A/N: To lightly touch on why we have yet to see Harry using a lot of the stuff he knows - Knowledge for the sake of knowledge. He loves to learn things, even if they aren't always pretty.
And Gringotts says he can't ward the flat himself without approval.
Quick post-update edit - 100,000 words! Including the A/Ns, but 100k!
Chapter 37: A favour
"They're all looking at you differently." Hermione tells me as we walk to the Thestral-drawn carriages after getting off the train.
"Busy summer." I smirk.
"He's important now." Ginny, having caught up with us on the train, accompanies us to the carraiges.
"I was important before." I retort, to which she rolls her eyes. "Ladies first." I make a sweeping bow as we reach an empty carriage. Back to doing normal things whilst not under threat of death – The way it should be. Well maybe not for me.
"And they say chivalry's dead." Hermione says as I climb up after them.
"Well I'm supposed to be some snobbish Baron now." I joke. "Have to play the part. I've still got a lot of junk to sift through." I pat my pocket. "A trunk full of contracts and shit that I'll start working through after dinner. And don't think you can fly away from it!" I say the last part to Hedwig. "If I'm to be subjected to that, I want some company."
"But why torture me too?" She whines.
"It might be fun?" I offer weakly. I can already feel the oncoming headache. "Maybe we could rile up the anti-Harry brigade to lift our spirits, then look through them." The Anti-Harry brigade, affectionately coined by Tonks, are a small group of students in my house who seek to antagonize me. Quite where their dislike of me comes from, maybe I lose us far too many house points - I don't know, but it's better for them to focus on me than Luna. Although that's only applies to Marietta Edgecombe. Hedwig seems to weigh her options.
"Fine." She says, not looking terribly happy as she rests her head sorrowfully on my shoulder. Hermione looks like she has a lot of questions, or she's constipated.
"Harry, Do you know who the new Defence professor is?" Ginny asks me. "Fred and George said they knew, but when I threatened them, they said it was going to be you."
"Me?" I laugh. "I think applicants need at least a NEWT in the subject to apply, but the Governors would preferably want a mastery." I explain, scratching my chin. "But if Lockhart could get the job, I couldn't do any worse than him."
"So you don't know?" She asks again, I shake my head. "I thought Professor Dumbledore would've told you."
"Last I checked, he didn't have anyone lined up." I shrug. "But I've not seen him since I was in St Mungos."
It starts to rain. Hard. 'The Heavens open' sounds like a glorious saying, but in reality it's just very wet and cold.
"Why don't these things have roofs!" Ginny shrieks, hastily pulling the hood on her robe up over her head. Hermione mimics the action a second later. Why don't these carriages have roofs?
"If only we had magical powers to save us." I lament. "You know, I once made it rain to cover up a fire. The smoke would've been a problem even with the rain though. I wond-"
"Harry." Hedwig cuts off my rambling. "Just stop us getting soaked."
"It's a good story." I say, flicking the Elder Wand. My elder wand? I'll get used to it some day. The wood extends upwards and quickly flattens out into a wide, bright pink umbrella with white spirals curling from the centre. It's large enough to cover the four of us if we lean in a bit. It's a masterpiece.
"Where did you even learn to do that?" Ginny looks impressed, Hermione looks reluctant to show the same emotion.
I love looking at people's magic. Souls, auras, cores – Whatever people call them, they are spectacular. Even more so now that they hold so much more than I've previously been able to see. The complexities that each core holds, the swirling and crackling colours flowing through the ever-shifting shape. I'm drawn out of my trance as Hedwig nudges me with her elbow. I'm sure I've listened to far too many of Albus' welcoming speeches now, and I even helped him think of a way to break it to the school that there'd be no Quidditch cup this year. 'Dash their hopes, then break out the tournament.' were my exact words.
"...I have the esteemed pleasure of announcing that, this year, Hogwarts will play host to an incredibly exciting event." He lets that hang for a second. "The legendary Triwizard Tournament."
"You're joking!" George or Fred shout from across the hall.
"Did I miss anything?" I ask Hedwig a she laces our fingers together. At some point during the feast, I'd completely zoned out.
"Hmm. Moody is the Defence professor, no Quidditch. Oh, and Roger Davies has been glaring at you." I glance up at Moody before looking at the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. I'm sure he blames me for no cup this year, as if I was the one to propose the tournament.
"Reckon he'll be having us doing Auror drills in an extra curricular, 3AM class." I say as we turn our attentions to the one-eyed man.
"You wouldn't have a problem with that." Hedwig points out. "Physically anyway."
"It's bit earlier than my morning runs, but I'd be up for it." I shrug. "But can you imagine Draco trying to run?"
"He does play Quidditch, so he's not as bad as you think." She reasons.
"I suppose not." I agree, rubbing my chin.
"I get your point though. Most of these lot probably wouldn't last long enough to not be hexed by Mad-Eye." Is he that bad? Tonks did say he attacked her on the toilet more than once. "I'm a bit surprised that he's here at all."
"Why's that?" I ask, turning to her."
"He was in the Prophet a lot, he'd been helping with the Death Eaters, right? Not all of them have been processed yet."
