Telara woke up the next morning as her roommates started moving around. She smiled when she remembered where she was and jumped out of bed onto the cool stone floor. Parvati gave her a sleepy smile as she continued dressing. Telara hummed as she put on her school uniform and robes. She was bouncing around the room in far too cheerful of a manner for so early in the morning.
“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person,” groaned Lavender.
“Not really. I’m just excited about starting classes today. Most of the time, I would sleep until noon if could,” Telara stated.
“Thank goodness!” exclaimed Parvati. “You’ll fit in well then.”
The girls chuckled as Telara stood by the door bouncing on the balls of her feet. She couldn’t quite contain her excited energy. The other girls finished dressing and walked down to breakfast.
They entered the Great Hall just ahead of a big cluster of Slytherins. They quickly headed to the Gryffindor table to avoid being trampled by the group.
Draco Malfoy entered the Great Hall, looked around and spotted his target.
“Is your American arse still here?” he sneered.
She remembered that drawl from Madam Malkin’s shop. Telara spun around to meet her adversary. His striking grey eyes and blonde hair distracted her, but just for a brief moment.
She put on her best Texas accent and replied, “It sure is! And since I kinda like my…arse, I decided to stay as well. You reckon that’s alright with y’all or should I have gotten your say-so before I had the guts to come into your presence?”
Malfoy’s pale skin blushed as sniggers filled the Great Hall.
“You filthy little mud….”
Telara dropped her exaggerated accent and interrupted, “There are two reasons you don’t want to finish that statement. One, I may be an American, but my parents were wizards and British wizards at that. Two, I would hate to shove this toast down your throat and waste a perfectly good breakfast on a prejudiced jackass like yourself.”
Malfoy stood there dumbstruck for a minute before he stormed away muttering under his breath.
Telara took a deep breath and turned around to her housemates. She found many of them laughing so hard that they weren’t even making any sound.
“I think I’m going to like you,” stated Parvati.
“You are a true Gryffindor, Telara,” said Seamus.
Ron grinned at her appreciatively. “Well done!” he complemented. “You found out in record time what a git Malfoy is.”
“I did have a head start. I overheard his father and him having a nasty little conversation while I was getting fitted at Madam Malkin’s. I was hoping I would have the opportunity to find out who he was,” Telara explained. “Now I just have to keep myself from hurling curses at him when he’s not looking.”
Professor McGonagall walked down the length of the Gryffindor table passing out class schedules. Telara took hers and anxiously scanned its contents.
“Okay,” said Hermione, thinking out loud. “This is not too bad. Herbology with the Hufflepuffs will be a nice way to start the day. Then we have to deal with the Slytherins in Care of Magical Creatures. But we’ll be with Hagrid so that will be good. Have you seen Hagrid yet, Telara?”
“Yes, he brought me from Hogsmeade to the school yesterday,” answered Telara. “I like him very much.”
”Good. Hagrid is one of my favorite people here at Hogwarts,” said Hermione as she looked back at her schedule.
“I have Arithmancy for the rest of the afternoon,” continued Hermione. “I think I can handle that.”
“I have Arithmancy this afternoon as well,” added Telara. “Can we walk together after lunch?”
“Of course we can,” responded Hermione. “Arithmancy is my favorite subject. Do you like it?”
“I think it’s fascinating, but I’m not that good at it,” answered Telara. “I have to study very hard to keep up with it.”
“Well, we’ll just have to study together,” declared Hermione. “We’ll get you a N.E.W.T. in Arithmancy, you can trust me on that.”
Telara was flushed with happiness as she walked with her housemates down to the greenhouses. Having a big group of friends was new and exhilarating to her. She couldn’t imagine her day getting any better.
Telara followed her housemates to the greenhouses. When they entered the greenhouse, she saw many pots of plants with pure white blossoms that she quickly recognized as Hellebore. Bridget and Edward had not let her see Hellebore much less handle it. She was very anxious to get started with the lesson as Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse.
“Good morning, class!” she greeted.
“Good morning, Professor Sprout,” echoed the class.
“Welcome back to Hogwarts for your seventh and N.E.W.T. year,” lectured Professor Sprout. “We’ll be preparing for your most important year here at Hogwarts and I expect a great amount of effort from you all. Today we will be working with Hellebore. Can anyone tell me the properties of Hellebore?”
As usual, the Hermione’s hand shot up in the air. But to everyone’s surprise, there was another hand raised as well.
Professor Sprout’s eyebrows were raised in surprise as she called on Telara, “Yes, Miss Ollivander?”
“The species possesses powerful medicinal effects. It can be used for nervous disorders and hysteria, but is also highly narcotic,” answered Telara. “It takes four years for the plant to reach maturity. They need fertilization with dragon dung and good drainage to flourish. And because it blooms in winter, it is also known as the Christmas Rose.”
“Very good,” praised Professor Sprout. “Can anyone guess what we will be doing with them today? Miss Granger?”
