Title: The Fifth Year
Author: Cactuskitty
Chapter: Nine
Disclaimer: I do not own any thing, person, or idea for the Harry Potter book series.
Chapter Nine: Exploding Snap and Teacups
The next two weeks passed steadily, and so did their friendship with Eilene and the two new Ravenclaws. The three of them were proving to be resourceful allies, and even Adrienne, who they soon became better acquainted with, was turning out to be loads of fun. They also seemed to make Hermione happy. Harry was contented with the fact she finally had some feminine friends she could talk to.
Eilene found out the truth about Snape quickly, and Adrienne had jokingly apologized for her friend's eternal optimism. Harry noticed how well the two were accepted, especially Eilene. The shy little Gryffindor proved to have quite a knack for transfiguration, and quickly rose to the top of her class. Her impeccable work was earning their house lots of points, so her approval came easily.
Harry also noticed that she was becoming, now that she was opening up a bit more, quite entertaining, and a worthy adversary at Exploding Snap (an important trait in a girl.) She was even pretty, and he could see himself liking her. The only draw back was the absence of that quality about that made Ophelia special.
There was just something about Ron's cousin that made Harry's senses go into convulsions whenever she came around. He was captivated by her "innocence" and her melodious giggles. The way she tossed her beautiful golden hair when she spoke to him, and the way she always singled him out to make him feel as though he was the only person in the room. Hermione, summed up it into one word, hormones, but Harry was convinced that it was something else.
Ophelia wasn't as kind to everyone as she was to Harry. He was the only person outside of Slytherin she would associate with. Her cousins and old friends were fortunate to get a single word out of her. If he wasn't so blinded by her physical aspects he might have been able to see the arrogance and cunning that had caused her to be sorted in Slytherin, that nearly everyone else had already noticed.
* * * *
Ellie, as Ron had foreseen, turned out to be an extremely useful collaborator in crime. She had gotten them out of trouble three times in the last few weeks, and on countless occasions she had found a way to weasel out of her missing assignments and predicaments. She seemed to have one in with the teachers; she also had a flair for divinations. When using the word flair, it is not meant as 'a flair for making things up', but actually being genuinely, terrifyingly good. What emphasized her talent when she was sitting with them was the fact that she really saw things in her teacup.
When asked how, she just shrugged and said the same thing as Trelawney, that all it takes is a bit of practice and a lot a focusing. But unlike Trelawney, her readings were authentic and sensible. She rarely used her book, and appeared to have a completely different interpretation of any signs she saw. The two boys learned that her talent was another part of the enigma called Darcy Greer. When they questioned her about any other talent she might harbor, she politely declined to answer, and instead offered to tutor them.
Ron had quickly accepted, but Harry for some reason found himself hesitating.
He didn't know why, but he always felt a surge of guilt whenever he was around Ellie, more so than when he was around any other new student. It was as though he had wronged her somehow, but he couldn't recognize his remorse. She didn't appear to begrudge him, but there was something that made her different from the others.
Ellie had a different sort of feel about her, not like Ophelia, but one that made it seem as though there was a lot more to her than she let on. She was impossible to read, even though she was very open about her beliefs regarding wizarding politics and anti-violent ideals. She even raised her hand as much as Hermione in some of their classes. Yes, she was definitely open about her views, but not so adamant about any of her true emotions.
Her answers to questions about herself were pretty vague, and were often covered by an elaborate, if not eccentric, story that usually had nothing to do with what they were discussing. More frequently they were part of some strange joke only she and Leona understood. When Leona wasn't around, and it was just the three of them, it seemed as though she were holding out. Similar to when she didn't divulge her name at the deli.
Furthermore, she seemed less naive and knowledgeable in some ways. Almost as if she were older, experienced, and had seen much more in her lifetime than any of them could possibly imagine. She seemed to be a notch above everyone else but didn't flaunt it in a snobby style. It seemed to Harry that she tried to hide it, so that she could appear 'normal' just like everyone else. That was something Harry knew lots about.
"Harry, are you in?" Ron's husky voice brought him back into reality.
"In what?" Harry appeared groggy as he answered, and started rubbing his eyes in a tiresome manner.
"Accepting Ellie's offer for tutoring us, o 'course." Ron sounded annoyed, or maybe anxious, as he replied. Ellie on the other hand, didn't seem to mind waiting for her answers at all. She stood there good-naturedly politely waiting, as if they had all the time in the world.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun." Harry mumbled in a wearisome voice. His thoughts were rapidly changing, and he was trying to keep up.
