I own nothing. If the spell is not from the books then it's the Latin translation.
A/N: There is a note at the end of the chapter for, when you read a certain scene and want to leave a review about it, that will hopefully assuage any worry you have about said scene.
Chapter XI
March 1991
Things were quiet after Greengrass had vowed her revenge on the three secret friends. The twins liked to boast that she was all talk, but Harry knew better. He spent countless hours watching her on the map but she never went anywhere beyond her regular routine. Something was coming, though, and it was only going to spell a whole lot of trouble.
On a usual Friday morning at breakfast, Harry was enjoying a plate of scrambled eggs whites and toast. He had pushed himself hard that morning during his workout and needed to refuel before classes. He was also keeping a wary eye on Greengrass seated a few feet to his left. She, however, ignored him completely just as she'd done for the last week. She never spoke during Potions and had stopped coming to their study sessions. She would simply leave her part of their assignments by his bedroom door and then pick it up the day before it was due. While Harry didn't mind all the Greengrass-free time, he just couldn't shake the feeling that she was planning something.
His thoughts were broken as his attention was drawn to the doors where Fred and George made their way into the Great Hall. They locked eyes for the briefest of moments and collectively looked at Greengrass. Harry shook his head slightly to indicate that nothing had happened to which the twins smirked and went back to conversing with their friends.
This had been their routine ever since that day in library and each day there was nothing to report. The twins urged Harry to give it up and enjoy the fact that he had one-upped his rival, but there was something about it all that seemed fishy. He knew Greengrass too well, and it wasn't like her to just let this go. She was up to something, Harry just knew it.
'Not today, though.'
Harry watched Greengrass get up and slowly make her way out of the Great Hall. He grabbed his wand when she unexpectedly stopped halfway but she only paused to readjust her bag and flip her hair. Harry relaxed and went back to his breakfast.
Suddenly without warning, a violent retching sound came from the other side of the hall. Harry looked to see George with his head between his legs and a puddle of vomit on the floor. Fred was rubbing his back when his face suddenly turned green and joined his brother. There was a huge commotion as everyone fled the scene to avoid the projectile vomit. There was a general look of disgust from everyone in the room with a few Slytherins snickering at their misfortune.
It went on for a good five minutes before their friend, Lee Jordan, managed to get them to their feet and take them to the hospital wing. Harry followed them with his eyes and that's when he noticed Greengrass standing by the doors. She looked disgusted like everyone else but when they passed she looked back at the trail of bile. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged as if pleased by the results. That's when she turned, looked right at him, and tilted her head suggestively.
You're next.
Harry clenched his teeth as she disappeared. If she wanted a war, she'd sure as hell get one.
Returning to the situation at hand, a part of him wanted to go check on the twins but he couldn't afford drawing attention. Instead, Harry did his best to listen in on the chatter and the consensus was that the moment the twins had taken their first bite of food, the vomiting began.
Their food had obviously been poisoned, which made Harry cast a suspicious eye to his unfinished plate of eggs. He shrugged it off. The twins were affected from their first bite but he had been eating for the last half hour. He didn't feel the least bit queasy so he put the feeling aside. Whatever she was planning for him, it was not the same as the twins.
He couldn't let this slide. She had gone too far. He got up from his seat and had every intention to go after Greengrass, but the announcement bell notified the start of classes. He grabbed his bag and made his way to Transfigurations, keeping a cautious eye around every corner.
Fred and George were not seen for the rest of the day. Harry was actually worried. Whatever Greengrass had used on them must have had some additional side effects. Classes weren't all that interesting and many people couldn't stop talking about what happened. Under different circumstances, Fred and George would be reveling in all the attention. Harry even heard some of the Gryffindor girls making plans to visit and play nurse. Harry wrinkled his nose at that: girls were weird.
As the day went on, Harry really wanted to go and check on his friends. He found it odd that the twins were her first target considering she must have known that it had been all his idea. And yet, she continued to treat him as if he didn't exist. She did look particularly smug and delighted in the rumors over what could have caused the twins' affliction, yet a smile never crossed her face. Harry, though, could see it in her eyes. She was loving every moment of this and it only made him angrier. A part of him really wanted to just go right up to her and demand she cure them but that would reveal their friendship and Harry still needed people to believe that he and the twins were anything but.
"I bet it was Potter."
Harry's attention was immediately drawn to his name. Walking ahead of him towards the Great Hall for dinner, a small group of second years comprised of mostly Gryffindors were whispering together.
"How do you figure?"
"Who else could it be? Remember last year."
They were referring to the staged incident where Harry hung the twins upside down on the ceiling outside the Great Hall. To date, it was the only time anyone had struck back at one of the twin's pranks. It had cemented his reputation among his peers and ended rumors that the three were secretly friends. Harry wanted no part of these rumors, though. Sure, they would help his reputation in the long run but it didn't mean he had to like it. He never counted on the twins becoming his friends, he didn't count on caring.
"Interesting, isn't it?" said Greengrass as she brushed past him and disappeared into the throng without a word from Harry.
Harry looked around and noticed a lot of glares coming his way, mostly from Gryffindors. They all thought he did this and he could feel the bulls-eye on his back. Was this her plan for him? To pit the entire school against him?
