"I think Angelina must be a Death Eater."
Pansy snorted as Harry moaned, but she still used her wand to levitate the table out of the way and motioned in front of her. He plopped down on the floor with a grunt, but as she began to rub his right shoulder, Harry groaned with pleasure.
"Have I- ah- told you how much I love you today?"
"I'm not sure," she responded as she worked at his sore muscles. "Maybe you should remind me."
'You are a goddess and I will worship you for the rest of my life. Especially," he paused to groan again as she got to a particularly tight spot, "... especially if you keep taking such good care of me."
"Someone has to," she grinned. "Dobby can't do certain things for you that I can."
"I'm a very lucky man then."
"That you are." She continued to rub for a moment before asking Harry to try moving his arm again to see if it felt better. He nodded mutely and leaned over to kiss her fingers. "I take it you aren't interested in playing chaser again?"
"It would have been one thing if I were used to it. Or if Angelina wasn't turning into such a maniac. She's going to put Wood to shame at this rate."
"I was starting to wonder if she was going to break curfew."
"Damn near did. Crazy woman," Harry muttered. "It was just supposed to be the first team to ten goals. Then that became twenty. Then thirty."
"Oh, my poor baby."
"I'm too tired and sore to care about you making fun of me." Harry shook his head wearily. "And tomorrow's our longest day. I'm going to need a nap tomorrow night. Plus, she cut into our time together. I'm just about ready to quit the team."
"Quit the team later. Go take a shower and I'll help you feel better before we go to sleep."
"That is why I love you."
"Remember that in a couple of days when I get all cranky. I hope I feel up to your planned spell practice meeting this weekend."
"It wouldn't be the worst thing if you weren't," Harry replied as he stood up. "You've had a lot more practice than most people."
"True. But I want to be seen standing by your side. In this, and all things, Harry."
"I like the sound of that." He bent down to kiss her and smiled before he turned to head for the bathroom. "Come check on me if I soak in there for more than half an hour."
Pansy chuckled and went back to work, trying to finish her Transfiguration assignment. McGonagall had started the term with a stern lecture about their OWL year and then proceeded to demand two feet on the basics of Conjuration. It was already looking like it was going to be a long term, and they hadn't even been back for a full week yet.
On Wednesday, Harry trudged through the day, still tired and slightly sore from the marathon Gryffindor scrimmage the evening before. Even with a nap before Astronomy, he was too beat for more than a goodnight kiss and settling in while Pansy's cramps started acting up.
They were both grumpy on Thursday, but they had the morning basically off between a free period and a history 'lesson' with Binns droning on about Goblins again.
Friday wasn't too bad, but Harry was somewhat bored in the Defense lesson. A two part quiz to see what they had remembered from the previous two years was probably a good idea as far as preparing for their OWLs. But his mind was still on preparing for the fight that he would inevitably be dragged into yet again one of these days.
His old friend Ron, on the other hand, had been strutting around with a smile on his face after winning the keeper slot. Harry wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that. Ron had done slightly better than Hooper, so on merit it was probably a good thing. The question would be how the rest of the year would turn out- and if Ron's temper would cause any problems. Harry resolved to give him space so that any of their old arguments could stay buried.
Saturday brought the first meeting of those who were supposedly interested in learning more about Defense from Harry. Once lunch was finished, Flora and Hestia were waiting for Harry and his usual accompaniment of girls in the entrance hallway and they followed him out to the courtyard. He could hear many others gathering as they headed outside.
When he turned around to see everyone filing in around him, Harry knew that it was a lot more people than he had originally imagined. In fact, it seemed like at least half of the school had come- and he took particular notice of a few older Slytherin boys standing off to the side. How big of a problem was that going to turn into?
Not to mention the staff watching from near the doors. Umbridge was there, of course, glaring away as usual. The new Defense professor had come along as well as Flitwick, McGonagall and Sprout. He was a little surprised that Dumbledore wasn't there too, but he hadn't otherwise given much thought to the headmaster since that day in the ministry. Who knew what he might have been doing to try to prepare for Riddle's next move?
"Alright, welcome everyone," Harry said, speaking loudly instead of using a Sonorous charm. Most people quieted down so he continued. "It's been suggested that we might want to get some extra spell casting practice this year. It's no secret that professor Moody gave me some extra instruction last year, and a few of you wanted me to try to pass along some of what I've learned. So, today, I'm going to have you all start with some basics."
He looked around the courtyard, knowing that there wasn't enough room for this many people. He waved Hermione over to stand by him.
"Since I see that we have some first and second years here, I'd like all of you to step over to my left. My protege-"
"Harry!"
Her disgruntled growl got a few chuckles, which Harry grinned about as he continued.
