Warning: This chapter ends in a cliff hanger and is longer than usual. Read at own risk :)
Chapter: Trolls on Halloween.
Ron had been acting rather strange this morning. He woke them up and hurried them all to get ready and wait for the girls. None of them had been particularly bothered. They shamelessly enjoyed Ron's fussing as it reminded them a bit of home.
"Acts a bit like a mother hen, doesn't he?" Dean commented as they watched Ron scold Seamus for misplacing his sock while he helped Neville straighten his tie.
"Reminds me of Percy," Harry had shrugged, and the two boys shared a rare laugh between them without awkwardness.
"Oi, why are you two standing there laughing for? Have you got your books?" Ron snarled at them with a glare.
Harry and Dean grinned and responded in unison, "Yes, Ron".
Ron eyed them suspiciously but decided to ignore their strange behaviour. He ushered the boys downstairs and sternly told them they'll be waiting for the girls before going to breakfast.
"But why are we waiting? Can't they just meet us at breakfast as usual? What's with you today?" Dean asked.
Ron frowned as he continued to eye their surroundings warily.
"It's Halloween, yeah? I want us to stick together today. You know, spend the day together and have some fun. Halloween is an important day in the Wizarding world," he explained.
Neville figured it out first, Dean soon after. Seamus hadn't noticed as he was enjoying his dozing position on Ron's shoulder. Only Harry remained out of the loop. Neither boy wished to remind him of what he'd lost one tragic Halloween eve.
"Of course, something to do with Samhain, right?" Harry piped in.
Ron, Neville, and Seamus looked to him with surprise, while Dean appeared confused.
"Samhain? Do Wizards and Witches seriously celebrate that?" he asked.
"I thought Hermione was the muggle nerd?" Seamus blurted; Neville elbowed him hard before answering Dean's question.
"It depends, some families still celebrate according to the old traditions, some prefer a quieter more private celebration. Not a lot of families still practice the old rites. They prefer the muggle traditions instead. We've adopted more of the muggle Halloween traditions at Hogwarts since Dumbledore's been Headmaster."
Dean noticed neither Neville nor Ron mentioned their families preference. He had a feeling it would be rude to ask.
"How'd you know about Samhain, Harry?" Ron prompted with interest.
Harry grinned and cheekily responded looking smug.
"I did a bit of research after my letter came of course."
"Uh huh…." Ron scoffed with a disbelieving arch of his brow.
Harry sighed and begrudgingly admitted that Hermione had gone on a rant about Samhain the week before.
"But I did do some research after my letter came!" he insisted.
Ron snickered before turning to Dean with a reassuring grin.
"Don't get too nervous or anything. We'll just be having a great feast where Dumbledore will give a speech. Same as every year according to my brothers. Although the school ghosts might be a little more active than usual, being dead and all."
"The barrier between the living and dead is weaker during Samhain." Neville added.
"Ugh, and we have History of Magic today too!" Seamus whined.
The boys all gave collective groans of dread just as Hermione joined them. The bushy haired girl looked harried as she eyed them over impatiently.
"Good, you waited," she praised.
"Yeah, Ron had us up and going pretty early," Dean explained.
Hermione turned a sharp stare towards the tall red head, and he shrugged. Neville noticed their silent communication while Harry was distracted by Seamus. He thought Harry to be lucky to have Ron and Hermione in his life. The rather plump boy doubted anyone could bother Harry about his parents today.
"Hermione, do you know how much longer Parvati and Lavender are going to be? I want to see if there'll be anything special for breakfast, since its Halloween." Harry huffed as he continued to poke at Seamus' cheek.
Hermione glared at the staircase leading towards the girls dorms.
"It's Lavender. She's still in the bloody bathroom," she growled with a glare.
The boys watched as she stomped back up the stairs. Dean shuffled uncomfortably, warily commenting on Hermione's rather abrupt manner.
"What's with her?"
Neville shrugged in response, but they were distracted by Seamus' loud whine and Ron's stern scolding.
"Ron, he keeps poking me!"
"Harry, leave him."
"But why does he get to sleep a little more when the rest of us can't!" Harry argued.
Dean groaned and covered his face from embarrassment. Seamus poked his tongue out at Harry, while Neville kindly offered Harry his shoulder to doze on.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
To Lavender's utter dismay, Halloween began with the unwanted muttering of Hermione Granger. The bushy haired girl was up annoyingly early and was once again muttering like a crazed hedge witch. She tossed and turned, doing her best to fall back to sleep but Hermione was far too loud.
"Will you shut it, Granger! For Merlin's sake it's too bloody early for your psychopathic tendencies!" she snarled.
To her great irritation, Hermione didn't seem to hear her at all. Lavender shared a distressed glance with Parvati, both frustrated with their dormmate, but aware there would be no sleeping in this morning. Lavender shoved her blanket back with an angry huff and stomped about the dorm to get ready. She purposely slammed things about and 'accidently' tipped over one of Hermione's book towers. She hoped the muttering girl would notice and confront her but had no such luck. Hermione was too immersed in her head like the psycho Lavender knew her to be.
"Lavender, please just leave it. It's much too early for a fight." Parvati groaned as she brushed through her bed messed hair.
Lavender's mood worsened, but for her best friends sake, she listened. This wouldn't be the first morning the girls were woken by Hermione's muttering, but the difference this time was Lavender's unfortunate luck.
"Shit," she hissed as she changed out of her night wear.
The blood stains on her pants mocked her and her stomach twisted with dread or as most women would call it, cramps. She'd forgotten to keep track of her cycle and something told her this would be much worse than the last time. Lavender suddenly felt angry as she brushed her teeth. Logically, she knew it was hormones, as her mother had explained it all. Irrationally, Lavender was convinced it was Granger's fault.
"The bloody nutter probably cursed me as I slept…" she grumbled as she finished her morning routine.
She attempted a smile at her reflection, trying to cheer herself up, but she saw a red spot on her chin. It was barely visible and could easily be covered with a bit of powder or spell her mother taught her. But Lavender would know it was there and it bothered her.
"And it's on my chin! I can't even cover it with my hair!" she stressed.
She fingered the ends of her pigtails and thought her usually soft locks felt rather greasy. She wet it and dried it with a quick wave of her wand only to think it felt too dry. Lavender felt her frustration build as she stared at her reflection.
"I look utterly horrible," she couldn't help but cry.
"Lavender? Are you done?" Parvati checked.
"I-I'm- Yes. I'll be right out," she hastily replied.
Lavender slapped her cheeks twice, straightened her uniform and told herself she'll get through the day.
"You're a beautiful woman, Lavender. This is normal, utterly and completely normal for a young woman," she scolded her reflection.
Feeling a little more confident, she twisted the knob and stepped out of the bathroom. Parvati was waiting with a sweet smile and Lavender relaxed giving a smile of her own.
"Finally, took you long enough! The boys are already waiting for us in the common room."
Lavender's smile dropped at Hermione's words. The twist in her stomach this time was stronger than before, and she glared angrily at the other girl.
