of the book, she thought and entered the premises.
The Room was as still as a corpse. Hermione made her way to the bookshelves and restored the book back into its place. She would have turned around and left if she hadn't spotted someone at the end of the practice zone.
Someone else was in the room with her.
Creeping around the shelves, Hermione peeked through them for a clearer view.
And let out a silent gasp.
Standing at the edge of the practising area was Harry. And with him was...Cho.
And they were kissing.
The sight caused Hermione to freeze on her spot. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could only watch the scene unfold in front of her, her eyes running through the way they were embracing each other. Cho had her hands beside her, but Harry...Harry was holding her waist, as he was afraid to let her go.
Hermione felt herself slacken. Her whole body went rigid. It didn't occur to her that they could stop at any moment and see her.
She would have remained standing there – if her hands hadn't touched the books around her absentmindedly.
The rough pages snapped her back to reality. Without thinking, she bolted from the Room before she could freeze up again.
She kept running. She didn't want to be anywhere near the 7th floor, not with them being there.
Like a tape on repeat, the scene kept playing in her mind, forcing her to think about the way he was holding her. The way it didn't seem like their first kiss...
Without realizing what she was doing, Hermione had descended to the 6th-floor landing. She walked briskly among the people here, ignoring them and keeping her head down. She didn't know where she was headed. She just knew she had witnessed something she didn't want to witness.
Suddenly, her emotions surged over her. She felt her knees weaken, and she had to sink down on the first empty spot she could find. She hugged herself, trying to calm herself down. But it was no use.
The tears leaked from her eyes and started to roll down her cheeks.
No, she didn't want to cry. Not over this.
Hermione angrily brushed the wretched nuisances away, but that didn't stop them from coming. In the end, she just gave up.
She was mad. Mad at herself for crying. Mad at Harry for doing this. Mad at Cho for existing. Mad at her fate of making her witness it. Mad at her uncontrollable emotions. She didn't want any of this, but her feelings were not listening to her. They just made her cry harder.
Calm down, Hermione! Her reasonable side spoke up. You knew this would have happened someday. Cho clearly likes him back.
I know, Hermione replied mentally. But I didn't have to witness it. I could have lived with it if I didn't see it.
Her other part had nothing to say on this. Hermione buried her face in her arms and tried to organize her thoughts while also trying to stop herself from weeping.
She was so engrossed in herself that she almost didn't hear the voice calling to her out of the blue.
"Ah, Granger! Waterworks? What gives?!"
Hermione closed her eyes. Oh no, please not him. Anyone but him.
"Crying over your Mudblood genes?" Malfoy went on, "Or crying because someone broke your fragile heart. Huh, Granger?"
Hermione felt anger rise in her being. She was simply not in the mood to put up with Malfoy and listen to his taunts. So she wiped the last of her tears away and stood up.
Unfortunately, there was only one way out of the corridor, and he was blocking it. He was also alone, which was surprising because he was always with that stupid Inquisitorial Squad these days. But Hermione couldn't care less. She just wanted to get away from him.
She tried to dodge him, but he stepped aside, easily inhibiting her chance to escape. Her small frame was no match for his tall one.
"Leaving so soon?" he sneered, "Where's Potter? And Weaselbee? Gotten bored of you?"
"Get out of the way, Malfoy," Hermione said in a nonchalant tone. But he ignored her as if she hadn't said anything at all.
"Is it Longbottom?" he grinned.
"I SAID GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Hermione shouted, her voice echoing through the walls. But Malfoy didn't move an inch.
"It's Longbottom, isn't it? Didn't I see you two snogging the other day?"
Hermione couldn't resist her anger any longer.
"Shut up! Move, or I'll make you move!" she hissed at him.
But his smirk only grew wider. "Yeah? And what are you going to do?"
It was taking every bit of her strength to not slap his pointed face. "Or I'll hex you!" she yelled, "You'll be sorry!"
"Then go ahead, Granger," said Malfoy, spreading his arms. "Jinx me. I'd love to see you do it 'cause after all, I am part of Professor Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, aren't I?"
Hermione stared at him, not believing her rotten luck. Jinxing Malfoy would mean getting punished by Umbridge. And Hermione didn't want that.
But she didn't want to plead with Malfoy, either.
"You think I care about that crone?!" she exclaimed, "Get out of the way, or you'll get hurt. And so much that you'll spend weeks in the hospital wing!"
She had hit a nerve. Malfoy's grin turned into an ugly scowl.
"How dare you threaten me? You? A filthy little Mudblood?!" he yelled with gritted teeth, "Do you even know your worth –"
But Hermione had stopped listening to him. The anger in Malfoy had made him drop his guard, causing him to unblock the way out.
