Chapter 4

Talents and Feuds

Considering how happy his life had been up until this point, Harry wondered if the extra amount of happiness he received from being in Hogwarts wasn't a little, selfish. In the first few weeks, he had already gained a reputation in the Gryffindor common of being very talented for a first year. He dazzled his fellow first years with some of the spells he had learned by himself, including the leg-locker curse – a spell which locks your opponent's feet together – and Petrificus Totalus, a good spell for freezing your opponent in place. Yes, Harry was making himself appear very impressive among his new first year friends These now included a boy named Dean Thomas, a dark skinned muggle-born, who loved football and was the first wizard in his family. Another was a boy named Seamus Finnigan. Seamus was a short, freckle, faced boy from Ireland. Being the polar opposite of Harry, Seamus's main talent was messing spells up so much that he often blew things up instead of casting an actual spell. Harry, being the helpful soul that he is, was happy to help Seamus as best he could.

Not to be left behind, however. Neville was showing his own brand of skills. He was already top in the year for Herbology and was quickly becoming Professor Sprouts favourite first year. Thanks to all the time he had spent in Lily's garden, even some of the older students were starting to ask Neville, in secret, which included Harry, for tips on how to get the best grade on their homework. Harry and Neville weren't the only ones who had come to Hogwarts with foreknowledge.

Alicia had talents in potions beyond the norm. So much so that she broke a world record and had earn 10 points from Professor Snape, which had shocked the entire populous of Hogwarts, when she brewed a very good cure for boils.

Yes, the three friends were earning their talented reputation among students and teachers alike and were quickly being held in high esteem. However, it was agreed among the three that they wouldn't boast about their talents. And that they would keep their skills hidden except to those in Gryffindor. This was agreed with the Gryffindor Prefect and captain of the Quidditch team, Oliver Wood. He was very keen to keep his best first years under-wraps. This was something that Hermione Granger did not approve of.

"I agree that you are very good at spells, Harry." She had told him during their first Defence Against the Dark Arts Class. Something Harry had been looking forward to since starting. "However, using your talents to become popular is a waste!"

"Now, C-class, P-pay close attention," Professor Quirrell, a nervous looking man who constantly stuttered and wore a turban on his head. "F-f-f-f-f-flippendo!" He called out, his wand fired the minute ball of light at a dummy on the far end of the room. The original lesson was meant to be about vampires, but Professor Quirrell appeared to become so scared that he changed the lesson at short notice.

"I'm not showing off to be, one second," Said Harry. They entire class was standing in a line ready to practice the knock-back jinx. Quite a few, to Harry's surprise, struggled with it. He having managed to get a few practices in before even stepping on the train, Harry simply pointed and said, "Flippendo!" Casting a more powerful ball of light than that of Quirrell, earning a round of applause from the Gryffindors. The Slytherins didn't so much as grunt. Harry then moved out of the way to let Hermione have a go.

"Flippendo!" She growled, annoyed by how casual Harry approached the class. Her ball of light nearly knocked the dummy over because it hit so hard. The class clapped lazily.

"I'm not showing off to be popular." He whispered to her. Somehow, Harry ended up sharing a table with Hermione during his most favourite class. This was the case for most classes because most people didn't want to sit next to her. They were both scribbling down the main use of the Flippendo knock-back jinx, while chattering away in low voices with very little effort. "It's not like I'm walking down the corridor, casting my Patronus, am I?"

"Y-you, can do that!" Hermione gasped. Harry wasn't surprised that she knew what a Patronus was. If there was one thing he did like about Hermione, it was her unusually big, and always crammed with knowledge, brain.

Harry finished writing his description and rolled his eyes when he saw that Hermione purposely wrote a few extra words just to beat him. "I wish." He sighed, dropping his usual guard for a second. "My friend, Remus. He's a pretty good when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts. He told me all about them. I'd love to learn it someday."

"That's really advanced magic. I don't think you're 'friend' should have told you about that." Hermione told him disapprovingly. She seemed to see Harry's natural ability as an insult against all the extra work she was putting into learning magic. This meant at every turn, Hermione would do her absolute best to compete and most importantly, beat Harry in everything they did. "But honestly," she said, raising her head up and looking very pompous, "I heard you tried to teach Seamus a spell that stops people from talking. That's just horrible."

