reputation - (h.p.)

1.11 . goddess of the earth

       "Besides, Harry needs you," she finished, unfazed by the murderous look in Gaia's stare. "He sent me up here to get you after he came running into the common room from Moody's class. Something about the task tomorrow. Come on!"

       Gaia made no attempt to hide her anguished groan as she tossed the covers off of her body and sat up on the edge of her bed. The bright side was that she was already fully clothed, so the pair wasted no time in making it downstairs to the common room, where Harry was pacing in thought. Hearing their footsteps, he stopped and let out a quick sigh he appeared to have been holding in. 

       "Guys!" he exclaimed, coming closer to the two girls who had just stepped off the stairs. "I figured out how to fight the dragon tomorrow!" 

       Hermione's face lit up, and while Gaia did feel quite relieved, she could only do her best to smile and nod as she daydreamed about how wonderful a cup of warm, extra-caffeinated coffee would feel between her hands. 

       "Moody got me thinking," the boy continued, "we're only allowed to go into the ring with our wands, right?"

       "Right. And that's a problem since your wand is stuck on the 'Disarm Only' setting," Gaia quipped nonchalantly. Harry flashed her a quick, disapproving look before continuing. 

       "But there are spells I could use with my wand that would take advantage of my better skills." He held his hands out with his mouth agape in a smile and eyes wide, as if waiting for a reaction from the girls that they understood where he was going, but he was met with two blank stares. He finally conceded. "I need to learn the summoning charm by tomorrow afternoon!"

       And so, Harry and Gaia officially called off their lessons for the rest of the day. They figured any punishment for skiving off would be minor compared to the punishment of not being prepared to fight a dragon. Even Hermione skipped one class, Herbology, in which she had gotten a perfect score on every assignment of the term thus far. The three of them spent hours combing the shelves of the library for any and every book that might be useful in learning the summoning spell, then they lugged them all back to the Gryffindor common room and settled in for a long night of cramming. Hermione left when the rest of her lessons were starting, and Harry and Gaia tried to manage the basics without her. She returned hours later with snacks from the Great Hall to serve as their dinner and helped them loads. They took domain over the sitting area for the rest of the day, frustrating many of their peers, though none could muster up a care. 

       At the time that everyone was filtering out to make their ways to the Great Hall for dinner, the trio stayed hard at work. The sun sank lower and lower through the window and soon the other students had returned and retired to their dorms for the night. Harry, however, was getting close to mastering the technique, and Gaia and Hermione were still opening new books in hopes of tips or tricks that might be helpful. 

       Finally, just past two in the morning, Harry had successfully cast the summoning charm multiple times in a row. 

       "That's better Harry," Hermione praised, stifling a yawn. "Loads better."

       "Loads," Gaia concurred, lifting her head from the arm of the couch and hoping they couldn't tell how close she was to passing out, (they could). Gaia had never been able to stay up late, so Harry appreciated this level of commitment from her. 

       "Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell, threaten me with a dragon," Harry stated, though he was so tired his tone sounded more serious than comical. "Accio dictionary!"

       The hearty book sprang from its place on the coffee table toward Harry, who barely acted quickly enough to catch it. 

       "That was a strong one," Gaia stated, only slightly more lively. "I think you've got a solid shot tomorrow."