Author's Note: As there have been many comments about Harry lately, I would like to clarify something. Harry is smart, probably too smart for a regular eleven year old, but nothing like some other popular fan fiction. The reason for his intelligence is explained in the previous chapter, but you will come to see many more sides of him in the future. Halloween arrives next.
Chapter 9
Adventure
Sunday morning presented Harry with a bright and eager Gryffindor running up to him after breakfast, "I had a great idea last night!" Hermione exclaimed. "You seem to know Hagrid right? Well I heard he's very good with rare magical creatures, and knows a lot about about them. So he might know where we could find the moke we need, and help you with choosing a magical pet!" She beamed with cleverness and accepted some chocolate from Sue who was handing out stuff she got from an owl.
That is brilliant, except I turned him down last time, "You're right, I remember he was talking about strange creatures in Diagon Alley, and even offered to buy me an owl. It's almost like you were reading my thoughts." He gave her a suspicious look, but couldn't keep his smile from breaking through.
Turning a light pink she shook her head, "Fred and George were bragging about their exploits in the forbidden forest and finding out what Hagrid keeps in there. They have all kinds of wild theories like giant spiders, manticore hybrids, and such nonsense. But they were adamant that he loved rare and dangerous creatures."
"That sounds about right, he even told me he wanted a dragon. So when do you want to go talk to him?"
Hermione smiled, holding a book on Magizoology in her arms, "No time like the present."
Off they went, outside into the cool morning fog. Where colourful autumn leaves decorated the ground, outlining a cleared path to Hagrid's hut. It was a very large and old wooden cabin with a single giant door in front, sitting beside an even larger pumpkin patch and garden. Old tools and a cart decorated the outside, with oddly shaped leaves stuck to the walls. They walked up to the door and knocked, hearing a booming bark in return. It appeared to shake the house as the mass of leaves on the outside flew away, glowing bright orange and humming as they did so. Harry starred in amazement. Even leaves are magical here.
"Those are flitterby moths, they're attracted to heat and hum when excited." Hermione informed him. Just then the door jerked opened to the sight of a giant man in makeshift plaid pyjamas, wearing a bushy black beard and unruly hair. Making Hermione squeak at the intimidating sight.
Hagrid had to bend down slightly to look out his own door, "Oh, hullo there Harry, nice of yeh ter visit, and who's this?"
"This is Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor in the same year as me, she wanted to come visit as well. Sorry for not owling before, but you're so close by, I wasn't thinking." Harry smiled awkwardly.
A large smile matched his and spread across Hagrid's face which could even be seen under his massive beard, "No matter, yeh'll always be welcome here." He then addressed Hermione with the same smile, "I heard of yeh, professors always like teh brag abou' their best students. I used teh be in Gryffindor myself when I was yer age, surprised me when Harry didn't make it though. Well, come on in an' warm yerselves up, an' don't let Fang bother yeh, he may look intimidatin' but he's jus' a big softy."
The inside turned out to be a single large room, big enough for a Hagrid at least. Pots and pans surrounded the roaring fireplace to one side with wild game hung around the room, and earthy aromas throughout. An enormous bed with a multicolored, hand stitched quilt on it took up the opposite corner, while a large sturdy table and chairs belonged in the center. The massive dog named Fang jumped up excitedly towards Harry, ready to lick him in the face. Reacting by instinct Harry sent a commanding thought at the dog which had him sitting and wagging his tail, waiting to be petted. He looked around to see if the magic was noticed but it seemed to be safe.
Hagrid made himself busy setting out tea and a plate full of large grey pastries. "Sit down, sit down, make yerselves at home. Have a rock cake and tea if yeh like. - Bin worried yeh wouldn't want teh come visit, what with yeh studyin' all the time."
Hopping into a chair Hermione helped poured them tea and looked questioningly at the rock cakes. She picked one up and felt it, then banged it against the table when Hagrid was turned away. It came away looking better than the table, so she set it back quickly with a dubious expression. Hagrid sat down and thanked Hermione for pouring the tea, then took a cake for himself, smelling it with relish. "So how's lessons bin treatin' you two so far? Like it in them towers do yeh?"
Busy scanning the room, Harry didn't respond immediately so Hermione answered, "They're good, I'm learning a lot but I like charms the best. Gryffindor is cozy and nice, though not many students there care about learning much it seems." She lamented then sipped her tea.
