One Tin Soldier
Chapter Nine: Essays and Columns
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
A/N: Yay for making up more stuff! Believe me, I've been doing my research, but if there isn't an item you are looking for in lore, then I certainly won't waste my creative license!
~~~~~
That evening, Ron glared weakly at his potions essay, eyes drooping. Beside, him, Harry blinked at his own. He begged his tired brain to remember something from Herbology and not have to go through the embarrassment of asking Hermione another question.
~Stavesacre's synonym... is.... bloody.... it's in the.... uh.... plant family?~
"..blast."
Hermione's head shot up from her own scribbling and before Harry could retract his words Hermione was looking over his shoulder at the essay.
"Oh, Harry..."
Ron stifled a sob as she snatched his paper and looked it over as well.
"Um, Harry, Ron... this is your Herbology report you're writing here. Snape's essay isn't on parasiticides, it's on the facets and uses of Deadly Nightshade. But it's easy to correct."
She winked at them and moved the back of her newly-bought Hawksquill pen over the writing and the words erased, and then she brushed the feather over the new parchment and the words reappeared. They looked at her, a bit confused, though happy, and gazed admiringly at the pen.
"Yes, it's rather handy. You shake it over the wastebasket it you just want to erase, and if you want to copy notes, you use the side instead." She looked at them gravely, "I'm sure, though, that there will be no copying. Besides, I had the store owner disable the copying ability."
The boys looked at her as if she was rather insane and had two or three projections sticking out of her brow. She shrugged this off and continued the 'lesson'.
"Harry, you really ought to know Stavesacre is in the Larkspur family, not.... oh really Harry, not the 'plant' family."
"Ron!" her shout made him jump, "Sprout would tear this up, really, you should NEVER, unless under VERY specific circumstances, ingest Stavesacre, it's terribly poisonous!" She looked at him gravely as though trying to convey the seriousness of his mistake. Ron just stared back blearily.
She turned back to Harry, and he shrunk back in his seat a bit. "Now, you ought to know that it's synonym is Lousewort, Harry. I know your Occlumency is important, but if you don't start focusing on the rest of your work you will have forgotten everything, and for goodness sakes, you only have two weeks left to finish all of this!" She gestured to the great pile of homework before him.
He glared up at her. "Well allot of good it would do me if I studied something else, if I don't get a handle on Voldemort peering through my eyes then I may be held back!"
"They can't really do that, can they Harry?" Ron looked shocked.
Hermione wrung her blouse nervously, biting her lip, suddenly worried. "I'm afraid they could, Ron, on the grounds Harry could hurt someone. If someone catches wind of all that has happened this summer, He could... er...." She paused, looking up at Harry.
"I could get expelled." Harry ended, leaning forward with an exasperated sigh. He snapped his book shut, rolling his parchment. "Look, I know it's important, but I'm getting really tired, you have to remember last night was pretty rough, and I'm beaten." He looked apologetically at Hermione, somehow feeling guilty he was leaving her to her work at the table. Even if it was Nine o'clock, she was only trying to help.
~Since when have I felt bad for leaving homework 'til later?~
Ron cocked his head at him, another thing that made him feel a bit ill.
~Since she half-kissed me...~
Harry had tried to convince himself it was a kiss, but in doing so had scared himself out of such thought, and had eventually settled on a state of accidental contact. After all, standing in a dripping-wet forest half-soaked didn't seem like the most romantic situation he could have though of. Besides, it was one of his best friends who had done it.
He shuddered when he imagined Ron trying to kiss him. No matter how he considered it, it was just too unfathomably gross to have someone like his sister try to snog him.
So why did he feel so peculiar around her? He decided to let the matter rest and sat at the table, sighing.
"Can we talk about something other than schoolwork?" He said nonchalantly.
Hermione huffed as she put her unimaginable pile of books on the floor beside her.
"Sure."
"You two have fun, I'm going to bed. Try not to step in anything foul Pig leaves for me on the floor when you come in, Harry."
The black head bobbed in assent as he leaned on the table, gathering his thoughts. This was it, the time to bring up the matter that had been tearing at his mind for the past eighteen hours. Harry was fully prepared to face it.
"So Hermione, um... what was the potions assignment again?"
Harry felt too stupid to interrupt her five minuet dissertation. He buried his head in his arms as he listened to a list of the greater points of Deadly Nightshade, or Belladonna. His head swung with the synonyms.
"Belladonna... Devil's Cherries... Naughty Man's Cherries... Divale... Black Cherry... Devil's Herb... Great Morel... Dwayberry..." She listed them off on her fingers.
Harry nodded, hoping his head would stop hurting soon.
