Note: Yes, I know Hermione's birthday is 19th September, but I just didn't warm up to writing about her 18th birthday at all. It wasn't that inappropriate for the story, but I just found it... annoying :D
I'm just going to pretend that her birthday was in August. I mean…lots of things are allowed in fanfiction, right?
"No way."
"Please! I have to practice!"
Hermione heard the voices of Harry and Neville even before the two had entered the classroom.
She was preparing her stove for potions lesson when the others arrived one by one.
"Yeah, but not on me, why don't you ask Luna," Harry suggested, taking the seat next to Hermione.
"She won't let me practice on her unless she can test her potions on me in return and that... no." Neville looked to Hermione puppy-eyed.
"Whatever you're up to, no one's practicing anything on me either," Hermione clarified before he could even ask her.
Neville slumped his shoulders dejectedly.
"What's this about?" asked Ron, who had entered the room only a few steps behind Harry.
"I need to practice transformation spells and for the N.E.W.T.s I need to be able to do human transformations, but no one will let me practice on them."
By the look on Ron's face, he seemed to immediately regret asking. He ducked away behind Hermione and pretended to check the fire under their cauldrons.
"I think your best chance is to ask someone younger," Hermione said, patting Neville's arm encouragingly.
"I just can't afford to spend several days in the hospital wing. I have a lot to do. And we all used to be a bit more experimental in earlier years, didn't we?"
Neville nodded.
"I suppose that's true. Maybe I'll ask Ginny."
"If you turn my sister's legs into bird feet and split her in half by that, I'll strangle you," threatened Ron, who had reappeared from his hiding place in a flash.
"Don't worry," Harry reassured him. "She'll take care of that herself, even as half a person."
With a crash, a book flew to the floor beside the doorway. Crabbe and Goyle had bumped into Pansy as they entered the classroom who was no shouting a few insults at them.
At the sight of Goyle, Hermione had to squint her eyes for a moment and forced herself to look away as quickly as possible.
She couldn't get his profile pictures and disgusting listing for a future girlfriend out of her mind's eye.
In the great hall, she could easily overlook and ignore him. In this small setting though, for the first time since Harry's attempt at entertainment, he was right back in her face.
"Don't ever show me dating profiles of classmates again, it haunts me!" hissed Hermione in her best friend's direction, shaking her head as if that would make the thoughts go away.
"Attention my dear students!" Professor Slughorn tapped his desk with his wand and waited briefly for everyone present to take their seats.
"For today, I thought we would return to something I presented to you here several years ago." Slughorn lowered his head and looked at the class over imaginary reading glasses.
"I'm sure some of you remember the day I had you brew Amortentia."
Immediately a low murmur could be heard from every corner oft he room. Most of them probably thought of something else first today than their ageing teacher when they heard that term.
"I'm sure many remember what they smelled that day, don't they?" He smiled and let his eyes roam searchingly over the faces in front of him.
"Today, though, it's about the prize I awarded that day. Who can remember what that was? Yes, Mr. Potter."
"Felix Felicis, Sir."
"Correct. Please provide the following ingredients." As her professor listed the various components, Hermione caught herself smiling.
Of course, Harry could remember this well. He had won the little vial back then. It had been the starting signal for Ron's time on the quidditch team. And with it, so to speak, his rather exhausting relationship with Lavender.
"Please proceed with extreme care," Slughorn called over the whispering students and the sound of cupboard doors and drawers beeing opened and closed.
"This potion takes an eternity in the cauldron, so in your time at Hogwarts, you will only have this one opportunity to try your luck with liquid luck."
Six months was the time needed, Hermione recalled.
Containers of aschwinder and occamy eggs, common rue, some tincture of thyme, Squill bulb and murtlap tentacles gradually gathered on her table.
"Please be thoughtful with these ingredients," Slughorn repeated as the first began to chop up some common rue.
"Some of these are very expensive components and deserve our utmost appreciation and accuracy in their use."
As always in potion class - which were not held by Snape - the class gradually got chatty. Slughorn rarely minded, as long as it didn't get too loud. Every now and then it got quieter again here and there when someone needed to concentrate. But while stirring the liquid or straining tinctures, one could easily have a little chat with their neighbours.
"I actually don't remember what I smelled back then," Hermione heard Theodor Nott's voice from the workstation behind her.
"I do." That was Pansy. "But I think that's changed now."
"Do you remember?" asked Harry in a lowered voice.
"Not really," Hermione reflected. "Well, I know what things popped into my head at the time, but I don't remember the smell itself."
Ron snatched at an aschwinder egg that had slipped from his fingers.
"Something floral, hay, candyfloss and something chemical," he muttered in response to Harry's question.
"Something chemical?" repeated Hermione in wonder.
"Yeah, I can't tell what it was. It was chemical, though. What 'bout you, Harry?"
"Treacle tart, broomstick wood and... also something floral."
