A/N-Disclaimer: I own only Professor Amante and the plot of this story. The
rest belongs to the great J.K. Rowling
"All right, settle down, settle down," Professor Amante said as she closed the door with a snap.
Ron, Hermione, and Harry were seated somewhat in the middle of the classroom, their books out, and quills at the ready. The professor shuffled some papers on her desk, and neatly placed them in one of her drawers. She straightened up, clasped her hands in front of her, and smiled warmly.
"Well, as you all know, I'm Professor Amante. I'm afraid I'm going to have to talk to you about my class policies, what we're going to be learning, and all that bladdy bladdy blah," she said, rolling her eyes. The class laughed a little uncertainly, still wondering how disciplinary she would be.
Professor Amante put her hands on her hips. "Jeez, looking at all of your faces I might as well be a Lethifold about to suffocate you! I'm not going to bite, you know!" she said. This time more people laughed.
"Oh I like her, this should be a good class," Harry whispered to the others. Hermione nodded, and Ron smiled.
The bell rang and the class spilled out of the classroom, chatting animatedly as they made their way outside for Herbology. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to leave. Ron and Harry were talking about Quidditch when Hermione suddenly burst.
"But who could it be? Who could my secret admirer be?" she asked, a little worriedly, yet a small pink flush crept up her cheeks.
It was spooky, really, how she took up a conversation hours, even days old. Ron fought with his heart to stop it from fluttering and turning his ears scarlet.
"I really don't know, Hermione. Like the letter said, we'll have to wait for the next one to find out more," Harry said after a moments pause. Ron felt a strong rush of gratitude towards Harry. Though he might tease him when Hermione wasn't near, Harry always covered for him.
"So, Granger, you've got yourself a secret admirer now, do you?" came a sneering drawl. Malfoy came around the corner, once again looking at Hermione as though she were delicious enough to eat.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Hermione replied icily.
"Nothing, Granger. Nothing at all...." Malfoy replied and walked away without smirking in his usual way.
"That was strange...." Ron said; following Malfoy's back around the corner with his eyes.
"'Dear Hermione, I have one clue for you today: you have known me a very long time, though some of the time we weren't very pleasant towards each other. Love, Your Secret Admirer.' Hmm, that doesn't help very much, does it?" Hermione said the next morning, frowning at the small letter in her hand.
"Well we know it's not Neville," Harry said, sniggering. "He'd never dream of being 'unpleasant' towards you."
"Oh, shut up," Hermione said.
"Hey Harry, when are we going to start Quidditch?" Ron asked hastily, trying to change the subject. Harry had been made Quidditch Captain over the summer.
"Next week, I think, it's pretty difficult to book the pitch," Harry said, thinking for a moment.
"Is that all you two think about? Quidditch?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.
"Well, not everything..." Ron said, his ears turning pink. Hermione laughed and returned to her breakfast. She was so cute when she laughed, her dimples showed up and her eyes twinkled. Ron sighed inwardly.
At break, Ron was showing the other two the new piece of merchandise his brothers were selling, Singing Sweets. They made your voice jump up three octaves after eating. Colin Creevey, still in awe of Harry made his way over.
"What's that, Harry?" he asked bluntly, pointing at the sweet.
"It's a special candy that makes you get a hundred percent on your next test. You can have it for ten galleons," Harry said swiftly. Ron and Hermione tried hard not to laugh.
"Oooh, that sounds cool! Here you go!" Colin handed over the gold and took the sweet eagerly.
"Nice one," Ron said, and then burst out laughing.
Hermione looked as though she was torn between laughing or telling Harry off. However, in the end, she too was in a fit of giggles.
"Here, it was your sweet, you get the gold," Harry said shoving the gold into Ron's hands. "And don't give it back, you know you want it."
Ron grinned at Harry and pocketed the money. "You know, I think this shop has softened those two up. They haven't played a prank all summer!"
"Well, I expect that it taught them some responsibility. At least Mrs. Weasley will be happy," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I just hope they don't lose their sense of humor," Ron said.
"Wonder what your secret admirer's going to send you today, Hermione," Harry said, tipping bacon strips onto his plate as he spoke.
"Yeah, maybe it'll be the one that tells you who it is," Ron said slyly. Hermione blushed furiously, but looked up eagerly when the mail arrived.
"Oh my goodness..." she gasped as a large barn owl soared towards her. Clutched in its beak were a dozen red roses. All around the hall girls were swiveling around, some hoping the owl would come to them, others just curious about who they had gone to. The owl dropped them on her plate and she searched them frantically for a card.
"Here it is! 'Each of these roses are breathtakingly beautiful, but none as much as you. Love, Your Secret Admirer," Hermione read. She set down the card, lifted the roses to her nose, and sniffed them daintily. "I'm going to put these in my dormitory...." She said, noticing that many girls were hurrying towards her from across the hall.
"Oooh, who sent Hermione the roses?" Hannah Abbott squealed when she reached them.
"No idea, she's got a secret admirer," Ron said automatically. Hannah, looking a little disappointed, went back to her table. Many girls from other houses and hers rushed over to gossip about who could have sent Hermione the roses.
Harry was staring at Ron. "Where'd you get the galleons for those?" he asked incredulously.
"You, mate. I used the money you got from Creevey. The rose place was having a sale, a dozen roses for ten galleons," Ron said smugly.
"So, when are you going to come clean?" Harry asked concernedly.
