DISCLAIMER: Ummmm... I don't own it! Except for Elizabeth and Julianna. And the plotline I guess. But everything else belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling
Author's Note: I am reposting the first five chapters after doing some major revising in parts to try to make it a bit closer to canon. I hope you enjoy the new version of "A Year to Remember" (and if anyone can think of a better title, please tell me :-)
Chapter 4: Classes and a Duel
Elizabeth stared at the eggs she had already put on her plate. Then she determined (for sure) that she wasn't hungry at all.
"I'm just going to go see my mom and dad for a minute. Okay guys?" she said, as she saw her parents getting up to leave.
"Okay, but you don't know where Transfiguration is," Hermione said sounding worried.
"I'm sure I'll be back before Ron finishes. Don't worry," Elizabeth said as she got up. Ron had just loaded his plate up for the second time.
Elizabeth caught up with her parents just outside the Great Hall. They were talking quietly about something, but abruptly stopped as Elizabeth came up behind them.
"Hi Mom, Dad! How's your morning so far? I got my schedule!"
Her father smiled at her, "What do you have for classes today? I know you don't have Defence."
"I have Transfiguration, Charms, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology with Mom, and Double Potions with the Slytherins;" Elizabeth listed off, "According to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Double Potions is bad."
"Yes, that might be a bit hard, especially since you said Potions was your weak point and…," her father replied.
"Dear, don't tell her that," her mother cut in, ""You'll do fine, Elizabeth."
"Yeah, I'm sure I will. Anyways I better get back to my friends. I said I'd be back before Ron was finished his second helping, but even he can't take forever," Elizabeth said. Her parents laughed and said goodbye as she went back into the Great Hall.
Ron was still eating when Elizabeth got back to the hall. Since he wasn't finished, Elizabeth and Hermione decided to go get their books while Harry waited for Ron.
Elizabeth and Hermione made a short sidetrack past the library because Hermione had a book she had borrowed over before summer break. Unfortunately the library was closed but Hermione left the book by the door saying, "Who's going to steal a library book?" After that they had met up with the boys outside the Transfiguration room.
"Welcome back, sixth years," Professor McGonagall began, "This year in Transfiguration we shall begin with a small quiz to review what you do and don't remember from last term. This is so I shall know what to give a short review on before we begin the normal lesson plan. You'll only need a quill so put your book away Mr. Finnigan. Ms. Granger, could you please pass out the quizzes for me? Thank you very much. Mr. Finnigan, I said put your book away," she finished severely.
Elizabeth looked at the first question, 'What is a) the definition and b) the incantation for a simple Switching Spell?' "That's easy!" she thought as she filled in the answer, "On to number two!" Fifteen minutes later, the classroom was still filled with the sound of scratching quills, as everybody but Elizabeth and Hermione continued writing their quizzes.
"That wasn't too bad," Hermione said confidently as they left the classroom, "I was expecting Professor McGonagall to have a more challenging test than that!"
"How could it be harder than that? I couldn't remember the definition of a 'simple Switching Spell'!" Ron exclaimed angrily.
"Come on Ron, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Elizabeth asked, cheerfully.
"Of course it was! It was worse than that! It was terrible!"
"Well Ron, because you have the memory of a goldfish, I guess that means it wasn't hard for the rest of us normal humans!" Hermione snapped before speed-walking down the hallway towards Charms.
"What got into her?" Harry said, voicing all of their thoughts out loud as they stared down the hallway after her.
"I really couldn't say," Elizabeth replied.
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During Charms, Elizabeth had to sit with Lisa Turpin, a girl from Ravenclaw, because Hermione had sat with Lavender, and Parvati was sitting with her sister Padma (who was a Ravenclaw as well). They went over some basic charms with Professor Flitwick and then received a brief outline of what they would cover this year. When the class ended, Hermione quickly headed off in the direction of the library (or at least Elizabeth thought that was where she was going).
"You guys, I'm just going to see what's up with Hermione, okay?" Elizabeth called to Harry and Ron, before following Hermione down the hallway. She caught up to her just outside the library. "Hermione, are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Hermione replied, not sounding like herself.
"Well, you sort of snapped at Ron after Transfiguration. I don't know you that well yet but it didn't really seem like you."
"You're right. I really don't know what got into me. It's just, he acts so stupid some times and he really isn't, and I guess it just annoys me."
"You sure that's it?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"You sure it's not that you like him, and want him to know but you're too afraid of rejection to tell him?"
