The following morning, found one Harry Potter trudging back to the Ravenclaw tower while being escorted by Madam Pomfrey. He'd been thinking a lot about things since he'd woken up in the infirmary after his oatmeal nap. Hermione and the twins had betrayed his trust, but possibly saved his life. One side of his brain wanted to be angry at them for betraying his trust, a more logical part stated that they did what they thought was best, a baser part wanted breakfast now dammit, another part wanted to talk with Hermione alone over a candlelit dinner to discuss what had happened, one more worried about what those voices had meant while he was in the infirmary, yet another which sounded smaller than the rest wanted to slaughter all those that had wronged him, and the last part was confused and wanted to know just how many parts to his mind there was.
All his mental debating was ended when he entered the Ravenclaw common room and found Hermione curled up in one of the chairs, turned to face the door, while the twins camped out on couches, also angled to watch the entry. They were worried about him, and wanted to see him as soon as he came in. He highly doubted they'd meant to spend the night, as they were all fully dressed from yesterday, but it was still wonderful.
Harry felt a pulling in his chest to go over, and hug Hermione while catching a few more hours of rest, as it was still only five in the morning. But he knew that wouldn't be very proper, what with her being asleep and all. Besides Madam Pomfrey was standing right next to him, with a slight smirk on her face. "It seems your four friends were worried about you Mr. Potter..."
Four? Harry asked mentally, before looking up to see that Rowena Ravenclaw was smiling tiredly down at him and waving, while putting a finger to her lips. He understood, and gave her a simple nod of agreement. Settling down on one of the open chairs, he bid Madam Pomfrey a good day, and chose to watch his friends instead of waking them.
As he watched his friends, he found his eyes focusing on the female member. There was something about her that made him want to be next to her, to talk to her, to hold her. He couldn't understand it, but even the part that demanded he be outraged about the betrayal of her and the twins quieted upon seeing her sleeping peacefully, her lips parted slightly, while some loose strands of her hair, freed from their bun, swirled down in front of her face. Even the way it danced with her every breath amazed Harry.
"Very good, you've noticed how cute she is..." a voice whispered, causing Harry to nod slowly in agreement, his eyes never leaving the slumbering form of his first friend.
"Why don't you go over an snuggle up with her?" another voice asked, and Harry really couldn't fault it, even as he levered himself off the chair, and took a step forward. As soon as his foot landed, he realized something wasn't right, since when had he heard the twins in his mind? Turning around he realized exactly why he was hearing it. The twins had been whispering in his ears, and remained behind the chair he'd sat in with huge grins on their faces. "Well mate, seems you've got your first crush..."
"I... I was j...just getting her a blanket..." Harry answered nervously, while his mind tried to make up a plausible story. Instead of buying it, the twins just sighed rather dramatically.
"See this George? We try to be good parents, and already our dear little first years are lying to us..." Fred bemoaned quietly while George patted his back gently.
"I see it Fred, I see it, but I'm sure that he'll tell us the truth..." George assured his brother while looking at Harry meaningfully.
The black haired boy slumped in defeat and blushed heavily. "Look guys... could... could we not tell Hermione about this? I mean... we're young yet, and it might just be a stupid, silly crush... I don't want to risk our friendship over it..."
"Sure mate... but just remember, you're both smart enough to be Ravenclaw..." George started, walking over and looping an arm over Harry's shoulder.
"And smart enough to keep a friendship while dating, and after..." Fred added while taking Harry's other side, and the pair began escorting him to the guy's stairs. "Now let's go get ready for the day, we'll let her sleep a little more."
None of the trio saw Hermione pop open an eye, nor the small, warm smile that spread over her lips. Harry wasn't angry with her, and it seemed like the friends were back on track. The relationship part added an interesting piece to the puzzle, but she couldn't help but admit, she was flattered. Of course they were far too young to do anything, but it was nice to be noticed as a potential romantic partner. Though the trio of males missed the awakening of their female friend, Rowena didn't and already her inner matchmaker was singing for joy.
Later that day, Harry sat next to Hermione reading his text book quietly while waiting for Potions Class to start. She'd been by his side for most of the day, but something was different, she'd constantly blush, and talked about something new they'd learned yesterday, or earlier. But mostly she seemed anxious about something.
