Hello! ShadowMoonDancer was ticked that I didn't let her proof read the last chapter, so I'm writing this to make up. Let's still be friends!
I forgot to mention this in the last chapter. The name of the Ancient Runes teacher was found at the following link: www (dot) hp-lexicon (dot) info/wizards/a-z/b.html#babblingbathsheba
Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter.
"Speech"
'Thought'
/Parseltongue/
The three Gryffindors made their way back to their Common Room about an hour later, the soonest they could escape Madame Pomfrey's clutches. Draco had left about forty-five minutes earlier after claiming to have some unfinished business to attend to. The Trio was now seated in chairs in front of the fireplace and trying to ignore the numerous glares shot Harry's way.
"So, Hermione, why were you acting so funny in Ancient Runes?"
She glanced up from her book. "Oh, that. I was hoping you'd forget about that. Um, you remember what Professor Babbling said about the elemental runes serving as a birthmark? I-"
"Let me guess, you were born with one?"
Hermione's face gained a surprised expression. "Yes. The one for earth, actually. Or at least, I'm pretty sure it is. I was wondering if you could check."
Harry nodded and pulled out the parchment that he drew the sketches on. Hermione lifted the hem of her shirt so that her lower back was exposed, while Ginny stared at her two friends in confusion.
"What are you two on about now?"
Harry motioned her over and pointed at two small curvy lines that ran parallel to one another on Hermione's back. "See this mark? Compare it to this sketch. It's an almost perfect replica. This means that it is the earth elemental rune, giving Hermione added power over earth-related spells, as well as a few other benefits."
Ginny nodded, but she was staring at another one of the outlines. "Um, guys? This," she pointed to the mark for fire, "is on the back of my neck."
Harry gaped at her. "You've got to be kidding me!"
In response, Ginny huffed in annoyance and pulled her hair back, exposing a dark patch of skin shaped like a fire. Harry turned to Hermione, eyebrow raised.
"I thought Babbling said being born with an elemental mark was rare."
Hermione shrugged. "Ours isn't exactly a normal generation, Harry." She then turned to Ginny, eyes sparkling with glee. "This is great! Now we can both use some of the elemental spells to their fullest extent!"
"Actually, I know who was born with the water rune as well," Harry cut in sheepishly. Hermione and Ginny both rounded on him, making him feel small in the seat he was sitting in.
"So who is it?" they asked in unison.
Harry took a deep breath, hoping they didn't react badly. "Draco Malfoy."
That said, Harry went to his dorm before the girls recovered enough to question him. He put on his pajamas and slipped under the covers, finally allowing himself to mull over the day's events morosely. He fell asleep to thoughts of murderous plants and hot tempers.
XXXXXXXX
The following morning, Harry made sure to wake up before the rest of his roommates. He hauled himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes to rid them of the remnants of sleep, and went to his trunk. He pulled out his usual school robes and went to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, he emerged fully dressed and sat on his bed to pull on his trainers. However, it seemed that some of his dorm mates decided to break their morning ritual.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up at the groggy-sounding voice, seeing Neville watching him with sleepy caution. Dean sat up in his bed, having apparently just awoken himself.
"G' morning Neville, Dean," he replied quietly, unsure how they would react.
"You were on fire last night, right?"
Harry blinked at the odd question. "Yeah," he said, drawing out the word.
Neville sighed in relief. "Good. I thought I was going crazy for a minute, there."
Dean and Harry stared at each other in silent shock before bursting out laughing. Harry quickly buried his face in the blankets of his bed, not wanting to wake Seamus or Ron.
"My thoughts exactly, Neville," Dean said a few minutes later, after his laughs had died down somewhat.
Harry grinned at the two boys. "Does this mean you guys aren't freaked?"
"Oh, we're beyond freaked," Dean said seriously, Neville nodding his agreement. "But then, I would be freaked if something freaky didn't happen around here, particularly to you."
Harry stared at the two boys in front of him before nodding slowly. "Too true, unfortunately," he said with a sigh.
"We're serious, Harry. One little mishap, no matter how frightening, isn't enough to run us off. We are Gryffindors, after all. Just know we've got your back if things get too bad," Neville declared in an uncharacteristically grave tone.
Harry smiled happily. "Thanks, guys. That means a lot."
