Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter X
Excitement and Mystery
"What? You're going to play Quidditch?" asked Hermione disbelievingly, nearly shouting and possibly gaining the ire of Madam Pince.
Harry smiled and nodded.
"Professor Snape saw me catch you when you fell. He thought I had talent and wanted to see how I fared as a Seeker." Harry explained, "Of course, I won't be playing for the first match. Flint – the captain by the way – wants me to shadow Terrence Higgs – our current seeker – and see how to play the role."
In truth, Flint wanted nothing to do with Harry and was completely against his placement on the team. Professor Snape finally relented and made a compromise with the Quidditch captain that Harry wouldn't play in their first game. Harry had been fine with that arrangement honestly. He didn't want to jump into a game with no prior experience on how an actual game would go. It was best to sit one out and be prepared for the next one rather than to join one immediately and become the reason for why the team lost.
Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat as she lowered the book she was reading. In a concerned voice, Hermione relayed her misgivings, "Why would you even want to play, Harry? For as long we've known each other, you never been particularly interested in sports."
He thought of this as well, having first been inclined to decline Professor Snape's offer. However, he was genuinely curious and something in him urged him to take up to the skies on a broomstick. With a tiny smirk, Harry replied, "I just thought I would try it out. I think it would be fun. Besides, I should do something where I'm better at than you: flying."
She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Harry would never let her live down her fumble that first day of flying lesson. Embarrassing Hermione was one of his favorite pastimes.
"As long as you're happy, Harry, then I'll support you!" Hermione smiled brightly. "I'll cheer for you in all of your matches. Well, except when it's Slytherin against Gryffindor, of course."
Harry chuckled.
"I suppose that would be alright. We can't have you do something as treacherous as supporting those dastardly snakes!"
"Honestly, the house rivalries here are too intense for my liking."
"And this is coming from the girl who regularly competes fiercely for the top rank of her class." Harry remarked with a tiny snort.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's chiding but continued to smile, more amused than upset. The two friends entered a companionable silence as they proceeded to continue working on their assignments. After five minutes, Harry found himself not making much progress in his work. His thoughts had drifted from his studies to the meeting with Flint and Professor Snape the other day. Despite his confidence when he spoke to Hermione, he still felt unsure if he was capable of playing such a game. His stunt with Hermione during flying lessons could easily be written off as a one-time fluke.
His insecurities aside, Harry knew that it wasn't the only reason for his doubts. Looking up from his studying materials to gaze at Hermione diligently working across from him, he found himself worrying that playing Quidditch could potentially widen the gap forming between him and Hermione. It was hard enough that they mostly didn't have the same classes and were in different Houses. Their study sessions in the mornings and evenings were the few times he was able to see her during the week. Playing Quidditch could mean he would be practicing often with the team, leaving almost no room to spend time with his best friend.
Where would he and Hermione be in their seventh year if he couldn't find the time to be with her? The thought terrified him.
"Hey there kiddos!" a familiar voice rang out close to Harry and Hermione's table.
Both first years found a bubbly Tonks waving at them as she grinned from ear to ear, her notable pink hair having been replaced with a sky blue color. She carefully strode over towards them, hurrying along quickly. Suddenly, her foot caught on to her robes and she fell forward. Luckily, Tonks caught herself by grabbing onto a table ledge. Her sudden, clumsy appearance elicited chuckles from both Harry and Hermione.
"Good morning, Tonks! Harry and I haven't seen you since we arrived here!" Hermione warmly welcomed the older teen.
"You're telling me!" Tonks dramatically stated, throwing her hands up in the air. "Seventh year is brutal! The second we get back, it's work, work, and more work! Though I guess I brought it on myself, taking on a lot of subjects and all."
"I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle." Harry complimented her.
Tonks smirked and ruffled up Harry's hair at his flattering words.
"Why are you taking so many subjects, Tonks?" Hermione asked curiously.
Surprised, Tonks's eyes widened with disbelief.
"You mean I never told you?"
Both first years shook their heads.
"Well," Tonks had a smile that nearly reached her eyes. "I'm trying to become an Auror. They're basically regular bobbies but with magic and all that. You have to do well in your N.E.W.T.s if you want to become one."
"That's amazing, Tonks!" Hermione exclaimed in admiration. "I read that Aurors are an elite unit of highly-trained wizards and witches!"
Tonks guffawed at Hermione's excitement, eliciting a harsh shush from Madam Pince. The librarian's pointed stare made the three students immediately reign in their voices.
"It's going to be tough. Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, and James Potter, the Head of the Auror Office, practically forced Fudge to give them more funds to train more Aurors on the condition that the requirements to be one are increased." Tonks explained with a rueful tone. "I can't skive off ever, but hey, I'm going to learn some wicked combat spells!"
Harry remained silent after that. He caught Hermione eyeing him worriedly when Tonks mentioned his father but sent her a dismissive wave reminding her that she would be fine. Tonks remained blissfully unaware of the landmine she stepped on and continued chatting with Hermione about her aspirations as Harry pretended to be working. His mind was once again reeling with anger when he thought of his father becoming successful whereas he was abandoned by him. He hated feeling this way as it only meant that his father was still able to control him.
"Are you okay, Harry?"
