—— ϟ ——
"What is this that I hear about, how did Hermione phrase it? Ah, 'a book that allows Harry to cheat at Potions while he devises Slughorn with his trickery'." Noel said coming up behind Harry.
They were in the library, Noel had come in to find a book when she found him swamped in school work. He turned around and smiled up at her.
"Hello to you too, El."
She moved aside and rested her hip on the edge of the table. "So? Where is it?"
Harry sighed and dug through his bag to retrieve the book. He handed it to her and she looked at him, "this is what she's so upset about?" Opening the book Noel's eyes widened and flipped through the pages, her brows furrowed and she gnawed her lip between her teeth as she kept reading and inspecting.
Something about the messy scribbles reminded her strongly of something but she couldn't put her finger on it. Continuing to leaf through it, the book was filled with potion modifications and notes. It also seemed to have made-up spells and notes attached to them.
Harry watched her, she was so close that he got the whiff of hibiscus that he smelled in his amortentia. Trying to act as normal as he could, he tapped his fingers on the wood table, as if he hadn't just realized what that meant.
"Hmm, just don't— don't try any of these spells. You don't know who this belonged to." Noel said, giving it back. Harry nodded his head. "Did you learn about Amortentia last year?"
"Mm vaguely. We didn't brew it though." Noel said, picking at her nail varnish, hoping that he would be satisfied.
"But did you smell it?"
Well, fuck her then. "Uh... no." Noel lied but she was a horrible liar and unfortunately, Harry knew it.
"Noel."
"We did but I honestly don't remember what I smelled." She shrugged, looking at the shelf in front of her, Noel faked interest in the books. History of Magic, wow.
"Really?"
"Well, I mean. I smelled marmalade because my dad loves making it and hibiscus, and something else I don't know." Noel actually did know. It was the first smell she had deciphered but why would she tell him, to embarrass herself? No way. Sure they were dating and Noel knew what that he felt just as much as she felt for him but to admit it out loud sent shivers up her spine and not the good kind.
"Oh." He sounded slightly disappointed, Noel wanted to punch herself. Swallowing her embarrassment she sat in his lap and looked at him. "I smelled you. And it was a rather horrible experience because right next to me Cho announced the same thing I smelled which was the wax you use for your broomstick so..."
Harry's eyebrows shot up and he wrapped his arms around her comfortably. "Would it change your perspective on that event if I told you I smelled hibiscus in mine?"
Noel's cheeks heated up, "yes it would." She kissed his cheek and stood up. "I promised Lucy and her friends that I would read them something near the lake. So I have to go but you're welcome to join me whenever you finish."
"Thank you, but I have a meeting with Dumbledore later."
"Ah well, maybe next time." Noel gave a one-shoulder shrug, she ran her fingers through her hair and tugged a bit at the ends. "You think Hermione would let me into the common room?"
"You have the upper hand now, show off that shiny new badge."
"You're so right. Well, I guess I will see you later then." Noel smiled and winked at him before walking away into the fantasy section if Harry were to guess.
After a long and dreadful walk doing rounds, Noel was ready to go to sleep, she was so tired. With the added tasks of Head Girl duties, juggling her time between friends, getting school work done, and worrying about the inevitable future, Noel was dead tired. It didn't help that she didn't have much downtime to just drink a cup of tea or read a book.
She had started her rounds after she had snuck out of the Gryffindor common room. Harry had explained to the three of them the lesson he had with Dumbledore. They had gone into the memory of an old ministry worker to find out Voldemort's past which Noel would admit was useful, knowing his past might come in handy. But because she had started her rounds after they had talked, Noel was out late. Finally entering her dorm, Noel didn't have the energy to take her robes off before collapsing into bed.
Noel had woken up late, unusual for her, it was throwing her off schedule. Already having an awful start to her day. Her stomach hurt and she had a headache. Luckily, it was Saturday, so, hastily changing, doing her hair and makeup, she walked down towards the Great Hall where she spotted her friends already there. Greeting them good morning as she sat next to Hermione, across from Harry. She grabbed some toast and jam.
Apparently, Hagrid had stopped coming to meals and when he would pass the trio in the halls he would completely ignored them.
"We've got to go and explain," said Hermione, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table.
"We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron. "And we're supposed to be practicing that Aguamenti Charm from Flitwick! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?"
"We didn't hate it!" said Hermione.
"Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts," said Ron darkly. "And I'm telling you now, we've had a narrow escape. You didn't hear him going on about his gormless brother — we'd have been teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed."
