Hermione was the first to wake up. Asleep, she did not quite understand where she was. Certainly not in Gryffindor Tower. Nearby, Harry and Ron were still sleeping sweetly. The girl quietly lowered her legs from the bed so as not to wake up the guys and looked around.
"Apparently this is Harry's new room," Granger mused aloud. "Dumbledore and McGonagall really did their best."
Hermione didn't even immediately notice that she was wearing Gryffindor pajamas. Apparently Snape transfigured her school uniform. The behavior of the potion maker seemed to the girl very strange and even alarming. Either he literally threw himself at them like a mad dog, then he fed them dinner and allowed them to stay in his apartment. In a word, very suspicious behavior.
Before waking the boys, she decided to scout the situation. Going down to the living room, the girl unexpectedly bumped into Snape. He sat in an armchair reading the daily prophet and drinking coffee.
"Good morning, Miss Granger," the professor greeted dryly, not looking up from the newspaper.
"Good morning… Professor," Severus's appearance surprised her, to put it mildly. Plain white shirt, rolled up to the middle of the forearm and dress pants. No austere frock coat or black robes, frightening flying in the wind like the wings of a bat. In such clothes, he even looked a little younger and less intimidating.
"Breakfast is on the table, Miss Granger. Wake up your friends, tidy yourself up and get down."
"Don't worry, sir, the boys and I will have breakfast in the big room," Hermione felt uncomfortable around the man who had repeatedly insulted her and her friends.
"I have no doubt about it, Miss Granger. Especially when you plunge into books again and completely forget about food. Or am I wrong?" The girl blushed deeply and stared at the floor. Severus was right, sometimes she really got so carried away that she completely forgot about food. "I thought so, but now, I ask you to wake Potter and the Weasleys."
The young witch nodded quickly and returned to Harry's room. The boys were still sleeping sweetly, occupying the entire space of the bed. Hermione decided not to be ceremonious. She pulled the covers off her friends and began to shake them vigorously by the shoulders.
"Hermione? It's too early to get up," Ron was the first to wake up. He brushed the girl off and tried to go back to sleep.
"What are you doing in the boys' room?" Harry asked, squinting constantly. Granger handed him the glasses, and Severus must have taken them off and placed them on the bedside table.
"Have you forgotten? We're not in Gryffindor Tower, we're in Snape's private quarters," the girl reminded him.
"What?!" Screamed Harry and Ron, the events of the evening quickly swept through the minds of the teenagers, and they shivered.
"Yes, you must be kidding," Ron sighed. The day started out horribly.
"No time to lament, the professor is waiting for us below."
The three quickly brushed their teeth and went downstairs. Severus was still sitting on the sofa and reading the Prophet. Three plates filled with oatmeal stood on the table and waited in the wings. Not willingly, Harry, Ron and even Hermione grimaced. None of them was a fan of unleavened oatmeal.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. Breakfast," the man also greeted coldly. He took out his wand and pointed it at the children, they shuddered, but nothing terrible happened. Only their school uniforms were the same again.
"Good morning, sir. Thank you," the boys answered almost simultaneously. The guys carefully sat down on the sofa they were already used to and looked at the porridge with disbelief.
"If you continue to stare at her, she will not disappear. Get on with your food briskly. Classes will begin soon." Snape gave the teenagers a stern look.
"But sir, we could eat in the great hall. Besides, I don't really like oatmeal." Ron tried to convince Severus. But he achieved only the trademark cold gaze of the potion maker.
"Eat in silence, Weasley."
Nobody else said anything. The three ate while the older man plunged into the news of wizarding Britain. The oatmeal turned out to be even very good. Wiesel did his best. Unbeknownst to his master, the elf added honey, nuts, jam and a large handful of flattering berries to the lean and completely inedible porridge.
"Thank you for everything, Professor." After breakfast the children hurried back to the tower. There was not much time left before the lessons began.
"Don't get into trouble anymore. Have a nice day."
Now Ron, Hermione and especially Harry had to analyze yesterday. Of course, curiosity arose in them. Who was the heir to Slytherin after all? And what happened to Snape? Why is he acting so weird towards the trio of Gryffindors he has hated since his first year?
The days passed terribly slowly and without incident. Harry's strange voice was no longer heard, much to the relief of the Golden Trio. So after lessons, the guys gathered in the library to study and discuss the issue that haunted them.
"Who do you think this heir to Slytherin is?" Suddenly asked Ron, doing his homework on Defence against the Dark Arts. Of course, the questions in the test were terribly stupid and, as always, turned out to be completely devoted to the great adventures of Lockhart.
"Someone from Slytherin, I think," Harry replied, finishing his essay on Transfiguration.
"Brilliant," Weasley snorted.
