Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. That's why this is called fanfiction!

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The bell rang, and the fifth year Gryffindors broke into chatter as people shoved toward the door. "Potter, Granger?" Professor McGonagall called. "Would you stay a moment?"

With a curious glance at Harry and Hermione, Ron grabbed his books. "I'll meet you guys outside." Harry and Hermione nodded, got their own books, and went up to McGonagall's desk.

"As you may know," she began, "there are some special classes offered for highly advanced sixth and seventh years. These classes are very selective, and there is usually only one class of ten or twelve students with all four houses and sixth and seventh years combined. The two of you have been chosen by grades, class participation, and citizenship. Here is a list of possible classes." Handing them each a piece of parchment, she continued. "Please mark two classes you would be interested in taking: a first choice, and a second. Next week I will collect them from the students that have been selected. You will vote between the top two classes that are chosen by you and your classmates."

She smiled at the two of them. "Choose wisely. This is a wonderful opportunity, especially for fifth years, or sixth years, as you will be when you take this class next year. Now, off to lunch!"

Harry and Hermione left the room. "What did McGonagall want?" Ron asked, falling into step beside Harry.

Hermione just squealed.

"We were chosen to take the special advanced class that's offered to sixth and seventh years," Harry translated.

"Really? That's great!" Harry was almost surprised that Ron didn't seem jealous, but then again Ron didn't exactly love extra work. And the advanced class would mean a lot more work. "I'm not that surprised, though," Ron continued. "I mean, Hermione has had the best grades in every single class, even in our third year when she almost killed herself by taking every class they offered."

"Hey!" Hermione cried.

"Well, it's true. You did almost kill yourself," Harry said.

"So, what are you going to take?" Ron asked. Normally, he wasn't that interested in grades and classes, but his last report showed that if he didn't shape up, he was going to be in major trouble with his parents. Exams were still about two months away, but he knew the time would go by quickly. It always did.

"Well, I haven't really given it much thought yet, considering we only found out ten minutes ago," Harry pointed out.

"Good point."

Entering the Great Hall, they quickly found seats at the Gryffindor table and loaded up their plates with duck, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and carrots, cranberry sauce, honey baked ham, and stuffing: a little bit of everything. Spreading butter on a homemade roll, they dug in hungrily. Even students with small appetites couldn't resist the House Elves' wonderful cooking. Not surprisingly, the chatter around the table soon turned to Quidditch and the upcoming game against Hufflepuff.

"We're gonna pound Hufflepuff!" Alicia Spinnet, the new captain, exclaimed.

"I know. Without Diggory, they don't have a chance," Katie Bell commented. Everyone paused at the thought of Cedric Diggory.

"He was pretty good, wasn't he?" said Angelina Johnson quietly.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. Even though he knew it wasn't his fault, he still felt at least partly to blame for Diggory's death. "But they do have Justin Finch-Fletchey. He's not bad."

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're going to beat them!" Seamus Finnigan, Oliver Wood's replacement as keeper, exclaimed.

"Practice after classes tonight?" Fred Weasley asked.

"Uh huh. Not that we need it," his twin, George, joked.

"If Wood was here, he'd probably be yelling at us. 'Do not lose focus! We must win! We *must* win! Just because they don't have the greatest team doesn't mean we should lose our concentration! Stupid mistakes always lose the game! Focus!'" The table burst into laughter at Fred's close to perfect imitation of Wood.

"Yeah, but Wood was a good guy. Great keeper, too." Katie turned to Seamus. "You have a lot to live up to."

"I know. But I've been doing a pretty good job so far!" he replied.

"'Do not lose focus! We *must* win!'" Fred cried.

* * *

The day of the Quidditch game finally arrived. Although it was already the middle of March, chilly winds swept the field. An icy rain was driving toward the ground, falling fast and hard, and Harry felt that if the game lasted much more than an hour or two, his face and hands would be chapped from the rain and cold.

"Now, I want you to remember," Alicia began, "that we're here for the fun of it. Winning is great, but it's not everything. All of us here would love to win, but if we lose sight of the fact that we started flying for the fun, the sheer joy of being up in the air with only a stick to guide you, then we might as well quit. Oliver was a great guy, but I think winning was a little too important to him. Sometimes he seemed to forget why he started flying: because it was fun. And even if we lose, even if we're murdered, it was still fun." She paused, looking at each of her six team members in turn. "It was still fun," she repeated. "And that's why we fly."

There was a thoughtful silence. Harry considered what she had just said. He did love flying; he loved the freedom and the joy and the power. Winning was great; there was definitely nothing wrong with winning. A smile touched his lips as he thought of the victory parties afterward: fellow Gryffindors cheering; Fred and George mysteriously disappearing and returning an hour later loaded with candies and butterbeer and Filibuster Fireworks; Hermione trying to study in the corner despite the noise. But Alicia was right. Even if they lost, flying was fun. Flying *is* fun.

