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It was a cool and crisp autumn night on top of the astronomy tower, where the trio of first years were trying to figure out the constellation maps and star names with the barest sliver of light coming from the moon. The rest of the class had been struggling with the same problem for over an hour now, as they couldn't have any light on the parapet as it would obscure the stars.
After the fifth attempt at moving the paper just enough to catch what little light came from the waning moon, Harry had to admit defeat and rub his strained eyes. Thinking about it, he found himself wondering why they couldn't have hooded lanterns of something to light up the words on the page. They'd be low enough to not obstruct the stars, but still bright enough to allow them to read the pages easily.
As he was musing about lighting up the words, an idea struck him. Looking around, he glanced over the struggling students surrounding them, before finally catching sight of the dark skinned astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra. Getting her attention in the dark wasn't easy, but he managed to get her to come over and lean down so he could whisper his plan in her ear.
He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a look of pride on the stern instructor's face before she leaned out of his visual range. A quick flick of her left hand and her wand touched his paper, and gradually the ink of his texts began to emit a muted green hue like that of those 'glow-in-the-dark' stickers he'd gotten once from a teacher back in primary school for helping her to move a stack of books.
"Thank you Professor Sinistra..." Harry thanked her softly, before moving his paper so his two female friends could read from it as well.
"You're welcome Mister Potter..." the professor replied before turning away and heading to repeat the procedure for other groups of students. "For being the first student of your year to figure it out... 20 points to Ravenclaw."
As the soft, muted murmurs of mirth rippled through the others, Harry realized that he had inadvertently gotten Ravenclaw out from the second lowest position in the running for the House Cup, the only house higher than them being Gryffindor. Even if he knew that it wasn't worth anything aside from bragging rights and a party, it felt good to be back in the race for it, and having been the one to do so. Leaning in he found Su Li and Hermione grinning back at him.
"Good thinking Harry, this will make it a lot easier now..." Hermione whispered, before pointing to a set of constellations. "This looks like Cygnus, Lyra, and Sagitta... Let's see if we can't find them."
Nearly as one, the trio got to their telescopes and pointed them towards the West, searching carefully for the trio of constellations that Hermione had suggested. Spotting a group of stars, he slowly traced them with his eyes, comparing them to what was on the map. Gradually a smile slipped onto his face as he found the right set, and took time to enjoy the beauty of the night sky, despite the chill in the air. There was no denying that the season was creeping alone, as the nip in the air playfully turned his breath into puffs of white.
After nearly two hours, the trio had their maps nearly completed of constellations, and were looking for the final few remaining on the list. Pegasus and Cassiopeia were both on the Eastern most edge of the sky, but a few minutes of scanning netted them Pegasus, and with it the star Andromeda. Hermione explained that tracking north from Andromeda would get them Cassiopeia, and then their hunt would be finished.
Sure enough, they found the group of stars that looked like a giant 'W', hanging in the night's sky just a short trek north. Jotting down their telescope's declination and ascension, from the handy little dials on the sides of the knobs, the trio smiled as they heard soft footsteps approaching them. Professor Sinistra took their assignments and gave them leave to spend the rest of class stargazing and talking quietly as long as they didn't disturb the others.
Leaving out Harry's lit map, they were able to see as they rolled up the other scrolls, and collapsed the telescopes. Using the cases as backrests, they leaned against the tower wall and silently watched the sky for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet tranquility of the night. After all, being a Rebel, especially when you hang out with the twins all the time meant that one had to savor what little silence they could get.
After a few minutes, Harry pulled out his wand and cast one of the first spells they learned outside of their classes. As the noises from the rest of the class faded away, the trio smiled wider before talking in their newly erected bubble of silence. "This is nice..." Harry commented softly while looking up at the stars.
"Yeah... just remind me to bring a blanket in case we finish early again..." Su added, rubbing her hands together to try and warm them up. She was easily the smallest of the group, and so seemed to be affected by the cold the easiest. "Did you happen to catch the name of the spell she cast?"
