Harry walked down from Divination at the North Tower. According to
Professor Trelawney, he was really going to die this time. Every other
month she had told him he would die some painful death, but this time
apparently, he really would go. Harry didn't care, he was used to being
told he was going to die.
There were three weeks until Halloween and the Ball that was going to be held for it. It was to be a fancy dress ball, and so Cho told him that she was going to make his costume for him. The Quidditch Match against Ravenclaw was on saturday. The Gryffindor team had only practised once for the whole year, and that was only a few days ago, when Harry had forgotten to do up his fly. Cho was really rubbing in the fact that her team were very organised and rearing to go for the match and took great delight in telling Harry that they were going to thrash the pants off Gryffindor. Harry knew this was complete crap, because he was the best Seeker Hogwarts had seen in a century, and so he reminded Cho of that every time she thought she'd have another dig about the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Harry plonked himself down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and began to eat his lunch. Ginny came and sat next to him.
"How are you, Harry?" She asked cheerfully, "I haven't seen you all morning."
"Oh, I'm fine thanks, Gin. I've had double ruddy Divination this morning, so it's no wonder you haven't seen much of me. I've been locked up in North Tower." Harry told her, a slight grin on his face.
"Locked up? Trelawnley's not that bad is she? You make her sound like Filch!" Ginny laughed. "Well, guess what? I've managed to land myself a detention. I had double Potions this morning, and Snape was in a seriously bad mood. He gave me a detention for...what was it? Oh yes, he told me I was tarting with Colin Creevey while we were making our potions. What bulltwang! I just laughed at him when he told me that, so now I have to clean all the spare cauldrons and glassware in his classroom. And that's a lot of glass. God, Snape's a bastard." Ginny finished.
"Oh, thanks, Gin. You've got Snape in a great mood for me this afternoon. I have Potions after lunch, and if you managed to get a detention for something as small as flirting with Creevey, I'm sure I could get one just for breathing!" Harry exclaimed, "By the way, you weren't really flirting with Colin, were you?" Harry added hesitantly.
Ginny laughed, "No! Colin needed help with his potion, and you know how good he is! He's a bit like Neville when it comes to Potions, so I had to help him! It wasn't my fault that my top button was undone, it's really hot in Snape's classroom when you're making potions. And Colin had to try to look down my top, didn't he? He just decided to be a perve, and I got the blame for it. It's a bit vicious, hey?" Ginny spoke quickly, getting herself worked up.
"It is a bit," Harry breathed in relief. He had been hoping that she hadn't been flirting with Creevey.
"Harry!" A voice interrupted their conversation. It was Cho. Ginny groaned. "Harry, do you want to come and eat with me at the Ravenclaw table today? I don't think the Ravenclaws will pay you out too bad for having such a crappy, unorganised Quidditch team." She smirked at Ginny, and Ginny smirked sarcastically back. Harry grinned devilishly.
"Get lost. I'm the best Seeker Hogwarts has seen in a century. While your Seeker is a plain old Dud." He told her, grinning at his girlfriend. Cho narrowed her eyes at him, then laughed.
"A Dud, am I? I could whip your ass in Quidditch any day, Harry!" She grabbed his arm and hauled him out of his seat, laughing. Harry gave Ginny an apologetic look and followed Cho, wrapping his arm around her waist. He couldn't help but notice the crushed look on Ginny's face as he walked off.
****
Harry walked slowly to Potions that afternoon. He just knew he was going to get a detention. Again. He always scored a few detentions from Snape. And he knew that this time would be no different. Harry smiled. Well, if I'm going to get a Detention, I might as well earn it properly.
"What's that grin for, Harry?" Ron caught up to him. "What are you planning?"
"Oh, nothing, Ron." Harry told his best friend. "Where's Hermione?" He asked Ron quizzically. Ron never usually went anywhere without Hermione, especially now they were going out.
"Oh, Miss Square simply had to go ahead and check her homework with Snape before the lesson started." Ron exclaimed sarcastically, but grinning anyway.
