Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter books or characters, I just pretend I do. You wouldn't sue a mental female, would you? I didn't think so.
A/N: Okay, so here you go. Thanks to Marshmello, Funny Gal, Peanuts107, and Saturn's Candlesticks for your lovely reviews. I know I haven't updated in forever, but whatever. This chapter is entirely fluffy and mostly pointless (a bit on the short side, sorry), so offer any suggestions you have… my muse is out playing in the snow. A good way to do this is to review… hint, hint. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Hopes and Homework
The new term started without fanfare, and Thursday evening found the sixth year Hufflepuff friends gathered in the common room around a large table, discussing their history of magic homework. "How much history do we really need to know?" lamented Hannah to the group, tapping her pen idly on her parchment. Ernie shot her a withering look in reply, while Justin and Susan snickered. It was no secret that Ernie's favorite subject was history, and he was always attempting to justify its use and importance.
"History is everything! Why, without history, we wouldn't be the--"
Justin quickly slid a hand over his roommate's mouth, effectively silencing the boy. Seconds later, though, he released his friend with a yelp.
"What'd you do that for? That's gross, Ernie!" cried Justin, looking down at his hand in disgust.
"Did he lick you again? Honestly Justin, you're a wizard, just zap the idiot with a silencing charm next time," commented Susan with a laugh.
Hannah shook her head and turned back to her parchment. "Alright, so the 1811 ministry conference was the main reason for the centaurs leaving. What else?"
Ernie flipped through his text thoughtfully, Susan scanning the pages from over his shoulder. "There," she said, pointing to a small list concerning the conference. "'The centaurs did not agree with Minister Stump's revision of the 'beast' and 'being' classifications and did not feel they should be grouped alongside hags and vampires,'" she read aloud.
"Wasn't there something else about the Merpeople, too? Didn't they follow suit or something?" queried Justin, who was sucking the tip of his quill and staring at the fire. Ernie began to give an answer, but Hannah interrupted quickly.
"We don't need to know about them, just the centaurs. I think I can turn that into enough of a paper," she said, measuring how much she had down already.
"But Hannah, it's not just about the paper, it's about learning and understanding the information!"
The female in question merely raised an eyebrow at her fellow prefect and smirked. "You know, I'm reconsidering Susan's earlier proposal of a silencing charm."
Ernie grinned back at her, his eyes filled with the challenge. It was at this point that Justin coughed very pointedly, and Hannah realized Susan had her fist stuffed in her mouth to stop laughing.
"Oh, shut it, you," muttered the very pink prefect as she returned to her essay, thankful that she only needed two inches more.
The next morning, Hannah awoke to the racket that was Susan's puffskein-shaped alarm clock. The device always awoke Hannah instantly, but Susan seemed miraculously immune to its humming.
"Get up! Turn off that clock!" Hannah hollered at her friend, throwing her pillow at the girl as was her usual morning routine. Susan groaned terrifically and rolled over to stare at her most obnoxious roommate.
"What, is the alarm bothering you?" asked Susan with a wicked grin. "I can't seem to recall how to turn it off…"
A second pillow came her way, and was quickly followed by a pair of shoes and a small novel. "Ah! Ouch! I get it!" Susan cried in aggravation grabbing her wand and sliding it into the hole in the puffskein's head.
"That's the weirdest alarm clock I've ever seen," commented Hannah dryly. "It's like you're performing brain surgery on it or something."
Susan shrugged. "Aunt Amelia gave it to me three years ago when Izelle got squashed. Stupid thing. Still, I like the clock. Charmed for wand recognition, you know."
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Yes, I bloody well know, or I'd be able to shut the thing off on my own," she reminded her friend as she slid into her house robes. "Now hurry up and get yourself ready, I want to get to breakfast."
"Hannah, friend, unicorn of my dorm, please bestow upon your best girl friend another five minutes," pleaded Susan over-dramatically, placing a hand over her face theatrically. Another textbook found it's target in her face, and the girl got up rather quickly. "Okay! I surrender! Just let me plait my hair and we'll be off."
"In your pajamas?" asked Hannah, raising an eyebrow. "If you think Terry'll go for that, then by all means do." This time, a shoe was sent Hannah's way. "Ooh, I fancy Terry," continued Hannah in a breathless mockery of her friend, "He's just so I smart and lovely and--"
Hannah suddenly found that her voice had disappeared. "Don't doubt my silencing powers!" called Susan jovially on her way to the bathroom, and Hannah laughed in her head. It was odd how well they knew each other now, even though they had hardly talked for years. War times could do strange things to a person, she realized. Very strange, indeed.
"I got an A? Only an acceptable?" Ernie was devastated. "An acceptable? Me?"
Susan waved her paper triumphantly in his face. "I got exceeds-expectations," she taunted in a singsong voice.
"You still beat Justin," offered Hannah with a smile. Ernie simply looked back at her in horror.
"I would hope so! I'd be depressed if I hadn't!" he exclaimed, and Justin smacked him in the back of the head with his battered copy ofThe History of the Wizarding World (the abridged version).
"Keep the abuse to a minimum, Finch-Fletchly," advised Anthony Goldstein, who was walking behind them with a smirk. Hannah noticed idly that Anthony was holding hands with Padma, who gave her a small wink.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Anthony! Padma! Together? Brilliant!" cried Susan, a huge grin lighting up her face. The pair blushed as one, and Padma murmured something about it having taken long enough. Susan then turned her wicked grin to her Hufflepuff friends.
"Funny… all the prefects seem to be pairing up. What exactly did the Head girl instruct you to do this year?"
Hannah's jaw dropped in disbelief, and Ernie's eyes grew round as galleons. The entire group had stopped moving, and Padma and Anthony were watching the conversation with amused expressions.
"What? Aren't you going to smack her, then?" asked Justin just before the silence turned awkward. "Oh, come on now, you smack me over everything!"
Ernie hesitated a moment, then started to walk towards the great hall again. "Maybe no one told you, Justin," he said as they started down a short staircase, "but it's impolite to hit a witch."
Susan grinned wildly at this, but Ernie spoke again before she could respond.
"There are more creative ways to get back at them."