"I think it was Lumos Lacuna..." Hermione suggested as she slipped her hands into her sleeves. "Looks like a useful spell if one's reading at night..."
"Add it to the list?" Harry asked, referring to the scroll of spells the Rebels were hoping to learn before the end of the year. Several of them had been crossed out, and normally they were given priority based on their importance to the wants of the Rebels, and future usefulness. This particular one Harry thought would rank at about two.
"I think so..." Su chimed in before blowing on her hands to try and warm them up. "I believe that Latin would be a good language to learn, yes?"
"Yeah..." Harry mused, mentally fitting it to the other list. This one was far shorter, but it was a just as important to the group. Languages that they could converse in without risking being translated would be wonderfully useful. Especially if they could mix and match words to suit their needs. It would sound like nothing comprehensible to the listeners, but to them it would be as clear as day.
This list actually had only a handful of languages, amongst those found on that scroll currently hidden in the bottom of Hermione's trunk; Mandarin and Gobbledygook were the highest priority. The first was so that they could talk in a language that Su was more comfortable with, or at least know how to help her translate to English. The other was added by the twins, pointing out that it would be considered polite by the Goblins to at least know formal greetings and minor conversational phrases.
One that had Harry nervous about was called Parseltongue, but only because it was supposedly a sign of being a dark wizard. It was added to the list by Hermione to try and dispel that notion, while also giving them another language most everyone else shouldn't be able to understand. However, the group realized that that language probably needed a spell to help non-native speakers be able to articulate the words correctly.
The main reason for the others even knowing about his ability was because of a discussion about what accidental magic they experienced before coming to school. There was two different outcomes of this conversation, one being that the use of wandless magic was possibly more natural than using a wand, and that Parseltongue might have non-vocal components to it, or at the least sub-vocal components that humans couldn't hear or mimic naturally.
The second part came about when they began trying to learn the language with simple phrases. Even if they copied it perfectly to the others hearing, much of what the others said sounded like nothing more than gibberish to Harry.
Speaking of their language projects, Harry pulled the prototype Comm-wand out of his robes and slipped them on, activating it with as smooth a motion as possible. As he flicked the activator rune, he wondered if the twins had gone to bed yet, instead of staying up like they'd insisted they would. It was when Fred's voice came over, "Nǐ hǎo Hu," that he found out they had indeed stayed up. "Cómo están Sarry y Harmony?"
"Guten Morgen Forge," Harry answered calmly with a slight smirk to his face, before he grew confused and translated the last part a few times, trying to remember the correct response. "Ils sont très bien aussi, merci."
"How's it going Harry?" Fred asked in English, showing Harry that he'd passed the test they'd set up to verify who each other was. It would be simple for someone to copy, but only if they'd heard both sides of the conversation. Otherwise it would be hard to understand the questions being asked. The other security measure was that the phrases were only used within a sphere of silence with the comm-wands.
"We're done with the classwork, and just sitting around waiting for the end of class... thought I'd check in on you two, see how the project was going," Harry answered while Hermione and Su played a game of hangman with spare parchment.
"Pretty good, we found some helpful leads on the Parseltongue spell," Fred responded with a chuckle as the sound of a parchment scroll was rolled up on the other end. "Got something to add?"
"Yeah, we're thinking of adding Latin to the languages to learn... probably help with making spells... also Lumos Lacuna for a spell to learn. It lights up the words on a page of paper..." Harry explained.
"Ah, so that's the spell Professor Sinistra lit up the words... one of our classmates asked, and got some points for Gryffindor..." the twin stated with a sigh. "But I'm guessing your class didn't get the chance, did you?"
"Actually... I earned us twenty points for asking her to light the words up..." Harry countered sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, it's looking like class is wrapping up. Want to meet in the common room with the others before bed?"
"Sure thing Harry," Fred stated before a yawn interrupted him. "Sorry about that... we'll have to make it quick."
