Herbology was much easier for Julia than Transfiguration. She didn't
exactly have a green thumb, but at least she didn't need to use a wand. As
she stayed behind after class to finish re-potting her singing chondike
(its song is able to cure paralysis), Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed back
to the common room. "Hey, Hermione, why the sudden change in heart? This
morning you seemed about ready to turn Julia over to the Dementors. Then
Transfiguration comes around, you helped her out and even managed to smile
at her," Harry inquired.
"Yeah, really Hermione, what happened?"
She blushed, then quickly recovered. "Oh, believe me, I still think she's up to something," she swiftly replied. "It's just that. . ." she tried to think of a reason why she had actually helped Julia in the first place. She refused to believe that Julia knew what Ron said earlier, and even if she did, she couldn't tell Harry or Ron that. "Well, I just couldn't let her fail the class - that would be cruel." They were at the common room now.
"Chocolate frog," Harry told the portrait of the fat lady, which swung open easily. "Gee, Hermione, I seem to remember you saying that she was a powerful witch. . .you'd think if she was a powerful witch that she would at least be able to turn a flowering pot into a rabbit, wouldn't you?"
"Everyone has a weakness - hers could be Transfiguration," she retorted.
"So you were helping an evil powerful witch?" Ron questioned somewhat confusedly.
"NO! It's just that - ugh!" Hermione stormed up the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitories.
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "PMS," the two moaned together.
Harry glanced at his watch. "Bloody hell! Julia and I were going to the Library after class! I hope she isn't as irritable as Hermione is today!" At that, Harry flew out through the portrait hole towards the greenhouse where Herbology was less than ten minutes ago "I hope that chondike was a real pain to pot," he thought to himself. He sighed with relief as he saw Julia just leaving the greenhouse.
"Hey, sorry I took so long; that chondike was being a real bitch to pot."
"That's perfectly fine," Harry replied. "I don't mind waiting," he added, turning slightly red. "I still shouldn't keep you waiting like that," she said more to herself than Harry. "To the Library? I don't think we should spend more than 20 minutes there; Trelawney gave us a shitload of homework."
When the two students got to the Library, they immediately started going through Potions books and Spell books for anything that could reduce or eliminate voice-cracking. After about 15 minutes, Harry grinned. "Found it. The Velvet Potion."
Julia looked over Harry's shoulder. "But Harry, look at the ingredients; we don't have half of those, and the only place we could get them is - "
"In Snape's lab," He finished with a smirk.
"Harry, you're not. . ."
"Ron, Hermione and I've done it before; I have an invisibility cloak."
"It's too risky. You guys are well-known in the school; I'm just the Durmstang transfer student. If I get in trouble, most of the teachers are looking for the first chance to expel me, I know it. Here, here's a spell for it in 'Handy Spells and Tricks for the Young Wizard and Witch.' All we need is a wand. You could do it tonight, and we wouldn't have to wait or anything." Harry was disappointed that Julia didn't want to raid Snape's lab with him, but he didn't want her to get expelled, either.
When the two got to the common room, they saw Ron had already started the Divination homework. "Where were you guys? I've been trying to deal with this codswallop for 20 minutes already!" Ron's voice cracked at the last part of his sentence, causing everyone in the common room to crack up. Harry and Julia looked at each other. Unfortunately, the spell required the subject to be asleep and unaware of the spell-caster's intent in order for it to work. "Bloody hell, I can't believe this is happening to me now; why couldn't it happen over the summer, or during Christmas vacation, or - "
"Ron," Harry quickly interrupted. "Complaining about it doesn't help. Let's get this Divination finished before 11:00 for once."
"11:00?? I have Transfiguration extra help with Professor McGongall at 9:00. . .I need to speed this along," Julia somewhat urgently thought to herself. "What was the homework again?"
"We need to predict our futures for the next week by looking at the tarot cards," Ron moaned. "I don't even know if I'm holding these stupid things right-side up; they all look the same to me."
Julia got an idea. "Y'know what? Screw this," she grinned as she shoved the tarot cards off the table. Ron, Harry, and even Hermione looked up at Julia with some surprise. "Let's move into the corner," she said quietly. "I don't want everyone badgering me about this later." The three of them moved their chairs toward a corner. "I'm not going to guess some fake future for that fraud," she whispered. "Not like she can tell any way." Ron and Harry still didn't seem to be catching on. "Let's tell her what's really going to happen this month." Julia's grin only got wider when she saw the mental light bulbs go on above Ron and Harry's head. "Now remember: not a word of this to ANYONE." Julia closed her eyes and seemed to go into deep concentration. "Harry, there is going to be some controversy as to who is going to be the new Quidditch captain and seeker this week. . ."
"Blimey, I forgot about that!" Ron exclaimed. "Wood's gone!"
"Quiet, Ron. We may miss something."
"Ron, you are going to lose blood for not keeping your temper. . ."
"WHAT!?" Ron's voice cracked again. "I'm gonna get whomped and all Harry has to worry about is being Quidditch captain!?"
"Uh, Ron? I don't think she can hear us right now." He was right. Julia hadn't flinched. She had just finished something about welcome news. "Great, we missed part of it."
"Chances are it was for you - she said good news," Ron snorted.
Eventually, the three had filled their calendars with future events, mostly simple things ("You need to live your own lives; I can't lay them out for you," was Julia's reasoning), with both good and bad events for everyone, including Harry breaking his wrist due to a Quidditch match. When everyone else had headed upstairs to their rooms, Julia headed out of the common room toward Professor McGongall's classroom.