"...and fellow prefect, the lovely miss Hermione Granger will work on teaching you the disarming charm. If any of the rest of you feel like you might need a refresher on this spell, please join them and feel free to help each other out. We are all here to learn, are we not?"
He waited a moment for the mostly younger group to step off to the side.
"As for the rest of you, please split into groups by year." This didn't take too long as most people gravitated socially towards those of the same age. The largest bunch was the fifth years, which didn't really surprise Harry.
"Right, since we've got pretty much everyone from my year, why don't we split you all into two groups." He scratched his chin for a moment. "How about Hufflepuffs and Slytherins together while the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws join up."
Harry nodded and watched as everyone moved into formation.
"Okay, here's where I'd like to start. We'll have each group form a circle. Two step into the circle and try to disarm each other. Those of you not dueling might want to keep your wands put away until it's your turn.
"If you can manage it, a shield charm would be a good defense. If not, you'll likely have to dodge, or come up with something else. Regardless, all of you will get some practice at aiming if nothing else. And while it may seem simple, in any fight, a wizard without a wand is clearly less of a threat than one still armed."
"Pansy, Luna," Harry pulled them both in close. "Go watch each of your years and keep an eye on things for me. I'm going to start with the third years."
Cries of Expelliarmus rang out as the impromptu pseudo-dueling club began.
It wasn't long before he had to start helping the third years summon their wands, which were being thrown all over the place. Now that he thought about it, the summoning spell was probably the second thing that all of the younger years should learn. It was incredibly useful, and Harry thought it was a shame that it wasn't officially taught until fourth year.
Harry quickly started to revise his estimate for the worse. He doubted more than a couple of the third years would be able to keep up with what he had planned to teach the people that really needed to learn to protect themselves, even if they were willing to work as hard as he had. The horrifying truth of what the Death Eaters had done in the past just wasn't real enough for kids who hadn't even been born when Riddle fell the first time.
Could Harry really blame them for that?
He looked over to the fifth years instead and saw Daphne Greengrass thoroughly embarrass Wayne Hopkins, and he couldn't help but compare her little sister who had happily giggled when she tried to dodge only to stumble and lose her wand within twenty seconds.
It also made Harry really worry about how much of the turnout was just for a lark and what he was going to have to do in order to trim the group down to something manageable. For one thing, there was likely some maximum to how big what he had learned was called the Room of Requirement could grow. From what little he knew of space-expansion charms, there were limits even for someone as powerful as say Dumbledore or Riddle. Unless it could rival the Great Hall, there was no way he could try to teach fifty or sixty people.
As he walked past the sixth years, he doubted many of them were taking this seriously either. He saw Katie Bell go saunter off to chat with a friend after she had been soundly beaten by a girl in Slytherin that he didn't recognize.
That was something else that he noticed- it was mostly the Slytherin girls who were really as focused as what Harry had hoped to see. Luna whispered to him that Flora had defeated four different challengers while barely breaking a sweat.
"Hey Harry!" Fred called him over while people were cheering for Angelina to beat George in the circle of seventh years.
"Yeah?"
"How about we move up to stunners?"
The Gryffindor quidditch captain decided that was a good idea as she summarily knocked her boyfriend's brother unconscious. Harry waited as people laughed after the thud of George landing in the grass.
"How many of you know Rennervate?" Seven hands shot up while a voice called out.
"What's Rennervate?"
"The reviving charm," Harry answered. "Looks like enough of you know it. I'd recommend everyone not in the duel keep shields up if they don't want to become collateral damage during a duel if you're moving up to stunners."
As he moved over to the sixth year group, they were discussing the same thing, and since half a dozen people knew the charm there, they agreed to move up to stunners as well. However, two thuds told Harry that someone hadn't kept their shield up because one of the watching crowd fell to a spell that missed its target.
He walked over to the fifth years next. Pansy was watching the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, so he went to the circle of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws just as Dean managed to disarm Seamus. Parvati winked at Harry as she challenged her sister to go next.
"Don't think this is time to show off, sis!" Padma called out.
"You're the one that's going down!" Parvati answered as her sister fired a disarming charm that she nimbly dodged, spinning to her left before returning fire. Padma wasn't as quick on the defense and her wand went sailing.
Harry reached out and snagged it. Padma blushed as he handed it back to her.
"I'll beat you next time," she claimed as Parvati grinned at her.
"Could we try stunning spells too, Harry?" Susan Bones asked from the nearby group.
"How many of you know the shield charm?" With more hands up that not, Harry nodded. "What about the reviving charm?" This time only Susan, Daphne, and, oddly enough, Neville raised their hands.
"Alright, but let's not have you three going at the same time. Who wants to go first?"
"Can I try against you?" Ernie asked.
"Sure."