"Good. She won't get into trouble as well then." Harry stated.
"Into--what?? What are you on about, Harry?" Ron questioned.
"What do you think I'm on about, Ron? Apparently, Snape's in the shittest mood, so I'm gonna get a detention whether I try to get one or not. I might as well have a bit of fun while I'm at it. And you can help me," Harry grinned. It had been a while since he'd purposely shit-stirred in Snape's class. Ron's face widened in a huge grin.
"Wicked. I'm in! What do you reckon we should do?" Ron asked enthusiastically. Harry thought for a moment.
"We definately have to do something to Malfoy, whatever we do. Blow his potion up in his face or something?" Harry suggested.
"Or we could swap one or two of his ingredients over for something seriously toxic. He'd be up in the hospital wing for weeks!" Ron almost bellowed in excitement.
"Awsome idea!" Harry's eyes glinted. "Alright, you get the ingredients to swap, and I'll do the swapping, ok?"
"You're on!" Ron shrieked again. He and Harry walked quickly the rest of the way. When they got there, Hermione was already paired up with Neville. She gave Ron a sorry look and mouthed across the room at him that 'it was the safest thing for Neville.' Ron screwed up his nose and glared at Neville. Harry dragged him to his couldron and set up the ingredients. He had made sure that they had chosen next to the spot that Malfoy and Crabbe usually sat at.
"Get the ingredients while Snape's out of the room and get on with it, Ron!" Harry hissed to Ron.
"Oh, right." Ron mumbled and got up, pretending to go over to talk to Hermione, but dropping a book next to the store room entrance instead. He purposely stumbled on it, sending the book flying through the store room door.
"Whoops," Ron told the class casually, and went to 'retrieve his book.' He came out of the store room a few seconds later with it. He shuffled over to Malfoy's couldron and swapped the ingredients over just as Snape swept into the classroom with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels.
"Bugger, that was pretty close!" Ron exclaimed. "Don't ask me what I got. It was too dark to see. I just flogged whatever was there, so don't be too surprised it Malfoy dies or anything." Ron whispered to Harry. Harry cracked up.
"You flogged my job, idiot!" Harry tried to whisper, although that was pretty hard seeing as he was laughing his head off. "I was gonna swap them, remember? Oh well, I'll be responsible for the shit-stirring, if that's alright with y-"
"Potter! Weasley! Shut those traps and pay attention!" Snape barked at them. Ron couldn't help but snigger and he and Harry continued to whisper to each other like silly school boys.
When Snape had finished his low-down on how to make the particular potion, (Ron and Harry had no idea of what potion they were meant to be making, because they hadn't listened to a word) they got their ingredients set up and ready to go.
"All right, Harry. Your turn." Ron told him. Harry grinned and leant back, pretending to yawn, and 'accidentally' swatting Malfoy in the face. Malfoy spun around, ready to kill.
"If that was you, Potter-" He began.
"Me?" Harry asked innocently. "What? I didn't do anything!"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Potter. How dumbassed do you think I am?" Draco snarled. Harry chuckled.
"Do you really want me to answer that, Malfoy?" Harry raised his eyebrows sarcastically. Harry knew he was shit-stirring, but it was really fun. He could see Crabbe out of the corner of his eye shovelling ingredients into the cauldron. Harry had to fight down a snigger. Any moment now....
Malfoy's eyes widened in rage. "You'll pay for that one, dickhead!" He spat at Harry.
"Whatever," Harry waved him off and pretended to go back to 'helping' Ron with the Potion. There wasn't even anything in their Cauldron, of course. It was completely empty. Harry glanced at Ron, who shrugged and gave him a blank, "What the hell?" look. Harry knew that he didn't know what do with their potion any more than he did. Snape suddenly loomed over them.
"May I ask why you two have absolutely nothing in your cauldron?" He asked them coldly. Ron started to explain rather nervously.
