BLISS ✷ Harry Potter.

𝐕𝐈𝐈. patronus

─── chapter seven.
❛ PATRONUS ❜

THE FOLLOWING WEEK, emmeline had to make constant effort to talk to both ron and harry — who were still upset about the firebolt — and hermione, who was currently on the other end of their silent treatment.

emmeline, despite being a fan of quidditch (and especially of the firebolt) knew it was stupid of them to still be upset. hermione had obviously meant well, but apparently the gryffindor boys cared more about a broom than their own friend.

classes started again the next day after christmas. the last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw january morning, but hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.

emmeline paired up with fellow hufflepuff hannah abbott and they chatted about upcoming events while watching the salamanders. she quite liked the atmosphere, which didn't consist of her three bickering best friends.

the first divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; professor trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing uarry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen, and that emmeline wasn't giving enough into the lessons as she could.

for some reason, professor trelawney seemed convinced that emmeline was a fountain of untapped potential just waiting to flow free.

it was defense against the dark arts that most students were keen to get to; emmeline and harry were set to finally start their anticipated anti-dementor lessons.

"ah yes," said lupin, when harry and emmeline reminded him of his promise at the end of class. "let me see... how about eight o'clock on thursday evening? the history of magic classroom should be large enough... i'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this... we can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on..."

"still looks ill, doesn't he?" emmeline heard ron say to harry as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. "what d'you reckon's the matter with him?"

there was a loud and impatient "tuh" from behind them. It was hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close.

"and what are you tutting at us for?" said ron irritably.

"nothing," said hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder.

"yes, you were," said ron. "i said i wonder what's wrong with lupin, and you —"

"well, isn't it obvious?" said hermione, with a look of maddening superiority.

"if you don't want to tell us, don't," snapped ron.

"fine," said hermione haughtily, and she marched off.