The Confectionary Chronicles || HP/SPN

Sweets and Studies- CH18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

Hermione found herself quite busy over the next few weeks. She was frantically researching wards and magical beasts, along with completing all her classwork and the additional, extracurricular projects that Professor McGonagall had organised for Professor Flitwick, Professor Sinistra and Professor Quirrell.

Though Professors Sprout and Snape hadn't set her extracurricular projects, as their subjects made it difficult, Professor Snape had taken to quizzing her from issues of the Potioneers Monthly she had most recently checked out of the library and Professor Sprout also didn't hesitate to challenge her in class, both in the questions she asked and the plants Hermione had to deal with– Hermione hadn't missed the fact that her honking daisy was missing three-quarters of its petals and was only capable of a sad toot when she was handed it with instructions to keep it alive and thriving.

She was spending so much time in the library that she already had a table that had been designated by the regulars as Hermione's Table; it wasn't an unusual sight to find her with four or five books spread out about her as she scribbled frantically in notebooks or on rolls of parchment, sometimes mumbling under her breath, her hair a curly riot about her head.

Millicent and Neville were startlingly good study buddies. Neither were disruptive of her study time, leaving her alone with her books to talk to each other if they needed, and neither asked her to do their homework for them. Ron had tried, once or twice, but Hermione had glared fiercely at him and stated that while she was happy to read over a complete assignment to give feedback, she would not be helping anyone cheat. 

Harry was almost as busy as she was– he didn't have her workload, but after he'd received a fancy broomstick in the mail Wood had him practicing Quidditch nearly every evening, which meant he was scrambling in the time remaining to get his homework and preparation for class completed. Incidentally, this had the side effect of him spending his afternoons more often than not sharing Hermione's table at the Library, while Ron spent his time with Millie and Neville.

"I'm really nervous," Harry confessed to her one afternoon in a low whisper– Madam Pince was more ferocious than a cerberus when it came to guarding the sanctity of the Library. "Oliver is spending so much time and effort training me– what if I let the whole team down?"

Hermione reached over to squeeze Harry's hand, both of them ignoring how it smeared his pale skin with ink. "Harry," she said, "you've got this– I believe in you. Besides," she nudged him gently, "Quidditch is in your genes."

Harry looked at her, puzzled. "It's what?" he asked.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Didn't you– oh!" she exclaimed, only just remembering to keep her voice hushed. Jumping to her feet, she shoved her books into her satchel, hastily rolling up the sheet of parchment she'd been jotting her notes on and stuffing it on top, before grabbed Harry's hand and practically dragging him after her. Harry went along with her, bewildered but not fighting as she led him through the school to the trophy room where Draco had tried to set them up to be caught by Filch.

"Flint's been complaining about it in the common room," she explained as she dragged him, "it didn't even occur to me that you wouldn't know."

"Um," Harry said, still utterly lost, "know what?"

"This!" Hermione said triumphantly, as she stopped in front of the plaque recording the winning team of the 1975 Quidditch Cup – Gryffindor. And one of the golden shields on the plaque had the name 'James Potter – Chaser' engraved into it.

Hermione could see the shock and joy and grief on Harry's face as he read the name and realised what it meant, looking up at the plaque with wide, wet eyes. "McGonagall said my dad was a really good Quidditch player," he said softly, reaching with his free hand to touch the golden shield, brushing the tips of his fingers against the engraving spelling out his father's name. "She didn't say he was on the Gryffindor House team though."