Going Through the Motions

Author\'s Notes: Boy, is my face red!! I just happened to be reading through the archive, came across my own story.... and its missing two chapters!!! Well, it\'s missing more than that, but that needs to be finished still.(really need to get my ass in gear) Anyway, first I\'ll add the two chapters that have already been written, then hopefully a new chapter will show up soon! Oh, and for all of you Harry/Seamus fans (hoping i still have fans), don\'t count those two out yet!!

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Going Through the Motions

Chapter 7 - You Know They Couldn’t Deal

“Everybody settle down and pay attention,” Snape’s voice said coldly as he strode into the dungeons, his robes billowing behind him. Harry suppressed a groan. Thanks to Hermione’s urgings, Harry had reluctantly decided to keep the class. Two seconds into the term, and Harry was already regretting his decision.

“This is a N.E.W.T. Potions class, and thus I expect all of you to show a high level of proficiency in this class.” Snape’s eyes swept over the students, taking in the disproportionately large amount of Slytherins in his class. His mouth drew up into a sneer as his gaze fell on the three Gryffindors in the class, especially Harry. Besides Harry, only Hermione and Parvati Patil were taking the class. Harry had assumed that Hermione was taking the class simply because it was advanced and she performed well in Potions. Also, Hermione had mentioned only that morning that Parvati was interested in becoming a mediwitch at St. Mungo’s.

“When taking the N.E.W.T. examinations,” Snape continued, “there will be a section where you will be required to identify various potions by using your powers of observation. In addition, you will be shown incorrect versions of potions and asked to identify where the potion maker went wrong. Needless to say, only those who are intimately familiar with the various properties of different ingredients will have the skill to notice the subtle variations in those potions.” Snape briefly nodded towards the Slytherins. He then gestured to a table behind him. “I want you to pair up and take one of the flasks from this table. You will write down your observations of the potion, and then use the methods detailed in your book to find out its ingredients. After you have finished with that, return the flask and take another one. You have an hour and a half; I expect you to have at least… oh, I’ll say five done in the time allotted. And your homework, due at the start of the next class, is your written observations, and theories as to what each of the potions are. Start.” Snape started heading towards his desk.

The class started to get up, Harry nodding towards Hermione. Then Snape turned. “Oh, I almost forgot,” said Snape in a smug voice. “Since we have all four Houses in this class, it seems a waste not to make use of that- school unity and all. Thus, I’ve decided that you will only be allowed to pair up with a member of a different House; unless, of course, there’s none of them left.”

Harry inwardly groaned. Malfoy was probably on his way over already; the blonde seldom missed an opportunity to tease Harry about his horrible potion-making skills. Harry was staring daggers at Snape’s back when he felt somebody tap him on the shoulder lightly.

“No, I’m not going to be your partner, Mal-.” Harry stopped as he turned around and realized that it wasn’t Malfoy. It was Justin Finch-Fletchley, the curly-haired Hufflepuff. “Oh, sorry, Justin,” smiled Harry, sheepishly. “Thought you were Malfoy.”

“That’s alright, Harry,” said Justin, shyly. “I was just wondering if you wanted to be my partner for this project.”

Harry shrugged. “Sure, why not? I’m sure you’ll be a better partner than Malfoy any day.”

Justin chuckled. “I’ll go grab a flask so that we can start.” The short boy with curly black hair soon returned with a flask filled with a bubbling orange potion.

Harry sighed. “I get the feeling that this is going to be difficult.” He pulled out a piece of scrap parchment and his quill. “I guess the first thing to do is observe it; see if there’s any vapour coming off of it.” He pulled the stopper off the flask.

So, for the next five minutes, Harry and Justin watched the unknown potion, occasionally jotting down notes.

“That was really brave of you, Harry,” said Justin quietly, breaking the silence. Harry jumped slightly; he had been concentrating on the potion. “What you did last night at supper…,” Justin elaborated.

“Well, I just saw no point in lying anymore,” said Harry, glossing over the fact that it had been a deliberate performance. Harry shrugged. “It seemed as if the rest of the school knew already; so why continue to hide?”

“I just wish I had the guts to do what you did,” said Justin, even quieter than before. “I haven’t even been able to tell most of my friends, thus far.”