"Good old, Langlock." Harry said with fond affection. Langlock didn't stop people from talking exactly. It would just pin the person's tongue to the roof of their mouth, which prevented their ability to cast counter-curses. He had learned that one from Severus, who encouraged Harry to use Severus's wand to practice with it on Peter. Harry was five at the time and Peter was going on about a duel he had won back in school against Severus. Harry had managed it with success then watched as Lily scolded Severus for teaching it to Harry in the first place. "And I wasn't teaching Seamus. Neville just wouldn't shut up about Devil's Snare and we wanted to sleep." He said, laughing lightly.

This comment had ended that conversation quickly. To say Harry found it difficult to like Hermione would have been an extreme understatement. He actually enjoyed the competition she brought to the classroom. Despite her inability to keep a conversation going without getting angry at something Harry would say, together the pair had amassed a staggering amount of points for Gryffindor. Things would have been great if she could just be less-

"Bossy?" Neville had suggested to him.

"A know it all?" Alicia offered.

"How about, a filthy little mud-blood?" Someone else suggested. "I think that would be a great improvement for her."

If Harry had ever seen himself as having a sworn enemy, he could quite easily have put Ronald Weasley into that category. Never alone and rarely without his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle, who were more like bodyguards than friends, Ron had quickly made himself unpopular with the Gryffindors. Ron had taken to following in his brother's footsteps of being a bully and was often the reason that a stray Gryffindor first year or any other first year would be upset. It didn't help that the more Harry learned about the Weasley family, the less he liked them. One of their dislike of Muggle-borns and anyone who wasn't a Slytherin or a Weasley in general, made Harry and Neville sick to their stomachs. They'd never met anyone as vile as the Weasley Brothers. The stories they had been told about Fred and George made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. The true danger was Percy Weasley, the Slytherin Prefect who had a joy of punishing anyone who wasn't in their house and doing so in very creative ways.

Ron especially appeared to dislike Alicia. She had confessed to Harry that she had no idea why this was. Harry had almost felt sorry for the Weasleys when he learned that they used to be quite poor. Even more so that they had been raised by their father, who once praised the likes of Hermione and the Muggles. It was when his wife had been tragically attacked by a group of Muggles, who was left insane by the whole ordeal that they garnered sympathy from Neville. Sadly, it wouldn't last. Their talent for hate, bullying and much darker things made it hard to feel sad for them at all. Lily and Augusta didn't campaign for people like Hermione to be kicked out of school and kept in prison for stealing magic. Harry had been tolerant of their attitude until that day during dinner when Ron had called Hermione a Mud-blood and he received his first punishment.

"Langlock!" Harry didn't know where his anger had come from but hearing those words said out loud had set off something violent inside of him. "Locomotor-Mortis!" Harry had twirled his wand and cast both spells with such speed and ferocity, that when Ron fell over, every student within 25 metres all pointed and laughed, the second Ron thudded to the ground.

It would have been a moment of real heroism and worth of praise had the spell not been seen by Severus Snape. When he appeared, he was dressed in a long, flowing black robe that made him look like a bat as he approached. He said nothing, not even when the took out his wand and released Ron from the Harry's spells.

"Move!" Severus roared. For a moment, Alicia thought that Harry would get off easy. Harry and Neville had talked about how Severus wasn't the grumpy man that the other students thought he was. However, Neville dashed any hopes Alicia might have had by shaking his head. All they, and the other students could do is watch Harry be grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged away by Severus.

Severus's office was located in the dungeons next to his classroom. He had quite literally dragged Harry all the way down there, shoved him through the door and slammed it shut. Harry stood silent. He watched Severus go to his desk and sit down. There was a brief moment while Severus recovered his composure then asked, "Enjoy that, did you?"

"He called…" Harry attempted to defend himself. However, Severus cut him off.

"I am quite aware of what Mr Weasley called the Granger girl. Behind her back. Where she was nowhere near to hear it." Said Severus, his voice slightly cold. Harry wanted to argue back but he had learned that when it came to Severus, only Lily was capable of it. "Did it occur to you to go and find a teacher?"

