Blitz

Chapter 6

A/N: All of the thanks in the world to infallible angel and her excellent alpha/beta skills.

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blitz - an intense campaign

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February 1941

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hogsmeade, Scotland

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Hermione was having trouble not using sources she found in the Restricted Section in her essays for class. She spent so much time on her extracurricular research that she had to carefully comb each essay she wrote for anything that she shouldn't know. It was tiresome, but she felt like Alice gone down the rabbit hole and couldn't seem to stop herself from spending every spare moment in the library.

She'd found lost spells, hexes, jinxes and curses, but her favorites were lost potions. Many were clearly forerunners to modern potions, but others had become lost due to ingredient rarity. Those, in particular, Hermione was interested in. Perhaps she could attempt to brew them if she found the right ingredient or set of ingredients to substitute for the ingredients that could no longer be found.

"Which one?" Tom's nose scrunched as he read through the book on beauty potions from the mid-fifteenth century.

"This one," Hermione pointed to. The potion made perfect curls, but it required the essence of ghoul forcibly taken, which was not only disgusting and particularly hard to come by, but also illegal. Ghouls were classified as Beasts per the seminal work of Newt Scamander, which meant forcibly taking anything from them was quite illegal. Which was actually why this potion suited her purposes, Hermione had no plans to use anything from either being, beast, or creature that wasn't freely given.

"Your hair is fine," Tom said blandly.

Hermione laughed. "According to Professor Delente it's positively dreadful. But that's not the point."

Tom raised his left eyebrow at her. Hermione frowned and wondered when he had learned to do that.

"The point is to ask Professor Slughorn about it, and perhaps get a pass to the Restricted Section," Hermione said triumphantly.

"You brilliant, wild-haired witch." Tom grinned at her.

"Don't tell me you were actually nervous I was turning into one of those twits in my dorm, were you?" Hermione asked. Tom shook his head, but she wasn't quite sure she believed him.

"The bonus is that if I do get the pass and I can make the potion, Slughorn will undoubtedly give me extra credit for it," Hermione said. "Putting me over you in that class."

Tom rolled his eyes. "I won't even fight if that happens. The pass to the Restricted Section will be worth losing to you in one class."

"Please, don't forget that I topped you in three classes last year."

"I topped you in three, which makes us even," Tom reminded her.

"Maybe," Hermione replied. "You probably will have me beat this year," she replied, turning sullen. "Delente hates me and probably wouldn't give me full-marks on anything even if it was perfect. She'd mark me down just for being Muggleborn."

"What a hag."

"On that, we can agree," Hermione said.

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