In Ancient Runes, Professor Babbling gave an overview of the class for the year. Last year, they had been mainly working with the Elder Futhark and basic principles of runology; this year, they would be progressing to the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc and Younger Futhark, with Phoenician and Hieroglyphics covered in 5th year, just before O.W.L.s.
The class ended with the assignment to write out the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc alphabet and compare it to the Elder Futhark (simple enough), and then they broke for lunch.
After lunch was double Arithmancy with Professor Vector. Professor Vector was already in the classroom when they entered, her head face-down on the desk. Hermione exchanged a dubious look with Harry as they entered. It was unusual for Professor Vector to be anything less than perfectly professional.
Once everyone was inside, Professor Vector pushed herself back from her desk. Her eyes were very bloodshot.
"We were going to learn some advanced maths to better prepare you for how to predict certain systems with quadratic equations," Professor Vector announced. "However, preliminary research just published in Arithmancy Today indicates that quadratic equations may not be the best way to approach these systems – linear partial differential equations might instead." She gave them all a bleak look. "So we're not going to learn about the basics of how spell effects are created yet, because the entire field is being rewritten as we speak."
There was a silence at this pronouncement. Professor Vector's expression was grim, and she seemed satisfied at all of their own stunned expressions. Hermione wondered if she realized that the students seemed to be more confused than bleak.
"So… are we learning linear—linear differential equations instead?" Harry asked finally.
Professor Vector's eyes fell on him.
"Oh, you sweet, sweet child," she sighed. "No. Differential equations is N.E.W.T.-level material. I'll still teach you quadratic equations. They just might not be used for much other than speed and area. But I can't rewrite the entire curriculum in a day."
The rest of the lesson was on the basics of quadratic equations. At the end of the class, Professor Vector refused to give out the class syllabus, nor did she assign them any homework.
"The entire curriculum may change by next week," she said flatly. "We'll have to wait and see."
"Can't you predict if that will happen or not?" Harry asked, blinking, and Vector chuckled.
"There's not enough information to construct even the starting equations," she told him. She smiled. "Good impulse, though – always asking if Arithmancy can help."
"I wonder how we're progressing through a traditional maths curriculum," Hermione said to Harry as they descended the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "Last year it was mostly statistics and basic algebra. Quadratic equations are algebra too, I believe, but much more advanced."
Harry laughed.
"You left muggle schooling at eleven," he teased. "How do you know what an advanced maths curriculum even is?"
"I don't," Hermione protested. "I just know these things exist. I don't know what they are."
Harry grinned.
"I know that there's an imaginary number, and that's about it," he said. His eyes sparkled. "What do you want to bet it's an actual thing here?"
"That's not what 'imaginary number' means—" Hermione began, but Harry started to laugh, and after a moment, Hermione began to laugh as well.
During dinner, an unexpected topic arose.
"If I went over to the Gryffindor table to make fun of Weasley," Draco asked, eyes narrowed at Ron, "do you think Potter would get involved?"
"Yes," Hermione said immediately. "He's friends with Ron and Neville. He'd defend either of them."
Draco made a face. "Do you think we could coax Potter away from them for a bit?"
"Why?" Blaise asked pointedly. "Not that I'm against making fun of Weasley, mind you. But why now?"
"Weasley's dad is in the paper making a fool of himself," Draco told them. "I was going to tease him for it, but… supposed to keep internal matters internal. From the oath."
"Weasley isn't internal," Blaise commented.
"Yeah, but Potter is," Draco emphasized. "And if he'd get involved if I had a go at his friend…"
"What's in the article, then?" Hermione asked. "You can make fun of him to us."
"I can, can't I?" Draco seemed slightly mollified by this, before he smirked. "Alright, listen up—"
He proceeded to read the entire article aloud in a dramatic retelling, which detailed a small scandal with Arthur Weasley being involved in a tussle with several muggle policemen.
Apparently, Mr. Weasley had rushed to the aid of Mad-Eye Moody, who had been certain someone was creeping into his yard in the dead of night. He'd enchanted his dustbins as some sort of home security system, and they'd pelted the intruder with rubbish. Muggles had called the police when they'd heard all the noise, as well as an ambulance for one poor man who was hit in the bridge of the nose with an expired can of soup. Mr. Weasley had been forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, and he refused to tell the Daily Prophet why he'd gotten involved with the issue in the first place.
By the end, Tracey and Pansy were laughing aloud, with most of the rest of them snickering. Hermione was grinning, imagining Mr. Weasley desperately trying to talk to the muggle police and smooth the situation over while also eyeing their batons and wanting to ask them a million questions and having to suppress the impulse.
