Twilight

Twilight

L.S. Song

Chapter Four - Back to Classes

Harry woke up the next day, to find Hermione already changed and waiting for him in the common room. Harry and Hermione walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast, to find that they were nearly the last ones there. Ron handed them their timetables as they sat down.

"Urgh... first lesson back is potions... figured things were going too well for my luck," Harry said.

Ron smirked. "That's why I dropped potions! No more Snape breathing down my back..."

"But now you have to listen to Trelawney blabber about my death loudly so that you could tell me how I die..." Harry said. Professor Trelawney had gotten very upset that Harry dropped Divination, as it was her favorite sport to predict Harry's dramatic death(s).

"Oh well, I'll see you two in Charms."

"Wait, Ron, we don't have charms with the other seventh years anymore. Dumbledore's teaching us personally," Hermione said.

"What, why?"

"Head Boy and Girl have some new responsibilities this year, Mr. Weasley, so the Headmaster is tutoring them personally for that purpose," Professor McGonagall said.

"Right... okay then. See you in DADA then."

Harry and Hermione decided not to stop Ron again.

Quickly shuffling food into their mouths, Harry and Hermione rushed off to Potions.

"How nice of you to two to fit us into your busy schedule, Potter and Granger. Twenty points from Gryffindor, it wouldn't do to have our Head Boy and Girl be late for class now would it," said Snape with a sneer.

Harry and Hermione quickly sat at a table in the back of the potions dungeon and got out their equipment.

"The first two week assignment you have, will be brewing the immensely complex truth serum, Veritaserum. Who can tell me the main ingredients?"

Hermione's hand shot up.

"Potter?"

"I don't know Professor."

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor for your laziness. Couldn't be bothered to move your famous hand to open a textbook... Granger, what is the answer?"

"Ground Unicorn horn, and glassweed."

Snape made a sour face. "Correct."

As Snape went to write instructions on the board, Harry whispered to Hermione, "Who stuck a stick up his arse?"

Snape whipped around and took ten more points from Gryffindor for talking.

Harry groaned and went to work.

Harry and Hermione went up to the gargoyles guarding the entry to Dumbledore's office.

"Know the password, Mione?"

"No..."

"Well we'll just have to guess then."

As Harry opened his mouth to state all the sweets he could think of, the gargoyles moved, and Dumbledore emerged.

"Harry, Hermione. Come in."

The three of them walked into Dumbledore's office, and into a room behind the office Harry had never seen before.

"Now, do you two know the purpose of our special classes?"

"To enforce security for students, as we're the student leaders?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, but there that is not the only reason. Harry here, as you know, is the one in the prophecy that has to defeat Voldemort, and as much as I want to give Harry more time, we do not have that leisure. Voldemort must be stopped soon, whether it is in one year, two years, or up to five years. But know this. The wizarding world is in chaos. We can buy you time, Harry, but you must use it well. Hermione, you have awesome potential to be a great witch, I will try to bring out the best in both of you. This lesson is not just to teach you how to defend, but how to attack as well. Wands out you two, lets see what you're capable of."

Dumbledore drew his wand. "Don't pull your punches."

Harry and Hermione hesitated for a few seconds, and then whipped out their wands.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

"STUPEFY!"

Dumbledore sidestepped Hermione's curse, and yelled, "PROTEGO!"

Harry's stunning spell was hurled back at him.

Harry fell on the floor, stunned.

"Stupefy!" Hermione fell.

"Ennervate," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Hermione awoke.

"Damn..."

"Can you tell me why you two failed, despite me giving you the advantage of striking first, and having the advantage in numbers?"

"Because you're stronger than us..." said Hermione.

"NO! It is because of the spells you chose to cast, and the fact that you two did not communicate. This brings us to our topic for today - The telepathy spell. It is a temporary spell that is often used before battle, to communicate without the enemy finding out. It lasts about ten minutes or so. The incantation is inteltransverto. This charm is used a lot by the Order. You may practice now."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other nervously. After a few tries Hermione had gotten it to work.

Harry was overwhelmed with thoughts at once. He could feel Hermione's thoughts and emotions.

Hermione? Can you hear me? Harry thought at her.

Hermione showed no signs of hearing.