He felt that it would be best to arrive early, and set up their potion supplies, so they'd finished lunch early and made their way down to the dungeons, missing Ron ordering enough food to feed a family of four for all three meals of a day. In fact, if they'd looked around as they walked out, they were the forerunners of a mass exodus to be anywhere but around the glutton.
As the rest of their classmates showed up, Harry marked his place in the book with a bit of paper off one of his scrolls, and set it down to watch for the professor. It was at that moment his eyes met with one Severus Snape.
From across the dim lights of the potions dungeon, the dark black of his eyes reflected a torch burning in a nearby sconce while he sneered at the assembling crowd of first year Ravenclaws. And then his eyes met Harry's, and he smiled faintly for some reason. At the appointed moment he slammed shut his door, gaining the attention of everyone else and stormed into the room. "Alright class, put away your wands, you shan't be needing them. There'll be no wand waving, instead I shall endeavor to train you to passably brew a potion. But don't you dare look down on the subtle art that is potion making."
Snape whipped around towards the class, holding up a bottled potion in his hand, looking into it as though it held the very answers of the universe itself. "If you are good enough, I can teach you to bottle life, put a stopper to death, and to brew the very essence of fame," Snape stated calmly while lowering the bottle to his desk. "Potter! I noticed that you were reading up on the subject, so I felt you may be ready for some questions..."
"I... I'll try my best sir..." Harry answered nervously, after standing abruptly at being called on.
"So our resident celebrity doesn't think he knows everything, hmm? At least I see you know enough to have the proper equipment out..." Snape commented coldly while glaring at the boy. "Let's start off with an easy one, what are the differences between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
"Err... aren't they, and aconite the same sir?" Harry asked, unsure of the answer. He'd remembered reading about the plants, but couldn't remember exactly whether or not he was right. The pleased smirk on Snape's face surprised him, filling him with dread.
"That's right Mr. Potter, I see that you did some studying after all..." Snape purred softly, sending chills down Harry's back. "Now, for a more difficult question. What is the primary uses of Dittany?"
Harry's mind flashed back to the odd yellowish plant, and the uses for it, starting to sweat a little as he panicked, that he might be forgetting one. "That's.... that's for healing scars by stretching skin over a wound... and... the Wiggenweld potion sir?" Harry managed after struggling to remember what else he'd read it was for.
Again Snape smirked, causing Harry to sweat nervously at having forgotten, he really wanted to sit down now, and hide away behind his cauldrons. Or at least let someone else take some of these questions. "Well done Mister Potter, well done indeed, it should also be noted that it releases flammable vapors, so should only be cultivated with care. Final Question: What two potions use the Shrivelfig as an ingredient?"
"Shr...shrinking solution and..." Harry started, before he began panicking again. His mind was going completely blank about the second potion. He remembered reading about it, but when he tried to read the potion instructions his head began swimming. "And the... elixir... of..." Harry continued, trying to put in the last word. Just as he began to feel the hand of terror squeezing his heart again, another hand held his, and a calm washed over him. The words he'd been searching for came with ease now. "Induced Euphoria sir."
"Impressive Mr. Potter, it would seem that the intelligence of Ravenclaw is being upheld again..." Snape answered while he turned away and summoned words to the chalk board at the front of the classroom. "I expect much out of Ravenclaws, and this year, I shall expect even more than usual. Fifty points to Ravenclaw for the correct answers. Now class copy the recipe and notes on the board, and I do hope you took notes on what Mr. Potter stated, for it will be on the mid-year exams."
Harry finally allowed his legs to give out, and slumped gratefully into his chair. After a moment to catch his breath, he looked down at his right hand, and smiled, seeing the small hand still holding his. Following it back up, he found his first friend smiling warmly back at him. After a handful of eternities, Hermione released his hand and pointed to the board. Harry picked up his quill and began to scribble down his notes as quickly as possible. He never questioned for a moment why his cheeks felt so warm, nor why his heart was thundering in his ears.
Thankfully his heart had gotten out of his head, and down into his chest where it belonged in time for him to hear Snape assign a foot and a half essay on the proper cauldron cleaning and maintenance, without using any spells, or as Snape so eloquently put it. "And there better not be any mention of that silly wand waving you children think of as spells... Or you will fail."