Harry stepped into the clearing in the middle while people clapped and Hannah encouraged her fellow prefect. None of the Slytherin guys were there, although Harry thought he had seen Zabini off in the crowd that was just watching.
Ernie was flexing his fingers while Harry took his position and nodded at him.
"Stupefy!"
Ernie's spell flew straight at him, but Harry had literally years of experience at dodging and he took only a half step to his right as his own stunner was flying back at the Hufflepuff. He tried to counter with a shield charm but wasn't fast enough, so Ernie hit the ground.
Harry stepped forward as the crowd cheered and revived Ernie, helping him back to his feet. When he turned around, he saw Pansy smirking while three other Slytherins- Daphne, Tracy Davis, and Millicent Bulstrode- were gathered whispering together.
"Hey Potter!" Bulstrode yelled. "Think you can take the three of us at the same time?"
"I suppose we'll find out."
Harry noticed that no other spells were being cast and turned to see the other groups had all stopped to come over and watch. "Alright, we might need a bit more space for the four of us."
The crowd backed up a bit and Harry chuckled as he saw Fred and George each with a little firstie sitting on their shoulders in order to be able to see the match.
"Ready when you are, Potter."
Harry rolled his neck as he turned back to look at the three girls. Davis was in the center, Daphne to his left, and Bulstrode off to his right. Daphne was spread a few feet further apart from the other two.
"Someone want to count us off?" he asked and the Weasley twins answered together.
"Three...
"Two...
"One...
"Go!"
By the time they finished Harry and Daphne had already sent Stupefies at each other. Both spells were on target, but Harry was able to dodge to the side just in time. Daphne almost did as well, but his stunner clipped her left arm and she went down.
He was already casting as he now faced Davis.
"Stupefy!" Her stunner was also flying true, but his shield was up in time to reflect it- and since she was facing him head on, it went right back at her. Harry saw her eyebrows shoot up just before she was knocked unconscious.
"Expelliarmus!"
Bulstrode had gone for something different, and Harry's wand flew from his hand as he turned to look at his last challenger, who was barreling down on him. She caught him with a left hook.
It was one of the few times that he had something to thank Dudley for- take enough punches and you learn to sort of roll with them. His jaw was sore, but he stepped aside as she spun around for another blow.
"Stupefy!" Bulstrode's aim was hindered by her movement and it went wide. Her second punch was on its way...
But this was pretty much the exact reason that Harry had spent so much time mastering the summoning charm. His wand was already flying back to his hand, and he caught it just before her fist came swinging around again.
"Stupefy!"
Being at point blank range, Harry couldn't possibly miss. That didn't mean that he wasn't knocked to the ground as his opponent tumbled into his legs. The shouts and cheers around him were almost deafening as he struggled back to his feet..
"Rennervate!"
Millicent looked up at him as he revived her and gave him a grin as he offered her a hand up. "Nice punch," he added, rubbing his jaw once she was back on her feet.
"You're not bad, Potter."
"You too, Bulstrode."
It was hard to top that, and soon enough people started to drift off. Professor Flitwick had come over to applaud Harry on his excellent reflexes, telling him that he would make an excellent duelist if he kept at it.
The Carrow twins stuck around, as did Susan and a few of her friends, so Harry suggested they all go inside to talk.
Hestia led the way to an empty classroom, while her sister had to perform a little crowd control to get rid of a few people that were still congratulating Harry on the meeting. Once they were all in the room, Flora and Susan both started putting up privacy charms while Harry and the others found places to sit.
"So, there's good news and there's bad news," he began. "Good news is that today worked pretty well and we certainly had a lot of interest. Bad news is that there's no way I could possibly teach a group that large."
"I think it was a lot of fun though," Hannah said. "I learned the reviving charm today, and I know a lot of other people did too. That's another plus."
"I'm glad you did, but the point of this wasn't for people to have fun. The point is to learn how to defend yourself in order to stay alive. And there just weren't that many people really taking it seriously."
"You can't expect most people to really understand that," Hestia answered. "Not everyone has ever had the killing curse thrown at them like you. Or much of anything else even close to that."
"Too true," Susan agreed. "According to my aunt, the quality of people joining the aurors has really gone downhill in the last several years. Too many of them just think it sounds like a cool job. She's says there's no comparison to when people knew just what was on the line, that twenty years ago, it was a calling to protect the people you loved. Without the obvious threats, it hasn't been the same."
"A few more 'rogue Death Eater attacks' will start to change their minds," Pansy suggested.
"Maybe," Hermione countered. "But there haven't been any of those attacks in months. People get complacent when they don't have to see those things on the cover of the paper everyday."