He needed to clear this up. He couldn't very well take on the entire school but first he needed to know what happened to the twins. He walked past the Great Hall and made his way to the classroom he and the twins used. As soon as he entered, he locked and silenced the door. He couldn't afford to have anyone hear him. He broke off a chair leg, clenched it between his teeth, and aimed his wand at his right shoulder.
This was really going to hurt.
"Lacero."
The hospital wing was the one place in Hogwarts that Harry wanted to spend the least amount of time. It also didn't help that Madam Pomfrey had it in for him.
He stumbled slowly into the ward with his hand pressed firmly to his bleeding shoulder. As soon as the old matron saw him, she pushed him down onto a bed.
"What happened to you?" She kept a firm grip on his other shoulder to keep him steady. He did feel a little woozy.
"Someone hit me with a cutting curse on the way to dinner." It was an easy lie.
"Who?"
"I don't know, I didn't see them."
"I swear they should confiscate the students' wands and only let you have them for classes," she muttered under her breath as she closed his wound.
"Have a seat, Potter, I have to report this to your head of house. And don't even think of going anywhere or I'll strap you down myself," she ordered sternly.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey." It was clear that she still hadn't forgotten last year when he left her care with his leg half open and suffering from severe loss of blood. It didn't take long to locate Fred and George and settle himself next to them. They were both asleep and looked ghostly pale.
His brow furrowed. It was odd to see the usually lively pair look so dead. It was as if they had sunk into the beds. George's lips were quivering while Fred was fidgeting. It was hard for Harry to see them this way, they looked so…happy.
What?
Smiles had crept on the twins faces before they burst out laughing.
"Are you two kidding me?"
"We're sorry, mate, but your face," said Fred through his laughter.
"We couldn't help it." George wiped a tear from his eye.
Harry settled on his bed and shook his head. "You two are alright, then?"
George outstretched his arms with a smile. "Of course."
"I mean, we're starving but Pomfrey's got us on nutritional potions." Fred's words were accentuated with the sound of their stomachs growling.
"It's the only thing we can keep down."
"I miss food," Fred said woefully as he rubbed his belly.
"What do you mean? You're not cured?"
"Nope, Pomfrey doesn't know what it is."
'How did Greengrass manage that?' Harry thought. It was actually a bit frightening. A person could survive on nutritional potions but it was hardly a replacement for real food.
The twins then grew very serious.
"Listen, Harry, Fred and I have been thinking and we've come to a decision."
"We don't blame you but with what's happened we think it's best if…"
Harry held his breath. They didn't want to stop being friends, did they? He hadn't envisioned making too many friends while at Hogwarts but he had come to rely on the twins.
"…you break up with Greengrass."
"It's just not a healthy relationship."
Harry should have known better. Of course these two would take the mickey out of him. He laughed a little and shook his head. "Wankers."
They shared a moment together to laugh over the situation before Harry spoke again. "So you're not mad."
"Why would we be mad?"
"We're impressed, it's a good prank."
Harry rolled his eyes. Of course, they would see it this way. Pranksters through and through.
"Hitting us in our stomachs, that's a devious witch." Fred rubbed his stomach again to try and assuage another growl.
"Imagine if she did that to little Ronnie." Harry didn't know much their younger brother but from what he had heard, the boy liked to eat.
"He'd be dead," Fred quickly asserted before he perked up. "Hey, we should get that potion from Greengrass."
George went silent for a moment before he waved his finger. "That's not a bad idea, imagine, drink a potion and you're out of class for the day."
Fred grew visibly excited. "It's worked so far. We could disguise it as a candy or something." They went back forth with each other, exchanging different ideas about candies that would make you sick.
Harry, though, didn't know much about what was going on. He had grown used to the twins going off about one thing or another.
"We'll need the cure, though." They looked expectantly at Harry. He caught on quickly. Despite their enthusiasm for a new means to skip classes, he could hear in the voices their concern about their condition and Harry didn't blame them.
"I'll see what I can do."
Harry was walking back from the hospital wing, rotating his shoulder as he went along. Pomfrey had done her usually magic but he still felt a bit of discomfort.
'Next time I'll just say my stomach hurt.'
His thoughts drifted to his current problem. He would have to get inside Greengrass's room again and find the cure. He could use some kind of distraction, like before, but it would be harder without the twins. He couldn't very well be in two places at once. Idea after idea flooded his mind but nothing seemed all that practical. He had to do it, though, he had the cloak and the map and that was all needed.
He reached the Slytherin common room and slipped unnoticed into his room. He lifted his desk to the side and removed the loose rock in the floor where he kept the map. He knew it was a bit paranoid. His room was heavily warded to keep out anyone but himself but Harry figured better safe than sorry.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Harry unfolded the map and looked for Greengrass in the usual locations. She wasn't in the library or her room. It took a few minutes but he finally spotted her in the main staircases. It was hard to tell where she was going but the route seemed to indicate that she was heading to the Great Hall. Harry checked his watch. It was 5PM so he figured that she was going for an early dinner. This was his chance. He grabbed his cloak and the broom he kept in his room.
Just as he had done before, he covered himself and the broom and flew to girl's side of the dormitories. He had to move very slowly as there was a lot more traffic to avoid. He once again had to disarm her wards and this time remembered to replace them once inside, just in case. The room hadn't changed much since the last time except she now had different potions simmering. He immediately went to her desk to check her drawers, a smirk on his face.
She may have figured out how the twins were involved but she never discovered his part in the whole thing. Otherwise she would put up more protections on her room and belongings.
