Chapter 24: At Last, a PatronusSummary:In which a lot happens, and Hazel finally has something good go her way. Will it last?
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextAs the week dragged on, amid lessons and homework and a surprising uptick in bullying both from and against the Slytherin Quidditch team, Hazel had to distract herself any way she could. Dealing with the bullying was one way, though she couldn't be sure if there really was an uptick or if she was only noticing it now since she was paying attention.
Regardless, she derived much pleasure from sneaky use of Knockback and Trip Jinxes in the halls, and she could tell her classmates appreciated it as well. It wasn't so nice when she was the target of said spells herself, granted, but she had quick reflexes and a keen sense for where attacks came from, and in the case of certain Hufflepuff brutes it wasn't hard to guess anyway.
It wasn't any good trying to restrain Fred and George either, as she found out that evening. "Hey guys," she said when they appeared to either side of her, serious expressions on their faces. "What's up?"
"We've noticed you finally waded into the rivalry of our Houses, little snake," Fred began solemnly.
"And in fine fashion, too! Excellent wand play, from what we've heard and seen!"
"Hey, if I'm gonna be Quidditch captain I have to stand up for my teammates, even if it was temporary!" she protested with a laugh. "But look, I won't attack you guys, and you can leave me alone in return, is that fair?"
The two of them pretended to consider it, then shrugged and laughed. "But the rest of the Slytherin team is fair game, it sounds like?" Fred asked slyly.
"Sure, they can take care of themselves," she shrugged. "But I'll go after your teammates too, if that's the way of it!"
"A fair truce," George decided, and they all shook hands. "All bets are off on game weeks, though. We can't let our Houses down!"
"Naturally." Desperately hoping it wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass at some point she turned and kept going to the dungeons, planning her nightly homework saga on the way. Professor Vector had set them a nasty essay on the properties of pi, and her head was already throbbing just thinking about it. Not to mention Divination… they had to study for their final tea-reading session…
She wasn't sure what to do about that class, honestly. She had offered Trelawney a stilted apology a few days after shouting at her, which of course had been frantically accepted. But the woman had gone right back to her old tricks, and Hazel was starting to wonder if she really was a Seer. Certainly she wasn't much of a teacher, as was universally agreed by the student body, and that was a strange thing in and of itself. Not to mention that she seemed to be coming unraveled; her eyesight seemed to be getting worse by the day as she stumbled about her own classroom, and had difficulty recognizing students.
No other teacher was so badly received by the students, that she was aware of. Oh, maybe the lions whined about Snape, and everyone whined about McGonagall and Vector, but no one denied they knew their subjects back to front. She was sure Flitwick was well liked, for his easy going manner and free hand with House points. And of course Charlie was beloved by everyone, even the notoriously hard-to-please purebloods of her own House.
But what could she do about Trelawney? she asked herself, frowning at an awkward sentence and flicking her wand to adjust it. Make her get new glasses? For all that she was THE Hazel Fucking Potter with everything that entailed, she was still just a third-year Slytherin student, even if the Headmaster seemed inclined to give her his time.
Whatever, she had to focus. Arithmancy first, that made more sense to her. Dimly, she noticed her friends gathering around her, and suppressed a groan. "Not now," she muttered preemptively, wishing they'd step off again.
"What do you mean, 'not now'?" Draco said indignantly. "If we left you alone you'd be no better than Hermione!"
"Grades aren't everything, Hazel," Millicent said, patting her hard on the back and causing her to spill ink on her essay. "Come on, let's play a few rounds of Exploding Snap."
"Fine, but we'll play by Bavarian rules, and you have to clean off my essay if you lose before me!" Hazel replied, putting her things to one side and drawing her wand. Her competitive friends laughed, Blaise dealt the cards, and the game was on!
Ten minutes later, Draco had won the most rounds, but Hazel didn't care; she came out ahead of Millicent enough times to win their bet, and watched smugly as she flicked her wand and siphoned off the spilled ink. "There's your essay back," she muttered as she slid it over. "You got the formula wrong on line 7, though."
"What!" Panicking slightly she snatched the essay up and scanned for the supposed error. "Dammit! If that part's wrong then everything past it is also wrong!" But Millicent was entirely correct, she realized, groaning in annoyance. "How'd you spot that anyway?"
"I take that class too, Hazel," she laughed. "Come on guys, we got an hour or so before lights out, let's not leave our friend to struggle alone."
"Can you imagine letting everything pile up until the weekend?" Hazel muttered as she put the finishing touches on her revised essay. "As if I haven't got enough going on! Here, Millicent, can you double check this for any more errors, please?"
"Sure." Millicent took the essay and scanned it carefully. "Mm, nope, looks good to me."
"Speaking of the weekend," Blaise murmured, nodding at the notice board, "there's a Hogsmeade visit scheduled. You gonna be there?"
"Oh? Yeah, you bet I am." She'd have to send a note to Sirius asking if he could show up down there, and since it was a regular visit she wouldn't need anyone holding her hand.
The clock struck just as she was finishing the last assignment of the night. She hadn't studied for Divination, but she didn't really want to either, so she packed her stuff without worrying about it and went up to her dorm, where she did her nightly things and slid gratefully into bed. Occlumency came quickly, and so did sleep.
In the morning she got up a little earlier so she could have time to send an owl, and then it was classes and assignments until later in the day, when she went to Lupin's office for their lessons. "Sir, I'm meeting Sirius in Hogsmeade this weekend if he has time, would you like to come?"
"I suppose I could," he allowed. "Have you felt the seal on your core weakening recently?"
"Not so much anymore, honestly." She thought back about it for a second. "Lately it only hurts when I'm in here, practicing the Patronus Charm with you." And when she was practicing the Unforgivables by herself, but she wasn't about to mention that.
"Well, like I said before, you should be ready to cast the charm full force. I've tracked down a new boggart that we can try it out on, however, if you'd care to give it a go after a practice round or two?"
"Oh, yeah sure!" She brought her wand up and focused on the dummy before her, imagining a bright future: Voldemort and all his followers gone, her and Luna happily living together… but no, she'd already used that and it didn't work well enough. She looked for something else…
Lupin must have seen her struggling, because he cleared his throat gently. "Try finding a memory that inspires safety, Hazel, a sense of safety and security, rather than simple happiness. This may be the trick you've been missing."
"Yes sir, safety and security." Well, there was really only one place she felt safe even at Hogwarts, wasn't there? And that was her common room, surrounded by her fellow snakes, diligently doing her homework or fooling around with her friends. Her friends…
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" she shouted, swirling her wand. As usual the great silver cloud erupted forth, and this time a whip-like shape raised to strike could almost be seen, before her chest seared and she had to drop the spell with a gasp. "Ugh…"
"You're getting closer, Hazel, much closer." Lupin had a broad smile on his face. "Usually it takes someone months to get as far as you have in weeks."
"Really?" That made her feel good, and she grinned back. "Did either of my parents learn the Patronus Charm?"
"Sure, but not until their seventh year at Hogwarts," he admitted. "Your father in particular had trouble with it, he always struggled with Charms." A reminiscent smile crossed his face. "The day he finally made a stag erupt from his wand, though…"
"A stag, eh." That reminded her. "Sir, I heard that my father was great at Transfiguration, and if Sirius is an Animagus, was he one too?"
"Very good, Hazel. Yes, he was, and as you might imagine, he could turn into a stag."
"A stag and a dog? Pettigrew had a ratty look about him in that wedding photo, I bet he'd turn into a rat."
