Harry Potter Junior Level: Year Two

Ch.48

The Failed Coin

Carefully watching around him to make sure he isn't seen, Harry makes his way through the halls to his family quarters. Easing the door open he listens to make sure his Dad isn't inside sighing in relief as he closes the door. He knows his Dad is usually in class at this time but is being cautious just in case he was there. Quickly going to his room, Harry puts his school bag in the closet and grabs the invisibility cloak. Tucking his broom under the cloak, he heads out to meet Ron at the designated meeting spot. Covering himself and Ron plus the two brooms, Harry leads the way to the Quidditch pitch.

Once there, the boys lay the cloak on a bench making sure to anchor it with a rock and prepare to play.

"How are you feeling now, Ron? My stomach feels some better now. Is the candy supposed to make me feel ill again?"

"I'm doing fine.I don't know Harry. We should eat one again right before we go inside so we will still be sick. I brought a watch so we can keep up with the time. It's ten thirty now so we have over an hour before we have to be in and at the Infirmary. As long as we make it in by lunch we should be fine. No one will check on us while they are in class, right?"

"I hope not, Ron. I wish I didn't have to eat another candy though. I will so don't say it." Harry answers as Ron starts to complain.

"Let's play not stand around talking! I'll go first with the quaffle."

Watching the quaffle soar through the left ring once again, Harry smiles at his friend's loud "WOO HOO!"

"Harry, that makes six in a row! I might make the team for Gryffindor when I'm old enough! How about you, do you want to try out for Quidditch?"

"I might sometime. I like the seeker role though, not playing beater. If we both make the team that would be terrific! Sometimes, I wish we didn't have to have house competitions at all. All this 'one house is better than another' thinking is dumb. We are all the same, students. I like the idea of doing away with the house cup or letting every house win something."

"But Harry, if you do that what's the use of trying? If everyone wins then it doesn't matter if you try or not! I like trying to win almost as much as winning. I feel good when I do something to help my house or team if I'm playing a game. I even like helping to get house points in class, you know you do too. Although I don't win as many points as you do. Being a professor's kid helps you and Draco."

Ignoring the snide remark about being a professor's kid, Harry replies "You could earn just as many points as me, Ron. You just have to try hard in class the way you do at chess and Quidditch. I see what you mean though. It does make me feel happy when I do something to help someone else. I wanted to help the Leprechaun who gave me my lucky coin. He needed me to teach him a spell. I couldn't do it though. Dad had to help him instead. How long have we been out here?"

"It can't be all that long as we just started. Let's play seeker now. I have a snitch to use."

"I'll let you go first and time you. We'll see who can get the best time." Harry answers watching as Ron takes the snitch out of his pocket and sets it to 'intermediate'.

"How fast is intermediate, Ron? I think you should set it on the beginner level. We're not that good at this, you remember?"

"It's not that fast. It's a training snitch. Okay, I'm off so check the time with my watch." Ron reassures as he hands over his watch.

"Ron! Wait! It's past lunch and we..." Harry says glancing at the watch. He tries waving Ron back as he sees him speed off after the snitch.

As the two boys are out flying, Sirius is finishing up his last class before lunch, third year Astronomy.

"Alright students, your assignment for the next class is an introductory essay on Galileo Galilei, who was he, when and where did he live, what did he do and why is it important to the study of Astronomy? At least three feet please but no more than five if you want the essay back this term. I do have other classes so I am not able to grade long drawn out essays. I know that is a relief for most of you." Sirius announces smiling at the chuckles as the students pack their books, quills, ink and parchment."

"Yes, Miss. Johannes?" Sirius calls on the girl in the front row.

"Sir, you say no more than five feet. What if our research leads us to have more information than can be written on five feet?"

"Then you practice the art of revision and condensing, Miss. Johannes. I have no need of an essay listing his biography just a basic introductory outline will suffice. What was his contribution to Astronomy, when and where did he live, a basic essay please. If you wish to research and learn more, that is spectacular but there is no need to write it for me. Class dismissed. Enjoy lunch and the rest of your day."

Watching the class file out of the room talking among themselves, he sees Remus standing at the door.

"Come in Professor Lupin, don't be shy." Sirius calls out causing more laughter among the students.

"I heard Miss. Johannes, she's the Hermione Granger of this level, isn't she? Always wants to exceed the requirements. She does that in DADA also." Remus remarks after all the students have left.

"There's one in every level it seems. What can I do for you? I'm about to go to lunch and check in on Harry."

"Sirius, Harry didn't show up for Defense this morning. According to the children, he and Ron became ill during Transfiguration. I just checked with Madame Pomfrey and she hasn't seen either boy. Something isn't right as Minerva said both boys seemed to be suffering from upset stomachs. She sent them to the Infirmary. I checked there first because my class ended before yours and I wanted to check on Harry myself."

