Classes
Chapter 61 classes
By march an odd tension had grown between Percy and Fred. What use to be playful teasing had become quick jabs wherever Fred could land one and Percy’s temper had grown irritable. It was time for Lirum to choose their next years classes and which O.W.L.s they would take. Everyone sat in the great hall at breakfast discussing their options.
“You should take full courses. You have the absolute ability to score all Os in all twelve.” Percy answered surely, having switched sides of the table for the day so he could get a better look at everyone’s choices.
“I know you believe that, but you also believe that I’ll be a prefect next year. That’s a lot of stress for one person; especially one who doesn’t plan to use them.”
“But you could! You have so much potential! You don’t even want to be a wand maker!” Percy argued.
“I do want to be a wand maker. I just don’t want to run my parents' shop.” Lirum answered, a bit stiffly. “I like the process of making wands, it feels like art. I’m good at it too, I just don’t want to go back there. I could do it happily if I stayed at the shop in London.”
“You know what else is in London? The ministry, you could work in magical law enforcement on the regulation of magical items. I believe they have offices dedicated to wand regulations; appropriate cores, and woods, wand handles and the like.” Percy ranted.
“For now I need to decide on my-“ Lirum was cut off by the sound of anxious feet coming their way.
“Which one do you think sounds harder Arithmancy or the study of ancient ruins?” Neville asked, so anxious his tongue stuck out a little bit, probably swollen from biting it.
“Well as someone who’s in both classes currently ruins is earlier, but Arithmancy is more interesting. I like it, its like if divination made sense.” Lirum answered, trying to help their young friend.
“Study if ancient ruins it is then.” Neville said, marking it off on his paper.
“We get to pick out classes?” Luna asked softly, watching as the rest of the group picked.
“Only when you reach third year and up.” Lirum hesitantly explained, selecting all the classes.
“It could affect our whole future,” Hermione chimed in. Lirum watched and waited as the second years filled out their class selections.
“I just want to give up Potions,” Harry grumbled, closing his eyes and tapping the paper before checking what class he’d landed on.
“We can’t, we keep all our old subjects, or I’d’ev ditched Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Ron replied gloomily.
“But that’s very important!” Hermione cut in, shocked.
“Not the way Lockhart teaches it,” Ron grumbled. “I haven’t learned anything from him except to not set pixies loose.”
“That’s fair, actually.” Lirum chimed, worried about their courses for next year.
“I have no idea how to even pick? It’s not like I grew up a wizard!” Dean Thomas said, jabbing his want at the papers.
“I can’t ask my family either. How are we supposed to know?” Harry mumbled doing much the same. Percy fixed his tie ready to step in and guild the younger students.
“Depends where you want to go, Harry,” Percy explained. “It’s never too early to think about He feature, so I’d recommend divination. People say muggle studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards' sounds have. Thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they’re thinking of working in close contact with them-look at my father, he has to deal with muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry.”
“Percy darling, I think that was probably the sweetest and nerdiest way you could have possibly said, follow your heart and do what makes you happy.” Lirum laughed watching the blush grow in his face.
“W-well I-“ Percy started the red spreading to his ears. “I’m escorting you to the next quidditch game, right?”
“Do I still have to attend the games? it’s been four months since the last attack!” Lirum asked.
“What, you don’t want to watch your not so secret admirers play?” Percy grumbled, eyeing the twins down the table.
“Can’t we just go to the library instead? Who’s even playing this weekend?” Lirum asked, half hearted.
“Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff!” George cheered. “Don’t you wanna come watch? No matter who wins you get to celebrate, but I know you’ll be cheering for us!” Fred followed, excitement radiating off of them.
Lirum couldn’t say no. So I’m They made their way up the stands with Percy to cheer on both teams or at least Gryffindor and Cedric. They watched as the Gryffindors practiced while the Hufflepuffs huddled.Oliver Wood was the first one in the air.
“Does he sleep with his broom, he seems quite attached to it?” Lirum joked trying to get a laugh out of Percy.
“”You would think wouldn’t you, but he barley sleeps with anything.” Percy scoffed.
then suddenly heard a noise come from the field and saw it was McGonagall who marched across the field with a large purple megaphones
“Percy somethings wrong.” Lirum said, reaching for his arm. “Look! Professor McGonagall’s on The pitch!”
“This match has been canceled.” The whole crowd turned their attention to Professor McGonagall as she addressed them.
“What does she mean by that? What’s she doing out there?” Ron asked pointing, before jumping out of his seat and getting closer.
“All students are to make their way back to their common rooms where their heads of house will give them further information where they will give you further information.” She announced. “As quickly as you can please.”
“There has to have been another attack. I knew it couldn’t be over yet I warned you we weren’t in the clear, it was still out there!” Percy panicked.