"Well, no one asked you to wait, Granger," she snapped.
Hermione didn't look bothered in the slightest. The girl levelled one of her death stares at Lavender and tersely told her to hurry up once again before leaving the room. Lavender clenched her fists and trembled were she stood as a torrent of cruel thoughts flashed through her mind about the bushy haired girl.
"Lav? Are you feeling okay today?" Parvati softly questioned with a frown.
"She just makes me so mad you know. What, with her bossy know it all attitude. Who named her the Queen of England? I sure as hell didn't."
Parvati let out a short giggle and shook her head.
"I think you just need a bit of breakfast to cheer you up. Come on, let's go down before Seamus causes a scene."
As they joined the rest of their Gryffindor year mates, they were surprised to find a few of the boys looking just as exhausted.
"Oh good, now we can get a move on to breakfast," Harry sighed with relief.
"You didn't have to wait for us," Parvati frowned.
"Ron wanted us to, he wants us to stick together today," Neville explained with a meaningful nod towards Harry.
Lavender looked at the tall red head who was arguing with Hermione while Seamus pretended to be falling asleep on his shoulder. She could understand why Harry would be excited. The weird trio hadn't been able to spend as much time with one another for the past few weeks.
Hermione had been on a war path with her library petition. Thank Merlin, she'd gotten her way. Lavender would have murdered her if she had to sleep through another one of the girl's late-night research benders. Harry had become a sleepy zombie thanks to Oliver's killer training schedule and his ambitious goals to overthrow Snape as a Potions master. Then there was Ron, who'd been acting rather strange, seemingly in a rush to be other places. They'd been a little concerned but opted out of confronting the red head after hearing him argue with his brothers. It was probably a family thing, therefore, none of their business.
They watched Harry casually jostle Seamus off Ron's shoulder, while Hermione and Ron snapped at one another, feeling amused. Yes, the weird trio were a tad overwhelming to be around but… one couldn't help but be drawn to them, much like a moth to a flame.
"Why does he always do that? I finally got some me time with Ron and Harry ruined it." Seamus grumbled as they watched Harry tease Hermione from his place beside Ron.
"No, why do YOU always do this?" Dean countered with a roll of his eyes.
"You're an embarrassment to society, I hope you know that?" Parvati drawled with a smirk.
Seamus grinned boyishly at her without shame and Lavender shared a sigh with Dean.
"Come on you lot, no more dawdling. Breakfast won't wait forever," Ron called from ahead.
The Gryffindor first years hurried to catch up, and Lavender felt a little more optimistic about the day.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Harry thought his day couldn't get any better. Not only was he getting to spend time with Ron and Hermione, after so long, but Professor Flitwick thought they were ready to make things fly. The Boy-who-lived felt giddy with excitement for the rest of Halloween.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practising!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.
"This isn't fair," Seamus whined from his seat on Harry's left.
Both boys were only half paying attention to the Professor perched on top of his pile of books. The two couldn't stop peering over to where Neville sat next to Ron, practising his wrist movement with a focused eye. Harry could only nod with understanding.
"You get Ron for Transfiguration; Hermione gets him for Defense, and Neville gets him for Potions! How come I don't get to partner with Ron for Charms?" Seamus continued to sulk.
Dean, from his seat behind them, leaned forward and knocked the Irish boy with his fist. Parvati snickered from her seat next to him.
"Ron's a person not a bloody toy, now stop being an idiot and focus," Dean scolded.
Harry thought himself lucky not to be partnered with Dean. If he can so easily scold and knock Seamus about, who was his best friend, what would he do to Harry who he barely tolerated? Harry shuddered at the thought and when his eyes accidently met Dean's, the two boys shared strained smiles once again.
"Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick."
Parvati leaned closer to the three boys and whispered quietly with a pointed nod.
"At least Ron and Nev make a good pair. I'm more concerned about Lavender and Hermione."
They all looked to where the two girls sat. Lavender looked ready to commit murder while Hermione was muttering under her breath and scribbling into her notebook.
"Lavender's not stupid," Dean defended, pretending not to feel the considering glance Harry sent his way. The green-eyed boy wasn't sure if Dean was implying something unspoken about Hermione or not.
"Yes, but she's in a bit of a mood today. Neither of you room with them, so I don't expect you to understand the utter disaster that could erupt between the two," Parvati scoffed.
"…And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest," Professor Flitwick shared with a chuckle.
"Hermione's not that bad," Harry declared, while the others made light noises in response.
No one specifically agreed or disagreed, but the subject was dropped in favour of practising the spell.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"Swish and Flick, Nev, easy does it," Ron coached with helpful demonstration.
"Seamus!" Harry yelped as his sleeve caught fire.
"Gah! Put it out! Put it out! DEAN!" Seamus panicked while gaining the attention of Professor Flitwick.
"OH! Oh dear! Mister-"
"I've got it!" Dean assured with a rather droll sense of calm. Parvati was watching with fascinated eyes as Harry waved his arm about patting frantically at his sleeve, while Seamus flailed his arms about his feather.
Dean muttered quietly and a thin stream of water burst from his wand, dousing the flaming feather and Harry's sleeve. The two boys blinked from shock before wilting with relief. Seamus then turned to Neville and Ron who had turned around at the commotion.
"See, what did I tell you. Dean is completely flame-resistant," Seamus boasted proudly.
"I hate him," Dean groaned into his hands, despairing even more when Parvati giggled.
"You're done for, Dean. You're stuck with him, he's grown on you completely, like a fungus."
Dean let out another despaired groan only perking up when Professor Flitwick praised him for his use of the extinguishing spell. He earned Gryffindor 10 points after he explained he discovered the charm as a safety precaution despite the recommended age limit. The spell was only at quarter strength, as it was intended for Fourth years. It was enough to put out small flames which is all Dean needed it to do. Earning points had become rather rare and quite hard to achieve. So, he was rightly pleased with the accomplishment.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Lavender repeated as she swished her wand.
The feather didn't move an inch and she took a deep breath before trying once more.
"Wingaaardiium Leviosaa!" she repeated slowly.
The feather remained on her desk.
"Wengaaardiooom Leviiiosssaa!" She repeated a little more sternly with a sharper flick of her wand.
The feather remained on her desk.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She snapped but the feather remained.
"ARRGH! Will you shut up for once Granger! I can't concentrate at all with your bloody mumbling distracting me"
Hermione looked up from her notebook with her usual dull stare, but Lavender wasn't intimidated at all. Not when she felt a rush of anger towards the girl. Lavender wanted to claw the other girl's eyes out the longer she stared.
"Even if I did shut up, you're still not going to get it right," Hermione replied.
Lavender reared back, as if slapped and spluttered at the girl.
"What did you say?"
Hermione ignored Lavender's reaction and continued speaking with blithe confidence.
"It's the truth, no matter how hard you try the spell won't work."
Lavender growled and leaned forward with a threatening snarl, her voice pitching a little higher and gaining a bit of attention from the rest of the class.
