Thoughts: 'Blah. Blah. Blah."
Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)
Hedwig: "Blah. Blah. Blah."
Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}
Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah.
Chapter 2
Harry reenters his compartment after changing into his school uniform just as the Hogwarts Express comes to a stop. Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo had moved to their own private compartment after about an hour of socializing with the other Slytherins in their year. Now, the boys are packing up their belongings and making their way off the train.
The obnoxious chatter of excited Hogwarts students reaches their ears as they step onto the platform. Harry easily picks out Hagrid's voice shouting above the commotion.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" Harry smiles as his eyes land on the cheerful half-giant.
"Hey, I'll be right back." Harry announces to Draco quietly, patting his friend on the arm as he walks away.
Harry comes up to Hagrid, and he is once again amazed at the sheer size of the man standing before him. He honestly doesn't think he'll ever really get used to it, but at least he isn't afraid of Hagrid's size anymore.
Hagrid doesn't notice Harry's approach, being too busy herding and cajoling the mystified first years over to the area where the boats are sitting on the shore. Harry's gaze falls upon a first year boy with sandy blond hair and disoriented eyes. The boy is holding a camera tightly to his chest as he looks around in wonderment at his surroundings. And, although he understands what this boy is feeling, Harry hopes that he didn't look that lost and confused when he was a first year. Harry smiles and shakes his head, looking away from the boy and back over to Hagrid.
"Hey, Hagrid!" Harry calls to the half-giant, eagerly trying to get his attention. Hagrid startles and looks down, squinting for a moment before smiling cheerfully as he recognizes Harry.
"'Ello, Harry! How was your summer? Good, I hope!" Hagrid looks away for a moment to yell, "You're s'posed t' go inside the boat, not underneath it, Mister Bransen," across the platform, over to where a little army of boats is sitting along the shore of the Black Lake. Hagrid sighs and laughs fondly, turning his attention back to Harry, who is snickering quietly at the boy Hagrid was chastising. "Anyways, I havta go, Harry. We'll chat later. I'll make tea!" Hagrid smiles at Harry before patting him on the shoulder and lumbering over to the boats, lucking missing Harry's grimace at his tea-brewing skills.
Harry runs back over to his friends, who have been waiting patiently for him next to one of the carriages. The carriage is a sleek black color with two lanterns hanging from the front posts. There is something rather special about the Hogwarts carriages. The carriages don't need to be pulled by horses or other creatures. They move completely on their own. How it's been done is apparently a mystery, and Harry can't help the curiosity that bubbles up at the thought.
Harry stops suddenly, being pulled out of his thoughts as he notices something. His brows furrow and a small frown makes its way onto his face. "Well that can't be right."
"What can't be right?" Draco asks, amusement tinting his lilting drawl as he walks up to Harry.
"There's not supposed to be anything pulling these carriages, right?" Harry queries lightly, causing Draco to glance at the carriage for a moment before looking back at Harry.
"There's not…" Draco trails off, confused as to where his friend is going with this.
"Are you sure?" Silence falls between Harry and Draco as the blond questions his best friend's sanity for at least the hundredth time this week. However, before Draco can come to any conclusions, a shout rings out from behind him.
"You can see them too!?" Draco whips around to look at a relieved looking Theo staring at Harry with wide eyes. "Thank Merlin, I thought I was losing it."
"See what? I don't see anything." Blaise walks up to the carriage, inspecting it from the side as he tries to figure out what Harry and Theo are talking about.
Harry shares a look with Blaise in silent communication. Their friends obviously aren't seeing what they're seeing. But, since both Harry and Theo are seeing something, then it's likely that there is actually something there. They'll figure out what that something is later.
"You know what? It's nothing, don't worry about it. Come on, we're going to be late to the feast." Harry says, pulling a protesting Draco into the carriage while Theo does the same to Blaise. Once they are all inside, the carriage begins moving, taking them in the direction of the castle.
~~~Time Skip~~~
After the welcoming feast, Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo tiredly make their way down to the dungeons, casting sympathetic glances at the first years who will undoubtedly be awake for another hour, at least. They are forced to come to a stop when the staircase in front of them decides to shift, almost sending Blaise kareening over the ledge. Luckily, Harry and Theo were fast enough, and close enough, to grab hold of him before things spiralled too far out of control.
