AN: I've been trying out a new method of outlining chapters. I think it helped a lot. For those of you who were getting worried about the unity lately, I promise, there's going to be some big events in the next chapter. Thanks again to all the followers and favorites. Special thanks to reviewers serialkeller, serenityselena, DarknessIsBliss, tumshie, Cassandra30, misteryman526, B00kw0rm92, mudbloodpotter05, draconic skysong, magical fan18, LoveLifeForever, Firenze Fox, Kairan1979, ElementKitsune, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Tellur, and red-jacobson. Thanks so much!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
"Hello students, and welcome back. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. As you can see, there have been some changes made to the staff," McGonagall said from the Head table, gesturing to two newcomers sitting there.
"The woman to the side of Professor Snape is Professor Andromeda Tonks. She will be taking over the position of Transfiguration professor."
Professor Tonks stood and waved. Harry watched her carefully. She had long, dark hair and dark eyes, looking rather uncomfortable being the center of attention.
"And the other addition to the staff is Professor Augusta Longbottom."
Every head at the Gryffindor table swiveled around to stare, dumbfounded, at the embarrassed Neville Longbottom. The chubby boy slid down in his seat, only to be hauled up by Seamus and Dean, sitting on either side of him.
Augusta Longbottom was an old woman with a stern expression. She wore an odd hat with a vulture perched on top. Her beady eyes seemed to be scolding Neville, and perhaps even the entire Great Hall, causing Harry to feel like hiding away. And Neville had to live with this woman?
"She will be teaching History of Magic," McGonagall continued.
"Do you think it's too late to drop that class?" Oliver whispered to Percy.
"I hope you will all give them a warm welcome. In other news, the Hogsmeade trip has been scheduled for this weekend."
George slumped in his seat, watching Angelina and Diggory's eyes meet across the hall.
Alicia smiled shyly at Fred, who grinned back. His mind, though, was more focused on how to make sure the date was a real date, not an outing between friends.
"And now, I think I've kept you from your meal long enough," McGonagall said.
Ron's stomach rumbled, echoing throughout the hall. He gazed resolutely ahead, refusing to acknowledge the incredulous glances his way. The food appeared on the plates and he dove in, not noticing the disgusted looks he was sent.
"What's your grandmother like?" Ginny asked Neville fearfully.
He swallowed his chicken. "Scary."
"She can't be that bad," Hermione said reasonably.
"Hermione, she wears a vulture on her head," Dean said. "That's pretty bad."
"Technically, it's a stuffed vulture," Neville corrected.
"Was it ever living?" Seamus asked eagerly.
"Er, I dunno. She's had that hat for as long as I can remember," Neville shrugged.
Demelza shuddered.
"Wonder what McGonagall had to do to get Binns to retire," Oliver mentioned, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.
"It must've taken a lot," Percy thought. "Sometimes it's like he doesn't even realize he's dead."
"Hogsmeade's going to be tons of fun, isn't it Fred?" Alicia chirped hopefully.
"Yeah, of course," Fred assured her, trying to imagine a Hogsmeade with just him and Alicia.
"Where do you wanna go first?" George asked her brightly.
"Oh, um, I'm not really sure," She frowned, deep in thought.
Fred smiled through his annoyance. "How about Madam Puddifoot's?"
Her frown deepened. "I don't know Fred, that's kind of more like a couple's place."
Exactly, he thought. He was willing to go anywhere if it meant he could be alone with her.
"Angelina, where are you going?" Alicia looked up, surprised.
"I have to go make plans with Cedric. I'll be right back," Angelina promised.
George began to savagely cut into his roast, stabbing the meat forcefully.
There was a solution for this, Fred just knew it. Something that would land both him and his brother a girl for Hogsmeade.
"Lavender, Parvati," Hermione called out nervously back in the dorms.
Parvati poked her head out of the curtains surrounding her bed, and Lavender leaned out of the bathroom.
"Can I talk to you guys about something really quick?"
Parvati opened her curtains silently. Lavender nodded, ducking back into the bathroom to check her hair.
"What's up?" She asked, joining Parvati on the bed.
"I just wanted to talk to you guys about the-"Hermione's breath got caught in her throat. "About the chamber."
Parvati's eyes grew wide. Lavender leaned forward.
No going back now, Hermione thought. She gulped. "It's um, I wasn't really sure if I could tell you guys before, and that's why I didn't."
"Oh Hermione, it's okay. You don't have to if you don't want to," Parvati insisted. Lavender nodded reluctantly.
"No, really, I want to," Hermione told them. "I just…"
"Do you trust them?"
And that was the problem. Hermione did trust them. But trust was hard. How did she know that she was right? Hermione had to be right. This wasn't some homework assignment, where she could just go back and start over. It was made even worse by the fact that she wasn't dealing with clear cut boundaries. She was dealing with people. People were unpredictable and wild, and Lavender and Parvati were the most unpredictable of all.
