"That was bloody brilliant Hermione!" Harry gushed with pride as soon as he stumbled through the portrait hole an hour later.
Hermione gave him a small smile. Of course Harry, of all people, would think a reckless outburst in the middle of class was something to be encouraged.
"Yeah, I can't believe you did that Hermione. Brilliant, of course, but completely mad." Ron plonked himself on the armchair by her side, before adding with a tinge of worry, "I wonder what she'll do to you in detention, though, if we're using that sodding blood quill in normal classes now."
Hermione tried to hide her gulp - she'd had the same thought. "Well, I just couldn't listen to her badmouth Dumbeldore like that any longer. A week now, we have been writing lines of propaganda, carving our skin for her. Think of all the things we're missing out on! What we could be learning if we just had a normal professor!" She said indignantly.
Harry smirked, "Well, I don't think we've ever had much luck there when it comes to defence Professors. Still, that old toad would make you miss even Lockheart."
The trio grimaced, but chuckled as they considered this. "You know it's bad when an undercover death eater taught us more defensive magic than Umbridge has." Ron added, shaking his head.
As the group agreed with this sentiment, the night ebbed into a mixture of bad mouthing Umbridge and trying to come up with some sort of plan for how they could still help the DA learn defensive spells.
"It really is absolutely necessary. We have the order, but let's be honest, a lot of them are getting on a bit, aren't they? And any prospective new members have to have a good grasp on defensive spells. We won't be in school forever, and there's no way theory will hold up when faced with real life duels." Hermione stated hotly.
"Dudley went to summer school once, because he was shit at all his classes and had to learn stuff from the year before. Maybe we could do something like that for the DA?" Harry said thoughtfully.
"Summers ages away mate, who knows what will have happened by then? Plus where would we all meet? It was a bloody pain convincing them to let you come to Grimmauld place, never mind inviting a bunch of 5th years." Ron added.
Harry slumped in his chair in acknowledgment. "They were all doing so well. Neville had finally managed 'Stupify', and almost everyone had conjured a full patronus." He fished his DA coin from his pocket, spinning it between his fingers mournfully.
The action caught Hermione's eye. "By the way, which member of the DA do you think it was that sent that message?" She asked eagerly.
To her annoyance, Harry and Ron both stared at her in confusion. She fought the urge to roll her eyes, "The DA coin? The message from earlier?" When the boys continued to look at her with blank expressions, Hermione drew back, puzzled.
"I never got a message, Hermione. Did you mate?" Harry asked Ron, who shook his head.
"Nah, and I've had it on me all day, just in case. Did you get something?" Ron asked.
For some reason, Hermione didn't feel like explaining. The message was clearly aimed at her, telling her to calm down right as she was about to lose her temper and sending the infuriating 'I told you so' message just after her explosion in class. Clearly, it was someone who wanted to get under her skin.
"Probably just someone messing around. I don't know how they charmed it so only I got the message though. Probably Fred or George, they're surprisingly good at tricky charm work." She stated, annoyed that she hadn't thought of this before.
With that, the trio fell back into comfortable silence, before Hermione retired to hthe library dreading that nightwhen she would have to face the consequences of her outburst at Umbridge.
….
Despite the gruesome turn of events at Hogwarts, Hermione could never be fully unhappy in the library.
The scent of aged parchment and leather-bound books filled the air, wrapping her in a comforting embrace that felt like coming home after a long journey. As she navigated the aisles with purposeful strides, her fingers lightly grazed the spines of countless titles. The soft shuffling of pages and the occasional whisper of fellow students provided the soundtrack to her sanctuary, a symphony of knowledge and learning.
Yes, nothing could ever be wrong in the library.
Unsure just how long Umbridge intended to torture her this evening, Hermione settled herself in to her usual spot in the back corner with at least ten leather bound tomes, hoping to get a head start on her homework. Of course, she had completed most of it weeks ago, but it didn't hurt to triple check and brush up on her knowledge just in case. After all, O. were fast approaching.
She was a few chapters deep into a particularly riveting book on ancient runes when she felt a familiar prick on her senses warning her that she was being watched. Glancing around, she could see no one in particular, just hear a few whispers of nearby study groups and the scratching of quills.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling, even after returning to her book. Sighing, she stopped trying to focus on Ancient Runes, and instead pulled out her old and worn copy of her favourite book, 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
"When he gave us our air-rifles, Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in
the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one
day-"
"Hi there!"
Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin, her book tumbling to the table as her ink pot overturned. She spun around to face Terry Boot, a fellow member of the DA from Ravenclaw.
Terry offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry! Didn't mean to spook you!"
Flustered, Hermione shook her head, hastily cleaning up the spilled ink with a charm. "Don't be sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Hi, Terry. Did you need something?" she asked politely.
To her surprise, Terry gestured to the empty seat beside her. "Mind if I join you?"
"Of course," Hermione replied automatically, gesturing for Terry to take a seat. She couldn't help but feel a mixture of apprehension and curiosity at the boy's presence - besides DA lessons, the pair had never spoken much outside of class.