Blaise slumps to the floor breathlessly once Harry and Theo let go of his arms. "You know, I really should be used to the moving stairs by now, but every time I think I have the timing down it changes. I think the stairs have it out for me." Blaise pouts as he finishes his speech, looking up at Theo with wide, innocent eyes.
"Oh, shut it. You're completely mental." Theo scoffs, waving a dismissive hand at Blaise's antics.
"Oi! You're the one who saw weird creatures pulling the carriages earlier, so I don't want to hear it!" Blaise stands quickly, putting his hands on his hips and jutting out his chin with a fierce, but playful, roll of his eyes.
"Harry saw them too!" Theo defends, his shouts echoing through the castle, drawing a few looks from their fellow students.
"I did. And since I am completely sound of mind, that means that Theo and I are not seeing things."
"You? Sound of mind? Oh, you have got to be kidding." Draco cuts in, his words carrying a disbelieving tone, earning him a harsh glare from Harry.
"I am, in fact, completely serious, Draco." Harry crosses his arms over his chest moodily as he hears Blaise snicker and scoff at him.
"Yeah, coming from the person who thought that naming the giant squid was a completely sane thing to do."
"I'll have you know that Kalvin is very pleased with his name."
Harry and Draco stare each other down for a few moments before Blaise interrupts by saying, "I'm tired, so let's just agree to disagree, shall we?" Harry narrows his eyes, and Draco does the same, before finally both boys start laughing, immediately breaking the fake tension they had created.
The four boys descend the stairs, which have finally decided to cooperate, and continue their journey down to the dungeons, arriving at the door to their common room in record time. "Valerian" Draco announces clearly, pushing the door open as he hears the lock click open. Harry, Blaise, and Theo file in behind him, following the blond over to one of the couches by the fireplace.
"Hey, I'm going to head down to the dorm and get some sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Blaise states in a tired mumble, turning and ambling over to the stairs that lead to the dormitories below.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." Theo shouts after Blaise, looking back at Harry and Draco to say, "Goodnight, guys," as he scurries after his best friend.
Harry and Draco chuckle to themselves as they settle into the couch, sighing as they feel their aching muscles gasp in relief. 'The Hogwarts Express may look nice, but the seats are bloody uncomfortable.' Harry muses, closing his eyes and relaxing, bathing in the companionable silence that's washing over him and his friend.
The silence stretches on for a bit longer, dulling Harry and Draco's senses and slowing their thoughts. But it is soon broken when the entrance to the common room opens and a sea of first year Slytherins comes spilling through the door. The first years are led to the center of the room by the two prefects, where they are instructed to wait quietly. Suddenly, the door on the far side of the room opens and Professor Snape sweeps into the room, startling a few first years.
"Look familiar?" Draco whispers to Harry, leaning in so he can be heard.
"Yeah, I can't believe that was a whole year ago." Harry whispers back, shifting to accommodate the blond's weight against his shoulder since Draco hasn't pulled away.
"Me too." Harry and Draco sit and listen to Snape's speech for a few minutes, picking out words and phrases that they remember from last year's speech and thinking about how important the words Snape is saying really are. Eventually, Harry notices that Draco's head has fallen limp on his shoulder. Harry chuckles at his sleeping friend before nudging him gently with his shoulder.
"Hey, come on. Let's go to bed." Draco mumbles something incomprehensible in reply, but allows Harry to pull him to his feet and lead him down the stairs to their dormitory. They quietly slip through the door and get ready for bed, careful not to wake their sleeping roommates. When they finish, they crawl underneath the covers with sleep already tinting their vision.
"Goodnight, Harry."
Harry hears Draco mumble from the bed next to him, and he smiles as he replies, "Goodnight, Draco."
~~~Time Skip~~~
Harry and Draco are, surprisingly, the first one's to make it to their first herbology class of the year. They had left Theo eating his breakfast and Blaise snoring and drooling all over the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. However, unsurprisingly, Hermione is the third person to enter the greenhouse. She almost misses Harry and Draco's presence as she scurries over to the desks and hastily shoves her bag onto the table, but she quickly realizes that she isn't alone when Harry clears his throat to get her attention.