Having spent years scouring the pots and pans of his Uncle's house, Harry actually felt fairly confident that he'd be able to provide a good amount of the book without needing to look in his book, but just in case, he'd planned to read the care instructions again before writing the essay. On top of that, they had a Transfiguration essay on turning matches to needles and back due which he felt would be best to get done with early on. In fact, he should probably finish up the homework he didn't get done yesterday during lunch, due to his panic attack while he was at it. But he figured he could do that on Wednesday, since they had a half-day, with History of Magic in the morning, and a free period in the afternoon.
Supper was a delicious affair of dry toast, grilled chicken breast meat, and steamed broccoli, which Madam Pomfry had ordered for him. Even if it was more than he'd have normally eaten, it was nice to have someone watching out for him. True he'd have one of those god-awful, nauseating, vile potions from hell waiting for him in his room when he went to bed, but he knew she did it because she cared for his health. Which was honestly more than any adult he'd met before had ever done.
He was just about to have the granola bar that had appeared for his dessert when Draco Malfoy decided to make his entrance. Bless him though he tried, Crabbe and Goyle really put their hearts and souls into blaring out a fanfare on those trumpets, especially while marching in carrying a coach holding Draco Malfoy on it. So it was very understandable that they caused an ear sodomy worst than any one could imagine, and that they missed the furl in the carpet that sent them sprawling, and Draco flying into a large helping of Yorkshire pudding.
Understandable if you didn't happen to be the headmaster, who had made a rule to prevent such displays. And if you hadn't just spent the day finding out that one of your greatest projects for the greater good of the Wizarding World had actually been for naught, as the blood wards that you had thought would protect the boy and by extension his family weren't worth the non-existent paper they'd been printed on. Add to that the fact that he couldn't find any trace of this M. Prewitt that had signed off on all the reports of Harry being a happy healthy lad, and one could understand why when one blonde haired pureblood ponce face-planted in his Yorkshire pudding he reacting in such a calm and rational manner. "Mr. Malfoy... I do hope that you were merely worried about my health and threw yourself on my pudding in a sacrificial manner to save me..."
While said Slytherin prince tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for why he was currently wearing the headmaster's pudding as rather thick facial makeup. After a few minutes of floundering with nothing, he hung his head, and awaited his punishment. "Three hundred points from Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle for their part in this, and from Mr. Malfoy... Six hundred points, and a week of detention."
Now many of the student body thought this was harsh, as the kindly grandfather of a headmaster rarely, if ever took points, preferring to allow the teachers to monitor their students. The rest were shocked at the sheer load of points stripped away from Slytherin in one fell swoop. A total of twelve hundred points, which knocked them out of the first place they'd been holding, and into third place, under Hufflepuff and Gryffindor who were tied for first currently, and just a mere fifty points above Ravenclaw.
The teachers however knew of the man's fondness of Yorkshire pudding, and that he'd been in a bad mood all day. In fact, it was only Professor Quirrel who was shocked, due to the fact that he was new, and thus never learned the folly of getting between Dumbledore and his pudding.
Said pudding was replaced a moment later by some house elves, and the meal continued, with Draco storming out in a huff, mumbling something about writing to his father about this. Not that anyone believed it would do any good, after all, even if the man was the Minster of Magic, Draco had been the one at fault.
There was one student in the hall with a knowing smirk, while everyone whispered about the incident. They had been the one to set the bulge in the carpet that snagged Crabbe's foot, and sent the lot of them sprawling. They had just gotten away with knocking the haughty Slytherin out of first place, and into the basement. And best of all, they'd made it look like it was all Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle's fault.
Harry slipped his wand back into his pocket under the table, looking around slightly to see if anyone noticed his smirk or actions. But they were all busy eating and talking. The Twins might be the pranksters, and Hermione may be the brains, but he felt he just found his niche in the Rebels... He would be the quiet one.
Finishing his pumpkin juice, which he wondered why it was so sweet briefly, he slid out from the table. "I'm sorry to eat and run like this... but I want to try and finish two of my essays before bed..."
"Hold on Harry, I'll come with you," Hermione offered, pushing back her empty plate and taking a quick gulp of what looked to be orange juice. Shrugging, he started walking around the end of the table, and met her on the far side. Together they walked out of the great hall, heading along the winding path to the Ravenclaw tower.
Once inside the common room, they separated, still in silence, to get their homework. They sat down in two chairs in front of the fireplace, and set to work on their homework. About two hours later, they had their potions essays done, completed the rest of their DADA essays, and were just about finished touching up their Transfiguration essays, when the twins entered, and raised a silencing ward around them, including Rowena by design.
