Title: Corrupted Pawn
Chapter Ten: Stamp Your Foot
A/N: So sorry for the wait... I have no idea what happened. Seriously... I think my brain got fried by the shocking English heatwave and the Easter holidays. As you may be able to tell, I was not in a sensible mood writing this... So Happy Easter guys! (Lau)
Wrote none of this (as per usual). So maybe I ought to write chapter eleven. Enjoy this chappy!(Han)

Warnings: random outbursts of spontaneous and probably inappropriate for the scene type humour, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! *coughs* wasn't me...

The Golden Trio: Cut Down To Two?

By Dani Claria

The truth is out: and so is Weasley. When fellow sixth year Gryffindors Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan 'came out' to the world at large, Ronald's fit of homophobic anger caused a split from close friend Harry Potter and most of Gryffindor house.
Apparently this isn't as surprising as many might expect: trusted sources inside the school say that Potter and Weasley haven't been quite as close since the summer, and the tragic death of his Godfather (recently cleared Sirius Orion Black) can't be all to blame as he is most often seen in the company of Muggleborn top-of-the-year student Hermione Granger, also of Gryffindor - when not alone that is.
Few people have stuck by Mr. Weasley since the incident, including Miss. Brown, his girlfriend of the past three and a half weeks, who was interviewed this morning by myself.
Dani: So, Miss Brown... may I call you Lavender? Lavender, you have stuck by Ronald when the rest of his house has seen fit to (for want of better words) bugger off... can you tell us more?
Lavender: well, Gryffindor has been very unfair to my Ron! He's done nothing to deserve this, only spoken out like everyone should against (whispering) unnaturalness
D: Unnaturalness?
L: Yeah, you know, gays?
D: Oh, umm... so what was Harry's and Ron's relationship like previously?
L: Yhey were very close, I guess, I didn't really see much of Ron then. He was quite close to that Granger girl as well, but she hardly talks to him now. She's just a jealous cow really, not even that smart.
D: Okay... so how did the rest of Gryffindor take the news?
L: well, no-one even seemed to care. I think they've been brainwashed by You Know Who, I bet he's right for all that queer stuff. He's probably shagging Snape!
D: I don't think its wise to say that, surely...?
L: What, everyone knows Snape's a Death Eater and I bet he's gay and all.
D: well on that note I believe it's time to end... err thank you Lavender.

So, there's one take on the situation, I leave it to you to decide - Is Harry brainwashed? Should Ronald be welcomed back? And is Severus Snape gay? Personally, I think No, No and Yes!

Hermione looked up from the article and caught Harry's eye. They both dissolved into laughter at the antics of Lavender.
"I think they've been brainwashed by You Know Who!" Hermione imitated as her breath returned. Harry watched the blonde girl walk up to the table, standing just a metre behind Hermione. "Honestly, as though that damp bint ever actually thought." Seamus, who had been listening in and reading over Harry's shoulder, was practically having hysterics between Hermione and Lavender's face.
"Just WHAT do you think you're talking about Hermione?" Lavender was bright red and shaking with rage.
"Well, being as I actually think, then I think I'm talking about this charming article in Witch Weekly." Hermione replied coolly as Seamus fell off the bench and rolled on the floor, still laughing.
"How dare you! If I didn't know better I'd say you'd been brainwashed as well!"
"Brainwashed is a bit of a big word for you isn't it Lav-lav? And what exactly do you think you know better on?"
"Well it's not like you have a brain is it?"
"What does that say for you? I don't think it's possible to have minus brain cells."
"You bitch!" Lavender pulled out her wand and sent a jet of pink fuzzy light at Hermione. Well, it was probably meant for Hermione, but it hit a candle over the Ravenclaw table instead and it turned into a pink fluffy thing with teeth. Harry shuddered. He would never use the expression 'pink fuzzy feeling' again. Hermione shot back far more accurately, and Lavenders hair began to change. Split ends went mad and it didn't look like it had been washed or brushed for weeks. She caught sight of her reflection and screamed before running out of the hall.
"I knew she used magic on her hair." Hermione said, grinning.
"What did you do?" Harry asked.
"Just reverted her hair to its natural state without magic. If she didn't use spells for brushing and washing it and getting rid of split ends she'd have been fine."
The rest of the hall was silent as McGonagall swept towards the crime scene.
"Hermione, my office now." She snapped and started to clear up the mess. The only sound was Seamus' unending laugher. "And for Merlin's sake, someone shut him up" She added. Harry glanced up at the staff table and saw Dumbledore looking concerned, while a few seats away Snape looked like he was trying not to laugh. But that couldn't be right.
Hermione was given detention cleaning Moaning Myrtles bathroom, which she claimed wasn't too bad - apparently she learnt a lot about what was going on around the school which shouldn't be. Lavender had been given two months worth of detentions cleaning out the lake, for fighting and spreading malicious rumours about Snape. Ron was furious about everything, but had taken to avoiding most people as he and Lavender tended to end up locked in cupboards with there clothes mysteriously vanished. As yet no-one had even been suspected of these crimes, and Ron wasn't complaining about the clothes.