"How about we meet in the library on Monday, after our last classes. We can meet at the large oak table near the beautiful bay-view window in the back of the library. The one where you have a perfect view of the far end of the lake? Near the potions section?" She realized that they had no clue what she was talking about, so she grinned and came up with an alternative, "How 'bout we meet in the front and we'll move from there? Just bring your wands; I'll supply the rest. As Harry said, 'it'll be fun.'" She smiled as their disbelieving looks, then gently asked if they wouldn't mind accompanying her to the Great Hall, because she still hadn't managed to get back their with out getting lost.
* * * *
Monday came quickly and Harry was oddly anticipating Ron and his tutoring session with Ellie, because he had a feeling that they might actually learn something from her. Ron, too, was excited, but his reasons were completely different. He was anticipating the lesson, simply because he was positive that the idea of Harry and him hanging out with Ellie, alone, in the back of the library would surely tick off Draco. And that was something Ron always looked forward to.
The day seemed to pass by slower than usual, probably because they had double potions with the Slytherins last block. It had seemed like hours had passed by the time the eighty-minute class had ended, and it was finally time to go meet Ellie.
Harry and Ron must have waited a good thirty minutes, when Ellie finally appeared with Leona. The two girls were carrying a gigantic cardboard box and both looked slightly flustered. Harry and Ron listened to Ellie explain their tardiness. It seemed that when they were half way there, when the staircase they were on changed and had ended up wandering around lost for a good twenty minutes before Leona finally found the library.
Since they had a little less than an hour left before dinner, they quickly said goodbye to Leona, (She seemed to agree with Hermione when it came to divination, to Ron's disappointment.) And the three of them headed to the table by the bay view window and Ellie began to unload her box. Harry and Ron noticed that the crate was filled with a small tea set, a green thermos, and a pile of books. The books appeared very battered and were clearly used quite often.
"We are going to start out with the basics, but our sessions will move quickly, so don't be fret, the two of you will catch up soon." Ellie explained kindly, and the boys were aghast at how professional she was. She set out the three teacups and started pouring tea out of the thermos, "Since it's evident that the two of you haven't learned much in the past two years. I'm going to start out where Trelawney probably did, and ask you both what you see." she paused and her lips started to form a smile, "Oh, I should probably mention that I can tell when I'm being lied to."
Ron looked at her as if she was insane, before he began to look in to his little cup. She gave them a couple of minutes before questioning their findings. Ron was first, and Harry was happy, because he still couldn't see anything.
"Well, to be honest," the red head started, blushing fully, "I don't see a thing."
"Same with you Harry?" he nodded, and was surprised to hear her mumble something like, "I knew that old bag couldn't teach for beans..." before requesting their cups.
"Do you know what I see in your cup Harry? A dog!" she said merrily, and didn't seem to notice him wince.
"Please don't tell me it's a grim, and that I'm going to roll over dead any minute." Harry begged.
"I never said, that it was that stupid book's definition of a dog. I just said it was a dog. I never use Unfogging the Future; I always found its definitions too harsh and outdated. 'Ya see, the main focus in teacup readings, is figuring out what shape the leaves make, and then analyzing it's meaning." She paused momentarily, "What you make of I, mostly just matters on the person whose cup you're appraising. I like to use this one to research the character's meaning." She held up a thick green book, and started flipping through it, "I find its definitions more realistic. Like, see, they say that the dog means loyalty, so Harry you'll probably stand up for a friend sometime soon. Let me show you how to spot these shapes. Then you'll understand this better. Harry you can read mine."
She spent about five minutes teaching them how to spot the shapes, and the rest of the time looking them up and trying to evaluate their findings. Her teachings seemed unorthodox, and slightly bazaar, but it really seemed to work as the two boys came out with readings that sounded more rational than anything Trelawney had ever told them in the past. When they finally ended seven minutes until dinner, the two felt confident in their ability to read tealeaves.
"Thanks so much Ellie" Harry said cheerfully, as he and Ron began picking up their books, "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yup, and don't worry about picking up." She said before performing a cleaning charm on the empty cups, and putting the books away.
"Don't you want us to help you carry this stuff to the Great Hall?" Ron said earnestly, "We don't mind."
"Don't bother, my help should be here any moment." She said about a minute before Draco walked in and the room, and mood in the library suddenly became tense.
A/N: Well, here's chapter nine. I hope you enjoyed it. It was created for character developmental purposes, if you couldn't tell. Sorry that there wasn't really any action, but there will be in the next chapter, don't worry. ^__^
Thanks for the reviews.
