Warning: For Mature readers only!

Harry glanced across the Great Hall and observed Thompson, noting that her mood seemed even brighter than before, if that was possible.

He had wanted to remove the Stone from her room last night but had thought better of it.

After spending a few hours blasting the Dumbledore-shaped targets the room provided into smithereens, Harry finally felt like he wouldn't blow something up just by looking at it. With his emotions no longer preventing his occlumency from being ineffective, he tried to see if there was a hint of intrusion in his mind.

All Harry could detect was that his shields were tested, and by tested, it was to the point of breaking under the attack. While there was no evidence of an intrusion into his actual thoughts, Harry wasn't convinced.

Dumbledore had left his mental shields in such a state without Harry immediately realizing what had happened. It could very well be a red herring.

While the Room helped him tame his magic, the frustration of not knowing to what extent Dumbledore had seen through him was quickly building up.

It made Harry think of Thompson. There wasn't much he could do to make himself feel better other than ruining someone else's day, and she was the most obvious choice. After having such a thought, Harry usually wouldn't have hesitated about following it through, but there were other things to consider.

He had already taken a risk to sneak up to the Room, but trying to do the same to the Ravenclaw tower was a bit too far. As much as Harry hated to admit it, the best course of action would be to swallow his frustration and let it simmer.

That was why Harry kept looking at Thompson's happy expression during breakfast with barely hidden annoyance.

"If you can't stand the sight of her, why haven't you dealt with her?"

Harry looked away from Thompson to see Greengrass looking at the girl with disgust.

He was currently seated at the Slytherin table next to her as she had promised. Greengrass had made a big deal out of it for whatever reason as she had wanted to. Harry assumed it was due to Malfoy's father trying to convince her family to join the Dark Lord. He was likely a convenient tool for Greengrass to show that she couldn't be compelled to follow Malfoy's orders.

"I haven't got the opportunity, Greengrass."

Daphne hummed as she glanced at him curiously. She felt that there was something more to how he looked at Thompson. It was almost personal, which Daphne didn't think she had ever seen before with him.

However, if her suspicions were correct, it would only be good for her. Potter would have even more motivation to fix the glaring issue of Thompson's existence. She happily let that matter go and thought about another thing on her mind. On everyone's mind, really.

"Why did Professor Snape pull you out of the common room last night?" Daphne could no longer hide the curiosity that was burning inside her.

The question made Harry look at the raised platform where the professors were seated. He wouldn't have even entered the Great Hall if the ornate chair in the middle wasn't empty. Being in Dumbledore's presence, even in public, wouldn't be helpful to his currently paranoid state.

"It was nothing," Harry lied, not intending to tell Greengrass what happened, "He wanted to speak to me about my nonexistent future in potions."

"… I see," Daphne said slowly, clearly not believing what was said.

Harry honestly didn't care. It was far too minor of an event in Greengrass's eyes for her to dig deeper. However, her mention of Snape reminded Harry of the helplessness of his situation with Dumbledore. Even if he could get access to the Book, it would do him no help in such a short amount of time.

"Zabini seems to be more agitated than usual," Daphne commented, "And he's not looking at me for once. It's you who has his attention, Potter."

"Hmm," Harry hummed distractedly, "He can't get to the auction, so he asked me to go in place. I haven't agreed."

"Shame," Daphne sighed, "Maison Sorcellerie is one of the few places in the world that can hold an auction prestigious enough to sell the Wizard's Seeker. I'll likely have to wait for years to get another chance."

"If it's so important, why don't you buy it yourself?"

"If I was able to, I obviously would, Potter," Daphne rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't be able to attend the auction either, and even if I could, such a large expenditure couldn't be hidden."

Harry didn't bother to ask why she wanted to hide her spending. Instead, he was thinking of the auction. It wasn't something Harry had been initially interested in. Still, the mention of it being prestigious brought up a vague plan in his mind.

"This auction… would there happen to be something in relation to the mind arts up for sale?"

"The mind arts?" Daphne hummed in thought, "A few are on the auction block, but most aren't anything special. You could get them made by enchanters in Britain."

"I see. And how long would that take to get made?"

"Not too long," Daphne paused before saying, "I would say a year at the longest."

Harry nodded as he immediately discarded the option. He wasn't sure what would happen next month, let alone next year.

The day passed rather quickly as Harry once again went through the motions. Most of the classes didn't involve anything challenging other than Defense. However, that was only because Harry had to exaggerate his interest in what Umbridge was saying to keep up the image of an excellent future bootlicker in her eyes.

That didn't mean the day was wasted. Harry had sent a few owls to gather more information on what was to be sold at the auction. The auction at Maison Sorcellerie was a noted calendar event for the wealthy, so with it being public knowledge, it wasn't difficult for Harry to get the list by the time the classes for the day ended.

Harry was more than disappointed when he looked over the magical items that dealt with the mind. Most of them were crutches for witches and wizards that had no hope of truly learning the mind arts, and the few that weren't were incredibly expensive.

The estimated value of a pendant that warned the wearer of legilimency being used against them was fifty thousand galleons. Harry would have to empty most of his savings simply to get warned that he was getting attacked.

As for the other item that interested Harry, he could forget about gaining possession of that. He wouldn't be able to get a million galleons even if he sold himself.

However, even if Harry was only warned that he was under attack, it would still let him try to attempt some sort of defense.

That was why, later that night, Harry took a seat next to Zabini.

