Harry woke up in a foul mood. His temper wasn't improved when he
found his back was quite sore from the way he'd been slumped over in the
chair. He stood up and stretched, trying to get all the kinks out of his
back. He stormed up to his dormitory. "WHY didn't any of you wake me up?"
All four of his roommates were in the D.A., so chances were that they'd
seen him sitting in the chair when they came in. Somebody had put that
blanket over him after all.
"Nnng? Whawas'at, Harr?" asked Ron.
Harry stomped over pulled open the hangings of Ron's bed and took his blanket from him and repeated his question loudly, "WHY didn't any of you wake me up?" He then proceeded to open the hangings around Neville, Seamus, and Dean's beds, letting in a lot of early morning light they were in no mood to face.
"What are you babbling about?" asked Neville, crossly.
"Hmph!" Harry threw a pillow at him. "So what's the news? Luna said you got information last night."
They were wide-awake now and looking very apprehensive. "She said not to tell you."
"She made us swear."
"She said if we tell, all our hair is gonna fall out and tattle will be written across our foreheads. Permanently."
"She who? Luna?" Harry could just barely see Luna making threats of this sort.
"No. Hermione."
"Hermione? So that's the jinx she put behind the paper." He remembered the paper they decided they'd all have to sign.
"No. That's something else entirely. She just said that if we told she'd do this to us in addition to whatever she's got in store for us from that parchment we had to sign."
"You're all a bunch of babies," Harry said disgustedly, getting dressed. "Honestly."
"Hey!" said Neville, clearly offended. "If it had been anybody but Hermione I wouldn't have taken them seriously."
Dean added, "Or Luna."
Seamus nodded his head vigorously. "We know the two of them can do damage."
Ron added, "Ginny too."
"Yeah," said Neville. "Ginny and Luna were both endorsing Hermione's threats."
"They volunteered to personally assist Hermione in hunting down whoever told you."
"But you might find it in the Prophet this morning. Or next."
Harry left, muttering to himself, still doing the last few buttons on his robe. Those three girls had a lot of explaining to do.
He saw Ginny and Hermione sitting at the table and went to them. "You've got some explaining to do. Start now."
They glanced at each other and seemed to have a whole wordless conversation.
"Well?" he said impatiently, taking a seat.
Ginny used her most innocent voice, but refused to meet his eyes. "Well what?"
"What did you find out at the meeting last night? I assume Ree was finally able to bring some news worth hearing?"
"I- I didn't listen all that well to what she was saying," Ginny said.
"The two of you threatened anybody who even thought about telling me what she said. Spill." He looked from one to the other.
Hermione seemed nearly in tears. "I can't tell him, Gin. I can't."
"I won't. Don't make me do it, Hermione. I don't want to be the one to tell him either."
"One of us has to tell him. We've got everybody scared stiff."
Ginny's eyes gleamed. "Not everybody." Her eyes flickered to the Ravenclaw table. "Her. Harry tell her to tell you. Say we said it was alright."
Harry wasn't sure he wanted to hear whatever had gotten the two of them so worked up, but he nodded and went to the Ravenclaw table. He saw a familiar blonde sitting at the table and facing away from him.
But even from behind, he knew it was her. He was about to say something but she spoke first.
"Hello, Harry."
"How did you know it was me?"
"I could feel you like an approaching storm." She still hadn't turned around.
"Like a storm?"
"Yes. Sit."
Awkwardly, he sat down next to her. There were a few empty seats on either side of her so it wasn't as though there was a space problem; it was just a little odd to be sitting at another house's table. It was different from when he'd sat here and it was just Ginny and Luna.
"There's something in the air, when you know a storm is on its way. Anger and malice, but above all else, power. You're dreadfully upset about something." She ate another spoonful of oatmeal. "Eat."
Harry had no appetite. "Care to take a guess at why I'm so upset?"
"Not really." She smiled placidly.
Harry was sorely tempted to take out his wand and threaten to jinx her but considering her own capabilities with a wand and the number of teachers present it was better not to. "Hermione and Ginny said you would tell me about what Ree said last night. They seemed too upset to tell me anything and the guys in my dormitory were too terrified to say anything. It seems you're the only one left. Tell me."
"No. I don't believe I will." She ate three more spoonfuls of oatmeal.
"Why not?" This girl was maddening. Far worse than Cho. He saw Cho sitting about a dozen seats away.
"Because." She sipped her orange juice. "You aren't being very polite."