The boy in question looked up to find Hermione watching him with a sympathetic smile. Tonks had already left after picking up the reading she needed, leaving the two of them alone and finally giving Hermione the chance to worry over her friend.
He carefully thought over how he would answer and decided that he would follow the normal route of discourse with Hermione by being honest.
"I'm fine. I hate getting angry whenever my father is mentioned, but it's something I need to learn how to control on my own."
Hermione tilt her head questioningly and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Harry shook his head. "I already told you all this before. I really have nothing else new to say."
She sighed.
"Well, if you say so. Anyway, we should pack up. It's almost time for class."
The two of them packed up and left the library. Before they parted ways to their respective classes, Harry's thoughts remained on Hermione. She always worried about him and despite her eagerness to excel, she always made time to be with him. Hermione would never allow their friendship to wane. So, to show his appreciation, Harry surprised Hermione with a hug from behind.
"You're brilliant, Hermione." He told her.
"Harry! My staircase is here!" Hermione pointed out, but Harry knew she was enjoying it. "Save the hugging for later!"
"Off you go then."
Then with a smirk, Harry gently pushed her forward and waved goodbye. Hermione glared at him exasperatedly but smiled nevertheless. Her staircase moved on its own as she made her way to her first class, leaving Harry to wait for the next one that would lead him to his. Harry was now content, his worries forgotten.
Hermione's birthday was in the middle of the week, but that didn't stop Harry from arranging a small get-together with the friends the two of them collected in their brief stay in Hogwarts. Tonks had played an instrumental role of securing an empty classroom to have the small gathering – as the library was surely not the best place for a party – and had even arranged for food and drinks to be served – though Tonks proclaimed that she would never reveal her secret as to how she had done so, promising to only tell Harry and Hermione at the end of the year.
On Harry's end, he invited Tracey and Greengrass, the only two he considered as his friends in Slytherin so far. Hermione invited two muggleborns from Hufflepuff that she was getting along with in Charms and Herbology, Sally-Anne Perks and Justin Finch-Fletchley, another muggle-born stemming from Ravenclaw named Kevin Entwhistle, and a pure-blood girl fascinated with the muggle world from her dorm, Fay Dunbar.
Overall, the party was a rousing success in Harry's opinion. It would be the first time Hermione celebrated her birthday without her family and Harry didn't want it to be a sad affair. The muggleborn students were very intimidated with himself, Tracey, and Greengrass at first because of their origin from Slytherin, but that was mended quick when Hermione and Greengrass began talking enthusiastically about a book they took from the library and when Tracey began bragging how her mother was a famous duelist in magical Europe, something that attracted the interest of the two boys.
However, it was not until the party ended and everyone was making their way back to their common rooms before curfew that Harry gave Hermione his present for her. After having learned from Professor Flitwick during their excursion in Diagon Alley that anything electronic would not work in Hogwarts, Harry thought tirelessly as to what present to get Hermione for her birthday. Finally, it was when Dudley was showing off his new outfit for when he would begin attending his father's alma mater, Smeltings Academy, that gave Harry his idea as to what to give her.
On September 19th, Hermione received a silver pocket watch from Harry. Inside was a picture taken by Hermione's father of the two of them before they passed through the barrier into Platform 9 ¾. Beneath the picture was an engraving that read, "Harry James & Hermione Jean". Needless to say, Hermione had been overjoyed by the thoughtful gift and Harry's reward was a loving kiss on the cheek. Harry couldn't have been happier.
In the following weeks, Harry found himself focusing more on his studies and Quidditch, completely forgoing with his initial plan to wrest control of the first year Slytherins from Draco. After Draco basically displayed his true colors as a bigot that supported Voldemort's ideals, Harry found himself disgusted and seething whenever the blonde boy was around him. He didn't even want to associate himself with Draco or any of his group, finding better acquaintances with the older students introduced to him by his Quidditch teammates.
Harry learned that he now had a reputation amongst the Slytherins. Ironically, despite no longer working to further his goals to integrate himself as the de facto leader of the first year Slytherins, his intimidating outburst elevated him onto a status above Draco. The Black name was well-known and there were whispers that he was the heir to its fortune and legacy. Little did they know, Harry already claimed that inheritance, but he wasn't about to be the one responsible for revealing that.
As for Quidditch, Flint hadn't been the only one skeptical about Harry's placement on the team. The team was split between those who wanted to see what he could do and those who wanted him kicked out immediately. Only Terrence Higgs, Adrian Pucey, one of the chasers, and Miles Bletchley, the keeper, were the only three to be friendly. Charles Warrington, another chaser, took a wait-and-see approach, but it was Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, the two beaters that were friends of Flint, that wanted him gone as soon as possible.
The first few practices had him simply watching the team practice from the stands. Harry found that nearly all of their tactics involved underhanded means of scoring or crippling the opposition. Terrence later explained to him that they lost almost all of their top players when they graduated last year, completely dismantling their powerhouse of a Quidditch team that demolished its competitors for the coveted Quidditch Cup in the past. No longer having a team comprised of skill, experience, and camaraderie, they had to resort to using a sneaky tactics to combat against the other Houses' developed teams. It was the Slytherin way and Harry respected that.