"Um, Me and Harry stuffed up the quantities of the bubotuber pus, so we had so start again." He managed to choke out. Snape raised one greasy eyebrow and peered into their couldron.
"You must think I was born yesterday, Weasel. Don't think I haven't seen you standing here doing next to bloody nothing for twenty minutes. Don't you dare give me pathetic stories about not getting the quantities right, when you haven't even opened one of the bottles." Snape told them snidely, picking up one of their pristine, unopened bottles of bubotuber pus and holding it up as evidence. He dropped it down on the desk and strode past them to address the class. Oh, here we go, Harry thought to himself. A good old verbal bashing from Snape.
"Right, now you should all be adding your powdered root of asphodel, unless of course, you are Potter and Weasley, who already know how to make this potion so they didn't bother -or so they say." Snape added coolly. He glanced over at Seamus and Dean's potion. "What the hell do you call that? Did you not hear me correctly? Am I right in assuming that I told the class that the potion must be of a thick consistancy ? Throw it out and start again, that's bloody revolting."
Seamus didn't move. Snape sighed in annoyance and picked up his and Dean's cauldron and dropped it straight onto the floor. The blue contents went everywhere, and Snape smirked at Seamus and Dean, who were sitting there open-mouthed, too shocked to move.
"Clean it up right now, you little ferrets." Snape told them coldly, "And don't even think of using those wands of yours. You can damn well scrub on your hands and knees." He swept off, leaving them to it.
Harry, wide-eyed, turned to Ron.
"Did I mention Snape was in a bad mood?" He asked Ron. They had forgotten all about Malfoys cauldron, when suddenly-
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Holy Shit!" Malfoy shrieked. He was thrown back a few metres from the blast and was covered in frangipani-coloured acid. Harry took one look at him and burst out laughing. By now the acid was eating through his robes and staining his bum cheeks blue. Ron and Harry were on the floor in fits. Malfoy jumped up, shrieking.
"Let me out! Open the fr!ck!n' door!" He screamed. Snape grabbed him by the collar and dumped a cauldron of water over his head. Draco stopped shrieking and gasped as the water ran down his face. He began to recover and was quick to blame everyone.
"Crabbe! You dumbshit! What the hell are you trying to do to me?!" Draco bellowed at him. But Crabbe was in a worse state than Malfoy. The acid had eaten away most of his hair, and his head was quickly turning a brilliant shade of prussian blue.
"Hospital Wing, you two!" Snape shouted through the hysterical laughter of the students in the room. He turned to Harry. "Congratulations, Potter. You've earnt yourself a little detention friday night. You'll be scrubbing the glassware and spare cauldrons with Miss Weasley." Snape told him curtly.
Harry didn't even bother glaring at him. He knew it was coming sooner or later. It was no surprise at all that he'd just landed another detention. He was actually quite shocked that he'd lasted as long as he did. It wouldn't be too bad though, he was serving it with Ginny, so they may even have fun. They were good mates, he and Ginny. Good mates.
****
It was Dinner time, and Harry was in a good mood, despite the detention. He saw Ginny and headed towards her.
"Seeya in detention friday night, Gin," He told her, giving her a grin. She glanced up at him and grinned back.
"So I heard!" She asked him, trying hard not to start laughing. "I also heard that you lost 100 points for Gryffindor." She added.
"Oh What? 100? Bloody Hell, that's a bit rich!"
"Yeah well, you did just about blow up Malfoy and Crabbe, didn't you?" Ginny tried to hide her grin. Harry caught it, and grinned back.
"I didn't actually blow them up, but they are a little blue. Ron must have grabbed a bottle or two of Fladriffe acid. You should've seen 'em, Gin! They were a mess! It was so funny, it was completely worth every point I lost! I wish you'd seen it, you would have laughed so hard!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny giggled.
"I probably would have. It was about time someone put Malfoy in his place." Ginny told him.
"I reckon I did a good job of it too!" Harry laughed. Several Gryffindor's walked past them and glared at Harry. Word really had spread quickly. Obviously, they weren't very happy about their 100 point loss for Gryffindor.
