The following week was miserable for Matt, less so for Hermione, but she was still worried about her boyfriend. She sighed one evening in the common room. Hermione was by herself, Matt serving his detention, presumably alone, as no one else seemed to be causing much trouble. Truth be told, her American boyfriend had not been causing trouble either, he just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She felt responsible for it. Hermione had been brewing a plan like a potion, and she knew how to enact it. The final Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson for the week was the following day and she would finally put her plan into action.
The lesson the next day went well with both Hermione and Matt doing well with their assignments from Harry and excelling at the practical portion of the class. Matt gave Hermione a weak smile as they were packing up. She put her hand on his arm and spoke quietly.
"Matt, you go on ahead, I just need to talk to the professor about something. I won't be a minute, I promise." Hermione said.
"Alright, see you in the Great Hall." Matt replied and sighed as he walked out of the classroom. Hermione was intentionally slow to pack her things up, making sure no one else was there when she approached Harry.
"Um, Professor, might I have a word?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione, it's fine, it's just us. What is it?" Harry responded as he sat on the edge of his desk, as he had seen Lupin do so many years before.
"I need your help with something." Hermione said.
"You? Hermione, you who have gone through the war, been tortured, and nearly killed almost a dozen times over the last seven years and is still the top student in the school, needs help?" Harry asked, amused.
"Well, not me personally. It's Matt, really…"
"What's he done?" Harry stood up immediately, ready to go down to the Great Hall and knock some sense into his sarcastic student that instant.
"It's not what he's done, it's what he's not doing…"
"Oh. What is it? Are you two not snogging enough or something?" Harry asked, as he visibly relaxed.
"What? No! We snog plenty, if you must know…" Hermione replied, blushing.
"Using that broom cupboard I showed you?" Harry teased.
"Oh Harry! It's not that at all! He can't fly! And Professor Sharp, he's requiring Matt to pass a flying test! A flying test! Of all the things! As if that would matter at this point. We all took it back in first year, you remember." Hermione had begun to pace back and forth. "He's intentionally picking on us. He knows he can hurt either of us by targeting the other. And before you ask, no I haven't a clue why Sharp is after us, although I suspect it's not me he really wants to hurt. He seems to enjoy picking at Matt. Sure, he admonishes us both in class, but he never insults me. I am doing things well ahead of the other students, and he simply says it's acceptable. Matt on the other hand, couldn't get an Acceptable if he came in with the lesson for the day already completed in hand. I don't know why Sharp has it in for him!" Hermione said, taking a breath.
"Furthermore, he's dead set on getting to Matt and having him expelled! I can't tell if he's just simply a fan of Padma's writing or if he honestly believes what that vile girl is printing! I can't believe I shared a dorm with her sister." Hermione let out a growl of frustration. "Matt's done nothing wrong. He's not this awful person he's made out to be. And yes, while everyone seems to be going out of their way to be nice to me, all the 'Hello, Miss Granger' and 'Nice to see you Miss Granger' is all lovely and makes me feel good, it's the exact opposite for Matt. I know I've heard people talking in the loo, other girls, they think he's mental. Of course they don't know I've heard them, but they're convinced that he's some sort of devil spawn or something! They'd all like to see him expelled or worse!"
Harry simply nodded and let Hermione rant, knowing that trying to stop her now was a failed course of action before even beginning.
"If Matt can't pass the flying test, Sharp is bound to use that as an excuse to either expel him or at the very least withhold his N.E.W.T.s and then his whole endeavor here will have been for nothing. He'll have gone through all the trouble only to fail. He doesn't deserve that. Harry, will you teach him to fly? You're the best Seeker Gryffindor has ever had! You never lost a game practically. If anyone can help his fear of heights and to get him through this, it's you."
"Well, Hermione, I can try. I can give him the basics on it, but the heights thing, I'm not so sure about. And you know, I don't think Matt would completely agree with you."
"What do you mean?" Hermione looked perplexed, of course her boyfriend would agree with her.
"Well, his coming here might not be for nothing. Afterall, you two got together, didn't you?" Harry pointed out.
"Oh…I hadn't thought about that, about us. I guess it's not for nothing then. But it's still a lot of wasted effort for him. He's put in all this work, and he still doesn't deserve to have it all ruined because of one teacher's apparent dislike of him, specifically, personally." Hermione said. Harry nodded and thought for a moment.
"Matt does do well with Defense Against the Dark Arts. If he had been a fluke or something, it would show." Harry replied as he thought.
