After the Dawn: The Philosopher's Stone

Chapter Twenty Five: In Trouble

Harry froze. He'd just walked through the portrait hole into the common room. He realised, with a silent curse, that he hadn't been looking within the common room for anyone … just outside, on the way to it.

Ron Weasley stood in front of him, staring at him challengingly. "Well?" the red-haired boy demanded.

"None of your business," Harry replied.

"Meeting with your Slytherin girlfriend?" Ron said, cutting Harry off from his route upstairs.

"For you information, no, I wasn't. Besides, Blaise isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend who happens to be a girl," Harry informed him calmly.

"Tell me where you were or I'll tell McGonagall you were out late," Ron threatened.

"Ron – it's none of your business what I do, or where I go," Harry said, voice cold. "I wasn't doing anything that was hugely against the rules … just helping out a friend in need."

"You really expect me to believe that?" Ron demanded. "I'm telling McGonagall anyway – you're always breaking the rules and never getting in trouble, don't think I haven't noticed. It's not fair – I've had five detentions this year, and you've wormed your way out of every one that the teachers ever tried to give you."

"Oh, so you'll go to Professor McGonagall and tell her I was out of the tower at midnight? What then?" Harry demanded.

"The whole house will realise what a loser you are and forget about you," Ron replied, "They'll see that you don't care about Gryffindor or anything!"

"No Ron, they'll all hate you, not me. I was helping a friend, staying loyal, as Gryffindor's are supposed to do. You would have gone tattling to the teacher on one of your house mates and possibly make us lose the house competition," Harry told him smugly. "So whatever you do, I might get in a bit of trouble, but you'll get in a whole heap more."

Ron paled and thought about that. He knew that Harry had a point – if Harry could sneak around and break the rules without getting caught, most of the house would turn a blind eye. If Harry got caught through his own mistakes, they'd blame him for it, but if a fellow student got in trouble for no particular reason, the house would band behind Harry against the other student.

"You don't have a choice Ron. Forget this ever happened and I'll forget that you tried to get me in trouble … try it again and I'll be forced to do something you'll regret," Harry said.

"Like what?"

"Like getting you in the kind of trouble that you've been trying to get me in," Harry replied, "And I could do it, Ron. We both know that. Even if you really didn't do it, I could make it look just like you had."

Ron glared at him, then turned and strode angrily upstairs. Harry sighed. He really didn't like the youngest Weasley brother, or Percy, the oldest one still amongst the students. Fred and George were great, and from what he'd heard of their sister, she'd be cool too, when she came to the Hogwarts the next year.

After a moment, Harry followed Ron upstairs to the dormitory and went to bed, thinking how relieved he was to be rid of Norbert.

The next few weeks passed without much event, though Ron was looking daggers at Harry more often than ever. Harry knew that Ron wouldn't be able to do anything against him now though, so he left the red-head alone.

If Ron decided to go blathering to a teacher, Harry could now say that the other boy didn't know what he was talking about, that he must have had a dream or something. Because Ron hadn't acted straight away, any trail of Harry's would be long gone cold now.

Besides, Ron was scared of Harry, he knew that Harry was more intelligent than he was, and he knew that Harry wouldn't be afraid of getting Ron into trouble.

Harry told Fred and George a slightly edited version of what had happened, just in case Ron tried to go to them for support. He didn't think that the twins would believe their younger brother, but he would hate to lose their support.

He told them that Hagrid had need some help with something major, but that he had been sworn to secrecy as to what that something was, and that he had helped him out, though he never mentioned how.

The Twins had both smiled and him and told him that they believed him, and that if their little brother came along, they would act sympathetic, but wouldn't actually do anything about it.

Now it was several weeks later and Harry was sitting in Potions class. They weren't working together today, and Harry was concentrating closely on making his potion work properly. With Snape as a teacher, Harry needed to teach himself as much as possible to stay ahead of the stinging rebukes the Potions Master could give.