"Ah." The ones that had more money to throw, and the better they were at acting like they'd been imperiused, were let out within two days of the attack. Something like 20 are still locked up. It's despicable. Tonks is, understandably, furious. They are fighting the clearance to use veritaserum, which only has clearance because of corrupt officials and the very people currently locked up. It's disgusting, but the most troubling part is that they performed the attack anyway. Unless they've got plans to dig Voldy out of whatever hole he crawls into, they wouldn't bother making this show. It's ominous, unsettling, and instil me with confidence about the security of the school this year. I'm tugged out of my brooding by … well Hedwig tugging on my arm. I've managed to not notice Albus dismissing the hall for the night. "I think Moody only cracks heads, he doesn't stay around for the questioning these days." I explain to her after standing up.
I think more than a few people are staring as us as we shuffle out with the rest of the school. I've never felt like the door is wide enough, but hey – It could be smaller. Some students stay just outside the Great Hall to converse with their friends, but the prefects quickly spot them.
"Missster Potter." The sound of a thousand angels reaches my ears. A thousand angels with lank, greasy hair and hooked noses that is. I turn to Professor Snape and do all I can not to smirk.
"Professor Snape, sir." I greet him with an overly respectful tone. His jaw tightens as he glares at me. Nearby Gryffindor students hastily scamper down the corridor to avoid any Snape-related collateral. Nobody has any points yet, but that won't stop him giving out detentions.
"The Headmaster wishes to speak with you in his office at once." I'd expected for him to wait a few days, so it's probably not just going to be a social visit. Snape turns his attention to Hedwig after I nod in acceptance. "Miss..."
"Potter." She supplies happily.
"Miss Potter is not required." He sneers. I turn to Hedwig, squeezing her hand softly.
"You can come anyway, if you want." I tell her through our laced fingers.
"Hello, Harry Potter. Hello, Professor Snape." Snape actually looks a bit shocked by Luna's sudden appearance beside him. "I can show Hedwig to the tower if you like." She offers with a serene smile. A brief flicker of anger crosses Hedwig's mind, she always hated how the others treated Luna. 'How could they do that to such a sweet girl?'
"Ok, Luna." Hedwig kisses my cheek. "I'll see you later." And just to my head. "Try not to start any fight?" I give her a grin as our hands break apart and she follows Luna.
"Ah, Harry!" Albus greets me with a smile as we enter his office. "Thank you, Severus."
"Headmaster." Snape bows his head and stomps out of the room. He should be in his own common room now, so it's almost understandable why he's irritated. Almost. This is still Severus Snape. The only other occupants of the room are Fawkes and Moody. The magical eye follows me as I sit in my customary seat, catching glimpses of a conversation where Moody was limping around the room angrily. I wish I could touch his eye … the magical one. Just to get a glimpse of how it works, or even how it was made.
"Alastor?" Albus says, clasping his hands on front of him, looking over at the grizzled veteran.
"I need your help, Potter. A favour." Moody says bluntly.
"You need not accept, of course." Albus interjects.
"Is it school related?" I ask, Moody shakes his head. "Will it be dangerous?" I lean my walking stick against Albus' desk. "I'll not be much good at the moment... No offence." I add, smiling a bit. Moody sort of laughs.
"Very mundane." Moody assures me. "But things have a way of quickly escalating." Especially when I'm involved.
"Alright, sure." I stand up again. "You both look ready to roll, so it's not in this office."
"Very astute." Albus smiles. "Perhaps a change of clothes are in order for yourself." I look down at my school robes.
"I'll need to tell Hedwig that I'm going to be back late too."
"What do you think he needs?" Hedwig asks whilst she lays on my bed as I change.
"No idea, but he'll owe me later, So there's some sort of reward." I pull the grey tshirt over my head. "I'd have done it even if the word 'favour' hadn't been used." I turn to her. "How'd you get in here by the way?" I'd warded the door when I first learnt about wards. She just shrugs.
"I asked where your room was, L-L-Lisa, or something, showed me." She explains. I glance over at the door, which is still warded and unmolested. "The Goblins said something like this could happen, right?"
"That's what I was thinking." I nod. "We'll test it some more some time." I pull a hoodie out of my trunk and hold it against myself, Hedwig gives it her 'expert eye'.
"No. Too yobbish." Yobbish? I'm not even sure if that's a real word. I drop it back into the trunk. "Just wear the one you had on the train.
"It's literally the exact same thing."
"It has a zip on the front!" She protests. A navy blue hoodie versus a navy blue 'jacket'. "What am I supposed to do whilst you're gone?" She rolls over onto her front, burying her face in the pillow.
"You could hang around with Luna?" I suggest. "Or find the Gryffindor common room. I don't think there are windows in the Slytherin one, so you can't go and pester Draco for me, we've got a whole summer of catching up to do."
"'Spose so." She says, voice muffled. She turns her head to free her mouth up. "So you've got no idea what the old farts want?"
"Nope." I shrug, zipping the not-a-hoodie-but-similar-looking jacket up. "I know that Albus has asked Alastor to keep an eye on our flat for the past week, maybe something to do with that?"
A/N: Moody is the real Moody. He just happened to not be in on August 31st. Feedback appreciated.
I've got some big things planned for the future, hopefully I can do them justice.
Enjoy!