Notes and disclaimers: See part 1.
Feedback gratefully received as normal.
~~~~
It was late when Hermionie and Ron came back from Hogsmede, but Harry was still wide awake.
"Harry, are you all right, you seem a little upset?"
"You how I had that stupid detention off Snape, well after it, I went back to collect my Charms book and Snape's up to something."
"Well what's new?" ask Ron, "He's always up to something."
"Or so you say." Hermionie was trying to be the voice of reason again.
"But this time it's worse, he's got someone else working for him, and they're here at school."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know, that's the problem. It's female definitely, and in Gryffindor."
Hermionie was putting two and two together, "You don't think it could be Susan do you?"
"No, it can't be. She's so..." Ron was stuck for a word so he just made a face.
"I've got to go with Ron on this one, how could it be Susan? Whoever it was vanished from the room like they'd apparated, where would she have learnt how to apparate?"
"You can't apparate on school grounds." Hermionie was still a little uptight about this.
"Then how did whoever it was get out?"
"I don't know. But it can't be Susan, she jumps if Malfoy even looks at her, she'd never be able to cope with working with Snape."
"Maybe it's one of the first years. I mean, we don't know anything about most of them do we."
"She's got a point Harry."
"'Suppose she does. But I'm going to keep my eye on Susan."
~~~~
Which he did. There was also the added complication of the Yule Ball. Because there were fewer people staying this year the ball would be smaller but the problem of finding someone to go with still remained.
Harry plucked up enough courage to ask Cho, but again she said no, this time because she was going home over Christmas.
Ron was looking around stuck and asked Hermionie. She did say yes, but only because she knew Victor wouldn't mind. So Harry had to cope with Ron doing bad impressions of Hermionie talking about 'her darling Viccy'.
Seeing that Susan was also staying over Christmas, Harry thought that going to the ball with her would be a good excuse to find out if she was up to something.
"So you're staying here over Christmas as well?"
"Yeah, the beloved parents decided they didn't want to be so beloved anymore and have run away to parts unmentioned, but I think it's Brazil."
"Oh."
"No, they're right, I probably will have more fun here."
"So, who are you going to the dance with?"
"Go to the dance, you must be mad. I have, and sorry for the cliche, nothing to wear."
"You could just go anyway."
"I really don't want to cope with Malfoy. Especially not in these ratty old things." She pointed at her robes.
"I'll come with you. That might shut him up."
"It's really sweet of you but no thanks. I might go for the feast and vanish."
Harry shrugged. "Okay then. See you there."
Harry was suspicious, no one missed the Yule Ball, no matter how badly dressed they were or how poorly they danced in Neville's case. Since Ginny was already going with Neville, Harry supposed he would have to take Lavender Brown up on her offer. It was going to be a boring evening for him.
~~~~
Harry's mood was not helped by another strange package arriving. Harry didn't open it, he took it straight to Professor McGonagall. Carefully she opened it and looked inside. Nothing in there other than another note, this time saying, 'Are you worried yet?'
But the package did contain a nasty surprise, it started shouting, at a deafening level, about Harry Potter being an deranged parseltongue. It also shouted about precisely who it thought was his father, depending when you heard it, it said, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort himself, which caused several listeners to shudder, Dumbledore, and any number of animals. All in all it was rather unpleasant.
When it reached the apex of noise, Professor Trelawney snatched it up and shut it up. Everyone who'd heard it was in some state of shock, none more so than Harry. After he had been restored with a gulp of brandy, everyone set about trying to find out who the parcel was from. Unluckily, the second Trelawney released the paper, it burst into magenta flames.
Professor McGonagall looked deep in thought, but she realised that lessons started soon and sent Harry to his next lesson.
As bad luck would have it, the next lesson was Potions. Of course Malfoy had heard the parcel because it had been so loud.
"Hello Potter. Or should that be Black or Lupin?" A small smirk played on his features. Harry was refusing to rise to the bait. "Of course this could be just another attention-seeking scam. I mean, we all know you're a little unstable. But even for all the attention it's got you, how could you say that about your mother?"
Harry was about to explode but Ron beat him to it. "He didn't. Of course you would know about lying about your mother. I mean you have to, to try and pretend she doesn't know that your father's a death eater."
Draco turned an interesting shade of puce and was about to hit Ron when Susan started to walk down the stairs. It was too good an opportunity to miss for Malfoy, who stuck his leg out and tripped Susan up.
Everyone gasped and then let out a sigh of relief when she merely rolled down the steps and onto her feet as though she'd never been head over heels in the first place.
"Are you okay Sue?"
"Fine thanks, Harry."
"How did you do that?"
"That was easy, Malfoy ought to meet my brother, he's been doing that to me for as long as I can remember."
Snape had to come round the corner at that second though. "Very well done Miss Woodford. Like all of Gryffindor you have a remarkable talent ... for showing off."
"But sir..." Susan looked cowed.
"No more, or I shall dock points. As it is, since you seem to be able to roll so well I want an essay on the uses of hedgehog spines, of no less than 1000 words to be delivered to me by Monday."
"That's Christmas Day."
"I know. And 5 points from Gryffindor for backchat."
"Sorry sir."
They all went into lesson. Harry began to feel that Ron and Hermionie must be right, how could Susan, who hadn't reacted at all to the sheer unfairness of the essay, have anything to do with Snape.
