Disclaimer's in the prologue.
After the three-headed dog incident, Harry did not try to go traipsing around the castle again. Who knows what other dangerous things are behind closed doors inside the castle. And Harry, for one, is not a fan of dying at a very tender age, not when he knows he has a lot of things still to do in the world.
The last two weeks of October were all talk of either Quiditch or Halloween and Harry liked neither, the game being dangerous and Halloween being the most depressing part of his life. He just spent his time doing his homework, what else would he do? He has absolutely no intention of playing Quiditch with his teammates unless it's for practice or for the game against the other houses. And he has absolutely no intention of celebrating Halloween unless the world is about to end.
The charms class on Halloween was anticipated by the students because Professor Flitwick had announced that they would be taught the levitation charm. Him being him, he's not at all that excited. He knows what the levitation charm is, knows how it works, and had seen it work.
Professor Flitwick had the class in pairs to practice. He partnered was his twin, Lars. Granger partnered with Weasley. It was hard to tell whether Weasley or Granger was angrier about this. Weasley and Granger had been in constant verbal warfare since the start of the term due to Weasley and Lars constantly losing points for Gryffindor house for talking back to Professor Snape. And Theo partnered, reluctantly, with the ferret.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. 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." Bollocks, Harry thought at his teacher's tale. It was an urban legend and nothing more. They wouldn't have any problems with spell casting had they not removed the Latin class in school. Most spells were from Latin so some students had difficult time casting because of the pronunciation.
"Wingardium Leviosa." Lars said and their feather rose at above three feet from their desk.
"Well done Mr. Potter, five points to Gryffindor." beamed their professor.
"You try," Lars said to him.
He raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Why would I do that?"
Lars rolled his eyes at him. "He said to try, brother."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever." he muttered before preparing to cast the charm. "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather rose from their desks along Lars' exclamation of "That's brilliant!"
"Well done Mr. Evandrus," Their Professor said and Harry was also awarded five points for Slytherin.
Finnigan, who was partnered with Dean Thomas and was sitting right next to them got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it. Thomas frantically put the fire out with his hat. Finnigan seemed to have an aptitude for setting things on fire, just the other day that lion managed to make the water in the Gryffindor table explode on his face like a firework when he was trying to turn it into rum.
"I'm going to sit a little farther away from him next time," Lars whispered to him. "Good thing he doesn't try that in the dorm or else, we'd all be wizard barbecues."
"No stop, stop, you're going to poke someone's eye out besides you're saying it wrong" Harry turned his head to Granger and Weasley's direction. As expected, they wouldn't last long without one snapping at the other. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever, go on." Weasley snarled. Bad move weasel boy, Harry thought. He was fairly certain that Granger can make it fly. Despite being a muggleborn witch, she is very talented, just like their mother during her tenure here in Hogwarts.
Granger rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. Harry thought that no one should expect less from the talented muggleborn of Gryffindor house. Of course, that is something he would not say out loud.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Another five points to Gryffindor!"
Weasley was in a really bad mood by the end of the class. That stupid prat, as incompetent as he is, should be glad that his partner helped him, bossy though as she may be.
"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Weasley said to Lars as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into them as they hurried past him. It was Granger and she was in tears.
Oh how absolutely brilliant, Harry thought dryly, a girl crying because of weasel. Truth to be told if the comment came from Weasley's mouth that shouldn't affect you too much, besides that it's not his place to say it he doesn't have the intellectual capacity to conclude things reasonably.
"I think she heard you." Lars said with a hint of guilt in his voice. Harry faced his brother briefly with a face that is clearly saying 'No duh'.
"So?" said Weasley, pompously, not caring. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."
"Friends or no friends, at least she's not incompetent like you are." Theo said snidely, surprisingly defensive of the muggleborn.
Weasley scoffed. "You're one to talk, Nott. I didn't even see yours fly."