"Did I ask? Oh wait, no I bloody well didn't. I believe I asked you to shut up."
Hermione closed her notebook and glowered at Lavender with an irritated scowl.
"You didn't ask for my opinion, but you did blame me for your failure. It's not my fault you can't get the spell right."
Lavender's face grew hot and she could hear a few of the other students begin to whisper. She thought she could feel their stares as well and remembered the red spot on her chin. It caused her face to redden heatedly while her stomach twisted uncomfortably.
"Well, I doubt you can do it, seeing as you haven't even made the slightest bit of effort to try. Unlike you, I'm at least trying you bossy know-it-all twit." Lavender snapped.
Those closest to the girls had grown suspiciously silent, enough to get the attention of Ron and Neville a few seats away. But the two girls were caught in a standstill, venomously glaring, wishing the worst upon each other.
"Fine," Hermione sneered before reaching for her wand.
With the poise of someone well practiced with the movement, she swished and flicked her wand, pronouncing the spell clearly.
"Wingardium Leviosa," she cast, and the feather lifted into the air dancing to the direction of Hermione's wand.
The feather had rose high enough to gain the attention of the rest of the class, including Professor Flitwick.
"Oh, well done!" he cried while clapping.
"Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Hermione ignored the praise in favour of twisting in her seat to look at Lavender. With a slight head tilt, Hermione widened her lips into a smirk. Lavender said nothing for the rest of the class. She didn't look up from her desk or try the spell again. She sat with her wand tightly gripped in her hand, doing her best to ignore the girl beside her.
As soon as class was over, Lavender stood and rushed out of the room. She ignored Parvati's cry of her name and left behind her bookbag. Once she was in the corridors, she blindly ran for the nearest bathroom, dodging the roaming students. After locking herself in the stall, she buried her face in her hands and cried.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Hermione knew, the second her temper had calmed, that she'd massively screwed up. After Lavender ran, Parvati stormed up to her face and demanded she explain what happened. Hermione stubbornly kept her silence until Parvati fingered her wand looking ready to hex her. Then Harry stepped between them while Dean gripped Parvati's wand hand, whispering for her to calm down.
"Don't start anything, not here," he hushed motioning towards the lingering students.
Seamus returned looking puffed out and hassled.
"I lost her, she's bloody fast when she wants," he huffed.
"Seriously though Granger, what did you say?" Seamus accused.
"What makes you think Hermione started it?" Harry defended with a glare.
Parvati and Seamus looked ready to argue but Neville interfered with a sharp hiss.
"Stop it! Just stop it before we make any more of a scene. We have to get to class or else we'll risk points again."
Parvati shoved Dean's grip off and glared at Hermione while stepping forward.
"You know Granger, for someone so bloody smart you can be a real fucking idiot about people."
She knocked Hermione to the side and grabbed Lavender's book bag before turning and rushing out. Dean and Seamus followed behind her with distant stares towards Hermione and Harry. Neville shook his head and looked to Ron, but the red head ushered him forward with a nod.
"Go ahead Nev, we'll follow after."
With the others gone, the trio quietly stewed in the silence between them. Harry glanced awkwardly between Hermione and Ron, feeling the air between them tremble with tension. Ron closed his eyes and shook his head with a heavy sigh.
"We're going to be late," he declared before motioning for them to follow.
Hermione still hadn't said a word, but she did follow. Harry startled when Ron started a casual conversation with him about Quidditch training as they walked. Though hesitant and confused at first, Harry eventually forgot about the tension in favour of arguing about the speed differences between a clean sweep and a firebolt.
It wasn't until they'd reached their next class and he was partnered with Neville while Hermione partnered with Ron, that he realised he'd been duped.
Again, Harry wasn't sure how he felt about that as he watched Ron and Hermione tensely whisper with one another.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"If you're going to have a go at me too, you should spit it out already," Hermione hissed through clenched teeth.
Ron shrugged as he practiced the wand movement for the spell they were learning.
"No point, what's done is done. We can't change it now, can we? I'm waiting to hear what you're going to do about it."
Hermione splutters and turns so fast; Ron almost gets whipped by her bushy hair. She leans forward, her eyes blazing wide with outrage as she sneers her response.
"Me! All I did was prove I wasn't the problem. She was the one who couldn't do the bloody spell right and threw a hissy fit."
Ron said nothing in response but the droll stare he gave her spoke volumes of what he thought. It was enough to set Hermione into a ranting fit, her words were spat through clenched teeth while her eyes sparked with stubborn insistence. Ron let her rant, idly working on their worksheet, and leaving her to her fit. Honestly, she could be just as dramatic as Harry sometimes. Ron was suddenly reminded of Charlie's warning of teenage girls and their vapid mood swings. He shuddered with dread hoping his two best friends would have calmed by then. Ron doubted he could manage two dramatic best friends hyped on hormones and Ginny attending Hogwarts.
"…and all she ever does is worry about her hair, gossip mags and boys! She's an utter nightmare!" she finished with a panting heave.
Ron took his time writing the answers for their question sheet and looked to her with an arched brow.
"Maybe, but Parvati had a point," he started.
Hermione made a keening sound in protest, but Ron glared at her to keep quiet. Despite obeying, her glare was piercing sharp, enough to cut even the greatest of foes down. Not that it worked on Ron. Nothing could ever be as scary as the day Bill and his Dad had a big argument leading to Bill's second ever grounding. It was the day the Weasley children realized their father's patience was not never-ending and his temper could rival Fiendfyre.
"Lavender might be a bit obsessive about looks and appearances, but that's not so different from your obsession with books."
Hermione opened her mouth to argue but Ron stopped her with a stern bark of warning.
"Let me finish! You can't expect everyone to like or think the same way as you, otherwise there would be no such thing as originality. If everyone were alike everything would be boring. You've got to have a bit of diversity you know. Now, how would you feel if you tried looking prettier or something and Lavender told you, you still looked ugly?"
"That's ridiculous! Why would I-"
Ron rolled his eyes and glared at her impatiently.
"It's a hypothetical, Hermione. How would you feel? Imagine you put in the same amount of dedication and effort as you did your library petition, yeah? Okay, then someone everyone thinks is the prettiest person ever, takes one look at you and says it's all for shit. Wouldn't it make you feel pretty horrid too?"
Hermione says nothing in response. Ron knows he's won. He finishes off the question sheet and signs both their names at the top. As he stretched out the cricks in his neck, Hermione gives a defeated huff. He can't help but smirk smugly as he turns to her.
"Oh, shut up, Weasley," she snaps.
Ron snickers before pushing their worksheet over for her to deliver to the front. Its only as she's skimming the answers, she realizes it's as if she wrote it herself. Hermione looks up from the sheet, over to where Ron's struck up conversation with Neville and Harry. She watches him casually call to Seamus and Dean, eventually leading the boys back into a group. The group of boys fall into laughter and the tension among them due to the girls fallout seems forgotten.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
They'd still not seen Parvati or Lavender since Charms. The boys carefully avoid the subject, but it's obvious they're on the lookout. As morning break comes to an end, Ron leans over to Hermione and sighs.
