AN: I do not own Harry Potter, that honor goes to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 6: Quidditch Tryouts
"Ron, get up," Harry called in a low voice. He sent a Stinging Jinx at Ron's arm that was dangling over the edge of his bed.
"Ow!" Ron said as he sat up. He shook his arm and rubbed at his skin. "I'm up, I'm up," he said and cursed as he fumbled around for his wand.
"Leniae," Harry muttered and healed his friend's arm. "I called you four times already," he explained with a shrug. "Tryouts are tomorrow so today is a light workout day."
"I can't believe it's already been two weeks," Ron muttered as he pulled on his trainers.
"You and me both," Harry muttered with a laugh. He'd been pushing himself hard mentally every day since receiving Professor McGonagall's offer. Hermione had the same dark bags under her eyes as he did.
"I still want you to try out, that way Wood will know you could be a backup player," Ron said as he turned to Harry. "I know you want to focus on learning all that stuff but this is Quidditch!"
Harry laughed a little and smiled. "I'll consider it," he answered with a shrug. It was tempting to try out to see how he'd do against other players outside of the few Hufflepuffs and Weasleys he'd played against.
"Neville got attacked by Zoe yesterday," Ron whispered as the two boys ascended the spiral stairs up to the common room.
"When?" Harry asked as he rounded on Ron.
"After Transfiguration when you and Hermione ran off to the classroom," Ron answered with a frown. "He didn't want me to tell you, but I wanted to make sure you knew. He fought her off but lost the impromptu duel."
"Thank you for letting me know," Harry answered with a frown. "We don't have enough time to use the Quidditch pitch today and get to breakfast before DADA. We'll practice some tonight though. Hermione and I could use a break."
"You're just now saying that? Mate, you two looked dead on your feet yesterday."
"We did the math. There are one hundred and fifty-one concepts on that list. Call it fifty-four days between now and Halloween. That gives us almost eight and a half hours to learn each concept. Learn and be able to master or understand it if we were tested on it," Harry said with a hollow laugh.
"Mate, you are mental. You said Professor McGonagall gave you until the end-of-term to learn all of those concepts! It wasn't even all of the concepts, you had to choose five subjects. Five, not all seven. Don't kill yourselves and try and cram all the knowledge right now," Ron argued.
"Yeah, that gives us about forty hours or so per concept barring any issues. However, we need to understand what our limits are."
"Mental," Ron complained as he gave a hollow laugh.
It took convincing, but Hermione agreed with Harry that they needed a rest night. Harry had dozed off in History of Magic that afternoon and Hermione hadn't scolded him because Ron reported she had fallen asleep into her hands too. She denied Ron's account but everyone saw the faint blush to her cheeks.
"You and Ron headed to the pitch?" one twin asked as Harry and Ron appeared with their brooms.
"Yeah, you guys headed down?" Harry asked as he looked at the twins and Angelina standing near the portrait.
"I heard someone had a Nimbus 2001," Angelina said with a wink.
"Harry got it… oof!" Ron gasped and cut off as Harry elbowed him in the ribs.
"Yeah, we do," Harry said and glared at his friend. He told Ron to keep quiet about how he got his broom for as long as possible. The twins let slip he'd bought the brooms, but few Gryffindors took Fred and George at their word without proof.
"Any chance I could try it out?" Angelina asked with a smirk as she looked between Harry and Ron.
"Sure, I'm exhausted as it is," Harry answered and followed behind the group as they left for the pitch.
"Harry, wake up, we've got thirty minutes before dinner," Ron said a little while later as he nudged Harry's shoulder.
"I'm up," Harry grumbled as he stretched. "How was your practice?" he asked as he blinked away sleep.
"Went well, Angelina doesn't want to give up your broom. You should show her how to really fly," Ron said with a laugh.
"Eh, maybe another time," Harry answered as he watched Angelina fly circles around Fred and George with a giant grin on her face.
"The tryouts are tomorrow at ten," Ron said as he mounted his broom again. "Are you still going to try out with me?"
"I can, but it's not really fair to Wood if he does want me on the team and I have to tell him no," Harry said after a minute. "I can cheer you on, but I don't think it would be wise to try out."
"I'll tell you what, fly against Angelina and let her make the decision," Ron said after a minute. He flew off without letting Harry respond. A few minutes later, Angelina and Ron came back and landed beside Harry on the stands.
"Ron says you don't want to try out because you don't want to be on the team," Angelina accused as she drew level with Harry.
"I'd like to focus on school, sorry," he responded with a sigh.
"I'm just messing with you, Harry. Ron just wants me to race you," Angelina said with a laugh.
"That I can do," Harry said and took Ron's offered broom. He kicked off and soared into the air. Angelina flew up to him a moment later.
"We'll go from one side of the pitch to the other then zig-zag the towers like you've seen us do in practice," Angelina yelled to him. "Try to keep up!" she said and shot off without warning.
