Golden | h.p

36| Planning

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were heading back to the castle when Hermione almost tripped over Diana, who was previously reading on the ground outside the castle's entrance. 

"Sorry, Mione" Diana said. "What a load of rubbish" Hermione muttered. "I'm sorry?" Diana said. "No, not you. I mean Harry ordering Dungbombs, I mean, really?" Hermione said. Diana stood up and just now noticed Harry and Ron covered in mud while Ron looked furious.

"What happened to you two?" Diana asked the Gryffindor Quidditch players. "They're failures, that's what" Malfoy said as he appeared close by. "Nice job on the field, Weasley. You'll be our best player on the pitch" Malfoy sneered.

"Oh, fuck off Malfoy" Diana said and shoved him as he tried getting closer to her. He rolled his eyes and walked off as some other Slytherins laughed at Ron. Hermione flicked them off, causing one of them to shout, "shove off you filthy little mudblood!".

"Rot in hell!" Ron shouted at the group. The trio didn't seem to notice Diana cast a spell until the group of Slytherins shrieked and ran towards the nearest mirror or anything with a reflective surface. "What did you do?" Hermione asked. 

"Little spell my friend Lizzie taught me. It'll make them feel and look as though their faces are all deformed but in reality they look like their normal selves" Diana told Hermione. "So not much of a stretch from what they usually look like?" Harry joked.

Ron was silent and only let out a fake subtle laugh. "Don't listen to those idiots, Ron" Diana told him. "You weren't there, Diana. You didn't see how terrible I was. I'm completely useless" Ron sighed.

"Nonsense. It was your first practice. Don't worry about it" Harry reassured him although Ron looked unusually pale. "I'm gonna make a fool out of myself" Ron muttered. Harry was about to respond when he flinched a bit and touched his scar.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked. "Yeah... it's just the pain is getting stronger" Harry told her. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances while Diana tried to not worry, although it wasn't working.

~~~

Later that night, Diana had been studying for her Potions O.W.L, Harry and Ron had be going over Quidditch things, and Hermione read over the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook for the fourth time.

Hermione exhaled sharply and shut her book with a loud snap causing her three close friends stare up at her. "Everything all right? You seem a little-" Diana began but was cut off by Hermione "focused? motivated? on point?".

"Sure" Diana said while the boys simply shook their heads. "Wrong!" Hermione groaned. "Okay... then tell us what's right?" Harry suggested. 

"How on earth are we supposed to pass our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L if we haven't gotten any practice? It's like this woman wants us to fail. She hasn't taught us anything" Hermione said as she plopped herself in between Harry and Diana on the couch.

"We've got to do something" Hermione told them as she then quickly stood back up. "What do you suggest?" Diana asked. "Poison" Ron said bluntly, earning a pillow to the face from Diana, although she did nod subtly.

"No, no, no. Not her. Her teaching. That's the issue" Hermione said. "She's the entire issue" Harry mumbled, no one disagreed to that statement. 

"I have an idea. I've actually been meaning to pass it by you" Diana told Hermione. "And what are we? Next door neighbors?" Ron crossed his arms as Harry shook his head. 

"What's your idea? Because I've got one as well" Hermione said disregarding the boys. "What if we do it ourselves" Diana told Hermione who clapped eagerly, "That's exactly what I was thinking".

"What is going on? What are we doing by ourselves?" Ron asked. "Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd teach ourselves" Hermione said slowly as if she were trying to teacher a group of muggle third graders.

"I don't know..." Harry said slowly. "It'd be the best way to learn. We have to learn to defense ourselevs and if Umbitch won't teach us then we'll be the teachers" Diana told him. 

Before Harry got a chance to say anything there was a tapping noise from the window. "Who's owl is that?" Diana asked as she saw the owl at the window waiting to drop off its mail. "Hermes?" Ron said in an almost disbelief and she got up to open the window.

"You named your owl Hermes?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with that?" Ron asked as he received his letter. "It's just vey close to the name Hermione" Diana mumbled with a slight laugh, only Harry heard her which made him laugh.

"Who wrote to you?" Hermione asked. "Percy" Ron said and began reading the letter. 

Dear Ron,
Congrats on becoming a prefect. For a moment there I thought you'd take the Fred and George route instead of following in my footsteps. You can imagine my relief that this is not the case. Given your attachment to me as your role model, I will give you some advice-

Diana tuned out not bothering to pretend to listen to Percy's letter. Hermione had told her about everything that happened with Percy and the Ministry so that made Diana dislike Percy. Diana only got snapped back to reality when she heard a voice shout "hey! watch it!".

"Sirius?" Harry asked as he got closer to the fire. Diana raised an eyebrow at seeing Harry's god father communicating through fire. "And here I thought communicating through hologram was strange" she mumbled, Hermione tried not to laugh as she dragged her closer to the fire as well.

"What was that?" Sirius asked. "A letter from Percy. All his usual rubbish" Ron said with an eye roll. "He did mention Dumbledore might no longer be in charge" Hermione pointed out. "That's no surprise. Fudge wants Dumbledore out" Sirius said.

"Why?" Harry asked. "He probably thinks Dumbledore's trying to turn his students against the Ministry" Diana mumbled. "That is exactly right" Sirius told Diana. Hermione let out a quiet sigh and said, "that would explain why Umbridge won't teach us anything".

"Exactly. The ministry doesn't want trained combat" Sirius said. "What do they think a classroom of teenagers going to do against the Ministry? Raise an army" Diana said, "That's exactly what he's worried about, yes. But you wouldn't really need it, would you?" Sirius asked.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads and signaled 'no' but Sirius ignored them. "From what these three have told me you have some magic of your own. Ron and Hermione told me about some spells you did previously and Harry's-" Sirius said but got cut off.

"What do you know about Umbridge?" Harry asked rather harshly. "Could she be a death eater?" Ron asked. "The Order doubts it. She may be a piece of work but she's no death eater" Sirius told them.

~~~

"Good morning!" Ron said a little louder than he should have, Diana punched him in the face out of instinct. "Bloody hell, Diana!" Ron groaned as his nose was now bleeding. "Don't startle me in the morning. I am not a morning person" Diana told him. "Seems like you're not an anything person" Ron muttered. 

With a flick of the wrist and easy spell, Ron was no longer bleeding. "Thanks" Ron mumbled. "Where are Harry and Hermione?" Diana asked. "Hermione's most likely already in the Great Hall and Harry was still getting ready when I left" Ron shrugged. 

"When are you and Harry gonna date?" Ron asked. "What?" Diana asked, "what?" Ron asked as he looked around. "You just said-" Diana was cut off by Ron "oh, look there's Hermione". He rushed up to the bushy haired girl leaving Diana behind.

"What the hell" Diana laughed as she walked over to her friends.