Dumbledore told Harry that he must also cast the charm, in order to establish a two-way communication.

"Inteltransverto," Harry said.

Hermione, can you hear me now?

Yes. Oh great it worked!

Harry could feel Hermione's delight in mastering a hard charm. It was strange feeling other people's emotions.

Dumbledore spared them a smile. "Okay. Now that you two have mastered the telepathy charm, try to hit me again. You may each cast five spells. Go."

Hermione, you distract him with smaller hexes, I'll hit him with the snakes. Shoot slightly to his left side. We'll clamp him that way.

Harry felt Hermione agree, and yelled out his first hex.

"STUPEFY!"

Next to him Hermione yelled, "IMPEDIMENTA!" She hit Dumbledore on the arm, slowing Dumbledore's wand arm down by a bit, allowing Harry time to cast his next spells.

"MULTIPLICUS SERPENSORTIA!" yelled Harry.

"Disarm only!" Harry hissed.

The cobras were slowly gaining on Dumbledore, whilst Harry and Hermione flung more stunning spells, which were blocked. Dumbledore, after dodging Harry and Hermione's final hexes, said calmly, "Vanquisho Serpents," and Harry's cobras disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Better. Do you have your book Curses, Hexes, and Charms?"

They nodded.

"Turn to page 12 and read about the different time charms. Write a roll of parchment about time travel, and bring it in for tomorrow's lesson. Tomorrow we take a trip in time for learning. You may take the rest of this lesson, and our afternoon lesson to do this."

That left Harry and Hermione with a free day until after dinner, when Moody's dueling class would take place.

Hermione immediately started on Dumbledore's assignment. Harry, having nothing else to do, had no choice but to join her.

The book Curses, Hexes and Charms was an informative, yet slightly dull book.

Wizards of Europe first developed the time travel charm. It would allow a wizard or witch's spirit to go to a specified time within a hundred years of present time. When Greyhound the fourth had discovered a way to gain a real body during the time switch, he created the Time-Turner, a magical device that would allow witches and wizards to travel a maximum of one day backwards in time. When a dark wizard got his hands on a time-turner, using it to murder eight witches and get away with it because of an alibi, time-turners were destroyed for the most part, only a few were kept by the Ministry of Magic for research purposes.

The charms to travel to the future have been lost through the mists of time, but one remaining spell allows a wizard to travel to the past. However, there is no way to return until the wizard's spirit has naturally lived out one month in the past. In the timeline where the wizard cast the spell, only one minute would pass. Currently, it is said that the spell is kept in the Department of Mysteries in London, England. No recorded use of the time travel charm has been found since 582BC.

Harry was amazed. "Hermione... we're going to learn this? Do you... do you think I could go visit my parents in the past...?"

"Harry, this charm sounds extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Look at the book. No one's used it for more than 2500 years."

"Dumbledore said we'd try it."

"I'm not sure we should though."

"Don't you want to know what things were like about two decades ago? It would help with History of Magic..."

Harry hit her soft spot, education. "Come to think of it Harry, it should be quite educational." Hermione smiled.

"Now, lets get cracking on the essays."

Harry and Hermione went down to dinner early, finding Ron looking quite angry at having Harry and Hermione not tell him that he'd be by himself for charms AND Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry knew him all too well now though, it was just a temporary thing, and Ron would be over it soon.

"Man, Turner is a slave-driver," said Ron as soon as Harry and Hermione sat down.

Mikail Turner was a Russian who had been employed by Dumbledore, and also the only DADA teacher that lasted more than one year since Quirrell. It was true however, that Professor Turner was unbelievably strict and demanding of his students. Harry knew it was because of Voldemort's rebirth and rise to power that compelled Turner to push his students.

However, Harry had no intention of getting Ron into a bad mood, so he said, "Tell me about it... anyway, are you looking forward to Moody's class?"

Ron nodded with his mouth full of potatoes.

Ginny and Colin sat down next to Harry, and immediately began shoving their mouths full of food.

Harry stopped eating totally. He looked at the way her hair was sleek and shiny, erupting in a spectrum of different reds, her silky skin, her deep, chocolate brown eyes, and her cute little freckles scattered about her cheeks.

