AN: To make a long story short, computer hard drives are expensive and I'm poor. Sorry for such a long break. On the plus side, I have about five chapters written, and they just need to be edited, so be on the lookout. I continue to be surprised by the amount of attention LU has garnered, and I'd like to thank all of you who have been reading, following, favoriting, and especially reviewing! Special thanks to: angeltrin1, Vaughn Tyler, ElsaElphieGinny, Nebresh, MoonShadowDiffer, Iwa Shinju, IWantColoredRain, Majerus, Macadamia, Fibinaci, Tellur, mworth1019, Ari989, ILoveGeorgeEads, Guest, god of all, ParadoxVictor, urs-v, envysparkler, Lea, MuggleCreator, Knight of elves, magitech, May A Chance, and ultima-owner. That's an awful lot of names!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
Aunt Petunia,
I hope you don't mind that Hedwig (my owl) drops this letter off. Don't worry, I told her to go at night and make sure no one sees her. If you want to reply, use her to send something. There's not really another way for you to get in touch while I'm at school. If you don't want me to keep writing you, all you have to do is tell Hedwig to leave, and I'll understand.
School has been a lot more difficult this year, since the teachers want us to prepare for some exams we take at the end of fifth year. They're really important, since the results decide what advanced classes we'll be taking, and our jobs later, too. Most of my classes are going well, even if we do have a lot of homework. This year, we're having two other schools from the continent come and compete in a tournament. You have to be seventeen to participate, so I won't be entering, but it should be fun to watch. The only bad part is that the Headmistress wants our school to look as good as possible in front of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang (the other two schools), and she's become really strict. Our uniform needs to be kept neat at all times, which is a little hard when we've just gotten out of class in the greenhouses. The other schools haven't even arrived yet, but the Headmistress says it's good to practice now so we get used to it.
School looks a lot different now, too. I don't know if you've heard, but my school is a castle. It can be really pretty sometimes, but it's very old and big, so some parts are a little run down. There's been a big difference lately. I heard they hired some workers to clean things up in the more musty places. We spent a whole lesson planting all sorts of flowers around the front entrance and the gates. There's a lake on the grounds, and most everyone calls it the Black Lake, but it's been cleaned up so that it's not really black at all.
Anyway, how are things going for you? I hope you're relaxing since you have the house to yourself while Uncle Vernon's at work. Next time you talk to Dudley, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell him I said hi? And that I hope his diet's going well?
Harry
P.S. If you don't mind, it would be great if you could give Hedwig a little snack. She's not too picky, so table scraps would be fine.
"Lee! Wait up!" He turned around to face a Hufflepuff jogging after him. He and Diggory had struck up something resembling a friendship, though it wasn't like any he'd ever had. "Hey," Diggory muttered breathlessly, sweeping some hair out of his face.
Lee nodded in greeting, glancing out over the lake. He hadn't quite gotten over the shock of seeing water lilies floating out on its surface. The Hogwarts staff had kicked into overdrive, with some sort of improvement visible from every spot in the castle. The Giant Squid had been given a talking to, which meant that he was rarely seen. Lee was a little relieved (the large tentacles had always freaked him out), but a few students complained loudly. Dennis Creevey in particular had been upset. He treated the squid like a helpful pet, and could often be found sitting next to the lake, attempting to coax the squid to the surface with little pieces of bread. Lee and Diggory sat underneath one of the trees near the lake.
"You entering?" Diggory asked after a long moment of gazing pensively up at the sky.
Lee shook his head regretfully. "My birthday's not till December, so I can't. You?"
Diggory rolled over onto his stomach. "Yeah, I guess. Dad really wants me to…"
Lee glanced at him shrewdly. "Right. Are you trying to tell me that you don't care about eternal glory and a thousand galleons?"
"Dunno." Diggory groaned. "It just seems kinda pointless." He brushed some grass off his robe. "McGonagall said people die in this stupid thing, right? If I get picked for Hogwarts, I could die, and then I'll be just another casualty. Why would I bother?" Diggory spread his arms out wide as though welcoming the sun.
"Gee, Pretty Boy, what a smart thing to say," Lee teased.
Diggory shoved him half-heartedly.
"I think I'd do it," Lee decided. "McG said they worked on the tasks to make 'em less dangerous. What's the worst that could happen?"
"What a Gryffindor thing to say," Diggory mumbled, flopping back down on the cool grass. "And McG?" I'm guessing she doesn't know you call her that." Diggory ripped a few blades of grass up and launched them into the lake.
Lee grinned sheepishly. "I'd prefer she didn't. Hey, do you know who the impartial judge could be?" He changed tacks sharply.