“Well, you’ve now told me,” said Harry, mildly shocked at Justin’s revelation. There could hardly have been a worse place to discuss this than in the middle of Snape’s Potions class. “I think it’s time to use those spells in the book,” said Harry, trying to get Justin back on the subject of potions.

“Yeah, I’ve written down everything I’ve noticed about this potion,” said Justin, nodding. He opened his textbook. “So, how long have you and Seamus been together?”

Harry had been expecting this question, and he and Seamus had gotten their stories straight that morning. “We started dating around the middle of our fourth year,” said Harry. “We hit a rocky patch last year; that’s why he didn’t show up to our D.A. meetings. But we’ve mended things, and now we’re stronger than ever.” Harry was quite proud of his explanation.

Justin smiled. “Congratulations to the both of you; I’m really happy for you.” Then, a sudden thought occurred to him as Justin lost his smile and looked around, nervously. “Um, Harry, I don’t mind if you tell Seamus, but could you not tell any one else about me? I know you don’t spread rumours, but I really don’t want to be outed like you two did.”

“I understand perfectly,” said Harry, nodding. Getting back to the lesson at hand, he briefly consulted his textbook, and then looked at the unknown potion with determination. Pointing his wand, Harry used the first spell provided. “Ostendo sum nobis veneficius calx!” Immediately, a purple haze appeared around the potion, before dissipating.

“Looks like there’s some sort of crushed magic stone in there,” said Justin.

“Yeah, according to this spell,” said Harry. “Let’s just jot down the purple haze, and move on to the next one.”

Justin pointed his wand at the potion. “Ostendo sum nobis bestia corpus sectum!” There was no haze, this time.

“No reaction,” noted Harry. The two continued their spells, taking turns until they had exhausted the spell list provided. There were a few reactions, and many non-reactions. Hopefully this would narrow down the possible potions when it came time to figure that part out.

The rest of the lesson passed by fairly quickly. Once Harry and Justin finished with their first flask, they got another and repeated the process. Harry had just finished testing their fifth unknown potion when Snape finally spoke again. “Class dismissed, return your flask to the table. I expect your reports next time we meet.”

Harry quickly put the stopper back on the flask and returned it to the table. Heading back to the table, he started gathering his things together and put them in his book bag.

“Do you want to meet sometime today or tomorrow to figure out these potions?” asked Justin shyly.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I have some things to do tonight, but tomorrow’s free,” said Harry, trying to remember his schedule. “Why don’t we meet in the library after classes?”

“Sounds great, Harry,” said Justin, smiling. “I’ll see you later; I have to get something from my dorm before I head down to Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Justin ran off as Hermione came up to Harry.

“That wasn’t as bad as you thought, was it Harry?” asked Hermione, smiling. The two of them slowly walked through the corridors towards their next class.

“Well, for a first lesson, I guess not,” conceded Harry. “I’ll bet this won’t last long, though; soon enough, Snape will be back to breathing down my neck trying to find the slightest problem with my potions.”

“Hey, Harry!” shouted a voice from behind. Harry turned to see Seamus running towards him. “How was class?” asked Seamus as he gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek.

“It was much better than I thought it was going to be,” said Harry, smiling at the Irish boy, but still internally confused. Seamus had refused to tell him the problem in the morning, though Harry could tell that Seamus had gotten little sleep. Having been sleep deprived for most of the summer, Harry could definitely recognize the symptoms in others. However, once they’d gotten down to the common room, Seamus had been back to his cheerful, clingy self.

“That’s great!” said Seamus, managing to slip his arm around Harry’s midsection despite the heavy book bag Harry was carrying. Seamus grimaced. “N.E.W.T. Divination was completely barmy. Since Firenze and Trelawney are both teaching, we meet with each one of them one day a week. And this morning was Trelawney.”

“Did that old bat have anything interesting to say?” asked Harry, though he would be very surprised if she actually had. Despite the fact that Trelawney had made two real prophecies thus far, most of her work was guesswork and a spooky ethereal voice.

“Of course not,” said Seamus. “I still don’t know why I’m talking that class; I must have been barking mad.” He shook his head.