It was a few days before Halloween when Flint finally decided to let Harry run Seeker drills. As soon as he had left the ground, Harry never felt more alive in the air than he did while on standing on soil. It was as if he was meant to fly. He couldn't explain with words how he felt when it was just him, his broom, and the sky. Flying came naturally to him and it soon helped him prove how much of an asset he was a seeker. Harry had outpaced Terrence and caught the snitch before he did.
That, more than anything, made the naysayers shut up.
"You did a great job at there, Harry." Said Terrence as Harry stepped out of the locker room. He was leaning against the wall, obviously having waited for Harry to come out.
Harry regarded the seventh year carefully, wondering if he was resentful that he had been outperformed by a first year. Sensing that he held no ill-will, Harry simply nodded in acceptance of the compliment and fired back his own, "I kept a close eye on you when Flint still wouldn't let me fly. You're a better flyer than me."
Terrence snorted.
"Hardly! You could have me beat, mate, I'm not going to lie. Actually, from what I've seen, you're probably a better flyer than any other seeker we ever had in Hogwarts! Barring Charlie Weasley, of course. He was a bloody monster. Can't say for certain if you can beat him."
"Thanks, Terrence. I don't know about Quidditch, but I like flying. It feels so refreshing and it just comes natural to me." Harry admitted, earning him a knowing smile from Terrence.
"Yeah, that's why I started playing Quidditch in the first place. It lets me fly. I couldn't afford a broom when I was younger, so I tried out for the Quidditch team because the school reserves the best brooms for them to fly on." He chuckled. "Anyway, I was thinking of talking to Marcus about letting you be the seeker in our first match. Warrington can keep himself on a broom, but he can't throw a quaffle to save his life. We might have to put him on reserve and put me back to my position as chaser until we build him up some more."
Harry arched an eyebrow, carefully holding back his nervousness and excitement.
"Are you sure I'm ready?"
Terrence scoffed and said, "Of course you are! Gryffindor won't know what hit them come November."
"Well, if you can get Flint to let me play, then I wouldn't mind being the seeker. It sounds fun."
"Smashing! I wanted to see if you were okay with it before I bring the idea to Marcus. As much of an idiot he may look and act sometimes, there are more than enough reasons why he's captain other than me not wanting the job." With that said, Terrence pushed himself off the wall and entered the locker room, presumably to talk to Flint about his idea.
Harry left with added merriment in each step he took. As he passed through the exit, the young seeker spotted Tracey waiting for him nearby with a bored expression on her face. Since practice began, Tracey had always been in the stands watching the others play. The team didn't mind if other Slytherins came by to watch in the stands, but Harry could never figure out why Tracey went to the practice. He assumed it was to get a glimpse of Adrian Pucey. Either way, he was just thankful for the company when Flint still wouldn't let him fly.
"Adrian already left. You won't be able to see him." Harry drawled, lacing his voice with a blithe tone for added mischief.
Tracey jumped, surprised by his appearance. She regained her bearings quickly and turned around to face him, her eyes knitted in a fierce glare.
"I don't like him! Daphne is just saying that because he helped me out a few times in the common room!"
Harry chuckled, believing her. He learned that he shared a sense of humor with Greengrass, both finding it humorous when the two of them teased their best friends. Hermione was quick-witted enough to make a rebuttal, but Tracey was not as fortunate. Greengrass would forever be able to fluster her.
"I might be able to play in our first match." Harry told Tracey as the two of them began their trek up to the castle. "Terrence said he was going to talk to Flint about it."
Tracey beamed brightly and threw one fist up in the air, shouting, "Alright! Way to go, Black! You're going to be the youngest seeker in centuries!"
"I would be, huh? You know, reading over the rules, there was never anything that said first years couldn't be on the team. It just mentioned that first years aren't allowed to bring a broomstick with them to Hogwarts."
"My mum says it's because first years have the tendency to be too eager when they begin flying and hurt themselves."
Harry nodded, agreeing with that opinion.
"I could imagine considering Hermione was a bit overexcited that first lesson…"
"That reminds me. Is she doing any better? I don't really pay attention to her during lessons… I'm not doing so well and if I want to try out for the team next year, I need to get better…"
Harry sighed and wryly smiled.
"She is utterly hopeless on a broom. She can get on it and rise, but she doesn't know how to control it. It is pretty much a given that she won't be able to fly anytime soon. Madam Hooch even had to give her a broom for toddlers to help her out. Hermione is tenacious though, she isn't going to give up so easily… but I'm starting to think she's better off not flying."
Tracey giggled no doubt at the thought of Hermione's fervent determination to soar through the air without crashing. Harry always admired how Hermione was capable of doing a broad range of things, but even he could see that Hermione learning to fly well would be a fruitless endeavor on her part. He knew better than to try and change her mind though, once she settled on doing something, she was going go through it.
"So what are your plans for this evening? If you skive off on doing homework again, Greengrass will be on you all Sunday." Harry warned her, eyeing her calmly in a stern manner.
She rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah, yeah. I was thinking of coming with you to your little study session with Hermione and finish up this essay Professor Snape assigned us. He already scolded me for doing so poorly with his assignment last week."
"I remember that. Is that when he asked you to stay behind after lessons?"
Tracey nodded.
"In that case, I'll help you out. Although, couldn't you have finished it up while I was practicing? I wasn't really in the position to chat with you after all."