Harry sat down while petting Fang, "Lessons are fine for me too, though I'm sure Hermione loves them all. Ravenclaw tower is really nice, with lots of comfortable furniture, tons of books, and a great view of the forest and mountains. It even has a nice library below the common room that we've been using." He picked up one of the rock cakes and sniffed it. He put his teeth on it to test how hard it really was but felt like it might be easier to eat an actual rock, at least those broke down with time.
"Hagrid, I don't mean to be rude but do you actually like these?"
"Huh?... Er - well, they're kinda a tradition, them what me mum used to bake for me Pa and he baked 'em fer me. But... now that yeh mention it, she didn't really know how teh bake. Why, the pinecone bits gettin' stuck in yer teeth?" Hagrid chomped down on one and it made a grinding sound reminiscent of gravel under the wheels of a car. Hermione cringed and tried to look away.
Struggling not to laugh or shiver Harry replied, "I don't know, I'm used to food being a little... softer. Would you like to try baking some cauldron cakes with me sometime? I tried one on the train ride to Hogwarts and they were delicious."
Hagrid grunted a laugh in response, "Huh, imagine that, a Potter bakin' cakes. Yer mum an' dad cooked worse 'an I did, an' that was sayin' somethin' back before I's got some practice in. Great folk they 'ere, but poor cooks. - Yeh got a point though, the ones made in the kitchens ain't half bad, but they feel like swallowin clouds, don't know if yeh got em in yer mouth. Maybe we could make 'em a bit denser, get somethin' ter chew."
It was a start. Was all Harry could think, "That sounds good, maybe I can get the house elves' recipe and we can alter it a little. - Although we actually came to visit for a different reason."
Hermione looked at Harry in curiosity before getting startled by another hearty laugh from Hagrid.
He sighed, "No, don't suppose students ever come ter me talkin' about bakin'. What did you two have on yer mind? I hope it ain't got nothin' ter do wit what's hidden in the castle. Maybe yeh came to talk abou' some magical beasties? I ain't too bad at dealin' with them, bein' the groundskeeper an' all."
The same curious look crossed Harry's face but Hermione felt it was time for her to speak, "Actually, that's precisely why we came. We heard that you were good with rare creatures, and we wanted to ask you about some. Recently I read that there were mokes living in the area and we thought you might know how to find them. Harry was also interested in researching exotic magical pets, such as phoenix."
"Yea? So that's why yeh refused an owl, should'a known yeh'd want somethin' fancy ter go with that other wand o' yers Harry. And mokes yeh say, betcha I know what yeh want them for. - I'm supossen I could help yeh with all that. Moke are might tricky ter catch though, need special traps an lots o' patience."
They discussed how to track moke and where they usually lived, along with the best bait and traps to use. After that, they talked about Harry's thoughts on pets and which creatures might be most helpful to tame. It became obvious Hagrid had no concept of the dangers of each one but only what it might take to train one. Griffin were also his idea of a nice pet, second to dragons of course. He even mentioned something about owning a much bigger dog than Fang and then began mooning over the wonderful owl Harry missed out on for his birthday present. Though he fully understood about wanting something more unusual.
"I keep hearing about this wonderful birthday but don't get details, when was it?" Hermione inquired.
Hagrid motioned for Harry to tell it as he got up to make more tea.
"It was on July 31st, Hagrid took me shopping the week before but we had to leave early, and only managed some time at Ollivander's, and Flourish and Blotts." Hermione smiled at that, "So he offered to take me back out on my birthday for the rest of it. I thought it would be great to have more time to explore magic stores as well. We went around to get the rest of my school equipment and he offered to get me a pet for my birthday since I didn't have one. But I had already read part of Fantastic Beasts and I didn't necessarily want a regular pet... since I had a bad experience with a puppy I brought home one time." Hagrid spilled a little water on the stove at that. It popped and hissed as Harry continued.
"So he offered to get me something else. I was hoping that my vision might be cured by magic, but settled for these new 'conspecs' instead, which are probably better. When Hagrid mentioned my name and the owner saw my scar he offered to give them to me for free if he could advertise that Harry Potter wore them, since he was having trouble selling any. I was reluctant but agreed anyway."
Sitting back down and smiling Hagrid continued, "An' that's when he saw 'is watch was actin' screwy, being muggle made an' around all the magic there. So off I take 'im to this fancy watch maker I knows. An' Harry picks out this bronze beaut' made fer Ravenclaws, like he already knew what house he'd be in." He nodded at Harry's wrist.
"Thanks again Hagrid, it's really nice. - Then, after going from bookstore to bookstore for the rest of the day, he takes me to this fantastic ice cream shop and has them make me an ice cream cake right there on the spot, which I had to explain since they'd never heard of one before. It was great though, you'll have to come next time Hermione."
