Chapter 9: All These Names
It did not take Harry long to recount everything that had happened that night to Hermione and Ron, but equally not long for Hermione to try and shoot down his she-is-related-to-me theory; needless to say Harry was still refusing to talk to her the next day even as their last class of the day rolled around. His anger toward her quickly forgotten as the trio stuffed themselves in the front row behind a three-seated desk in a classroom on the fifth floor for Dark Magical Objects and Their Dismantle.
"Wonder what kind of stuff they'll have. D'you reckon the Headmistress would let 'em bring cursed objects into school?" Ron asked, looking around to see that the elective course was quite full. All of the seats were taken and even some people where standing and sitting on the wood flooring stuffed along the edge of the classroom.
"I imagine so," Hermione retorted, looking rather exasperated. "Otherwise how would they teach us how to dismantle it?"
"Maybe they'd make us read textbooks," Ron said, trying to counter the cropping argument. "Bet you'd like that wouldn't you? You probably already read your textbooks anyway."
Hermione rolled her eyes from the other side of Harry as she said, "There's nothing wrong with being prepared. There's some good stuff in there not that you would know since you're illiterate!"
"Harry, tell that bookworm over there that she's a git!" Ron retorted, looking across Harry who was stuck between the two.
"Ron says 'you're a git'," Harry smiled at Hermione.
"Well you can tell Ronald that he's such an enormous prat I'm surprised he fit through the door!" spat Hermione.
Harry grinned at Ron, "Hermione say's 'you're an enormous prat and she's surprised you fit through the door'."
"Harry!" Hermione and Ron cried out in unison.
The black hair teen laughed at his friends unable to stop thinking how stupid they could be at times, though he was not privy to the seclusion of that himself.
"Harry you're so stupid!" Hermione laughed as Ron elbowed him softly chuckling.
Harry snorted looking around to see that most of the people where fellow seventh year Gryffindor's, a good amount of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs, but very few Slytherin's that Harry was rather thankful for when suddenly the familiar blonde hair of a Hufflepuff crossed his vision.
"Hello, Luna," Harry said, and smiled softly at the girl the same age sitting just a desk to the left of him.
The girl turned around to show it was indeed Luna Lovegood, the same dreamy look in her eyes as usual that Harry had gotten use to end of fifth year.
"Hello, Harry how are you doing, have a good summer?" she asked dreamily, the quill on her desk bouncing around as it drew something on the piece of parchment she had laying out.
"It was okay, you?" he asked, making small talk as the Professor's still had not shown up.
"Well I got to help dad with the Quibbler this summer. Just a small job is all, might go work there when school's out," she smiled at the thought.
"Hey, Luna," Ron said, letting her know that he was there as well.
"Hello, Ronald--- Hermione!" Luna smiled softly always having called Ron by his full name despite his pleas not to, Hermione who never really got along with Luna until the events of last term merely smiled and nodded her head.
"Okay you lot shut up or---," said Fred, coming into the classroom abruptly.
"---We'll have to hand out detentions," said George, following behind his brother both dressed in muggle attire, instead of Wizarding robes. One in dark jeans and a fading grey T-Shirt, while the other wore fading jeans and a fading black T-Shirt both with white angled text spreading from their left should down to the middle of their chest reading:
Arrogant but aufentic
Harry could not help but laugh at this, appreciating it was quite true especially when it came to the teachers that they often had terrorized in the past that they were now calling co-workers. His chuckle rising from his throat broke into a full laugh when he realized the 'Authentic' was misspelled very much on purpose.
"Oi, Potter what are you laughin' at?" George asked, drawing the attention of the class to stare pointedly at Harry.
"I just like you shirt is all," said Harry, grinning broadly.
The twins laughed. "We thought you might!" they said, in unison.
Several laughs issued from the classroom at the realization of what their shirts said.