"Which brings me back to some of the problems I saw out there," Harry replied. "On top of not being able to run things for what looked like a hundred people today, there's the issue that there were very inconsistent levels of focus. I can't really teach to vastly different levels of skills very easily, and that's not mentioning the fact that while there are clearly a few people who would work as hard as I would, the majority might, at best, treat it like a fun little club. I'm not going to run one of those."
"I saw less than half a dozen in my year that were taking things very seriously," Luna interjected.
"Less than ten in ours," Pansy added. "I doubt it was much better in the other years."
"It wasn't," Harry stated. "Worse probably. The third years might have had a couple that could be capable of keeping up with the older crowd. And that brings me to an idea I had about how we could deal with the overwhelming turn out to some extent- run smaller groups for the younger years all in houses."
"How?" Ernie asked. "I can't imagine you would have time for all that, especially not on top of our OWL year and quidditch."
"No, I wouldn't. But you would."
"Me?"
"You, Hannah, Susan- two prefects and the girl who's aunt is the head of the DMLE. That's a fair amount of authority. If I teach things to you three, and maybe give you a list of spells and whatnot that I've found most useful, then you could turn around and run a club for the younger Hufflepuffs maybe once a week or so. It would keep you all in better practice too.
"Personally, that's the one thing I would really like to see changed about the curriculum here. Way too much time spent on reading and writing stupidly long essays, and not nearly enough focused on actually casting spells."
"Okay, while that could work for Hufflepuff, what about the rest of us?" Luna asked. "I doubt many people would accept me in a position of authority."
"Yeah, well, then they're a bunch of retards and bastards, Luna. I wouldn't teach any of those little bitches in your year a damn thing anyway-"
"Don't get started on a rant, Harry," Luna interrupted him. "Stay focused and answer the question."
"Right. Sorry. While I don't know either of them really well, I think I'm on good enough terms with Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein to convince them to do something similar. The suggestion that their studies would be helped by the extra practice should work. And if not, I can probably ask Parvati to lean on her sister too."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have any trouble with that," Pansy smirked.
"Yeah. So... for Gryffindor, we've got Hermione and me. If we're both too busy, maybe Angelina? I'll probably have to come up with some back up ideas there."
"I don't think she would work," Hermione disagreed. "Not only is she obsessed with quidditch, but it's her NEWT year, remember? Sixth year prefects would be better options, in general."
"Maybe so. Unfortunately, I don't really know any of them so it's hard for me to evaluate which ones might be right for the job."
"Neither of the sixth year Slytherins are possibilities," Flora responded with a scowl. "Warrington's a fucking piece of shit and Boyle is the type of bitch who would be more likely to help the little wannabe Death Eater scum rather than fight against them."
"Damn. If the younger years wouldn't follow you two, then Daphne's probably our best bet."
"Greengrass has a certain amount of cachet," Hestia nodded. "Unless Hannah's cousin was interested, she's definitely the best choice for a leadership role in Slytherin. It's not my strong suit and, no offense sis, but Flora probably wouldn't be the best teacher either. She doesn't have the patience."
"She's right, Harry," Flora agreed. "We need to get either Greengrass or Chloe Abbot on board for Slytherin."
"I could probably help run a group for them, at least at first," Harry suggested. "The beginning of the year is bound to be the easiest part. Hopefully, that could help ease things in this fall and then maybe get one of them in position to handle the rest of the year. I'll likely be a lot busier next term."
"Chloe and I aren't particularly close, but I could talk to her about it," Hannah offered. "If you like."
"I'd appreciate it."
"I'll mention things to Daphne later too," Hestia added.
"Sounds good. I guess that means that I should talk to the Ravenclaws."
"Leave that to me, Harry," Hermione piped up. "I know both Padma and Anthony better than you. We've studied together on occasion. This is called delegating, Harry. Why don't you focus on what you think should be taught to the younger years? Put together a lesson plan, or at least a list of ideas and spells."
"Okay, I can do that. Maybe by next weekend we could have something ready."
"Hermione, come on."
"Stop whining, Harry. We've got a route to walk." She hurried on in front of him towards the stairs leading down from Gryffindor tower.
"For the love of," he huffed. "Hermione, just look at the damn map with me. There's no point in walking all over the school if we can tell where everyone might be in seconds. Then we can go deal with anyone out after curfew and call it a night."
"That's not what we're supposed to do."
"Well, I'm trying to be more efficient. I would think you would like that."
"We are supposed to be setting good examples as prefects, Harry. Blowing off our responsibilities is hardly doing that. Now come on."
"You know, if you would just listen to me on this, you would have a lot more time to study."
Harry smirked as he saw her hesitate. He knew he had hit her weakness, now he just had to drive the point home.
