Disclaimer: We've been through this. I feel like I'm explaining it to a
cave man or something. ME NO OWN. JKR OWN. Jeez.
Chapter 5- Professor Hayes
Hermione's POV
Harry and Ron caught up with me as I was leaving potions. "Hey, Mione, wait up!"
I turned and saw them trying to push their way through the mob of students to get to me, and waited where I was until they succeeded. "Hey!" Harry threw his arm around me, and I smiled up at him.
Ron looked down at me sympathetically. "Man, I'm so sorry about potions. We were going to go wake you up and get you down to breakfast, but we're not allowed in the common room, and after all, we don't have the password, and... and now you have to be partners with Malfoy!" Ron looked way more stressed out about the fact than I felt.
"Ron, it's okay," I told him. Seeing the look of disbelief he gave me, I continued. "I figure I'm going to have to learn to live with him for the next year, maybe more if I'm prefect again, so why not start trying to be tolerable of him? What better way than being partners in potions? Really, I'm fine with it," I assured him.
"Well, okay, if you're sure..."
"I am," I said firmly.
"Well I'm glad," said Harry, grinning down at me.
I smiled back up at him. "Well, okay guys, I have to go grab my herbology stuff from my room," I said, slipping out from underneath Harry's arm. "I'll see you guys out there, okay?" They nodded and waved as I disappeared around the corner.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the herbology class with Harry, listening to Ms. Sprout lecturing us on the Infinigus plant. "And since these plants are known to be a bit... rambunctious, I want you all to take extra-" She dodged out of the way of one of these plants she had up front, which was hoping to get a bite out of her arm. "precautions," she finished, looking back at us and smiling.
She began passing out the plants, holding them at arm's length so they couldn't reach her. Harry turned in his seat to talk to me. "Great," he rolled his eyes. "First it was Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts, and now it's these flesh-eating Infungus plants. What will they come up with next to torture us with?"
"Infinigus," I corrected automatically, smiling. He had a point. It seemed every year the teachers had some new obstacle ready for us, and each year it led to trouble.
Ms. Sprout came around with our plant and set it on the desk, and we both pushed away from the table. Harry was looking skeptical at it, glancing out of the corner of his eye. "Well," I began, "let's get to work raising this monstrosity, shall we?" I grabbed some thick gloves, which covered my entire forearm, from my bag, and pulled them on, Harry doing the same.
When we had finished following Ms. Sprout's instructions, I slumped back into my chair and sighed again. "Okay. That wasn't so bad." I had escaped the encounter with only a few scratches, no major harm done. Harry gave a lopsided grin, examining his arms, which were completely covered in scratches. His gloves looked like they had been through a paper shredder. He hadn't been so lucky.
We met up with Ron walking back to the castle, on our way to our next class. I had remembered to look at my schedule before, and brought my stuff for next class with my herbology things.
"Ron, how did you and Lavender do with the Infinigus plants?" Harry asked. Ron showed him his arms, which looked a lot like Harry's.
"I didn't do too well," he winced. "Lavender did great, though. The plant seemed to like all her cooing to it, like it was a baby." He shrugged.
"What's our next class?" Harry wondered aloud, digging for his schedule.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," I replied.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have we met the new professor yet?" he asked. The real Professor Moody retired after all the events in fourth year, and, come to think of it, I didn't think we had seen or heard of a new professor.
"You know what?" I said lightly. "I don't think we have!" That was strange. Normally the new teacher would be introduced during the feast the first night. But, recalling last night, I didn't remember seeing any unfamiliar faces.
"Maybe we don't have one!" Ron cried hopefully.
I laughed. "I wish. But I don't think they would want us going without that class, do you?"
"No, probably not," he admitted.
I accompanied Harry and Ron to the Gryffindor common room, and waited while they went up to their room to get their things. I looked around while I was standing there, being in it for the first time this year. I looked over to where the entrance to my room should be, but there was nothing there. Curious, I walked over and pushed on the space. Nothing happened. "Aucunes craintes!" I told it, and it swung open, revealing my room. So, the password was the same. No one from Gryffindor could get through unless they knew the password to the prefect room.
Harry and Ron came back down and we left for class. Pulling out my schedule, I glanced at it again, and stopped. "What is it?" Ron inquired.
"The class has been moved," I told them, turning around. "It's on the third floor, this way." I had never been in the room it said the class was in, and was anxious to see what it was like. We hurried up the stairs to the third floor, and took a right. Sure enough, there it was. I stopped before the door and waited. Glancing at me, Harry opened the door and walked in, followed by me, and then Ron.