"Honestly, I have a guess," Hermione smiled mysteriously as she read another tutorial from additional materials.
"And what is this assumption?"
"I think we should take a look around the Slytherin common room. There will probably be some clue. And we could interview other Slytherins," Granger suggested, looking seriously at her friends.
"And how do you imagine it?"
"We'll brew a Polyjuice Potion," the girl pointed at the textbook.
"Isn't this potion super hard? Bill, said that not even all seventh-year students are able to cook it."
"Yes, I will need the exact recipe and ingredients. I'll tell you everything as soon as I get the book I need. In addition, I have long wanted to test my strength."
"Fine. We will definitely find this bastard before something else happens." Sealing their promise with a handshake, the three returned to their homework.
It's already Friday. The guys didn't have any classes after lunch, and they decided to get some rest, well, except for Hermione. She immersed herself in her study of the Polyjuice Potion recipe. It turned out that Lockhart was completely stupid. He puts his autograph and doesn't even look where. So the girl got her hands on a book from the forbidden section and was finally convinced that their new professor of protection from the dark forces was an ordinary swindler.
Towards evening, when the time was approaching the end of the day, and the Gryffindor students almost all went to their rooms. A small owl flew into the common room with a note in its beak.
"Oscar?" the bird landed on Harry's lap and thrust a note into his hands, and just as suddenly flew away.
"What does Malfoy want from you?" Ron leaned closer to get a better look at the piece of paper. There were just a few words written on it in neat silver ink.
"We will have a duel at midnight! I'm waiting for you by the lake!"
"Eh ... Why did he even decide to postpone the duel?" Hermione asked, closing the textbook. She hid the cover behind another book so that none of the elders would suspect anything.
"Apparently he can't wait to try a new trick." The boy with the scar could not contain the trembling anticipation of a fight on brooms.
"Apparently not only him," Ron slapped his friend on the shoulder, and Hermione rolled her eyes. She will never understand what flight anticipation means.
Under the cloak of invisibility, the guys slipped out of the school without any problems. When they got to the lake, Draco was already standing there, grinning widely.
"That you can't go anywhere without your friends, Potter?"
"Where are your entourages, Malfoy?" Harry asked in tune with him. Such verbal skirmishes were the norm for snakes and lions. And they even brought some strange pleasure.
"They are too tired. I couldn't wake them up. Stop chatting, Potter, it won't help you. Let's get started. "Draco couldn't contain his energy. He wanted to take off into the sky as soon as possible and wipe his nose with the boy who survived.
"And what do you want, Malfoy? What is the condition?"
"I want to make Sea Peak." As soon as Draco's words reached Potter's ears, he could not help the wide smile on his face.
"It goes!" The boys shook hands and went up to the starting point. Sea Peak was almost the same as Parallel Peak. To win, it was enough to touch the water first.
"You are ready?" Ron asked. He and Hermione were standing close to the shore. When the red-haired boy saw the nods from both sides, he continued, "Let's start! Attention! GO!"
Harry and Draco took off, completely copying the technique of their captains. The water was rapidly approaching, but the guys flew only faster. Hermione even closed her eyes for a second. She was afraid that her friend would simply lose control and crash. But she shouldn't have worried so much. The lion and the serpent touched the water at the same time and simultaneously lost control, crashing into the water.
"Haha, Potter, you can't fly at all," Draco smiled as he emerged from the water.
"I hear it from the clumsiness," Harry replied without any anger, and they laughed again. A pleasant tingling sensation spread throughout the body. The boy always felt incredible lightness and calmness after such dizzying stunts.
"Are you okay?!" Worried Hermione ran to the edge of the lake, Ron followed right behind her.
"It's all right," Potter said cheerfully.
"Can you swim back?" the boys fell at a decent distance from the shore, and they also had to get their brooms out of the water.
"I don't think this is necessary." Ron pointed to the water that was beginning to bubble up around Harry and Draco. A second later, a large tentacle of the sea monster emerged from the water. It easily lifted the children, a good two meters above the level of the lake and returned them to the shore along with brooms.
"Thank you," said Malfoy and Potter at the same time, bowing their heads slightly. The seniors and Hagrid taught them how to communicate with a large squid. The lake monster was quite friendly and always helped the students when they accidentally fell into the water. The tentacle slapped softly on the ground next to the four teenagers, signaling that everything was fine.
"Tomorrow we'll bring you fish as a thank you," Hermione promised, her head tilted a little too. The monster gently touched the tip of its limbs to every troublemaker. So he showed affection, since this was not the first time he had met the guys. After a few seconds, the monster disappeared into the depths of the lake again.