"Maybe he could. For now though, let's go deal with that boggart, hm?" He flicked his wand and the door swung open, inviting them out. "After you, my dear."
Feeling cut off, Hazel walked out the door, waiting while Lupin shut it behind them. "So where's this boggart?"
"A large vase on the seventh floor, near that painting of Barnabas the Barmy," he replied. "I'm sure you know the way? You spend enough time up there, from what I hear."
"Er. Sure I do." It was all a bit on the nose, she decided, though she went up to the seventh floor anyway. Sure enough, the vase in the corner wobbled ominously as they approached. "Ok, just like last time. Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum…"
"Got a happy memory in place?" he asked, and she nodded stiffly, wand up, eyes on the vase, the back of her mind focused on her Occlumency. "Right, here we go!" He turned, flicked his wand at the vase and leaped back; the whole thing shuddered, the lid popped off…
A huge black form in a ragged cloak emerged, and everything went cold and dark… she heard her mother sobbing, pleading, while Voldemort's high, cold voice rebuffed her and demanded she stand aside…
I can't let it win, she thought to herself, shivering as her mental barriers creaked beneath the freezing despair. If it wins, I'll never see Luna or my friends again, or the Professor… He's watching over me, but I'll have to watch out for myself…
That thought brought a surge of warmth in her chest, and the darkness receded, just enough so she could see the vast form hovering before her, clammy hands reaching out…
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" she shouted, thrusting her wand forward. There was that sharp pain in her chest, but the warmth absorbed it; a wave of silver light shot forward, and a long shape that was unmistakably a cobra bowled into the boggart, knocking it away from her and driving the darkness back. "Take that, you freak! Riddikulus!"
The second spell made the boggart trip and fall, and a very un-Dementor-like cry issued forth from it before it dissolved into smoke and withered away. "I did it! Professor Lupin, I DID IT!" The snake slithered back, and she reached out for it with a giggle.
"Did what?" a voice broke in suddenly; Hazel gasped and turned, her concentration broke, the Patronus disappeared and her chest burned hot all over again. "Hazel? Remus?"
"Oh." It was just Dumbledore, she thought with relief. "Professor Lupin found a boggart, sir, so we came up here to practice my Patronus Charm. Boggarts turn into Dementors for me, after all."
"Of course, fifteen points to Slytherin for ridding us of such a menace," the Headmaster said gravely. Though as he stepped forward, Snape was revealed to have been standing there as well, and Hazel cringed.
"What shape did your Patronus take, Miss Potter?" he asked of her, expression inscrutable.
"Er. It was a snake, sir." She knew she was caught in a lie, and hoped he wouldn't say anything with Lupin and Dumbledore standing right there…
But for the moment he didn't seem inclined to call her out on it. "A snake, very appropriate." He nodded to himself and gestured back down the hall. "Excellent spellcasting, Potter, but you've clearly been exerting yourself. Proceed to the dungeons before curfew strikes."
Praise from Snape made her grin and feel warm inside. "Yes sir, thank you sir. Professors." She nodded to Lupin and Dumbledore and took off, humming happily to herself. In retrospect she shouldn't have been surprised that someone walked in on them, it was a public hallway after all.
But didn't boggarts prefer more secluded areas? Had Lupin trapped one in that vase on purpose, knowing someone might come across them? He was lucky no one had triggered the thing while they weren't around, really.
Notes:Some of you might have noticed how things swing back and forth in this story, thematically and in Hazel herself. That might be a consequence of how I write, which is firmly by the seat of my pants without any outline at all; and too, it took most of last year to get it all down! I'm still revising and adding or moving scenes around, even up to the moment I post a chapter.
Regardless, I truly appreciate all of you who've read this far, and I thrive on every comment and kudo. See you again on Friday!
Chapter 25: Switching or Summoning?Summary:Hazel learns that her godfather used to be a teenage boy, and seventeen years isn't nearly enough penance.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextAt Quidditch practice, Flint threw her for a loop. "Alright you guys, got something different for you today," he told them, beckoning Hazel to stand next to him. "Potter's leading the main players, Malfoy's gonna take the reserve team and we're gonna have us a game!"
"I am? We are?" Hazel didn't like the sound of that, and was already planning to beeline for the Snitch, but his next works took the wind out of those sails:
"Not a full game! An hour long, no points for the Snitch, instead whoever catches it gets to pick who takes their place as Seeker! But the other side picks which spots get swapped around! I wanna see how everyone plays, especially if you gotta think on your feet like this!"
What the hell kind of drills were these? Hazel wondered, putting her Firebolt down and reaching for the sleek black Nimbus 2001. She'd need it if she was gonna fly in formation with the others. "Flint just wants to see how we do under pressure, playing multiple positions, so let's just play hard and make sure everyone gets a shot everywhere," she told Draco, who nodded.
She did her best to make sure her side played to their strengths, though her hasty strategy of easing things a little backfired when Flint caught on. "Bulstrode, you play Seeker for this round!" he shouted, overriding Hazel and Draco both. Millicent was a poor Seeker, being heavyset and slow even with a top of the line broom, and Hazel, who was Keeper at the time, nearly missed the Quaffle a few times while trying to keep an eye on everyone.
"No Seeker for you, Potter, take that bat and hit some Bludgers!" Flint called when she tried to get back into her comfort zone.
"Fuck off, Flint! Are we in charge of this game or what?!" she shouted back, getting fed up with his meddling. "Stop messing with your own rules!" She flew Seeker anyway, and to his credit, Flint stopped calling his own assignments whenever the Snitch was caught.
When the hour was up, Flint blew his whistle and called everyone in. "That wasn't so bad for not knowing what was going on," he told them. "I figure we'll play that game once a week or so, hm? And don't worry, I won't meddle so much again unless I think you're trying to keep someone off a particular position, or hogging one for yourselves." The last part was mostly meant for Hazel, who rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.
After that it was more of the usual drills, and when practice was over Hazel hung back. "Oi, Flint." He turned to her with a curious grunt, and she grinned. "You think all that stretching is working? We haven't had near as many injuries in our team as we had before."
"I guess we haven't. Good job, Potter." He clapped her on the shoulder and went back to what he was doing, and she did likewise, glad he was taking her advice.
Saturday came at last, and Hazel did the last of the week's assignments before taking off for Hogsmeade. Professor Lupin was thankfully not too sick to come, and he wasn't ashamed to walk alongside the students either. "I hope you told him the Three Broomsticks, I am not going back to the Hog's Head," she told him on the way.
"Why not?" he teased. "I heard you were asking about the barman down there, even."
"I don't care if he IS the Headmaster's brother! If he can't be bothered to keep a clean bar then I can't be bothered to patronize it!" she snapped, turning up her collar against the chill breeze. "Besides, Madam Rosmerta is much easier on the eyes."
"That she is," Lupin agreed, and she missed it when he rolled his eyes behind her back.
It turned out that Sirius was indeed waiting for them at the Three Broomsticks, though he had a table at the back and seemed to be avoiding Rosmerta. "What's up with you?" Hazel asked, forgoing any hugs and sitting down across from him.
"Er, let's say I didn't leave the best impression last time I was in here," Sirius admitted, one eye on the bar.
"You mean Rosmerta hasn't forgiven you for trying to jinx her out of her underthings?" Lupin asked, feigning shock.
"Wait, you what?" Hazel demanded, trying to decide whether to be amused or outraged, and on whose behalf.
"It was James' idea!" Sirius hissed defensively. "I just, you know…"
"Sirius, I was there the whole time, I saw it all," Lupin countered mildly, flagging a passing waitress for some warm butterbeers. "And it was all you, you horndog."
