Ch 13
There is in every adolescent boy's life the awkward moment when the girl you fancy snogs another bloke. Some boys take this in stride, vowing to double their efforts to win the fair maiden. Others take to drink of dubious legality and still others, the rare few who have either very good friends or a devious mind take to shenanigans. Our Kneazle hero was of the third variety.
"You sure this is going to work?" Bridgette asked sceptically, as she looked at a large wooden structure that just had the final touches transfigured into place.
"Look, either you trust me or not. I did it as best I could based on the drawing Tim gave me and you didn't have any complaints. I'm not even entirely sure what it's supposed to do," Harry sighed.
"Well… it looks right. I dunno, what do you think, Joe?"
Joe gave their large project a once over and then shrugged, continuing to stuff his mouth full of a Cornish pasty he'd nicked from the kitchens in the wee hours of the morning.
"I suppose you didn't do too badly then, Harry. Now, when can we try it out?" Bridgette concluded.
"Not now, mates. Maybe later, if I don't hurry I'm going to be late for Care of Magical Creatures."
"Does term start today?" Tim asked.
"I suppose it must, if Harry isn't even willing to stick around and help us test it."
Harry shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I skive off enough classes that I don't want to be in, I really ought to be in ones I care about."
"Is Ron talking with the bookworm, yet?" Tim asked.
"They've chatted a bit. She's still a bit cool about his recent romance and he's not been too good since they broke up."
"Saw the bint trying to sneak in the castle the other night. Good thing we chased her off. She really was a bitch," Bridgette concluded self-righteously.
"Do I want to know?"
"Dungbombs and a big stick," Joe finally offered, his breakfast having been finished. "Can you come help us test this thing out tonight?"
"I suppose so. As long as it'll get me out of the tower."
"You really should just tell her how you feel, you know," Tim advised.
"And get an earful? Ginny's made it perfectly clear that she wants nothing to do with me and she'd much rather go snog that Corner bloke. I'm not about to get on the wrong end of her claws," Harry protested.
"Have you talked with her since the ball?" Bridgette demanded.
"I'm not having this conversation with you lot. I'll see you tonight," Harry rebuffed and without another word strode briskly from the secluded clearing and towards the gathering of students near Hagrid's hut.
Arriving at the back of the rest of the class, Harry quickly moved towards Ron. The usual form of Hagrid was absent and in his place stood an elderly, grey-haired witch. Her prominent chin made her rather foreboding despite her age.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry whispered.
"She said he was indisposed, today we've got Professor Grubbly-Plank," Ron whispered back.
Something seemed a bit off, though Harry couldn't tell what. As they trudged through the snow the grins on many of the Slytherin students were a bit too pronounced for the overcast morning whose temperature was dropping faster than a wrecked Jaguar's resale value.
"Hasta!" Harry cried as a Unicorn came into their view. She was tethered to a tree and pawing the ground in a very nervous fashion.
"Boys keep back!" Grubbly-Plank barked. "They prefer a woman's touch."
"Oh the hell they do," Harry muttered. "I think they prefer to not be tied to sexing trees. Ponil is going to go out of his bloody mind if he sees this.
"What's wrong with Hagrid, do you reckon?" Harry asked offhandedly, as he watched the first girl approach Hasta.
"I dunno, it isn't like he's ever taken sick, is it?" Ron replied. "What if he got injured?"
"Oh he wasn't injured," the slithery voice of Draco Malfoy came from the behind them. "Just too afraid to show his great, ugly face in public."
"Ron, do you want to kill him?" Harry asked, not taking his eyes off the tethered Unicorn.
"We should probably find out what he's talking about first," Ron replied.
Malfoy thrust a folded page of newsprint into Ron's Hands. Ron unfolded it and began to read, with Neville, Dean and Seamus reading over his shoulder.
"What's it say?" Harry asked.
"Bloody hell, Hagrid's half-giant!" Ron breathed. For the first time since the Unicorn came into view, Harry diverted his eyes from her.
"That ought to put an end to the oaf's teaching career. Mucking about with experimental creatures and a half-giant to boot?" Malfoy grinned.
