After the rather vexing potions lesson, Harry soon started to gain a level of rhythm with how things where done in Hogwarts. He had already built up a decent relationship with most of the older members of his own House through often playing games of chess with them (Harry had never played before, but was a keen study and a fast learner), or spectating card games. Playing Chess, he found, would sometimes squeeze an extra Wisdom point increase in his day – something he took full advantage of with relish. The younger Hufflepuffs had already dubbed him the 'smart one' in the house, a name he had earned for always being the first to venture an answer to questions in class, seeming to always have an answer ready. Not all were so impressed by his performance. Though it hadn't been his intention, he'd earned the ire of several brainy Ravenclaws and one bushy-haired Gryffindor girl with rather large front teeth. Both groups seemed rather annoyed that a 'Duffer' was showing them up intellectually at every opportunity.
It was because of this title that when homework was handed out for the first time on Wednesday, the first thing his fellow first year housemates did was to go to Harry and ask for help. Just help, though. No one asked him for the answers. Hufflepuffs took pride in hard work, and their pride was something that would not allow them to blatantly cheat. It was when he was helping Susan Bones with their Magical Theory homework ('Discuss the correct way to hold a wand when casting spells') that Harry really began to help his fellow Hufflepuffs with zeal. Before then, he'd done it out of a desire to earn extra house points towards the house cup, but after explaining to Susan what she needed to write about, a new window appeared before him.
Congratulations!
Skill: Wand Casting has levelled up to Level 4.
Due to helping another wizard learn more about a given skill, you have also gained new insight as well. Your ability to use this skill has increased!
Now, Harry helped anyone and everyone he could, but soon learned that not every tutoring session gained a skill. It seemed to require something extra, something more profound. It wasn't something he could just grind repetitively.
Soon enough, Harry's first week at Hogwarts drew to a close and Friday had rolled around. Harry was up early in the common room, spending the time left before they were allowed to leave the common room by spectating a game of cards. Harry rarely joined in the card games; he didn't know anything about anti-cheating jinxes or methods. It was during a break in the game that his eyes wandered the room and settled on a noticeboard, where a new notice had been pinned up during the night. He got to his feet and walked over, scan reading the flier. Hufflepuff first years were starting a new lesson today: Flying class, with the Ravenclaws. This was something Harry had long been looking forward to, and he felt his stomach swoop in excitement and his heart leap. The older Hufflepuffs took this opportunity to share some 'useful' advice with the first years, advice that seemed to cause more worry than it alleviated, but Harry dismissed it. He would soon learn for himself just how hard flying was. The bell rang right at the end of the third round of cards and Harry lead the throng of Hufflepuffs out of the common room and up to the Great Hall.
As Harry finished his breakfast and nursed his cup of tea, the owls came flooding in with the morning post and he was deeply surprised to find one scruffy looking owl swoop down in front of him and extend its clawed leg. Tied around it was a scruffy, battered looking piece of parchment, which he opened while sipping tea.
Dear Harry,
Fancy a cup of tea and some scones in my cabin when you finish lessons today? I want to hear all about your first week at Hogwarts as a Hufflepuff. Send your answer back with this owl. See you soon!
Hagrid
Harry grinned, took a quill and some parchment from his inventory when no one was looking, and scrawled a quick response, 'I'd be delighted to, see you then.' Harry handed the parchment to the owl, who picked it up in its beak and took flight immediately, soaring up to the ceiling and out of a window.
Buoyed and elated, Harry glanced around the Great Hall and seeing many students get copies of the same newspaper, he wondered if there were any newspapers other than the Daily Prophet. He decided that next summer, he'd look into it and would try to find a fun newspaper or magazine. After downing his cup of tea – now the optimum temperature according to his Observe skill – Harry got up and led the way down to their first class of the day, looking forward to Flying class and tea with Hagrid later.
Several lessons passed with nervous energy building to breaking point in the first years, each of them brimming with varying mixtures of sheer excitement and abject terror at the thought of flying. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws brushed past the Gryffindors and the Slytherins during the changeover from lessons – Gryffindor and Slytherin had just finished their joint flying class. Many of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were very curious at what had happened in the class, as the animosity between Gryffindor and Slytherin – though always present – seemed to be at an all-time high. None of them dared ask, however, wisely sensing the powder keg asking such a question would set off and avoiding it. And so, completely in the dark about what to expect from their class, they arrived in the grounds, where a stern-looking witch with windswept grey hair and hawk-like eyes stood with her arms crossed.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She barked, raising an eyebrow. "Pick a broom and stand next to it!"
They quickly obeyed. Harry chose a broom between Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott; Justin looked pale and sick, while Hannah looked excited.
"Now, then, you will call me Madam Hooch. The first thing that we will be doing is calling your broom. To do this, place your wand arm out like so," She extended her right arm so that it hovered above her broom,"And say, 'up!'"
The broom leapt from the ground into her waiting hand, which closed tightly on it.
"Your turn now."
