Chapter 33: First MeetingSummary:Hazel calls the group together, and the lads prove themselves useful.
Chapter TextAfter dinner, Hazel went to the abandoned classroom to prepare for the meeting. The class seemed large, but she knew with a bunch of rowdy teenagers crowding in it would shrink real fast. She flicked her wand and pushed the desks to the wall, where they folded and stacked themselves neatly. A few more flicks of her wand cleaned up some of the dust.
The others began entering the room: Draco, Ron and Hermione, followed by Fred and George, Ginny and Luna, and all the rest. Hazel was surprised to see Roger Davies and Patricia Stimpson, as well as all the prefects rather than just the ones from their year. A sizable portion of each House was represented, maybe forty students in all, jostling and chattering and making a ruckus.
Once everyone was in the room, Hazel cast Colloportus and Muffliato on the door, then stood on a chair and cleared her throat. "Settle down everyone, we don't have much time." The group stilled and looked her way, though some of them fidgeted slightly; Hermione stood next to Hazel while Draco and Ron prowled about, subtly watching the group. "You know why we're here, because of the rules and restrictions, the bullshit Decrees and the shitty new educational standards."
"Hazel and I are proposing a kind of study group." That was Hermione, improvising off the top of her head; or maybe she had prepared a speech, Hazel didn't know. "Where we can learn and practice real magic, and prepare for the real world."
Hazel took over again. "And there IS a real world out there, believe it or not. It's not just somewhere you kill time at in between terms. A real world with real enemies."
Fred put his hand up. "Who are these enemies exactly?"
And then George put his two cents in. "Prudes who won't buy from our new joke shop?"
The group laughed, and Hazel chuckled along; it was imperative they elicit as many emotional reactions as possible, so that Draco and Ron could get a good feel for everyone's state of mind. "Well, not quite. You heard what Dumbledore said last term: Voldemort is back."
Most of the group reacted predictably, with winces, yelps and other shows of fright. Hazel raised her voice to carry over the din. "And I know because I was there! I saw him, I was forced to participate in some fucked up ritual that brought him back to life!"
Everyone started talking all at once, and Hermione pointed her wand skyward; for a second Hazel thought she would make some sort of bang, but instead the wand made a flash of light that brought all eyes back up front. "We can discuss that later, I promise. Right now, our priority is what we're gonna do about it. About Umbridge, about classes, about… about V-Voldemort."
"Which brings us back to our idea. A study group, slash dueling club. The same damn thing I've been running for the past three years, basically."
Ginny nodded in agreement. "I knew you'd have something planned, Hazel. We all knew you would."
"Well, it wasn't strictly my idea. Hermione helped out too." Ron and Draco had also helped, but she didn't want to draw attention to them just yet. "Now, we're still working on a proper meeting place for the group, but if you lot have suggestions we're open to them."
Everyone piped up at the same time again. "The library?" "The Astronomy Tower?" "The Forbidden Forest?" "Shrieking Shack?" "This empty classroom?" She should have expected that, honestly.
Ernie Macmillan clapped his hands sharply. "I think it's a swell idea! Probably the most important thing any of us will do all year!"
One of the Patil sisters looked dubious; Hazel thought it was Padma, but there were people in the way and she couldn't see her robes. "More important than OWLs?"
"Of course! OWLs are just exams, this is the real world!"
"Easy, Macmillan, no one's saying it's not." Roger Davies put a hand on Ernie's shoulder to calm him down. "Listen, there's only two places we can hold this thing: the Chamber of Secrets, or the Room of Requirement. And since the Chamber still has a basilisk living in it, that pretty much leaves the Room of Requirement."
"Well said, Head Boy." Hazel grinned, but inside she cursed at having the surprise taken from her. "We'll check out the Room later, right now we need to keep this under wraps, understand? The Umbitch will have all our heads if she finds out, she's got it in her head that Dumbledore and McGonagall are preparing some kind of anti-Ministry army or whatever."
There was a chorus of scoffing and muttering. Hermione pulled a sheet of parchment from her bag, and for a second looked apprehensive. Then she took a deep breath. "Let's all sign this so that we agree to keep it secret, alright?"
Red flags went off in Hazel's head; something about Hermione's attitude was shifty all of a sudden, and the idea of leaving a list of members lying around was incredibly stupid. "Put that away, Hermione, we're not signing anything."
"But-"
"Put it away!" Hazel snatched the parchment from her grasp; instantly the rings on her finger tightened, indicating some kind of curse or jinx. Rather than call out her friend in the middle of a meeting, she elected to shove the parchment into her own bag.
Forget dueling or studying: she'd have to teach these dorks how to be Slytherins.
"Right then. Our first meeting is tomorrow at 7pm, at the Room of Requirement. Davies, you tweak the patrol schedules, maybe get some of the newer teachers to put a few hours in. Angelina, Zacharias, if you've got Quidditch practice scheduled, cancel it or cut it short. From now on we'll meet once a week on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons, got that? We'll work out some way of communicating the exact date and time."
Angelina frowned. "Once the season kicks off in earnest that might not be so doable."
"Believe me, I know." Hazel tapped her own Captain's badge. "But we'll manage it somehow. Quidditch is important, but so is this."
Zacharias laughed pompously. "Imagine that, we Captains having to coordinate practices!" The rest of the room laughed, though the rival Quidditch players couldn't help but side eye one another.
Hazel checked the time, and nodded to herself. "Right then, we're good for tomorrow at 7?" There was a chorus of nods and ayes. "Good, it's time we scattered. Fuck off to bed, all of you."
She was met by laughter and cursing in return, and the group dispersed in twos and threes, with Hazel watching the Marauder's Map to make sure Umbridge wasn't around.
Once everyone was gone, Hazel waved her friends in. "First off. Hermione, what's up with this cursed parchment you tried to get us to sign?"
Hermione looked abashed. "It, well, there's a jinx on it. If you signed it and agreed not to betray the group, but then turned around and did that anyway, you'd get a breakout of acne and pustules all over your face that said SNEAK."
"Huh, did you invent it yourself?"
"I did, actually, yeah." The abashed look changed to pride.
Ron frowned, then looked impressed. "Bloody hell, Hermione. Inventing spells isn't easy."
"It is if you study Arithmancy!"
Draco had a shrewd expression. "And is there a counter curse or cure?"
…and the abashed look came right back. "Well. Not yet. I was working on it!"
Hazel rolled her eyes. "Why don't you finish working on it before conning everyone into signing your experimental shit, hm?" She handed Hermione the parchment again, then turned to Ron and Draco. "What did you two pick up on?"
Draco spoke up quickly. "Marietta Edgecombe can't be trusted. Her mother works in the Floo Network office at the Department of Magical Transportation, and is close to Umbridge."
Ron nodded. "She only came because her pal Cho Chang wanted to come, and Chang's just here to be near Davies. And that Zacharias Smith's a pompous prick too, he gave me the willies; he didn't say much, but I could tell he didn't like what you were saying."