"Don't you need to read the next chapter for Runes? I know I do. And it sounded so fascinating too, contrasting how the Vikings and Phoenicians used runes to strengthen their boats for long sea voyages. Imagine how much of the ancient world we can understand better thanks to things like this. I would think history buffs would go crazy to have the chance to learn things like-"
"Alright!" Hermione threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't have my book with me though, and I am not willing to sit in the tower while we're supposed to be out on patrol."
"Never fear, Harry is here," he answered with a grin, pulling two books out of his bag and passing one of them over to her. "I grabbed yours too."
"Thanks."
"Now, let me take a look at the map." He unfolded the parchment, used the pass phrase, and scanned for anyone not in their common rooms. "We've got three people headed back to the Ravenclaw room, and they'll beat us there, so no point in trying to chase them down. Filch is down on the ground floor. Let's see...
"Ah, here we go. Third floor."
"What about it?"
"A couple in a broom closet."
"They should know better," Hermione asserted.
"Oh, don't be all fussy like that. We should encourage young love."
"Hormones are not the same thing as love."
"They can be related. Really, they should be I think."
"Yes, yes, you're such a romantic, Harry. We all know."
"Yeah? I don't need to take out an advertisement to proclaim to the world-"
"Please, stop. I've already got my work cut out in getting your future bride to like me enough so that I can be sure to get an invite to the wedding. I don't want to hear anymore about romance any time soon."
"Fine," Harry agreed as he walked beside her. "Pansy doesn't really hate you, you know."
"You could have fooled me."
"She just doesn't like you very much. You've got that in common with most people, though. Now, Ron on the other hand- you should have heard some of her complaints about him. Remember when he and I had our shouting match because I befriended Luna, and he insulted her?"
"It would be hard to forget."
"Well, she rewarded me for 'finally getting rid of the weasel.' The rest of that week was very fun for me. It was even better when he threw his fit during the tournament last year."
"Now that you mention it, I do recall you walking around with a smile on your face for several days. I don't think I want to know any more than that."
"Alright."
They headed down another flight of stairs before reaching the third floor. Harry took another look at the map to make sure the duo was still in the same spot. He put it away and grabbed Hermione's hand.
"Hold up for a second. Do you mind if I handle this?"
"Go ahead, Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes as he nodded and took the last few steps to the broom closet alone.
"Knock, knock," he said while also rapping against the door at the same time. He heard the shuffle of the two people inside and could guess that clothes were probably being straightened. "I'll give you a minute, but otherwise, I'm going to have to open this up whether you're ready or not."
It didn't take the full minute. Tim Stebbins and Saskia Fawcett came stumbling out together, holding hands.
"Hello," Harry greeted them with cheer. "I've got good news and bad news, I'm afraid.
"The bad news is that the two of you are out after curfew and therefore must receive a punishment of some sort."
"What's the good news?" Fawcett asked.
"I'm the one who found you, and I've been told I'm a big softie. A romantic even. Therefore, two points from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. If you can make it back to your common rooms without being caught, that's all you'll lose."
"You're alright, Potter," Stebbins grinned.
"Thanks." He could hear Hermione huffing behind him, clearly not impressed with his leniency, as he watched the couple jog down the corridor. "Oh, and watch out for Filch. He was on the ground floor last I looked."
The two turned and waved before disappearing around a corner.
"You are a big softie," Hermione snorted. "Regulations say a minimum of five points should have been taken, and a detention would have also been appropriate."
"I'd rather be a softie than a stick in the mud who stomps all over young love."
"I'm going to have to smack you, aren't I?" Hermione glared at him. "What makes you so convinced that everyone is in love the way you are?"
"Now, don't make me sound so naive," Harry rebuked her while waving a finger in Hermione's direction. "Do you know who that was?"
"I recognized the girl... something Fawcett I think. Why?"
"Because the two of them went to the Yule Ball together last year, so my diagnosis of it being more than just a passing fancy holds weight."
"How do you know that?"
"Ah, well you see, Pansy and I got a bit of fresh air briefly and saw Moody yelling at them for trying to get some privacy in the rose garden. He only threatened to take points though- I think the noise just startled him. Don't tell anybody, but Alastor sometimes needed a little pick me up to offset having to deal with teenagers all day long for months at a time."
"Alastor? On first name terms now, are we?"
"He suggested it," Harry replied with a shrug. "He was proud of the way I was able to escape from being surrounded by all the Death Eaters at the graveyard."
"He was also your mentor," Hermione nodded. "Only you, Harry, would think someone as paranoid as Mad-Eye Moody was a role model. I guess I can't blame you based on how things have gone over the last couple of years, though. 'Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.' In this case, we know that they definitely are after you."
"Yeah. I shouldn't be surprised that you've read Catch-22 also, huh?"
"I'm surprised that you have."
"Believe it or not, I had gone to a library before coming to Hogwarts."
"It is sort of hard to believe."
