Hooray! Chapter 3. So far, the story's been going good. But that might change from now own, oki schmokey?
Pryo9- Thanks. I'll keep up!
PreetoakaRavenPotterWeasley- Yeah. Hopefully peeps will review when it gets better. Hopefully.
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Chapter 3: First Day of Classes, and Someone Gets Detention
The common room was a warm, comfy area as Hermione soon realized. Harry showed her the staircase to the girl's dorms, saying he couldn't go up because of safety precautions, blushing a little at the memory.
Going into the room marked 6th Years, she saw her trunk already at the foot of her bed, along with two other twin beds with their own respective trunks. Opening the worn case, Hermione drew out her warm pajamas and changed, just as the two other girls entered.
" So, you're the new girl?" one of the girls said, tossing her braid nonchalantly over her shoulder.
" Yes, I am. Are you Parvati?" Hermione said, getting out of her hunched over position and looking at the girls. The girl that spoke nodded.
" I'm Parvati, and this is Lavender." Parvati sniffed waving at the other witch. Lavender gave her a cold glare and proceeded to her container in the hopes of getting ready for bed. Parvati continued " We would like it if you didn't converse so freely with Harry. He's very precious to Lavender there."
Hermione sensed that this entire conversation was about in that last sentence. Harry was their idol, apparently. Well, they could have that dashingly handsome----
Stop Hermione, she chided herself.
" Sure. He's just a friend." Hermione said shrugging. " Just like Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ron." When she turned her back, Parvati shot her a death glare and Lavender visibly relieved on the facts Hermione presented.
" So, why are you at Hogwarts?"
" Well, my school didn't offer a good Auror training regime, so I came here. My dad also was transferred over here for his job. What are you going into?" Hermione said.
" Lavender and myself are going into Divination." Parvati in a high manner. Hermione choked back a retort. Divination? That had to be the worst career choice ever.
" Oh, Alright. So I'm gonna go to bed, g'night." Hermione said getting into her pajamas.
Not sure how they think I'd wanna go out with him. He's my friend. Hermione pondered as she crawled into the warm scarlet sheets of Gryffindor Tower. Snuggling into her pillow, she dreamed about the next day, when classes would begin.
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Harry and Seamus watched the traditional argument between Ron and Dean over his soccer team poster, as they got ready for sleep. Flinging up his hands in disgust, Dean walked to his bed and flung onto the ground to begin putting away his garments.
The two observers shared a laugh, and followed suit. Once all was put away, Ron put out his hand and Dean shook it, the truce for the coming year. As the other boys silently dropped of to sleep, Harry drew forth his album.
He had modified it, adding as many pictures of Sirius he had gotten his hands on. Looking through it, Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. Looking so happy, not knowing that he was doomed, all because of Harry's slip.
Closing the book with a large snap, Harry reverentially put it into the drawer of his nightstand, and pulled the covers over himself and feel asleep.
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The next morning, Hermione awoke to Parvati and Lavender putting on make-up and getting dressed. She quickly followed their example, and was ready the moment they finished adding the last vestiges of blush. Hermione wasn't so sure she liked the skirt and tie mix.
Hermione marched downstairs and saw the Nerd Squad, as she would know call her guy friends, chatting with one another. Spotting Ginny, Hermione made her way to the group. But Harry first saw her and waved.
" Hiya Hermione!" Harry said grinning, Hermione gave him a breathless grin, she was excited about starting today's classes.
" Hey there Hermione." Dean said, clapping his hand on her shoulder. The 6th years made their way down to the Great Hall. Hermione knew she would have gotten lost if it weren't for the Nerd Squad. On the way down, Harry pointed out certain shortcuts and hidden passages, after Hermione told some of her stories with Melia: including the time they had littered the entire school with Dung bombs and set them off at the exact same moment.
This story sent the all the boys laughing down to breakfast. Little did Hermione know that Lavender and Parvati were hearing every word she said.
Professor McGonagall gave each Gryffindor their respective schedules. Harry and Ron were very helpful as to where their classes where: each of her classes had both of them in it, so just following Harry and Ron would suffice.