"Only after she said it couldn't be done!" He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Saying something like that is basically a challenge! But any more of this talk and young Hazel here might start getting ideas!"
"Too late for that, horndog," she replied, following the bar matron in question with her eyes. The second Lupin was out of sight, she'd have to ask what spell Sirius used. Or tried to use, anyway… It had to have been either a Switching Spell or a Summoning Spell…
Lupin cleared his throat, and gave her a look that was part warning and part amused, as if he knew what she was thinking. "Hazel's been quite studious at school lately, you know. No messing around with any Dark Arts or anything anymore."
That you know of, she thought smugly. "But Sirius, listen to this! I finally mastered the Patronus Charm!"
"Really!" He looked proud, then thoughtful. "That didn't take you long at all, what drove you?"
"Mostly how weak I felt around the Dementors," she replied promptly, shivering at the reminder. "I would have mastered it sooner, but Professor Lupin and I had to fight through this stupid seal on my magic first."
"It will still be a challenge to cast the spell in a real situation, Hazel, even once the seal on your core is entirely lifted," Lupin warned. "Considering what you're capable of even now, for someone of your age and experience, I'd say Lily and James were wise indeed to have your core sealed off."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Talking about the seal, even thinking about it, deeply irritated her. It was another sign of weakness, of being held back by the judgment of others. And she hated being weak. "You'll just have to watch out once I do grow up!" she bragged, pulling her wand out. "See this wand? Fourteen inches, elder and phoenix feather. Everyone gets all nervous around it!"
"The hell did you DO to it?" Sirius asked, cocking an eyebrow at the snake-like decorations. "Elder, those are supposed to make for powerful wands indeed. No wonder you're a menace around the castle, with that thing in your pocket."
Their drinks came, and Lupin excused himself after a few sips. Hazel immediately leaned in toward Sirius. "Quick, what spell did you use on Rosmerta to try and get her underthings?" she whispered eagerly.
"Ah, I fiddled with a basic Switching Spell," he whispered back, just as eagerly. "Had to tweak it just right to Switch them with nothing. Accio does the trick too, but then everyone knows you're a pervert!"
"Right, right." To her knowledge they didn't even start on Switching until fourth year. Something for the Room of Requirement to help her with, maybe? He probably didn't think she'd get it in third year. Well, she'd show him!
Lupin came back shortly, and Hazel pretended to have been sipping her drink the whole time. He glanced between the two of them and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't mention it again. "So, Sirius, are you satisfied Hazel is still of sound mind and body?" he said instead.
"Yeah sure, as if I need a reason to pester my goddaughter," and he tipped her a wink. "Got anything planned for Christmas, Hazel?"
She opened her mouth and closed it. "Er. No, actually," she admitted. "Usually I stay at the castle, but I guess I could hang out at the Burrow." Though the moment the words left her mouth, she knew she wouldn't go. It was bad enough in the summer, when she had the option of going outside and getting away from everyone. But during Christmas? When everyone would be inside against the cold? Around all those Gryffindorish Weasleys without reprieve?
"I think they're a little overwhelming, Hazel, why don't you come stay with Remus and I?" Sirius replied, covering her hand with his for a moment. "It's just a little flat in London, but we'll get it all spruced up for the holidays."
"Er." Was it her imagination, or did Lupin not look pleased by the sudden offer? Not to mention, the thought of being around two grown men the whole holiday was hardly appealing. Especially as one of them was her Professor! "I'll… think about it."
"You do that, kiddo." He sipped his drink and looked thoughtful. "Well, what else is going on up there?"
Eventually she saw her friends hovering by the door, and sighed in relief. "Okay, they're waiting on me. Thanks for coming out, Sirius."
"Any time, Hazel." He put an arm around her for a second, then let go. "I'll try not to be a pest so much going forward, but if you give me a reason to be one again I won't hesitate a second, understand?"
"And, Hazel," Lupin leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I don't want to hear about any misused Switching Spells or Summoning Charms, do I make myself clear? Detention will be the least of your worries."
"Yes sir, you won't hear a thing." She wouldn't get caught, she promised herself, going to meet her friends.
Hours later, after spending too much gold yet again, Hazel staggered back to her dorm and put her new things away. One of her purchases was a book on Switching Spells, of course, and as she had expected, she'd need lots of time in the Room of Requirement to practice the specific variation she had in mind. The thought of waiting to learn them in Transfiguration like everyone else didn't even cross her mind.
So, after lunch, that was what she did! Cloak on and Map in hand she stole away upstairs, wished the Room into existence and slipped inside. She found a wide open space, with more books on Switching and plenty of small objects to switch around, and busied herself for hours; it wasn't Charms and it wasn't dueling, so she struggled with it, but she didn't let her frustration get the better of her. When she was tired of that, she willed the Room to form a gym, and got rid of her frustrations through intense physical exertion instead!
"I love Hogwarts," she said to herself, laying back for a second. She pushed herself to the point of exhaustion, then went down to dinner, where she could truthfully say she'd been working out the whole time.
The next day the dueling club met up, and Hazel was amazed at how many students had joined in by then. Professor McGonagall was supervising, in her off-hand way; hovering in the corner, watching everything carefully, calling students out if she saw unsportsmanlike conduct or the like.
"Professor, how would you apply Transfiguration in combat?" Hazel asked at one point.
"An interesting question, Miss Potter." The older woman considered it for a few moments. "Obviously one could use Conjuration to call up various creatures, such as snakes or birds. The larger the creature, the more complex and time-consuming the spell needed to call it forth, of course."
"So no summoning lions on the spur of the moment, then?"
A smile played on the edge of McGonagall's mouth. "Indeed not, not for you students anyway. And if one has the element of surprise, one could use Switching spells to swap your enemies' wands about, or turn their shoes to glass."
Switching spells. Just what she'd been leading up to! "That sounds useful, when do we learn those?"
"It is my own policy not to start on Switching until the end of fourth year, and to get into them in earnest starting in fifth year." Her lips thinned into a firm line. "If it were up to me entirely we would leave Switching until NEWT years, but the Ministry insists on covering them in your OWLs."
"That's weird, why would they push it so early?" Hazel asked, dancing around the question she really wanted to know about.
"I have no idea why the Ministry does the things they do," McGonagall responded tartly. "Believe me, Miss Potter, when I say that Switching is easily abused by bored and mischievous students, and I am quite free about handing down detention for even a hint of misuse. You may understand more when you are a little older, I'm certain."
She understood already, but didn't feel like saying it out loud. "Is it some boys thing?" she said instead, affecting a shudder. "Ugh. Well, thanks, Professor."
"Mm. Back to your duties then." She flicked her hand dismissively, and Hazel retreated back to dueling practice.
When the stage went away and the tables came back, she sat and doodled on some parchment, waiting for dinner to appear while the rest of them caught up on assignments. Eventually she realized she was doodling wand movements for spells, and with a start further realized the wand movements were for the Unforgivable Curses! She couldn't believe part of her was still obsessed with those.
Fortunately no one seemed to notice, so she turned the parchment over and doodled Quidditch formations instead. Dinner came and she ate her fill, and was in a good mood as she led the way to the dungeons, where she settled by the fire and read books until it was time to get ready for bed.
Notes:This is one chapter I've been especially eager to put out there, I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 26: Witches and WerewolvesSummary:Hazel finally figures out what's going on with Professor Lupin, some other stuff happens, and later gets some much needed time alone with her dear Luna.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextDecember finally arrived, bringing the deep freeze of winter along with it. Lupin was once again mysteriously ill and absent at the end of November, and she'd once again caught Snape brewing a complicated potion involving large amounts of wolfsbane. And when she wasn't so busy with everything, she was worrying away at the mystery of it, her curiosity unable and unwilling to let go.