"Now let's get out there and kick some Hufflepuff butt!" she cried, breaking the serious mood.

* * *

An hour later, Harry forgot all about having fun. The icy wind ate at his face, making it feel raw. He had only seen the Snitch twice so far, and it had disappeared even before he began flying in that direction. The crowd cheered as Gryffindor scored. Straining his ears against the howl of the wind, Harry could hear Lee Jordan, doing the commentary as usual.

"And Gryffindor is in the lead, 60-40," he announced. "Hufflepuff gets the ball, flies toward the goal- Great save by Finnigan!"

Harry tuned out, keeping his eyes peeled for the Snitch. The wind stung his eyes, and they watered, but he merely blinked for them to clear and continued watching from his post above the field. Narrowly dodging a bludger, which made a whooshing noise by his ear, his eye caught a glint of gold. Tearing after it, he didn't even bother to see where Justin was. Leaning forward, he zoomed toward the golden speck. Harry could hear the Gryffindors cheering him on, and the Hufflepuffs cheering for their Seeker. He could see Justin racing toward the Snitch to his right. Urging his broom forward, Harry reached out and snatched the tiny ball moments before Justin could have.

A deafening roar filled the crowd as Jordan announced, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch, and Gryffindor wins, 210-40!"

The team was surround by cheering Gryffindors as they landed and made their way toward the locker rooms.

"You were great!" Hermione squealed.

"Hurry up! Party in the common room!" Ron yelled above the noise.

"Ok, I'll meet you guys there," Harry called.

Harry took a quick shower and changed back into his regular robes along with the rest of his team; then they all trudged through the rain and the bitter wind back up to the castle.

Crawling through the portrait hole, the team was engulfed by cheers from the common room. Comments such as "You guys were great!" "Nice job!" and "Keep up the good work and you'll win the cup again!" filled the room.

Someone had laid out food, and the team and the rest of the Gryffindors stuffed their faces and drank butterbeer and hot chocolate. Harry's chapped face ached, but he couldn't stop grinning. Fred and George set off some Filibuster Fireworks, and everyone's suspicions were conformed when Neville Longbottom cried out, holding his nose: a nose biting tea cup. Everyone was in a good partying mood, and it seemed as if the fun would never end. Suddenly, Colin Creevey started turning interesting shades of blue, green, and pink.

"Hey!" he cried, looking accusingly at the Weasley twins. People turned to look at him, though he was uncertain as to because he was changing colors or because he yelled out. "I didn't know you guys snuck something in here!"

The twins burst out laughing. "Don't worry, it'll stop soon," George managed to choke out.

With Neville still holding his nose and Colin flashing like neon sign, several students refused to eat anything else. "Oh well," Fred commented. "More food for the rest of us!"

After awhile, the younger students and those that still had homework trickled up to their rooms. Soon only Ron, Ginny, Hermione, the Quidditch team minus Seamus, and a group of third year girls chatting in a corner were left.

"Winning may not be everything, but it sure feels great," Fred announced with a large burp.

"So when's the game against Slytherin?" Hermione asked.

"Not until the end of May," Alicia answered. "They're doing alright, but they haven't been as strong ever since Marcus Flint and a few others graduated. I'm not complaining, though. The fewer big, dumb, brutal players they have, the better."

"That's good. Well, I have to go study for our Charms test," Hermione said. "Good night, everybody."

A chorus of good nights answered, and Hermione went off to her room.

"We should really go to bed, too," said the twins.

"And us," Angelina added.

Another chorus of good nights sounded; the twins went up one set of stairs and the girls another, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny were left alone in the common room.

Leaning against the squishy back of the armchair, Harry stared into the dying fire and inhaled deeply. The wondrous smell of burning wood filled the room; a log cracked, sending up sparks, and shadows from the flames danced on the walls. With their red hair and freckles, Ron and Ginny looked strange with the orange light bouncing off their faces.

Ginny sighed. "What time is it?" she asked.

Glancing at his watch, Harry replied, "11:30."

Ginny stood, and she too left the room. Soon, the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

The silence was deafening, the emptiness overbearing. Ron took a deep breath and exhaled, startling Harry. "So, what do you want to do? I can get my chess set if you want," Ron suggested.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't really feel like doing anything, or going to bed, either. I'm not tired."

They sat in silence for a while, and suddenly the silence was broken by the creak of a step, and Hermione appeared. "Lavender and Parvati," she said simply. Harry motioned to the armchair next to him, and Hermione plopped down. The chair made fffwump sound as her weight pushed the air out of the chair.