"Is that a muggle joke for your shop?" someone in the back asked suddenly, others nodding their heads in agreement at the inquiry. "You're going into apparel now too?"
"No, got this online on a muggle computer," Fred smirked.
"A what?" several mumbled.
"It's an electronic muggle device. You can go on the internet and buy stuff with a credit card," Hermione answered quickly. "But how you two got one ---"
"This is Dark Magical Objects and their Dismantle not a how did we get a credit card class, I'll remind you Miss. Granger," George chided with a small smirk.
Hermione frowned looking absolutely livid as she sat a bit back in her chair, arms folded across her chest.
"Did I mention I love my brother's?" Ron whispered to Harry, both chuckling softly.
"Well, why don't we get started?" said George. "Take out How to Identify Dark Objects by Owen Sirocco."
"And read the first page past the index. Ingrain it into your minds!" Fred said, dragging his fingers through his nearly shoulder length red flaming hair.
"That's weird!" Harry whispered gaining the inquisitive looks of his two friends'.
"What's weird?" asked Ron, flipping to the page assigned.
"The book Hermione's is supposta get for me," Harry said. "It's by the same guy!"
"So," said Ron.
"The books we got for this class are all by the same man," Hermione replied as though it wasn't a big deal.
"And?" Ron asked.
"Don't you find it odd that Professor Potter asked me to read another book by him?" whispered Harry, as he had not opened up his book once since asked.
"Owen Sirocco is a Curse Breaker for Gringotts and has been for nearly fifty years," Hermione said. "There's no reason why he wouldn't know about dark objects, I'm sure he's come across them loads of times."
The twins abruptly interrupted their hushed conversation. "Why don't you tell me what the good book says Miss. Granger since I'm sure you've probably read the whole thing already?" George said, leaning against the shared teacher's desk, a rather serious look upon his face.
"The first page only states 'Do not touch anything suspicious, psychically'," Hermione said.
"And why not?" George asked, as Fred propped himself up onto the desk beside his brother.
"Due to the fact that you don't know what kind of curse or hex could be placed on the object."
"Right--- accio!" said Fred, and with a wave of his wand, several objects flew from off of the wall behind them and onto a few of the front desks. "These are a few cursed objects sent to us by a close friend of Professor Potter's specifically for you to study and attempt to dismantle."
"There's nothing to heavy on these though it's best not to touch," George retorted, looking down at the medallion-sized locket residing on Ron, Harry and Hermione's desk. "What we want is for you to look for the tell tale signs of what curses might be on them. The best way is to give 'em a good few jabs with your wand; test of course only. See what spells you can direct at it and look in the good book for some idea of what you might be dealing with."
"Why don't you give it a try Mr. Weasley?" Fred said, pointing to Ron.
Ron looked horrified, as did Hermione. "What?" he stammered.
"Try something on it," Fred replied, with a mysterious look in his eyes, which usually could be categorized under mischievous.
George and Fred looked at each other with a smile.
"Alright then…ah…diffindo!" Ron said, and with a flick of his wand the locket shook violently, bright blue smoke erupted suddenly from the object swirling high in the air gathering itself before it plunged after Ron wrapping around his neck in a thickly form of a hand choking him roughly.
Several others cried out as Harry attempted to get a hold of the mist in some fashion, his fingers passing through it just like through fog.
"Privatio!" the twins said together the blue smoke relinquishing its hold on Ron.
"You---," Ron said, coughing loudly. "Could have killed me!"
"No mate we wouldn't let something like that happen. Mum would do her nut!" the twins replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that you know the effects if you try and harm it so look it up!"
"More than likely under some other word for violent or choke-you-to-death or maybe choke-some-sense-into-you!" Fred laughed as he kept an eye on the class going through their books.
Harry watched as George looked around the classroom briefly before nodding his head on a matter he had been thinking about to himself, "Might have to ask Avril to expand the room a bit." he whispered to Fred who too looked around but smirked.