What if she had been reading them wrong this whole time? What if they weren't really her friends at all? What if, as soon as she made them angry, the whole story ended up around Hogwarts, twisted to portray Harry in the worst light possible?
"Harry's a parselmouth," Hermione blurted out, heart sinking. Please don't make me regret this.
Lavender could only look at her blankly. As a muggleborn, the word held no meaning to her.
Parvati just nodded calmly.
"You—you don't care?" Hermione whispered, shocked.
"Parselmouths are treated differently in India," She remarked casually. "It's not really a bad thing. Actually, they can be seen as heroes. Snakes are important creatures. If you can talk to them, well, you must be blessed with such a talent."
"Wait, I'm confused," Lavender moaned, flopping back on the bed. "What's a parselmouth again?"
"A parselmouth is someone who can talk to snakes," Hermione informed her.
"Oh." Lavender sat up again. "That's it? What's so bad about that?"
"They're sort of looked down upon in England," Parvati said.
"Why?" Lavender snorted. "Seems like being able to talk to animals would be a cool thing."
"Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth. People think it's an evil trait."
"That's so stupid!" Lavender exclaimed. "Who cares? That's like just because some blonde guy was bad, that people think all blondes must be. It's ridiculous!"
Hermione's heart felt like it was ready to burst. "That's what I think. But I wasn't sure how you guys were gonna take it. It's kinda supposed to be a secret. I just didn't know…" She trailed off guiltily.
"Oh, we won't tell anyone," Lavender swore. "Actually, I think it's pretty wicked."
"Do you think I could ask him about it?" Parvati wondered. "My sister would be more interested in the technical part of it, and she wouldn't ask him any good questions."
"I think he'd like that." Hermione was relieved. One crisis averted.
"Welcome to Transfiguration." Professor Tonks surveyed her sixth year class with apprehension. Already the Slytherins were causing trouble, and class had literally just started. "I know some of you may be a little…nervous about having a new professor, but I assure you, we'll be having a very good time in this class."
One Slytherin in the back of the classroom scoffed.
"Excuse me?" Andromeda called. "You, what's your name?"
"M'name's Bole," He mumbled.
"Mmm. I can see we'll be needing a seating chart for our next lesson. Care to tell me what you find so amusing, Mr. Bole?"
"Just that Transfiguration can't be fun. It's boring," He grumbled.
"Oh, I see. Well, I hope I can change your mind this year," Andromeda said firmly. Inside, she was shaking like a leaf. Her first class and she had gotten put with sixth years. What had Minerva been thinking? Why couldn't she have started out with something easy, like first years? They were so easily impressed, and these children weren't even really children anymore. At least, they didn't like to be thought of as children.
"So, what do you usually do first in class?" She asked, attempting to seem authoritative.
"McGonagall usually likes to know who's here before she starts," One Slytherin jeered at her.
"Oh, right. I have to call role, don't I?" Andromeda sat at the desk, feeling warm and humiliated. She sped through role, the names barely registering in her flustered brain. One stuck though: Percy Weasley. A quick look confirmed that he was related to Charlie. Nymphadora had been so fond of the dragon tamer. Percy didn't appear to be anything like his brother personality wise.
"What chapter did you leave off on?" She asked, flipping through the teacher's book.
"Chapter 10," Percy told her helpfully.
"Alright. Alright, so have you talked about this at all?" She glanced up to find a sea of blank faces. She sighed. "I guess not. This should be interesting…"
One floor down, all of the second year students were paying attention to Professor Longbottom, but that was out of more than a little bit of fear that she would find a way to tell their parents if they put even one toe out of line.
Augusta kept her stuffed vulture hat on the corner of her chair. Minerva had requested that she please not wear it during class, because it frightened some of the younger students. Augusta had scoffed at that. If those kids were truly scared of that hat, then her Neville was braver than she thought.
"Welcome to your new History of Magic class." She paced up and down the aisles, pausing to look each student in the eye. "I understand that your old class didn't teach much real history. I don't plan on being here for very long—I'm much too old to be teaching you for the rest of your years here—but I do plan on you leaving this school with at least some knowledge of the olden days."
Hermione bounced in her seat, convinced that this would be a class like no other.
"I realize that some of you may not be used to having to stay awake-"
She kicked Malfoy's desk, and he jerked up.
"-Or taking notes-" She nodded approvingly toward Hermione.
"-but that will change now. I will expect nothing less than your best work. I want to see you using your brains for each and every assignment that I give to you. If I feel as though you have not done your personal best, then I will hand your assignment back to you, to be corrected and improved. We will not be covering the Goblin wars, except for the rebellion against the Ministry in 1576 and the most recent battle in 1954. Instead, we will be placing an emphasis on important historical figures and the many laws within the Ministry. Understood?"
She whipped around to see the class. Neville couldn't help but feel as though she were staring directly at him.