“Since we are in autumn, I expect we will be collecting the roots and drying them so the powder can be used by Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione answered.
“Excellent!” exclaimed Professor Sprout. “Now, why did I wait until your seventh year to expose you to this plant?”
There was a silence as Hermione wondered what they had missed. Neville started flipping quickly through his textbook. Telara’s hand returned to the air.
“Hellebore is poisonous,” she began. “The fresh root is a violent irritant if it touches your skin. Also, the dry powder causes intense sneezing.”
“Exactly,” continued Professor Sprout. “Ten points to Gryffindor for each of you. You’ll each have to wear protective gloves and robes while harvesting the Hellebore. Make sure you do not rub your eyes or face while working or you’ll be spending the afternoon in the hospital wing.”
Professor Sprout then demonstrated the way to harvest and cut the roots for proper drying.
“First, you remove the root from the plant. Do not put the plant into the mulch bin. Its poison will ruin the rest of the mulch. Just pile them up for burning. You then cut the root into thin slices. Next, lay them out here on the drying racks. Please do not move the racks. They are where they are to catch the sun. Next class we will be turning the dried roots into powder. Now get to work! There’s plenty to do.”
Hermione and Neville made sure to work with Telara so they could talk to her.
“How did you know that about Hellebore?” asked Neville.
“My Nana was extremely protective of me while I was learning Potion-making at home. I learned that while she was explaining why I couldn’t have any to make the Draught of Peace. I still had to memorize the potion since it might have popped up on the O.W.L.,” Telara explained.
“You took O.W.L.S.?” inquired Hermione.
“Oh, yes,” responded Telara. “I thought I’d have a nervous breakdown before it was all over. A whole mess of people came to my house to test me.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Neville. “Are you good at Potions, too?”
“It’s my favorite subject,” declared Telara. “I can’t wait to try N.E.W.T. level potions this year. Will you be in Potions too?”
“Oh no!” said Neville. “I’m a disaster in Potions. I stopped taking it as soon as I could! I finally stopped having nightmares about Professor Snape this summer.”
Telara stifled a giggle and nodded sympathetically at Neville even though she had no idea why he would have nightmares about a Professor.
Class ended and the Gryffindors made their way to Hagrid’s hut for Care of Magical Creatures. Telara found herself checking her speed as she kept getting ahead of her classmates in her anxiousness. She hadn’t been able to have much hands-on experience with Magical Creatures. Most of her education on the subject had been through reading and a lot of it. Hagrid was standing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest eagerly waiting for his class.
“What does this oaf think he can teach seventh years?” snapped Draco.
Telara looked to her left to find Ron clenching his jaw and fists. On her right, Hermione was reaching for her wand.
Luckily, Hagrid did not hear the outburst and started the lesson without incident.
“This year, we’ll be studying creatures that will be on your N.E.W.T. exam,” announced Hagrid. “Some of these creatures will be more dangerous then the ones you have studied before, but I know you’ll be able to handle them.”
“More dangerous than that ridiculous hippogriff?” snarled Draco under his breath.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione snapped their heads around to glare at Draco. He glared right back as if daring them to do something about it.
“Professor Dumbledore wants you to learn about creatures that You-know-who might have on his side,” continued Hagrid. A collective shudder passed through the class as Voldemort was mentioned.
“So, I’m taking you into the forest today to meet someone,” Hagrid continued. “Please stay calm as we approach him. He’s a lot tamer than he looks.”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged shocked glances. They seemed to be the only ones who knew what Hagrid was talking about.
“No!” whispered Ron.
“He wouldn’t!” insisted Hermione.
“Oh, yes, he would. And I’m pretty sure he is,” observed Harry as he led the class into the forest beside Hagrid.
Telara was intrigued as everyone else walked into the woods behind Hagrid and Harry.
They walked for quite a while though the forest. The class was creating quite a commotion as they trudged through the newly falling leaves. For the middle of the morning, the forest was quite dark but there was a source of light ahead. They came upon a section that had once been dense with trees. It had been cleared fairly recently with most stumps pulled up and piled at the edge of the area near a crude but enormous hut. Again, Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other with dread. Hagrid stopped and turned to the class.
“Today, we are going to talk about giants. As you probably know, wizards and giants have never really gotten along. They don’t trust us with our magic and we don’t trust their hostile and warring nature. You-know-who recruited them and sent them on some of the worst Muggle killing sprees that ever were. Since his first defeat, they had been hiding in the mountains of Europe. We expect that You-Know-Who will be trying to get them back on his side again. I want you to know what to do in case you run up against a giant. The best advantage you’ll have is quick thinking. There’s not much you can do to fight a giant. Your best bet is to get away, and get away quick,” Hagrid advised.
It was then that Telara noticed the ground shaking. The class erupted in panicked whispers.
“Everyone stay where you are. No loud noises or quick movement,” demanded Hagrid.
Those words were hardly out of Hagrid’s mouth when a sixteen-foot giant walked through the trees into the clearing. Hagrid’s words were obeyed only because everyone was frozen where they stood with their mouths open in shock.