"Nah we'll just hang 'em from the rafters mate!"
Harry snorted into his book thankful that he had a seat when Hermione's hand shot up into the air. Fred and George looked at each other then back to Hermione who was patiently waiting, hand still in the air.
"Yes?" they said, in unison.
"Some of the spells in here we've never done before and are rather hard to cast," she stated matter-of-factly. Ron looked flabbergasted as did Harry and several others who knew Hermione was a crack shot at quick learning.
"Well you are a seventh year aren't you?" George asked, sweetly and if anything else, Hermione looked taken back by such a question.
"Yes, but even so they are difficult to cast!" she countered.
"Knowing you Miss. Granger it should be easy," Fred responded. "Let's ask Harry to give it a shot!"
Harry looked rather surprised, his eyes cast to the dirty, golden locket briefly before sighing as he took his wand out of his robes, "Anything's alright as long as I use one of the spells in the book?" he asked.
They nodded their heads watching closely.
"Harry be careful!" Hermione said, looking a bit worried.
"Yeah Harry," mumbled Ron shifting away from his friend a bit for fear of a repeat of his earlier incident.
Harry looked at his book for a split second before his wand took aim and he tried to copy the wrist movements required. "Resolvo!" he said.
Surprisingly, the locket absorbed the spell, immediately it shook viciously for the second time that day when surprisingly it snapped open. People stood and others leaned over to see what was inside; sure enough something small and a bit dusty lay inside, Harry's fingers touching it softly. A jade bird running the length from the point of his finger to his second knuckle peered back up at him with two bright diamonds for eyes. Suddenly it moved, Harry and Ron both pointed their wands at it in a hurried fast as it jumped up from the locket and onto the desk upon which it shook itself to be rid of the dust; its gold lined wings stretched as it padded across the wood.
"What the…," Ron mumbled.
"It's just a charmed object Ron, honestly!" Hermione chuckled as a few others joined in.
"Quite cute if you ask me," A girl from behind Harry said watching it climb up the boys arm.
Quickly it climbed up Harry's robes onto his shoulder and began tweeting softly into his ear, but little did the others know it was speaking quite clearing in English to Harry.
"Pasted onto the one that could open me," it said, while Harry pulled it from his shoulder quickly for fear of what it was.
"What?" Harry mumbled setting it back onto the table.
"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked, taking in his bewildered expression with concern.
"Wha…you can't hear it?" he asked, looking between his friends.
"Hear what?" Ron looked rather confused.
"They can't hear me," The jade bird said, in a small sweet sung voice. "Only you, you open me, now you master! Can do anything, listen to anything, and tell you if you want!"
"Hearing voices again Potter?" a Slytherin chided from in the back of the classroom, his friends joining in on the joke.
"Me a Espy Bird, can do whatever master wants!" the jade bird squawked as it took flight and landed on his shoulder softly.
"Twenty points from Slytherin," George chuckled. "Harry doesn't hear voices…desirably…unless of course their helpful and then you'd want to hear 'em too, but you don't wanna hear voices do you Harry?"
The aforementioned teen quickly shook his head as several Slytherin's grumbled trying to protest against the docked house points.
"If you like I can make it a hundred?" George sneered sitting himself onto the desk like his brother.
"It seems to have taken a liking to you Harry," Fred smirked, as he looked as if to be thinking of more ways that he and George could torment the Slytherin house. "You can keep it. Some of the objects have stuff in them that are harmless. Checked out by a curse breaker before they were sent here. Even the Headmistress checked 'em so go ahead and keep it!"
"Why don't the rest of you give a try to the ones on your desk and we'll come around to ah--- un-choke you," George chuckled. "As for those that don't have any yet, keep reading your book."
