Magic Theory
Monday Morning came with a surprise. Where Hermione normally received an owl or two with a newspaper, ten swarmed the table and pushed to get their letter to her first. Ron and Siria snatched a few of the letters, to help clear the table. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, who had sat at the Hufflepuff table and even with Ron and Siria, came over to help with the owls. "Aren't Herald letters supposed to go to the bin?" Ernie asked as he handed Siria the letters he had grabbed.
"They're not Herald letters at all— they're trash," Hermione said and slid a letter over to Siria.
[Book: B4, 541 Hermione receives hate mail because of Rita Skeeter's article. There's one made of cut out letters from the Daily Prophet]
Ernie, Hannah, Hermione, Ron, and Siria ripped open the other letters, which was a mistake. One of the envelopes turned out to be full of bubotuber pus; it poured on Siria's hand, which erupted into yellow boils (B4, 541). Siria shook her other arm from her robes. She wrapped her pus covered hand and the letter in a bundle of her robes. "Don't open anymore!" Siria told them with a strained tone. "Hospital Wing," she winced at them and rushed from the Great Hall.
Madam Pomfrey dunked Siria's hand into a bucket of what looked like oil and flowers, but smelt like burnt cookies. The flower like plants drained the boils on Siria's hand while Madam Pomfrey explained how Siria would need to care for it. She placed the murtlap essence would help, but to use it sparingly. "A few drops in a bowl of water or to a wet rag when you clean it," she told Siria. "Really, Potter-Black. What did you do?"
"I opened Hermione's hate mail."
"Hate mail?" Madam Pomfrey gasped. "From Hermione?"
"No. For Hermione." Siria sighed at her arm as Madam Pomfrey bandaged it up. While the pus didn't spread far, when it was tangled in her robe, it traveled up to just below her elbow.
"Rita Skeeter," Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Don't open anymore of it— and don't let Hermione either."
Care of Magical Creatures was nearly over when Siria finally made her way across the grounds. Siria had rushed to Gryffindor Tower for a clean robe. Her face was still flush with the exercise as she reached Hagrid's hut. "What's wrong, Potter?" Pansy Parkinson barked. "Too heartbroken?"
"Hey," Siria smirked at her as she shoved her bandaged arm deep into the pockets of her robe. "I'd rather be dumped for Krum, who can at least fly, than a talentless gossip—like you." Siria quickened her pace before Pansy could find a good reply, and took her place with Hermione and Ron, beside Hagrid.
[Book: B4, 544-546 The lesson was on nifflers, which are great little treasure finders and diggers, but also will wreck stuff and try to steal your watch. Hagrid says he also got hate mail and Hermione should chuck her letters right into the fire. Hermione swears she's going to get Rita Skeeter back]
Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione, and she followed Hagrid's advice; some over her anti-admirers sent Howlers (B4, 546). She tried to stop Siria, but was too slow. Siria swept the Howlers into her arms and ran out onto the grounds. There, she conjured Fiendfyre. Her extra lessons with Dumbledore and Warrington had drastically improved her control and Siria managed to summon a small, though rather vicious dog that went wild as it ripped up the Howlers. After the second day, Hermione, Ron, and Siria tossed the Howlers to the Fiendfyre, which left the letters melted to dust, as if they'd never existed. It seemed to cheer Hermione up some.
[Book: B4, 547 Hermione asks Moody if he's seen Rita, but he hasn't, so she isn't using an Invisibility Cloak]
"What if she bugged you with magic?" Siria asked (B4, 547)
"That has to be illegal then," Hermione pressed her fist to her lips and grinned. "I'm going to get her." She promised.
"Sirius is already working on getting the Herald to more people," Ron told her. Siria shook her head.
"It's not enough." Siria said.
"That's just the start." Hermione agreed.
Goblets rattled as they appeared on the materialized shelves in the Room of Requirement. It was goblets wanted to dodge the spells that ricocheted around in flashes of violet, red, and yellow. Hermione was the first to notice the shelves and goblets that continued to appear in the Room. She finished her homework first and was reading books on magical methods of eavesdropping, to figure out how Rita Skeeter had been listening, when the first shelf of goblets appeared beside her.