Going through her desk was taking a considerable amount of time. She had a lot of notes and he had to consider each one. He looked for any sign of the side effects the twins were exhibiting. He was moving as quickly as he could while making sure everything was put back the way it was before.
After finding nothing in her desk, he moved to her trunk. Inside, she had mostly vials and ingredients but there was no way to tell which was what. He had expected that, it wasn't like she would have a vial labeled 'Vomiting Cure.'
Harry was slowly coming to the realization that his search was futile. There were just too many vials and no way of telling what was what without tasting them. She must have some sort of system to keep track because it looked completely random to him. An idea came to him that caused a devious smile to creep on his face. He was just going to have get her to tell him and he knew just how he was going to get her attention.
A feminine cry of rage filled the normally quiet Slytherin common room. All eyes were drawn to the girls' dormitory, except one. Harry was seated in his usual spot casually flipping through a Quidditch magazine, a pleased smile on his face. Greengrass had been right; potions really took a delicate touch. The slightest temperature change, particularly extinguishing the flame, could ruin a potion…or ten.
He slowly put down the magazine and calmly walked towards the exit. He had timed it perfectly so that he was standing at the exiting wall just has Greengrass stormed into the common room with her wand drawn in one hand and an empty vial in the other. Her eyes murderously searched the room before they settled on him. Harry smiled back at her and wasn't fazed at all when she crushed the vial in her hand. Harry slowly backed into the dissolving wall, narrowly avoiding the curse sent at his face.
The moment he was clear of the entrance, he threw on his cloak and stepped away. He fully expected her to follow him which was he wanted, he had a message for her.
Sure enough, Greengrass burst out of the wall. "Harry Potter!" She looked wildly from side to side but obviously couldn't see him. She was breathing very heavily and her eyes were filled with rage. Harry was kind of glad that he had his father's invisibility cloak, otherwise this would be a lot less entertaining.
"I think once you've cooled down we should talk." Harry quickly side stepped to the right. Greengrass had zeroed in on his voice and he had just barely avoided another curse. With nothing else to say, Harry silently departed. He needed to break the news to the twins that their cure was going to have to wait. Their stomachs would probably not enjoy the news but hopefully this new story would cheer them up.
As he was just getting out of earshot of the dungeons, he heard one last scream, "Damn you, Harry Potter!"
That following Monday saw the twins back in classes and in detention. Apparently, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall discovered their ruse to get out of classes and deemed them fit to return. The detention came when they purposely ate an apple and vomited all over McGonagall's shoes.
They weren't capable of doing much in classes. They just didn't have the energy to perform spells but McGonagall felt they could still learn the theories. It was one of the few times the students could actually remember seeing the Transfiguration teacher smile.
For Harry, it was a constant reminder that his friends were relying on him for help. After the stunt he pulled on Greengrass, he had figured that she would want to settle the matter but it remained status quo.
On Wednesday, they had their first Double Potions with the Gryffindors. Harry arrived early but didn't set up his station. Greengrass had made it a habit to go to a different table than wherever Harry was and would refuse to join him. Harry was more than willing to wait her out but the first time it happened Slughorn had instructed Harry to move ("Never disagree with a lady, Mr. Potter.")
As the rest of the class trickled in, Harry watched Fred and George slowly shuffle to their work station. Six days on nothing but nutritional potions was really taking its toll. Their usually full and jovial faces were stricken and narrower. Striding in behind them, Greengrass completely ignored the twins and picked a table in the front left. Harry was forced to follow and set up next to her. There wasn't time for words as Slughorn started the lesson on brewing the Swelling Solution and its antidote, the Deflating Draught. Since they were paired in groups of two, each member was instructed to brew each part of the assignment to be graded together.
For Harry, there was no room to debate as Greengrass immediately started on the Deflating Draught leaving him to brew the Swelling Solution. The lesson proceeded normally with Slughorn walking around and instructing where needed. He completely ignored Harry and Greengrass, trusting that his two star students were more than capable of such a simple pair of potions.
He would come to regret that decision.
If there was one aspect about his stand-off with Greengrass hadn't changed was their potions work. Greengrass had always made it clear that perfection was her paramount concern in the subject that was clearly her passion. Harry was busy separating his nettle leaves and slicing his bat spleens into quarters. The Swelling Solution was a particularly easy potion for him and fully expected an O. Harry's focus was entirely on his task, he didn't notice the increase in heat from his cauldron.
"Mr. Potter! Take that off the flame this instance before…" Slughorn was too late.
Harry's Swelling Solution exploded and splashed its contents all over him. His quick reflexes allowed him to get his hands up to protect his face but that didn't save them from the boiling water. He screamed in pain as the skin of his hands were cooked. Even worse, the potion was far enough that his hands started to partially swell as well. Harry hissed in pain as his blistered hands were stretched, popping as they expanded.
He looked over his work station to try and figure what had happened. His cauldron had toppled over and was still leaking what was left of his Swelling Solution. His flame was far too big. There was no way his heat could have gotten out of control like that unless…
"Sorry, Potter. I'm not ready to talk, I'm still a little heated about everything," Greengrass quipped quietly with absolutely no emotion.
Harry glared murderously at her but didn't get a chance to retort before Slughorn was upon them and sorting out the mess Harry's potion had made. When he asked what happen, Harry just said he lost focus on what he was doing and hadn't been monitoring his temperature.