"Oh! Harry, Draco, I didn't see you there." Hermione smiles at the two boys before looking at her things thoughtfully, obviously contemplating something. Finally, she grabs her school bag roughly and walks over to the other side of the room where Harry and Draco are seated, sitting down next to Harry in a huff and beginning to lay out her quill, ink, and parchment.
"Um, Hermione, you do know that all the Gryffindors sit over there, right?" There is an unspoken rule among the two houses: Stay on your side of the classroom, and nobody gets hurt.
"Yes, Harry, I am well aware of the immature feud between our two houses. Does me being here bother you?" Hermione asks, cocking an eyebrow and leaning back in her seat to get a better look at Harry. Harry has to admit, at this moment, he is actually afraid of the bushy-haired girl sitting next to him.
"Me? Bothered? Of course not! I'm not bothered, are you bothered, Draco? Because I am the epitome of unbothered right now." Harry rambles on, somewhat frantic as he addresses the blond beside him, who sighs fondly in exasperation at his friend's desperate attempt to placate the Gryffindor. Hermione begins to giggle at Harry, but her light laughs soon turn into ebullient guffaws that make her face turn red as she clutches at her sides.
"You are absolutely ridiculous, Harry Potter! I was joking!" Hermione continues to laugh as Harry reels back in his seat with a look of incredulity on his face.
"I knew that!" Harry splutters, blushing as he hears a disbelieving "uhuh" come from Draco in response to his words. Harry, sensing defeat on the horizon, slumps in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest, huffing and muttering out one more, "I knew that," before quieting down.
"Hey," Hermione nudges Harry in the side with her elbow, "I really missed you guys… I was going to write, but then I didn't think you'd want me to. I don't really have many friends, and I just want to say thank you for not treating me like a know-it-all freak." Hermione sniffles softly, and Harry turns his body so he can wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"You're not a freak, Hermione. If anyone ever calls you that, just tell me and I'll take care of it. No one deserves to be called that. And by the way, I think Draco and I would love it if you wrote over the summer. It would give us a break from Blaise and Theo's insanity." Harry chuckles as he finishes speaking, squeezing Hermione slightly and feeling her lean into him for a moment before she pulls away.
"Same goes for me. I may have been raised in a pure blood family with pure blood beliefs, but I don't think mudbloo- muggle borns are inferior anymore. Especially not since I met you." Draco leans over to meet Hermione's gaze, sending a reassuring look her way.
Hermione has tears welling in her eyes, but she willfully refuses to let them fall. The trio starts out of their shared emotional reverie when students begin trickling into the room, filling the enclosed space with dull chatter and laughter.
Harry and Draco quickly take out their school supplies as they wait for Professor Sprout to enter the greenhouse and begin her lesson. Hermione recieves quite a few stares from Gryffindor and Slytherin alike as people try to comprehend the unfathomable notion that a Gryffindor is sitting on the Slytherin side of the room with two Slytherin companions.
As much as everyone seems content to stare and whisper, no one actually makes a fuss about it, instead giving it a few moments of attention before letting it slip away for the time being. Theo seems a bit nonplussed at having his seat next to Harry taken, but he quickly shrugs it off, obviously understanding Hermione's predicament.
Just as everyone settles into their seats, Professor Sprout bounces energetically into the greenhouse and announces, "You won't need to take notes today. Now, everybody stand up and gather around the center table."
Everyone follows Professor Sprout's instructions, standing up and herding around a large, rectangular table in the middle of the greenhouse. "Today we are going to repot mandrakes. A fun fact about mandrakes, they not only take a humanoid shape, but they also take on humanoid qualities. For example, they can become moody and secretive as they reach adolescence, and they can even develop acne throughout their time as a 'teenager'.
"Now, who can tell me the properties of the mandrake root?" Harry and Hermione's hands are in the air in record time, and Professor Sprout runs her gaze over the three of them. "I'll tell you what, if each of you can tell me one property of the mandrake root, I will give both of your houses ten points." Professor Sprout nods at Hermione and says, "Miss Granger," prompting the Gryffindor to answer.
"The mandrake, or mandragora, is used to return those who have been petrified to their original state. It is also quite dangerous. The mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it." Hermione answers smoothly and without hesitation.
"And Mister Potter?" Professor Sprout moves on to Harry.