Harry felt instantly ashamed for defending, well, not his friend but someone in his house. "No." He muttered.

"No." Severus nodded. He then sighed and locked his hands together. He fixed Harry with a stare and asked one simple question. "What are the three things your mother always asks of you."

Harry flushed a deep red. He wished for a moment that he didn't have cheeks because his face was giving away the shame he felt. "Behave, Be smart and above all else…"

"Be kind." Finished Severus, speaking sternly. "I imagine that you think Mr Weasley is not included in that. Especially for using that foul name. Do be aware that I will speak to him and he will be punished for his lack of good will towards his fellow students. However, his ignorance doesn't give you the right to cast judgement, understood?"

"Yes." Harry answered. He wanted very much for the ground to open and swallow him up whole.

"Now, tell me what happened during the sorting ceremony."

Harry didn't understand. At first he had no idea what Severus meant and so asked, "What do you mean, what happened? I was sorted in Gryffindor."

Severus shook his head. "No, you hat stalled." When he saw the confused expression on Harrys face, Severus was quick to explain. "Harry, the sorting hat didn't choose you for Gryffindor, you suggested it and he went with your desire. A hat stall is incredibly rare and means that the future of the person under the hat can't be decided. Given that your talents are fast becoming known to the teachers. We're all watching you with great interest. Especially Dumbledore."

"But…why?" Harry shook his head, he was sure that the hat had picked him for Gryffindor. Harry was only suggesting it as his preference. "Did that hat take my choice into account?"

"Yes, and like most children your age you picked the one your friends were in." Severus, for the first time since bringing Harry here, smiled. "Which is a good thing. You chose the place you were meant to be. However, in the eyes of the students and a few select teachers, it marked you as special before the year started. I figured you or Neville would have known this."

"No."

"Well, don't let it go to your head, eh?" Severus prompted. His smile then disappeared when he added, "50 points from Gryffindor for duelling."

"50!" Harry shouted in disbelief. "But…"

I can make it a hundred if your prefer, Harry?" Severus suggested calmly.

"Fine!" He knew there was no point in being directly angry at Severus. He was only doing his job as a teacher. He could, however, be angry with Professor Snape. This anger abated when a thought occurred to him. "You're not going to tell…"

"No!" It was Severus's turn to look slightly afraid, his smile being nervous. "The last thing anyone needs is Lily Potter charging into a school to kill her son because he was being reckless. You know how much she disapproves recklessness."

Harry could forgive the loss of points if it meant he wouldn't be getting a visit from his mother any time soon. She was still on holiday with Hestia, but he was sure she'd cancel just to come here and in Severus's not too literal words, "Kill Harry" for being an idiot.

Once he was excused, Harry made his way back up into the school where the rest of the students had returned to the common room. The castle was very quiet and peaceful when there wasn't anyone around. He passed the giant hourglasses that counted the points and saw that Gryffindor had indeed lost fifty-points. This had put them all in third place behind Ravenclaw, and Slytherin was now in first.

"Ouch. 50 whole points for attacking our defenceless, baby brother." Harry had not noticed the twins, Fred and George appear. They moved very quietly towards him in unison and stopped right in front of the steps that would take Harry up to the common room. "Should have lost all of them if you ask me. Violence in a school. Such a nasty thing to happen, right George?"

"Very true, Fred." George agreed. They both set their wicked gaze on Harry, who felt the sudden urge to draw his wand. "Such terrible things happen to little wizards who cross the line."

"Your brother deserved it." Harry said, bravely. He was very aware of the fact that he was outnumbered by two students who had 2 years more experience than he did. "Talking about people that way. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd just make sure I wasn't caught this time."

"Brave little Phoenix, so you are." Fred snorted. Harry wasn't sure where being called a Phoenix had come from. "We don't rightly care what you did to Ron. However, if you embarrass our family like that again."

"And we mean, ever again." Said George.

"We'll…"

"Look a thousand times dumber than you already do?" Harry felt a strong sense of relief when he saw Alicia and Neville coming down the steps behind the twins. It was a surprise to see how confident Alicia was, she normally only spoke directly to Harry and Neville. "Sorry," She said, sarcastically. "Were you threatening him? It's just that I'm about to send a letter to my aunt. I think your father knows who she is. Andromeda Tonks. I think she would love a reason to speak to your father about you both."