"Well, Dudley hated reading or studying even more than Ron at his worst, so it was a place where I could get some peace."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Harry."
"Don't worry about it. It was a lifetime ago."
"It's only been a few years. Are you sure you're doing alright after having to deal with those people?"
Hermione's concern was appreciated, so Harry hugged her. "I'm fine, actually. Since Pansy came into my life, all that bad stuff that came before is like a bad dream that gets a little more hazy every day."
"No wonder you're such a romantic," Hermione teased. "I guess I hadn't really looked at it that way, but it makes sense why you're so devoted to each other."
"Yeah. Now, if I can just get the creeps like Riddle and his minions to bugger off, then the rest of my life can really begin."
"That's something I hope for you too," she agreed. Hermione held up her book for Runes. "Check the map so that we can hopefully start reading."
"Okay. I guess I should leave it out too so we can keep watch."
"Let's find somewhere comfy to sit first."
"Good idea."
It was the next weekend and Pansy was feeling thoroughly disgruntled as she stepped into the Gryffindor common room. She nodded as Parvati waved to her, but she saw her target already on the move, empty book bag slung over her shoulder as she came down the stairs from her dormitory.
Pansy controlled her instinct to sneer and instead moved to intercept Hermione Granger before she could head off to the library. It was a favor for Harry, so she was going to try to be as pleasant as possible. Or, at least not too mean.
The things she did for love.
"Granger, do you have a minute?"
"Sure, I guess. What do you need?"
"A little privacy might be for the best." Hermione looked askance at her, so Pansy motioned to the door behind her. "Would you like to come in?"
"Of course. Thank you."
The door shut behind Pansy and Granger began to examine the private quarters. "You two spend a lot of time alone in here. I suppose that's a good thing; I would hate to have to give my best friend detention for public shagging. Speaking of whom, where is Harry?"
"He's busy being amazing and wonderful, so I've been stuck with keeping you busy in the meantime."
"What?"
"You noticed the weather, yes? With the downpour going on, there's no way Harry could run another group outside. Since he knows you so well, he was certain you would likely spend the entire weekend in the library. Judging by the empty book bag you're carrying, I would say he was right."
"Well, yes, I suppose I would spend a lot of time there with the rainy weather. If the rest of the house wasn't so rambunctious, I would probably check out a few volumes and curl up in front of the fire to read. But there are always people yelling and laughing, and it sometimes makes it hard to concentrate."
"I'm sure."
"So, why do you need to keep me busy?"
"It's going to be a surprise, so you'll just have to wait for him to return."
"No hints?"
"Not from me."
"Oh well. What should we talk about then?" Hermione sat down in the chair as Pansy took the couch. "I'd rather not just sit here and stare at you for however long Harry might take doing whatever he's doing."
"Do you really want to try girl talk with me? I thought you usually ran for the hills whenever my sex life came up."
"Surely we could try another subject. I can't imagine that's all you ever talk about."
"Maybe not all the time," Pansy allowed with a smirk. "Fine then, how about your sex life, or lack thereof. Are there any guys that have drawn your fancy? I've got money riding on this, so please enlighten me."
"You've bet on me dating?"
"Don't dodge the question. And for the love of all that's holy, please tell me you aren't still brain damaged enough to think that Weasley would be someone worth considering. Harry isn't convinced you're over that little crush and I find that idea horrifying. Harry's best friend or not, I will slap you if I have to deal with that ginger slob ever again."
"No, I think I've finally gotten over that, thankfully." Hermione made no comment on Pansy's muttered Hallelujah. "Sadly, I think that Ron's actually doing better over the last few months since his friendship with Harry ended. That jealous streak of his would have been a problem, and I can already imagine that any guy I might date could have issues with how close Harry and I are. I'm going to have to find someone more mature, hopefully."
"Is that why you tried Krum last year? Thinking an older guy would be more mature?"
"Something like that," Hermione admitted before starting to blush. "It was a nice ego boost too- the idea that this famous quidditch player would pick me of all people over so many of the other girls around here. But we know how that turned out."
She got a sour look on her face and twisted around to stare into the fire. "I guess I really should be thankful for Harry always watching out for me. At the time, I thought he was being ridiculous, but once Viktor got me into that broom closet, I just...
"I don't think I want to go into another one any time soon. Certainly not without making sure it was a guy that I wouldn't have to knee in the bits if he thought of pushing things too far."
"I suppose I am very lucky on that account," Pansy confided. "Harry and I are pretty well matched, all things considered. If either of us were to 'push things too far' it would more likely be me. I suppose I already have a couple of times."
"Do I want to know?" Hermione groaned.