I gazed around, mystified by the choice of this particular room for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was beautiful. The ceiling was bewitched, just like in the Great Hall, to show the weather outside, and it had a gigantic floor to ceiling window along the whole east wall, looking out over the Quidditch field. There were five large, round worktables set in an arc in the back of the room, each with four chairs. At the front, there was a large desk, presumably for the new professor. It was cluttered, covered in books, parchment, quills, and bottles of ink.
In a daze, we walked over to the middle table and took a seat. "Who do we have this class with?" I wondered.
Ron pulled out his schedule. "Slytherins," he spat, after looking it over. He rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. I can't wait," he drawled sarcastically.
We all sat anxiously waiting for class to begin. More students flooded in, and the tables were getting full. Lavender Brown came up and asked, embarrassed, if she could sit with us. She took the seat next to Ron, and I noticed him blush bright red. A smile touched my lips, and Harry was shaking with silent laughter next to me.
Draco was the last student to walk in. Searching the room, he spotted the empty chair and took a seat. It was at the table next to ours, in a chair right behind me.
"Hey," he whispered as he sat down. I turned halfway in my seat and smiled back at him, catching Harry's scowl out of the corner of my eye.
Everyone was seated and gaping at the large, bright, beautiful room, a room totally inappropriate for a Dark Arts class. Suddenly, a young woman swept into the room from a door behind the desk in front, her robes sweeping behind her. "Hello, young Gryffindors, Slytherins," she greeted. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Hayes, and I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." The class gaped at her, caught off guard by the woman. She must have been one of the...brightest teachers Hogwarts had ever seen. There was no other way to describe her cheery manner. She was young, maybe twenty-five or so, without a doubt the youngest professor currently in the staff. She had long blonde hair with pieces that fell and framed her perfectly sculpted face. I could see Harry and Ron both goggling at her, much as they had when they had first laid eyes on me after summer break.
"So, I hear you've had some... problems, shall we say, with your Dark Arts professors in the past," she went on. "I assure you, I am no imposter, werewolf, vampire, anything of the sort. And I guarantee you," her voice grew more serious and colder as she went on "I am not a supporter of Voldemort." Half the class gasped at her use of the Dark Lord's name. I caught Harry's eye, and he raised his eyebrows at me, looking pleased.
"I am right to assume you've heard of the Unforgivable Curses?" The class nodded, remembering one of Professor Moody's first lectures of the year last year. "I always like to begin a year by giving a bit of a demonstration of these. Now, just for a review, would someone mind telling me what these Curses are?"
My hand shot in the air, and as it was the first one and no one else seemed too keen on answering, Professor Hayes called on me. "Miss Granger?" I suppose she had already been told our names. The professors at Hogwarts were very good with names.
"Well, there's the Imperius curse, the Cruciatus curse, and then there's... Avada Kedavra," I whispered the last one, and glanced quickly at Harry out of the corner of my eye.
"That's right, Miss Granger. I assume you all know what these curses do?" The class nodded again. "Right then. I've been told that last year, Professor... Muddy? Was that his name? No matter, I've heard that Dumbledore had you all put under the Imperius curse?" Again, we nodded. She seemed to expect this, as she paused just long enough to glance around the class to see that we were paying attention and confirming it. "Well, I'd like to do it again." At this, the class groaned. "Just to see how much better you've gotten!"
It was much like last year. One by one, she called us up to the middle of the arc of desks, and put us under the curse. Most of the students were now able to put off the action for at least a few minutes, with the exception of Ron. He'd had a lot of trouble with the curse last year, and now he couldn't stop himself from hopping up and down on one foot while patting his head and rubbing his belly.
When Harry was called up, Professor Hayes pointed her want at him. "Imperio!" she commanded. Sitting there watching, Hermione could see all expression wiped from Harry's face for a moment, then his features twisted in a look of great concentration. His eyes were shut tight for a few minutes, and finally he opened them with a look of triumph. He smiled, and turned to face Professor Hayes.
"Well done, Mr. Potter!" she praised. "Well done, indeed! Class, Mr. Potter was able not only to refrain from doing as the curse commanded, but shed the Imperius curse entirely!" I smiled up at Harry from my seat, and he grinned broadly back. "You may have a seat, Mr. Potter."
Next up was Draco. He also managed to stop himself from doing silly actions, but he was unable to shed the curse.