"Harry was just fine this morning when he left for breakfast. He ate in the Great Hall this morning. I wonder if he ate something that disagreed with him. I'll go check our quarters to see if he might have just gone home to bed. Thanks for letting me know, I'll send a patronus to you if I find him so you won't worry."

"You are welcome. You know I love that boy too. I feel a connection to James through him. I see more of James in him as he gets older."

"So do I Moony, so do I. The mischievous side is coming out more and more. The adventurous side has always been there. I still see Lily's influence with the caring nature and love of learning. I don't want him to ever lose that."

"I'm off to lunch, I hope you find Harry, Padfoot."

Quietly opening the door to his son's bedroom expecting to see a sleeping child, Sirius is met with an empty room.

"Harry? Are you here?" Sirius calls outside the bathroom door before opening it. Finding it empty as well, he walks out to go speak to Professor McGonagall.

"RON! IT'S TIME TO GO IN! STOP FLYING AND LET'S GO DOWN!" Harry shouts as Ron zooms past chasing the snitch.

"RONALD WEASLEY! STOP THIS INSTANT!" Harry tries next when his first command didn't have any effect on his friend.

Stopping in mid-air and turning back, Ron looks at Harry quizzically.

"When did you turn into my Mum, Harry? Merlin! You sounded just like her. What's your problem, mate? You want a turn?"

"No, I don't want a turn! It's past noon and we better move or we're in huge trouble. I don't think even I can come up with a good enough explanation for why we aren't in the Infirmary if someone checks!"

"Aww, come on Harry. You have that lucky coin and all. We won't get caught. Besides, we'll have the proof we were sick when we eat the nougat again. Relax, mate."

"Easy for you to say. Your Dad isn't here and can't wallop you until you are too sore to sit a broom! I'm going inside. I have my cloak so I should be able to make it to our quarters and crawl in bed. That way if I'm not in the Infirmary, I'll have an excuse. I went to bed in my room instead of going to Madame Pomfrey. I'll still get a scolding lecture but that should be it. I'm leaving now. You can come or stay, up to you." Harry tells him as he points his broom at the ground.

"Sirius, all I can say is the boys became ill just after class began. That was the ten o'clock class so I haven't seen them since around ten fifteen. They were sick to their stomachs and turning pale as they both had to leave the room quickly. When they returned, I could see they'd been ill and sent them to Poppy. Now, you say they aren't there?"

"No, I sent a patronus and asked her if she'd seen the boys as Remus had checked earlier without finding them. She replied she has not seen Ron or Harry since lunchtime yesterday. She ate breakfast in her quarters this morning. She has two patients who spent the night both suffering from homesickness. Spring holidays seems to be a time when the younger students come down with that once again."

"Could it be the boys went to the dorm instead? We can go check. They could have gone there and then fallen asleep."

"It's possible. Let's go look. After you, my lady." Sirius replies, opening her classroom door.

"Well, my theory was wrong I see no signs of the beds being slept in. Perhaps he went to your quarters instead?"

"I looked there before I came to you, it's the same as here. Empty and no signs of him being there. I'm becoming suspicious about this sudden illness of those two rapscallions. Something isn't right here. If they were as sick as they seemed to be to you, and I'm not doubting your word, they should be too sick to wander around. They are not in any bed we have checked so that leaves me to believe we've been the victims of a badly executed prank. I will get to the bottom of this and my young prankster will be in class tomorrow. If you would send an owl with his missed assignments to me later, I will see to it he is prepared for his next class." Sirius informs the older professor as they walk down the main stairs.

"Boys will be mischievous Sirius. You should know since you were the prime culprit of many pranks while my student. Have you forgotten?"

"I prefer not to remember that now that I'm the sole parent of a young boy. I want Harry to grow up to understand there is a time for fun and a time to live in the real world of responsibility. I'm all he has left to teach him this and I'm beginning to think I'm doing a poor job of it."

"That isn't true, you are doing a fine job at parenting. Harry is happy, well mannered and mostly well behaved. He's just a ten-year-old child who has gifted magical abilities and is testing the limits right now."

Just as they reach the bottom of the stairs, the main doors open. Not seeing anyone enter, they pause to watch as the door closes by itself. Seeing muddy footprints appear on the tile floor, Minerva sends a brief smile to Sirius who is shaking his head in annoyance. Stepping down to the floor, Sirius calls out "Harrison James Potter Black! Show yourself immediately!"

Startled, Harry stops walking and removes the cloak to show a flushed slightly green tinged face.

"Dad, I don't feel good. I'm going to ..." Harry starts right before he loses control of his stomach.

"Let's get you to the infirmary, son." Sirius says lifting the child into his arms after performing a tergeo spell to clean the mess from the floor.

"Thank you for your assistance Professor McGonagall, I'll be in contact." Sirius calls over his shoulder as he walks towards the infirmary.