Something poked Harry's ribs. Sticking his hand into his robe, he found a folded piece of parchment. "Hey, it's that list McGonagall gave us," he exclaimed, his voice ringing in the silence of the empty room. He had forgotten about it until that moment.

Hermione leaned over, peering over Harry's shoulder. "Have you thought about what you want to take yet?" she asked. "I don't really know, they all seem interesting, and we can only take one! How can she expect us to choose? I mean, McGonagall said we can mark two, but in the end we'll just be taking one."

"I guess you should just be glad Hogwarts offers this. I mean, we're going to learn tons more than if we weren't chosen. Besides, we'll get to take another class in our seventh year also," Harry pointed out.

"You know what?" Ron didn't wait for an answer. "I know it's a great opportunity and everything, but I'm kind of glad I didn't get chosen. More homework, more lectures, more classes, and it's an advanced class, so you'll be going 'fast and deep.' But I'm happy for you guys. You like learning." Ron shuddered.

"It will be more work, but some of these topics sound interesting," Hermione protested.

"Not that I love extra work, but they do sound interesting. Here, listen." Reading from the parchment, Harry cleared his throat and began.

"Each of these subjects will be covered, though the one the students choose will be the one taught in greatest depth. THESE SUBJECTS ARE DIFFICULT EVEN FOR THE MOST ADVANCED STUDENTS! You will be able to choose from the following classes:

"Enchantments: This course goes into great depth about the enchantments and charms used mainly to protect property and people. It will also involve learning several old spells and the history and importance of little known spells. This is a must for future Aurors, certain branches of the Ministry of Magic, and other witches and wizards of importance.

"Medicine: This course is briefly outlined by a unit in Potions and Herbology each year. Complicated treatments and cures are taught. This is an excellent area to study if one is interested in getting a job in medicine.

"Mental Magic: This course involves a very difficult and advanced magic associated with performing spells without a wand. It requires an enormous amount of concentration and skill; however, it is still difficult for even the most advanced witches and wizards.

"Practical Magic: This course involves some of the more practical areas of magic. Some seemingly simple charms and spells will be proved otherwise. One will probably wish one gave certain others more credit for being able to perform these spells.

"Spell Creation: This course will teach how to create spells. It is very difficult and even the best witches and wizards struggle with creating spells. However, it is a good area to know something about.

"Please note that every one of these subjects will be taught, although there will be one main subject. Different teachers will be giving special lectures about their area of expertise. Please choose carefully, and thank you for giving this your thought.


"Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."

Harry finished reading and looked at Hermione. "See?" she said triumphantly. "They all sound interesting."

"I don't know." Ron sounded skeptic. "Spell Creation and Enchantments sound interesting, but Spell Creation is really hard. Mental Magic also sounds cool, but that's even harder. I would go for Enchantments."

"Well," Harry began, "Hermione is right. It will be hard to choose. But I do agree with you, Ron, in a way. I think I'll put Enchantments first and... hmm... either Mental Magic or Spell Creation as a backup."

"Well, yeah, those are the three I couldn't choose between, either," Hermione admitted. "Mental Magic and Spell Creation are both really hard. Even for the advanced students that are taking this class. But still, to learn how to create spells! Or perform magic without a wand!"

"Yeah, but it also says here all the subjects will be taught, but there will be one main subject. So don't get too worked up, Hermione."

"You're right, Harry." Hermione was beginning to sound determined, maybe just a little too determined.

"Um, Hermione?" Ron asked timidly. "You're not going to the library to read about every one of these subjects and try to become an expert before McGonagall even announces what the main subject will be, are you? Or use a time turner to go back six years and take every one of those advanced classes that won't be the main subject next year? Or-"

"Ron! Relax!" Hermione interrupted. "I promise not to kill myself studying."

"Ok, ok," he said defensively. "Just making sure."

"Come on, let's go to bed," Harry suggested. "It's already one in the morning."

* * *

Monday morning rolled around, and McGonagall asked Harry and Hermione to stay after class again.

"The meeting for all the students in the advanced class will be tonight in my office. Please be there by 7:00," she said. "We will be voting for the main subject."

Harry and Hermione thanked her, and left. "She said the meeting for all the students that are taking the class next year are supposed to meet in her office tonight to vote for the main subject," Harry told Ron.

Ron nodded. "Excited?" he asked. The question was directed mainly to Hermione, who respond just as he expected.

"Of course! And not just about finding out the main subject," she added, glaring at Ron. "I'm also kind of curious who else will be in the class."