"That's fine... tomorrow we're working on the comm-wands with Professor Flitwick," Harry reminded the red-head with a smile. Not that he didn't already know, but it just felt like the right thing to say.
"No problem, we'll be ready... Laters"
Harry heard the disconnection click from Fred's end before he flicked his own switch back to the off position and slipped it into his robes again. Without removing his hand from his robes, he canceled the silence spell, just in time to hear the professor announce, "That's all for today students. Have a five inch essay on a constellation of your choice ready for start of class tomorrow."
After the class had packed up, and everyone had formed a nice, orderly line two people wide, Professor Sinistra began leading the group down towards their common rooms. After a few mishaps involving cases whacking the legs of the person in front of them, most of the students borrowed from the military and rested their cases against their shoulders, while the other end sat in their palms. It seemed to help a good deal, as no one was sent sprawling down the stairs, and a quiet song began to grow from the front, trickling back and gaining in volume.
Harry almost chuckled when the students began to do some sort of dance to the song, snapping fingers and shuffling their feet. It was shortly into the second reprise when he heard a muggle-born boy singing the lyrics. Who knew that the Wizarding World would appreciate Do-Wah-Diddy?
As they wound their way through the castle, it surprised Harry that they made it through two more songs before arriving at the common rooms. Especially when he thought it took only five minutes to make it up to the astronomy tower. It was as everyone slowly filed into the portal that he caught a tiny smirk play across the professor's lips. It had been the music that caused them to go on the long route; the professor seemingly had taken them on the scenic route just to enjoy the marching songs they had come up with.
Maybe Hermione should take another shot at writing music...
Heck, if it didn't mean him being the focal point, he'd even offer to help. It looked like fun when it wasn't targeted at you out of the blue like that. And if they could make a marching song that was easy to remember, and most of all fun to march to, they'd probably get some points for the house. Which would counter act some of what they were likely to lose over the years at the rate they were going...
Long term planning was a blessing and a curse sometimes.
As the last ones into the common rooms; Harry, Hermione, and Su each had an easy time slipping to the side and making their way over by the fireplace where the twins awaited. If the blankets and mugs of steaming hot chocolate were any indication, they knew that the young students needed to warm up. Harry hesitated to take a mug, knowing that his stomach had gotten stronger, but uncertain if it was up to such sweets. He really didn't want to be up for hours on end because he misjudged his recovery.
In the end it was a nudge from Fred's hand that had him curling around a mug, inhaling the warming vapors pleasantly. The same twin leaned over to whisper into Harry's ear. "It's alright mate, Madam Pomfrey says that the cocoa would be fine, and probably better than warming up under a blanket for you."
Though it caused him to blush until his ears turned red, he did have to admit that he appreciated someone looking out for him. However, George's comment from his other side as he took a sip of the hot liquid wasn't quite as well received, as the commenter ended up wearing most of the mouthful instead. "Although... if you were to share a blanket with the girls... that might help more..."
"George stop picking on the poor lad," Hermione ordered with a slight glare, though there was certainly a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched George wipe his face clear of the chocolaty drink.
Apparently Fred wasn't on his twin's side, as he agreed with Hermione. "Aye George me boy, you should know better than that... save it for when we can say it out loud... unless Harry doesn't-"
"NO! I mean... let's just talk about something else for now..." Harry stated frantically, trying desperately to divert the attention he was gaining. A flick of his wand later and the sounds of the room faded away, which Harry could only hope happened just as quickly to the blush he knew he was sporting. "I told you guys about the additions we made to the lists... Hermione will you add them to the lists when you get to your room?"
"Sure thing Harry..." Hermione replied warmly, sipping her drink while her eyes watched him calmly. Next to her Su was watching everything with a curious look on her face.
After a couple seconds it seemed that she couldn't hold it in any further, and decided to ask what was burning on her mind. "H...Harry... if you do not mind... could you answer a question that has been troubling me?"
Blinking slowly, he looked at the blank looks on the others, seeing that they were surprised as well. So rather than putting her on the spot, he sighed and leaned against his knees. "Go ahead Su... I... I'll try to answer..."