Slughorn looked surprised. "My word, Mr. Potter, I never expected this from you. And you, Miss Greengrass, why didn't you warn him?"
'Because she did it,' answered Harry in his head.
"I didn't notice, Professor. I was busy looking after my part of the assignment," she responded innocently.
Slughorn scrunched his face; he obviously didn't like her answer. "Well I must say I'm disappointed in you two. It is unfortunate that you do not have enough time to restart and I'll have to give you-"
"-I can do it," Greengrass interrupted. She pushed her cauldron of Deflating Draught towards Harry. "He can finish my work on the antidote while I restart his, correctly this time."
Harry glared at her. His potion would have been just fine if she hadn't sabotaged it. Without thinking, he clenched his fist and immediately winced in pain.
"Let me see them, Mr. Potter, I've healed more than my fair share of burns." Harry gingerly offered up his hands as Slughorn took out his wand.
"Here, Professor, use this?" Greengrass offered him a jar of burn salve.
"Ah thank you, my dear. You're lucky, Mr. Potter, to have such a prepared lab partner."
Harry despised the irony.
One Week Later
"Harry, please, we can't take this anymore."
"Just apologize to her already, please, before we die."
"You want her to win?!"
"We want to eat."
"FOOD!"
There was a pause as Harry considered the twin's plea. They looked as sickly as ever and were barely able to remain upright in their seats. Harry really didn't have a choice.
"Fine, where is she?"
George scanned the map quickly with Fred leaning over him. "Third floor corridor near the staircases."
"Is there anything close?"
Fred pointed at a spot on the map. "There's an empty classroom up the corridor."
Harry took the information and starting forming a plan.
"Alright, you go and make sure its empty and I'll bring her there."
"Can't you just bring her here?"
"We're too tired to move."
It probably was a better idea especially with how pitiful the twins looked but Harry didn't want Greengrass to know where he and the twins usually met.
"Stop whining. The faster this gets done, the faster you two eat."
That was all the motivation they needed, but their movements were still sluggish.
As Harry watched them shuffle out, he was left to think over how they had got to this point. Things had not improved for Harry and his friends during the last week. The continued stalemate between the trio and Greengrass had escalated as the rumors that Harry was the culprit caused him to become Undesirable #1. Needless to say, the halls were once again a dangerous place for Harry. The twins wanted to advocate for him but Harry told them that he could take it and that it would help him along the road but still, he didn't like how much Greengrass was enjoying the whole thing.
As for the twins, their condition had gotten so bad that Pomfrey was forced to contact St. Mungo's for a possible cure. Professor McGonagall had contacted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and there was a discussion on whether the twins should be taken out of school. Hopefully soon, though, St. Mungo's would have an answer and Fred and George could enjoy a real meal.
Harry made his way to the third floor to intercept Greengrass and settle this matter. He didn't know what he was going to say. He hadn't expected that he would be the first to concede.
He found her lazily walking through the corridor and took a moment to watch her. Her cool blue eyes wandered from window to window to gaze upon the clear spring day. She stopped to sit in one of alcoves and stare off into the courtyard that lied below. Harry could just faintly here the happy sounds of people enjoying the beautiful weather and was surprised to see a sad frown on Greengrass's face. She pulled her robes tighter and leaned her head against the wall as she continued gaze upon the merriment below.
"Greengrass."
Her wand appeared faster than Harry expected she was capable of.
"What do you want Potter?" Her face once again back to that of indifference.
Harry raised his hands to show that they were empty. "I've come to talk terms. We give up."
"You have?" she said skeptically.
"Yes." It pained him to say it, especially with the smug expression now adorned on Greengrass's face.
"So where are your pets?"
"They're not…" He didn't like how she characterized his friendship with the twins but now wasn't the time argue about that. "They're waiting for us. This way."
She still looked a little skeptical but Harry kept his hands up and made no threatening moves. He walked forward and led the way towards the classroom Fred and George had chosen. He peaked behind him and saw Greengrass following with her wand still drawn.
When he arrived at the empty classroom, he found Fred and George already inside. He opened the door for Greengrass and let her enter first. She walked in but didn't acknowledge the twins; she just went straight to the front desk and took a seat behind it. Harry closed the door and put up silencing and locking charms before he settled in a desk in the front row next to the twins. He despised relinquishing control liked this but for the sake of his friends he held his tongue.
He leaned toward the twins. "Let me do the talking."
"Right." They whispered back but as soon as they did they turned and threw themselves onto their hands and knees before Greengrass.
"We're sorry we pranked you."
"Please cure us."
Harry dropped his head. That was not a strong opening statement.
Greengrass seemed pleased, though. "How do I know you're sincere?"
They each clasped their hands together and continued to beg. "We'll do anything you ask!"
"We'll bow to your every command!"
"We'll kiss your robes and wash your feet!"
"We'll carry your bag!"
"We'll do your homework," Fred paused and rethought what he just said. "We'll get smart people to do your homework!"
"We'll prank anyone you want!"
"Just please let us eat!"
"Please forgive us!"
Greengrass let out a long breath and made a show of thinking about their proposal. Harry continued to hang his head. This was embarrassing.
"I don't know, that will depend on your master." She nodded her head towards Harry.
"Master!" They exclaimed together as they frantically turned around and crawled to Harry.
"Please, Master, say you're sorry!"
"Tell her we'll be good, Master!"
