A Harry Potter Love Story: Annie's Way

Chapter 12

        "Bloody Hell, is he trying to bore me to death?!" Ron whispered and Hermione smacked him for his foul language. In a class like Quirell's, bad language is the least of my worries.
        "Ron has a point," Harry said and we all looked to the front at our teacher. He was rushing around, picking things up from his desk and setting them back down again and muttering to himself. We weren't the only ones talking though, basically everybody was making small talk whilst we watched our teacher have an anxiety attack when he couldn't find his quill.
        "He isn't Snape," I shrugged my shoulders and Hermione gasped in astonishment.
        "Annie! He's a teacher!" She whisper shouted and I rolled my eyes. Now she has to be all innocent?
        "He's a creep that hates me," I replied and it was her turn to roll her eyes.
        "He doesn't hate you he just isn't particularly fond- okay I've got nothing!" She sighed and I smirked in satisfaction.
        "Exactly," I said, nodding my head in happiness at her defeat.
        "What is he doing?" Harry muttered, oblivious to our argument.
        "What do you mean, he's doing exactly what he was doing five minutes ago, proving us that History of Magic is not the most boring class," I snapped back and I guess I was a bit too loud as Hermione smacked my arm. He still didn't turn around.
        "We never seem to learn much in this class, do we?" Hermione said and Ron rolled his eyes.
        "Who cares?!" He said, throwing a small rolled up ball of paper at Quirell's turban. It quivered slightly and Quirell spun around so fast he probably gave himself whiplash.
        "Who threw that?" He yelled and everyone quietened down so fast at the fact that he didn't stutter. He sounded the most confident that he has ever been since he got here. "I'm not playing games!" Ron reluctantly began to put his hand up but I yanked it back down and put my own up. Harry looked at me in astonishment before trying to pull my hand down and putting his up as well which made me roll my eyes. He's being really sweet and noble but does he always have to be?
        "I-We did sir," I said and Harry frantically nodded his head What is going on with him?
        "Detention with me every night for the rest of this week!" He snapped and I put my hand down. Looks like Snape's essay for Wednesday is going to have to wait.
        We sat quietly for the rest of the class and Ron kept shooting me questioning looks. I kept my head down and pretended to ignore them. Every time when we were little, he would always take the blame for a smashed glass, lost chicken or for Ginny being in the pond when I pushed her in for a joke thinking she could swim. It's my turn to save him.
        Harry was another story. I had a reason for trying to save Ron the pain of going to detention and he could end up missing dinner, Merlin forbid, but what was his reason. I had known Ron all of my life so taking the blame and getting a detention is nothing to me but why would he try to get me out for trouble? Boys.
        "What was that for?" Ron asked when we got out of class. His hands were clenched at his sides and his ears were red so I knew he was really mad at me. I used to annoy him so much that this is practically the first thing I see in my head when I do something wrong.
        "Getting you out of detention," I replied without looking at him.
        "But, why?" He asked.
        "How many times have you gotten me out of trouble when I broke a glass or that time I pushed Ginny into a pond? Exactly. It's my turn to take a fall for my brother," I said and he didn't ask me about why I called him my brother, he was basically that.
        "We forgot to ask what time our detention is tonight," Harry groaned and we both turned around and walked back to the room which I now loathe with every fibre of my being with Ron and Hermione in tow. I heard voices in his room so I pressed my ear to the door to listen. Harry inched towards the door and I shuffled over to let him and Ron and Hermione I so that they could listen as well.
        "Remember our deal, Professor," A smooth monotone voice said from inside our DADA classroom.
        "I-I d-do, sir," Quirrel stuttered.
         "So you won't disappoint me?" Said the silky voice and a cold shiver ran down my spine.
        "Never," Our Professor said and I was shocked at the determination in his voice. We heard footsteps close in on the door and we darted behind the corner and watched as a teacher with slimy hair and long crooked nose walked out of the room, leaving Professor Quirrel quavering in his wake. Ron looked over at me with a confused expression on his face which is there quite often actually. I was stunned that one of our Professors that I look up to, even though he hates me, was just witnessed threatening a colleague. It was almost too hard to take.
        "Let's get out of here," Harry whispered, motioning us on with his hand. I tiptoed until we were two corridors away and then we sprinted all the way back to our common room. Forget History of Magic, we have more important things on our hands than an ignorant ghost. Harsh I know but I'm slightly shaken up. Uncle Lupin told me how bad Professor Snape was but I never thought he would be capable of hurting anyone. I guess I was wrong. I collapsed down onto the arm chair and put my head in my hands. Harry sat on the arm of the chair and I felt tingles shot up my arm as he set his hand on mine. Ron and Hermione took a seat on the sofa and they just burst.
        "Snape was threatening Quirrel?!"
        "I thought he was a teacher?!"
        "He is, but not Quirrel's teacher so he may not have any authority over him but he does, if that makes any sense."
        "It doesn't!"
        "Quiet you lot!" Harry snapped and I looked up to see his forehead creased in a frown. I straightened up and straightened out the creases in his forehead and tilted the corners of his lips upwards. He looked at me strangely but he didn't drop the smile.
        "Frowning gives you wrinkles," I whispered and I was shocked at where that had come from. I blushed as every body's eyes were on me.
        "Where did that come from?" Hermione asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
        "I don't know, maybe something my mum said when I was little," I said and Ron tensed up. Every time my mother was mentioned, I would break down but we have bigger things at hand. "It doesn't matter. What are we going to do about Snape?"
        "What can we do?" Ron asked.
        "Well we can't let him get his way. Did you hear him in there? Whatever it is it's not about the DADA job like Fred and George said at the Welcoming feast. It has to be bigger than that," Harry said with determination shining in his eyes.
        "That still doesn't answer my question, though. We know not to let him get it but how do we do that exactly?" Ron said and Harry's shoulders slumped at this new obstacle. I decided to pipe up to save him from further grilling.
        "By the looks of things, the thing he's after is only safe whilst Quirrel keeps refusing to give him what he wants," I said and a plan formed in my mind.
        "I know he's a teacher and all and I shouldn't be saying this, but he's not exactly brilliant with confrontation," Hermione said, looking more doubtful every second.
        "Why don't we give him a bit of encouragement," Harry finished. "Just small things like smile at him between classes and tell people off for talking in his class and if he drops his papers, help him pick them up."
        "So we're his Hogwarts mother?" Ron asked and I snorted.
        "Basically," Hermione said, smirking.
        "Better make sure that he eats his greens and his goose feather pillow is fluffed to perfection," Harry finally cracked and we were laughing so loudly that they probably heard us down in the History of Magic classroom.
        There was a tapping at the window and I got up off my seat and raised myself up onto the window seat. I opened the window and let in the poor owl that was carrying the letter. I relieved it of its duty and it flied off without a reply. "Who's it from?" Asked Harry from behind me and I jumped.
        "I don't know but could you please stop startling me?" I asked and he chuckled. I pealed open the mess y seal and I knew who it was immediately when I saw the spidery hand writing. "It's Hagrid!" The other two rushed over and looked over my shoulder whilst I read the letter.

Dear Annie, Hermione, Harry and Ron,
                                                I have a surprise for you so could you please come around my hut after classes are finished. Wear gloves and come together. I won't tell you what it is in fear that this letter will be intercepted but hurry down as soon you can.
                                        Hagrid.

        "What do you think it could be?" Hermione asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
        "I don't know but the fact that we have to wear gloves is not a very good sign," Ron sighed and we rushed out of the common room to go on to our next class.