It's been pointed out that I mispelled family names, and will be trying to fix that in future installments. I'm sorry about that. I hope it doesn't ruin the story for anyone.
If there was something that was boring, pointless, and completely monotonous, it was dusting the shelves of classroom 2E on a bright, seasonably warm afternoon. And to make it worse they couldn't use magic, so they had to pick up each and every book, scroll, and other items to wipe them down and then the shelf itself. Of course, that was just the first hour of detention.
After finishing them, and getting a few spells set aside for later uses, they were sent to straighten out the storage room off the classroom. There they found a basic treasure trove of items and 'useless junk', as Professor Flitwick claimed. One of the corners they started with held a fully functional pensive. "Hey Professor? Where do you want this?"
"Hmm? Oh my... I'd forgotten that was in here, so I went out to buy a new one..." Flitwick admitted with a blush to his cheeks. "I suppose I should think about getting rid of it..."
"I'll buy it off you Professor..." Harry offered with a grin, "I think being able to see memories would be wonderfully useful... And maybe some other things that you have just collecting dust..."
"Oh yes," Hermione chimed in with a bright smile. Turning slightly she pointed to a far corner where a lot of weapons were stashed. "I know that my father would simply adore some of those old weapons of yours... if you don't mind sir..."
"Well... I can't really sell to students... especially not those weapons, but if you want to bring me some of what you'd like to take, I suppose I could make them muggle safe if you plan to give them to your family Ms. Granger... or if you plan to keep them yourself, restrict their powers until you come of age..." Flitwick offered while looking at the thick layer of dust on some of the items right inside the door. "I will require someone to assist me if I work on the enchantments... Another teacher, but they should be completed by the end of the week."
"Can we take something sir?" Fred asked, indicating himself and George both of whom were flanking a positively ancient looking globe. "This for instance is something Charlie would love..."
"Oh! Certainly, certainly... As I said, just place what you'd like for yourselves by my desk, I will be working on some lesson plans... But I will look over the items when I can," Flitwick agreed with a huge grin, thinking that he'd just found a way to get rid of a lot of useless junk. Maybe those muggles had the right idea with their rummage sales; it would be much easier to clear the clutter using one of them. He might just have to consider that.
The four Rebels all grinned at each other knowing that they'd just hit the veritable jackpot. Fred, George, and Harry formed the muscles of the group, sorting things where Hermione commanded. Some like a sword with the word Caledfwlch engraved between the twin chimeras on the hilt had her gasping in surprise, before reverently setting it down carefully on a wall plague to hang gleaming in the low light proudly. She even went so far as to forbid anyone from touching the hilt of the sword, saying she'd explain later.
While others, like the pensive, globe, and a few weapons that she could only tell were magical were sent for Flitwick to inspect, with a note attached explaining their destined purpose. While they collected a lot of useful items, the majority of what they sent out would count as nick-knacks.
Though they probably pulled a king's fortune out of the back room, and a few were sent back just as quickly, they had one item that they weren't entirely sure what to do with. It appeared to be a forty story long rope of braided blonde hair, coiled up on a huge pile in one corner. They decided to straighten it out, removed a few knots, and just leave it there. There was probably a very good explanation behind that mass of hair, but they weren't entirely sure they wanted to know.
A few items required the Professor's advise on placement. One such case actually had them trying to figure out how the tiny professor had gotten it into the room in the first place. Well, after all, it wasn't everyday that one found the entire main mast of a ship with a gold sixteen dollar piece nailed to it sitting inside a room that was barely big enough to fit it.
After a discussion with Professor Flitwick, they decided to leave it, and use its yardarms to hang some of the tapestries, and most curiously a golden fleece, from Ancient Greece. When they'd finished the room actually appeared to have a form and function to it. There was even a walkway to get to everything.
"Marvelous! Simply wonderful!" the part-goblin exclaimed while looking around the room happily, clapping his hands together. "I think that this is the neatest this room has been since I got it... Now, let us go and have our supper, didn't realize it was so late. Sorry kids."
"It's fine professor... but I'd like to go wash up first, if you don't mind..." Harry answered, while clapping some dust off his robe.
"Oh, quite right, quite right," Flitwick amended with a smile on his face. "I shall have your items ready in a week, fear not. Though I may ask that you collect a few throughout the week, much easier you know...
After they'd collected their bags, and the extra goodies that they'd stashed while cleaning, the Rebels made their way quickly back to the Ravenclaw common room. Once there, Fred cast a silencing charm around them, just including Rowena's portrait, and Harry spoke first. "I took a spell to allow us to diagnose magical items, see what they do."