After a few more students went up, I was the last one left. "Miss Granger, would you come up here now, please." Nervous, I walked shakily up to the center of the classroom and braced myself for the curse I knew was coming. Last year I had simply been unable to stop myself from committing the actions. This year I was determined not to do them.
"Imperio!" I felt the wonderful nothingness, like I was simply floating, without a care in the world. Then I heard Professor Hayes' voice, telling me what to do.
'Take out your wand, Miss Granger,' she told me in my head. Keeping my eyes open, I looked at her and saw that her lips weren't moving. She never told anyone what to do aloud, just her voice in her head. Concentrating as hard as I could, I tried to keep my hands clamped into fists at my side, but slowly, painfully, my right arm came up to draw my wand from my robes.
'Point it at Mr. Malfoy, Hermione.' WHAT?! No way! I would NOT point my wand at Draco! I closed my eyes, concentrating very hard. 'Give Mr. Malfoy the Cruciatus curse, Hermione.' No. I couldn't do that to Draco. Never. I bit my lip until it bled, but would not open my mouth to say the words. Would not. Could not. I would not give Draco the Cruciatus curse. No.
No matter how hard I tried to prevent it, I felt my mouth opening and forming a word. Crucio. No! Not thinking about anything but stopping myself from using the Cruciatus curse on Draco, I did the only thing I could do at that point. I wrenched my arm, so instead of my wand pointing at Draco, I was pointing it at myself. "Cr-u-ci-o!" I thought saying that word was agony, trying both not to say it and say it at the same time. I thought that was the worst pain I would ever feel. I was wrong.
A/N: Wow! A long chapter! 2,291 words! I'm so proud of myself. What about that end, huh? I didn't expect myself to write that. Wonder what'll happen next? Wait for the next chapter to come out so you can find out! As always, thanks so very much to my reviewers:
Melian Nilromen- Thanks! Great, I'm glad.
Julie- Ok, I will. Thanks for the review.
Tia- Thanks! Yeah, I know she's OOC... thanks SO MUCH for the suggestion, I'll definitely try it in future chapters. (So many people just review and say 'cool story' and I'm NOT COMPLAINING, but I love seeing suggestions and constructive criticism.) So thanks!
SharkAttak- Thank you!
Chapter 5- Professor Hayes
Hermione's POV
Harry and Ron caught up with me as I was leaving potions. "Hey, Mione, wait up!"
I turned and saw them trying to push their way through the mob of students to get to me, and waited where I was until they succeeded. "Hey!" Harry threw his arm around me, and I smiled up at him.
Ron looked down at me sympathetically. "Man, I'm so sorry about potions. We were going to go wake you up and get you down to breakfast, but we're not allowed in the common room, and after all, we don't have the password, and... and now you have to be partners with Malfoy!" Ron looked way more stressed out about the fact than I felt.
"Ron, it's okay," I told him. Seeing the look of disbelief he gave me, I continued. "I figure I'm going to have to learn to live with him for the next year, maybe more if I'm prefect again, so why not start trying to be tolerable of him? What better way than being partners in potions? Really, I'm fine with it," I assured him.
"Well, okay, if you're sure..."
"I am," I said firmly.
"Well I'm glad," said Harry, grinning down at me.
I smiled back up at him. "Well, okay guys, I have to go grab my herbology stuff from my room," I said, slipping out from underneath Harry's arm. "I'll see you guys out there, okay?" They nodded and waved as I disappeared around the corner.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the herbology class with Harry, listening to Ms. Sprout lecturing us on the Infinigus plant. "And since these plants are known to be a bit... rambunctious, I want you all to take extra-" She dodged out of the way of one of these plants she had up front, which was hoping to get a bite out of her arm. "precautions," she finished, looking back at us and smiling.
She began passing out the plants, holding them at arm's length so they couldn't reach her. Harry turned in his seat to talk to me. "Great," he rolled his eyes. "First it was Hagrid's blast-ended skrewts, and now it's these flesh-eating Infungus plants. What will they come up with next to torture us with?"
"Infinigus," I corrected automatically, smiling. He had a point. It seemed every year the teachers had some new obstacle ready for us, and each year it led to trouble.
Ms. Sprout came around with our plant and set it on the desk, and we both pushed away from the table. Harry was looking skeptical at it, glancing out of the corner of his eye. "Well," I began, "let's get to work raising this monstrosity, shall we?" I grabbed some thick gloves, which covered my entire forearm, from my bag, and pulled them on, Harry doing the same.