Hazel thought about it for a moment. "Smith is Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, we'll have to have him around or else we'll lose a lot of badgers. And we're tolerate Edgecombe for now because I want to get into Chang's knickers."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is there any girl who's knickers you don't want to get into?"
"Millicent Bulstrode. Anyone second year or below. Eloise Midgen, I suppose."
"Very inclusive, Hazel, I can feel the Slytherin redemption from here."
Ron and Draco chuckled and went for the door; Hermione made to follow them, but Hazel stopped her as the door closed behind the boys. "Are you jealous of Cho, Hermione?"
That brought a cool look. "Hardly. We've been over this, Hazel, I wasn't into you before."
Past tense, she thought victoriously. "That was before, this is now. Viktor's a long way off in London, and you've been pretty busy lately, haven't you? Haven't had time to tend to yourself?"
"Tend to myself? Don't be crass. Come on, move." Hazel could see her hesitate, though, fidget and squirm beneath her gaze. "Fine, maybe I've been a little lonely this year, but… but I'm waiting for Viktor! Go bother Chang if you want to get off!"
"I can get off any time I please, by myself or not. Right now I want you to get off." Hazel spoke softly, but she stepped closer all the same.
The other girl trembled slightly and closed her eyes. "Please stop, I… I don't want to be just another notch on your bedpost, I want my first time to be… be special. Not just a random hookup in the History classroom."
Hazel was hurt by that. "You are special to me, really. After all we've been through? The troll, Lockhart, the Tournament?"
"You're special to me too, but as friends!" She huffed a sigh and tried to relax. "Look, if I let you snog me a little, will you back off? At least for now?"
Hazel smirked. "I can promise that much, at least."
A few minutes later, Hazel finally stepped back from a very dizzy Hermione. "I love the taste of your lips. I wonder what the rest of you tastes like?"
Hermione went red. "You just don't quit, do you?"
"Fuck no, quitting is for losers." She checked the Marauder's Map. "Alright, Umbridge is in her office and the others have scattered. Make a run for it, and I'll head downstairs."
"Alright. Good night." Hermione hesitated, then kissed her one more time. "And, and thanks."
Hazel let Hermione get away from the classroom, then made her own exit, heading downstairs to the Slytherin common room. Her mind was going a mile a minute, replaying the extended kiss with Hermione while working out the details of tomorrow's meeting.
Once back in the common room, she sat down and pulled out the advanced books Winger had given her. They weren't merely advanced, she quickly learned; they were Auror-level manuals of combat and dueling, spells for crowd control and pacification, and spells for when all hope was lost. She was especially interested in the crowd control spells, most of the dueling spells Hogwarts taught were more carefully considered than that.
Pansy sat down at her side and leaned into her. "What are you reading?"
"One of the books I borrowed from Professor Winger. It'll come in useful for our group." Hazel slipped an arm around Pansy's shoulder and held her close. "There's some genuinely scary shit in here, I can't wait to start practicing this shit!"
"Wow, if you think it's scary then it really must be some dark stuff."
Hazel shrugged. "Not dark, just effective. There's spells for subduing multiple targets at once, spells for compliance and pacification. Not even the Unforgivables affect more than one target at a time."
Pansy flipped to the last section, where the last resort spells were detailed. "Wow…"
Hazel nodded in agreement; one of the spells was designed to exile a foe, while taking the caster with them. "Now that's scary. How are you supposed to practice and prepare these?"
"I don't know, I guess you don't." Pansy shut the book and stood up. "Come on, I'll have nightmares if we read any more of those. Lay with me tonight?"
"Absolutely." Hazel got up too, took Pansy's hand and went to their dorm together.
Chapter 34: The Study GroupSummary:In which our heroine gathers her haremteammates for the first real meeting of The Study Group.
Chapter TextIn the morning, Hazel found herself sandwiched between Pansy and Tracey, who had apparently gotten either cold or jealous and had climbed into bed with them. And while stuck between the two girls was an amazing place to be, Hazel had shit to do before the big meeting tonight. Gently she extracted herself from the threesome, grinning as the girls shifted and clung to each other instead; they'd be in for an interesting awakening later, but that wasn't Hazel's problem.
She had a shower and did her hair, then stood on the magic vent to dry off instantly. Then she got dressed and went upstairs for breakfast; she felt like hash browns, bacon and beans that morning, alongside the usual hot sauce and cold milk.
Pansy and Tracey came in a little later; Tracey had a smirk while Pansy just glared. "You could have said you were getting up, you know. It's weird waking up to a different girl than I fell asleep with."
Hazel shrugged and tried not to grin too broadly. "Sorry, you two just looked too cute cuddling up for me to mess with."
Tracey didn't bother hiding her grin. "You didn't notice? I'm not nearly as stacked or built as Hazel is~"
"Ugh, both of you shut up!" Pansy flounced into her seat and pulled food onto her plate. "Seriously, don't just leave me with someone else, Hazel, okay? I was legitimately afraid for a few moments."
"Okay, I promise." She rested a hand on Pansy's thigh. "You two really did look cute together, though."
After breakfast she got her Firebolt and flew around the castle, doing some last minute thinking. She definitely had to enforce the importance of secrecy, especially with as many people as were interested: she had no illusions the group from last night was the sum total of everyone who wanted to either ogle her or listen to her preaching.
She put her broom away for lunch, then finished the last of the week's homework in the common room, tuning out the others as she focused on her essays and papers. Then it was dinner, which she ate quickly so she could slip away and prepare for the meeting.
A quick glance at the Marauder's Map told her Umbridge was in her office with some unfortunate student or other, probably a detention; if it was anything like her detentions, they'd be in there for hours. Fine by her! She went straight to the Room of Requirement and paced back and forth before it. I need a place to teach people how to fight. Fight for real, not that kiddy playground shit! Somewhere safe and discreet, somewhere we can't be found!
She opened her eyes to find the usual door, and pushed it open to find a spacious room, easily large enough for the numbers she was expecting. Shelves full of advanced tomes lined one wall, while the far end was arranged like a Muggle gymnasium; in the center was a dueling ring, and a variety of squashy cushions were scattered across the floor in place of chairs. The whole thing was lit by torches along the wall and chandeliers dangling from the high, arched ceiling. "Good job, Room."
First to join her were Draco, Ron and Hermione. Hermione squealed happily and went straight for the hundreds of books, while the boys joined her in the center of the Room. "Ready for this?"
Hazel scoffed. "Not really, but it's happening anyway, isn't it?"
The door opened, and the rest of the gathering began spilling into the Room. Like before, Roger and Patricia were there along with all the other Prefects. Roger caught Hazel's eye and winked. "Our patrols are covered, so no fear in that regard. Like you said, those newer professors were eager to step up."
"Good job." She'd expect nothing less from the Head Boy.
The others piled in in groups, representing a sizable cross section of the school. The youngest was probably tiny little Dennis Creevey, clinging to his brother and staring around wide-eyed at the gathering; all the students in Hazel's year were there too, along with all the Quidditch players and their Captains: Hazel herself, Angelina Johnson, Roger Davies, and Zacharias Smith.
