Disclaimer: As previously mentioned, all I own is this fanfic and OC Cynthia. J.K. Rowling owns the rest of the Harry Potter world, no copyright intended!

Ch. 25

Arthur's Warning

Dinnertime arrived and all of the students started heading to the Great Hall. Harry and Tori opted to sit with Blaise and Luna at the Ravenclaw table, with Neville and Daphne joining them. Tracey decided to sit at the Slytherin table with Adrian, while an unidentified Ravenclaw boy decided to sit with Cynthia (who was also at the Slytherin table).

"Well, I heard the ferret complaining about being assigned detention and having to do it alongside the weaselette," said Tori while smirking. "Maybe their making love sessions caught up with them!"

"Ginevra even whined about being forbidden to accept an invitation to the Yule Ball from an older student!" said Harry with glee.

"Harry and I were laughing about that when we saw it for ourselves," said Neville. "To make it better, Fred, George and Lee kept taunting her. They believed that it was their suitable punishment for Ginevra."

"No kidding," agreed Blaise. "Serves her right."

Harry looked up and saw Hedwig flying towards Ron and Ginny, with a red envelope in her beak. Harry got his friends' attention and they, too were delighted to see the youngest Weasleys getting a howler. Ron gasped in horror when he saw that the howler was from his father.

"Damn," Ron muttered. "Dad sent me the howler this time."

"Yeah, it has to be really bad," said Ginny, unaware at the moment, that the howler was also for her. "You'll have to open it, since we already know that ignoring is much worse."

With his hand trembling, Ron opened the howler. Once it was opened, it screamed: "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY AND GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! WHAT HAVE THE TWO OF YOU GOTTEN YOURSELVES INTO?"

Everybody in the Great Hall (including the foreign visitors) turned their attention to the howler. Ron was petrified when the howler turned it's attention to him.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD BETRAY HARRY! IF YOU TRULY KNEW HIM, YOU WOULD'VE REALIZED HOW MUCH HE HATES HIS FAME! I WAS ALSO INFORMED OF YOUR BETROTHMENT TO MISS PARKINSON BECAUSE YOU WERE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO KISS HER ON THE LIPS IN FRONT OF COUNTLESS WITNESSES! ANY MORE MISBEHAVIOUR OUT OF YOU, AND I'LL COME MARCHING UP TO THE SCHOOL AND DRAG YOU HOME!"

Then the howler it's attention to Ginny, making her gulp nervously. Then it screamed:

"AND YOU, YOUNG LADY BETTER QUIT STALKING HARRY AND ASSUMING THAT HE'S YOURS! YOU KNOW THAT HE WAS NEVER INTERESTED IN YOU, SO IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO QUIT LIVING IN A FANTASY BECAUSE HARRY AS A PERSON AND THE-BOY-WHO-LIVED ARE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I ALSO DIDN'T GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO BE MAKING LOVE TO DRACO MALFOY! YOUR HEAD OF HOUSE WROTE TO ME AND INFORMED ME OF THAT AND YOUR PUNISHMENT, AND I SUPPORT IT, INCLUDING YOU BEING FORBIDDEN FROM ACCEPTING AN INVITATION FROM AN OLDER STUDENT TO BE THEIR DATE FOR THE UPCOMING YULE BALL! IF HARRY SENDS ME ONE MORE, AND I MEAN ONE MORE COMPLAINT ABOUT YOU HOUNDING HIM AND CLAIMING THAT HE'S YOURS, I'LL EVEN COME UP TO THE SCHOOL AND BRING YOU HOME!"

The howler burst into flames once it was finished. Ron and Ginny heard snickers coming from many students when they got up and ran out of the Great Hall. Draco and Pansy ducked and hid under the Slytherin table, too embarrassed to even face the crowd. Dumbledore was rendered speechless when he found out that his deputy headmistress forbade Ginny from going to the Yule Ball. He realized that he had no way of changing her mind because it would've drawn up suspicions. Hermione couldn't believe that Ginny was now forbidden from accepting an invitation to the Yule Ball from an older student. Once dinnertime was over, everybody started heading out to continue with what their plans were until curfew. Harry and Tori went to the Room of Requirement to work on practicing for the Champions' waltz. A few times throughout the practice, Harry did accidentally step on Tori's toes, which made him apologize several times with Tori assuring him that it wasn't a big deal.