When we had finished following Ms. Sprout's instructions, I slumped back into my chair and sighed again. "Okay. That wasn't so bad." I had escaped the encounter with only a few scratches, no major harm done. Harry gave a lopsided grin, examining his arms, which were completely covered in scratches. His gloves looked like they had been through a paper shredder. He hadn't been so lucky.
We met up with Ron walking back to the castle, on our way to our next class. I had remembered to look at my schedule before, and brought my stuff for next class with my herbology things.
"Ron, how did you and Lavender do with the Infinigus plants?" Harry asked. Ron showed him his arms, which looked a lot like Harry's.
"I didn't do too well," he winced. "Lavender did great, though. The plant seemed to like all her cooing to it, like it was a baby." He shrugged.
"What's our next class?" Harry wondered aloud, digging for his schedule.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," I replied.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have we met the new professor yet?" he asked. The real Professor Moody retired after all the events in fourth year, and, come to think of it, I didn't think we had seen or heard of a new professor.
"You know what?" I said lightly. "I don't think we have!" That was strange. Normally the new teacher would be introduced during the feast the first night. But, recalling last night, I didn't remember seeing any unfamiliar faces.
"Maybe we don't have one!" Ron cried hopefully.
I laughed. "I wish. But I don't think they would want us going without that class, do you?"
"No, probably not," he admitted.
I accompanied Harry and Ron to the Gryffindor common room, and waited while they went up to their room to get their things. I looked around while I was standing there, being in it for the first time this year. I looked over to where the entrance to my room should be, but there was nothing there. Curious, I walked over and pushed on the space. Nothing happened. "Aucunes craintes!" I told it, and it swung open, revealing my room. So, the password was the same. No one from Gryffindor could get through unless they knew the password to the prefect room.
Harry and Ron came back down and we left for class. Pulling out my schedule, I glanced at it again, and stopped. "What is it?" Ron inquired.
"The class has been moved," I told them, turning around. "It's on the third floor, this way." I had never been in the room it said the class was in, and was anxious to see what it was like. We hurried up the stairs to the third floor, and took a right. Sure enough, there it was. I stopped before the door and waited. Glancing at me, Harry opened the door and walked in, followed by me, and then Ron.
I gazed around, mystified by the choice of this particular room for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was beautiful. The ceiling was bewitched, just like in the Great Hall, to show the weather outside, and it had a gigantic floor to ceiling window along the whole east wall, looking out over the Quidditch field. There were five large, round worktables set in an arc in the back of the room, each with four chairs. At the front, there was a large desk, presumably for the new professor. It was cluttered, covered in books, parchment, quills, and bottles of ink.
In a daze, we walked over to the middle table and took a seat. "Who do we have this class with?" I wondered.
Ron pulled out his schedule. "Slytherins," he spat, after looking it over. He rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. I can't wait," he drawled sarcastically.
We all sat anxiously waiting for class to begin. More students flooded in, and the tables were getting full. Lavender Brown came up and asked, embarrassed, if she could sit with us. She took the seat next to Ron, and I noticed him blush bright red. A smile touched my lips, and Harry was shaking with silent laughter next to me.
Draco was the last student to walk in. Searching the room, he spotted the empty chair and took a seat. It was at the table next to ours, in a chair right behind me.
"Hey," he whispered as he sat down. I turned halfway in my seat and smiled back at him, catching Harry's scowl out of the corner of my eye.
Everyone was seated and gaping at the large, bright, beautiful room, a room totally inappropriate for a Dark Arts class. Suddenly, a young woman swept into the room from a door behind the desk in front, her robes sweeping behind her. "Hello, young Gryffindors, Slytherins," she greeted. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Hayes, and I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." The class gaped at her, caught off guard by the woman. She must have been one of the...brightest teachers Hogwarts had ever seen. There was no other way to describe her cheery manner. She was young, maybe twenty-five or so, without a doubt the youngest professor currently in the staff. She had long blonde hair with pieces that fell and framed her perfectly sculpted face. I could see Harry and Ron both goggling at her, much as they had when they had first laid eyes on me after summer break.
"So, I hear you've had some... problems, shall we say, with your Dark Arts professors in the past," she went on. "I assure you, I am no imposter, werewolf, vampire, anything of the sort. And I guarantee you," her voice grew more serious and colder as she went on "I am not a supporter of Voldemort." Half the class gasped at her use of the Dark Lord's name. I caught Harry's eye, and he raised his eyebrows at me, looking pleased.
