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SPECIALIST
Chapter 3
"Bullshit! This is just bullshit!"
An angry declaration from the dark-haired lad who had flopped down on his bed the minute he'd found his trunk at the foot of it. Face contorted in fury whilst screaming invectives towards the canopy above, Seamus Finnegan far from impressed,
"Yeah, you can't just dangle a prize that big and then say only seventeen-year old's can go for it. BS." His best friend agreeing, Dean crouching in front of the trunk he was fiddling with before pulling out a familiar glossy poster and a small, rattling container of thumb tacks. The dark-skinned boy offered a grateful smile to Ron when he crossed the room with a hand out, the two quietly muttering to one another as the others continued the conversation,
"I suppose it makes sense." More of a murmur from the somewhat pudgy, blonde-haired boy in the room. Neville sat crossed legged on his bed with a Herbology tome as thick as his head open in his lap. He was met with a few stares from his dorm mates before Seamus piped up again,
"Don't tell me your taking Dumbledore's side, Nev?!" Playfully incensed, a little upset when Neville's head quickly bowed to his chest and his cheeks flared pink. Nobody happy the shy boy took Seamus seriously,
"N-No, I just... can see where they're coming from, that's all..."
Jumping to his defence was Harry, who also sat on his bed with a book. Though he was writing in his small leather-bound journal with a black, self-inking quill when he piped up,
"Yeah, it's likely to keep the firsties and second years from getting injured. The difference in skill between each year is pretty scary." Harry more mumbled his own addition as he fiddled with his comforter, missing Neville's grateful smile.
Seamus' scoff was likely a lot louder than he meant it to, and although a long second of silence settled over the room (all eyes on him) that lasted until it became tense, he felt no reason not to give a snarky responce,
"Not surprised YOU aren't too bothered by it." Seamus snorted as he sat up, glaring a bit with dark eyes, "Big Boy Who Lived, rolling in his sponsorship and family money as he is. I bet five thousand is just pocket change, huh?"
Though he remained seated, Harry looked tense enough to hurl himself across the room at Seamus (his target looking just as hostile),
"All my money goes into my school stuff or is locked away until I turn seventeen. So, try again, dickhead." Harry snapped back, teeth grinding and little sparks flying from his fingers as he spoke.
"Easy you two." Dean, ever the peacemaker, stepping back from the hanging of his Aston Villa poster to physically step between the two boys. The pair immediately backing down, though Harry shot one last glare and Seamus bit back a scowl, "It's the first day back, Seamus, knock it off."
Seamus looked betrayed and stalked off into their bathroom, the sounds of him slamming around the room before furiously brushing his teeth were heard by all,
"I'm going to head back downstairs." Harry sighed after looking away, firmly closing his book, tossing it into his trunk,
"Wait, I'll come too." Dean quick to stop him and even quicker to set up his living space. Though, he turned his head to the last boy in their dorm and the only one of them who'd changed into sleepwear, "I'm surprised you didn't apply to be a mentor?"
Ron was slipping out from behind the curtains of his four poster, shooting a withering glare in Seamus's general direction before being addressed by Dean,
"Yeah, I'm... not the type you'd want around a bunch of firsties." His ears flushed red a little as he stumbled a bit through his words, "And besides, I've got a bunch of projects to work on this year, anyway. Don't need the distraction."
"Is that why you weren't too bothered about the competition?" Dean hummed his response more to himself than to Ron,
"How is the alchemy going by the way? Things seemed alright at the Burrow but I didn't know if it was okay to ask whilst I was there." Harry's words were a bit quiet, making it a little difficult for Dean and Neville to piece together what he said (by design of course),
"Eh, it's alright. Mum and Dad are still a bit proud and don't like the idea of taking money from their kids." Ron stretched is arms above his head and unleashed a roar like yawn, "Heard from Bill that a lot of it ended up in some Gringott's savings account until after I graduate."
His lips thinned and Harry regretted bringing it up, Ron's eyes flicked to him as Harry formed the first syllables of his apology,
"Don't. You didn't say anything you need to apologise for." he was firm and serious, though he offered a smug and knowing smirk at Harry's pink cheeks and bashful expression.
A few minutes of chatter occurred before Neville decided to turn in and Dean and Harry made for the stairs. As they exited the room (and Ron slipped into the bathroom) they heard a sharp,
"So yeah, Seamus. A word-" that almost made them turn around and intervene.
"I'm too tired to deal with that. And Seamus kind of has it coming."