"I found a spell to copy the physical appearance of any object, however it makes a mirror object appears. In the case of the mirror, it's what the person wants least that will appear..." Hermione explained sheepishly holding up her scroll partially from her bag. "Also, it will only last about a year... which is more than enough time for our purpose..."
Finally the twins produced a pair of scrolls from their robes. Fred unrolled the top of his first, pointing to a warning in bold letters. "I found a cleaning charm for waxing the floors... it warns that one shouldn't use it too much, or else it will make the floor impossible to stand on..."
"While I found an anti-counter spell charm..." George proclaimed while tucking his scroll into Hermione's bag, where the others had been placed by silent agreement. "It should help to make certain we have a good, long diversion..."
The Rebels all smiled deviously as they looked out the window to the setting sun, much the same way they had looked out the other window that very morning. After a minute, Harry's smile faltered and Rowena broke the silence. "Seems almost too easy, doesn't it my little fledglings?"
"I was thinking just that," Harry admitted sheepishly, "We'd best keep on our toes... we either all go in pairs outside of Ravenclaw tower, or all together, no one goes alone. Got it?"
"Right," the other three agreed while Harry thumbed his ring thoughtfully.
"Sometime during on our half-day, I'd like to look into creating portkeys. I think having one for each of us set up to go to one of the Rebel's Roosts might be a good thing, in case of emergency..." Harry explained while looking down at his robes. "We'd best get going guys... can't be too late for dinner..."
With that, and a whispered 'finite' the Rebels broke and went to their dorms. Ten minutes later, they were back in the common room, ready to head out for supper. At least they were, until Harry's soft voice distracted them. "Hey guys... I'm sorry about being so bossy earlier...I was just worried..."
The other three all smiled and Hermione stepped forward hugging Harry firmly. "We know you're just worried about us Harry, it's the same for us. Now let's go get some food in you before Madam Pomfrey hunts us down and stuffs you up to your eyes..."
With a chuckle the group set off, Hermione's hand holding Harry's firmly, while the twins smirked devilishly behind them. As they sat down to eat, something unusual happened. Which, for Hogwarts, meant that anything could have happened.
Ron Weasley was hiccupping bubbles.
Hermione turned to the girl next to her, whom she remembered was her classmate Su Li, a very pretty girl from Hong Kong, with long black hair, smooth skin, and pleasant almond shaped blue eyes. "What happened?"
What they found out was something that they doubted they could have attempted to pull off even if they dared try. Apparently one of the guys next to Ron had wanted to wash his hands before the meal, and asked for a bar of soap and a bowl of water before the young Weasley had seated himself. Somewhere around his fifth turkey leg, he'd gotten some stuck in his throat, and grabbed the first thing he could to drink: which just happened to be the soap filled water of his table mate.
After the initial laughter from everyone in the great hall, Harry could only ask one thing. "Why isn't he vomiting? Soap is dreadful tasting stuff, and if you swallow it doesn't sit right..."
Fred decided to field this one. "Wizarding soap Harry, is very much edible... though not too tasty... Besides that, we believe that Ron's stomach is made out of pure goblin steel, and nothing can escape it."
A rather entertaining meal of watching Ron hiccup a swarm of bubbles into the air later, the Rebels retired and made their way to the common room. About halfway there, Hermione asked something that she'd been holding in since they found out what had happened to the gluttonous first year. "Think that'll teach him to not eat like it's the last meal he'll ever see?"
"Not likely Hermione," Fred answered with a heavy sigh, "The only thing that we've seen get him off his meal is spiders. And then he runs away screaming, until he can come back to eat again..."
"And how exactly is he not the size of Crabbe?" Harry asked curiously while looking over his shoulder, wondering why he felt like someone was following them.
George joined Harry in his look, having felt the same thing, using his robe to block any view of Fred drawing the map and Hermione activating it to look for anyone following them. "Oh that's a trick of our dad's actually; all his side of the family can eat everything in sight and not gain an ounce. Most of us moderate ourselves... but..."
"He's Ron..." Harry concluded while Hermione pointed to something on the map. Apparently, they weren't just being paranoid and someone was indeed following them. Fred smirked, and as they rounded a corner left a sticking charm on the floor for whoever was following them to stick to.
And merely thirty paces down the hall, they heard a loud grunt and a shout of dismay from behind them. Looking back, they found Draco Malfoy and his two trained gorillas half out of their shoes and face flat on the ground. A very good position for them.
Sadly they also found a Ravenclaw prefect looking at them very crossly. One explanation, release of trapped students, and deduction of points for all seven younger students, they went their separate ways. After making it back to their common room, they claimed their favorite chairs and couch.