"Hey!" He sat up suddenly, interrupting her flow on it's medicinal applications.
"What, Harry?"
"Since when are you so chummy with Luna?" He raised an eyebrow.
Hermione bent over in answer, tugging an article from her bag and handing it to him. It was an excerpt from The Quibbler, weeks out of date.
OPPINION COLUMN:
Dastardly Assault on Muggle Villiage Leaves Wizarding World in Horror.
Luna Lovegood Reporting
The quiet Muggle village of Fairview was ruthlessly assaulted late last night by the
warriors of the Dark Mark, servants of he-who-must-not-be-named. Between the fires of
flaming houses, the screams of dying Muggle adults, the most despicable of acts were
carried through under his heartless hand. What words cannot describe the Aurors and
Ministry workers witnessed as the defenseless were slaughtered, children made to witness
the demise of their parents. Brave gentlemen such as Alastor Moodey, Dark Arts
professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, fought fearlessly to protect
Muggles who he had never met. Enemies worked hand in hand in the name of one
common goal beneath the glow of green light. The air was rent with screams, yet average
beings, both young and old, sought to save lives. Even Hermione Granger, still a student
of the aforementioned institution, took part in the conflict, although her participation was
rooted in a different cause. After declining comment, as she was wounded, our news
facility was alerted of the sad news later that her own parents were among the dead.
Such deeds that rob both young and old of family and life must be put to an end. If the
Wizarding community can go about it's business proudly when a murderer causes the
bravest of them to cower, and quarrels to emerge between the most powerful of them,
then we are truly a doomed race.
The Fairview Massacre and it's victims must be remembered, for some of it's victims were
those who fought with the most conviction. Those who have lost must convert their
sorrow into courage. Our leaders must make alliances, now.
In other news, the Bean-Nighe has been spotted yet again. Details on page 7c....
The clipping ended there. Harry looked up at Hermione oddly
"But why are you getting on with her now?" He cocked his head.
"Because I told her, hoping that she would get what happened there out in the open... She said I didn't comment, but I told her everything, hoping she'd get the message out, in the opinion column. Besides, I found something else out. The Quibbler is coded. You see, in every issue it has the exact same number of pages as the coinciding issue of the Daily Prophet, and if you put them next to eachother, Luna's father makes sure he puts the... errr... less believable stories in coinciding spots with stories that have faulty information in the Prophet. The Bean-Nighe story coincides with a piece in 7c of the Prophet where Fudge continues to apologize for his misconduct regarding the matter concerning Voldemort. You see, faulty information! We know Fudge is about as sorry for the matter with Voldemort as he is that the Prophet believes him."
Harry nodded, shocked. Hermione seemed extremely excited.
"Don't you see, Harry! It's a perfect key! We an know exactly what the lies are, well, sort of! They are doing a great thing by alerting the people! I'm sure I'm not the only one who has realized this, it only took me a few weeks of reading and I got it, not that Mr. Lovegood doesn't fully believe the stories he edits, he trusts every one, but the unbelievable ones are a sure source! Harry, we have a prophet for the Prophet!"
Harry absorbed this, smiling, then laughing. "Brilliant as usual..." He grinned at her.
She blushed a little, and Harry's thoughts turned to the matter which had brought this about.
"So... you don't hate Luna?" He breathed deeply, hopeful.
Hermione bowed her head. "Oh, no.... she's been helping... me... deal with my parents, you see..." She smiled weakly.
Harry smiled. "She helped me, too. With Sirius." Hermione smiled at this. Suddenly she touched his arm.
"Harry, are you alright.... about that?"
He shook his head a bit. "It... won't get easy that fast... I'm having a hard time... uh... dreams...." A bit of a flush rose on his cheeks.
"I can understand that..." She looked sadly at the floor. "But I'll be here to help you, if you... want it..."
He smiled at her. "Why don't we kind of.. help eachother?"
She smiled swiftly and nodded.
They sat for awhile, looking into the fire, half expecting a head to appear before them. Hermione sighed quietly, eyes misting over.
"Harry"
He looked over at her in the flickering light, the two of them relaxed although sad.
"I'm glad we talked...." She whispered, and stood, walking up to bed. In moments, she was gone. He listened to her door shut, staring blankly.
He glared at the fire muttering to himself.
"Hermione, I think I have a crush on you."
He could have sworn the fire blushed, but it kept on flickering.
Wearily, Harry went to bed. Stepping across the floor, Harry stepped in more than one disgusting thing Pig had brought to share with Ron. He grunted irritably and pulled the covers over his head.
Happy as he was, Harry still felt like an idiot.
~~~~~
A/N: Yay, another chapter!!!