"I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.
"We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her.
"Noel, how does he seem while in class? Is he gloomy, sad?" Hermione asked her, quickly.
"I dunno know. He's fine during class, it's kind of dull, to be honest, I'm ready to drop." Noel shrugged, she looked over at Harry who had now caged her feet with his.
"Trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."
"Oh, come on, Harry," said Hermione, suddenly impatient. "It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable."
Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry. "And now they're calling you 'the Chosen One' — well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?"
Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy. Noel giggled, "You're a catch, love." She nodded her head approvingly.
"And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer either," Hermione finished.
"I'm tall," said Ron inconsequentially.
Noel laughed, it was so obvious he liked her, she wondered how long Hermione would keep him on his toes. The post owls arrived, swooping down through rain-flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most people were receiving more post than usual; anxious parents were keen to hear from their children and to reassure them, in turn, that all was well at home.
Hedwig circled amongst all the brown and gray owls. She landed in front of him carrying a large, square package. A moment later, an identical package landed in front of Ron, crushing beneath it his minuscule and exhausted owl, Pigwidgeon. "Ha!" said Harry, unwrapping the parcel to reveal a new copy of Advanced Potion-Making, fresh from Flourish and Blotts.
"Oh good," said Hermione, delighted. "Now you can give that graffitied copy back."
"Are you mad?" said Harry. "I'm keeping it! Look, I've thought it out —" He pulled the old copy of Advanced Potion-Making out of his bag and tapped the cover with his wand, muttering, "Diffindo!" The cover fell off. He did the same thing with the brand-new book (Hermione looked scandalized). He then swapped the covers, tapped each, and said, "Reparo!" There sat the Prince's copy, disguised as a new book, and there sat the fresh copy from Flourish and Blotts, looking thoroughly secondhand. "I'll give Slughorn back the new one, he can't complain, it cost nine Galleons."
Hermione pressed her lips together, looking angry and disapproving, but was distracted by a third owl landing in front of her carrying that day's copy of the Daily Prophet. She unfolded it hastily and scanned the front page. Noel looked down at the book in Harry's hand, she knew cheating was wrong and was suddenly feeling the same displeasure as Hermione.
"Anyone we know dead?" asked Ron in a determinedly casual voice; he posed the same question every time Hermione opened her paper. "No, but there have been more dementor attacks," said Hermione. "And an arrest."
"Excellent, who?" said Harry, thinking of Bellatrix Lestrange. "Stan Shunpike," said Hermione. "What?" said Harry, startled.
"Stan Shunpike, a Death Eater?" said Harry, remembering the spotty youth he had first met three years before. "No way!"
"He might have been put under the Imperius Curse," said Ron reasonably. "You never can tell."
"It doesn't look like it," said Hermione, who was still reading. "It says here he was arrested after he was overheard talking about the Death Eaters' secret plans in a pub." She looked up with a troubled expression on her face. "If he was under the Imperius Curse, he'd hardly stand around gossiping about their plans, would he?"
"It sounds like he was trying to make out he knew more than he did," said Ron. "Isn't he the one who claimed he was going to become Minister of Magic when he was trying to chat up those veela?"
"Yeah, that's him," said Harry. "I dunno what they're playing at, taking Stan seriously."
"They probably want to look as though they're doing something," said Hermione, frowning. "People are terrified — you know the Patil twins' parents want them to go home? And Eloise Midgen has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night."
"What!" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "But Hogwarts is safer than their homes, bound to be! We've got Aurors, and all those extra protective spells, and we've got Dumbledore!" "
"I don't think we've got him all the time," said Hermione very quietly, glancing toward the staff table over the top of the Prophet. "Haven't you noticed? His seat's been empty as often as Hagrid's this past week."
The other three looked up at the staff table. The headmaster's chair was indeed empty. Now Harry came to think of it, he had not seen Dumbledore since their private lesson a week ago. "I think he's left the school to do something with the Order," said Hermione in a low voice. "I mean...it's all looking serious, isn't it?
The four of them looked between each other, they all thought about Hannah Abbott and the news of her mother. None of them had seen her since she was pulled out of Herbology that week.
Once Noel had finally finished her breakfast, giving her last few pieces of fruit to Harry. They finally made their way down to the Quidditch pitch, they passed Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. When Ron drew level with them, Parvati suddenly nudged Lavender, who looked around and gave Ron a wide smile. Ron blinked at her, then returned the smile uncertainly. His walk instantly became something more like a strut.
