Oh, To Be In Ravenclaw (Rosalie Maverick)

Chapter Five: Classtime Blues

I woke up in the dormitory early on September second. Esmé was still snoring loudly on the bed across from mine, and Marietta was laying with her back to both of us. I needed to ask Professor Flitwick why he thought to room her with Esmé and I instead of with Cho. Ashley would've been much happier in here with us. Perhaps I could convince him to change them.
I showered quickly, throwing my hair up and dressing soundlessly. I got to the Great Hall first out of all of the Ravenclaw students. I noticed Hermione, Harry, and Ron sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. I skipped over to them. Hermione was chastising them for staying up late. Ron's head was propped up on his palm, and he was drooling. I wrinkled my nose and cleared my throat.
"Morning, sunshine!" I said, pushing Ron's head slightly. His face fell into his oatmeal, and he promptly sat up. Harry was poking his eggs with his fork.
"Harry James, you need to stop playing with your food!" I poured him a cup of coffee and sat next to him. Flitwick never shows up for breakfast. "Eat." I said, pulling up a plate and grabbing some bacon and a toad in a hole.
"I'm eating, I'm eating. Merlin, I'm just tired. You'd think I was starving myself." He responded, yawning.
"Well, you are looking a bit thin." I said, poking his ribs. He spluttered and choked on his coffee. I patted his back, but he continued to choke, now clutching his throat. Ron and I stopped laughing as he fell over, and someone screamed. "Harry?" I asked, but he went limp and slid to the floor of the Great Hall.
I felt a lump in my throat, and my eyes stung. "H-Harry, please get up. I'm sorry, don't do this." I said, shaking him as the tears began to fall. He was as limp as a rag doll, and I knew something was wrong. McGonagall rushed over, fear written all over her face.
"Potter? Maverick, what happened?!" she said sharply. After shaking my head and. Sobbing that I didn't know, I heard a chuckle. There Harry was slowly sitting up, laughing at me.
"Rosalie-" he said, laughing harder now. "You- you are so gullible!" He howled with laughter, and I realized that he had been pretending. I punched him in the gut before taking my plate to the Ravenclaw table.
He followed me.
"I'm sorry, Rose-" he began, but I shoved a piece of toast into his mouth before he could continue.
"Damn you, Potter!" I screamed. I felt hurt, but not angry. I was scared.
"Maverick, there will be none of that language! Potter, I won't take points from either of you because you deserved that. Miss Maverick, please return to your table. Immediately." McGonagall scolded us with her shrill voice. I wasn't really mad at Harry, in fact, I wanted to hug him because he was okay. Due to McGonnagall's suggestion that I sit at Ravenclaw table, however, I decided to let him feel bad until lunch.
I ate my breakfast quickly and hurried off to Charms. I was the first one there, aside from the Professor. I took a seat near the front and laid out my parchment and quills, lost in my own thoughts.
"Miss Maverick?" Professor Flitwick squeaked, and I nodded, standing. He sighed heavily and took a step closer. "I need to ask something of you, Rosalie. It is very important that you do as I say. I know you have a, er- well a bit of spunk when it comes to classes."
"I merely try to stay engaged, sir." I responded, and he chuckled.
"I'm not saying to lose the attitude towards learning, Miss Maverick. I'm merely cautioning you. I must insist that you hold back in Professor Umbridge's classes. She does things a bit differently. She won't accept attitude. I'm merely worried about you, child."
I nodded, then remembered poor Marietta.
"Professor? I was just wondering, why is it that you've roomed Marietta with Esmé and I rather than Ashley?" I asked.
"Why, that must be a mistake. I'll address that immediately, terribly sorry about that. I do hope you and Esmé weren't too upset last night?"
"Oh, no. Not at all. Marietta just seemed so uncomfortable with us, I'd hate for her to feel that way all year."
He smiled, and excused himself for a moment.
Man, I'm good.
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His words about caution around Umbridge stayed with me throughout his class as we practiced charms from past years.
After assigning us each a new charm to research and a 12 inch essay, Professor Flitwick allowed us to go back to our dorms early. I used that extra time and my free hour after his class to get a head start on the project.
Herbology went rather quickly, since the Venomous Tentacula that Professor Sprout had planted was small and 'fragile'. We had to watch her brace it so that we could do it to our own once they sprouted. CG
I didn't get much out of the lesson, however, due to the whispers and giggles coming from the gaggle of girls behind me.
As I walked back to the Great Hall for lunch, a Hufflepuff girl stopped me.
"Is it true? What Cho said about you?" She asked, squinting furiously at me.
"I'm sorry, what?" I said, shocked.
"She said that you were a follower of Grindelwald. And maybe even... You-Know-Who." She whispered, looking scared. I felt the tears well up, but I swallowed them and shook my head no.