"And miss you kick Terrence's butt? Definitely not! Besides, I knew you were going to help me out anyway."
Harry found Tracey confidently grinning from ear to ear. He sighed, giving her a small smile and a shake of his head. There was never any mistaking why Tracey was in Slytherin. She could be quite cunning when she chose to be. Usually, the times she chose was when it was to avoid arduous schoolwork.
Their conversation from there branched off to several topics as the two friends entered the castle. Harry was aware that Tracey enjoyed listening to gossip and rumors, making her a fountain of information if he wanted to know what was happening around the school. From her, Harry learned that the headmaster's warning about the third floor corridor went largely ignored by most students. Several entered it to discover the mystery hidden within it, but so far no search had been fruitful.
Coincidentally it was during this chat that Harry and Tracey spotted a suspicious-looking Theodore Nott nervously stepping onto the third floor from the grand staircase.
"Hey! What's Nott doing?" Tracey rhetorically asked. "Is he mad?"
Although there were several students on the grand staircase with them, it was only coincidence that they were the only two to have a good angle to fully witness what Theodore was up to. Both first years saw Theodore enter the corridor entrance, the very area Headmaster Dumbledore forbade students from entering.
"It looks like his curiosity got the better of him." Answered Harry, a thoughtful look overtaking whatever shock he may have had.
"What're you thinking, Black?"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. I'm just thinking it's clever of him to choose now of all times to enter. Most of the students would either be in their common rooms, outside, or in the library around this hour."
"We should follow him."
Harry was taken aback by Tracey's suggestion albeit he did not show it. He attempted to coax her out of the idea, "It's too dangerous, Tracey. You know what the headmaster said. We could die if we go in there."
"You know the headmaster is a bit barmy in the head! He's probably exaggerating! Besides, a lot of people already entered and they came out fine!" Tracey argued back. "Besides, aren't you a little curious yourself?"
Truth be told, Harry was curious. As much as he didn't want to go along with Tracey out of principle (Hermione would be aghast that he had broken school rules), he had wanted to search what was hidden inside the third floor corridor. And Tracey had a point. Several others had already tried, and though they failed, not one of them came out of it harmed. The only repercussions of seeing what was in there would be detention and a loss of points if they got caught.
I can't believe I'm going along with this but… "Okay. We'll see what Theodore is up to, but promise me that if things go awry, we leave immediately."
Tracey beamed and nodded exuberantly.
"I promise! Now let's go before Theodore gets too far!"
And like that, Tracey dragged him towards the third floor. It took a lot of maneuvering to avoid being seen and waiting for the stairs to be aligned correctly, but eventually they were able to step foot onto the third floor landing without any hiccups. Harry remained apprehensive over the whole ordeal, but he had to admit that he was slowly bubbling with excitement over their little quest. He had always intended to explore the castle, but with assignments and practice plaguing him, it was difficult to find time to actually do so.
The third floor housed many things. Lessons for Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts were held in classrooms on the floor. Better yet, the Hogwarts library made its home there. Harry found that he spent most of his time on the third floor because of it. However, in the opposite direction of where all these places of interests were located laid a largely forgotten corridor that probably would not have warranted any interest at all if it were not for the Headmaster's forbiddance to enter it.
After making sure that there was no one around to catch them entering the corridor, Harry and Tracey hurriedly walked in. The first thing that Harry noticed as he marched through the threshold separating the out-of-bounds zone from the rest of the third floor was how shockingly filthy it was. Harry always marveled how clean the school was despite being an age-old castle. He often wondered how everything was kept spotless. It was said that the caretaker, Argus Filch, cleaned Hogwarts every day, but Harry doubted a single man could clean every nook and cranny of the place.
The third floor corridor was a stark contrast to the rest of Hogwarts. Cobwebs littered the place everywhere from the floor to the ceiling. Dirt and grime covered the walls and ground, piling up on one another until the part of the castle it was on top of became an unrecognizable patch of black. Unlike the rest of Hogwarts, the spells that lit up the halls and rooms were not present, leaving only dimly-lit torches to light the area up. . Overall, the corridor had a foreboding ambiance that made Harry hesitant to traverse deeper in.
"Wow," Tracey gasped in awe, "this is a really creepy place."
"Does this mean we can leave?" Harry asked in his usual deadpan delivery.
Tracey shook her head vigorously.
"We already came this far! Why stop now?"
"I don't know, Tracey. Maybe because we could potentially die? I think I said this earlier."
"You're no fun, Black." She replied, rolling her eyes at him.
Instead of continuing the conversation, Tracey walked away from him and trudged deeper into the abandoned corridor. As much as Harry wanted to turn around and go back to the Slytherin common room, he knew he couldn't leave his friend behind. Frustrated, Harry took off after her, matching her pace by her side. Her lips curved into a triumphant smirk as he caught up next to her, making it abundantly clear to him that Tracey had expected him to follow despite his complaints.
They continued their venture inward, talking little except for a few observations they had made. Tracey had pointed out that there were several rooms with the doors already opened up enough for someone in the hall to peek in without having to walk into it. Harry offered a theory that someone was systematically opening each one up to mark that they had been in there. When asked why he thought so, Harry revealed that several cobwebs have been disturbed or that there were footsteps left on the ground that led into the open rooms.
