TWENTY TWO
An ear-piercing scream woke the Slytherin boys early the next morning.
Harry drew back his blinds and squinted across the dark room. There was a frustrated grunt from Theo, followed by a thump as he ran into the edge of Blaise's bed, but then he managed to tap his wand on the doorway and the room lit up.
Harry couldn't hold in his snort.
'It's not funny!' Draco pouted.
Harry could only assume Draco had got up early to run for the couch again, but his morning routine had been interrupted when he got out of the shower. The next bed over, Blaise snickered… then giggled (for which Harry would be teasing him later)… then burst out laughing.
'I had no idea your hair was so long, Draco.' Vince teased. Harry looked across to see that Vince and Greg were in the same state; only their hair was only an inch long, so it hardly mattered.
'Are you going to fit through the door?' Harry asked in a patronising kindly voice. Draco glared with a pout. That was it for Harry, he burst out laughing too.
The Weasley twins had obviously come through with the potion. Draco's normally sleek hair was sticking straight up, the gravity having been reversed. With the haircut Draco had, the layering meant that his hair formed a weird sort of wave above his head. Along with the pout, and standing only in his towel he looked rather ridiculous.
As Draco started trying to dry his hair down and get it to sit normally (a futile effort for the next few hours), Harry couldn't help but notice the towel was having some odd effects.
'Er, Draco?'
'What?' Draco turned on Greg.
'You might want to stop that.'
'Why?'
Harry let out another loud snort. 'I don't know, I think red suits his complexion.'
Draco ran towards the bathroom and let out another girly scream when he saw himself in the mirror.
Blaise and Theo seemed unharmed, though kept mentioning how cold it was today. Harry had been about to cast his usual warming charm on himself (One advantage Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had over the dungeon dwellers during winter), when he thought how odd it was for such a sudden change in temperature considering the sunny day outside. Deciding to test a theory, he searched out a book on the ministry charms for Azkaban. Arriving in the common room Harry found the majority of Slytherin were looking somewhat like a group of marshmallows. Everyone was rugged up in his or her winter best. However as the ministry charm set in on Harry's clothes, he found the chill dissipated, and Harry stopped looking enviously at Pansy's thick scarf.
Several of the targets Harry had requested had been given the hair-raising potion, as well as a few older students the twins had vendettas against, but only Draco's hair had turned red. There was a sort of gloomy feel to the room, and Harry could feel the natural parselmagic straining angrily against it.
Draco stalked to the lounge to sit down, and Harry begrudgingly had to give him a little bit of credit. With his hair sticking up like it was, and the way he held himself, it looked more like a crown than a bad hair day.
Harry couldn't have that.
'Oh.' Said Harry, as if something had only just made sense to him. Then he frowned. 'Well that's just great.'
Harry had placed himself next to Grace's old group, and as he expected, they were still watching him closely.
'Oh, what?' Pax demanded quietly when Harry didn't elaborate.
Harry drew a sneer, 'Don't you think Draco looks good in Weasley red?' Harry pulled some green winter gloves from his pockets and made a show of putting them on. 'I suspect the cold and gloomy mood will hang around until their point is made.' He let out a huff. 'As long as the real dementors don't show up.'
Harry had kept the conversation quiet, and left soon after, but Rhea was known to head Grace's scandal front, so Harry didn't need to yell it out so obviously.
Blaise and Theo followed him up to the hall, taking their seats at the table. Harry didn't notice how subdued they were (considering the laughing at Draco they normally would have employed) until the girls turned up as well and were just as quiet. Harry was about to go and demand the twins tell him how to reduce the dementor curse a bit (right after showing him how they did it at all) when Lillian sighed loudly and stopped pushing the eggs around her plate.
'I don't think there is a way to make a Chimera funny.'
Harry looked up from his porridge startled. He had been so distracted by the prank, that he had completely forgotten they had a double of defence. Harry glanced at his timetable and was surprised to see he had only one class at a time until fourth period. That would be a nice change. He focused back on the Slytherins.
'Why are you afraid of a Chimera?' he asked.
Lillian gave him an affronted look. 'I don't appreciate you mocking my fears, Potter.'
'Oh.' Harry frowned. 'No, it isn't that. I meant what about the chimera most scares you?'