"Do you think it's true?" Harry asked.
"Don't reckon they could print something like this if it wasn't," Neville murmured.
A grin suddenly split Harry's face. "That's so wicked! I heard giants are spell resistant and think of all the things he can do. I mean I bet he could lift Angelina without a wand. Now I know why he's not married. I bet all the mollies are after him, big bloke like that, he probably just doesn't want to tie himself to one. Good job on his dad's part wasn't it?"
"What?" Dean asked.
"Well, think about it. How bloody fantastic would a bloke have to be to attract a mate four times his size? That would be like a Kneazle mating with… with…"
"A lion?" Ron grinned. Harry resisted the urge to punch him.
"Besides that," Harry continued, "he'd have to be strong and courageous just to approach the woman."
"Harry, they're giants. Dangerous, you know?" Neville muttered.
"No, no," Seamus interjected. "Harry's right. I mean a bloke would have to be bloody fantastic to do something like that, and think of the mechanics of it all."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"Well, he'd have to be huge."
"I saw a picture of his dad once at tea. Bloke didn't look any bigger than anyone else," Ron replied.
"Not like that, Gumby. I mean think about it. It would have to be huge," Seamus reiterated.
"What would?" All four boys asked in unison.
"His…"
"Are you boys paying attention back there?" Grubbly-Plank called out, interrupting the Irish Gryffindor and drawing Harry's attention back to Hasta, still tethered to the tree. However, it was clear to anyone with eyes that she had gone from barely tolerating the situation to near panic, having reared up a little as one of the Slytherin girls had tried to pet her a little too roughly.
"Oh, for Isis' sake," Harry growled and strode purposefully towards the front of the class and the tethered Unicorn.
"Young man, I must insist you stay back," Grubbly-Plank warned. Harry paid no attention to her as he continued his approach. If someone didn't calm the scared unicorn down, she might hurt herself.
"Mr. Potter, do not approach her, you could be…"
"Shut up, you old bat," Harry barked at the professor and then held his hand out to Hasta who took a deep inhale from several feet away. "It's just me, Hasta. Come on. I know I look a little different, but it's just me."
A second later she visibly relaxed as Harry finished the approach and stood next to his worried friend and stroked her mane and muzzle.
"Bloody hell, I know you didn't sign up for this, but in a few they'll let you go and that old bat over there might even give you a couple apples," Harry murmured as he stroked the frightened Unicorn's flank.
"Nicker, whinny, snort, nicker," Hasta replied.
"Ok, I can't understand you so well like this, but I get the gist."
"Oi! Grubby-Board, you're going to have a couple of apples for my friend here, aren't you?" Harry asked rather rudely. He was aware his tone wasn't terribly conciliatory, but with the tension he knew Hasta had to have been going through he wasn't feeling much like debating the matter.
"I beg your pardon?" The professor demanded.
"No, you should be begging Miss Hasta's pardon. She's the one you've got tied to the bloody tree, and she says if you don't want the next student you send up here to wind up gored to death then you'd better be producing some apples!"
"Nicker, nicker, whinny… nicker."
"I know that wasn't exactly what you said, but I think you ought to get something out of it, don't you? I mean they tie you up here without even a by-your-leave and have all sorts of strangers put their hands in some sensitive areas. Not exactly something you ought to do for free. Besides, it's hard for me to quite understand. Keep the sentences short, yeah?"
"Nicker, whinny, whinny," Hasta admitted.
"I'm sure she can do that," Harry assured her. Harry turned back to the gobsmacked professor. "She wants the green ones. Not too tart, mind, and she wouldn't say not so some sugar cubes if you have them hanging about. And how about a bottle of Firewhisky?"
"Mr. Potter!"
"Nicker…"
"Can't blame a bloke for trying," Harry chuckled. "She's serious, though. A few apples or there won't be any more of this 'pet the pony' stuff," he yelled at his temporary professor. Harry gave a final pat to his friend's rump, whispered a goodbye to her ear and walked back towards the entire speechless class.