"They'll get over it," Ginny smiled at him, and he winked back.
"Hopefully."
There were three weeks until Halloween and the Ball that was going to be held for it. It was to be a fancy dress ball, and so Cho told him that she was going to make his costume for him. The Quidditch Match against Ravenclaw was on saturday. The Gryffindor team had only practised once for the whole year, and that was only a few days ago, when Harry had forgotten to do up his fly. Cho was really rubbing in the fact that her team were very organised and rearing to go for the match and took great delight in telling Harry that they were going to thrash the pants off Gryffindor. Harry knew this was complete crap, because he was the best Seeker Hogwarts had seen in a century, and so he reminded Cho of that every time she thought she'd have another dig about the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Harry plonked himself down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and began to eat his lunch. Ginny came and sat next to him.
"How are you, Harry?" She asked cheerfully, "I haven't seen you all morning."
"Oh, I'm fine thanks, Gin. I've had double ruddy Divination this morning, so it's no wonder you haven't seen much of me. I've been locked up in North Tower." Harry told her, a slight grin on his face.
"Locked up? Trelawnley's not that bad is she? You make her sound like Filch!" Ginny laughed. "Well, guess what? I've managed to land myself a detention. I had double Potions this morning, and Snape was in a seriously bad mood. He gave me a detention for...what was it? Oh yes, he told me I was tarting with Colin Creevey while we were making our potions. What bulltwang! I just laughed at him when he told me that, so now I have to clean all the spare cauldrons and glassware in his classroom. And that's a lot of glass. God, Snape's a bastard." Ginny finished.
"Oh, thanks, Gin. You've got Snape in a great mood for me this afternoon. I have Potions after lunch, and if you managed to get a detention for something as small as flirting with Creevey, I'm sure I could get one just for breathing!" Harry exclaimed, "By the way, you weren't really flirting with Colin, were you?" Harry added hesitantly.
Ginny laughed, "No! Colin needed help with his potion, and you know how good he is! He's a bit like Neville when it comes to Potions, so I had to help him! It wasn't my fault that my top button was undone, it's really hot in Snape's classroom when you're making potions. And Colin had to try to look down my top, didn't he? He just decided to be a perve, and I got the blame for it. It's a bit vicious, hey?" Ginny spoke quickly, getting herself worked up.
"It is a bit," Harry breathed in relief. He had been hoping that she hadn't been flirting with Creevey.
"Harry!" A voice interrupted their conversation. It was Cho. Ginny groaned. "Harry, do you want to come and eat with me at the Ravenclaw table today? I don't think the Ravenclaws will pay you out too bad for having such a crappy, unorganised Quidditch team." She smirked at Ginny, and Ginny smirked sarcastically back. Harry grinned devilishly.
"Get lost. I'm the best Seeker Hogwarts has seen in a century. While your Seeker is a plain old Dud." He told her, grinning at his girlfriend. Cho narrowed her eyes at him, then laughed.
"A Dud, am I? I could whip your ass in Quidditch any day, Harry!" She grabbed his arm and hauled him out of his seat, laughing. Harry gave Ginny an apologetic look and followed Cho, wrapping his arm around her waist. He couldn't help but notice the crushed look on Ginny's face as he walked off.
****
Harry walked slowly to Potions that afternoon. He just knew he was going to get a detention. Again. He always scored a few detentions from Snape. And he knew that this time would be no different. Harry smiled. Well, if I'm going to get a Detention, I might as well earn it properly.
"What's that grin for, Harry?" Ron caught up to him. "What are you planning?"
"Oh, nothing, Ron." Harry told his best friend. "Where's Hermione?" He asked Ron quizzically. Ron never usually went anywhere without Hermione, especially now they were going out.
"Oh, Miss Square simply had to go ahead and check her homework with Snape before the lesson started." Ron exclaimed sarcastically, but grinning anyway.
"Good. She won't get into trouble as well then." Harry stated.