“I wonder how this new professor is going to work out in Defence Against the Dark Arts,” wondered Hermione. “We haven’t had too much luck with our teachers so far.”

“Well, here’s hoping that we don’t keep the streak alive, and that we actually manage to keep a D.A.D.A. teacher more than a year,” said Harry, smiling. The three of them reached the class. When they entered it, they noticed one major difference from the previous years. In the previous years the tables had been in nice, neat lines; they were now grouped in sets of three, strewn about in various parts of the room.

“Interesting,” said Hermione thoughtfully, looking at the new arrangement. She followed Harry and Seamus as they chose a set of tables fairly close to the front. Neville Longbottom, who still looked somewhat apprehensive around Harry and Seamus, soon took the empty seat next to Hermione.

About five minutes before class was to start, Ron and Dean finally sauntered in. Harry saw them and waved them over. To his utter amazement, the two briefly looked at each other, and walked over to another group of tables, where a few Hufflepuffs were already sitting.

“Seamus, Hermione, did you see that?” asked Harry in disbelief. “Ron and Dean just refused to sit over here.”

When Seamus heard what Harry had said, a very hurt look came across his face. Hermione merely sighed. “I told you that Ron was having major problems just with you being gay. Now that he knows that the two of you are together,” said Hermione pointedly, “it’s even worse now. I told Seamus yesterday morning to expect another night or two in your room while Ron got used to the idea. As this point, I don’t think I would be too far off in telling you to expect Ron to request a permanent trade with Seamus.” Hermione shook her head sadly.

Harry was floored. How could it happen that over the course of only two days, Ron had gone from being a concerned best friend to someone that could hardly stand to be around him? Seamus was hurt just as much as Harry was; Dean had been his best mate. However, at the same time that gloomy thoughts about his former friend were racing across Seamus’s mind, he was also absentmindedly rubbing Harry’s back in a comforting way. Even though they had both lost their closest friends, at least they still had each other.

Just before class begun, Hufflepuffs Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones finally filled the last table in their group. Justin nodded to Harry shyly. Seamus looked at Harry questioningly, who smiled back at the Irish boy and quickly whispered to him that he would explain later.

“Greetings, class.” Professor Parthagonian walked into the class from his office with a stiff, precise gait. He was a tall, middle-aged man with neatly clipped black hair, which had been immaculately combed and gelled; Harry couldn’t see so much as one hair out of place. “As you know, I am Professor Parthagonian, and this is my N.E.W.T. Defence Against the Dark Arts class. I’m well aware that my name and title is quite a mouthful, which is why you may refer to me as sir, Professor, or Professor Parth.” His eyes scanned the classroom. “I’m going to give all of you fair warning. I am a stern man, and I run my classes the same way. There will be a lot of homework, a fair amount of projects, and plenty of extra-curricular reading. I talk fast, lecture often, and expect all of you to keep up. I have no doubt that throughout the two years you will be in my class; you will come to hate me.” Neville gulped silently. “However, when it comes time to take your N.E.W.T.s, you will be completely ready. You will know the theory backwards and forwards and you will be able to do the various hexes and curses in your sleep. And afterwards, you’ll thank me for pushing you as hard as I did.”

Professor Parthagonian paced from one end of the room to the other, while still talking. “You’ll notice that I’ve grouped the tables in sets of three. Each group of six people will be a separate study group, and when we do group projects, these will be your groups. We’ll only change these groups at the end of term, so you’d better like whom you’re sitting with; you’ll be around them a great deal.”

“Ok, now, it’s time to find out what all of you know,” said Parthagonian. “Could somebody please tell me exactly what you learned last year in this class?” Nobody raised his or her hands. “Hmm… Are you trying to tell me that you learned nothing last year?” Hermione finally raised her hand, reluctantly. “Yes, Ms. Granger, isn’t it?” Hermione nodded. “Do tell us what you learned.”

“We learned a lot of theory on defensive magic,” said Hermione. “Mainly on how to avoid situations where actual magical defence is necessary.”

