2 - A New Subject
At the end of the fourth year, some of the pupils at Hogwarts had been complaining to their respective teachers, that they were finding their subjects boring. Many students had a particular subject that they hated – Harry and Ron's was Potions, but as that was a core subject, there was nothing they could do. But other people wanted to give up one of the extra subjects, Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Herbology etc. This had troubled Dumbledore; he hated to see his pupils unhappy, and strove to do something about it. Over the summer, he researched new subjects, and contacted other headmasters of other magical schools. Some had already branched out of the traditional subjects, and it was this that Dumbledore was particularly interested in. He spoke to a close friend of his, who was headmaster at Stargazer Wizarding Academy in Glasgow. Professor Pirbright, one of the countries leading teachers, was not afraid to try new things. He told Dumbledore what the most successful new subjects were at his school.
And so it was, that when all the pupils returned for a new school year, Dumbledore called a school meeting, for all teachers and pupils. He had said that all student were allowed to give up one non-core subject – if they wished, and start learning a new and exciting subject, previously only taught in Muggle schools; Classics.
There was a buzz of chatter, and Hermione practically leapt out of her seat with excitement.
"Hermione," said Ron tentatively, "You obviously know what all this is about - what the hell is Classics?"
Hermione looked at him with a mixture of shock and amusement. She then launched into a long speech. "The study of classics is learning of the ancient civilizations. It will involve learning Latin and Greek, and we will discover how people lived in Italy, especially Rome and Pompeii, and Greece. We might also find out about the ancient Britons. Egypt will come into it a lot. It'll be really fascinating, the ancient people were simply incredible…" Hermione was carrying on, but Ron and Harry had stopped listening.
Dumbledore held up his hands for silence. "I would like to remind you that this is an optional course. You may of course carry on with exactly the same subjects as before. But I'd like you to remember that this is a great opportunity-"
Ron glanced at Hermione, so was hanging on to every word.
"We are one of the first wizarding schools in the country to try this, and best of all, we have one of the world's leading experts of language and Classics, to teach you. Please give a warm welcome to Professor Peacock."
Everyone turned to where Dumbledore was pointing, and saw a woman climbing onto the stage in the hall, to join the headmaster.
Professor Peacock was no more than 5 foot 4; she was thin, with short black hair, in a fashionable pixie style. In fact, her whole appearance resembled a pixie. She was short and light, and had sharp pretty features. Although she must have been in her forties, Professor Peacock had youthful exuberance, and was wearing fashionable clothes instead of the traditional teacher's robes. She smiled at the assembled pupils, and the smile lit up her whole face. Even Ron, who was always cynical about teachers - "If they're nice people, then why did they become teachers?", was secretly thinking that she looked kind.
That evening, in the Gryffindor common room, everyone was talking about Classics.
"Well I'm not taking it," announced Dean Thomas. "I don't need more work."
"But that's the whole point Dean," argued Hermione, "you can give up one of your non-core subjects, weren't you listening?"
Dean grunted by way of a reply.
Hermione carried on regardless. "Well, I've decided, I'm giving up Muggle Studies. You two were right, I do know all about Muggles, because my parents are ones. I don't need to study it. When I went to a Muggle school, I studied Classics, and it was fantastic! I loved it, and I really recommend it to all of you."
Nobody took this recommendation very seriously however, because Hermione loved all school subjects.
Neville suddenly piped up; "I went to a Muggle school before I came to Hogwarts, and I never studied Classics."
"Which school?"
"Morden Comprehensive."
Hermione half-grinned to herself. "No wonder," she said. "Classics is hardly taught in any Muggle schools anymore, let alone comprehensives - it's dying out. I went to a private school - you know? Fee-paying? I went to Wimbledon High Junior School," she said proudly. Hermione then added unnecessarily, "You get a much better education at a private, you know."
"Posh cow," said Neville under his breath, which luckily Hermione didn't hear.
Ron and the Weasley twins were in fits of laughter, and Harry, worried in case it escalated into a fight, brought the subject hurriedly back to Professor Peacock.