"So people really are trying to figure out the mystery of this corridor!" Tracey commented excitedly.
"I don't think it would be that easy. No one even knows what they're looking for. Besides, Dumbledore is barmy, right? Maybe he just didn't want the students to find his hidden drawer of socks? He seems crazy enough to do that."
Tracey frowned.
"I would be very angry if it turns out the mystery is the headmaster's socks. He really does seem barmy enough to do that."
Harry lightly laughed at that scenario, "Maybe it's not Dumbledore's socks, but something much more important…"
"Oh? Like what?" Tracey inquired, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"His rainbow-colored robes!"
Tracey groaned, covering her face with her hand and shaking her head wearily. Harry remained oblivious to her sudden change in demeanor as he remained content to chuckle at his own joke. He made a mental note to himself to repeat it to Hermione later.
"You're terrible at jokes…" Tracey bluntly told him.
Harry frowned.
"Hermione likes my jokes."
"Then you both have a strange sense of humor."
The two of them then grinned at one another and laughed. They continued their journey down the corridor after their laughter ceased, but strangely the sound of laughing didn't stop. Harry wondered if he was hearing an echo, but then took noticed that it wasn't his or Tracey's laughter he was hearing. It was much deeper. As he glanced over at Tracey, her eyes told him that she came to the same conclusion as he did: they were not alone.
Tracey looked worriedly over at Harry and said, "That doesn't sound like Theodore."
He nodded, agreeing with her.
"Stop it! Give it back!" Theodore's voice suddenly cried out amidst the guffaws.
"Theodore is in trouble, Black! We have to help him!" Tracey exclaimed, rushing quickly to his aid.
"Wait, hold on," Harry whispered, clutching her shoulders to prevent her from running off, "we just can't barge in there without knowing what's going on."
"But –"
"Trust me, Tracey. We'll help him, but not like that."
Tracey sighed, conceding, "Okay, Black. You have a point. But let's hurry, okay?"
"Okay." He told her as he gave her a rare smile meant to reassure her.
The two first years approached the bend that led to where they heard Theodore and the source of the laughter. Poking their heads from around the bend, they attempted to glimpse what was further ahead. There before them was the scene that had them hearing the distressed-sounding Theodore: their fellow Slytherin was in the center of two taller and older-looking male students wearing Gryffindor colors. They sported a fiery orange mane and were tossing back and forth a notebook to one another as Theodore futilely attempted to catch it in mid-air.
"Oh no, it's the Weasley twins!" Tracey announced, her voice suddenly taking a sour tone. "Why did it have to be them?"
Harry found himself agreeing with Tracey. Everyone in Slytherin knew who the Weasley twins were. They were infamous pranksters that set up pranks of all sorts on everyone in Hogwarts. However, their favorite targets were usually Slytherin students. More than once, Harry had seen a few older students in his House come to the common room with polka dots on their skin or smelling like they just waded in a swamp for hours. No one was ever safe from the twins – it was only by pure chance that Harry hadn't been a victim of the notorious pair.
"Hey George," said the one closest to Harry and Tracey, "the ickle firstie wants us to stop."
"Is that so, Fred?" asked George, grinning mischievously at his twin.
"Quite." Fred answered briefly. "Though I suggest we shouldn't."
George caught the notebook, extending his arm over his head as Theodore attempted to jump and grab it.
"Please, give it back! I didn't do anything to you!" Theodore told them, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Well, not you personally, but you're a Slytherin! You're bound to do something eventually." Fred retorted, catching the notebook with just one hand and whooping in amusement at his deed. "It's really the principle of the matter."
Before Theodore could respond, he fell to his knees and began having a coughing fit. At the sight of this, Harry was immediately alarmed. Theodore always appeared sickly-looking, but never had he seen the boy in that state before. His running back and forth from one twin to the other must have been strenuous on his body. Upon seeing his housemate in such sorry form, Harry decided it was time to take action.
Turning to Tracey, he asked hurriedly, "What spells do you know?"
"Um, I just know the Cheering Charm from when Hermione –"
"Good enough. Follow my lead."
"Wait, Black, what are you do–"
Harry didn't stay long to hear out her sentence. He shot out of the bend and immediately pulled out his wand. Aiming at Fred, Harry made the necessary wand movements for his spell and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"
A sudden bolt of light was shot forth from the tip of his wand, hitting Fred Weasley. The prankster's arms and legs immediately snapped together, locking his limbs in place. With his balance lost, Fred fell backwards and landed on the floor unharmed. George remained paralyzed in surprise by the sudden attack and before he could take his own wand out, Harry fired another Full Body-Bind Curse at the twin.
Unfortunately for Harry, George was far nimbler than he expected. The Gryffindor was quick to dodge the spell and had taken his own wand out. Before Harry could even react, the older teen extended his wand arm out and pointed his catalyst at Harry, casting a spell of his own, "Expelliarmus!"
Harry stumbled backwards as a red bolt struck his wand hand. He lost grip of his wand and watched in horror as his wand was sent careening towards George. The Gryffindor smirked and caught the wand, keeping his own pointed at Harry whom was now defenseless.
"That certainly surprised me! But it would take more than that to take a Weasley down!" George boasted, grinning triumphantly at Harry. He turned his eyes onto his bound brother and said, "Hey Fred, an ickle firstie got you."