"Is that everyone?" It seemed to be, so Hazel sealed the door with a flick of her wand, then threw the usual locking and muffling charms. "Right then. Sort yourselves by age and size, titchy types at the front so everyone can see and hear me."
Obediently everyone shuffled around, the prefects doing their part to keep order. Zacharias Smith put his hand up from the middle of the gaggle. "Are we gonna learn non-verbal spellcasting? You charmed that door without saying a word."
"Not right away, Smith, we need to start with the basics so everyone's on the same page. And on that note I- yes, Hermione?"
Hermione had put her hand up as well, and had the sort of bright-eyed, eager expression that was normally reserved for their real professors. "We should vote on a leader! And then decide a name!"
Roger scoffed. "Obviously Hazel's in charge. This was her idea from the start, right? We wouldn't be here if not for her!"
A rousing chorus of cheers and yeas met that declaration; Hazel was glad to see Cho Chang joining, though Smith and Marietta Edgecombe were a bit more hesitant. Hermione looked a bit sheepish, but shrugged. "Professor Potter it is, then. Any ideas for names?"
Hazel was sufficiently caught off guard by the sound of Professor Potter that she failed to corral the first few moments of the next cacophony. "What about the Anti-Umbridge League?"
"Nah, we gotta be The Ministry of Magic are Morons Group!"
Hermione frowned. "Let's pick something a little more discreet, shall we? We have to be able to refer to it safely outside this room, after all."
Cho put her hand up. "How about the Defense Association? Or the D.A. for short, you know, so nobody can catch on."
"Dumbledore's Army!" That sounded like Ginny, and her suggestion was met by a great deal of approval and cheering.
Scowling, Hazel stuck her wand in the air and made a sharp bang. "We are NOT gonna be Dumbledore's Army! That's exactly what the Ministry is afraid of, if they catch wind we're all fucked!"
Ginny was unrepentant. "So? Let them be afraid of us!"
Hermione created a second bang with her own wand. "Dumbledore's Army is a fine name, but Hazel's right. We need something more discreet. Anyone have any other ideas?"
Unfortunately, everyone seemed stuck on Dumbledore's Army, and Hazel silently cussed out Ginny, who was standing there with a smug smirk on her face.
Hazel raised her voice as her temper flared; green sparks shot out of her wand, and the group leaped back. "Listen! We can't call ourselves Dumbledore's Army, understand? We're trying to avoid Umbridge and the Ministry until the time is right, and right now? The time is not right! So let's come up with something a bit more subtle, alright?"
She seriously had to teach these dorks how to be Slytherins.
Draco put his hand up. "Let's just be The Study Group. It's innocuous, it won't stand out, and-"
"-and it's boring as shit, Malfoy." Ginny had her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
"Exactly! Boring doesn't attract attention. Besides, what if Umbridge has Legilimency?"
That brought a hush to the group, and then paranoid muttering broke out as they considered the horror of the pink hag having access to their thoughts.
Hazel clapped her hands. "Relax, Legilimency doesn't work that way, not exactly. But Draco's right, we need a nice, boring little name so that people don't think twice when they hear us talking about it among ourselves. But trust me, the name might be boring, but the shit I've got planned will be anything but!"
Slowly, Ginny uncrossed her arms and relaxed her expression. "Alright, fine, I guess we're The Study Group."
"All in favor?" Hermione counted hands, then nodded. "Alright then! Hazel has the floor!"
"Thanks, Hermione." Hazel waited for everyone to calm down again, then cleared her throat. "So! For now I wanna start with the basics, we've got a lot of younger students and I don't want anyone falling behind. That means warming up, footwork and physical conditioning, before we even think about casting any spells. Prefects, take charge; Roger, Patricia, you help me oversee."
Despite calling out the prefects, it was the Quidditch players who led the group in this part of it, adjusted as they were to physicality, though Hazel felt confident in assuming a basic level of physical proficiency considering the amount of walking all over the massive castle they all did. Everyone went through basic stretches, then some physical drills, the Room subtly changing dimensions to account for their needs. This was a good way to judge motivation; anyone slacking off would stand out like a sore thumb.
Predictably, the Ravenclaws fell behind, despite Roger cajoling them along. And as Hazel watched, it was clear Edgecombe was barely keeping up, sullenly muttering and glaring at the more motivated Cho Chang. She flicked her wand and made a bright flash. "Take five, everyone, the Room should give you water if you need it."
While the group milled about and chattered among themselves, Hazel waved Roger over. "Edgecombe is slowing everyone else down, she doesn't even wanna be here. Can you have a word with her?"
The Head Boy frowned. "If she doesn't want to be here, why do you want her to stay?"
"Because she's with Cho, and I want Cho around. For, for reasons."
"Ah." The confusion cleared and he chuckled. "Fair enough, I'll see what I can do."
When the group reconvened after the break, Marietta seemed slightly more involved, or at least she was less sullen about being there. Hazel took it for the minor victory it was, and moved on. "Right then, I think we can cast a few spells before we call it for the night. All of you pair off and start practicing Disarming Charms!"
There were a few groans from the older students. Zacharias was especially vocal. "What good's Expelliarmus gonna do in the real world? Wasn't it you who kept banging on about that?"
His attitude was getting annoying, and Hazel let a little impatience shine through. "That was me alright, but we all have to be on the same level, Smith. And we've got younger students with us who've probably never cast it before. So shut the fuck up before I shut you up!" In the silence that followed her words she straightened up again. "Look, it's basic, but I'm serious when I say I'm not leaving anyone behind. Besides, it lets you end a duel without killing or maiming your opponent, and even I would agree that you don't always want to end them. Now like I said, pair off!"
The prefects took over and cajoled everyone into pairs, and on Hazel's signal everyone started casting at the same time. She could tell immediately that she had been right in insisting on starting from the bottom; despite years spent in dueling clubs, half the group was casting badly, either failing to cast at all, or messing up their aim and sending books and cushions flying. Or their spellwork was so weak their opponents merely flinched backward, while keeping hold of their wand.
Hazel watched a while longer, noting who could use the spell effectively, then flicked another flash of light out of her wand. "Right then! I see I should have demonstrated before setting you lot loose. Draco, to me!"
Her and Draco disarmed each other a few times, casting the spell slowly and weakly at first before moving up in speed and power. Hazel was careful to demonstrate the movements and the incantation for those watching. Afterward she dismissed Draco and addressed the group again. "Mix up your pairs and try again, remember what we showed you."
After that it went a lot better, with tighter movements and better spellwork being demonstrated. Hazel and her friends went around, personally demonstrating the right way, adjusting stances and wand movements as necessary; with this many participants there was no way she could have handled it herself, even as good as she was.
Checking the clock, she saw it was getting late, so with a last flash of her wand she got everyone's attention. "It's getting late, you lot, so cool off and clear outta here for tonight. Head to the back there and you'll find a direct path back to your common rooms, but make sure you've got everything, 'cause it's a one-way secret passage!"
