Chapter 11
Regulus
We're currently sitting in potions with the gryffindors and watching as Slughorn explains to longbottom Jr for the fifth time today that you have to stir the potion counterclockwise twice, the clockwise four times. We've been here for twenty minutes and him and Barty have already managed to make the potion blow up, getting it on them and everyone behind them which is extremely unfortunate for me and Severus seeing as we are directly behind the idiots.
"It seems incompetence runs in the longbottom blood." Severus grumbles beside casting a nonverbal 'scorgify' over both us and our desk. "You can say that again." Lucius says from the desk beside us, smirking as the boy stumbles through restarting the potion. The potter clone comes over to his desk. "Hey Nev, need some help?" I hear Severus scoff beside me and I can tell we're both thinking something along the lines of 'yes because the potter line is so much better at potions!'
It seems my brother looked at the Hogwarts population, picked out all the idiots, and said 'let's be friends!' Because with the exception of Lupin almost every one of Sirius's friends are just stupid people who make even stupider decisions. And even Lupin when pared with the other three portions of the 'marauders'—dumb name by the way—can be an idiot.
And there's Evans, who is quite intelligent, but is quite violent when she wants to be, and seeing as Sirius is the most spontaneous person I've ever met, and spontaneous and violent aren't the best combination. Mary is quite intelligent but like Evans, put her and Remus together and trouble starts.
And then there's Marlene. A brilliant witch, with a mind like no other, but honestly combining her and any of the so called 'Marauders' and the world is ending. Whether it's fireworks under a teachers desk, or locking Sev in a broom closet, or Salazar knows who else, Marls with any of those fools is a bad idea. Bloody idiots the lot of them.
My suspicions are confirmed when I look to the gryffidors spread throughout the room and see that almost all of them are struggling with the potion, others like Lupin and Evans are faring better than others.
And then there's her. The golden haired beauty. She sits with one leg over the other her body turned towards the aisle, a book in her hand. She—like Severous and I—finished her potion and now is free to do as she pleases. She unlike the others, strolled through the potion with ease, not even blinking at the name of 'Draught of the living death' where as everyone but Severous had worries.
Even I, who excels at potions worried for a moment before I remembered that Sev was my partner, and even if I couldn't he definitely could. But not her, no she walked right into the classroom read the name on the bored and got to work, not even bothering to look at the ingredients, almost as if it was ingrained in her mind.
I'd watched her as she'd made the potion, her eyes glazing over as she lost herself in the potion, cutting the ingredients with a precision I'd only seen in Severous, measuring them to a tee. I watch her now, as her brows furrow at something in the book and it reminds me of something I've seen Andromeda do a few times. "Shit!" The oldest Weasley hisses as his potion turns a bright green instead of the supposed light Lilac.
"Mione, can you help me?" He huffs and the little witch looks up from her book, her big brown eyes going to his. She gets up from her seat. "Of course." She gets up and walks up in front of his desk. At this point I'm not the only one watching the girl as she grabs certain ingredients from around the table. She hums, clicking her tongue. "Be right back."
She walks to the potions cupboard away from my line of sight and I look over to the book she was reading. 'Timetravel through the ages' it seems our resident savior is already at work. She comes back with a plant in hand. I'm unfamiliar with it and watch closely as she picks the leaves from the stem the sets the stem down in the table top and grabs a knife, cutting it up into little pieces. She collects the pieces of stem in the palm of her hand and throws them into the cauldron.
She mixes the solution before taking the leaves and placing them on top of the liquid leaving them to float. She looks up at the redhead who is watching her in amazement. "You added too much root of asphodel, that should stabilize it. Just leave it for another ten minutes or so then pick out the leaves with a strainer and it should be perfect."
She gives him one last smile before taking her former position, this time criss-crossing her legs on the chair, once more opening up her book unbeknownst to her that she has almost everyone in the room intranced with her. "Sev, what plant was that?" I ask having no clue myself and if anyone would know it's Severous. But he shakes his head.
"I have no idea."
Hermione
“I can’t believe this shit!” George grumbles as we listen to the runes Professor go on about what she expects from this class. “Why does Tonks get to skip out on classes and just be a teachers assistant for a class?” He says crossing his arms and pouting like a child.