He finished the adding ingredients part of the potion and sat back to watch it simmer. When he did this, he noticed trouble. Snape was pursuing his favourite sport, and tormenting Neville.

He was hissing all manner of insults at Neville, who, as a result, could hardly concentrate on his potion and was doing more things wrong.

Harry ground his teeth together in anger, but knew that he couldn't directly interfere, or risk bringing Snape's anger down on himself, which would hardly help matters.

Eventually, Snape turned from Neville, who had sufficiently botched up his potion enough to have earned a detention in which he would have to remake it, as it was now completely spoiled.

Harry's entire body was quivering with rage and he released it the only way he could without getting in trouble. Looking at the board, he lifted the chalk with his mind.

The entire class saw what was happening immediately, and Snape himself turned to watch the chalk rise up into the air and begin to write across the blackboard.

I am watching you, Snivellus.

That was it, but Harry knew that it would be enough – Snape would think that someone who had known him before was in the classroom, in the school. In his mind it had to be either Sirius or Remus … and he would naturally think that it was Sirius.

"Out," Snape hissed. "Everyone out. NOW!"

Everyone left immediately, not protesting that now all of the potions would be ruined unless someone got them all of the fires before they were spoiled. Harry didn't think Snape would, but as far as he was concerned, it was worth it.

No one ever caught whoever it was that had written that on the blackboard, and though there was quite a fuss over it for a little while, soon enough it all died down and everything went back to normal.

Harry told the Twins that he had done it, and when they asked why 'Snivellus' he replied that one of his parents had gone to school when Snape had been there, and that they knew the Marauders used to call him Snivellus.

The Twins were both quite awed by the fact that Harry's parents had known the legendary Marauders, and didn't question him any further.

Harry didn't know it, but a certain rat had been listening to the conversation as well. Peter had not been happy when he'd heard about the blackboard prank – he'd thought that Sirius had come for him at last … but now, all was well, the Protectium kid had simply heard the name before and realised that it would have an adverse effect on the Potions Master.

Fears temporarily banished, Peter went back to sleep on the couch cushion and Harry and the Weasley twins moved on.

More time passed and Harry was working harder than ever to prepare for the upcoming exams, along with Hermione, Neville and Blaise.

Blaise reported that Malfoy was extremely angry that he hadn't caught Harry, or Hagrid, before Norbert had been taken away, and she was happy to hear how they had managed to get rid of the dragon in the end.

Eventually, however, Harry did get in trouble, and he did get a detention – he'd managed to avoid getting on detention so far this year … but he knew it had been too good to last.

Sirius had jokingly told him that getting in trouble was very important, but that at the same time, the more pranks you could pull off without being the caught, the better you were.

Harry took his words to heart and did his best not to get in trouble … but he knew he would have to one day … sooner or later. It just so happened to be sooner, and not in the manner he would have expected to get caught in, though looking back, he should have seen it.

In Potions one day, with Snape positively livid, since pranks seemed to happen in his first year class more often than in most of his others … and he hadn't yet caught the one to blame, Harry was making his potion, going slowly so as to make sure that nothing went wrong. He felt that he was getting better now, but at the same time, he still wanted to be very careful, just in case.

He had to get up and go to rinse out one of his measures, and when he turned back, he saw Malfoy slouching away from his potion. Harry hurried back towards it, very worried – if Malfoy had been near his potion, nothing good could come of it.

Sure enough, when he reached the potion it was completely the wrong colour. Harry didn't know what Malfoy had put into the potion, but he didn't need to be a genius to know that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Looking over his potion, he frantically tried to think what was wrong … but he thought too long, and Snape came over to inspect what was going on.

Just as the Potions Master reached Harry's potion, the thing started to bubble furiously and, before anyone could do anything, it had exploded violently.

Everyone ran from the room, several people screaming as the Potion scalded them. Harry had not been worst hit, because he had leapt back with a fighters reflexes … but Snape had not been so lucky.