"It does sound like fun."
"That reminds me Hagrid, when's your birthday? Hermione just had hers recently as well." She blushed a little and touched the flower.
Hagrid laughed, "Oh don't yeh worry abou' that, s'not important." They both looked up at him with pleading puppy dog eyes and he caved quickly. "Alrigh' jus' don't make too much fuss abou' it or anythin'. December sixth is the day, but yeh probably have lessons then anyways."
"There's always lunch and after dinner, besides we'll have to pay you back somehow for all your help." Hermione replied.
The conversation meandered back to mokeskin and other useful parts of animals, such as dragon parts, graphorn hides, phoenix feathers, unicorn hair, demiguise fur, re'em blood, and murtlap backs. They learned a lot of practical knowledge from Hagrid and had fun talking until lunch time. Nothing was decided but they wanted to come back to get help setting some traps.
oOoOo
Walking leisurely back to the castle Harry and Hermione encountered another horrible beast, Malfoy, and his two other heads. They tried to look intimidating while Draco started in, "So you think you can get away with spreading rumors about me too do you? You've got a lot to learn Potter, my father-"
Harry stopped listening, deciding enough was enough, and at that moment thought of the perfect torture for Draco. He sent a thought at Goyle.
"He'll make your life a living-" Mid sentence Draco was rudely interrupted by Goyle flicking his ear. He turned around in horrified indignation, "What in the name of you-know-who, do you think you're doing?"
Before he could really get going Goyle shook his hands in fright, "There was a bee on you, was only getting it off! Honest, sorry!" Flustered and ashamed he backed off onto the wet grass and slipped, landing on his rear end with pain covering his face.
Malfoy laughed uproariously at this, "Serves you right to touch someone as-" Just then Crabbe flicked his other ear from behind, releasing a tormented scream from Draco. "Arrrghhh! What is WRONG with you two!? I suppose you saw something on my ear too?"
"It really was there, the bee, even I saw it this time. But I don't know-"
Draco interrupted him with a scowl, "You barely know your arse from your face!" Crabbe looked down in shame at his feet. "There aren't even any bees out this time of year you gormless flobberworm! Get out of my sight, right, now!" They rushed off in fear at what might happen to them later.
Harry and Hermione were having a hard time containing their laughter, but after the minions left Harry couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed right in Draco's beet red face. That is until he started reaching for his wand, which stopped Harry's laughter immediately and put him on guard. Luckily Madam Hooch walked by, heading towards the quidditch pitch, forestalling any confrontation.
Draco seethed with venom as he lowered his voice at them, "You won't think that's funny after I wipe the floor with you! I challenge you to a wizards duel, tonight at midnight in the trophy room. You can even take your mudblood servant with you as your second, if she isn't busy licking your boots that is."
The outraged expression on Hermione's face said all he needed to know about the unfamiliar insult, but Harry intervened before she could verbally trash the pompous wind-bag."I accept Malfoy, though it's curious why you want to clean floors so badly. Do you have a desire to be a servant yourself? Perhaps you like dressing up like a maid? It's nothing to be ashamed of, but listen, you shouldn't try to involve others in your fantasies." The enraged and confused look was priceless but Harry didn't let him catch up, "Anyway, I shall meet you at the appropriate time, that is if you bring your own coconut halves to bang together."
Spitting on the ground at their feet wearing a look of disgust, Draco turned away with his head held high and tried to keep his superior stride over the muddy earth. When his foot must have caught a rock and he tripped, tumbling down the grassy bank and sliding to a halt in a lake of mud.
Harry chuckled and couldn't help calling out to him, "Might want to keep your head down and watch where you're going next time Malfoy." The responding screams of fury weren't discernible as real words.
Having to drag Hermione up the steps wearing an bewildered frown, Harry pretended like everything was normal. But as they entered the castle and headed towards the great hall she finally found the words to speak and pulled Harry aside.
"Harry, what just happened? You aren't really going to duel that lunatic, are you? ...and, and did you just reference Monty Python at him?"
"Ha! I knew it, you did get that reference!" He grinned at her, "I swear, it's like living in a zoo around here sometimes with no one getting my jokes, they just stare and gawk. And you're right, no one should be stupid enough to duel the git, he probably would bring all of Slytherin to ambush me or just tell a teacher and not show up himself. Imagine if he does go there, he might wait around for hours losing sleep over it. - Do you think we should tell a teacher ourselves, just in case he gets caught and tries to drag me into it?" He was still chuckling to himself as the lunch bells rang their merry tune.