Harry grinned and leaned as far forward on his broom as he could. He rocketed forward and closed with Angelina. She never looked back as she flew around the stadium. Harry waited until she cut across the Ravenclaw tower before he tried to pass her. He turned as close to the tower as he dared to find a better line to overtake the older student. His plan worked as he came up in front of her, keeping himself low on his broom to maximize the broom's speed.
Harry thought he heard Angelina yell something at him as he continued to fly the rest of the lap. He cut as close to the towers as possible and felt his robes catch against the wood and cloth of the towers as he passed. With his goal in sight, he looked over his shoulder and grinned as he saw Angelina leveling out after passing the last tower. He landed by Ron and the twins, both of who were staring at him as if he were a monster.
"You're mental," Ron muttered and the twins nodded as Harry passed Ron his broom back.
"That was fun," Harry said and turned to see Angelina skid to a halt beside them.
"Why are you not on the team!" she screamed at him and hugged him hard. "What can I do to convince you Quidditch is your calling and nothing else in the world matters?"
Harry laughed and shook his head. "Quidditch is fun and flying is better, but I want to focus on this project. Maybe next year," he answered with a shrug.
"Ugh!" Angelina huffed and threw up her hands. "Have your broom back then but I get your broom for the matches, no one else!" she demanded with a feral look in her eye.
Hermione was missing at dinner. Ginny said she saw Hermione go to bed hours ago and hadn't seen her since. Harry noticed Ginny's pinched face and paler than normal complexion. He hoped she was enjoying Hogwarts but didn't comment. Neville arrived late for dinner and wolfed down a plate.
"Professor Sprout was showing me the delicate Puffapods," Neville explained as they headed up to the common room.
"Ginny, could you take this plate up to Hermione?" Harry asked as he set the covered plate on the table. "I can't go up the stairs," he said when she gave him a quizzical look.
"Sure, Harry," Ginny muttered and ducked her head. "Could I join you guys one day in the classroom you are always talking about?"
Harry noticed the small strips of paper in Ginny's lap and realized what she was doing. "It's a group decision so I'll ask everyone," he answered, buying time for himself. "Tell you what I can do though. Let me work on something tonight and I'll give it to you in the morning."
"Uh, okay?" Ginny said as she frowned up at him. "I'll take Hermione her food."
Harry left the common room and went down to his dormitory. He opened his trunk and rooted around for his stack of letters containing his first-year flashcards. It took him a minute to find the right letter as it had fallen under the Dark Arts book near the bottom of his trunk. He took ten minutes to prepare five flashcards.
"Harry, making more flashcards?" Ron asked as he climbed into bed an hour later.
"Ginny was trying to make her own, smart, but I figured I would just let her use what we came up with last year," Harry said and looked up. "She asked to join us in the Study Classroom but I told her we'd vote on it."
Ron pulled a face and kicked off his trainers. "I don't a bunch of first-years hanging around us," he said with a snort. "You'll have a Harry Potter Fan Club before you know it."
"I'll pass on any fan clubs," Harry spat and shook his head. He knew Ron wouldn't want Ginny to join them and he agreed. He'd think of a way to let her down gently and hoped the magic flashcards would help soothe the sting of rejection. "Excited for tomorrow?"
"Make sure I'm up early and don't jinx me to get me up!" Ron yelled as he turned over in his bed. Minutes later, the sound of light snoring came from Ron's bed.
Harry worked a while longer on completing the flashcards and talked to Neville before his friend went to bed for the night.
The next morning, Ron woke up at Harry's first call. "I need to eat light… I've got my Soothing Tonic… how about a Cheering Charm, mate?" Ron babbled as he threw on his clothes at lightning speed. He tied his trainers on the wrong feet before realizing anything was wrong.
"You're already cheerful enough," Harry shot back with a laugh. "How about a Freezing Charm to cool you down?"
"I'll pass! I saw what happened to that dummy. You froze it solid and made it explode against the wall with a Banishing Charm," Ron accused with a shudder. "I'll pass on your offer to help this time."
They did a short workout session in the Study Classroom. Hermione joined them for a little bit before breakfast. She apologized for falling asleep and thanked Harry for sending her some food with Ginny.
"I fell asleep while Ron practiced yesterday," Harry said with a shrug. "We're exhausted from trying to get everything done. A couple more weeks and we'll see where we are at the start of October."
"It's all so interesting! I know we have all year and we're progressing at a fast pace, but I looked at Katie's schedule. We'll have nine classes next year with thirteen or fourteen written and practical exams, before whatever exams this Advanced Course will test us on. Five classes means another possible ten written and practical exams. That is twenty to twenty-four exams per year going forward."
Harry took a moment to check Hermione's math. He grimaced when he realized she was correct. "That's why we're basically learning this year and next year's coursework. If not…" he trailed off trying to comprehend how hard it would be to learn it all.
"Exactly," Hermione confirmed and sighed. "I got weary thinking about it yesterday and fell asleep."
"Oh, by the way, Ginny wanted to join us in here to study. Ron and I don't think it would be a good idea, but I promised her would ask everyone. It is a Study Club even if we aren't official."