Nothing about Lupin was straight up, at all. From the way he was prematurely aged, to the lines (or scars, she thought, recalling Luna's off-hand comment) on his face, and of course, the monthly illness and disappearances.
Her curiosity had gone into overdrive when she overheard Crabbe and Goyle complaining about a lesson from Snape, who had apparently been teaching Defense in Lupin's absence again: "What's he on about, making us learn werewolves?" Crabbe had been whining, clutching a messy roll of parchment in one thick fist.
"Them ain't even on the schedule 'till later in the year!" Goyle grunted back, at the time.
She felt she had all the pieces of a very simple puzzle, but she didn't have time to focus on them. With the Christmas holidays just a few weeks off, all their teachers were assigning more homework than usual, or maybe it just felt that way to her and her fellow overachievers. Hard to say!
"There's no way I can keep up with all of this," Susan groused as they went outside for Care of Magical Creatures. "I don't know what I was even thinking! I can't even imagine how much revising we'll have to do at the end of the year!"
"We'll at least drop Divination, right Hazel?" Hermione added, nudging Hazel in the side. "The upperclassmen were right, Trelawney's an awful teacher."
"It's a soft option," Hazel said defensively, "plus I can usually catch a good kip if I can get the table by the window." Really, there were too many positives with each elective for her to consider dropping any of them. And she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd regret dropping out.
After class that day, they received a pleasant surprise when Charlie neglected to give them any homework. "I know damn well none of y'all are gonna do anything I give ya, so screw it! Enjoy the rest of your day!" he proclaimed, and everyone cheered.
"I'd do it," Hazel groused on the way back to the castle. But no one was very eager to agree with her, which was vaguely annoying.
Her headache started coming back about halfway through the week, as it usually did, and with it came instability, temper, and an irrational desire to inflict Unforgivable Curses on anyone within reach. She wasn't sure she could get another nasty potion from Madam Pomfrey, and her only other option was Snape. So after their lesson on Girding Potion, she approached him. "Professor?"
"Potter." He barely looked up, busy as he was with preparing for his next class.
"Um. I've got a headache, sir, and-"
"Go to Madam Pomfrey, I don't have time to help you avoid the consequences of your own actions," he cut in immediately, still not looking up.
"I- I did, sir! She gave me this little purple potion that-"
"-provided temporary relief from your ailments, correct? And a warning that overreliance would cause problems of its own?" For the first time he looked up at her, and he was not pleased. "When did you last request a dose of this potion from her?"
"Er." She had to think about it for a long moment. "...October…?"
"That would hardly qualify as overuse, now go back and ask her for another dose." He looked back down and resumed his paperwork. "Get out of my classroom, Potter, or I shall start taking points for wasting time."
Stung by his indifference and abrupt dismissal, she could only step back and try to get herself under control. "Y-Yes sir." She made sure she had her things and left the room, cringing at the thought of setting the hospital matron off at the sight of her again.
Sure enough, the Madam in her imagination and the Madam in real life weren't so different. "What is it this time, Potter?" she asked immediately, hurrying over with wand already drawn. "Please tell me you haven't cursed anyone else, I've enough to deal with without having to repair curse damage!"
"Wha- No! What kind of witch do you think I am?" Hazel blurted out, willing herself not to stumble backward.
"The kind of witch who attracts trouble like rotten meat attracts flies," Pomfrey replied without hesitation. "So? What's gotten into you?"
"J-Just another headache, ma'am," she explained hesitantly. "Overwork, as usual, I figured it's been long enough since you gave me some of that nasty purple stuff…"
"Is that all?" She definitely sounded relieved to Hazel. "Well, sit down for a moment." She bustled off to her office, and Hazel took one of the stools on offer. Pomfrey was back in seconds, a familiar tiny vial in hand. "Just like before, Potter, one dose is all you get. You need not wait two months, but I won't let you rely on that stuff either!"
"Of course not, thank you ma'am." She choked down the wretched stuff, and sighed as her headache went away. "Ugh, much better."
"I should have you overnight for observation over the holidays," Pomfrey muttered as she fussed over Hazel for a moment, checking her pulse and behind her eyelids. "Students oughtn't push themselves so hard, not in your third year." Apparently finding nothing amiss, she stepped back and gestured for the door. "Well, if that was everything?"
"Yes ma'am, thank you again." Feeling better she left the hospital wing quickly, wondering why everyone was irritated with her. She hadn't done anything lately, had she? She tried to think back… she had learned about Switching from Sirius, she'd asked McGonagall about them afterward… that was hardly controversial, was it?
Ugh. "Not everything is about you, Hazel Jade Potter," she told herself sternly. "Maybe it was just bad timing, Snape and Pomfrey were both quite busy, after all!"
At Defense that week, while Lupin lectured them on vampires, Hazel spaced out and flipped ahead in the book, to the section on werewolves. Apparently they had shorter snouts and human-like eyes when in wolf form, and could appear prematurely aged whilst in their human shape; not to mention the mysterious monthly illness they usually tried to pass off their transformation as. They attacked humans exclusively, in stark opposition to the behavior of regular wolves who avoided humans except in dire circumstances.
Near the end of the section, the author had made note that recent developments in potioneering had brought the Wolfsbane Potion into existence, which, if prepared and consumed precisely, could alleviate the worst of the transformation by allowing the poor creature to retain its human mind and morality. However it was a difficult potion to brew, and its ingredients (especially the main ingredient aconite, or wolfsbane) were rare, expensive, and subject to shortages.
"Shortages," she mumbled, looking away from the pages and spacing off across the classroom. "Premature aging…"
Professor Lupin said something, but she missed it completely. "Oi, Potter, wake up," came a voice from behind, followed by a sharp poke to her back. "Lupin's calling on you!"
"Uh, sorry, what?" and she looked up, cursing as her train of thought about werewolves was lost.
"Can you tell us at least two ways to ward off a vampire in case of attack?" Professor Lupin said.
"Er." Fuck, she hadn't been following the lecture! She tried to remember from the last time she'd read the book… "Garlic, right? And… sunlight! Vampires can't stand garlic and sunlight will destroy them!"
"Quite so, five points to Slytherin," he replied, and she thought he was amused by her hesitation. "Try to pay attention, Hazel, hm? Now then." The lecture went on, and Hazel fumbled for quill and parchment to take notes, cursing herself for dozing off while sitting in the front row.
After class, he had her stay behind for a moment. "Why were you reading so far ahead in the book, Hazel?" he inquired mildly.
"Well, I overheard some Hufflepuff boys saying how Snape had given them an essay from that section while he was subbing for you last week," she explained. "And I was curious what was in there."
"You have a curious mind indeed, Hazel Potter." There was something inscrutable about his manner now. "Was your curiosity satisfied?"
"No sir, no it wasn't." It was now or never, she realized. "Some of the traits listed there reminded me of you, actually, sir. Premature aging, monthly illness, and twice now I've walked in on Professor Snape brewing a complicated potion that requires large amounts of wolfsbane. Always a few days before one of your absences, too."
Lupin sighed. "You have all the pieces, put them together and what do they tell you?"
"I'm not sure…" What they told her was outrageous, but she'd come this far. There was no point backing out now. "Are you a- a werewolf?"
"What if I was?" he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back on the desk.
"It would explain why Sirius and my dad went to the trouble of becoming Animagi," she went on, thinking out loud. "As magical creatures, they could keep you company during your transformations, couldn't they? Since werewolves only attack humans?"
