The question of which Hogwarts house is the most dangerous seems like the answer would be universally agreed upon. After all, Slytherins, with their intimidating ambition and the slight (but only slight) connotation of a tendency towards dark arts, seem like the most obvious choice. After all, they do sleep in the dungeon. But if not them, one would next suspect Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, due to the gutsy fortitude and immense wisdom, respectively. However, in some respects, no matter how smart, ambitious, or resilient your enemies are, often times you`d much rather be fighting them than fighting a friend.
But, stereotypes aside, there were also Hufflepuffs like Zacharias Smith out there, who were often times worse than Slytherins.
So maybe Harry was justified a bit in the nervousness biting away at his gut. After all, besides having to venture out into the depths of the library and try and convince a pack of potentially dangerous Hufflepuffs to give him their time turner, there was also the fact that this had to be done without being spotted by any of the Slytherins who still might be roaming around with vengeful or violent tendencies.
But so far, all he`d seen were scruffy stragglers with ripped shirts and food stains who didn`t seem to recognize Harry as the reason their perfectly good meal had descended into chaos.
He had made it to the corridor in front of the library before his luck finally fizzled out.
"Mulciber here tells me you were groveling to the Mudblood, Severus."
Oh, Merlin no.
"I`m surprised Mulciber could see anything past that half-blood Ravenclaw he`s been mooning over for the past week. Arabella, is it?" Snape sneered.
"That, topic of further discussion it is, does not pertain to the Mudblood you told us you terminated your friendship with last May."
"Well, if Mulciber had his full attention on the matter at hand, he might not have been so swift to come running to you about such a thing. You see, something Mulciber evidently does not know is that Lily Evans is very sympathetic. She has to be, to sustain the insolent company of the Mudbloods, blood-traitors, and the other lowlifes Gryffindor is comprised of."
"Get to the point, Snape. The Dark Lord would not be so patient."
"I can always hasten his tongue with a hex or two…"
Bellatrix. Harry clutched his wand tighter. With a few simple words, he could finish what he`d tried to start in the Department of Mysteries, while also saving his godfather, and the Longbottoms, for that matter.
"Now, now Bella. I`m getting there. You see, by taking advantage of the sympathy of a Mudblood, I would be able to lure her away from her friends, away from the eyes of the Great Hall, where you, whom I anticipated to have followed us out, would be able to finally do what you`ve been taking about for months, what you did to that other Gryffindor Mudblood she associates with. Unfortunately, the friends of hers that have been preventing you from doing this in the previous attempts managed to divert the situation again."
"Well, be thankful at least your failure was amusing enough, and gave reason to openly attack some of the blood traitors that have long gone unpunished."
"However, keep in mind that you still have yet to prove yourself. Be sure not to pass up this opportunity, Severus. Do not fail us again."
Harry dared to take a peek around the corner, where the retreating figures of the Future Death Eater Society were finally turning towards the dungeons.
"You won`t have to worry about failure from me, Malfoy."
Making a mental note to warn Mattie (and also Lily) about this later, Harry ducked into the library, determined not to let Snape get in the way of his mission.
As it turned out, not many people were in a studying mood at that time of day. Much like bulk of Gryffindor house, most students were busy either being reprimanded by their heads of house or cleaning themselves up. Nobody sat huddled over books, or slouched back at the tables, and the room as a whole appeared to be in a state Hermione would have declared "criminally vacant".
However, while his initial conclusion remained true, Harry soon found himself corrected as he heard the low giggling from several stacks behind him.
"Stubs, what took so long, was your stash of gillyweed 'hiding' again?" One of the girls said as he approached the group. Most of them were reclined against the shelves, or laid staring up at the ceiling disjointedly.
One of the boys studied him, scowling. "Oi, you ain`t Stubs."
"No, I`m not." Harry said, sitting down next to an empty bottle, the girl who`d mistaken him pouting like a child who`d misplaced a favorite toy. "Do any of you know an Elise?"
A girl who`d been resting on one of the boys propped herself up by her elbows, studying him with a gaze that was much more coherent than that of the others. "You. They see you. You`re that kid whose been causing so much trouble."
"I suppose you could say trouble has a way of finding me. Are you Elise?"
"He looks like that boy." The first girl mumbled, mouth agape. "The boy who caused the potatoes."