Lillian' glare didn't drop, but she seemed to consider the question.
'What's not to be afraid of? Head of a lion, snakes head for a tail, hell just in case that and the strong kick of the goats body wasn't enough… oh yeah it BREATHES FIRE!'
'I have always wanted to see a chimera.' Harry said lightly.
'Potter!'
Harry gave her a grin.
'Have you thought about mixing the animals around?'
'Yes, because having a snake that breathes fire from behind is so much better than a lion that breathes it at the front.' Lillian deadpanned.
Harry shrugged. 'Just a thought.'
'Good morning sister.'
Astoria Greengrass approached Daphne stiffly, and had her best formal tone. The side of Harry's mouth twitched.
'Greetings, Miss Greengrass.' He offered.
Daphne gave him an exasperated look. 'Did you need something, Storie?'
Astoria blushed.
'No thank you, well, yes, actually…'
Astoria looked longingly at the seat next to Daphne. Harry could see she wanted to sit down, but wasn't willing to assume. There was a pause in the group. Theo, Millie and Blaise stopped talking about the previous night's Quidditch game, and a sort of anticipation went around the group. Harry was pleased, but quite surprised when Daphne glanced across at him, asking for approval.
'Why don't you join us?' Harry offered, then with a lightly laughing smirked 'We were just admitting our worst fears. Care to share?'
Astoria looked somewhat like a startled deer, but like her sister, had already started on a good Slytherin mask, so a moment later, she slid calmly in to the spot next to Daphne.
'I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.' She teased.
'Astoria!' Daphne scolded.
'Tempting, but I'll just have to wonder.'
Astoria pouted. 'But I want to know your greatest fear!'
Daphne got a very resigned look on her face, but Blaise chuckled to Harry's right.
'Don't worry, we can fill you in by first break.'
Harry was about to retort when Astoria bristled up completely. 'I don't need anything from you, Zabini!'
Harry frowned. Beside him Blaise straightened in his seat, jaw already set to sneer. Harry shot his hand out across in front of Blaise under pretence of reaching for the salt. Blaise's jaw snapped shut, stopping the retort before it begun. Blaise and Daphne kept their rivalry light really, or at least subtle and within their group. He wasn't going to let this escalate for the whole house to watch.
'I think Emma is waving for your attention, Astoria.' Harry's tone was much colder than it had been a moment ago.
Beside him Blaise's mask slid back on and his posture turned to a relaxed devil-may-care look. Daphne stiffened in her seat, and Astoria went bright red.
'I must have missed it. Excuse me.' Astoria hastily left rushing towards her friends. Daphne's face was blank, but as she went to rise and follow her sister Harry met her eyes and raised one eyebrow.
'How about you, Daphne? Do you want to know my greatest fear?'
Daphne paused, but after a moment returned to her seat.
'I'm not willing to barter for something that simply lacks a little patience.'
'Well at least you all seem to know what your fears are.' Theo grumbled. Harry suspected he was trying to lighten the mood. After all, the previous evening Theo had refused to share his fears making a big secret of them.
Harry shrugged, then pulled out the book on healing madam Pomfrey had given him. They still had fifteen minutes before class, and Harry wanted to try and finish the last chapter.
'Oh dear. You all look like you are waiting for your funeral. Come on, chin up.'
Harry looked up from the book and saw Remus shaking his head at them with a smile. To Theo's annoyance, Harry had read the entire way to the classroom.
'Come on. We'll head straight down to the staffroom.'
Harry pushed off from where he was leaning on the wall and slipped the book into his bag. The walk down to the staffroom was silent and stiff. For all the joking around, the Slytherins were looking at each other shiftily, and in front of him Hannah Abbot was muttering 'Mummify them in leaves. Mummify them in leaves!' Over and over as if her life depended on it. Harry was mildly curious as to what her fear might be to possibly have that response.
'Here we are then. Books away and wands out.'
Everyone filed into the staffroom and looked around curiously. Harry's attention immediately went to the cupboard the boggart was in. It was the cupboard he'd originally overheard of Ginny's disappearance in, and all he could think was how on earth did me and Ron fit in that in second year? He didn't think they'd grown that much since the previous year (though he had more than the original timeline), but all he could come up with was that it must be bigger on the inside. Which only made him curious as boggarts tended to like small dark spaces.