"You see? And when I worked with him over the summer, he could do almost everything I could. The only things he couldn't do were the really advanced stuff that's above N.E.W.T. level anyway." Hermione said.
"Alright, I'll talk to him and see what I can do." Hermione's face lit up at Harry's words.
"Oh Harry!" she exclaimed and leaped into his arms, hugging him fiercely.
"Hermione, the only thing is, he's got to want to do it." Harry said patting her on the back.
"I know. And I think he will. He doesn't know there's a chance for him. He thinks he's doomed. I know he isn't. Thank you. It means the world to me, that you're at least giving him that chance." Hermione said.
She was on cloud nine by the time she finally got to the Great Hall. Harry was a fighting chance for Matt to get through school and earn his N.E.W.T.s and graduate with her. Hermione really wanted that, to pass their tests, together.
"Hey! I thought you got lost or something." Matt said teasingly.
"No, nothing like that." Hermione said, beaming at him.
"You're all smiles, what's up?" Matt asked.
"I'm just really happy." Hermione said and leaned in to kiss him. Matt happily returned the kiss.
"I'll take it, if it means you're happy." He said slipping an arm around her. She grinned and pulled some food over to eat.
The next Defense Against the Dark Arts class they had the following week Harry asked Matt to stay back after the lesson ended. Hermione made to move to the door but stopped as Matt approached Harry's desk. She could tell her boyfriend was a little nervous, but he had gotten to know Harry better, so it would not be an issue. She was worried Matt might not take the help well though, he had a little streak of pride in him that worried her at times like this.
"You wanted to see me Professor?" Matt asked. Harry smiled a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, well, I wanted to ask you, how things were going, if everything was alright?" Harry said. He took a similar approach to how Lupin had when he taught at the school. Matt paused for a moment; he was thinking about how best to respond.
"Well to be honest, sir, it was going well until the whole thing at the Ministry…" Matt said honestly.
"Are you regretting it?" Harry genuinely asked.
"No!" Matt responded fervently. "It's just, everyone watched you and Hermione risking your lives, again, to save the world. And then they saw me, huddled in a cage. Not exactly the epitome of Gryffindor bravery."
"Well, I for one, am glad you don't regret being at the Ministry. It might sound weird, but it meant a lot to Hermione you were there, cage and all." Harry responded.
"Really?" Matt felt his cheeks flush.
"Yeah, that's actually why I asked you to stay behind." Harry replied.
"Hermione is? Is she ok? What's wrong?!" Matt asked immediately.
"Oh yeah, no, everything is fine with Hermione. She's worried about you. I, uh, heard, about Professor Sharp." Harry said.
"You did? I mean, I guess he's got a point. But I'm no good on a broom. I can't fly. How am I supposed to pass a flying test?" Matt said.
"If you want, I can teach you." Harry said.
"What?" Matt looked confused. He had not heard of Harry's prowess on a broomstick.
"Yeah, if you're willing, I can teach you to fly on a broomstick." Harry said.
"I…yes…please. It's my only chance. If I didn't pass this year or Sharp manages to expel me on a technicality, Hermione, she'd be devastated." Matt said.
"So, you're doing this for her, not for yourself?" Harry asked, his gaze shifting over Matt's shoulder. Hermione had been standing at the door, quiet as a mouse, listening. She did not feel guilty as it was not an entirely private conversation. However, Matt was making his feelings about her abundantly clear.
"Yeah, it's all for Hermione. She's been literally the best. I couldn't have asked for someone better than her to be there for me. She's amazing. She's so supportive and I know she's got my back on everything. I know how important getting through this school year is to her, and not just for her, but for me too. She wants us both to succeed. That's such an amazing thing to want for someone else. I'm so lucky to have her. So, yeah, I've got to do this, for her. And I know if it were reversed, she would do it for me." Matt said.
There was a squeak from the back of the room and Matt turned around and saw Hermione was still standing there. Her hand was over her mouth, and she was suppressing herself. Matt was wide-eyed, not realizing she had been there the whole time.
"And you thought you were the luckiest one…" Hermione said as she approached Matt.
"Hermione…" he started.
"You meant all that?" she asked.
"Every word." Matt confirmed. Hermione practically leapt into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him as she kissed him on the lips. They held each other until Harry cleared his throat, and the pair broke apart.
"I do have to teach another class soon, you know." Harry said.
"Right, sorry." Hermione said with a blush.
"Matt, meet me after dinner, Monday. The Quidditch pitch should be clear, we can start your lessons then." Harry said as the couple left the room.
"See you Monday, Professor." Matt said as they walked out.