1 April 1994
Sirius Black got into the tower, he snuck in while everyone was asleep and stood over Ron's bed with a knife looking every bit the scary mass murderer he was. Then Black didn't kill him, just ran away, which lead to Hermione and Eloise going over their notes they had on Sirius Black. While Ron loudly retold his brush with death to anyone who listened, Hermione and Eloise poured over newspaper clippings and notes they took when they asked teachers about the student they remembered. Most of the adults seemed hesitant to tell them of Sirius Black, it all went against what they read of him, dark wizard from a dark family, death eater, man responsible for the death of two of Hogwarts most beloved alumni. The Sirius Black the professors remember was a sweet boy with a temper when faced with prejudice, Gryffindor prankster who mostly targeted Slytherins and known blood purists, and best friend to James Potter from the moment they met.
Remus Lupin claimed to be one of James and Lily Potter's best friends but he was incredibly vague about their school years. He told Harry stories of pranks set up by four Gryffindor boys, inseparable since first year. Peter Pettrigew was talked about a lot, the runt of the litter who would do anything for his friends, even chase down a much more powerful wizard in the state of his grief. Poor impulsive Peter who died a hero trying to avenge his best friends deaths. Remus felt uncomfortable speaking about the time after the Potters murder and him coming to teach, unable to explain why he delved deep into the dark and illegal smuggling world. Harry didn't dwell on the unanswered questions, happy to hear stories of what his parents were like.
Harry actually spent a lot of his time watching Cho Chang after Neville's cryptic warning, not just sighing wistfully as he admired her beauty but critically to see more of her personality. The first thing he noticed was she was a pretty when she cried, which was a lot. He compared her to Hermione, who's face got red and blotchy, her nose became stuffy and her whole body seemed to grieve as she sobbed. Cho pouted cutely as fat tears rolled down her tan cheeks, her eyes never got puffy or irritated. While Cho wore a scarf around her head to hide her bald head and lots of makeup, Hermione took little notice of her appearance unless Eloise dressed her. He also noticed that when Luna was in the great hall, Cho and her friends would point and laugh loudly at the small blonde. The venomous glares they sent Hermione, Eloise, and Luna were the most eye opening. Making Cho's normally beautiful face turn into something resembling a harpy in his books. Hermione didn't even seem to notice the girls and when she did she would only smile sadly at them, as if they were a great disappointment, before turning back to her friends.
This lead to Harry comparing Hermione and Cho, who were practically opposites of each other. Cho was taller than him, slim, athletic with exotic beauty. Hermione was very short, barely 5ft tall with her wild curls and porcelain skin. Sure, they were both quidditch players but as Harry learned over the summer, Hermione was definitely developing curves. Cho seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, with her large group of girls who flirted and fluttered their lashes at the older boys in the halls. Hermione stuck to her core group of friends and brothers, blocking out everyone else.
Although as he watched, he saw other boys watching her too. It made him uncomfortable as he watched Malfoy politely greet her at least 3 times every day. Hermione would only look at him quizzically before the blonde swaggered back to join his Slytherin friends. Anthony Goldstein would always rush to her side and offer to carry her books to charms, Hermione would smile gratefully and pile Eloise's into his arms as well. Ernie McMillan, a Hufflepuff in their year asked Hermione if she would come to Hogsmeade with him and was devastated when she told him she wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade until next year when Luna could go too. As she walked into the great hall, she was almost knocked to the floor by Blaise Zabini who gracefully held her up by wrapping an arm around her waist and kissed her hand. Harry felt an uncomfortably tight feeling in his chest as she blushed and smiled at him. Then someone smacked him hard on the back of the head.
"She's going to catch fire if you keep staring." George smirked.
"You're not mad some Slytherin is all over her?" Harry turned to gape at George.
"No, Spitfire knows what they want. Me and Forge will get him later for actually touching her. He knows better." George shrugged and returned to his breakfast.
"What they want?" Harry questioned slowly.
