Twelve
"Boiling Cauldrons"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit. ALSO, I used some of the text from the Philosopher's Stone and that most definitely belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note One: A big thanks to the_scribbler for being my awesomesauce beta/editor!
Note Two: So I actually finished this chapter a lot faster than I anticipated. I'm going to be out of town until next Wednesday and wanted to post this right away. So you guys are lucky, 3 chapters in under a week - don't get used to it! ;)
Note Two: the_scribbler enlightened me as to how confusing my dates were, so I went and made a timeline with the specific dates that events happen. I've gone back through all the chapters and changed the dates (the only big one is that the `present story' is now happening in 2016 to make sense so let's just pretend that HP part 2 is gonna come out then, okay? Okay!). I also went and changed the format to make it look like the more recent chapters.
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5 January, 1992
As much as Hermione loved being with her family, she was excited to get back to Hogwarts to see her friends and resume her schooling. After a heart-wrenching goodbye between her family, Hermione and Sally-Anne boarded the train together. Shae and Fay were searching for Hermione and jumped on her as soon as they saw her. Sally-Anne -who had found her friends from Hufflepuff - gave Hermione a look and rolled her eyes before dragging Hannah and Susan off to their compartment. Hermione frowned at her behaviour but let it go, turning her attention to Shae and Fay as they dragged her into a compartment of their own.
"I loved the present! How did you know the Holyhead Harpies were my favourite team?" Fay asked, giving Hermione a hug. "I don't remember telling you."
"I'm just that good," Hermione joked, grinning.
"Puh-lease," Shae scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You're good, Minny, but not that good."
The smile dropped from Hermione's face as she glared at the ginger, "Don't ever call me that again."
"But it's so cute!" Shae cackled, sitting down on the compartment bench. "And it is easier than saying Hermione all the time."
"You're not calling me that," Hermione finalized. "If you call me it again, you'll be sorry."
"I think she's serious, Shae," Fay stated, munching on a liquorice stick she pulled from her bag. "Say it again and it'll be goodbye homework help."
"Fine," Shae groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm finding a nickname for you, though."
Hermione groaned. "Good luck with finding one I like."
"That sounds like a challenge to me."
The girls spent the rest of the train ride talking about their Christmas holiday and the gifts they had received, with Shae trying out different nicknames for Hermione. Hermione shot down Herms, Knee, Mia, and almost throttled Shae when she suggested `Hermy-Herms'.
"Give up," Fay laughed.
"I'll find a nickname for you yet, Mimi," Shae promised.
"Mimi?" Hermione laughed. "I agree with Fay - give up now. You're never going to find something I like."
Shae rolled her eyes. The train began to slow down and they gathered up their things. Hermione could feel herself start to salivate at the thought of the feast that awaited them as they stepped out into the crisp cold air, her stomach grumbling loudly.
The three were led to a long line of about one hundred horseless carriages that carried the students to the castle. Neville had run into them while he was trying to find a carriage and Fay dragged him in the one they were getting into.
In a matter of minutes, Hermione found herself walking through the large doors leading into the Entrance Hall. Inhaling, she almost groaned at the smell of delicious food wafting through the room. The warmth from the torches sent a delightful chill through her as she followed the line of students to get into the Great Hall.
"It's good to be back," Fay sighed, glancing up at the enchanted ceiling.
Hermione nodded in agreement and looked around the Hall. She spotted Harry and Ron down in the middle of the Gryffindor table and excused herself from the other first years. Hurrying over, she plopped down in the seat beside Harry. "Hey you two," she grinned.
"Hermione!" Harry said, surprised. "Welcome back!"
"Thanks," she said. "How were your holidays?"
"Great," he replied. "Thanks for the Chocolate Frogs."
"Yeah, thanks," Ron said eagerly. "Did mum -?"
"I got the jumper and fudge, yes," Hermione nodded. Ron groaned and put his head into his hands, his ears turning pink. "What? I loved it!"
"It's embarrassing," Ron grumbled.
"I got the gift too," Harry piped up, grinning cheekily at Hermione. "The jumper's comfy, isn't it?"
"So comfy," Hermione sighed blissfully, enjoying Ron's discomfort. "Is it hand knitted? It must have taken your mother a long time to make."