"What seems to be the trouble, Professor Black?"

"He's sweaty, flushed and just lost his lunch in the entryway. I had reports of him having felt ill earlier today but then he disappeared on me. I've just found him and brought him to you. Please check him over, Madame Pomfrey. Before he and I have a long discussion, I need to see if he is ill."

Seeing Harry's eyes get wide at his Father's "have a long discussion" Poppy smiles at the boy. "Well then Harry, you know the routine, come sit on this bed and I'll run a scan. We'll get that upset tummy stopped in no time at all."

After reading the results of the scan, Poppy frowns in puzzlement. "Everything seems fine although I'm puzzled by one result. The scan shows traces of an unknown product in his system. Something similar to a familiar expelling potion. Let me get Professor Snape to come read this."

"Madame Pomfrey? You sent a patronus. What seems to be the trouble here?" Severus asks walking into the Infirmary.

"Harry's been feeling ill this morning. I performed a routine scan and it shows something unusual, I thought you would be able to identify it for us." She replies handing the Potion's Professor the scan results.

"Well young man, just where did you get mustard seeds and why did you ingest them? Mustard seeds are a known cause of stomach trouble."

"I never ate any seeds! We only ate the candy Ron took from his brothers. It made us both sick this morning but I didn't eat any after that. I still feel sick, Daddy."

"We'll help you feel better soon, Harry. First, we have to know what else was in that candy. Call the twins down here, Sirius. I need to speak to them."

"Timetable For Weasley Twins!" Harry hears his Dad command, watching as a parchment appears in mid-air.

"At this time, they are in Charms. I'll floo call the classroom and have them sent. May I use your office, Madame Pomfrey?"

"Go right ahead, I'm curious to know what those two red headed rascals have concocted now. Severus, they must give you fabulous results in Potions."

"No, ma'am. They spend class experimenting on the assigned potion and usually wind up creating a cauldron that must be stopped before it explodes! Both of those boys are a hindrance in class."

Opening the office door, Sirius escorts a reluctant Fred and George Weasley to Severus. "Boys, Professor Snape has some questions for you."

"Boys, Harry has admitted to eating candy your brother took from your dorm." Seeing the two looking apprehensive he adds "You are not in trouble unless you deliberately set up your brother. Now, did you know Ron was going to take candy from your room?"

"No sir. We didn't even know he took any. What candy did he take?" The twins answer, taking turns to speak.

"It was white with chocolate and colored pieces in it. I don't know anything else." Harry answers as Severus looks at him.

"The white nougats? Ohhh, those were not to be eaten yet! We were working on those still. What happened when you ate it?" George asks.

"Did you turn colors?" Fred asks eagerly. "It was supposed to make you turn different colors one right after the other!"

"Boys! Stay focused here! What exactly was in that candy? Harry and Ron suffered upset stomachs and Harry is still experiencing symptoms. I need to know to prepare the antidote." Severus asks.

"Well I don't know for the original candy, it's just white nougat from Honeydukes. We added chocolate and rainbow sprinkles and syrup of Ipecac and one of mum's spices she had in the kitchen. It smelled spicy so we added it."

"What was the reason for adding the Ipecac and mustard seeds?"

"The syrup looks like molasses and we thought it would make the candy sweeter. Mustard seeds, sir? I don't remember adding that." George answers hesitantly at the glare he is currently receiving.

Taking a calming breath first, Severus attempts to explain "Fred, George, Syrup of Ipecac and mustard seeds are both products that can induce vomiting. Your combination of the two made for a deadly candy. It could have caused many problems. I don't want either of you experimenting with any products such as this again. We have discussed many times, the dangers of adding ingredients to potions without knowing the results. Although this was not a potion, you essentially did the same. You created something from ingredients without knowing what the result might be. From now on You Will come to me with your ideas before you create them! This way we will avoid anyone else being harmed unintentionally. Understand? Failure to do so will result in severe punishment as you have been warned!"

"Yes Professor Snape. We are sorry for the trouble, sirs. Feel better soon, Harry!" The twins say after Sirius tells them they may leave.

Leaving the room, the twins look at each other communicating silently. As soon as they are far enough away not to be overheard, Fred says "George, Ron must have heard us talking about our plans to try making some Nauseating Nougat! He thought we'd finished and he sneaked in to steal it! Boy, I'm going to be ready to paddle his bum when I see him!"

"Yes, he could have caused us to be the ones with sore bums! Professor Black was mad! Professor Snape wasn't too happy with us either! I'm surprised we didn't get punished. He could have banned us from creating any products at all! Even worse, he could have floo called Mum or Dad!"

"We didn't do anything really. We didn't know the little boys were eating it. Just the same, I'm throwing that candy out as soon as we get to our room." Fred responds.

"Aww Fred! We didn't even get to see if it makes you turn colors. Couldn't we try one first?"

