Chapter 4: About Peach Tarts

Chapter Text

"Sorry, guys, Flitwick held us back a bit longer in class," said Harry as he sat down at the table where his other three group members were already seated.
It was just after 3 p.m. in the spacious study area set up for the 8th year students on the 4th floor of the west wing. Two classrooms had to be combined to accommodate the seven rectangular group tables. Every table was surrounded by a bubble-like barrier that absorbed most of the noises from the groups, allowing its member to communicate freely without disturbing the other groups. Harry's table was to the left of the door, and his three group members all smiled widely at him.
"Don't worry, Harry", said Wayne. "We were just complaining about the lack of good dessert at lunch."
"That's not quite right!" Susan exclaimed. "You were complaining! I thought the orange mousse was excellent!"
"Come on, orange mousse for dessert? It's not Christmas yet. It's still summer, you know! How about a good peach tart?", Wayne exclaimed, carrying on their previous conversation topic.
"Isn't your common room directly beneath the kitchen? You could always go and ask the house-elves for a tart for tonight, you know," Harry stated.
"Harry, don't give him bad ideas! Do you know how many courses appear on the tables every day just because Wayne wished for them? We're going to end up eating only what he likes if he keeps this up!"
"Susan, you also know where the entrance to the kitchen is! You can go ask for more orange mousse if you enjoyed it that much!" Wayne responded with a hint of humour.
"The mousse was really good," Lisa Turpin chimed in softly.
"See!" Susan exclaimed, glancing at Wayne. "It's just you who didn't like that mousse, right, Harry?"
"Um...Err… I must confess I haven't tried it."
"Because you don't like orange mousse, do you?" Wayne asked, his smile directed at Harry.
"Um..."
"Come on, Harry, you're really not helping me here," Susan remarked.
"Exactly. He is helping me! Thanks, mate! Peach tart it is for this evening!" Wayne exclaimed, drawing a chuckle from Lisa while Susan buried her head in her hands.
Harry wasn't entirely sure how much studying they'd accomplish with his study group this year, but the discussions were sure to be entertaining. He was already enjoying the liveliness of the group.
"Um, Harry, you had your first Defence Against the Dark Arts class today, didn't you? What did you think of Professor Brosseau?" Lisa asked.
"Oh, it was great! Brosseau has this incredibly imposing presence, and her teaching style is quite engaging. Her strong French accent will take some getting used to, but I think she's going to be an excellent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"That does sound good! I'm really looking forward to our first class. It's on Wednesday, isn't it?"
"It is," confirmed Lisa. "So, what did you do?"
"Did she give you a lot of homework?" Wayne inquired.

And that's how the first session of Harry's study group started.


- Back in the summer, staff room -

"I reckon Harry oughta have a peaceful year, y'know? Best not t'put him with Malfoy or some other hot-tempered Slytherin, I'd say.", Hagrid interjected.
"That is also my opinion", said Prof. Sprout. "He should be in an easy, happy and peaceful environment for his final year. Even if we want to work on inter-house-connection, I think we could actually think about an Slytherin-free group. He deserves to be let out of any difficulty this year. Of course, not all Slytherins are difficult, but I hope you understand what I mean in terms of Harry Potter, Horace."
Slughorn sighed. "I see where you're coming from. The lad's been through quite a lot, hasn't he? If you reckon this is the smoother path, then it's fine by me."
"Very well.", agreed Minerva McGonagall. "Pomona, Filius, which students would you suggest to work with Mr. Potter?"
Both looked lost in thought.
"How about Susan Bones? These two have some connecting links and from what I understand, they get along quite nicely."
There were murmurs of agreement across the staff room.
"I would recommend Lisa Turpin for the group. She is a calm and polite girl who would benefit much from Susan and Harry's expertise in Defence Against the Dark Arts. On the other hand, she is exceptionally effective in charms and transfiguration, which would assist Mr. Potter in achieving excellent results in his tests to become an auror."
"Then how about adding Wayne Hopkins to the group. He is a very cheerful young man, a good student but who would surely benefit from Miss Turpin's help and who will likely enliven the group."