"She makes one for all seven kids," Harry grinned. "She sounds amazing, doesn't she?"
"Does she use magic to help her?" Hermione asked Ron.
Ron grumbled and slunk further down in his seat. He was saved from Hermione and Harry as Professor Dumbledore stood up at the head table. He cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention and spread his arms wide. "Welcome back to the second term," he greeted cheerfully. "I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with Christmas cheer! Lessons resume tomorrow morning so let's enjoy the evening to the fullest!"
Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands and dishes upon dishes of food appeared on the tables. Hermione dug in hungrily, grabbing a bit of everything. She had gotten used to drinking pumpkin juice every morning and had missed it during the holidays.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hermione noticed Harry and Ron having a silent conversation. She watched, amused, as they exchanged looks and gestures back and forth. "Tell her," Ron muttered finally.
"Tell me what?"
Harry glanced around and leaned in close to Hermione. "I got an Invisibility cloak for Christmas," he whispered.
Hermione, who had just put a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, choked, her eyes widening. Harry thumped her on her back as she started coughing and Ron quickly pushed a goblet of pumpkin juice into her hand. "You got a what?" she gasped after a large gulp of the juice.
"An Invisibility cloak," Ron whispered. "It's this wicked cloak that makes -"
"I know what one is, Ron," Hermione interrupted, rolling her eyes. She had read all about them while researching for Professor Quirrell's current essay about the different types of stealth witches and wizards can use. "What I mean is why did Harry get one?"
"Beats me," Ron grumbled, put out that Hermione had interrupted him. "There was only a note that said Harry's dad gave it to whoever sent it and that Harry should use it well."
"You haven't used it, have you?" Hermione asked quickly.
"Of course I have," Harry said. "Why wouldn't I - ow! Hermione!"
"Are you stupid?" Hermione hissed, giving Harry another slap on the arm. "It could have been cursed! You could've been hurt once you used it! Have you not learned anything from the assigned readings Professor Quirrell made us do?"
"But he wasn't hurt," Ron said, grabbing Hermione's arm. "His dad left it to whoever sent it. I think it's safe for us to trust it."
Hermione rolled her eyes, yanked her arm out of Ron's grip, and went back to her dinner. She had read all about wizards and witches receiving mysterious packages that were cursed and the chaos that ensued once they used the item. She couldn't believe that, with the events that happened this year, Harry and Ron were stupid enough to trust the package so quickly.
Dinner and desert passed with the trio making small conversation, all of them pointedly ignoring the issue with the Invisibility cloak. Hermione grudgingly admitted to herself that the cloak could prove to be helpful in the future, but she wasn't going to let Harry or Ron know that any time soon. Professor Dumbledore dismissed them and they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower; yawning and shuffling the entire way.
Hermione said goodnight to the boys and went up to her dormitory, talking briefly with Parvati and Lavender about how their holiday went. She quickly changed into her pyjamas and collapsed onto bed, falling asleep immediately.
<><><><><>
30 January, 1992
Hermione easily fell back into her routine once lessons resumed, thankful for the planner Fay had given her for Christmas. The planner was already full with different assignments, exams, and important dates for the next few weeks, plus times where Hermione, Harry, and Ron could look in the library for Nicholas Flamel. While Hermione was disappointed that Harry and Ron hadn't really looked for Flamel during the holiday, she couldn't blame them. She herself had skipped out on searching through the books she had taken out to spend time with her family.
Hermione was making extra effort in spending time with Sally-Anne as well. A couple nights a week they would meet up in the library to do homework or talk. Hermione really did feel guilty for ignoring Sally-Anne last term and, since she knew firsthand how terrible it felt to feel isolated and alone, made sure that her friend wouldn't feel like that again. She still didn't understand what Susan had meant when she warned Hermione to be careful what she promised Sally-Anne. She figured that it would probably make sense in the future and didn't fret on it too much - she already had enough to worry about.
"Finished!" Sally-Anne grinned victoriously, dropping her quill and stretching. She glanced down at the Potions essay she had been writing for the past hour, quickly signed her name, and rolled it up.
Hermione, who had finished all of her homework earlier, looked up from 1001 Utterly Useless Facts about Magic. "You're all caught up then?" she asked.