A blond boy waved his tie in objection. "It was the girl who caused them."
"They say you`re Mattie`s cousin." The coherent-and-possibly-Elise girl stated, fiddling with a book from the muggle studies shelf behind her.
"That`s right." Harry replied, surprised how easy telling technicality truths were. After all, with wording like that, how could he not? "And you`re Elise, right?"
"You know, we don`t like your cousin much around here, or did she forget to tell you that when she set you lose?"
So much for not being chased by a second mob…
"And it`s Madeline." She corrected, leaning forward with interest. "You know, you really do look like Mr. Potato Head, even if you are the cousin of Satin."
Maybe she wasn`t as comprehensible as he`d though.
"Um….Thanks, I guess…?"
Obviously having been waiting for a different reaction, Madeline let out a small amused puff of air."She never mentioned me, did she? Interesting. Thirsty?
"Be nice, Maddy." A girl giggled drowsily. "I`m Elise."
"Great, hey, so I was wondering if I could borrow your time turner, if it wouldn`t be too much trouble…"
The boy who had originally declared Harry not to be 'Stubs' furrowed his brow. "Whoa whoa whoa. Slow it down there, pal. Why should she give up something as valuable as a time turner to some random wanker who just so happens to wander into the library and ask for it?"
"Besides, he`s the cousin of Mattie, we can`t make it easy for him, not after all she`s done."
Just when he thought he might have won them over, too. Maybe Mattie wasn`t such a good person to have as a fake cousin after all.
"Fine. What would you want in exchange for it?"
"Hmmm…."
"The lost diadem of Ravenclaw?"
"Sabotage on the Gryffindor quiddich team?"
"Infinite cupcakes?"
"Your cousin, transfigured into a potato?"
"Aren't you guys supposed to be Hufflepuffs, not Slytherins?" Harry signed exasperatedly.
"He`s right…" Madeline sneered, leafing through a book, "We should back to our roots…oh, and I think he`ll find this particularly challenging."
"Exactly how much do you think, before he finds himself at the end?" Elise asked sympathetically.
"Well, as penance for the offenses of your cousin and her ilk, I think there should be, oh, let`s call it an even twelve trials to be poetic."
"Twelve trials of what, exactly?" Harry asked, knowing there was no way he was going to like the answer.
Madeline smirked. "A scavenger hunt, of course. After all, certain Gryffindors are so talented and seeking out and taking things, no matter what or whose they are."
"So what am I supposed to go find?"
The guy Madeline had been reclined on grabbed a scrap piece of parchment and waved his wand over it. "Here. After you`ve completed the task, a new one will appear. Find us when you`re done."
"Your eyes…" Elise murmured as Harry took the enchanted parchment. "They're so…woah."
"Certainly didn`t pick that up from his cousin." Someone muttered, and Harry felt like now would be a good time for a hasty retreat, running a hand through his hair impatiently.
For some reason, the Hufflepuff`s expressions changed at this gesture, some even differing to Madeline in a silent conference. Eventually, several exchanged glances and an eye roll later, Madeline turned back to Harry with a sigh. "I supposed twelve trials was a tad harsh. After all, nobody can control their unfortunate genetics. Six trials, then."
Well, at least that meant he wouldn`t have to wait another month or so to get the time turner now. "Really? Thanks." He said, backing away before they could change their minds again and decided he wasn`t worthy of their pity.
"Don`t bother trying to accio them!" Madeline called after him. "I may be sympathetic, but I`m not stupid."
Out of their sight, Harry glanced down at the parchment, which now displayed the first item in golden lettering.
Mrs. Norris` collar
Fantastic. As if that suicide mission hadn`t been bad enough the first time…
A/N: I know it`s been a while, and I`m sorry for that and the shortness of this update, but unfortunately I`m unsure if I`m going to be able to keep writing, even as sporadically as I have been, for a while. I still plan on finishing this story, along with A Change Of Tune (Previously titled A Simple Melody), but recent events have made it very difficult to put words to page, as you might have noticed from how long it took for me to eek out this chapter. I want to make this story, along with A Change Of Tune, as great as it can be, and I just can`t possibly do that right now.
Anyway, you guys are the best, and I`ll be back soon, promise.