"Ow! Lukas!"
A typical morning in the Gryffindor first-year boys' dorm would start with Vlad screaming about wake-up times. Lukas was apparently fed up with his act and began smacking his head.
"You've slept enough. I don't know why you're tired."
Vlad huffed, "I'm tired because a certain someone in this room can't stop snoring their face off!" He gave Ron a mock glare from across the room.
Ron, who was in the middle of putting on a shirt, noticed the sudden silence and looked towards the two. "Hold on, mate. I can't control it!"
"Put an extra pillow behind you or sleep on your side! For heaven's sake-" and smacked once again.
"Leave him alone and get yourself ready. I'm not waiting for you this time!" Lukas demanded in an uncharacteristically loud voice.
Ah yes. The first year Gryffindor boys' dorm with all its perks and raucous noises were becoming quite the routine to Harry's morning. He could deal without the fight for the first shower though.
"Get up you! Lazy! Oaf!" he heard Malfoy struggling to get Goyle out of bed.
"Get some water and pour it on him. Works like a charm!" Arthur advised. He was donning his cloak when Malfoy decided it was time for Crabbe and Goyle to get up. Those boys would probably sleep all day if they could.
Crabbe was also getting dressed though rather groggily. Maybe England should start addressing them first names. It would make it much easier to befriend them. Even though they were brats now, keeping them on good terms was vital to whatever part he was to play in the current mission. Who knows, maybe he could put them on the right track in life instead of following in their parents' footsteps.
The splashing of water alerted him that Draco had taken his recommendation. Looking to the pair he suddenly shouted, "I didn't mean that you had to drench his whole bed!"
Like a deer caught in the headlights, Draco turned to Arthur and replied, "You didn't specify. Besides, he really needed to wake. I'm already dressed, and yet he hasn't even begun getting prepared for the day."
"You better hope that dries by tonight, or he'll want to share a bed with someone. I don't blame him one bit either," snarked Arthur. He was about ready to depart for the Great Hall and only needed to pack his bag.
"Wait, Kirkland," Draco called to him.
'What does he want now?' England thought.
"I know that you prefer to keep your distance, but could you wait for us this one time? Professor Snape wishes for our house to be closer. 'Snakes stick together and all that', and though I hate to agree with it, it could prove useful. So how about it?" Draco offered. Did this snobby child want to make peace? England could do that. Maybe with a little more effort, but it would resolve itself in the end.
"I'd be glad to join. Let it be known that I will not be abandoning my friends in Gryffindor, however. They may be in a different house, but they were here before Hogwarts. Therefore, they will always be first, and if any of you attempt to pry me away from them, you will suffer the consequences," he threatened.
"Yes, yes. No need to get aggravated. We can work it out. Know that you'll never be trusted with anything."
Drat. He might have to talk to Norway and Romania about changes if he isn't able to get to the inner circle of Slytherins.
"Deal."
When they entered the Great, they were met with a scene of Gryffindor first-years crowding around Neville Longbottom. Neville was quite the topic among Slytherins. After all, what pureblood couldn't make a simple potion? Arthur's many attempts to quell the harassment of the boy were proved useless as the children would brush off his comments without a single thought. How rude.
Swiftly abandoning his housemates in favor of Gryffindor company, England made his way to Norway's side.
"What are you lot gawking at?" he asked.
"Neville's got a Remembrall! His grandmother gave it to him!" Romania said gleefully.
"Well good for you! I hope it serves you well," Arthur congratulated. Their merry party was crashed by the sudden stealing of said gift.
Mr. Draco Malfoy thought it would be funny to snatch poor Neville's gift. Unfortunately for him, his plans were foiled when Professor McGonagall spotted the trouble boiling. With the Remembrall left behind in a poorly concealed escape plan, Arthur decided to take his leave, bidding the group a farewell until flight lessons. It wasn't like they had much of a conversation. He was just itching to berate the brat of a child that thought it was hilarious to see other people suffer.
Catching up with said brat, he decided the best course of action, a good old slap to the back of the head.