By now, several Ravenclaws were watching the scene with mild interest. Not only was there a Gryffindor sitting at their table, but the Gryffindor was Harry Potter and he seemed to be having some sort of discussion or argument with Looney Lovegood. Maybe the day would provide some entertainment after all.
Harry turned away from the people watching him and gritted his teeth. "Will you please tell me what she said?"
"Yes."
Harry waited but she didn't say anything else. "Well?"
"I'll tell you later. This isn't something you want to hear with so many people present." She took a spoonful of oatmeal and poured it over her toast.
Harry glared. "Tell me now. Just lower your voice and then it won't matter."
She blinked. "Are you sure?"
Suddenly he wasn't sure. Maybe she was right. He'd caused too much attention already. But he had to know. "Tell me."
She took another slow bite of her oatmeal on toast before she nodded. Harry waited impatiently while she swallowed some orange juice. Then she leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, "Muriel said that she overheard Draco speaking with an older student. He received a letter from his father. Apparently Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy were out torturing Muggle-borns recently. They got two of them. Nymphadora Tonks and a friend of hers."
Harry was horrified. "Tonks? Is she . . .?"
She put a reassuring hand on his arm. "No," she whispered. "She's not dead. Someone happened to be in the right place at the right time and the Death Eaters left. But she isn't in good shape. Her friend is okay but Tonks will be in St. Mungos for a couple of days at least."
Harry bit his lip to keep from saying anything, but then it started to bleed. "Pettigrew." His eyes blazed. "Why wasn't it in the paper?"
"They've got a connection with the Daily Prophet. We aren't sure who it is."
She patted his hand again and backed away enough so that she could look him in the eyes. She didn't whisper anymore but she still spoke quietly. "You understand why no one wanted to say anything?"
He nodded and clenched his fists.
"And you understand why we couldn't let the boys say anything to you?"
He nodded again.
"Then you better get to class. Meditate on your way if you can. Otherwise you won't get anything done."
Harry nodded and went back to the Gryffindor table, pausing only long enough to tell Ron and Hermione that he was heading over to Charms early. Harry was dreading it. The Gryffindors had double-charms with Ravenclaw.
As he walked away from the table he heard Hermione sigh, "At least he knows now."
Harry was the first person to arrive in Charms. Generally Harry liked the class but today he sat in the back. He didn't want to have to talk to anyone he didn't have to.
Ron and Hermione were among the first there after him, they sat on either side of him, anticipating that he might need comfort.
Terry took the seat in front of Harry and turned around, "What were you doing at our table today?"
Harry ignored him.
"Why were you talking to Looney Lovegood? Since last year she's gotten stranger than usual."
Harry ignored him again.
"Is it about what they wouldn't tell us last night?"
This time Harry responded. "What do you mean?"
"Muriel. She wouldn't tell us everything last night."
Ron and Hermione made shushing noises at Terry.
Terry just said, "The two of you didn't tell him? I thought the three of you talked about everything. No wonder he was talking to Looney this morning. He must have been desperate to find out something. Next time just talk to me."
The seat next to Terry was empty so Harry went and sat there instead. "What exactly did Muriel say?"
"Just that there'd been an attack on 2 Muggle-borns, or part Muggles but that it wasn't getting reported because it turns out You-Know-Who has connections in the Prophet and didn't want it out yet. Then she talked to Looney, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny privately. Wouldn't tell the rest of us what else she said. All she said was that those were boring details we didn't want to hear. I can't believe they didn't tell you."
Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione; they looked worried. He sighed. "The details are hard on me. More on me than anybody else. They were trying to protect me."
"Why harder on you?"
"Because one of the Death Eaters was the man who betrayed my parents."
"I did hear something about that over the summer. The Prophet said that Black was innocent of all charges and that the real culprit was most likely the wizard they thought he killed."
"Yeah. Pettigrew was one of the Death Eaters that Muriel was talking about."
"Rumor says that Black was your godfather. Is that true?"
"Yes." Even after so many months it still hurt to hear Sirius's name used in the past tense like that.
"Then why'd he try to kill you back in third year?"
"He didn't. It's too complicated to explain to you." Harry changed his mind. He didn't want to talk to Terry after all. He went back and sat between Ron and Hermione again. Class started and there was no more time for talk.
A/N: Okay this one is longer. I hope you like it. Sorry Harry's kind of moody but that's how he is, I s'pose. I'm not sure exactly why I chose Terry for Harry to talk to. Hmmm. Thanks for all the reviews. The next chapter will go up when you tell me what you think of this one. For now, it's preview time!