Seizing the chance, she sidestepped him and took flight, not stopping once, even after he began shouting obscenities at her.
I'll get him, she thought bitterly, climbing the stairs to the 7th floor. One of these days, I will.
She couldn't wait to get to her dormitory. Dealing with Malfoy had drained every last bit of her energy, and she wanted to take a nap.
However, entering the common room made her recall the reason why she had to deal with him in the first place...
"Hermione!" Ron called as soon as she stepped inside. "Come here. Harry's got something to tell you."
Harry, who was sitting beside him, turned a little pink at his words.
"It's very interesting," Ron added, his grin widening.
Hermione's heart sank. She believed she could face ten Malfoys than one Harry right now. They didn't seem to suspect she had seen everything, at least.
"Uh..." she said, working up an excuse. "Can it wait? I went to the library, so I'm really tired right now. I was thinking about taking a nap."
"Sure. No problem," Harry immediately said, "I'll tell you lat–"
"Oh, c'mon!" Ron interrupted, throwing an annoyed look at Harry, "It will only take a second. You'll be blown away!"
I already am, Hermione answered silently, but she went and took a seat on an armchair opposite the two.
"So, what happened?" she asked, trying extremely hard to act nonchalant.
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. He looked embarrassed.
"Well, Cho and I...we, erm..."
"They kissed," Ron said.
Hermione widened her eyes forcefully. "What?"
"Yeah," affirmed Harry, failing to meet her eyes. "In the...Room of Requirement."
"I encouraged him," Ron said, hitting Harry playfully on the arm. "I told you she liked you, mate!"
"Well, it was obvious," Hermione said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Anyone could see it."
"Yeah," said Harry, finally smiling, "I just believed it was too good to be true."
Hermione nodded – and surprised herself by asking him, "What did it feel like?"
"What?"
"Your kiss. Was it good?"
Harry turned scarlet at her question. "Er, yeah...I guess. I mean, it was kind of...wet."
Instantly, Ron guffawed, "Wet?!"
"Yeah. She was sort of...crying."
"Crying?" Hermione echoed, raising an eyebrow at him.
"She was talking about Cedric," Harry told her, fiddling with his fingers, "She was missing him, saying how much he would have liked my classes. And then...she kissed me."
Ron's brown eyes popped open. "Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"So, she kissed you while talking about Cedric?" Hermione asked, disbelief tracing her voice.
"Yeah..." said Harry, then sighed. "I think I'm also a bad kisser and –"
"Oh, it was your first kiss. People learn," Hermione interjected.
"Yep." Ron nodded, "I mean, my first kiss wasn't exactly great, either."
Mine was okay, Hermione thought but she didn't say it out loud. She had kissed Viktor Krum last year, after the Yule Ball, but only briefly. After that, they just sort of fell apart.
"Okay..." Harry said, his lips turning into the slightest of smirks. "But it was nice, though. She felt warm –"
"You can stop now. We don't want a visual," Ron cut in.
Hermione secretly thanked him, as she was sure she would have vomited if Harry had continued.
"So I guess you two are dating now?" she asked, trying to divert the topic.
He shrugged. "I think so? If you kiss someone, does that mean you'd start dating them?"
"Yes, sure," Hermione replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's not like you should get to know them first, really."
To her amusement, Harry laughed. "You're right. I'm still in a daze, I guess. Making my already messed up mind even more chaotic."
"Well, congratulations, mate! I'm happy for you!" Ron said.
"Me too," Hermione managed, smiling at Harry. "I'm glad you got with her."
"Thanks, guys," he replied, smiling at them both. Despite her discontent, Hermione's heart softened at the sight of his glowing face. At least he was happy.
Therefore, she stood up before her bitterness lost control and she exposed herself. "Well, I'm delighted for you, Harry, but I should get going."
And before any of them could say anything, she bade them goodbye and dashed to her dormitory.
The place was empty and Hermione was thankful. She took to her bed so she could recharge herself with a nap.
However, her eyes refused to close as her mind kept reminiscing about everything that had happened today.
Why wasn't it me? she thought. It should have been me.
Hermione knew none of this was Harry's fault, or even Cho's. They just liked each other, but Hermione's insurmountable jealousy wanted to state otherwise.
Maybe Cho isn't as bad as I think she is, she suddenly realized. Maybe she'll be a good girlfriend. Let's see if that is true...
Then before her brain could make her think further, she forcefully closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Have some thoughts on the chapter? Leave it in the reviews! See you next time :D