"Can't be any of the teachers. They'd pick someone from their old house, or someone who's really good in their class." Diggory flicked his head to get the hair out of his eyes. Lee suppressed an eye roll. "Might be…a Ministry worker? But they'd be biased, too…what's spew?"
"Hmm?" Lee turned and caught the glint of the badge poking out of his bag. He dug it out and tossed it to his companion. "It's S.P.E.W, actually. Hermione hates it when people call it spew."
"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Diggory read aloud, a bemused look on his face. "Huh."
Lee felt compelled to say something. "You know Hermione Granger, yeah? She wants to improve working conditions for house elves."
Diggory snorted loudly. "And you agree with her?"
Lee didn't want to lie, but he also didn't like Diggory's derisive tone. "Yeah," He snapped. "We all do. She just wants to help," He said loyally.
Diggory chucked the badge back at him. "That's the barmiest thing I've ever heard. Look, maybe Granger hasn't gotten used to the way the magical world works—"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lee pushed himself to his feet, glaring.
Diggory rose as well, smirking meaningfully. "Lee, come on. Haven't you noticed that your friends aren't exactly normal? Granger's obviously mental, the Weasley twins are terrors, Longbottom's practically useless, and Johnson's—"
CRUNCH!
"Shut up! Shut up!" He punched Diggory again, uncaring of the small crowd starting to gather around them. He was only slightly aware of Colin Creevey's camera going off as he sank his fist into Diggory's stomach. He heard someone shout his name, and it sounded like a teacher, but he plowed on. Two pairs of arms suddenly wrapped around his torso, pulling him away. The twins were holding him back as he breathed heavily.
Diggory staggered to his feet, blood oozing heavily out of his nose and mouth. A pang of savage glee shot through Lee as he noticed two gleaming white teeth lying on the ground. Diggory deserved it! After Lee had felt sorry for him; after he had actually defended the stupid wanker; after he had made Angelina cry (which wasn't an easy thing to do); he deserved it.
Burbage was pushing past the gawking students to get to Diggory. She carefully vanished most of the blood so he would stop gagging on it and found a Hufflepuff to escort him to the Hospital Wing. Then she gave a terse nod to the twins, who began to drag him up to Burbage's office. Lee let them, still inwardly seething. When they reached her office, she ushered them in, her lips pursed. All of the Gryffindors had been in her office before—she had a habit of inviting people up whenever she was free—but Lee had never been the target of such coldness.
Fred and George let go of him and left the room without a word, unusually somber. Burbage's pretty tea tray was out, along with a plate of biscuits, but she didn't so much as look at them. Lee sat across from her, waiting for the inevitable lecture. Several articles of muggle clothing were thrown haphazardly around the room. A deconstructed shredder lay on a coffee table near the door. A Gryffindor banner stretched across the mantle of her fireplace. When he could no longer stand the silence, he glanced ahead to find her looking straight at him.
"I am extremely disappointed in you," She began, crossing her legs. "I expect better from all my Gryffindors, and as a sixth year, you should be setting an example."
Lee didn't respond.
"I was very happy to see you becoming friends with Mr. Diggory. I thought that you might be able to show inter-house unity in action. It seems I was wrong." Lee gritted his teeth as she continued. "Your actions will cost Gryffindor fifty points. In addition, you will be serving a month's detention with Professor Sprout, as Mr. Diggory is a Prefect in her house. Is that clear?"
Lee nodded once.
She stayed silent for a few minutes, scratching out a note to Sprout. She folded it twice and gave it to him. "You will deliver this to Professor Sprout and explain yourself to her. When Mr. Diggory is recovered, you will apologize—"
"What?" Lee burst out. "I'm not apologizing to that arse."
Burbage's nostrils flared. "Five points from Gryffindor for foul language. What on earth is wrong with you, Jordan?"
It was the first time she had ever called him by his surname, and it was enough to snap him out of it. "You didn't hear what he was saying, Professor," He told her, moodiness subsiding. "He was talking about—about all of the Gryffindors—the twins and Hermione and Neville—"
Burbage's face tightened. "Regardless of what Mr. Diggory said, you should never respond with violence. I will speak with Mr. Diggory about his comments later. I expect this whole thing to be resolved before Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive."
"They're coming on Friday!" Lee protested.
"I highly doubt your apology is going to take three days, Lee."
Lee slouched down in the chair and nodded again. When it became clear that she wasn't going to say anymore, he slowly stood and crossed to her door, briefly eyeing the half-assembled typewriter on his way out. When he stepped out into the hall, he glanced about covertly before reaching into the pocket of his robe and unfolding Burbage's missive. He scanned the parchment quickly, feeling his stomach drop with every word.
