Here We Go Again! SD and PK Take on Hogwarts-
-samuraiduck27 and PsychoKitty13
SD27: …
PK13: (pouts) Just because you're not excited about the chapter doesn't mean the readers don't have to be.
SD27: (grumbles and stalks off to type)
PK13: She's just grouchy because she has to take Speech now at school… and it's making her irritable. ONWARDS!
DISCLAIMER: SD27 and PK13 don't own anything but their counterparts and the pets; though the counterparts are starting to rebel… we think they might want paychecks.
Chapter 11- Flames, Factions, and an End to Fierce Rivalry?
PK had to admit; Fred and George were quite talented in the art of joke making. Their 'Skiving Snackboxes' were more impressive up close than reading about them. The Twins were currently occupying one corner of the Gryffindor Common Room, showing off their latest perfected one- the 'Puking Pastille'.
The brunette sighed as for what seemed the hundredth time, Fred bit down on the orange end of a dual-colored chew, then vomited into a bucket while forcing down the other, purple, end of the thing while Lee Jordan lazily used Vanishing Spell after Vanishing Spell to erase the evidence.
It kind of gets old after the tenth time…she thought, glancing around the room and surveying its other occupants.
Angelina Johnson, newly appointed Quiddich team Captain, was moping in a corner over the fact that Umbridge had still refused to give Gryffindor back their playing rights, even though their first match was coming up very soon. Harry and Ron were within close proximity, also gloomy… but judging how they both had Potions texts in their hands, it was most likely because of that. Hermione kept a close watch over them, but was sparing disapproving glances at the Weasley twins, who were now taking pre-orders of their new merchandise.
PK snickered as Hermione's under-the-breath grumbling had finally gotten to Harry's temperament, causing the jet-haired boy to send an irritated glance and a growl of "Just go and stop them, then!" towards Hermione, emphasizing his point by jabbing his quill towards the red-heads.
"I can't, they're not technically doing anything wrong," she replied through gritted teeth, "They're within their rights to eat the things themselves, and no rule says that the other idiots aren't allowed to buy them, unless they're dangerous in some way… it doesn't look like they are though."
A disturbing noise that the Trio, PK, and everyone within the vicinity had gotten used to disrupted them, and they turned their attention to Fred and George's corner, where George was projectile-vomiting into the bucket, while managing to gulp down the rest of the chew in-between heaves. The red-haired teen straightened up, a grin on his face as he bowed to the large amounts of applause.
PK sighed, setting aside the finished Transformation essay she'd been working on, "That is just gross. Fascinating, but really, really gross."
Harry heard the off-handed comment from the brunette, "Yeah. You know, I don't get why the three of them only got three OWLs each," he said, watching the trio of boys collect gold from the eager group of students, "They really know their stuff…"
Hermione frowned, "They only know flashy stuff that's no real use to anyone."
"No real use?" remarked Ron, "Hermione, those three have gotten about twenty-six Galleons already… I wish I could come up with something like that!"
It was a long wait for the Trio as they waited for the crowds around the Weasley twins to die down, and then the Twins and Lee just had to count up their earnings afterwards. PK, clueless about the fact that Harry, Hermione, and Ron were waiting for her to go to bed so that Sirius could communicate to them through the fire, stayed up reading a book she found in the bottom of her trunk earlier that evening. While digging through her things, looking for a spare quill, she came upon her old book bag that had came with her when her and SD had been plunged into the alternate universe all those months ago.
PK stopped reading for a second as she grinned wryly to herself, 'I'm getting too used to this- sometimes I even forget that SD and I don't really belong here… heh.'
Marking her spot in her book with a slip of parchment she ripped, PK closed the book and got up off of the couch. She stretched out a bit and yawned, bidding the others goodnight as she started the trek up the spiral staircase.
Hermione and the boys watched PK out of the corner of their eyes, and sighed in relief as they heard the unmistakable noise of a door shutting.
"I thought she'd never leave," Ron muttered, as Harry frowned, "What?"
"That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Ronald." Hermione replied.
"True, but Sirius told us midnight, and it's near one as it is. I don't know how much longer he could have waited." was Harry's input, as he set aside his still not completed essay, deciding to leave it be for the night.
"Not much longer, I have to say. After all, I am getting rather tired."
The Trio spun around at the deep voice coming from the fireplace, "Sirius!" Ron yelped.
Sirius grinned at the freckled boy, "Hello to you too."
"Hi," chorused the Trio, all three of them coming to sit down on the rug in front of the fireplace. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, came out of nowhere, purring loudly and trying to put his face close to Sirius's.
"How're things?"
Harry shrugged, "They're not that good, actually," he stopped and smirked as Hermione pulled a hissing Crookshanks away from the fire, noticing that the cat's whiskers had been slightly singed. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quiddich teams-"
"Or secret DADA groups?" Sirius interrupted, a small smug smirk on his face that preceded a short pause in conversation.
"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.
"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," Sirius said, grin widening, "The Hog's Head, I ask you…"
"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" Hermione huffed, "That's always packed with people-"
"And it would have been harder for people to overhear you. You've got a lot to learn, Hermione." the man chuckled.