"Indeed they could." He sighed again, and shook his head. "Well, congratulations, you've found me out. James and Sirius saw through me too, as did Severus. Though he was a bit behind, seeing as we weren't in the same dorm together."
There it was again. That nasty schoolboy history between her teacher, her father and his friends. "What happened back then, anyway? Why did Snape hate you all?"
"That is a very long story, which we don't have time for," he said instead, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I implore you not to breathe a word of what you have deduced today, not even to your closest friends. If word gets out, things could go badly for me, very quickly."
The dark corner of her mind snarled, demanded she put him under the Imperius Curse and get the whole story out of him. But she snarled back, and clamped down on her mind until the dark corner went silent. "I… I promise, sir, of course…"
It had only taken a few moments, but apparently Lupin noticed something. "Are you alright? You had quite the expression on your face just now."
"N-Nothing, sir." He had his wand halfway drawn, she saw, though as she watched he slid it away again. "You're right, I should go." The thought of a wizard of Lupin's caliber feeling threatened enough to draw his wand on her was… well, so what? He ought to be frightened of her!
But shouldn't she be frightened of him, too? He was a werewolf, after all, a bloodthirsty creature out for human flesh or whatever. So she thought for a few moments about why she wasn't scared of him: the biggest reason, perhaps, was that this was for one night a month. Apart from that he was a calm and mild-mannered man.
The second reason, she realized, was he had ready access to a potion that dulled the worst of his monthly issues. The third reason was that he was a family friend, and James had gone to such lengths as becoming an Animagus so that Lupin wouldn't be alone on that one night a month.
So really, she just had to stay far, far away on that one night a month, and she'd be just fine! Fearlessness rationalized, she grinned to herself and went on with a skip in her step.
That weekend, after homework and Quidditch practice (Flint let them out early since Slytherin wasn't playing again until spring), she went to find Luna so they could hang out. But Luna found her first. "Hazel~" came her sing-song voice from behind as she was heading back inside.
She turned and smiled, and reached out to take her hand. "Hey Luna. I've missed you all year, we haven't had any time to hang out!"
"It's okay, I know you're busy," she replied. "I've been busy too, though! Sometimes I go up and talk to Professor Trelawney, she's ever so lonely."
"Well, maybe she could come out of her tower sometimes?"
"I told her the same thing, but the Inner Eye gets overwhelmed in the hustle and bustle of the rest of the castle."
That sounded like a quote to Hazel, and she didn't have time for professors. "Oh, Luna! Where are you going for the Christmas break? I'm staying here, of course."
"Then I'll stay too. I don't want you to be lonely." Luna let go of her hand and leaned in, putting her arm around Hazel; Hazel, after a moment, leaned in too, and they went up to the castle that way.
"I don't deserve you," she murmured, clinging more tightly to the smaller girl. "Not after what I've done."
"You mean that stuff with the cursing?" She looked up and smiled. "No one got hurt, right?"
"Right, I wouldn't use them on people." She wasn't sure she could, either, cursing a person was a far cry from conjured animals.
"Then it doesn't matter, does it? If you don't hurt anyone, right?"
There was that loophole again. "I guess so. Thanks, Luna."
That night, while doing her routine, Hazel realized that once everyone was gone, it'd be trivial for her and Luna to sneak up to the Room of Requirement, and then they could have all the time and privacy in the world. It was a cheerful thought, and as she crawled into bed, the warmth in her chest made her think she'd be able to cast the world's biggest Patronus.
The last Friday of term there was to be a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, which would determine whether Gryffindor would even still be in the running for the Cup. Hazel supposed she should be conflicted about it, since she had a lot of friends on the Gryffindor team. But really, after their abysmal performance in the first game, what could be done about it?
In the days leading up to it, she endured Ron's groaning about how hard Wood was driving them to improve, and made the right sympathetic noises at the right times. And she put up with Fred and George's shenanigans, glad they were mostly aimed at Ravenclaw; she couldn't help but defend Cho Chang when she had the chance to do so discreetly, of course.
And when it came to Ginny, she gave her a little advice about dodging Bludgers over dinner. "You can't get tunnel vision out there, Ginny. You gotta stay aware of everything: the Snitch, the Bludgers, the opposing Beaters. Millicent got the drop on you so fast because you weren't following her."
"That was a foul and you know it," was the sour reply.
"No, it wasn't. The Ravenclaw beaters are gonna head right for you this game, and then Wood will have to put Grant out there." She rolled her eyes for emphasis, and the redhead went quiet. "So keep your eyes on swivels, alright? Seriously, what is he teaching you?"
"Er. Not much, really, I think he expects me to just… catch on to everything myself?"
"Seriously? For fuck's sake, no wonder you lot lost so badly!" And here Flint had thought they would improve! "Oi, Flint! Get over here, quick!"
Flint looked up, then shrugged at his mates and ambled on down. "What's up, Potter?"
"Flint, this is Ginny Weasley, the Gryffindor Seeker. Ginny, this is Marcus Flint, our team captain." They exchanged nods. "Tell him what you just told me, Ginny."
She did so, reluctantly and with a lot of glancing over her shoulder at the other lions. Flint looked stunned. "For fuck's sake, no wonder you lot lost so badly!"
"That's exactly what I said!" Hazel laughed.
"That does it." He stood up from the table and beckoned to a few of his mates. "He needs his head kicked in if he's not even training his team properly. Let's go, boys!"
"Er, what's he gonna do?" Ginny sounded scared.
"Just what he said, probably." Hazel didn't much care, and she turned back to her food. "He's probably outraged that your captain's letting his team fall to shit like that. You should head back to your table."
The next morning, Flint and his mates looked smug as all hell, and across the Great Hall, Wood seemed pale and shaky. But he gave his team some kind of speech which she couldn't quite hear, and took off for his classes immediately afterward.
"What'd you do, Hazel?" Fred demanded, as he and George cut her off later.
"Oliver's stepped down as captain! Effective immediately!"
"We've got three days to decide on a new captain and sort the team out before the big match!"
"What makes you think I did anything, guys?" she replied with a laugh. "Don't tell me he was all that, either."
"Alright, maybe he was a bit lacking as captain…"
"Or a lot lacking, really, ignoring new players to keep his old pals happy…"
"And that's why you guys are the worst team in school right now. Individually you're alright, but as a team? You two are the only ones who can really work together; your Chasers are great, but they haven't been drilled in any advanced formation flying, and Ginny told me she hasn't had any training at all! Wood's just let her fly on instinct!"
"Okay, to be fair, she has really good instincts, okay?" George countered lamely.
"So do I! But Flint made sure I got drilled in lots of maneuvers, and he trains all of us in more than one position too! And he keeps our reserves training hard, so that if one of us gets a Bludger to the head, we can keep going strong." She was gesticulating wildly to accentuate her impromptu lecture. "Look, you two have to take over for now and run the team through teamwork, okay? I really don't think you stand a chance out there, so all you can do is try not to lose too badly!"
"Wow, she… she really tells it like it is, bro, doesn't she?" Fred muttered, shaking his head.
"She sure does." George also shook his head. "Maybe she could train us instead?"
"Actually, why don't you train with the whole Slytherin team after you're forced out of the running for the Cup this year?" she countered. "There's no way McGonagall would have let Wood stay on anyway, not after your last performance." They had nothing to say to that, and she slipped around them and went on to class without another word.