"Get up you idiots, have some respect." He was not going to let Greengrass reduce his two friends to animals. They ignored him, though, and pawed at his robes mumbling pleas to do what Greengrass wanted.
"Now, now Potter, don't be mean to them. They're trying to apologize." The twins wagged their heads in agreement. "How about you?"
"I don't need to. Pomfrey has contacted St. Mungo's and they'll have a cure any day now." It was the argument he had meant to begin with before the twins had decided to use their method. He was always taught that a Marauder never apologized, that if a person couldn't take a prank than that was their problem.
"Oh really, and how will they do that without the knowing what potion I used, considering it's one that I invented," she countered with ease. She looked completely in control and she knew it.
Harry deflated a bit at losing his best bargaining chip. A new potion would take St. Mungo's weeks to figure out and he very much doubted the twins could wait that long. As the twins pleadingly stared at him with puppy dog eyes, Harry was forced to concede.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"What was that? I didn't quite catch that." She continued to play up the situation much to Harry's chagrin.
"I'm sorry," he said louder this time that people outside probably could have heard him.
Fred and George's faces lit up in happiness as they crawled back to Greengrass.
"He said it. He said it."
"Can we have the cure now please?"
There was a long silence as Harry and Greengrass continued their staring contest.
"I don't accept…"
The twins' faces immediately fell and started to wail in agony.
"…yet." They perked up again and began prostrating again at her feet.
Harry, meanwhile, just wanted all this to end.
"What do you want?" He was sure that it would be extravagant and outlandish.
"I want to be your friend."
He was right.
"What?"
It just didn't make any sense. She hated him and vice versa. Greengrass, though, looked completely serious. She was upright in her seat and folded her hands together like she was making a business proposition.
"I want you to publically recognize me as your friend."
"Why?"
"Because of the second thing I want." Harry motioned for her to go on. "I want you to stop fooling around and accept the position as the leader of Slytherin House."
Harry was even more confused.
"Why do you care if I'm the new Rosier?"
Greengrass rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated that she had to explain herself.
"I have my reasons that don't concern you but the main one, which I thought was obvious, is power. If you're in control and I'm your friend then that's power."
Now it all made sense. She wanted him to become the most powerful person in their house and then acknowledge her as his friend. Given his reputation, as his supposedly only friend, she would have all the protection and power of the position without any of the risk of someone challenging to take over like he had with King. It was very…Slytherin of her.
Harry despised the idea. He didn't have the time or desire to deal with the inane activities of his classmates, especially with Danny coming next year. More than that, he hated how eager they all were to fall in line and become sheep to whoever had the most power. It was no wonder how Voldemort gained so many supporters from his former house.
The twins, meanwhile, were pleading with their eyes and their tongues hanging out for Harry to take the deal. Their desire to eat real food and the mental abuse of Greengrass treating them like dogs had really taken its toll on their psyche.
"That would mean spending more time together, you know?"
Greengrass shrugged nonchalantly. "I can handle it if you can as long as you keep these two on their leashes."
Harry stood angrily, forcing his chair to fly backwards. Greengrass reacted by going for her wand but stopped when all Harry did was walk up to her with his hand extended. As she stood and took it, he squeezed hard to keep her from releasing and smiled.
"If I accept this and we become friends than that would mean that we have to act like ones right?"
"Right," she said apprehensively. She eyed their conjoined hands as Harry squeezed harder.
"And friends help each other, right?"
"What's your point, Potter?" She tried to free her hand but Harry's grip was too strong.
"Well, Daphne, I would expect you to handle the little things, you know, the petty arguments, the complaints, the things that I don't have time for." His smile grew as he watched her eyes narrow.
"You want me to be your secretary." He could hear the contempt in her voice as she tried once again to free her hand. Harry tightened his grip and felt the satisfying crunch of her knuckles rolling over each other.
"It's what a friend would do," he said as he smiled. He wasn't going to allow her to put him up as a shield so she could have power. He was going to make sure she was right there with him.
"Fine," she agreed quickly though it was probably more about freeing her hand then actually agreeing with his terms.
"And no more treating Fred and George like dogs," Harry quickly added. Fred and George propped themselves on their knees with their tongues still hanging out at the mention of their names.
"Whatever."
They finally released and Harry was pleased to see her wince a little as she flexed her hand. She then made a move that would have been much more impressive if she were more developed of reaching into the middle of her robes and producing two vials filled with a green liquid. She tossed them to the twins who reacted as if she had just thrown them a baby.
"Take these and wait an hour."
The twins eagerly downed the potion and released a long sigh of satisfaction. Harry would later found out that the potion tasted horrible but it was the first taste of something other than the bland nutritional potions they had endured for the last two weeks.
The twins quickly left after that, probably to avoid anything that could make Daphne poison them again, leaving Harry and her alone.
"I'm surprised you gave in. I expected more from you."
"I did what my real friends needed me to. Something you would know nothing about." He looked her square in the eyes and noticed her flinch slightly. She didn't respond right away but when she did, there was a slight hitch in her voice.
"I don't need to know. I don't need real friends." It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. Harry easily remembered the scene from before and the sadness in her eyes as she watched their peers. It almost made him feel sorry for her…almost.
"Whatever you say, Daphne."