Theo shrugged. "Either way, he is not stupid enough to refuse help, weasel," Harry interjected before Theo got a chance to speak, "unlike you who is vacuous and solipsistic enough that you can't accept that you, a boy and a pureblood, have been bested by her, a girl and a muggleborn one at that."
"Like you can do better if Lars wasn't your partner, you bloody snake." Harry is very insulted at what Weasley had said that he considered punching him for a moment but let the thought fly out of his mind knowing that it will do no good.
"Haven't you been listening? Theo just said he'll be glad if someone helps him, I would be too." Harry said hypocritically, but they don't need to know that. He can handle himself and wouldn't ask help from others.
"You should apologize to the girl Weasley, what you said was uncalled for." Theo said before they left.
Everybody went to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. Remembering that October 31st was the night that Voldemort murdered their mother, Harry reluctantly went to the feast to join Theo.
"I'm so excited to get my galleons on Saturday." Theo said to Higgs. Theodore Nott was way too confident that Harry will win the match.
"I'm sure Harry will win, right Harry?" Higgs said gleeful and Harry just responded with a huff. The rest just continued talking about Quiditch. Quiditch this, Quiditch that.
He was eating some sweets silently, ignoring the glee of the other students, when someone screamed bloody murder.
Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."
Quirrell then sank to the floor in a dead faint. The students started to go into hysterics. Students scream, Theo and Higgs paled while Harry just remained neutral.
"SILENCE!" yelled Professor Dumbledore, "Everyone would please, not panic." The students silenced and the Headmaster continued "Now prefects will lead their house to their dormitories, teachers will follow me to the dungeon."
The Potions Master looked at the Headmaster who also looked back then a minute later, the Headmaster said, "Slytherin House please remain inside the Great Hall until we return."
The whole Slytherin house stayed in the Great Hall while the teachers went to the dungeon. They can't really go back to their common room as it would be risky considering the fact that the troll is in the dungeons and their common room is in the dungeons.
"Trolls are really stupid, how on earth they got in here?" Theo mused out loud.
Harry yawned disinterestedly. "I don't know." he drawled broodingly, "I'm certainly not the one who let it in."
"Sorry Harry." Theo suddenly said in a soft voice. Harry narrowed his eyes at Theo. "I forgot that you know, this was the night that - " Harry raised his hand to stop Theo from speaking.
"Don't ever say sorry for it." he said, finalizing their conversation. If they remember then they should just keep it to themselves. He certainly doesn't want anyone saying 'sorry' to him for what happened. Moreover, he doesn't want to be on the other end of people's pity.
Half an hour later the teachers came back. He overheard a teacher talking about three students battling a mountain troll. Their prefect then led them back to the Slytherin Common Room and instructed everyone to go to bed already, which they did.
The whole news about the three Gryffindors, which turned out to be Lars, Weasley and Granger, is known by everyone in the morning.
"You really do have a deathwish don't you, dear brother?" Harry said sardonically to his brother that noon while they were having their lunch.
"Harry, they're Gryffindors, they wouldn't know self-preservation if it went hopping up and down in front of them." Theo interpolated.
"We do too!" Lars said and as an afterthought, added "Just not as much as you chaps do..."
"Clearly." drawled Harry.
"How did you end up looking for a mountain troll again last night?" asked Theo. Personally, Harry cares not how. The fact stands, his brother is still alive.
Lars' eyes rolled in evident annoyance. "Okay, for the umpteenth time Theodore we DID NOT go looking for it and neither did Hermione..."
=FlashBack=
"What?" Ron exclaimed when Lars pulled him away from the group.
"Hermione, she doesn't know." replied a frantic Lars then they both ran off to the girl's lavatory to warn Hermione.
"It's going into the girl's bathroom." Ron whispered when they stopped and peeked over a corridor to see that the troll, that is supposed to be in the dungeons, is entering the lavatory that Hermione is in.
They rushed towards the lavatory. Lars pulled the door open and they ran inside.
Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.
Lars pulled out his wand, pointed it at the troll and yelled "Stupefy." Ron did what he was doing but even then, they weren't powerful enough to bring the troll down. The spell had no effect on the troll and it still seemed not to have noticed Lars and Ron.
