So, I missed this chapter. Sorry.
2 December 1992
Hermione was feeling angry and frustrated, Lockhart was, in her opinion, the worst professor ever. Not only did they not learn a single spell in his classes, he taught contradicting information on dark creatures. He never did another practical lesson after the pixies, instead he would call up a student for a reenactment of his favorite scenes in his books. Ron was the only one who seemed to enjoy being selected seeing as the more ridiculous and over the top his performance, the higher his grade. His approval rating was in a steady decline and Fred swears he heard him crying in his office about some woman named Betty Crocker. That may be why he decided to start a dueling club.
Luna was like a shadow, constantly giving Hermione the slip. It hurt that her best friend was obviously hiding something. When she did see Luna in the great hall, she sat alone, the other Ravenclaws throwing her suspicious glares. Eloise's words echoed in her head briefly before she squashed them. Finally having had enough she turned to Fred and George for help in learning a tracking charm.
"Do we really need to go?" Ron whined as they made their way to great hall for dueling club.
"It could be entertaining. Not like we have anything better to do." Harry shrugged.
"It's not like Lockhart will be running the club alone." Hermione smirked. "After all, it's open to all houses and all years. I think either Uncle Albus or Professor Flitwick will help."
"Flitwick?" Harry and Ron both paused to look at the little redhead speculatively.
"He was a dueling champion. Gran told me all about how he took the circuit by storm. A lot of the members were upset about him being..." Neville paused and looked over his shoulder before whispering "part goblin."
"Does that really matter?" Harry questioned.
"It's one thing to be a magical sentient creature, it's another to be a half breed." Neville shrugged nonchalantly. They entered the hall that was full of students happily chatting, some older students were watching the younger years with a gleam in their eyes as they twirled their wands in hands. Hermione immediately dashed to where some first years were standing, Luna on the outskirts looking out the window. Hermione quickly cast the tracking charm to her shoes before walking up behind her.
"Luna!" Hermione smiled brightly as she tapped her on the shoulder.
"Mina! Oh the withering plinkies are just buzzing with all the excitement in here!" Luna smiled absently.
"Do you have anything to keep them away?" Hermione grinned cheekily.
"Why would you? They thrive on excitement." Luna smiled and her eyes actually focused on Hermione.
"Where have you been? I've been looking all over?" Hermione asked.
"Looking for things lost. I've found the thestrals, they are so sweet." Luna nodded happily.
"Could I-" Hermione was cut off as the doors to the antechamber opened with a resounding clang.
"Welcome welcome!" Lockhart stepped out in lilac robes. He looked like something from 1 of those medieval themed bodice ripper Hermione's mother like to read. With skin tight violet jodhpurs, matching violet vest, black knees high laced up boots, with a 3in heel, and lilac robes that flared out dramatically around him, he was certainly an interesting sight to see. A few snickers broke out amongst the students as he twirled and flashed a bright smile. "Today is a day I hope to start a tradition here at Hogwarts. Our first official meeting of The Lockhart Dueling Association!"
"Hmm, that wasn't the name on the sign up sheet." Luna whispered thoughtfully as the blonde professor paused for the applause that never came. Hermione broke into loud laughter which made quite a few people turn their attention to her. As Hermione blushed in embarrassment, Luna only hummed merrily and twirled her wand in her fingers.
"Now, as I was saying...the proper dueling techniques can save your life! As I said again and again in Travels with Trolls..." Lockhart continued onto quote some of his more notable passages and students started to get restless.
"Perhaps, we should split the them into years before we have a demonstration." A silky voice cut across the long winded professor.
"Yes, yes of course!" Lockhart paused to look at Professor Snape who remained in the doorway of the antechamber throughout his speech. Plastering on a winning smile to hide his annoyance, he turned to the students. "Let me introduce my assistant! Mr. Severus Snape!" Lockhart waved a hand in a grand display comparable only to how a muggle magician would introduce his beautiful assistant. "Mr. Snape has eagerly accepted this position to learn a few tips from a master." Lockhart flirtatiously winked at the crowd, inadvertently, he ended up winking at a group of second year girls, making the older boys scowl at the oblivious blonde. "Now, let's split up into year groups!"
"Bugger! Cheers, Luna!" Hermione waved at her friend before rushing over to stand beside Harry and her brother.
"Yes, yes. Shall we, Gilderoy?" Professor Snape said impatiently as he strode up the podium, customary sneer in place as he looked over his opponent.
"Absolutely, Severus. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. After all, we have wee little eyes and ears about." Lockhart smiled jovially as he turned to throw another flirtatious wink at the crows, this one seemed aimed right at Neville, who paled.
"Disarming and shields?" Professor Snape stopped, his back rigid as he looked at the blond man with absolute loathing.
