Rosabella Black |Daughter of Sirius Black| (Book 6)

Hermione's Helping Hand

Rosabella's Point of View:
For or the rest of the week's Potions lessons Harry continued to follow the Half-Blood Prince's instructions. Wherever they deviated from Libatius Borage's,a with the result that by their fourth lesson Slughorn was raving about Harry's abilities, saying that he had rarely taught anyone so talented. Neither Ron nor Hermione was delighted by this. Although Harry had offered to share his book with all of us, Ron had more difficulty deciphering the handwriting than Harry did, and could not keep asking Harry to read aloud or it might look suspicious. Harry let me borrow the book during one of our free periods and I copied the notes from his book into mine.
Hermione, meanwhile, was resolutely plowing on with what she called the "official" instructions, but becoming increasingly bad - tempered as they yielded poorer results than the Prince's.
I was very interested in knowing who the Half-Blood Prince was. Harry only wondered vaguely who the Half-Blood Prince had been. Although the amount of homework we had been given prevented either of us from trying to find out who the Prince could be.
There was barely a page in the book which the Prince had not made additional notes, not all of them concerned with potion-making. Here and there were directions for what looked like spells that the Prince had made up himself.
   "Or herself." Hermione said irritably, overhearing Harry and I pointing some of these out to Ron in the common room on Saturday evening.
   "It might have been a girl. I think the handwriting looks more like a girl's than a boy's." Hermione said.
  "The Half-Blood Prince, he was called. How many girls have been princes?" Harry said.
Hermione seemed to have no answer to this. She merely scowled and twitched her essay on "The Principles of Rematerialization" away from Ron, who was trying to read it upside down.
    "Don't take the 'Prince' part to seriously. The Wizarding Wirld doesn't have royalty. I think it's possible 'Prince' might be a last name or something." I said, thoughtfully.
     "That probably the most likely answer." Harry said and looked at his watch and hurriedly put the old copy of Advanced Potion-Making back into his bag.
   "It's five to eight, I'd better go, I'll be late for Dumbledore." Harry said and then gave me me a quick kiss.
   "Ooooh!" Hermione gasped, looking up at once.
   "Good luck! We'll wait up, we want to hear what he teaches you!" Hermione said, eagerly.
    "Good luck, I'll help you this the essay when you get back." I said.
   "Hope it goes okay." Ron said, and we  watched Harry leave through the portrait hole.
   "You worried?" Hermione asked me.
   "No, it can't be any worse then his lessons with Snape. Snape just can't get through to Harry, mainly because of his teaching methods. But considering Harry actually respects and likes Dumbledore, I think it will go fine." I said, confidently.
Hermione and I then started continued with our Ancient Runes homework.
When Harry finally came back, he  told us everything. He had not been learning magic but learning about Voldemort's past. Harry was telling us about the Gaunt Family and how they were the last of Salazar Slytherins dependents. He told us all about the abuse that Merope, Voldemort's mother, suffered by the hands of her father and brother. It was awful just to hear about it, nevermind to see it. Harry also told us the little he knew of Voldemort's father, who sounded like an arrogant asshole, and how Merope had most likely used a love potion to Voldemort's father to fall in love with her, or well become obsessed with her and under the influence of a love potion they conceived Voldemort.

As Hermione and I had predicted, the sixth - years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vast amount of homework we were being set. Not only were we studying as though we had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. I was just about understanding what Professor McGonagall said and that's just because I've been reading ahead for years. Even Hermione had had to ask McGonagall to repeat instructions once or twice. I was only keeping up in Transfiguration because it was my favourite subject and the one I was best at because I love the challenge it represents, it really requires to me try. 
Incredibly, and to Hermione's increasing resentment, Harry's best subject had suddenly become Potions, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince.
Non-verbal spells were now expected, not only in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Hermione and I could just about do it and it was getting slightly easier each time. I frequently looked over at my classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on U - No - Poo, but I knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud.
It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses. We were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least we were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.
One result of our enormous workload and the frantic hours of practicing non - verbal spells was that Harry, Ron, Hermione and I had so far been unable to find time to go and visit Hagrid. He had stopped coming to meals at the staff table. An ominous sign. And on the few occasions when we had passed him in the corridors or out in the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice us or hear our greetings.
    "We've got to go and explain." Hermione said, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturday at breakfast.
I immediately nodded on agreement.
    "We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron.
    "And we're supposed to be practicing that Aguamenti Charm from Flitwick!" I groaned.
   "Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?" Ron said
   "We didn't hate it!" I said.
  "Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the Skrewts. And I'm telling you now, we've had a narrow escape. You didn't hear him going on about his gormless brother - we'd have been teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed." Ron said darkly.
      "I hate not talking to Hagrid." Hermione said, looking upset.
      "Me top." I said, miserably.
      "We'll go down after Quidditch." Harry assured us.
    "But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied. I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden." Harry said, a hint of nervousness in his stomach.
I looked at Harry, disbelievingly. 8 laughed softly and shook my head slightly at him.
    "What?" Harry asked, suspiciously.
    "Oh, come on, Harry. It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable." Hermione said, suddenly impatient.
Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.
     "She's not wrong. Everyone knows you've been telling the truth now, don't they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they're calling you 'the Chosen One' - well, come on, can't you see why people are fascinated by you?" I said simply to Harry. 
Harry started to turn red and I smiled, think it was adorable.
    "And you've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway. . ." Hermione said and was interrupted by Ron.
   "You can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Ministry, look," Ron said, shaking back his sleeves.
I raised an eyebrow at Ron and I observed him carefully for the rest of the conversation. I didn't stare at him but kept looking out the corner of my eye and paying close attention to what Ron said.
   "And it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer either." Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.
   "I'm tall." Ron said inconsequentially.
Does - dies he like Hermione back? I wasn't certain before now but know I'm almost certain he does.
The post owls arrived, swooping down through rain - flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most people were receiving more post than usual. Anxious parents were keen to hear from their children and to reassure them, in turn, that all was well at home. I got a letter from Lucas.
    Ro,
          I hope starting N.E.W.Ts hasn't been too hard an adjustment for any of you. You'll get used to workload in about a month and if you think it's bad now, just wait intill exams. Moony would write but he's still of on an his assignment. I can promise you he's fine, just doesn't have much access to parchment, quills and ink. Jay and Jake told me to send you their love, they've been busy with all the arrests of suspected Death Eaters. I swear the Ministry is arresting anyone these days. I hope your avoiding trouble, but I'm not that much of an optimist to believe that that's even a possibility. How's Michael coping being in his last year? He's always stressed about exams and you know how he gets. Keep an eye on him will you? Fiona an I have finally found a venue for the wedding and we've set a date, the 28th of December. Fiona told me to tell you that she wants you to be a bridesmaid along with Tonks and her two close friends from Hogwarts. Kayla and Riley? I don't know if you know them. Roseanna will be a flower girl. I can't wait to see both you and Mike at Christmas.
     Love,
     Luc