"Who overheard us?"
"Mundungus did," Sirius shrugged, and then laughed at the puzzled looks on the teens' faces, "He was the witch under the veil."
A half hour passed as the four chattered near the hearth, Umbridge and her stupid laws were discussed, and Harry was throwing ideas around about where to hold the DADA club with Sirius when a look of panic showed itself upon his face. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the brick wall of the fireplace.
"Sirius?" Harry said anxiously.
But Sirius had vanished, leaving his godson gaping at the flames for a moment, before turning to Ron and Hermione.
"Why did he-"
Hermione gasped and leapt to her feet suddenly, staring at the fire, horrified. The others looked towards it, and gasped as well, before they fled up the stairs. A hand had appeared amongst the flames, searching as if trying to grab something it knew had been there seconds earlier. A hand that was stubby, short-fingered, and covered in gaudy, old-fashioned rings…
Meanwhile, the Trio weren't the only people using the Floo system that night. In the dark, underground common room of Slytherin House, a bleach-blonde haired figure talked to a family member in hushed tones.
"I'm sure that you've heard that all owls are being searched as they return to the school, Father. I hope you're not upset with the late hour of this call." Draco murmured to the head in the flames.
"At the present moment, no. After all, you did say you had something of importance to discuss with me, did you not?"
The tone that that Malfoy Sr. used as he spoke implied that it better be damn well worth it or he was not going to be a very happy camper. Draco nodded and pulled out a piece of parchment that he had been carrying with him for the last few weeks, waiting for the right time to contact his father about it.
"You see, Father, I discovered something that could be of use to you, and possibly to the Dark Lord." Draco said, casting a fireproof charm upon the sheet and passing it to his father through the flames. (1)
There was a brief lapse of conversation as Malfoy Sr. read through the sheet that Draco had passed to him, while the latter waited in silent anxiousness. After what seemed like an eternity, cold grey eyes made contact with Draco's nervous ones, and a small smirk crept upon the older wizard's face.
"Well done, Draco, well done indeed. This could prove to be very useful in the near future. Where did you get it; and don't lie, Son. I know that this handwriting does not belong to you."
A small frown marred Draco's pale face; "I found it with the new transfer student. She fell asleep in the library and I thought it was her Transfiguration notes."
"Miss Zephyr, if I recall? Ah yes, you did complain about her in a letter or two to your mother. Keep an eye on her, Draco. If she comes up with any new theories, anything else like this, report to me. Unless she is a friend of yours," here Draco's frown deepened into a scowl, "I doubt that she will be willing to share information with you willingly."
"Yes, Father."
"If that is all, I'll be going."
"It is. Goodbye, Father."
Draco received no answer as the connection was abruptly cut off. Sighing, he flopped down on the couch, wondering if what he did was the brightest thing to do. After all, his father had that smirk on his face… that one that meant something had just gone very well for him, which was never a good thing. Closing his eyes, he sat there in thought, not noticing as a short feminine figure glared at him through the darkness before returning silently to the girls' dorms.
"Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry. There's no doubt about it."
"You think the Toad attacked Hedwig?" he replied angrily.
Hermione nodded, "I'm almost certain of it. And by the way, your frog's trying to get away from you."
Harry pointed his wand at the bullfrog that was hopping closer and closer to the edge of the table- Accio! - And it zoomed back into his hand, probably disappointed that it almost had been free and Hermione had to go and open her big mouth.
Charms was one of the best lessons to enjoy a private conversation; there was so much talking and moving going on that it was a small chance that one would be overheard in the noise of the classroom. Today, with the room full of the sound of bullfrogs croaking and ravens fluttering, and not to mention the heavy rains pouring down on the windows and roof from outside, the Trio's whispered conversation on how Umbridge had almost caught Sirius the night before went unnoticed.
"I've been suspecting this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dung bombs a few weeks ago, Harry. It seemed such a stupid lie, really." Hermione whispered, "I mean, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear that you weren't ordering them, so you wouldn't have been in trouble at all- it's a rather weak joke, right? Then I thought, what if someone just did that as an excuse to read your mail? And it was Umbridge's hand that popped up in the flames last night, after all. And by the way, you're squashing your frog."
Harry looked down to see that he was indeed clutching the frog still residing in his hand rather tightly, actually enough to make its eyes begin to bulge out; he dropped it back onto the desk.
"It was a very close call last night," Harry muttered, "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close of a call it actually was. Silencio!"
The bullfrog he was working with continued its croaking, and Harry frowned, wondering what he did wrong. He watched as Hermione performed the charm effortlessly, and hers went silent. Sighing distractedly, he waved his wand toward the frog again and watched wide-eyed as it swelled and started giving off a high-pitched whistle-like shriek. Hermione quickly cast a Silencio over it, and frowned exasperatedly at Harry, who shrugged and turned back to the poor animal.
"If she'd caught Snuffles…"
"Then he'd be back in Azkaban this morning, Harry. Well, he mustn't do it again, that's for sure. I just don't know how we're going to let him know anything since we can't send him an owl…"
"Watch out! Frog coming through! Get back here, dang it!"