"Well, Hagrid, I believe you were correct earlier, we really are "on a roll" as you put it. This is possibly the quickest we've ever assembled a group. I wouldn't have expected it for Harry Potter's group of all." McGonagall took the pictures of the four mentioned students and hanged them on the blackboard. "The first group will consist of Harry Potter of Gryffindor, Lisa Turpin of Ravenclaw and Susan Bones and Wayne Hopkins of Hufflepuff. Do everyone agree on this constellation?"
Again, sounds of agreement went across the staff room.

- First group: Harry Potter, Lisa Turpin, Susan Bones, Wayne Hopkins -


"Hi Hermione"
"Hey Terry, how was your first day of classes?"
"Quite fine, and yours? Oh, hey, Antony! Hey! Over here!"
"Hi Hermione"
"Hi Antony, good to see you"
"Hermione, it is an honour to be in a study group with you"
"Um, thanks Antony. I'm really looking forward to this study sessions with you too!", said a smiling Hermione
"Granger, Boot, Goldstein"
The ease that had been present a moment earlier vanished instantly.
"Zabini", said a very serious-looking Terry Boot.
"Um... Err… hi, Blaise. Is it okay if I call you Blaise? We're going to be working together for the whole year, and I'm on a first-name basis with the others. It would be much more comfortable to be on a first-name basis with you as well, so I thought… but only if you're okay with it, of course! I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to. It's just a suggestion for easier- "
"First names are cool with me. I'm Blaise," said Blaise with an amused grin, interrupting Hermione's nervous stuttering.
"Err… well then, I'm Antony," Antony Goldstein introduced himself uncertainly, nevertheless extending his hand. Blaise shook Antony's hand and then Terry Boot's.
"Terry, good to be on a team with you, Blaise," Terry said.
Hermione let out a long sigh and rewarded her new group members with a warm smile.
"I'm quite excited to work with the three of you! I believe this is going to be most captivating!" she beamed at them.
"I nearly missed your excitement," chuckled Blaise. "So, how many jokes did you have to endure since this morning?"
"Don't mention that," Terry replied darkly. "They started making bets on the number of N.E.W.T.s we would achieve."
"I took that as a challenge," grinned Antony. "How about we surpass their highest bet?"
"That does sound like a good challenge," said a grinning Hermione.
"You know that one hour per day won't be enough to push each other enough to achieve this, don't you?" Blaise commented.
"Blaise, what are you doing!?" exclaimed Terry, horrified.
"Are you implying we should meet more often?" Antony asked, a smile on his face.
"How about in the mornings, before classes?" Hermione suggested with a mischievous grin.
"And perhaps after dinner?" added Antony.
"And who needs lunch anyway?" Blaise quipped.
At this, Terry buried his head in his hands, while the other three burst out with laughter.

"Back to work," Antony suggested after calming down. "We're all taking advanced potions, aren't we? How about starting this session with the Elixir of Lumos?"
"Oh, that's a great idea! That could be tested in N.E.W.T.s!" Hermione exclaimed while rummaging through her bag for her potion book. "The extraction of Essence of Starflower is quite difficult, I read. You must crush the flower while using the spell Extractum Lumina. But I thought that centrifuging it might be easier and more effective."
"What does 'centrifuging' mean?" Blaise inquired.
"The centrifuge is a Muggle device that rotates at high speeds to separate components of a liquid or suspension by their density," Terry explained.
"Good thinking, Hermione! You know that spell used on carousels? That could be a start for that idea," Antony added.
"Err, wait… You're losing me here! How is putting Starflower on a carousel going to help extract the essence?" Blaise asked, bewildered.
And that's how the first session of Hermione's study group started.