"So who's going to join up for Classics?" he asked everyone.
"I am!" said Hermione and Ginny simultaneously. They smiled at each other, and wandered off, Ginny asking Hermione rapid questions about Classics.
"I think we should do it, Ron," suggested Harry. "We're doing less subjects than Hermione, we could do an extra subject."
"More work?" Ron frowned. "I don't think so Harry."
A few days passed. Harry wrote his name down on the list, along with Hermione, Ginny, the twins, and most of their year in fact. He too, was worried about the extra work, but Classics sounded great, besides, his long-term girlfriend Cho Chang was doing it too. He was sad that Ron was not taking it though; they were best friends, after all.
Ron was in his dorm room. Hermione had given him her Classics books to look at. Despite Ron's automatic hate for school in general, he couldn't help thinking that it looked quite interesting. He had always had a sneaking liking for all things to do with the Ancient Egyptians. Ron suddenly jumped up from his four-poster bed, and grabbed a quill from his desk.
He jogged down the stairs, and found the brand new Classic's notice board in the corridor. He wrote a scrawly signature in purple ink on the list, and stood back from it, satisfied.
A few weeks later everything had been arranged. The timetable had been re-arranged, a spare classroom had been converted, and the robes ordered for Professor Peacock had arrived. First thing Tuesday morning, everyone shuffled into the room.
The teacher was standing by the front desks.
"Come in, sit down," she ushered cheerfully, and handed Neville a stack of mint green textbooks to hand out.
That first lesson, they learnt the basics of Latin. Hermione of course, had remembered it all, but everyone else was having fun with the new pronunciation.
The next lesson, they did some background work, and learnt about the people of Pompeii.
Professor Peacock, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, wads obviously in her element. With some teachers it was sadly all too clear how much they disliked teaching. Professor Peacock not only visibly loved teaching, but she also adored her subject. She was so vibrant, and full of energy that it was hard not to be interested. Not a person regretted signing up.
"Pompeii was an ancient city of Italy, built a few miles south of Mount Vesuvius, between Herculaneum and Stabiae. The city was founded about 600 BC by the Oscans, who were later conquered by the Samnites. Under the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla it became a Roman colony in 80 BC and later a favorite resort for wealthy Romans, reaching a population of about 20,000 at the beginning of the Christian era. It was also a place of considerable trade and was the port town of Nola and other inland cities of the fertile valley of the Sarnus. The city was much damaged by an earthquake in AD 63 and was completely demolished in AD 79 by an eruption of Vesuvius that overwhelmed the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. The eruption also changed the course of the Sarnus and raised the sea beach, placing the river and the sea at a considerable distance from the ruined city and obscuring the original site.
"For more than 1500 years Pompeii lay undisturbed beneath heaps of ashes and cinders, and not until 1748 were excavations undertaken. New discoveries continued to be made throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. Some of the ruins were badly damaged by air raids during World War II and had to be restored. Additional excavations are continuously made. More than one-fourth of the city remains to be excavated, and much of this area lies beneath piles of earth heaped up from earlier excavations.
"Among the most significant aspects of the discoveries at Pompeii is the remarkable degree of preservation of the ancient objects. The showers of wet ashes and cinders that accompanied the eruption formed a hermetic seal about the town, preserving many public structures, temples, theaters, baths, shops, and private dwellings.
"Most of the inhabitants escaped the eruption, carrying with them their possessions that they could carry. After the eruption they tunneled into and around the houses and public buildings, and carried off almost everything of value, even to the extent of stripping marble slabs from the buildings. For this reason few objects of great value, in a sense of money that is, have been discovered at Pompeii. Most of the movable objects that were found, and some of the best-executed wall paintings and floor mosaics, have been removed to the National Museum in Naples. Taken together, the buildings and objects provide a remarkably realistic and complete picture of life in an Italian provincial city of the 1st century AD. The surviving edifices, representing a transition from the pure Greek style to the building methods of the Roman Empire, have been especially important for the study of Roman architecture."