Author: Cactuskitty
Chapter: Nine
Disclaimer: I do not own any thing, person, or idea for the Harry Potter book series.
Chapter Nine: Exploding Snap and Teacups
The next two weeks passed steadily, and so did their friendship with Eilene and the two new Ravenclaws. The three of them were proving to be resourceful allies, and even Adrienne, who they soon became better acquainted with, was turning out to be loads of fun. They also seemed to make Hermione happy. Harry was contented with the fact she finally had some feminine friends she could talk to.
Eilene found out the truth about Snape quickly, and Adrienne had jokingly apologized for her friend's eternal optimism. Harry noticed how well the two were accepted, especially Eilene. The shy little Gryffindor proved to have quite a knack for transfiguration, and quickly rose to the top of her class. Her impeccable work was earning their house lots of points, so her approval came easily.
Harry also noticed that she was becoming, now that she was opening up a bit more, quite entertaining, and a worthy adversary at Exploding Snap (an important trait in a girl.) She was even pretty, and he could see himself liking her. The only draw back was the absence of that quality about that made Ophelia special.
There was just something about Ron's cousin that made Harry's senses go into convulsions whenever she came around. He was captivated by her "innocence" and her melodious giggles. The way she tossed her beautiful golden hair when she spoke to him, and the way she always singled him out to make him feel as though he was the only person in the room. Hermione, summed up it into one word, hormones, but Harry was convinced that it was something else.
Ophelia wasn't as kind to everyone as she was to Harry. He was the only person outside of Slytherin she would associate with. Her cousins and old friends were fortunate to get a single word out of her. If he wasn't so blinded by her physical aspects he might have been able to see the arrogance and cunning that had caused her to be sorted in Slytherin, that nearly everyone else had already noticed.
* * * *
Ellie, as Ron had foreseen, turned out to be an extremely useful collaborator in crime. She had gotten them out of trouble three times in the last few weeks, and on countless occasions she had found a way to weasel out of her missing assignments and predicaments. She seemed to have one in with the teachers; she also had a flair for divinations. When using the word flair, it is not meant as 'a flair for making things up', but actually being genuinely, terrifyingly good. What emphasized her talent when she was sitting with them was the fact that she really saw things in her teacup.
When asked how, she just shrugged and said the same thing as Trelawney, that all it takes is a bit of practice and a lot a focusing. But unlike Trelawney, her readings were authentic and sensible. She rarely used her book, and appeared to have a completely different interpretation of any signs she saw. The two boys learned that her talent was another part of the enigma called Darcy Greer. When they questioned her about any other talent she might harbor, she politely declined to answer, and instead offered to tutor them.
Ron had quickly accepted, but Harry for some reason found himself hesitating.
He didn't know why, but he always felt a surge of guilt whenever he was around Ellie, more so than when he was around any other new student. It was as though he had wronged her somehow, but he couldn't recognize his remorse. She didn't appear to begrudge him, but there was something that made her different from the others.
Ellie had a different sort of feel about her, not like Ophelia, but one that made it seem as though there was a lot more to her than she let on. She was impossible to read, even though she was very open about her beliefs regarding wizarding politics and anti-violent ideals. She even raised her hand as much as Hermione in some of their classes. Yes, she was definitely open about her views, but not so adamant about any of her true emotions.
Her answers to questions about herself were pretty vague, and were often covered by an elaborate, if not eccentric, story that usually had nothing to do with what they were discussing. More frequently they were part of some strange joke only she and Leona understood. When Leona wasn't around, and it was just the three of them, it seemed as though she were holding out. Similar to when she didn't divulge her name at the deli.
Furthermore, she seemed less naive and knowledgeable in some ways. Almost as if she were older, experienced, and had seen much more in her lifetime than any of them could possibly imagine. She seemed to be a notch above everyone else but didn't flaunt it in a snobby style. It seemed to Harry that she tried to hide it, so that she could appear 'normal' just like everyone else. That was something Harry knew lots about.
"Harry, are you in?" Ron's husky voice brought him back into reality.
"In what?" Harry appeared groggy as he answered, and started rubbing his eyes in a tiresome manner.
"Accepting Ellie's offer for tutoring us, o 'course." Ron sounded annoyed, or maybe anxious, as he replied. Ellie on the other hand, didn't seem to mind waiting for her answers at all. She stood there good-naturedly politely waiting, as if they had all the time in the world.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun." Harry mumbled in a wearisome voice. His thoughts were rapidly changing, and he was trying to keep up.