"If they don't turn up after third period, we'll go looking. I don't want this continuing during the feast tonight."
Hermione watches him brush his hand over the left of his chest before scratching at his neck. It reminds her of what happened during flying classes and she blurts her words with eager intent.
"You feel it too! Don't you?"
"Feel what?" he questions with a scrunch of his nose.
"Like something important is supposed to happen! It's been bugging me all morning, so much I couldn't sleep! It's just like what happened during Flying lessons!"
Ron is looking at her like she's crazy, but Harry joins their talk with a look of confusion.
"What? What happened during flying lessons? Ron, what's she talking about?" Harry pressingly asks.
The red head shakes his head and looks sufferingly at Harry.
"Feelings, she's wanting to talk about feelings, Harry," Ron stressed with a groan.
"Oh… Um, do you want to talk to Percy about… how you um… feel?" Harry suggests with an awkward shuffle.
Hermione's cheeks burn due to their expressions. She can tell Ron is doing it on purpose. She's clued in on his game. He's trying to distract her and change the topic! She glares at Ron and angrily snarls at him while her hair begins to frizz.
"Oh no you don't, Ronald Weasley! I'm on to you! You know exactly what I'm talking about."
She's loud enough to get the attention of the others. Harry leans away from her as if she's spitting fire while Ron groans louder and thumps his head on the table.
"What's going on?" Dean questions.
"It's Hermione, she wants to talk about feelings," Harry explains with a quiet whisper.
Neville makes the exact same face as Harry did and moves like he wants to pat Hermione but isn't sure she wants to be touched.
"Um, do you want to talk to Percy about how you feel?" Neville sweetly asks.
Hermione doesn't bother answering, too busy glaring furiously at Ron. Although the tall red head looks rather tortured and stares back at her with confusion, Hermione knows. She knows the blasted boy has purposely gathered everyone together to avoid her accusations. It's a rather outlandish conclusion to make, but damnit, Hermione bloody hell knows she's right! Ron's completely done all of this on purpose, some way or somehow!
"Blimey, Ron, she looks like she's about to throw you into a pit of inferi!" Seamus mutters.
Hermione lets out a frustrated growl and stomps close as she can to Ron's face. Harry and the rest of the boys all dive behind the tall red head who looks unbothered by Hermione's obvious tantrum.
"I'm on to you Weasley!" she sneers
Harry frowns at her and steps up beside Ron, looking ready to defend the red head against the pre-teen girl.
"Hermione," Harry names in the same tone Professor McGonagall likes to use when she's disappointed.
With one last snarl, Hermione turns and stomps off to their next lesson. In her wake, the boys share bewildered glances with one another.
"Bloody hell, is there something in the air today affecting all the females we know?" Seamus exclaims with a shake of his head.
"Maybe she's feeling guilty about what happened with Lavender?" Neville suggests.
Dean and Seamus shared a quick look and decide not to comment. Not when Harry is so close by. The boy who lived tended to get rather defensive when it came to Hermione, much like his possessive hogging of Ron's attention.
"Let's just get to class. We'll give Hermione a bit of space to cool off. If Lavender and Parvati don't return to class by fourth period, I'll go talk to her so we can go find them together," Ron sighs with a frown.
It had been nice and rather funny this morning to have Ron fuss over them like a mother hen. The four boys had come to think of Ron as an older brother. Percy and Oliver had been busy lately, same as the twins, but Ron had helped where he could. Dean found it weird that Ron was his age yet acted and thought like a grumpy old man. He wondered if the taller boy was feeling stressed.
"And to think, we've not even hit puberty yet," Dean mumbled.
Seamus slung his arm over his shoulder before he spoke.
"Cheer up Dino Dean."
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Ron sighed and resisted the urge to pinch at the bridge of his nose like Percy. The twinge in his chest was persisting again and his temper was fraying. The red haired eleven-year-old felt exhausted, but today was too important for him to stop and take a nap.
"Ron?" Harry prompted with a worried green-eyed stare.
Ron could also feel Neville and Dean's quiet glances from his right. He scrubbed at his face, feeling his lips twist into a scowl. The mild twinge of his scar became a nasty burning ache, enough to make him grunt. But Ron had years to deal with his condition and covered the reaction by pairing it with a suffering glare towards a rowdy group passing by.
"Have to talk to Hermione. We'll be quick, but we might miss fourth. Could you guys take notes?" he asked.
Harry frowned but Ron was mostly addressing Dean and Neville. The two boys nodded, but it was Seamus who answered.
"Sure. If I know Lavender, she's probably burrowed away in one of the girls bathrooms. I'd start on the first floor. I mean, Lav's a fast runner but the girl doesn't like to sweat."
Ron gave a short smile to show his appreciation, relieved he had a vague direction to start with. Seamus had a talent for knowing people by their habits, likes and dislikes. He doubted the Irish boy would lead him astray.
"Could you let the girls know we're worried, too?" Neville softly requests.
"Yeah. Hopefully, we'll see you in Transfiguration. Even better if we get this sorted before lunch."
As the boys moved to walk off, Ron wasn't surprised to find Harry sticking to his side. The green-eyed boy stubbornly lifted his chin.
"Right, so we off to get Hermione then?" Harry asked.
Ron couldn't help the smirk that tugged on his lips or the chuckle that escaped.
"No need," Ron replied.
Harry blinked with surprise when Hermione stormed her way over. The air around her trembled with aggression. She joined them with a crisp hiss and dark glower.
"I'm not sorry for accusing you in front of everyone, but I am sorry for pushing at something you don't want to talk about."
Harry looked to Ron, who suddenly appeared rather stern.
"Good. Seamus suggested we check the first-floor bathrooms."
Hermione nodded and stormed ahead, not bothering to wait. When Ron turned to look at Harry, the green-eyed boy was staring at him.
"What?"
Rather dramatically, Harry flailed his arms, motioning at Ron with frustration and mild awe.
"How do- How do you just do that?"
"Do what?"
"That! You always seem to know how to get her to listen to you or calm down without trying to murder you with her eyes!"
Ron scoffed as he pat Harry on the shoulder and guided him forward.
"Hermione is nothing compared to Charlie and Ginny fighting over the last of the bacon. If you survive those two, you can survive anything."
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Their search for Lavender and Parvati didn't take long thanks to Seamus'. The trio could hear the loud wails and shouted reassurances from the corridor despite the locked door.
"Geez, you really did a number on her," Harry mumbled after a particularly loud wail.
Hermione glared murderously at him.
"What? I'm just saying," Harry defended.
"Oh, shut up, Potter. No one asked for your opinion." Hermione hissed.
"You mean like Lavender didn't ask for yours?" Harry absently quipped back.
If Ron hadn't quickly held Hermione back, the boy-who-lived most certainly would have been the boy-who-died.
"Harry, stop teasing her or else I'll let her have her way with you."
