"Now, you know you don't actually have to do this." Ben told Clint for the millionth time. Clint rolled his eyes at the older boy, scoffing at him for purposely annunciating his words slower, as if it made it easier for Clint to read his lips.
"I'm not an invalid." Clint said, "I can participate in the 'Buddy System.'"
Ben bit his lip, clearly thrown off by Clint's comment, "I didn't mean…"
"I can help some first year, how hard can it be?"
"Harder than you think."
"Well, I'll manage." Clint said, "Professor Ross said all 4th and 5th years have to participate. I'm a 5th year, so I'm participating."
"Okay, okay." Ben agreed. He scanned his list of 1st year Hufflepuff students he had to 'buddy up', trying to find one that would suit Clint. Alex had already taken Ned, Nelson and Murdock were working with Tyrone, and Drax (surprisingly) had volunteered for Groot. That only left, "Kate Bishop." He told Clint.
"Who's…" Clint began, but Ben was looking across the room. A dark-haired girl who'd been sitting on the Common Room couch looked up at Ben, then came over to where he and Clint were standing. Ben started talking to her, gesturing to Clint a few times before Clint cleared his throat and Ben snapped his gaze to him.
"I was doing it again, wasn't I?" Ben said, looking guiltily at Clint.
Clint just nodded, and Ben turned himself so he was still looking at the girl, but at an angle Clint could still see his face.
"As I was saying," Ben continued, "Kate, this is Clint Barton, he'll be your 'Buddy'. If you need help or have any questions, you can ask him. He's a 5th year, so he's pretty experienced, but if you need anything else you can feel free to ask Alex or me."
Kate smiled eagerly at Ben, before he became distracted by Johnny, looking like he was about to jump off the balcony from the boy's dorms again. "If you guys could excuse me…" he turned again, and Clint didn't care to try and figure out the end of the sentence.
Left alone with Kate, Clint found himself at a loss for words. The girl was looking at him with expectation in her eyes, but Clint had absolutely no idea what to tell her. "So…" he started, "Welcome to Hogwarts?"
Kate looked at him skeptically, "Thanks?"
"Do you… uh… have any questions?"
"Yeah!" she pulled a piece of parchment out of her robe's pocket, "These are my classes," she thrusted it at Clint, "You know where they are?"
Clint breathed a sigh of relief, this would be a piece of cake.
A week later Clint was sitting absentmindedly in Charms class when Professor Pym suddenly stopped talking. Clint turned to look at the classroom door, where he noticed Alex Summers standing, gesturing to him. (Did he find the Zonko's bag under his bag? Clint hoped not, it took him awhile to get his stash that large. And Natasha would kill him if he got caught.)
Professor Pym turned to Clint, "Mr. Barton, it appears Summers needs your assistance, you are dismissed."
Assistance? What did that mean? (He really hoped that Alex hadn't found that Zonko's bag) Clint gathered his belongings and quickly left the Charms room, very much aware of the eyebrow Natasha was raising accusingly in his direction. Once the door was closed, he turned to Alex, "What's wrong?"
"Happy found your 'Buddy' sneaking around the castle during classes."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Well, Happy agreed not to give her detention as long as I gave her a 'talking to', but she won't listen to me."
"So why would she listen to me?"
"You're her Buddy!"
"I don't think that works how you think it does."
"Ned listens to me and…" Alex turned away from Clint to open the Hufflepuff common room door, Kate was sitting on the couch inside, Ben Grimm sitting across from her.
Alex looked back at Clint as Ben rose to leave the room, "Good Luck!" he called as the two of them walked into the hallway, shutting the door behind them.
Well this was just great.
"So…" Clint said, sitting in Ben's vacated seat, "How's your day been?"
Kate smiled at him mischievously. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.
Clint nodded, and she pulled out a piece of parchment from her robe, handing it to him with a beaming smile.
"What's this?" Clint asked.
"I stole it from Happy's office while I was down there."
"But what is it?"
"It's so cool I can't believe…" She turned her head to the ceiling, still talking, then she looked back to Clint, "…and to think of all the things I could do with it!"
"What is it though?"
"I just told you!"
"No, you told the ceiling."
"But…" she started, and Clint tapped his ear. "Oh!" Kate gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. "Sorry, I totally forgot."
"Don't apologize, just tell me what you said."
"It's the Marauder's Map! I heard stories about it, but I never thought it was real!"
"Muggle-born here." Clint said.
"Just watch." Kate said. She pulled her wand out from the bun in her hair, causing it to cascade down her shoulders. She pointed her wand at the map and said, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good!" The tip of her wand lit up, and text appeared on the previously blank parchment.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP""What the hell?" Clint yelled, jumping back in his chair.
Kate just laughed and opened up the parchment, revealing a map of the entire school, complete with moving dots marking each individual student. He saw dots labeled "Clint Barton" and "Kate Bishop" in the room marked "Hufflepuff Common Room". In the hallway outside the Common Room door was "Natasha Romanoff". The dots labeled "Steve Rogers" and "Thor Odinson" were circling the Quidditch Pitch, while "James Barnes" and "Loki Odinson" were stationary in the stands. "Tony Stark", "Bruce Banner", "Jane Foster", and "Steven Strange" were sitting together in the Library, and "Rocket" was in a hallway he probably shouldn't be in.
"Oh my God." Clint said, staring at the parchment with wide eyes.
Kate smiled, "I know, right?"
"But how?"
"Never mind the how Clint, think of the possibilities!"
Clint had to admit, the possibilities were certainly endless.