I chuckle. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because Nymphadora actually graduated?” I offer flicking his ear and he groans. I think back to the conversation yesterday at breakfast.
McGonagle hands us each our schedules and George ruffles my hair. “Enjoy taking class again, I’ll be in the common room sleeping my bloody arse off.” He says a little too smug for my liking which is why I get immense pleasure when I see McGonagle stop at him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure Mr. Weasley. I have a schedule here for you too.” And there it is. I watch George’s smug little smirk disappear from his face. He shakes his head, almost as if he was shaking the words from his memory, before smiling. “Very funny professor, you almost had me worried!” He says shaking his head again with a smile before looking back down to his plate.
All the Professor does is set a piece of paper in front on him and smile. He looks up at her confused and instantly grabs the paper, his eyes growing wider with each word he reads. “What? But I wasn’t even a student when we left! Nymphadora doesn’t have to attend classes!” He exclaims pointing over to the Hufflepuff table. “That’s because Nymphadora graduated, where as I seem to recall you leaving halfway through your seventh year.” She takes a breath. “So I will be seeing you in transfiguration, Mr. Weasley.”
I’ve never seen George more pale.
“It’s rubbish! I’ve already taken all this stuff, and even if I didn’t, you know enough for all of us!” He says throwing his hands up in the air. Seamus leans forward from where he’s seated behind us. “Ey, mind shuttin your bloody pipe hole? Not all of us are walking Runes books. you know, some of us actually need to hear this.” He can’t be serious!
I scoff. “Oh fuck off Finnagin, since when did you give a shit about class, huh? Last time I checked, I sold most of your essays to you, so do us all a favor, and shut the fuck up.” I say looking back at him over my shoulder. He laughs. “Oh look! Miss Bookworm finally grew a backbone! I’m terrified!” He mocks sarcastically.
Fuck yeah I grew a backbone. “Well finnagin, not everyone can go through life without maturing like you did.” I give him a smile before turning back to face the front of the class, not before hearing Nev mutter from beside Seamus, “yeah suck on that!” Under his breath. I snort. Nev never really did care for Seamus, probably the result of him being a complete ass to him most school years.
“What was that Mr. Longbottom?” The runes professor asks stopping mid writing to look over at Neville. He snaps his eyes to her and blushes bright red. He scratches the back of his Neck nervously. “O-oh, uhm—nothing, just erm…asking Hermione about, the erm…potions assignment! Yeah, that’s it, potions!” He says blushing more and more by the second, as her blazing eyes stare him down.
She crosses her arms. “Well maybe if you were paying attention to your potions class, as you’re supposed to be paying attention to mine, you wouldn’t have to ask Miss Granger about it.” She says sternly. “Now, please do pay attention so your not asking miss Granger about your runes assignment as well.” Neville blushes and nods looking down at his lap.
“Good, now….”
Regulus
“Lucius, don’t stare its rude.” Cissa scolds as Lucius stares down our newest mystery. Her name, Hermione Granger. “She’s quite magically intelligent for someone who didn’t know magic existed for the majority of her life.” He comments and I can’t help but nod in agreement.
The muggle born witch had shown us just how magically intelligent she is when she proceeded to beat Both Lestrange Brothers in a duel—and the two were definitely not bad duelists, on the contrary, they were considered quite good as far as duelists went.
Not to mention that whole potion’s mishap, where not even Severous, the best potioneer I’ve ever met, hadn’t known what she’d used. Me, Lucius, and and Andomeda, we’re shown another instance in which she was quite brilliant when we sat in Anciant Runes and watched as she decoded runes with ease and we proceeded to leave the class and tell the others all about her abilities.
We have one more class with the witch after lunch, transfiguration. This, I know she won’t be able to surpass us in, as blacks are born with the natural ability to excel at transfiguration, no one transfigures like a Black, this will not be the exception. “Well, if we’ve learned anything from Evans and Lupin, it’s that that doesn’t matter one bloody bit. Both were raised in the muggle world and came and beat us all at our own game.” Bart says shaking his head.