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The trio sat in the library after classes, Hermione sorting through her textbooks and the pile of books she had pulled from the shelves for her N.E.W.T homework that was already stacking up on the third day of school. Harry rather surprised to see Ron diving into his own mound of books, instead of just copying off of Hermione's work, made him wonder if something had happened between the two when he wasn't looking. Instead of questioning them, as he knew he should be, he disappeared off into one of the small rows of high loose books and a bookshelf, making sure no one was within ear shot before he pulled the small jade bird from his robes.
"So what are you?" he whispered.
"An Espy bird!" the stone said, squawking rather loudly.
"Be quiet!" Harry said harshly, cupping his hands together over it.
"Sorry," the Espy mumbled.
"Do you have a name?" Harry asked, and seeing the Espy's confused cocking of its head he plowed on. "Like my name is Harry and my friend's names are Ron and Hermione. Do you have a name like that?"
"Just Espy!" it jumped up a little out of the palm of his hand, flapping its wings.
Harry sighed. "Alright Espy, if I look you up can I find you in a book?"
"Yes."
"Good," Harry said stuffing it into his robes. "Be quiet in there okay?"
"Okay."
Harry knew what he had to do, but he really did not want to have to approach the resident librarian--- she was rather frightening not to mention she might raise questions as to why he was looking for such an odd item. Still the black haired teen approached the resident librarian.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me what book tells information on the Espy Bird?" he asked hesitantly, working himself up to get yelled at possibly.
Madame Pince looked astounded that the boy had spoken to her, let alone had even asked a question, and her eyes narrowed considerably when she said, "Items Not to be Caught With by Godric James Potter," she scowled. "It's in the forbidden section and you've got to have signed permission from a teacher to go in that section…so have you?"
Harry felt like he had just been hit with a Beaters bat. "What was the author's name?" he demanded.
The woman scowled even more, her eyebrows knitting together if they had not already. "Godric James Potter," she spat.
"How is the last name spelled?" he asked, confusing the librarian he was sure.
"…P-O-T-T-E-R," she answered, her lips in a sneer.
The teenager's heart felt as though it might rip out of his rib cage at the sudden unexpected news. What was with all these names…the Headmistress shared the same last name as him and so did this author now, whom not to mention, his middle name was Harry's fathers first name. Why did the name Owen Sirocco keep popping up on all the books he had to read about dismantling dark objects, was it nothing and the man was as good as Hermione said he was or could there some connection between it all. All of this was getting weirder by the moment for Harry.
"Ouch!" Harry thought when suddenly Espy poked him in the chest from inside his robes.
"Well boy do you?" Madame Pince asked yet again getting annoyed with the child.
"Ah, not yet," Harry said truthfully. "I'll be back with it though!"
The librarian pierced her lips together in anger. "I'm sure," she growled, not liking anyone to touch her precious books, especially those ones in the forbidden section.
Harry made his way back to the secluded table his friend's occupied still with their noses in their books--- well at least Hermione was, Ron was rather leaning back in his chair, the front feet hovering off of the floor a few inches.
"Where have you been?" asked Ron, letting the front legs of his chair meet the floor.
"Looking for a book," Harry replied.
How was he going to ask Hermione, who had permanent permission to go into the forbidden section of the library due to the amount of questions she asked that some teachers did not have the answer to, to get him a book without her getting suspicious? On the other hand, having to tell his friend's that the jade bird was really called Espy and that it talked to him in clear English--- he was going to sound like a nutter more then he already did.
"Hermione I need you to get me a book in the forbidden section," Harry said.
Hermione looked up from her schoolwork with an eyebrow raised. "Why?" she asked.
Harry tried to tiptoe his way around the question. "Because I need a teacher's permission to get stuff in that section and you have permanent permission," he mumbled.
"Yes, but---," the girl was cut off quickly.
"I just need you to trust me on this," Harry replied. "It's called Items Not to be Caught with by Godric James Potter."
"Potter---," Ron said, sitting up a bit at this news. "That's odd."
"Yeah tell me about it," Harry responded, still waiting for Hermione to answer him.