Two Days Later
Harry had waited to fulfill his part to make sure that Daphne's cure had done its job and the results were not pretty. A ten foot perimeter had formed around the twins where no one was allowed to touch any food around them. The feeding frenzy was probably one of the most disgusting things Harry had ever witnessed. It didn't matter what it was, if it was edible it went into their mouths. It was actually concerning. At the pace they were eating, especially after two weeks without food, would probably make them sick all over again but they didn't seem to care. No one was going to stop them from enjoying the fact that they once again on real food.
With his friends now back to normal, Harry was standing just outside the Slytherin entrance preparing to become the head of the snake.
"Ready for this?" Daphne appeared next to him.
Harry gave her a casual glance. "You know what you're supposed to do?"
"Of course."
They had previously discussed the right way to address the house. Daphne had tried to dictate what he should say but Harry quickly told her to shut up. He already knew exactly how he was going to approach it.
He expected a few dissenters to try and steal the floor and demand a different candidate take his place. Harry made sure to warn her about King but she disregarded it stating that she expected him to handle any physical confrontations. That didn't provide Harry much comfort but by the look of her, she probably wouldn't be much help anyways. Harry knew that best way to win over the crowd was to pretend to adopt a more pureblood mentality and to play on their pride.
Daphne was the first through the wall. It was late in the evening so most everyone should already have been either in the common room or in their room. Once inside, she was to make sure all the girls were in attendance.
Harry took a deep breath before he followed her through. The common room was crowded as most of the Slytherins were either relaxing with friends or doing homework. Harry quickly scanned the room and found the person he was looking for.
"Jacobs!"
The small first year whipped around and went wide-eyed when he saw who had called him.
"Y-Yes sir?"
Thinking it weird to be called 'sir.' "Go get any of the boys in the dorms to come up here."
Without responding, Jacobs spun on his heels and ran down the stairs to complete his task. By now, a number of Harry's peers had taken notice and were curious as to why their enigmatic leader was suddenly giving orders.
There was a bit of a lull as Harry waited for Daphne and Jacobs to complete their tasks. Daphne was the first to reappear with a trail of girls behind her. They all looked confused which probably meant that Daphne said nothing about what was about to happen. Jacobs return a short while after Daphne but in a much less graceful fashion. Apparently King didn't appreciate the small first year's order to come out to the common room. He had Jacobs by the collar and practically threw him to the ground.
"What's going on here?" King loudly commanded. Behind him were Sullivan, Hunt, and the rest of Slytherin boys that weren't already present.
"I have an announcement to make, King. Got a problem with that?"
"Potter!" he spat as he went for his wand but Harry was quicker.
"Don't make me put you down again."
Recognizing that Harry had him, King crossed him arms and remained silent. Sullivan and Hunt matched him and the trio stood by the archway to the dorms. There was a few minutes of scuffling as everyone found a seat, a few whispering among themselves.
Harry scanned the room, making sure to make eye contact with everyone. He failed to see Grey among the populace which didn't surprise him that much. In fact, he had seen very little of Grey since the incident outside his room last year. He did notice that Daphne had placed herself next to the main fireplace in clear view of the room.
Harry waited until the room went silent before he started to speak.
"My name is Harry Potter and from this moment on I am taking control of Slytherin House." It was blunt but it was the best way to make sure he had everyone's attention.
"For as long as I am in this position, this house's reputation will change. The bullying, petty fights, and harassment of the other houses, especially with Gryffindor, will no longer be tolerated. Any who break this rule will have to answer to me." Harry stared right at King, who menacingly glared back at him but didn't speak.
"The House of Salazar Slytherin is one of purity and ambition yet it has been dishonored by arrogance and thug-like behavior but no more." Harry started pacing around the room, looking at each person. "We Slytherins pride ourselves on being the best the wizarding world has to offer and it's about time we start acting like it. If we think we are above the rest than why have we lowered ourselves to nothing more than mindless thugs? If we're the best, I say we start proving it. Anybody disagree?"
"Why should we listen to you?"
Harry didn't see the person who spoke but turned in the general direction. "I know I haven't been the most active when it comes to matters within this house but I assure you that it's a priority now. I can also promise that none of you will ever have to fear unprovoked violence from me or any I associate with." Harry finished by once again staring right at King. It wanted to make it clear that his reign wasn't going to be anything like the previous one.
King, though, didn't appreciate all the shots to his ego. He angrily pushed off the wall and made a move for his wand but found it already flying through the air and right into Harry's outstretched hand. There was a collective grasp at how fast Harry moved and appeared to cast silently. Harry had actually whispered the Summoning Charm but he wanted make them to think he could cast silently. He held up King's wand for all to see.
"This is exactly the kind of thing that will not be tolerated. We cannot change our house's reputation with blunt force but rather with actions befitting the noble blood in our veins." Harry tossed the wand back to King who caught it seamlessly but didn't raise it again. Harry gave him one last quick stare down before he went back to addressing the room. "We will be smarter than the Ravenclaws, more united than the Hufflepuffs, and well…" Harry paused and smugly smiled, "…nothing like those feeble lions."
There was number of snickering and Harry started to see a number of people nodding their heads. It was this moment when Harry came to a stunning realization: Rosier was right. Harry's original plan to intimidate his peers to get what he wanted was the wrong path. As he stared into the inspired faces around him, he couldn't help but think that this was what he should have done from the start and strangely enough he owed it all to Daphne. She had unwittingly given him the means to protect his brother from those within his house. Even if he had to cater to the insipid desires of his house; it would just be another mask he adorned during his time here at Hogwarts. Speaking of his newest 'friend,' it was now time to make probably the most shocking announcement of the evening.
