Chapter 43
The Last Day
The remainder of the teachers' servitude went by quickly and without further incident. The foursome of winners met one evening in the nearly deserted Great Hall, to have a bit of a discussion.
"I've been thinking," Ron began, a bit uneasily. Things between Hermione and both Ron and Harry had been a bit, well, frosty of late. "We really should try to er, make up for all these things we've done to the teachers," Harry proposed, to be strenuously backed-up by Ron. Hannah and Patrick could only nod, having seen what they, in addition to Harry and Ron had wrought.
"But...what can we do, really?" Ron asked, a bit miserably, feeling as if he were now caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Well...I've got an idea...though, I'm not sure you three are going to much like it," Hannah declared in a soft voice.
"I'm---er, I mean, we're desperate, Hannah," Ron said, a bit pink-faced. "What's your idea?" Hermione must have been making Ron's life pretty miserable indeed, it seemed.
"Well, my idea was to give them, the teachers, that is, their freedom today, and then allow them---for only a week's time---to do what they will with the four of us," Hannah explained.
"Right, I can see why you say what you did. Though, I think you've got yourself a good idea, Hannah," Patrick replied.
"Well, I suppose you and I should of thought of that one, mate," Harry said to Ron, who could only swallow hard, and nod his head. He then turned back to Hannah and Patrick. "So, do we all agree to Hannah's---I mean, our plan then?" Harry asked holding out his hand over the table before them all.
"I agree," Hannah replied first, putting her smaller hand over Harry's, even before Ron chimed in and did the same.
"This is the right idea, but...ooh, I can only imagine what they're going to have us all do," Patrick finally said, laying his hand over the others to seal the bargain.
"Right," Harry finally said, "now, all we have do do is go and tell them all."
"I suppose you're right, mate. Oh, but where's our meeting place going to be?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I know! We should take them down to the Quidditch pitch," Hannah proposed quickly. This was a much different Hannah, Harry thought with a mental smile. The others, Harry included, nodded in agreement. They got up from their benches, and headed off to to get their respective charges. "Remember, then...fifteen minutes, at the Quidditch Pitch," Hannah reminded them.
Harry headed immediately over to Professor McGonnagal's chambers, where once he arrived, he knocked politely upon her door.
"Enter," he heard her say in her usual prim and proper voice. He sighed once, collected his courage, pushed open the door, and went inside. The first thing he saw was the lion that he, Ron, and Hermione had given her on her birthday. The animated nearly life-size lion was now lying upon the Professor's bed, drowsing, half-asleep, though one eye did open to wink at Harry. Harry grinned, despite himself.
"As you see, it´s quite impossible to tell him he´s not allowed on my bed now," McGonnagal explained upon seeing Harry, with a smile.
"My my, Grandmother, aren't you a cheerful soul today?" Harry observed, raising his left eyebrow.
"Can you blame me today, grandson," McGonnagal replied. They had both agreed to drop all the 'great' business weeks ago.
"I'm here to deliver a message, Grandmother. I'm to ask you to head down, immediately, to the Quidditch pitch," Harry said, most politely. It wouldn't hurt, right?
"Oh? May I ask why?" McGonnagal asked, nicely yet suspisiously.
Harry turned on the charm. "Couldn't you just humor me, just this once, Grandmother?" Harry asked. "You worry me, Harry my boy, sometimes," McGonnagal said with a smile, though she did nod her head.
Harry then led Professor McGonnagal down to the field, chatting with her along the way. Once finally there, they found the other other three pairs standing waiting for them.
"Well! It's about time you two showed up. We've been waiting for years," Ron announced rather comically.
Everyone chuckled, setting the mood, for the much anticipated event.
"As you most likely already know, we four have something we'd all like to tell you," Harry said motioning over at Ron, Hannah, and Patrick respectively. "Now we all realize---some more than others, that we've been bossing you around for three pretty long months..."
"I should say so," Xiomara said, and the other three nodded in agreement.
"Well, we all couldn't agree more," Hannah annouced, nodding to her own counterparts, who as one, took out their wands, murmured something to themselves. Much to all of the four Hogwarts Sisters relief, their body piercings disappeared.
"Thank goodness!" Professor Sprout said most happily with a much heartfelt sigh.
Their hair color returned to normal again, prompting a much relieved Xiomara Hooch to respond, running her fingers through her hair.
"Oh, yes!" thrilled a nearly giddy Minerva McGonnagal, as the four of them appeared in their regular attire.
Harry waved his wand one last time and Minerva's hair was done up in her usual bun once more.
"There you are, back to normal," Patrick replied with a smile.
"Done," Hannah replied, "our bets have been officially completed."