Hermione wasn't nearly as amused, "I guess we should, but Harry, why didn't you just refuse? And why were you acting so weird, pretending you didn't understand him? I might have told him where he could shove his boots and blood purity if he didn't run away from your nonsense so fast."
"Ah, Hermione that was the whole point, bullies like him expect retorts and insults thrown back at them. They want to see anger and indignation to know they're manipulating you. It's how they think they're in control and part of why they keep doing it. But if they get confused or lose track of what they wanted, it makes them dislike talking to you. I didn't give him anything he expected, except the duel, but he would only come back with some other strategy if I refused. I know you didn't like what he called you, but if you act like it doesn't bother you at all, he loses. Sometimes they keep coming like Malfoy might, yet you have to ignore the taunts and hopefully someday he grows up and stops. Unless you want to force him to back down, which would take a lot more planning and cunning that simply insulting him back." He gave her an encouraging smile.
"Uhh, that's okay, I think I understand your point now. By the way, how long have you had to deal with bullies?"
Harry's lips twitched to the side in thought, "It seems like all my life some days... Why don't we protect each others backs? Nothing like the smartest students teaming up against evil, and the occasional bully."
She rolled her eyes at him, but grinned in agreement anyway. Then walked into the great hall together and sat down on their separate benches, back to back. It was much later during lunch that Draco finally entered and sat down with a red tinge to his eyes and new robe on. That made Harry feel a momentary pang of regret, until Draco put on his customary sneer and started insulting his two minions again. Maybe it would be better for them all if I split their little group up. Having flunkies sure doesn't help Draco's personality.
oOoOo
The meal once again was fantastic, with small vol au vent stuffed with chicken and mushrooms, and cups of creme brulee for dessert. Harry felt it was time to meet the chefs, then he would talk with a professor. After the last dishes disappeared he got up with Hermione and asked if she wanted to accompany him. She thought it was a great idea, as she meant to inquire about house elves when he mentioned them at Hagrid's. So they headed off in search of the kitchens.
It was hard to find until an older Hufflepuff noticed them wandering around the basement. She told them to tickle the pear on the large painting of a bowl of fruit, if they wished to talk to the kitchen staff. Doing so surprised them, when it giggled happily and sprouted a green door handle. The painting opened into an immense room, just as big as the great hall, decorated with so many pots, pans, silverware, and loads of raw food, strewn neatly about the place. All the noise and excitement they heard when the door cracked open suddenly vanished, as the lingering scents of luscious cooking reached them. And there they were, probably a hundred of the funny little creatures, with pointy ears, knobby limbs, and wrinkly skin. All wearing neat tea towels emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest, some a little more worn than others. The whole lot of them were staring at Harry and Hermione, waiting for something.
An older sharp nosed one with greying wisps of hair slowly walked up to them, bowed, and spoke in a slightly squeaky voice, "Can we help you, young master and mistress? Was there something wrong with the meal or have your nutritional needs changed perhaps? Maybe you needed a snack made for a romantic picnic?" He smiled indulgently at them.
Hermione was still taking it all in as her eyes grew wide at the words, and Harry spoke, "Nothing like that, we only wanted to thank you for the excellent food you've been serving us. It's some of the best food I've ever had, and I was hoping to watch you prepare it sometime, if you don't mind."
Looks of joy and eagerness spread around the room as what he said was passed on to the ones in the far back. Happy and proud smiles shown on many faces, while the leader blushing slightly, speaking up again, "Oh you needn't flatter us so young master, we are quite content to supply you with anything you need, even when yelled at."
His words put a frown on Hermione's face but she didn't have the words to reply.
Another younger and much less wrinkly house elf seemed to appear from nowhere and scurried up beside the older one, nudging him. This one clearly resembled a girl as her voice did as well when she spoke, "Don't be rude Pokey, he's serious. You can tell by his eyes, he's... interested." She addressed Harry with a pleasant smile and a bow, "My name is Kolie, and this is Pokey, grandson of the great Hooky here at Hogwarts. We are all most thankful of your generous compliments young master and would be delighted to show you our skills now if you'd like. Would you care to see us make anything specific?"
Harry returned the pretty elf's smile, "Now that you mention it, I was recently talking to Hagrid about the rock cakes he makes."
Many of them tittered shyly but in good humor, Kolie spoke again, "Yes we know Hagrid, the BIG eater. But surely you don't want us to make more of his rock cakes, do you?"