"Okay, how did you figure that out? I never told anyone!"
"It's completely obvious…"
"It is? You mean Ron knows?"
"…to everybody except Ron and Harry and Dean and Seamus and Neville and so on and so forth."
"So you mean it's obvious to all the girls."
"Basically. Don't worry, we'll figure something-," Elizabeth was interrupted by a bell ringing, "Oh crap! Hermione, where in this great big huge castle is the Divination room?"
"If you run down that hallway, you'll most likely find Harry and Ron running late for class. If not, I don't know what to do!"
"Hermione! I needed a definite answer!" Elizabeth yelled as she ran down the hallway. Soon she literally ran into Harry.
"OWW! What do you think you're – oh, it's you, Liz," he said, "How's Hermione?"
"If you two don't start moving we're going to have Trelawney predicting we're late for class!" Ron exclaimed irritably.
"I'll tell you about Hermione once we get there," Elizabeth said, as they broke into a run again.
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They raced through the door and found seats just as the bell rang. Fortunately, Ron had sat with Neville so Elizabeth was able to whisper what Hermione had said to Harry.
"She likes Ron? I knew he liked her and I thought that she might like him too, but I wasn't sure. So what are we going to do about it?"
"I have an idea. There's only one problem. We need someplace where we can meet and Ron and Hermione can't find us. That rules out the common room and the library. And we have to have enough room for everybody."
"What do you mean?"
"You think we could do this on our own?" Harry nodded slowly then quickly shook his head when he saw the look on her face. "Harry! We need help. Lavender, Parvati, and Ginny could all help us. So could Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Any ideas for a meeting place?"
Harry nodded, "Yep, tell Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny to meet where we did for DA at six tonight. They'll know what I mean. I'll tell Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Meet me in the common room right after supper."
"Okay!"
Suddenly a woman who could only be Professor Trelawney glided into the room. "Class!" she exclaimed, "I sense…I sense a strange aura in the room. What has happened? Who is here?"
"She doesn't get out much, does she?" Elizabeth whispered to Harry. He was about to answer when Trelawney swooped over to their small table.
"You my dear, who are you? You look strangely familiar, yet not completely like I've seen you before," she said mysteriously.
"I'm Elizabeth Lupin, Professor. I just transferred here from…"
"Alakazam! I remember now. My crystal was a bit foggy that day, perhaps that's why I didn't recognize you. Now if I were you dear, I'd watch out for that one. He is completely capable of breaking your heart if he chooses to," she said, pointing at Harry.
"Thank you very much, Professor! Shouldn't we be starting the lesson?"
"Oh yes! Of course! I knew you were going to say that!" Professor Trelawney exclaimed as Elizabeth and Harry struggled to hide their laughter. Elizabeth could see Lavender and Parvati glaring at them from the other side of the room.
Soon, although not soon enough, they were heading out the front doors and down the lawn towards Hagrid's house for Care of Magical Creatures. As the three of them walked down the steps, Elizabeth saw Hermione ahead of them. "Hermione! Wait up!" she yelled as Ron and Harry also quickened their paces, and they caught up to Hermione.
"Oh, the Mudblood's friends are here. How lucky for her," a very recognizable voice drawled from behind them, as Draco Malfoy and his two gorillas came up behind them "Because otherwise the fight wouldn't exactly have been fair, would it?"
"You're right, Malfoy," Elizabeth agreed, "Hermione would have cursed you and your little gorillas here, to Timbuktu and back! Although I suppose now with the four of us it isn't any fairer because we could curse you all the way to the Pacific Ocean, let you almost drown there, and then curse you back here again." She smirked at him.
Fast as lightning, Malfoy drew his wand and yelled, "Incarcerous!"
Just as fast, Elizabeth dodged it as she pulled out her wand and yelled, "Locomotor Mortis!"
It hit Malfoy but he somehow managed to remain upright with his legs locked together and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
"Protego!" Elizabeth yelled, protecting herself. By this time all the Slytherins and Gryffindors had gathered around the duelling pair. Malfoy quickly removed the curse Elizabeth had placed on him.
"Rictusempra!" he yelled.
"Densaugeo!"
"Stupefy!"
"Silencio!"
Malfoy tried to yell another curse but was stopped by the silencing charm Elizabeth had placed on him. Then he tried again, and again, and again.