"Er, yes," Ron began, shaking his head once, then continued, "we've all unanimously, decided to---for the next week---to allow you four the opportunity to do with us what you will.
"That's all well and fine, but...ahem," Madam Pomfrey pointed out, clearing her throat, and moved her uniform up her arm to display where the garish dragon tattoo still resided.
"Er, I'm afraid that your tattoos, are, well, permament I'm afraid," Harry said weakly. Hannah Abbott's eyes went wide, and she rounded on Harry. "They are what?"
Madame Pomfrey nodded stoicly. "Now now, that quite all right, Hannah dear. Now one but you and I will now anyway, will they?" She smiled, pointing to her uniform. Hannah was nearly beside herself with relief.
Professor McGonnagal was the first of the four to speak. "Let me make sure I understand you four correctly." She adjusted her tartan patterned hat once. "You four have decided to all we four right to do with you what we will, for a week's time? Am I right?"
"Well, Hermione said that it´d be the only fair thing to do," Ron explained, blushing.
The Hogwarts Sisters smiled and gave their respective students each a hug. As they all turned to head back up to the castle Professor McGonnagal stopped suddenly. "Oh, Potter," she said.
Harry turned back to meet her gaze. "Yes, Professor?" he said evenly, though he felt a bit uneasy inside.
"My office. This evening, if you please," McGonnagal commanded properly.
"Yes, Professor," Harry replied.
As the students and the teachers divided at the main entrance to the castle, Patrick turned toward Harry. "What did you do to McGonnagal, Harry, to warrant you're getting a special meeting with her?"
"Ron can tell you," Harry said, tugging his robes down nervously.
When Ron did, Patrick laughed at the idea of McGonnagal, in her animal form, getting a flea bath and Hannah sighed as she remembered, since she had been there too, helping them all out.
As it happened to be Sunday, they used the whole day to tell each other what they each had done to their respective Hogwart Sister.
Everyone agreed that McGonnagal's flea bath was the most inventive and hilarious, even if it was really a bit mean of Harry to do so. When Ron and Harry told them about the birthday party they had thrown for McGonnagal before the Quidditch Finals, Patrick nodded proudly, and Hannah got tears in her eyes over someone doing such a noble thing like that to for their Head House.
Then, Harry heard the mantel clock in the Common room chime the time. "Well..time for me to go," he said.
"See you later, mate," Ron said, clapping Harry on the shoulder in sympathy. "Best of luck, Harry..."
The Last Day
The remainder of the teachers' servitude went by quickly and without further incident. The foursome of winners met one evening in the nearly deserted Great Hall, to have a bit of a discussion.
"I've been thinking," Ron began, a bit uneasily. Things between Hermione and both Ron and Harry had been a bit, well, frosty of late. "We really should try to er, make up for all these things we've done to the teachers," Harry proposed, to be strenuously backed-up by Ron. Hannah and Patrick could only nod, having seen what they, in addition to Harry and Ron had wrought.
"But...what can we do, really?" Ron asked, a bit miserably, feeling as if he were now caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Well...I've got an idea...though, I'm not sure you three are going to much like it," Hannah declared in a soft voice.
"I'm---er, I mean, we're desperate, Hannah," Ron said, a bit pink-faced. "What's your idea?" Hermione must have been making Ron's life pretty miserable indeed, it seemed.
"Well, my idea was to give them, the teachers, that is, their freedom today, and then allow them---for only a week's time---to do what they will with the four of us," Hannah explained.
"Right, I can see why you say what you did. Though, I think you've got yourself a good idea, Hannah," Patrick replied.
"Well, I suppose you and I should of thought of that one, mate," Harry said to Ron, who could only swallow hard, and nod his head. He then turned back to Hannah and Patrick. "So, do we all agree to Hannah's---I mean, our plan then?" Harry asked holding out his hand over the table before them all.
"I agree," Hannah replied first, putting her smaller hand over Harry's, even before Ron chimed in and did the same.
"This is the right idea, but...ooh, I can only imagine what they're going to have us all do," Patrick finally said, laying his hand over the others to seal the bargain.
"Right," Harry finally said, "now, all we have do do is go and tell them all."
"I suppose you're right, mate. Oh, but where's our meeting place going to be?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I know! We should take them down to the Quidditch pitch," Hannah proposed quickly. This was a much different Hannah, Harry thought with a mental smile. The others, Harry included, nodded in agreement. They got up from their benches, and headed off to to get their respective charges. "Remember, then...fifteen minutes, at the Quidditch Pitch," Hannah reminded them.
Harry headed immediately over to Professor McGonnagal's chambers, where once he arrived, he knocked politely upon her door.
