Rating: PG for this chapter.
Summary: Okay, so Hermione isn't in the Hospital wing yet… She'll be there soon though. And it'll be a sad but sweet ending. H/H, Parvati/Draco, Ron/Lavender. Wait, I'm sure you want to hear the beginnings:
SIXTEENTH GIFT, CH. 2
Dumbledore rose from his chair at the head of the teacher's table, as he always did, at the beginning of every term. The first years were trembling nervously, and stood in front of the Sorting Hat. Of course, it had made up a new rhyme:
You know I am the Sorting Hat,Yet few may know this,
I've glimpsed through minds beyond,
A thousand years ago,
And never once have I placed one wrong,
I was created, yes, by Gryffindor,
Who very carefully picked,
An object which would, of course,
Be able to choose wherever I put you.
And so he snapped his fingers,
Installed their brains into me,
Since then, that is how mote it be.
Each house is given their values,
Which you shall hopefully keep in mind,
And wherever I put you, you'll always find your kind.
Gryffindor for the brave at heart, where courage rings strong and true,
Maybe Hufflepuff, is where I'll place you,
Or perhaps, yet, in crafty Ravenclaw, or greedy old Slytherin.
I know how to sort them all,
And trust me,
I know just where to put you!Although short, everyone's clapping seemed ten times louder rebounding off the walls and echoing to the ceiling. Hermione felt jittery: she remembered too, how anxious she had been – it was all anticipated by every student. Subconsciously, her hand touched Harry's. He looked up, a bit startled. Hermione, on the other hand, was blushing furiously under her curly hair, from the tips of the roots, to her toes. She felt warm and tingly just from his touch, yet resisted and immediately turned back to watch the first years.
A couple girls were sorted, and then a couple boys. McGonagall's voice shouted out about five more names, and finally, they were done. Sadly, Hermione faced the table, still pink with her absentmindedness. She truly hadn't meant to lay a finger on him, and it was all an accident, in complete honesty. Dumbledore tinkled his glass with his fork to call attention.
"Welcome, yet again, to another happy year at Hogwarts!" he smiled, and tilted his half-moon glasses back up his slender nose. "It seems we have been through it all, by this point…" Dumbledore paused, a bit apprehensive.
"Dementors, Peeves, Sirius Black, Voldemort," Dumbledore continued, listing a couple of the distinct memories. The crowd of students gasped at Voldemort's name, and started mumbling amongst themselves. McGonagall called silence. "And yes," Dumbledore sighed, "death." Again, the tables burst into noise. He remained standing, waiting for them to finish their conversations.
"Yet somehow, we have survived, and I sincerely hope that this year will be better than every other before it," he smiled mysteriously again, his eyes twinkling, piercingly blue. "So now, without further adieu, let the feast begin!"
Harry smiled at his last words, and turned towards his plate. Magically, it began to pile on food: steak, potatoes, and everything he had been drained of at the Dursley's. Ron, as usual, was stuffing his face, and barely able to speak with his mouth full. As it was, it had been difficult understanding him, but while he was eating… It was truly impossible.
"Fred and George workin' on their new stuff ol' summer…" he mumbled, still stuffing his face. "'S been impossible to git any sleep…"
Hermione remained silent, eating delicately, and not stuffing her face. Obviously, she hadn't been starved for the past summer, unlike Harry. He, too, was munching hungrily, and smiled at her. Hermione smiled back, gently, and Harry gulped.
"What's the matter, Hermione?" he said, and paused his eating habits for a second to check in on her. She shook her head dutifully.
"Nothing…" Hermione said, looking back at her plate. She didn't feel so hungry anymore - in fact, she didn't want to eat. Her eyes darted around the Great Hall, searching the place for other students she wanted to greet later. She spotted Cho Chang, and realized something – she was the one Harry had been smiling at. Harry tugged her attention back to him:
"Are you sure?" he asked – for some reason, he actually seemed concerned. A moment, she believed him, and the next, she tossed away the idea of telling him.
"I positively fine," she snapped, and seemed agitated. She started eating again, and no longer because she was hungry, but because she didn't want Harry to worry.
~
Hermione rose the next morning, slightly dazed, but amazingly full. Last night's dinner could have kept her stuffed for a month. To her surprise, the sky was clear and limpid, unlike last night. Her desire to run to Harry and tell him her secret remained, but she wouldn't let it ruin her sweet sixteenth: after all, it was only a few days away. She dressed quickly, and walked down to the Great Hall.
"Oy!" called Ron, beckoning to her. She followed his voice reluctantly, and found both he and Harry huddled around the Daily Prophet. Ron had lowered his voice a bit, so no one could hear him.