The level of chatter picked up again as most of the group ambled off toward the back of the room, where indeed a series of pitch-black passages had suddenly appeared. Hazel had to endure a chorus of thank-yous and back slaps and hand shakes, and she put her best smile forward while the line went down.
Ginny and Luna, she noticed, were hanging back. So was Pansy. And Hannah. And Cho. "Better get a move on, you lot."
Ginny smirked. "No, we wanted to celebrate a successful meeting. Give you incentive to keep holding them, you know?"
Hazel smirked back. "You were quite the brat earlier, you think you deserve to celebrate?" She glanced at the other girls. "She was very willful earlier, wasn't she?"
Pansy sniffed. "She sure was. Brats should be put in their place."
"Exactly." The Room shifted and shrank in the background to suit their new purpose. "Help me with her, girls, she needs extra punishment~"
The others giggled and moved to surround a slightly-terrified Ginny, but Cho hung back. "I see the rumors are true?"
"What rumors? That I'm a slag who can't keep her legs closed around cute girls?"
She giggled. "Well, that, and cute girls can't keep their legs closed around you."
"Very true. But you knew all that and you're still here?"
She inched closer to Hazel. "I'm still here~"
"Good." Hazel tugged Cho tight and snogged her hard for a few moments. "Now let's go punish the willful Miss Weasley, shall we?"
Chapter 35: Political ViolenceSummary:Hazel has a very interesting History lesson. Charms is interesting too, for different reasons.
Chapter TextPunishing Ginny took a while, and then Hazel had to give the other girls attention too, and then the sun was coming up. Fortunately the Room provided enough Wideye Potion to go around, so they all snuck back to their dorms with time to spare. Wideye Potion or not, staying up late fucking her friends on a school night was a bad idea, and Hazel was dragging herself along before lunch time.
At least the other girls were just as miserable, she thought with a smirk.
Running an underground defense club was all fine and well, and was great for their education and skills, but it didn't exactly do much resisting, did it? There had to be more direct ways of getting back at Umbridge without putting too many students at risk, right? Like her refusal to acknowledge Voldemort was back; Hazel was fairly certain most of the students didn't believe the lies, but there were bound to be some who did, either out of honest belief or because of pressure from their parents.
And the parents had to be reached, too. Something else Sirius and Narcissa could work on, or even the whole Order? And speaking of, hadn't they been doing that all of last year? There wasn't much Hazel could do about the world outside Hogwarts from inside.
Fred and George would be critical for stopping Umbridge. Their knowledge of the castle and their penchant for making trouble would not only keep Umbridge busy, it would also keep the focus off of Hazel and the rest of The Study Group.
And scheduling would be a bitch and a half too. Especially with as many students as were interested. Splitting the group up sounded like a fair plan, honestly. Not along House lines though, she wanted a variety of viewpoints and skills in each of the smaller groups. Not to mention, with Quidditch players and Prefects from all across the castle, coordinating everyone's schedules would be a nightmare! And they still needed some way of communicating that wouldn't attract bad attention.
Hermione said she had a plan for that, right?
Well, they could catch up later; right now she had to get to class.
She was actually excited for History of Magic, which didn't make sense considering the teacher was scary as hell. But maybe that was why it was exciting? And honestly, History of Magic probably should be a bit nerve wracking.
As usual, Professor Murk was standing at the head of the class, hands clasped before her, artfully ripped attire on display. "Good morning, class. Today we're deviating slightly from the curriculum to examine a particular historical event that should be of some interest: the assassination of Thurgood Umbridge in 1899."
The class sat up at that, and Murk smiled darkly. "Ha, I thought that would get your attention. Now, the good Mister Umbridge was, at the time, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and like his not-so-illustrious descendent he had a penchant for, shall we say… heavy-handed and uneven application of the law~"
Hazel put her hand up. "Let me guess, Professor, one day he applied the law a little too unevenly, correct?"
Murk nodded. "Indeed he did. The wrong man was handed to the Dementors, and the man's sons, old-school Slytherins through and through, plotted their revenge. But they didn't rely on the Killing Curse, oh no, they valued their souls too much to squander them on petty revenge."
What followed was, on its surface, an examination of political violence and its effect on the course of history, but from the way she lingered on the specific methods the sons employed, ranging from physical accidents and various poisons before finally settling on deathcap mushroom tea, it was clear she was sending a more specific message to the class full of Slytherins.
Hazel put her hand up again. "Did they get away with it, Professor?"
Murk smiled. "They certainly did. Deathcap mushrooms make you sick for a while, but it doesn't feel any worse than normal food poisoning, and you feel better a day or so later. But they target the liver and kidneys and if untreated, you'll be dead within a week."
Ron frowned. "Dying by mushrooms is Muggle stuff. Why didn't he see a Healer?"
"Because, Mr Weasley, he had no reason to think it was anything but food poisoning. And he had a history of drinking problems which had weakened his liver; by the time symptoms of liver failure had manifested, it was too late. And, of course, wizardkind doesn't believe in autopsies~"
Hazel rolled her eyes; the Gryffindors had gotten a very different message, it seemed.
In the week's Charms class, while everyone else tried the Silencing Charm, Hazel and Hermione got it on their first tries and spent the rest of the class huddled up together. Hermione was giddy with anticipation. "I figured out a way for us to communicate discreetly! Fake Galleons that I've enchanted with a Protean Charm to-"
"Protean Charm? Jesus, Hermione, even I haven't read that far ahead."
She flushed slightly and tried not to grin too widely. "Yes, well. But listen, I've got it all set up in five groups, right, since I remembered you saying you wanted to split The Study Group into smaller gatherings?"
Hazel nodded. "Right. I can teach one group personally and they'll pass it along to the rest. Save on time and keep the Umbitch from pinning down all of us at once if shit goes sideways. And each group can be responsible for their own scheduling too."
They both ducked as an errant spell sent a frog flying, and Hermione huffed a sigh. "That meeting was a bit rowdy, wasn't it? With everyone in one place?"
"Very rowdy, yes. Any updates on that parchment jinx?"
Hermione glanced around to make sure there was no one in range, then leaned in closer. "In fact I have made a few breakthroughs. I found a counter-jinx to reverse the effect, and figured out a way to integrate a Tongue-Tying Jinx into the parchment as well. So once we sign it, it'll be an effective way to keep things secret."
Hazel smirked. "You know, with a mind like yours, you would've fit right in in Slytherin."
Hermione flushed a little deeper at that. "Well, the Hat did consider it, but it thought I was better suited for Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and, well…"
"It's a shame, if you'd been in our dorm we could do this more often." She leaned in and planted a kiss on Hermione's lips. Not much of a kiss, of course, since they were in the middle of class, but still.
At least, that was her plan, until Hermione leaned into it with a hum, and then Hazel had to go a little deeper too, and the next thing she knew they were snogging in class. God, this was fun!