In his contemplation he nearly missed Remus' starting speech.
'-is why the word alone isn't enough. You really have to force the boggart to your will. A clear image of what you expect is vital. Now, who wants to volunteer to go first?'
As was expected, the show of hands was not overwhelming.
Remus smiled. 'Come now, we will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please…Riddikulus!'
'Riddikulus!' said the class together.
'Good,' said Remus. 'Very good.' He looked around the room, and unfortunately for her, Susan Bones was standing closest to the front.
'Miss Bones, do you know what your form boggart will take?'
Susan nodded shyly.
'Yes. I think so.'
'What do you think it is?'
'My Auntie Susan dying.'
At the back of the room Harry sighed. Well that was a morbid start.
Remus seemed to think so too, turning a bit more solemn.
'Death does frighten us all; friends and family's death the most. Quite difficult, but have you thought on how you might force it to look comical?'
Susan nodded, then whispered something to Remus, who smiled.
'Well then.' He stepped back from the cupboard to the side of the room. 'If Susan is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn,' said Remus. 'I hope all of you to took a moment to think of the thing that scares you most and are prepared.'
The room went quiet.
Harry looked around to see that the whole class had thoughtful looks of varied concentration on their faces. What scared them most in the world? Harry felt an involuntary chill run down his spine.
'Everyone ready?' Remus asked.
As a whole the class was and rolling up their sleeves. Harry remembered feeling nervous and wishing he had more time, but this time he just felt… bored.
'Susan, we're going to back away,' said Remus. 'Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward…Everyone back, now, so Susan can get a clear shot -'
They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Susan alone beside the wardrobe. She looked pale and frightened, but she had tied back her hair and was holding her wand ready in what Harry recognised as the standard Auror stance.
'On the count of three, Susan,' said Remus, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. 'One - two - three -now!'
A jet of sparks shot from the end of his wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Amelia bones staggered out of the wardrobe. She was paler than usual and her no-nonsense look had been exchanged for one of pain. She took three steps towards Susan, before falling first to her knees, then to the ground, where she had blood pooling around her and she ceased moving.
Susan's wand was shaking, and her eyes were beginning to water up.
'R- r- Ri-' She backed up a step or two. 'Riddikulus!' she squeaked out.
There was a noise like a whip crack.
Amelia's dead body only changed slightly, but didn't look quite right. Harry frowned at it. He couldn't figure out what had-
'You'll have to do a better job than that!' Susan half-laughed, half cried. 'Mentior!'
Harry was still slightly confused, but around him all of the purebloods laughed and the boggart's form shuddered slightly.
'Very clever, Susan!' Remus called. 'Justin! Forward!'
Justin walked forward, his face set. Amelia's body seemed to melt into the floor, only to form a mist that began slithering around as it solidified. Harry was the first to recognise what it was, having seen the large scales that were forming quite recently.
A scaled down Belleza Reared up, her eyes just starting to open.
'Riddikulus!' cried Justin.
There was a crack again, and in front of Belleza's nose a mirror formed just as she opened her eyes. The yellow globes made a hissing noise and started to smoke. Belleza thrashed about in obvious pain. Around him the class laughed, but Harry winced. He was mildly surprised to find that the hissing she was making sounded like actual parseltongue, but like a different accent or dialect, just enough off that Harry could only make out the occasional word. He wondered what would have happened if Justin had been a bit late conjuring the mirror. Would her stare have petrified? That would have been hard to explain, if he was the only one remaining moving.
While Harry thought, Belleza's thrashing had brought the boggart in front of Millie.
Crack!
A giant spider was in the middle of the room. Unlike Ron's this one was more squat and furry. It scuttled forward in a jerky, unpredictable way that had the whole class backing up and several screams heard. Behind it trailed a thick cobweb.
'R-Riddikulus!' Millie shouted.
Suddenly the spider was spinning around behind it. The web was sticking all over it. It twitched about and was slowly being cocooned in it's own web.
'Theodore!' roared Remus.
Theo strode forwards and where the spider had been was… nothing?
The class looked around them carefully, but Theo was staring in horror at the floor. Harry looked down. Something red was dripping from the ceiling. Almost in slow motion Theo looked up. Hanging above him was a vampire, his fangs and mouth dripping left over blood. Harry was completely surprised. Though it looked like Theo had expected it.