“Hagger!” greeted Grawp.
“Hello, Grawp,” said Hagrid. “This is my class that I told you about. Do you remember?”
“Yes,” answered Grawp. “Where Hermy?”
Everyone turned their stares to Hermione as she walked up to Hagrid to greet her large friend.
“Here I am, Grawp,” called Hermione. “Hi!”
“Hi, Hermy,” said Grawp. “Look what I got!”
Grawp held up the deer that he had caught for lunch. Hermione gulped down the gagging feeling in her throat.
“That’s good, Grawp,” she managed. “Well done!”
Grawp gave Hermione a big smile before he went into his hut to prepare his lunch. He didn’t even seem to recognize that there were a few dozen terrified students behind his brother and friend.
“Well, let’s get out of the forest so we can discuss what we’ve learned just now,” ordered Hagrid.
Hagrid had never seen his instructions carried out so quickly. His class sped out of the forest as if they had a Death Eater on their heels.
When they got to the edge of the forest, some of the students dropped to the ground half out of exhaustion from the bolt out of the forest and half from relief that they were away from Grawp.
“That’s a good idea,” said Hagrid, oblivious to his students’ real reasons for collapsing. “Let’s sit and talk.”
Harry chuckled and shook his head. Only Hagrid could be so casual about a giant living in the forest.
“Hagrid?” questioned Dean Thomas. “Why is there a giant in the forest and how does he know you?”
“Well, I guess that’s a good place to start,” answered Hagrid. “Grawp is my brother. I found him and brought him back so I could take care of him.”
“Take care of HIM?” interrupted Seamus. “I don’t know, Hagrid. He looks like he could take care of himself.”
“Actually,” responded Hagrid, “he’s a bit small for a giant. He’s been learning a lot and isn’t nearly the as bad as when he got here.”
“What exactly were we supposed to learn from our little trip to see that thing?” snapped Draco.
“I wanted you to see what I was sure would be your first live giant,” stated Hagrid. “You’ve had that shock while you’re safe and protected. Maybe now if you were to see one, you can keep your wits about you. That’s what you were supposed to learn.”
Everyone was quiet while they considered what Hagrid had said. It made sense, really. Hagrid let them mull over this for a while before he sent them on their way back to the castle for lunch. The shock of the lesson seemed to be wearing off as the class trekked back up to the castle.
“Well, that went better than I thought possible,” proclaimed Ron as they sat down in the Great Hall.
“I agree,” added Hermione with a big sigh.
“Well, at least it kept Malfoy quiet for most of the class,” interjected Harry.
The adrenaline rush that had been provided by Grawp had made everybody ravenous. After they were sufficiently stuffed, Hermione and Telara made their way to Arithmancy as Harry and Ron went to Divination.
The afternoon was positively serene after their experience in the forest. Telara proved to Hermione that she would indeed need assistance in Arithmancy. Hermione didn’t think Telara was too far behind where she should be. She was actually a bit glad that there would be at least one class where she would still have the upper hand. She liked Telara but she also liked being the best student at Hogwarts. They were in the Great Hall for dinner going over their first lesson when Ron and Harry sat down across from them.
“Well, I’m glad this day is over,” stated Ron.
“I’m happy that we don’t have too much homework to do tonight,” added Harry.
“Well, you two better stay caught up this year,” nagged Hermione. “There’s a lot at stake and you’ll have Quidditch on top of that!”
“That’s true. And that reminds me. Did you see the new plays I came up with for the Slytherin game, Harry?” asked Ron.
“Oh no!” exclaimed Hermione. “I should have never brought up Quidditch. They’ll talk of nothing else for the rest of the evening.”
Telara chuckled at her new friend’s frustration. It was hard enough to keep a boy’s attention without sports coming into play. She tucked away her impression that Hermione’s frustration with Ron ran a little deeper than Quidditch in the back of her mind. She didn’t feel comfortable enough with her to bring up something so personal just yet.
Telara followed her housemates to Gryffindor Tower and plopped down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. It seemed like a cozy place to get some reading done. She just hoped she could stay awake while so warm and comfortable. Neville and Hermione joined her with books of their own. After a couple hours of studying, Telara was struggling to keep her eyes open. She rose from the sofa and stretched her back.
“Are you going to bed?” asked Hermione.
“I think I am,” answered Telara. “It’s been quite an eventful day.”
“Yes, it has,” said Hermione. “I won’t be too far behind you.”
“Good night, everyone,” called Telara.
A chorus of good nights followed as Telara made her way up to the Girls’ Dormitory. She thankfully slipped into her soft bed as she went over the events of the day. Her last thought was of a certain blonde boy who despite his boorish nature had caught her interest. Telara could never resist a good challenge.
I would like to thank my beta reader, bekkio, for her advice and encouragement. Please R& R! I would love to know what you think.
AN: Information about Hellebore was found at http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/helbla14.html