Chapter Nine: Essays and Columns
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
A/N: Yay for making up more stuff! Believe me, I've been doing my research, but if there isn't an item you are looking for in lore, then I certainly won't waste my creative license!
~~~~~
That evening, Ron glared weakly at his potions essay, eyes drooping. Beside, him, Harry blinked at his own. He begged his tired brain to remember something from Herbology and not have to go through the embarrassment of asking Hermione another question.
~Stavesacre's synonym... is.... bloody.... it's in the.... uh.... plant family?~
"..blast."
Hermione's head shot up from her own scribbling and before Harry could retract his words Hermione was looking over his shoulder at the essay.
"Oh, Harry..."
Ron stifled a sob as she snatched his paper and looked it over as well.
"Um, Harry, Ron... this is your Herbology report you're writing here. Snape's essay isn't on parasiticides, it's on the facets and uses of Deadly Nightshade. But it's easy to correct."
She winked at them and moved the back of her newly-bought Hawksquill pen over the writing and the words erased, and then she brushed the feather over the new parchment and the words reappeared. They looked at her, a bit confused, though happy, and gazed admiringly at the pen.
"Yes, it's rather handy. You shake it over the wastebasket it you just want to erase, and if you want to copy notes, you use the side instead." She looked at them gravely, "I'm sure, though, that there will be no copying. Besides, I had the store owner disable the copying ability."
The boys looked at her as if she was rather insane and had two or three projections sticking out of her brow. She shrugged this off and continued the 'lesson'.
"Harry, you really ought to know Stavesacre is in the Larkspur family, not.... oh really Harry, not the 'plant' family."
"Ron!" her shout made him jump, "Sprout would tear this up, really, you should NEVER, unless under VERY specific circumstances, ingest Stavesacre, it's terribly poisonous!" She looked at him gravely as though trying to convey the seriousness of his mistake. Ron just stared back blearily.
She turned back to Harry, and he shrunk back in his seat a bit. "Now, you ought to know that it's synonym is Lousewort, Harry. I know your Occlumency is important, but if you don't start focusing on the rest of your work you will have forgotten everything, and for goodness sakes, you only have two weeks left to finish all of this!" She gestured to the great pile of homework before him.
He glared up at her. "Well allot of good it would do me if I studied something else, if I don't get a handle on Voldemort peering through my eyes then I may be held back!"
"They can't really do that, can they Harry?" Ron looked shocked.
Hermione wrung her blouse nervously, biting her lip, suddenly worried. "I'm afraid they could, Ron, on the grounds Harry could hurt someone. If someone catches wind of all that has happened this summer, He could... er...." She paused, looking up at Harry.
"I could get expelled." Harry ended, leaning forward with an exasperated sigh. He snapped his book shut, rolling his parchment. "Look, I know it's important, but I'm getting really tired, you have to remember last night was pretty rough, and I'm beaten." He looked apologetically at Hermione, somehow feeling guilty he was leaving her to her work at the table. Even if it was Nine o'clock, she was only trying to help.
~Since when have I felt bad for leaving homework 'til later?~
Ron cocked his head at him, another thing that made him feel a bit ill.
~Since she half-kissed me...~
Harry had tried to convince himself it was a kiss, but in doing so had scared himself out of such thought, and had eventually settled on a state of accidental contact. After all, standing in a dripping-wet forest half-soaked didn't seem like the most romantic situation he could have though of. Besides, it was one of his best friends who had done it.
He shuddered when he imagined Ron trying to kiss him. No matter how he considered it, it was just too unfathomably gross to have someone like his sister try to snog him.
So why did he feel so peculiar around her? He decided to let the matter rest and sat at the table, sighing.
"Can we talk about something other than schoolwork?" He said nonchalantly.
Hermione huffed as she put her unimaginable pile of books on the floor beside her.
"Sure."
"You two have fun, I'm going to bed. Try not to step in anything foul Pig leaves for me on the floor when you come in, Harry."
The black head bobbed in assent as he leaned on the table, gathering his thoughts. This was it, the time to bring up the matter that had been tearing at his mind for the past eighteen hours. Harry was fully prepared to face it.
"So Hermione, um... what was the potions assignment again?"
Harry felt too stupid to interrupt her five minuet dissertation. He buried his head in his arms as he listened to a list of the greater points of Deadly Nightshade, or Belladonna. His head swung with the synonyms.
"Belladonna... Devil's Cherries... Naughty Man's Cherries... Divale... Black Cherry... Devil's Herb... Great Morel... Dwayberry..." She listed them off on her fingers.
Harry nodded, hoping his head would stop hurting soon.