"It's a deal. I'll go to the auction in your place," Harry held out a hand, waiting for Zabini to take it.

Harry didn't have to wait long. Zabini almost lunged at him to shake his hand as if he feared that Harry would change his mind.

"I assume since you accepted that you have a way to get me into the auction?" Harry asked as he pulled his hand back. Maison Sorcellerie's auction might be public knowledge, but entering it was another story.

Few had the qualifications to get the invitation that allowed them inside. And Harry certainly didn't qualify.

"I already have the admission card," Blaise was visibly more relaxed. He reached into his pocket and handed Harry a purple card that had an engraved crescent moon with a star in the center.

The most eye-catching part of the engraving was the mystical clouds. They surrounded the crescent moon and star, moving around them gently with wispy tendrils trailing off into the background. It often changed colors, alternating between shades of purple, blue, and silver.

"All you have to do is have the card on your person, and you will be allowed in."

"Sounds easy enough," Harry pocketed the card, "And what about the gold? The estimated value of the Wizard's Seeker is a few hundred thousand galleons."

"Nothing to worry about," Blaise waved him off, "The card also works as a depository vault with Maison Sorcellerie. I put in double the estimated value to be safe. Just win the item."

"… I'm starting to like you more and more, Zabini," Harry admitted, "You throw around gold like you fear holding onto it."

"I like gold as much as the next wizard, Potter," Blaise said drily, "But when there is something useful I can get with the gold, I won't hesitate to spend it."

Harry didn't see gold as any different. Still, surely Zabini knew that spending this much on a witch he wasn't even dating was foolish. At least Greengrass said she would give Zabini a 'shot.' Whatever that was supposed to mean. So Harry figured the gold that would be spent would get something in return.

"I agree with you on that," Harry nodded as he made to stand up. "I'll be leaving the castle tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to give you the good news when I return."

"Understood," Blaise couldn't hide his anticipation as he thought of Daphne's reaction after he gave her the Wizard's Seeker, "Thanks again, Potter."

"No need for thanks, Zabini. It's my pleasure to do business with you."

Harry truly meant that. With Zabini willing to pay him up to twenty thousand galleons to complete the contract, it would pay for almost half the cost of the pendant he intended to buy at the auction. Zabini saved Harry from beggaring himself. So, of course, he would be happy to go to the auction in his place.

After a short farewell, Harry left for his room before quickly returning to make his way out of the common room under his invisibility cloak.

Harry had overheard Umbridge complaining to another staff member about Dumbledore having left the castle, which conveniently gave him a perfect chance to test his theory about Thompson before leaving for Paris.

He answered the riddle to enter the Ravenclaw common room and saw Thompson chatting with a few younger students. It was still strange to see such a sincere smile on her face when Harry had only seen a mockery of it in the past.

Harry shook his head in bewilderment and went to Thompson's room. He was prepared and had brought along the box that sealed the aura of the Stone. He wondered if Thompson would realize if something had changed when she entered her room later that night. It would be interesting if the two Hufflepuffs fell victim to her by the time he came back from Paris.

Harry extracted the pitch-black Stone from the wall and placed it in the box before closing it, sighing in relief when the pervasive aura disappeared. He didn't dawdle and left the room before Thompson could walk in on him but saw someone he didn't expect waiting for him.

"Hello, Harry Potter."

"… Lovegood," Harry was thankful that the hallway was empty, "I'm in a hurry today. Don't have much time to chat, I'm afraid."

"Oh," Luna tilted her head as she stared at him, "You've taken it away."

Harry blinked, not expecting to be found out so quickly. He looked at the box in his hands and confirmed it was sealed shut, hiding what was inside. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Emma's been much better these days," Luna continued as if Harry hadn't said anything, "She'll go back to being surrounded by Mindcreepers if you do this."

Harry got a strange thought in his mind. He recalled Lovegood telling him he was doing something good the night she first caught him. At that time, Harry was under the impression that she was talking about him getting rid of Thompson, but with what she said right now, it was the opposite.

"… Lovegood, do you know what's in my hands right now?"

"Isn't it something that scares away all the Mindcreepers?" Luna asked innocently.

"Er, right, of course it is," Harry was frustrated with how Lovegood made so much sense… until she didn't. "I suppose you think Thompson naturally attracts too many of these Mindcreepers, then."

"No, silly," Luna shook her head as if she was disappointed in him, "She was obviously cursed. The Mindcreepers come to Emma because the curse makes her think bad things."

"Oh," Harry's mind raced, feeling like he had seen something like this described in a book. Not the Mindcreeper, but a curse that caused a similar effect to what Thompson was exhibiting. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Thanks. I think you might have saved me a lot of time."

"Your welcome," Luna felt her hair flutter when Harry rushed to leave, "Are you not going to put that back in Emma's room?"

Luna didn't get an answer since Harry couldn't hear her with the distance he had put between them.

Harry speed walked back to his room and flipped through the book he had on curses. Some of the books in his collection were bought from various sources in the wizarding world, while the rest came from the Room.

He thought it was rather silly, as Lovegood claimed he was, for him not to realize the connection by himself. If Thompson's strange reaction to the Stone was related to a curse, and he found it familiar, the information would be in his collection.

And if it wasn't, it would be in the Hogwarts restricted section. In that case, Hermione would be able to find it soon enough since she had agreed to help him.

This story is 8 chapters ahead for my patrons

P atreo n . com (slash) MarkusEllis (Remove spaces)