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Harry opened the door and discovered Dumbledore was standing there wearing purple pajamas with shooting stars on them. Harry stared for a second. "Er, Professor?"
"Nnng? Whawas'at, Harr?" asked Ron.
Harry stomped over pulled open the hangings of Ron's bed and took his blanket from him and repeated his question loudly, "WHY didn't any of you wake me up?" He then proceeded to open the hangings around Neville, Seamus, and Dean's beds, letting in a lot of early morning light they were in no mood to face.
"What are you babbling about?" asked Neville, crossly.
"Hmph!" Harry threw a pillow at him. "So what's the news? Luna said you got information last night."
They were wide-awake now and looking very apprehensive. "She said not to tell you."
"She made us swear."
"She said if we tell, all our hair is gonna fall out and tattle will be written across our foreheads. Permanently."
"She who? Luna?" Harry could just barely see Luna making threats of this sort.
"No. Hermione."
"Hermione? So that's the jinx she put behind the paper." He remembered the paper they decided they'd all have to sign.
"No. That's something else entirely. She just said that if we told she'd do this to us in addition to whatever she's got in store for us from that parchment we had to sign."
"You're all a bunch of babies," Harry said disgustedly, getting dressed. "Honestly."
"Hey!" said Neville, clearly offended. "If it had been anybody but Hermione I wouldn't have taken them seriously."
Dean added, "Or Luna."
Seamus nodded his head vigorously. "We know the two of them can do damage."
Ron added, "Ginny too."
"Yeah," said Neville. "Ginny and Luna were both endorsing Hermione's threats."
"They volunteered to personally assist Hermione in hunting down whoever told you."
"But you might find it in the Prophet this morning. Or next."
Harry left, muttering to himself, still doing the last few buttons on his robe. Those three girls had a lot of explaining to do.
He saw Ginny and Hermione sitting at the table and went to them. "You've got some explaining to do. Start now."
They glanced at each other and seemed to have a whole wordless conversation.
"Well?" he said impatiently, taking a seat.
Ginny used her most innocent voice, but refused to meet his eyes. "Well what?"
"What did you find out at the meeting last night? I assume Ree was finally able to bring some news worth hearing?"
"I- I didn't listen all that well to what she was saying," Ginny said.
"The two of you threatened anybody who even thought about telling me what she said. Spill." He looked from one to the other.
Hermione seemed nearly in tears. "I can't tell him, Gin. I can't."
"I won't. Don't make me do it, Hermione. I don't want to be the one to tell him either."
"One of us has to tell him. We've got everybody scared stiff."
Ginny's eyes gleamed. "Not everybody." Her eyes flickered to the Ravenclaw table. "Her. Harry tell her to tell you. Say we said it was alright."
Harry wasn't sure he wanted to hear whatever had gotten the two of them so worked up, but he nodded and went to the Ravenclaw table. He saw a familiar blonde sitting at the table and facing away from him.
But even from behind, he knew it was her. He was about to say something but she spoke first.
"Hello, Harry."
"How did you know it was me?"
"I could feel you like an approaching storm." She still hadn't turned around.
"Like a storm?"
"Yes. Sit."
Awkwardly, he sat down next to her. There were a few empty seats on either side of her so it wasn't as though there was a space problem; it was just a little odd to be sitting at another house's table. It was different from when he'd sat here and it was just Ginny and Luna.
"There's something in the air, when you know a storm is on its way. Anger and malice, but above all else, power. You're dreadfully upset about something." She ate another spoonful of oatmeal. "Eat."
Harry had no appetite. "Care to take a guess at why I'm so upset?"
"Not really." She smiled placidly.
Harry was sorely tempted to take out his wand and threaten to jinx her but considering her own capabilities with a wand and the number of teachers present it was better not to. "Hermione and Ginny said you would tell me about what Ree said last night. They seemed too upset to tell me anything and the guys in my dormitory were too terrified to say anything. It seems you're the only one left. Tell me."
"No. I don't believe I will." She ate three more spoonfuls of oatmeal.
"Why not?" This girl was maddening. Far worse than Cho. He saw Cho sitting about a dozen seats away.
"Because." She sipped her orange juice. "You aren't being very polite."
By now, several Ravenclaws were watching the scene with mild interest. Not only was there a Gryffindor sitting at their table, but the Gryffindor was Harry Potter and he seemed to be having some sort of discussion or argument with Looney Lovegood. Maybe the day would provide some entertainment after all.