"Thank you... I know that I am overly curious according to some... but I have noticed you acting oddly... in particular around meal times..." Su explained, getting dawning looks of comprehension on the faces of her fellow Rebels, save Harry, who seemed to dread what was coming next. "I hope it is not so... but... Were you previously not allowed food?"
Harry knew that the looks the others shot him at that moment answered her question, but his own face had taken a pained look to it. Setting down his mug he rubbed a hand over his face, trying to ease it back into something more neutral, and mask the tears that were forming at the edges of his eyes. "The others know everything, and if you want the full story, I beg you to ask them... but the short answer is yes… However, the authorities have been alerted, and the matter is being resolved..."
Harry expected many things at that point. From awkward silence, to pity filled words of sympathy. One thing he didn't expect was actually something he'd longed to have for many years. A simple hug, in some ways more magical than all the centuries of Hogwarts combined. Su's soft whispers were in Mandarin but the feelings they conveyed were as clear to Harry as if sung out by a heavenly choir in perfect English.
As she parted from him, he caught sight of the reddened eyes with tears of their own rolling out. It was just as she reclaimed her spot that he realized that he hadn't even attempted to pull away from the hug. True he hadn't hugged her back, but it was a step in the right direction correct? Not flinching from physical contact that is.
"Sorry... I... I know that it is hard for you to speak of it... a... a classmate of mine suffered similarly in my younger grades..." Su said brokenly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I cannot, nor hope to ever understand fully the pain you have felt... but I wish you to know that I will by you stand for as long as I may..."
"Thank you Su..." Harry answered while the other Rebels took the moment to study some of the interesting architecture surrounding them. "But... I think we should move on... Hermione, Su... why don't you two tell the twins what happened on the walk over?"
Harry enjoyed a sip of his cocoa as the two girls explained the musical march of their trip down from the tower. He'd nearly managed to drain the mug by the time they got to their arrival at the dorms, and that was the moment he chose to strike. "I was thinking that we should create a marching song..."
"Oh... nice one Harry... that would make it a lot more interesting when we're walking all over the place..." George answered with a wicked smile on his face, his twin mirroring it with one of his own.
"And if we make it catchy enough... we could have all the students of Hogwarts singing it in the halls between classes, without using potions..." Fred agreed with a laugh, Hermione seemed to already be plotting out the song, as she had a deep thoughtful look on her face. Su on the other hand was squirming nervously.
"I... I am not good at singing..." Su admitted sheepishly while scratching a finger against her cheek.
"That's the beauty of it..." Harry started before pausing to sip the last dregs of his cocoa quietly. It was definitely settling well on his stomach, he'd have to thank the twins later for asking Pomfrey first.
"If you join in..." Fred added while looping an arm over Su's shoulder, being joined by his brother a second later.
"No one will notice your voice..." George commented while studying his nails on his free hand calmly.
"After all, there are several others that can't sing that well either," Hermione finished for the group, patting Su on top of the head like a little kid. Harry smiled widely behind his mug as Su began laughing brightly at the antics of the others. They eventually settled down into a plotting circle, working out designs for the week to come. The first thing on the list was the meeting with Professor Flitwick after lunch to work on the comm-wands.
It wasn't until the next morning when a hammering noise sounded that they realized they had passed out in the common rooms around their various notes. Harry was the first to come to full awareness, practically leaping off the chair he'd been curled up in. Turning his head, he saw Flitwick putting the final taps on an announcement about the Quiddich tryouts next weekend. Rousing the twins the rest of the way, he indicated the sign silently, getting a large grin from them. After all, they'd been telling him and the girls that they should try out.
The poster removed one of their final objections.
ATTENTION RAVENCLAWS:
In one week's time there will be tryouts for the Quidditch team, as you may or may not know all grade levels are welcome to join their house teams. In addition to the regular positions, and the primary team, there will be a new non-flying position allowed on the field. Also, please note that the numbers on the positions listed below are correct.