"Thanks to you," Sally-Anne said, putting everything into her bag. "You're a lifesaver, Hermione."
Hermione grinned and placed her bookmark on her page. Above Sally-Anne's head she saw Neville slump into the library dejectedly. "Uh oh," she murmured, her smile fading.
"What?" Sally-Anne asked, glancing over her shoulder. Neville had spotted Hermione and made his way over to the table, Sally-Anne stiffening slightly as he came closer. "Neville."
"What's wrong, Neville?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the empty seat beside her.
"Malfoy," Neville moaned, slumping into the seat. "He won't leave me alone."
"He's bullying you?" Hermione gasped. She wasn't surprised, Malfoy liked to bully everyone but she felt horrible for Neville anyway.
"Tell a teacher," Sally-Anne suggested immediately.
"I can't do that," Neville protested strongly. "He'll just make it worse if I tell someone."
"So you're just going to take whatever he dishes out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's all I really can do," Neville shrugged, resting his forehead against the table.
"Don't listen to Malfoy, Neville," Hermione said, placing her hand on his arm. "He's only a bully because he's insecure."
"That's right," Sally-Anne agreed, nodding. "You're better than that!"
"Maybe…" Neville said, trailing off.
"You're better than Malfoy." Hermione insisted. She grabbed a fistful of Neville's robe and forced him to sit up straight. "Listen to me, Neville. You're kind, loyal, and a good person. Malfoy just expects everyone to do everything for him and when they don't, he bullies them. He's never had to work for anything so he doesn't know how others feel. Remember that the next time Malfoy tries to start something with you - it'll make things feel better. Trust me."
The corners of Neville's mouth twitched upwards as he smiled shyly at Hermione and Sally-Anne. "Thanks," he said. "Do you mind if I sit with you two for a while?"
"Go ahead," Hermione said, standing up. "I'm just going to pick out a book and I'll be right back."
Hermione left the table and picked a random isle to go down. She had taken to just randomly picking a book and searching through it, just in case Flamel was mentioned. Unfortunately, she was beginning to give up hope that they'd find him in a library book, they had been searching for months now with no progress at all.
A large, thick looking book caught Hermione's attention. She reached up and grabbed the enormous book, not expecting it to be so heavy. The book was old, the leather covering faded with age. Balancing the tome precariously on one arm, she ran a hand down the spine, loving the rough feel beneath her fingers. Hermione was hit with the overwhelming urge to read it and turned around to go back to her friends. When she returned to the table, Neville was flipping through 1001 Utterly Useless Facts about Magic and Sally-Anne was staring off into nothing. They both looked at her with raised eyebrows as she set the book down on the table.
"Are you going to read that?" Sally-Anne asked incredulously.
"I wouldn't have brought it with me if I wasn't," Hermione rolled her eyes. She sat down and opened the book, glancing over the index.
"Why would you want to read all of that?" Sally-Anne asked, grabbing the corner and holding the book up so she could read the cover. "I can't even understand what the title means!"
"It's good for learning," Hermione said absently, gently pushing Sally-Anne's hand away so she could continue reading the index.
"That's just how Hermione is," Neville grinned.
Hermione was briefly aware of Sally-Anne saying something to Neville, but everything had faded into the distance as she stared at the index. Her breath caught and her stomach fluttered madly as the words Nicholas Flamel; page 497 stared up at her. She quickly flipped to the page, her heart racing as she read about the man.
"Oh my God," Hermione whispered, quickly rereading the page. "The Philosopher's Stone…"
"Hermione?" Neville asked, touching her shoulder. She jumped, slamming her hand over the paragraph she had been reading. "Are you alright?"
"Fine!" Hermione squeaked, a huge grin surfacing. "Better than fine actually - I'm great!"
"What were you reading?" Sally-Anne asked curiously.
"I have to go," Hermione said suddenly, ignoring Sally-Anne and snapping the book shut. She had to find Harry and Ron and tell them that she had finally found Nicholas Flamel. Better yet, she found out what Fluffy had been guarding and what Professor Snape was after!
"Hermione!" Sally-Anne hissed. "What's going on?"