"It's getting harder to contain my excitement for the Yule Ball, Harry," said Tori, who couldn't stop smiling. "For each day that goes by, it gets harder and harder."

"I can't keep my excitement concealed either, Tori," said Harry, also having trouble not smiling. "I just wish it would get here now."

"Me, too," said Tori. "If only there was a way we could fast forward time."

It'll get here before we know it," assured Harry. "Shall we wander the corridors before curfew gets here?"

"Yeah," said Tori. "It wouldn't hurt to take a walk before bed."

So Harry and Tori left the Room of Requirement and began walking around the corridors. They strolled by a particular corridor on the fourth floor, in which Draco and Ginny were polishing the suits of armour without using magic, and they were facing the middle of the hallway (obviously one of their detention assignments). Each suit of armour was ten feet away from the other one (or ones). Tori smirked when she saw that Draco and Ginny both had their backs turned, then she cast a hyper-itching charm on Draco that made his bits itch like crazy. This made him scratch or rub them in an attempt to get rid of the itchiness. Ginny rolled her eyes in annoyance and went back to polishing. Harry and Tori approached the unhappy couple as Draco continued scratching his bits.

"Well, well," said Harry, trying not to laugh. "It looks like the ferret can't stop playing with himself!"

"Shut up, Potter," snapped Draco, trying to conceal the itchiness. "I itch there, but it won't go away."

"Harry, please talk McGonagall into cancelling our detentions," Ginny pleaded pathetically (and desperately). "I can't put up with Malfoy's antics any longer."

"Look who's talking now, Weasley," sneered Draco, who still couldn't hide his itchiness. "You said you were gonna ignore me, but you lied!"

"It's because the weaselette couldn't stop thinking about you, ferret," said Tori. "You also continue to fidget with your nuts because you've been harbouring a secret crush on her for years!"

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "You just don't wanna admit it, but we all know. Everybody knows that every time you play with your balls, you keep fantasizing about Ginevra and how you wanna make love to her again!"

Fred, George and Lee (along with the Gryffindor chasers) were secretly witnessing the ordeal. They nodded to one another and sneaked away, intending to spread the word. Draco and Ginny turned bright red, much Harry and Tori's amusements.

"See," said Tori in an I-told-you-so voice to Draco and Ginny. "We all know! You can lie about it all you want, but we'll all see through it. You two have been warned."

"The both of you blushing just proves it," said Harry. "You both really do have a crush on each other."

Harry and Tori continued laughing as they walked away. Draco and Ginny never felt any more humiliated than they did at that very moment. They had little choice but to get back to polishing the suits of armour, which they dreaded because they weren't allowed to use magic (since their respective heads of houses took their respective wands away before the detention started). Ginny knew she couldn't accept an invitation to the Yule Ball from an older student, which was disappointing.

'That does it,' thought Draco angrily. 'Potter had corrupted my girl for the last time! At the Yule Ball, we're gonna settle this once and for all! I gave him plenty of chances, but enough is enough!'

Meanwhile, Harry and Tori returned to their respective house common rooms. When Harry made it back to Gryffindor Tower, he spotted Neville sitting on the couch, fidgeting for some reason (even though he was grinning), so Harry sat down next to him.

"You alright, Neville?" asked Harry.

"Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!" Neville replied nervously, in a high-pitched voice. Then he realized that and relaxed enough to speak in a normal voice. "I had asked D-D-Daphne to be m-my date for the Yule Ball, and she said yes!"

"Great job, Neville!" said Harry, patting his friend on the shoulders.

"Thanks, Harry," said Neville. "I heard that Malfoy was playing with himself, again."