Positions being tried out for:
Keeper: 2
Chasers: 6
Beaters: 4
Seeker: 2
Managers: 2
I hope to see many people showing up for the tryouts. Thank you.
Professor Filius Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House.
"Ah, my assistants for this afternoon, I hadn't expected to see you this early... did you sleep well?" the short professor inquired with a warm smile.
"Er... yes Professor, though we hadn't expected to nap in the chairs..." Harry answered with a slight indication of what looked like a study area being slowly tidied by the two girls and George. Fred had stayed near Harry, by silent agreement.
The headmaster had said he was not to be alone outside of the dorms and classes, but the Rebels all felt that Harry needed more than just that, and so they took it upon themselves to ensure that he always had a friend at hand to talk to, to support him, or to talk him into pulling a subtle little prank on someone. So far, he was still their angelic face to the school, but who knows how long that could last at the rate they were going?
The tiny professor let out a soft chuckle before patting the boys warmly on the arms. "If you were the first Ravenclaws to do that, why I believe my beard would be half as white as it is. There is a reason we have the best chairs in the castle, and it's for that very reason. Don't worry about it my dears; be sure to eat a good breakfast. If you want to take a nap before lunch, I'm sure your homework can wait..."
The knowing twinkle in his eyes alerted Harry and Fred to just how much of their study habits he knew about. After all, it wasn't like they were the only ones that got the homework done as fast as possible, so they could get to the fun work sooner.
Okay, so maybe they were the only ones with fun work to get to after the homework, but others surely did their homework as soon as possible, right?
"Yes Professor," the two agreed with nervous smiles as the each took a chance to silently debate whether or not they needed to make their cipher for their plans harder to work out.
"Oh, while you're in my office later, I must remember to bring you the items you asked for when you helped me clean out my closet," Flitwick stated while tapping his chin in thought. "You mentioned sending some to relatives... I'll help you do that... and Harry, if you wouldn't mind coming after breakfast we can cover the lesson on Goblin etiquette and the writing of your letter to them... oh and your friends are more than welcome to join you."
"Thank you Professor, I appreciate you taking the time for this..." Harry answered honestly with a warm smile on his face. "We are hoping to learn some of the Goblin language Gobbledygook, do you know somewhere we could look to learn it?"
Flitwick's eyes widened in surprise as he studied his young charges carefully. "You want to know Gobbledygook? That's rare... but I believe that you are the first to make such a request... why do you wish to know?"
"Oh... well we thought knowing some polite greetings, formal farewells, and pleasantries would be a good thing if we'll be dealing with Goblins for the rest of our lives... especially when they control something as important as the banking system of the Wizarding World..." Fred explained honestly, leaving off the part of using what they could learn from the languages to form a code language to keep their plans secret. After all, what the Professor didn't know wouldn't come back and bite them in the butts if he overheard them… right?
Oh it was probably going to bite them somewhere anyway, but they were at least delaying the inevitable for a short while...
"I believe that there is a book in the library on it... however I feel a proper tutor would help you more... I am conversational in Gobbledygook, and would be more than happy to teach you what I know," Flitwick answered with a happy squeak to his voice. "Oh it's so wonderful to see wizards and witches taking such a proactive course in dealing with the world that they are going to be living in for the rest of their lives!"
"Yes... well we should clean up our study area from last night..." Harry cut in, changing the subject purposefully.
The part goblin nodded and waved them off. "Quite right Mr. Potter, quite right. I will see you sometime after breakfast, just knock on my door and I'll be our as fast as possible."
"Thanks again Professor," Harry said quietly as Fred led the way back to the others. Joining them, they informed them of the lessons they could take today, and stashed their notes away into their bags as quietly as possible. Taking up their bags, and the first years picked up their telescopes, the group made their ways up or down to their rooms, agreeing to meet up in the common room before heading out to breakfast.
After all, they had to get the day started off right with a proper meal, and a prank on a target of opportunity.