Harry resisted the temptation to laugh, Noel couldn't restrain herself, she had to turn her face away, trying not to catch his eyes. Hermione, however, looked cold and distant all the way down to the stadium through the cool, misty drizzle, and departed to find a place in the stands without wishing Ron good luck.
Noel beamed at Harry, she grabbed the front of his robes and pulled him closer to her. "Good luck." She muttered, kissing him fiercely, Harry for a split second had forgotten all about Quidditch, his attention was directed towards pulling his girlfriend closer, not wanting the kiss to end. Finally Noel pulled away and followed Hermione up the stands. Looking down, it seemed like half of Gryffindor showed up to try out. The stands were also full of spectators from all houses, watching eagerly.
"I think he likes you."
Hermione turned to her looking uncertain, "how do you know?"
"He's always looked at you differently, you guys only tolerate each other's bickering because at the end of the day you both know you'll end up okay. He's the jealous type. Didn't you notice when you were talking about Harry?"
"I thought he was being annoying."
Noel smiled, "yeah but he was also trying to remind you that he was there too. I just don't think he knows that he likes you. Bit oblivious isn't he?" Noel contemplated. She watched as Harry split the mass of people into groups of ten, they were all instructed to do a flying test. Quickly he got rid of 5 groups; the first was a group of 1st years, and the other was a group of gagging girls, which consisted of Romilda Vane. The third they had only made it halfway through the pitch, the fourth didn't have broomsticks, and the fifth was compiled of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws combined.
After two hours, many complaints, and several tantrums, one involving a crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth, Harry had found himself three Chasers: Katie Bell, returned to the team after an excellent trial; a new find called Demelza Robins, who was particularly good at dodging Bludgers; and Ginny Weasley, who had outflown all the competition and scored seventeen goals to boot. Pleased though he was with his choices, Harry had also shouted himself hoarse at the many complainers and was now enduring a similar battle with the rejected Beaters. "That's my final decision and if you don't get out of the way for the Keepers I'll hex you," he bellowed.
Neither of his chosen Beaters had the old brilliance of Fred and George, but he was still reasonably pleased with them: Jimmy Peakes, a short but broad-chested third-year boy who had managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry's head with a ferociously hit Bludger, and Ritchie Coote, who looked weedy but aimed well. They now joined Katie, Demelza, and Ginny in the stands to watch the selection of their last team member.
Noel was getting bored, and she wanted a snack. The consistent chatter and giggling was giving her a headache and she knew the most anticipated was for the Keepers potion. None of the first five applicants saved more than two goals apiece. McLaggen had saved four out of his five, Noel gave Hermione a side-eye when she discretely confounded him. Noel said nothing but turned once more to watch Ron.
Ron looked ready to pass out as he mounted his Cleansweep Eleven. "Good luck!" cried a voice from the stands. Noel turned to look spotting that it was Lavender Brown who a second later covered her face.
Ron saved all five shots, making congratulatory cheers abrupt from the stands. The two girls walked down to the pitch where Harry was now with his new team.
"You did brilliantly, Ron!"
Ron looked extremely pleased with himself and even taller than usual as he grinned at the team and at Hermione.
Noel stepped aside, waiting for Harry. After fixing the time of their first full practice for the following Thursday, the four of them bade goodbye to the rest of the team and headed off toward Hagrid's. Harry grabbed Noel's hand and pulled her close, as they walked down the lawn.
"I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty," Ron was saying happily. "Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of spin on it —"
"Yes, yes, you were magnificent," said Hermione, looking amused. "I was better than that McLaggen anyway," said Ron in a highly satisfied voice. "Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he'd been Confunded..."
Noel went a bit rigid, and Hermione turned scarlet. Harry looked at the pair weirdly, Ron however didn't seem to have noticed anything and kept raving about his saves.
The great gray hippogriff, Buckbeak, was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin. He clicked his razor-sharp beak at their approach and turned his huge head toward them. "Oh dear," said Hermione nervously. "He's still a bit scary, isn't he?"
"Come off it, you've ridden him, haven't you?" said Ron. Harry stepped forward and bowed low to the hippogriff without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too. "How are you?" Harry asked him in a low voice, moving forward to stroke the feathery head. "Missing him? But you're okay here with Hagrid, aren't you?"
