Chapter Nine: Classes Begin

"Malcolm, Hermione, will the two of you stay."

Professor McGonagall had finished giving the Gryffindors their first lesson in transfiguration. And now she was looking at the two students with a mirthless smile.

"There seems to be a problem with the two of you. I would like to sort it out, NOW. How did the two of you manage to get into a fight on one of the boats?"

"We weren't fighting," Malcolm answered.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione said with her head bowed. "That boy can be so irritating. I lost control of myself."

"Irritating?" Malcolm asked. "You should know. You know everything, and you don't mind letting everyone else know."

Hermione looked surprised. "You're mad at me because I tried to help?"

"I didn't need your help," Malcolm retorted, "and I didn't ask for your help."

"Only because you're not smart enough to know you need help."

"Both of you will have detention with me tonight."

Both Gryffindors stopped. Malcolm asked first. "What?"

Then Hermione asked. "Why, Professor?"

McGonagall crossed her arms. "It seems from the first moment the two of you met, you have been exchanging words with each other. Even now, neither of you will bother to stop. Perhaps a few extra hours of schooling will teach the two of you to hold your tongues."

Hermione smiled at the thought while Malcolm groaned.

"Both of you will come to my office directly after dinner tonight. Miss Granger, you may leave."

Hermione smirked as she walked out of the classroom. At least SHE wouldn't be late for the next class.

Malcolm smiled weakly at Professor McGonagall.

Now she's going to talk to me about Malfoy. Let's face it. I'm dead in the water.

"Malcolm, Fred and George Weasley said that I should talk to you."

YES!

"They tell me that you are a natural on a broom." McGonagall paused and looked up. "Mister Weasley, you might as well come back in, unless you like listening at the door."

"Sorry." Ron walked into the classroom with a sheepish grin, his face as red as his hair.

"I assume you know about this?"

Ron beamed. "Oh, yes Ma'am. We've been training Malcolm for the past month. I'd swear he flies better than my brother Charlie."

McGonagall nodded thoughtfully. "I could talk to Dumbledore . . . "

Malcolm couldn't help himself. "Would you? That would be great, Professor. I'd do anything to get on the Quidditch team."

Uh, oh. I said the wrong thing. She's giving me that look. Yep, there's the smile. I'm doomed.

"Malcolm, there is the matter with Hermione Granger."

"I'll do it." Malcolm was crestfallen. "I'll apologize to her, and I'll be polite to her from now on."

Now what? Her smile just got bigger.

"That is generous of you, Malcolm. I was only going to ask you to avoid her . . . but if you're willing to go that far, then I'm willing to forget about detention."

"Just for me, right?" Malcolm looked hopeful.

McGonagall's smile became genuine. "Why don't we only forget about her detention? I've just have a wonderful idea."

Hermione was sitting in Charms, waiting for Professor Flitwick to show up when Malcolm walked in. She frowned at him, wishing he had come later, like after class. Then Malcolm walked up to her and her frown deepened.

"Um, Hermione," Malcolm said in a serious tone, which immediately made her suspicious.

Why does everyone react like that?

"Um, Hermione," Malcolm said again. "I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting. I shouldn't have provoked you."

Hermione was stunned. Malcolm wasn't even smiling. It must be a trick. "It's a little late for that, isn't it. Now that we both have detention."

"Um, Hermione," Malcolm repeated. "I explained everything to Professor McGonagall. She said to tell you that you're excused, and you can stop by her office after class if you don't believe me."

"Really? You got me out of detention?" She saw Malcolm nod. "WHY?"

Because for detention I have to go down to the broom shed Friday after dinner and dust all the brooms . . . and sneak one out to fly around on while McGonagall and Dumbledore "accidentally" spot me. That way, I get to be on the Quidditch team. That's why I'm doing this.

"Well . . . I've never been away from home before, and . . . I, I mean, no one was there to tell me to stop. I got carried away. I'm sorry. Honestly, I am." Malcolm wiped a tear from his eye.

Francis taught me that trick when I was five. It's weird but Reese never learned how to do it and Dewey learned on his own.

Seamus Finnigan ruined the moment by saying, "You fancy her. Don't you?"

