Can A Phoenix Love A Lion? (Hermione Granger x Male Reader)

24. Intriguing Classes

Y/N ran down the stairs to the dungeons. Just as he arrived, across the corridor, he saw Hermione, Harry and Ron already climbing the steps to the entrance hall. He rushed faster and hurried up the stairs, panting, clutching his bag.

Ron looked back and, raising an eyebrow, said, "How did you do that?"

"What?" he said, catching up with them.

"One minute you were right behind us, the next moment you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Y/N said again. What do I say? What do I say? "Oh—I had to go back for something. Oh no—"

A seam had split on his bag. Nothing surprising; it was crammed with way too many, too heavy books.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," he said breathlessly. He'd really need to find a shorter path between the Ancient Runes classroom and the Potion one. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"

"But—" Ron turned over the books he had handed him, looking at the covers. "You haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defence Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Not for me," Y/N said. "I've got Divination."

"Ah, right. But you really need all of these?"

"Oh yes," Y/N said vaguely. He packed all the books back into his bag before Ron could ask any more questions. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," he added to change the subject. And he marched off toward the Great Hall.

Hermione got next to him. "Hide it," she muttered.

"What?" he said, much louder than her.

Before he could ask what she was doing, she tucked something down the front of his robes. When she moved aside, her cheeks were a little pink. "Nobody must see it," she said.

Looking down, he realised he had completely forgotten to hide his Time-Turner because of his rush to catch them. "Thanks," he whispered.

Why was it so hot, now?

Professor Lupin wasn't there when they arrived at his first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. They all sat down, took out their books, quills and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books in your bags? Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

A few curious looks exchanged as the class put away their books. So teachers who did practical Defence Against the Dark Arts class really existed, good thing to know.

"Right then," Professor Lupin said when everyone was ready. "Could you just stand at the end of the class, please?"

A minute later, they were all gathered at the end of the room, and the desks and benches were on the sides. Only a wardrobe stood before the teacher's desk.

"Intriguing, isn't it?" Professor Lupin said as the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble. "Nothing to worry about," he added calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a boggart in there."

So it was something to worry about.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Professor Lupin said. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks—I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"