"When you're finished staring at my sister, Harry..." said Ron, in a half hearted protective brother voice. Ron had tried to get Harry and Ginny together in his sixth year, Harry knew he didn't object at all to the idea of his sister dating his best friend - although it wouldn't happen of course.

"What? I was just daydreaming..."

"About my sister? My oh my what would Colin say to that?"

"What would I say to what?" asked Colin.

"Ron, no..." pleaded Harry, but it was of no use.

"Harry's been staring and daydreaming about your girlfriend... MY SISTER!" said Ron, sticking his tongue out at Harry as he did so.

Ginny and Colin both went red, although in different ways.

Colin was furious. "HARRY! I THOUGHT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!"

Harry calmly said, "About what, Ron making things up? No I don't think so."

"I thought you agreed on me dating Ginny, and you insisted that you were just friends..."

"We are."

"Mmm..." muttered Colin, and ignored Harry for the rest of the time. Colin could tell that Harry was lying by the tone of his voice and the nervous shifting. Everyone could tell.

Ginny struck up a conversation with Harry about Quidditch tryouts and what they thought would be in Moody's class.

Harry was only half listening. Apart from being furious with Colin, Harry had finally noticed that Ginny was indeed beautiful. That only spurred Harry's anger at Colin. Why should COLIN get Ginny? Its not like Colin is smart or good-looking...

All and all, when the 4 Gryffindors stood up to go to Moody's class, Harry was not happy at all when Colin jumped up, slid his stinking arm around Ginny, and came with them. Apart from the five Gryffindors, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Ernie Macmillan represented Hufflepuff, Luna Lovegood and Terry Boot represented Ravenclaw, and Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle represented Slytherin. It became obvious to Harry that without Malfoy to follow, the two lumbering hulks chose the next smartest thing in their vicinity, the nasty blonde girl, Blaise.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Mad-eye Moody walked into the room. Immediately he started the lesson. "You fourteen students are the top of your houses, recommended by your Heads of House. Welcome to Dueling classes, your reward."

"Let's have some volunteers for team dueling. Get into teams of two."

Harry immediately grabbed Hermione. Ron looked put out as he reached for Ginny, but Colin had already grabbed her. Ron was stuck without a partner, until he remembered Luna.

"OI LUNA!" Ron yelled, and immediately grabbed her. Poor Terry Boot was forced to partner with Blaise Zabini.

By now, everyone had paired up.

"Okay, lets have a nice friendly battle first. Potter and Granger. Ok Weasley and Creevey, lets see what you can make of the Head Boy and Girl."

Harry and Hermione walked up to one side of the stage and Ginny and Colin went up to the other.

Colin whispered to Harry on the way up, "I'm going to get you, Harry, you'll wish you never laid eyes on my girl..."

There goes the boy who hero-worshipped me once... thought Harry.

"On the count of three..."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

"STUPEFY! EXPELLIARMUS!" yelled Ginny and Colin.

"INTELTRANSVERTO!" roared Harry and Hermione, then sidestepping Ginny and Colin's curses.

Hermione, get Ginny, I'll take Colin.

Harry heard no response, which he took to be an affirmative.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" shouted Ginny and Colin as one.

"PROTEGO!" shrieked Hermione. Jets of light from Ginny and Colin were rebounded back.

"MULTIPLICUS SERPENSORTIA!" roared Harry.

"Bind the boy!" hissed Harry to the snakes.

Ginny and Colin hesitated, then tried to stun the snakes. Harry and Hermione took advantage of this, and they sent two disarming charms, Hermione's hitting Ginny, making her wand fly away, and her fly backwards.

Harry yelled a cushioning charm, which broke Ginny's fall, but in return he got blasted off his feet with a cry of, "FLIPENDO!" from Colin.

HERMIONE! ATTACK AT THE SAME TIME AS THE SNAKE, HE CAN'T DODGE EVERYTHING!

Harry watched Hermione and two of the snakes duel against Colin. Hermione sent off a barrage of stunning spells, and one silencing spell which hit Colin. Without his voice, all Hermione had to do was keep hurling hexes until Colin fell. Harry gathered his strength up to help. "REDUCTO!" he yelled, burning a perfect round hole through Colin's hand.

Colin shrieked in pain - or would have if he didn't have a silencing charm on him, as he fell clutching his wand hand.