"Understood?" She barked again.
"Understood," The class murmured, taken aback.
"Wood!" Clarence Scott, captain of the Hufflepuff team, jogged to catch up with the brooding Scot.
"What do you want?" Oliver asked gloomily.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what Roger did," He explained.
Oliver waved him off. "It's not your fault Davies is a bleeding moron."
"Still…I wish there was some way someone could help him." Scott looked up meaningfully.
"Oh no," Oliver said immediately, stumbling backwards. "I'm never going to be nice to that git again. Who knows what he'll do?"
"C'mon Wood," Scott pleaded. "He doesn't even really trust me anymore."
"Well, no wonder, you're always using your Hufflepuff niceness to get him to do stuff!" Oliver retorted.
"Hufflepuff niceness?" Scott questioned innocently.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't owe you anything." Oliver folded his arms across his chest resolutely.
"That's true. But I do know that Penelope Clearwater has been getting very upset about Roger's behavior lately. And I know for a fact that blokes generally don't like to see their girlfriends upset. And when blokes find out that their best friends could've done something to avoid a huge mess, well, let's just say it's not very pleasant…"
Oliver blinked rapidly. "Hufflepuffs are evil."
"That we are," Scott said cheerfully. "Too bad no one will ever believe you, yeah?"
Cormac had his mind made up. Hogsmeade was close, and he had to get in quick. Today, he was going to ask Katie Bell to go to Hogsmeade with them. Even if he had to say that it was as friends, he was determined to push on and ask her. He was a Gryffindor, after all, and weren't Gryffindors brave? Luckily, just as he was making his way around the lake, he spotted her.
"Katie-"
"Cormac-"
They both blushed.
"You first," He said, nodding towards her.
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" She rushed, smiling at him.
"Um, yeah, I guess so."
"Could you ask Leann out to Hogsmeade?" She begged, giving him the puppy dog eyes.
Of all the things she could've asked him, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. "What?"
"It's just that, she's been really lonely lately," She lied. "And I was thinking that if I could get someone to go with her to Hogsmeade, then maybe we'd be friends again. You're the only person I can trust to do this right, Cormac."
Although he was pleased to hear that she trusted him, he still wasn't entirely convinced.
"Please Cormac? It would mean so much to me," She pleaded.
He sighed and gave in. "Alright. But I don't have to keep this up, right?"
"Right," She smiled. She reached up to hug him. "Thank you Cormac!"
"Yeah, no problem," He said dreamily. Katie Bell had just hugged him. It wasn't a date, but it was something.
Fred, George, and Alicia were in the Common Room after classes. Fred was ready to put his plan in motion. Well, almost ready. There were a few key components that were missing.
"Hey, Alicia," He said, heart beating out of his chest. "Y'know, George and I have always wondered, how is it that you can tell us apart every time?"
She giggled. "That's an easy one. Your hair always sticks up just a little right here. George's hair lies flat."
He reached up and touched his head. Sure enough, there was a tiny tuft of hair sticking straight up. He smiled. His plan had just gotten a little bit clearer.
He stood and stretched. "C'mon George, we gotta go talk to Lee about that prank."
George stood as well, pretending to know what was going on. "See you later, Alicia."
She waved goodbye and turned back to her Potions homework.
"So where are we going?" George muttered.
"You're gonna have to go talk to Lee about it for a bit. Distract him for as long as you can," Fred instructed.
George nodded, slipping away, not suspecting a thing.
Often the twins had pranks that they wouldn't tell the other about. Not entirely, anyway. In that respect, they were always surprising each other. So George didn't find it strange at all that Fred was being a little secretive. It worked out to Fred's advantage.
He turned down the hallway, quickly finding the meeting place Angelina and Diggory had agreed on. He had intercepted their owls back and forth, hoping he wouldn't have to resort to outright spying. Unfortunately, Diggory was rather suspicious, and refused to give anything concrete in mail.
Angelina was already there, waiting anxiously. Fred couldn't help but think that George never would've kept her waiting. That's why you're doing this, he told himself. So that Angelina gets with a guy she deserves and so that George gets with a girl he really likes. And maybe partly because you want to get some alone time with your girlfriend.
"Hey Angie," Cedric said brightly, striding down the hall towards the dark girl.
"Hey Cedric," Angelina sighed breathily.
Fred felt like puking.
"You wanna head down to the kitchens?" Cedric suggested.
Fred felt like groaning. How was he supposed to spy on them in the kitchens?
"Sure," Angelina agreed.
"Great! There's a back entrance near the Hufflepuff Common Room. Let's go!"
Fred grinned. He'd go in the front entrance, and then hide in a house elf's quarters. It helped that the house elves loved him. He had a perfect view of Angelina and Cedric, and they couldn't even see him. He carefully watched them, but it was mostly Cedric he was paying attention to. The plan was going to work. It had to work.