Chapter 52: CH 52
He then offered the sheet to Hermione who, he could see, was just antsy about getting to see what they'd written. She grabbed it eagerly and he went back to scanning through the last of the books he had left to peruse. He watched through his bangs and Hermione scanned through the list worrying at her bottom lip with her upper teeth as she did so.
When she'd finished, she handed it back.
"Anything to add, Hermione?" he gently asked.
She frowned and said, "With that much you're going to need to hold - club meetings - at least as often as once a fortnight."
Without a word, Daphne then handed over the list Harry had drawn up. As Hermione took it from her, Daphne turned to Harry with a grin, which he returned.
Sliding the sheet of subjects to a space between them, Harry said, "E and F can easily be merged into one - club session. There's more than enough time. However, Hermione's right in that we should aim for the club meetings to be held either once per fortnight, or on - say - the second and fourth Sunday of the month.
"That gives us about eighteen meetings between the start and end of the school year, with only one meeting being missed, the one over the Christmas break. So, we can start with - let's see..." Harry quickly wrote out a curriculum for the first few months of the year.
"That can cover the next three to four months," said Harry, once he'd finished. "Which means, we've met Professor Flitwick's requirements."
"Hmm..." said Daphne. "And there's no requirement to run the classes - club meetings for the whole school year, anyway. After all, the concept came about because you want the muggleborns to understand the wizarding world and try to ensure that they won't unknowingly offend. It's not about filling a school year with extra-curricular activities.
"Plus, this allows us to spend an extra week, or even two, on a specific subject if we need to. I'm sure there's going to be the occasional subject that's going to require we spend more time on it than we originally allocated." Nodding, Harry said, "Great! Then that just leaves which book we want to use as the text for the club. Probably, and only because I'm already more familiar with it, I suggest we stick with 'An Introduction to the Wizarding World' for the first few meetings. And I think I will also go ahead and purchase a latest copy of 'Wizarding World Etiquette and You' via owl post from Flourish & Blotts. If it proves to be as good as I hope it is, then I'll purchase a copy for each 'club member' who makes it past and sticks around after the first couple of months. How does that sound to you?
Daphne leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and said, "Most generous."
When Susan noticed what the time was, and that it was rapidly heading towards curfew, the seven packed up what they were working on. Daphne gave Harry a hand to reshelve the books he'd pulled, and then he joined them in leaving the library.
At the Grand staircase, Harry, Hermione and Neville headed up; and Daphne, Tracey, Susan and Hannah headed down.
The next day, Harry took Daphne for a walk around the lake, the banks of which the Hogwarts castle was perched.
For most of the time they just walked along holding hands. They chatted about what Daphne had learned of her dorm and Year mates, and of the Slytherin House, in general. For his part, Harry told her about his first night in Ravenclaw. And how practically the whole House was waiting for him in the common room when he returned from meeting her in the passage just off the Entrance Hall.
He told her he had considered pranking his dorm mates on the very first night; but, had decided against it due to how tired he had become explaining everything to his House mates.
Harry asked her about her classes; who the teachers were, with which House she was sharing them. Though, with the last he could have easily figured it out for himself based on his own timetable.
She told him she found Professor Flitwick to be nice, as he'd experienced when he met the diminutive professor the afternoon before; Professor McGonagall was strict but seemed to be distracted at the time; Professor Dumbledore was currently teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts and was clearly very knowledgeable about the subject - Binns in History of Magic was so boring he could drone a banshee to sleep without even trying; and Professor Sinistra clearly loved her subject of Astronomy. Of course, Harry spent the afternoon with her in Herbology, the final subject.
She went on to tell him how the others in their small group had all banded around her during the days Harry was in hospital to lend her their support. And how Neville very 'Gryffindorishly' told her he was willing to chaperone her about the castle until Harry returned.
She told him how Malfoy had tried to 'come on' to her on the Monday while she was walking between classes. And how it was Tracey that told the blonde ponce to look at her, Daphne's, ring finger. And how the blonde ponce took one look, blanched, and rapidly left with 'the two bookends' in tow.
She told him how another Slytherin boy, Theodore Nott, tried something at lunch the same day. But, she'd merely raised her left hand showing him the back of her fingers. However, it wasn't until she actually pointed to the ring, did the boy back off again. She also told Harry he was the boy who muttered 'Oh, bloody hell' when Harry was 'having a go' at Professor Snape.
And she told him how quite a few people, almost entirely girls, had approached from across the Houses to ask to whom she was betrothed. She had fun keeping it a secret.
Harry immediately apologised for ruining her fun. She, in turn, told him she'd had her fun, and the morning of the previous day was a perfect time to 'come clean' with the mystery boy's identity.
It took a while to walk all the way around the lake. It was, after all, quite large. But, to Harry and Daphne, it felt as if they'd only just begun their trek when they were back; this time on the other side of the castle. "Well, that was quite the invigorating walk," said Harry. "Shall we venture back into the castle and partake of lunch?"
Daphne giggled and said, "With pleasure, kind sir."
"And at which table would my lady like to partake her lunch?" he mischievously asked.
Stopping for a moment she turned to Harry and, with a wicked grin, said, "Let's join Neville and Hermione for lunch."
With a laugh in reply, Harry said, "Gryffindor, it is!"
When Harry, Daphne and Tracey joined a surprised Neville and a grinning Hermione at the Gryffindor table, they found some of the Gryffindors slid down the bench a little to give them room. Or, maybe, it was just fear. Neville, seeing his year mates slide away, rolled his eyes at them. However, the resultant gap also allowed Susan and Hannah to join them.
What none of them saw was Professor Flitwick glance over at Professor McGonagall with a smirk and, holding his hand palm up before him, rub the ball of his thumb across the ball of his two next fingers in the age old gesture of 'pay up'. In response, Professor McGonagall gave a weary sigh and nodded her head in acceptance.
The seven had just settled down when Ron Weasley came into the Great Hall, intent on his own lunch. When he approached the end of the table closest to the head table he stopped in shock.
"What're those filthy snakes doing here?" he yelled, pointing at Daphne and Tracey.
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