"Yes yes, but let's not forget decorum!" Lockhart clapped and shook out his robes a bit. He bowed low, one foot out and even an arm outstretched to Professor Snape as if he were bowing before royalty. When he looked up to see the potions master give him nothing but a curt nod, he bristled. "Now, the correct incantation and wand movement are very important." Lockhart waved his wand with a flourish and it slipped through his fingers. "Whoopsie!"
"Argus, if you could count us down, please?" Professor Snape rolled his eyes at his dueling partner. Argus Filch limped forward, a scowl on his face, unhappy with so many children out of their dormitories.
"1-2-3!" Filch quickly counted off, probably faster than what was standard.
"Expelliarmus!" Professor Snape snapped right away, his wand a blur as he made a single sharp and precise movement. Lockhart was grinning madly as his arm reached wide to make an elaborate flourish when Snape's spell hit in the chest. Lockhart's wand flew through the air, right into Snape's outstretched hand and Lockhart's body flew from the podium, hitting the wall with a sharp crunch.
"Eeep!" Lockhart's high pitched feminine squeak filled the air as his face showed his shock.
"I'm sure you meant to do that, Professor." Professor Snape drawled sarcastically, a cruel smile on his face. Around him, students snickered at the blonde as he tried to hop up gracefully. He failed to due so as he fell back, clutching his ribs in pain.
"Ah, but of course!" Lockhart said while gritting his teeth. "It appears I've cracked a rib. Probably an old injury from one of my many adventures. I'll need to see Poppie."
"No need." Professor Snape strode forward with confidence and with a simple flourish of his wand the crack of Lockhart's ribs being mended was heard. "Shall we go again?"
"No, I think we should allow the children to try." Lockhart quickly rebuffed him with slight panic in his voice. Students immediately scrambled to grab hold of their friends. Ron looked between his friends for a long moment before stepping up beside Neville, not wanting to lose to his sister or face the fabled Boy-Who-Lived. Professor Snape was busy showing them the proper wand movement for a simple shield and the disarming spell. Lockhart stepped close to Harry and put and arm on his shoulder with an approving smile. Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable and ducked down to retie his trainers, letting the blonde over balance, nearly falling forward.
"No, I don't think that will do at all." Professor Snape grinned viciously as he looked at the group of Gryffindors. He immediately broke them apart, pairing Hermione with Pansy, Malfoy with Harry, Ron with Crabbe, and Neville with Goyle.
"Scared, blood traitor?" Pansy hissed, Hermione usually kept away from the snotty Slytherin girl. She didn't really stand out much, the girl was mostly known for hanging on Malfoys arm and parroting him.
"Of a pugly twit like you?" Hermione chuckled, looking over she saw Harry and Malfoy glaring angrily at each other. Crabbe and Goyle had the same scare tactics, cracking their meaty fists and trying to make themselves seem as large as possible.
"Now on the count of 3" Lockhart stood on the podium with a smile and flourished his wand. "1-2-3!"
"Expelliarmus!" Rang through the hall, appearing as though no one went for a shield. Pansy's hit the tall girl behind Hermione, catching her off guard, Hermione's hit pansy in the face, throwing her into Goyle.
"Again!" Professor Snape snapped, glaring at Harrys triumphant smile. He stepped close to Malfoy whispering in his ear, the blondes face was red from embarrassment but whatever the potions master whispered made him smile.
"1-2-3!" Professor Lockhart called again from the podium.
"Hematomus!" Pansy's shriek was barely heard over the dull roar of other students. A sickly yellow beam of light came right at Hermione, she quickly ducked her head. Crabbe's scream of pain drew many gasps as his body broke out into large painful boils. As the large boy turned, many of the boils burst, making him hiss and cry out.
"Engorgio!" Hermione screamed, recognizing that spell made her blood boil in anger. Pansy's nose immediately began swelling, blowing up like a balloon. The girl panicked, dropping her wand to wave her hands around her face, Hermione snarled and flicked her wrist, casting a bat-bogey hex. The biggest bats she had ever seen came flying from the girls enlarged nostrils and began to pelt the girls face.
"Enough!" Professor Snape snapped as he descended up the girls, he looked between the two girls, completely ignoring Crabbe who was hiding behind Goyle. "50 points from Gryffindor and 3 days detention with Filch!"
"And Parkinson?" Hermione stepped in front of him.
"Draco, bring Pansy to the hospital wing. You'll both be excused from classes tomorrow." Professor Snape nodded to the blonde. Malfoy gingerly lead the hysterical brunette away, careful not to touch her, as gooey bats were stuck to her robes and skin, wings fluttering. The blonde paused for a moment at the door looking at the tiny red head speculatively. There was an uproar of students who had been close enough to hear Pansy cast the blood boils hex. "Gregory, get Vincent to the hospital wing, I'll deal with you interfering in another's duel later."