"Still don't like people fighting my battles for me."
Dean chuckled, slung his arm over Harry's shoulders and pulled him in close,
"Then just wail on him yourself tomorrow, when duelling opens back up."
They entered the Common room smiling after that.
"Ah that looks like the last of them!" An announcement given by Lydia Murk, a dark haired young lady who tied her hair back in a high ponytail (showcasing a forehead and face dominated by acne and freckles), she wore a gentle smile and flicked said expression between the first years huddled up on the sofas and chairs by the larger fireplace and the vague horseshoe shape of older students that had formed around them, "Okay kiddies, off you pop to your dorms and we'll have you here bright and early in the morning to meet your mentors."
They were dismissed, curious expressions levelled towards the fourth year and above students that slowly took their seats. Harry noted a few whispers and points in his direction and chose to ignore them, instead focussing on sandwiching himself between Dean and Katie Bell on his preferred sofa,
"To all you newbies to the program, thank you for signing up to the mentor program." Lydia's eyes glittered with genuine enthusiasm, rolling back and forth from her heels to toes as if she were about to leap through the ceiling, "As you're aware, you'll be receiving an increased stipend of ten credits a week to your student account for as long as you are an active part of the scheme. And you can reach out to any members of staff or the prefect team for more information or support."
Lydia indicated to her colleagues around the room, sitting or standing where appropriate before flicking her wand and levitating a small, upturned top hat towards them.
"Really, another hat?" Alicia Spinnet snidely offered and was met with a few snickers around the room, Lydia just rolled her eyes and ignored her,
"Picking names out of a hat, ladies and gents." She crowed, "Now, most of these are for the first years, though a few are the seconds and thirds whose mentors graduated last year. Please be kind to them."
The hat bobbed up and down before settling in front of Katie to Harry's left. She dipped her hand in first and slipped out a folded scrap of parchment, Harry dove in next with Dean leaning over him to get his turn. The hat floating away with a bit of a flourish to the next seat.
Unfolding his parchment, Harry immediately smirked down at the name, questioning fate once again,
Dennis Creevey
"Wonder what Colin will think?" he hummed to himself and stuffed the parchment into his pocket. Missing the inquisitive expression on Katie's face but not escaping the smirk that curled up Dean's lips, "Not a word."
Unperturbed by his harsh hiss,
"Never said anything." He snickered.
"Who did you get?" Katie whispered her question. They (as a trio after Dean leaned forward to get involved) flicked glances around, especially Lydia, before swapping parchment slips around,
"Natalie Macdonald? Surprised she made it into Gryffindor to be honest." Katie hummed as she shoved Dean's slip into Harry's waiting hand, "She struck me as a Slytherin."
"She nearly 'struck me' when she levitated that bench." Dean sniffed, a charming grin lighting up his face as the two of them levelled him with a flat glare each, "Doesn't matter though, she'd pretty cute to be fair. Got lucky."
"She's the one with the curly black hair, right?" Harry got a nod, then nodded himself and snuck a look over at Dean where Katie's slip still sat, "Who's Romilda Vane?"
"The Chairwoman of your fan club."
Harry was left with a sour expression as the hat did its rounds, everybody took one and it glided back to Lydia's hands where she plucked one out for herself,
"Hmm, looks like there's still two left over to dole out." She spoke loudly, though it seemed she hadn't meant to as she flushed a little bit. A familiar hand shot up and Lydia was quick to shoot it down,
"Sorry Miss Granger. As it's your first year on the program, you can't be assigned more than one mentee." Harry noted the dejected look on her face before hurling a little smile her way. Returning his attention to the room at large as Alicia eagerly accepted another mentee and Cormac McClaggen was reluctantly assigned the last one.
Brief talks about the responsibility of their position and a talk about credits followed. Eventually they were dismissed for the evening and told when to be back in the morning, a few staying to natter, but Harry slipped back upstairs, knackered and ready for bed.
After the nightly ablutions (Dean coming back part way through) he slipped into bed and snuggled into the familiar feeling of home.
"Hey Harry?" Tentative and gruff, Harry groaned a little into his pillow and weighing up whether he even wanted to respond to Seamus,
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry, alright?"
Harry sighed, sub audible and tired,
"Yeah, me too."
Sleep quickly found the two of them, the fourth-year dorm silent of everything other than Ron's nasally snores.
Thanks for reading guys and all the support thus far. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the story going forward.
See you next time x