Okay, now Harry isn't saying that he's screwed or anything, because he's not. The only problem is that Hermione managed to take both of his answers, which was rather rude on her part. He's obviously going to need to have a talk with her about manners and learning how to read Harry's mind so she doesn't put him on the spot like this. Anyways, he can do this. He knows that he's read more about mandrakes, and he vaguely recalls Snape talking about them briefly during one of his summer lectures. Suddenly, it comes to him.
"Mandrakes are fully matured when they begin escaping from their own pots and moving into the pots of the other mandrakes. Also, it is said that the cry of a mandrake is similar, if not identical to, the scream of a banshee."
"Very good, both of you. Ten points to Gryffindor and Slytherin." Harry and Hermione grin at each other and Draco gives Harry a high five underneath the table. "Going off of what Mister Potter and Miss Granger have said about the cries of a mandrake, it is, in fact, true that the cries of an adult mandrake will kill you. However, today we will only be handling juveniles, whose cries will just knock you out for a few hours.
"If you'll look in front of you, you will see a pair of earmuffs. Please grab a pair and place them firmly over your ears. Believe it or not, I don't feel like carrying any unconscious second-years to Madame Pomfrey today."
Everyone does as the Professor says, securing the earmuffs over their ears, making sure that all sound is muffled before looking back up to Professor Sprout, signalling her to continue with her demonstration.
Professor Sprout grabs a pot from the table and holds it out in front of her so everyone can see what she's doing. "Watch me closely. First, you grasp your mandrake firmly, and you pull it sharply up out of the pot." Professor Sprout narrates.
The moment the mandrake is out of the pot, a terrible screeching pierces the air. Even with their earmuffs on, the students have to cover their ears to ward off the discomfort the mandrake's cries bring.
"And now you dunk it down into another pot, and add a little sprinkling of soil to keep him warm-" Professor Sprout is abruptly cut off by a loud groan and the sound of a body dropping heavily to the floor.
Professor Sprout pauses and sighs heavily. "Ah, Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs."
Ron, who happens to be standing next to Neville, lightly kicks at his side in an attempt to wake him. "It's no use, I think he's out cold."
"Real bright, that one, don't you think?" Draco mutters to Hermione. Hermione tries, and fails, to cover up her snort of amusement, and Ron whips his head up to glare at her.
Professor Sprout takes another moment to stare at the unconscious Gryffindor before suddenly declaring, "Oh, well, just leave him there. Now, where were we?"
~~~Time Skip~~~
"Don't look so depressed, Harry. This is going to be fun!" Draco and Harry are sitting in the defense against the dark arts classroom waiting for class to begin. Harry is sulking, and rightly so. Ever since his encounter with Lockhart at Flourish and Blotts, he has been dreading having him for a teacher. And Draco, being the dutiful and sympathetic best friend that he is, has decided to tease Harry relentlessly about it. Harry throws a glare in Draco's direction. "What? I thought after that photo shoot you'd be excited to have Lockhart as a teacher. Was I wrong?" Draco's face is the picture of innocence as he says this, and the expression sends Harry over the edge.
Just as Harry is about to fire back a scathing remark, Lockhart sweeps into the classroom, immediately drawing the attention of the majority of the starstruck students in the room. Draco snorts and Harry rolls his eyes at their classmates. Harry and Draco have both read Lockhart's books, and honestly, they are less than impressed. His tales of adventure are spun so that Lockhart is always the valiant hero who rushes in to save the day, teeming with exaggeration and obviously embellished half truths. How anyone could believe that bullshit, they will never know. Unfortunately, Lockhart opens his mouth and begins speaking.
"Let me introduce you to your new defense against the dark arts teacher… me!" Lockhart flourishes his arms dramatically. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award! But I don't want to talk about that."
"Yeah, sure you don't." Harry mutters, sending Blaise, Theo, and Draco snickering.
"I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at him." Harry hears giggling coming from the girls sitting at the table next to him. He has to hold back a gag. "Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room."
"I already am." Draco mumbles in Harry's ear. Harry scoffs and nods in agreement.
"Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here."
"I really wish I could believe that." Harry comments quietly, sending his friends snickering once more. And yes, the running commentary is completely necessary.
"Now, I must ask you not to scream. It might… Provoke them!" Lockhart pulls the sheet off of the large cage that Harry has just noticed is sitting at the front of the room. He raises an eyebrow at what he sees inside.
