The girl who was.
Trill sat up suddenly, tossing the blankets and throwing her hands to the ground, straining to listen for small noises even while the knife in her boot found it's way into the dim morning light. Her eyes were wide with fear when she rolled quickly out of the bedding by the dead fire with the knife in front of her face, and waited in a crouch for the intruder. Birds flew in a flurry of wings from a nearby bush and her head jerked toward the sound of something rustling in the thick underbrush. Presently she heard the sound of snuffling, like a hunting dog after the game.
"Amurensis." She said indignantly, standing up and sliding the knife back into her boot. Trill was a short but slim girl, almost lithely muscled, and very elegant. She wore tight white clothingthat she had sewed herself, which she was very proud of. She had high cheekbones covered by light brown skin and high arched eyebrows, but the very most extraordinary part about her was her hair. Every inch of it was shining, silky silver and had she been at Hogwarts, they may have mistaken her for a Veela.
The snuffling stopped and she heard instead the sound of soft footpads making their way across the thick layer of leaves toward her camp. Trill watched approach through the trees, an enormous white wolf with a shaggy white mane and shimmering white fur that came immediately upon seeing her and touched his nose to her boot.
"Apology accepted." She said seriously, looking down her nose at the huge animal that came to her rib cage. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Trill fell to her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around his soft ruff.
"I've missed you." She said into his fur. Amurensis rolled his eyes and tolerated it for a moment, and then wiggled out of her grasp and pointed his nose to the rising sun. Trill smiled at him fondly.
"I guess you're right. We had better get started if we plan on making it to this…this Hogwarts by nightfall." Amurensis snorted and sat down hard on the ground "Yes, I agree." She said with a smile. "It is an odd name. One wonders where the name…Hog-warts came from? "And she trotted over to her campsite to hide the fire and pack the bedding. She stuffed the flint and tinder into her pack, rolled up the bedding and threw it onto her back.
"Here goes." She said nonchalantly to the waiting wolf, and then turned to face the forest where Amurensis had emerged.
The twittering of birds ceased when the lovely sounds of someone else's singing flowed through the branches of the forest. It was an enchanting and haunting song that pealed like a set of clear silver bells, and each creature stopped to listen closely. The song chimed on for only a few seconds until it was ended by a wolf's deep howl.
"Amurensis you old wind bag, you always ruin my song right in the middle!"
"Ah, but if it were up to you there would only be a middle! Put a cork in it, Trill, we have to get moving!" The slim, lithe wolf growled and nipped at Amurensis' ear while he trotted off into the woods.
"It was supposed to be impressive, Amurensis, I guess you could pretend you were impressed for once?" Trill laughed and jumped playfully around him. Amurensis didn't answer but rolled his eyes and kept moving.
"Fine then." Trill set her snout into the same position of sternness and walked in a stiff gait remarkably like Amurensis'. Amurensis looked back to see her acting and snarled,
"Would you quit it?" Trill giggled, but stopped. There was silence for a few minutes before Trill spoke again.
"You're so much more loveable when I'm a human and you're a wolf." She paused. "I don't suppose you could tell me anything about these people we are here to see?" Amurensis blinked at the sudden change of subject.
"I suppose…" he mused. "Very well. His name is Albus Dumbledore. He has asked for us to join the fight against a dark wizard. Very dark, with many followers, who even Dumbledore fears may prevail upon winning the entire magical world. He has in hand a boy, who it has been prophesied is the only one who can and will defeat him, unless he is killed before the duel can take place. His name…is Harry Potter." Trill tripped at the wave of information, and scrambled to catch back up to Amurensis.
"If he is the only one who can defeat him, what are we supposed to do?" Trill asked seriously.
"He is the only one who can defeat him." Amurensis said again, "Unless he is killed before the duel can take place." Trill stopped altogether now, and gulped. Amurensis kept walking, and Trill had to run once more to catch up.
"How old is this boy?" She asked softly.
"Fifteen years."
Trill raised her gaze at that. She spoke even softer.
"Fifteen? Then this boy has a journey in front of him from which he most probably will never return."
Amurensis stopped so suddenly that Trill ran into his bushy tail.
"We are here to help in whatever way we may. You, most probably will not be sent out to fight wizards, for you forget my girl, how old you are yourself. You may be assigned to be this boy's protector and I will not have you telling him that it is impossible." It was a command. Trill's mood changed in a blink.
