The Pitfalls of Being an Insufferable Know-it-all

Fourteen

Saturday dawned and it was with no small amount of eagerness that I prepared myself for the day ahead — the day which I had steadily been looking forward to. The day where we might start making some workable progress.

We were to depart as soon as it was light and the Augurey's would be back in their nests. I had no idea where we were going, of course. That, as always, was to be his domain.

He arrived promptly, of course, looking as dour as ever.

'What a lovely day!' I exclaimed, mainly because I found his silence off-putting. 'Or not,' I muttered to myself, when I received a look that might have curdled milk.

'Where are we going first?' I tried as I fastened up my cloak.

'You'll see,' was all I got in reply.

He Apparated us to the edge of a woodland that I later determined to be in Exmoor, and then he turned to me and gave me my instructions.

'We will spend only an hour at each forest, casting as many spells as we can, whereupon we shall meet back at the Apparition point. Do you understand?'

I contemplated before replying. 'I think so.'

I swallowed a smile as he scowled, reaching into his robe and producing two brooms. I tried not to grimace at the memory of what had happened the last time we'd attempted something similar. I only hoped I would not make a fool of myself a second time. Maybe, if I was lucky, he would make a fool of himself, I thought uncharitably. However, as I watched him throw up his hood over his head and gracefully launch himself up into the canopy of the forest, I decided it was very unlikely.

I threw up my own hood and launched myself off the ground with slightly more trepidation.

I floated silently amongst the boughs — not a simple task as bumping into branches and causing a commotion would no doubt disturb the nesting birds. I scoured the area around me looking for the tell-tale sign of the Augurey nest. On discovery of a nest, there would be the next issue — trying to get close enough to get good aim.

Frustratingly, as the hour fell away, I wasn't particularly pleased with my progress. I'd only managed to successfully use the charm three times. With a glance at my watch, I started back in the direction of our meeting point at the edge of the forest. He was waiting for me at the clearing. I could see his pocket-watch in one hand and a faint trace of a scowl on his face.

'I'm only a few minutes late,' I admonished.

'But late, nevertheless,' was his riposte.

His hood was still up and he glanced around the clearing suspiciously. 'Come, we should not linger.'

Next stop was Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire where we repeated the same process. Each time I cast the charm on those mournful birds, I felt my determination increase. And we continued in much the same vein throughout the day. It was not always easy, particularly because as the hours progressed, the likelihood of encountering unsuspecting Muggles walking in some of the woodlands increased.

It was our last stop when things began to take an unexpected turn.

He Apparated us again, and when the world stopped spinning, I found myself standing on rocky outcrop looking down on a large expanse of forest. I knew precisely where we were, but only because if I followed the tops of the trees the vista became disturbed by the distant, but unmistakable, spires and turrets of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I stared uncomfortably for a moment, not sure how I felt to be back in this place with him of all people. I glanced to the side of me and was vaguely surprised to see he'd sat down on a rock and was unwrapping a liquorice wand.

'Do you subsist entirely on sweets?' I asked dryly.

He ignored me. He preferred to scan the horizon before him and chew thoughtfully.

I tried again. 'Do you think they would target the Forbidden Forest?'

'Without a doubt.' He gave me a look. 'One of the most remote forests in country, one which is also off-limits to Muggles… Where would you go to capture an Augurey?'

I sat down next to him with a sigh. 'Perhaps Hagrid could — '

'I think not.'

I ground my teeth together tightly. I looked around me again and marvelled once more at the sight. 'I'd forgotten how beautiful it is up here.'

I felt rather than saw his sideways look.

'Sorry — I've been told I'm not very good at being quiet.'

I thought he was going to ignore me again, but he did say something quite unexpected, and conspicuously lacking in bite, too.

'Who told you that?'

I chanced a look at him, but he was distracted with rummaging through the pocket of his cloak, no doubt for more liquorice wands, I decided. I hesitated before replying, not wanting to appear hard done by.

'Just people,' I replied with a non-committal shrug. 'It doesn't bother me, anymore.'

He surprised me by giving a harsh chuckle. 'I don't believe that for a minute.'

I straightened, uncomfortable at his observation. But then I recalled my recent outbursts at him and realised it was not an unusual deduction for him to have made.

'All right, I get frustrated at work sometimes.'

I no longer took it personally, however, when I witnessed the glazed expressions of my friends when I got on my soapbox about my latest quest or concern — glazed expressions, which had become far more prevalent since they had embarked on family life. It wasn't a one-way street, mind. I'm sure I was sometimes guilty of the same whenever I heard for the umpteenth some anecdote regarding the children. Still, I wouldn't change that for the world.

I thought about my work colleagues and wondered uneasily, for possibly the thousandth time, why I doubted anyone would care if I never set foot back in the Ministry ever again. The more off-putting traits of my personality that I'd tempered through maturity had not disposed me to making friends any easier than they had as a child.

