So far January had been a peaceful, almost tranquil month. Harry had been spending more time with Daphne than he had ever done before, so much so that they were considered a couple by all of their friends. He was on his way to meet her so that they could spend time with her friends Pansy and Tracey. He didn't particularly like them, but if it made Daphne happy then it made him happy. He was walking down from the third floor, down the magical stairs, when he heard the sound of a firework going off above him. He looked up just in time to see Filch plummeting down to the ground, falling rapidly. Without thinking he drew his wand and cast a few spells in rapid succession.
"ARRESTO MOMENTUM, WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA, ACCIO!" Harry shouted as the three spells left his wand, the first slowing the caretaker down, the next stopping him from falling, while the final drew him over to Harry. He caught the old man, who was shaking all over and began to carry the shocked man to the Hospital Wing. It wasn't until he set the man down in the bed that he realised that he wasn't falling to his death.
"You saved me. I don't know why you did it, but thank you. Maybe now I can get the Headmaster to get rid of that blasted Poltergeist." The old man was the quietest Harry had ever heard him, and for once, spoke without a trace of his usual anger and hatred towards the students.
"Mr Filch, what would the school do without you?" Harry responded, surprising both Filch and Madam Pomfrey for different reasons. The latter was surprised at Harry's bedside manner.
"You really think so? Fifty years I've worked and lived here, fifty years. In all that time I've never had anyone tell me they appreciate my efforts. Thank you." Filch whispered the last bit, tearing up a little bit.
"Honestly sir, the school would have fallen into disrepair by now."
"Yes. I suppose it would."
Madam Pomfrey asked Harry to leave after that, citing the need to treat her patient.
He continued on to meet Daphne, surprised at that side of Filch.
/-_-^—^-_-/
"You saved Filch? We could have been rid of him and you saved him?" Pansy Parkinson screeched at Harry upon the conclusion of his retelling of his day.
"That's a horrible thing to say, Pansy," Daphne admonished.
"Yeah, he's an old man, how would you like it if Harry watched your grandad fall to his death?" Tracey added, instantly gaining a bit of respect from Harry.
"Come on Trace', you know he's just a squib. My parents threw out my older sister because she's a squib, it's the natural order of things," Pancy rebuked, clearly believing herself to be right.
Unfortunately for her, she happened to say this in the Slytherin common room, in the presence of Harry and the Slytherin Vipers, all of whom drew their wands and aimed them at her.
"Do you want to repeat that, Pansy?" Dudley growled at her, followed by Blaise.
"If you do, you'll regret it."
"You call yourselves Purebloods, and yet you tolerate Mudbloods and Squibs. It's a disgrace, truly it is," Pansy snapped back at them.
"The times are changing, Pansy, you can decide if you want to be left behind with them. Magic is magic, and for those without it, there will be places for them to flourish in the Wizarding World. Your sister could have had a good job doing work that didn't require magic, there are many jobs that have to be done without magic, and yet we have wizards doing them. Why? Answer me that," Harry ranted at her, which caused her to get up and leave, not bothering to reply.
"That's quite a plan, Harry," Daphne said neutrally, while other Slytherin students glared at him in hatred.
/_-^—^_-_-/
"Hey Pansy, you're right. Potter and his ilk don't know how the Wizarding World works, perhaps you can join us in teaching him a lesson?" The voice of Adrian Pucey sounded behind the fourth year girl as she left the Dungeons.
"Yes. Definitely. I'll help you however I can," she said back to him, following him as he walked away.
/_-_-_-_-/
As Harry was walking around alone, as he often did now, he walked past his ex favourite abandoned classroom, shuddering at the memory of what happened the last time he was in there. Thinking about it had made him realise how outgunned he was when it came to multiple assailants, the initial incident was the catalyst for his addition of the emergency beacon and tracking features on the rings worn by the Vipers. He had just checked the map and noticed a large group of older Slytherin students in his general vicinity, and deciding he wanted nothing to do with them, he took a secret passageway, leading towards the Gryffindor common room.
As he left the passageway on the seventh floor he noticed the group was making their way up as well, "most likely a coincidence," he thought to himself, noticing a group of older Gryffindors weren't too far away either.
"When faced with two evils always go with the lesser of the two," Harry said to himself, he had decided to test Luna and Dudley in their ability to hear things using magic, strange words from stranger things. He had taken to saying things out loud when alone, in the hopes that they would be repeated back to him. It was silly, he thought to himself, but it's a bit of fun to pass the time, he reasoned with himself.
He checked the map again and the group of Slytherins had split in half, seemingly attempting to corner him. Knowing his time was limited, he sent his Patronus to the Gryffindors nearby, and if they didn't help, then maybe his distress signal would summon his friends.
"Hello Potter, fancy seeing you here."
"Hello Aiden, don't tell me you're still bitter about me being Slytherin Seeker, that was years ago," Harry jabbed, not helping the situation at all.
"Don't worry about that, Potter, you'll die in this tournament and I'll be Seeker next year."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, he's the only one who beat the first task without injury or loss of points. You'll see," came the voice of one of the Gryffindors he had called for.
"Why on earth would a bunch of Gryffs want to help a Slytherin out?" Adrian questioned, clearly puzzled.
"The answer is simple. He's the Heir of Gryffindor," a different Gryffindor shot back, surprising everyone there, even Harry.
"The Heir of Slytherin cannot be the Heir of Gryffindor, it's not feasible," Pansy Parkinson screeched back at the Gryffindors, who had managed to manoeuvre the Slytherins past Harry and surround him.
"There are many things that are outside your realm of possibilities, Pansy, I almost feel sorry for you," Harry quipped, feeling a hand on his shoulder, but not turning to see who it was.
After a minute of sneering and glaring from the Slytherins, who had nothing to say back, they left, managing to say one last thing:
"Watch your back, Potter."
"Now, is this the point where you tell me exactly how you know about my heritage?" Harry questioned his saviours, before finally turning to see that it was Dudley whose hand was on his shoulder.
"About that, Potter… we were the ones who gave you Veritaserum in your second year. We're sorry about that by the way."
"Right… who else have you told?"
"Nobody, well before today. We wanted to respect your privacy. "
"I think all of Slytherin will know now, you're free to tell whomever you want," Harry remarked.
/-_-^_^—_—/