- Back in the summer, staff room -

"Very well, we shall continue with Miss Grangers group", said Prof. McGonagall.
"If I may interject first, I would very much like to see Miss Granger and Mr. Zabini in a study group!". Surprised faces turned to Prof. Vector who had spoken.
"Both of them are in my Advanced Arithmancy class. Mr. Zabini is a turbulent student, yet he knows the topic quite well. I'd love to see them collaborate; I believe Mr. Zabini's unorthodox personality may help Miss Granger think in a more innovative way regarding not only my subject, but in general. And Miss Granger might help to calm Mr. Zabini a bit."
"Blaise Zabini is certainly a talented student, although he can be a bit boisterous at times. Are you certain he won't disrupt Miss Granger, who is an exceptionally dedicated student?", asked Prof. Slughorn.
"How about adding other dedicated students to the group? How about Antony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst?", added Prof. Flitwick.
"Y'can't go puttin' Antony Goldstein, Mandy Brockleshurst, an' Hermione Granger in the same group! They'd be so lost in the library, they'd forget to eat an' starve themselves, they would! We'd never see 'em again", argued Hagrid loudly.
"Honestly, I'd be a tad concerned about placing any of my eighth-year Hufflepuffs in a study group with Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, and either Anthony Goldstein or Mandy Brocklehurst. They might struggle to keep pace. But how about Terry Boot instead of Miss Brocklehurst? He's a diligent student, and he and Mr. Zabini could coax the other two out of the library."
"Well, it seems like we have a group of four students who are poised to break all records in terms of N.E.W.T. achievements by the end of the year. I believe this group will be well-suited for all of them.", chuckled Prof. McGonagall. "Does everyone agree on this constellation?"
Sounds of agreement resonated through the staff room and Prof. McGonagall proceeded to hang the picture of the students on the blackboard.

- Second Group: Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, Antony Goldstein, Terry Boot -


"Parvati, what do you think? You know her best."
"I don't know her! Just because Gryffindor and Slytherin have most classes together doesn't mean I know her. I heard she's not that bad in Transfiguration, but apart from that and the well-known fact that she was in a relationship with Malfoy, I don't know anything about her."
"She was in a relationship with Malfoy? Merlin, this is getting worse by the minute!"
"Come on, Ron, don't tell me you didn't know about their relationship in fourth year!"
A hushed silence fell over them as the three girls looked at Ron in disbelief.
"All right, enlighten me," Ron conceded.
"This is actually disappointing, Ron. How could you miss that? They started dating each other at the beginning of fourth year."
"The first time the public saw them holding hands was when we were waiting for the Beauxbatons to arrive. Don't you remember? There was so much talk about how arrogant Malfoy looked and how happy Parkinson seemed to be."
"Then they were seen together at various occasions, but they were never seen kissing."
"Just little pecks from Parkinson on Malfoy's cheeks!"
"Anyway, their relationship, if you want to call it that, ended abruptly after the Yule Ball. It's rumoured that Hermione Granger was the cause of it."
"'Mione? How would 'Mione have ended their relationship?"
"Well, she didn't do so consciously. But the rumour is that Malfoy spent the whole evening fixated at her and Viktor Krum. At first, people believed it was because Viktor Krum 'lowered himself' and chose to attend with a Muggleborn. But, well, that wouldn't have ended Malfoy's and Parkinson's relationship."
"Anyway, Parkinson was overheard tearfully confiding in Daphne, lamenting that Malfoy had never gazed at her the way he had at Hermione Granger."
"So, what do you say of that, Ron, is there something brewing between Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger?"
"Bloody hell, no! Don't even try to put this image in my head!"
The three girls giggled.
"Speaking of relationships, Ronald. Why isn't anything happening between you and Hermione Granger anymore?", asked Isobel
"Is it already time to discuss that?", interjected Parvati
"Well, we'll be working together for the entire year, so it might help us get to know each other better, don't you think?", said Hannah
"You are absolutely right, Hannah! But no pressure, Ron."
"Yes, just a brief recap of the past few months, that's all we're asking for," Isobel added with a playful tone.