Harry looked at Ron with wide eyes, swallowing nervously.
"She started it…"
Ron's stern expression didn't shift in the slightest. Hermione twisted in his hold, a smirk growing on her lips.
"Read the room, Potter."
Harry sent a poison green stare her way but behaved himself. Sometimes, Ron couldn't help but think Harry and Hermione were worse than the twins and Ginny combined. An angry wail from behind the closed door reminded the trio of why they were skipping class.
"Hermione, what exactly did you say to her?" Harry scolded while cringing away from the door.
"She's just being dramatic, as per usual," Hermione muttered only to wince at the hysterical warbling.
Ron sighed and motioned for Hermione to get on with it.
"The quicker you fix it, the better off we'll all be."
"But how is she even going to get inside? It's locked isn't it?" Harry wondered after attempting to twist open the knob.
Hermione roughly shoved him aside. She pointed her wand at the lock, did a quick wand movement and muttered a spell.
"Alohomora."
Hermione opened the bathroom door and stomped inside with determination. She didn't bother waiting for the two boys in her wake, one blinking in astoundment, the other mildly amused at the other.
"One day, Ron, I swear we're going to cast a spell she's never even heard off and have her marvel at our backs," Harry promised with a determined huff.
Ron snorted and shook his head while nudging Harry forward.
"Yeah okay, mate. But first you gotta replace Snape as Hogwarts Potion Master. One step at a time on the road to greatness, Harry."
Harry's eyes grew wide with alarm.
"Ron? We're not allowed in the girls bathroom!"
"Under normal circumstances, we don't get involved at all. But this is between Hermione and Lavender. If we want Hogwarts to still be standing after fourth period, we've got to make sure we keep Hermione in check. Merlin only knows what other spells she's already mastered just because she could."
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Their arrival was paid little to no mind as the scathing hissed words exchanged between the females had already begun.
"Will you come out of the bloody bathroom already Brown so I can bloody well say I'm sorry!" Hermione near screamed.
She took a step forward, intent on pounding at the stall until the other girl obeyed her will. Except, Parvati stopped her with a growl and piercing glare. Harry shivered feeling rather uneasy at seeing Parvati's scary expression. She was often so pleasant and smiling; the change was rather daunting.
"I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU GRANGER!" Lavender screamed back.
Harry jumped, having sudden flash backs to Aunt Petunia's shrill cries when he was younger. He felt a hand grip his shoulder, the weight and warmth of it calming him from his childhood flashback. Harry thought the taller boy looked extremely disappointed with the two girls.
The girls were growing far too emotional as they continued to hiss and screech sharp barbed insults at one another. Parvati, despite her protective guard over Lavender's sanctuary, was reluctant to physically confront Hermione. A weakness, Hermione quickly took advantage off. She kicked at the next stall causing Parvati to flinch. It allowed Hermione to charge for the door.
"Alohomora!" she hissed with a quick flick of her wand.
There was a click and a squeak from Lavender. Hermione pushed and shoved in attempt to open the door while Lavender did the same on the other side
"Uh…." Harry blinked; Parvati seemed to feel the same way.
It would hardly be appropriate of them to laugh, considering the arguing pre-teens emotional state.
"OPEN UP ALREADY BROWN SO I CAN… GRR… APOLOGIZE!" Hermione grunted.
"NO!" Lavender huffed back.
Parvati and Harry shared a helpless look, unsure of what they should do in the face of… whatever it was Lavender, and Hermione were doing.
Harry thought he heard the deep rumbling growl of something rather animalistic. Yet, as he looked for its origin, he found nothing. Before he could ask the others if they had heard anything strange, Ron's patience had finally run out.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Hermione felt her blouse collar tense around her neck as Ron dragged her away. She hissed like a hysterical cat being dragged by it's tail, but Ron glared at her. Lavender yelped in shock at the sudden lack of opposing force and the door slammed shut with a loud clap.
"What! I'm trying to apologise but she won't listen to me!" Hermione snarled.
Harry and Parvati shared shrewd looks and wondered how Ron was going to react.
The tall red head scoffed out a laugh of disbelief while shaking his head. He let go of Hermione but fixed a Percy like stare in her direction with a stern finger.
"Right, well who would want to listen to someone who sounds completely barmy. Take a moment to collect yourself and while you're at it, reflect on all the ways what you were doing didn't work."
They could hear the unrelenting order in his tone. Hermione clenched her jaw with an angry huff but obeyed. Harry and Parvati couldn't help but once again marvel at Ron and his ability to handle Hermione with ease. He was probably the only person she ever listened to. Parvati leaned over to whisper to Harry as if sharing a secret.
"You know, Seamus reckons Granger might be part berserker."
"Berserker? What's that?" Harry whispered back with a curious scrunch of his nose.
"Oh, you know, just another term for saying insane psychopath," Parvati answered with pointed emphasis towards the end.
"Get bent Patil," Hermione snapped.
Harry jumped back, having forgot about Hermione's super senses. Parvati scoffed and flipped her long braid over her shoulder and mimicked Hermione in a high-pitched voice.
"Oi!" Ron snapped, and all three children immediately behaved themselves.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Ron took a deep breath, ignoring the unbearable burning ache of his chest. He mentally went over his breathing techniques, trying to get a grip over the irritable sensation. Exhaling heavily, he softly called Lavender's name, after casting one last warning glare at the other three.
"Lavender… will you please open the door so we could talk?" he softly requested with a light knock.
He heard her hitched hiccups and sniffles from the other side but nothing else. He shot another warning glare towards Hermione who impatiently shifted on her feet.
"Please Lavender, Hermione really does want to apologise," he added.
Unsurprisingly, Lavender responded with a high-pitched whine of disbelief before laughing bizarrely.
"Apologise? That savage Muggle born chit was trying to break down this door a second ago!" she countered.
Ron took another deep breath as his chest pains increased. There was something about this bathroom that was triggering his condition more than usual. Something that screamed for him to hurry up and leave the room. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Hermione was starting to claw at the back of her neck. He exhaled and did his best to keep his own arms by his side and nowhere near his chest.
"Come now Lavender, at least hear her out."
Perhaps it was the tired exhaustion that seeped into his words and tone. Or maybe Lavender herself was ready for the confrontation. Regardless, she finally opened the door. She had red rimmed puffy eyes, with red blotches across her face from crying. There were flyaway strands of her hair around her face, a change from her usual neat waves and curls.
Despite her obvious disarray, Ron still greeted her with a gentle smirk.
Lavender couldn't help the way she blushed under his gentle regard. How is it he can look at her with such kindness when she's so obviously an ugly mess.
"Oh Lav," Parvati whispered softly.
It reminded Lavender of why they were all squished inside the girls bathroom. Later, she will hysterically write to her mother about the famous Harry Potter hovering awkwardly in the girls bathroom. For now, she focused her attention on the biggest blemish in her otherwise wonderful life at Hogwarts.
Hermione and Lavender glared venomously at one another.