Three days wasn't enough time to turn a whole team's fortunes around, and sure enough, the match on Friday was over in ten minutes, when Cho caught the Snitch as it was hovering above Ron's head. The final score was 200 to 30, a bad enough loss that Gryffindor would be excluded from the running for the remainder of the year.
The Ravenclaw table was exceptionally rowdy that evening, and Hazel had no problem heading over to sit with Luna and Cho while badmouthing the Gryffindor players. Somehow the house elves knew, because her usual favorite foods appeared before her! "Thanks, Moxy," she said to herself before starting in.
The next day was finally the start of the holidays, and she saw her fellow housemates off before going to breakfast. She was excited to show Luna the Room of Requirement, and to… her imagination short-circuited at that, and she had a huge red glow on her face as she wolfed down the rest of her bacon and eggs as fast as possible.
Luna was waiting for her at the door, and they left hand in hand, heading upstairs. "Here, come here." She ducked behind a suit of armor, checked both ways, and pulled out her Cloak to sweep it over the both of them. "Invisibility cloak!"
"That's so sweet," Luna whispered, giving her a trusting smile. She smiled back and led the way, moving slowly, listening carefully at every corner and painfully aware of Luna creeping along close behind.
They reached the seventh floor corridor, and Hazel checked the Marauder's Map to make double certain no one was anywhere near. Then she paced before the stretch of wall, and even though she couldn't focus on anything but a jumbled, erotic series of half-formed images and an overwhelming desire to not be caught,the Room seemed to cotton on, as the door appeared on cue.
"Let's go, Luna," she whispered, pulling her through the door and closing it firmly behind them…
Notes:Fluffy time with Luna at last! No details though, even kid witches need their secrets lol
Chapter 27: Christmas in the Great HallSummary:Break time at last! Hazel is still a meddlesome teenager, though.
Chapter TextChristmas morning came, though there wasn't much light in the dungeons with the lake so close. Hazel woke up early, and like the last couple years there was a pile of gifts at the foot of the bed. "Brilliant," she murmured, shaking the sleep from her eyes and going to use the toilet.
Pansy and Daphne had gone home for the holidays, but Tracey and Millicent were still around, and they all had presents to open. Hazel started on hers; her cousin Dudley had sent a card, which he'd signed and written that he wished her well. Her aunt and uncle had sent a single pair of socks, which actually were the right size? "Weird," she muttered, putting card and socks aside.
Draco had, once again, sent her a pair of earrings, though there was a note this time: I'm really sorry, but Mother bought these and insisted I send them in MY name. Even when I told her what you told me and said you'd never wear them anyway! I guess it's traditional or whatever? Merry Christmas anyway. Draco.
"I'll save these for Pansy, I suppose," she decided, putting the earrings back in their box. There was the usual box of Italian chocolates from Blaise, and Mrs Weasley had sent a dark green sweater with a silvery snake on the front, along with a box of mince pieces and a large chocolate-and-cherry cake.
Sirius had sent her a book of advanced Transfiguration, along with a note warning her not to get caught doing anything he wouldn't get caught doing. She shook her head and laughed; it was a nice present, even if the Room of Requirement gave her everything she needed.
The last gift was from Tracey, Daphne and Millicent together, and they had sent her a Christmas pendant, a crystal snowflake about an inch across hanging from a gold filigree chain. "Why does everyone send me jewelry for Christmas?" she asked out loud, holding it up. "It's beautiful, of course, but…"
"Come on, Hazel, it's traditional," Millicent replied. "Thanks for the bracelets, by the way."
"Did you get us all bracelets?" Tracey chimed in, jingling her wrists and giggling.
"Except Pansy. I'll give these earrings to her, like always. Now both of you come here and help me eat this cake!" They converged on her bed and made short work of Mrs Weasley's excellent cake, then got up to get ready for the day.
Hazel's first goal was to visit the kitchens and check in with Moxy. All the elves were ecstatic to see her as usual, and she sat down to a light tea and some snacks, though she beckoned for Moxy to stay behind. "How was Regina, last time you were there?" she asked.
"Moxy has not seen the big greenie in some weeks, Hazel Potter!" Moxy explained breathlessly. "But was hearing a faint breathing! Maybe she is hibernating for the seasons?"
"Maybe." She should have gone down there earlier, she thought with a sigh. "How about you guys? Things are still okay down here?"
"Yes! We does our work and we gets to sleep and eat and Professor Sprout comes by and praises us and helps us! Hogwarts is best for house-elves in England, Hazel Potter!"
"That's great!" Inside, though, she wondered if it really was great. Hadn't Hermione said something about this before? But there wasn't any point getting worked up about it now, so she finished her snack and went on her way.
Visiting Regina was out of the question, at least for now, though it was possible Moxy had mistaken hibernation for simple sleep. She had already taken care of her homework and holiday assignments… Lupin was probably at home with Sirius… Snape was hardly very approachable even at the best of times…
She ambled up to the Room of Requirement and practiced Switching until lunch, when she saw that three of the four tables had been set aside for a single one. Most of the teachers were already seated, and as Hazel sat down too, a plate of her favorite things appeared. "Merry Christmas, Professor," she said to Snape, whom she was seated next to.
"The same to you, Miss Potter," he responded. There was no trace of his previous foul mood, so she had to conclude it had simply been a bad time for him.
"Did Professor Lupin get his gift?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow significantly.
"It is being prepared," he replied slowly, scowling somewhat at the mention of his old rival. "After dinner I must check on it, of course, but it is stable for now."
They ate in silence for a few minutes, until a commotion reached her ears from the entrance. Looking over, she saw Luna leading Professor Trelawney by the arm; the Professor seemed even more wide-eyed and helpless than usual. "We're almost there, Professor, don't let go now," Luna said in a low, patient voice.
"Ah, my dear, thank you ever so much," the Professor replied, her voice pitched high. "I… you know I don't come down very often, so…"
"No trouble at all, Professor." Luna helped her into the seat next to Hazel, and sat down on the other side. "Look Hazel, it's the Professor!"
"Hazel? Hazel Potter?" Trelawney turned and peered at her. "Ah… oh! Oh, it is you! My dear, my dear Hazel, so good to see you…!"
They were literally right next to each other, yet Trelawney was acting like she could barely see. "Is there something wrong with your glasses, Professor?" she asked, peering at them. They appeared rather dirty to her… and did she smell sherry, or was that her imagination?
"Ah, well, you know…" she dithered, still seemingly helpless.
"Hold still, Professor." She plucked the glasses off, tapped them with her wand and muttered a quick Scouring Charm, and placed them back on her nose. "Is that better?"
"Oh! Oh, yes, it is!" She smiled at the room around her. "I must confess, I don't get out of my tower very often… the usual bustle confuses the Inner Eye, you see…"
"Tripe, Sybill?" McGonagall said blandly, sliding a tureen over.
Hazel met Snape's eye and suppressed a giggle, then looked over the rest of the table. "I don't see Madam Pomfrey."
"She had to attend to a case of mumblemumps, unfortunately," Dumbledore said, from his place at the head of the table. "The house elves have sent dinner to her, I'm sure."
"Hmm." She suspected the real reason Trelawney didn't leave her tower very often was simply that she couldn't see very well, and perhaps neglected to clean her glasses well enough. "Professor, why DID you leave your tower today, anyway?"
