CHAPTER 10: WHOOPING COUGH

The following morning, Harry was still pretty peed off that he hadn't been able to hear what Draco and his uncle were talking about. Ron pointed out to him at breakfast that they'd already found out about the brothel Draco was planning to start up, and that they could just anonymously tell Professor Dumbledore and get Draco to stop, or better, expelled!

'But Dumbledore will tell him it was us!' was Harry's retaliation. He really just wanted to know more about this brothel.

'He won't remember, Harry! We'll just write it down and when he sobers up, he'll remember and attempt to shoot Draco. Look, he tried to kill him last year, Dumbledore ain't gonna take lightly to that!'

'Yeah, about last year, what happened after Draco couldn't kill Dumbledore? I thought Snape came in, killed him himself and then ran away with Draco. Apparently not.'

'No… Dumbledore froze all of those Death Eaters who came in, and then unfroze you whilst sending you a brainwave to beat them all up, except Draco. You turned into some sort of ninja when you took your cloak off, except you spoke with a Scottish accent…' he said, shrugging. 'You kept leaping six foot in the air in karate slash Chinese monk style poses, and then kicked everyone's ass! Except Draco's.' He added sternly. 'You also had the most peculiar facial expressions when you said things like "Hyorrrrrr"! It was hilarious!'

'I see…' replied Harry with a cunning yet thoughtful face. 'Why not Draco?'

'Well, duh! Ol' Dumbledore wanted to finish him for himself!' said Ron, triumphantly.

'Well, he didn't. He's still here! Wouldn't he have expelled him?'

'Well, he was about to, but Draco got him drunk when he took him down Rosmerta's to apologise to her for putting her under the Imperius Curse. She wasn't too pleased,' added Ron, shaking his finger as though telling Harry off like he was a small child.

'Oh, right. So now what?'

'Dunno.'

'Hmmm…'

There was a long pause.

'So, did you have a nice weekend?' asked Ron.

'Erm… it wasn't too bad. You?'

'Well, it had it's ups and downs. Would have preferred to have had spent the whole time playing more tricks on Hermione b-'

'It was you!'

'No, it wasn't. What was?'

'Hermione's breakfast exploding in her face, her ink bottle stalking her and then complaining that she was killing it and using it's blood to feed her brain and of course, turning her pillow into a bag of sprouts, and sprouts are just vile!'

'Yeah, that was me… I don't like Hermione. She's a bit of a bitch.'

'Don't get me started on her. I just wish you'd told me so I could join in and pull some pranks myself.'

'Sorry, mate.'

'You will be.'

'I am now.'

'Are you arguing with me?'

'No, I wa-'

'I'll put a stop to this!'

'Nooo…'

From the other side of the table, Hermione cut in with a deliberate cough to stop Harry and Ron from breathing. Luckily she hadn't heard about the whole prank thing.

'Oh, go to the bloody hospital wing if you've got Whooping Cough again!' shouted Ron.