Ron's face fell and he gazed across the hall at the blank wall. "I—I don't know...." He said uncertainly.
"All right, settle down, settle down," Professor Amante said as she closed the door with a snap.
Ron, Hermione, and Harry were seated somewhat in the middle of the classroom, their books out, and quills at the ready. The professor shuffled some papers on her desk, and neatly placed them in one of her drawers. She straightened up, clasped her hands in front of her, and smiled warmly.
"Well, as you all know, I'm Professor Amante. I'm afraid I'm going to have to talk to you about my class policies, what we're going to be learning, and all that bladdy bladdy blah," she said, rolling her eyes. The class laughed a little uncertainly, still wondering how disciplinary she would be.
Professor Amante put her hands on her hips. "Jeez, looking at all of your faces I might as well be a Lethifold about to suffocate you! I'm not going to bite, you know!" she said. This time more people laughed.
"Oh I like her, this should be a good class," Harry whispered to the others. Hermione nodded, and Ron smiled.
The bell rang and the class spilled out of the classroom, chatting animatedly as they made their way outside for Herbology. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to leave. Ron and Harry were talking about Quidditch when Hermione suddenly burst.
"But who could it be? Who could my secret admirer be?" she asked, a little worriedly, yet a small pink flush crept up her cheeks.
It was spooky, really, how she took up a conversation hours, even days old. Ron fought with his heart to stop it from fluttering and turning his ears scarlet.
"I really don't know, Hermione. Like the letter said, we'll have to wait for the next one to find out more," Harry said after a moments pause. Ron felt a strong rush of gratitude towards Harry. Though he might tease him when Hermione wasn't near, Harry always covered for him.
"So, Granger, you've got yourself a secret admirer now, do you?" came a sneering drawl. Malfoy came around the corner, once again looking at Hermione as though she were delicious enough to eat.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Hermione replied icily.
"Nothing, Granger. Nothing at all...." Malfoy replied and walked away without smirking in his usual way.
"That was strange...." Ron said; following Malfoy's back around the corner with his eyes.
"'Dear Hermione, I have one clue for you today: you have known me a very long time, though some of the time we weren't very pleasant towards each other. Love, Your Secret Admirer.' Hmm, that doesn't help very much, does it?" Hermione said the next morning, frowning at the small letter in her hand.
"Well we know it's not Neville," Harry said, sniggering. "He'd never dream of being 'unpleasant' towards you."
"Oh, shut up," Hermione said.
"Hey Harry, when are we going to start Quidditch?" Ron asked hastily, trying to change the subject. Harry had been made Quidditch Captain over the summer.
"Next week, I think, it's pretty difficult to book the pitch," Harry said, thinking for a moment.
"Is that all you two think about? Quidditch?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.
"Well, not everything..." Ron said, his ears turning pink. Hermione laughed and returned to her breakfast. She was so cute when she laughed, her dimples showed up and her eyes twinkled. Ron sighed inwardly.
At break, Ron was showing the other two the new piece of merchandise his brothers were selling, Singing Sweets. They made your voice jump up three octaves after eating. Colin Creevey, still in awe of Harry made his way over.
"What's that, Harry?" he asked bluntly, pointing at the sweet.
"It's a special candy that makes you get a hundred percent on your next test. You can have it for ten galleons," Harry said swiftly. Ron and Hermione tried hard not to laugh.
"Oooh, that sounds cool! Here you go!" Colin handed over the gold and took the sweet eagerly.
"Nice one," Ron said, and then burst out laughing.
Hermione looked as though she was torn between laughing or telling Harry off. However, in the end, she too was in a fit of giggles.
"Here, it was your sweet, you get the gold," Harry said shoving the gold into Ron's hands. "And don't give it back, you know you want it."
Ron grinned at Harry and pocketed the money. "You know, I think this shop has softened those two up. They haven't played a prank all summer!"
"Well, I expect that it taught them some responsibility. At least Mrs. Weasley will be happy," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I just hope they don't lose their sense of humor," Ron said.
"Wonder what your secret admirer's going to send you today, Hermione," Harry said, tipping bacon strips onto his plate as he spoke.
"Yeah, maybe it'll be the one that tells you who it is," Ron said slyly. Hermione blushed furiously, but looked up eagerly when the mail arrived.
"Oh my goodness..." she gasped as a large barn owl soared towards her. Clutched in its beak were a dozen red roses. All around the hall girls were swiveling around, some hoping the owl would come to them, others just curious about who they had gone to. The owl dropped them on her plate and she searched them frantically for a card.
"Here it is! 'Each of these roses are breathtakingly beautiful, but none as much as you. Love, Your Secret Admirer," Hermione read. She set down the card, lifted the roses to her nose, and sniffed them daintily. "I'm going to put these in my dormitory...." She said, noticing that many girls were hurrying towards her from across the hall.
"Oooh, who sent Hermione the roses?" Hannah Abbott squealed when she reached them.
"No idea, she's got a secret admirer," Ron said automatically. Hannah, looking a little disappointed, went back to her table. Many girls from other houses and hers rushed over to gossip about who could have sent Hermione the roses.
Harry was staring at Ron. "Where'd you get the galleons for those?" he asked incredulously.
"You, mate. I used the money you got from Creevey. The rose place was having a sale, a dozen roses for ten galleons," Ron said smugly.
"So, when are you going to come clean?" Harry asked concernedly.
Ron's face fell and he gazed across the hall at the blank wall. "I—I don't know...." He said uncertainly.