Hermione and Harry ducked as a bullfrog, followed by SD running after it, shot their way. Apparently the girl still had a few bugs to work out with her wand work. Ron sighed at the Slytherin's antics and shrugged as he replied to the conversation the other two were having before they were interrupted.
"I don't reckon he'd risk it again anyways," he sighed, pointing his wand to the raven in front of him, "He's not stupid- he knows he almost got caught. Silencio!"
The large, ugly raven let out a caw. Ron tried again, but nothing happened and the raven cawed louder.
"Silencio! SILENCIO!"
"It's the way you're moving the wand; you don't wave it, you give it a sharp jab…"
Ron frowned, "Ravens are harder than frogs!"
Hermione sighed, "Then lets swap, Ronald."
Harry sighed and went back to work on his own frog, knowing that the two would probably end up fighting again anyways.
Across the room, SD and PK were practicing with their own animals. SD was still trying to work with her frog, which was ill tempered and PK swore was reminiscent of SD in the morning, before coffee. The brunette, on the other hand, was whimpering because she got settled with a raven, and she didn't want to perform any spells on it, claiming it'd be like her using it on her beloved Rakir.
"For Ra's sake, PK. It's just a silencing spell! It won't harm it any!" SD frowned at her friend.
"But… But…" PK stuttered, trying to think of a way to get out of it.
"If you won't do it, then I will. I need the practice anyways."
PK stepped protectively in front of the raven, "NO! Knowing you, you're going to blow poor Kage-chan into a bazillion pieces!"
SD blinked at the frowning PK, "You… named it. You named the raven. That's kind of pathetic. And I'm not so bad with a wand that I'd blow the bird up!"
"SD, you inflated your frog up like a helium balloon that suddenly lost its air. And so what if I named him? He's cute…" PK replied, patting the top of the raven's head, "aren't you?"
SD sighed and went back to working on her frog, muttering under her breath and laughing at PK when she got extra practice of the Silencing Charm for homework.
During their free-hours, the students were allowed to stay inside because of the torrential downpour occurring outside. SD found PK and the Trio inside a noisy classroom on the first floor and ran over to them, crushing PK in a hug.
"Ack! What was that for?" PK squeaked, trying to get out of SD's grip.
SD pulled a bag of candy that had a tag reading "To: SD, From: PK" on it. The bag was filled with small pink and white candies that were pill-shaped.
"The bag of Good and Plenty! (2) I can't believe you found some! Where'd you get it? Hmm?" SD replied, pulling out a few of the small candies.
PK's eyes widened, as she had never sent SD any candy, and there was the fact that the pill-shaped candy looked too much like…
"SD, don't-"
The blonde popped a few of the white ones into her mouth and munched happily on them. "Yummm!"
"-Eat… them." PK sighed; watching as SD's face turned violently green all of a sudden and she ran off, one hand over her mouth and another over her stomach. PK picked up the bag that SD had dropped and took a look at one of the candies, scratching off the white candy coating to see orange looking back at her.
"Fred and George are so dead when SD gets a hold of them…" PK muttered, noticing that the pink ones evidently were the antidotes as they were purple underneath the pink coating.
"I'll be right back you guys," she said to the Trio, "And I'd warn those two idiots to watch out later."
PK followed SD's path to the nearest lavatory, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at her retreating back. Ron started snickering a bit, and Harry did as well. Hermione gave the two a glare, "That was not funny, I actually feel sort of bad for the girl."
Harry shook his head; "They've been at each other all year long- Zephyr should have known to at least check the stuff before eating it."
"Yeah," added Ron, "Remember they tried to give one of them that Canary Cream? It didn't work, so Fred and George had to try a different tactic. It's really nothing, and besides- it was only Zephyr. She's a Slytherin."
Hermione whacked Ron over the head with her Arithmancy textbook, "Ronald Weasley! You're such a prat sometimes! Argh!"
Before Ron could reply, Angelina came struggling through the crowd of students and beamed at them, "I've got permission to reform the Quiddich team!" she yelled, elated.
"Excellent!" Ron and Harry chorused.
Angelina nodded, "Yep! I went to McGonagall, and I think she might have appealed to Dumbledore. Anyways, Umbridge was forced to give it. Hah! So you guys need to be at the pitch tonight since we've only got three weeks until our first game, all right?"
The boys nodded, and Angelina ran off, going to find more members of the team to tell them the good news. Ron's smile slipped slightly as he looked out the window, which was now opaque because of the seemingly endless hammering of rain on the glass.
"I hope this clears up… What's up with you, Hermione?" Ron asked, noticing that the bushy-haired girl was gazing out the window, frowning at nothing and an un-focused look in her eyes.
"Just thinking, that's all…" she muttered in reply, still frowning at the window.
"About Snuffles?" Harry asked.
"No, not exactly…" Hermione replied slowly, "More… wondering… I suppose we're doing the right thing… I think… aren't we?"