"Actually, I was trying to convince him into making your cauldron cake recipe with me, but he would like to make them chewier. It would be interesting to see how you make a small batch first though, if that's alright." Harry suggested.
A good dozen of them nodded in unison, and started pulling out ingredients. Kolie nudged Pokey again, "Cauldron cake are Pokey's specialty, he shall be happy to direct the baking."
The older elf tried to hide an embarrassed grin while organizing the others into line, and looking over their perpetrations. At an nod from Pokey they all started working at once, and a wide bowl began moving from one end of a table to the other ready to receive all the ingredients. In one smooth movement, egg after egg was cracked into the bowl as it glided past each elf. A magical mixer was set into the bowl, stirring the following ingredients, which were gently added by one elf at a time, liquid chocolate here, sifted flour there, and a few other mysterious elements as well.
While that bowl continued its graceful journey down the table another started from the beginning. This time cream and sugar were added along with other colourful ingredients being slowly mixed together. At the end of the table the finished bowl was magically held aloft, pouring the batter into a single tray of small cauldron shaped molds by Pokey himself. When he reached the end of the table it glided out of his hands comfortably into an awaiting oven, opening and closing at exactly the right time. Soon after the second bowl received it's last ingredients, and was set on top of a waiting cooker to simmer into a gelatinous green goo, filled with bits and pieces of delicious things to resemble a bubbling potion. This wasn't just baking but a skilled dance they performed flawlessly.
The unoccupied elves cleaned up silently behind as the preparation was completed, then lined up to the side while smiling and congratulating each other with pats on the back and handshakes. Only Pokey and Kolie remained to watch the baking cakes and filling, as soon fragrant and mouth watering smells drifted across the room. Harry's stomach growled slightly even after their recent lunch. At the same time Pokey waved his hand at the stove, opening it as the tray floated down to the table and the rich chocolaty aroma made Hermione's mouth water. Kolie had removed her bowl from the heat only moments earlier and looked to be cooling it with frosty waves of magic. She scooped out globs of the thick filling with a large spoon and set each one to sit waiting in the air. As Pokey flipped over the tray and deposited the cauldrons on a platter underneath, the filling plopped down into each cauldron without spilling a drop. All the elves around the room clapped lightly with their small hands. Harry and Hermione couldn't help but clap along, adding to the buzz of excitement filling the room once again. Pokey let the finished cakes glide in front of him and the other elves trailed along behind to finally line up in front of the students and bow in unison, as if at the end of a show.
Harry estimated it took only one minute to prepare everything, but more impossibly they only took two minutes to bake and cook it all. Magic, of course. Both Harry and Hermione were encouraged to try them freshly baked, as they were the perfect temperature, despite the rich filling still bubbling in imitation of heat.
Grabbing one each they bit into the soft velvety cake with creamy filling and gooey bits of warm fruit inside. Hermione let out a delighted moan at the taste, "Mmmm, that's sooo good!" Her cheeks turned slightly pink but then she smiled and kept chewing slowly, enjoying every moment of it.
Too distracted with the celebration on his tongue to notice much, Harry managed to exclaim in delight, "Wow! That's even better than Honeydukes. You lot are amazing!"
All the elves giggled and did little dances in response. Smiling, Kolie walked up to Harry and handed him a crumpled and well used piece of paper, it contained the recipe and a few notes at the end on how to make it extra chewy.
Swallowing another bite, Harry repressed the urge to keep stuffing his face for a second, "Thank you, for everything. This should definitely save our teeth from rock cakes. Is there anything we can do for you in return?"
The kitchen quieted around them, spreading quickly to the ones who didn't hear. "That isn't necessary young master, your thanks are enough. We could never accept anything in return for performing our duty." Pokey explained.
"What do you mean, you can't accept gifts? Do you really get paid that much?" Hermione asked in concern. The quiet hush turned into deafening silence as startled elf faces turned away or looked on in dismay. Seeing their disconcerting reactions made her look to Harry for answers. "Harry, what are they talking about?"
"Ah, I'm sorry everyone, it's just a misunderstanding. She didn't mean to offend you at all, it's just a very unusual concept in the muggle world, which I seem to not understand perfectly either. We just liked what you did so much we wanted to show our appreciation, and in the muggle world that's often done through other means. But if you like we'll try to limit our gratitude to words instead. - So, I would like to once again thank you for the wonderful food you prepare, and all your hard work around the castle. We really appreciate it." Some started clapping while others cried, tears of happiness he hoped.