"You know what? I think I like him better this way. Don't worry, Draco. It should wear off by tomorrow. I hope so for your sake," Elizabeth smiled at him, as he kept trying to curse her.
As they prepared for class, all the Gryffindors congratulated Elizabeth while the Slytherins sent deadly glares her way and Crabbe, Goyle, and a Slytherin girl named Pansy Parkinson took Malfoy up to the hospital wing to see if Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, could fix his voice. Soon Hagrid came and class began.
"Today, ye'll be learnin' 'bout Mackled Malaclaws. Can anybody tell us anythin' 'bout them?" he said as he put a large box on the front table, and Elizabeth and Hermione both raised their hands, "Ah, how 'bout…'Lizbeth, please?"
"The Mackled Malaclaw dwells on land and is mostly found along the rocky shorelines of Europe although a small imported colony does exist near Alakazam Academy in Canada. It is light grey with green spots and can be up to twelve inches long. It resembles a lobster but should not be eaten as its flesh will cause a high fever and a green rash if consumed. Its bite should also be avoided as it causes the victim to be highly unlucky for up to a week," Elizabeth finished, earning a round of applause from the Gryffindors and Hagrid, and more glares from the Slytherins. Hagrid then proceeded to pass out a Malaclaw to each two people in the class.
The rest of class consisted of feeding the Malaclaws their preferred foods (small crustaceans) and Neville getting bit by one of the Malaclaws as he put in back in the box saying, "At least I didn't get bit at all!"
Hermione and Elizabeth offered to take Neville up to the hospital wing before going to get some lunch.
"Okay Neville, do you have any bets made?" Elizabeth inquired.
"No."
"Good, I was going to say to cancel them, with your newly gained bad luck."
"It's not newly gained! I've always been unlucky!"
"Okay, congratulations on your newly gained increase of bad luck! Who knows, maybe Madam Pomfrey will have an antidote."
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"I'm sorry dear. I ran out of antidote just yesterday when Hagrid was preparing for the lesson. It will be over a week before I'll have any more, so I'm afraid you'll have to live with your bad luck until then," Madam Pomfrey said kindly.
"Okay," Neville said sadly as he turned around, tripped over a table, and fell flat on his face…again. He had fallen down two sets of stairs, fallen up three sets of stairs, got stuck in two trick steps, and crashed into Professor Flitwick, all on their way to the hospital wing. On the way back to the Great Hall, he fell down three sets of stairs, up one, and got stuck in the same two trick steps. As he went to sit down on the bench to eat lunch, he tripped and landed face first in a potato casserole.
"This is going to be a long week," thought Elizabeth to herself.
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Herbology class went fairly smoothly. Elizabeth thought her mother handled it very well when Neville was nearly eaten by a Venomous Tentacula. The rest of the class went well for her though. It seemed like all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had enjoyed their class as the Hufflepuffs headed upstairs to Charms and the Gryffindors trudged down to the Potions dungeon, for their class with Professor Snape and the Slytherins.
"I assume that's Professor Snape," Elizabeth said apprehensively, looking at the front of the room where a greasy-haired man in black robes stood.
"Yep, the one and only," Harry whispered to her as they sat down by Ron and Hermione.
"Class, I regret to see that some of you have decided to continue your studies in Potions. Because obviously, some of you are not well suited for this type of work," Professor Snape said as he glided around the classroom, stopping by where Elizabeth was sitting by Hermione, "You girl, what is your name?"
"Elizabeth Lupin, sir," she replied, looking him straight in the eye, refusing to be intimidated.
"Well, well, a teacher's daughter. Don't be expecting any special treatment from me. Of course, I'm sure your mother and father, sentimental fools that they are, will be sure to treat their darling daughter better than all her classmates."
"You mean like you treat your precious Slytherins better than any other house? My father doesn't play favourites Professor Snape, unlike you."
"Ten points from Gryffindor, Miss Lupin."
"Very well Professor, as you wish."
Professor Snape gave her a look of intense dislike and seemed about to take more points from Gryffindor, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened and Malfoy walked in.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, I assume you have a valid excuse for your lateness," Malfoy handed him a note silently. "Of course, I understand," Snape said, sending Elizabeth another dirty look, "Take your seat, Mr. Malfoy. Miss Lupin, you now have detention with me tomorrow evening for attacking Mr. Malfoy earlier."
"Professor, he attacked me first!"
"Would you like it to be two detentions? I thought not. Now class…" and with that he began the lesson.