"Hum," Hermione mused as she tapped her foot. "Is that why you were making first-year flashcards? To help Ginny but keep her away?"
Harry grimaced when he realized his ploy had been seen through. "Something like that," he admitted with a small shrug.
"Normally…" Hermione started then stopped as she gathered her thoughts. "Normally, I would want her to learn with us. I like teaching and you're a better teacher than you realize. However, I'm selfish and don't want anyone distracting us while we tackle this… project for lack of a better word."
"Speaking of flashcards, I was thinking we should do the same process we did last year. Take an afternoon to write all the information down so we can convert the questions and answers to flashcards. I figure you do one list and I'll do another list of the information we feel is important to memorize. We'll use my new enchanting process to keep things simple. That gives us seven cards to keep up with instead of the hundreds from last year," Harry suggested as he stretched out on the stuffed chair.
"You two talking about flashcards again?" Ron asked with a groan. He flopped onto another chair and closed his eyes.
"Don't get too comfortable, Ron. The tryouts are in a few hours," Harry warned with a smile. "I don't want to have to wake you because you were late."
Ron shot him a rude gesture without opening his eyes. "I won't fall asleep," he grumbled.
"Neville will be down at the pitch to watch after he checks on the plants in Greenhouse 3,"Hermione said as she opened one of the many books in the spell-work area.
Harry joined her and went over their checklist for Charms. He jotted down the information he wanted for his flashcard before time for breakfast. They woke Ron before they left. Harry laughed at his friend as they ate breakfast in the Great Hall. Ron argued with himself if he wanted to eat or wait until after the tryouts. In the end, he ate a plate of food, cursing himself for making poor choices.
Cormac McLaggen, a third-year Gryffindor student, swaggered onto the pitch where the Gryffindor team stood. Wood stood in front of a growing group of hopefuls. "Harry, you have to try out now! We can't let McLaggen on the team," Ron hissed as he drew closer.
Harry felt his neck prickle when he saw one of the Weasley twins holding a Nimbus 2001 and realized why Ron asked him for his broom. "You had this planned," Harry accused as he looked between the Weasley twins and Ron. "You let the twins borrow your broom so you could get my broom out here too so it wouldn't be suspicious."
"No way, mate!" Ron gasped and shook his head. "The twins nicked my broom so I needed to borrow yours."
Harry hummed in response and hear Hermione chuckle beside them. "Ron, I want to continue my studies. I can't be distracted by Quidditch," he explained as he looked at his friend.
"I know that! I didn't do anything!" Ron complained.
Harry and Hermione sat in the stands as Wood shouted his requirements to the hopefuls. It sounded a little like an oath to the team first before family and country to Harry. He wouldn't be surprised if Wood felt that way. It was another reason he didn't want to try out.
Wood opened up a Chaser, Keeper, or Seeker position depending on who made the cut. Katie Bell wanted to try out being a Seeker and would open her spot as a Chaser. Wood could play Chaser or Keeper but preferred Keeper. Ward left last term to open the Seeker's position. Ron glowed with excitement as he used Harry's broom to warm up.
Harry sat with Hermione and taught her the spells needed to enchant the flashcards. They were going to try and maximize their time over the weekend and still support their friend. "I'll start on my list and show you how I do it," he offered and looked over at Neville who'd just arrived. "How are the Puffapods?"
"They are doing great! Ginny asked me to join us in the Study Group this morning. I don't see why she couldn't join us. I know Fay expressed interest too when she was talking to Lavender the other day."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look. "Ginny talked to me as well," Harry admitted. "I talked to Hermione this morning and I decided to vote against letting her in for now, or anyone else. Sorry, Neville, I'm a little selfish and want to focus on this," he continued and held up their checklist. "I know I'd still like to tutor you on Potions, and Ron too, if you two want. By the way, there is no way we wouldn't include you in the Herbology assignments. You probably already know most of this stuff."
"Thanks, guys," Neville said with a flush and a grin. "I thought you might leave me and Ron behind."
"Never," Harry and Hermione said at the same time. "I want to try to push my limits," Hermione said and smiled at Neville. "However, I don't want to push you, Ron, or Harry away. My friends are just as important as whatever I can learn from Hogwarts."
Harry blinked in surprise at his bushy-haired friend. He hadn't expected her to say that. Hermione's thirst for magical knowledge was almost as strong or stronger than his. After a moment of thinking, he realized he felt the same way about all three of his friends. "If it makes you feel any better, Neville. I feel the same way. I'll always have time to experiment and push myself but I enjoy being with my friends more."
"Touching," a cool voice called as a figure appeared in the doorway of the closest tower. Daphne Greengrass looked between Harry and his friends before her eyes locked on Harry. "A moment of your precious time?" she sneered.
Harry heard Neville snort and watched Hermione's back stiffen. "Sure," he called back and stood. He didn't have a bad impression of the blonde Slytherin witch. Daphne stepped back into the shadows and waited for Harry. "Yes?" Harry asked as he clutched his wand under his robe. He didn't dislike her but he didn't trust her either.