He whispered to Hermione, "We better go before something else gets misunderstood. I'll explain later." They waved goodbye and made a hasty retreat.
Only to be caught by Kolie at the door, "That was handled well young master. And don't worry about the others, they're just not used to dealing with human interaction, especially with such kind ones like yourselves. I'm the envoy to the teachers and headmaster so I know what to expect. We do hope you come back again sometime, since you are certainly welcome here. Besides, it's always nice feeling useful." She gave them a wink and shoved two more cauldron cakes into their hands as they stepped out the door.
oOoOo
"Harryyy!" Hermione groaned, "You always seem to make things so confusing... What was that all about? You're not going to tell me they barter with dried squid or cacao beans because they're allergic to metals are you? And what was with their clothing? They looked like they had on old towels or something." She began wrapping her extra cake in a napkin to save for later.
Harry chewed slowly on his to delay, "You're not going to like it, I can tell you that right now. You're better off not knowing and pretending like you didn't hear anything." She gave him a very intimidating glare, or tried to at least. If an otter could make an annoyed squint, that would be similar. Harry caved, shrugged, and tried to put it into words, "They're kinda like... yet, they enjoy it. They don't like possessions or regular clothing, so you could call them - willing indentured servants?"
Hermione took a second to speak, building up all the indignation she could muster, "They're SLAVES!? And they like it that way? What century is this? Trying to convince people slaves are better off because they enjoy it, you should have seen through that Harry! I know you're smarter than that." She ended in a huff, crossing her arms.
"Okay, relax a little. I wasn't sure I believed it either, that is until the display we just witnessed. We both saw the same thing, they were happy doing all that, they were proud of their skills, and basically made it into entertainment more than work. From what I was told they were somehow made or born enjoying working for wizards and shunning property. They're magical beings and don't exactly think the same way as humans, so you can't compare their situation to human slavery so easily."
Harry noticed her nod imperceptibly at that point, "I admit its screwed up to use them basically as slaves, but it wouldn't be right to force them to change how they want to live either. I asked one of the professors about them the other day and he said they're free to leave, and some have left with wizards in the past, but that the connection between wizards and house elves is too strong to break for them to live on their own. That some have to be owned or they die." He finished and waited for her rebuttal.
It took a minute for Hermione to sort out all the new information on the subject, "You're right that magical creatures aren't exactly human, even though they are considered beings. Especially when there are Hags, in which eating flesh and little children is normal, yet are still classified the same. But what if they're simply trained from birth to live that way and are brainwashed into thinking they're supposed to like being slaves? What if you could convince them otherwise? Maybe all it takes is some de-conversion classes and being separated from a society that keeps them locked into this way of thought. Even if you're right and it's a magical condition of their birth, freedom shouldn't be based on whether someone enjoys it more than slavery. No one should have the right to own another sentient life form!"
"You're definitely right about the last part. But you saw their reaction to your question about being paid, there's no way they could be convinced otherwise. My guess is that some highly unethical wizards created them somehow to serve and be bound magically to them, and we know barely anything about magic yet in order to fix that. But you have my support if you can ever free them from that curse." They had walked to the staff room while talking and now stood outside the door.
Hermione looked a little frustrated but shook it off and sighed, "I don't know what to think, but, you're probably right... guess you're not as dumb or crazy as the Slytherins claim." She gave him a teasing smile.
"Well I never! They underestimate me - I'm far more than just dumb and crazy!" Harry laughed maniacally.
Rolling her eyes she pushed him out of the way and knocked on the door to the staff room. Professor Vector answered and they asked if Professor Flitwick or McGonagall were inside. Minerva in her emerald greens appeared at the door with an annoyed look but quickly changed to mild surprise when she saw who was asking for her. "Oh, what are my two brightest first years needing today? I hope you aren't asking for more homework on a Sunday miss Granger. You should be out having fun as well as learning."
Harry chuckled lightly at the comment and Hermione gave him another glare. "We came to report a duel that is supposed to occur between students at midnight tonight, in the trophy room." She said with a note of seriousness.
"My word!" McGonagall returned to her severe demeanor immediately, "Who are these students and how did you hear about this?"
Harry glanced down, not being prepared for the questions, "Er - Its supposed to be between Malfoy and... me." He looked up to see her face molding into full disbelieving shock as he hurried to tell the rest, "He came up to us earlier, threatening and insulting us, then challenged me to a duel. Of course I had no intention of actually doing it, but thought it safer to agree than refuse to his face. After, we agreed it would be best to tell a teacher instead of staying silent, in case something went wrong."