The result – Harry would be on detention at the time of Snape's choosing, in the manner of Snape's choosing, despite the fact that it was hardly Harry's fault.

A week later, and Snape was obviously trying to come up with something positively evil. Harry wasn't too worried – he'd be able to handle whatever Snape tried to throw at him … but he wanted to make sure that Malfoy got in trouble as well, though he wasn't sure exactly how he'd manage that.

Two weeks after the event and Harry found out that the time was nigh, when an owl bearing a message came to find him at breakfast.

Your detention will take place tonight, be at the entrance hall at eleven thirty to meet Mr. Filch,

S.S.

Harry sighed. He would have to get Malfoy in trouble today if he was going to get him in trouble and on the same day as Harry had his own detention.

"Hey Protectium! Found out what you're doing on detention?" Malfoy yelled out, meaning only to humiliate Harry, but it gave Harry the idea he needed … or at least, he hoped it would.

He went to classes that day, his mind whirring at a hundred miles an hour, thinking, planning … until he thought he was ready.

Harry met up with Blaise that lunch time. "Nemo, you wanted to see me?" Blaise asked, when Harry joined her table in the library.

"Yeah … I want to get Malfoy back for what he did to me in Potions," Harry replied. Blaise had seen what had happened, but hadn't been in any position to stop it.

"And you need my help," she said.

"If you don't mind," Harry said.

"Well, I don't have any problem with helping you get him back," Blaise told Harry, "Tell me what you need me to do."

"I just need you to get him out of the Slytherin common room and into the entrance hall at eleven thirty – that's when I'm supposed to be in the Entrance Hall to meet Filch."

"Any idea what you're doing?" Blaise asked.

"Well, it's obviously not going to be with Snape, otherwise he'd want me down with him in the dungeons," Harry pointed out. "I expect that it'll be in the grounds, in that case."

"What would you be doing on the grounds?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that that's where I'll be," Harry told his friend. "Do you think you can get him there for me?"

"Of course," Blaise replied.

Harry smiled, "Thanks," he said, and they both hurried off to their next classes.

In the common room that night, an owl arrived for Neville, bearing the note that he would be joining Harry for his detention for all the times that Neville had gotten into trouble in Potions himself.

Neville whimpered. "What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"I'm scared of the dark," Neville replied piteously.

"Well, I'll be there with you," Harry pointed out firmly. "It'll be ok."

Neville just shivered. "I wish I was better at Potions," he muttered.

"It's just Snape," Harry assured his friend, "You'd be good if you had a decent teacher."

Hermione nodded in agreement. She'd long ago given up trying to tell them that Snape was ok, and now fully agreed with them. Snape wanted to steal something from Dumbledore, which was simply not on, as far as she was concerned.

"It's eleven o'clock now, we'd best head down to the entrance hall," Harry said after awhile. Hermione hugged both him and Neville.

"Take care," she told them. "Don't get hurt."

"We won't," Harry assured her, and then he and Neville turned and headed down to the entrance hall to meet with Filch.

Next chapter: The Forbidden Forest! This one was getting to be a reasonable length again! The story is now beginning to get there too! Yay!

Thanks to:

Nerwen Elendil, NateP, easilyamused, ERMonkey, Burner of Cookies, katepotter13, Jeanne2, michaelrccurtis, Nicoletta, I-want-to-fly, grand admiral chelli, I-want-to-fly, JeanieBeanie, grand admiral chelli, Lady Siobhan, tish tosh, kraeg001, kraeg001, Empress Sarah-sama, azntgr01, Rawiya Prahbakar, loudmouth, Wytil, shina-schatten, washu, skeeter007, FreedomStar, Nyeshet, Devonny Rose, hermione21, Crissy Potter, blip-dragon, Samara-Morgan-101, Leeanna-Marie-Malfoy, cyress, Akuma-sama, Surarrin, SnapeLuver666.

WolfMoon