"Yes mother! Aye-aye Captain! Very good, sir! Honestly, Amurensis! Who is the leader of this expedition? Sure you're really a wolf and I'm just in wolf form but that doesn't make you the supreme nacho…" she rambled angrily. He turned around and heaved a sigh, while Trill tittered on behind him.
"Trill dear," he called back.
"What!" she snapped.
"You're beginning to sound like an American." Trill's mouth shut tight at that and they continued the rest of the journey in silence.
Harry leaned his head on his hand and stared at the watch on his wrist, watching the seconds tick by. Professor Binns, the only ghost professor, put new meaning into bored to death. He blinked the emerald green eyes behind the round wire-rimmed glasses, before opening his mouth wide for a jaw-cracking yawn that made him shake his shaggy hair in an effort to be more alert.
Futile, Harry. A little voice in his head said to him. He looked at his best friend Ron on his left side to make himself feel better about losing focus. Sure enough, Ron was drooling happily onto the desk next to him, with his quill still in hand and the parchment getting disgustingly soaked by saliva. Harry chuckled. He looked drowsily around the classroom and saw, unsurprisingly, that everyone but Hermione was in almost as bad of shape as Ron, even Malfoy was staring into space with his head in his hands and a mean look on his face. That means he's daydreaming. He thought with a laugh to himself. Harry sat up and stretched when Hermione's hand shot into the air, hitting Neville's nose on it's way up.
"Ouch." He mumbled and turned to the other side, rubbing his nose.
"Professor Binns?" Hermione said perkily. Professor Binns looked quite uncannily like a bird ruffling it's feathers when his lecture was so rudely interrupted. "You said the Goblin war of 1812 was also a war in which the muggles unknowingly participated in, because they thought they were just battling other humans, but…"
Harry's attention wandered once again. He stared longingly out of the window at the lush green Quidditch field and imagined himself riding his broom, with the wind blowing through his hair, the weightless sensation. But the two creatures entering the school grounds interrupted these thoughts. Harry elbowed Ron.
"Chocolate frogs..." he muttered. Harry grabbed his sleeve and shook. Ron came grudgingly awake. "Wha-what? Is class over yet?" Ron lifted his head even higher and glanced sadly at the clock. "Nope. What did you wake me for? I was having a lovely dream. We were out playing Quidditch, kicking Slytherin's butt by the way …" Harry put a finger to his lips and pointed out the window. When Ron looked stupidly at the finger in front of his face Harry turned his head toward the people on the grounds. He was immediately awake and they watched the figures curiously for five full minutes.
They seemed to be wandering to and fro across the grounds as if they were looking for something that should be very big, and right in front of their noses.
"It looks like they're looking for the castle. But how stupid, it's right here!" Ron said.
"Maybe they're muggles." Harry said. Ron nodded his head, now wide eyed. "But it looks like they know we're here." They exchanged a worried glance before Harry thought out loud,
"I wonder what Dumbledore is going to do about it?" but they didn't have to wonder for long. The most beautiful sound Harry had ever heard rang through the air like bells, little silver bells that chime in the snow.
"Dumbledore, here is your aid!
We've come; your winter wolf brigade,
So let us in, or we'll go back,
Myself and my entire pack.
Your castle though we cannot see,
We know you're here, so come, meet me!
Though we're a team; all for the light!
We will not wait the entire night!"
Their jaws dropped and they scrambled out of their desks as they heard the heavy oak front doors swing open for the visitors. Now the whole class, who moments before would not have noticed if a meteor had hit the roof, now ran to the window to watch. It was too far away for Harry to pick out their features, but one was definitely a human and one definitely was not. Harry was almost sure that the human was a girl, the way she walked and gestured, and it most certainly could not have been the animal singing. It was just their luck that the bell rang for the class to end at just that moment, and Harry could see excitement flashing across the children's faces as they dashed off to the great hall, supposedly for lunch. And he was right along with them. What do you think they want? He thought. Dumbledore's aid? A light flashed in his brain. Of course! Dumbledore is gathering magical forces to help fight You-know-who! Harry gulped at the thought. But there was no more time for thinking after that. They had reached the Great Hall, and he waited a moment for a panting Ron and Hermione to catch up before they entered the Hall together.
Students rushed in from every door and Harry could see that the hall beyond the doors was packed with children trying to get a peek at the visitors. He, Ron and Hermione pushed their way through the crowd, Hermione bouncing on her toes to get a better look while Ron was trying to see in between waving arms and turning heads.