Pomona,
As I'm sure you've heard by now, there was an altercation between Lee Jordan and Mr. Diggory out by the lake. Diggory has been sent to the Hospital Wing so that Poppy can attend to him. I'm deeply sorry for what has happened to one of your students. Jordan has been sent to apologize. If he does so in an unsatisfactory manner, please let me know so that he can be properly disciplined. Again, I'm very sorry.
Charity Burbage
He clenched his jaw and folded the letter back up, sticking it back in his pocket. Bloody Diggory, thinking he can just waltz around, insult his friends, and get away with it. Perhaps worse, he was getting away with it. Pretty Boy Diggory had just about everyone fooled, including Lee. Why was it that the Hufflepuffs always got away with everything? He wondered angrily, his hands forming fists at his sides. Diggory didn't deserve anything he got—and he definitely didn't deserve to be the Hogwarts champion.
A small noise near the end of the hall alerted Lee to someone else's presence. To his surprise, he realized he was looking at Angelina Johnson's back. He scowled further as he recognized another mistake of his; in trusting Diggory, he'd insulted and probably hurt Angelina. He hadn't dwelled upon it much for the past two months, though that was primarily because he thought he was right. Only now was he figuring out that he had made a costly error. Angelina could really hold a grudge, which created a problem when it came to getting on her good side. But, Lee surmised, the sooner he started trying, the sooner things would go back to normal. Without another thought to the note in his robe, he set off in the direction of his old friend.
"Angelina!" He called out, deciding it wouldn't be wise to use a nickname.
She stopped and turned around to face him, before suddenly turning back and starting off at a slightly faster pace. He groaned, rolled his eyes, and broke into a run. "Angelina, wait. C'mon, I just want to say that I—I—well…"
She came to a halt and glared at him. "What?" She snapped harshly.
Lee had never been that great at apologies. For all his knowledge of women, he'd never quite mastered the ability to look one dead in the eyes and admit that he'd done something wrong. This was magnified by the fact that he was saying sorry to Angelina Johnson, one of the most intimidating girls he'd ever met (including his mother). Straightening his back, he bobbed his head for a moment and opened his mouth.
"Have a nice day," He blurted out, moving past her to get away from the incredibly embarrassing situation.
She caught his arm by the sleeve. "That's what you were going to say, huh?"
He went as still as a statue and avoided her eyes. "Yup, that was it."
Angelina rocked back on her heels and raised her eyebrows. "Really? It had nothing to do with you pounding Diggory into the ground?"
"Er…"
"Or the fact that you think he's a prat now?"
"I mean, it might—"
"It could even be an apology, of sorts."
He snuck a peek at her face, relieved to find her smiling at him. "Gosh, Ange, you sure do like to assume stuff, don't you?" He reached up a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Guess you heard about it from the twins."
"Now who's assuming?" She replied, walking off again. He jogged after her as they passed Flitwick's office, continuing down the stairs to the Great Hall for lunch. On their way, they passed a gaggle of Hufflepuffs whispering frantically to each other.
"He said he'd go for it…" A blond fourth year murmured officiously. His companions, a boy and a girl with brown hair, both leaned in closer and traded excited looks.
"He'll get picked for sure!"
Realistically, Lee knew they must've been talking about Diggory. But as he continued to the Hall, another idea fell into his head. With a sideways glance at Angelina, he mulled over McGonagall's words in his mind. Eternal glory…
"I could also assume that you're going out for the Hogwarts champion," He commented slyly, watching from the corner of his eye for her reaction.
She shrugged nonchalantly, but he caught a gleam of ambition in her face. "Well…I did just turn seventeen, so I suppose it's a possibility."
"What, are you trying to tell me you don't want it?" He bumped her shoulder purposely, grinning when he saw her fidget. "A thousand galleons? Imagine what you could do with that! And then there's the whole eternal glory thing, of course."
She twisted the edge of her robe in her hand, clearly contemplating it. "I dunno, Lee. I might not get picked, anyway."
He frowned at this uncharacteristic show of doubt. "Sure you will. 'Sides, it doesn't hurt to try, does it?" When he saw that she still wasn't fully convinced, he pulled out the big guns. "Eternal glory, Ange. The entire school would look up to you. Man, it'd be great if the Hogwarts champion were a Gryffindor…" He trailed off knowingly.
She said nothing for a long moment, and they wandered the halls of Hogwarts in silence. But just before they reached the huge double doors to the Great Hall, she stopped dead. "You really think I can do it?"
He thought fleetingly of Diggory. "Ange, I can't think of anyone better," He said honestly.