"I'll spare you the details." Pansy looked at the other girl with a smirk as she could tell that she was somewhat interested despite all protestations to the contrary. "The truth is that I've found that the secret to our intimacy is being able to really trust each other. Harry knows things about me that I doubt I would ever tell anyone else. Maybe not even Luna. Neither of us had pleasant childhoods, but our issues dealing with them have been very different. He has been very patient with me. More than I deserve probably. If it weren't for Harry, I imagine I would be the most awful bitch in the school."
"As it is, you're only in the top ten," Hermione teased.
"Believe me, I could be much, much worse. You remember Nott last year? Just imagine if one of the little bitches around here tried to dose Harry with one of those potions, and then you can probably picture me covered head to toe in their blood."
"I can't really blame you for that." Hermione shook her head. "The way the magical world treats love potions as some sort of joke is horrifying."
"Agreed."
There was a pop as Harry and Dobby appeared, turning both girls' heads.
"Oh good, you caught her," he said to Pansy before looking over at Hermione. "Give me one second to get something from the bedroom for you."
"For me?"
"Hold on," Harry called as he hurried off, returning with a small wrapped package in his hands. "I know that your birthday isn't until Monday, but I didn't want to wait that long. And with the rainy weather, you should be able to make good use of it this weekend. Go on, open it up."
"Thank you, Harry, that's very sweet of you."
"You might want to make sure you like it before telling me that," he answered with a grin.
"I'm sure I'll-" Hermione stopped as she looked down at the hand mirror. "Um, Harry? Why did you get me a mirror?"
"Dobby, if you would?" The elf disappeared with a pop and Harry looked back at Hermione, still grinning.
"What's going on?"
"Wait for it."
"Wait for what?"
"Hermione?" She nearly dropped the mirror as she looked down at her mum's face. "Happy early birthday sweetheart!"
"Mum!"
"Isn't it wonderful? Harry told me that we can talk to each other through these no matter how far away you are. Hermione?"
Mrs. Granger's voice became muffled as Hermione threw her arms around Harry and choked back a sob. She got herself under control and kissed him on the cheek.
"You are the best friend I've ever had, Harry. Thank you so much for this."
"You're very welcome."
"Sorry about that, mum. I was just a little overwhelmed."
"I understand. So, Harry tells me it's raining cats and dogs up there. It's been surprisingly pleasant here since it finally started to cool off earlier this week. I think your father is disappointed that he might not have much time to use that grill of his though."
"Well give you some privacy." Pansy took Harry's hand and led him off to the bedroom, throwing up a silencing charm just after closing the door.
"Thanks for the help with distracting her."
"Even when it's for Granger, I still enjoy seeing you be such a sweet guy, Harry. You know that I'll expect a much better birthday present this year, though. You set the bar pretty high with her."
"I was thinking of doing the same thing for Luna. I'm sure she misses her dad."
"Ahem," Pansy growled. "Wrong girl, Harry. We were talking about how you were going to spoil me, remember?"
"Oh, I'm sure I can think of something for you too."
She pushed him onto the bed and growled again.
"I'm going to fuck that silly grin off your face."
With the nasty weather, the weekend passed by quickly. Hermione spent hours tucked up in her dorm, talking to her parents instead of with her nose in a book. She got back on track by reading through her meals on Monday.
Harry and Pansy spent their time doing the usual things- teasing each other, spoiling each other, shagging, and goofing around with Luna. If not for having to do several assignments for the coming week's classes, it would have been the perfect weekend.
But Monday rolled around and they went back to work with a full day of lessons. The last of which was Defense, and yet again Umbridge was there, clipboard in hand as she 'audited' the class.
Harry had noticed that she had been in every single one of his Defense lessons so far, and he did not for one moment believe that it was a coincidence.
He was in his usual seat that day. Pansy on his right, Hermione to his left. Professor Watts had asked everyone to once again demonstrate their shield charms, giving points to those who had it down pat, and then working with the few others that still had issues with the spell.
Parvati spent much of the class chatting with his girlfriend. She was one of those who had mastered the spell, and since Lavender still needed work, her usual partner for gossip was busy.
This year they had the class with the Hufflepuffs, and Harry noticed that Susan, Ernie, and Hannah all had practiced enough to be proficient with the spell. That was a good sign if he was going to try to get them to take care of the younger Hufflepuffs for him.
The last couple still working were Seamus and Roger Malone, a Hufflepuff that Harry didn't think he had ever spoken to before. Now that he thought about it, there were probably several people in his year that he didn't know at all.
Once those last two boys were finished, Hermione raised her hand.
"Yes, miss Granger?"
"Professor, I was wondering if there was anything you could suggest for us to work on in our spare time that might help us to excel on our OWL exam?"
"Ah, extra credit or something similar?"
"Yes, sir. Professor Moody, for example, sometimes worked with people after hours, if they were driven enough."