McGonagall looked back and forth between them with a stern glare, but all she appeared to see were honest, if somewhat intimidated children. "These are very serious charges. Students out of bed after curfew, and participating in an illegal and unsupervised duel. If it was anyone else I might assume they were fabrications made up to get another student in trouble. But as your participation in my class and others have shown, you both are upstanding students and too intelligent to lie directly to a professor's face." Her last veiled threat and fierce look didn't reveal any deception, so she nodded in acceptance. "Alright, you may go. And thank you for reporting this, it was the right thing to do."
With palpable relief they left together, heading for the Ravenclaw dueling room. Having decided to get started on spell practice, due to the recent threat of aggression. When Harry mentioned his icy incident outside the library, Hermione added detection spells to the list of needed research and admonished him for not mentioning that to Professor McGonagall as well. They reached the room and found no one in it, not even the portrait who spoke to them before. Hermione began to practice with expelliarmus, while Harry tried his hand at stupefy. By dinner time Harry had made almost no progress, barely emitting a spark upon casting the spell. Much to his chagrin, Hermione was already producing a decent looking red shimmer across the room, or sometimes at him.
Feeling his wand move slightly in his hand, Harry sent a sharp look her way. "You might be careful where you point that..."
She wore a pleased grin while trying to pretend it didn't happen, and continued to cast as usual.
Dinner turned out to include glazed honey hams, pots of grilled vegetables, a diverse set of side dishes, and more cauldron cakes for dessert. Harry only took two though, having had more than enough sweets that day. At the head table he could see Hagrid picking up two or three at a time and stuffing them in his mouth. He smiled at Harry when their eyes met and gave a thumbs up with more cakes in his other hand. Hermione laughed cheerfully behind him, and he guessed she must have seen as well.
Watching Hagrid made Harry think of what he said about his parents, that they were even worse cooks than he was. And here I imagined I would be having amazing home cooked meals once upon a time. Turns out I had to wait until Hogwarts anyway. I wonder how they ate, surely there couldn't be many magical take-away places with how few magical people there are. Though with that pile of gold at Gringotts maybe they ate out all the time, or had a chef, or rather a house elf... Everyone has praised my parents as kind and wonderful people, would they have cared about enslaving a house elf? Would I feel bad to own one as well? Wait, maybe I do own one, if my parents owned a house elf wouldn't I have inherited it? But when they died and I was given to the Dursleys, it probably found another family. Which is unlikely in the first place. I barely know anything about my parents...
He shook his head, took his last bite of cake and savored the new happy memories he was making, looking forward to many more.
oOoOo
Back in the Ravenclaw library with Hermione again, it was discussed how they might go about acquiring other items they wanted. Since first and second years weren't allowed on Hogsmeade weekends, they would have to get someone else to buy things for them, or wait until the holidays.
"I might not go home for the holidays," warned Harry, "since I've heard you can't practice magic outside of school, and I'm starting to really like it here." Leaving out the part about his disagreeable relatives, he shrugged at her concerned expression.
He continued, "I might be able to talk Hagrid into taking me shopping again though, but I don't know how easy it would be to get some items if he's around. Plus that's a long way away."
Hermione seemed to hesitate before saying her next idea, "There is another option, but not a very good one... Fred and George offered to buy stuff at Hogsmeade for a small fee, if any younger students needed anything. I wouldn't trust them with anything important, or much at all, but they could be a last resort."
"Why? Did they already start pranking you as well?" Harry felt defensive for a second but tried to ignore it.
Looking down and away, she shook her head, "They saw me explaining at length how legilimency works to their brother Ron, and when he began rolling his eyes at me and gagging, they threatened the other Gryffindors on pain of torture if I was made fun of again. It was probably just to harass Ron, since all he does is follow them around, but the others have been nicer lately."
Harry chuckled, glad that he was right about them, but couldn't resist the temptation to tease her, "Could one of them already fancy you? Or maybe both?"
The deadly glare she cast his way only made him smile while trying to restrain his laughter. Of course there was nothing deadly about her tight lipped stare, but Harry figured that was her intent, and she did seem to be improving.
"Go boil your head in muffling draught."
He snorted and covered his mouth, "Sorry, sorry... back to the topic at hand. The final option is owl post, but they can't deliver everything, and who knows how it's monitored or restricted, or what it costs. We need to find some brochures, if they exist."