"There will probably be lots of Ravenclaws. Ravenclaw is the clever house. You know, Hermione, it still kind of surprises me how you got into Gryffindor. You've been brave on all of our adventures, but you're very clever, too." Harry sounded thoughtful. "Not that I mind," he added quickly.

"You're right, though, you know, Harry? I've thought about that, too," Hermione confided.

The three friends walked the familiar path to the Great Hall. As usual, the Great Hall was filled with chatter. Finding seats at the Gryffindor table, they continued their conversation.

"Cho Chang?" Ron suggested. "She's in Ravenclaw, and she's pretty smart."

A dreamy look came into Harry's eyes. "Yeah. Cho Chang."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What about Hufflepuffs? Cedric Diggory would have probably been in the class this year, if he were still here. Justin Finch-Fletchey, maybe?" She scooped some mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"I don't know. Why don't we just wait and find out?" With Harry's suggestion, the conversation came to an end.

* * *

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione urged. "We're going to be late!"

"Coming, coming. Calm down, Hermione," Harry said. "We won't be late."

They left the common room together. Although Harry had told Hermione to calm down, he was also curious about the extra class he would be taking next year, and who else would be in the class.

They weren't kept in suspense for long. "Come in, come in," McGonagall invited. There were several chairs in a circle in McGonagall's large office. Harry and Hermione sat next to each other.

"One... two... three..." Hermione whispered. "There are seven chairs! This is going to be one small class!"

Just then Cho Chang walked into the room. "Hi," she said, with a smile first at Harry, then Hermione. Padma Patil walked in behind her. They sat next to Hermione.

Then next person Harry saw was about the last person he expected to be in the advanced class. It was also just about the last person he wanted to be in another class with. It was none other than Draco Malfoy. He walked in, glanced at the four people already in the room, and sat next to Padma, directly across from Harry.

Two people were still missing. Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchey walked in together, holding hands. Harry hadn't known they were a couple. Then again, he didn't pay much attention to those kinds of things.

"Well, now that you're all here, let me briefly go over each subject," McGonagall began. "You will be voting between Enchantments and Spell Creation. These are both very advanced classes, and involve a lot of work. However, there are benefits. You will be learning a great deal more, and it's all very interesting, if not difficult. Enchantments deals with Charms and History of Magic, but these two areas are combined, making it very interesting and more enjoyable than either Charms or History of Magic alone. Spell Creation is very difficult, yet very rewarding. You will learn the basis of creating spells, and the history of certain important spells. Both these subjects are very good. In the past, each of these subjects has been chosen several times. Any questions?"

There was silence.

"Ok. Then please raise your hand if you would like Enchantments to be the main subject next year." McGonagall paused. Everyone had raised their hand except for Hermione. "Well then! Enchantments it is! Look around. These will be your classmates. Thank you for taking the time to come here tonight, and I know you will all enjoy the class next year."

The seven students stood, and left the room. In the corridor, everyone broke into chatter. Everyone except Draco Malfoy.

* * *

"Malfoy?" Ron exclaimed. "Draco Malfoy, in the advanced class?" There was a look of pure shock on Ron's face. "Are you sure you don't need to have you eyes checked, Harry?"

"I saw him, too!" Hermione protested. "It was definitely Malfoy. There was also Justin Finch-Fletchey, Hannah Abbott, Padma Patil, and Cho Chang. We'll be taking Enchantments."

"Draco Malfoy!" Ron said faintly, not seeming to have heard a word Hermione had said. "Draco Malfoy."

"Snap out of it!" Harry cried. "I mean, he's not a complete idiot. He's definitely the smartest Slytherin."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's smart! Just the smartest Slytherin. Plus the only reason he gets such good marks in Potions is because Snape loves him! Snape thinks Draco Malfoy is the best thing that's every happened to his class!"
"Ron, you're really overreacting this whole Malfoy thing. Just calm down. I mean, it's not even affecting you! We're the ones that are going to have to be in class with him!" Hermione pointed out.

Ron paused. "True."

Hermione nodded. "So, just take a deep breath, and calm down. Besides, Malfoy won't try anything with McGonagall or whoever in the room."

"Good point. Ok, guys, how about we play a game of chess?"

Harry quickly agreed, and preceded to lose, as usual.

* * *

Not surprisingly, the days rolled by in a blur. Suddenly, it was the end of May, and exams were only a week away.

Hermione was forcing Harry and Ron to study, and they weren't complaining. Much. They knew that grades were more important than ever as they grew older and sooner to the time they would leave Hogwarts forever. Also, the O.W.L.s were part of their exams, and their score could change their future forever. It could mean what job they did or didn't get. It could mean where they would live once they left Hogwarts. It very well could change their entire life.

At least according to Hermione.

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