'Riddikulus!'
The room suddenly smelt of strawberries, and looking closely, Harry discovered the Vampires teeth had been turned into a set of gummy teeth. He suspected the blood was now some kind of strawberry syrup. He let out a snort.
The Vampire fell to the floor, landing almost right in front of Harry, this time, Harry was on the opposite side of the classroom (by design) from Remus.
Crack!
A rotting, glistening hand, slithering back beneath a black cloak…a long, rattling breath from an unseen mouth…then a cold so penetrating it felt like drowning…
Around him Harry could hear several people gasping. He raised his wand silently, about to cast ridiculous, and turn the dementor into someone tangled under a cloak (only he would know it was Draco), when he had a sudden thought. It was almost instinct for him to want to cast a patronus. He had actually had to mentally tell himself no, use Riddikulus, but was de-railed.
He highly doubted his patronus would still be a stag, so what would it be?
His wand wavered.
'Expec-' Harry was about to cast the patronus, more interested in what it might be than worried about anyone discovering he could cast one, when the boggart began to change.
Harry looked up at it surprised. It wasn't a quick change, spinning through a myriad of forms in a ball of mist. Harry glanced at Remus. He was about to ask if that was normal, when there was an especially loud-
CRACK!
Harry's jaw dropped.
Smooth hair and polished boots, a sleek black suit with a billowing robe; finely embroidered and emerald green on the underside, his shoes clicked neatly in time with the cane he carried, one even more ostentatious than Lucius Malfoy's, headed by a moving silver snake. The man smiled in a lazy sort of grin; showing perfect teeth, but reflecting more arrogance than joy.
'Well I don't expect you voted for me.'
He smirked down at Harry, his red eyes looking out of place on the smooth skin.
.:But someone must have:.
Fortunately, the whole class (Remus included) reeled back in shock at who the Parseltongue implied it was, so no one could guess Harry had actually understood. Harry however, was reeling at the meaning.
'Finally actually a Lord, I presume?' Harry snarked back, once he found his voice (taking longer than he'd like to admit). The room was completely silent around them.
Tom Riddle brushed a long thin (and chillingly similar) finger over the gold name badge.
'Minister Voldemort, actually.'
Harry's blood ran cold, and he felt his body twitch against his own will, but he otherwise maintained his mask. He tilted his head to one side, he forced his brain to think this through.
No. Minister Riddle maybe, but as Voldemort-
'Riddikulus.' He drawled.
Behind him several people screamed again.
Harry didn't blame them really, but to him, Voldemort was much funnier in his serpentine form. It was a parody of how dangerous Tom Riddle could have become. His solitary 'Ha!' carried over the hushed whispers of the room, and was so heartfelt that the boggart paused, confused (A look that would never have been seen on Voldemort's face). Harry sent a wandless compulsion towards Draco, drawing him forward. The boggart turned to him and with a crack! Voldemort was gone.
Harry was a bit surprised that the boggart changed, the fear had been tangible in the air, felt collectively by everyone but him. But he supposed a boggart was just a victim to its art, and Draco was simply closer.
Apparently, to Draco, Lord Voldemort wasn't nearly so freighting as…
Beside him Blaise let out a loud snort.
'A chair?' He whispered at Harry.
Harry shrugged. He was glad Blaise was at least pretending not to be freaked out. Everyone else was still standing well back from Harry, and though he refused to look, he could feel their eyes on him, not Draco's boggart. Harry shrugged, though beneath his mask his heart was still running a quick pulse.
Harry looked closer at the chair as a distraction. It was very odd. Not only because, really, a chair!?, But also because it seemed to be made of… plastic?
'Ri-ddikulus.' Draco stuttered, but the intent was there, and with a loud crack! the boggart shifted to the Slytherin Lounge. Hufflepuff and Remus were confused, but the Slytherins all laughed. Draco lifted his nose into the air snootily.
'Pansy! Forward!' Remus cried out. Harry looked over towards him, to find Remus staring straight back at him.
Crack!
Pansy turned the Bundimun into an emerald green house-elf with too many eyes. But Harry completely missed it. Remus' eyes didn't waver, and Harry's face was kept completely blank.