"Didn't know you had such a thing for flowers," Hermione joked.
"What popped into your head then?" insisted Harry. She should have known he wouldn't let her get away with it.
"Freshly cut grass, toothpaste and new parchment."
In the opposite corner of the classroom, Crabbe began to swear. It seemed as if something had fallen into his kettle.
"Oh, I'm afraid that's ruined now," Slughorn commented on his mishap, quickly putting out the fire under Crabbe's cauldron with a wave of his wand.
"Why don't you read through the instructions for the potion we're going to start next lesson," he instructed his student.
"Page 140, the veritaserum."
Hermione felt a slight shiver run down her spine as the word "veritaserum" inevitably brought a plush pink office to her mind. It was hard to believe that this nightmare had happened over a year ago.
Hermione still got angry thinking about that nasty woman. A whole year of practice and good lessons in defence against the dark arts had been lost on her.
Okay, Dumbledore's Army had come out of it and probably tought some students more than the curriculum would ever have intended for them, but the aftermath was noticeable – especially in the younger years.
She had noticed in the common room every now and then that second years were missing important basics that they simply hadn't been able to practise in their first year here.
As far as Slughorn could tell at the end of the lesson, he was satisfied with the trio's potions. He stowed all the cauldrons in the next room on low flames, where they would now bubble away.
It had been the last class of the day, so Hermione did not hurry through the corridors as she did between lessons, but waited for Harry and Ron.
A small cluster of people had formed around a pillar outside the classroom.
"What's there to see again?" exclaimed Lavender, pushing a younger Hufflepuff student aside so she could see something.
Ron stood on his tiptoes, which in his case was enough to make out what was apparently so exiting.
"That's is already the poster advertising the Ravenclaws' Halloween party," he observed.
It had been a tradition for the students of the last two school years that each house hosted a party at a different time oft he year.
On the first day of school, the prefects of each house drew batches to see who would have to organize which one.
Gryffindor actually had the big task of organising the graduation party after the N.E.W.T.s this year. Halloween belonged to Ravenclaw, Slytherin had been chosen for the New Year's Eve party and it was Hufflepuff's turn for Easter.
"31st October, starting 9pm, for all sixth and seventh years - as usual...," Ron read out, stretching a little higher.
"Dress code: costumes."
Posters were up all over the castle, which in a strange way put Hermione in a good mood. She had expected the whole thing to be done over a simple text message this year to everyone invited.
That she now saw the self-designed blue and silver posters hanging here pleased her more than it should have.
It was crazy how such little things could influence her mood sometimes.
After dinner, Hermione looked for a quiet place in the spacious corridors and dialled her parents' number. They had agreed to calling each other at least once a week and this week she had actually not managed to do so, yet.
"Hello, my darling," her mother's voice rang out on the other end of the line.
"Hello, mum. How are you?"
"Everything's great here, what about you?"
"Same. There's lots of new subject matter, but I expected as much. Have you seen the photos I sent you?"
"Oh yes, that hall looks really breathtaking." Hermione had sent her parents a photo of the great hall with the tables fully set three days ago. And one of Harry, Ron and her in the common room. There had been no reply to that yet, but she knew they weren't good with WhatsApp and preferred to talk on the phone.
"Harry and Ron are starting to look all grown up."
"And I do not?" joked Hermione.
"Well yes, but we see them even less than we see you, so it's even more noticeable."
Her mother, after the initial small talk, told Hermione some more about new guidelines for her dental practice, new billing methods from the health insurance companies that were getting on her nerves and asked here and there about different school subjects.
Hermione knew she didn't understand anything about potions or transfiguration and asked those questions more out of politeness, but she answered everything.
"Is Dad home, too?" she finally asked when the conversation seemed to be coming to an end.
"He's at an appointment right now, but he told me to say hello. He'll be in touch as soon as he has time."
"Tell him said hi, too. I can always make a phone call after dinner, actually."
"All right, well, take care honey. I love you."
"I love you, too. Bye Mum."
Hermione remained leaning against the cool stone wall for a moment before walking slowly back to the common room.
Just before the portrait of the fat lady, she passed Luna and Ginny sitting in a window alcove, looking rather intently at Ginny's phone.
"Hermione! You're here just in time," Luna called cheerfully, waving her over.
"Say, what is it with muggles and Halloween?"
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"We wanted to look up some costume ideas," Ginny explained. "After all, this is our first house party, but somehow this kind of thing comes up a lot." She held out her phone to Hermione. On it were many Google image results for "cool Halloween costumes for women".
"Yeah...and what exactly is funny about this now?"
"Well this!" Ginny pointed to one of the pictures and it hit Hermione like a ton of bricks, what horrified her friends so much. Many of the search results were "sexy" witch costumes. Short skirts cut off in zigzags, poofy tulle skirts, lace-up corsages and revealing necklines. Usually with a pointy hat of shiny velvet or even a glittery wand with a star on the top.