The Professor turned his attention to all of the students. “Can anyone tell me if they found any of this useful? Anyone?” Parthagonian grimly smiled. “I thought not. The Umbridge woman was so ignorant she was dangerous. I shudder to think how many children left this school unprotected because of her misguided politics.” He cleared his throat. “Everybody should be jotting this down.” There was a rustle as a few students that hadn’t grabbed their parchment and quill yet did so. “The defensive magic and theory that Umbridge taught is almost completely useless because it’s predicated on the notion that one can always avoid situations where actual protection is necessary. And should it happen that you find yourself fighting for your very life or health, you’ll prove to be an easy target. We call this class Defence Against the Dark Arts, and rightly so. However, all of you need to learn that sometimes the best defence is a good offence.” Parthagonian was walking through the room as he lectured, scanning the faces of his students. “So this year, we will be covering some of the more advanced hexes and jinxes, as well as some of the more potent charms that protect you from danger. And yes, we will be having plenty of practical lessons in addition to the theory. You need to be practiced at using them.” A large portion of the class had sighed in relief; Umbridge hadn’t allowed any practical lessons the previous year and had made their O.W.L.s that much harder.

“But enough on that.” Parthagonian changed the subject. “Today we’re going to review some of should have been covered last year. Now, I’ve been informed that last year, many of you met in secret to cover many of these same spells.” Parthagonian smiled slightly at Harry. “While it was technically illegal at the time, I’m still rather proud of those of you who participated in it, regardless. I’ve spoken to Professor Dumbledore, and he has allowed these meetings to continue this year, under my supervision. If you are interested in these meetings, sign your name to the parchment in the back of class. And now, on to review…”

Class continued on at a brisk pace. There were frequent demonstrations of the various hexes and jinxes, and frequent lectures as well. Despite Harry’s intense study of the subject over the last year or two, he was still amazed at the professor’s vast knowledge. For only the second time in six years, Harry felt confident in his Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor’s expertise.

“It’s time to pack up for the day,” said Parthagonian, eventually. “And it’s time to hear those words from me that you’ll rarely hear: There’s no homework for the day. Oh, and Mr. Potter, if you could stick around a moment, I’d like to have a word with you.”

“I’ll wait for you outside the door,” promised Seamus. Harry smiled at the Irish boy briefly, before heading to the front of the class. Finally, everybody had piled out of class except for Harry.

“Mr. Potter,” said Professor Parthagonian. “I expect that Professor Dumbledore has informed you that I shall be teaching you Occlumency this year?”

“Yes, Professor,” said Harry, trying to sound confident. “I’ve been emptying my thoughts just before I go to sleep practically every night, and I think I’m getting better at it.”

“Good to hear, good to hear,” said Professor Parthagonian, nodding. “It is a bit different, however, actually practicing against another human being. Are Wednesday evenings good for you? I know that you have Quidditch practice coming up, but we’ll work around that.” He nodded firmly. “It’s very important that you learn to block out every thought that Voldemort has, every dream he tries to send you.”

Harry looked mildly impressed. There were few teachers in Hogwarts bold enough to use Voldemort’s actual name. “Yes, sir,” Harry responded. “I’ll work the schedule out with the team captain.” Harry briefly grimaced as he thought of this year’s captain: Ron Weasley.

Parthagonian frowned thoughtfully at Harry. “Very well. Off you go; I’m sure your boyfriend is waiting for you.” While Harry stood there looking briefly stunned, Professor Parthagonian strode off into his office. Shaking his head ruefully, Harry left the classroom as well, to find Seamus and Hermione waiting for him.

“Did you get it all worked out?” asked Seamus, looking at Harry. “You have an odd expression on your face.

“Yeah, I think we’ve got it all worked out,” said Harry, smiling back at Seamus. “I was just a little shocked; the professor mentioned at the end that my boyfriend was waiting for me.” Harry shrugged. “I guess I was just surprised that he’d heard about us.”

Hermione sighed. “He didn’t have to hear about it; you forget that he was walking around the classroom the whole time. Mr. Finnigan here couldn’t keep his hands to himself, even when he was taking notes. Why do you think even Ron and Dean believe that you’re a couple?”

Seamus didn’t even look remotely abashed. “What can I say? I’m an affectionate bloke.” He grinned widely. “Dean knows that too, so I reckoned I should do it even more around you, to convince him that we are together. I guess it worked too bloody well,” added Seamus sadly.