-=-=-=-=-
Okay, folks..this is probably gonna be the last chapter until March, seeing as I go back to school tomorrow and play rehearsals are gonna keep me at school until late. I'll see if I can squeeze a chapter or two in on weekends, but I'm not promising anything. Thanks again to my supporters! If you like this, you will quite possibly like my original story, which is currently untitled. If you read it and get any ideas for a title, I will most definitely consider using it. The best idea will be the official one!
"Yeah, really Hermione, what happened?"
She blushed, then quickly recovered. "Oh, believe me, I still think she's up to something," she swiftly replied. "It's just that. . ." she tried to think of a reason why she had actually helped Julia in the first place. She refused to believe that Julia knew what Ron said earlier, and even if she did, she couldn't tell Harry or Ron that. "Well, I just couldn't let her fail the class - that would be cruel." They were at the common room now.
"Chocolate frog," Harry told the portrait of the fat lady, which swung open easily. "Gee, Hermione, I seem to remember you saying that she was a powerful witch. . .you'd think if she was a powerful witch that she would at least be able to turn a flowering pot into a rabbit, wouldn't you?"
"Everyone has a weakness - hers could be Transfiguration," she retorted.
"So you were helping an evil powerful witch?" Ron questioned somewhat confusedly.
"NO! It's just that - ugh!" Hermione stormed up the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitories.
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "PMS," the two moaned together.
Harry glanced at his watch. "Bloody hell! Julia and I were going to the Library after class! I hope she isn't as irritable as Hermione is today!" At that, Harry flew out through the portrait hole towards the greenhouse where Herbology was less than ten minutes ago "I hope that chondike was a real pain to pot," he thought to himself. He sighed with relief as he saw Julia just leaving the greenhouse.
"Hey, sorry I took so long; that chondike was being a real bitch to pot."
"That's perfectly fine," Harry replied. "I don't mind waiting," he added, turning slightly red. "I still shouldn't keep you waiting like that," she said more to herself than Harry. "To the Library? I don't think we should spend more than 20 minutes there; Trelawney gave us a shitload of homework."
When the two students got to the Library, they immediately started going through Potions books and Spell books for anything that could reduce or eliminate voice-cracking. After about 15 minutes, Harry grinned. "Found it. The Velvet Potion."
Julia looked over Harry's shoulder. "But Harry, look at the ingredients; we don't have half of those, and the only place we could get them is - "
"In Snape's lab," He finished with a smirk.
"Harry, you're not. . ."
"Ron, Hermione and I've done it before; I have an invisibility cloak."
"It's too risky. You guys are well-known in the school; I'm just the Durmstang transfer student. If I get in trouble, most of the teachers are looking for the first chance to expel me, I know it. Here, here's a spell for it in 'Handy Spells and Tricks for the Young Wizard and Witch.' All we need is a wand. You could do it tonight, and we wouldn't have to wait or anything." Harry was disappointed that Julia didn't want to raid Snape's lab with him, but he didn't want her to get expelled, either.
When the two got to the common room, they saw Ron had already started the Divination homework. "Where were you guys? I've been trying to deal with this codswallop for 20 minutes already!" Ron's voice cracked at the last part of his sentence, causing everyone in the common room to crack up. Harry and Julia looked at each other. Unfortunately, the spell required the subject to be asleep and unaware of the spell-caster's intent in order for it to work. "Bloody hell, I can't believe this is happening to me now; why couldn't it happen over the summer, or during Christmas vacation, or - "
"Ron," Harry quickly interrupted. "Complaining about it doesn't help. Let's get this Divination finished before 11:00 for once."
"11:00?? I have Transfiguration extra help with Professor McGongall at 9:00. . .I need to speed this along," Julia somewhat urgently thought to herself. "What was the homework again?"
"We need to predict our futures for the next week by looking at the tarot cards," Ron moaned. "I don't even know if I'm holding these stupid things right-side up; they all look the same to me."
Julia got an idea. "Y'know what? Screw this," she grinned as she shoved the tarot cards off the table. Ron, Harry, and even Hermione looked up at Julia with some surprise. "Let's move into the corner," she said quietly. "I don't want everyone badgering me about this later." The three of them moved their chairs toward a corner. "I'm not going to guess some fake future for that fraud," she whispered. "Not like she can tell any way." Ron and Harry still didn't seem to be catching on. "Let's tell her what's really going to happen this month." Julia's grin only got wider when she saw the mental light bulbs go on above Ron and Harry's head. "Now remember: not a word of this to ANYONE." Julia closed her eyes and seemed to go into deep concentration. "Harry, there is going to be some controversy as to who is going to be the new Quidditch captain and seeker this week. . ."
"Blimey, I forgot about that!" Ron exclaimed. "Wood's gone!"
"Quiet, Ron. We may miss something."
"Ron, you are going to lose blood for not keeping your temper. . ."
"WHAT!?" Ron's voice cracked again. "I'm gonna get whomped and all Harry has to worry about is being Quidditch captain!?"
"Uh, Ron? I don't think she can hear us right now." He was right. Julia hadn't flinched. She had just finished something about welcome news. "Great, we missed part of it."
"Chances are it was for you - she said good news," Ron snorted.
Eventually, the three had filled their calendars with future events, mostly simple things ("You need to live your own lives; I can't lay them out for you," was Julia's reasoning), with both good and bad events for everyone, including Harry breaking his wrist due to a Quidditch match. When everyone else had headed upstairs to their rooms, Julia headed out of the common room toward Professor McGongall's classroom.
-=-=-=-=-
Okay, folks..this is probably gonna be the last chapter until March, seeing as I go back to school tomorrow and play rehearsals are gonna keep me at school until late. I'll see if I can squeeze a chapter or two in on weekends, but I'm not promising anything. Thanks again to my supporters! If you like this, you will quite possibly like my original story, which is currently untitled. If you read it and get any ideas for a title, I will most definitely consider using it. The best idea will be the official one!