"Into--what?? What are you on about, Harry?" Ron questioned.
"What do you think I'm on about, Ron? Apparently, Snape's in the shittest mood, so I'm gonna get a detention whether I try to get one or not. I might as well have a bit of fun while I'm at it. And you can help me," Harry grinned. It had been a while since he'd purposely shit-stirred in Snape's class. Ron's face widened in a huge grin.
"Wicked. I'm in! What do you reckon we should do?" Ron asked enthusiastically. Harry thought for a moment.
"We definately have to do something to Malfoy, whatever we do. Blow his potion up in his face or something?" Harry suggested.
"Or we could swap one or two of his ingredients over for something seriously toxic. He'd be up in the hospital wing for weeks!" Ron almost bellowed in excitement.
"Awsome idea!" Harry's eyes glinted. "Alright, you get the ingredients to swap, and I'll do the swapping, ok?"
"You're on!" Ron shrieked again. He and Harry walked quickly the rest of the way. When they got there, Hermione was already paired up with Neville. She gave Ron a sorry look and mouthed across the room at him that 'it was the safest thing for Neville.' Ron screwed up his nose and glared at Neville. Harry dragged him to his couldron and set up the ingredients. He had made sure that they had chosen next to the spot that Malfoy and Crabbe usually sat at.
"Get the ingredients while Snape's out of the room and get on with it, Ron!" Harry hissed to Ron.
"Oh, right." Ron mumbled and got up, pretending to go over to talk to Hermione, but dropping a book next to the store room entrance instead. He purposely stumbled on it, sending the book flying through the store room door.
"Whoops," Ron told the class casually, and went to 'retrieve his book.' He came out of the store room a few seconds later with it. He shuffled over to Malfoy's couldron and swapped the ingredients over just as Snape swept into the classroom with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels.
"Bugger, that was pretty close!" Ron exclaimed. "Don't ask me what I got. It was too dark to see. I just flogged whatever was there, so don't be too surprised it Malfoy dies or anything." Ron whispered to Harry. Harry cracked up.
"You flogged my job, idiot!" Harry tried to whisper, although that was pretty hard seeing as he was laughing his head off. "I was gonna swap them, remember? Oh well, I'll be responsible for the shit-stirring, if that's alright with y-"
"Potter! Weasley! Shut those traps and pay attention!" Snape barked at them. Ron couldn't help but snigger and he and Harry continued to whisper to each other like silly school boys.
When Snape had finished his low-down on how to make the particular potion, (Ron and Harry had no idea of what potion they were meant to be making, because they hadn't listened to a word) they got their ingredients set up and ready to go.
"All right, Harry. Your turn." Ron told him. Harry grinned and leant back, pretending to yawn, and 'accidentally' swatting Malfoy in the face. Malfoy spun around, ready to kill.
"If that was you, Potter-" He began.
"Me?" Harry asked innocently. "What? I didn't do anything!"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Potter. How dumbassed do you think I am?" Draco snarled. Harry chuckled.
"Do you really want me to answer that, Malfoy?" Harry raised his eyebrows sarcastically. Harry knew he was shit-stirring, but it was really fun. He could see Crabbe out of the corner of his eye shovelling ingredients into the cauldron. Harry had to fight down a snigger. Any moment now....
Malfoy's eyes widened in rage. "You'll pay for that one, dickhead!" He spat at Harry.
"Whatever," Harry waved him off and pretended to go back to 'helping' Ron with the Potion. There wasn't even anything in their Cauldron, of course. It was completely empty. Harry glanced at Ron, who shrugged and gave him a blank, "What the hell?" look. Harry knew that he didn't know what do with their potion any more than he did. Snape suddenly loomed over them.
"May I ask why you two have absolutely nothing in your cauldron?" He asked them coldly. Ron started to explain rather nervously.
"Um, Me and Harry stuffed up the quantities of the bubotuber pus, so we had so start again." He managed to choke out. Snape raised one greasy eyebrow and peered into their couldron.
