Somewhere Safe - Chapter 14

Harry walked to Arithmancy in a daze. The conversation with Professor Flitwick stacked on top of the encounter with Lavender and Rose didn't make for clear thinking. Lavender getting handsy was understandable, unexpected, but it made sense. The fact that Rose had been grinding her ass back against him was completely out of nowhere. Was she attractive? Yes, but she was also kind of his sister. Sort of. Maybe. Dimensional travel wasn't something he could easily wrap his head around.

The easiest way to think about it was that she was his twin sister. They shared the same birthday and all that, so it made sense. It was a leap considering they hadn't spent their lives together. If he had met her at random, he would be attracted to her. There was no doubt about that.

It was all too much to think about. He had a new class he was under qualified to attend.

Harry stopped at the back of the classroom. It was laid out in a set of two rows of wide desks, each with four seats. The part that gave him pause was that Hermione was already sitting at one of them. He recognized Padma Patil next to her.

"Mister Potter." Professor Vector said as she approached.

Harry had to look up at her. She stood a good four inches taller than him.

"Professor." Harry replied.

"Correct me if I'm wrong." She said in a way in which she knew she wasn't. "But the plan was to have you attend a tutoring session before you joined the class proper."

"Yes, Professor." Harry answered with a nod. "I had picked out the class this morning. Since it was short notice, I thought it best to show up for today."

Professor Vector gave him a stern, appraising stare. After a long moment, she nodded.

"Join a table." She turned away and returned to the front of the classroom.

Harry followed her departure and caught a flash of movement. Padma waved him over to take one of the empty seats. He couldn't think of a polite way to refuse, so he took the seat.

"Hello." Padma said, her voice came out quiet. Now unsure what to say once he had joined them. "I'm Padma. This is Hermione."

"We've met." Hermione didn't look up from getting her supplies in order.

"Ah, yes." Padma stumbled on her words for a moment. "You're in Gryffindor as well."

"I'm Harry." He replied with a gentle smile. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Do you have any experience with Arithmancy where you are from?" Padma asked, her curiosity overpowering her shyness.

"No." Harry shook his head. "I was always interested though."

"It is very interesting." Padma pressed on. "Through complex equations we are able to interpret the flow of magic. This can be used to develop new spells, identify how existing spells function, and is a cornerstone of enchanting. When partnered with another school of magic it is only limited by your imagination and ability."

"Wow." A dry voice from behind him spoke up. "The new guy just got here and you're already trying to bore him to death."

Harry turned to see Pansy Parkinson staring down at them. Her arms were crossed, and she had a slight sneer on her face. Even then, she was cuter than he remembered. He hadn't seen much of her aside from hanging around near Draco. His attention was usually on the ferret in case curses started flying.

"Pay no attention to Pansy." Padma rolled her eyes. "She loves the subject just as much as I do."

Pansy huffed as she took the open seat.

"You're the new Potter?" Pansy studied him. "So glad we've got another one."

"Tell me." Harry countered. "Are you desperate for Malfoy's attention in this dimension too?"

Pansy glared daggers at him.

"Class." Professor Vector cut in. "Your assignment is to identify and solve the equation. Each is split in four quadrants. Begin."

A large sheet of paper appeared on the table. Hermione and Padma pulled a quadrant closer. The pieces split smoothly with little effort. Harry grabbed one as well. Looking it over made his head spin for a moment. Then he started to identify the patterns. It was one part math, one part puzzle, and another part code breaking. First, he had to identify any patterns that would help him figure out the right equations to use. Then, he had to carry them out. It wasn't easy, but at least he understood what he was supposed to be doing now. He read through the entire block a couple of times before he got started.

"Why did you talk to me?" Hermione asked, her voice low.

Harry looked at her. Not sure if he had heard her.

"Yesterday." She didn't look up from her work. "Why did you talk to me?"

"I know… knew you where I'm from." Harry replied, turning his focus to the work. "She is my friend."

They settled back to work for a few minutes.

"Do you know me?" Padma asked pausing her calculations.

"Not closely." Harry replied with a shake of his head.

"Do you know my sister?" She asked flatly.

"Not closely." Harry repeated with a smile.

That seemed to mollify her.

"What about Pansy?" Padma asked with a glance at the girl.

"Where I'm from, she hangs off of Draco." Harry answered without looking at the girl in question. "He doesn't like me."