"I can't believe you just did that," Neville whispered in awe. Harry shrugged and when he turned around, he saw the Grubbly-Plank passing out apple slices to the remaining few students. He smiled. That ought to make Hasta happy, and ensure that the next time they needed a unicorn for a petting project recruits wouldn't be as difficult to find.
The class ended soon after that and to no one's surprise, Harry was asked to stay after.
"Mr. Potter, what you did today was wholly inappropriate, disrespectful and uncalled for. I'm not sure how Professor Hagrid ran this class before, but I can assure you, I give troublemakers a very short shrift. Now, seeing as we're new to each other and your suggestion did indeed seem to help I'm willing to forgo taking house points this time. You do have detention with me this Friday, however and I will be speaking to your head of house about your behaviour today. You're very lucky that the Unicorn didn't react violently to your presence. They don't usually take to men. Any little disturbance could have set it off, which is why I wasn't able to remove you from the situation. Do that again, though and I promise you, it will be the last time you set foot in my class."
Harry rolled his eyes. "First of all, Professor, her name is Hasta, not Unicorn or it or anything else you seem to want to call her, and I assure you the only person she was looking to trample was you, until you gave out those apple slices. Next time you want a little help with some of the forest creatures, just let me know. With a little bit of tasty persuasion, they're usually quite accommodating."
Teacher and pupil stared at one another for a moment until Grubbly-Plank spoke. "You're quite an insolent boy, aren't you?"
"You're quite observant," Harry retorted. "I have another lesson to get to, may I go?"
"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Potter."
"I'll take that as a yes," Harry grinned and skipped off to the next lesson of the day. Hagrid or no, it wasn't shaping up to be a bad time after all. He would, of course, have to find Hagrid and tell him how impressed he was about the larger man's heritage.
The remainder of classes that day passed uneventfully and it was with a growling belly that Harry trudged towards dinner with Ron loudly proclaiming his love of all things culinary. "I can't wait for pudding. Bloody hell, I don't know which I want more, pudding or meat."
Harry chuckled a little. "I'm glad you're so enthused. Even after four years it sometimes takes me by surprise."
"My eating habits?"
"Not having to kill dinner. "
"You're still one odd bloke, Harry," Ron grinned.
"No one else seems to think so."
"Are you bloody serious? Hermione thinks you're odder than I do," Ron laughed.
"She seemed a bit warmer to you today," Harry noted, secretly relieved that his friends were finally reconciling.
"Well, I gave her back her Arithmancy notes. I'd finished with them, finally."
"What did you need them for anyway? I never did work that out."
"Erm… promise to keep it a secret, at least for now?" Ron asked. Harry nodded. "I was using them to…"
"There you are!" The loud voice of Bridgette exclaimed, interrupting whatever Ron was about to say. "Come on, Harry, we have to go test it out."
"Test what out?" Ron asked.
"Something I helped them build during hols," Harry replied.
"What is it?"
"No idea. They just gave me some drawings and asked if I could transfigure downed tree limbs into the different pieces. Not all that difficult really."
"Harry, you have to come help us test it out!" Bridgette huffed. "Tim and Joe are already out there."
"But it's dinner time," Harry protested weakly. He was met with an icy stare from the petite Hufflepuff.
"Fine, fine, I guess I can eat later. Want to come, Ron?"
"Sure, why not. You've got me curious now," Ron agreed and all three headed out into the dwindling daylight.
As they finally found their way to the clearing that housed the strange contraption, Ron let out a whistle. "You built this, Harry?"
"We designed it," Tim protested.
"Nice work."
"What is it?" Harry asked for the final time.
"It's a catapult, a trebuchet to be exact. Muggles use them for assaulting castle. Bridgette tell me you're not going to…"
"Of course we are. Tonight begins the siege of Hogwarts!" Bridgette squealed with delight.
"You're not using rocks," Ron stated firmly.
"Why not? That's what they did in the film Daddy took me to this summer."
"Because you might hurt somebody! Bloody hell, if you lot are going to be doing something dangerous and stupid I might as well stick around and supervise," Ron sighed. "You want to help, Harry?"
"What exactly are we going to be doing?"