Without thinking Lars ran and grabbed the end of the troll's club, raising him high up and onto the troll's neck. The troll kept on swaying to get rid of Lars from his neck then he accidentally plunged his wand into the troll's nose. The troll grabbed Lars' foot and had him hanging upside down.
"Do something!" Lars yelled. "Anything!"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron cried, and surprisingly the club of the troll hovered in the air before it got a chance to hit Lars. It fell on top of the troll's head causing it let go of Lars, who scrammed away as fast as he could, before the troll lands onto him.
=End Flashback=
"That was all that happened last night?" That must have been quite an achievement for Weasley, being able to use the spell that he oh so miserably failed in the day before.
"Ye, that's all."
"Mind you, if Weasley here hadn't insulted her because his pride went down the drain, she might not have needed saving." Theo said to them.
"We're all good now, we lost points and we earned some." Lars said.
"So McGonagall rewarded points to the two of you for your stupidity and recklessness?" Theo questioned. Granger lost five points for her 'serious lack of judgement', and Lars and Weasley gained five points each for their 'sheer dumb luck'.
"Yep!" Weasley exclaimed. Trust him to be happy about that.
"But even with the points and all, I wouldn't want to do that again." Lars said solemnly. Good to know that his brother isn't planning on any escapades.
"I think I'm gonna ask to be resorted to Gryffindor," Theo proclaimed with a wide grin "then I'll go on doing stupidly heroic stuffs and earn tons of points or awards for the house like you know, you two breaking the rules, no flying, you flew and now you two are the youngest seekers in a century." Lars chuckled lightly.
"So, speaking of seeker, the game's in less than a week...do you have a broom yet?" Lars asked. Harry is very, very annoyed at those two, Lars and Theo. They kept on pestering him if he already has a broom or not. Flint already backed off after Harry snapped at him but Theo and Lars still didn't even after a back-to-back of telling off.
"Seriously mate you should buy your own." Theo said, just like what he had been saying for the last five days. "You sent him a letter like more than a month ago, still no broom."
"He'll send it." Harry said lazily. He bloody well should unless he want something horrendous to happen.
"What's your friend's broom? Is it a Nimbus 2000 as well?"
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea." He couldn't be bothered to ask really. "All I know is that it is better than the school brooms." The cheapest broom in the market is better than the school brooms.
"Are you still on with the bets?" Harry asked curiously if they are still going to push through with their bets.
"Yeah 'course we are." Lars answered
"The lions are gonna kick some serpent's arse on Saturday." Weasley said jovially after being silent.
"Serpents don't have arses, idiot." Harry drawled out insultingly. "They have a cloaca."
"You're way too rude brother." Lars commented with slight punch on his twin's arm.
Harry rubbed his arm then stepped on Lars' foot, the latter of which, said a loud "Ow!"
"It's rude to say facts now?" Harry enquired. "If I remember correctly 'know-it-all' Granger does it all the time."
"She does it in a bossy way because she wants to help but as for you, you do it in an...unfriendly way because you greatly enjoy bursting everyone's bubble." Theo responded and Harry glared at him.
"Traitor." Harry hissed jokingly. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he asked in mock annoyance that seemed to others as if he was serious.
Theo raised his hands in surrender. "Take a calming draught mate, just saying. You're not exactly the winner of the 'Most Amicable Person in the World' award."
Lars nodded and raised his glass to Theo in a toast. "Couldn't agree more." he said.
"And indubitably you're not the winner of the 'Most Supportive Friend' award, Sherlock." Harry responded in an amicable way and not his usual, seriously insulting tone.
Theo grinned at him. "Elementary." Those who knew what Sherlock Holmes is, and is within earshot, chuckled while others were looking astoundingly, as usual, that someone like Theo, a pureblood with a Deatheater for a father, meaning they greatly dislike the muggle world, knows that reference.