Then George laughed again. And he continued laughing. Harry watched puzzled as the prankster was progressively laughing harder and harder. George sunk to his knees, clutching his sides as he laughed and laughed. He just couldn't stop.
"I am the Dark Lady Ticklemort! Fear me for I shall cast an unending, torturous case of the giggles upon all those that oppose me!" Tracey said, appearing around the bend with a large grin on her face.
Harry couldn't help but stare at her oddly.
"I may have put a little too much power in that Cheering Charm…" She muttered quietly.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
George immediately stopped laughing and took on the same bound form as his twin brother. Harry and Tracey looked over towards the direction of the caster and found Theodore pointing his wand at George. Harry couldn't tell if he was breathing heavily from his earlier coughing fit or the fact that he had just used a spell on one of his earlier tormentors. Whichever the case was, Harry was glad that he appeared alright.
"I can't believe we just took down two third years! And it's the Weasley twins too!" Tracey remarked, looking stunned at their current situation. "Wait, Black, what are you doing?"
Harry didn't answer right away. He knelt beside George and attempted to wrest away his own wand from his hands. It took a bit of struggling, but his wand was returned to him. Sighing in relief that his wand looked to be undamaged, Harry proceeded to take the twins' own wands away as a precaution.
"It's just to be safe." Harry finally answered.
Theodore picked up his notebook that had been dropped during the scuffle. The pale boy looked admiringly at Harry and Tracey, approaching them shyly with trepidation.
"Thanks for helping me." Theodore thanked them sincerely.
Tracey smiled proudly.
"Us Slytherins have to stick together! Although you should thank Black the most. He was the one that sprung into action!"
"Are you alright?" Harry inquired Theodore with great concern. "We saw you coughing badly. Do you need to be taken to the infirmary?"
"No, no, I'm fine, Black! I just strained myself is all…" Theodore explained. "It's really not a problem."
Although Harry didn't really believe him, he decided not to press. Instead he returned his attention to the bound twins and glared at them. Harry didn't particularly like bullies. They had been all too common in school before Hogwarts. Although Hermione had friends, there was always one person that would try to bully her each year. It had always been up to him to stop that person each time. With the help of Dudley, whom he bribed with some homemade brownies he baked, Harry always managed to take care of the bully each time.
"What are we going to do with them, Black?" Tracey posed the question that was in Harry's mind.
"I'm going to talk to them. Keep your wands out."
Tracey and Theodore did as they were told and kept their wands trained on the twins. Harry noticed the apprehensive look on their faces, but Harry disregarded their worries. He reversed the effects of the body bind with the counter-curse, freeing Fred and George from their invisible shackles. As they stood up, Harry kept his focus on them, making sure they didn't try anything hostile. He still had their wands, but that really didn't guarantee that they would remain peaceful. They were still more physically capable than the three first years.
To the Slytherins' surprise, Fred and George turned to Theodore and apologized.
"Sorry about that, Nott." Fred said, grinning weakly. "We didn't mean to do all that."
George elbowed Fred to the side.
"Well, honestly, we meant to prank and tease you and all, but I think it's safe to say that things got out of hand."
"Right! We didn't know that you were going to get sick!"
Harry didn't look convinced, but then again, he typically remained passive. He caught the look of shock on Tracey's face, but Theodore appeared contemplative over their apology.
"That sounds a bit too convenient." Harry bluntly remarked, scoffing at the twins.
"Oi! We're pranksters! We just want to get a laugh from others and for ourselves! We never want to hurt anyone! Sure we can make a bloke want to scratch his arse nonstop if we want to, but it doesn't mean we want to see him in the infirmary in pain!" Fred explained passionately, insulted by what Harry was implying.
Despite his misgivings for the twins, Harry did notice the sincerity with what Fred was saying. However, Harry couldn't forget what they did to Theodore and although he was not friends with the sickly boy, he didn't like watching others being bullied.
Folding his arms, Harry unflinchingly remained stalwart, attempting his best to look intimidating to the twins despite being only three-fourths their height.
"I should report you to Professor McGonagall. Although we may all get in trouble for being in the corridor, I don't think she'll take too kindly of you for putting Theodore in a coughing fit. Tracey, Theodore, and I may get detention, but knowing how strict Professor McGonagall can be, your punishment from her would be much worse."
The fearful expressions on their face told Harry all he needed to know.
"But I think we can forget about this," Harry told them, breaking his reserved appearance by smiling softly at them, "if you're willing to make a deal."
Fred and George gazed suspiciously at Harry.
"What do you mean…" one twin started.
And the other twin finished, "…make a deal?"
"It's simple. You promise not to target any of my friends with your pranks and I promise not to tell on you to Professor McGonagall."
"Done!" The twins instantly accepted.
"Now, can Fred and I have our wands back?" George asked.
Harry shook his head and smiled again.
"No. You have to make another deal with me."
Fred's mouth gaped open and he shouted, "That's not fair!"
"You accepted it before you can make your own conditions. It's your own fault. Besides, you can't ask one of the staff to have me return your wands. You two will have to explain why you don't have your wands. If you tell the truth, you're in trouble. If you lie, I'll tell the truth when they confront me."
