Dudley told Ron what they had learned, Hermione sat with them, but she didn't speak to Ron and just listened as Dudley told them about Black and Snape knowing each other.
"They were enemies, though?" he asked.
"Yeah, Lockhart said Black and James Potter did some dark magic on him," Dudley said.
"Wow—and, hey, I bet that's why he hates Lupin so much," Ron said. "Because Lupin was mates with your uncle and Black.
The days passed on quite normally, though, Dudley had noticed, much to his disappointment, that the rest of the school had seemingly stopped bullying Malfoy. Nobody was hissing at him or tripping him in the corridors, and he hadn't been beat up for ages. On top of that, the duel had given him some of his old swagger back, even though he had technically lost.
He hadn't taunted Dudley, Ron or Dean since the duel, though he tended to smirk whenever he saw them. Dudley had seen that he had started bullying others again—usually those younger than him. Neville had once reported that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had stupidifed a first year Hufflepuff randomly in the corridor and just left him there waiting to be discovered. This had caused a very brief panic from those who discovered him as it brought back memories of Slytherin's serpent petrifying students.
"He needs taking down a notch or two," Dudley muttered.
"Dudley, you settled it!" Hermione said, indignantly. "What as the point of your duel if you're going to go back to beating him up?"
"What's the point of it if Malfoy is going to keep acting like a git?" Ron shot back.
Hermione ignored him, as usual.
Things came to a head between them once more on Thursday.
They were walking back from potions, Dudley in a foul mood because of Snape, when Neville gave Dudley a nudge.
"Look at Malfoy," he said.
Dudley looked over and clenched his fists. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had blocked Luna Lovegood's path.
Dudley couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew it wouldn't be anything nice.
"Come on," Dudley snarled.
Hermione looked like she was going to protest, but then saw what Malfoy was doing and followed. Ron, Dean and Dudley did likewise.
"…. Father always said your whole family was barking mad, Loony," Malfoy was sneering. He had held of his bag and was rummaging through it. "You ought to be locked up. Who carries a … what is this?" he had pulled out a large, round white object covered in runes.
"A magic gourd," Luna said. "Can you give it back? That was from mummy."
"Absolutely barking," Malfoy said. He tossed the gourd to Crabbe who stamped on it.
"That git …" Dudley growled hurrying forward as Luna's eyes started to well with tears. His fists clenched. He was going to batter Malfoy.
Hermione got there first. SMACK!
She slapped Malfoy as hard as she could across the face with all the strength that she could muster.
"You rotten … foul … evil!"
The others stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.
"Don't you dare tease Luna, you foul - you evil -"
SMACK! She hit him again and Malfoy backpedaled out of the way. "You dare …"
"Back off, Malfoy!" Dudley warned.
Dean, Ron and Neville all had their wands raised and pointed at Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione was looking wild and had pulled out her own wand. She pointed it at Malfoy, some sparks flew from the end of it in her anger.
"If we weren't at school …" she snarled furiously. "If I ever … EVER catch you bullying Luna again, it'll be the last thing you do."
"C'mon." Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons.
"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.
"I hate him!" Hermione snapped.
"Are you alright, Luna?" Dudley asked awkwardly.
"No, that was a gift from mum, but thanks for coming to my help," Luna said, still looking sad.
Hermione's anger vanished. "Reparo," she said. The gourd pulled itself together, its crackes disappearing and the hole that Malfoy's foot had caused covering over.
"Thanks," Luna beamed at her.
Dean gave Ron a nudge.
"Hermione, listen … I'm sorry," he said.
"I'm sorry too," Hermione said, quickly. "Crookshanks … I mean …"
"Forget about it," Ron said, bracingly. "He was old anyway. Now, come on, we can't be late for charms."
They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom.
"You're late, boys!" said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Dudley opened the classroom door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs -"
Dudley, Dean and Ron hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags. Ron looked behind him.
"Where's Hermione gone?"
Dudley looked around too. Hermione hadn't entered the classroom, yet Dudley knew she had been right next to him when he had opened the door.
"That's weird," said Dudley, staring at Ron. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"
But Hermione didn't turn up all lesson.
"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too," said Ron as the class left for lunch, all grinning broadly - the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment.
Hermione wasn't at lunch either. By the time they had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms were wearing off, and Dudley and Ron had started to get slightly worried.
"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron said anxiously as they hurried upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower.
They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password ("Flibbertigibbet"), and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room.
Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Dudley prodded her awake.
"Wh - what?" said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W - which lesson have we got now?"
"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes," said Dudley. "Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?"
"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms!"
"But how could you forget?" said Dudley. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"
"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"
"You know what, Hermione?" said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."
"No, I'm not!" said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry ... I'll see you in Divination!"
Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harassed.
"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!"
Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room. Glowing on every little table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Dudley, Dean and Ron sat down together at the same rickety table. Hermione sat with Neville.
"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term," Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby.
"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry," Dudley muttered back. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands."
"Good day to you!" said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball.
"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."
Hermione snorted. "Well, honestly...'the fates have informed her'. Who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" she said, not troubling to keep her voice low. Dudley, Dean and Ron choked back laughs. Neville was grinning.
It was hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney had heard them as her face was hidden in shadow. She continued, however, as though she had not.
"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," she said dreamily. "I do not expect any of you to see when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes …" Ron began to snigger uncontrollably and had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise
"… so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class."
And so they began. Dudley, at least, felt extremely foolish, staring blankly at the crystal ball, trying to keep his mind empty when thoughts such as "this is stupid" kept drifting across it. It didn't help that Ron kept breaking into silent giggles and Hermione over at Neville's table kept tutting. Dean also wasn't helping, he gave a loud, fed-up sounding sigh which made Dudley want to laugh.
"Seen anything yet?" Dudley asked them after a quarter of an hour's quiet crystal gazing.
"Yeah, there's a burn on this table," said Ron, pointing. "Someone's spilled their candle."
"This is such a waste of time," Hermione hissed, turning around to face them. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms …"
Professor Trelawney rustled past. "Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" she murmured over the clinking of her bangles.
"I don't need help," Ron whispered. "It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight."
They all—Dudley, Dean, Hermione and even Neville—burst out laughing.
"Now, really!" said Professor Trelawney as everyone's heads turned in their direction. Parvati and Lavender were looking scandalized. "You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!" She approached their table and peered into their crystal ball. Dudley swore under his breath, making Dean laugh again. He was sure he knew what was coming.
"There is something here!" Professor Trelawney whispered, lowering her face to the ball, so that it was reflected twice in her huge glasses. "Something moving... but what is it?"
"Bet it's the Grim …" Dean whispered making a ghost-like hand movement.
Dudley snickered. He was prepared to bet everything he owned, Including his Nimbus 2000, that it wasn't good news, whatever it was. And sure enough …
"My dear," Professor Trelawney breathed, gazing up at Dudley. "It is here, plainer than ever before... my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer... the Gr -"
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" said Hermione loudly. "Not that ridiculous Grim again!"
Professor Trelawney raised her enormous eyes to Hermione's face. Parvati whispered something to Lavender, and they both glared at Hermione too. Professor Trelawney stood up, surveying Hermione with unmistakable anger.
"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane."
There was a moment's silence. Then -
"Fine!" said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming Unfogging the Future back into her bag. "Fine!" she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Neville off his chair. "I give up! I'm leaving!"
And to the whole class's amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight.
The class were silent for a few seconds, then, Dudley got to his feet too. "You know what, I'm out too." He said, shoveling his books into his bag.
Trelawney's face looked white with anger.
"I'm sick of you telling me I'm going to die every lesson, I'm with Hermione. I quit," Dudley said and, followed Hermione out of the trapdoor.
He caught up with her further down the corridor.
"Dud, what are you doing?" she asked. "Don't try to make me go back. I'm finished. That class is …" she said angrily.
"Hermione, I quit too," Dudley interrupted, cutting off the rant before it began.
"You … what … Dudley! You can't you'll get into dreadful trouble!" Hermione said in amazement.
Dudley gaped at her. "But you just quit too!" he argued.
"Yes, but …"
"I suppose I might as well take Muggle Studies instead," Dudley said. "I don't think McGonagall will let me just take Care of Magical Creatures."
Dudley was right. When he and Hermione went to her to explain, she had stared at them in silence for a few seconds.
"Are you absolutely sure?" she said finally.
"I find the class a waste of time," Hermione said.
"And I'm sick of her telling me I'm going to die every time she totters over," Dudley said.
He expected McGonagall to yell, but instead she gave a resigned sigh. "I won't speak ill of colleagues, but I understand where you are coming from." She said.
"Dudley, I will speak to Professor Burbage, see if you can join her Muggle Studies class. You are muggle born, so I expect you manage, despite missing half of term.