They rattled loudly as cracks started to form. Hermione slammed her book shut "Stop!" She shouted. Siria jerked her head to see Hermione and knocked backward by Patricia, who stepped up to block Warrington's hex. When Siria fell to the floor, the goblets stopped. Before their eyes, the goblets and shelves fuzed back into the room, as if they were never there, except for one. Patricia pulled Siria back to her feet.
"What about them?" Siria asked and looked to Hermione, who lifted the goblet that remained.
"You haven't seemed to notice, but you two practice like you're trying to kill each other and the Room does that—" Hermione waived to where the shelf of goblets had been. "I think it knows you're doing accidental magic." Siria and Warrington looked to each other. He put his wand away and Siria wagged hers at Hermione.
"It's not accidental, Hermione. We're using wands," Siria noted. Hermione raised the goblet, which had cracked. "Oh…" Siria put her wand back into her jacket.
"They obviously aren't trying to kill each other, but it's good to practice like it." Maddy argued. "Even more so if P.B. is doing accidental magic— she's got to get that under wraps before the final task."
"One year, the champions dueled a Grandmaster Duelist, Anne Damer." Patricia told them.
"The sculptor?" Cedric asked.
"The lesbian." Maddy winked to Patricia.
"They're the same person." Patricia sighed.
"But if they already did it, they won't do it again," Siria interrupted. "I'm not practicing to win the Triwizard Tournament. I'm practicing so I can help when Tom Riddle returns." She looked to Ron and Neville, who had been practicing opposite Siria and Warrington. Neville's expression was even more determined than Ron's, who Siria knew would follow her through a trapdoor and sacrifice himself to stop Voldemort's return.
"P.B." Travers sighed and shook her head. "You talk like the Dark Lord is about to storm Hogwarts. He's gone."
"He isn't." Cedric told Travers with such conviction, that it gave even Siria pause. "You were at the World Cup, weren't you?" He asked. His fists were clenched on the table, and Cedric's tone was firm. Travers batted the air like she was knocking the idea away from her.
"So some Death Eaters got drunk and had their idea of fun," she dismissed.
"Alice," Maddy tsked, "what if they decided to have that 'fun' with Hermione? You know Muggle-borns are the same as Muggles to them."
"But it wasn't with Hermione and the Muggles were fine. You-Know-Who wasn't even there."
Cedric kept his gaze on Travers, even when Warrington placed his hand on Travers's shoulder. "Even if You-Know-Who wasn't there, what if a new one comes?" Warrington asked. He gave Travers's shoulder a tight squeeze. "We know he still has supporters and don't know there isn't one somewhere preparing to take his place. Ekrizdis, Grindelwald…" Warrington looked to Diggory. "Their ideals aren't dead."
Siria sighed and sat down. Hermione sat beside her and placed her head on Siria's shoulder. They and Ron knew about Siria's summer dream of Wormtail, the old man, and the creature in the chair. Ron had heard about the spells and running around that happened over summer to prepare. If Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore thought Tom Riddle would make a comeback, then it was as good as upon them in Siria's mind.
The rest of the night was spent in small groups or pairs on research or homework. Hermione and Cedric formatted the Hogwarts Herald's web layout. Remus and Sirius had reached out to Sirius's fellow disowned Black, Andromeda. With Andromeda and her Muggleborn husband's help, the four managed to create website for the Hogwarts Herald. Neither Hermione nor Cedric understood how exactly it worked, but it meant Muggle parents could view the Hogwarts Herald. According to Sirius, anyone that wasn't supposed to see the site, would instead see the driest articles they had ever read.
Combined with the fact Magical parents were mailed the Hogwarts Herald, Hermione's hate mail stack plummeted. Rita Skeeter, from what Hermione had found, had not written anything in weeks. "But she's probably just looking for something huge now," Hermione told Siria. It meant that they only talked about things in the Room of Requirement, Myrtle's bathroom, or inside Gryffindor Tower. They were also secretive about the Hogwarts Herald and bewitched unfinished pieces to look like class notes to anyone that wasn't meant to read them.
