The next morning, Harry, Jessica and Hermione were waiting for Ron to come
down. Harry and Jessica were giggling and flirting near the entrance to the
common room. Hermione was standing at the foot of the staircase to the
boys' dormitory.
As soon as Ron emerged, Hermione pounced. She wanted to talk to him away from Harry and Jessica.
"Ron, do you remember what I said yesterday about Jessica Starsparkle?"
"Are you still going on about her being a snoggart?" Ron said.
"Well, of course, I can't be certain. If only Professor Moody had given us a list of traits!" Hermione said. "But I'm even more convinced than ever. I think she's a snoggart. She's not normal whatever she is. This morning she got up and she didn't even brush her hair!"
"So?" Ron said. "Maybe she just didn't feel like it."
"Ron, nobody with hair that long can get away with not brushing their hair, even in the wizarding world. It would be a tangled mess!" Hermione said. "Besides, have you seen the way she's flirting with Harry?"
Ron looked toward the pair to see Harry brush a lock of hair off Jessica's face in the type of intimate gesture usually found in sappy romances. Ron had to admit that Hermione had a point.
"But even if she is a snoggart, we can't do anything. Moody didn't tell us how to get rid of them," he said.
"I know," Hermione said, biting her lip. "But Moody did say we could go to him if there's a snoggart we need to get rid of. I suppose that'll have to do, though I wish I could get rid of her myself."
They walked down to breakfast with Harry and Jessica. Hermione was disappointed to find that Professor Moody was nowhere in sight.
"C'mon. We have to go find Moody," Hermione said to Ron, who was helping himself to a heaping plateful of food.
"But I'm eating!" Ron protested. "And Moody could be anywhere."
"I have a good idea of where he is," Hermione said, handing Ron two pieces of toast and dragging him out of the Great Hall.
Hermione strode quickly down the hall, with Ron trotting beside her, grumbling and eating his toast. She headed downstairs and stopped when she and Ron were standing outside the door to the office of everybody's favorite potions master. Ron looked confused, but Hermione knocked confidently on the door.
The door creaked open, and a beautiful witch stood before them. She was tall and slender. She wore a gown with a plunging neckline that showed off her gorgeous body and perfect curves. Her ears were delicately pointed. Her hair was flaming red. Around her neck she wore a jewel that shone with the most amazing light.
"Is Professor Moody here?" Hermione asked, while Ron gaped.
The woman didn't say anything, but Hermione's question was quickly answered when Professor Moody stomped toward the door. He shoved the beautiful woman out of the way and looked down at Hermione and Ron.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, how can I help you?" he growled.
"We need some help with a snoggart," Hermione said.
"Snoggart, eh? Well, come in. Come in," Moody said, gesturing them into Professor Snape's office. "I was just helping Severus here get rid of several snoggarts."
Ron and Hermione's hearts sank. Finding Snape in an awkward situation and needing help from Moody could not be good. Snape would probably find some excuse to take points off Gryffindor for it. They stood nervously as Professor Snape strode over to them.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," he hissed. "I'm only sorry Mr. Potter couldn't join you. Ten points to each of you, though, for being so nice and visiting me!"
"Oh boy . . . " Moody said, as Ron and Hermione looked shocked. Ron's face took on its trademarked Confused Look. Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times as though she wanted to say something, but eventually she gave up and just stood there silently.
"I'm getting married!" Snape shouted gleefully.
Professor Moody made an indistinct noise somewhere between a growl and a mutter. Hermione and Ron's eyes got even wider --- if that was possible.
"She's bewitched him, that one has," Moody said, pointing at the beautiful woman, who was currently fluttering her lashes and practicing looking radiantly gorgeous. "And I'm having the devil of a time figuring out how to get rid of her."
"What do you mean 'figuring out how to get rid of her'?" Hermione said. "Can't you just get rid of her like you got rid of the others?"
"No. You see, the problem with snoggarts is there's no sure-fire way of getting rid of them," Moody said. "What works for one might not work for another. I dealt with the other ones pretty quickly, but this one is more difficult. She's definitely a snoggart, but she's not like any snoggart I've ever seen before. She calls herself Curuwen and says she's the daughter of some guy named Fëanor. But I don't know what any of that means."
They looked over at Snape and the snoggart, who were flirting with each other. Curuwen brushed a lock of hair off of Snape's face, and he giggled. Ron and Hermione still didn't know a lot about snoggarts, but they guessed this must be an especially powerful one if she could make Snape giggle. Snape didn't look as greasy and sallow-skinned as usual. Curuwen was blazingly gorgeous. Her luminous skin and flaming hair were exceeded only by the brilliance of the jewel around her neck.
As she looked at the jewel, Hermione gasped.
"I have an idea!" she said and fled from the room.
By the time Ron made it to the door to follow her, he couldn't tell where she had gone. He re-entered Snape's office to wait for Hermione. It was not a fun wait. Moody was pacing and muttering to himself, trying to think of a way to get rid of the snoggart. Snape and Curuwen were still flirting with each other, which Ron found disgusting.
When Hermione finally returned, she was out of breath and carrying a small cage. She opened the door to the cage, and a niffler shot out and launched itself at Curuwen. The snoggart ran away, screaming and shrieking as the small animal tried to eat her hair, her skin and the jewel around her neck.
"Excellent work, Miss Granger!" Professor Moody said. "Twenty points to Gryffindor for your creative thinking. I've never seen a niffler attack a snoggart before. But, then, I've never seen a snoggart as, well, shiny as that one."