"Ow! What was that?" Draco yelled in pain. England didn't even hit him that hard! It was barely a fraction of what he would usually give America or the Frog.
"That was punishment. Seeing as none of the staff is willing to step in, I see this as a learning opportunity. I told you that I wouldn't stand around and act like you weren't being quite the tormentor to others not as 'privileged' as you."
Crabbe and Goyle, or should he say Vincent and Gregory (that's strange to write), were enjoying acting as the bystanders in this situation. Admittedly they were terrified of what would occur if someone were to intervene.
"Did Kirkland just hit you Malfoy? And you didn't retaliate? No 'My father will hear of this?'" Blaise Zabini smirked not at all worried for the coming lash out.
"Of course he was. You and all your other friends should also take my advice. Continuing with your current views will not get you anywhere. Might as well abandon them while you're ahead," Arthur advised heatedly.
The rest of breakfast went by with relative silence. After the incident from before, none of the first years wanted to bring up anything that would set off either of the boys. Draco's slight scowl remained ever-present even as he flipped through emotions. Arthur observed his expressions to predict his thought process without being detected. Was that guilt, or was it just regret that he got caught?
Fed up with the reticence, Arthur, still glowering at anything that moved, hoisted himself from the bench. He marched himself out of the room as he waited for class to start complaining about "kids these days."
Flying lessons were to commence at three-thirty in the afternoon. England, who was almost delighted to be ignored for the majority of the day, was ready and accounted for by three-fifteen. To say that was uncommon around Hogwarts was an understatement. Really, just because you have magic doesn't mean you should be tardy. At least he wasn't the only one. Daphne Greengrass had enough sense to be early.
The others joined him and Daphne two minutes before class was to begin. Brooms were laid out for each student, but they stood around in groups as they waited for Madam Hooch to make her appearance. The clock's hand made its way to the six, and Madam Hooch arrived, walking down the middle of the two lines of brooms.
"What are you waiting for? Get to a broom and hurry up!" she ordered. Her hawk-like eyes surprised Arthur, and he wasn't prepared for the commanding aura they gave her. However, he wasn't opposed as they got the students to do exactly as she wanted with little time wasted.
Arthur made his way to an unoccupied broom next to the other two nations. He knew they would also be rusty on their brooms and quite honestly wanted to have a laugh with them.
"Stick up your right hand above the broom," she instructed as she did the same to the broom at the front, "and say 'Up!'"
"UP!"
Arthur's broom jumped into his hand as did the rest of his trio. He gave Harry a congratulatory look when he noticed that his did as well. It was no wonder that Draco's did with all his bragging about his flying skills, but what was most surprising was that Lukas was currently giving Neville a pep talk.
Seems that his Norwegian companion had found a friend in the skittish boy. That was both pleasing and worrying. What would happen if they grew too attached? This is exactly why nations didn't get involved, and they had warned him of this. Who would have thought that the one to warn would be the one to fall?
Once everyone had a good grasp at getting their broom up, Madam Hooch continued with the lesson. She showed them how to mount their brooms and the proper grip techniques. Arthur saw how Draco's mood dampened when he was told that his grip was wrong and how Harry and Ron's grins just widened. So much rivalry already, he thought, and it hasn't even been a month.
Yes, Draco could be a brat sometimes, but enough time with more pleasant people than his family could change that. It takes a lot for a person's character to be set in stone at such a young age after all. These facts were enough to make Arthur sympathize with him. That adds one more objective to his list.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, kick-off from the ground strong," Madam Hooch directed. "Keep your brooms steady, and don't go too far. Come straight back by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle! Three- two-"
Even with Lukas's reassurances, Neville was still too nervous to fly safely. Before Hooch's whistle was even held to her lips, he kicked off the ground. Startled by the sudden shock of being alone in the air on a broom, he couldn't get himself back down. Even with Madam Hooch's orders to come back, he just kept rising higher and higher until…
He fell off the broom, the slam off his face first plummet leaving the first years horrified. The broomstick left in the sky decided it had enough of being the school's property and made its way to the Forbidden Forest going out of sight.
Lukas immediately ran to the boy's side careful not to jostle him in his inspections. Madam Hooch came right behind him.