"A formal understanding." Neville grunted as he sat down, trying to ignore the many glares he received from his housemates.
"What's that?" Harry questioned, his eyes on Hermione who was happily chatting with Eloise and Luna.
"It's an official courtship, I think it's like dating but more formal and permanent." Neville shrugged as he filled his plate.
"Permanent?" Harry's voice cracked as he looked to his friend in alarm.
"Yeah, some families draw up betrothals from the cot. Most now wait until their children are in school. Their parents send them suggestions after first year." Neville mumbled, his eyes darting to George who simply rolled his eyes and moved down the table to where Fred and Ron were sitting with a large group.
"I thought she said Weasleys don't do betrothal contracts?" Harry gaped, his eyes still focused on the laughing redhead sitting with her friends.
"They don't but she's part of the sacred 28, top of our year, magically powerful and Gran says she's a dead ringer for her Granmother Prewitt who was known for her beauty. She's been pushing me to uh, court Hermione since first year and that was based on rumors." Neville blushed.
"So why haven't you?" Harry shifted uncomfortably as he looked at his blushing friend.
"I think it's pretty obvious she has no uh feelings other than brotherly for me." Neville shifted his gaze guiltily. "Not to mention she refuses to go to Hogsmeade without you or Luna. She's turned down anyone who asks."
"Really?" Harry felt guilty at that, he snuck into Hogsmeade using the map and planned to do it again the following trip. "Isn't it all a little serious, we are only 13."
"In four years, over half of our classmates will be married." Neville said bluntly.
"What?!" Harry blurted, gaining the attention of most of the table, Harry flushed as he saw Hermione looking at him with concern before Luna drew her attention away.
"Harry, Eloise told me a little about this dating thing you do in the muggle world. In our world it would be considered inefficient and unnecessary. It's only been the last few decades that parents started to let their children choose their spouse. Well, for most of the families anyway. Potters, Weasleys, and Diggorys have always chosen but the Prewitts, Macmillans, Blacks and the lot have always been paired." Neville said slowly. "I think some half bloods date though" Neville added thoughtfully.
"So, these boys want to marry Hermione?" Harry whispered urgently, his voice laced with panic.
"Well, they are doing their duty to their house and following their parents instructions to find the best spouse in our class. You'll notice that most of them seem to be dividing their attention pretty evenly, talking to other girls as well. I don't understand Malfoy though. Gran said he had a cradle betrothal to Parkinson but he-" Neville looked over to the Slytherin table, Malfoy was staring at Hermione and Parkinson was sitting very close to Daphne Greengrass whispering in her ear. Neville was cut off as all of the goblets on every table exploded with a loud POP, the remains flew into the air and rained down on the great hall as glittering orange and purple sparkles.
"Hey, ready for divination?" Hermione smiled brightly as she walked through the rainfall of glitter towards them, Eloise shaking it off grumpily behind her.
"WEASLEY!" Professor Snape shouted angrily as he got up from the staff table, his hair wet and soapy.
"Yes, professor?" The five Weasleys came forward politely. Fred and George had innocent smiles, Ron glared angrily at his ruined breakfast, Percy looked resigned, and Hermione just smiled, looking amused.
"I want to know who is responsible for this!" Professor Snape shrieked, voice climbing higher in octave, while he pointed at his hair. The potions master shut his mouth quickly and glared at the students in front of him. The student body was silent, holding their breath. No one, not even the twins ever managed to prank the surly potions professor.
"I'm very sorry, sir. I'm not sure what you mean?" Hermione started, her large doe eyes wide as she looked up at the snarling man. "Why would we ever do such a thing?"
"You-" the professor started to yell but his voice came out as a high pitched effeminate squeak.
"Do you have any evidence that it was me or my brothers?" Hermione asked, a small smile on her face as she twirled a red curl in her fingers. Ron looked quickly to the floor, hiding a smile, Fred and George openly smirked from behind their little sister, and Percy let out a long suffering sigh.