"Connected, this one is. Wouldn't you say, George?" Fred said, not acting so cocky as he was a moment again. Like his brother, he started to move out the way and back-up slowly.

"I'd say so, George. Dear old dad wouldn't like Blood-traitors getting involved in the family business." Said George.

"Idiots." Said Neville once Fred and George had disappeared down a corridor. "Dean had called Ron a slimy git the other day. He also said that Fred and George love any excuse to bully first years. So, we decided to come and make sure you were safe."

"Yes, it wasn't my idea at all, was it?" Said Alicia, rolling her eyes and taking Harry's hand. "Come on, The others are throwing a party."

"They are?" He asked, confused again. "But I just lost us 50 points."

Alicia grinned. "Yeah, they don't care about that." She giggled.

It was Neville who took the time to explain that after Severus had dragged Harry off, that Ron and his friends had ran away when the other students cheered at their dismay. Turns out, it was the first time ever that anyone had stood up to a member of the Weasley family. As it turned out, the Gryffindors didn't approve of their behaviour either and Harry's act of bravery was now starting a surge among the house. It was also a relief to learn that the other Gryffindors didn't have concerns about losing fifty points when Harry, Neville, Alicia and Hermione could earn them back just as easily as they had been lost. Still, Harry couldn't quite believe that he was getting let off the hook. Until he stepped through the portrait hole into the common room and-

"There he is!" Someone shouted. The whole common room had gathered to congratulate Harry on his victory against Ron Weasley.

"Crack spell, Harry!" Oliver Wood had said proudly.

"Wish I had been there to see it, really spiffing stuff, lad!" A 6th year student had told him, grabbing Harry's hand and shaking it with great enthusiasm.

"Good to finally see someone sticking up to those Weasleys!" A dark skinned forth year student by the name of Angelina Johnson said, swooping down to kiss Harry on the cheek.

Harry desperately wanted to tell them all that attacking Ron wasn't the right thing to do. Even if it were to defend Hermione's honour. He wanted to tell them that it was a really bad thing to do, and that Severus was right to take those points from them. He just couldn't find a way to say those things out loud. No matter how hard he tried he was constantly being hugged, having his hand shook and given cake. The party wouldn't let him get a word in edge wise and so, he took Severus's punishment to heart and focused on being kind to those around him. He was dangerously close to getting what he once heard Neville's grandmother call, "Big head syndrome," When Hermione Granger appeared and dragged Harry back to reality.

"I suppose you think you're clever for doing that, Harry?" She said, her face all red and blotchy. Harry couldn't if she were angry or about to cry. However, everyone else had gone silent when Hermione's voice started to drown out the radio. They all assumed she was about to thank him. How wrong they were. "Violence never solves anything, you should be ashamed!"

Being self-righteous didn't suit Harry's personality but he felt as though he had just taken a punch to the gut. "Ashamed?!" He yelled in disbelief. "How about, Thanks Harry for sticking up for me?!" He continued, "By the way you're very handsome and Ron looks like a goblin's arse!"

"You were just doing it to show off!" She roared back at him. "You didn't care about anyone else. All you care about is looking cool. Acting better than everyone and in general being an arrogant little…little…PILLOCK!"

"It's called being a friend!" Harry was seething, he couldn't control what he was about to say, he was just so angry with her. "But I suppose you would know nothing about that. Because you don't have any friends!"

Nothing. And to this day, nothing would have spared Harry from the feeling he felt when he saw the look of pain cross Hermione's face. He couldn't have felt any more horrid, guilty or ashamed of himself more than realising he had just caused an expression of absolute devastation in another person when he shouted those words. Hermione managed to old herself together just long enough to turn away and run for the stairs. The silence of the room allowed Harry to hear the first sniffle of sadness before the tears started to fall. The girl's dormitory door slammed shut and in an embarrassed rage, Harry had ran out of sight to the boy's dormitory and slammed the door shut as well. There, sitting on his bed as if appearing simply to judge him, was Nova. He looked at her long enough to nod and let out a deep sigh, "So much for being kind."