ALULA (VOL. 4)
Family is rooted deep within the cracks of time.
Alula Nova Black has to decide. The ones she loves; the ones she hates. The wizarding world has started to crumble as past resurfaces in aid against the darkness. Who's keeping secrets...
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try-outs
{1996}
The Great Hall
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
As Hermione had predicted, the sixth years' free periods were not the hours of blissful relaxation Ron had anticipated. This was due to the vast amount of homework they were being set. Not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. Alula barely understood half of what Professor McGonagall said to them these days; even Hermione had had to ask her to repeat instructions once or twice. Incredibly, and to Hermione and Alula's increasing resentment, Harry's best subject had suddenly become Potions, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince.
Nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in Defense Against the Dark Arts but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Alula frequently looked over at her 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 she knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud. It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.
One result of their enormous workload and the frantic hours of practising nonverbal spells was that Harry, Ron, Alula, and Hermione 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 they had passed him in the corridors or out in the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice them or hear their greetings.
"We've got to go and explain," said Hermione, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturday at breakfast.
"When though?" Alula muttered.
"We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron. "And we're supposed to be practising that Aguamenti Charm from Flitwick! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?"
"We didn't hate it!" said Hermione.
"Not entirely, anyway." Alula corrected.
"Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts," said Ron darkly. "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."
"I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.
"Yeah." Alula agreed. "It's weird. Weirder than the things he shows us."
"We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. "But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied." He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the team's this popular all of a sudden."