"This conversation didn't happen. For a price, I have information you will want to know," Daphne stated with a confident smile.
"What is the price and what guarantee do I have your information is worth it?" Harry shot back. He knew the game but was unaccustomed to playing it with a girl.
"My word as a daughter of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Daphne answered with a smirk.
"Useless if this conversation didn't happen. Try again," Harry said with a shrug. Wording and promises were key to successful negotiations.
"What do you want then?" she asked, a look of concentration appearing on her face.
"Insurance," Harry answered with a shrug. "Incriminating information on you or an important token of yours."
Daphne stared at Harry as if she were looking at an interesting puzzle. "You would have done well in Slytherin. I'm not sure your terms are worth that price."
"You came to me," Harry reminded her with a grin. "You could and can leave at any time. You need something I can provide."
Daphne's eyes turned hard. "I don't need anything from a Blood-traitor. You are and were a quick solution to a temporary problem," she spat and stuck out her chin. "I can't give you either as I've done nothing wrong, have nothing to be embarrassed about, or hold anything of significant importance."
"Information then," Harry shot back, a plan forming in his head. He hadn't had time to question the house-elves about Dobby and his suspicion about Mr. Malfoy's connection to the crazy house-elf. Everything could be confirmed easily if Daphne knew the answer.
"I'm listening," Daphne answered with a tight smile.
"The name of the house-elf or house-elves in Mr. Malfoy's employ," Harry said crossing his arms. "A test if you will to see if you truly know anything at all."
Daphne gave a soft snort. "Dobby. Draco, the imbecile, complains about not being able to hurt his house-elf more. He doesn't realize that he is ruining the Malfoy reputation with the house-elf community."
Harry's heart hammered as his suspicion was confirmed. "All right, I'll listen to your proposition," he said, trying to keep his voice even.
"Information is about Draco, coincidence I'm sure," Daphne said with a soft laugh. "Payment for the information is Draco's humiliation. It must be public."
"Making him lose more reputation?" Harry questioned as he mulled things over.
"His father is gaining support with the School Governors and if Mr. Malfoy pulls off whatever Draco is boasting about we could see strong change within the Slytherin ranks. You caused Draco to lose a lot of reputation last year and your short but effective duel caused him to lose even more this year."
"You want to capitalize on this and remove him as a rival for a strong position in a few years," Harry mused, continuing Daphne's explanation.
"You know more than you should about how the Slytherin system works for a Gryffindor." Daphne narrowed her eyes at him.
"The boy's dormitory at Providence worked a little like how the Slytherins do. Except, there were more physical fights than they were exchanges of words," Harry admitted with a shrug. "It paid to learn fast."
"I'll except on the condition we never speak of this," Harry said after a minute of deliberation. He knew Hermione would curse him into a puddle if she found out he deliberately humiliated Draco.
"Your word then," Daphne said with a wry grin. "Draco will attack one of your friends, probably Neville. This should give you a reason to protect your friend and fulfill your payment. Goodbye," she said and walked down the wooden stairs.
"What did she want?" Hermione asked when he sat down.
"A warning about Draco. I had to give up a little information but it's worth it. Neville, watch your back for the next few days. You too Hermione. My dismissal of him the other day made him mad. He may try and take it out on you three."
"I'd like to see him try," Hermione growled and waved her wand in front of her.
"Ron is about to try out for the Keeper position," Neville said into the silence.
Ron hovered in front of the three golden hoops at one side of the pitch. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia took turns making shots on goal. The redhead worked as hard as he could to block the Quaffle from getting in the goal. He used the strength and stamina he'd built up over the summer to keep up with the physical demands but didn't have the experience to outperform the experienced Chasers.
Ron landed next to the other hopefuls after blocking only half the shots. The rest either missed or went past him and through the hoop. Cormac jeered at Ron, knowing his turn would come next. The bulky boy did well in blocking many of the shots the Chasers sent his way. Harry knew Cormac would make a decent Keeper but Wood was better.
Ron opted out of the Chaser trials because of his smaller frame versus the older students who were trying out. Cormac didn't do well and dropped the Quaffle a lot when pressed by Angelina and Alicia. Fourth-year Kenneth Towler flew well but had trouble working together with the other Chasers.
Three people tried out for the Seeker position. Ron went first and had to fly against Katie. Harry was impressed with his friend's flying skill although he knew some of it was the Nimbus 2001's superior capabilities over the slower broom. He wasn't going to complain if it gave his friend even the slightest edge. Ron caught the Snitch first, winning his match against Katie.
"Well done, mate," Harry praised as Ron landed beside them in the stands.
"This broom is so amazing! Thank you, Harry. Without it, I wouldn't have won," Ron admitted with a broad grin stretching his face.
Wood called the tryouts to a close and deliberated with the team on one end of the field. It was well past lunchtime and Harry heard his stomach rumble. "What do you think Wood will decide?" he asked Neville and Hermione.
"Hard to say," Neville muttered. "I think he'll either go with Cormac as the Keeper or Ron as the Seeker."