"Oi!" said a loud voice. Hagrid had come striding around the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forward. "Git away from him! He'll have yer fingers — oh. It's yeh lot."
Fang was jumping on Noel, sniffing her, and looking around probably looking for Hades. "I miss him too buddy," Noel said sympathetically.
Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him. "Oh dear!" said Hermione, looking stricken.
"Don't worry about it," said Harry grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!" There was no sound from within. "If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry said, pulling out his wand.
"Harry!" said Hermione, sounding shocked. "You can't possibly —"
"Yeah, I can!" said Harry. "Stand back —" But before he could say anything else, the door flew open again as Harry had known it would, and there stood Hagrid, glowering down at him and looking, despite the flowery apron, positively alarming. "I'm a teacher!" he roared at Harry. "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"
"I'm sorry, sir," said Harry, emphasizing the last word as he stowed his wand inside his robes. Hagrid looked stunned.
"Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?"
"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"
"Oh, very clever," growled Hagrid. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yeh ungrateful little . . ." Mumbling darkly, he stood back to let them pass. Hermione scurried in after Harry, looking rather frightened. "Well?" said Hagrid grumpily, as Noel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down around his enormous wooden table, Fang laying his head immediately upon Noel's knee and drooling all over her dress.
"What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"
"No," said Harry at once. "We wanted to see you."
"We've missed you!" said Hermione tremulously.
"Missed me, have yeh?" snorted Hagrid. "Yeah. Righ'." He stomped around, brewing up tea in his enormous copper kettle, muttering all the while. Finally, he slammed down four bucket-sized mugs of mahogany-brown tea in front of them and a plate of his rock cakes. Harry was hungry enough even for Hagrid's cooking and took one at once.
"Hagrid," said Hermione timidly, when he joined them at the table and started peeling his potatoes with a brutality that suggested that each tuber had done him a great personal wrong, "we really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures, you know." Hagrid gave another great snort. Harry thought some bogeys landed on the potatoes and was inwardly thankful that they were not staying for dinner.
"We did!" said Hermione. "But none of us could fit it into our schedules!"
"Yeah. Righ' I don't see Noel given' any excuses. She's ther innit?" said Hagrid again. There was a funny squelching sound and they all looked around: Hermione let out a tiny shriek, and Ron leapt out of his seat and hurried around the table away from the large barrel standing in the corner that they had only just noticed.
It was full of what looked like foot-long maggots, slimy, white, and writhing. Noel covered her mouth a shuffled closer to Harry trying not to gag. "What are they, Hagrid?" asked Harry, trying to sound interested rather than revolted, but putting down his rock cake all the same.
"Jus' giant grubs," said Hagrid. "And they grow into...?" said Ron, looking apprehensive.
"They won' grow inter nuthin'," said Hagrid. "I got 'em ter feed ter Aragog." And without warning, he burst into tears.
"Hagrid!" cried Hermione, leaping up, hurrying around the table the long way to avoid the barrel of maggots, and putting an arm around his shaking shoulders. "What is it?"
"It's... him.." gulped Hagrid, his beetle-black eyes streaming as he mopped his face with his apron. "It's... Aragog... I think he's dyin'... He got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' better... I don' know what I'll do if he...if he...We've bin tergether so long..." Hermione patted Hagrid's shoulder, looking at a complete loss for anything to say.
Hermione looked towards Noel who was aggressively shaking her head, she didn't know what to say either. "Is there — is there anything we can do?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron and Noel's frantic grimaces and head-shakings.
"I don' think there is, Hermione," choked Hagrid, attempting to stem the flood of his tears. "See, the rest o' the tribe...Aragog's family...they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill... bit restive... "
"Yeah, I think we saw a bit of that side of them," said Ron in an undertone.
"...I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid finished, blowing his nose hard on his apron and looking up. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione... It means a lot...."
After that, the atmosphere lightened considerably. "Ar, I always knew yeh'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter yer timetables," he said gruffly, pouring them more tea. "Even if yeh applied fer Time-Turners —"
"We couldn't have done it," said Hermione. "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there last summer. It was in the Daily Prophet."
"Ar, well then," said Hagrid. "There's no way yeh could've done it...I'm sorry I've bin — yeh know — I've jus' bin worried abou' Aragog... an' I did wonder whether, if Professor Grubbly-Plank had bin teachin' yeh —" At which all three Gryffindors stated categorically and untruthfully that Professor Grubbly-Plank, who had substituted for Hagrid a few times, was a dreadful teacher, with the result that by the time Hagrid waved them off the premises at dusk, he looked quite cheerful.