'They can't all be wrong, though, can they?' I murmured more to myself than anything. I thought of the fleeting romantic relationships that I'd had… fleeting being very much the operative word.

'Human nature is such that we, whoever we are, look to seek the approval of others. Although, it's importance might diminish over time, of course. Yet, is it worth compromising one's self to find such approval? In my experience, no. Take it or leave it; I care not for the whims of others.'

I'm sure to his ears he spoke dispassionately, but to mine, I felt buried within his words was a deep personal hurt. And there was that ever-present wall too; that wall I'd imagined him having, which prevented the interest of another. Was that where I would end up, too, one day? Resentful, possibly? Cynical and lonely... probably.

He was right in one way, however. I could not change who I was to satisfy others. I'd tried it with Ron and it had been a mistake. Take it or leave it; he was right.

'Just seems so easy for everyone else.' I cleared my throat. 'Anyway, Auntie Hermit hasn't got that bad a ring to it.'

I felt myself smile, and when I saw out of the corner of my eye the small smirk about his mouth, I felt it widen further. I was beginning to realise I did not mind so much providing him with amusement. Now that I'd decided he did not wish for my humiliation, I felt it almost an achievement now to be the source of that smirk.

I also wanted to kiss that smirk; there was no point denying it. At that precise moment, I did not really understand where these disconcerting desires sprang from. With the passage of time and much reflection I discerned their provenance. It was because he infuriated me; it was because of his confidence; it was because he impressed himself upon me in a way I had not ever experienced. I felt there was no particular effort on his part to impress me; therefore, what I felt must be instinctive— innate, perhaps; a connection on the most fundamental of levels.

Or maybe I really was spending too much time on my own.

He stood then, and I blinked away the haze. I got to my feet and followed him down a winding path until we came to the foot of the outcrop and the murky depths of the Forbidden Forest loomed large in front of us. I wondered at this delay and what it had served. I wondered if the proximity of Hogwarts had disposed him to hesitancy. I wondered if he ever visited the castle, but felt I didn't have the courage to ask.

'We should stay close by in there,' he said. 'We shall stick to the outer edges. It would not do for our presence to become known to anyone… or anything.

I nodded my agreement and then pulled my hood over my head, before stepping into the trees. This forest was far denser than any other we had entered that day. As they had as a child, the noises that emanated from within still sent a discomforting shiver down my spine. I got onto my broom and floated up into the canopy, ensuring to keep within range of my companion.

It wasn't always easy to spot the Augurey nests. They were well hidden within the trunks of trees or camouflaged against the boughs, and as nocturnal creatures, it was not as though one could rely on the movement of the bird. I managed to cast a few tracking charms, but I was frustrated again not to have used more. I looked down to the forest floor, imagining what other creatures I might encounter. The only thing I did encounter was a faint sense of unease at the drop beneath me. I tightened my sweaty grip on my broom in response.

It was as I was scanning my surroundings that I realised there was something that caught my eye. I noticed the air would shimmer faintly in a small clearing on the ground. I pushed the nose of my broom downwards and descended a few metres. I saw the air shimmer once more.

Before I could investigate further, my companion pulled up beside me.

'Sight-seeing, are we, Granger?'

'Look down there.'

I saw a frown come over his face as he peered in the direction I was pointing. 'What do you think it could be?' I whispered.

Whatever it was, it was obviously heavily warded and was at pains not to be discovered. However, whoever had cast the spells had not been entirely proficient, hence that I'd spotted it.

'Is it structure, of some sort, perhaps?'

He made a noise of agreement, then spoke softly. 'I'm going to drop something down there, to see if the wards react.'

I could only nod dumbly at that whisper.

I watched as he reached into his pocket, pulling out an object that immediately led me to issue a gasp. 'Oh no! Surely not one of your liquorice wands?' I lamented with mock sadness.

I particularly enjoyed the following glare that I received.

The liquorice wand dropped silently to the forest floor, except, before it came to land, it ricocheted violently back up into the air to eventually land several feet away.

'Merlin,' I muttered wide-eyed, glancing at my companion.

He descended slightly on his broom with a smirk. Mildly amused, I also sank my broom downwards. When I reached him, he had his wand in hand and he bade me to be silent, while he tried to dismantle as many of the wards as he could.

I surreptitiously edged my broom away from him as the low mutterings of his counter-spells permeated around me under my hood. Instead, I scanned the vicinity for any sign of life, human, creature, or otherwise. There appeared to be nothing. No movement or sound had materialised at the breaching of the wards.

When next I looked downwards, I was surprised to see there was now a large wooden hut that had appeared.

'Come on, Granger,' he said. 'We should be able to approach now.'