Harry attempted it and felt very gratified when his broom shot straight into his hand like an eager dog ready for a walk; Madam Hooch watched him keenly, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion when Harry's face slackened and went blank for several moments as he processed a new window appearing from the system. She dismissed this, instead watching the rest of the class who enjoyed various levels of success. Hannah's broom soared into her hand on the second attempt, but Justin's broom did nothing but roll over.
Soon after that, they were kicking off from the ground and rising several feet in the air, slowly following Madam Hooch as she demonstrated the correct way to ascend, descend, glide in different directions, accelerate and decelerate, and, most importantly, how to land safely. By the end of the lesson, the class – Harry in particular, who found he had a strong affinity for flying – had been trusted with a large ball Madam Hooch called the Quaffle, which they were passing to each other in mid-air. Madam Hooch, Harry noticed, seemed relieved at the lack of injuries, and even said so at one point. What had happened in her previous class, Harry wondered. She landed and dismounted her broom, clearing her throat loudly.
"You all did rather splendidly," she said as the class landed and dismounted their brooms. "While some of you may need to give up on any dreams you had of becoming instant Quidditch stars, some of you have a real shot if you put in some hard work and effort. Dismissed!"
With that the group dispersed, with Harry heading back towards the common room to pick up a gift for Hagrid - Uncle Vernon had always said that it was good manners to bring a small gift if going over to someone's house for a cup of tea, even if it was just a packet of biscuits. So Harry decided to gift Hagrid one of the saplings he'd started growing in his trunk, grabbing one of the spare apple tree saplings and proceeded to place it carefully into an expandable bag as he could not store living things within his inventory and, checking it was secure, he made his way out of Hogwarts and towards Hagrid's hut. But on the way down the grand staircase, he was stopped by the sight of the blond-haired Slytherin boy who he'd met previously – Drago? No, Draco Malfoy - flanked by two other Slytherins. Malfoy was lazing against the stone wall, carelessly throwing a glass ball up into the air and catching it, while Neville, a small, pathetic-lookign Gryffindor boy, watched apprehensively, occasionally squeaking out a meagre, 'Give it back!' Neville, Harry recalled, was the only one in the year who was as good at Herbology as Harry. If anything, Neville was far greater at the subject than Harry. Harry looked closely at the glass orb in Malfoy's hand and activated his observe skill.
Remembrall [STOLEN]: An orb containing smoke that changes colour to when the wielder has forgotten something, and turns clear when you have remembered the forgotten task. Often used by a witch or wizard after leaving their house to check if they forgot to lock the backdoor or if they'd left the fire on. This Remembrall is stolen; the rightful owner is Neville Longbottom of Gryffindor house.
Once again the power of obverse shocked Harry – he could now tell stolen goods from normal ones? This was an interesting discovery he'd have to consider later. Unseen by Draco, Harry walked out from behind him, snatching the Remembrall in mid-air before Malfoy could catch it, and handed it quickly to Neville.
"Here you go, Neville," Harry said, while Malfoy bristled with rage. His two cronies cracked their knuckles and loomed over them menacingly. "Don't worry about them. Bullies aren't worth your time or energy."
"Of course it would be useless Potter helping a failed wizard," Draco sneered. "Is it because of how pathetic Longbottom is that you treat him like one of your own, Potter? Does he remind you of your fellow Hufflepuffs? You should be careful, Longbottom. They'll have you dressed in gold, next."
The two boys – Crabbe and Goyle, Harry remembered – sniggered appreciatively. Neville's face went purple.
"If he's as useless as you say he is, then why do you need two bodyguards to help you?" Neville piped up, his hands balling into fists. "Do you need three people to match him on his own, is that it?"
The smiles were wiped clean off the Slytherins' faces. Neville chuckled, looking far braver than he truly felt.
"Not my fault I have friends who back me up." Malfoy said dismissively, as if bored. "Who do you have, really, Longbottom? Who would want to be friends with a filthy little squib like you, anyway?"
Neville's purple face went bright pink and Harry could see tears brewing in his eyes.
"I want to," Harry said softly to Neville. "You seem like the right sort to be mingling with, especially since we both enjoy Herbology. This could be the start of a good friendship."
Neville was speechless at this and gaped open-mouthed at Harry. Feeling slightly self-conscious, Harry shrugged nonchalantly.
"Your choice, Neville," he said, "No pressure from me. Think it over if you want to."
"NO!" Neville shouted then, blushing in embarrassment at his outburst, he continued, "No, as in no, I don't need to think about it. I want to be your friend too, Harry."
Watching Potter extend the hand of friendship to Neville – the same thing he had rejected Draco for – was too much for Malfoy to take. His pride wounded and his wrath peaking at an all-time high, humiliated by the fact he had inadvertently helped the squib instead of hurting him, his pale face went, if possible, even whiter.
"Potter!" He almost growled, every syllable quaking with suppressed rage. "Me and you, wizard' duel. Tonight, midnight, the Trophy Room."
Harry looked at Draco in surprise, activating his Observe skill and examining Draco's stats. Seeing that they were rather low – much lower than Harry's own – he sighed.
"Draco, you're not worth the lack of sleep." He turned from Draco and looked at Neville with a smile. "I'm about to have some tea and scones with Hagrid down in his Hut. Want to join me? I'm sure Hagrid won't mind."