"You mean like your friend, Mr. Potter," Watts replied with a grin. "Unfortunately, I am no Mad-Eye Moody. Then again, no one is. Dueling is not one of my specialties, I'm afraid to say."
"Hem, hem," Umbridge interrupted with the most fake sounding cough Harry could imagine, and when he turned to look at her, he noticed that her glare bounced back and forth between him and the retired auror. That was interesting. "I do believe that no dueling clubs have been authorized in the last three years. I strongly doubt that the ministry would want anyone unqualified to run such an endeavor."
That last bit was definitely aimed at Harry and he did his best to keep his expression neutral despite her hideous scowling jowls.
"If only Hogwarts were home to a former dueling champion," Watts replied, turning Umbridge's ire back towards him. "Oh, I just remembered, we do have the illustrious Professor Filius Flitwick, who was indeed a master duelist. I'm sure the ministry couldn't possibly deny his qualifications, now could they Delores?"
Harry's estimation of Gordon Watts skyrocketed at that moment, as the toad was momentarily silenced.
"However, that was not really the question that miss Granger asked. While dueling is not my forte, I do have a particular strong suit that I share with Mr. Potter. Care to guess, miss Granger?"
"The Patronus charm?"
"Indeed." Watts drew his wand with minimal flourish. "Expecto Patronum!"
A huge dog shape burst forth and jogged around the room.
"A mastiff!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You know your dog breeds," Watts answered with a chuckle. "Take three points for Gryffindor. I know it's not quite as large as Mr. Potter's dragon, but size isn't everything. For those of you interested, I could probably try to schedule a lesson or two on how to cast the Patronus. However, let me warn you that it is a very difficult spell for even fully qualified witches and wizards, so I don't want anyone to get disappointed if they aren't able to manage it.
"That being said, it probably isn't a bad idea to at least learn the basics. Even an incorporeal charm can be useful to keep a Dementor away from you for a short time. And after the events of this summer, I'm sure you can see why that would be a good idea- right, miss Granger?"
"Yes sir."
"Hem, hem," Umbridge again interrupted. "I think you'll find that the supposed attack on miss Granger was never proven to be anything other than the ramblings of a couple of delusional children."
"I think you'll find that I don't believe that for one second, Delores. And the vast majority of the Wizengamot didn't either."
"Teaching nonmandated spells to the underage could be seen as trying to cause problems. You wouldn't want that on your record, now would you, Gordon?"
"I think you'll find my record to be spotless in over thirty years as an auror. I would have thought you would have already looked it up, but maybe you didn't do your homework? I would have to take points from you for that, if I could.
"Beyond that, I think you should remember that I am the one with a mastery in Defense, not you. While you were pursuing more clerical work, I was using the skills that this class teaches in the real world. So, while I will grant you that paperwork and evaluations are more of your talent, Defense Against the Dark Arts is mine. So, please try to keep your interruptions to a minimum. After all, we wouldn't any complaints about you trying to cause problems here at dear old Hogwarts, would we?"
Oh yes, Harry Potter really liked Gordon Watts now.
Umbridge was scribbling away furiously, while he turned back to the class with a surprisingly calm smile.
"Unfortunately, we are almost out of time for today. But I will see if I can squeeze a lesson on the Patronus in. It probably won't be till next term though, so don't get your hopes too high. We've got a lot to cover this year."
Harry watched Umbridge slip out of the classroom and Watts sighed once she was gone and the door had closed behind her.
"Bureaucracy," the teacher snorted. "One of the problems with any form of government is that the vast majority is always made up of pencil pushers. Horrible little people grasping for their own little bits of power and wealth. Few if any of them ever truly care about the people they are supposed to serve. It makes me very thankful to have reached retirement when I did.
"But enough of that for today. Before your next lesson, I'd like everyone to read over chapter four. Class dismissed."
The scramble to leave created the usual cacophony, so Harry sat and waited with a pleased smile. Pansy noticed it and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"A new favorite teacher?"
"Maybe."
Hermione had gathered her things and turned back to the two of them. "Aren't you coming?"
Harry and Pansy stood up at that point as the rush for the door had died down. Hermione couldn't help but notice the grin on his face.
"Basking in the clobbering the professor gave to that awful woman?"
"I can't help it," Harry shrugged. "That was the best lesson so far this year."
"I hardly think that was what you enjoyed," Hermione snorted as they headed for the door. "Almost half of us were done minutes into the lesson. Professor Watts rebuttal of that awful toad from the ministry, on the other hand, now that was beautiful."
"Hem, hem." Just outside the door, a squat little witch shimmered into view as she canceled her Disillusionment charm. "I think that will be ten points from Gryffindor, and a detention in my office tonight, miss Granger."