𝙮𝙤𝙪 || 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞: 𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞

You don't want to admit it, but Defense Against the Dark Arts was slowly becoming your favorite class of all time.

Professor Lupin was unlike any teacher you've had. He's nice, approachable, and with every lesson ended, it makes you wonder what topic he'll discuss in the next meeting. Only Malfoy and the rest of his gang had anything to complain about, but their insults never bothered Professor Lupin, so no one else cared to listen either.

The class you looked forward to all year, Care of Magical Creatures, has become rather...you didn't want to say dull—it feels like you're insulting Hagrid—but feeding Flobberworms for a term tends to take its toll. You knew before Hagrid introduced them that they hardly do anything. They were generally boring creatures that didn't require extreme care. And you're fairly certain at the rate your classmates were shoving lettuce down their orifices will result in the Flobberworms dying by the end of the year.

After the previous Divination class, you grow to dread attending it with every passing day. Professor Trelawney, for some reason, was beloved by most of your classmates. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown practically worship her and wholeheartedly believe every prediction she makes. Aside from Harry (who Professor Trelawney stares at with watery eyes as if he's about to keel over and die any second), you became quite infamous yourself. All thanks to her rubbish predictions (more like assumptions) about your romantic endeavors.

"No, Professor, I didn't fall in love with someone who betrayed me that I've sworn off romance completely," you said in a flat tone when she said as much. She ignored you, of course, and you can sometimes hear Patil and Brown seriously debating which student in Hogwarts will 'cure' your broken heart.

Now you were considering staying single your whole life just to spite them.

But aside from those particular classes, your schedule for the rest of the term went by smoothly that you hardly notice October creeping in. The month brought about chillier weather, with heavy rains accompanying the winds that drift through the open windows in the castle. Percy almost sent you to detention once for tracking muddy footprints on your way to Potions.

The wet season doesn't stop the Gryffindor Quidditch team from training, as usual. While the rest of the Quidditch teams were practicing just as hard for the upcoming matches, the Gryffindors were the most motivated when it comes to it. You would have liked to watch them, and keep track of Hufflepuff's progress too, but you didn't like getting wet. Fiona and Delilah on the other hand were more willing to brave the outdoors to spectate.

"The rain's colder here than in America," Delilah mentioned once after she and Fiona came stumbling in your shared room, completely soaked from head to toe. "But I'm not complaining. You should have seen Diggory and his hair in that weather."

You did not take the obvious bait. Even if they invited you to watch, Susan would always pull you away to help her study or watch the plants in the greenhouses. She was acting strange lately, always dragging you with her. That one time where Delilah asked if you wanted to go with her and Fiona to the post office while on your Hogsmeade visit, she suddenly pipes in to invite you to this establishment called the Three Broomsticks.

"I can't go to either of those," you tell them. "I promised Dean I'd go to Honeydukes first, and 'Mione wants me to take a look at historical sites with her in the afternoon."

Delilah and Fiona reassured you that you can catch up to them anytime if you wanted. Susan then flashed you a discreet smile that holds a secret you think she expects you to know. Which you don't, so you just brush it off.

△⃒⃘ ⌁☍ ❾¾

"Hey, Harry!"