"Who do you suppose she is? Is there more than one? Harry, didn't you see them in the window?" Hermione asked curiously, giving up on getting a glimpse of them. When Harry didn't answer right away, she scowled and put her hands on her hips, turning to Ron.
"Well? Did you see them?"
"Yeah." Ron answered. " There were definitely two, but I think one of them was a bear or something. A big, white bear. Totally wicked if you ask me!" Ron grinned. "What do you think Harry? What would they want with Dumbledore?" Harry looked at him and lowered his voice, bowing his head. Hermione pushed her way into the circle, refusing to be left out.
"What is it, Harry?" She asked with excitement. Harry knew that she hated to be interrupted during class, but special occasions were special occasions and she was making the most of it.
"I think they're here to help Dumbledore with the war against Voldermort." He whispered. Ron sighed, and put his hands on his knees. Hermione looked as if she were thinking about it and opened her mouth to speak, but Ron came up smiling.
"Well I think that it is going to be the new defense against the dark arts teacher!" The dark arts teacher they had now was, putting it kindly, a little bit rusted at best. He was totally incompetent and Professor Snape had been teaching most of the lessons, along with his own potions class. Professor Hood had been relieved at Snape's offer and had taken the opportunity to disappear whenever possible to Madam Trelawney's divination classroom in the tower.
Harry gave Ron a look that said, Wha-? But by now almost everyone around them had heard him and caught onto the idea. A few moments later they saw Lee Jordan do a jig and whoop and shout,
"Snape is out! We have a new teacher!" They could see signs of celebrating within moments in every corner of the hall, except for the pockets of Slytherin's who looked to be pouting, but believing. Harry threw Ron a dirty looked who smiled shyly and raised his hands and shoulders, trying to look innocent.
"I guess I was right." He said matter of factly with a small smile. Harry was about to say more when Hermione interrupted him saying,
"Oh really Harry! Ron knows you're right, and it's better if everyone thinks that anyway. It would be quite horrible if they thought that they had come to fight for Dumbledore's army!" Harry shut his mouth and nodded, punching a smiling Ron on the shoulder as they took their seats at the table.
Though it was not a feast, every student's eye turned towards the front and silence fell automatically as the headmaster walked toward the front table, followed by two guests.
Dumbledore had indeed taken advantage of the volunteers at his door, and had whisked them off to a nearby room as soon as they had set foot inside. His robes swished as he strode down the hall to McGonagall's office, ushered them inside and swiftly shut the door as soon as both Snape and McGonagall had squeezed their way in. He locked the door silently and swiftly, and put a tough silencing charm on the entire room, and then turned calmly to his visitors. He looked first at Trill with her silver hair and his piercing gaze, and then Amurensis, before turning his remarks to the wolf.
"May I assume that you are Lord Amurensis?" He spoke in calm, unhurried tones despite the fast herding he had done to get them here. He made a small sweep to sit himself in the Professor's desk and motion for them to take a seat as well. Snape and McGonagall stood behind their chairs with their hands clasped in front of them, very official like as well, and Dumbledore waited for their answer, studying Amurensis' face with great interest. He took his time, looking over his spectacles at them with his fingertips touching in front of his nose and his elbows on McGonagall's desk.
Trill looked to Amurensis and waited for him to nod before she sat down, and then all eyes turned to the huge white wolf.
Amurensis tried to find a dignified way to look straight at Dumbledore and talk to him without Trill having to interpret, but he could think of no way but one.
The big white wolf, instead of jumping onto the chair, sat beside it and looked straightforward. Dumbledore realized suddenly what an awkward position he had put the wolf in, and immediately stood up to fix the problem, but there was no need. Amurensis howled very softly a deep mourning howl, and Dumbledore and staff felt their stomachs turn, though Dumbledore hid it very well. He sat down slowly and waited the same as ever in his chair, while the hearts of the others in the room leaped to their throats, and slowly came down again as his song died.
There in the chair sat a sturdy, heavily muscled, giant of a man with a square jaw and sparkling green eyes. He had curly golden hair that fell over his ears and the high cheekbones and arched brow made him look akin to Trill. He turned to face Dumbledore and spoke in a rumbling baritone.
"You assume correctly Albus Dumbledore. I am Lord Amurensis."