"Hi"

"Hey Parkinson, sit down. Ronald was just about to tell us what happened to his relationship with Hermione Granger", said Isobel without even looking up.
"I never said I would say anything about that!", Ron cried out.
"Oh, come on Ron! Hannah has a valid point!"
"You already know me, Parvati! And why do we not talk about Hannah and Seamus then?"
All heads turned to Hannah.
"You and Finnigan? Really?"
Hannah's face turned red.
"I underestimated you, Ron Weasley! Where did you catch that?"
"Aha! Harry and I saw you walking hand in hand through the gardens back in August."
"Oh, that sounds so sweet! Hannah, would you like to share with us?"
"Only if Ron tells his story first."
All eyes turned back to Ron who let his head fall on the table.
"Perhaps we should just start to bloody study. How about doing some charm-work?"
"Don't even try to pull a Hermione on us."
"Is that an established expression?"
"Not officially yet, but everyone gets the idea."
"Granger often attempts to divert the conversation by proposing doing homework?"
"Well, it's more like she vanishes behind a book or in the library."
"How many N.E.W.T.'s are their group gonna make?", tried Ron again.
"That can be our next discussion topic, but first, Ronald, I'm eager to hear Hannah's love story. You can't let us down; we are one group!"
"Blimey, Isobel, stop calling me Ronald! You sound like my mother. It's Ron."
"Isn't there a saying, 'one for all, all for one'?", asked Parvati.
"Well, there is, but that would mean you, Isobel and Parkinson have to share something too!"
"Alright, I take it back."
"Back on track, please: Weasley and Granger."
"You're right, Parkinson. Ron, we've noticed you stopped kissing after a few sightings. I think the last time we saw you kiss was in June."
"You won't let it go, will you?"
"Of course not! What happened?"
"Nothing! Nothing happened. We just recognized it was not what we had thought."
An abrupt tensed silence settled over all the girls, eight eyes watching their male team member as Ron's head hit the desk again.
"Bloody hell… We were 'together' for only a few weeks, maybe three or four, perhaps five. We needed each other for support after the war, to help us get back on our feet after all the mess we had to go through. It was a bloody difficult period! But after a few weeks and with the reconstruction of the castle going on, we started to get better. And as the time passed, we realised that what we were feeling wasn't love but rather a need for comfort. So, we made the decision to break up the 'loving relationship' and restore our friendship. Hermione made me promise to avoid pointless arguments in the future. And she is still someone I truly care about. Anything else would be bizarre after what we've been through together.
There you have it. That is something we will never, ever discuss again! And now it's your turn, Hannah!"
The four girls were all taken aback by Ron's outburst.
"Oh, Ron, that decision shows so much maturity and self-awareness!", said Hannah.
"Don't even try to get around telling your story, Hannah!", answered Ron, his head still lying on the table.
"Well, I promised, didn't I? All right, are you ready for the most romantic story you will ever hear?"
"Urgh, I'm not sure.", interjected Pansy Parkinson.
"Don't take her seriously! Of course we want the story!", said Isobel
"Hey!", exclaimed Pansy Parkinson.

And that's how the first session of Ron's study group started.


