The problem with having a disembodied voice in your head is that it was always trying to tell you what to do. Even when you're trying to concentrate on something else. Unlike your own internal voices you can't even attempt to drown it out.
"A crying shame," Luce drawled amusedly. Harry gritted his teeth and ignored him. He had to listen to Professor Snape, otherwise he was going to look like a fool for what was possibly the zillionth time in class. No matter how he tried to laugh off Snape's jabs, they did begin to hurt after a while. And the shame of being made a fool every. single. class. was very very trying.
"Come on, just once!" Luce pleaded.
'I am not going to ask Snape what shampoo he uses! It's an old and stupid joke, and he would crucify me for asking!' Harry fumed towards the voice in his head, however you do that.
Unfortunately this small diversion was enough for Snape to notice he wasn't listening one hundred percent, because a second later Harry felt Ron step on his toe to signal that Snape was boring down on him.
"Uh ohhhh, should've paid attention!" Luce sniggered.
"Potter! Name the fourteen stages of the Malum potion." Snape sneered towards him.
"Uhh they're.. uhhh…" Harry stammered.
"Not paying attention have we? Tell me Potter, is this some sort of ploy to garner up even more attention to meet your ego's gluttonous appetite? Are you a child, looking for attention by acting up, or maybe you really are just an idiot." Snape smirked at him while the Slytherins snickered behind their hands.
"It's a trick," Luce yawned inside his head, "There are only three stages to the Malum potion, and he didn't cover it in class, there's a footnote in that obscure potions book you were reading the other night when we were trying to research this whole head business. Just trust me."
"Sir, there are only three stages to the Malum potion." Harry said, looking calm even though his insides were quaking. He would not be made a fool of again. Unless Luce was trying to pull one over on him. Luce's response was to make his head fuzz uncomfortably.
Snape eyes narrowed dangerously. "And what are they, pray tell Mr. Potter?"
"They are.."
"aetus flamma, aetus impedo, and aetus memoria," Luce listed off as Harry said the terms aloud.
"And why do you know the three stages of such a gravely illegal potion, hmm?" Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, he is determined to get one up on you," Luce said, slightly awed at Snape's perseverance.
'Tell me about it,' Harry grimaced on the inside, but managed to keep his face calm. Harry said the only thing that came to mind which was, "would you rather I didn't know, sir?"
"Well at least you know something," Snape sneered and then barked out orders for their next potion.
Harry sighed heavily. 'I guess I owe you thanks Luce.'
"Meh. I have a good memory, and you read slow."
Soon the potions class was over and Harry packed his things away and joined Ron out in the hall. It had been a grueling class and he was glad to get out of it. It was hard enough understanding potions without the evil professor, and annoying head-mate. Luce made his head fuzz uncomfortably again. Harry snarled audibly.
"You alright Harry?" Neville asked, approaching Harry and Ron in the hall.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have a nasty annoying stupid headache." Harry snarled and held his head. Luce was amusing himself by pretending to play the drums in Harry's head. Each beat was a buzz, or pop in different areas in his head.
"Hmm sorry bout that mate, you could go see Madame Pomfrey," Ron said while scanning the hallway.
"Are you looking for Hermione, Ron?" Neville said, also scanning the hallway. Ron nodded, his face turning a bit red.
"Wait, where's Hermione?" Harry asked. He hadn't even noticed she was missing. He was just so distracted all the time now. Plus she had been avoiding them lately for some reason.
"It's that Weasley boy who's driving her away." Luce said, stopping his drumming.
'Why would it be Ron's fault?' Harry thought to Luce.
"Oh please, don't tell me you haven't noticed. Everytime they're around each other Ron goes red and wont even look at her, and Hermione slowly gets more and more uncomfortable until she bolts. They don't even talk to each other."
'What? You're kidding! I haven't noticed that at all!' Now Harry was alarmed, he hadn't noticed any of that except for he had noticed that Hermione was a bit uncomfortable around them, but he just assumed it had something to do with… well he didn't know what he thought, but the girl had license to feel whatever she wants right? Gah. He really needed to get Luce out of his head before he lost track of everything.
"Hey, I've been helping you out! You're naturally forgetful and dim, so don't be blaming it all on me." Luce said disdainfully.
"I most certainly am not dim and forgetful!" Harry growled aloud.
"Er, Harry?" Harry turned to see Ron and Neville looking at him like he belonged in the loony-bin. Harry promptly turned a bright shade of red before he tried to stammer out an explanation, but Luce was laughing and playing the drums in his head again and he couldn't think past all of the noise.
"Argh!" Was all he said before he turned and stormed off down the hall towards Dumbledore's office. He needed Luce out of his head now. Luce was even more annoying than his son Draco, and that was saying a lot. Although maybe that's because Draco doesn't have prime seating in his skull. Nor does Draco have any skill with the drums.
"Speak of the devil. There goes my son now." Luce drawled. He wasn't very interested in his son right now since he had no recollection of him since he entered Harry's head.
Harry looked up and gaped. There was Draco Malfoy walking through the hall with his arm around Hermione. And Harry wasn't the only one staring. Everyone they breezed past had stopped to gape at them as well. No one had seen a sight such as this. Gryffindors and Slytherins don't just go around arm in arm, especially Draco Malfoy and any of the golden trio.
Malfoy was speaking animatedly to Hermione whose face was alternating between embarrassment, amusement, and fury. Malfoy was pointedly ignoring everyone in the hall and they marched by without either of them noticing Harry. Harry watched as they turned up towards the Gryffindor common room, and it was a few seconds before he shook himself out of his stupor and raced up behind them quietly so they wouldn't hear him approaching from behind.
"… so there I was, creeping up behind Weasel and Potty, getting ready to unleash a torrent of angry spiders (well about thirty or so) upon their heads when I heard voices around the corner behind me. Obviously I ducked away and hid, but I wasn't as graceful way back then and I accidentally dropped the box of spiders on the ground. So my plan was foiled. Then Potty and Weasel did something very strange, but that's not really part of the story…"
"What did they do?" Hermione asked, her voice interested.
"Well they pointed at the spiders, who were crawling out of the school through the window, and started talking about following them. I wasn't really interested in all of that, so I just left."
"Wow Malfoy, unbeknownst to you, you actually saved Ginny Weasley, and prevented the Dark Lord from rising during second year!"
"Oh. Well I meant to do all of that obviously." Malfoy said snottily.
Hermione snorted and punched Malfoy's shoulder. "You also almost killed Harry and Ron who ventured out into the forbidden forest following the spiders and were almost eaten."
"Casualties of war," Malfoy shrugged elegantly before turning and grinning at Hermione cheekily.
"Brat," Hermione replied, poking him in the side.
"Hmm, my son is flirting with your best friend. Didn't you say they were enemies?" Luce enquired.
'They are enemies! Or at least they were! And they were not flirting!' Harry said alarmed.
"Seemed like flirting to me..." Luce said amusedly before he returned to his drumming.
Harry continued to follow them until they reached the common room where Hermione cast a spell on Malfoy so he wouldn't hear the password before leading them both inside.
Damn. Harry couldn't follow them inside without giving away that he had been following them the whole time. He sighed heavily. What is going on? Everything is so strange. His friends were acting weird, Malfoy was flirting with Hermione, and wasn't he supposed to be in trouble? He didn't look very troubled. The world is going crazy! And it all started with Luce.
Harry growled deeply and then took off towards Dumbledore's office again. Once Luce was gone then everything could go back to normal. Or at least that's what he was trying to convince himself.
A/N: Short, but I feel like I need to send this part off before I get to the next part. It'll (hopefully) get more interesting soon!