"Yep, though Tori had cast a hyper-itching charm on him to ensure that he would," said Harry. "So she and I used that opportunity to pass that off as the ferret having trouble keeping his fantasizing about Ginevra in check."

"No wonder the ferret keeps playing with his balls," said Neville, finding it harder to suppress his laughter. "He just loves Ginevra so much!"

"Precisely," said Fred and George as they approached the couch Harry and Neville were sitting on. "We happened to see that, we as in ourselves, Lee, Angelina, Alicia and Katie. It was making us giggle, so we had to sneak away to make sure neither the ferret, nor Ginevra could find out that there were other witnesses."

The entrance opened up and Hermione walked in with a nervous looking Ron. Hermione had an arm around Ron's shoulders, as if she was providing some comfort for him. After leading Ron to an empty chair in the common room, Hermione walked over to Harry.

"Harry," said Hermione. "Ron just asked Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, but she said no. Do you think you could talk to her and see if she'll change her mind?"

"It's Lord Potter, Granger," said Harry with contempt in his voice. "And no, I can't do that. Fleur could see that as another opportunity to try and use the veela allure on me! Not only that, but you already know Ronald is betrothed to Parkinson. It's not a good idea to try to break up a betrothed couple anyway."

"But Ron doesn't want the betrothal to Parkinson." said Hermione.

"That's not my problem," stated Harry. "Ronald kissed her on the lips that day."

"And what about asking Professor McGonagall to cancel Ginny's detention with Malfoy?" asked Hermione.

"I didn't," said Harry. "And I won't do so, to teach her a lesson that the Boy-Who-Lived and the real me are two different people. Since Ginevra and the ferret continue to deny their relationship, I'm not gonna talk McGonagall into calling the detentions off. That was her decision and more than likely Snape's, too."

"See that, Harry," said Hermione. "Didn't Dumbledore tell you that it's not good to abuse your power?"

"That's exactly what he's been doing ever since he dumped me on the Dursleys' doorstep that night," snapped Harry. "And Dumbledork continues to do that, so he should be telling himself that!"

"Harry, you shouldn't disrespect the headmaster." said Hermione irritably.

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, GRANGER," screamed Harry at the top of his lungs, in Hermione's face. This made the other Gryffindors jump in shock. "RESPECT IS EARNED, NOT GIVEN! THE HEADMASTER NO LONGER HAS MY RESPECT BECAUSE HE'S BEEN USING ME LIKE A STUPID PUPPET! IF HE HAD ANY REAL SENSE AT ALL, HE WOULDN'T HAVE PLACED ME IN AN ABUSIVE ENVIRONMENT!"

"It's for own good and safety, Harry." said Hermione, trying to conceal her nervousness.

"FOR MY OWN GOOD AND SAFETY, MY ARSE," Harry screamed again, making most of the other Gryffindors leave the common room. "I WAS NEVER SAFE WITH MY SO CALLED RELATIVES, GRANGER! YOU NEED TO START LISTENING TO YOUR GUT INSTINCTS! I SHOWED YOU AND MANY OTHERS MY WORST MEMORIES WITH THE DURSLEYS AT THE FIRST TASK! DIDN'T YOUR PARENTS TEACH YOU NEVER TO TRUST AUTHORITY FIGURES LIKE DUMBLEDORK WITHOUT QUESTION?"

"Uhh, maybe." said Hermione, who was sweating profusely.

"I'M PRETTY SURE THEY DID," Harry continued screaming in Hermione's face. "WHAT WOULD THEY THINK IF THEY WERE TO FIND OUT THAT YOU'RE TRUSTING DUMBLEDORK BLINDLY, HUH? THE HEADMASTER KNOWS THAT I'VE BEEN ABUSED BY THE DURSLEYS, BUT HE DOESN'T CARE!"

"He s-says that th-there are blood wards keeping…" Hermione tried speaking, while fighting the tears.

"Blood wards, what the hell are these blood wards, Granger?" asked Harry, seething in anger.