"Er, ladies?" Hermione leaped back as if scalded, and Hazel looked around to see Flitwick looking up at them, trying to be stern and failing. "Perhaps we could keep the, ah, inter-house unity to a minimum?"
Hermione was babbling apologies and winding herself up for a panic attack; Hazel stomped on her foot to cut it off. "Yes sir, sorry about that. Hermione is too charming to resist~"
Flitwick had to stifle a laugh. "She is rather talented at Charms, isn't she?" He shook his head and kept going, and Hazel couldn't help but giggle at the situation.
Hermione was still red in the face, and wincing slightly. "You didn't have to- my foot's gonna be sore all day!"
"You were about to fall apart, Hermione, what else was I supposed to do? Anyway, you want I should kiss it better?"
"M-Maybe after cla- I mean, I've had enough of your kissing!"
"No such thing." Hazel felt very smug and sure of herself while saying that. "Anyway, five groups. I'll lead one, you lead another; I want Pansy, Cho, and Hannah in charge of the other three. Try and mix up Houses and years as much as possible, get prefects and Quidditch players across the mix too."
Hermione frowned. "Pansy and Hannah? Why not Draco or Zacharias?"
"They're both prats who'd let it get to their heads. Pansy's a prat too, but I can control her better than I can Draco. And believe me, Hermione, I will stay in control of The Study Group."
She seemed both nervous and disapproving at the same time, but the bell rang before she could say anything. Hazel had a quick lunch, then went upstairs to the Divination Tower, where they went over their dream diaries; she had written down erotic dreams of older women in the hope that Trelawney would neglect to read them out loud, and for the moment it seemed to be working.
Defense was spent, as usual, reading silently from the useless book and taking notes, while Umbridge paced about the class. But Hazel wasn't taking notes on the book, or even reading it; she had her Muggle Studies homework instead, a manual on motorcycles, and was taking notes out of it, and both were charmed so that no one else could see what she was really doing.
Nonetheless, as Umbridge drew near, she couldn't help but tense up slightly. The pink hag paused next to her desk, and Hazel bent lower over her disguised parchment. "I see we've learned our lesson about being a distraction in class. It wasn't so hard, Miss Potter, was it?"
"No, Professor."
"I would hate to have to bring you back in, so keep up the good behavior for both our sakes~" After a moment she moved on, and Hazel let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She went back to her surreptitious note-taking, eager to get her hands on an actual motorcycle soon.
The big project for Muggle Studies was to take some method of Muggle transportation, anything from bikes to elevators to air planes, and study it in depth over the year. Not just how they worked, but everything; the physics, the mechanics, maintenance and repairs. It didn't count toward their official grade (not with Umbridge throwing her weight around), it was just something Professor Burbage wanted them to do for extra credit, but the class was enthusiastic about it anyway.
And Hazel, of course, was eager to get good enough to actually start riding! It already lined up with her ambitions anyway.
Later in the week, after classes, Hazel met with Hermione again, and this time she had goodies: a sack full of fake galleons and a long parchment. "Since it was your idea, I think you should sign first."
"Sure." She picked up the parchment first, and frowned when her ring didn't react. "Did you get the right one?"
"Yes! Just sign it, will you?" But Hazel just looked at her, and she sighed. "Look, I told you I figured out a cure for the jinx, alright? So your rings won't react, and neither should anyone else's; the jinx isn't hostile unless you trigger it."
"So why did it trigger my rings before?"
Hermione could only shrug. "I'm not sure, and that bothers me. I'd have to guess, though, that because I was hiding it from you and because I didn't have a counter-jinx ready, that the enchantments of the rings saw it as a threat. But now I'm not hiding it, and I dohave a counter, so, there we are."
"I guess." Hazel signed the parchment after that, and then Hermione added her own name. "It feels real now, doesn't it? Now that we've put our names down on a cursed parchment."
"Right? And everyone who signs it agrees not to say anything, not to Umbridge or anybody else who's a threat to the group."
"How does it know who's a threat or not?"
"Well, all magic runs off intention, right? So it's your intention when you open your mouth that triggers the jinx."
Hazel really hoped no one was capable of doublethink. If they were, and they decided to snitch, the jinx was useless and the jig was up. But she kept that thought to herself. "You've done a great job, Hermione. Pass those coins around and get everyone to sign that parchment, and we can get serious about The Study Group." She leaned in and kissed her friend, then turned and went on with her day.
That night, after dinner and homework, Hazel did her prefect rounds, then snuck upstairs to the Room of Requirement; after her hectic schedule and after managing so many people, she needed a little downtime, so she immersed herself in target practice. Not just with the revolver or sawed-off shotgun she'd been using all summer, but new guns the Room conjured for her. Each had its challenges, but with the basics she had learned so far she had little difficulty picking up the intricacies of each weapon. Her favorites were still shotguns and revolvers, of course, even if they fired slower; there was just something satisfying about the heavy recoil and the large bullets or shot loads being launched forward, something that smaller and more manageable guns didn't provide.
Her hands and shoulders were sore, sure, but that was nothing some potions couldn't solve. She made sure to practice with her off hand as well, still remembering the lessons in her second year. When she was done she healed herself and cleansed the gunpowder residue away, nipped back under the Cloak, and departed the Room.
Chapter 36: New UniformsSummary:Hazel helps design new uniforms. Umbridge reacts predictably. Some other stuff happens.
Chapter TextThe rest of September went by in a similar fashion. Hermione organized the other meetings of The Study Group, handed around the galleons and got everyone to sign the new parchment. Pansy and Hannah were reluctant to lead their groups, but Hazel "convinced" them in the end.
One annoying part was Hermione's birthday, when she turned 16 and refused to let Hazel snog her anymore. "I'm of age now, Hazel, and you're still only 15. It's against the law for us to do that anymore."
Hazel pouted. "That doesn't stop Cho or any of the other older girls I'm with. Or really anyone in this school at all."
"I know that! But it matters, okay? Besides, I… I need to be faithful to Viktor. He waited for me, and I didn't wait for him."
Hazel scoffed. "Hermione, all we did was snog, okay? It'll be fine, I bet you ten sickles he'll shrug it off as schoolgirls messing around. Anyway, happy birthday." She handed her a wrapped gift, which held a book of Auror-level spells inside. "Don't read it all in one place."
"Oh, uh, thanks. Should I open it now, or wait?"
She shrugged, so Hermione went ahead and opened the gift. "Oh Hazel, you shouldn't have!" She pulled her into an abrupt hug and kissed her cheek. "You know exactly what I want, don't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I do know you pretty well." Hazel hugged her back, and they separated a moment later. "Did Krum get you anything?"
"Just some earrings." She fiddled with a gold hoop in her ear. "Aren't they gorgeous?"
"They really are. They bring out the shine in your eyes."
"S-Stop…"
Hazel giggled but left her alone after that. "I'm gonna assume the first Hogsmeade weekend is when you're gonna see him, then?"
That brightened her up. "Yes, actually! We're going to do some shopping and have lunch at the Three Broomsticks! He says he has it all planned out!"