"I'm starving," said Harry, once the door had closed behind them and they were hurrying through the dark and deserted grounds; he had abandoned the rock cake after an ominous cracking noise from one of his back teeth. "And I've got that detention with Snape tonight, I haven't got much time for dinner..." As they came into the castle they spotted Cormac McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors; he ricocheted off the frame on the first attempt. Ron merely guffawed gloatingly and strode off into the Hall after him, but Harry caught Hermione's arm and held her back.
"What?" said Hermione defensively.
"If you ask me," said Harry quietly, "McLaggen looks like he was Confunded this morning. And he was standing right in front of where you two were sitting."
Hermione blushed. "Oh, all right then, I did it," she whispered. "But you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, he's got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didn't get in — you wouldn't have wanted someone like that on the team."
"No," said Harry. "No, I suppose that's true. But wasn't that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, you're a prefect, aren't you?"
"Oh, be quiet," she snapped, as he smirked. "Head Girl and prefect both breaking the rules? Some kind of example, huh?" Hermione rolled her eyes and followed Ron.
Harry turned to Noel expectedly, "I'm starving." She said she walked backwards, waiting for him to catch up. He followed her but just as they were a few steps away from the hall, Professor Slughorn appeared.
"Harry, Harry, just the man I was hoping to see!" he boomed genially, twiddling the ends of his walrus mustache and puffing out his enormous belly. "I was hoping to catch you before dinner! What do you say to a spot of supper tonight in my rooms instead? We're having a little party, just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and Zabini, the charming Melinda Bobbin — I don't know whether you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries — and, of course, I hope very much that Miss Granger will favor me by coming too." Slughorn made Hermione a little bow as he finished speaking.
He completely ignored Ron and Noel, he didn't even spare them a glance. "I can't come, Professor," said Harry at once. "I've got a detention with Professor Snape."
"Oh dear!" said Slughorn, his face falling comically. "Dear, dear, I was counting on you, Harry! Well, now, I'll just have to have a word with Severus and explain the situation. I'm sure I'll be able to persuade him to postpone your detention. Yes, I'll see you both later!" He bustled away out of the Hall.
"He's got no chance of persuading Snape," said Harry, the moment Slughorn was out of earshot. "This detention's already been postponed once; Snape did it for Dumbledore, but he won't do it for anyone else."
"Oh, I wish you could come, I don't want to go on my own!" said Hermione anxiously; Harry knew that she was thinking about McLaggen.
"Sucks that we were completely ignored, we could've accompanied you," Noel said ruefully, crossing her arms.
"I doubt you'll be alone, Ginny'll probably be invited," snapped Ron, who did not seem to have taken kindly to being ignored by Slughorn.
After dinner, Noel met up with Theo so they could hang out before curfew.
"How's it going with Potter?" Theo asked, sounding a little displeased.
"It's going fine, I kinda wish we could spend more time together. If I'm being completely honest, I was fine with all the younger girls crushing on him but you should've seen how many people showed up to the try-outs. I don't think half of those people even knew he has a girlfriend." Noel huffed.
"I haven't seen you guys do anything to indicate that you guys are together."
"But we shouldn't have to. I'm not going to be overly affectionate and show PDA just for people to back off. We've held hands and we've been caught kissing in a corridor the other day, so it's not like we're completely hiding it.' she said, "What do you think of Slughorn?"
"Other than the fact that he's a greedy man and is totally wrapped around your boyfriend's finger, I'd say he's a good teacher."
"He invited Harry and Hermione to dinner, completely ignoring that Ron and I were standing a few feet away! What is that?"
"He likes influential people or people that he thinks he can take under his wing and when they become successful they'd give him a bit of credit. Harry, 'Chosen One', McClaggen, famous uncle, and Belby, famous uncle invented the wolfsbane potion. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of our age."
"I skipped a whole year! My fifth year and taking 10 N.E.W.T classes, isn't that impressionable enough? You know what? I don't even care, he can keep all his trophies to himself." Noel took in a sharp breath and opened up her book forcefully. Theo did the same and the two scribbled aggressively on their parchments, later joined by Luna who looked like she had stumbled in by accident, humming lightly to herself.
Noel welcomed the distraction and talked to Luna as she aggressively finished her essay for Potions, letting out all her frustration was quite satisfying, Noel would have to do it more often.