"Well, you load a heavy object in the sling and release the lever and it throws the heavy object towards the castle."
"How do you know about that?" Harry asked in disbelief. He hadn't actually asked what the item in question was going to do. He'd been so wrapped up in his frustration about Ginny that when he'd been approached for the project he'd jumped at the chance.
"I tried to pay attention in Binns' class once. It was the only thing I remember us covering. Something about goblins using them in one of their rebellions.
"Oh, well if we're going to do this thing properly we need to meet here tomorrow morning at around seven thirty."
"Why can't we do it now?" Bridgette demanded.
"Because," Harry explained, "if we do it now, no one will notice. If we do it tomorrow morning we might catch the Slytherins out in the open when they have to cross the courtyard for breakfast. Possibly a Ravenclaw or two as well."
"Which leads me to the question, what are you planning on throwing?" Ron demanded.
"Bloody great snowballs."
"It'll be like a huge snowball fight," Joe exclaimed.
"We have to keep anyone from getting seriously hurt, though," Ron pointed out. "There might be a spell we could use… I'll be back. In the meantime, we're going to need a clear shot to the castle so we'll need to move this ruddy great thing out onto flat ground. The far side of the lake ought to do. Wait a bit until the sun is just about set so no one has a chance to spot what we're doing. We'll also need to be here a bit earlier than seven thirty if we want to do this right. Need a couple of good tracer shots to get the range down. I can do some basic calculations, make sure we're about right. Anyway, hop to it and I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early."
"Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"The library. I need to find a spell that will keep us from killing someone."
"You're so responsible, Mr. Granger," Harry mocked.
"Shut it, you sod. I don't fancy getting expelled, but I do fancy hitting Malfoy with a bloody great snowball. This is a suitable compromise, don't you think?"
"You're right, of course," Harry agreed.
oOo
In the pre-dawn light five figures were putting the finishing touches on their siege machine.
"I don't know how you did it, Harry, but your range is spot on. We'll have to keep the weight of the snowballs about the same, but this should plant one of these beauties across Malfoy's face." Ron grinned as he looked at twenty or so premade snowballs which were easily as tall as himself.
"You seem awfully sure Malfoy is going to be there," Harry observed.
"For something like this, he can't be anywhere else. It simply wouldn't be fair," Ron grumped as he straightened his tommy helmet. "Bridgette, why did you give us these Muggle uniforms?"
"Tim's idea. His dad is mad about history and he thought if we were going to siege a castle, we might as well do it properly."
"And you just had five sets lying about did you?"
"No, we asked Cedric to transfigure them for us. Said it was for Muggle Studies."
"You don't have Muggle Studies until third year," Harry pointed out.
"Yeah, well, he didn't remember that, did he?" Tim asked.
"What are the stripes for?" Bridgette suddenly interjected as though she were afraid of any lull in conversation.
"They're rank stripes. We all have one, that's a private. Harry is a bit more important, so he's got the three of a Sergeant."
"I don't have any stripes," Ron pointed out. "Just this bar."
"That's because you're in charge! You're our lieutenant," Tim gushed. "You're in charge of our battery, here."
"Lieutenant Ronald Weasley," Ron murmured to himself. "I kind of like the sound of that. So it's kind of like Harry's a prefect and I'm head boy?"
"A bit, but there are a whole bunch of ranks in between," Tim allowed
"And you have to use them when you address us!" Bridgette demanded. "I'm Private Smith, that's Privates Gold and Jones, and Sergeant Potter."
"We really have to do this?" Harry asked.
"Of course we do," Bridgette harrumphed.
"Oi! Private Boomer, is our spotter in the castle ready?" Ron demanded.
"Yes sir! Private Gerald Walsh will signal with red sparks from his wand when the targets are in position."
"Very good. Privates, Jones and Gold, you will be in charge of reloading," Ron ordered.
"Yes sah!" Tim and Joe chorused as they gave awkward salutes.
"Sergeant Potter!"
"Ron, why are you talking like that?" Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. It was too early for some things.
Ron shrugged. "If we're going to do this, might as well play along. Besides, it's kind of fun. Now, hop to Sergeant!"