"I agree," Harry muttered and crossed his fingers.
Wood's amplified voice carried across the stadium. "Thank you for coming out to tryout this year. Everyone gave it their all. We've talked it over and have voted on the next Gryffindor Quidditch Team Player."
A hushed silence fell over the stadium as the hopefuls held their breath. "Please step forward… Ronald Weasley the new Gryffindor Seeker!" Wood shouted to applause from the stands and the Gryffindor team.
"Favoritism! Bloody favoritism!" Cormac yelled at the top of his lungs.
"While I don't have to explain myself, I will," Wood said after a moment. "Our Chasers are the best in Hogwarts and I was hesitant to change that dynamic. You protected the goals well, Cormac, but it comes down to what will benefit the team the most. Thank you all for coming out and congratulations again, Ron."
Harry laughed and clapped his friend on his back once they'd made their way down to the pitch. Ron stood tall and talked to his twin brothers with a huge smile. Katie and Angelina hovered close by, eyeing the brooms in the boy's hands. Hermione gave Ron a hug while Neville awkwardly grinned and waved.
"You out-flew Angelina?" Alicia asked Harry as everyone headed back up to the castle.
"I don't know about out-flew. She was going easy on me," Harry answered with a shrug.
"The twins wanted you on the team," she accused and looked over at Ron who was talking animatedly to Hermione. "Can you really fly better than Ron?"
"Who knows," he answered with a laugh. "Ron will give it his all and more. That is something I can't promise right now."
"You'll still come to the practices?" she asked, hooking her arm under his and batting her eyelashes at him.
"I'll do what I can," Harry answered, feeling his face heat up.
After his last class on Monday, Harry decided to act on the information he'd received from Daphne. He didn't attack Malfoy, who avoided Harry whenever possible, but instead headed for Professor McGonagall's classroom. "Professor, do you have a moment?" he asked as he opened the door. Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk grading essays.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?" she answered as she put her quill down.
"Could I see the Headmaster? I think I have information he will want," Harry said and winced when he saw her lips draw into a tight line.
"Information a twelve-year-old boy has that Professor Dumbledore needs? Could you tell me whatever it is you need?" Professor McGonagall asked and sat straighter in her chair.
"It's more a warning and speculation, but…" Harry trailed off debating if he wanted to tell his Head of House.
"Mr. Potter, I think we can both agree you are unsure of the validity of your information. If you are hesitating this much, then are you prepared to bring this information forward to Albus? He is away at the Ministry at a meeting for the School Governors. You are very smart, Mr. Potter. Come back with a solid case and I will escort you to the Headmaster myself."
Harry left feeling a weight in his stomach. He knew Professor McGonagall was right to some degree. There wasn't hard proof Mr. Malfoy was up to something at Hogwarts and the testimony of a house-elf held little sway in any court. He promised himself to let the Headmaster know as soon as he saw him next.
Ron acted like a prat for the next few days. He showed off whenever he could and embellished the truth on how well he performed at the tryouts. Fred cursed him one night when he wouldn't shut up in the common room. Harry let Ron gloat and celebrate because he knew how hard his friend worked to get the position.
Gilderoy Lockhart replaced Voldemort on Harry's most-hated-people list. The smiling buffoon attempted to use Harry in every Defense Against the Dark Arts class as a prop or someone to act out a scene with. Around the end of September, he handed Harry a roll of toilet paper and expected Harry to dress up like a mummy. To top it all off, Professor Lockhart kept hinting at having Harry join him on one of his flights of fancy to take on the rumored ghost of Rasputin somewhere in Russia. Harry gave the professor a withering look and wished the handsome wizard would pick someone else to bother.
Hermione found it great fun to pick on Harry after every Defense class. They were making excellent progress on the checklist while keeping up with the second-year workload. Neville asked for some help but he remained serious about his studies. His schoolwork didn't stop him from running off to the greenhouses whenever possible, but he did put forth a lot of effort on his essays and homework.
Ron turned his attention to Quidditch with an unhealthy fervor. Harry heard Wood scolding Ron for trying to force his ideas on the team during practice. Ron accepted his Captain's decision and held his comments until he was alone with his friends. Harry pulled Ron aside one day and asked him if he was going to ignore his school work.
"Harry, this is so important! More important than any dumb Potions essay that I'll get a Dreadful on," Ron explained with a huff. "Listen, I really need you to race me so I can get better on the broom. I've watched you at practice messing around but I want to see how you do it."
Harry sighed and looked at his friend. "I'll be at evening practice tomorrow," he said with a shrug. He'd talk to Hermione about taking the night off or at least using the night as a review night. They hadn't had a review night in the last few days.
Malfoy made the mistake of attacking Neville while he was in Greenhouse 2. Harry didn't see what happened but Neville, Hannah Abbott, and Roger Davis all told him their accounts. Malfoy waited until Professor Sprout left to make his move. He strode in with Crabbe and Goyle, berating Neville for being weak and a coward. Neville dismissed Malfoy but drew his wand under his robes after Harry's warning Malfoy might attack him. Hannah said Neville told Malfoy to leave but Roger said Neville called Malfoy a ponce.