"Why was Malfoy following us?" Harry asked with a frown on his face.
"Probably after some petty revenge or something mate. We'll have to keep an eye on him..." Fred answered from his spot sprawled over the end of the couch. "Wish we had a mouse or something to chase him... Too bad Percy gave Scabbers to Ron..."
"Speaking of Scabbers, I've not seen him on the map..." George replied curiously, "Even when I know he's there... it's marked as Peter Pettigrew..."
At that Fred rolled up from where he'd been sprawled with a curious look to his face. "Hey mate, isn't that the guy that Sirius Black offed with all those muggles the day after... err... the Potters died..."
"Couldn't be mate..." George offered, before the twins looked at Harry sheepishly, their apologies died when they saw instead of a sad, mournful, haunted look to Harry's face; there was a curious and intrigued expression there.
"Err... Harry? You alright?" Hermione asked, having been ready to scold the twins, until she caught sight of Harry's look, and grew concerned.
"Remember Professor MacGonagall's first lesson? When she turned into a cat... what if Peter could do that and used it to escape?" Harry asked curiously while staring into the fireplace. "We can't use the map as evidence... but if there was a way to force him to revert..."
"Oh there is dear, it's in my book over there," Rowena explained while pointing to the shelves. "Fourth one from the left on the third shelf, 'All You Need to Know About Animagi' is the title I believe..."
Harry walked over and pulled the book from the shelf with a smile slowly spreading over his face. "I think I might have a plan... Fred, George, I might need to visit your home sometime..."
"Be careful there mate, Mum would love to sink her claws into you, remember?" Fred offered while watching Harry thumb through the book. "I'm getting an idea mates..."
"If it's the same as me... I'm in..." George offered with the devil's own smirk to his face.
"I can't believe you two, if we do that, it'd break at least a half dozen laws," Hermione started with a deep frown to her face as she picked up on the vibes the twins were sending to each other. "Not to mention we don't even know if we can do the process as students, and... and... It would be dreadfully useful... but we have so many other projects... and schoolwork... but it could count as extra credit for Transfiguration if we need it..."
The boys were about to buy Hermione's story, until they noticed the subtle hints of desire burning in the edges of her eyes. All she needed was a subtle, gentle nudge. "I don't know if we're smart enough to do it without you 'mione..." Harry spoke up while looking at the process to become an Animagi, finding that he was correct in that he'd have trouble even understanding half the words there.
"Oh... in that case, I suppose if I just help..." Hermione acquiesced with a faint blush to her cheeks and looking down at her hands. After a moment she caught something she'd missed. "'Mione?"
This time it was Harry's turn to blush and look anywhere but at her. "Yeah... I mean... your name is a bit of a mouthful... and I thought a nickname might be appropriate between friends... Sorry, I won't do it again..."
"No... I like it..." Hermione admitted while her blush grew heavier, causing Gred and Forge to chuckle knowingly to themselves. "I... I guess it's alright if you use it..."
"That a girl Hermione..." Fred and George cheered as they stood up and began making it to their dorms.
"Though I think we'll leave it to Harry for now..." Fred shot back with a knowing wink to the two.
George joined him in his look back, though not the wink as he added. "Don't forget that tomorrow we have a busy schedule, so don't stay up too late."
"Goodnight..." Harry and Hermione chimed just before the twins disappeared into the stairs heading down to the guy's dorms. As the two were left alone, Harry settled back into his seat and looked over at Hermione.
After a moment she looked up at him curious to find out what he wanted, she didn't have to wait long as he held up the book and smiled softly. "Look... I know you don't like breaking the rules, but... it looks like I need all the tricks I can get 'mione... so if you don't want to do it. I understand. Just... don't report us... okay?"
Hermione felt something inside her melt at what Harry'd said, and she pushed the book down into the folds of his robes. "Oh Harry, I'd never do that... and... well it could be fun..."
"That's the spirit..." Harry offered encouragingly as he covered the book with his robe, careful to keep it concealed as he stood up. "It's still early, but I think we should get to bed... maybe do some revisions privately..."
"Good idea," the brown-haired girl answered while smiling brightly at her friend. It was nice that he wanted to include her, and that he didn't force her along. Now if only he came with his own set of shining armor, a pure white horse, and a magical sword, he'd fit that silly little dream she'd had after her father read her fairy tales before bed.
Together they walked to the stairwells as others filtered in, and Hermione couldn't help but thinking one last sad thought as they parted.
Silly little dreams of a girl for the future, huh?