"Broken wrist," the Norwegian told her.
"Are you sure? Let me look," she demanded. Sure enough, in that far of a fall, Neville had only sustained a broken wrist and a nasty case of shock. Lucky boy.
"I can take him to the infirmary, Madam," Lukas offered. Yes, there was no question as to whether he had grown attached now.
"Nonsense, we'll both go. I'll need an extra hand anyway," she said. "Now, while we're gone, no one is to lay a finger on a broom. If I catch wind of it, you will be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come along, dears." Then they were off.
A surge of laughter from a certain Slytherin brat called the attention of the class. "Did you see his face? He looked like a ghost, the idiot!"
A chorus of chortles from the other Slytherins followed promptly.
"Shut up, Malfoy," the Patil girl shouted. Parvati, was it? She was met with teasing from Pansy Parkinson. It never failed to amaze him how stupid children's taunts were.
"Oh, look!" Malfoy called. "Longbottom's stupid trinket his gran sent him! You think he would miss it?" he asked, picking it up off the ground. Arthur began glaring in his direction once again.
Harry beat him to it however and said, "Give it here, Malfoy!"
Damn Gryffindors. They always have to intervene at the worst time, don't they? Maybe he should change that philosophy to all children as Draco decided he would hop on his broom against Madam Hooch's wishes. Did he want to be expelled?
"Come and get it, Potter!" he taunted.
It seems that children are just stupid all around because Harry was now mounting his broom. Hermione was objecting by saying he would get them all in trouble, but of course, he had to ignore her in favor of being the hero. Oh no, he was acting like America.
"If you get in trouble or hurt, you better remember that we warned you, Potter!" Arthur called to him.
He nodded to him in acknowledgment. After climbing onto the broom, he took off with speed. Goodness, the boy was a natural. England didn't even know if those tricks he was easily performing were intentional. Draco seemed stunned by the display of talent, though he didn't let it get to him. When Harry caught up to him, he proceeded to throw the Remembrall to the ground and streak towards landing himself.
Harry took this as a signal to dive to the ground. What a suicidal move! Was this really his first time on a broom? The sight of Harry getting closer and closer to the ground made England and Romania tense. He better catch it before both he and the Remembrall became pancakes on the soil.
Right before the ball was to hit the ground and shatter into the million pieces, Harry successfully caught it with an outstretched hand, and, like the hero he was, returned to the ground without a scratch.
Even though he was already prepared with a lecture himself, Arthur stepped aside as Professor McGonagall came onto the field shouting at Harry for his recklessness.
"In all my years!"
"It was his fault, Professor!" Parvati tried to protest.
"Quiet, Ms. Patil! Potter, follow me. Now!" Arthur watched as the professor took Harry to the castle and disappeared in the distance. Just as Draco, Vincent, and Gregory's jubilant voices cut through the stunned silence, he broke.
"Just shut up!" he hollered.
"Is Kirkland sad that his little Gryffindor friend is getting expelled?" Draco taunted.
"Yes, but you could have killed yourself too! There was no adult supervision, and none of us are skilled with a broom. One false move and you're dead!" he reprimanded. Harry wasn't going to get his lecture, but that didn't mean he was the only one that needed to hear one.
Draco's shocked face was the only thing alerting him that he was doing anything peculiar.
"You're… worried about me?" he asked confused.
"Of course. You're my housemate. I can make friends in Slytherin too. I'm not just a Gryffindor and 'blood traitor sympathizer like you want to believe," Arthur said peeved at what people thought of him.
Arthur opened his mouth to continue, but Draco interrupted, "You might think that you can flip between the two houses without consequences, but you'll see. It doesn't work like that. Gryffindors and Slytherins have been at each other's throats since the Middle Ages!"
Arthur sighed, "Your perception of house unity is invalid. The houses were friends before, and they can become friends again."
"Father was right. He said that you sounded too much like that Robin kid. You're going to go just like him, aren't you?" Draco asked fearfully.
Before Draco could get an answer, Arthur spun and stomped off the field into the castle, hoping he wouldn't get into much trouble for leaving class early. Maybe he should take another stroll in the forest?