The days continued in much the same way - classes had been surprisingly relaxed recently, considering their NEWTs - until breakfast on Thursday morning. Dumbledore stood up at the end of the hall, waiting for the usual early morning noise to die down.
"I am pleased to inform you all that we have finally found a replacement teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Please welcome Professor Snape." The entire hall (excluding the Slytherins) started muttering and glaring. One overly dramatic first year fainted. "That is to say, Miss Snape here." Dumbledore continued, indicating Ravyn. The students breathed again and the first year was helped up. "On the note of your studies, 2nd years and above will be having a mock test week starting on the 6th October to check that your brains haven't leaked out of your ears over the holidays." Dumbledore returned to his seat, eyes twinkling madly. A horrified Colin Creevey checked his ears several times.
"Merlin's undies, what possessed the old crackpot to spring that on us?" muttered a seventh year. Ron started berating him for 'inappropriate names'. Hermione however was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. Now that was inappropriate in Harry's opinion. He may actually study now and be able to do his homework without Hermione's help, but no-one in their right mind looked forward to tests.

*
Riddlemethis: Well well Pothead, what brings you here today?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Fuck off.
Riddlemethis: Language, language. Please don't say you're blaming this episode on lack of sleep?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Nope, it's just your face.
Riddlemethis: You can't see my face.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: You know what I mean.
Riddlemethis: Really... no.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Uuh, yes.
Riddlemethis: So what did inspire this particular bout of irritation?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: You don't care. You killed my parents!
Riddlemethis: Excuse me?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: DON'T DENY IT!
Riddlemethis: Seriously, what's up?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Test sprung on us, Slytherin bastard sons of your bastard death eaters, you out to kill me and eat my heart... the usual.
Riddlemethis: I think you're confusing me with someone else.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Nope. Definitely not.
Riddlemethis: Yes
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: No
Riddlemethis: You must be, I have killed no one.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Yeah right, and I'm a girl.
Riddlemethis: Really?
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: ... No.
Riddlemethis: Riiight.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: So why are you in such a spectacularly good mood today? Been killing more peoples parents huh?
Riddlemethis: NO!
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: YES!
Riddlemethis: I refuse to sound like a three year old.
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Stamp your foot and I'll make it four.
Riddlemethis: NO!
The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts: Damn.

The-boy-who-survived-mouldyshorts has signed out.

Harry was exhausted. The first day of the surprise mocks had been hectic to say the least, and add to that the fact that he'd been up till 4 in the morning revising the previous night. Today they had been tested on knowledge from years 1 to 3 in Charms and Transfiguration and prepared for the Potions exam in their double lesson - including a trip into the forest to identify and collect some ingredients - while their almost finished polyjuice potions were in stasis. The practical exam was to be done in pairs, and Harry had been put with Neville (no doubt to try and hinder him). However in the forest they had been in the group supervised by Miss Snape and Neville had excelled at the herbology type side of finding plants without Snape breathing down his neck. Their normal potions work was strained with Ron, hardly speaking except when Ron slipped in a comment about 'sticking together and avoiding the queers'.
But anyway, all Harry was really interested in right now was his warm bed in the boys dorms, and he was practically sleepwalking his way back from Charms when Draco Malfoy rounded the corner with his cronies. They stopped, Harry eyeing them suspiciously.
"Crabbe, Goyle, go on ahead." Malfoy muttered.
"Eh?" Crabbe grunted, looking confused.
"You know? Leave? Find your own way to the common room? You do know the way right?" Malfoy's sarcasm lashed out. Goyle appeared to have a headache from thinking. They finally waddled off past Harry, edging away slightly as though he was contagious.
"Potter." Malfoy spoke as he made to walk away.
"What Malfoy?" Harry glared at the ferret who was preventing him from sleeping.
"Umm... well, I've been thinking - " Harry snorted. "Shut up. And well, I think it's time we got over our petty squabbles. We are nearly adults." Harry just looked at him. Malfoy sighed. "Do I have to spell it out? I want a truce."
"Why?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Like I said, we've been fighting nearly 6 years and were nearly adults now. We need to grow up." Harry nodded, and Malfoy held out his hand. They shook goodbye to 6 years of rivalry.