The young Head of the Black Family watched as the twins become frustrated with what was happening. In all honesty, Harry knew that he really didn't have much of an advantage. But by leading Fred and George into believing that things could become unfavorable to them, Harry would be able to control them into doing what he wanted them to do.
"Well, what do you want?" Fred submitted, now glaring at Harry along with his brother.
"I want…" Harry paused, tapping his finger against his chin as he attempted to appear thoughtful, "…to be friends with you two."
Like he had thought, the twins, Tracey, and Theodore stared at him as if he was mad. Truthfully, Harry wasn't sure how he felt about the Weasley twins. They could be vicious pranksters – that was something he just witnessed firsthand – but yet they had no qualms leaving their pride behind to apologize if their pranks got out of hand. They weren't like the other bullies he had encountered before. Fred and George really did appear to be repentant when they realized what they had done to Theodore.
But there was more to it than that. Even though it was now October and plenty of things have already happened, Harry couldn't forget the sorting ceremony. He didn't know who Fred and George were then, but he recalled the twins welcoming Hermione to her house even after she stood up to Henry. When he saw that happened, Harry's worry for his best friend then had been slightly relieved.
"So everything you said…" George started.
"…was a lie?" Fred ended.
Harry smirked.
"I would prefer you call it a Slytherin-style prank."
And with that, the dam had burst. Fred and George were howling madly in laughter. Harry figured that the tension of being in trouble had been alleviated and thus were now laughing because all of the tension had been alleviated. Glancing over to Tracey and Theodore, he saw Tracey eyeing him with an amused stare whereas Theodore simply watched him with admiration in his eyes.
"You know, Black. You're not half-bad." Fred proclaimed, patting Harry on the shoulder. "You really got George and I! Isn't that right, George?"
"I'll say!" George grinned. "I nearly gone and wet myself!"
"So, what do you say? Friends?" Harry asked, offering his hand to the twins.
Both twins grinned mischievously and nodded, taking Harry's hands and shaking it jovially.
"Friends!"
Once the twins released their grip on him, Harry reached into his back pocket that stored their wands and returned them back to their rightful owners. Despite having extended a friendship towards the two pranksters, Harry was still wary of them. Fortunately, the Gryffindors made no move to retaliate.
"I still can't believe we got done in by three first years." Fred mentioned with a chuckle. "I don't think we can ever mention this, George."
George nodded, but instead of replying, he addressed Harry, "You're nothing like Henry described you as being. We thought we had you pegged as a brooding Dark Lord in the making! Though then again, with what that bushy-haired first year says about you…"
"Who could blame us, George?" Fred interrupted him, "Black here hardly ever smiles and when he does, it's like he's up to something diabolic!"
"Are you afraid of a first year?"
"Utter nonsense! Maybe you're the one intimidated?"
"Hardly, I was the one that disarmed him, not you."
"Only to be taken down by Nott over there."
The twins bantered and bickered casually, leaving the three Slytherins out of the loop. Their way of speaking back and forth to one another at a swift pace had Harry comparing them to a tennis match! Having enough of their nonsense, Harry politely coughed into his fist-formed hand and gained their attention.
"So no holding grudges?"
Fred and George glanced at one another briefly, communicating silently with one another. After a moment, Fred declared, "Anyone that can prank us is good in our books."
"Even if I'm in Slytherin?" Harry asked with an arched eyebrow.
"What's life without risks?" He replied with a boyish grin.
"By the way," George interjected, casting his focus on Theodore, "we want to apologize again for sending you into a coughing fit. You may be our house rival, but you didn't deserve that. Unless you're doing something suspicious… are you?"
Theodore paled.
"George, you're scaring him!" Fred scolded his brother playfully, lightly smacking the back of his head.
"Just a joke, Nott! You're not the first one sneaking into this corridor!"
A few more jokes were shared between brothers, but even they began to feel the awkward tension between them and the first years. Although Harry had managed to defuse the situation, he couldn't pretend that it had been odd how easily the twins were able to be at ease around them. Maybe they never really thought about the consequences of their pranks and how it may have affected others. It was ignorant of them, but everyone had their flaws. Still, Harry couldn't dismiss that perhaps it was because of him that had them act this way. They did mention a bushy-haired witch talked about him to the twins and Harry knew only one person that matched that description.
"Anyway, we'll leave you three to do whatever it is that you're up to." One of the twins stated, though Harry was unsure who it was that said it. "Mum's the word. If you figure out the secret of the mysterious corridor, tell us all about it!"
"See you some other time, chaps." The other gave his farewell.
Fred and George soon left, leaving the Slytherin party the only three left in the corridor. Harry watched them walk away and observed their faces contorting into a grim expression. They were talking, but they were too far for him to hear. He saw George's eyes sometimes fall on Theodore, making Harry curious as to what their conversation was about. It may have been wishful thinking on his part, but Harry hoped that they had come to realize the repercussions of some of their pranks.
Harry then turned his attention onto Tracey and Theodore, wondering why they had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. He was unsurprised to find them wracked with nerves. With the way Tracey had described the twins earlier, Harry could understand that she had been rather intimidated by them. And with what they had done to Theodore, Harry couldn't blame the boy not feeling up to addressing his former tormentors. Even with the twins gone, the tension still remained.