- Back in the summer, staff room -

"Next group will be the group of Mr. Ronald Weasley"
"I would greatly desire to witness Miss Parvati Patil and Mr. Weasley in the same group.", said the low voice of Firenze.
Surprised faces all across the staff room turned to the first speaker.
"How so?", asked Prof. McGonagall.
"Miss Patil has endured the loss of her dearest friend during the war. It is my belief that Mr. Weasley, who also shared a close connection with Miss Brown, may provide her with solace. Even though Mr. Weasley and Miss Brown ended their relationship in the sixth year, his presence could be a source of comfort for Miss Patil."
"Hear Hear", Hagrid interjected.
"That is very thoughtful", added Slughorn. "I've got this general feeling that Mr. Weasley is quite popular with the young ladies. You might recall the time he received that love potion in his sixth year. Perhaps he could serve as a reassuring male presence to balance out an all-female group."
Prof. McGonagall was just about to explain that the love potion wasn't meant for him when Prof. Sprout interrupted her.
"You know, that actually sounds like a splendid idea. We've already assembled the most studious group Hogwarts has ever seen, so why not create the most talkative one, too?"
Again Prof. McGonagall was about to interject that this would surely be a bad idea when Prof. Slughorn spoke up: "Well, that does sound rather delightful. We could all use a bit of merriment after the troubles of the war, don't you think?"
"That is not…", started Prof. McGonagall when this time Prof. Flitwick spoke up joyfully: "Well, in that case, I'd like to suggest Miss Isobel MacDougal as our primary Ravenclaw gossip enthusiast."
Now McGonagall was dumbfounded.
"Oh, on Hufflepuffs side, that would be Hannah Abbott" said a chuckling Prof. Sprout.
"A group for a good gossip just wouldn't be complete without Miss Pansy Parkinson, now would it?", added Prof. Slughorn, also chuckling.
"Well, that sounds like it's gonna be a right jolly bunch.", laughed Hagrid
"Are you being earnest about this?", asked a flabbergasted Prof. McGonagall
"Minerva, consider this. Miss Parkinson could feel at ease in such a group, and Ron Weasley might take on a fresh role compared to his previous one with Miss Granger and Mr. Potter as he will be the voice of reason in the group. He's also rather protective and could be a source of support for the four young ladies. That could be quite beneficial for Miss Parkinson. As for Miss Patil, a group consisting of four girls plus Ronald Weasley may be greatly favourable. I believe Hannah and Miss MacDougal will also enjoy this, and, as Horace mentioned, we all could use some enjoyment at the moment."
"Oh well, I suppose you could see it this way", sighed Prof. McGonagall. "Does everyone agree on this constellation?".
Sounds of agreement echoed through the room.

- Third Group: Ronald Weasley, Parvati Patil, Hannah Abbott, Pansy Parkinson, Isobel MacDougal -


- Slytherin table, dinner time -

"How did your first study session with your brilliant group member go?" asked Theodore Nott, while tacking some more potatoes, "I'm actually surprised there isn't smoke coming out your ears!"
"My head hurts," Blaise murmured, clutching his head between his hands. "They are fucking brilliant. Really Draco, they should have put you in that group!"
Draco didn't even care of sending him a dark look and refrained from giving an answer.
"How was your first session", Nott turned to Pansy Parkinson who was just taking the seat beneath him. "You don't seem as horrified as you were this morning. So, it went better than you imagined, didn't it? All the grumbling was just to get a neck massage? You know you could just ask for one."
"Would you give me one?", Pansy inquired.
"No", answered Nott.
"Come on, tell us about your horrible group. Did you have enough time to exchange all Hogwarts gossip? Or do you have to work extra hours?", Blaise grinned at her.
"Oh shut up you two. It was… all right I suppose. I'm not quite sure what happened, myself. I… arrived at the table and they didn't even look up, more or less just told me to sit down and be quiet as they were waiting for the love story of Granger and Weasley."
"Urgh… Sounds awful… You surely loved that."
"Then Abbott talked about her and Finnigan, MacDougal ranted about two Ravenclaw fourth year who weren't hiding correctly and Patil had some stories about a few fifth year and the mess they created a few weeks before school start in the new potion classroom. And then the study time was over."
"Sounds like your group is really gonna perform this year.", said Nott laughing. "Might be nearly as good as Blaise's".
"Don't talk that loudly, my head!"
"What happened to your head?", asked Daphne
"Something with flowers and carousels.", said Blaise.
"What does he mean?"
"No idea… oh, peach tart! Excellent!"


