Lost Memories

xxix. bloodlines

Hermione sighed, "So after E, it's A for 'Acceptable,' and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Fred, dunking an entire roll in his soup, transferring it to his mouth, and swallowing it whole.

"Someone had gotten an O in our Potions class, you hear?" Hermione took a spoon of her soup.

Looking at the faces around me, Fred, George, and Lee all looked surprised.

"An O?" Fred gasped.

"In Snape's class?" George followed.

"Nearly impossible," Lee commented.

"Yeah, I'd like to know who," Hermione grumbled.

"And it wasn't you?" Fred looked around at us, expecting the same reaction. Harry had been stirring his soup, sadly, while Ron was ladling large spoons into his mouth.

"Probably a Slytherin, you know how Snape favours—"

"It wasn't a Slytherin," I cut Hermione off begrudgingly.

"Oh, then what Gryffindor? I can't imagine any other Gryffindor to get an O beside me," Hermione laughed.

"Me," I whispered, looking down at my half-empty bowl.

"Charlotte, I—"

"No, it's fine. I get it," I nodded, looking up at Hermione's regretful face.

"I didn't mean anything by it— I just— I didn't expect— I would have thought you'd at least gotten an A like me," Hermione tried.

"I guess my paper was more than Acceptable," I breathed.

Hermione gave a small yelp– probably Ron or Harry kicking her, while Fred and George looked proud while Lee looked confused.

"Lottie—"

"I got a D," Harry blurted out, taking the attention off me.

The conversation moved from my grades to his for the rest of lunch. My soup got cold from all the mixing I'd done, so I hadn't finished it. After my and Hermione's Arithmancy lesson, Harry and Ron caught us up on what had happened in their class, especially Professor Trelawany's meltdown.

Walking into Defence class, Umbridge was humming and smiling to herself when we entered the room. Harry and Ron spoke in hushed voices as they told us on had happened in their class. Before we could ask any questions Professor Umbridge had called us to order and silence fell. Class was as boring as it usually was but, of course, Harry managed to get another detention whereas I stayed out of it not wanting Harry to blow up on me once again.

During breakfast on Tuesday, Angelina Johnson shouted at Harry for getting another week's worth of detention and losing Gryffindor five points– even though it was Hermione. As Professor McGonagall came over to inquire why Angelina was screaming at Harry, she took off another ten points to Gryffindor for Harry not listening to what she had told him in her office the first night.

"She's taken points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every night!" Harry said after McGonagall left. "How is that fair, how?"

"I know, mate," said Ron sympathetically, tipping bacon onto Harry's plate, "she's bang out of order."

Hermione, however, merely rustled the pages of her Daily Prophet and said nothing.

"You think McGonagall was right, do you?" said Harry angrily to the picture of Cornelius Fudge obscuring Hermione's face.

"I wish she hadn't taken points from you, but I think she's right to warn you not to lose your temper with Umbridge," said Hermione's voice, while Fudge gesticulated forcefully from the front page, clearly giving some kind of speech.