chapter - 69 : Challenges and Choices part - 2

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Later on as they were heading back to the common room for the evening, Hermione pulled Harry aside.

"Orion, are you sure about this?" she whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder to check none of the other first years were listening. "What if I fail all my classes? What if I turn out to be a terrible witch who can't cast a single spell and I'm sent home in disgrace? What if -"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. "Calm down. We both know you're a brilliant student and that you'll ace all your classes."

"You can't know that for sure. It's only our first day of school!"

Harry gave her a pointed look. "Hermione, I know."

"Oh, you're talking about that Seer thing," Hermione realised, calming down considerably. "Well, I'm not entirely sure I believe in divination, but if you're certain…"

"I am."

"I suppose that's all right then," Hermione said and then abruptly whacked Harry on the arm. "I can't believe you actually bet on me! And at such high stakes! Our studies are supposed to be taken seriously you know!"

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"You deserved it," Hermione told him sternly.

Harry stopped rubbing his arm in order to nudge her cajolingly. "Come on, admit it - you'd love to see Draco humble himself in front of the entire school."

"It would be quite satisfying," Hermione admitted, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

"There you go then! I just handed you the perfect opportunity to ensure it happens."

"Right." Hermione nodded, a look of determination settling over her face. "Tomorrow I'm heading straight to the Library! There are so many spells I'll need to learn and Professor Sprout mentioned several Herbology texts that could be useful and…"

And she was off, talking at break-neck speed and gesticulating wildly. Listening to her, Harry was filled with a growing sense of foreboding. If Hermione had been obsessive over her studies before, now she seemed positively fanatical. Harry was certain he'd win his bet, but he wondered whether he'd end up regretting that he'd made it in the first place.

The next morning Hermione disappeared off to the Library as promised, only re-joining the other Slytherins minutes before the start of their first Potions lesson. She was loaded down with books and clutched a piece of toast in one hand while holding up a copy of Magical Drafts and Potions with the other. Harry was surprised she hadn't fallen down a staircase or tripped over a statue yet with her eyes so firmly glued to the pages.

"Hermione, don't you think you're overdoing it a bit?" Harry tilted his head to see the contents of her schoolbag as they walked along the hallway. "Do you really need… fifteen books for our second day of school? Fifteen, Hermione?"

"They've all got essential information that I can't afford to simply skim over." Hermione didn't take her eyes off the page in front of her. She would have walked right passed the Potions classroom if Harry hadn't grabbed her and steered her towards where two separate groups of Gryffindors and Slytherins were already waiting.

"You're out of luck - magical talent doesn't come from books, Granger," Pansy said, sneering unpleasantly.

"Still picking on people, Pansy?" Parvati Patil spoke up loudly from her place amongst the students wearing red and gold.

"Still interfering in other people's affairs?" Pansy retorted.

Harry ignored their squabble and headed over to where Neville was standing slightly apart from the other Gryffindors.

"Hi there, Neville," Harry said, smiling easily at the nervous looking boy.

"Oh, hello, Black. I-I mean, Orion," Neville stammered, his eyes darting down to Harry's Slytherin tie and then back up to his face.

"How've you been finding Hogwarts so far?" Harry tried to put him at ease with a harmless question.

"Oh, well, it's been all right." Neville did not sound enthusiastic. "My Dad'll be pleased I got into Gryffindor at least - it was his old House while he was at school."

"Yeah, my dad mentioned they used to be Housemates."

"Well, I hope your father doesn't mind you're a Slytherin. Mine would've been so angry… He wants to me to be an Auror and everything, just like him." Neville looked rather downtrodden under the weight of his father's expectations.

"Well we've got years before we have to decide what we want to do once we leave school," Harry comforted him. "We don't even really know what subjects we enjoy yet. How're you finding the classes so far?"

"They haven't been too bad," Neville said, brightening up a little. "History of Magic was a bit scary at first - it's taught by a ghost! - but it ended up being rather boring instead. I'm really looking forward to Herbology later on today. I just hope the teacher's a bit nicer than Professor Footswitch…"

"So you've had a Defence lesson, too, then?" Harry smiled and rolled his eyes as he thought of the uproar the teacher had caused. "Don't worry, you'll like Professor Sprout."

"Why should Neville trust anything you say?" The voice was familiar, and Harry wasn't surprised when he turned around to see Ron Weasley glaring at him mistrustfully. "You Slytherins probably love Footswitch. I bet you enjoyed listening to him insulting muggles."

"Yes we did," Draco said, stepping up beside Harry. "What I don't understand, Weasley, is why you didn't."

"Because!" Ron spluttered. "It's wrong, that's why."

Draco scoffed derisively. "Honestly, that's such typical Gryffindor idealism. There's no need for you to get so worked up- you're a pureblood after all. And it's not even as if there are Gryffindor muggleborns in our year who you might feel the need to defend."

"Yes there are," Harry argued. "What about Dean Thomas?"

"Huh? Did someone say my name?" Dean turned away from his conversation with Seamus Finnigan to look over at the group.

"Yeah, sorry." Harry gave the other boy a rather embarrassed smile. "I was just telling Draco that you happen to be a muggleborn."

"No I'm not," Dean said. He looked as if he wasn't certain whether or not to be offended. "My dad's a pureblood wizard."

"See, I'm right," Draco said smugly. "Hah! Your Seer talent seems to be a bit faulty, don't you think, Orion?"

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