The boys blinked in obvious confusion, then looked at each other. "Well, that clears things up," Ron said sarcastically, "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly, after all."
Hermione turned her attention to the red-haired boy and gave him a look that seemed to say that she hadn't even realized that he was there. "I was just wondering," she repeated, voice stronger, "whether or not we're doing the right thing with this Defense group."
"What?" the boys said together.
"But Hermione- it was your idea in the first place!" Ron protested.
"I know… but after talking to Snuffles…"
"But he's all for it!" Harry replied.
"Yes, and that's what made me think that maybe it's not such a good idea after all."
Harry glared, annoyed, at her. "So, just because Sirius agrees with us is reason to not set this up?"
Hermione now looked rather tense and miserable, probably wishing she'd never have brought any of it up in the first place; looking down at her hands, she mumbled, "Do you really trust his judgment, Harry?"
"Yes, yes I do! He's always given us great advice!"
Hermione sighed; a slight lapse in response occurred as if the bushy-haired girl was thinking through her next words carefully. "Don't you think he's become a little… reckless… since he's been cooped up at Grimmauld Place? You don't think he's kind of… living… through us?"
"What d'you mean 'living through us'?" Harry retorted angrily.
"I mean… well, he seems like he's keen to kind of egg us on about this…"
Ron blinked, perplexed. He shook his head at Hermione, "Sirius is right," he said, "you do sound just like my mother."
PK finally caught up with SD and passed her the pink antidote pills through the lavatory stall, telling her what the candies really were. "I tried to tell you not to eat them…" she said mockingly, "But you never listen to me when sugar's involved, now do you?"
SD came out of the stall, breathing heavily and glaring at the brunette, before going over to the sink to wash her mouth out. "I thought they were from you. You're not taking those two dimwits' side, now are you, PK? Hmm?"
PK snorted, "Of course not, SD! …Though it was kind of funny to see your eyes get all wide and face all green… I don't think I've ever seen you run so fast!"
SD kicked the laughing girl in the shin before fixing her hair and heading towards the door, "C'mon, PK. It's just about lunch time."
PK stopped rubbing her newly injured leg and blinked at the girl, "After all that, you still want to eat?" she asked.
PK caught a hint of malicious gleaming in the blonde's eyes. "Duh. It's lunch! And of course, Fred and George never miss lunch, do they?" And with that, SD bolted out the restroom doors and to the Great Hall, PK trailing once again in her wake.
Ra have mercy on their souls…SD's gonna kill them…
"How. Dare. You. Feed. Me. That. Crap!"
A good deal of the Gryffindor table, as well as most of the student body watched amused and frightened as an enraged blonde and red-haired girl beat the infamous Weasley twins over the head with a textbook, emphasizing each word she said with another whack. The pair had tried to flee, but SD had quickly pulled out her wand and used a Sticking Charm to make sure they stayed stuck to the table bench.
Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned, after all…
"It was a joke, Zephyr! A prank! Ow… get off it, already!" Fred moaned, clutching his head and trying to avoid SD's copy of 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi.
"It's not like you haven't done any to us! You were just dumb enough to fall for- bloody hell, that smarts!" George added, getting a huge bump on the head for the 'dumb' comment.
"And then you had the audacity to go and disguise it as one of my favorite candies!" SD roared, stopping the book in mid-swing, blinking confusedly at the pair, "How did you know that, anyways?"
"Uhh… if we say 'lucky guess', will you stop beating on us?" Fred whined.
"…Are you going to feed me those things again?" SD growled.
"No ma'am!" they squeaked, fearing the book that was raised menacingly above them.
She lowered the book and grinned, "Good. Now, boys- this is what happens when you take a prank too far. Did you even think of what might have happened if PK hadn't discovered that they were altered versions of those Puking Pastilles I've been hearing about?"
A glum "No…" was her answer.
"See? Now, let's keep it to pranks that don't mess up one's bodily functions, okay?"
"Okay."
SD clapped her hands together and pulled her wand out again. "Good boys. Now I'm going to go eat. And just for the hell of it, Aguamenti!".
SD smirked as her new favorite charm drenched the boys, and their plates. With a small spring in her step she took up her usual seat next to PK and grinned, ignoring the murderous glares sent by Fred and George… and seeing as they were still stuck to their seats, they really couldn't do anything about it.
The blonde sighed contentedly and reached for a plate. "Well, that made me feel better."
"Glad to hear that, SD." PK replied, not really paying attention.
Ron, on the other hand, looked horrified, "You beat…my brothers… with a textbook. And you say you feel better now? What is wrong with you?"
The Duo looked at each other, then shrugged. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
The weather did not improve as the day went on, so by seven that evening, when Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quiddich team went down to the pitch for practice, they were soaked within minutes and had a harm time catching their footing on the sodden grass and slippery puddles of mud that were everywhere. The sky was a thundery grey, and the light and warmth of the changing rooms was welcomed, even though everyone knew that the shelter from the outside weather was temporary. Fred and George were debating whether or not to use some of their Skiving Snackboxes to get out of practice.