"Granger, you apparently have something you wished to say," Lavender prompted with a haughty sniff.
Hermione scoffed, the mulish glare on her face speaking volumes.
Ron cleared his throat causing Hermione to take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," she gritted out.
Harry blinked, was that all?
He cast a quick look to Ron and saw the exasperated boy roll his eyes. Harry cleared his throat and prompted Hermione with a pointed motion. The bushy haired girl grumbled.
"I'm sorry I made you feel like you were stupid, or that you were useless during class. I know you didn't mean to imply it was my fault you couldn't get the spell right."
Lavender tilted her head, giving a thoughtful hum, Hermione determinedly ignored it and continued.
"Everybody is different and learns at their own pace. I should have been more understanding and helpful rather than unintentionally belittling you like I did"
They watched Lavender, waiting for her response, but the pigtailed blonde continued to stand expectantly across from Hermione.
"Lavender?" Parvati questioned.
"What? Is that all? She said she was going to apologise so I'm waiting," Lavender huffed.
Harry and Ron shared a look of apprehension while Hermione blinked at Lavender with confusion.
"What do you mean 'is that all'? What else am I supposed to apologise for?"
Lavender started counting off her fingers the many things she wanted an apology for. As her list grew longer, Hermione's eyes grew wider. Parvati, sensing the rising tension would lead to another hysterical episode, inched her way closer to the boys.
"-And I'm absolutely tired of tripping over your towering piles of books in our dorm!" Lavender finished.
Hermione was visibly speechless…. Until she wasn't.
"Are you- My books aren't a problem at all! If anything, you should apologize to me! Do you know how many times I've sneezed because of your overpriced waste of cheap perfumes you constantly spray about the room?"
"Overpriced! That's quality made-"
Hermione cut Lavender off and started listing her own demands of apology.
Harry could only watch the girls argue back and forth, following their remarks like one would a ping pong match. Parvati had visibly given up on interfering and was mentally counting down the seconds until lunch. Ron had started rubbing at his chest, his face set in a painful frown as he did his best to stave off his rising rage.
Perhaps Hermione sensed his withering patience? Or maybe her own paranoid itch was growing insistently unbearable. Whatever the reason, Hermione silenced Lavender with a loud shout.
"FINE! I'M SORRY LAVENDER! I'm sorry for always waking you in the morning with my muttering! I'm sorry for my book towers and my death glares, which is honestly just my face but whatever. I'm sorry I make you feel stupid because I'm terrible with people. But you know, not all of us can be like you. Not all of us can wake up in the morning looking pretty or have naturally beautiful hair that falls flat like waves and rivers of sunlight. I'm sorry some idiot made you believe girls must choose between being pretty and smart when you're both. I'm sorry someone as talented and beautiful as you feels she's not at all special because she thinks she needs to be smarter."
By the end of her outburst, Hermione was panting as the others stared at her gobsmacked. None of them had expected Hermione of all people to explode in such a way. Especially Lavender, who was gaping at the girl across her in shock. Hermione's face felt hot and her wild frizzy hair seemed to cackle with magic. She clenched her jaw and stared Lavender dead in the eye.
"I'm sorry, Lavender."
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Lavender was vaguely aware of the others staring at her in wait, her mind, a chaotic mess. She tried to make sense of all Hermione had said.
Natural beautiful hair?
Like waves and rivers of sunlight?
Beautiful and talented?
Oh….she knew exactly what to do.
"Lavender?" Parvati prompted with concern.
With a shaky gasp, Lavender clutched at her chest and stared at Hermione imploringly.
"Oh Merlin, you're completely in love with me."
"What?" Harry blurted, but Hermione looked lost while Ron wore an odd expression, a strange of mix of exasperated and amused.
"Of course! That explains everything!" Parvati gasped with wide eyes.
She immediately caught on to Lavender's intention and eagerly joined the fun.
"How does that explain anything at all!?" Harry vented with frustration.
Ron snorted but quickly hid his laugh when Hermione sent a death glare his way. She couldn't say anything anyway, not when Lavender approached her with a regretfully sad smile.
"Granger, no…. Hermione…. I'm flattered…. Honestly, I am, but you must understand. You're not at all my type."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Lavender hushed her with a rise of her hand.
"I know, it must hurt you to hear but it's the truth. If I had known you'd just been trying to get my attention I would have…"
Lavender let out a forlorn sigh and shook her head.
"It doesn't matter now. I know you're probably going to need some time after this, but I really do hope you'll recover enough to want to try being friends."
Parvati joined the two girls, looking to Hermione with utter sympathy.
"If we'd only known," she simpered with an apologetic shake of her head.
Harry and Hermione aren't too sure what happened following that. They remember Parvati and Lavender saying they'll see them at lunch. They recall Ron seeing the two girls off with a laughing grin and short dip of his head out of respect. They didn't find their words until only the three of them remained.
"I-….What exactly just happened?" Harry questioned dazedly.
Hermione dropped into a squat, folded her arms, and buried her face in them, letting out a prolonged groan.
Ron waited for his two gobsmacked idiot friends to pull themselves together with a grin. He could readily admit to being impressed with Lavender's mischievous escape. He wondered how long it would take for Hermione to realize she'd been played. He also wondered what else Lavender and Parvati might have picked up from Fred and George.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
When it was finally time for the Halloween feast, Harry's excitement returned with full force. He could hardly refrain from bouncing in his seat.
"Are you sure you didn't snack on too many sugar quills, Harry?" Neville warily asked.
"I'm just really excited, is all. This will be my first real celebration!" Harry laughed before explaining.
"What do you mean?" Dean questioned.
Harry shrugged, distracted by one of the flying bats on the ceiling.
"My relatives aren't that big on celebrations. Every Halloween, my Uncle would book a stay at some remote location far away from anything. We'd stay there for about a week, basically cut off from the rest of the world."
Neville and Dean share an unreadable look that went unnoticed by the green-eyed boy. Before they can further converse on the subject, the Weasley twins join them. Their faces were bright with devilish grins as they fixated in on their target. Hermione was determined to ignore the entirety of the world. She persistently read one of her textbooks, but her unnaturally blank expression proved she was struggling.
"Just heard the news, Granger," George solemnly started.
Hermione ignored them and flipped the page of her book. Fred dramatically sighed while shaking his head solemnly.
"Ah, to be so young-" he started
"- and in love," George continued
"Only to be turned away…. Such a pity" They finished in unison; their smiles twisted with laughing tease.
Seamus, the suicidal fool, blatantly laughed and slung his arm around Hermione as if to comfort her.
"Don't be too down, Granger, it'll only be awkward for a bit," He assured with a candid grin.
Hermione finally put her book down and the death glare she gave was her worst yet.
"Finnigan, do you enjoy having an arm?" she sneered, the promised threat in her tone obvious for all to hear.
Seamus paled and quickly scrambled to hide by Ron. Ron only grunted when the Irish boy jumped behind him. He was too busy watching his older brothers with a churlish glare.
"Did you two troubling gits want something or what?" he huffed.