Trill felt herself shiver at the timber in his voice that seemed to shake the furniture in the room. It was very rarely that Amurensis would transform into a man, because he, his mother having been a banshee, and his father a wolf, had been born a wolf and was far more comfortable that way. "Besides," He would often say. "I don't see what's so romantic about being human. They're so clumsy and gullible and I know I can never think clearly when I am a one."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily behind his spectacles, and the volunteers could see he was amused, but not impressed. This didn't bother Amurensis at all; who thought it would take less time if there were less gawking.
"Excuse me for that," he said so quickly, that they couldn't understand it quite so low. "Excuse me for that." He said more slowly. "We are here in response to your call for aid, Dumbledore. We are ready to defend the magical world from this Lord Voldemort, at whatever cost to ourselves. We are at your disposal, and we trust you." Trill gave him a bizarre look. She never did like it when he was so terribly serious, and was tempted to roll her eyes at him. But now was not the time. Dumbledore answered with a smile, twining his fingers together and putting them down on the table.
"Then we are glad to have you! But I must ask you a question. Are the rest of your forces previously occupied? I did not understand to any length the size of the banshee population, but I had thought it to be more than one." Amurensis' green eyes locked with Dumbledore's warm blue eyes as he spoke.
"You have in front of you the entire banshee population, sir, of all we are aware, and this is the only banshee in the world."
Dumbledore got out of his seat behind McGonagall's desk and approached them with a smile.
"It is by far better to have two dragons on your side, than even one hundred biting flies, Amurensis." He looked them each in the eye and smiled before sitting on the edge of the desk and speaking again. "Now, as for your first assignment, I am afraid that our Defense against the dark arts teacher is frightfully inadequate, and I would be terribly pleased if you would be willing to fill the post?" He asked the question of Amurensis who looked uncomfortably at him and opened his mouth to speak, but Trill answered for him.
"Oh no Sir! Amurensis hates being a human, I just know he would absolutely abhor having to be human all day every day to teach classes, and even at night! Or some students might grow suspicious…" She was cut off when Amurensis tread lightly on her foot to make her shut-up, but he did wait for Dumbledore's answer with a flushed face. Dumbledore looked thoughtful.
"I suppose the young lady could enroll in the classes, as an under-cover body guard, of course and you could join up with those at the Order head quarters…" He looked to them for approval. This time it was Trill, who looked uncomfortable, and she opened her mouth to explain herself but Amurensis shushed her.
"Sir, I would love to do it, but Trill feels she has to baby-sit me, as if she doesn't want to lose me because we're quite nearly the same race." He finished lamely. Dumbledore considered the problem.
"Very well then you must both stay here, and the young lady, if she is adequate with a wand, may teach my Defense Against the Dark Arts class. With your help, I presume? I know neither of you really needs a wand, but the students are without your unique powers." His smile made long wrinkles on his face that somehow, did not make him look any older at all. Amurensis looked relieved.
"Thank you sir." He said sincerely. Then he spoke again. "I guess you would not prefer that we go in battle against the death eaters?" He said eagerly, fearing a disappointing answer. Dumbledore shook his head and said,
"No, this is the greatest service you can do me. First- I desperately need a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, second- I agree with the young lady, you should not be separated from the last of your race, and third and nearly most important- Most of the attacks will not be aimed at the head quarters. The prophecy I have told you about states that only Harry Potter, a boy in this school, can defeat lord Voldemort, and he will do everything in his power to destroy that boy."
The banshee and Amurensis looked shocked, but Dumbledore continued. "The best thing I can do is to keep my most powerful forces here in the castle where the boy is kept, and Voldemort's forces are most likely to be attracted. I am asking you to watch out for him, besides teaching the rest of my students the Defense against the Dark arts." Amurensis nodded dumbly and Trill hung her head. Dumbledore's mouth was very serious, but it soon broke into a smile once more. "Well then! If you have no more questions, I believe it is time for lunch!" He rubbed his long hands together.
"I know the students are also eager to meet you, after that clever tune you sang outside." He cocked an amused eyebrow at Trill and then led them out the door. Amurensis towered above them, two or three feet higher than Trill and a full foot taller than the black-haired Professor with the big nose.
"Severus, Minerva, would you lead our guests to the great hall for lunch? I must inform Professor Hood of this new development." And with a wink he strode off towards the divination classroom.