"Come on, 'Mione." Ron grabbed Hermione's arms before she could get into anymore trouble.
"So, Harry, why didn't you tell us you could talk to snakes?" Neville asked as soon as they were in the hall.
"I dunno, didn't think about it." Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Bet loads of people can do it."
"No, actually it's very rare. It's said only Slytherin's family could do it." Ron said hesitantly, looking a little fearful.
"Bugger off, Ron. Harry is not going to be the next dark lord." Hermione snorted.
"Yeah, well, I bet it'll be all over bloody school tomorrow. Although, I think a lot of people were more focused on what you did to Parkinson to notice Harry hissing at the snake." Ron blustered, his ears turning red as he glared at his sister.
"Yeah well, Harry's probably related to Slytherin somewhere." Hermione said dismissively as she pulled a quill from her pocket. When she looked up Harry and Ron both had identical looks of horror, only Neville seemed to understand.
"How can I be related to Slytherin? I'm a Gryffindor!" Harry choked out.
"The Potter line is very old, goes back hundreds of years." Hermione said bluntly. "Oh, come on Ronnie! You know the Weasleys are related to just about everyone through Grandmother Cedrella!" Hermione snapped at her gaping brother.
"It's true, you're my 2nd cousin, I believe...maybe 3rd. Gran tried to make me memorize the pureblood directory." Neville said sheepishly.
"Are we related?" Harry threw a panicked look at Hermione, which she didn't understand.
"Both our grandmothers were Blacks but through different branches of the Black family. So, very distantly related." Hermione shrugged.
"That's normal?" Harry asked.
"The British magical community is very small and some of the purebloods still rely heavily on arranged marriages. You know stay pure. The black family literally connects everyone." Neville said as they started to walk again.
"Arranged marriages?" Harry squeaked.
"Yeah, it's fallen out of practice for most families." Ron Defended quickly.
"Do your families?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"There was talk of one when I was little." Hermione flushed, refusing to meet Harry's eyes. "Bill assured me Weasleys don't use betrothal contracts."
"My dad had one, but his intended died as a small child. He loved my mother." Neville said in a clipped tone, ending the conversation.
"I'm going to go find Luna, see you later, yeah?" Hermione smiled brightly as the quill started warming in her hand. It spun quickly as pointed out the front doors so she sprinted out onto the lawns. The quill lead her to the forbidden forest, she advanced wearily.
"Mina!" Luna called her over from a moonlit clearing. It was lightly snowing and Luna was only wearing her uniform.
"Where's your cloak, madwoman?" Hermione cried as she pulled off her jumper to hand over.
"The nargles took it." Luna said simply and slipped the jumper on. "Did you come to feed the threstals?"
"No, I came to find you. You've been hiding from me." Hermione said hotly.
"I just wanted to be away from the school." Luna said weakly.
"Why?" Hermione demanded but something cold touched her hand and she shrieked.
"Oh, Geoff!" Luna cried happily and pulled a brown wrapped package from her bag.
"What are they?" Hermione asked fearfully as she saw 4 black skeletal horses come into the clearing.
"Thestrals." Luna said bluntly as she unwrapped the package in her hand. With a small smile on her face she threw a raw piece of meat towards the smallest thestrals.
"You see them?" Hermione looked to her friend realizing what a dumb question that was. "Why can't anyone else?"
"People think they're bad luck." Luna said softly as a foal came up to her, nuzzling her hand. "Only people who have seen death can see them, you know?"
"Oh." Hermione was silent as she grabbed a piece of meat from Luna to throw to the thestrals.
"I don't think so though. I think they help you grieve. Make it real..." Luna trailed off, obvious sorrow in her voice.
"Oh Luna." Hermione sighed morosely and put an arm around her friend,
"Daddy doesn't talk about mummy. He pretends sometimes that she's just down in the lab, I'm not allowed down there anymore." Luna whispered and threw the last piece of meat.
"You know I don't mind talking about Celeste. I always loved your mum, she was amazing." Hermione smiled wistfully, thinking back to the days of playing in her lab with Luna.
"I know you had nightmares for a long time and how guilty you felt...so, I tried to be like daddy." Luna turned away from Hermione, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Well, I'm here now. I don't have nightmares too often. Mum told me not bring up Celeste unless you did...I just didn't want to hurt you. I'll come out here and feed the thestrals, if you like." Hermione reached out to grab Luna's hand.
"I'd like that, Mina." Luna turned to her with her usual serene smile.
"Oh, by the way, I might have put a tracking charm on you." Hermione said with a sheepish grin. "No more hiding from your best friend.