Professor Peacock passed around some colour photos of Pompeii, including a picture of some of the preserved bodies.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" said Harry.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "It would be so fantastic to go and see for ourselves," she said dreamily.
Professor Peacock happened to be passing by, right as Hermione spoke, and she heard what she had said.
"Funny you should say that Hermione," she smiled, and spoke to the whole class.
"I'm glad you've enjoyed learning about the eruption of Vesuvius. Who would like to climb right to the top of it?"
There was a stunned silence. Professor Peacock carried on. "This Easter holiday, I'm going to take as many of you as want to come, on a school trip to Italy. We'll stay in Sorrento, a small town very near to Pompeii, and we'll also visit Rome. Sound good?"
The class gaped at her. There had never been a Hogwart's school trip - it just never happened, much less to Italy!
*
It was the week before Hogwarts broke up for Easter. Everyone was excited about going on the trip. Only some of the classics group could go however, the trip cost two hundred galleons; a lot of money. Harry had plenty of money in his vault at Gringotts, and Hermione's parents were quite well off, and had given her the money as an early birthday present.
Mr. Weasley had recently been promoted, and therefore could give Ron, Ginny and the twins, half of the money they needed. Over the two terms, Hermione and Harry had helped the Weasleys to fundraise - selling cakes, car boot sales, sponsored walks and swims, broom cleaning and dog grooming, you name, they'd done it. And it had certainly paid off. They had given in the money on time.
The other people going were Cho Chang, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Lee Jordan and about fifteen other people from assorted houses and years.
The last week passed quickly, hardly any work was done, and excitement was rising. Ginny and Hermione went off on a major shopping spree, and came back, loaded down with bags of clothes, and their purses very light. They wouldn't let their respective boyfriends; Lee Jordan, and Ron, see what they had bought.
And so it was that sooner than anyone had dared hope for, Hogwarts broke up for Easter, most of the pupils disappeared off home by the express, and it was the night before they were due to leave.
Hermione and Ginny rushed together, into Harry and Ron's bedroom. Hermione gave Harry a hug, and then Ron a long kiss.
"Have you seen Lee about?" asked Ginny, referring to her boyfriend.
"I think he's in his dorm Ginny," replied Harry, and watched Ginny leave again.
"You're not meant to be in here!" laughed Ron. "If any of the teachers catch you…"
"Then they'll probably draw their own conclusions!" she teased, and pulled Ron onto his bed, where they kissed again.
"Ugh, all this lovey-dovey stuff is doing my head in," said Harry. "Stop it!"
They pulled apart, and grinned sheepishly.
"Have you finished packing?" asked Harry.
"Of course!" said Hermione, immediately business like. "I can't wait for tomorrow," she said added softly.
She paused, and then gazed at Ron levelly, and turned to look at Harry. "Can I stay here tonight?" she asked.
Harry started, and even Ron looked taken aback.
"Not like that," she said quickly. "Dean Thomas had gone home for the holidays, I'll sleep in his bed. I just want to chat to the early hours!"
So Hermione went and fetched her night things, and in the end Harry invited Cho Chang to come and sleep in Seamus Finagan's bed, as he was at home too.
They had been told by Professor Peacock that the flight left at 10 in the morning, and to give time to get there, they were to be up by 5 am. The foursome had planned not to go to sleep at all, as it would be too hard to wake up that early, but around midnight, both Hermione and Cho fell fast asleep.
Ron walked across the room, and dimmed the light. Harry whispered to him, "Trust the girls not being able to stay awake!"
Ron grinned at him, by way of a reply. He got back into bed, and looked across the room, at Hermione.
She looks so beautiful, he thought, gazing at her cinnamon colored hair, draped across the virginal white pillow, her dark eyelashes resting on dusky pink cheeks.
Eventually Ron and Harry slipped into sleep too, and all too soon, the moon slipped behind the clouds, and the sun rose like a bronze orb.