"I'm sure you'll both have a great time." Hazel wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to follow along, make sure no one messed with the two of them. She'd probably be in Hogsmeade anyway, and shopping or eating were common activities, right?
That settled it. She'd be in Hogsmeade that weekend and would creep on her friends. This was a rational and well-considered course of action, for sure.
The end of the month brought some spectacular news as well: Sirius and Narcissa's plan had finally come through, and had convinced a wide spectrum of monied Hogwarts alumni to come together and finance a major upgrade to the school's Quidditch capabilities. Twenty-eight Firebolt brooms had been purchased, along with a number of Nimbus 2001s and Cleansweep 11s for practices and tryouts and things. Not only that, but new equipment across the board was being provided: balls, bats, a full rebuild and remodel of the school stadium, and new uniforms.
There was even a reception ceremony for the new gear, with representatives of the alumni on hand to present everything to an incredibly smug-looking Headmistress. Sirius and Narcissa were there, along with Garrick Olivander and an older witch Hazel learned was named Madison Garlick.
McGonagall gave a speech, of course. "It is an honor to accept the generosity of our former students on behalf of Hogwarts, and a great relief to be able to retire the old brooms and gear. We have Professor Umbridge to thank for bringing the sorry state of the school's brooms to our attention through her well-intentioned Educational Decree mandating school-provided equipment for all matches."
"It was my pleasure, Headmistress." Umbridge had a vapid smile on her face as she spoke, but as usual it didn't reach her eyes, and she was obviously displeased. "The goal of the Decree was to ensure a level playing field for all players, after all."
"Naturally." McGonagall turned her back on Umbridge and kept speaking. "The alumni represent all four houses, and every team now has equal chances to stand out on their own merits. Once again, on behalf of Hogwarts, thank you all for your generosity and your continued dedication to the school."
Hazel took advantage of the uniform fittings to insist on a bold new style of uniform, close to what was being worn in professional matches. A corset-like top for the girls, along with skirt and stockings, gloves and boots and a shorter cape; meant to be worn with spats, of course, but who knew what would happen if a girl had a lie in on game day? She let Pansy design the boys' uniform, and she came up with close-fitting shorts and a sleeveless shirt that supposedly did it for people who liked men and was practical enough to pass muster for the school. They also got the new cape, boots and gloves.
McGonagall frowned when she saw the drawings. "Not exactly… modest, is it? What's wrong with the current uniforms?"
Hazel was prepared. "They're too loose, Headmistress. You remember playing back in your day, right? All that cloth flapping around in the wind?"
"Ah, yes. Aerodynamics." She nodded in agreement. "I can see how this new style could be of benefit, in that regard. All the same, I do suspect Professor Umbridge will have some things to say, so be ready for that."
"As long as you've got our backs, Headmistress, I'm not worried about Umbridge."
McGonagall gave the drawings a considering look, then drew her wand and flicked it, adding shoulder pads and helmets. "Keepers and Beaters will have heavier padding, I presume?"
"I'd hope so, yeah. But not too much heavier, or the benefits of lighter uniforms will be lost."
"Quite. And the Seeker would have the lightest padding, naturally." She gave Hazel a serious look. "You might have gotten away with that before, when you were the only player with a Firebolt. But now everyone will have Firebolts, so you'd best be ready."
"Of course, Headmistress. There's still an element of skill and connection to the broom, of course; I can outrace a new player on a Firebolt with my Nimbus 2001, for instance."
"Regardless, the new uniforms are… evocative, but not impractical. Let the tailors know the designs have my blessing."
"Yes, Headmistress." She gathered the parchments and took off, hoping to have the designs finalized before Umbridge could do anything stupid.
She had made copies and sent them off by owl and was just plotting a rendezvous with Ginny or Daphne, or maybe Ginny and Daphne, when she ran into the Umbitch. She quickly schooled her expression into something more neutral. "Professor."
"Miss Potter." She was still grumpy from being upstaged. "I know you were involved with the recent show of generosity."
"Me, Professor? Why would you say such a thing?" It was easy to pretend outrage.
"Your godfather and the Lady Malfoy were involved, that's how I can say such a thing!" Her gaze flicked down to the parchments in Hazel's hand. "What are you carrying?"
"Designs for new Quidditch uniforms."
Umbridge frowned and snatched the parchments from her grasp, holding them up to her gaze. Predictably she turned purple with fury. "This is a school, not a fashion show! How dare you bring such filth into Hogwarts!"
Hazel scoffed. "It's not filthy, Professor, it's aerodynamic. The old uniforms were baggy and awkward to fly in, these will be much better. Safer too, they won't drag in the wind or give the other team anything to grab hold of."
The pink hag scoffed. "Safer? I think not, Potter, I think your shamelessness has gotten the better of you. I won't stand for it, you hear me?"
"Won't stand for what? For better playing conditions? Tight-fitting outfits are better for sports, Professor."
"Maybe in the Muggle world!" Umbridge waved her wand and burned the drawing to ashes. "Hogwarts will not stand for this sort of licentiousness, and that's final! If I catch you spreading your filth again I'll see to it your Quidditch captaincy is revoked!"
"Professor, how could you?! I worked so hard on those drawings!"
"Then maybe this will teach you a lesson in keeping your perversions out of Hogwarts!" After a moment she seemed to realize she was losing control, and made an effort to rein herself in. "Hem, hem. Return to your common room, Potter."
Hazel made a show of muttering and glaring as she walked off, but inside she was laughing. The tailors already had more intricate designs to work off of, and with McGonagall's blessing, there was nothing Umbridge could do about it!
The fittings came and went, and the new uniforms were every bit as sexy and practical as she had expected they would be. And there was nothing Umbridge could do about it, for all that she glared and muttered. Fortunately, McGonagall shut her down with a single sentence: "Perhaps you should spend more time on your curriculum and less time obsessed with what our young witches are wearing, Dolores?"
With no rebuke ready, Umbridge could only stalk away. Hazel wondered what was going through her head. "It isa bit creepy, isn't it? How she left the boys alone but came after us girls on the uniforms?"
Millicent nodded. "Totally creepy, yeah." She was still heavyset, but had grown into it recently, and the new uniform was as flattering on her as it was on everyone else. "Oh well, let's just get to practicing, shall we?"
"We shall!" With her old Firebolt in hand Hazel led the way onto the pitch, where she led her team in practice. The new uniforms and new brooms meant everyone could fly better than ever, while the new balls and gear meant they could play the game at an entirely different level. It was incredible what a difference new equipment made!
After a while, Hazel called for a friendly match between the reserves and the main squad, with herself as referee as usual. Draco caught the Snitch in ten minutes, so she set up a game between the firsties and the reserves, and this time little Aria grabbed the Snitch in record time. Blaise looked proud and smug as she came back down to earth, beaming and clutching the little golden thing. "Even the firsties are playing harder than ever!"
Hazel laughed. "Yeah they are. Maybe this year we'll get an actual challenge for the Quidditch Cup!" Or else the time she spent in her third year coaching the Gryffindors back from the brink would have been wasted!