Harry didn’t say anything; all he had were shallow platitudes that wouldn’t help. Instead, he clasped Seamus’s hand in his own. Despite the fact that they weren’t actually dating, it was still a reassuring gesture; Seamus smiled at the genuine emotion behind Harry’s action.

“Let’s get something to eat,” said Seamus, smiling at Harry. “You need to gain some weight there, Harry, or you’ll get blown right off your broom.”

The two supposed boyfriends walked through the corridors, swinging their enjoined hands back and forth, and chatting about nonsensical things. Hermione followed them, a worried expression on her face. She was sure that this situation could only end badly.

When the three of them entered the Great Hall, they noticed Ron and Dean sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table, talking in low voices. As they approached the two, Ron noticed their arrival and clammed up. Harry briefly considered asking Ron about his problem, but decided not to. It would most likely just make things worse.

Harry was so busy considering it; he didn’t notice Seamus’s conversation with Colin Creevey. As soon as Harry turned around though, Seamus put his arm around Harry’s waist and planted a wet kiss on his cheek.

*Flash*

“Bloody hell, Colin, why did you do that?” asked Harry as he blinked to get the bright spots out of his eyes.

Colin grinned, holding his camera in front of him. “Seamus asked me if I could take a picture of the two of you. Don’t worry; you’ll get the only copy.”

“Colin said he’d take a few more candid photos of us around the school, too,” said Seamus, excitedly.

Harry groaned. “After four years, I finally managed to convince Colin not to take any more pictures of me, and now you’re encouraging him.” Harry mock scowled at Seamus, who merely smiled unrepentantly.

“What can I say, Harry?” asked Seamus, still grinning. “We’re the most photogenic couple in the castle, makes sense that Colin here would want to get photos of that.”

With that, Ron got up from his place at the table and strode out of the hall, with a look of disgust on his face. Dean’s expression was unreadable, as he remained seated. Harry and Seamus chose not to bother him either, but instead sat down next to Ginny and Hermione.

“So, Harry, what do you think of Professor Parth?” asked Hermione, between taking bites of a croissant.

“Well, I’m just glad we finally have a suitable replacement for Lupin,” started Harry, smiling. “It sounds like he knows his job…”

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“Class dismissed!” said Professor McGonagall as the students put their books away. Harry suppressed a groan. And he had thought Transfiguration had been hard before…

Hermione quickly ducked out as soon as she could; she mentioned to Harry just before she left that she was meeting with Ginny about discovering the identity of the Gryffindor informant. And as usual, Seamus was waiting for Harry outside the classroom. They slowly made their way towards Gryffindor Tower, when a short mousy kid ran up to him.

“Harry! Seamus! You’ve gotta hurry to the tower,” said Dennis Creevey, Colin’s younger brother. “Ron’s gone batty! He’s chucking all of Seamus’s stuff out of his room and moving in himself; he says he won’t room with a ponce anymore.”

“Oh, bollocks,” said Harry, grimacing. “Lead the way, Dennis.” The three Gryffindors rushed to the portrait, quickly saying “Liberi Fatali” and going through the opening hole. Neville was standing in the common room, a distant look on his face. He quickly pulled on Harry and Seamus’s robes to stop them from rushing up the stairs.

“It’s all over now, Seamus,” said Neville, a little sadly. “Ron tossed all your stuff into the hallway, and moved in with Dean. And I’m pretty sure he’s not planning on coming back out tonight; I think he’s afraid of Harry’s reaction.”

“What happened to my stuff?” asked Seamus, worried.

“Well, Colin helped me place your belongings in Harry’s room.” Neville grinned nervously. “We figured you two wouldn’t mind.”

“I guess this cinches it, Seamus,” said Harry, sadly. “It looks like Ron officially doesn’t approve of me. Or you, for that matter,” Harry quickly added, to keep up the charade. “Come on, let’s go up. We’ll get your stuff situated, and then,” said Harry, darkly, “we’ll figure out what needs to be done with Ron.”

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There ya go.. The other chapter will be up in a day or so... Let me know what you think!!