“I mean at least Lupin is a Halfblood, but Evans? I bloody mudblood and she has some of the best marks in our year!” He says and I don’t even blink at the slur. Growing up as a black words like Mudblood, blood traitor, their ingrained in your mind, whether you like it or not.
I myself have never used the word, refuse to. It’s un logical, and quite stupid. “Crouch please refrain from using such ugly words in my presence.” I say taking a bite of the roasted potato’s on my plate. He laughs. “What suddenly a bleeding heart muggle lover are you Reggie?” He mocks and I scoff. “No, I just simply abhor to the gross word, it’s quite unpleasant to think about.” I reply making him roll his eyes.
“Ah yes, you French folk, do prim and proper, never do get your hands dirty.” You’d be surprised just how stained my hands really are. Andomeda sends me a look but I don’t meet it. “So what’s her deal anyway?” She asks turning to Nott Junior. “Oh Salazar, don’t make him start!” Mini Malfoy groans putting his head in his hands. Nott Grins. “I thought you’d never ask!” He says with a shit eating grin, pushing away his plate.
He points over to the granger girl. “Hermione Jean Granger, born September 19th 1979, a Virgo, and a vision.” He winks. “Hermione Granger is a muggle born from the rich side of London, she’s fluent in both English and French—”
“Granger knows French?” Mini Malfoy pipes up interrupting Nott juniors monologue. He clicks his tongue irritatedly. “Yes, now shut up.” He glares at the blond before continuing. “Many say she is either the brightest or most powerful witch of the age, I say she’s both. She excels at almost every subject—minus Divination, I’d suggest not even mentioning the subject in front of her unless you want to hear a whole rant about how the whole thing is bloody rubbish.” You can say that again.
“She is one third of the golden trio, the saviors of the wizarding world. She is the literal reason Tweedle Dee and tweedle dumbass are still alive. She’s McGonagles favorite and not to mention a certain potions professor that she somehow had wrapped around her finger.” Slughorn? She didn’t really seem to even interact with him in class today.
“Her best subjects are Potions, DADA, care of magical creatures and Transfiguration, so much so that she brewed pollyjuice potion in the girls lavatory in second year, took down Lucius in a battle in fifth, Rode a dragon, a hippogryph, and turned herself into an anigmas by the end of third—” holy shit! “Granger is not an anigmas.” Draco scoffs and Nott just smiles cheekily at him. “Yes she is.” He says simply.
“No because if she was, I’d know, hell everyone would know!” He says gesturing to the rest of the hall. Nott doesn’t even blink just smirks and says, “I never said she was a registered Anigmas.” I glance at Sirius. Wonder where she learned that from. I hear Malfoy scoff again bringing my attention back to him. “And granger just decided one day to spill all of her deepest darkest secrets to you?” He says disbelievingly.
He once again just smiles taking a sip from his goblet. “What can I say, she was drunk.” He shrugs and Malfoy lets out a high pitched laugh that said ‘yeah right!’. “Now I know your full of it Theo, you’re saying Know-it-all, walking encyclopedia, stick up her ass Granger, got so drunk off her ass—with you of allpeople—that she started spilling all her secrets? Yeah right!” He laughs.
Nott immediately bounces back. “I’ll have you know that Granger has not only got drunk with me, but she has once a year every year since fourth year—wow I just said year three times in a sentence—now! If you’ll let me finish!” He says exasperated. “Alright where was I…right, she is the creator and founder of the organization S.P.E.W, which stands for Society Of Elvish Welfare. has never got under an E—but most of her grades are O’s except for divination of course, what am I missing….” He trails off tapping his finger to his chin. “Oh yeah! She’s an elemental!”
At that I start chocking on the tea I was drinking. “Any questions?” He asks with a grin ignoring each and every one of our shocked faces. Bella is the first to recover. “I’d like to hear about her beating Lucius.” His grin gets even bigger.
“So, it was the battle of the department of mysteries …”
2606 words
So there you go, I little background on Hermione and a little funny Theo. I would like to once again thank you all for reading and remind you that this is one of my first stories and I’m still trying to get the hang of it so please be patient with me. Thank you so much for the support and I hope you enjoy my story.