The first class was with the new teacher, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Trudging up to the classroom, Ron filled Hermione in on all the DADA teachers they had. Harry gazed idly at all the paintings in the hall.
" Well. In out first year, that bloke had You-Know-Who in the back of his head—,"
" Oh, Voldemort?" Hermione asked. Harry's head turned sharply to her. Ron gave a strangled sound.
" Most wizards and witches don't utter his name over here." Harry said softly. Hermione gave him a confused look.
" But if you don't say it, you just get even more fearful of the guy. That's wrong in my view. Saying his name has led me not to fear him." Hermione explained.
" I suppose. Since the beginning of Hogwarts, I really haven't been afraid of him." Harry admitted. " Even though I hadn't heard of him before, growing up in a muggle house, there was always this fear of something in the back of my head."
Hermione nodded. " Yeah. When you face your fears, then you truly are invincible."
Ron, desperate to bring this to a plane of his understanding, went on with his list. " Second year was a famous wizard. Got his memory modified by himself."
" Used Ron's old broken wand and it backfired." Harry quickly added. Hermione raised her eyebrows in question, but Ron continued with his ears red.
" And third year was the best, Lupin is still a good friend of ours. Werewolf, but still a good chap."
" Oh! A werewolf?" Hermione asked puzzled.
" He's really nice. Snape made a potion for him so he wouldn't violently transform." Harry said in defense of Lupin. " He'd be normal, just stuck in a wolf body."
" I never said it was bad. One bit my best friend's uncle. He is the best wizard that I know of." Hermione informed them.
" Well, then. In fourth year there was Crouch, who used a Polyjuice potion to transform himself into Moody, an Auror. And last year was a crazy old bat with a personality like poisoned honey." Ron said with an evil gleam in his eyes. Harry nodded fervently on the last on.
" I heard about the Moody incident. Our headmaster told us about the rise of Voldemort," Ron shuddered, " He believed that if Dumbledore said so, it was true." Hermione said.
" Well, you were one of very select few." Harry said with a small grin. " People thought I was a deluded manic wanting attention and Dumbledore a raving madman. Didn't consider it to be true, until he showed up at the Ministry of Magic."
" Yeah. Heard about that too." Hermione said quietly. The boys were silent for a minute.
" Yeah. So. Umbridge was a total bitch. Show Hermione your hand Harry." Ron said excitedly. Harry groaned, and stuck out his right hand. On the back was a faint sentence, scarred pink by age. I will not tell lies. Hermione gasped in shock.
" She made me do lines. But instead of staying on my hand, they were etched into my skin." Harry said bitterly. Hermione gave a moan of sympathy. " But we paid her back all right. She was kicked out of the school." Harry said with a smile.
" Chased by the entire school, and not a few teachers." Ron finished with. Hermione laughed with pleasure. Turning the corner, the door to the class was surrounded by students waiting to get in.
The door opened the moment the bell rang. The students filed into the room and sat quietly at their desks. " Hope this bloke is up to it." Ron whispered to Harry. Harry muttered his agreement. The new professor came down from his study and stood before the congregation.
" Welcome to the advanced study of Defense Against the Dark Arts." Larson greeted giving them a big, toothy smile. " This course will be hard, but if you follow my example, it shouldn't overtax you."
Taking roll call, he didn't jump or notice anything strange about Harry's name. Harry really didn't mind.
" Well. Let's get to business. This year will be mostly on curses and how to counter them. Dumbledore told me you've had some experience with the Unforgivable Curses, so let's start from there." Larson said with a cheery voice. Harry (and most of the class) was beginning to like his carefree attitude. It was infectious, and soon the class was grinning and warming up to him at an impressive rate.
After DADA, it was the dreaded Potions. Harry and Ron quickly informed Hermione of the importance of staying quiet, following directions exactly, and don't EVER get on his bad side. Period. Walking into the familiar dungeon, Harry and Ron led her to their normal three-person table. Sitting quietly, they waited for the master of terror to come.
" So. This is the group I've been saddled with for the rest of the year." The soft oily voice said at the front. " Snape rose from his chair and addressed the class. " And we have a new student amongst our midst." he gave her a sneer.