He didn't have to turn to know of the suspicious look Vlad was sending his way.
England continued to avoid Draco well into the evening. Though he wasn't interacting with the boy, he still noticed his change in attitude. Ever since dinner, the lad had been all secret smiles and snide looks. He had to have done something unsavory.
His fears were confirmed at an hour from midnight in the common room. Though they were supposed to be in bed, the Slytherins were laxer about the time to be in the common room versus when to be asleep. He heard Draco telling Pansy and Theodore Nott about some trick he played on "stupid, gullible Potter."
"Can you believe it? I doubt he even knows what a proper duel looks like. I wager Filch is staking out by the trophy room right about now," Draco gloated.
What did he do? Something about duels, the caretaker, and the trophy room… He didn't challenge Harry to a duel, did he? No, he wouldn't risk himself like that, but why else would he be talking about duels? Oh no. Filch. Trophy room.
He probably made it seem that he would be dueling Harry when, in reality, he was trapping them. He probably tipped Filch off just for the fun of it too. England had to help, and if he got caught, he got caught. He knew how to get out of situations like that. The others on the other hand wouldn't have that kind of experience.
They would be in the trophy room, and, knowing Draco's dramatic flair, the "duel" would be taking place at midnight. That gave him an hour to get to the trophy room and convince them to leave as soon as possible.
He had a new mission.
Getting out of the common room was the simplest part of the plan. He just had to sneak around his housemates and exit out of the concealed wall. Avoiding teachers on patrol was the harder part. When England was last at Hogwarts, some of the passageways were different. Not much, but just enough that the castle kept him confused.
He narrowly missed running face-first into a door. Don't ask him how. He doesn't even know, and he could swear that there wasn't one the day before.
He was in the correct hallway now, but which door was it? Damn it, he thought, it was almost time too. Oh, there it is.
It was the only door he could hear voices from too. Were they even trying to be subtle? He opened the door with a creak, for dramatic effect if you will.
The room became silent as he surveyed its occupants. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Vlad, and Lukas. They brought more of a party than the two people required for a duel. He guessed that it wasn't just Slytherins that played dirty.
"Have you figured out your mistake, or will I have to shove it in your faces?" he snarked.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Lukas admitted.
"I told you! He wasn't late. He was lying," Hermione complained though she seemed distracted.
Not paying much attention to what caught her eye, Arthur shushed them, "I think he tipped Filch off. We need to get out of here fast and, most importantly, keep our voices down."
"How are we supposed to believe you, Slytherin?" Ron asked.
"I thought we were past this! I don't give a damn about houses. All I care about is who I can trust, and right now I'm asking you to just trust me!" Arthur whisper shouted.
They suddenly heard a voice from beyond the door that paused their argument, "Sniff them out, my sweet. They could be anywhere."
"We have to go now. Sneak out the door before he realizes we're here," Harry whispered. The group slowly opened the door looking around for the caretaker. When they didn't see him, with light feet, they made their way around the corner and out of sight just in time for Filch to enter the trophy room.
"They must be around here somewhere," they heard him grumble.
But of course, something had to go awry. Neville's anxiety got the best of him, and as he lost balance from an unprecedented jolt, he toppled into Ron. They fell on one of the many suits of armor placed around the hall. Why did this hall have so much armor anyway?
"RUN!" Harry yelled, and they bolted down the hall. Thankfully, Arthur was certain that one secret passage remained, and he led them through the tapestry to it. Ripping it away from the wall for them, he gestured for them to follow. The passageway would lead near the Charms classroom, very far from the trophy room.
"You were right!" Ron spoke still huffing.
"I don't know why you're so surprised. We continue to tell you, but it seems to go through one ear and right out the other," Lukas replied sarcastically.
"I think he was just excited to beat Malfoy up," Vlad hypothesized. "I definitely would."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here."
"How'd you know where to find us, Arthur?" Hermione asked ignoring Ron. Though they hadn't had much interaction recently and he was suspicious, she was ever polite.