Malcolm went to hid in the corner but he could still hear the girls whispering. Hermione was among them.

"He really likes you," Lavender Brown said. "He's just immature about it. All boys are."

"I was convinced he was lying," Hermione replied. "Then he actually started to cry."

"Just wait," a third girl said. "Next he'll ask to carry your books."

"He is kind of cute," Pavarti Patil told them.

Malcolm could also hear the boys. Ron was among them.

"Seamus, that's stupid. Why would he like Little Miss Know-It-All?"

Thanks, Ron.

"Think about it, Ron. She's smart, and Malcolm's not the fastest swimmer in the lake. He'll sit next to her during all the tests."

"I'll bet Hermione's not the type to cheat," Neville offered. "But he'll have a tutor whenever he needs one."

Dean Thomas, who was sitting next to Malcolm, turned and smiled, "Dear Diary . . ."

Malcolm frowned. " . . . today I pushed my roommate Dean down a flight of stairs."

Dean smirked. "Point taken . . ."

"DON'T SAY IT!"

" . . . Romeo."

I think I hate the laughter more than anything. Where is Professor Flitwick anyway.

Professor Flitwick came in, one minute too late to catch anyone gossiping, and the class began with him partnering everyone. As it turned out, only one boy and girl were paired together.

Yeah. I wonder how that happened? Anyway, I made the best of it. I did trade seats with her at one point to get a better angle. But here's the deal. Class is over. I'm just going to grab my books and head back to the common room.

"Oh," Hermione said in surprise. Behind her, Lavender was saying, "I told you."

Malcolm looked down. He had picked up Hermione's books by mistake. He had forgotten that they had switched seats so that he could get a better angle (and avoid getting hit by Ron's wand).

This would happen to me. Think fast. Priorities: Don't tell the truth about what happened with McGonagall. And don't give Hermione any reason to get mad at me. Option one: put books down, start making excuses, mess up by forgetting which lies have been told. Option Two: . . . Dang. It's option two.

"I, uh, I'll carry your books for you . . . if you like, well, I mean, you know."

Boy, was that smooth. At least all the words were in English . . . NO. She's blushing again.

"Uh, thank you, Malcolm." All the boys, except Ron, were grinning. Ron was slapping his hand to his forehead.

"Great," Malcolm lied cheerfully, as he picked up his own books as well. "Great," he whispered to himself with slightly less enthusiasm.

"What's that?" Ron asked when the owl dropped a letter in front of Malcolm, then waited while Malcolm finished filling his plate with breakfast.

"Hagrid invited me down to his hut this afternoon."

"The giant? That should be fun. Are you going?"

Malcolm paused. "Yeah. I kinda owe him."

"What do you mean?"

"You know he delivered my letter personally. We wouldn't let him in 'cause my dad thought he was a salesman. Do you want to come?"

"I'd love to." Ron looked up and hurriedly whispered, "your girlfriend's coming."

"She's not my girlfriend."

Ron smirked. "Then you should tell her. Hi, Hermione."

"Hi, Ron. Malcolm, what are you doing after potions today?"

"Oh, I, um . . ."

"He has to see the Groundskeeper," Ron offered.

Hermione sighed. "Malcolm, what did you do now?"

"I don't know. That's why I have to . . ."

". . . see the Groundskeeper," Hermione finished. She put her books down and sat next to Malcolm. "Really, I don't know what I see in you anyway. I think you attract trouble."

She's right about that. Look who sat down next to me.

It was by no amount of chance that Hermione and Malcolm were sitting next to each other for their first Potions lesson. Professor Snape walked in and sneered at the entire class. He gave his introductory speech, then looked directly at Malcolm.

"Let me see if I remember. You call yourself Malcolm, don't you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you think changing your name adds to your celebrity?" Several of the Slytherins in the classroom snickered.

What's with this guy? He gives me a dirty look on the first day. And now he's deliberately making fun of me.

"I never thought of it that way, Sir. You could be right." Malcolm smiled.

"Oh, what a clever wit." Snape's mocking tone was obvious even to Crabbe and Goyle. "Then let us see how smart you really are. What is the difference between monkshood and wolfbane?"

"Um," Malcolm said as Hermione raised her hand. " Wolfbane blooms . . ." Hermione gave an agitated sigh and kept her hand raised. "I don't know."