Amurensis quickly changed back into a wolf with a soft howl and sat on the stone floor to wait for the Professors.
Trill looked at them once and could tell immediately that these were not people to be taken lightly, and wondered how they had gotten through a discussion with the head master without the very littlest input from them. The strict seeming woman with a tight bun on the top of her head introduced herself with a tight smile as Professor Minerva McGonagall. Next the dark-haired man with a big nose stepped forward to introduce himself and Trill noticed a cold, mean glare in his eye when he looked at her.
"I am Professor Severus Snape, welcome to Hogwarts." And he nodded politely, though Trill could tell it pained him. The banshee had barely nodded back before Professor McGonagall bustled in. "The great hall is this way. If you will follow me." And she took off at such a walk that Trill almost had to run to keep up.
The air was so stiff in the hall it almost crackled with silence. Professor Dumbledore led the two visitors up to the staff table, with their footsteps sounding like thunder in the thick silence, until they stopped in front of it and whispers ran through the crowd. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape trailed in behind them and took their seats and the students could tell Snape was not happy. They swelled with hope at the sight of the silver haired lady.
"A Veela." Someone whispered, but the whispers had died down so that the tiny voice could be heard throughout the whole hall. The boy, who was in Hufflepuff, turned very red and ducked his head to hide his face.
Dumbledore smiled a kindly smile that made wrinkles by his eyes and he spoke kindly as well.
"Students!" He began. "May I introduce our visitor, Miss Trill Talu? She is an exchange student from Ireland and I want you to treat her with as much respect as you would show for any of your friends." He looked meaningfully at the crowd, sat in his seat and allowed to Trill find a seat in the throng. Eventually, she came to the end of the table and sat down to eat her lunch alone. Amurensis lay on the floor next to her like a dog with his head on his paws and was not offended in the slightest, but he remained very alert.
The students were stunned, and Harry could see that Lee Jordan and many other students were disappointed.
"There you go! Not a Defense against the Dark Arts teacher? And I have it this afternoon!" Lee wailed. The noise level in the hall went back to normal as the students began talking loudly again.
"Well thank you Lee, getting all our hopes up, I think I might cry!" George Weasley moaned. Fred nodded agreement.
"Yeah, and now class with Snape is going to be doubly horrible. Thinking that we had almost escaped his reign of terror! I knew we shouldn't have let Dumbledore connive us into coming back to school!" Fred pretended to bury his head in his hands and sob with much heaving of the shoulders, until Parvati walked by the table and he sat up smiling a dazzling smile. She smiled openly back at him until Fred winked at her roguishly, and then she stalked off with her nose in the air.
"You know Fred, we gotta work on your lady skills." George whispered. Fred punched him happily and sat down to eat lunch.
Harry meanwhile was smiling triumphantly at Ron, who was too busy being disappointed to care much about Harry's taunts.
"I told you so Ron! Defense against the dark arts teacher, ha!"
Hermione cautioned, "But Harry, now…" Harry interrupted.
"I know. It's pretty bad, but if I have to be right I might as well get something out of it." Harry glanced slyly at the sandwich Ron was bringing to his mouth.
"Victor gets the loot!" He cried, and snatched the sandwich out of his hands. Ron of course immediately grabbed for it, but Harry had jumped out of his seat and was dancing away from Ron, laughing and popping a piece of it into his mouth. Ron jumped off of the bench, grabbed Harry's robes, and tackled him to the ground, wrestling the sandwich from him while crushing and shaking the bread and it's contents every where.
By the time Ron had his sandwich back, he held in his hands a crushed tomato, a squished piece of bread and a tiny piece of turkey, which he triumphantly popped into his mouth, right in Harry's face.
"Vic-towr geuts duh loowt!" He said with a smiling mouth full.
"He-hem."
Someone cleared their throat behind them. Harry and Ron gulped together. They lifted their eyes and turned their heads to see the person standing behind them, with a sinking feeling in their stomach, though it was unreasonable to be afraid that they would see behind them Dolores Umbridge; but there it was anyway. They lifted their heads slowly to see… Hermione.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted. "That's not funny! You almost gave Harry and I a heart attack! Really, impersonating that bloody Umbridge…" He kept rambling while Harry spoke. Harry was leaning back on his elbows on the hard stone floor and glaring hard at Hermione.
"Nearly wet myself thanks to you," he mumbled. But Hermione was laughing so hard it looked as if it hurt, and was paying no attention.