"-but I bet she'd know what we'd done," Fred said, whispering to his twin, "If only I hadn't offered to sell her some Puking Pastilles yesterday."
"And the stunt Zephyr pulled earlier didn't help matters much either." added George, "My head still hurts. We could try the Fever Fudge- no one's seen that yet."
"Does it work?" Ron butted in, sounding hopeful as the hammering of the rain of the roof grew stronger and the winds picked up their howling to what might have been a record for the day.
"Well, yeah," Fred shrugged, "Your temperature'll go right up-"
"-but you get these huge pus-filled boils too," George finished, "and we haven't worked out how to get rid of them yet."
"I don't see any boils." Ron said, frowning at his brothers.
"No, well, you wouldn't," said Fred darkly, "they're not in a place you'd normally display to the public-"
"-but they make sitting on a broom a right pain in the ass."
Ron blanched and Harry shook his head while Fred and George started snickering a bit. Angelina came out of the Captain's office and called for the attention of the group.
"All right, listen up! I know it's not ideal weather, but there's a good chance we'll be playing Slytherin in conditions like this so it's a good idea to work out how we're going to cope with them. Harry- do you remember what you did to your glasses that one time we played Hufflepuff in that storm?"
Harry nodded, "Hermione did it." He pulled out his wand and pointed it to his glasses, saying "Impervius!". With that spell, Harry's glasses were now water-proof, and the rest of the team copied the jet-haired teen, applying the charm to their faces.
Practice was rather pathetic, and it was mostly to blame on the fact that even with Impervius added to help their sight, it was still hard to see more than five inches in front of your broom. Angelina led the disgruntled team back into the changing room, insisting rather fiercely that it hadn't been a waste of time to practice. Fred and George were walking bandy-legged, mumbling to themselves how 'a few of them had ruptured' and were wincing with every step. Harry could hear them complaining as he dried off his hair with a towel. Suddenly a sharp pain jolted through his head from his scar, more painful than it had been for several months.
"OUCH!" Harry exclaimed, drawing the attention of several people, who inquired if Harry was all right. He emerged from behind his towel; the changing room slightly blurred without the help of his glasses but still able to tell that almost the whole group was staring at him.
"Nothing," he lied, "I just poked myself in the eye that's all."
But he gave Ron a significant look and they trailed behind the rest of the leaving group so they could discuss it privately. "What happened?" Ron asked, the second Alicia had left the room, "Was it your scar?"
"Yeah."
"But…" looking scared, Ron strode off towards the window and looked out at the rain, "He- he can't be anywhere near us, can he?"
"I doubt it; he's probably miles away, but he's… angry."
Harry hadn't meant to say that at all, but somehow he just knew that somewhere, Voldemort was in a towering temper; something wasn't going right. Ron paled at Harry's words, "Did you see him?" he asked, looking terrified. "Did… you get a vision or something?"
"No… just… I don't know how to explain it, Ron."
"Is this what it was about last time, when you had that detention with Zephyr in Umbridge's office? You-Know-Who was angry?"
Harry shook his head; "No… he was pleased, last time. Really pleased… he thought something good was going to happen. And then the night before we came to Hogwarts, back at the Headquarters, I felt that he was furious."
He looked over to Ron, who was gaping at him and looked rather like a fish, "You could take over for Trelawney, mate." He said in an awed voice.
"I'm not making predictions, Ron," said Harry.
The two debated over it for a while, Ron urging Harry to tell Dumbledore, or at least Sirius, while Harry adamantly protested doing so, saying that the two already knew and that there was no means of contacting the Azkaban escapee anyway.
"C'mon, we've got Silencing Charms to practice." Harry muttered, changing the topic and hurrying out into the storm, his mind on other things, like why Voldemort was so angry.
What's got him so frustrated…? "He's got other plans, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed… stuff he can only get by stealth, like a weapon. Something that he didn't have last time." I haven't thought of those words since that night of questioning back at the Headquarters… why are they coming back to me now? What could he be looking for… and why is he so angry over it?
Those thoughts plagued him until he and Ron reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Mimblulus Mimbletonia." Ron said in a dreary, tired voice, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. They climbed through the portrait hole and into the warm, fire-lit common room. It was pretty much empty, except for a few older students at work at the tables in the corner and a dozing PK, who had been reading the same book as the night before. Hermione was nowhere to be found, and Crookshanks was sitting on a pile of knobbly elf-sized hats that Hermione had taken to knitting, hoping that the House-Elves would chance upon them and end up being freed from what she thought was slavery. Harry was rather grateful that the girl wasn't around, as knowing her, she'd be inquiring into the business with his scar once Ron opened his mouth and frankly, he was not in the mood to do so.
Pulling out his Potions text, he tried to focus on getting the essay due for Snape in the morning done, although in reality he was only pretending to concentrate. By the time midnight came and went, Harry had barely written anything down. Ron went to bed a few minutes later, and Harry was still reading and re-reading a paragraph on the uses of scurvy-grass, lovage, and sneezewort and not taking in a word of it.
