September ended with a quiet peace among the first years of Gryffindor. The boys were refusing to speak to Harriet or Hermione – neither one of them really minded. The girls were minding their own business with homework and school. It didn't help that Ron and Neville were spending nearly every night those few weeks after their run out into the Trophy room. Harriet had been right. Draco didn't show and Ron didn't like the fact that the girls had been right.
Harriet continued to do great in school. The Charms and Transfiguration were easy for her. There she provided the help for Hermione. But when it came to Potions and Herbology, Hermione was constantly tutoring Harriet. Harriet didn't seem to have the patience for Potions. But she with Hermione's help learned how to treat the ingredients and they were getting mostly E's in Professor Snape's class, even an O or two.
Defense against the Dark arts was disturbing. There was a connection between that turban of Quirrell's and the dark spot she had slammed behind heavy Occlumency shields. Then, Halloween came.
That morning, they woke to the smell of baking pumpkin floating through the corridors. Professor Flitwick felt that the group was ready to start making objects fly. That was something they all were eager to do since they saw hi make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs for practice. Harriet's partner was Parvati at this time – to her frustration. Ron was partnered with Hermione.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books. "Swish and flick, remember swish and flick. And saying the words properly is very important too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
Harriet was able to do it without words or wand. But she swished and flicked, because she was bored.
Ron at the next table was having trouble with his.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Harriet heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled back.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Her feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"That's Potter and Granger doing it!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone watch these two do it."
Ron was in a bad mood after class. As Harriet raced to catch up with her best friend, she heard Ron say to Seamus, "It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly."
"Ronald Weasley," Harriet shouted. But suddenly she stopped glaring at the boy because she heard a sniffle and saw Hermione rush away.
"Hermione – " she shouted jumping up to chase after her. "Wait for me."
"Leave her be," Ron said. "She doesn't really have friends."
Harriet was nearly late for the next class because she couldn't find Hermione anywhere. It was finally in the girls' bathroom about an hour before the Halloween feast. She was crying.
"Hermione," Harriet called out.
"You don't have to bother, Harriet," she sniffled back. "I know you aren't really my friend."
Harriet walked in farther until she saw her sniffling on the floor. Harriet slowly moved to the floor, kneeling down in front of her.
"Hermione – " she said softly. "I go with you everywhere. You're my only friend. Don't you know this?"
Hermione stopped sniffling and looked up, her eyes red with a wreck. Harriet rushed into the arms of Hermione and held her tightly.
"Oh Hermione," Harriet said holding her close. "You can't believe a word from that dunderhead."
Hermione sniffled a little and seemed to cheer up as she hugged Harriet tight.
"Let's get to the feast."
Hermione shook her head. "I can't go like this."
Harriet smiled back. "Of course you can't."
Harriet led Hermione to the mirror and using some water and a towel, cleaned up her face. Then, she stood behind Hermione and pulled her bushy hair back and tied it with a ribbon in her purse. Then, she came around and pulled out her make-up. She brushed and worked her Egyptian cosmetic magic. Then, she was pulling the bushy hair out of the ribbon and started to comb it and tie it with several bows. When Hermione finally looked in the mirror she almost started crying again.
"Harriet," she said. "Look what you did to me."
Harriet wrapped her arms around her and smiled behind her back. "I only brought out what was on the inside. Now, let's go to that feast and knock 'em dead."
Harriet was pulling Hermione into the Great Hall just as food was starting to fill the plates at the table. Hermione and Harriet marveled at the thousands of live bats fluttering from wall to ceiling. They were barely getting started to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"
Percy was in his element.
"Follow me! Stick together, first year! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"
Hermione and Harriet hold hands as they make their way back up the staircases and toward Gryffindor Tower – far away from a troll in the dungeons.
"Pig snout," Percy said as he shuffled everyone inside. Hermione and Harriet sat by the door. "Thanks" she said to Harriet again. "You're a great friend."
"So are you," Harriet replied. Harriet and Hermione rushed to get plates of food to finish off the feast.
As the weeks went on Hermione and Harriet ended up spending large amounts of time in the library. At first it is the two of them cross-checking potion recipes with potion ingredients and checking each other's notes and studying the extra reading. Soon, a few others join them. Sitting at the same table with Hermione and Harriet are now two girls from Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones.
Of course, they could whisper and move their mouths. Harriet with her excellent ability to use wards against eavesdropping made it so that they didn't both any of the students or Madam Pince of course. It gave the four girls from the two different houses a chance to get to know each other better.
Of course a few others would come and go in this quiet study group. Hannah and Susan Bones sometimes brought Justin Finch-Fletchly and sometimes the girls brought Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil. For a particularly difficult Herbology lesson, Neville Longbottom was often called in.
At this moment, Hannah was not in the library, because she was in the Hospital wing dealing with a few headaches. Hermione was at the stacks picking a book for the potions. Susan was doing fine. She had brought her Potions book and notebook and sat down next to Harriet. They quietly did their reading from the book until Hermione sat down.
"Okay," she began in that tone. "This potion that Professor Snape is going to have us brew tomorrow is quite tricky."
Susan interrupted. "We know that we have to dice the beetles and squish the puss."
"But the timing of when to stir is the tough part." Hermione said. "If you just start stirring or if you stir in the wrong direction, the potion is going to have the opposite effect."
"Sometimes, I just wish we could skip potions and stick with Transfigurations and Charms," Harriet muttered thinking no one else heard her.
Susan laughed quietly while Hermione glared at her best friend.
"A good potion that has been brewed correctly can do more, Harriet."
Hermione was about to continue the lecture when Madam Pince had had enough of the noise coming from their table.
"Quiet down or leave!"
The three of them took their turns with the books Hermione gave them. Harriet really had to focus. The difficulty of this potion was a level higher than anything else she had done all year. It was frustrating for someone who was good at nearly every other class.
With their work done, they walked Susan back to the Hufflepuff Common room and then walked together back up the Gryffindor Tower. Harriet and Hermione were actually making friends.