"Cornish Pixies." Harry and Draco say in unison with dead looks on their faces.
"Yes, very good!" Lockhart commends them for recognizing the creatures, almost like they weren't supposed to know what they were. "Freshly caught Cornish Pixies." He adds with an overly charming smile.
Harry looks over at Hermione and finds that she has a similar look on her face. She seems to be just as unimpressed as Harry and Draco. There is dull laughter coming from the students in the room at the reveal.
"Laugh if you will, but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them!" Lockhart laughs shortly, then flips the latch on the cage and shoves the door open. The pixies come pouring out of the cage and immediately begin causing a ruckus, scattering papers across the floor and harassing students, specifically Neville. Two of the pixies are pulling harshly on his ears, lifting him into the air and hooking him to the light fixture by the back of his robes.
"Longbottom's really not having a good day." Harry comments idly, having to shout over the commotion and the yelling of the other students.
"That's putting it mildly." Hermione yells, having snuck up on Harry and Draco while they were busy swatting at the incoming pixies in an attempt to not end up like Neville.
Harry turns his gaze to Lockhart, wondering if he is actually going to do something, or if he's just going to stand there and watch the carnage unfold. He sees Lockhart give a wide-eyed look at Neville, who is still hanging from the light fixture and seems to be having some kind of breakdown. Well, Harry can't really blame him. If he had been knocked out by a screaming mandrake and then hung from the ceiling by rampaging Cornish Pixies all in the same day, he'd be having an existential crisis too.
Finally, Lockhart whips out his wand and shouts, "Peskipiksi pesternomi!" For a moment, Harry has a glimmer of hope that this disaster will soon be over. Needless to say, that hope is crushed, sliced up, and incinerated almost immediately. When Lockhart casts the spell, nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. 'Bloody fantastic.'
One of the pixies swoops in and snatches Lockhart's wand, flying to the dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling and waving it at the chain by which it is held up. The chain breaks and the skeleton comes crashing to the floor. Lockhart merely stares at the now broken skeleton lying on the ground, mouth gaping. He snaps out of it rather quickly and immediately begins to make a run for it, stopping at the top of the stairs for a moment to shout, "I'll ask you five to just nip them back into their cage!" With that, Lockhart darts out of the room.
By this time, most of the students have vacated the classroom, leaving only Harry, Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Hermione warding off the tiny rampaging creatures. And, you guessed it, Neville is still dangling from the light fixture.
"Did he just leave us here? Is he serious?!" Hermione yells in disbelief and anger, swatting away a pixie that's pulling on her hair.
"Yes, yes he did." Blaise replies shortly.
Another pixie comes up behind Theo and tears off one of the arms of his school robe. "Oi! I know you did not just go there!" Theo whips around and grabs onto his detached sleeve, starting a game of tug-of-war with the pixie, who just cackles madly at him.
"What are we supposed to do now?!" Draco yells to the others, fending off a couple pixies with one of Lockhart's books. One of his swings connects, sending a pixie flying into the wall. "Ha! Take that!"
Suddenly, Hermione whips out her wand, pointing it at the ceiling and shouting, "Immobulus!" All of the pixies freeze and begin floating around the room, completely immobile. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
"I swear, I'm going to kill Lockhart next time I see him." Harry growls before beginning the task of plucking the pixies from the air and roughly throwing them back into their cage.
Draco huffs out a reply. "I'll help you hide the body."
~~~Time Skip~~~
Harry and Draco are walking to the Great Hall for dinner, still seething from the events that unfolded in Lockhart's class. The corridors around them are bustling with activity. There is a group of students taking turns producing multicolored sparks from the tips of their wands, despite the no magic in the hallways rule, and Harry spots Fred and George Weasley hassling one of their friends, no doubt trying to talk him into doing something stupid and reckless.
"Can you believe him?! I mean honestly, some hero he is." Harry says sarcastically, to which Draco nods in agreement.
"I know. He put the entire class in danger, and he didn't even stay to fix it. He just left us there. It's absolutely ridiculous."
Harry and Draco reach the Great Hall, entering and walking stiffly over to their table. They sit down and begin filling their plates in silence, relieved that the school day is finally over.