PK was still dozing sitting up on the couch, though it was pretty obvious she was in a pretty deep sleep. Harry wondered vaguely how she could sleep in such an uncomfortable position before his thoughts got more jumbled with Potions properties, the thing with his scar and Sirius, and oh, he was so tired… a few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt, would they? No…
The book slipped sideways from his grip and landed with a thud on the floor, his head fell sideways…
He was walking once more down a windowless corridor, this time though… it seemed rather familiar, as if he had seen it outside of his dreams… His footsteps echoed in the silence, the door at the end of the passage loomed larger; his heartbeat sped up with excitement.
If only he could reach it, open it… enter the room that was sure to be beyond…
Harry stretched out his fingers, inches away….
"Harry Potter, sir!"
He awoke suddenly, the candles had all been extinguished in the common room, the fire was almost out, and the room was quite dark. Something was moving towards the teen, and sleepily he sat upright in his chair, "Whozzair?" he called.
"Dobby has your owl, sir!" a squeaky voice called out.
"Dobby?" Harry repeated dumbly, still feeling the effects of grogginess as he squinted around in the dim light. He saw the house-elf standing near the pile of knitted hats; Hedwig perched on his outstretched arm. But it was Dobby's appearance that made Harry crack a smile; the elf's pointed ears were sticking out from beneath what looked like all the hats that Hermione had ever knitted, as well as a few scarves and too many mismatched socks to count.
"Dobby volunteered to return Harry Potter's owl!" said the elf, with a look of pure adoration on its face, "Professor Grubbly-Plank says she is all well now, sir!"
Dobby bowed deeply to Harry, and Hedwig hooted annoyed before fluttering over to the arm of Harry's chair.
"Thanks, Dobby!" Harry replied, stroking Hedwig's head and blinking, trying to rid himself of the sleepy feeling threatening to overcome him at any given moment, "Err… have you been taking all off the clothes Hermione's been leaving out?"
"Oh, no sir. Dobby has been taking some for Winky, too." Dobby said happily, going around and beginning to tidy things up around the room.
"Yeah, how is Winky?" Harry asked, watching as the elf's ears drooped a bit.
"Winky is still drinking lots, sir," he said sadly, "She still does not care for clothes, Harry Potter. Nor do the other house-elves. None of them will clean Gryffindor Tower anymores, so Dobby is left to do it all by himself. But Dobby does not mind, for he always hopes to meet Harry Potter sir, and tonight he got his wish!" Here he sank once more into a deep bow, "But Harry Potter does not seem very happy; is he having bad dreams, I wonder? Dobby heard him muttering in his sleep."
Harry shrugged, fighting back a yawn, "Not really bad. I've had worse."
Dobby surveyed the jet-haired teen out of his vast, orblike green eyes. "Dobby wishes he could help Harry Potter, because Harry Potter set Dobby free and he is much happier, that he is."
Harry smiled. "You can't help me, Dobby. But thanks for the offer."
He bent down to pick up his book, and watched in amusement as Dobby poked awake the still-sleeping-on-the-couch PK, who blinked sleepily then gave out a low shriek at the elf in front of her.
"Dobby not mean to scare Miss Sleepy-girl, but she is needing to go to her room so Dobby can clean." The elf said apologetically, handing PK the book that had fallen to the floor when she jumped up.
"Ehh… yeah. No problem, Dobby." She replied, before turning to Harry, "And stop with the grinning, Scar-boy. Wasn't that funny."
Dobby frowned, "Miss Sleepy-girl shouldn't say things like that to the Great Harry Potter, that she should not!"
Tuning the two out for a second, Harry's gaze turned to the faint pearly-white scars on the back of his hand, where Umbridge's quills had left their mark. Something clicked in his mind, and he interrupted the debate between the other two occupants of the room.
"Wait, there is something you could do for me, Dobby." He said slowly. The elf bounced over to his side, beaming.
"Just name it, Harry Potter, sir!"
"Harry Potter, sir?" PK snorted under her breath, marking her place in her book and chuckling at Dobby's title.
Harry frowned at PK, then turned his attention back to the beaming elf in front of him. "I need to find a place where about twenty-nine people could practice Defense without any of the teachers being able to find out. Especially… Professor Umbridge."
Expecting Dobby's smile to vanish and ears to droop, he was quite surprised when the elf clapped his hands and bounced up and down.
"Dobby know the perfect place! The elves know it as The Come and Go room, or the Room of Requirement! You can only enter it if you need things badly, sir. Dobby has taken Winky there when she has had too too much to drink and found things to help her there. Dobby knows that Mr. Filch uses has found extra cleaning supplies there as well."
"How many people know about it, Dobby?" Harry asked.
"I do." Muttered PK, "It's somewhere on the seventh floor, right?"
Dobby nodded his head, "But it is a tricky tricky room to find, Harry Potter sir. Mostly people stumble upon it and not find it again for a long time. So very few know where it is, they do. But Dobby knows exactly where it is! Dobby can take you there now, if you like!"
Looking at the clock on the wall, he was tempted to go grab his Invisibility Cloak and leave then. But, he was just too tired. Getting the directions from Dobby, he wrote them down on spare parchment and bid goodnight to the elf, as did PK, and left him to his work.