Fred frowned and ruffled Ron's hair, ignoring the snarled growl he got in return. While Fred continued to tease their little Ronnie, George was preoccupied with observing the first year with hidden suspicion. Something in Ron's tone sounded off to him. But before he could contemplate it further, Ron violently shoved Fred off him with a fierce scowl.
"Knock it off, already!" he growled.
Fred laughed, but George could hear the concern he tried to hide. They exchanged a quick glance, holding an entire conversation in the single second their eyes met. The twins knew better than to question Ron about whatever might be bothering him. It left only one other option, with scattered jokes and a bit more teasing they excused themselves from the group of first years. If their goodbye to Ron was a little more touch filled and lingering, no one other than Ron would have known.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Shit. Ron knew by the twins lingering touch they were catching on that something was up. They were likely informing Percy who was likely going to corner him tonight or tomorrow morning. Ron could only hope his condition had eased up by then. He couldn't risk Percy sending word to Charlie or worse…Bill. All his brothers we're far too busy to be concerned about him.
"Ron! Can we actually eat those?" Harry quietly questioned, his eyes wide in awe and wonder.
For the briefest second, the piercing burn of his chest pains eased. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with agonised grief and mourning as he stared at the boy beside him. Ron couldn't make sense of his sudden want to cry.
"Yeah mate… all you can eat," he croaked out.
Ron figures his face must have been doing something strange as Harry's brows scrunched in confusion. But the green-eyed boy didn't get the chance to question it. Professor Quirrell ran into the hall with terror on his face, gaining everyone's attention with terrified squawks. As the turban wearing Professor slumped against the table before Dumbledore, struggling to breathe; Ron had slouched over and pressed at his chest. It felt like an invisible hand was digging itself into his flesh attempting to claw out his rapidly beating heart. He was vaguely aware that Hermione was experiencing something similar, as she grabbed at her neck, looking just as pained.
"Troll- in the dungeons…. Thought you ought to know," Professor Quirrell then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
As chaos erupted around them, Ron and Hermione caught each other's gaze.
Both could feel their scars, the paranoia and foreboding anxiety they'd felt all day had eased, becoming a little more bearable.
This had to be it.
By the time Dumbledore had given his instructions and left with McGonagall and Snape; Ron had silently decided on a plan of his own.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Harry felt a brief spike of panic as everyone started to scream. He could feel his heart pounding with adrenaline while Neville trembled on his other side. Some students had already started to scramble out of their seats ready to run. He would describe it all as utter chaos, yet… when he turned to his friends…. They both seemed oddly calm.
Hermione had jumped out of her seat and was standing on the table, scanning the great hall with sharp eyes. In one hand she had her wand at the ready and in the other her dinner knife. She looked…. Fierce…. Dangerous.
When Harry looked to Ron, intent on pointing out her odd reaction, he was distracted by the taller boy himself. Ron's grumpy scowl had hardened into something he imagined a warrior would wear. The taller boy's usual laughing blue eyes looked rather feral. Harry shuddered, wondering how his two friends could look so wild at the mere age of eleven. He wondered why the sight of them in such way excited him more than terrify him.
"Harry! Come on! We have to line up!" Neville cried while shaking him out of his thoughts.
Harry opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Hermione jumping down and joining them. The rest of the Gryffindor first years had crowded together in a group. All of them, other than the trio, looking shaken and scared. Hermione looked to Ron and instantly started to report.
"Besides the lot that left with Dumbledore, the rest of the Professors are still here. A quick head count confirmed all students were accounted for," She quickly rattled off.
Ron nodded; his brows furrowed in thought as Harry piped up with a question.
"What does that mean?"
"… it means all of Hogwarts is currently present in this room and no one is missing," Ron absently answered.
It took a couple seconds for Harry to puzzle out why his friends thought that was important. Once he did, he suddenly understood what Hermione and Ron intended to do.
Dean frowned while Lavender and Parvati clutched his robe sleeves a little tighter. The weird trio were all but ignoring the chaotic jostling of the older students around them. He looked to Seamus and Neville, their unsure and nervous expressions mirroring his own feelings. Lavender, brave soul that she is, burst the little bubble the trio had unconsciously cocooned themselves in.
"Excuse me, but could you please explain what you're bloody on about? Not all of us can be as mentally insane as Potter and Granger."
Ron shook his head, his eyes trained on the other side of the hall as he distractedly spoke.
"Later. We need to stop everyone from leaving."
"What? Why?" Seamus blurt.
"We don't have time!" Hermione hissed with another death glare.
"Hermione, try and get to Flitwick. He could order everyone not to leave," Harry pointed out and the bushy haired girl disappeared soon after.
"Neville if you-" Harry began but was cut off by Dean's shove.
"No! Explain Potter. What the hell is going on?" he snapped.
Harry glared but Ron interfered before Harry could blow his top.
"Do you trust me?"
Dean stared at the taller boy his stance uncertain. Perhaps it was obvious or maybe his own eyes showed his conflict. Regardless, Neville answered the question for the rest of them.
"Yes! Of course, we do!"
Ron smiled, the expression soft and fond. It left the group of first years breathless as they had never imagined Ron was capable of such an expression. At least, not towards them.
"Dumbledore ordered everyone to go back to their dorms, yeah?" Ron started easily.
The other first years shared confused looks, until Harry made a snake motion from behind him. Suddenly they understood what the trio had come to realise.
"The Troll is in the dungeon!" Parvati gasped in horror.
"Exactly. We can't let them go back. Also, it'll be easier to keep track of everyone if we all remain here," Ron quickly added.
"What was Dumbledore thinking?" Seamus blurted with rising panic.
Dean and Neville ignored their own disbelief towards the Headmaster, instead they stared at Harry and Ron expectantly.
"What can we do to help?"
Harry and Ron grinned as the rest of their Gryffindor friends waited for instructions. All of them, determined to help.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
"Neville, if you could get to Percy-" Harry started.
"Got it," Neville scrambled off to the upper end of the Gryffindor table.
"Fred and George," Ron added.
"We've got it handled," Lavender and Parvati quickly nodded before taking off.
"Seamus and I will try and stall anyone from leaving," Dean informed, taking off after Harry and Ron agreed.
The remaining two boys looked to each other, anxious but determined grins on their faces.
"Ready?" Ron questioned.
Harry's heart raced, his stomach flipping just as it had the first time he flew on a broom.
"No, you?" Harry replied, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Ron laughed and shook his head before responding, "Never".
The two boys darted through the crowd, fighting to get to where the Slytherins were crowded. Later, Harry would wonder at the familiarity of it all. He'd wonder how he could have come to trust the boy beside him so completely, he'd follow him without hesitation.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Corvus Drake might not have been Dumbledore's biggest fan, but he's never hated the man as intensely as he did now. To disregard the safety and panic of an entire house so publicly was utterly unforgivable. Not to mention the half-blood waste who'd disappeared alongside the bloody old man.
"Drake, focus," Farley hissed.