Harry turned away from the people watching him and gritted his teeth. "Will you please tell me what she said?"
"Yes."
Harry waited but she didn't say anything else. "Well?"
"I'll tell you later. This isn't something you want to hear with so many people present." She took a spoonful of oatmeal and poured it over her toast.
Harry glared. "Tell me now. Just lower your voice and then it won't matter."
She blinked. "Are you sure?"
Suddenly he wasn't sure. Maybe she was right. He'd caused too much attention already. But he had to know. "Tell me."
She took another slow bite of her oatmeal on toast before she nodded. Harry waited impatiently while she swallowed some orange juice. Then she leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, "Muriel said that she overheard Draco speaking with an older student. He received a letter from his father. Apparently Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy were out torturing Muggle-borns recently. They got two of them. Nymphadora Tonks and a friend of hers."
Harry was horrified. "Tonks? Is she . . .?"
She put a reassuring hand on his arm. "No," she whispered. "She's not dead. Someone happened to be in the right place at the right time and the Death Eaters left. But she isn't in good shape. Her friend is okay but Tonks will be in St. Mungos for a couple of days at least."
Harry bit his lip to keep from saying anything, but then it started to bleed. "Pettigrew." His eyes blazed. "Why wasn't it in the paper?"
"They've got a connection with the Daily Prophet. We aren't sure who it is."
She patted his hand again and backed away enough so that she could look him in the eyes. She didn't whisper anymore but she still spoke quietly. "You understand why no one wanted to say anything?"
He nodded and clenched his fists.
"And you understand why we couldn't let the boys say anything to you?"
He nodded again.
"Then you better get to class. Meditate on your way if you can. Otherwise you won't get anything done."
Harry nodded and went back to the Gryffindor table, pausing only long enough to tell Ron and Hermione that he was heading over to Charms early. Harry was dreading it. The Gryffindors had double-charms with Ravenclaw.
As he walked away from the table he heard Hermione sigh, "At least he knows now."
Harry was the first person to arrive in Charms. Generally Harry liked the class but today he sat in the back. He didn't want to have to talk to anyone he didn't have to.
Ron and Hermione were among the first there after him, they sat on either side of him, anticipating that he might need comfort.
Terry took the seat in front of Harry and turned around, "What were you doing at our table today?"
Harry ignored him.
"Why were you talking to Looney Lovegood? Since last year she's gotten stranger than usual."
Harry ignored him again.
"Is it about what they wouldn't tell us last night?"
This time Harry responded. "What do you mean?"
"Muriel. She wouldn't tell us everything last night."
Ron and Hermione made shushing noises at Terry.
Terry just said, "The two of you didn't tell him? I thought the three of you talked about everything. No wonder he was talking to Looney this morning. He must have been desperate to find out something. Next time just talk to me."
The seat next to Terry was empty so Harry went and sat there instead. "What exactly did Muriel say?"
"Just that there'd been an attack on 2 Muggle-borns, or part Muggles but that it wasn't getting reported because it turns out You-Know-Who has connections in the Prophet and didn't want it out yet. Then she talked to Looney, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny privately. Wouldn't tell the rest of us what else she said. All she said was that those were boring details we didn't want to hear. I can't believe they didn't tell you."
Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione; they looked worried. He sighed. "The details are hard on me. More on me than anybody else. They were trying to protect me."
"Why harder on you?"
"Because one of the Death Eaters was the man who betrayed my parents."
"I did hear something about that over the summer. The Prophet said that Black was innocent of all charges and that the real culprit was most likely the wizard they thought he killed."
"Yeah. Pettigrew was one of the Death Eaters that Muriel was talking about."
"Rumor says that Black was your godfather. Is that true?"
"Yes." Even after so many months it still hurt to hear Sirius's name used in the past tense like that.
"Then why'd he try to kill you back in third year?"
"He didn't. It's too complicated to explain to you." Harry changed his mind. He didn't want to talk to Terry after all. He went back and sat between Ron and Hermione again. Class started and there was no more time for talk.
A/N: Okay this one is longer. I hope you like it. Sorry Harry's kind of moody but that's how he is, I s'pose. I'm not sure exactly why I chose Terry for Harry to talk to. Hmmm. Thanks for all the reviews. The next chapter will go up when you tell me what you think of this one. For now, it's preview time!
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Harry opened the door and discovered Dumbledore was standing there wearing purple pajamas with shooting stars on them. Harry stared for a second. "Er, Professor?"