"I overheard Draco talking about fooling Harry. I thought I would assist and warn you of the plan before it got serious. Looks like I was right on time," he explained.
"We really need to get back to the tower, though. And you need to get back to the dungeons. Who knows what they would do with so many students out of bed-"
"Wandering around at night, firsties?" Oh God no. Peeves.
"Oh please, Peeves. Don't give us away!" Neville pleaded.
"Oh ho ho, not so fast! Naughty naughty, you'd get caught!" he cackled. "Should I tell Filch or no?"
"I'll-I'll hex you if you try!" Vlad tried to claim.
"As if a little firstie like you could do any damage. Maybe your fakey friend over there could do some. It isn't like we haven't seen him around before!" he crowed.
"Shut up, Peeves!" Arthur shouted, having had enough.
Peeves smirked at him before wailing, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"
Running as if their lives depended on it, they crashed into a locked-up door.
"Goodbye, Hogwarts! It was a good month with you!" Ron cried.
"Just move over! Alohomora!" she whispered urgently. The door unlocked with a deafening click and swung open just in time for them to shut it without the caretaker noticing them.
"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch asked irritated. When did that man get any sleep to not sound so when he was patrolling night and day?
Peeves thought this was the perfect moment to perform his best joke of the night. "Say 'please.'"
"Don't play around with me, Peeves. Which way did they go?"
"I won't say nothing without a 'please,'" Peeves snickered looking innocent.
"Fine- please."
And here's the punchline. "NOTHING!" Hilarious.
"Told you I wouldn't say 'nothing' without please!" Peeves chortled before whooshing away. Harry didn't think it was that bad of a joke, to be honest. He was a bit biased as it saved their hides though.
"He saved us," Neville murmured.
"No," Arthur disagreed, "he had the perfect joke."
...
"Uh, guys."
Lukas sighed, "What, Vlad?"
"Look behind you." Harry turned to look and was struck with a new fear. This wasn't the charms corridor. It was the third-floor corridor, the one they were told would lead to a painful death, and Harry now knew why.
A giant, three-headed dog sat staring at them daring them to come closer. It was one of the most magnificent and frightening things Harry had seen in all his eleven years. Despite its great stare, they weren't too keen to stick around because between Filch and getting mauled to death by a giant dog, Harry would bet all his savings everyone would take the former.
Hermione grabbed the doorknob, and they booked it out of the corridor. Bidding a quick farewell to Arthur, they made their way back to the tower where they were questioned briefly by the painting. Ignoring her queries, they scrambled their way through the opening and into the common room.
"Why would they have a dog like that here? Dangerous move," Ron grumbled, panting.
"Never mind that! Did you see what it was standing on?" Hermione asked no longer tired. Clueless looks followed her enthusiasm.
"It was standing on a trapdoor. I bet it was securing something too," she thought. Realizing her attitude had changed, she righted herself huffing, "I hope you've all learned a lesson! Don't go out at night, and Neville, don't forget the password. I'll have to talk to Arthur about his self-sacrificing issue that's been showing itself recently." She then stamped her way to the girls' dorms.
"I knew we should have found a way to lose her along the way," Ron thought earning a slap from Lukas. After he slapped Ron another time for a snide comment, he turned his attention to Neville and suggested they go to bed. Vlad tagged along.
"I knew they weren't on my side!"
"Oh, hush up, you drama queen," Harry said.
One thing was for certain. Other than the near-death experience, Harry had gained a lot. He now knew what happened to the package Hagrid picked up from the vault.
And he wasn't prepared for what that meant in the least.
Boop, it's done! I've also uploaded this to AO3 if you want to check it out there. I go by the same username. It's easier for me to reply to comments/reviews on there too, so feel free!
On that topic, I really appreciate your reviews and all that jazz! I've been doing a poor job at acknowledging them, and I feel bad for the people that took the time to write those reviews.
So, thanks to all that left nice comments or guesses. I won't tell you if you're right or not, but I'm not good at hiding it. Plus, I've got art that I really want to share, but I can't because it would spoil things. I'm an inpatient author/artist through and through.
As always, hope you enjoyed reading,
Wozzy