Crack!
The house-elf turned into a Leithfold for Greg, before being smothered by a pink patchwork quilt.
Crack!
The quilt was replaced by Bowtruckles; quickly mummified in leaves.
Crack!
Lillian paled in front of her Chimera, but straightened her shoulders and a minute later one of the strangest animals Harry had ever seen sat there trying to roar fire, but just coughing up bubbles. It had the head of a goat, and the body of a lion, but in the place of legs four snake bodies were slithering about trying not to be crushed by the weight of it's body.
Crack!
Daphne switched the name on the gravestone to that of Aida Zabini, but Harry just caught the name Dorian L. Peneus, before the switch. Harry felt Blaise stiffen beside him before he could even register surprise. Blaise angrily stepped forward.
Crack!
A Bicorn growled down at Blaise for a second before 'Riddikulus!' and Harry recognised the magical tattoos spread up its arms from a bonding ceremony.
Crack!
A ferocious dog… yapping in a tiny, high-pitched bark and chasing its tail like a puppy.
Crack!
Another spider, but this one was already missing its legs.
'It's confused!' shouted Remus, finally breaking the stare Harry had been studiously ignoring. 'We're getting there! Megan!'
Megan hurried forward.
Crack!
The spider body became a half-un-wrapped mummy.
The class laughed loudly along with Megan as like Parvati's it tripped on it's own wrappings.
'Forward, Susan, and finish him off!' said Remus as the Boggart began to change.
Crack!
Susan stepped forward, but the laughing class barely had a glimpse of a sickly Amelia before the boggart exploded and burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.
Harry immediately switched to magical sight, and managed to hold it just long enough to see a dark grey disturbance slink through the air past Remus and back into the small closet.
'Excellent!' cried Remus as the class broke into applause. 'Excellent, Susan. Well done, everyone… Let me see… a point for every person to tackle the Boggart - and six for Susan because she did it twice.'
Harry frowned, turning towards Remus.
In the original timeline they had received five points each, and Judging by the jump in the Gryffindor hourglass that was true of yesterday's class too. Not to mention he doubted the other class had Voldemort turn up, which probably traumatised at least half the class, judging by the wide berth they were still giving Harry.
'See now, that wasn't so bad.' Remus continued. 'An excellent lesson! For homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me, then give me your guess on what a boggart would look like when alone… to be handed in on Monday. That will be all.'
Talking excitedly, the class started to leave the staffroom.
'Harry, a moment?'
Blaise gave him a knowing look, 'I'll wait for you?'
'Sure.' Harry nodded.
The class cleared out quickly and Harry was left standing awkwardly with Remus. Remus tucked his wand away then leant back on the staff table casually, assessing Harry's reaction. Harry waited.
There was a long pause, before Remus broke the silence.
'You aren't afraid of Lord Voldemort?' He sounded very unsure about his own question.
Harry raised one eyebrow. 'No more than a healthy respect for the damage he can do.'
Remus hummed a little. 'If you need anyone to talk to about it-'
'Then I have my Aunt Petunia.' Harry blatantly lied.
'They put you with Petunia?' Remus sounded a little shocked.
Harry wasn't going to take the bait and make the conversation too easy. He considered Remus carefully. He had never come to check on Harry. It was suspicious really, that he would suddenly re-appear now. Harry knew, through Hagrid in the original timeline, that Dumbledore hadn't been able to contact Remus for all those years, but he had turned up the night Sirius broke out of Azkaban. Harry knew another couple that supposedly disappeared off the face of the earth.
'You know my parents.' Harry spoke into the second awkward silence, deciding on the spur of the moment to change tactics.
Remus let out a great sigh. 'Yes. It is good to see you again Har-'
'Yes. After all those years.' Harry interrupted. Remus paused.
'I couldn't have taken you. I'm not… a suitable guardian.' Remus broke off awkwardly, his tone was almost pleading.
Harry waited, but there was no more. He turned to leave. Remus hadn't corrected him on the tense either. He wasn't sure what to make of that.
'Harry-'
Harry turned and looked back.
'Yes, Professor?'
Remus had a look of longing on his face, but it seemed he hadn't thought of the rest of his sentence. Harry walked the rest of the way out of the room.