Dean and Neville nodded their acknowledgment before rising to carry out their morning ablutions. Harry shook his head in wonderment before descending the dorm steps, marveling at his friends. When he reached the Common Room, he spotted Hermione and Ginny sitting on the sofa. He crept up behind them and leaned down slightly.
"You girls know me too well," he said quietly, his sudden voice making the two girls jump. They turned to glare at him.
"We figured you'd be down earlier. What happened?" Hermione asked, her agitation at him giving way to concern.
"Oh, I was just having a heart-to-heart with Neville and Dean," he said flippantly with a cheeky grin, making the girls stare skeptically at him.
"Guys having a heart-to-heart? Yeah, right," Ginny scoffed. Harry just grinned at her.
"Come on. Let's go to breakfast before anyone else wakes up," Hermione cut in on the banter. Harry and Ginny nodded, and they went through the portrait hole.
XXXXXXXX
"Is it just me, or are Malfoy, Pansy, and Blaise acting weird?"
Harry glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, and then imperceptibly raised his gaze to the Slytherin table. Hermione was right. Draco was in deep discussion with Pansy and Blaise, and would occasionally glance at the Gryffindor table before returning to their conversation. Draco's usually impassive eyes were as hard as steel and Harry knew that anyone who chose to mess with him at that time would quickly come to regret it.
"You're right," Ginny assented before turning to Harry. "What do you think they're talking about?"
Harry absently wondered when he had become the House Malfoy-expert. "Could be anything. Draco doesn't usually talk to Pansy and Blaise this seriously in such a public area, so, whatever he's planning, he's so focused on it that he's forgetting to keep up his image."
Hermione and Ginny glanced at one another. "How do you know he's planning something?" Ginny asked since Hermione was still tongue-tied.
Harry shrugged. "His eyes always turn more of a light blue than gray when he's plotting." Seeing the girls' disbelieving, and, oddly, somewhat smug, faces, he raised an eyebrow. "What? One learns to notice the little things after five years of continuously competing against someone."
Ginny made a disbelieving noise. "Right, and I'm Merlin's granddaughter," she said with a small chuckle and a look at Hermione. She glanced at the Slytherin table, then at the doors to the Great Hall. "Hey, Stalker-boy, your charge is leaving."
Harry stared at her oddly, his face inexplicably heating up, before rolling his eyes at her antics. He glanced to the door to see Draco inconspicuously walking out the doors to the Great Hall. Of course, to Harry, the fact that Draco Malfoy was trying to be inconspicuous was conspicuous.
A few minutes later, Ron stood up and followed after receiving a note folded in the shape of a dragon. Harry didn't think anyone else noticed it. The note had flown to its recipient behind the Gryffindors and low to the ground, keeping it from being seen.
'What are you up to, Draco?' he wondered to himself. Casually, he excused himself from breakfast, saying he left a homework assignment in the dorm. As soon as he was in the Entrance Hall, he pulled out the Marauder's Map.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
He watched as lines appeared on the formerly blank parchment. He scanned it quickly, habitually checking the places he usually saw Draco's dot. A few minutes later, he found the dot labeled Draco Malfoy standing surprisingly close to the dot labeled Ron Weasley on the first floor.
"Mischief managed," he murmured, refolding the map and pocketing it. He ran up the stairs and turned into a tapestry that was hiding a secret passageway that he knew would place him close to where he saw the two boys. He emerged and turned right. Upon rounding the corner, he saw Draco leaning against a broom closet, but didn't see Ron.
'Hm, this is rather suspicious.'
"Hi, Draco!" Harry called, waving jovially. The blonde jumped when addressed then turned to Harry. Harry absently noted how his eyes shuttered slightly.
"Hello Harry. I wouldn't think you were one to show up for class early."
"I'm not. I saw you leaving and wanted to know what you were planning," Harry replied, dropping all pretenses at ignorance.
"Planning?" Draco inquired, putting on an innocent expression. "I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about, Harry. Perhaps you are feeling unwell?"
"The innocent look doesn't work for you, Draco. Besides, I saw the note you sent to Weasley. That kind of negates any possibility of you being innocent. Just tell me what's in the broom closet."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Brooms, of course."
Harry rolled his eyes and glanced down at Aurum, who had barely stuck her head out of Harry's sleeve and was flicking her tongue rapidly.
/Weasley is in there. Also, the Many-Legged Ones are locked in there, and they are angry./
'Many-Legged Ones?' Harry wondered. Suddenly, it clicked. He scowled at Draco.