"As your leader, I will hold each and every one of you accountable to this new course and together we will once again raise this house beyond all the rest. If, for any reason, you take issue or have something you wish to discuss than you may come to me or my friend, Daphne Greengrass." Harry motioned to Daphne who straightened up and stepped forward so that everyone could see her. As expected, there were a number of shocked faces throughout the room. Daphne, though, didn't pay them any mind before she nodded back to Harry.
"What about your other friend, Potter?" called a voice behind him. Harry turned to see Grey leaning casually against the wall next to the entrance. He must have slipped in while Harry was talking.
"I have no other friends," Harry responded coolly. Everything was going so well but he had a bad feeling it was going to get a lot more complicated.
"But what about me? Weren't we friends?" Harry had never heard Grey speak with such sickly smoothness.
"'Were' being the operative word." Grey looked almost shocked which Harry found strange. He thought he had been very clear about the matter.
"But we promise to have each other's back."
"We did." Harry stated plainly, feeling like he had to spell it out. "But that was before you hexed me in the back and left me to become spider food."
Grey suddenly exploded in anger. "But you didn't let me apologize! Instead you exiled me in my own house! You left me all alone!"
This was starting to get out of hand. Grey's anger came out of nowhere and now looked more and more unstable with every passing moment.
"And I saved you, didn't I?! You would have died if not for me! You wouldn't be here right now taking everything I ever wanted if not for ME!" Grey stumbled a little as the force he was putting into his words became too much. He looked completely unhinged as his attitude then performed a complete one-eighty. His expression softened but still looked like an addict in withdrawal. "But it's alright now. I can change. I can be better like you just said. We can be friends again." He face broke out into an insane smile as he reached out to Harry.
Harry was at a loss of words. He had never seen anything like this before, it was like he was talking to two different people. Grey continued to edge closer to Harry with his arms outstretched to embrace him. Just before he could, though, Harry regained his senses and pushed Grey away.
"We can never be friends, Grey." Harry added a little more forcefulness to get his point across.
The momentum took Grey back a few steps and forced him to lean to his side to maintain his balance. He remained in the position for a few moments and his breathing became noticeably heavier.
"Then I'll just take it from you."
He whipped out his wand and pointed it right at Harry's face. Harry pulled his just as quickly. He fired a stunner, hoping to put an end to this impromptu interruption. Grey simply side stepped but didn't retaliate. Sensing weakness, Harry fired off two more stunners while pressing forward and closing the distance between them. Grey, again, moved out of the way and retreated away from Harry.
"You're not going to beat me with your tricks, Harry."
Harry didn't appear fazed, but Grey's words spoke to the fact that he was among the few that knew his tactics, having spent a number of weeks under his tutelage. Harry tried once more to position himself closer but Grey continued to dance away. This time, though, Grey fired a spell that caught Harry off-guard. The yellow light of Grey's cutting curse ripped deep through the back of his left leg and forced Harry to his knees. The pain was great and a considerable amount of blood started to spill from the wound. There was nothing Harry could do to stop Grey from disarming him with a swift Expelliarmus.
Before he could recover, Grey was already upon him, his wand pointed right in his face. Harry looked up to the satisfied smile of his opponent.
"You forget, Harry. You taught me everything you know."
It would appear that Grey had bested him and a rumbling began in the crowd as they looked upon Grey as their future leader. Needless to say, there were a number of disgruntled faces at the prospect as they watched Harry at the mercy of his former friend. Harry, though, was right where he wanted to be.
"Not everything."
With unexpected quickness, Harry lunged forward and grabbed Grey's forearm and pulled him forward. Harry then struck at the inside of Grey's elbow which reflexively caused Grey's forearm to bend towards himself. Harry grabbed at Grey's wand and knocked it from his hand, dropping it into his other hand, and pointed it into Grey's shocked face.
"Cruc—"
"Stupefy!"
Harry quickly looked behind him to see King crumble to the ground with his wand outstretched. He then looked the other way to find Daphne, her wand pointed toward the would-be assailant. Her hands were shaking and her face appeared surprised by her actions. She sensed his stare and turned her attention to him and annoyingly gestured to him to end this matter.
Harry nodded to her to acknowledge her assistance before he turned back to Grey, who now looked completely different. He was calm, without any of the rage that Harry had just witnessed.
"Do it, Harry," Grey whispered. "You have to. It's the only way they'll accept you."
"I didn't want any of this, Grey, you knew that." It was the first time Harry saw the person he had once called his friend. Even in defeat, Grey was trying to assist his advancement in their house. And yet, the image of the past was soon replaced with the boy who spoke out earlier.
"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Grey smiled. He looked around at the admiring crowd. "You have become the very thing you despise. I take joy in that."
Harry's brow furrowed in indecision. It was here that he started realized that his impulsive decision to reject Grey would lead to great and unfortunate things. And yet, the thought could not assuage his actions nor inspire forgiveness.
"Don't test me again, Grey. I will no longer play this game."
"Too bad." Grey's smiled grew and manically chucked softly. "I'm just getting started."
There was nothing Harry had left to say. He gripped his wand tighter and stared hard into the eyes of his former friend.
"Stupefy."