" Ms. Granger, what are the side effects of taking the Polyjuice Potion?" Snape said sharply.
" Nausea, unable to see for a period of 10 seconds, and the possibility not being able to transform back." Hermione rattled off. Harry and Ron looked at her with amazement.
" Very good, Ms. Granger," Snape forced through his clenched teeth. Hermione's stare hardened as the two faced off in a glare battle.
" The potion you'll have to make is on the board. You should have the right ingredients." Snape went back to his desk.
" Way to go Hermione." Harry congratulated. Ron shook her hand.
" The only person with enough guts to stand up to the guy." Ron said sincerely. Hermione gave them both a weak smile. He was a nasty fellow, that Snape.
During the brewing of the Veritiserum, Ron and Harry told her everything about Snape had done, in school and out. Hermione concluded this was a man you didn't want to cross.
The bell rang, giving every non-Slytherin a deep breath of relief.
" Double Transfiguration with Slytherin." Dean said glumly as the trio reached the classroom. Greeting Dean, Seamus, and Neville, Hermione took her seat next to Harry. Lavender and Parvati came in and gave her a hidden glare. Ignoring the threat, Hermione watched as the cat on the desk transformed into the stern-faced Professor McGonagall. Her cane rested on her wall, and McGonagall gazed into the group.
" Welcome back 6th years. This year is nothing but a study year for your N.E.W.T. in your final year." Everyone let out a silent moan. " Although I don't believe any of you can't pass the test." Her look swept over the group.
" So, we shall begin with the rather easy Exchange Spell. I will give you a plant, and you must switch yourself and the flower. Lavender, please give each student a plant." She waved her wand, and a small mountain of pots with a plant in each appeared.
Going down the row, Lavender handed each kid a pot. Reaching Harry, she gave him an appealing smile, and Harry took it without doing a single thing. Lavender's face fell, and she almost threw the rest of the pots to the Slytherins and retook her seat.
" Now, repeat after me. Amendus. While saying this, thrust your wand towards the your pot."
" Amendus."
" Good, now try it."
The room soon became filled with shouts, and wand trusting. Neville gave a bruise to Malfoy with his wand. Malfoy turned on him in rage.
" Stupid unwanted stupid boy. At least Potter's parents were sane when they died." Malfoy spat. Neville's body began to shake.
Harry leaped to the quivering boy and tried to hold him down. A Slytherin girl, Pansy, shrieked with horrid laughter. Hermione took in an angry breath and silenced the little monster. The Slytherin tore at her mouth with her fingers.
Professor McGonagall stood, imposing over all of them.
" QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" McGonagall yelled. The whole class went silent. Pansy still clutched at her throat. " I will not tolerate these acts inside my room. Malfoy. Come here." The blond boy, not a little apprehensive, approached the desk.
McGonagall looked at him like an unwanted dust bunny of Petunia's. Harry though the similarity quite funny. " Malfoy, you will serve detention with me from tonight for two weeks. Provoking other students is unseemly."
Malfoy began to speak, " But, professor! We have Quddi--," The professor shut him up with one glance.
" You should have thought of that before you landed in detention." McGonagall said coldly. " Back to work."
The class resumed their work. Hermione was triumphant over the detention. " The dumb blond deserved it." Hermione crowed to the Nerd Squad. McGonagall removed the curse on Pansy, and the fat cow was sending her death glares.
Nothing for the rest of the day had been that satisfying. The only black mark on her day was when her and Harry slammed heads whilst they bent down simultaneously to get her fallen quill.
This was extremely amusing to the Nerd Squad, and they laughed even harder as they saw Hermione with a bruise. Harry grinned and said that he had the unbreakable head
So far, Hogwarts was all that Hermione had hoped for. Good friends, good classes, and the chance to prank.
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So? How'd I do? This is 7 pages in Word. This is what happens when you're sick, at home, and BORED!!!!!! Blahahahahaha!
Sorry. Danny said I needed an attitude adjustment. He's so right. XD R&R KIDDIES!!!!!!!!! SEE THAT LITTLE BUTTON? CLICK IT!!!!!!!!!!!
- The Spear of Longinus