Nodding Neville turned and followed Harry as they made their way down the flight of stairs. But they hadn't taken three steps before they heard a shout behind them and Harry sensed something speedy towards them. He pushed Neville to the side and out of the way, felt something hot narrowly soar past his face, before he spun on the spot and whipped out his own wand from its holster, pointing it at Malfoy, who stood with his wand still raised and a shocked expression on his face.
"Avis!" yelled Harry.
There was a bang like a gunshot, and from the tip of Harry's wand erupted a flock of small but ferocious birds that dive-bombed the Slytherins, pecking and clawing at their faces. The three boys yelled in fright and ran, robes lifted to their faces to shield their eyes. Slipping his wand back in his holster with a deep sense of satisfaction, Harry offered a bewildered Neville a hand and pulled him to his feet.
"Sorry about that," he said, brushing dust off Neville's robes. "I didn't know what spell he'd used, so I didn't want to risk it hitting you."
Getting up, shaking slightly, Neville replied in a quivering voice.
"It's fine just... unexpected," he shrugged. "I didn't think they'd cast spells at our backs."
Checking that Neville was fine, they both headed down the staircase and out into the castle grounds, Hagrid's hut visible in the distance. They chatted the entire way there, and Harry finally learned what had transpired in Madam Hooch's other flying class; Malfoy, showing off, no doubt, had stolen Neville's remembrall when Neville had fallen from his broom and broken his wrist. Harry stopped short when he heard this and his eyes immediately glanced at Neville's wrist. But totally unconcerned, Neville pulled back his sleeve and showed Harry. There were no marks at all, not even a bruise.
"Madam Pomfrey healed it in about a second," he said. "She's really good at healing spells. Bet she sees broken bones all the time here. Turns out you can heal most things with magic unless it's serious, or caused by dark magic."
They stopped in front of Hagrid's hut. Harry knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it, beaming when Harry presented him with the sapling. Harry saw Neville admiring it appreciatively, and made a note to show Neville his trunk's garden when he had the opportunity. Plants was an interest they all shared, and over a cup of hot, steaming tea, they discussed their favourite plants: Harry liked trees, particularly fruit-bearing ones, while Hagrid really liked growing Pumpkins, and Neville talked about an assortment of magical plants his relatives had gifted him. Eventually, the conversation meandered onto the topic of their professors, and they shared mutual gripes about the horrid caretaker, Mr Filch, and his horrible cat, Mrs Norris. Though both Neville and Harry complained about Professor Snape - Neville glanced up at the window with each mention of Snape's name, as if expecting to see him standing there, hook nose pressed against the glass - Hagrid never passed comment, insisting always that he would never think badly of someone Dumbledore trusted.
As the conversation drew to a close and the tea had been mostly drunk and the rock cakes ate (with great care and caution – Harry and Neville submerged theirs in tea to soften them), Harry noticed a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table. Checking that Hagrid and Neville were deep in conversation about magical plants that Harry knew nothing about (again he made a mental note to mail order some more Herbology books), Harry choked when he saw the headline.
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST
"Hagrid, someone robbed Gringotts?" He said, seizing the paper and reading the first sentence. "Hang on… this happened the same day you took me to Diagon Alley, Hagrid! It could've been happening right then and there..."
There was no doubt about it: Hagrid shifted and looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"But it looks like they'd emptied the vault before the break-in, so nothing was taken… except people's trust in the bank's infallible reputation, I guess."
Folding the paper and putting it back on the table, Harry glanced at Hagrid who looked very nervous and wary. Neville was watching Hagrid intently.
"Are you ok, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
Hagrids eyes darted around the room before looking at the clock.
"Well, would yeh look at the time. It's gonna be curfew soon boys, bes' get goin' on, yeh don' wanna get in trouble now, d'you? Same time nex' week, if yeh wan' boys. See yeh then."
With that the boys where pushed out of the hut and left standing outside, utterly bewildered.
"Am I imagining this or did that seem suspicious?" Neville asked.
"No, I get the feeling Hagrid knows something and isn't telling us" Harry said slowly, "But I can't imagine what, or why."
But he had an idea. Could it be anything to do with the grubby little parcel Hagrid had taken out of that old vault, in the depths of Gringotts?
Walking back to the school in a level of silence as they dwelled on Hagrid's peculiar behaviour, they stopped at the foot of the staircase - Neville preparing to head upstairs while Harry lingered by a doorway to the side, leading down to his common room.
"Well... see you tomorrow, Harry?" Neville asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Neville." Harry smiled. "Maybe I can find a pack of cards for us to play a game, or we could do something in the greenhouse. Professor Sprout did say that she'd let some of us them if we got her permission."
"Sounds like a plan." Neville smiled too. "Goodnight, then, Harry."
"G'night, Nev."
With that the two went there own ways. All the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor, Neville had a new skip in his step and a smile on his face. It was the first time he had ever been called a nickname that wasn't an insult, and by a friend, no less.
And that chapter 16, good news everyone got a cheap set of the harry potter books so now no longer using lego harry potter years 1-4 as reference hope you all enjoy :3