Malfoy drew his wand and was going to curse Neville when the round-faced boy struck first. A Freezing Charm hit Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, making their movements slow to a crawl. He walked in front of each of them and used a Knockback Jinx to send them flying into the manure and soil mixture Professor Sprout had been working on.
"Neville, I am so proud of you," Harry gushed and gave his friend a bear hug. He wasn't joking or trying to make his friend feel better. They had worked on the Freezing Charm a few days earlier and Neville had yet to master it when they left the Study Classroom for bed.
"Oh, Neville, you have a week's detention in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout," Hermione spluttered as she read the note. "You lost thirty points for attacking the Slytherins but you say Professor Sprout gave you twenty points back for picking up a watering can?" She sounded half-angry and half-amused by the biased outcome of the confrontation.
"She may have given me another ten points when I passed her a trowel before I left," Neville admitted with a flushed face.
Harry roared with laughter as he pulled his friend over to the spell-work section of the room to have Neville demonstrate his mastery of the Freezing Charm.
Professor Snape maintained a hard pace for his class. He spent little time on lectures or review topics. Most of his lectures focused on ingredients and how they interacted with potions. On Wednesdays, the Potion Master would assign the class to brew one of the many beginner or advanced potions from their book. Harry had little trouble keeping up and relished the lecture time for a change. The professor still hated him, but he was teaching him Potions. Harry learned to never ask questions as he would get scolded or berated for not already knowing all the material. He would write everything down and look up any questions he had after the class.
"Professor Snape talks about things the books don't mention," Harry commented one night in the Study Classroom. Harry's friends froze as they turned in unison to look at him. "What?" he asked as he noticed their stunned faces.
"You called Snape, Professor Snape, mate," Ron goggled as the quill on his parchment slid to the side, leaving a long black mark on the page.
"Sure, he's us teaching now isn't he?" Harry asked with a smirk. He realized what he'd said and fought not to laugh at himself.
"You hate, Snape though," Ron muttered as he looked down. He cursed and picked up his quill, glaring at the tip.
"I don't hate him. I don't like him, but I don't hate him. I hated the fact he wouldn't teach anything last year," Harry hedged with a shrug.
"That's not how I remember it, mate," Ron said with a laugh. "Can you spend some time with me this weekend? I really want to work on getting faster and turning harder," he asked and looked between Harry and Hermione.
"Your practice is on Saturday around ten right?" Harry asked as he pulled out Hermione's study schedule. She'd taken the time to map out their progress before Halloween. "Sure, I can help for a few hours before lunch."
"Brilliant, mate! Sorry to keep bothering you but Fred and George don't explain it the way you do. I just want to make sure I'm the best," Ron explained. Everyone gave him a strained smile.
Harry caught up to Daphne between class after Neville's confrontation with Malfoy. "It will happen soon," he muttered as he brushed past her. Zoe yelled something at him for bumping into Daphne and Pansy Parkinson called him a Blood-traitor.
"Malfoy, I hope you don't have anywhere you need to be," Harry called out as he cast a Full-Body Bind Curse at the Slytherin after Potions class on Friday. In a rare stroke of luck, he caught Malfoy alone in the corridor as he left the bathroom. Malfoy froze and pitched forward, hitting his nose on the floor.
"Mr. Potter, come with me," Professor McGonagall called into the common room that night after dinner.
Harry walked behind the stern professor as she led him toward her classroom. She closed the door behind them and took a seat at her desk. "Explain what happened tonight," she demanded as she narrowed her eyes at Harry.
"I'm not sure what you mean, professor," Harry lied with a straight face. He knew Malfoy would squeal which is why he took extra time to make his detention worth it.
"Mr. Draco Malfoy was found in the Entrance Hall after dinner. A Sticking Charm was placed on him and he was affixed to the Slytherin Hourglass upside down. His robes were changed to be scarlet red, a flaming A was enchanted over the Slytherin House Symbol on his robes, and he had writing all over his body. Blood-traitor, Mudblood Lover, and Squib Sympathizer were a few of the words written on his body with an unknown black substance. Filch found Mr. Malfoy and rushed to find a professor. The entire school knows of the incident as four fireworks went off when Mr. Malfoy was removed from the hourglass. I would like an explanation as to why Mr. Malfoy said it was you who attacked him out of nowhere and it was you who wrote those terrible things on him," Professor McGonagall demanded, her voice growing louder.
"I have nothing to say about the matter," Harry answered with a shrug. "Sorry, professor," he finished and meant it. He didn't enjoy what he did to Malfoy and it wasn't his style of handling problems, but Daphne warned him and he gave her his word.
"I see," the professor hissed, her eyes narrow. "I see. You will serve detention for a week and I will dock fifty points from Gryffindor for your actions. I'm disappointed in you. I expected better from you."
Harry raised an eyebrow and struggled not to comment. He wondered if they took Malfoy's word or if they used some method to ensure the Slytherin was telling the truth. "I understand," he said after realizing Professor McGonagall wanted him to say something.