"George. Do you want to be sicking up all night? We wouldn't be able to get help because they'd know we tried one! We would get punished then!"

"You're right. Throw them out or better yet, flush them! We sure don't want someone else finding them."

Sometime later, Harry wakes to find himself in his bedroom. Glancing to the side, he sees Sirius also napping, in a chair to the side of his bed. Crawling out the opposite side, Harry makes his way to the bathroom. Coming back in, he finds his Dad awake and waiting for him. Hesitating at the door, Harry waits to see what Sirius might say.

"Hello there, Pup. Come, get back to the bed and let me check you over. How's your stomach feeling now?" Sirius asks after Harry obeys.

"I feel all better, Dad. No fluttery feeling or anything. That potion I swallowed to make it go away made me sleep too didn't it?"

"It did and it cured you of any symptoms or lingering effects while you slept. Harry, you know we need to discuss what went on. Are you up to it or do you want to wait until tomorrow after classes?"

Noting the use of the word 'discuss' instead of 'talk', Harry sighs, closing his eyes briefly. He knows from experience, when his Dad uses the word 'discuss', punishment is involved.

"I want to do it now not wait. I'm really sorry Daddy! I didn't mean to cause all this trouble."

"Mmhmm, but you did mean to do something to get yourself out of classes, didn't you? No one forced you to eat that candy. On that note, you know better than to eat something when you have no idea what is in it! You were aware it was a created product and not just candy. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir. I knew it was supposed to make us ill and it did. I just wanted to go flying and be with Ron."

"While you were asleep, I learned that not only did you fail to stay for morning classes, you have not been doing your assigned homework. What can you tell me about this?"

"I did do it, honest I dd! I just didn't turn them in. I was testing to see if my coin worked and it did. It worked up until today anyway. Today it has failed me completely!"

"What coin, Harry? I know nothing of a coin."

"My lucky coin that the Leprechaun gave me in Ireland. It's so lucky, I didn't get in any trouble for not participating in class or turning in homework. Ron and I were testing it today but it failed big time, I think."

"Testing it how?"

"We went flying and played Quidditch. No one came for us so I thought the coin was working. Then it failed me in the Grand Entryway when you saw me through my cloak."

"Do you remember our conversation not long ago about your behavior in class? What did I tell you?"

"I was to go to class prepared to listen and learn, not to misbehave." Harry answers in a low voice.

"Have you been following that rule?"

"No sir."

"As I see it, we are dealing with misbehavior in class, lying to your professor, failure to obey the professor by not turning in assignments and putting yourself in danger. Do you have anything to say?"

"I never lied to anyone and I don't see how I put myself in danger either." Harry replies fighting back tears.

Listening to the long list of transgressions, he realizes he's in big trouble. The lying and putting himself in danger his Dad mentioned are the two carrying the severest penalties.

"You lied when you faked being ill, Harry. You had Professor McGonagall, Professsor Lupin and myself extremely worried. When I heard you were ill then couldn't find you, that worried me also. You put yourself in danger in two ways. Once by eating something you knew had been altered in some way but did not know the true effects. The second was by going to the Quidditch pitch without telling anyone where you were. If either of you boys had been hurt or something else happened to you, no one would have known. Both of those are considered putting yourself in danger. Do you understand now?"

"Yes Sir. I'm really sorry and I won't ever eat or drink something without knowing what it does. Please Daddy, can't being sick be my punishment? I learned my lesson, I promise! Can't this be one of the life lessons you talk about that I learn by doing?" Harry answers hoping to get out of what he feels is about to happen.

"Not this time son. This time you have a spanking coming for lying and putting yourself in danger. Those are two of our biggest rules, Harry. I let you off the last time but I made a promise at that time. You remember that promise, right?"

"I won't mind if you break your promise just this once, Daddy."

"Nice try. Tomorrow you will apologize to your Grandma and Uncle Remus for missing their class. You will accept punishment if they choose to give it and the make up assignment I requested. The coin didn't work out too well, did it? Come here and lay over my lap. We'll get this over with and move on to a new day tomorrow."

"No, it failed me. It wasn't lucky at all! Do you think it might still be worth some money? It must be gold and that could be a lot of money, right Daddy?" Harry asks holding out the coin he found on his bedside table as he stalls for time.

"We will talk about that later, right now you were told to do something. I'm giving you to the count of five before I add that many more to what you will receive, one... two... three..."

"No Daddy! Please don't count, I'm coming!" Harry answers scrambling across the bed to throw himself over Sirius' lap.

Feeling his pajama bottoms being pulled down, Harry wishes he'd never even met that Leprechaun. He wonders if Ron is going to be punished as well.

"Tomorrow I'm going to tell Ron he was wrong about the coin. It didn't work at all!" Harry thinks as he feels the first smack land on his bum.