In addition to her other duties and work, Hermione managed to find time to visit the house elves and see how they were transitioning. Sunday afternoon, Hermione, Ron, and Siria went to the kitchens after Professor Vector shooed them from the dungeons. Astoria, Colin, and Dennis, tagged along. Winky, Hermione's real reason for visiting on this particular Sunday, was cleaning the fireplace.
"Winky's no time to be unhappy when there is working to do, Miss." Winky told Hermione. "Winky is sorry for being so awful when Miss was here last." The house elf said, without turning from her work. Siria herded Astoria, Colin, and Dennis to the table that went to Gryffindor Table. Ron joined them and asked if they had anymore eclairs (B4, 535).
"Before supper?" Astoria asked and looked to the large platter. Her large, bright eyes turned to Siria as Colin and Dennis each took an eclair. She silently asked "May I have one?" Siria pushed the tray closer to Astoria, who lit her face with a smile and bit in without another question.
"You're eating?" Hermione asked when she returned to them. She gave the almost empty tray of eclairs a look of disapproval. "It's almost dinner."
"If you've come to judge, you can leave." Ron said. Hermione crossed her arms.
"Winky doesn't know anything—" Hermione sat beside Siria and raised up the last eclair, as it to toast to peace. "She is now very worried because she did more than his housework and kept 'Mr. Crouch's most important secret', which is rubbish because everyone knows he's a good-for-nothing, family abandoning, slave driver." Hermione glared at the eclair as she ate it.
"Well, maybe Percy will know something," Siria suggested and looked to Ron. "Any chance you'd be willing to write your brother?"
"What's wrong with Mr. Crouch?" Astoria asked.
"He's been missing for months!" Colin said ,as if he was talking about a festival.
"Isn't someone else from the Ministry missing?"
"That's why it's such a big deal!" Dennis said. Hermione opened her mouth to argue or add, but resigned herself to finishing the eclair in silence.
After dinner, Siria took Colin and Dennis to the Room of Requirement. Warrington was there, with Marcus Flint. Flint was the trollish captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Siria slammed the door behind the Creevey brothers. "Flint!" She shouted and gestured to the tall, brood, glaring boy.
"What's it to you?" Flint asked and slid an arm behind his back.
"Seriously?" Siria asked Warrington, as she pointed at Flint like he were giant slug.
"I needed Potion ingredients," Warrington nodded to the shelf of jars, vials, and bottles while he stirred the cauldron.
Flint and Siria glared at each other, so Colin and Dennis glared at Flint as well. "Even Madam Pomfrey can't fix your face," Siria said. She straightened herself as much as she could, like it would make her taller than him. Flint towered over her and didn't reply.
"It was a duel," Warrington sighed and added a few drops of what looked like murtlap essence to the cauldron. Siria looked closer and smirked at the arm behind Flint's back.
"With a mug like yours, no one'll even notice your tentacles," Siria said.
"What's your problem, Potter-Black?" Flint barked and rose to his full height over her. She glared up at him.
"My problem, Flint is punks that put hits on little girls!" She spat. Siria was so furious her ears rang.
"You see a little girl anywhere?" Flint sneered and raised his arm and arm of tangled tentacles to gesture to the room.
"I couldn't walk to class without someone trying to hex me!" Siria stomped. She was so infuriated her ears rang. "Peter Pettigrew broke out of Azkaban, so I couldn't go outside, but I wasn't safe inside either!"
"You should have stayed safe in your little dorm then," Flint leaned into her face. Siria shook her head with rage and it sounded like the world shook with her.
"Enough!" Warrington barked. "Flint, sit. Potter-Black, you're doing it." The way Warrington said "it" Siria knew meant that the ringing in her ears and rattling sounds were from the Room, or, rather, items in the room her magic affected. Siria scoffed, but turned to Colin and Dennis. She took the two copies of Helping Hands the Room provided and sat down at the newly appeared table with the Creevey brothers. "But I thought we were going to learn how to duel!" Dennis looked to Siria with large, pleading eyes.
"Once you know how to take care of wounds, then you can learn how to duel. You have to know how to heal people before I show you how to help them." Siria told the brothers. "Or you'll end up like him." Colin and Dennis stole another glance to Marcus Flint then opened their books.
