Title: Strings of Fate
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Being raised only by his Aunt, Harry comes to Hogwarts not only knowing about the Wizarding World, but with a kind of training no one at the school is expecting.
"Welcome to the Hogwarts Poker Tournament." Tonks said.
It was the last Saturday in October and the Tournament was happening in one of the large, out of the way halls that had been used for the formal dance classes that had been discontinued a hundred years before. There were over fifty students there for the tournament, most of them sixth and seventh year students, but there were a number of third and fourth years there as well. Harry was the only first year participating. There were a number of large professional Poker tables set up around the hall.
"What's she doing here?" one of the older students asked, indicating to Professor Vector.
"I'm here to play." The young Professor replied.
"Look." Tonks said. "With Professor Vector here, this becomes a facility supervised club, so it gives the tournament legitimacy. Now here are the rules. The buy in is one Galleon. You will receive chips of various denominations to the value of your buy in. One chip equates to one Knut. The small blind will be five chips; the large blind will be ten chips. Each round will consist of 5 hands and at the end of the round the players will move tables to ensure variety of opponents. You will not be able to participate in a hand unless you have chips at the start of the hand, but during the hand itself, if you run out of chips you can bet items of value you have on you or markers assuming the other players accept, and you can only be your own markers, not any markers you have previously won. For today, if you run out of chips you are out of the tournament at the end of that hand or if you choose not to continue to the next hand or round."
The students and Professor Vector all split up to the various Poker tables and the first round began. The tournament went on all day, but some of the more aggressive players who burnt through their chips in the first round were forced to spend the rest of the day watching. Tonks was a slightly aggressive player but had good senses as to when to be and when to fold which allowed her to get to the second last round of the tournament where she lost out to Harry. Harry was a strategic player who only bet big when he had a very good hand but would fold quickly when he had a bad hand. The Weasley Twins had an overall strategy for the tournament and they cashed out half way through the day with five Gallons each.
In the end the final hand came down to Harry and a Fourth Year Gryffindor girl. The game had started with George Weasley and Professor Vector in as well, but the betting soon became too much for them. Harry did not need to look at his cards when he went all in, an amount of chips approximately equal to twenty Gallons, but he did glance down at the little notebook that held his list of people who owed him markers. The six girls who were organising the signing day each owed him five markers; Tonks also owed him one to get him into the Tournament and there were four other names of players who had bet him markers and lost. He looked down at his pumpkin juice and saw it was empty.
"Can I get another drink?" Harry asked.
"Here you go. Try this." Tonks said.
Harry looked up and his opponent was chewing her lower lip, knowing that even if she went all in she could not match Harry's bet and the thirteen gallons of chips in front of her left enough of a gap that a single marker would probably not cover the difference, but from her expression she seemed to have a good hand.
"What is that?" Harry said after a sip.
"That's Butterbeer. Is that not the best thing you have ever tasted?" Tonks said.
"Bet your ass it is." Harry said, emphatically.
"Ok." The Fourth Year Gryffindor said.
"What?" Harry said.
"All in and I bet my ass." She said, pushing all her chips into the centre of the table.
"Huh?" Harry said.
"Just accept." Tonks ordered.
"Umm… ok." Harry said, still confused much to the amusement of all the onlookers.
"Strait Flush. 8, 9, 10, Jack and Queen of Spades." The Gryffindor girl said.
"Harry?" Tonks asked.
"Royal Flush. Clubs." He replied, laying his cards down face up.
Everyone turned to look at the Gryffindor girl who blushed.
"Hey, at least I loose it to the Harry Potter." She said with a laugh.
Everyone else laughed, even Professor Vector.
"Just give him a few years before you let him collect." The Professor replied, who had bet a few markers herself, but had only had to hand one out.
"Ok, what the hell just happened?" Harry demanded.
Tonks leaned down and whispered in his ear, explaining just what he had won. There was great amusement when Harry's face went bright red and he would have fled the room if Tonks had not held him in place.