Harry received a letter from a school owl the next morning from an anonymous writer. The sender wrote "Debt Cleared," in refined, looping handwriting. He'd been yelled and screamed at by an irate Hermione when he told her the news. She couldn't understand why he would attack Malfoy and take a chance of losing all their hard work. "She could have taken away the chance for you to participate in the advanced course! How could you be so stupid!" she spat at him before going to bed early.
Harry lay awake late into the night mulling over his decision to work with Daphne. He regretted it and didn't at the same time. On one hand, he would do whatever he could to protect his friends while on the other he hated the idea of losing the opportunity to push himself to learn more magic. He consoled himself with the knowledge that if they denied him the chance that he could still learn on his own.
His detention would be served with Professor Snape from Sunday to Saturday of the next week. Hermione was reluctant to speak to him on Saturday, still angry with him but wanting to continue to push them harder. Her form of punishment for him was to cram as much information as they could before his detention lost them valuable time. She kept giving him angry glances and sarcastic comments about how much more they could cover if he didn't go off and be a prat. Harry didn't defend himself, having already accepted his decision.
"Ron, you need to keep low on the broom and trust yourself," Harry instructed as they hovered high above the Quidditch pitch. "If you fall off your broom, the worse that will happen is you break your neck."
"Then we'll lose the match!" Ron shouted and hit the top of his broom in frustration. "How do you fly so fast?!" he questioned in an angry tone.
"I just feel the wind. You can tell where the air is lighter even when flying at max speed. I'm just glad you got me these goggles. I hated having to use a Sticking Charm to hold my glasses to my face."
"You can't feel anything but cold air," Ron muttered and shook his head. "You should have my spot."
"I don't want your spot, Ron. You earned your spot, work to keep it," Harry challenged.
"Your bloody right I earned it. You said lighter air. Let me try and find this magical lighter air," Ron huffed and leaned far forward on his broom. He rocketed off from one end of the pitch to the other. The broom zigzagged and cut back and forth at random angles as he tried to find lighter air pockets. Harry felt exasperated with himself. He wasn't sure he was explaining correctly what felt natural to him.
"I feel like I'm going faster in the colder streams of air," Ron announced after multiple laps around the pitch.
"Let's see then. Whenever you're ready, go ahead and do a lap. I'll try and beat you," Harry suggested.
While Harry beat Ron by flying at tighter and more controlled angles, it was harder to pass his friend at the end of the lap. "I think you've got it now," Harry praised as they landed next to the twins.
"We're going to do some practice with the Bludgers. Fancy a game of dodge the Bludger?" one twin asked with a huge grin.
"Are you mental? Of course, I want to!" Ron yelled and jumped back on his broom. Harry sighed and lifted back off the ground.
A black ball screamed past Harry's face as he ducked the first Bludger that almost hit him full on. "They are after me!" he yelled to one of the twins as he flew by.
"We aren't hitting them!" the twin yelled back and tried to swing at a passing Bludger to knock it away from Harry.
Harry flipped, rolled, spun, stopped, and dove to get away from both bewitched Bludgers. He couldn't get to his wand to protect himself and every time he got near the ground a Bludger would slam into the ground and bounce toward him. Large divots of compacted grass littered the pitch as Harry tried to use one of the towers as cover. A black ball slammed into the wooden support beam, splintering the large timber in the middle. He shivered as he imagined the Bludger hitting him with that much force.
"We'll use the locker room!" Ron yelled as he flew past Harry. He ducked a Bludger that was aiming for Harry with ease. "Fred is landing by the locker room to close the door. George will try and knock them off course to buy you time, Harry," he called as he flew under Harry.
Harry dodged both Bludgers and lay flat on his broom, aiming for the Gryffindor locker room. George appeared out of nowhere and hit a black ball away from Harry as he drew level with the stands. Harry felt something slam into his back as he leveled out. With a cry and pain lancing down his back, he tumbled off his broom and tried to cover his head as he hid the ground. A rough hand seized his robes as he was drug into a warm room.
Fred slammed the doors closed and put his back to it. Two loud thuds echoed around the room as Harry tried to move his unresponsive limbs. He cried out as he tried to grip his wand in his numb fingers. "Duro," he gasped through the pain and tried to aim his wand at the door. The spell hit the closest bench and turned it to stone.
"Brilliant!" Fred yelled and cast the Hardening Charm on the locker room door. "It might hold them for a bit," he said and ran over to Harry.
"You look like a mess, mate. Ron is supposed to head up to the school to get help once you were inside. I think I still hear those cursed Bludgers trying to break through the door," Fred muttered.
A few minutes later, they heard a crumbling sound from the stone doors. One of the doors had a large crack from the top hinge to the top corner of the door. "That isn't good," Fred muttered.
Harry could barely hear Fred and tried to fight through the pain in his upper torso and arms. He felt nothing below his waist and was scared of what it might mean. His head pounded and he couldn't see out of his right eye. He knew his glasses broke at some point and hoped the glass hadn't blinded him.