“It’s ok Percy were all here you, me, your brothers, Ginny’s bound to be here somewhere can you see her?” Lirum said looking around for Ron and Ginny only seeing Ron running toward the field.
“Ron! Ron, where do you think you're going!” Percy called out watching his brother dash toward the field.
“He’s with Professor McGonagall, she's your head of house. After all, let's get Ginny, Fred, and George first. You’ll be waiting for her to come back to address the house anyway. Lirum said, turning towards the rest of the Gryffindor stand. “Neville are you alright? Come on, everything will be alright, let’s hurry.”
“You’re right, we need to go-can you-no,” he looked down at the pitch then back at Lirum. “I need to make sure all the students leave the stands. Can you go get Cedric and my brothers, you’ll be a large group, you should be safe, just stick together, please?” Percy begged looking at them.
“You can trust me, Perce. we’ll be ok, I promise.” Lirum said before guiding Neville toward the locker room.
There they saw the swarm of frustrated quidditch players making their way out. Fred, George, and Cedric were all present as well as Oliver Wood and several others.
“Lirum what are you doing here? You should be on your way to your common room!” Fred called out running towards them.
“Percy needed to make sure everyone left the stands and headed back to their common rooms so I came to head back with the group.” Lirum explained.
“That absolutely git! He left you to walk back alone after they made an announcement like that, just because he’s a prefect?” Fred snapped, angrily.
“We’re all headed back to the castle and my dorms are on the way to yours. I'll just split off once we’re on the fifth floor.” Lirum said, trying to ease the tension.
“And let you end up in hospital? The next living statue?” He argued. “No, you're spending the night in Gryffindor tower tonight.”
“Don’t be unreasonable Fred-“ George started.
“Me unreasonable? He left them to go play prefect!” He snapped back.
“Percy wouldn’t allow it, and even if he did McGonagall won’t. And besides our dorms full right now everyone is here” George argued, trying to make his brother see reason.
“Then we’ll Sleep in the common room again. We can bring down blankets and spend the night on the couch.” Fred pleaded.
“Na ye won’t mate.” Wood said grumpily, leading the way. “At best ye can walk thaim back tae their doorm. An gin ye dae don’t get caucht”
“So, which one of you will be walking me back?” Lirum joked, shrugging. “Don’t worry I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not going alone!” Fred and George corrected.
“If I let either of you walk back alone Percy blow his top.” Lirum replied.
“We’ll all walk together that way Fred and I won’t be walking alone.” George said calmly as the group walked back to the castle.
Lirum, Fred, and George split off on the fifth floor for the ravenclaw common room. When they arrived Lirum entered and joined the rest of their house waiting for Flitwicks address. As he stood in-front of them unrolling his parchment he seemed far more upset then the previous attacks.
“All students will return to their common rooms by six o’clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each class by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities.”
“It is with great pain that I need to inform you that one of our prefects were attacked today. She has been petrified and as soon as the mandrakes mature, she will be alright. But for now I understand that this will be tough on all of us but for the meantime please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, another teacher you feel comfortable with, or one of our remaining five prefects.” Flitwick continued rolling up the parchment in his hands. “It is likely the school will be closed if the culprits are not apprehended. If you believe you have any information that could help find them I greatly encourage that you come to me or another Professor.”
“They attacked a prefect?!” Asked Marcus Belby, a second year.
“What are we going to do? If a sixth year isn’t safe how are we?” Cho asked nervously.
“We’re going to listen to the teachers, stay in groups with your classmates, and don’t leave each other's sides.” Lirum said confidently trying to smooth the nervous third year, as well as everyone else.
“But they attacked two people at once, twice now one of them a ghost and another a prefect!”a voice came from across the room, it was Roger Davies, a boy in Lirum’s year.
“Yes, and it’s attacked during the day several times now but never attacked a large group, why? because it's because there's power in numbers. A large group of students with a teacher, we can’t get more safe than that.” Lirum argued, many students nodding in agreement.
“You’re exactly right. We also need to have a plan for meal times, I and the other prefects will be walking everyone to breakfast as one group to prevent another incident. So everyone, please make sure to be in the common room by five thirty so we have enough time to get everyone to breakfast.” Announced Robert Hilliard, the seventh year ravenclaw prefect.
“Five thirty? In the morning? That’s outrageous!” A fifth year shouted. “When will we have time to study? We have O.W.L.s and Seventh years have N.E.W.T.s then everyone else still has their regular exams!”
A the crowd grew loud with arguing. Before another prefect stepped in.
“All after class activities have been canceled. You'll have plenty of time to study given you will all be back in your dormitories by six in the evening.
“You’ll be stealing the time for my morning revision!” Third year argued.
“We can provide tutoring to anyone who feels they need extra time.” Robert insisted.
After that the ravenclaws all dispersed to their dormitories.