The storm was still raging strong as ever the next day. Double Herbology was a pain to get to, and Care of Magical Creatures had been relocated to a free classroom on the ground floor. Angelina came by during lunch to tell Ron and Harry that Quiddich practice had been canceled for the night as well.
"Good," Harry replied quietly when she told them, "Because we've found a place to hold our first Defense meeting. Meet us tonight, eight 'o clock, seventh floor across from that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Tell Katie and Alicia, would you?"
She looked slightly surprised, but Angelina agreed to tell the others. Ron and Hermione gave Harry a look that said 'explain-now-please'. He told them about the talk with Dobby the night before, and assured them that the room was safe and was real, as PK had heard of it as well.
Together the Trio, with PK's help, spent most of the day seeking out students who had signed the paper in the Hog's Head and telling them where to meet that evening. Somewhat to Harry's chagrin, it was Ginny Weasley who had found Cho Chang and he friend first and had informed them of the meeting that night; however, by dinner he was confident that all other twenty-five people who had signed that list were notified.
Around seven thirty, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and PK all headed up to the Room of Requirement, Harry clutching a worn piece of parchment in his hand and looking at it every so often. Fifth years had a curfew of nine 'o clock, unlike the younger students, but that didn't keep them from looking around warily for any signs of faculty or trouble as they made their way to the seventh floor. They hurried along, keeping watch of where Filch was as well as Mrs. Norris and Umbridge's dots on the Marauders' Map.
The quartet stopped where Dobby had described to them that the room would be- a blank stretch of wall across from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy's ridiculous effort of training trolls to do ballet. Harry did as the directions told him: walk past the wall three times, thinking hard of what you were in need of. Soon, a door popped up on the blank stretch of wall and the group entered the room.
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin Common Room…
"Hey, Zephyr! Finish that Herbology essay yet?"
SD glanced from her textbook to one of the fifth year boys she shared a Herbology class with, "What does it look like?" she said.
"Oh, heh… sorry. Umm, can I see it when you're done?"
"No."
"Why not? C'mon, I really need help and you're doing really well in there…"
"That's besides the point. I'm not letting you cheat off me," was the dull retort, "Now scram."
SD Zephyr was not in a good mood. Not in a good mood at all. For the last few days, she had the feeling that someone was watching her, and Pansy had been extra cruel lately, even for the girl's standards. Not to mention she hadn't caught much sight of PK that day, even in classes it seemed like she was avoiding talking to the blonde.
'I wonder what's up with her…' she thought gloomily, 'she didn't even want to go down to the library with me today… stupid baka PK-chan.'
Getting the feeling that someone was staring at her again, SD whipped her head around and surveyed the room, just to see the normal groups of students working on homework, or playing Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap by the fire.
"God, I'm going paranoid…" she muttered to herself.
"I'll second that opinion, SD."
Blinking oddly, she looked up from her book and glared at the smug face of Draco, who was leaning over the couch where SD was residing.
"Oh, so we're on first name terms now, are we?" SD replied coolly, "What do you want, Malfoy? And before you ask, no I won't let you see any of my completed homework."
Malfoy's shrugged, "Well, I guess that's to be expected… we've haven't been on the best of terms for the last few months, now have we?"
That just confirmed SD's thoughts; the guy was definitely up to something. "Bitter enemies out to strangle each other is how I would have put it, really," was her reply, giving a sharp, distrusting look to the teen in front of her.
Malfoy didn't seem perturbed at her words, but instead flashed her a friendly smile and stuck out a hand, "I say we start over, call a truce of sorts. Really, we started off on the wrong foot over a silly argument, and I'm willing to put that all behind. What do you say?"
SD was suddenly aware of the silence that had overcome the Common Room. Most, if not all, of the occupants were watching the scene taking place.
'Probably never seen Malfoy apologize to anyone for anything before…' was the vague thought running through her head at that moment as she turned grey-blue eyes back to Malfoy and his outstretched hand. 'It's probably a trap… he's trying to lure me into something or some trick… then again, I doubt he'd do this in public if that were the case… and this alliance may prove to be useful in the future…'
With a hesitant sigh, SD shook Malfoy's hand. "Truce, then, Malfoy."
"Draco, SD; its Draco. We're friends now, remember?" chuckled the teen.
"Whatever… Draco."
As Malfoy walked away, seeming not to care about the numerous stares and murmurs directed to his back, SD had the odd feeling that she had just done something very, very wrong…
Malfoy was heading up to his room but was stopped by Pansy right next to the staircase.
"What was all that just now, Draco?" she murmured, slightly angry.
He smirked and shrugged. "Father wants me to keep an eye on the brat, and this'll just make things easier. She's smarter than we take her for, Pansy dear, and she's been of use to us, even though she doesn't know it."
Pansy bit her lip, deciding not to tell Draco that she had witnessed a part of the conversation Malfoy and his father had had a few nights before. (4) She hadn't really understood it, only getting that her Draco had mentioned that stupid blonde transfer girl in letters to his mother. To tell the truth, she had been a bit jealous, what with Malfoy spying on SD and following her and that Gryffindor girl to the library afterwards, instead of spending time with her.