The Ravenclaw boy sat down, pulling out his own essays and textbooks, before turning to Hermione once again. "Sucks that the DA lessons have stopped. I was learning a lot from you all. Harry's a lot more advanced than I first gave him credit for - house prejudices and all that. You're actually all a good bunch. I never would have realised that before the lessons - which is exactly why we should have those sort of clubs, come to think of it." He mused.
Hermione smiled eagerly, "That's exactly what I think too! Hogwarts is in dire need of some inter-house unity, and clubs like the DA remind us that despite the house we are sorted into, we all have a lot more in common than we think! Now, more than ever, is the time we should really learn to stop focusing on what differentiates us, and look at what we have in common and how we can support each other! I've always said that the Hogwarts sorting is premature and can actually divide us, since-" She cut herself off, realising that she had started rambling. Terry had raised his eyebrows.
She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I won't bore you with all this. Once I get started on a topic I care about it's hard to stop."
To her surprise, Terry shook his head in disagreement, a small smile playing on his lips. "Actually, I think it's fascinating to hear you speak on things you're passionate about. It's one of the reasons I joined the DA, after your intense speech at the Hogs Head I felt compelled to take matters into my own hands - prejudices about Potter be damned. And you were right, as usual. I've always admired that about you. "
At this, Hermione felt her face flush. She gave Terry an awkward smile, suddenly aware that the library was very, very warm.
She had never given Terry much thought. He was one of the few Ravenclaws that had joined the DA - however the pair had never exchanged more than a few words to each other. In fact, she had never actually been this close to him, or noticed that he actually had a rather charming smile.
Clearing her throat, she answered, "Thank you, Terry,", her voice slightly off. "I'm glad to hear that my words had an impact on you. It's... it's nice to know that I'm making a difference, however small."
Terry's smile widened, and he leaned in slightly, his gaze meeting hers. "You make more of a difference than you realise, Hermione. I always wondered why you weren't in Ravenclaw, you know. But after your speech to Umbridge yesterday in Defense, I can see why you're a Gryffindor. Famous hot-headedness, all that. Still, as I said, I like seeing you passionate about things. It suits you."
Hermione smiled, face flushed. They sat in companionable silence for a while, Hermione back to working on her Runes essay while Terry leafed through Transfiguration notes. Every once in a while, they would ask for the other's input on a particular topic, and Hermione was pleased that Terry actually had some interesting ideas and feedback.
After a longer scratch of silence as the pair worked, Hermione looked up, surprised to find Terry staring directly at her, his gaze soft. She smiled at him shyly, and he grinned back.
"Listen, I know we're not allowed to meet for the DA anymore, but Umbridge's nonsense 'no clubs' rule only prohibits groups of 3 or more students from meeting up. That is to say, we could make our own study group… just the two of us, if you like? I still feel like I have a lot to learn from you, and maybe I wouldn't be completely useless to you, even if you beat me in every single class."
Hermione's eyes widened at his offer. She nodded, trying not to show how eager she was. A study partner who was equally as interested in academia as she was? It would be a dream come true, since studying with Ron and Harry was like trying to get a pair of excitable toddlers to pay attention to Professor Binns.
"Yes. I would like that." She beamed.
"Great. It's a date then." Terry stated simply. Hermione nodded, holding his gaze. He was wearing a navy blue sweater vest over his shirt, his school tie loosened slightly, and his glasses were slightly crooked, to match the easy lopsided grin on his face. Now that she looked, the sun was streaming in through the arched window, casting a golden light on Terry's chestnut hair, which was falling into his eyes in a classically dishevelled way. His appearance evoked images of the young scholarly librarian from a trashy fiction novel, and Hermione couldn't help her heart speeding up as she caught herself admiring him. Clearing her throat, she tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but suddenly felt at a loss for words. He was very close, and his eyes were a deep sapphire blue..
"Granger" The all-too-familiar and unwelcome voice burst through the scene.
Malfoy was standing with his arms crossed beside them, a scowl etched on his face.
"When you're done with whatever pathetic meeting of the geeks this is, Umbridge wants to see you in her office. Bring your work - you'll likely be there for a while." He smirked meanly, before turning on his heel and disappearing in a streak of silver and green.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, before sighing and clearing the table. "I should get going then." She said sadly to Terry, who nodded and stood to help her pack her things.
"Got everything?" Asked Terry, once the table was cleared. Hermione looked around in confusion - where was her copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
"Did you take one of my books by mistake?" She asked, searching her bag.
The Ravenclaw sifted through his own bag, shaking his head. "Nope, I don't think so. Anything important?"
Hermione shook her head, ignoring the pang in her stomach that she had lost her favourite book - her dad had given her that copy the year she had been sent to Hogwarts.
"No, just a muggle book I like to read sometimes. I'm sure it will turn up. Anyway, I'd better get to detention before I make matters worse for myself." She said, pulling on her bag as she rose from her chair.
Terry's gaze was warm as he held out a hand to help her up, "Try not to let Umbridge get you down, okay? See you around, Hermione."
Hermione smiled, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, and gave Terry a parting nod.
She was still smiling and lost in thoughts of silken hair and scholarly glasses as she turned out of the library and made her way to Umbridge's office, but distracted as she was, she still felt the burning in her pocket.
Annoyed to be pulled out of her pleasant daydream, she turned the coin over to reveal its text.
"Missing something?"