"Ah, well, you see, I was crystal-gazing, of course, concerned for the fates of my beloved students and coworkers…" Hazel saw McGonagall shake her head slightly, but Trelawney didn't notice. "And I saw… my dear, do forgive me… but I saw that if I came down, and if I found you with all haste… yes, you, my dear! …that you would be able to render an immense service…"
Immense service, eh. To what, or whom? At first she was tempted to shrug it off as her usual airy-fairy nonsense, but then had second thoughts. She hardly ever came down here, that much was true. And if she came down specifically to see Hazel, well…
She listened with half an ear as Luna and Trelawney regaled each other with fantastic stories, and looked around the table, watching how everyone interacted. Dumbledore seemed to be the center of attention; when he cleared his throat, the volume of the rest of the table dropped slightly, and when he made a joke, everyone laughed.
Snape and McGonagall were islands unto themselves, each eating slowly and with precise correctness. Neither spoke unless spoken to, and then their response was succinct and to the point. She noticed that neither seemed to acknowledge the other, either, and wondered if that had to do with the recent trouncing of the Gryffindor team.
Farther down, Flitwick and Sprout were their usual cheerful selves, and Hagrid apparently had a whole section of the table all to himself, as well as a special chair to hold his immense weight. Watching him eat, she couldn't help but imagine the house elves laboring away beneath them to refresh his plate.
As for her? She had two professors on either side, and was happy to be mostly ignored while she ate lunch.
Eventually, Snape finished his plate and stood. "If you will excuse me, I have potions to attend," he murmured, nodding to the table in general and sweeping away. Hazel took that as her cue to finish up herself, and drained her milk before wiping her mouth.
"C'mon, Professor, there's something we have to do," and she pulled at Trelawney's sleeve.
"Oh, very well, just let me- ah!" She had stood up too quickly and, fumbling at her plate, spilled it all over the table and down her robes. "Oh no, oh dear…!"
"Never mind, Sybill." McGonagall's wand snapped out, and the mess wicked away in an instant. "Do take care returning to your tower, will you?"
Hazel left the hall, Trelawney in tow. "My dear girl, where are you taking me?" she whined, clinging to Hazel's arm like she had clung to Luna before. "I, I should return to my tower, there are grave airs swirling about…!"
"We're going to see Madam Pomfrey, Professor, relax." She didn't let go or slow down, and soon they were at the hospital wing. "Madam Pomfrey?"
"Not again," the matron muttered, turning away from her patients. "Whatever it is can- oh, Sybill! What a surprise!"
"Madam Pomfrey, there's a spell to assess someone's vision, it makes things all white and buzzy for a moment. Do you know it?"
"Of course, Potter, is there a problem with your glasses?"
"No, the issue is Professor Trelawney's glasses," and she nudged Trelawney forward.
"I don't want to be a bother," she murmured, eyes wide behind the glasses in question. "Please, I should go, I need to-"
"Nonsense." She hadn't missed the way Hazel had led her in, clearly. "Take a seat, Sybill, this won't take but a moment." She steered the professor to a stool and waved her wand; Trelawney squeaked and nearly fell off, but the matron steadied her, while her other hand caught a short roll of parchment that appeared from thin air.
Whatever it said had her frowning sharply within moments. "Sybill, you should have come to me ages ago, your vision is terribly degraded." She rolled the parchment up with a snap. "Luckily I have some Oculus potion handy…" A flick of her wand brought a vial of orange potion to her hand. "Drink this, Sybill."
Still somewhat gobsmacked, Trelawney did as ordered, and gasped as it took effect. "Oh my, I- I must have been focusing on the Inner Eye too much, of late…" She removed her glasses and blinked owlishly. "Where did these even come from?"
"You're all better now, though?" Hazel asked, relieved that the episode seemed to be over.
"Yes, yes, much better… Thank you both, thank you…" She turned and tottered away, clutching her glasses in one hand.
Madam Pomfrey stared after her, sighing when she was out of sight. "Sybill wasn't always like this, you know," she said thoughtfully. "She used to be engaged and vibrant, but then she left her tower less and less."
"She used to be a competent teacher, you mean?" Hazel said bluntly.
"Well, I wouldn't put it quite so crassly, but yes." She frowned and shook her head. "Be off with you, Potter, I've work to do."
"Yes ma'am. Merry Christmas." She left the hospital wing herself, eager to head outside for some snowball fights.
Hazel spent the rest of break stuffing her face, in snowball fights, or lurking in the Room of Requirement: once with Luna again, a memory she resolved to bury deep even as it brought a shiver and a flush to the surface; the other times she practiced the various spells she didn't want others to know she was practicing, like Switching or the Unforgivables. And of course she worked herself over as hard as she dared, pushing herself to run around the castle, leap from one moving staircase to another, and perform mad stunts and maneuvers on her broom.
It wasn't the relaxation she should have taken, but she was revitalized all the same, and like all breaks, it was over far too soon. She pushed herself extra hard the day before classes were to restart, and went to bed with a smile on her face.
Chapter 28: Gryffindor HumiliatedSummary:In which our heroine starts getting bright ideas for her future captaincy. Will it all work out in the end? Spoiler: How should I know?
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextHazel was in a good mood as classes began again, and she whistled happily while getting ready for the day. She had no illusions it would last long, but she held the memory of herself and Luna in the Room of Requirement close, hoping it might keep her going.
The first class of the day would test that theory, as they were to begin palmistry in Divination. She could only hope Trelawney could still see well, since then she wouldn't be so pathetic. And as they climbed through the trap door and took their seats, Trelawney greeted them in her usual manner: "Welcome back to Divination, my dears. I'm so glad to see you all well, though I knew you would return."
"Professor?" Lavender Brown asked, putting her hand up. "What happened to your glasses?"
"Ah! The spirits guided me to leave my tower on Christmas day, and I ran into dear Hazel in the Great Hall… well, with the assistance of a second-year girl who's been visiting me, I must admit…" She paced before the fire, which was stacked high with heavy bundles of wood. "Hazel convinced me to see Madam Pomfrey, though I didn't have any idea why at the time, I had suspected she had Seen something…"
Hazel started to raise her hand, but thought better of it. This wasn't her story, and if the Professor wanted to embellish a little, well, what of it?
"Well, to make a long story short, my physical vision had been fading for some time! And dear Poppy had a marvelous potion ready that brought it all back perfectly for me! So I don't need the glasses anymore!" Half the class clapped in appreciation of the news, and Trelawney beamed. "Ah, don't clap for me, my dears, clap for Hazel! And speaking of which, I'm not sure I rewarded you before, ah… I know, how about fifteen points for Slytherin?"
"Thank you, Professor," Hazel replied. Recognition was nice, she decided, especially when she had earned it.
The lesson proceeded, with Trelawney going over diagrams of palmistry before examining each of their hands one by one. Hazel, somehow, was first in line: "My dear Hazel, let us see… ah, yours are fire hands, fitting for one such as yourself… mounts and plains all quite healthy too, especially Mars and Venus… and very deep lines for one so young! …a crooked head line, mm, you'll be a forward thinker one day, my dear… heart line is fractured and deep, an unusual result when paired with the mount of Venus…"
"Er, what?" None of it made much sense to Hazel, honestly, it was all just a bunch of creases in her hands…
"The head line! Ooh, you would have done very well in Ravenclaw, my dear, with a head line like this!" Trelawney looked up with an awed expression on her face. "I haven't seen hands like yours in many years… one day you will have the world at your feet, Hazel Potter…"
"Right." She took her hands back and returned to her seat, letting Hermione have her turn. She spaced out the rest of the lesson, looking down at her palm and comparing it to the pictures in the book. None of it seemed to correlate with what Trelawney had said, though… not to her eyes anyway. But she liked the idea of having the world at her feet… even if she'd settle for having Luna on her knees…
She dozed off with that image in her mind, and the next thing she knew someone was poking her sharply in the side. "Hazel! Wake up, class is over!" a girl's voice hissed.