"Yes sir!" Harry responded, inwardly shrugging. It certainly wasn't any more bizarre than any of the games he and his siblings had played growing up.
"Sergeant Potter, you will be in charge of launching the snowballs…"
"Ordnance," Tim corrected.
"Yes, yes. You'll also be in charge of elevating the catapult up or down."
"Fire control," Tim supplied again.
"What would you like me to do, sir?" Bridgette asked.
Ron thought for a moment and then smiled. "I'm going to be busy calling out directions for Harry and the others. If I showed you a couple of spells do you think you could do them?"
"Of course, sir!" Bridgette saluted and followed her mentor to a small remaining pile of snow.
Twenty minutes later the anticipation was getting to everyone. Tim was diligently drilling the team on the proper commands for their exercise. The first few snowballs were charmed and Bridgette was diligently working on the others. Each was colour coded according to what they did: the first, a blue one, was designed to flatten out a few feet above the ground and turn back into a layer of snow. The layer would look harmless but it actually would cause anyone who was caught in it or stepped onto it to be stuck fast. The charm would only last for a few minutes, but it would be long enough to launch a few more and catch their prey right in the crosshairs.
Another few minutes of tense waiting and then, "Red sparks!" Harry yelled.
"Fire one!" Ron commanded and the trebuchet swung upwards as soon as Harry pulled the release pin. They all watched as the mammoth piece of frozen ordinance sailed gently through the air and just over the top of the ramparts. "Fire control, stay on target. Reloading team, get your arses in gear. I want a purple break up loaded. Followed by two heavy hitters. Then load the teacher seeker. Snape ought to be out and about by then."
"Yes, sah!" Tim and Joe chorused as they loaded a large purple snowball into the trebuchet. A second later it too was hurdling gracefully towards the castle. However, instead of staying together as its predecessor did, it suddenly broke into hundreds of regular sized snowballs which fell with wild abandon on the presumably trapped students below. The vague cry of surprise and alarm heralded from within the castle, and for a moment Ron looked worried.
"Don't worry, Ron, you charmed them and I double checked. No one's going to get hurt," Harry whispered.
"But what if…" Ron asked, clearly torn.
"Sir, permission to speak!" Bridgette asked.
"Go ahead, Private."
"I asked Private Walsh to send up purple and blue sparks if someone was hurt so we could stop. I haven't seen them yet."
"Good thinking!" Ron sighed. "Oi! Private Gold, what's after Private?"
"Corporal, sah!" Tim called back.
"Private Boomer, you're hereby promoted to Corporal Boomer, carry on!"
Bridgette jumped up and squealed, clapping her hands together. "Take that, you sods, I made corporal before you lot!"
Every thirty seconds or so another giant ball of snow hurtled towards the imposing walls of the castle. The team was working like a well oiled machine, broken only when Bridgette had to substitute for Joe or Tim because they had to relieve themselves behind one of the snow monoliths. The cries of students had become less frequent, but as there had been no blue and purple sparks, no one was worried.
"Sah! Enemy troops exiting from main gate. I estimate contact within two minutes," Bridgette announced. Sure enough, it looked like Professors Moody and Grubbly-Plank were marching towards them with grim intent.
Ron hesitated for a slight moment then called out, "Fire control, elevate back end of the battery thirty degrees, increasing one degree every fifteen seconds. Loading team, I want everything you've got left loaded up and ready for firing. If they catch us we'll be in detention for good! Do not fire until I give the order, is that clear, Sergeant?"
"Yes sir!" Harry saluted and inwardly smiled. Ron was right, it was kind of fun.
"Sir, the angle of the trebuchet won't allow for maximum velocity!" Bridgette pointed out.
"That, corporal is why we're going to give it a bit of a shove."
"Purple break up loaded, sah!" Tim called out.
"Wait for it… Fire away!" Ron called, using a flick of his wand to cause the weighted end to swing just a little faster than Harry thought it should have. "Reload as soon as we're loosed. What do we have left?"
"One teacher seeker and a yellow special!" Bridgette yelled.