"Severus! What are you doing?" Professor McGonagall entered the hall to see a dripping, soapy potions master glaring angrily at her favorite Cubs. The potions master looked up and just frowned at his fellow professor.
"I'm not sure what happened, Professor. He just started accusing us of something to do with his hair. It is not the responsibility of my siblings or myself to rinse the potion masters hair." Percy said in his most pompous Headboy voice. The transfiguration teacher looked over the Weasley siblings critically before looking to the seething and soapy potions professor.
"Get to class!" Professor McGonagall snapped. The Weasley children didn't need to be told twice as they quickly gathered their bags and scampered out of the hall. "Severus?" Professor Snape just glared and stormed from the hall, dripping water on the floor as he left.
"Happy Birthday." Percy bowed to his siblings before dashing off. Fred and George exchanged a look before George changed after him.
"Who did that to Snape?" Fred asked gleefully as he followed his younger siblings to meet their friends.
"Happy birthday!" Hermione beamed. "It was Ron's idea to wash his hair..." She grinned impishly as Ron's ears turned red, they discussed a possible birthday present but he was not involved in the set up, being so busy with his new friends. "We made an elixir with the Tari flower and dirigible plum to alter his voice."
"Daddy sent the dirigible plums." Luna said from behind them with a serene smile. The blonde slipped something into Hermione's bag while the boys gaped at her.
"You could have asked." Harry grumbled as he noticed his invisibility cloak being shoved into Hermione's bag.
"You're a rotten liar." Hermione smiled apologetically as they set off for divination. Fred hugged everyone in the group, even Neville and grave Hermione two large wet kisses on the cheek.
Hermione sat between Harry and Ron at the little round table in divination, doodling on a scrap piece of parchment as the willowy professor droned on about the inner eye or the third eye or something. Hermione read the book, as well as some supplementary materials on divination, she felt Professor Trelawney was definitely a fraud. In most of the books she read, there was a lot of meditation involved to develop the ability to read into the future. Even with years of practice most witches and wizards couldn't develop the skill and Hermione wasn't interested in wasting her time. Ron and Harry looked close to falling asleep after drinking their tea and Ron was even snoring softly, though his eyes were open. Hermione wondered if Ron learned a charm he could teach her.
"Oh my dear! It's the grim!" Professor Trelawney exclaimed loudly as she descended on their table, startling the trio. Lavender, Parvarti, and Hope gasped and started to whisper excitedly behind them. "I'm so sorr-"
"Oh, no Harry! You're scheduled to die again!" Hermione cried out sarcastically, she turned Harry and pouted. "I know you have a reputation as The-Boy-Who-Lived and all but.." Hermione's wide eyes turned to the the bug eyed professor.
"Ms. Weasley, I'm sorry-" Professor Trelawney started in her usual ominous voice.
"It's alright, Professor. No need to apologize for your ineptitude, I'm sure you just didn't meditate enough. I'm sure you'll accurately predict a students death someday." Hermione said lightly. Ron and Harry were wide awake now and snickering behind their hands.
"Ms. Weasley, I'm sorry to say I've predicted you wouldn't be able to handle the labour of the art of divination. I've never had such a closed minded and mundane student." Professor Trelawney bristled, seething just below the surface
"Mundane?" Hermione said slowly, looking at the professor critically before using all her anger and wandlessly throwing the crystal ball sitting on their table with a flick of her hand. "Then, I guess I should stop wasting your time." Hermione snapped as she gathered her bag and stormed from the classroom, down the rickety ladder.
"Hermione?" Harry's voice carried down the hall as she raced to the abandoned corridor, ready to lay in her bed.
"Yes?" Hermione turned slowly to face him, his face red and out of breath like he'd been running to catch up.
"You can do wandless magic?" Harry exclaimed as he walked up beside her.
"No, only when I'm really upset. It's not really wandless magic." Hermione shrugged and leaned against the wall facing him.
"Then...how did you do that?" Harry gaped.
"How did you blow up your aunt?" Hermione smirked.
"Touché." Harry blushed and looked away.