Professor Snape smiled. "Such a pity. What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand was raised and she was waving it.

"Oh stop that, you silly girl."

Hurt by his remarks, she lowered his hand. Snape turned back to Malcolm.

"Well?"

"I don't know . . . Sir." Malcolm was still smiling.

"Really? Then where would I find a bezoar?"

"Hey, I know that one." Everyone stared at Malcolm, who for some stupid reason was still smiling. "In a bee's boat!"

Snape gave a confused frown. "Excuse me."

"Sure," Malcolm answered. "You said a bee's oar. You'd find a bee's oar in a bee's boat. But if the bee's oar is not in the bee's boat then maybe it's because the bee has it STUCK UP HIS ASS!!!"

It was worth it.

Fred and George were grinning when they found Malcolm.

"Twenty points."

"That was great."

"Snape's tied in knots over what you did."

"I don't believe you," Percy said as he walked up to his brothers. "Malcolm is supposed to learn to respect teachers as a result of this and you make it sound like something to celebrate."

"That's not it at all," Fred told his brother.

"Yeah," George replied. "Now you won't be complaining about how many points we lose."

"That's right," Fred continued. "Now we can always point to Malcolm, Mister pinhead."

"That's prefect," Percy corrected. "Malcolm, learn your lesson well, and don't listen to these two. If you will excuse me, I have 'important' things to do."

"I, for one, am glad Malcolm said those things."

Everyone turned to look at Hermione.

"YOU?" Ron asked in amazement.

"Professor Snape was being deliberately rude. It serves him right that someone would stand up to him, not caring about grades or house points but simply standing up for the right thing."

She's mad because Snape called her a silly girl.

"I wouldn't do it, of course," Hermione continued. She slumped down on the couch next to Malcolm and took his hand. Then she added softly, "but I wish I did."

"The Irish kid was right," Fred whispered loudly to George. "She does fancy him."

"And look at Malcolm," George noted. "See the way he's blushing."

"Guys," Ron said in annoyance, and took them aside to explain.

This is terrible. Hermione actually thinks I like her. She's already told me that she didn't have many friends at her old school because she was always showing off to everyone how smart she was. And she told me how all the other girls want to talk to her now. And now this thing with Snape. It's only Friday and Hermione is already the most popular kid in school. And it's all because of a lie. It's all because I'm trying to trick my way onto the Quidditch team. But I've already decided what I'm going to do about all of it. I'm going to ask her to come with me. Then when I get 'caught' I can say I was just trying to show off for her.

"Hermione," Malcolm asked mischievously, "would you like to join me in detention?"

Hermione gave him a curious look. "Why would I want to do that?"

"I'm supposed to clean the brooms in the broom shed, but I thought if you came with me, I could, um, show you how to ride a broom."

"You know how to ride a broom?"

"Yeah, and McGonagall's only going to check on me at the end. I could show you the basics, you know, give you a step up for our first class next Friday."

Do you see her eye's light up. Once I mentioned class.

"I'd love to," Hermione said, and impulsively gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I forgot," Malcolm said hastily as he stood up. "I have to go see Hagrid."

I wish he wouldn't laugh like that.

"Tha' has to be a lie," Hagrid said between guffaws.

"It's true," Ron told the giant as he tried to feed his cookie to the bloodhound, Fang. "Hermione thinks that Malcolm was sticking up for her when he said that."

"An' ye told her tha' ye liked her?"

"Nooo," Malcolm said earnestly. "I just didn't tell her that I didn't like her."

"An' why not?"

Malcolm and Ron were both grinning. "As long as Hermione Granger doesn't complain about me, McGonagall's going to let me try out for the Quidditch team . . . after she bends the rules a little."

"She'll need Dumbledore's approval," Hagrid noted.

"And I have detention tonight. I have to clean out the broom shed."

Hagrid smirked. "Ye know. Ye should invite that little girlfrien' o' yours."

"I already did," Malcolm said. "She can be my alibi."

Hagrid laughed again, then passed out more cookies. "Ye must really like them, Ron. Tha's yer fourth one."

Ron smiled weakly while Fang looked lovingly at his hand.