"Enter," he heard her say in her usual prim and proper voice. He sighed once, collected his courage, pushed open the door, and went inside. The first thing he saw was the lion that he, Ron, and Hermione had given her on her birthday. The animated nearly life-size lion was now lying upon the Professor's bed, drowsing, half-asleep, though one eye did open to wink at Harry. Harry grinned, despite himself.
"As you see, it´s quite impossible to tell him he´s not allowed on my bed now," McGonnagal explained upon seeing Harry, with a smile.
"My my, Grandmother, aren't you a cheerful soul today?" Harry observed, raising his left eyebrow.
"Can you blame me today, grandson," McGonnagal replied. They had both agreed to drop all the 'great' business weeks ago.
"I'm here to deliver a message, Grandmother. I'm to ask you to head down, immediately, to the Quidditch pitch," Harry said, most politely. It wouldn't hurt, right?
"Oh? May I ask why?" McGonnagal asked, nicely yet suspisiously.
Harry turned on the charm. "Couldn't you just humor me, just this once, Grandmother?" Harry asked. "You worry me, Harry my boy, sometimes," McGonnagal said with a smile, though she did nod her head.
Harry then led Professor McGonnagal down to the field, chatting with her along the way. Once finally there, they found the other other three pairs standing waiting for them.
"Well! It's about time you two showed up. We've been waiting for years," Ron announced rather comically.
Everyone chuckled, setting the mood, for the much anticipated event.
"As you most likely already know, we four have something we'd all like to tell you," Harry said motioning over at Ron, Hannah, and Patrick respectively. "Now we all realize---some more than others, that we've been bossing you around for three pretty long months..."
"I should say so," Xiomara said, and the other three nodded in agreement.
"Well, we all couldn't agree more," Hannah annouced, nodding to her own counterparts, who as one, took out their wands, murmured something to themselves. Much to all of the four Hogwarts Sisters relief, their body piercings disappeared.
"Thank goodness!" Professor Sprout said most happily with a much heartfelt sigh.
Their hair color returned to normal again, prompting a much relieved Xiomara Hooch to respond, running her fingers through her hair.
"Oh, yes!" thrilled a nearly giddy Minerva McGonnagal, as the four of them appeared in their regular attire.
Harry waved his wand one last time and Minerva's hair was done up in her usual bun once more.
"There you are, back to normal," Patrick replied with a smile.
"Done," Hannah replied, "our bets have been officially completed."
"Er, yes," Ron began, shaking his head once, then continued, "we've all unanimously, decided to---for the next week---to allow you four the opportunity to do with us what you will.
"That's all well and fine, but...ahem," Madam Pomfrey pointed out, clearing her throat, and moved her uniform up her arm to display where the garish dragon tattoo still resided.
"Er, I'm afraid that your tattoos, are, well, permament I'm afraid," Harry said weakly. Hannah Abbott's eyes went wide, and she rounded on Harry. "They are what?"
Madame Pomfrey nodded stoicly. "Now now, that quite all right, Hannah dear. Now one but you and I will now anyway, will they?" She smiled, pointing to her uniform. Hannah was nearly beside herself with relief.
Professor McGonnagal was the first of the four to speak. "Let me make sure I understand you four correctly." She adjusted her tartan patterned hat once. "You four have decided to all we four right to do with you what we will, for a week's time? Am I right?"
"Well, Hermione said that it´d be the only fair thing to do," Ron explained, blushing.
The Hogwarts Sisters smiled and gave their respective students each a hug. As they all turned to head back up to the castle Professor McGonnagal stopped suddenly. "Oh, Potter," she said.
Harry turned back to meet her gaze. "Yes, Professor?" he said evenly, though he felt a bit uneasy inside.
"My office. This evening, if you please," McGonnagal commanded properly.
"Yes, Professor," Harry replied.
As the students and the teachers divided at the main entrance to the castle, Patrick turned toward Harry. "What did you do to McGonnagal, Harry, to warrant you're getting a special meeting with her?"
"Ron can tell you," Harry said, tugging his robes down nervously.
When Ron did, Patrick laughed at the idea of McGonnagal, in her animal form, getting a flea bath and Hannah sighed as she remembered, since she had been there too, helping them all out.
As it happened to be Sunday, they used the whole day to tell each other what they each had done to their respective Hogwart Sister.
Everyone agreed that McGonnagal's flea bath was the most inventive and hilarious, even if it was really a bit mean of Harry to do so. When Ron and Harry told them about the birthday party they had thrown for McGonnagal before the Quidditch Finals, Patrick nodded proudly, and Hannah got tears in her eyes over someone doing such a noble thing like that to for their Head House.
Then, Harry heard the mantel clock in the Common room chime the time. "Well..time for me to go," he said.
"See you later, mate," Ron said, clapping Harry on the shoulder in sympathy. "Best of luck, Harry..."