Harry and Hermione stood up and said calmly, "Finite Incantatem." Slowly, the other students applauded.

Mad-eye Moody stood. "Weasley, take Creevey to the hospital wing to get that hole in his hand filled."

Ginny walked Colin out, but not before Colin gave Harry a death glare that plainly said, "This isn't over."

Moody had now had the second set of people duel. Harry laughed inwardly as Ron started tap dancing, whilst Terry Boot grew boils all over him. Ron had stunned Zabini a few seconds into the duel, and Luna eventually nailed Boot with a stunner, a few minutes later.

Eventually, Moody put up a table, announcing that the scores from each duel would be kept.

Name Wins

1. J. Finch-Fletchley 1

2. H. Granger 1

3. L. Lovegood 1

4. E. Macmillan 1

5. H. Potter 1

6. R. Weasley 1

7. T. Boot 0

8. V. Crabbe 0

9. C. Creevey 0

10. G. Goyle 0

11. V. Weasley 0

12. B. Zabini 0

Moody set no homework, besides to look into curses and hexes if they wanted to avoid losing in the duels. Next lesson was to be an introduction in sword fighting, and they would rotate between wand and sword dueling throughout the year.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron met up with Ginny outside the hospital wing, as Harry and Hermione promised to show them the Head Boy and Girl living quarters.

As the four friends climbed into the portrait hole (Beauty Rest!), Ron and Ginny let out very audible gasps of shock.

"And this is just for you two?" Ron said in indignation.

"Well we might be able to persuade Dumbledore to allow you two to share the dorms with us..." said Hermione.

"Yes!" yelled Ron and Ginny.

"Just you two though. No one else," Harry said, looking at Ginny.

Ginny looked puzzled, then remembered about Colin. She nodded, but gave Harry a somewhat skeptical look.

"But then again there's only one bed in each dorm... we could always conjure up one though..." Hermione said, always looking at the practicality of things.

"I'm going to see Professor Dumbledore about this and you know what, Hermione. I'll meet you guys later," Harry said, and left.

Harry walked along the corridors. He was lucky he was Head Boy now; Filch or Snape could no longer question his presence in the corridors.

Harry approached the gargoyle, only to remember he still didn't know the password.

"Err... Sugar Quill, Chocolate Frog, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Fizzing Whizzbee, Chocoballs..."

Harry had already listed all the wizard sweets he knew, and went on to muggle sweets, until he said, "Licorice stick." Finally, the gargoyles moved aside.

Harry made a mental note to ask Dumbledore for the password every time it changes.

Harry knocked on the door, and heard Dumbledore say, "Come in, Harry."

"Hello Professor. I have two questions to ask, if you have the time?"

"Do ask them."

"Okay, Hermione and I were wondering if we might be able to share our living quarters with Ron and Ginny?"

"Hmm... that really is your own choice - the dormitory you are in is your property until your position as Head Boy is finished. Why not?"

Harry smiled. "Professor, you said we'd be taking a trip in time? Were you referring to using the time travel charm?"

"Whatever makes you think that I know the charm? If you read the book, I'm sure you know that it hasn't been cast for more than 2500 years..." Dumbledore said, but with a twinkle in his eye.

"It'd seem to be natural that you'd know how sir, the book also says a select few wizards know how to do the charm nowadays, and I bet my entire vault's worth of money that one of them is you."

"Yes, indeed Harry. We will go back in time, to any time you want. I'm assuming that you will choose to meet your parents?"

"Yes sir."

"Well now you have your chance. Before I forget, tell Ms. Granger that the house elves will bring you something early in the morning. I want you two to come down at seven o'clock sharp - this spell will take a while to learn. Also, bring enough supplies to last a month. We'll be going that long. As for Ronald and Virginia, they do best to return to their dorms for tonight. Oh and one last thing, Harry. You will take lessons during the time-travel with your parents, as they had more tricks up their sleeves than you could imagine."

"Yes sir. Good night," Harry said, and walked out of Dumbledore's office.

When Harry had returned to the dorms, he found Ron and Ginny playing exploding snap, and Hermione with her nose buried in a book.

"Good news you two. You guys are free to stay with us any time you like - if that's okay with the Head Girl of course." Harry smirked at Hermione.

