Harry Potter was thinking, winding thoughts that curled around each other, like snakes in a pit. He found himself wishing for a sword, to cut the Gordian knot that seemed to slither everywhere and nowhere at once.
A Breakin at Gringotts - the seemingly impossible.
And yet, they wrote about it like it was an ordinary crime, no, like it was vandalism itself. Something so miniscule that it didn't warrant hiding a single measly detail.
No, no, no, this wasn't right, Harry thought, his eyes starting to widen in a panick (which Ron, his longer legs pulling him away, blessedly didn't notice).
Why, Harry thought, his inner voice almost a scream, why did Dumbledore send Hagrid to pick up something in the vault?
Was that a known thing too?
Maybe... maybe it wasn't.
Was Gringotts itself the trap? Or were the goblins, bribed to the brim, ready to aid anyone who would bring their thrice-damned thief to justice?
Harry Potter shook his head, running up to catch up to Ron, who was still talking about how horrible Hagrid's food was. Harry wanted to get to the bottom of this... Was Dumbledore even involved? Maybe, maybe he might be able to read Hagrid, who, despite his sharper-than-he-seems intelligence, might still not be the best at quietude. He might react, even a twitch would do.
Harry Potter somehow doubted that the Headmaster of Hogwarts would be so forthcoming. He had the mien of an affable, kindly grandfather. But Harry wasn't comfortable with kindness. It seemed like a guise, behind which goals and meaning lurked. He liked it not.
Hogwarts, that giant castle filled with billions of things that he hadn't learned yet, beckoned.
This puzzle, among all the others, didn't seem quite so urgent, against the large stone edifice. Besides, Harry had detention. Idly, he wondered how many pots Neville Longbottom would scrub...
[a/n: Well, this chapter just went on its side. It's kinda fun, and a dash disturbing, when they do that, yes. Harry was supposed to tell Ron what he read, but no-oo. So, you get this. Enjoy! Write a review, if you like.
Yes, this is what happens when a suspicious, literate Slytherin starts piecing together clues. No, they don't point towards Dumbledore setting a trap at Hogwarts. That's reading ahead and working backward, which is metagaming, and all metagaming is a sin.]