She wasn't so proud as to assume she knew everything about leading Quidditch. She lurked on other teams practicing too, sitting in the stands and taking notes. Roger Davies seemed more preoccupied with finding someone to take his place when he graduated, and was frequently absent due to NEWT prep and his responsibilities as Head Boy; as often as not it was Cho Chang who led the Ravenclaw practices, and she had clearly learned a thing or two from Slytherin's years-long dominance. She kept the reserves playing hard and had a small squad of ambitious firsties, and their main squad seemed composed of second- and third-year new players. They were playing the long game, and Hazel respected that.
Angelina Johnson also seemed to have one eye on her legacy and the other eye on NEWTs, though as she was neither prefect nor Head Girl she had more time to devote to her team. They had clearly taken Hazel's coaching to heart, as they began each practice with physical warm-ups and stretching, and weren't afraid to run some dirty plays during their drills. Like Davies she kept a solid reserve squad in peak condition, perhaps suspecting Fred and George would have NEWT bullshit to deal with, or the other fifth-year players would run afoul of Umbridge. Ron, sad to say, was still the weak link in their chain; he was a solid Keeper while no one was looking, but he had a nasty habit of losing his nerve when the pressure was on and everyone was looking his way. Not to mention the Slytherins had some funny little chant they started up with whenever the Quaffle came his way. "Weasley is Our King" or something.
On the Hufflepuff side, Zacharias Smith seemed new to leadership, as he spent more time cajoling his players than actually leading them, and apart from Crabbe and Goyle his main squad was composed entirely of brand-new players. Those two were also the only ones really willing to play dirty, but since Beating was an inherently brutal position they got away with it more than they would have otherwise. She had to admit that Crabbe and Goyle had improved a lot; they were focused on the game, and weren't distracted by her presence in the stands. And she assumed their grades had improved too, or else Sprout wouldn't let them back on the team.
Hazel wondered why Smith had so many new players to work with. Had most of the Hufflepuff squad graduated last year? Did they resign because they didn't like him? For now she wrote Hufflepuff off as a loss and focused on the other two teams, calculating ways to get the better of them on and off the pitch.
Chapter 37: Hermione's Big DaySummary:Hermione and Krum finally get a chance to hook up. Hazel is the best wingwoman a girl can ask for.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextOctober came along, bringing colder weather with it. Hazel was ready for the Hogsmeade trip; she had some things to buy, and she wanted to make sure Hermione had a good time with Krum. She didn't expect either of them to pull it off themselves, they were both awkward nerds with too much going on upstairs.
And as much as they had in common, they were very different in many ways. Krum was athletic, Hermione was bookish; Krum wouldn't hesitate to use the Dark Arts, Hermione would refuse to do so except in extreme circumstances; Krum loved Quidditch, Hermione couldn't stand to even talk about it in any depth.
Hazel wondered if they were doomed. On the one hand that would be sad, on the other hand it would leave her an opening; on the other other hand, who else had Hermione's attention? Ron? She sighed and thought about the distance that still lingered between Ron and herself. When had it started? In third year, when her experiments with the Dark Arts took off? In fourth year, when he made a prat of himself during the Yule Ball and beyond?
At least he was making up for it this year, helping out with The Study Group and all that. But how much of that was a genuine desire to help out and make up for past mistakes, and how much was because of Umbridge and the threat of Voldemort, was yet to be seen.
The day of the Hogsmeade trip, Hazel sat with her friends at breakfast, though she kept an eye on the Gryffindors. Hermione was visibly nervous, but at the same time excited; Ron seemed sullen and was only picking at his food. That didn't bode well for anyone, and she suspected perhaps Hermione hadn't been as discreet about her plans as she should've been.
Luckily, Hazel was well-versed in non verbal spellcasting by now, so it would be easy to get rid of Ron with a quick Entrail-Expelling Curse. Her priority was Hermione's enjoyment of the day ahead, not Ron's dignity.
She enacted her plan in the queue for Hogsmeade, timing it just as Ron was opening his mouth to berate Hermione for daring to go out with a foreigner. Instead of casting at full power though, she used it sort of halfway, leaving him scrambling out of the queue for the nearest loo; she cast it again as he was leaving the hall, and his cursing echoed back across the queue as everyone laughed nervously.
Hermione frowned. "Wonder what brought that on? He didn't even eat much at breakfast today."
Hazel shrugged. "Who knows? Budge up, you're holding up the queue."
"Oh, sorry." No one liked a witch who held up the line; Hermione skipped ahead before someone thought to jump ahead of her, and stood before Filch with a flush to her cheeks. He muttered her name and checked for it against a long list, then nodded her ahead; Hazel took her turn under scrutiny, then went out the door too.
She caught up with Hermione and they went on down the long drive to the gates. "You did something to Ron, I know you did. He was just about to make an ass of himself again, then you reached into your sleeve and all of a sudden he was running for the loo!"
Hazel giggled. "I nailed him with a low-power Entrail-Expelling Curse, that's all. It only expels entrails at full blast; tone it down a bit and they'll only shit themselves, tone it down again and they really gotta go!"
"Oh, Hazel, that was terrible!" But there was a sparkle in Hermione's eyes that made Hazel feel good about herself, and they were in high spirits as they went on into the village.
Just as she was wondering how to follow Hermione and Krum around without being seen, Hermione beat her to it. "So, um, can you hang around while Viktor and I are going out?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "You want me in the room while you're shagging?"
"No! I mean, I… I'm nervous, you know? And I'd feel better if you were there, so…"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. You have feelings for Krum and they're making you nervous, but don't you also have feelings for me too?"
"Yes, but he's a boy, and he might not take no for an answer. And I know you'd step in if it came down to it."
She gave her friend a careful look when she said that. "Is it because of Umbridge's bullshit that you're nervous?"
"Well… yes, now that you mention it. And you're his friend too, so we can all catch up!"
"True. I was going to shadow you two anyway, so this works out just fine."
Hermione rolled her eyes, and they went into the Three Broomsticks. Krum was waiting for them at the bar, and his face lit up when he saw Hermione. "Hermione!"
"Viktor!" Hermione ran forward and threw her arms around the man, and he hugged her back. "Viktor, I hope you don't mind if Hazel hangs around? Just for a while?"
"Not at all." He put a hand out, and Hazel shook it firmly. "How have you been, Potter?"
"I'm doing alright, Krum, you know how it is."
They found a booth and had barely sat down when Madam Rosmerta came bustling up. Hazel was distracted by her bosom while the other two ordered food and butterbeers, and by the time she came back to her senses the busty barkeep had bustled off again. "Uh…"
Hermione giggled. "Don't worry, I got your usual. Roast beef and hot sauce, right?"
"Had thought it was only Fleur that could affect Potter, but apparently is weak to all women."
Hazel shook her head. "Only the pretty ones. So how are things outside?"