'Your Boggart is the Dark Lord.' Theo greeted Harry outside; he was waiting with Blaise with a slightly wary look on his face. Harry pushed all emotions to the back of his mind to deal with later.
'Your subtlety is astounding.'
'Was that Tom Riddle?' Blaise questioned.
'In a way.'
'You've managed to scare Slytherin for the second time this week, Harry.' Theo grinned. Harry rolled his eyes.
'You scare too easily.'
'I didn't say you scared me.' Theo grumbled.
'Yes, the utter look of terror on seeing Harry's boggart was just to fit in.' Blaise snorted. 'Not to mention the train incident.'
Theo just whacked him in the arm.
'Ow. I'll hex your hand off!' Blaise turned to Harry as Theo hastily withdrew his arm. 'I find it very suspicious that while the rest of us probably have to do damage control, your boggart is only going to improve your standing in Slytherin. Prat.'
Harry turned to Blaise a little surprised. 'Suspicious?'
Blaise nodded. 'Especially as I know you so well.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
Blaise grinned. 'Oh, nothing.'
Harry glared. 'So. Dorian Peneus?'
Blaise winced. 'Low blow.'
'Says the man picking on my greatest fear.'
Theo sighed dramatically and slung one arm over Harry's shoulder. Harry was randomly pleased to note that he was now taller than Theo; something he was sure he had never achieved in the original timeline.
'One day,' Theo said, catching Blaise under the other arm, 'Blaise and I are going to find the ultimate Blackmail on you. I'll have you breathing out your secrets like oxygen.'
Blaise disentangled himself and snorted.
'Dream on, Theo. Even I know that wouldn't happen. We'd probably just end up deeper in trouble.' He ran his wand down his robe, getting rid off the crumples. 'And don't. touch. my. robes!'
Harry snorted, waited a beat, then added. 'I don't breath out oxygen.'
Harry wanted to try and get down to the chamber between class, but he couldn't shake the boys, and by the time Care started he'd given in. The problem with a big play (intentional or not) in Slytherin, was that your cronies always stuck close, making sure they got pulled up with you. Normally Harry didn't mind, as turn about was fair play, and he wouldn't hesitate, but it could get rather frustrating when Slytherin suddenly clung together like a group of Hufflepuff firsties.
'Mother thinks I should get a pass for this class.' Pansy whined in front of them, as the Slytherins headed down the lawn for Care of Magical Creatures.
'Well if we have to listen to boring lectures on safety and following instructions now, I'll be sure to add my voice to your case.' Tracey grouched under her breath.
'You aren't even injured, Parkinson!'
Harry turned to see the Gryffindors had arrived behind them. Harry couldn't help but feel Ron was lacking a lot of subtlety, and suspected his Ron would bemoan the loss of Hermione's influence if he could only see himself.
'What have you got there, Hagrid?' Harry asked loudly before Slytherin could retaliate. The class spun around, looking warily either at Hagrid, or at the large case Hagrid was carrying towards them.
'Flobberworms.' Hagrid said. Even he didn't seem to be able to find enthusiasm.
The lesson degraded down hill from there. They spent the lesson learning how to look after them, and Harry suspected it would be the first of many similarly mind-numbing classes… again.
'Why would anyone bother looking after them?' said Hermione, after an hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' throats. Harry had cornered her after class, and they were currently spinning back on her time-turner; Harry to Transfiguration, Hermione to Runes.
'They are particularly useless. I made sure to feed mine an extra serving of lettuce however, as they actually thrive on Spinach. Hopefully we can kill the lot before the lessons become monotonous as well.'
'You didn't already find that monotonous?' Hermione paused, then huffed. 'Is there anything you don't know about?!'
Harry smirked.
'Of course.' He didn't elucidate.
He turned to the left as Hermione started heading up the stairs with a growled 'Potter!?' which reminded Harry forcibly of his Hermione's 'Haaaarreee!?' complaint. He laughed and continued on.
The rest of the day flew by. Harry turned back with Hermione again after Divination, then took advantage again after Runes, spinning back the extra time and heading down the corridor to the hospital wing. Now that he realised he could gain extra hours by searching her out they would be bumping into each other a lot more frequently.