They soon decided that Hermione would get anything suspicious at Diagon Alley on holiday since her parents wouldn't know any better, Harry would try to go shopping with Hagrid there as well, and they would ask the Weasleys for only harmless items that might be useful earlier. If that didn't work they would use owls as a backup. Making plans seemed to cheer them both up from any unpleasant thoughts.
Harry had another topic he wanted to discuss though, "We should probably start researching enchanting as well, since it'll be cheaper in the long run to enchant our own items. And we might be able to make improvements or even create customized artifacts ourselves one day."
Hermione sighed, "You keep trying to go way beyond our skill level Harry. Like wanting to learn stupefy, a first year shouldn't even be able to cast it. You have to be a master at the spells you want to make a permanent enchantment of, and most require a lot of magic. That might be easier than taming a Griffin but I think we should concentrate on simpler topics for now."
"Okay, if you insist on limiting my genius... but I still think we should learn the basics so we can keep in mind anything that might be useful along the way." Harry enjoyed provoking her desire for knowledge, because they both knew she wanted to learn everything, yet tried to be the sensible one as well.
"Fine! But just the basics!" She rolled up a piece of paper and threw it at Harry's smile of victory. They both laughed when it sailed over his head.
The next few weeks turned out to be much the same. Harry began sitting near Padma and Sue in classes or Hermione too when they had doubles. They often all did homework together and sometimes practiced spells as well when Sue and Padma felt interested. One day they went down to Hagrid's for tea and talk of creatures. During the visit they uncovered that Padma happened to buy the beautiful snowy owl Hagrid was going to purchase for Harry, and that Sue's giant fire-bellied toad could croak real flames, which Hagrid thought was adorable. They tried making Cauldron cakes together with Hagrid's batch turning out excessively hard and chewy, but still edible for everyone else to try. He loved those the most, and welcomed Padma and Sue to come back any time.
The week after, Harry and Hermione helped set moke traps on the edge of the forest which Hagrid had borrowed from a friend. They visited the elves again to watch their dinner preparation, which was even more spectacular than before. Hermione was convinced that something needed to be done, but realized that the house elves thoroughly enjoyed themselves all the same. Some nights during their research and practice, there would appear plates of fruit or biscuits, along with a tea, or hot chocolate. It only happened when both their heads were turned or they got distracted by a book falling from a shelf, they both assumed it was the house elves since it started with a couple of cauldron cakes and milk. Which was weird, but Harry knew it was common in the states, and it tasted amazing together.
Soon, nightly practice and research with Hermione started showing results. Spell practice progressed rapidly, with only a few proving to be overly difficult, yet they already began teaching each other the easier ones. Hermione was quickly overtaking Harry with her proficiency, but he guessed she practiced a lot more, or at least hoped she did. They read about uncommon spells, the habits of rare beasts, famous items of great power, and the basics of enchanting. Which included mentally forcing your own magic into an object, or using special materials to enchant something permanently with a spell. Seeing the potential, Hermione relented and they planned to keep it on their list of research topics.
Nothing seemed to come from the supposed duel with Draco except some odd looks from him afterward. McGonagall didn't mention it either. That bothered Harry somewhat but he decided to be prepared next time. Every double lesson with Slytherin he would concentrate on sensing Draco in the crowd, as the incident with his wand demonstrated it was still possible. Though it was much harder than sensing his wand or the difference between his three relatives in a single house, especially because all the magic around made things and people indistinguishable from one another. After a while his senses got used to the buzz of magic in the air and he began noticing the differences between individuals. Practicing while walking to and from classes, he got better at ignoring any strange sensations and it became easier to tell students apart.
His years of practice were paying off and he was even able to distinguish between students at meal times, which gave him more time to practice sensing where Draco was as well. After a month of this daily exercise it was easy to tell the usual people around him. It still took effort, but was manageable and became a habit whenever anyone came close. First year Ravenclaws were a snap if he tried, with Padma, Sue, and Hermione being the easiest to sense, even if they were far away. Penny, and most of the other prefects were relatively distinct, since they were usually moving around halls between classes or on patrol near curfew. Draco and his crew were the hardest of the bunch but every day they became clearer and once or twice he was able to avoid bumping into him.
Throughout his entire time practicing, Harry nudged Draco and his minions mentally, to get them arguing or annoying each other, causing strife during their time together. It was fun, making Crabbe and Goyle think Draco wore makeup or getting them to ignore and misunderstand his orders. Everything was relatively harmless until one time he managed to make them laugh directly at Draco as he was being insulted by a Gryffindor. That's when Draco started truly bullying Hermione and the others in her house.