"How about we meet in the library on Monday, after our last classes. We can meet at the large oak table near the beautiful bay-view window in the back of the library. The one where you have a perfect view of the far end of the lake? Near the potions section?" She realized that they had no clue what she was talking about, so she grinned and came up with an alternative, "How 'bout we meet in the front and we'll move from there? Just bring your wands; I'll supply the rest. As Harry said, 'it'll be fun.'" She smiled as their disbelieving looks, then gently asked if they wouldn't mind accompanying her to the Great Hall, because she still hadn't managed to get back their with out getting lost.
* * * *
Monday came quickly and Harry was oddly anticipating Ron and his tutoring session with Ellie, because he had a feeling that they might actually learn something from her. Ron, too, was excited, but his reasons were completely different. He was anticipating the lesson, simply because he was positive that the idea of Harry and him hanging out with Ellie, alone, in the back of the library would surely tick off Draco. And that was something Ron always looked forward to.
The day seemed to pass by slower than usual, probably because they had double potions with the Slytherins last block. It had seemed like hours had passed by the time the eighty-minute class had ended, and it was finally time to go meet Ellie.
Harry and Ron must have waited a good thirty minutes, when Ellie finally appeared with Leona. The two girls were carrying a gigantic cardboard box and both looked slightly flustered. Harry and Ron listened to Ellie explain their tardiness. It seemed that when they were half way there, when the staircase they were on changed and had ended up wandering around lost for a good twenty minutes before Leona finally found the library.
Since they had a little less than an hour left before dinner, they quickly said goodbye to Leona, (She seemed to agree with Hermione when it came to divination, to Ron's disappointment.) And the three of them headed to the table by the bay view window and Ellie began to unload her box. Harry and Ron noticed that the crate was filled with a small tea set, a green thermos, and a pile of books. The books appeared very battered and were clearly used quite often.
"We are going to start out with the basics, but our sessions will move quickly, so don't be fret, the two of you will catch up soon." Ellie explained kindly, and the boys were aghast at how professional she was. She set out the three teacups and started pouring tea out of the thermos, "Since it's evident that the two of you haven't learned much in the past two years. I'm going to start out where Trelawney probably did, and ask you both what you see." she paused and her lips started to form a smile, "Oh, I should probably mention that I can tell when I'm being lied to."
Ron looked at her as if she was insane, before he began to look in to his little cup. She gave them a couple of minutes before questioning their findings. Ron was first, and Harry was happy, because he still couldn't see anything.
"Well, to be honest," the red head started, blushing fully, "I don't see a thing."
"Same with you Harry?" he nodded, and was surprised to hear her mumble something like, "I knew that old bag couldn't teach for beans..." before requesting their cups.
"Do you know what I see in your cup Harry? A dog!" she said merrily, and didn't seem to notice him wince.
"Please don't tell me it's a grim, and that I'm going to roll over dead any minute." Harry begged.
"I never said, that it was that stupid book's definition of a dog. I just said it was a dog. I never use Unfogging the Future; I always found its definitions too harsh and outdated. 'Ya see, the main focus in teacup readings, is figuring out what shape the leaves make, and then analyzing it's meaning." She paused momentarily, "What you make of I, mostly just matters on the person whose cup you're appraising. I like to use this one to research the character's meaning." She held up a thick green book, and started flipping through it, "I find its definitions more realistic. Like, see, they say that the dog means loyalty, so Harry you'll probably stand up for a friend sometime soon. Let me show you how to spot these shapes. Then you'll understand this better. Harry you can read mine."
She spent about five minutes teaching them how to spot the shapes, and the rest of the time looking them up and trying to evaluate their findings. Her teachings seemed unorthodox, and slightly bazaar, but it really seemed to work as the two boys came out with readings that sounded more rational than anything Trelawney had ever told them in the past. When they finally ended seven minutes until dinner, the two felt confident in their ability to read tealeaves.
"Thanks so much Ellie" Harry said cheerfully, as he and Ron began picking up their books, "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yup, and don't worry about picking up." She said before performing a cleaning charm on the empty cups, and putting the books away.
"Don't you want us to help you carry this stuff to the Great Hall?" Ron said earnestly, "We don't mind."
"Don't bother, my help should be here any moment." She said about a minute before Draco walked in and the room, and mood in the library suddenly became tense.
A/N: Well, here's chapter nine. I hope you enjoyed it. It was created for character developmental purposes, if you couldn't tell. Sorry that there wasn't really any action, but there will be in the next chapter, don't worry. ^__^
Thanks for the reviews.