"There's something odd about her," Pansy said after a second, "I looked up her surname in an archive of Pure-blooded ones, and I found no trace. Do you think she's a Mudblood? That would be rather shameful… to have one in Slytherin House of all places!"
Malfoy nodded his head, "She's foreign after all, maybe that's it. Though she doesn't follow any real proper manners or any hint of proper upbringing… and didn't you notice how the first couple weeks she still seemed a bit surprised at many normal things? And how she always changed the subject if someone brought up what school she attended before this one?"
Pansy frowned, "Something's odd about that girl; it's hard to believe we're just noticing this too… and I'm going to find out what it is."
"Right, shall we get practicing then? I was thinking maybe Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm, first. I know it's pretty basic, but I've found it rather useful…"
"Oh please. You really think something like Expelliarmus is going to help us win against You-Know-Who?"
The DA had been official for all of thirty seconds before Harry, the newly appointed leader, had been given his first complaint. Zacharias Smith glared disdainfully at Harry, who shut him up with a remark of, "It saved my life last June. I've used it against him and it worked. But if you think it's too basic for you, you can leave if you wish."
Smith opened his mouth stupidly and didn't move. No one else complained either.
"Alright then. Everyone get into pairs of two and practice." Harry said, feeling odd about issuing a command and feeling even odder as he watched as it was obeyed.
"Okay everyone! On the count of three, then! One! Two! Three!"
A chorus of Expelliarmus's rang out through the room as wands sailed in all directions, spells hit books, shelves, and sent things flying around the room. PK, paired up with Neville for this exercise, was too quick for the boy as his wand went flying up on top of a bookshelf. Harry retrieved it for him with a Summoning Charm in a flash though.
Glancing around the room, Harry felt he was right about starting the basics first: there was a lot of shoddy spellwork going on, and many opponents weren't getting hit at all, or were just caused to jump or wince slightly as the spell brushed over them.
"Expelliarmus!" yelled Neville, and PK, not really paying attention, was caught off-guard and her wand soaring off and landing at Harry's feet.
"I DID IT!" Neville yelled gleefully, "I've never been able to do that one before- I DID IT!"
PK and Harry chuckled at the look on the elated teen's face. "Good for you, Nev'!" Harry yelled encouragingly, deciding not to ruin his joy by telling him that in a real duel, his opponent wouldn't be caught off guard like that.
Walking around, he observed each of the pairs, except for Cho and her friend's. But after twice around, he decided he really couldn't do that anymore without making it obvious he was avoiding going near her.
Ginny and Michael Corner were working rather well together, he noted. Fred and George were being their normal selves as they kept making Smith's wand fly out of his hands when he was about to cast a spell, and same went for PK. Harry glanced at the two, who shrugged, grinning, before returning to their own practice. The Creevy brothers couldn't aim for beans, Ernie was putting too much flair into his wandwork, and an odd girl named Luna Lovegood was waving her wand around half-heartedly.
"Okay, stop!" Harry yelled, but was ignored. "Stop! STOP!"
'I need a whistle,' He thought, and was granted with one appearing on a stack of books a few feet away. After stopping them to let them take a break, they resumed it again, and did this on and off until it was ten past nine; which meant they immediately needed to leave or risk being caught by Filch or anyone else patrolling the halls for out-of-bounds students.
"We'll meet next Wednesday, then." Harry called out to the students that were leaving. When it was just he, Ron, Hermione, and PK left, the four cleaned up the room and flopped down on the cushions in the corner for a small reprieve.
"That was really good, Harry." Hermione said, getting up and stretching.
"Total blast." Added PK, walking to the door and opening it, "Now let's get out of here."
(1) I've taken liberties with this, seeing as I remember Molly Weasley passing a piece of toast to someone through the floo. I assume then, that Draco would be able to give the notes to Lucius as well. If not, then, well, CREAVIVE LIBERTIES! Mwaha.
(2) "Good and Plenty" is an old-fashioned candy that SD27 loves… it's small, pill-shaped, candy-coated licorice pieces that come in a magenta and white color. Now she wants some badly…
(3) I've just realized that writing Dobby's talking scenes are fun… and slightly reminiscent of PK13 when she talks in third person. Heh.
(4) Alright, fess up… how many of you were thinking SD earlier? Hmm?
A/N: TA DA! The end of the chapter!
PK13: Holy Ra… about damn time, woman!
SD27: I know, I know… stupid finals. Stupid play tryouts. Stupid math homework that takes me two hours to finish...
PK13: Or it could be your stupid laziness. Well, please read and review, minna-san, as always.
SD27: But, I'd like to ask something from you all if you don't mind… it's been bugging me a bit as I write this, and my opinion is that SD and PK aren't, but do you guys think they're Mary-Sueish? And how many of you would read the third part of this trilogy if it weren't as much of a humor one as ASOUS or HWGA are? I'd like to knooooooow…
Well, ja ne minna!
PK13 and SD27