Seamus leaned back against the wall near the door. Burbage was bustling down the line, checking attendance and the cleanliness of their uniforms. They were grouped by year, and she had just reached the fourth years. Dean sat on the floor, sketching a picture of the Great Hall in its altered state. The house tables had been thoroughly scrubbed, and brand new table runners had been purchased. The finest dinnerware had been brought out, and the candlelight made the gold gleam. Lavender was carefully plaiting Hermione's hair as Parvati used copious amounts of hairspray. Neville and Ron were engaged in a chess game as Harry watched.
"Stand up straight," Burbage urged them, reaching out to fix Seamus' tie.
"It's a good thing McGonagall said we don't have to wear the hats," Seamus overheard Parvati whispering. "I think Beauxbatons would just laugh at us."
"Dean, please tuck in your shirt," Burbage requested politely. "It looks rather sloppy. Parvati, could you shrink that? It might be a little…over the top." She gestured to the glittery ornamental butterfly clip at the end of Parvati's own plait.
"I'll do it," Lavender volunteered, eager to show off her Charms prowess.
Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair, unaware of the piece sticking straight up in the back.
Burbage swished her wand once in the direction of Ron to remove the wrinkles from his robes, then again to get rid of the dirt on Neville's face. She took a deep breath and plucked the hairspray, chess set, and sketch pad from their respective owners. She carried only a small bag with her, but it had an undetectable extension charm cast on it to hold all of the Gryffindors' belongings. "You can't have these when the schools arrive, but you'll get them back at dinner," She promised, sweeping off to the third years.
"Wonder how they're getting here." Parvati fingered her newly shrunken butterfly.
"Portkey wouldn't work, I'd think, and you can't Apparate onto the grounds." Seamus tugged at his neck where his tie was choking him. "Bit too far for broomsticks."
"Must be the train, then," Lavender concluded, charming her shoes white, then black again.
"Would they really take the train, though? Isn't it only for Hogwarts?" Hermione smoothed out her robes. "I hope they get here soon. I wanted to ask the—what's going on?"
Dean's face lit up. "Burbage and Colin just got into a fight over his camera." He rubbed his hands together gleefully.
Burbage had reached the end of the line, but had to wrestle Colin's camera away from him. He'd attempted to hide with the first years to increase his chances of keeping his most prized possession. Unfortunately for Colin, he chose to hide behind his brother Dennis, who was so tiny that he couldn't hide a house elf. Burbage threatened Colin with detention and he let go. The camera was carefully dropped into her bag before she cast a Sonorus charm. "Would all S.P.E.W members please take their badges off and put them in their pockets? Thank you."
Most of the Gryffindors had somehow been convinced to join S.P.E.W. Hermione's friends had all agreed to make her happy. Once Harry had joined, nearly all of the younger years had begged Hermione for badges. A few delighted in pointing out to Harry that they were in the same society as him, which always made him flush, nod, and hurry away. One fifth year and five seventh years were the only holdouts, but Hermione was quickly wearing them down. It helped that Harry quietly offered to pay their membership fees, and the twins mercilessly pranked all who refused.
The Gryffindors formed lines according to year, and Burbage squeezed into the back line with the seventh years, unpinning her own S.P.E.W badge as she did so. The doors to the Great Hall flew open, and all of Hogwarts marched out into the chilly Scotland air. Seamus could hear Lavender muttering frantically that the French were known for being very stylish, and she hoped they liked her—and Hogwarts, of course. Seamus chanced a look behind him to see McGonagall with her eyes closed and taking deep breaths. Professor Sinistra stood on one side with Professor Longbottom on the other. Lavender had succeeded in making the older woman a new hat, one which she worse quite proudly. The air was thick with anticipation, and Seamus reflected that he had never seen the teachers dressed so nicely.
Demelza Robbins inhaled sharply and pointed to the sky. "Look!"
Beauxbatons had arrived.
Replies to anonymous reviews:
Lea: I like to think Charity was trying to keep up with the 80's fashion (as wizards are a bit behind the times) by wearing leggings underneath her dress, and just accidentally misinterpreted what constituted as leggings. Hagrid's a bit of a problem, yes. True, Flitwick should be respected, but we'll see how he gets treated. Thanks for reviewing!
ElsaElphieGinny: Sadly, it looks like the blizzards are over. Dennis is a real dreamer, isn't he? I'm probably most amused by the fact that he treats defeating a Dark Lord as though it's some sort of medal of achievement. Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: Thanks! Here's hoping you like this one just as much.
Macadamia: Is the Divergent series any good? I feel like I want to get into it. But even if I read the books, I'll probably never watch the movies. I'm really not a fan of Shailene Woodley. Ron will be getting a nice, big reveal soon, but if you read between the lines, you'll probably be able to see it coming. Thanks for reviewing!
MoonShadowDiffer: I have the same problem sometimes. I can't remember the name of a fic, but I know I liked it. Thanks for reviewing!