"I'll see you two later," Hermione said, hurriedly stuffing everything into her bag. She grabbed the book and walked as fast as she dared to towards Madam Pince's desk. Placing the book down in front of her, Hermione tried to make her expression blank.
"You want to take this out?" Madam Pince asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Y-yes," she stuttered, feeling like she was being dissected underneath the librarian's gaze.
Madam Pince opened the cover and stamped the return date on a slip of paper. Hermione thanked her and grabbed the book, clutching it tightly to her chest. She turned on her heel and walked briskly out of the library. Once out the door, Hermione sprinted as fast as she could up to Gryffindor Tower. The portrait of the Fat Lady opened just as she was running towards it and a figure ran at her.
"Oof!"
Hermione felt the wind push out of her lungs as she ran straight into Harry. The both collapsed in a heap of limbs, the book digging painfully into her side.
"Hermione?" Harry groaned, picking up his glasses that had been knocked off from the impact. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Hermione gasped, pushing the book away from her. She untangled herself from Harry just as the Fat Lady started fretting over their well-being. Once up on her feet, she grabbed the book and hurried into the common room (which was luckily mostly empty so no one saw the embarrassing run in). "Why were you running out of the common room?"
"To find you!" Ron exclaimed, helping Harry up. "You'll never believe it - Harry found Nicholas Flamel!"
"What?" Hermione gasped. "That's incredible! I just found him too! Where did you find him?"
Harry brandished a small card that Hermione recognized came in Chocolate Frogs, a huge grin on his face. The portrait was empty but read `Albus Dumbledore' underneath. "It was from the box of Chocolate Frogs you gave me for Christmas!" he exclaimed. "Listen - Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel! I told you I read his name before!"
"This is great, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
"So we found out who Flamel is," Ron said, taking the card from Harry and examining it. "But we still need to find out what Fluffy is guarding."
"I know what it is," Hermione said excitedly. She set the book down on a table and gestured for Harry and Ron to come closer. "Lately I've been picking random books to look through when I'm with Sally-Anne in the library. This is the lucky book - Flamel has an entire chapter dedicated to him because of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"The what?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time.
"The Philosopher's Stone! The elixir of life?" At the blank expressions she was getting from the two boys, Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, don't you two read?"
"Why read when we have you to tell us the answers?" Ron said cheekily.
Hermione glared at him and opened the book to the page about Nicholas Flamel, shoving it towards Ron. She waited as Harry and Ron quickly read it over, their expressions changing to shock the further they read.
"See?" Hermione said eagerly once the two had finished. "I'll bet you anything Fluffy is guarding it - Flamel must have asked Dumbledore to keep it safe here at Hogwarts!"
"No wonder Snape is after it," Harry said, shaking his head. "Anyone would want something like that."
"What do we do now?" Ron asked, sitting down in a chair. "We know about the Stone and why Snape is after it, but we can't do anything about it."
"We keep it safe," Harry said after a moment. "Snape's attempts at getting the Stone have failed so far, as long as it stays that way we don't have to do anything. If we find out he's getting closer to getting the Stone - we tell Dumbledore."
"I like that," Hermione said, nodding. "Just be careful, Harry. Snape's already proved that he's desperate enough to try and kill you."
Harry ran a hand through his hair, paling instantly. Hermione watched him, terrified that her comment had made Harry extremely paranoid about their professor now. "About Snape," he began, sounding reluctant.
"What about him?" Ron coaxed after a moment's silence.
"Oliver told us last night that Snape will be refereeing our next match," he muttered.
"What!?" Hermione and Ron exploded.
"He can't do that!" Ron exclaimed. "What about Madam Hooch?"
"You can't play, Harry," Hermione said. "It's way too dangerous."
"I have to," Harry snapped. "There isn't a reserve Seeker and Oliver will kill me if I pull out."
"Pretend to break your leg then," Ron suggested, getting up from his seat and pacing. "Oh, better yet - really break your leg."
"Like that'll work, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes. "If Madam Pomfrey healed Neville's broken wrist in minutes, a broken leg won't be much different."
"Come off it, Hermione," Ron grumbled. "I was joking."
"This isn't a laughing matter," she snapped. "Harry could be seriously injured!"
"I know that," he sputtered indignantly. "I was trying to lighten the mood!"