"You'll get sick if you don't dry up quickly," Granger said in a teacher's tone, waving her wand. In a moment, the guys' clothes and hair dried up.
"Cool! How long have you learned this?" Weasley asked, throwing his scarf over the girl's trembling shoulders.
"Not really," the girl shrugged her shoulders, "I just thought it would come in handy and was not mistaken."
"Come on, we'd better go back, otherwise we might run into trouble."
Everyone agreed with Harry's words and hurried back to their living rooms. They still had some time to rest, before the weekend.
For several days everything was calm. The Golden Trinity didn't get into trouble and had little contact with Snape. And then only in the classroom. He's really gotten a little softer towards Harry, Ron and Hermione. As a teenager, it even seemed that there was much less poison in his words.
But troubles could not keep themselves waiting long. It happened in the evening after school. The golden trios were on their way to the library. Hermione had already started preparing the ingredients for the potion, and there were a couple more very important and rare ingredients to get. A terribly angry and annoyed Draco was going to meet them.
"What's the matter with you, Malfoy?"
"None of your business, blood traitor! I don't want to deal with you or those mudblood children." Before the blond could finish his last word, red lightning flashed past Harry and Hermione and slammed its fists right into Malfoy's nose.
"Ron ..." Harry stopped when he saw his friend's gaze. Clear blue eyes in an instant darkened and lights of pure, indomitable, bestial fury lit up in them. Thirst for blood. He had seen such eyes in other members of the Weasley family before. At Percy's, when the Ravenclaw seniors cornered Ron and Harry and tried to cast multiple curses. At Fred's, when some boys mocked Ginny. At George's when a pompous Hufflepuff insulted his older brother. And when Ron's brothers found out about the Dursleys. Percy once told him that it was the Prewett legacy.
The younger Weasley continued to attack the Slytherin, but Malfoy did not stand aside. He also used random punches to fight off the red-haired boy. Obviously, the advantage remained with Ron. Draco continued until several of the students, including the prefects, came running to the noise.
"Ron!" Percy pulled his brother away from Draco, but Ron was not going to stop. He tried to free himself from the prefect's tight grip, waving his arms and shouting loudly.
"Let me in! I'll beat all the aristocratic shit out of this bastard!"
"Stop it, Ronald. Behaving worse than an animal. Minus ten points."
"What's going on here?" an angry whisper spread throughout the corridor. Silence everyone and turn their heads. Severus Snape stood with his arms folded across his chest, clearly unhappy with this situation.
"Fight! Fight, I saw it myself! The brother of the ginger twins gave a good spanking to the Slytherin!" Suddenly out of nowhere, Peeves materialized. He chuckled viciously as he tumbled in the air.
"Is it true, Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes, but ..." A soft growl escaped Ron's chest, but he didn't have time to finish.
"None, but. Nothing gives you the right to beat up other students, Mr. Weasley," Snape growled, helping Draco to his feet. The boy still arrived in a kind of shock, like Harry and Hermione, "Minus twenty points from Gryffindor."
"I don't care how many points you take off. I'll kill this bastard sooner. You don't care what your little snakes do. Even if they behave worse than any slug." Ron continued to fight fiercely in Percy's arms. Anger overwhelmed him completely; he will not allow anyone to offend his friends.
"Ron, stop it! You disgrace me!" the cry of the older brother struck the boy like lightning. Everything was quiet, but not for long.
"Excellent ..." Weasley whispered, barely audible, and bit Percy's arm with all his might.
"Hey!" the prefect quietly squeaked, loosening his grip, which the younger brother successfully used.
"I hate you, Percy. Always hated and will hate. You are a terrible older brother." Before anyone could say anything, Ron turned around and fled in an unknown direction. Only then did Harry and Hermione come out of their stupor. They wanted to follow their friend, but they were stopped by Snape's voice.
"Can you two tell us what happened here?"
"What's the point now, to tell you something?" through clenched teeth, Potter hissed, clenching his fists and digging his nails into the skin. He and the young witch stood with their backs to the professor "You still don't want to listen to anything. In the end, only Ron will be to blame."
"Wait, Harry, Hermione," Percy called out this time. He stood slightly pale with deep black bags under his eyes, rubbing his injured hand. He seemed worried. But Harry and Hermione didn't care.
"He called me a mudblood!" Granger said, turning sharply, tears unshed in her eyes. She was also angry with Malfoy and Snape, and even Percy. None of them realized the exact meaning of the word. But Ron's reaction made it more or less clear that this was a terrible insult in the wizarding world. All the students who gathered in the corridor gasped softly when they heard this word. But the kids didn't care; they walked briskly around the next bend to find the younger Weasley.
It didn't take long to find Ron. He sat in an old dusty office on the third floor and watched the sun go down slowly.