One Month Later
Harry sat impatiently in the library at his usual table; the events of last month had brought about a considerable change in the makeup of the student body. Harry's proclamation was, at first, a difficult thing for Harry's housemates to accept but few wished to test Harry's resolve. The new Slytherin attitude came as a shock to a majority of the castle. Gone were the days that a Slytherin taunted, bullied, or had anything beyond healthy competition with the other houses.
Internally, Harry experienced little resistance to his leadership. King was finally forced to admit that Harry was better than him, having been embarrassed twice now in front of their entire house. Also, Grey had disappeared like he did before. Of course, that didn't stop Harry from keeping an eye on both of them with the map. He found it strange that Grey spent so much time in an abandoned washroom on the first floor.
The teachers certainly appreciated the peace and quiet. It had become a mainstay for teachers to break up fights, take points, and give detentions, especially when Slytherin and Gryffindor were involved, but no more. Word then quickly swept through the halls that Slytherin House now had a new leader. Harry had to once again endure rumors that he was a budding Dark Lord and would betray his innocent brother to the ruin of their world. Fred and George had a field day with that one; they continued to jokily call him master and bow at his feet. The rumors, though, were not the reason for Harry's impatience.
"The Quidditch team needs the pitch for practice on Thursday but the Ravenclaws already have it. They want to know if they can-"
"Jacobs!"
"Yes sir."
"Shouldn't you be speaking to Daphne about this?"
"She-"
"I thought it was a matter you would want to handle," said Daphne as she approached them. "I know how much you love Quidditch."
Even after a month, it was still hard for Harry to fully accept his new relationship with Daphne Greengrass. Her sarcastic nature was a difficult thing to maneuver especially since she never gave any indication on whether she was being serious or not. There were a few subtleties that Harry was slowing catching on to but an actual smile would have made it easier; something Harry had yet to see upon her face.
He gave her a pointed look before he turned back to Jacobs. "Tell the team that I'll speak to Professor Slughorn about getting them the pitch."
One of the main functions as the student leader in Slytherin was having to be the middle man between the snakes and their head of house. In fact, the reason his position existed was because the esteemed Horace E. F. Slughorn was far too wrapped up in himself and his human trophies that he rarely got involved with matters within his house.
"Yes sir." Jacobs responded quickly but didn't move.
"You can go." With that, Jacobs practically sprinted out of the library.
"He's certainly eager to please," observed Daphne as they both watched Jacobs trip over himself and go crashing to the ground. He was immediately back to his feet and dashed through the exit. It was actually kind of a funny sight, if Harry wasn't in such a foul mood. A mood that his new 'friend' was responsible for.
"You enjoy encouraging him, don't you?"
Daphne dropped her bag and settled in her seat. "Not really," she said with a shrug.
"But you're not going to stop."
"Probably."
Harry rolled his eyes and returned to his studies. This time, uninterrupted by an eager first year.
"I thought we agreed that you would handle the little things." Harry spoke after a few minutes of quiet study between the pair.
"I'm sorry you're upset." She didn't sound sorry. "Maybe you should have picked someone else to be your secretary." Harry threw her warning glare. "Perhaps young Jacobs would be better suited."
"And here I thought you were enjoying being my friend." Harry smirked at the brazen stare down from his newest 'friend.'
"I did not expect the position to include keeping your itinerary." Her annoyance dripped from her lips with every word which made him happy.
"Then tell me the real reason for asking for it and we can forget this whole thing."
"No thank you."
This was not the first time Harry had tried to get her to admit that she just wanted some companionship. Over the last month, there was sparsely a moment where they were not in each other's company. They would walk to meals and classes together and resumed studying in the library. Daphne purported that it was to keep up appearances but Harry had his suspicions. The only time they weren't together was when Harry met with the twins; something Daphne had no stomach for. It was safe to say that Harry spent a lot more time with the two pranksters. Speaking of the twins…
"Have Fred and George spoken to you about their request?" asked Harry after spending the last hour or so doing their transfiguration assignment. Harry had promised to approach her on their behalf about acquiring the vomiting potion and its cure: something about 'Puking Pastilles.'
"They tried," she said dismissively.
"And?"
"I promised to give them the recipe once they've completed their end of the bargain," she said with a huff.
"What bargain?" Harry didn't like the idea of her taking advantage of his two actual friends, especially with how scared they were of her.
"You'll see," she said cryptically. She started packing up her things. "I'll see you back in the common room."
"You're not going to wait?" They usually entered the common room together in order to further enforce their status as friends.
"I have a feeling you will fall behind."
Confused by her words, Harry was startled by a sudden blow to the back of his head. He turned around to see a book lying on the ground. He looked around to see where it came from only to be met with a faceful of paper and leather.
"WEASLEYS!" He yelled as a barrage of books came flying his way.
A/N: The content of this chapter has caused a lot of people to be upset about Daphne. I'm admitting now that I did a poor job describing the situation. The twins were not in danger of dying. They are playing it up more to get out of class and because it's just part of their personalities to overplay such a situation. I do mention that they must rely on nutritional potions for sustenance. I would liken it to how coma patients are fed through an IV. Now, obviously, they would prefer real food but they would have no problem living. The mentioning of St. Mungo's was just to illustrate that Daphne's potion was her own invention and that an antidote would not be easy to create without knowing how the potion was brewed in the first place. My thoughts on Daphne is that she would go far enough to deter any further pranks done to her.