"I have to play," Harry shrugged, interrupting the two. "I don't want the Slytherins thinking that I pulled out just because of Snape - I'll never hear the end of it."
"That's exactly why you'd be pulling out," Hermione grumbled.
"I'm playing," Harry repeated sternly. "I just have to catch the Snitch as fast as I can so Snape doesn't have time to try anything."
<><><><><>
7 February, 1992
Hermione huffed angrily, trying to school her features as Professor Snape circled the classroom like a hawk. Hermione always found Potions annoying - the way their professor would so blatantly play favourites was sickening - but it was slowly turning into an hour and a half torture session. It was common knowledge that Professor Snape had a great disliking for Gryffindor, but in the last couple weeks it seemed that his dislike turned into hatred. The last few lessons were completely horrible; Professor Snape would nit-pick over every single thing the Gryffindors did, never having anything nice to say and always taking points away at least twice by the end of the lesson.
"Very good, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape commented, making everyone jump. His circling was making everyone too nervous to talk. "Your potion is exactly the right consistency. Let's compare it with someone else's, shall we?"
Hermione felt dread churn violently in her stomach as she watched Professor Snape's smile turn sinister. His eyes roamed the Gryffindor side, pausing briefly on Hermione. She fought to keep her expression blank, silently daring him to pick her. Her potion was brewed to perfection and if Snape gave her any grief about it, it would be enough to go to Professor McGonagall
Professor Snape seemed to realize that too and his eyes moved to the table next to Hermione's. The air was tense, everyone knew who he was going to pick. "Mr. Longbottom, let's see your potion."
"He's horrible," Shae, who was sitting across from Hermione, muttered.
Professor Snape stopped his march over to Neville and turned to Shae, raising an eyebrow, "Was there something you wanted to say, Miss Bevern?"
Shae's eyes widened and she paled. "N-no sir," she stammered.
"I didn't think so," he snipped, turning back to Neville. "Five points from Gryffindor."
Shae glared murderously at Professor Snape's back as he continued over to poor Neville. Hermione held her breath as he stopped in front of Neville's cauldron. No one moved as he peered over the potion, his lip curling almost immediately, "Are you illiterate, Mr. Longbottom?"
Hermione felt Harry stiffen beside her as Neville shrank into his seat. "I - I… n-no," Neville began.
"Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape continued, turning to look at the blonde. "Please tell Mr. Longbottom how you got your potion to that exact consistency."
"I just read the instructions, Professor," Malfoy said gleefully, enjoying every moment of Snape's torture.
"And did you find any of the instructions difficult to understand?" Professor Snape asked.
"No sir," he replied, "it was dumbed down."
"There you have it," Professor Snape turned back to Neville. "The instructions were written as simply as they could be and yet you still managed to mess it up."
"I -" Neville squeaked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"It says here," he interrupted, snatching Neville's textbook up, "to add the mandrake root after letting the potion boil for five minutes. You clearly added it before."
"It was -"
"And how hard is it to understand `stir counter-clockwise continuously for a minute'?" he slammed the book down onto the table, making everyone jump again. "Are you intentionally this stupid or are you really that dimwitted?"
Hermione felt herself bristle as she watched Neville try to keep his emotions in check. By now, all the Gryffindors were glaring murderously at Professor Snape while the Slytherins sat back and enjoyed the show. Harry was stiff as a board beside Hermione and she could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.
"Well?" Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"
The bell rang, saving Neville from the interrogation. Hermione let out a breath as they all began to pack up their things. Professor Snape told them to leave their potions where they were. "And twenty points from Gryffindor," Professor Snape added before sweeping out of the dungeon.
While the other Gryffindors rushed out of the dungeon, Hermione, Harry, and Ron stayed back and waited for Neville to pack up his things. The poor boy kept his head down; making sure his bangs covered his eyes, as he slowly put his textbook into his bag. Hermione felt her heart break when she saw Neville's hand reach up and wipe his eyes quickly. He turned around and jumped, not realizing that the three had been waiting for him.
"You did your best, Neville," Hermione said as they left the dungeon and headed to Gryffindor Tower.
"My best wasn't good enough," he replied dejectedly.
"Next time sit by me," she offered. "I'll help you with the instructions."
