If This Isn't Love (Fred Weasley Sequel)

Chapter 44 | My Final Year

In my last year at Hogwarts, Severus is the DADA teacher.

His old job is taken by an ancient Potions master, Horace Slughorn. Slughorn is a very pleasant new teacher, unlike the last new ones. I'll probably never forget either Moody's replacement or Umbridge.

I still shiver at the latter.

I am proud that Severus got the job he always wanted, even if I'm a little sad he won't be the Potion's teacher anymore.  However, I still don't exactly know what to think since Severus has practically been ignoring me the entire summer.

My last Hogwarts year is swell.

Slughorn is a brilliant teacher, and I enjoy his class very much. Even though suddenly Harry is on top of Potions for an odd reason, I'm close behind him.

He and I both agree the ordinary books suck.

That's why he's cheating. Okay, he doesn't say that he's cheating, but technically he is. It's like looking at a cheat sheet for a test, when you aren't supposed to be paying close attention to the instructions anyway.

Potions is a skill learned from experience, not instructions.

I don't listen to my book half the time and I do my natural instinct, but Harry isn't like that.

We're sort of different, I suppose.

Both of us are doing well in the class (Harry better, though) and yet for different reasons. I don't pay attention to my book but everything he does, even out of Potions class, relies on his book.

Even Ron says that he sleeps with it.

Hermione is envious of his success. I didn't expect much, since apparently she's been on top of Hogwarts for 6 years that she is just used to being the best in every single class.

I pat her on the back one day and tell her, "You've got to let it go, 'Mione."

She shakes her head vigorously and replies with, "It's not a good book. It's evil."

We find that out when Harry uses a spell from the book on Malfoy.

Ginny took him to the Room of Requirement after that to get rid of the book. They were up there for quite a while, I think.

More people get injured around him when Harry doesn't even have the book. Katie Bell was supposedly cursed by a necklace and then later Ron gets poisoned.

And on top of that, I have to comfort Hermione because of Ron's stupid new girlfriend, Lavender Brown.

Yes, that's right, the most annoying witch I have ever met. If she calls Ron "Won-Won" one more time when I'm around, I'm going to have to hide her body with Greengrass's.

I wouldn't feel guilty.

Hermione protests all the time about how she doesn't care that he's been snogging Lavender, until they confront each other in the hospital wing, where Ron's recovering from the poison.

Lavender comes in rather loud and Hermione and I share an eye roll.

"What's she doing here?" Lavender breathes, glaring at Hermione.

I wish I could jinx her right now but there are several teachers watching, including the Headmaster himself and Severus.

"I happen to be his girlfriend," Lavender snaps.

"I happen to be his-" she pauses with a glare- "friend."

Lavender accuses Hermione of only liking him now that he has so much attention. She has the nerve to tell Hermione that she didn't think Ron was interesting before.