"Draco?" he asked sweetly, making the blonde gulp. Very rarely was Harry's sweet tone actually used in a sweet context. "Why did you lock Ron in a broom closet full of spiders?"
The Slytherin smirked, giving up the pretense of ignorance. "Engorged spiders, actually."
"Fine! Engorged spiders, then."
"Well, he really did a number on you last night. You know, purposely riling you up so badly. That's my job." He muttered the last bit bitterly under his breath. "Anyway, you didn't really think I was going to let him get away with it?"
"So, basically, this is a ploy at revenge for last night's accident?"
"Of course. Plus all the times he slighted me over the years. I am a Malfoy, after all, and we don't let our own suffer without retribution being served."
Harry stared. That statement was startlingly Gryffindor. "Please tell me you at least made it so that he could escape."
"Of course. Couldn't incriminate myself, after all. I also stunned him before he saw me, Silenced the inside of the closet before filling it with spiders, and burned the note. He has no way to prove it was me."
"Fine. Don't think you can use righteous anger as a means to justify all your actions, though. People stop believing it if you use it too often."
"I won't," Draco answered seriously.
XXXXXXXX
Harry was sitting next to Draco in Transfiguration, watching as he changed various parts of the manikin in front of them into animal limbs. McGonagall had allowed the groups who had mastered full transfiguration of the doll last class to move on to this stage. Just as his partner finished changing a former wing back into an arm, Aurum crept up to his right ear and hissed softly.
/Weasley is coming, and he isn't pleased./
Harry smirked and, upon remembering where he was, quickly wiped away the expression. He nudged Draco's shoulder and subtly gestured to the door. Draco nodded when he got the unstated message, clearly confident that things had gone without a hitch. Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed around the room, emanating from the hall outside.
"What in the name of Merlin was that?" McGonagall asked sharply, glancing suspiciously at the students in front of her.
"It sounded like it came from outside, Professor," answered Greengrass, one of the more unknown, and thus more well-liked, Slytherins.
The stern teacher rose from her desk and strode to the door. As soon as she had passed them, Harry quickly cast the spell they were learning on the manikin, focusing on what he wanted it to look like. Seconds later, it had spider legs and arms, as well as two more sets protruding from its abdomen. The door banged open and in ran Ron Weasley, seven-inch long spiders still clinging to his robes. His eyes darted around the room, widened in terror.
"Mr. Weasley! What is the meaning of this?"
"S-s-spi-spiders! Everywhere! Huge! Broom closet!" he shouted incoherently, shrieking when he felt one of the spiders clinging to him venture down the neck of his robes. He began running around the room, screaming frantically. "Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Get 'em OFF!"
He froze in front of Harry and Draco's manikin, his pupils barely visible. After standing frozen for a few seconds, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell into a dead faint. The entire class and their teacher stared at the fallen boy. Harry glanced to his side and was pleased to see that Draco looked just as shocked as the rest of the class. In fact, to someone who wasn't used to reading every nuance of his body language, Draco could almost pass for pitying. Finally, McGonagall snapped back into herself.
"I suppose that Mr. Weasley needs to be taken to the Infirmary. Any volunteers?"
Hermione and Pansy raised their hands. After being dismissed, Hermione cast a levitation spell on the immobile Ron the other girl opened the door. Harry was surprised to see what appeared to be three slightly curved lines that were positioned so that they looked like blades of a fan on the side of her neck, the air elemental rune. He made a mental note to speak with her later. After the door shut behind them, Harry lifted a hand to hide his grin.
'Today just keeps getting better and better.'
Author's Note: Once again, I was shocked at the rapid response. I still don't believe the interest this little fic has inspired in so many readers.
On a different note: I misled everybody! Well, a lot of people, anyway. Hopefully people won't be too upset.
ShadowMoonDancer: I wasn't ticked off you know, Kokou, just slightly annoyed. But then, I didn't have you read the last chapter of my Mercedes Lackey story and this upcoming chapter seems to be more confusing than most of my first drafts. Hey everyone! I'm a friend of the wonderful author of this story. I don't do much except check her grammar and change a word or two. Well I'm off at camp this week so you'll have to either wait until the week after the 4th or deal with a couple of grammar mistakes.
On ShadowMoonDancer's suggestion, I shall now elaborate on the definition of Arachnophobia. Simply, it is a serious fear of spiders. In other words, it is what Ron has.
Thanks to the chapter 12 reviewers:
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