"Lady Rowena, you'll never believe what happened in the Great Hall!" George burst out with a huge grin on his face. "Slytherin were knocked out of top place by Malfoy's lot tripping over a furl in the carpet and ruining the headmaster's dessert!"
"Really? How odd... that carpet has a charm on it to lay it smooth after a couple minutes... so it had to bunch up right before the person tripped..." Rowena stated with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "Oh but Helga is going to be beaming about her darling Hufflepuffs being in first place, even if it's a tie..."
"We didn't do it..." Fred and George answered together, before turning slowly towards Hermione and Harry, both of whom were rolling up their scrolls. After they were stored away, the two first years looked at each other with just a little too much confusion and innocence in their eyes. Like two children caught with their faces covered in chocolate chip cookie crumbs and an empty cookie jar between them.
"Alright, which of you two did it..." Rowena asked, reading through their smiles with the ease of one who wore that look far too often. "We won't tell, but we do want to know who to praise..."
"Well... I did hear someone muttering 'Wingardium Leviosa' at our table, but I couldn't say who..." Hermione answered vaguely while looking unflinchingly at the portrait of Rowena. "Besides, since they did it in secret, perhaps they wish for it to remain such..."
With that Harry knew he'd been busted, and saved by Hermione. Especially when the predatory grins spreading across the Twin's faces locked on her directly. "So... it was a first year's spell, that I'm sure only our resident genius could cast with such mastery so soon after learning it..." Fred commented while stroking his chin.
"Ah but Fred, why not just claim it? Could it be that she is covering for the true prankster?" George answered while turning his eyes towards Harry who was flipping through his History of Magic text, trying to get a jump on tomorrow's lesson. "Harry m'boy... I noticed you've been quiet in this meeting of the Rebels..."
"Nothing to add George..." Harry answered quickly, trying to keep up Hermione's little charade. After all, he didn't want to be the center of attention too long. "We both came from Potions, remember? Why would I take it there?"
"That's true Fred," George admitted with a sigh. "Such a pity though, Hermione has two pranks to our one... and Harry our dear boy has none... I don't know if he is Rebel material..."
"Give him time George, I'm sure he'll surprise us..." Fred assured his twin while patting him on the shoulder lightly. "Come, we have an essay to write..."
After they lowered the silencing ward and walked away, Harry smirked as he looked to Hermione. A nod later and the two of them drew their wands, pointed at the twin's feet and whispered "Wingardium Leviosa" with the proper swish and flick. Just as the twins took a step, a lace on each of their shoes undid itself and landed right where the other foot was landing. With the next step, they were sent sprawling to the ground.
A quick hiding of the wands later, Hermione and Harry were by their sides, helping them up. "Are you two alright?"
Fred and George looked to their protege, and then at each other before letting out a laugh. "They got us..."
"and good... but which got Draco?"
"Oh, it was Harry," Hermione stated in a matter-of-fact manner, which was covered up by the laughter of a few people in the room. She smiled and leaned in to whisper in their ears. "Let's chalk that up for the Rebels, and not keep score amongst ourselves, shall we?"
"Right, Rebels for Rebels, we're out to deflate egos, and stomp prats into the ground," Harry added with a smirk of his own. "Also, let me be the quiet member of the group... I think me being the public good boy would help us pull some of our stunts off..."
"That will only work for a little while Harry... but you're right, that will be a useful role..." Hermione agreed while helping Fred stand, George getting a hand up from Harry. "And if we keep adding first years as we go..."
"A fresh good kid every year..." Fred answered as it sunk in, an awed look on his face. George on the other hand looked more like Hermione being given a book for her birthday, or Ron being set down in front of some food.
"Now... I have a prank for Ron..." Harry started, before pointing over to the table. "Meet us there in two hours, when this place clears out, and I'll tell you it."
"Sounds good mate," the twins agreed before turning away.
"Oh, before you go... how do I check out books from the shelves over there?" Harry asked, pointing at the ones beside the door. "No tricks, please."
"You just take one, and read it. Just don't take it off campus, or Lady Rowena will get mad..." Fred explained with a shrug.
"You don't want to mess with her books either..." George continued, getting an ashen face that almost matched his brothers's. Apparently one didn't want to make the smartest witch ever, and the founder of the Ravenclaw Rebels mad by messing with one of her books.
Gee, who'd have seen that coming?