"Load the teacher seeker! Fire control, raise back end another three degrees!"
"Yes sir!" Harry responded as he swished and flicked again to magically elevate the back end of the large wooden structure just a little higher.
The first snowball had indeed dissolved into a hundred regular sized ones, but a fast shield charm rendered that ineffective. Grubbly-Plank took the honour of blasting the second one when it showed no sign of breaking up. Unfortunately, her aim was slightly to the side and instead of dissolving the incoming projectile, it merely caused the ball to splinter and the small pieces of snow pelted both teachers with laser guided precision.
"We've only one left, sir!" Bridgette informed Ron. Ron nodded grimly, knowing it would come down to this. They were too close, and the first years couldn't get away on their own. He wouldn't abandon his troops.
"Load it Corporal. We've only one hope." A few seconds later the last frozen ball of wintertime fun hurtled away. "Corporal, I don't recall what the white one with yellow dots does."
"It doesn't really do anything special, sir," Bridgette replied. "The boys were just using it to stand behind when they had to go to the loo."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Ron demanded.
"You told me to load it, sir. There wasn't really time."
All five of them looked at each other at a loss for what to do next. Ron turned to his crew, ignoring the sudden bout of swearing from the teachers that were approaching. "Men, it has been an honour to serve with you on the field of battle today. I want you to know that you have done your houses proud. We arrived here fresh and innocent. We return heroes. Today will mark another momentous occasion for the history of Hogwarts. It is the first siege since Ulfred the Unkempt over six hundred years ago. When we are captured in roughly ten seconds, do not give in to fear." He finished his short soliloquy with a salute that Harry and the little Hufflepuffs returned.
"Right, you lot are coming with me!" Mad eye barked, his wand brandished and a thoroughly disgruntled look on his face. "And someone is going to explain to me why I suddenly smell like I've been drenched in a bucket of piss."
It wasn't the smart thing to do, or the right thing, but they couldn't help it. They all burst into peals of laughter.
They weren't laughing when the received their punishments, however. Snape, as usual, had demanded expulsion for each of them, claiming they endangered the lives of students. Harry thought that it had more to do with the fact that Professor Snape was one of the first ones to be caught in the initial assault, along with, to Ron's perpetual joy, Malfoy and his two goons. Dumbledore declined to grant that particular request, as his eyes danced as though he held the key to a very private joke.
He did, however allow Professor Moody and Grubbly-Plank to give them four detentions each and dock one hundred points from both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor house. Harry was sure that neither house would be terribly pleased with their offending members, and Harry was slightly concerned for the first years. It could get rough if the older students decided they didn't like you. This was softened somewhat by Professor Flitwick having awarded twenty points to each house for 'ingenious use of charm work'. It turned out that he too had been caught in the assault, but had spent most of it announcing that 'whomever had managed this was a wizard with an impressive future'. The ploy to get more points for 'demonstrating exceptional inter-house unity' was shot down by one very stern throat-clearing by McGonagall, even as it seemed Dumbledore was considering it.
McGonagall had announced that she was disappointed, but failed to comment more on the subject, and oddly enough that seemed the worst part of the whole thing. One unforeseen consequence was that Ginny had been apparently caught in the barrage of snow as well (McGonagall had let that little titbit slip). He didn't know why she'd been there, as all reckoning would put her heading the more direct and indoor route to breakfast with the rest of the house of Lions. Of all punishments, potential or real, this unrealized one was the most worrisome.
As they left the Headmaster's office, Harry was understandably distracted so it took Ron shaking him rather violently to get his attention.
"What, I'm sorry," Harry muttered.
Ron merely rolled his eyes. "I know you're in a snit about my sister hating you or something, Harry, but honestly if she doesn't find this funny I don't think she's worth bothering about."
That was exactly what was worrisome. The old Ginny might have found this sort of thing funny, understanding that she wasn't the intended recipient and appreciating the distress of several of her least favourite Slytherins as well as Professor Snape. The new boy-snogging, Harry-hating, damn good-looking Ginny on the other hand, might take a dimmer view on the whole thing.