"Mister Potter. Miss Patil." Professor Vector seemed to appear out of thin air. "Conversation regarding your equations should be done quietly as to not disturb your classmate. Flirting should be done elsewhere."

There were a few scattered laughed. They turned to poorly covered coughs when the professor shifted her attention to the guilty parties.

"Sorry, Professor." Harry said before turning his focus back to the work.

Professor Vector looked over his shoulder at his progress. She didn't say anything, but Harry got the vague sense of approval. The rest of the class was spent mostly in silence. Every now and then one of the students would ask a question which Professor Vector answered succinctly. She was stern and expected the best of her students. That required them to focus on their work. Her assistance was efficient as well as delivered in an understandable method.

The bell rang to signal the end of class and the students began to pack up. Harry watched as the quadrants joined back into a single sheet before floating over to the desk in the front of the room.

"The work is only done in the classroom." Padma explained. "That way there isn't any outside help."

"Three inches per equation you identified today." Professor Vector spoke loud and clear.

"Why is she assigning inches when we're using notebook paper?" Harry asked Padma.

"The paper is enchanted to adjust the handwriting to a standardized text size and margins." Padma answered. "And tradition." She added with a shrug.

"Thanks." Harry said with a kind smile.

"Mister Potter, a word." Professor Vector called before he could leave.

Harry felt like a man approaching the gallows as he crossed the room. Professor Vector was an attractive woman, there was no doubt in that, but she had an intensity about her that was no joke. She was steel.

"Professor." Harry said as he stood before her.

"You did well." Professor Vector stated. "I recommend a study group. Your work has shown a tutor will not be necessary."

"Thank you, professor." Harry said as the tension eased from his shoulders.

She turned away without another word. Harry finished packing his supplies and hurried to the Great Hall for lunch. He just made it out of the door when he saw a flicker of movement. Harry ducked, dipped to the opposite side, and had his wand out before turning to face whatever it was.

"Jumpy?" Hermione asked.

The steady way she said it, without any real emotion, hit him hard. Harry lowered his wand but kept it by his side. He didn't say anything. The words he wanted weren't the right ones.

"Tell me about her." Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"The other Hermione." She huffed. "Tell me about her."

"What do you want to know?" Harry scrunched up his brow as he asked. "Her parents are dentists, but she loves sugar quills. She's an only child." He paused waiting for her to clarify her request.

"You're her friend?" She asked. "How did that happen?"

"A troll." Harry replied.

"A troll?" Hermione stared at him. "Explain."

"In first year, at Halloween, someone let a troll in." Harry said. "My Hermione was in the bathroom, she didn’t know. I went to find her, but the troll found her first. She said I saved her, I say we worked together to defeat it."

"You killed a troll in your first year?" She asked incredulity.

"No." Harry scoffed. "I knocked out a troll with his own club."

She studied him for a long, silent moment.

"Does she have any other friends?" She asked.

"Ron." He answered.

Hermione snorted.

"The three of us spend most of our time together." Harry continued. "There are a lot more students here. She's gotten closer to Ginny lately."

She didn't look like she believed him.

"Are you going back?" Hermione asked.

"No." The answer came a lot faster than he expected.

"You're just going to leave her alone?" Hermione snapped.

Harry flinched.

"She's not alone." Harry said. "Now that I'm not there she'll probably be safer than ever. Every year someone is trying to kill me. Maybe she could even leave this cursed school and go somewhere she'll be treated with the respect she deserves!"

The two glared at each other.

"I wouldn't abandon my friends." Hermione whispered.

She turned to storm away. Harry caught her wrist before she could take a step.

"No." Harry growled. "You do not get to talk to me like that. I have been alone my entire life. Every summer they abandon me to people who treat me like a slave. They know how what they do. They've seen my scars. The only people who came to help me was Fred and George and they got punished for it. Now that I'm somewhere I can have a family and no one is trying to KILL me, I'm not going to feel guilty for a chance to be happy. Even if someone tried to kill me, this place is worth fighting for."

His breath came in great gasps by the time he was finished. Hermione stared back at him, frozen. It was then that he realized they weren't alone in the hallway.

"Harry." Rose said softly.

The word seemed to snap Hermione out of her daze. She ran down the hall, away from him. Harry watched her go. The anger bled away only to be replaced by a painful ache.

"She didn't deserve that." Harry whispered.

"You didn't either." Rose placed a hand on his shoulder.

Her touch eased some of the pain. He leaned against her, allowing Rose to pull him into a hug.

"Come on." Rose said. "Let's get some lunch."