"Whuh?" She jerked awake and fumbled her glasses. "Who- Hermione?"
"Come on, sleepyhead." The rest of the class had gone down the stairs, even Trelawney had disappeared into some back room or other. "You don't want to be late, do you?"
"N-No…" She yawned and gathered her things, and they hurried to Arithmancy, where the rest of the class had finally caught up with them. Now it felt like they were finally learning something new, and Hazel felt the haze of boredom lifting away as class progressed.
At the first Quidditch practice of the new term, the Slytherin team was interrupted. "Hey!" a tall black girl yelled. "Hang on a moment!"
"That's one of the Gryffindor Chasers, isn't it?" Draco muttered.
"Yeah, Johnson. I hear they made her the new Captain after Wood stepped down," Hazel replied, watching her jog over.
"What's up, Johnson?" Flint growled when she got closer. "Make it quick, we've got a practice to run through and not much time to do it in."
"I know that." She was slightly out of breath, and looked over the green-clad team with distrust in her expression. "Look, we were awful last year, there's no point sugar-coating it."
"Lions? More like pussy cats!" Millicent called out, and the team burst out laughing.
That brought a snarl out of her, but she stopped herself and took a deep breath. "This is serious! We- dammit, we…"
All of a sudden Hazel knew what this was about, but she wasn't going to say anything. But something must have shown on her face, because Flint gave her a funny look. "What's this about, Potter? Don't say you don't know anything."
"Okay, so I may or may not have implied to Fred and George that the Gryffs could train with us after they lost their last match," she muttered, looking away from her captain. "Not sure what I was thinking, really."
"Johnson's here to ask for help, you mean?" he muttered back, glancing back at the Chaser girl standing there awkwardly. "Be a good chance to rub it in, that's for sure. Well, whatever, I'm gone after this year so it'll be your problem next year, got it?"
"If I make Captain, you mean," she shot back. "It'll be fine, we can't improve if we don't have decent competition, right?"
"Are you done whispering?" Johnson snapped. "Come on, this is serious!"
"So you said, but you haven't said anything else," Flint smirked. "Out with it already!"
"Dammit, fine! We need help." The look on her face made it seem like saying those words were as bad as pulling teeth. "Wood was an awful Captain, and the team's been suffering for years because of it. I'm not sure I'll be much better, but I have to try. So can we train with you guys for the rest of the year?"
"This is on you, Potter," Flint said loudly, stepping back and turning away. "Like I said, I won't be around by the time they can play again."
"Git." She flipped him off before turning back to the enemy Chaser. "Alright, Johnson, you can work with us, but you'll have to have a full team first. That means your main squad and at least one full set of reserves. So hold tryouts at some point soon, and come back once you've got it all sorted."
"I can do that, I guess." She seemed relieved, and Hazel guessed it was because she didn't have to go back empty handed. "Can I watch you guys for now, at least?"
"Sure, there's the stands." Hazel turned her back too and went to her team, where Flint was already running them through their opening warm ups and drills. She thought up some new exercises while practice went on, and out the corner of her eye she saw Johnson taking notes. Smart girl.
Afterward, when full dark had come and fresh snow was falling, Flint called it a night and the team trudged off to the changing rooms. "Great work, all of you," he called, his lips quirking up in what passed for a smile on his heavy face. "And it sounds like we're gonna have an audience for the next little while, since your future captain's already getting bright ideas!"
"Tosser." She flipped him off again, and he just laughed. "It won't be right away, I told her she had to have a full team ready, including reserves. And that means tryouts!"
"Yeah, we'll have to make time to go watch, for sure," Flint said. "Anyway, it's getting late, so all of you fuck off to bed!" The team laughed at that and left the room, though Hazel hung back a bit, glancing around for-
-sure enough, here came Johnson. "I was watching you guys practice," she said bluntly, falling in next to Hazel on the way back to the castle.
"And?"
"And I can see why we lost," she said with a sigh. "And why the Weasleys are always talking you up, even if you're in Slytherin. You definitely need to give Ginny some more pointers."
"What you guys need is a Captain who knows more than one or two positions," Hazel replied. "I'm mainly a Seeker, but Flint trains me in all four spots. And I'm guessing Wood only really knows Keeper and Beater, am I right?"
"You're… not wrong," Johnson admitted. "He mostly had Ginny chase a Snitch around while Katie, Alicia and I threw the Quaffle to each other, and he and the twins ran drills."
"And he didn't bother with a reserve team either, did he?"
"Nope. Hell, I think he only let Ron in because he knew he'd be struggling this year."
Remembering the miserable first match when he'd been in detention, Hazel could only laugh. "He should have taken Divination!" They both laughed at that, and by then they had reached the castle. "Alright, take care Johnson. I'll see you soon."
"Maybe you should call me Angelina." And she put her hand out.
"Then I'm Hazel." They shook hands and went their separate ways, and Hazel wondered what the hell she'd gotten herself into now. One day she'd learn to keep her nose to herself, but that day was clearly not this day!
Friday afternoon she went down to watch the new Gryffindor tryouts. It was a cloudy day without any wind, so conditions were ideal. She sat with Flint and Hermione while Angelina ran the hopefuls through trials. "When was the last time Wood held tryouts, Potter?" Flint asked her.
"I think last year, when Ron got on," she replied. "Ooh, that girl could make the main team, see how she got past him?"
"She's got some firsties down there too," and Flint pointed out a huddle of shrimpy little red-clad students, shivering at the far end of the line. "I'd have let them go first though."
Hermione didn't say much, absorbed as she was in finishing off an essay for Muggle Studies. "Hazel, what did Professor Burbage say about cars this week?" she asked absently, scratching out a bad line.
"That they run on something called petrol, or gasoline, which is made from old bones and plants or something."
"Muggles," Flint muttered, rolling his eyes.
Eventually it was Ron's turn, and Hazel nudged Hermione. "Oi, Ron's up."
"Oh!" She put the essay down and focused. "I really hope he makes the cut again, he'll be impossible to deal with otherwise!"
"What, is Wood dropping off the main squad?" Hazel asked.
"How should I know! Come on, Ron!"
Fortunately, without a lot of Slytherins singing rude songs, Ron had the nerve to ace his tryouts, and he didn't do so badly when Angelina had him try Chaser and Beater either. Having a top of the line Comet probably helped though. Hermione's relief was palpable, though Hazel suspected she'd never admit to it out loud.
Eventually the rest of them had their time to shine, and Angelina floated up to them. "Well?"
"Be down here after breakfast tomorrow, Johnson, all of you," was all Flint said as he stood up and walked off. Hazel shrugged and hurried after him, and Hermione was too absorbed in her essay to notice everyone leaving.
"How are we gonna make this work, Flint?" Hazel asked when she caught up to him. "I can't coach those guys and play with the team at the same time."
"We could put Higgs in your spot," Flint mused. "I'm not worried about you losing your touch, Potter, just do what you think is best by those lion pals of yours and we'll be alright. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff don't stand a chance against us this year, though you can bet they'll be mixing up their training after this gets out."
"Good. Victory is hollow if we don't earn it, right?"
"Sure, Potter, sure." But he chuckled a little while reaching over to ruffle her hair, and she laughed as she swatted his hand away. "I gotta say, I'll sure miss you guys. Been captain for five years and I never coached a team like this one…"
"Aw, Flint." She reached up and punched his shoulder. "Don't get all sappy on me now, you aren't graduated yet!"
Notes:About a month and a half to go!