"I am right to assume you've heard of the Unforgivable Curses?" The class nodded, remembering one of Professor Moody's first lectures of the year last year. "I always like to begin a year by giving a bit of a demonstration of these. Now, just for a review, would someone mind telling me what these Curses are?"
My hand shot in the air, and as it was the first one and no one else seemed too keen on answering, Professor Hayes called on me. "Miss Granger?" I suppose she had already been told our names. The professors at Hogwarts were very good with names.
"Well, there's the Imperius curse, the Cruciatus curse, and then there's... Avada Kedavra," I whispered the last one, and glanced quickly at Harry out of the corner of my eye.
"That's right, Miss Granger. I assume you all know what these curses do?" The class nodded again. "Right then. I've been told that last year, Professor... Muddy? Was that his name? No matter, I've heard that Dumbledore had you all put under the Imperius curse?" Again, we nodded. She seemed to expect this, as she paused just long enough to glance around the class to see that we were paying attention and confirming it. "Well, I'd like to do it again." At this, the class groaned. "Just to see how much better you've gotten!"
It was much like last year. One by one, she called us up to the middle of the arc of desks, and put us under the curse. Most of the students were now able to put off the action for at least a few minutes, with the exception of Ron. He'd had a lot of trouble with the curse last year, and now he couldn't stop himself from hopping up and down on one foot while patting his head and rubbing his belly.
When Harry was called up, Professor Hayes pointed her want at him. "Imperio!" she commanded. Sitting there watching, Hermione could see all expression wiped from Harry's face for a moment, then his features twisted in a look of great concentration. His eyes were shut tight for a few minutes, and finally he opened them with a look of triumph. He smiled, and turned to face Professor Hayes.
"Well done, Mr. Potter!" she praised. "Well done, indeed! Class, Mr. Potter was able not only to refrain from doing as the curse commanded, but shed the Imperius curse entirely!" I smiled up at Harry from my seat, and he grinned broadly back. "You may have a seat, Mr. Potter."
Next up was Draco. He also managed to stop himself from doing silly actions, but he was unable to shed the curse.
After a few more students went up, I was the last one left. "Miss Granger, would you come up here now, please." Nervous, I walked shakily up to the center of the classroom and braced myself for the curse I knew was coming. Last year I had simply been unable to stop myself from committing the actions. This year I was determined not to do them.
"Imperio!" I felt the wonderful nothingness, like I was simply floating, without a care in the world. Then I heard Professor Hayes' voice, telling me what to do.
'Take out your wand, Miss Granger,' she told me in my head. Keeping my eyes open, I looked at her and saw that her lips weren't moving. She never told anyone what to do aloud, just her voice in her head. Concentrating as hard as I could, I tried to keep my hands clamped into fists at my side, but slowly, painfully, my right arm came up to draw my wand from my robes.
'Point it at Mr. Malfoy, Hermione.' WHAT?! No way! I would NOT point my wand at Draco! I closed my eyes, concentrating very hard. 'Give Mr. Malfoy the Cruciatus curse, Hermione.' No. I couldn't do that to Draco. Never. I bit my lip until it bled, but would not open my mouth to say the words. Would not. Could not. I would not give Draco the Cruciatus curse. No.
No matter how hard I tried to prevent it, I felt my mouth opening and forming a word. Crucio. No! Not thinking about anything but stopping myself from using the Cruciatus curse on Draco, I did the only thing I could do at that point. I wrenched my arm, so instead of my wand pointing at Draco, I was pointing it at myself. "Cr-u-ci-o!" I thought saying that word was agony, trying both not to say it and say it at the same time. I thought that was the worst pain I would ever feel. I was wrong.
A/N: Wow! A long chapter! 2,291 words! I'm so proud of myself. What about that end, huh? I didn't expect myself to write that. Wonder what'll happen next? Wait for the next chapter to come out so you can find out! As always, thanks so very much to my reviewers:
Melian Nilromen- Thanks! Great, I'm glad.
Julie- Ok, I will. Thanks for the review.
Tia- Thanks! Yeah, I know she's OOC... thanks SO MUCH for the suggestion, I'll definitely try it in future chapters. (So many people just review and say 'cool story' and I'm NOT COMPLAINING, but I love seeing suggestions and constructive criticism.) So thanks!
SharkAttak- Thank you!