"Oh yeah, that um..."
"Do muggles think we look like that?" Luna's eyes went even wider as they already were.
"No, muggles don't think we look like that at all because they think witches are a myth," Ginny corrected her, "But then how do they come up with something like that?"
"If you're looking for costumes for women on the internet, everything gets oversexualised." Hermione scrolled a little further and tapped on another picture.
"It's not like any nurse looks like that, even in the muggle world," she commented on the absurdly short dress.
"And policewomen don't wear hot pants either".
"I thought you are supposed to dress up scary for Halloween?" said Ginny shaking her head and putting her phone away.
"Yeah, you'd think." Hermione smirked. "Dress up however you like. It's not that strict at the house parties. As long as you all have fun..." She waved her hand briefly and walked towards the large portrait. This event was still over a month away, but she could remember just too well how excited people from her year had been at their first house party.
Lavender and Parvati had kept her up far too late for several nights in a row because they couldn't stop whispering about various possible scenarios.
Hermione wasn't as crazy about parties as some of her other classmates, but she was looking forward to this Halloween party nevertheless.
Parties held at Ravenclaw had always been good so far. Even if they had only been small birthday parties for Luna.
Besides, it was her last Halloween at Hogwarts. Hermione sighed as she climbed into the room on the other side of the portrait.
There were countless last times in front of her and it wasn't getting any easier to think about.
"Did you see that?" called Ron towards her, waving a note in the air.
He held it far too close to Hermione's face so that she had to take a step back to see what it was.
"It's pinned under every poster in the castle. He's totally crazy!"
You want to raise your success on Amortentia? A good profile is key!
Get the perfect profile now in 15 minutes or less for just 2 galleons.
Contact Michael Corner now and find exactly what you're looking for on the app!
"Brilliant concept," Harry's voice rang out from behind the note, before Hermione could even begin to rant in horror.
"Genius? That's terrible! How can you charge money for something like that?"
"You could say he takes his job from Dumbledore seriously and wants to protect his fellow students," Harry argued.
Hermione made an annoyed sound and slapped Ron's hand with the note away.
"I just don't want to hear or see anything more about this app! It's so annoying and now people are making a business out of it. Next thing you know, someone's getting paid to text parents because the kids themselves are bored of it."
Harry pretended to think about this insanely good idea and received a sharp look from Hermione.
Ron stood almost protectively in front of his best friend and tried to calm the situation.
"I think it's stupid too," he agreed with Hermione. "No one needs that, it works just fine without wannabe experts like Michael."
Hermione stopped short and Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise too.
"I see," Hermione went on, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "Ron, is there something you want to tell us?"
Ron's ears turned red in no time.
"No."
"Ron?" joined in Harry, the blush spreading to Ron's cheeks.
"I..."
"Yeah?" pressed Hermione and Harry simultaneously.
"Maybe I have… something like… a date?"
Hermione lowered her arms.
"Maybe something like a date?" she repeated, "That's...nice! Who is it? Please don't say someone who just moved to Hogsmeade, waits tables, is incredibly pretty and doesn't know any of us."
"What, no, nonsense. With... someone from... well from here. From the castle."
"Which is?" asked Harry impatiently.
Ron exhaled audibly and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. He rocked back and forth like a nervous toddler, muttering something incomprehensible.
"Huh?" went Harry.
"Lender," Ron mumbled.
"What, Leander?" repeated Hermione, confused.
"Lavender," Ron squeezed out, narrowing his eyes as if he was expecting a punch or an attack.
"Lavender?" exclaimed Hermione a little too loudly.
"Shhh!" hissed Ron, now looking around with wide eyes. There were only a couple of younger children in the room at the moment, however. They didn't take much interest in the three of them and didn't even look up.
"Lavender?" repeated Hermione in a whisper, grabbing him by the upper arm.
"Ron, you remember how that went, right?"
"Yeah, that's really... unexpected now," Harry agreed.
"Yes, it is, but we've all changed in the meantime, haven't we?"
"Sure." Hermione let go of his arm.
Lavender?!
"So do I have to prepare myself for getting mean looks and comments from her every time I talk to you? I really don't need that right now," Hermione clarified.
"No, I'm just going to have some ice cream with her. We're not a couple or anything."
"But wait." Harry adjusted his glasses. "This is happening because of that app now?"
"Sort of." It sounded more like a question than an answer.
"She saw my profile and hit me up on it and that's how we got back into... more intense conversation."
Hermione screwed up her face in disgust.
"Not like that! Oh god, Hermione!" Ron slapped his hands over his eyes. Harry, on the other hand, burst out laughing.
"Well then, of course, we hope you have a great time eating ice cream," he laughed, patting Ron on the back.
"And if it doesn't work out, I'm sure you can pay Michael to break up with her for you via message."