"That c-c-can't be discussed here," Hermione claimed. "Dumbledore will explain it to you."

"You will tell me about these so called blood wards right here, and right now!" insisted Harry, seething in anger.

"From what Dumbledore said," Hermione revealed. "The blood wards were to keep you safe from your enemies by using your mother's protection. The wards would work if you called your relatives' place home."

"And that was the problem, Granger," snapped Harry. "I never called that place home, I only called it a place to live. It was actually my mum's house, so technically it belongs to me now. My mum never wanted me placed in the Dursleys' custody at all, no matter what. Griphook and Ragnok found a document explaining that. Now if it was a last resort, then placing me there would've been necessary. But my so called relatives violated the regulations required to live in that house, so don't tell me I'm safe with them. My mum made sure there was a list of potential guardians for me if anything happened to her and dad."

"Exactly, Hermione," said Neville, coming to Harry's defence. "My gran even told me that Harry and I are godbrothers because my mum is his godmother while his mum was my godmother. My gran had been going crazy looking for Harry since that night."

"To top that off," said Harry. "You already know that Sirius Black is my godfather and I should've gone to him first. But Dumbledore didn't bother getting him a trial, he just let Barty Crouch chuck Sirius into Azkaban kangaroo court style."

The other Gryffindors (who were watching the ordeal from an overlook upstairs) were shocked to learn that the man believed to be a mass murderer was not only innocent the whole time, but that he didn't even receive a fair trial. They remembered reading in the Daily Prophet that Lucius (under the influence of veritaserum) revealed Peter Pettigrew to be the real traitor, but they never knew that Sirius had his rights as a member of a most ancient and most noble house violated, when he was chucked into Azkaban without a trial.

"Now," Harry continued. "You will keep your distance from me from now on, Granger. You, Ronald and Ginevra will be doing just that. You three betrayed me behind my back and instead just obeyed Dumbledork's orders without any second thoughts. I can't forgive you three for that. Any more problems from you, Ronald and Ginevra and I'll see to it that your worst nightmare comes true. This is you all's last chance, have I made myself clear?"

Hermione nodded in understanding, then she went back to the chair Ron was sitting on. The other Gryffindors were petrified with fright, so they never went back down into the common room. Harry sat back down on the couch in front of the fire and took some deep breaths. Neville, Fred, George and Lee patted Harry's shoulders while Angelina, Alicia and Katie took turns giving one of Harry's hands a comforting squeeze.

Meanwhile in the Slytherin common room, Tori made it back and over to the girls' dormitory. On the way to her room, she spotted Daphne looking all ecstatic about something.

"Daph, you okay?" Tori asked her sister.

"Uh huh!" Daphne replied in a high pitched voice. "Shall we discuss this in my room?"

"Sure." said Tori.

So the Greengrass sisters headed for Daphne's room. Once they were in, Daphne cast some privacy wards and locking charms on her bedroom door. Then she sat down on her bed while Tori took a seat on the chair right by Daphne's desk.

"So what happened, Daph?" asked Tori.

"Neville asked me to be his date for the Yule Ball," said Daphne. "And I accepted."

"That's wonderful, Daph!" said Tori with a smile.

"Yeah," said Daphne. "I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, since there were a few times before where it seemed like Neville was trying to ask me, but his nervousness may gotten in the way. It does prove that he is a true Gryffindor."

"It sure does," agreed Tori. "Harry even proved that when he asked me to be his date."

The two sisters couldn't keep their excitements contained. Meanwhile, Draco and Ginny were finished with their detention for the evening. They continued dreading it, but it didn't matter. They had no choice but to comply and do their detentions as a team. Draco was still mad that Harry 'stole his girl' and continued to 'corrupt' her. Since the Yule Ball was still a few weeks away, it gave Draco some time to plan his ultimate revenge, or so he thought. Draco had no idea that karma was bound to give him another swift kick in the butt.

To be continued!

Author's note: As of this chapter, the Neville/Daphne secondary pairing is official.