"Really?" Neville's head shot up, his eyes brightening.
"Really," Hermione nodded. "Professor Snape had no right to treat you like he did today. You should really go to -"
"No," Neville shot down immediately, cutting Hermione off. "I don't want to cause any more trouble."
"But it's troubling you," she protested.
"Let him be, Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "You can't force him into telling. Besides, he's a Gryffindor."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"Gryffindors are brave and loyal and don't run away from their problems."
"All the things that I'm not," Neville said glumly. "I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake with me. I'm more of a Hufflepuff."
"Nonsense," Hermione scoffed. "The Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor for a reason - you belong with us."
"Hermione's right," Harry agreed. "So don't listen to what Snape or Malfoy or anyone else tells you."
"Thanks," Neville said, giving a genuine smile. They walked in silence until they reached the floor with the library. Neville paused, reaching into his bag. "I have to return a book I borrowed. You lot go on and I'll meet you in the common room."
Hermione, Harry, and Ron waved goodbye to Neville as they continued up to Gryffindor Tower. Once they hit the common room, Ron suckered Harry into a game of wizard's chess and Hermione pulled out some homework she needed finish. She had learned to not ask if Harry or Ron wanted to do homework with her on their Friday afternoon's off, even if their schoolwork was improving they still liked to procrastinate.
<><><><><>
11 February, 1992
"I have an idea," Ron announced excitedly, sitting down across the table from Hermione.
Hermione glanced up from her History of Magic essay, surprised at the eagerness in Ron's expression. "Yes?" she asked, setting her quill down.
"I don't trust Snape," he began, "and I really don't trust him up in the air with Harry. So I was thinking… what if we prepare something to use against Snape if he tries anything at the Quidditch match?"
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked slowly. She had an idea of what Ron was talking about but was hoping that she was wrong.
"A spell or something," Ron explained impatiently.
"And use it against Snape?" Hermione gasped. She glanced around the busy common room, making sure that no one had heard what Ron had said. "That's attacking a teacher, Ron. We could be expelled!"
"You rather have Harry die?" Ron snapped, leaning back in the seat and raising an eyebrow at her.
"Of course not!" she cried. "But - oh, I don't know Ron. He's still a teacher."
"Then we use something that'll just distract him so Harry can get away," Ron rolled his eyes. "Either way Hermione, I'm not going to sit there the entire match and not be prepared."
Hermione bit her lip, her brow creasing in a worried frown. "Okay," she relented. "I don't fancy attacking a teacher, but if it means we can help Harry I'll do it."
"Wicked," Ron grinned, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. "So what are we going to use?"
Hermione blinked, "You haven't thought of what spell we'd use?"
"No really, no," Ron said sheepishly. "I figured you'd have something up your sleeve."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Typical," she muttered. She picked up her quill and looked over her essay. "I'll think of something soon."
"You don't have to get snippy about it," Ron said.
"I'm not being snippy," she snapped. "I just think you should have some idea on what we'll use."
The portrait hole opened up, cutting off Ron's retort, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team came stumbling into the common room, looking muddy and exhausted. Hermione and Ron stopped talking as they watched Harry give a tired wave to them and then marched across the common room and up the stairs to get cleaned up.
"We don't mention this to Harry," Hermione said once he was out of sight. "He'll try and stop us if he found out."
Ron nodded in agreement and reached over to grab Hermione's Charms textbook. "I'm searching for a spell we could use," he said when she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Nothing too complex," Hermione warned as he opened the book. "We only have a week to learn it."
"I know, I know," Ron said, flipping the pages.
Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to her essay as Ron began to read the different spells in the textbook. Harry returned to the common room twenty minutes later, freshly showered in a pair of sweats and a ratty, too big shirt, carrying a box of Chocolate Frogs. He set the box down in the middle of the table and sat down beside Hermione, pulling out his own homework. Without looking up from the Charms book, Ron reached into the box and grabbed a Chocolate Frog, stuffing it into his mouth without taking his eyes from the page.
Harry raised his eyebrows at his friend and looked questioningly at Hermione. Ron had never shown so much interest in a book before so of course Harry would notice. "Don't ask," she laughed, going back to her essay.
"If you say so," Harry chuckled, shaking his head. He picked up his quill and began working on his own History of Magic essay.