"Look, mate, try not to worry. Hermione will sound her out soon enough and then you'll know. Or she'll try and take your head off and then you'll definitely know. Have you figured out the egg yet?"
"Egg?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Gumby, the egg. You know, gold, shiny , squeals like Malfoy when you open it. You're supposed to bathe with it, remember."
"Ron, not that I don't trust you, but why would I follow the advice taken from an alleged witness who was attempting to see a boy starkers? Even if that was what he was doing, it doesn't mean it worked."
"Do you have a better idea?" Ron demanded.
"Look I just don't fancy dunking myself in water, that's all."
"You shower every day, Harry."
"Yeah, but that's different. I'm not submerged."
"You're scared of the strangest things."
"Says the boy who squeals when a spider ran across his homework."
"It surprised me, that's all!"
"Look, if I can't get it to work in the next week, I'll try it your way."
Ron shrugged and then abruptly darted into a nearby broom cupboard.
"Ron what…" Then Harry heard it. He'd been so preoccupied thinking about eggs and Ginny that he hadn't heard Ginny. Harry looked around to make sure that no one was watching and then dropped to four legs, hiding beneath in a poorly lit corner of the corridor where his natural black fur would allow him to blend in seamlessly.
"Michael, it was a joke! Can't you see that? I'm sure they weren't out to get you specifically. They just knew when everyone was going to breakfast," Ginny huffed.
"I never said they were after me specifically. They got you, too!"
"Yes, but I have a sense of humour. It was bloody marvellous," Ginny argued.
"It was irresponsible. I can't believe you used to be friends with that git," Coroner huffed.
"What do you mean used to be?" Ginny demanded. "Harry and I are friends."
"Didn't look very friendly at the ball."
"Would you rather I had gone off to dance with him rather than you?"
"Well… that's not… he fancies you is all. Everyone knows it."
Ginny rolled her eyes dismissively. "Oh, come off it. Are we really going to play this game? Harry and I have been mates since forever. He lives with my aunt and uncle. You're going to get all possessive over that?"
"It isn't just this once, though. He gets away with all sorts of things. I heard he was the one who blew up the Shrieking Shack," Coroner accused.
"Ridiculous," Ginny stammered. Harry winced. She usually could lie, but she seemed a bit distracted at the moment.
"See, even you're defending him!" Michael growled.
"Bloody sexing hell!" Ginny yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "We snog a couple times and suddenly you think you can tell me who my friends are? You know what, I don't need this. It's been nice, but we're through."
"You're breaking up with me?" Michael demanded.
"If you can't accept my friends then I've no choice," Ginny pouted.
"Fine, I don't need this. I can get another girl," Corner growled and then turned and strode off.
Ginny stood stock still for a few more seconds and then ran off in the opposite direction, her hand partially obscuring her face. After waiting to make sure she was gone, Harry and Ron emerged from their respective hiding places.
"That was awkward," Ron muttered.
"He's a git. She can do better," Harry scoffed.
"I suppose she can, but she's too young to be dating anyway."
"Says who?" Harry asked.
"Says her older brother," Ron replied. "I didn't stop this one and look where it landed her. As her brother I'm supposed to warn blokes off from this sort of thing. Keep her from getting hurt. I thought it was all rubbish, but look what happened!"
"We should go to the kitchens," Harry announced.
"Not that a spot of breakfast wouldn't be good, Harry, but we have lessons in a few minutes."
"Not for us, for her. Ginny loves orange scones and apart from your mum Hogwarts has the best."
"How do you know that?" Ron asked.
"She and I are mates, didn't you hear?"
"That doesn't mean you're back in her good graces. That girl knows how to hold a grudge, Harry."
"It's a start, Ron, it's a start," Harry beamed.
AN: UPDATE MAN, with the help of readers everywhere, is empowered by INSPIRATION! Seriously, thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers. For all those who wanted reconciliation, it's a start. She's obviously not still super angry at him. Hope you enjoyed this one, I've been dying to write the castle siege scene forever. A little more time and I think you'll all have what you want. Grubbly-Plank isn't too happy with him, though. Keep tuned for 14!