Corvus deliberately took a deep breath, doing his best to centre his magic. He could vent later, right now he had a House to reassure and protect.
"We can't go to the dorms," Griffins stated prompting the other prefects to snort.
"No shit. Our best bet is to stay here, but with Dumbledore's bloody orders we'd be stirring the nest more than it already is. You know those bloody eagles are looking for prey now that the lions are clawing up their tree," Rook snorted.
"Where are Evergreen and Goldhorn?" he demanded.
"We've got them guarding the hatchlings, Flint's corralling the others into order."
Before Corvus could further decide on what to do, their distracted by the loud arguing coming from the hatchlings end of the table. Immediately, the prefects move towards the commotion, their wands in hand. Its not at all what they expected to find. Who would expect the newest Weasel and infamous Harry Potter to willingly crossover to the snake house?
The argument seems to be between Potter and Malfoy. The two boys are glaring daggers at one another, both being held back by Weasley and Zabini. Corvus huffs and makes a mental note to get Flint to sort Malfoy out again. It seems the Malfoy brat had inherited more of his Black families' temper than most would believe.
"What's going on here?" He demands with his fiercest growl and glare.
The hatchlings immediately back off. Good, at least they still remember his introduction speech. He studies the two Gryffindor kittens, taking note of Potter's poison green gaze and Weasley's disgruntled glower. Interestingly, both boys shift their stance upon his arrival. It's clear they consider him as a threat.
"Don't leave the hall," Potter blurts.
Corvus shifts, his subtle motion informing the rest of the prefects on how to act. Rook adopts her nastiest glare while Griffins subtly hustles the hatchlings out of sight and hearing. Corvus slinks forward, his stride threatening and his laughter deep with mockery.
"Is that an order, Potter?" he sneers.
"Dumbledore shouldn't have ordered you back to the dungeons," Potter adds.
Admittedly, Corvus is surprised that a first year Gryffindor, of all people, figured out the old man's idiocy. Let alone that he cared enough to try and stop them. But, Slytherin had a reputation to protect and he couldn't be shown getting cozy with Potter of all people.
"And why would a bunch of first year kittens care about what happens to a couple of snakes?" Rook hisses with a mocking sneer.
Before anymore could be said, there's a loud boom from where the Great Hall doors are. Followed by that was a loud shout of panic and an expressed shout of someone's name. Professor Sprout is shouting for students to clear the way, as she hurries toward the smoking entrance. Not even a few seconds after that, Professor Flitwick instructs all students to remain in the great hall. Corvus thought the timing to be suspicious and a quick study of the two Gryffindor first years, tells him plenty.
Potter has a laughing grin on his lips, his shoulders slumping with relief. But Corvus is more intrigued by the utter satisfaction the little Weasel wears. He hears Farley giggle on his left and he looks to her with a considering frown. She smiles with amusement at the two first years.
"Well… now I understand why Percy wanted that reassurance," she says.
Percy Weasley pushes through the crowd of students with sharp hissing and cold snapping as if summoned. Corvus notes that the older Weasley isn't looking at anyone other than his own little brother. When he joins them, he grabs the younger boy by the shoulder, checking him over like a mother would. Corvus finds himself feeling shocked at Percy Weasley's blatant display of weakness.
Once he's sure neither his brother, or Potter, were harmed in any way; Percy straightens and faces them. Corvus silently considers the older red head. He rarely dealt with the Weasley prefect but had heard enough to know the boy had yet to break his word. He makes a mental note to reprimand Farley and Flint later for failing to mention Percy Weasley conducted himself as a proper pureblood should.
"Drake, is there a problem here?"
Corvus shivers, his own magic struggling under the icy threat of the opposing boy's magic. He can feel it, practically taste it in the air. Percy Weasley was aware he'd just outed one of his weakness. He was letting every well-educated pureblood know, through his magic alone, the risks should they attempt to exploit.
They stand across from one another silently for a few brief seconds, but Corvus isn't stupid enough to risk a Weasley blood feud over something so minimal.
"No… no problem," he admits.
"Good."
Corvus stands tensely as the Weasley prefect hustles his younger brother and Potter back over to where the Gryffindors crowd. It's not till their completely out of sight that he turns to his own house. Farley is avoiding his eye, which is enough to piss him off, but this is not the place.
"I'll speak with you and Flint later," he sneers before stomping over to the hatchlings.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Harry isn't too sure what happens after Percy arrives. The rest of the Halloween night becomes a blur after he loses track of Percy and Ron amongst the crowd of students. He remembers someone grabbing him by his robe sleeves. He was being squished on all sides by a bunch of hysteric older students. He remembers trying to ask people to move, and his glasses getting knocked off by someone's elbow. It's as he's searching for it on the ground that it happens.
He won't be able to remember the face or voice.
He'll only remember what they'd said.
"Oh! It's you! Potter yeah?" they'd said.
"S-sorry I'm just, have you seen my glasses?" Harry distractedly asked as he continued to search the ground.
"This it?"
Harry squints and smiles with relief. He thanks them and reaches for it only for whoever it is to hold on long enough to remind him.
"I suppose Halloween must be tough for you then, you know considering…."
A little annoyed Harry frowns and squints harder in their direction.
"Sorry, considering what?" he questioned with confusion.
"Well…. You're parents died, today didn't they?"
Harry can't be sure what happened after. He thinks the person said something else before shoving his glasses into his hands. All he could clearly remember is the numbness that spread from his chest all through out his body. He's also not sure how long he stood there, it could have been seconds or minutes. Harry feels weightless and disconnected from the chaos around him. It's not until Ron and Hermione come across him that he feels anchored again.
"Harry! What happened?" Hermione demands.
"I-I…" Harry struggles to speak and his throat and head hurt.
Ron grabs him by the shoulder, his eyes dark and alert. Harry is vaguely aware that both his friends look ready to murder anyone who dares try to approach.
"Mate…. You're crying," Ron carefully points out.
Harry is suddenly aware of the wetness on his cheeks and the heat behind his eyes.
"Harry?" Ron softly encourages while Hermione looks on in concern.
"I forgot… Ron…. I forgot… H-how could I…."
Hermione lunges, forcibly dragging Harry into a crushing hug. Harry loses himself in the comfort. It takes awhile for the other Gryffindor first years to join them. They take one look at the weird trio and hastily seek out the Older Weasley's. Ron and Hermione don't relax their guard around Harry until Percy, Fred and George arrive.
Percy gives out orders to the twins, and gently, ever so gently, coaxes Hermione to let Harry go.
Halloween ends with the boy-who-lived crying in the arms of the older red-head.
Mentioned Hogwarts Prefects [Active]:
Frank Griffins: 5th year Slytherin Prefect
Gemma Farley: 5th year Slytherin Prefect
Rowan Goldhorn: 6th year Slytherin Prefect
Ashley Evergreen: 6th year Slytherin Prefect
Corvus Drake: 7th year Slytherin Prefect
Meredith Rook: 7th year Slytherin Prefect