- Gryffindor table -

"Neville, hey Neville! Come here! There is a seat here", shouted Dean Thomas.
"So, how was it?", he asked as soon as Neville had taken his place.
"Phew! Has any one of you seen Malfoy close-by these times? He looks horrible. I think I know who McGonagall was mostly referring to when she said some of us weren't sleeping well…"
"This bad?", asked a worried Hermione.
"Yep. He looks more like a ghost than like a human. He sat with us but didn't say a word. He just took out his homework and worked beside us. Well, we didn't expect him to work with us anyway, so that wasn't much of a surprise. We tried once or twice to get him in the conversation, but he just continued his work without even looking up. He might have lost his voice as far as we know, and his hearing too, actually…
But apart from that, Padma, Megan and I do work greatly together! Padma is really good in any class where a wand is needed, as she puts it, and will be really helpful for transfiguration and charms! And Megan and I both love Herbology, so that's gonna be interesting, too.
Well, thinking about it, they might have teamed us up with Malfoy so he could help us with potions. That's the only class we are all not good at. Well, I'm actually really bad at it, it's a shame they installed mandatory basic classes. I thought I would never have to brew anything ever again."
"Oh, I hate that, too! Mandatory astronomy classes would have been all right, but potions? That sucks!" said Seamus.
"Oh yes, we heard about your interest in Astronomy, didn't we Ron? Especially your interest in balconies just under the astronomy tower. Care to elaborate?", interjected Parvati. Seamus paled at that.
"Sounds like your group works as planed!", Harry laughed.
"Was all right, I suppose.", said Ron. "Isobel got hold of Parkinson quite easily by telling her to sit down and listen. And it seems like the gossip was good enough because she just did."
"Oh, what was it about?", asked Hermione.
"Err…", answered Ron.
"Do you remember this strange sound we heard about two weeks ago coming from the direction of Ravenclaw tower?", interjected Parvati, thus saving Ron.
"This awful scream you mean? Who was it?", asked Seamus, leaning forward to hear the full story.
"It seems that two Ravenclaws decided to take their relationship to new heights, if you know what I mean. Late one night, near the Ravenclaw tower, they thought they had found the perfect spot for their romantic "rendezvous". Unfortunately for them, it wasn't that perfect. The Grey Lady and the Nearly Headless Nick walked on them in the act. The shriek we all heard was a mix of surprise from the Ravenclaw girl and Nick's very startled reaction." The Gryffindors started laughing at that.

"Really?", asked Dean between chuckles, "It sounded like someone was truly horrified!"

"Well, Nick is still thoroughly embarrassed and it is said that he swore to avoid the Ravenclaw tower as long as these two students are still in school." Again, laughter filled the table.
"Unlike the Grey Lady by the way, who has never been seen so amused. And she still breaks into fits of giggles whenever she sees one of them.
Anyway, it wasn't good for the lovebirds, they broke up afterwards."

"Oh, I already love your study group", laughed Dean, before adding "Oh, peach tart! That's a good idea!" and taking some on his dessert plate.

"Ron, would you walk back with me, please?" Parvati asked after dinner.
"Err… sure," said a bewildered Ron, standing up to join her for the walk back to their common room.

"Are you all right, Parvati?" he asked when the two of them left the Great Hall.
"I'm so sorry, Ron, but I feel like you're the only one I can talk to. It was such a nice day, and we had so much fun, and it just feels so unfair. She would have loved this so much!" Parvati said, a tear flowing down her cheek as they walked up the stairs. Ron stared at her, bewildered, before catching himself and putting his arm around her shoulder, thus pulling her close.
"I smile and giggle and laugh, and as soon as there is a calm moment, I feel guilty for being so happy while she isn't here anymore. I miss her so much," Parvati said, leaning on him and starting to weep.
"I know she would have loved today, and I'm sure she would want me to be happy and to enjoy this, but… it's not that easy!"
"I'm afraid It's never easy, Parvati. It's going to hurt for a while, until we can think of them with a smile. But it's still too fresh for that.", Ron said, holding onto her in the middle of the staircase until her sobbing lessened.
"Would you like me to accompany you to Sermo's and Alma's office to look up their consulting hour?"
"No, my troubles are nothing compared to what others have gone through. I won't take their time if others need it much more."
At that, Ron held her at arm's length.
"No, Parvati, there is no 'my problem is bigger than yours.' That's not how it works! If you need help, you need help. Some handle it better, some worse. You are always entitled to get help!", he explained, looking in her eyes.
"Let's go look at their board, shall we?" he added with a softer voice.
Parvati sniffed again, then nodded. "Okay. You're right. Thanks, Ron."
"Nothing to thank me for. And I do miss her, too, you know. She would really have loved today." Ron answered as they turned around and started to walk back down. Parvati chuckled.
"You did change, Ronald Weasley", she then said. "You really have matured."
"And why is everyone calling me Ronald today?!", exclaimed Ron.