Future Nostalgia / Harry Potter Fanfic

First Day of N.E.W.T Classes...Half-Blooded Prince

Harry and Ron met Estella and Hermione in the common room before breakfast the next morning. Harry wasted no time in telling them what he had overheard Malfoy saying on the Hogwarts Express.

"He could've been showing off to Parkinson. He does that a lot," said Estella.

"Well," said Hermione uncertainly. "I don't know...it would be like Malfoy to make himself more important than he is...but that's a big lie to tell..."

"Exactly," said Harry, but he didn't add on. There we people all around them, whispering and staring at the four.

"It's rude to point," Ron snapped at a particular minuscule first-year boy as they joined the queue to climb out of the portrait hole. The boy, who had been muttering something about Harry behind his hand to his friend, promptly turned scarlet and toppled out of the hole in alarm. Ron sniggered.

"I love being a sixth year. And we're going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods when we can just sit up here and relax."

Estella raised an eyebrow.

"Ron, I don't mean to burst your bubble but you know the classes get much harder this year, right?" said Estella, as they set off down the corridor.

"Yeah, but not today," said Ron. "Today's going to be a real doss, I reckon."

"Hold it!" said Hermione, throwing out an arm and halting a passing fourth year, who was attempting to push past her with a lime-green disk clutched tightly in his hand. "Fanged Frisbees are banned, hand it over," she told him sternly. The scowling boy handed over the snarling Frisbee, ducked under her arm, and took off after his friends. Ron waited for him to vanish, then tugged the Frisbee from Hermione's grip.

"Excellent, I've always wanted one of these."

Estella laughed but Hermione didn't. Hermione's remonstration was drowned by a loud giggle; Lavender Brown had apparently found Ron's remark highly amusing. She continued to laugh as she passed them, glancing back at Ron over her shoulder. Ron looked rather pleased with himself.

The ceiling of the Great Hall was serenely blue and streaked with frail, wispy clouds, just like the squares of sky visible through the high mullioned windows. While they tucked into their porridge, eggs, and bacon, Harry and Ron told the two girls about their embarrassing conservation with Hagrid the previous evening.

"But he can't really think we'd continue Care of Magical Creatures!" said Hermione, looking as distressed as Estella felt. "I mean, when has any of us expressed...you know...any enthusiasm?"

"That's it, though, innit?" said Ron, swallowing an entire fried egg whole. "We were the ones who made the most effort in classes because we like Hagrid. But he thinks we liked the stupid subject. D'you reckon anyone's going on to N.E.W.T.?"

None of them answered; there was no need. They knew perfectly well that nobody in their year would want to continue Care of Magical Creatures. Estella loved Hagrid but the subject wasn't required for either of the careers she wanted to do and it didn't make sense to add to an already heavy schedule. They avoided Hagrid's eye and returned his cheery wave only halfheartedly when he left the staff table ten minutes later.

After they had eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting Professor McGonagall's descent from the staff table. The distribution of class schedules was more complicated than usual, for Professor McGonagall needed first to confirm that everybody achieved the necessary O.W.L. grades to continue with their chosen N.E.W.T.s.

Estella and Hermione were immediately cleared to continue with Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions, and shot off to first-period Ancient Runes class without further ado.