Bookworm

24

For once, Mira was glad that her friendship with the trio wasn't intricate. She had been dying to get closer to them like she was with the twins, but losing them now would break her apart. The twins had been avoiding her all day much to Lee's confusion, but they refused to explain anything to the boy. The trio, however, had approached her curiously at breakfast.
"How'd it go?" Harry asked as he fiddled with something in his fingers. Mira felt a burning against her leg and knew that he had arranged another meeting. She lowered her spoon of soup and shrugged her shoulders slightly, turning the page in her book and glancing up at them.
"I think they like me," She joked. Only Ron chuckled. Harry was looking down at her book as Hermione looked around the hall before lowering her head.
"Are you coming to Hagrid's lesson today?" The girl asked curiously. "Hagrid reckons he's got something really good, and he would be overjoyed to meet you." Mira was silent for a long few moments. She knew that it was the lesson that Umbridge showed up to bully Hagrid, and she had to keep her cover and not blow up at the woman. But at the same time, she didn't want to let Hagrid down. She swirled her drink around in her goblet and avoided the eyes of the trio.
"I-uh, I cant make it. But I'll be down to his cabin later."
"Oh Mira, you have to come!" Hermione protested strongly. "I'm not letting you miss out on your first lesson with him; he's only just come back!" Mira could find no valid excuse not to go and sighed. She had completed all of the set homework the night that she was given it, and she didn't exactly have another lesson to go to. She frowned and meekly nodded her head, quietly standing up and following them from the hall. It took them a while to battle their way through the snow, Hermione had taken out her wand and was heating a path through for them but it was covered once more as soon as they got through it. Mira scrunched her eyes up as she leaned against the wind and regretted her decision to leave her jumper in her dorm as just her robes billowed around her feebly and uselessly.
"We're workin in here today! Bit more sheltered!" Sighs of relief filled the air, the only thing to be heard in the howling wind. "Anyway, they prefer the dark."
"What prefers the dark?" Mira heard Draco's sharp voice behind her and glanced over her shoulder. They met eyes and she tried to smile comfortingly before turning back into the forest. Harry's green eyes were narrowed at her, but he turned away and marched further into the trees. "What did he say prefers the dark-did you hear?" Mira didn't want to ruin Hagrid's surprise and tried to catch up with the trio as they went to the front of the class, instead coming to stand beside Neville. He grinned at her, his face red with the cold as Hagrid began talking cheerily.
"Ready?" His excitement was almost child-like as he looked around at everyone and Mira felt some of her heart melt as she looked at him. He was even more wholesome than described, and his warm smile shone from his beard. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip to the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train them." Mira moved forward to follow him in excitement whilst the rest of the class hung back hesitantly, Draco being verbally suspicious. Hagrid turned and strode into the forest angrily, the class trudging behind at a distance. The trio caught up with Mira easily and they walked in silence for about ten minutes into the trees. Mira hung back by a tree and watched silently as Hagrid began screeching for the thestral and watched Harry's face break in relief when one appeared. Mira was startled that she could also see them, but was reminded of the incident that had gotten her parents. Adoptive parents? She wasn't sure anymore. But she had certainly watched the Death Eaters die by her own hand, and she felt guilt eating her alive as Hagrid asked who could see them. She shakily raised her own hand up, his eyes paused on her for a long moment.
"Excuse me," Draco sneered from beside her. "But what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" Hagrid merely pointed at the thestral as it began ripping apart its food. Mira supposed it would be really strange to see it disappearing into nothing.
"What's doing it?" Pavarti Patil squealed, a horrified look on her face. "What's eating it?"
"Thestrals." Hagrid smiled proudly, clearly not understanding Pavarti's instant horror as she began to protest. Hagrid seemingly found her fear amusing and chuckled, assuring her that they were okay to be around. "Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh. Righ, now, who can tell me why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some cant?" Mira raised her hand before Hermione, her eyes trained on the teacher as his own scanned over his students. They paused on Mira curiously and he nodded at her. Hermione dropped her own arm with a huff.