"Who's Sherlock?" Weasley asked and Theo immediately exclaimed "The most brilliant detective ever!"
"He's a fictional detective," Harry clarified with an emphasis on the word. "A character created around the late 1800s by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle –Yes he's English-. He observes and experiments, very adept in using deductive reasoning and forensic sciences to solve cases."
"Wicked!"
"He's an eccentric, anti-social, impassionate and insensitive man who has no other friends besides Watson." Harry added.
"Hmmm...then you should be 'Sherlock' and Theodore's 'Watson'," Lars said thoughtfully. "You just basically describe yourself brother." They, except Harry, burst into laughter at Lars' comment, much to Harry's annoyance.
"I'm not eccentric." Harry said to them.
"Yeah you are," Lars said back
"No I'm not."
"Yes, you are,"
"No I'm...never mind this is getting annoying."
"See!" Lars exclaimed as if proving a point. "If you're like any other kids you'll go on with the yes, no, yes, no."
Harry opened his mouth to say something then closed it then opened it again and said "Touche'"
"Hey, have you guys finished our homework in Herbology?" Lars asked them afterwards. "I can't find any description about the two extra plants that she assigned to us."
"Actaea Racemosa and Artemisia Douglesiana?" Theo inquired. Harry had to prevent himself from sighing again. Leave it to his brother not to listen in class.
"Err...yeah that...those two." Lars said with a hint of uncertainty. "Hermione said that those who'll make an essay about it will get an additional house points."
"Lawrence, it's really, like really, really obvious that you don't listen to our lessons." Theo said with a laugh and Lars grinned sheepishly while shrugging. "It's extra credit because you won't find it in any Herbology book. It's not a magical plant, not by our standards. It's an ordinary plant that's found mostly in the muggle world. And, it's used to treat some illnesses."
"How'd you know that?" Lars blurted out and Theo pointed at him and he immediately said "No", knowing fairly well that his brother's going to ask help with it.
"I'm not gonna ask to copy yours -" he interjected again, saying "You really shouldn't, that's called plagiarism." Lars rolled his eyes and said that he was just going to borrow the book that they used.
"I'll have someone give it to you, later." Harry said a few moments later, taking pity on his brother. "No ripped pages or I'll rip you apart. And certainly no scribbles on the margins or you'll find your very own person filled with writings of different potions ingredients. I don't plan on having any destroyed books in my possessions." Having a book destroyed is just utter sacrilege.
Lars rolled his eyes. "When talking, you speak like Sn-...Professor Snape," Lars corrected the last moment so as not to let Harry correct him, "now when it comes to books you speak like Madame Pince, what's next? You gonna offer us lemon drops like Dumbledore?" Theo snickered on the side and Harry remembered their little adventure the previous week that includes a dog, and a calming draught.
Harry smirked and reached for something in his pocket, he held out his hand to Lars and imitated the Headmaster's voice. "Lemon drop, my boy?" Those who saw him imitating the old man bellowed in laughter. Lars snatched the candy from Harry's hand and popped it in his mouth.
"Oh Merlin he has a sense of humour!" Theo exclaimed dramatically causing the others to laugh again.
"Where'd you get these?" Lars asked curiously, asking for more lemon drops after he had told his brother that it was laced with calming draughts. Lars had said that he's going to give some to Neville, a brilliant idea at that to prevent the other boy from being nervous all the time.
"From the Headmaster," Harry informed his brother. "He always offers everyone with those."
"I never knew you get called to the Headmaster's office." Theo said. That chap is always with him, literally, and not once did he get called at the Headmaster's office.
"I never said I got it in his office." he retorted before changing the subject. "Lars where's my arm band?"
"What arm band?" Lars asked confusedly. "Oh you mean the one that you left at the window?"
"That's the only one that I know I own so yes that one."
"Er. Right...It's at Uncle Sirius' manor," Lars said "I can have them send it here if you like."
"They're going to watch you on Saturday right?"
"Yeah, should I just tell them to bring it?"
"That'd be appreciated."