The trio worked in silence for an hour, Ron growing increasingly more frustrated as he flipped through the Charms textbook, mumbling under his breath. "Is he okay?" Harry asked cautiously. He had given up on his History of Magic essay and started on the diagrams Professor Sprout had assigned them.
"I hope so," Hermione replied, shaking her head. She still couldn't believe that she agreed to find a spell they could use to attack a teacher. It went against everything she had ever been taught growing up as a child.
A roar of laughter erupted throughout the common room, making the three first years look up. The portrait hole had opened up and Neville came hopping through it, stumbling over the ledge and falling face first onto the floor. His legs were locked together in what Hermione instantly recognized as the Leg-Locker Curse. Ron snorted, trying to hide his laughter as Hermione whipped around to glare at him.
"Really, Ron?" she hissed, getting up. She rushed over to where Neville was struggling to get up, cuffing Ron on the back of the head as she passed.
"Neville!" Fay joined Hermione as they grabbed him under the arms and helped him up.
Hermione pulled out her wand and used the counter curse on Neville. His legs sprang apart and he stumbled again, losing his balance, much to the amusement of the students watching. Once he regained his balance, the rest of the common room lost interest and went back to what they were doing except for the first years. Everyone came up around him as Hermione lead the poor boy to a sofa, "Are you okay, Neville?"
"Fine," he mumbled, red with embarrassment.
"Who did that to you?" Harry asked, coming up beside Hermione.
"One guess," Neville grumbled. "Malfoy cornered me outside of the library and said he needed someone to practice on."
"What?" Shae gasped, sitting down beside Neville. "That's horrible!"
"You need to tell a teacher," Parvati said, frowning. "This isn't right."
"See?" Hermione exclaimed, smiling at the Indian girl. "I'm not the only one who thinks you need to tell someone!"
"No," Neville shook his head. "It'll cause more trouble than it's worth."
"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" Ron exclaimed. "Malfoy only picks on you because you don't fight back."
"You don't need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor," Neville hissed, surprising everyone. Hermione didn't think she had ever seen Neville react so passionately before. "Malfoy's already done that."
"Ron didn't mean it like that," Harry said quickly. He grabbed a Chocolate Frog and handed it out to Neville. "You're worth twelve of Malfoy, Neville. Like we told you the other day, the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor for a reason. And where's Malfoy? He's in stinking Slytherin! You're already better than him."
Neville gave a weak smile and accepted the Chocolate Frog, nearly letting it escape as he unwrapped it. "Thanks, Harry," he said, his cheek quivering as the Chocolate Frog tried to escape. "I think I'll head to bed now. Goodnight."
Everyone bid Neville goodnight and watched as he went up the spiral staircase. "I can't believe Malfoy!" Shae hissed.
"I can," Ron said darkly. "He's a git."
"He shouldn't be able to get away with this," Dean said, shaking his head.
"He'll get what's coming to him," Seamus promised, nodding. "If he doesn't stop we'll just have to do something, right mates?"
The boys agreed and Hermione fidgeted. "Let's not resort to violence," she said hesitantly.
"Hermione, they're boys." Shae rolled her eyes. "They're going to end up fighting Malfoy sooner or later." Hermione huffed and crossed her arms.
"Anyway, I think Neville's got the right idea," Harry said, yawning. "I'm turning in, goodnight."
Everyone dispersed and went back to what they were doing, leaving Hermione and Ron standing together. "Hermione," Ron began, his expression brightening as he watched Harry gather up his homework and head up to the dormitory, "I think I know what spell we can use."
"Leg-Locker Curse?" Hermione guessed. "That is the best option really, but we'd need a place to practice."
"Just ask Flitwick if we can use his classroom," Ron shrugged, going back to their table. "You're his favourite, there's no way he'd refuse."
"That could work," Hermione agreed, nodding. "I'll just tell him that you were having trouble with the spell and asked me to help you." Ron's head whipped towards her and he glared at her. "What? I already know how to use the spell."
"Fine," Ron snapped, not happy about the excuse. He'd put up with it, though, if it meant keeping Harry safe.
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End note: And here's another chapter, I hope you all liked it!
Remember, reviews make the chapters come faster!
Kelci
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