"Ron, is you okay?" asked the young witch, gently hugging her friend by the neck.
"Yes ..." he answered without much enthusiasm. Harry looked at the red-haired boy skeptically. His knuckles are knocked down, there are several abrasions and bruises on his face and neck, his hair is tousled, and his gray jumper is practically torn to shreds. It's a good thing they dropped by for the bruise and bruise potion kit that was meant for Harry. But thanks to Snape's super-effective potions, he was no longer needed.
"Ron, what do Malfoy's words mean?" Harry asked suddenly, rubbing the thin red line around his friend's neck with the potion.
"Mudblood. This is a terrible, offensive word. It is used by some pompous magicians who consider the purity of blood above all else. This is what Muggle-born wizards are called. They are considered incapable," Weasley hissed, he began to get angry with Malfoy again, "But that's not true at all. Hermione is the smartest on our course. Even if Snape doesn't admit it and despises it. Hermione knows everything, she can even make a Polyjuice Potion," the girl blushed bright red at the praise of the red-haired boy. But the mention of Snape startled Harry again.
"Sorry," Harry said guiltily, carefully applying the cooling ointment to the bruises on Ron's face.
"Ay! For what?" The Weasley sometimes twitched and screamed when Hermione or Harry touched particularly painful places. Breaking the deafening silence of an abandoned office.
"Don't jerk, or we'll never finish," Granger chided softly, disinfecting Ron's fists.
"It hurts."
"Now feel you in my shoes," Potter smiled, patting a particularly deep scratch on the younger Weasley's forehead with adhesive tape.
"So why are you asking for forgiveness?"
"Snape really turned out to be a goat. And how could I believe him? Believe that he cares," the scarred boy whispered bitterly.
"Do not say that. I made this mistake too. I trusted him. It's not your fault that Professor Snape hates us."
"She is right. He may hate us, but he did a lot for you. And he's so much better than the Dursleys. At least he doesn't beat you half to death;" Ron smiled encouragingly, which made everyone in the room a little easier. The anger slowly evaporated, in its place came disappointment and terrible resentment against Malfoy, Snape and especially Percy. The Golden Trinity regarded his act as an unforgivable betrayal.
"I don't think I want to be Snape's ward," Harry said suddenly. When I finished treating all of Ron's battle wounds on his face and neck.
"M?"
"I mean, I don't want to have anything to do with someone who constantly bullies and belittles you. It is enough for me that you stay with me."
"Hey! We will always be with you, Harry."
"Even if Snape remains your guardian forever. I promise." Ron held out his pinky finger to seal the promise.
"I'm so happy!" after the promise was secured with an oath on the little fingers, the trio sat down by the window.
They did not touch on this topic anymore. They generally tried not to talk about what happened tonight. Huddled together, they watched together as the sun slowly rolled over the horizon.
After that, Percy tried several more times to talk to Ron that evening. But I always got the same answer.
"We have nothing to talk about, Percy." For the third time, the older boy simply gave up. Maybe tomorrow everything will be better? That was all the older Weasley thought. A terrible sense of guilt haunted him. He managed to curse himself several hundred times for not even listening to his brother.
When night fell, Ron was already in bed. But the dream did not go to him in any way. Terrible words haunted him, so he decided to take a walk. Walking quietly to the window, he looked at the Forbidden Forest. He was sorely lacking fresh air.
"Are you going?" Harry asked, watching Ron closely from the bed. The boy pulled on light, shabby pants and an old shirt.
"Not for long. I want to take a walk. I don't think I can sleep."
"Do you want to take the Invisibility Cloak?"
"Not worth it. I will go to the forest. I don't want to lose it by accident."
"Okay, but come back soon. It's dangerous in the forest at night. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Of course I promise. I'll be back soon."
Harry nodded and fell back onto the pillow. The younger Weasley very quietly walked out of the living room and left. The nights were cold in late fall, but Ron didn't care much. In such moments, he was greatly helped by the Weasley ancestral magic. Hot blood. By the time they turned ten, all the children in the Weasley family stopped feeling cold. Of course, Arthur and Molly were surprised at first, but after that they were very happy. After all, now it was possible to save well on warm clothes for children.
Without hesitation, Ron kept walking and walking. Bushes, trees and dense grass did not bother him at all. He did not notice anything around him. While in the next bush, something rustled. Suddenly, a huge furry Acromantula jumped out of the bushes, right in front of the boy. He hissed furiously and clicked his mandible. The Weasley froze, in fear of being killed.
Notes:
I hope this chapter is clear and not very crumpled. This is my personal best for the number of characters in one chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Most likely I made a lot of mistakes in the text, so sorry. I am not a native speaker and I have no one to consult about this.