~~~~
More soon.
Feedback gratefully received as normal.
~~~~
It was late when Hermionie and Ron came back from Hogsmede, but Harry was still wide awake.
"Harry, are you all right, you seem a little upset?"
"You how I had that stupid detention off Snape, well after it, I went back to collect my Charms book and Snape's up to something."
"Well what's new?" ask Ron, "He's always up to something."
"Or so you say." Hermionie was trying to be the voice of reason again.
"But this time it's worse, he's got someone else working for him, and they're here at school."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know, that's the problem. It's female definitely, and in Gryffindor."
Hermionie was putting two and two together, "You don't think it could be Susan do you?"
"No, it can't be. She's so..." Ron was stuck for a word so he just made a face.
"I've got to go with Ron on this one, how could it be Susan? Whoever it was vanished from the room like they'd apparated, where would she have learnt how to apparate?"
"You can't apparate on school grounds." Hermionie was still a little uptight about this.
"Then how did whoever it was get out?"
"I don't know. But it can't be Susan, she jumps if Malfoy even looks at her, she'd never be able to cope with working with Snape."
"Maybe it's one of the first years. I mean, we don't know anything about most of them do we."
"She's got a point Harry."
"'Suppose she does. But I'm going to keep my eye on Susan."
~~~~
Which he did. There was also the added complication of the Yule Ball. Because there were fewer people staying this year the ball would be smaller but the problem of finding someone to go with still remained.
Harry plucked up enough courage to ask Cho, but again she said no, this time because she was going home over Christmas.
Ron was looking around stuck and asked Hermionie. She did say yes, but only because she knew Victor wouldn't mind. So Harry had to cope with Ron doing bad impressions of Hermionie talking about 'her darling Viccy'.
Seeing that Susan was also staying over Christmas, Harry thought that going to the ball with her would be a good excuse to find out if she was up to something.
"So you're staying here over Christmas as well?"
"Yeah, the beloved parents decided they didn't want to be so beloved anymore and have run away to parts unmentioned, but I think it's Brazil."
"Oh."
"No, they're right, I probably will have more fun here."
"So, who are you going to the dance with?"
"Go to the dance, you must be mad. I have, and sorry for the cliche, nothing to wear."
"You could just go anyway."
"I really don't want to cope with Malfoy. Especially not in these ratty old things." She pointed at her robes.
"I'll come with you. That might shut him up."
"It's really sweet of you but no thanks. I might go for the feast and vanish."
Harry shrugged. "Okay then. See you there."
Harry was suspicious, no one missed the Yule Ball, no matter how badly dressed they were or how poorly they danced in Neville's case. Since Ginny was already going with Neville, Harry supposed he would have to take Lavender Brown up on her offer. It was going to be a boring evening for him.
~~~~
Harry's mood was not helped by another strange package arriving. Harry didn't open it, he took it straight to Professor McGonagall. Carefully she opened it and looked inside. Nothing in there other than another note, this time saying, 'Are you worried yet?'
But the package did contain a nasty surprise, it started shouting, at a deafening level, about Harry Potter being an deranged parseltongue. It also shouted about precisely who it thought was his father, depending when you heard it, it said, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort himself, which caused several listeners to shudder, Dumbledore, and any number of animals. All in all it was rather unpleasant.
When it reached the apex of noise, Professor Trelawney snatched it up and shut it up. Everyone who'd heard it was in some state of shock, none more so than Harry. After he had been restored with a gulp of brandy, everyone set about trying to find out who the parcel was from. Unluckily, the second Trelawney released the paper, it burst into magenta flames.
Professor McGonagall looked deep in thought, but she realised that lessons started soon and sent Harry to his next lesson.
As bad luck would have it, the next lesson was Potions. Of course Malfoy had heard the parcel because it had been so loud.
"Hello Potter. Or should that be Black or Lupin?" A small smirk played on his features. Harry was refusing to rise to the bait. "Of course this could be just another attention-seeking scam. I mean, we all know you're a little unstable. But even for all the attention it's got you, how could you say that about your mother?"
Harry was about to explode but Ron beat him to it. "He didn't. Of course you would know about lying about your mother. I mean you have to, to try and pretend she doesn't know that your father's a death eater."
Draco turned an interesting shade of puce and was about to hit Ron when Susan started to walk down the stairs. It was too good an opportunity to miss for Malfoy, who stuck his leg out and tripped Susan up.
Everyone gasped and then let out a sigh of relief when she merely rolled down the steps and onto her feet as though she'd never been head over heels in the first place.
"Are you okay Sue?"
"Fine thanks, Harry."
"How did you do that?"
"That was easy, Malfoy ought to meet my brother, he's been doing that to me for as long as I can remember."
Snape had to come round the corner at that second though. "Very well done Miss Woodford. Like all of Gryffindor you have a remarkable talent ... for showing off."
"But sir..." Susan looked cowed.
"No more, or I shall dock points. As it is, since you seem to be able to roll so well I want an essay on the uses of hedgehog spines, of no less than 1000 words to be delivered to me by Monday."
"That's Christmas Day."
"I know. And 5 points from Gryffindor for backchat."
"Sorry sir."
They all went into lesson. Harry began to feel that Ron and Hermionie must be right, how could Susan, who hadn't reacted at all to the sheer unfairness of the essay, have anything to do with Snape.
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More soon.