There were two more ominous thumps before everything went quiet. The inner door opened and Professor McGonagall walked in the locker room, her wand raised. "Oh my!" she gasped as her eyes locked with Harry's good one. "Rolanda is dealing with the bewitched Bludgers," she explained as she waved her wand at Harry. "Off to the Hospital Wing! Fred, grab his broom."
Harry felt himself lifted off the ground and pain blossomed through his body. He cried out before a bright flash of red light hit him in the chest and everything went dark. "He has multiple breaks all over his body, a severe concussion, and damage to his eye," a familiar voice called to him out of the darkness. He groaned as he tried to move.
"Do not move, Mr. Potter. You are in the Hospital Wing from your accident on the pitch," Madam Pomfrey instructed.
Harry felt a hand hold his shoulder down on the bed. "Bludger," he gasped out.
"Yes, Rolanda told me it was a bewitched Bludger that attacked you but gravity caused most of your injuries," Madam Pomfrey answered in a light tone. "You'll be happy to know there is no scarring this time and you will be able to walk again by tomorrow. Your vision in your right eye will be healed by Monday. For now, rest and relax. You've had a hard day."
Harry tried to say something but felt the lip of a bottle forced into his mouth. He tried not to swallow the sludge but couldn't muster the strength. Dizzy and confused, his thoughts turned sluggish as darkness descended again.
A noise brought him out of the darkness of sleep. His vision cleared as he looked around the room with his good eye. A blurry sobbing house-elf banged its head against the railing on his bed. "Dobby," he croaked, his throat feeling dry and scratchy. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table.
"Harry Potter is awake," Dobby said, his large eyes looking up at Harry. "The Bludgers didn't kill Harry Potter, Dobby is happy. Dobby was scared they would," the house-elf cried as he clutched at Harry's hand.
"Bludgers?" Harry questioned, his mind struggling to focus. "You did this?" he asked after a moment.
"Harry Potter came back to school," Dobby whispered, his ears drooping. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you listen to Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back to the Burrows when he missed the train?"
"You were the house-elf that tampered with the barrier," Harry stated as he put on his glasses. His vision focused and his head cleared. "You're Lucius and Draco Malfoy's house-elf. Here to finish me off?" he questioned as he tried to go for his wand.
"Oh no, sir! Dobby didn't want to kill Harry Potter! Dobby respects Harry Potter. Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter. Dobby sealed the gateway and ironed his hands after," the house-elf muttered. "Why did Harry Potter come back to Hogwarts. Dobby was so shocked he let master's dinner burn! Dobby has new scars for the mistake, sir."
"I should curse you for causing all my current problems," Harry muttered as he listened to the babbling house-elf.
"Dobby is used to threats, sir. Dobby gets death threats three times a day."
Harry sighed as he thought about what Daphne told him about Draco's desires. "Why did you bewitch the Bludger?" he asked after a minute.
"Dobby wanted to send Harry Potter home. Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!" the house-elf cried. Fat droplets of tears ran down his tiny face.
"You've had a hand in whatever Lucius wants? Is that how you know…" Harry started to ask before Dobby's wails cut him off.
"Dobby cannot say! Dobby is forced to not say! Dobby didn't want to do it!" the distraught house-elf babbled. "Dobby must save Harry Potter! He means too much to us lowly dregs of the magical world! The enslaved and hated by wizards. Terrible things will happen at Hogwarts and Harry Potter must be saved."
"I don't need saving, Dobby. I have Albus Dumbledore."
"Harry Potter does not know, he does not know! The Chamber of Secrets will get the Head…" Dobby started before he froze, his eyes going wide. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!" he screeched and slammed his head against the side-table.
"Immobulus," Harry gasped out as he poked his want out from under the sheets. The blue spell struck the distraught house-elf, making him slow down. "Stop hurting yourself, Harry Potter demands it," he called with as much strength behind his words as he could muster.
It took a few seconds for the spell to wear off. Dobby stood up, his eyes wide as he stared at Harry. "You stopped Dobby. Harry Potter is a greater wizard than Dobby realized."
"I won't ask you any hard questions, but are you able to get a message to me when whatever happens starts?" Harry asked. "Don't answer if it will cause you to hurt yourself again."
"If Harry Potter knew! If he only knew!" Dobby cried into the sheets of Harry's bed.
A cold feeling gripped Harry's chest as he tried to piece the clues together. "The danger is already here or was here before we got to Hogwarts this year," he muttered to himself.
A loud sound came from the Hospital Wing doors. Dobby looked at Harry and clicked his bloodied fingers together. The house-elf disappeared with a quiet pop. "Is everything okay, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey called into the dark room.
"Yes ma'am, do you know if Professor Dumbledore is back in the school? I have something urgent I need to tell him," Harry asked.
"I don't know, but dear you need to get some rest. Whatever it is can wait until morning," Madam Pomfrey said in a soothing voice. She checked him over and ignored his insistence to speak to Dumbledore.