"Can you imagine?" Tracey giggled. "Weasley's dad probably had to run to the rescue so Moody didn't curse the policemen."
"That's probably exactly what happened," Hermione said, amused. "His dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. Enchanting dustbins with aggressive reactive magic would fall under that."
"Somebody could have really gotten hurt, though," Daphne said. "Hitting that poor man with soup on the nose…"
"They took him to the muggle healers," Theo said, dismissive. "It was just a muggle."
Hermione gave Theo a look, and he shrugged, unrepentant.
"This is interesting, though," Millie said, rereading over the article in the paper. "Moody having some sort of pre-emptive defense system for his house… has he always been like… that?"
"He's known for being paranoid and aggressive," Draco told Millie. "He sees conspiracy and assassination attempts around every corner. I didn't know he'd gone off his rocker this far, but it doesn't surprise me, really."
Hermione wondered if his enchanted dustbins had been a recent addition to his home defenses. It seemed like the kind of thing that would be set off regularly by unsuspecting neighbors – the garbage collectors, a child running to get a ball, a roaming cat or dog. If she were going to enchant her dustbins, she'd at least make it a targeted enchantment – something that would sense the Dark Mark and attack that, not anyone who crossed the perimeter.
Which, come to think of it, brought up something Hermione had been wondering about.
"Theo," she said, turning to look at him. "Durmstrang has a reputation for being Dark. Do you—"
"They do?" Tracey interrupted, looking worried.
"Yes," Hermione said. "They learn the Dark Arts and Dueling there." She looked to Theo again. "Given their curriculum… do you think we'll meet any of your father's old friends when they come to stay?"
Theo considered.
"I don't know," he said slowly. "The Headmaster, I think? I know I've heard that name before, and not in a good context. One of the Dolohovs went there at one point, but they've all moved to Britain now." He looked at Hermione, curious. "Why? Are you worried about them?"
"With the activity at the World Cup, there's evidence there's growing murmurs about the Dark Lord returning," Hermione pointed out. "If there's suddenly a bunch of recently of-age wizards who already know Dark Magic lurking about…"
She trailed off, but the others grasped her point.
"What do we do, then?" Millie asked. "Make up excuses to check their arms?"
"All of the students will be way too young to have gotten that," Blaise commented. "We'd have to check their instructors."
Hermione bit her lip.
"I was thinking less prevention and more… proactive promotion," she said. She glanced around at the others. "If we can get them on our side first…"
"They're pretty far away on the Continent," Theo said immediately. "Would having members over there really benefit us?"
"If it prevents them from joining up with a genocidal maniac? Yes," Hermione said coolly. "They could be here within an hour once they learn to hop the lines."
Theo looked slightly abashed, but Draco was intrigued, leaning in in front of Theo.
"If that's the case, what kind of display do you think will attract them?" he asked. "Hedgewitches are one thing – the magic they've got is practically nothing. But for people studying the Dark Arts – they might already know how to cast Fiendfyre, for all we know. What could we do to impress them?"
"Gotta do Dark magic," Crabbe cut in, grunting.
"Excuse me?" Hermione said, turning to look at him.
"Dark magic," Crabbe said again. "If they know Dark magic already, gotta do darker magic."
"Like robes," Goyle added in helpfully. "If you have a bunch of black robes, they're all black, but some of them are blacker than the other blacks."
"Right," Crabbe said, nodding at Goyle with a pleased look. "Like how Malfoy's robes are always the most black."
Hermione blinked at them.
"I barely know where to start with that," she said. "Do you genuinely not know how dyes fade on certain fabrics, or are you suggesting everyone's robes were dyed with different—"
"Let's not get into the intricacies of the metaphor," Blaise said smoothly, cutting her off. "The fact remains – to impress Dark wizards, we will probably need to do Dark magic."
Hermione grumbled but she accepted the redirection.
"Or at the least, something that looks like Dark magic," she conceded. She frowned. "The issue is, though, that we're a bunch of fourth years, and they'll be bringing N.E.W.T. students. Anything we can do, they can likely do better."
"You have coven magic," Daphne pointed out. "That lets you do things other people can't."
"Does Durmstrang teach ritual magic or covens?" Tracey asked, curious.
"No idea," Draco said, shrugging. "I just know they teach the Dark Arts."
"Coven magic…" Hermione murmured, thinking. "That's something we'll need to explore."