"You can only see Thestrals if you've seen death." Her voice was quieter than she expected it to be and she saw Draco cast her an intrigued look before turning away.
"Tha's exactly right!" Hagrid clapped his hands. "Ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, thestrals-" Mira didn't bother to tell him that she wasn't technically in a house and watched as Harry fist-pumped slightly and grinned over at her. She sighed and forced herself to look away. Gryffindor would need the points anyway.
"Hem hem." Umbridge moved to stand beside Mira and Draco and smiled sweetly at them. Mira just rubbed her arm slightly and focused her eyes on the thestrals, clenching her jaw slightly.
"Oh, hello!" Hagrid greeted her warmly. Clearly, he hadn't been warned about the woman.
"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning? Telling you that I would be in your lesson?" She spoke slowly and clearly. Draco snickered and Mira took a few tiny steps away from them, only to be stopped by the woman.
"Don't be shy dear, they wont do anything while I'm here." She sent a nasty look in Harry's direction as Mira stared at her in disbelief. Why would she make out that Harry was bullying her? She shared an incredulous look with the boy and shrugged her shoulders, completely unaware as to what was happening there.
"Oh, yeah. Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see-or, I dunno-can you? We're doin' thestrals today-"
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" She made a show of cupping a hand around her ear and frowning as though what he was saying was impossible to decipher.
"He said we're doing thestrals today," Mira spoke up with a shrug. "Yorkshire accents can be pretty strong." Her own came through as she looked to the teacher and blinked innocently. She was thankful that she had saved Hagrid from making a fool out of himself, but shrunk back in on herself slightly as the woman frowned at her in disapproval.
"I'm afraid that he just isn't speaking in an intelligible manner." She frowned and scribbled something on her clipboard, muttering out loud what she was writing in order to make Draco and his goons laugh more. Mira glanced back at the shocked half giant and cleared her throat slightly.
"No, no Professor! I-I think you've got nargles." The woman stopped writing and slowly raised her eyes to her.
"What?" Her voice was low and had threatening undertones but Mira merely gulped and nodded, gesturing vaguely to her head.
"Yeah...nargles. Your head's full of them. We should probably get you to Madame Pomfrey before you fall ill and are unable to carry out any more checks." Umbridge drew herself up slightly, her face red.
"I fear that Hogwarts is failing to educate you properly. I was afraid of the falling standards-"
"It wasn't Hogwarts!" Mira shook her head and awkwardly folded her arms across her chest, well aware of the attention focused on her. She forced a look of worry and anxiousness on her face and moved closer to the woman. "I-uh, I came across them in summer. Please, Professor! We really should get you to the infirmary, just so Madame Pomfrey can check everything is working."
"Fine." The woman huffed, clearly falling for Mira's act. "If it'll make you feel better...and prove that these narlies don't exist."
"I promise that if you are fine, I'll throw the book out." Mira crossed her fingers over her chest and pouted slightly. The woman cast one last nasty glance over the class and teacher before stalking away, Mira tagging along slightly behind her. They walked to the infirmary in a suffocating silence besides the pants of breath Umbridge let out when they were climbing the hill and steps. She tried not to laugh at her and continued at a fast-ish pace. When they finally arrived, the room was empty and Mira signalled the matron over.
"What seems to be the problem?" Madame Pomfrey had a foul look on her face as she observed the pair before her. Umbridge sighed and lowered her clipboard.
"My student here-"
"I was worried about Professor Umbridge!" Mira lied hastily. "I think she has nargles...and I wouldn't want her coming down with a severe case of snuffles when we need her to teach us!" A blank look fell across her face.
"I think you mean sniffles," she finally responded, but her heavy eye contact and wide eyes showed Mira that she understood the reference. She turned to the teacher and sighed.
"I'll just give you a standard check up, give her peace of mind." Mira was never more thankful for the twins as she reached a hand in her pocket and approached the matron as she began preparing potions.
"She'll be okay, wont she?" She asked in a raised voice. Pomfrey stared at her for a few long moments.
"She'll be fine, but I'll need you to leave." Mira nodded and left the room with a sly smile, an undeniable spring in her step as she reached the door and practically ran out of it.