The next day at breakfast, Professor McGonagall was handing out timetables when she approached me and asked me to speak with her after I finished.
I had an idea why she wanted to see me, so I told Hermione I would meet her in the classroom.
When I entered Professor McGonagall's office, she said,
"I suppose you know why I called you Miss Ravenclaw?"
"Yes... I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm taking all the classes, and how doing so means some of my classes will overlap, and I won't be able to attend them... or am I mistaken?" "
You're not mistaken. I just wanted to confirm there wasn't a mistake in your timetable selection...
" "Before we continue, Professor, I'd like to tell you that I have knowledge of Time-Turners, and I'd like to say that it's not necessary for you to lend me one... I have a way to attend all the classes without needing a Time-Turner.
" "What do you mean, Miss Ravenclaw?
" "First, I'd like to ask how you think I managed to learn three years' worth of knowledge in almost two months?"
Professor McGonagall paused thoughtfully for a moment but couldn't answer me.
"The reason is simple, Professor," I said. "My family taught me a spell that allows me to create temporary copies of myself. Once they disappear, their memories return to me... These copies allowed me to read and practice several subjects at once, improving my learning performance.
" "Could you show me one of those copies, Miss Ravenclaw?
" "Of course."
When I showed Professor McGonagall a clone, I saw her surprise, but before she could say anything, I spoke in a serious tone.
"Now, Professor, let me tell you why I took all the classes... I won't be speaking to you as a student now, but as Selene Ravenclaw, the head of Hogwarts... The reason I took all the available classes is because I want to see for myself how the teachers conduct their lessons. I want to see for myself that the teachers are impartial, that they don't show favoritism towards certain students or houses, and that they can clarify their students' doubts without belittling or insulting them. I'm telling you this, Professor, because I've heard some things, but I don't want to be swayed by the opinions of others without having investigated first. This school means a great deal to me, and I don't want a few individuals to affect something my family worked so hard to build, hoping that this place would be a haven and a source of knowledge for all the young wizards and witches just beginning their journey in the magical world. I don't want those young people, who are excited to discover their own magic and dream of achieving something great, to see their dreams shattered simply because one person can't bear the fact that their blood is different, that it isn't pure, or..." Any other nonsense like that... I want these young people who are arriving here for the first time to feel safe and receive the education they deserve without being victims of any prejudice... I suppose you understand what I'm trying to say, don't you, Professor?
Professor McGonagall's expression was a mixture of surprise and, I think, something akin to admiration. I couldn't quite explain it, but I think it was because she never expected someone my age to say that to her.
"I understand, Miss Ravenclaw, and I want to tell you that I will do everything I can to meet your expectations for the teaching staff.
" "I'm glad to hear that... then I'll be going... I wouldn't want to be late on my first day of classes... have a good day, Professor.
" "Likewise, Miss Ravenclaw, have a good day."
***
After the talk with Professor McGonagall, I met up with Hermione to go together to Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the fake Moody, and it was just as I remembered, talking about the Unforgivable Curses and demonstrating them in class. I know he's not a good person and that his teaching method may not be the most suitable for a group of young people who are easily impressed, but I think they should know some of the things their enemies are capable of doing without remorse. Perhaps it wasn't the best way, but as long as they have the knowledge of the potential danger, they can find a way to protect themselves.
I'm aware that I'm not a good person, especially when I want to protect something, so I want them to be able to protect themselves when the time comes and not be easy prey, all because they weren't taught properly. That's also why I want Harry and the others to be able to use something other than stun guns when they face the Death Eaters.
After the fake Moody's class, several students were visibly shaken, especially Neville. I wanted to talk to him, but the fake Moody beat me to it and took him away before I could get close, so I decided to talk to him later, since there was also the matter of the chocolate.
When we took the chocolate to Madam Pomfrey to have her check it, we were lucky she was alone.
"Good morning, Madam Pomfrey.
" "Good morning, girls. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?
" "Not exactly... but I'd like you to help us look into this... you see, I have something that alerts me when my food or drink has been tampered with, and when someone gave me this chocolate, it reacted, but I can't quite put my finger on it, which is why I came to ask you."
"You did well to come, Miss Ravenclaw... allow me to run some tests."
Madam Pomfrey cast several detection spells and even used some potions. When she finished, she said,
"This chocolate contains two different potions. One is the Jealousy Potion, and the other is a diluted version of the Love Potion... Did any of you eat this?
" "Not me, because I was able to discover it in time, but we don't know if Hermione ate something before I noticed... Could I examine her, and if she was affected by the potion, could I give her an antidote?"
Madam Pomfrey ran several tests on Hermione, and it turned out that she did have a mild effect from the Love Potion. It was mild enough to go unnoticed, but enough to affect her. The witch said it seemed she had been affected by the potion for some time, so she had to stay in the hospital wing for a couple of hours until it was confirmed that the potion was out of her system.
Hermione was sad because she never expected someone she considered a friend to do something like that to her, especially since they were the first friends she'd ever made.
I tried to cheer her up, but she still seemed a bit down. Since we didn't know if they would try to give her the potions again, I convinced her to accept one of my rings, the ones Mom had carved with the detection runes. To make her accept and not stand out, I gave her one of the simplest ones I had.
The only problem was that she found it difficult to hide her annoyance with Ron and Ginny whenever we had drinks with them. Besides, we weren't sure if Ron knew about it, because even though the potion was meant to make us attracted to him, he wasn't the one who gave us the chocolates.
And the little doubt Hermione had left about Ron vanished on her birthday when he gave her perfume. The moment Hermione took it, the ring he'd given her reacted, and when she took it to Madam Pomfrey to have it checked, it turned out to have the same love potion on it.
After that, she wasn't sure whether to tell Harry or not, since whenever Ron was in the room, Hermione would leave, and I think Harry already suspected something was going on. But we didn't know what to do; after all, Ron is Harry's best friend and also a very important friend to Hermione.
The good thing about this situation was that, since Hermione wasn't with Harry and Ron all the time, she was able to make other friends. One is Neville, and the other is Luna. At first, she didn't seem to get along well with Luna, but little by little they're getting along better, although it's still funny to see how Luna confuses them every time she talks about those invisible creatures.
On the other hand, I think I'm falling in love...