"May I present the winner of the first Hogwarts Poker Tournament. Harry Potter." Tonks announced to thunderous applause.
Harry, Susan and Hannah came into the Great Hall for lunch. It was Halloween, a personally sad day for Harry but one that was well celebrated in the Wizarding World. They sat down at the Hufflepuff table and shortly after Padma joined them with a worried expression.
"Have you seen Hermione?" Padma asked in concern.
"No. Why? What happened?" Susan asked.
"Ron Weasley insulted her in Charms class and again after class. She was upset and ran off. I can't find her." Padma said.
"She's probably crying in one of the toilets." Tonks said, having just arrived behind Padma.
"Go." Harry said. "I'll save some food for you."
The four girls sprinted out of the Hall and split up. In twenty minutes they returned, with Hermione, wiping her damp and red eyes, being half supported, half escorted by Tonks. They sat Hermione down next to Harry and the rest of the girls took the seats around her.
"So, how much do you want me to hurt him?" Harry said, with a mock angry look on his face.
The girls laughed at his expression which was so un-Harry. Even Hermione managed to crack a smile. They all spent the rest of lunch cheering up Hermione and coming up with more and more outrageous and humorous plans for getting revenge on Ron Weasley, none of which they actually expected to carry out. The suggestion that had gotten the best laugh from Hermione involved having the Weasley Twins slip itching powder into all of his underwear.
Dinner was just starting when the Castle flashed an alert at Harry that something was wrong. Harry sat up and took notice because, apart from occasionally singing to him, directions around the Castle and a few extremely rude limericks in the middle of classes, the Castle rarely spoke to him. Some of the Professors were still entering the Hall, including Professor Vector.
"We got trouble." Harry said as he stood up.
"What kind?" Susan asked.
"I don't know. Something got in." Harry replied, before making his way over to Professor Vector.
"Professor. Something has gotten into the Castle." Harry said.
"And how do you know this, Mister Potter?" The Professor asked
"The Castle told me." Harry replied.
Professor Vector looked sceptically at Harry until Professor Quirrell burst into the room.
"Troll. In the dungeon." He announced and then 'fainted'.
"It's not in the dungeon. It's on the first floor." Harry said to Vector. "Convince the Headmaster to keep everyone here. I'll give you a marker."
Vector had been considering until that last comment. When he promised a marker, the Professor sprinted to the head table and began arguing with Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.
"All students will remain here in the Great Hall under the supervision of Professors Vector and Babbage. All other Professors follow me." Dumbledore announced.
The Great Hall was locked down after the Professors left, with the Head Boy, Head Girl, the Seventh Year Prefects and Professor Babbage watching the doors. Professor Vector made her way over to Harry and his friends, which by now included Hermione, Padma and Neville.
"Thank you, Professor." Harry said when she approached.
He made a note in his marker notebook, making the first entry in the markers owed column.
"How did you know?" The Professor asked.
"Like I said, the Castle told me. Usually she just gives me the floor plan or tells dirty jokes." Harry replied. "That's how I found the room we had the Poker Tournament in."
"Yes, well if the Castle lets you in on any more dangers, be sure to let me know." Professor Vector replied, then grinned. "I won't even charge you a marker next time.
"You mean other than that whole slew of deadly traps and creatures that begin on the forbidden third floor corridor?" Harry replied. "The one that at least seven students, mostly Gryffindors, have tried to get into?"
"Yes. Other than those." Vector replied.
Vector turned and went back to check on the main doors while Harry's friends just stared at him.
"The Castle speaks to you?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"You gave out a marker?" Tonks said, incredulous.
"I needed a favour from the Professor. It is only fair." Harry replied. "Plus the system only works if I give out the occasional marker, otherwise no one would bother when I called one in."
"So…" Susan began. "What kind of dirty jokes?"
"Hey. That's my line." Tonks said, nudging Susan in the ribs.
TBC…