'You can start,' Madam Pomfrey greeted him in a no-nonsense tone, 'by admitting how much of the chapters I assigned you you actually read, then re-labeling these vials. Some first years snuck into greenhouse three, so it will be a busy night. If you get them all done correctly,' she gestured to a large tray of tiny one-dose vials, 'then I'll let you practice your diagnosis charm on these three delinquents.'
She looked rather frustrated and busy so Harry just settled in to labelling the vials, not mentioning the fact that he didn't know any diagnosis charms (for humans) that were anything more than basic.
Madam Pomfrey remained a bit stand-offish, even an hour later when Harry finished up and made his way curiously over to the three boys. Harry listened to her lecture the three boys on the fact that it was the fifth time this week they had been in the hospital wing, and if she saw them again she would forgo the numbing charms. Harry was mildly surprised the boys had never come under his radar in the original timeline. They sounded like they were following in the footsteps of the Twins.
After another long chastising speech that had the boys reduced to embarrassed silence, Madam Pomfrey turned to Harry.
'Why there aren't age lines around the greenhouses I will never understand. All right then, Mr. Potter. Lets see what you can do. The incantation is Fierinus, and you wave your wand in a looped hook - like writing the letter 'f' without the cross.'
Harry turned to the first year. The boy had angry welts up and down his arms, but looked far more worried that Harry was pointing his wand at him.
'But-' he began to protest, but Harry was faster.
'Fierinus.' Harry said, carefully waving his wand as she said. The boy passed out, but Harry immediately knew it was from working himself up, rather than any fault of his, or a lasting injury.
'Oh.' Harry let out, surprised. 'Is it always like that?'
'That depends on what that is… Though that you have anything at all is quite impressive.' Madam Pomfrey seemed to cheer up slightly. 'Point your wand towards his left arm.'
'Shouldn't we revive him?'
'When you are done. Maybe this time he will learn his lesson. Merlin only knows I've tried everything else. One of these days it will be something I can't fix.' Her grumpy tone melted to worry towards the end.
On the next bed over Harry watched the boy's friend squirm.
Harry moved his wand to the boys arm. He frowned. 'It's bruised, and…' Harry shook his head in frustration. The feeling was fading, and he couldn't quite understand. He tried forcing his will to hold on, but if anything, that made it weaker.
The spell was very odd, it felt quite similar to Imperio, but didn't react at all how Harry expected. Unfortunately, Harry couldn't exactly ask about the comparison unless he felt like waiting for Sirius back in Azkaban.
'It is sprained from where he struggled against the devils snare. Never mind. You can have another two goes on Messer's Simpse and Collins, then I shall quiz you on the first three chapters.'
Harry looked up from what he was doing.
'I'm on the last chapter, actually. Do you have another text?'
That earned Harry a light smile.
'You're mother was quite naturally gifted in healing, though she never sought to pursue the art. A bit of a fighter, that one.'
Harry was concentrating on what he was sure was some sort of ligament tear in the thumb of Simpse, who was protesting loudly even though Harry could feel the pain was numbed completely. His mask didn't hold, and some of his annoyance must have shown on his face.
'It is unusual, for an orphan not to want to hear of their parents.'
Harry made his tone light. 'His Gryffindor parents.' He said, trying to cover his tracks.
'Said the humble Slytherin.' Harry was surprised at the teasing tone, but didn't show it. His blank stare was back in place, and she moved on.
'Okay then, I'm mum on the topic. So, can you tell me the first circle's five components of the art of Healing?'
Harry frowned, thinking back to chapter one.
'Number one…
Harry had meant to head down to the Chamber, that night as he was beyond curious about Transfiguration's classification and Dumbledore, but after the extensive list of questions Pomfrey had put him through and then Astronomy until nine, he was quite frankly, exhausted. He was very glad to be at the weekend. For a moment he second-guessed himself again, about how tiring this year would be… but then he remembered how bored he was the previous one, and pulled out some Arithmancy homework and settled in to checking his sums.
Twenty minutes later he wished he'd just headed to the chamber. Blaise and Theo burst into the dormitory.
'Downstairs now.' Theo demanded. 'Flint and Wimple are duelling for the lounge.'
A/N:
I'm sorry about the HUGE wait! I had writers block, and I'm now backpacking - so it's taking a little longer to write/ organise myself. It hasn't been abandoned at all, just a little slower :s