"You Know Who killed my Aunt and my best friend. And Grindelwald is close to, if not already, dead. I would be a fool and a traitor to follow either of them. I'm sorry you believed such a foul, horrible lie." I started out strong, but my voice quivered when I mentioned Ced. "I need to go."
I ran to the Great Hall and sat unceremoniously next to Harry.
"You- you aren't mad anymore?" He asked, puzzled. I shook my head.
"No, I wasn't mad at all. I'm sorry I punched you."
"I probably deserved it." He shrugged.
"Can I talk to you? After lunch, Astronomy tower." I whispered, then got up as he nodded. His shoulders slumped and he picked at his plate. He wasn't eating again, and that worried me.
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He met me at the top of the astronomy tower, and I sat next to him on the stone floor.
"Cho is spreading rumors about me. Saying I support Grindelwald and Voldemort." I blurted out, and he frowned. He seemed to do that a lot more often than usual.
"Why would she say that?" He asked and I turned to look at him better.
"She blames me. For what happened in the maze. She said I talked him into entering. I..." I trailed off, my eyes glazing over as I remembered that evening.
"I'm so sorry, Rosalie. I know you and Cedric were close." Someone, presumably Dumbledore, said to me. His warm voice almost made me forget. Almost. Cedric was dead, gone forever. I felt so empty. I couldn't cry anymore, but his cold, dead hand was still clamped in mine.
"Come, let's get you inside, and warm." I felt his hands pry mine away from the lifeless one I was grasping, and he led me up to the castle. I watched my feet walk, left then right. I was rooting for Ced and Harry equally; I couldn't choose between them.
Now, I had no choice in the matter.
"Rose?" I heard Harry's voice and saw his emerald eyes lock onto mine. "Rose, can you hear me? Come on, you've been staring into that brick wall for like, five minutes."
"S-sorry, Harry. I was... thinking."
"It's alright, Rosie, but we need to get to class! You've got Umbridge and I've got McGonnagall. Neither one of us needs to be late!"
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I walked in the room one minute late. One minute too many, apparently. Cho turned from her seat closest to the door and smirked. She slipped a note out of her sleeve and it attached to my robes.
"Hem hem. Miss Maverick, so delightful of you to join us. Won't you come have a seat? Right here in front, don't be shy now. Yes, yes, I know you're a tad bit late, but as the best in your year, I'll let you off with a warning. Now, please, tell me, how is your father?" She tittered over me, being sure that I sat down. I heard that telltale cough that happened to occur whenever my rank was mentioned.
"My, er, my father?"
"Yes, dear of course. I heard he was ill?"
"I'd rather not discuss that in front of my classmates, Professor. Perhaps another time?" I asked, desperately. She pursed her lips, but nodded.
"Very well. Good afternoon, class!"
A mutter ran about the classroom, and my "Good Afternoon, Professor." seemed much too loud.
After another try, she was satisfied with everyone's volume and she assigned us with reading and note taking.
"Yes, Miss Maverick?"
"Yes, well, I was wondering what sort of spells we were going to learn this year? I wanted to start preparing for the N.E.W.T.s."
"Miss Maverick, I will be teaching the Theory of Defense spells, not the spells themselves. It's much too dangerous to be learning these spells and practicing them in a classroom."
"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm not sure I heard correctly. You're saying that it's too dangerous to learn to defend ourselves? Doesn't that make this whole class a bit redundant?"
"Now, Miss Maverick. That was a rude and disrespectful way to talk to me about my classroom. Twenty points from Ravenclaw." Glared at me. I bit my tongue and turned away from her false smile. I toyed with my robes and found the note that Cho had charmed to stick to me.
I know where you were with Harry. Don't go again, or I'll tell Umbitch.
"What's that?" I heard, and Umbridge was over my shoulder in seconds. She snatched the note out of my lap and cleared her throat.
"Hem hem. Class? Class, Miss Maverick is going to read you a note that she was going to pass off to another student. Go ahead, Miss Maverick."
I froze in my seat. I didn't do public speaking, I'd rather serve ten detentions. She glared down at me, and I stood up.
"Professor, I-"
"Read the note, Maverick. Or it's detention."
"I didn't write this!"
"Oh?" She said, still smiling falsely. "Then, tell me. Who did?"
My mouth opened to respond, but I locked eyes with Cho, and the glare she gave me was actually scarier than the pink demon herself.
"I-I can't. I found it on the floor."
"Read it aloud."
I shook my head, crying now.
"I can't do that to you, professor, I'm sorry."
"Then you will be joining Mr. Potter in detention tomorrow evening."
"Harry got detention?" I blurted out, then covered my mouth.
"Yes, Miss Maverick. He decided to speak out if turn in my class, much like you are currently doing. Would you like to add another hour of detention?"
I shook my head, looking back down at my book. I had something to discuss with Potter at supper.