"You should have seen your faces!" She burst happily. When finally she had calmed down, she said, "I had come to tell you to stop rolling around on the floor, but I didn't realize till just now what an awful habit I had picked up!" That sent her into gales of laughter once more, and Harry and Ron morosely picked themselves up off of the ground and dusted bits of sandwich off of their robes. They all three of them turned toward the table to gather their things for the next class, when once again someone spoke to them from behind.
"Ahem." This time all three of them stopped and looked at each other, turning with wide eyes to see who was behind them. The woman with the silver hair stood smiling at them warmly, with the most enormous wolf they had ever seen. The woman was only as tall as Hermione, if not smaller, and the wolf at her side came all the way up to her rib cage; it looked to Harry as is she could ride it.
"Hello." She said in a chiming, lovely voice. Ron stared at her with his mouth open wide and Harry would have too, had he not seen how stupid Ron looked, and shut it quickly. Her clothes were tight fitting, and Harry couldn't help but notice the swing of her hips when she walked…and the huge dog looked as if it could swallow him whole. He gulped.
"I guess you already know my name." She said shyly, which Harry thought odd on such a tiny, obviously spunky girl. She was clearly speaking to all of them, but her eyes were most often on him. "My name is Trill Talu and it would be my pleasure to learn yours names as well."
Harry's mouth was dry and the words stuck in his throat, and Ron was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, so Hermione spoke up briskly.
"My name is Hermione Granger, this is Harry Potter, and that," she said with a disgusted look at Ron's face, "is Ronald Weasley." Ron managed to squeak out a sentence.
"Call me Ron."
Trill smiled at them. "Thanks." She said. "I'm just learning students names in case I decide to stay here…" she paused, and then realized what she had said and continued. "…Before I return to Ireland, of course." Harry and Ron nodded, but Hermione looked suspicious.
"You don't sound very Irish." She said almost offhand. Trill laughed it off.
"I'm not in Ireland very much so the accent is very small. In fact, I am more often in the United States than anywhere. The Salem School of witchcraft and wizardry is very…erm…interesting." Harry was now looking at the wolf by her side and had asked its name before he had even decided.
"What is his name?" He asked curiously, nodding and pointing to Amurensis. "That's really the biggest dog I've ever seen." Amurensis' eyes turned to slits at the 'dog', but otherwise he gave no sign that he understood.
"This is Amurensis." Trill said, scratching the ruff around his neck, which Amurensis grudgingly allowed. "He's actually a timber wolf from Siberia, but he's the sweetest thing you ever saw… and he adores children." Trill added the last bit with a huge twinkle in her eye. "He's a real sweetie pie and loves being around people." Ron, in response, came up and tried to scratch Amurensis under the chin, who immediately stiffened up, but allowed it, all the while glaring at Trill. Trill glared back and nodded her head very slightly toward Hermione, who was glaring in turn. After that Amurensis turned his head and pretended be enjoying the scratching and petting.
Harry came to join Ron in the petting of Amurensis and looked closely at Trill. She did not look to be much older than a fourth year, but that could just be that she looked young. And she did not have the demeanor of an emissary, the cute little dimple in her cheek and the lack of much of an Irish accent made her story seem questionable. And the hair. No, she couldn't be an emissary, or a spy for that matter. Harry wouldn't look twice if she came here as a student.
Yes you would. Said that nasty little teasing voice in his brain. You might even stare. Harry turned red and imagined that it winked at him. He was saved the uncomfortable question of explaining the blush in his cheeks, by the ringing of the bell signaling the end of lunch break.
"Well," he said, avoiding eye contact, "I guess we have to go to class guys." And he nearly turned away from her, but stopped and asked very friendly like, "What classes do you have next?" He could see her face brighten so fast that he felt very good that he had stopped and asked.
"I…I have potions, I think." She grabbed something out of her pocket. "Ah, no. Transfiguration. You?" She looked almost pleadingly at them, and Ron fumbled with his words.
"Divine-um…Divination." Trill frowned and shook her head.
"I don't have that until tomorrow." She sighed.
"Well!" Hermione said happily. "That's too bad!" And grabbed Ron's bag, pulling him behind her.
"Bye!" He and Harry waved, Ron stumbling as Hermione pulled him along.
Trill frowned in thought. If that Hermione girl wasn't going to let her stay by Harry's side, then she was going to have to get her out of the way.