*** Author's Note ***
I wasn't planning for this to be a Silmarillion crossover. It just kind of happened. I didn't explicitly say so, but that was a Silmaril around her neck, of course.
As soon as Ron emerged, Hermione pounced. She wanted to talk to him away from Harry and Jessica.
"Ron, do you remember what I said yesterday about Jessica Starsparkle?"
"Are you still going on about her being a snoggart?" Ron said.
"Well, of course, I can't be certain. If only Professor Moody had given us a list of traits!" Hermione said. "But I'm even more convinced than ever. I think she's a snoggart. She's not normal whatever she is. This morning she got up and she didn't even brush her hair!"
"So?" Ron said. "Maybe she just didn't feel like it."
"Ron, nobody with hair that long can get away with not brushing their hair, even in the wizarding world. It would be a tangled mess!" Hermione said. "Besides, have you seen the way she's flirting with Harry?"
Ron looked toward the pair to see Harry brush a lock of hair off Jessica's face in the type of intimate gesture usually found in sappy romances. Ron had to admit that Hermione had a point.
"But even if she is a snoggart, we can't do anything. Moody didn't tell us how to get rid of them," he said.
"I know," Hermione said, biting her lip. "But Moody did say we could go to him if there's a snoggart we need to get rid of. I suppose that'll have to do, though I wish I could get rid of her myself."
They walked down to breakfast with Harry and Jessica. Hermione was disappointed to find that Professor Moody was nowhere in sight.
"C'mon. We have to go find Moody," Hermione said to Ron, who was helping himself to a heaping plateful of food.
"But I'm eating!" Ron protested. "And Moody could be anywhere."
"I have a good idea of where he is," Hermione said, handing Ron two pieces of toast and dragging him out of the Great Hall.
Hermione strode quickly down the hall, with Ron trotting beside her, grumbling and eating his toast. She headed downstairs and stopped when she and Ron were standing outside the door to the office of everybody's favorite potions master. Ron looked confused, but Hermione knocked confidently on the door.
The door creaked open, and a beautiful witch stood before them. She was tall and slender. She wore a gown with a plunging neckline that showed off her gorgeous body and perfect curves. Her ears were delicately pointed. Her hair was flaming red. Around her neck she wore a jewel that shone with the most amazing light.
"Is Professor Moody here?" Hermione asked, while Ron gaped.
The woman didn't say anything, but Hermione's question was quickly answered when Professor Moody stomped toward the door. He shoved the beautiful woman out of the way and looked down at Hermione and Ron.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, how can I help you?" he growled.
"We need some help with a snoggart," Hermione said.
"Snoggart, eh? Well, come in. Come in," Moody said, gesturing them into Professor Snape's office. "I was just helping Severus here get rid of several snoggarts."
Ron and Hermione's hearts sank. Finding Snape in an awkward situation and needing help from Moody could not be good. Snape would probably find some excuse to take points off Gryffindor for it. They stood nervously as Professor Snape strode over to them.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," he hissed. "I'm only sorry Mr. Potter couldn't join you. Ten points to each of you, though, for being so nice and visiting me!"
"Oh boy . . . " Moody said, as Ron and Hermione looked shocked. Ron's face took on its trademarked Confused Look. Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times as though she wanted to say something, but eventually she gave up and just stood there silently.
"I'm getting married!" Snape shouted gleefully.
Professor Moody made an indistinct noise somewhere between a growl and a mutter. Hermione and Ron's eyes got even wider --- if that was possible.
"She's bewitched him, that one has," Moody said, pointing at the beautiful woman, who was currently fluttering her lashes and practicing looking radiantly gorgeous. "And I'm having the devil of a time figuring out how to get rid of her."
"What do you mean 'figuring out how to get rid of her'?" Hermione said. "Can't you just get rid of her like you got rid of the others?"
"No. You see, the problem with snoggarts is there's no sure-fire way of getting rid of them," Moody said. "What works for one might not work for another. I dealt with the other ones pretty quickly, but this one is more difficult. She's definitely a snoggart, but she's not like any snoggart I've ever seen before. She calls herself Curuwen and says she's the daughter of some guy named Fëanor. But I don't know what any of that means."
They looked over at Snape and the snoggart, who were flirting with each other. Curuwen brushed a lock of hair off of Snape's face, and he giggled. Ron and Hermione still didn't know a lot about snoggarts, but they guessed this must be an especially powerful one if she could make Snape giggle. Snape didn't look as greasy and sallow-skinned as usual. Curuwen was blazingly gorgeous. Her luminous skin and flaming hair were exceeded only by the brilliance of the jewel around her neck.
As she looked at the jewel, Hermione gasped.
"I have an idea!" she said and fled from the room.
By the time Ron made it to the door to follow her, he couldn't tell where she had gone. He re-entered Snape's office to wait for Hermione. It was not a fun wait. Moody was pacing and muttering to himself, trying to think of a way to get rid of the snoggart. Snape and Curuwen were still flirting with each other, which Ron found disgusting.
When Hermione finally returned, she was out of breath and carrying a small cage. She opened the door to the cage, and a niffler shot out and launched itself at Curuwen. The snoggart ran away, screaming and shrieking as the small animal tried to eat her hair, her skin and the jewel around her neck.
"Excellent work, Miss Granger!" Professor Moody said. "Twenty points to Gryffindor for your creative thinking. I've never seen a niffler attack a snoggart before. But, then, I've never seen a snoggart as, well, shiny as that one."
*** Author's Note ***
I wasn't planning for this to be a Silmarillion crossover. It just kind of happened. I didn't explicitly say so, but that was a Silmaril around her neck, of course.