"Hey!" He sat up suddenly, interrupting her flow on it's medicinal applications.
"What, Harry?"
"Since when are you so chummy with Luna?" He raised an eyebrow.
Hermione bent over in answer, tugging an article from her bag and handing it to him. It was an excerpt from The Quibbler, weeks out of date.
OPPINION COLUMN:
Dastardly Assault on Muggle Villiage Leaves Wizarding World in Horror.
Luna Lovegood Reporting
The quiet Muggle village of Fairview was ruthlessly assaulted late last night by the
warriors of the Dark Mark, servants of he-who-must-not-be-named. Between the fires of
flaming houses, the screams of dying Muggle adults, the most despicable of acts were
carried through under his heartless hand. What words cannot describe the Aurors and
Ministry workers witnessed as the defenseless were slaughtered, children made to witness
the demise of their parents. Brave gentlemen such as Alastor Moodey, Dark Arts
professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, fought fearlessly to protect
Muggles who he had never met. Enemies worked hand in hand in the name of one
common goal beneath the glow of green light. The air was rent with screams, yet average
beings, both young and old, sought to save lives. Even Hermione Granger, still a student
of the aforementioned institution, took part in the conflict, although her participation was
rooted in a different cause. After declining comment, as she was wounded, our news
facility was alerted of the sad news later that her own parents were among the dead.
Such deeds that rob both young and old of family and life must be put to an end. If the
Wizarding community can go about it's business proudly when a murderer causes the
bravest of them to cower, and quarrels to emerge between the most powerful of them,
then we are truly a doomed race.
The Fairview Massacre and it's victims must be remembered, for some of it's victims were
those who fought with the most conviction. Those who have lost must convert their
sorrow into courage. Our leaders must make alliances, now.
In other news, the Bean-Nighe has been spotted yet again. Details on page 7c....
The clipping ended there. Harry looked up at Hermione oddly
"But why are you getting on with her now?" He cocked his head.
"Because I told her, hoping that she would get what happened there out in the open... She said I didn't comment, but I told her everything, hoping she'd get the message out, in the opinion column. Besides, I found something else out. The Quibbler is coded. You see, in every issue it has the exact same number of pages as the coinciding issue of the Daily Prophet, and if you put them next to eachother, Luna's father makes sure he puts the... errr... less believable stories in coinciding spots with stories that have faulty information in the Prophet. The Bean-Nighe story coincides with a piece in 7c of the Prophet where Fudge continues to apologize for his misconduct regarding the matter concerning Voldemort. You see, faulty information! We know Fudge is about as sorry for the matter with Voldemort as he is that the Prophet believes him."
Harry nodded, shocked. Hermione seemed extremely excited.
"Don't you see, Harry! It's a perfect key! We an know exactly what the lies are, well, sort of! They are doing a great thing by alerting the people! I'm sure I'm not the only one who has realized this, it only took me a few weeks of reading and I got it, not that Mr. Lovegood doesn't fully believe the stories he edits, he trusts every one, but the unbelievable ones are a sure source! Harry, we have a prophet for the Prophet!"
Harry absorbed this, smiling, then laughing. "Brilliant as usual..." He grinned at her.
She blushed a little, and Harry's thoughts turned to the matter which had brought this about.
"So... you don't hate Luna?" He breathed deeply, hopeful.
Hermione bowed her head. "Oh, no.... she's been helping... me... deal with my parents, you see..." She smiled weakly.
Harry smiled. "She helped me, too. With Sirius." Hermione smiled at this. Suddenly she touched his arm.
"Harry, are you alright.... about that?"
He shook his head a bit. "It... won't get easy that fast... I'm having a hard time... uh... dreams...." A bit of a flush rose on his cheeks.
"I can understand that..." She looked sadly at the floor. "But I'll be here to help you, if you... want it..."
He smiled at her. "Why don't we kind of.. help eachother?"
She smiled swiftly and nodded.
They sat for awhile, looking into the fire, half expecting a head to appear before them. Hermione sighed quietly, eyes misting over.
"Harry"
He looked over at her in the flickering light, the two of them relaxed although sad.
"I'm glad we talked...." She whispered, and stood, walking up to bed. In moments, she was gone. He listened to her door shut, staring blankly.
He glared at the fire muttering to himself.
"Hermione, I think I have a crush on you."
He could have sworn the fire blushed, but it kept on flickering.
Wearily, Harry went to bed. Stepping across the floor, Harry stepped in more than one disgusting thing Pig had brought to share with Ron. He grunted irritably and pulled the covers over his head.
Happy as he was, Harry still felt like an idiot.
~~~~~
A/N: Yay, another chapter!!!