"YES!" Ron and Ginny exclaimed.

"But you guys have to go back now. I have some things I need to discuss with Hermione, and then we have to get to bed early."

Ron groaned, but Ginny just gave Harry a good night hug and left. Ron soon followed.

When the room was empty again besides for Harry and Hermione, he flopped down on the sofa next to her and said, "Hermione, tomorrow we go on a one month excursion. We'll be spending most of the day perfecting the spell, and then we'll go back in time. Now, Dumbledore said that we have to bring supplies to last us a month, disregarding food."

"ONE MONTH?" exclaimed Hermione.

"Well actually, it'll only be about one minute, but we'll live one month back in time. You don't have to come if you don't want to of course, but as you know, it IS educational." Harry grinned. "Plus this will be counted as extra work in our charms N.E.W.T.s. That's not why I'm going though... I want to meet my parents... Seventeen years Hermione... seventeen years I've never known them..." Harry's voice broke.

Hermione leaned over and pulled her friend into a hug.

After a while, Harry had gathered himself, and whispered, "Thanks Hermione..."

Hermione said, "No problem Harry, that's what friends are for. I'm glad you don't mind that its me comforting you rather than Ginny..." Hermione winked.

"Ginny?"

"Harry, I know. We all do. Well we all do besides Ginny, but that goes without saying, right? She wouldn't be with Colin if she knew. Your problem is Colin's found out..."

"Found out about what, Hermione? I told you, there isn't anything with me and Ginny."

"Harry, look me in the eye and tell me you have no romantic feelings for Ginny Weasley."

Harry lifted his head, and stared into Hermione's eyes. "I have no... oh my god... GINNY?"

"I rest my case Harry. You could floo to Gryffindor Tower and have a talk with her now if she isn't asleep."

"Thanks Hermione. Don't wait up for me. I might be awhile."

Harry grabbed a fistful of floo powder, put it in his pocket, grabbed another fistful and threw it into the lively crackling flames, yelled Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts, and stepped in. Tumbling out of the fireplace, he saw Colin and Ginny sitting on a couch, locked in a tight embrace. He just heard Ginny say, "It's just Harry... don't bother with him..." before the couple noticed him.

Harry felt torn between anger and hurt. There was his best friend, and his recently discovered crush telling her boyfriend that he wasn't to be bothered with. He felt betrayed.

"I'm not to be bothered with, huh Ginny?" Harry straightened up, glaring the redhead in the eye.

For the two sixth years, looking at Harry was a terror. There stood the Boy-who-Lived, towering above them, his emerald green eyes burning with rage and his black robes engulfing him in a cloak of shadows.

Ginny stood. She knew that lying would not do any good, Harry could see straight through almost anyone. "Harry. I was just trying to make Colin feel better... to tell you the truth he's dead jealous of you... I just told him that there's no reason to be... that I have no feelings for you and you have no feelings for me... and that there isn't any us, nor is there a chance for it to ever happen..."

The rage in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an expression of pain. "Isn't there, Ginny?" he whispered.

"I found out tonight that I love you Ginny Weasley. Obviously I shouldn't have told anyone. Colin was right. I do love you, more than he ever could. I realize that it is too late for me, and I missed my chance at happiness because I simply wasn't smart enough two years ago to realize the feelings I had."

Harry lowered his voice even further. "I'm sorry Ginny, for ruining your moment. Goodbye Ginny."

"Harry..." Ginny started, tears welling up in her eyes.

There was no response. Harry threw the floo powder that he kept in his pockets into the flames, yelled Head Boy dormitories, and disappeared.

Ginny knew would see Harry tomorrow, but little did she know that Harry wouldn't see her for a solid month.

Falling out of the fireplace, and collapsing on the sofa, Harry, for the first time in his whole life felt his heart break due to a girl. Harry was not about to cry though - he had braved the Cruciatus curse without shedding any tears, he certainly wasn't going to shed any tears because of his own stupidity.

Harry suffered the night on the couch, falling asleep due to sheer exhaustion. Harry did not notice a redheaded girl with deep brown eyes unfold out of the fireplace, grabbing him a blanket and laying it on him, departing with a goodnight kiss on the cheek, and a whispered, "Sweet dreams, Harry. We'll talk tomorrow."