"I suppose you're not going to tell me why you need that book are you?" Hermione asked, with a rather mixed expression of worry and sadness in her eyes.
Harry said, "Not just yet."
"Alright then," she said, exasperatedly standing and disappearing; the girl soon returned with the said book in hand, placing it before Harry onto the table.
"Thanks!" said Harry
Flipping to the index the teen found the right page and soon rushed to page fifty-five that read:
Chapter 25:The Espy Esperanto Bird AKA Espy bird
The Espy bird is a small stealthy spy made of jade stone, diamond eyes and with small gold
lining its wings that can listen and understand anything in any language. They are also very
good at discovering or detecting things or people that are hard to find. There was a recorded
number of only 4 in the world made by Sir Denbridge in 1932 who was the only one able to
make them before he pasted. All four were destroyed by the Ministry of Magic in fear of enemies
using them against the Ministry in 1967. Should one have been caught it could easily have been
charmed to take on a new master and spy for the enemy.
It is speculated that Sir Denbridge created one more Espy bird before he left this world, but
no such item has since been found despite numerous searches of his estate. Sir Denbridge
had no family when he passed and made the jade birds once for company, but refused to
take on any students to learn the secret of the creation of the Espy birds.
The Ministry of Magic since the destroying of such a beautiful object has banned them in
case the last speculated Espy bird came into circulation and if one is found with it, they will
have earned themselves a one-way ticket to Azkaban.
The Espy bird is said by the ones that have used them in the past only able to be heard by
its current master. Anyone else that heard the talking of the bird would only simply hear its
twittering and squawking. A rather good and hard charm amazing to be put and controlled
in such a small object; though despite the fact that it can be charmed to take another
master it cannot tell the secrets or said whereabouts of its previous master for it is said
to forget it within seconds of the exchange.
Whether the speculated Espy bird made by Sir Denbridge can do more than its previous
predecessors is up in the air for I do not believe one will be found in my lifetime. Though
there are many theories as to what it can do, I will not write it here for it would take up far
too many pages and far too many days!
Harry closed the book and sighed. "You've got to be kidding me…," he mumbled.
"What?" Ron asked, having been watching him the whole time. "What is it?"
"I have an Espy bird," Harry said, without thought in a monotone voice, no emotion held within it what-so-ever.
"A what?" Hermione and Ron said in unison. Ron abruptly looked at the girl as if she was not the real Hermione.
"You don't know what it is?" Ron asked a gasp.
The girl simply rolled her eyes and took the book from Harry diving through the index and to the said page, reading it within seconds.
"Oh my…, Harry that's was what was in the locket!" she gasped as Ron snatched the book from her becoming enlightened as well.
"Sweet," he said. "You can send it to spy on people!"
"Ron it's banned," Hermione whispered harshly. "Harry could get sent to Azkaban for it!"
"Oh please," Ron said waving her off with his hand dismissively. "Harry's done loads of stuff that could have gotten him carted off to Azkaban, but hasn't yet has he?"
Hermione punched the red head's shoulder. "You need to turn it in to McGonagall, Harry," she said while Ron rubbed at his bruising flesh. "Explain to her how you got it."
Harry sat there, feeling the soft movement of Espy in his robes as he mulled over his choices; whether to take Espy into McGonagall and have it more than likely destroyed or possible fall into the wrong hands--- or keep it close and try to insure its survival. The teen liked the better of the latter as he weighed his options.
"Yeah I'll take it into McGonagall," he lied.
Hermione smiled. "Good!" she said before going back to her homework.
"What a waste," Ron mumbled leaning back onto the heels of his chair again.
Harry did not like lying to his friend's, but he would keep Espy for the time being and see if the bird could find out anything about all these names and if there was any connection between them and himself. His Hogwarts years were becoming one big action-adventure that he really did not want to be part of and he wished as he always did for at least one normal year at school, but it was slowing becoming impossible like it did every year.