"You're giving us homework?" Dennis asked as he put a copy of Helping Hands into his bag.
"You want to duel, don't you?" Siria asked in reply. Colin and Dennis nodded. "The sooner you show me that you know the book, the sooner we move to dueling."
"Do we have to go?" Colin looked up to Siria. She looked to her watch and nodded.
"It's almost curfew and it isn't safe for you when we practice." She told them. Colin and Dennis sighed, but they hugged Siria before they left.
"You spoil them." Warrington told her while he bottled what was left of the Potion of Detentaclecation. Siria rolled her eyes and scanned the shelf of books closest to her. She stared at the books like she wanted one, but she just didn't want to look at Warrington. "You don't have to like Flint, but, at the end of the day, he's my friend and will be around." Siria scoffed and grabbed a book from the shelf, without looking at what it was. She moved along the shelves and continued to ignore him.
Maddy was first to arrive. "I didn't expect you both here… alone." She looked at each of them. Warrington had settled at a cauldron near the door. He faced the door and had his back to
the corner of the room Siria was in. Siria sat on a spot of cushioned floor with a pile of books worthy of Hermione, and several small trinkets around her. There was a book open on the floor and another in her lap, where she gestured with her left hand and held her wand in the air with the other.
A small spindle of red thread hovered near the tip of Siria's wand and, as if it were being pulled with the gentlest tug, slowly unraveled. The spindle rocked like it were on the corner of a table, prepared to fall. Siria continued to make the same gesture with her left hand, as if she ripping off invisible pieces of cotton candy, while she muttered. Siria's top book was full of photos with moving hands that were accompanied by featural writing made of small circles, boxes, and lines. Open on the floor was a page of the small circles, boxes, and lines with Romanized characters beside them.
When Siria leaned to squint at the book on the floor, her gesture changed from ripping cotton candy to lifting something. The thread on the spindle fired off and tangled in a massive heap. Siria leaned back and lost her focus further for the spindle clattered to the floor. She swept it up to throw it across the room. Maddy stopped it with her shoe and looked apologetically at Siria as she brought it back to her. She sat beside her.
"You're learning Hangul?" Maddy asked and picked up the book on the floor. "I'm impressed." She patted Siria's shoulder.
"What?" Siria asked.
"Hangul, the Korean writing system? If you want to learn Korean Magic, you'll have to learn Korean. There's no way around it." Maddy pointed to the book in Siria's lap, which she handed to her.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Hermione said that I should look at new magic, so," Siria gestured to the books around them. About half of the spines had logograms on them, with a few rune covered ones. There was a book for each of the eleven noble and established wizarding schools, like Castelobruxo, Koldovstoretz, and the Uagadou School of Magic, along with a few
notably less known, like Hwi-bin's Fortress of Witchcraft and the Welsh School of Healing.
"While I'm sure Hermione is glad you took her words to heart, but I'm not so sure this is what she meant." Maddy confessed to Siria. "She probably wanted you to just learn some new spells or maybe even something like Occlumency."
"Maddy, I appreciate it, but Hermione's exact words were 'it's so weird you still do accidental magic— most people stop after their first year. Maybe we should'..." Siria stopped and pulled a book into her lap, which she pulled close to her face.
"Hermione told you to look at magic theory, didn't she?" Maddy smiled. "Well, I think it's great you're looking at other magic. It's cool that most places have different ways they use it." She placed the books before Siria and picked up the one on Hwi-bin's Fortress of Witchcraft, which she put on top.
"My cousin goes there, so if you've got some questions, I can write her." Maddy rose up and patted Siria on the shoulder. "Everyone's got a different theory of magic. Even Beauxbatons and Durmstrang look at Magic Theory differently than Hogwarts, and we all use wands." Maddy picked up a book on Charms and smiled at Siria. "Sometimes you just need a few different versions to find your own" Siria nodded and stuffed the book about Hwi-bin's Fortress of Witchcraft into her bag before she hid her face back into the book on Ugandan Transfiguration. Siria peered over her book to the others in their stacks and wondered, "how could there be so many ways of doing the same thing?"