"You must think I was born yesterday, Weasel. Don't think I haven't seen you standing here doing next to bloody nothing for twenty minutes. Don't you dare give me pathetic stories about not getting the quantities right, when you haven't even opened one of the bottles." Snape told them snidely, picking up one of their pristine, unopened bottles of bubotuber pus and holding it up as evidence. He dropped it down on the desk and strode past them to address the class. Oh, here we go, Harry thought to himself. A good old verbal bashing from Snape.
"Right, now you should all be adding your powdered root of asphodel, unless of course, you are Potter and Weasley, who already know how to make this potion so they didn't bother -or so they say." Snape added coolly. He glanced over at Seamus and Dean's potion. "What the hell do you call that? Did you not hear me correctly? Am I right in assuming that I told the class that the potion must be of a thick consistancy ? Throw it out and start again, that's bloody revolting."
Seamus didn't move. Snape sighed in annoyance and picked up his and Dean's cauldron and dropped it straight onto the floor. The blue contents went everywhere, and Snape smirked at Seamus and Dean, who were sitting there open-mouthed, too shocked to move.
"Clean it up right now, you little ferrets." Snape told them coldly, "And don't even think of using those wands of yours. You can damn well scrub on your hands and knees." He swept off, leaving them to it.
Harry, wide-eyed, turned to Ron.
"Did I mention Snape was in a bad mood?" He asked Ron. They had forgotten all about Malfoys cauldron, when suddenly-
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Holy Shit!" Malfoy shrieked. He was thrown back a few metres from the blast and was covered in frangipani-coloured acid. Harry took one look at him and burst out laughing. By now the acid was eating through his robes and staining his bum cheeks blue. Ron and Harry were on the floor in fits. Malfoy jumped up, shrieking.
"Let me out! Open the fr!ck!n' door!" He screamed. Snape grabbed him by the collar and dumped a cauldron of water over his head. Draco stopped shrieking and gasped as the water ran down his face. He began to recover and was quick to blame everyone.
"Crabbe! You dumbshit! What the hell are you trying to do to me?!" Draco bellowed at him. But Crabbe was in a worse state than Malfoy. The acid had eaten away most of his hair, and his head was quickly turning a brilliant shade of prussian blue.
"Hospital Wing, you two!" Snape shouted through the hysterical laughter of the students in the room. He turned to Harry. "Congratulations, Potter. You've earnt yourself a little detention friday night. You'll be scrubbing the glassware and spare cauldrons with Miss Weasley." Snape told him curtly.
Harry didn't even bother glaring at him. He knew it was coming sooner or later. It was no surprise at all that he'd just landed another detention. He was actually quite shocked that he'd lasted as long as he did. It wouldn't be too bad though, he was serving it with Ginny, so they may even have fun. They were good mates, he and Ginny. Good mates.
****
It was Dinner time, and Harry was in a good mood, despite the detention. He saw Ginny and headed towards her.
"Seeya in detention friday night, Gin," He told her, giving her a grin. She glanced up at him and grinned back.
"So I heard!" She asked him, trying hard not to start laughing. "I also heard that you lost 100 points for Gryffindor." She added.
"Oh What? 100? Bloody Hell, that's a bit rich!"
"Yeah well, you did just about blow up Malfoy and Crabbe, didn't you?" Ginny tried to hide her grin. Harry caught it, and grinned back.
"I didn't actually blow them up, but they are a little blue. Ron must have grabbed a bottle or two of Fladriffe acid. You should've seen 'em, Gin! They were a mess! It was so funny, it was completely worth every point I lost! I wish you'd seen it, you would have laughed so hard!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny giggled.
"I probably would have. It was about time someone put Malfoy in his place." Ginny told him.
"I reckon I did a good job of it too!" Harry laughed. Several Gryffindor's walked past them and glared at Harry. Word really had spread quickly. Obviously, they weren't very happy about their 100 point loss for Gryffindor.
"They'll get over it," Ginny smiled at him, and he winked back.
"Hopefully."