Chapter 2. Harry the Spy. And also Ron.

Harry Potter isn't mine; no one would believe me if I said he was. Now, on to the Fanfic!! And I hope it works this time. If you can read this, let me know in a review ;).

The feast was again fantastic. The house elves had once more created a meal that was beyond delicious and fascinating with professional ease. The first years, having never experienced the sensational Hogwarts cuisine were taken much aback by the flavor and abundance of all that there was to be had. Even Midori was digging in with everyone else.

When everyone had eaten to the point of fatality, Dumbledore stood once more and instructed the Prefects to guide their Houses to their Common rooms. He gave each house a brief set of directions for the sake of the disoriented first years, then everyone was up and off.

Harry noticed Midori get shoved over by a burly seventh year Slytherin boy in his haste to get by. Had he been closer, Harry would have helped, but he was beaten to the punch. Draco Malfoy reached a now muscly and powerful arm down to help her up.

"Thank you." Midori said softly and looked at Draco's eagle-eyed arm.

"It's not a problem, lovely. Would you like me to kick that person's ass for you? It

would be my pleasure! Crabbe! Care to beat that Blaize into the ground?" Crabbe nodded dumbly and pushed three others down to do Draco's bidding. Draco turned back to Midori, ignoring the cries of protest and odd curse word from those whom Crabbe knocked over. "I'm Draco, by the way." He ran his thumb slowly over Midori's white knuckles, still clasped lightly in his ample palm. Midori cracked a massive smile, showing well shaped straight teeth.

"Well, I can sure say I'm glad you don't mind getting your friends to take people out! It's great to meet someone who actually cares!"

Draco let show a little secret smile. "Let us head to the Slytherin common room, shall we? You wouldn't want to get caught up in this riffraff now, would you?" After placing Midori's hand on his arm, Malfoy followed Crabbe's lead up the stairs towards Slytherin's room.

"Augh, that's rotten luck!" groaned Ron, who was still seated next to Harry. "Now Malfoy is sure to make her another simpering Slytherin skank. I wish she could see what a horrible person he really is, don't you think so, Harry?"

Harry looked down at Ron, as soon as the last strand of Midori's hair swam out of view to notice Hermoine's eyes leaking huge alligator tears down her pale cheeks. He instantly bent down next to her, forgetting about Malfoy's good fortune.

"Hermoine-" before he could get any farther, she imploded into sobs.

"Oh Harry! What if he's dead? I haven't gotten an owl from him in weeks! Do you know how unlike him that is?" her voice broke a few times before collapsing onto Harry's shoulder. Harry stroked her hair, murmuring as sympathetically as he could. After a few minutes, he began to run out of possible explanations of Vic's lack of communication. One can only suppose all the owls made a run for it so many times before the very idea seemed as grating as weeping. It was almost as if she couldn't hear him at all.

As if being awakened from a deep sleep by a bad dream, Ron looked over. "Bloody hell! Why didn't someone tell me she was this upset?"

At that, Hermoine let out a little cry of anguish and pushed past them both in her hurry out to the staircases, tears trailing behind her.

"Good God, Ron, didn't you notice?" Harry glared hard at Ron, who was still siting innocently in the chair.

"Well, well I-"

The bellows of the Prefects hushed Ron before he could come up with a reply that seemed less self antagonizing than the obvious.

"Come on, come on! Griffindors, this way!"

Harry shook his head. "We'd better get up to the common room. I think Hermoine just needs some time alone for a while."

"Alone with Moaning Murtle." Mumbled Ron quietly as he stood up. The two boys hurried down the hall and followed the rest of their house up to the Common room. Finding that all their things were in order in their dormitories, they headed back down to the Common room where a handful of first and second years were gossiping.

"I just think it's wrong." stated a blond girl with a long nose. "House elves are not meant for that sort of thing. They still should get paid, that's what I think!"

Ron shuddered. "Oh no! They're not still on about that, are they? The house elf scandal is over, and everybody knows that's the only way they get any self gratification." Harry was about to bring up Dobby when one of the Griffindor girls glared challengingly at Ron. "You are sick, whoever you are! I can't believe you would approve of such a thing! I can't even believe that this is going on!"

"Now see here," exclaimed Ron, feeling his blood rise at an unhealthy rate. "A lot of wizarding houses have house elves for the one reason that they do things for-" he was cut as the crowd of girls lunged toward him in all their volumes. There were a few discernible comments, none of which made any sense to Ron, who blinked bewilderedly at the drastic reaction. Harry grabbed Ron by the upper arm and pulled him outside.

Soon, they were stalking the halls of Hogwarts, calling Hermoine's name discretely. "What do you suppose was that great upheaval in the Common room, Harry?" Ron asked as they turned a corner. "I was amazed when Hermoine took up that crusade. It just seems odd to me that all of a sudden all these girls would-" Ron was stopped short the same moment as Harry nearly tripped over his own feet. Thinking quickly, both boys dove back around the corner and hid.

Miss McGonagal and Dumbledore were blatantly making out in the middle of the darkened hallway.

"Albus," McGonagal whispered, as she unlocked her lips from his ample facial hair. "It is not safe to be doing this in the hall. What if one of the students-"

"That is why we are both such apt executers of various memory charms. Cunning, aren't we?" Dumbledore reassured her as smothered her lips with his own again.

"Oh Albus, you were always such a showman!"

"And a performer, as I am about to show you, Minerva! And please try not to moan too loud this time. We don't want to wake up the entire school."

"Again." McGonagal giggled dizzily and sank to the floor.

Slinky-jawed, Ron and Harry gaped at each other. McGonagal sighed. Both spies sprinted back down the hall as fast as their legs could transport them.