"Really, Tracey? Dark Lady Ticklemort?" Harry suddenly asked her, raising an eyebrow over at his companion and hoping to alleviate strained atmosphere with some humor.
Tracey crossed her arms and scowled.
"Shut it, Black. I was panicking so I may have been slightly delirious. Besides, it saved you, didn't it?"
"I won't deny it," Harry accepted, returning to his deadpan tone, "but I never heard of someone losing a duel because of a Cheering Charm."
"Actually, in the finals of the 1919 European dueling competition, Montgomery, the champion, defended his title by applying the Cheering Charm on his opponent, securing his victory and continued reign."
Harry decided to forgo making a comment. Instead, he turned to Theodore, wanting to ask him the question that had been bothering him since he entered the corridor with Tracey.
"Why are you here, Theodore?"
All eyes were on Theodore once the question was asked. The sickly boy glanced nervously from Harry to Tracey, hugging his notebook close to his chest. For a moment, it appeared Theodore wasn't going to say anything but soon a sense of serenity seemed to have suddenly washed over him. He shed his nervous, shy behavior and replaced it with a bold and confident one that Harry had never seen before in all of the instances he had seen him.
"I'll show you." Theodore softly breathed out. "But you two have to promise me you're going to keep it a secret."
The sudden shift in bearing startled Harry, leading him to believe that whatever Theodore uncovered, it was dire that it remained private. Tracey appeared uncertain whether or not to promise that, but Harry quickly urged her to make the promise. He did the same and soon Theodore gestured for them to follow. Without a doubt, Harry was very curious what Theodore wanted to show them.
"A few days ago, I saw Professor Quirrell enter the corridor. I was curious what he was going to do here so I followed after him." Theodore began explaining, leading Harry and Tracey into different turns and passages. "He led me down to all sorts of pathways until we finally came across this door."
He ceased walking, stopping in front of what appeared to be a simple door. It wasn't anything special and it certainly didn't appear as if it could contain the secret of the third floor corridor. Theodore opened his notebook and began turning the pages. Harry peered over to find that in those pages were various notes Theodore had taken. His handwriting was messy, making it difficult to read. However, Harry did recognize some Latin phrases that may have been spells.
"I tried opening this door, but it was locked. So for the past few days, I was searching for a spell that could unlock things. I only found a spell that was simple to learn and was capable of doing just that. I wanted to try it out right away but as you can guess, the Weasley twins found me while I was trying to head here."
"Don't worry, Theodore. Thanks to Black, you never have to worry about the twins pranking you." Tracey reassured him.
"So you want to try and unlock the door to see what's inside?" Harry asked Theodore, focusing more on the task at hand.
Theodore nodded ecstatically.
"Yes! Together we can figure out the mystery of this corridor!"
Tracey grinned and nudged Harry. She said, "See, Black, I told you coming here was a great idea. We'll solve the secret and none of us got killed."
"And what if the thing that could get us killed is hidden behind this very door?" Harry made his rebuttal, frowning at Tracey's incessant exuberance over the whole corridor.
"I don't think anything is out to kill us. It's probably just the headmaster not wanting to encourage us to find it. I saw Professor Quirrell enter and leave unharmed." Theodore argued back.
Harry knew then that nothing he said would contain his two housemates from opening Pandora's Box.
"Fine, you two win. What's the spell to open the door?"
Tracey and Theodore beamed. The latter opened up a page of his notebook to the spell he wanted to use. The spell was known simply as the Unlocking Charm. It had the incantation of Alohomora and its hand movement was an easy, inverted S-pattern. It didn't take long for both Harry and Tracey to have the spell down.
"Okay, I'll try first." Theodore claimed. Doing the necessary movements, he pointed to the doorknob and cast, "Alohomora!"
Nothing happened.
"Try opening it." Tracey suggested.
With a shrug, Theodore reached his hand out and turned the knob. Unfortunately, the spell didn't work and the knob merely turned halfway before it could go no further. The door remained locked.
"You probably did it wrong." Tracey addressed Theodore candidly. "I bet if I do it, we'll have it opened!"
Theodore stepped back, letting Tracey have her shot at unlocking the door. Like Theodore before her, Tracey conducted the spell and nothing seemed to have occurred. And just like Theodore, the door remained locked, leaving Tracey both disappointed and embarrassed, her bold claim having fallen short.
"Black, it's your turn to try." Theodore said, gazing excitedly at him. "It would probably work if you do it."
"Definitely, Black always gets the most points in Charms."
"If it couldn't work for you two, why would you think it would work for me? You're mad if you think I'll make any difference." Harry pointed out, refusing to join in on their attempts. He didn't feel right about doing this. Something beyond that door was giving him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His instincts were screaming not to do anything further.
Tracey sighed exasperatedly
"Come on, Black. What's there to lose? If you can't open it either, then we'll turn back and head to the library. We can say we tried and that will be the end of that for the rest of the year."
Harry knew she made a valid point. If he continued to refuse, Tracey would simply pester him to do it until he caved. He thought himself to be willful and able to resist such behavior, but he had underestimated the tenacity that a girl like Tracey could display.
"Alohomora." He drawled dully. "Now, let me show you that I didn't make a difference whatso-"
Click!
Afterword: I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!