"They say Dumbledore's leaving this year!" he wailed pitifully. Harry grinned at his friend – it was so evident he liked Hermione that Harry wondered how she didn't seem to notice. Hermione's expression turned even sadder.
"Oh no!" she said. She tugged at Harry's robe: "What are you going to do?! No one will stand up for you!" Harry shook his head; he didn't plan on getting caught by any new headmaster.
"No…" he trailed off, green eyes glimmering mischievously. "I promise not to do anything to break any rules soon as the new headmaster arrives." Hermione shuddered at the thought: who could possibly replace Dumbledore? He was the only one they had ever been guided by, and disliked the thought of someone less agreeable entering Hogwarts.
"But that's just plain wrong, Harry," chuckled Ron. "You'll always break some rules." Harry laughed a little, but was troubled; their lives wouldn't continue the same as when Dumbledore had "reigned". To think of their lives running any less smoothly was frightening: he had always been able to get off the hook before. He glanced at his watch; already it was time to go to their first period.
"C'mon, we have to go, or Hagrid'll have our heads," Harry muttered. Hermione giggled at the thought.
"He'd never take our heads!" Ron shook his.
"You're underestimating him, Hermione," he grumbled, and pulled his bag onto his shoulder. "It's entirely possible."
~
This year, Slytherin had, unfortunately, been placed with Gryffindor again for Care of Magical Creatures. Malfoy was enjoying it, and relishing the fact that they would be together for the whole term, and would be able to upset Hagrid in front of Harry. Crabbe and Goyle were snickering next to him, nodding their heads at his words. Hermione sighed, and walked past them.
Harry was sitting on the grass with Ron, flipping through their Astronomy textbooks. Ron was fingering a crinkled diagram, and was upset. He didn't understand it, and was complaining for a bit.
"Look, Ron…" said Hermione. "The star connected to these three make up Taurus." Harry smiled – Hermione was so classy, yet a book-ish smart. There was no doubt she was intelligent, but sometimes, he had to admit it aggravated him. He had a temper, and he knew it; it was all a matter of curing it. Harry would never confess his admiration for her, his adoration of her every movement, for fear she would not return the feeling.
Hagrid's hut's door burst open, and Hagrid himself came out, grinning toothily at them.
"T'day, w're goin' t' be payin' sum attention to 'em Quirtets," he smiled, ruffling Harry's head. Parvati Patil raised her hand. "Parvati?"
"Uhmm… What exactly are Quirtets?" she said, nervously. Parvati had a bad experience with the majority of creatures Hagrid had brought in. Blast-Ended Skrewts had no end in her memories – they were dreadful, and seemed to have roasted everyone's hands two years ago. Neville Longbottom was cringing in a corner, worrying about what new thing they would be getting into. Hagrid liked everything dangerous, so it seemed, and their lessons had, unfortunately, been based on getting to know these awful things.
"Cute lil' things, Parvati, nuthin' t'worry your head about," Hagrid said, and brought out large tanks filled with little objects, floating about. He explained that they were the Quirtet's play toys. Enforcing the fact that they liked to be amused, he set off each student with two. They were small creatures, no bigger than six inches, and a blotchy mix of red and blue covered their skin. Antennae poked forth from their heads every time they got angry, like little mini devils, and their skin turned red from their anger.
"Yeh'll have t'keep 'em calm, don't let 'em worry 'emselves," explained Hagrid, tickling one in his own tank. "All ye' need to do is amuse 'em, and ye'll be fine." He grunted, and distributed some of their food. The class seemed more organized than last year, and definitely more orderly – too many students hadn't respected Hagrid a while ago, when he first started teaching.
Draco was poking one of the Quirtet's stomach. Hagrid warned him that they angered easily, but kept being an annoyance to the innocently sweet creature. He added another note to the students:
"Also… 'Dem Quirtets got some nasty teeth, venom, and squirters," Hagrid smiled happily. Neville's face turned chalk white. Without being things dangerous and deadly, he already got into enough trouble. As Harry peered around at the rest of the class, he could see their faces turn a bit pale as well. Hermione, however, was never discouraged.
"Honestly!" she said, looking down at her Quirtets. "How could you ever not make them happy?" Hers were giggling gaily, splashing about and gurgling bubbles. She tossed them a mini volleyball to play with. Harry just grinned at her foolishly.
~
A/N: Cute, no? I like my original creatures – they'd be so cool! Perfect for little children who are over enthusiastic with pets. ;D All comments to: animeangel2007@yahoo.com, and please continue reviewing! Thanks everyone!