Krum shrugged. "Well enough. The Order is fighting Death Eaters, myself and other Durmstrangers are fighting also. Is sneaky fighting sometimes, but is also good fighting other times."
Hazel smirked. "Sounds like you're having the time of your life, eh? All that combat training at Durmstrang and a good cause to use it for?"
Hermione looked anxious. "You're being careful, right? We haven't even… I mean…"
"Relax, Hermione, I am not dying so early." He reached out and brushed a finger down her cheek. "Will take more than masked thugs to be taking me down!" He pushed her hair aside and smiled wider. "Ah, you are wearing the earrings!"
Hazel laughed. "She's been wearing them every day since she got them!"
"H-Hey, I asked you here to help out, not bury me deeper!"
Hazel laughed again, and that was when their food arrived. Krum paid for it before either of them could say anything, and they dove into it with gusto.
Once she was done, she drained her butterbeer and smacked her lips. "So, do you still want me around, or…?"
Hermione glanced shyly at Krum, who smiled back at her. "I think we're good, if you've got other stuff to do."
"Alright. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She hugged Hermione, shook Krum's hand, and went for the door, glancing back as Krum was leading Hermione to a private room upstairs; she smirked to herself and went on out to enjoy the afternoon her own way.
She made the usual purchases of ink, parchment and potions supplies, when she saw Professors Haywood, Murk, Winger and Weasley coming out of the Hog's Head, along with Tonks and the hulking Barnaby Lee. Tonks saw her and waved. "There she is! Don't run off, Potter, we were just talking about you!"
Caught off guard, Hazel could only gape as she was quickly surrounded. "Uh, what about me?"
Murk chuckled darkly. "You and that little dueling club you're leading, of course~"
"Wasn't that why you wanted my advanced Hit Wizard spellbooks?" Winger looked stern, as usual, but the corners of his mouth were twitching slightly. "And why else would Davies come around begging us to take over patrols for that one night?"
"Um, it's not what-"
Penny laughed and patted her arm. "Relax, we're messing with you. We did the exact same thing when we were students, though the circumstances were much different."
"Yeah! A professor killed our friend Rowan and then- Oof!"
"Put a sock in it, Barns." Charlie had jabbed Barnaby with his elbow again.
"Wait, back up, a professor killed-?"
Penny laughed again, and it sounded forced as she cut Hazel off. "But yeah! Dumbledore asked each of us to come back here. Except Charlie, since he was already here."
They weren't going to say any more about it, she realized. Best to put it aside for now. "I guess that makes sense, what with all the vacancies in the faculty." She looked at Tonks. "How are things with the Order?"
The question seemed to bring the mood down, and Tonks glanced around before answering. "Well enough. The Ministry is still tearing itself apart over your hearing; Fudge is clinging to power at all costs, and hardly anyone is on his side. Madam Bones is openly siding with Dumbledore, and she has a lot of respect; it's only a matter of time before Fudge's regime falls apart, believe me."
Hazel nodded. "Good news indeed. I heard the only thing really keeping Fudge in power is the Wizengamot can't get its act together?"
"Yeah, it's annoying, but by law only a supermajority of the Wizengamot can force a vote of no confidence in a sitting Minister, and right now he has barely enough of them bribed, blackmailed or intimidated that he can cling to power by the skin of his teeth. Hogwarts is really the only place his authority has any weight, and you can bet Umbridge is doing everything in her power to extend that authority."
"No one likes Fudge anyway, he's a damp torch!"
"Bit rich coming from you, Barns." Charlie jabbed him again.
"What about the other Department heads, aren't they doing anything? Isn't Crouch still around? He swore he'd help us out as long as he could."
Tonks shook her head. "Nah, most of them are trying to keep the lights on and You-Know-Who out, they don't have time for politics. And Crouch, well, he's old, old and tired, and he doesn't have much political capital left."
"Dumbledore's old too, but he's still running around doing shit."
Penny shrugged. "Yeah, well, he's Dumbledore, he doesn't abide by the normal rules. Besides, he's busy behind the scenes these days."
"Okay, but what's any of that got to do with us? We're just running a study group, that's all, since Umbridge won't teach us real magic."
"A study group with almost a third of the student body? That needed Talbott's crazy war magic?" Murk laughed again, and Hazel cursed herself for going soft at the sound. "That's no study group, that's a militia!"
"Not so loud! Are you trying to-?"
"Oh, chill out, will you? Penny told you we did the same thing when we were students. We did it all! Dueling, potions, studying…"
Penny giggled. "Ismelda and Merula wanted us to practice Dark Arts too, but not everyone was comfortable with that."
Hazel shook her head. "Then you weren't taking it seriously. But we are, and I'm gonna make sure we can fight, not just defend ourselves."
"Good, you'll need it. Let's get back to the castle, Potter probably still has errands to do without her teachers lurking about." Winger led the way back to Hogwarts, and the others trailed off behind him; Hazel stood for a moment, then went back to her affairs.
After a while she went back to the Three Broomsticks to check on Hermione. She went in and approached the bar, waving for Madam Rosmerta's attention. "Have my friend and her date come back down yet?"
Rosmerta scanned the tavern. "There they are now, dearie, just coming down the stairs! Don't they look pleased as punch?"
"Thanks." She went over to them, and sure enough, they had that just got out of bed look; Hermione's hair was even more of a mess than normal, and Krum looked exceptionally smug. "All done, lovebirds?"
The two of them glanced at each other, blushed and looked away. Hazel just shook her head. "I'm happy for you both, I really am."
Hermione smiled brightly. "Thank you! We should get going though." She turned to Krum and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'll let you know when the next Hogsmeade weekend is."
"I await." He went back upstairs, and Hazel and Hermione went on out.
Hazel figured she should pretend to be curious, even if straight sex wasn't her thing. "So, how was it?"
"It was… amazing, I guess." Her friend sighed happily. "Viktor was very patient and caring, and he didn't push me into anything I was uncomfortable with. He made sure I… enjoyed myself before he did."
"So are you straight, then?"
"I don't think so?" She frowned, then shrugged. "But he did say it wouldn't bother him if I slept around while we're apart, so there is that. But I'm not physically attracted to that many people. Just him and… and you…"
Hazel grinned at the admission. "I wanna see you wash off before we do anything, of course. I don't wanna taste Krum down there, or anywhere else~"
"Stop!" She covered her face and hurried ahead. "You're terrible, Hazel Jade Potter!"
Notes:So, quick update on my personal life. My grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer back in February, and they've been treating it all summer. He actually was telling people the cancer was in remission, but a few days ago I found out this was a lie; the chemo just made it shrink a bit, but given his age they couldn't keep it up forever.
To make matters worse, he fell over a week ago and bounced between hospitals, and he's going downhill fast. I went and visited Friday and he literally came out and said that he's just waiting to die now.
That being said, I'm gonna do my damnedest not to become one of THOSE AO3 authors, and if life keeps me from finishing my stuff I'll try and warn you all, maybe post everything I've got in one fell swoop. I won't just leave you all hanging, I promise.