He landed, still giving the hut a wide berth, and then he picked up a stone off the floor, throwing it against the building. Nothing happened.

'Of course, I can't be fully certain there are no remaining jinxes.' He gestured with his arm. 'After you,' he offered dryly.

I glared at him, but of course, I would have cut off my right arm rather than admit any trepidation. A fact that I knew he anticipated and was amused by, no doubt.

There were no windows for us to look inside — the only option was the door. I stepped around to it until we both stood in front of it, wands raised. With a simple unlocking charm, I opened the door. I held my breath as we stepped in, but there was obviously no one there. With Lumos charms, we moved inside fully and scanned the inside.

I could see several old, battered brooms. There were several empty crates stacked in one corner. There was a small table and a chair with some scrolls of parchment and quills, and there were also a few leather bags hanging up on the wall.

I scowled with distaste. 'Clearly, these are their poaching accessories.'

Snape was examining the parchments on the desk, but even from where I was stood I could see they were blank. He waved his wand over them a few times to see if anything might be revealed, but nothing materialised. I was frustrated there was not more incriminating indication of who we were dealing with, yet, there was still opportunity afforded to us, I realised.

'We should place your tracking charm on these items.'

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. 'That is a good idea.'

I nearly fell over at those indifferently delivered words.

We proceeded to charm particularly the bags and crates. This was likely to be far more successful than trying to charm the Augureys and their eggs themselves, and I felt a burst of triumph every time I cast the spell. When there was nothing left to charm, I looked at my companion.

'What now?'

He shrugged. 'We wait, I suppose.'

I didn't like the sound of that; uncomfortably, I could see a large part of that was disappointment that I wouldn't know when I'd see him again. Who knew how long it might be until the poachers struck again? There was something else, too.

'You will tell me won't you, if any of your spells are triggered?'

'Yes,' he muttered impatiently. 'Now, shall we have a sit down and a cup of tea, or shall we make good our escape while we still can?'

'Oh... I'll have tea, if you're making it.'

He threw up his hood and haughtily marched past me to the door. I bit my lip, wondering whether I might do better to tame my new-found bravado when dealing with this man. I followed him outside, deciding it was far too thrilling to do that.

He had already started rebuilding the wards and I Summoned the brooms to us. We hadn't long kicked off from the ground when the hexes started. It all happened very quickly and some of it is a blur, but I recall that one hex hit the tail of Snape's broom before we could get away. His broom sputtered violently, and he launched himself off it, before it nose-dived straight into the ground. As he hit floor, I swooped around and let off a barrage of spells to cover him till he got back to his feet.

There were two figures in pursuit, their faces covered. I kept my broom moving – swerving and swooping in order to avoid getting hit. Snape, by now, was also volleying spells at them from the ground and in time there was a pained yelp as one of our attackers went sailing through the air. Unfortunately for me, my limited flying skills were beginning to show, in that I felt faintly dizzy as I kept my broom moving, trying not to be a sitting duck. My stomach was in my throat as I steered my broom at speed with only one hand, my wand clutched tightly in my other. Alas, I was not quite successful. A jinx that rebounded off a tree, caught the end of my broom, sending me into a tail-spin.

It happened very fast. I held on with all my strength, hoping that I might regain control, but I could smell the burning wood and knew the battered old broom to be compromised. I thought I would hit a tree, go crashing to the ground, and that would be the end of it. Instead, I felt the brooms rotation slow, as if arrested by an invisible hand. As my vision steadied, I could see Snape had his wand pointed at me, but the remaining assailant had also noticed. Rather than finish the job he'd started on me, he used the opportunity to strike Snape himself.

The slowed momentum of my broom allowed me to aim as best I could, but I was a fraction too late. I did hit him, and he howled in pain, before scrambling off to his fallen associate, but I also knew Snape had been hit, because my broom suddenly descended at a rapid pace. Luckily, I had already lost a lot of height and, at the last second, I jumped and landed with a tumble amongst the undergrowth.

I flew back to my feet as soon as I could and brandished my wand, but our attackers had made a run for it. Immediately, I then rushed over to my fallen companion. I knelt down and pushed his hood away from his face. There was dark red blood oozing from within his hair and he was clearly unconscious.

As I stared at him, for a split second my mind went entirely blank, and then the cogs started turning again and I decided I could start with an Ennervate. Before I could do so, I found myself nearly touching his face. Indeed, my hand was hovering over him, somewhere near his cheek, when suddenly his eyes sprang open of their own accord. It took a moment, but the comprehension soon dawned within them.

'They're gone,' I assured swiftly, dropping my hand and hoping he hadn't seen.

He raised himself up into a sitting position, grimacing as he put a hand to the blood running down the side of his face.

'Thought you were supposed to be saving my skin?' he grumbled, looking up at me.

I smiled.

Clearly no lasting damage had been done.

AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing : )