And so, the rest of the ride was peaceful.
However, the entrance into the great hall was not. Harry had fun in the carriage, he and Neville were joined by Luna Lovegood and Dean Thomas.
"Seamus is being a bit of a prat, you don't mind if I join you guys, right?" None of the group minded, but Harry couldn't contain his questions.
"What is he being a prat about? Aren't you two, like, you know?" He flushed down his neck.
"You can say dating Harry," Dean laughed. "And we are. It's you he's being a prat about." Harry stared, for a minute, before looking at Neville, who just shrugged his shoulders.
"Me?" He asked. "Why me? I haven't done anything flirty or overly friendly. Have I?" Dean stared, dumbfounded.
"Have you two not read the Prophet?"
"No, the two of us have really spent our summers in solitude, and even when we were together, my gran doesn't get the Prophet," Neville explained.
"Blimey Harry, that explains a lot! Here, look at this." The boy passed a newspaper to Harry, as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Boy-Who-Lived-To-Lie?
In a stunning turn of events, Harry Potter, the famed Boy Who Lived and the symbol of hope for the Wizarding World, has been accused of fabricating the return of the notorious dark wizard, You-Know-Who. The revelation has sent shockwaves throughout the magical community, raising doubts about the credibility of the Chosen One.
The controversy surrounding Harry Potter began to unfold during a recent interview with The Daily Prophet. When pressed about the alleged return of Voldemort, Potter hesitated and appeared evasive, failing to provide concrete evidence to substantiate his claim. This prompted scepticism from both journalists and the wizarding population at large. The speculation gained momentum when several prominent members of the wizarding community, including Ministry officials and renowned Hogwarts Board Members, voiced their doubts about Potter's assertions. Some argued that his account lacked veracity, pointing to the absence of any substantial proof or eyewitness testimonies.
Moreover, an independent investigation conducted by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement found no credible evidence supporting the resurgence of Voldemort. Aurors scoured various locations associated with dark magic and Death Eaters, but their efforts yielded no significant findings. The lack of corroborating evidence cast a shadow of doubt over Potter's statements. Critics have accused Potter of seeking attention and manipulating the truth to retain his heroic image. Detractors argue that his motive may stem from a desire to maintain his relevance in the wizarding world, particularly after the defeat of Voldemort and the subsequent decline of Death Eater activities.
Potter's supporters, on the other hand, have rallied behind him, asserting that the accusations are unfounded and aimed at tarnishing his reputation. Dumbledore argues that the young wizard has always been honest and that he deserves the community's trust and support.
The ongoing controversy has had significant implications for the Wizarding World. It has caused a division among citizens, with many questioning the credibility of their once-beloved hero. Furthermore, it has disrupted the delicate balance that had been established since the downfall of Voldemort, leaving the community uncertain about the future. The Ministry of Magic has yet to release an official statement on the matter, but sources within the Ministry suggest that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the truth behind Potter's claims. The Wizengamot, the highest judicial body in the wizarding world, is expected to convene to discuss the situation and evaluate the available evidence.
As the wizarding community waits for answers, the controversy surrounding Harry Potter has opened a deep rift in the hearts of many who once regarded him as a beacon of hope. Whether Potter's reputation can withstand this scandal remains to be seen, but the fallout from these accusations will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for the Wizarding World as it grapples with the truth behind the Boy Who Lived.
Harry read the article in a high-pitched voice, tutting randomly and giving exaggerated sighs after every paragraph. "That Potter boy," He said, voice still high. "I should have known he was trouble." His friends laughed around him, Neville wheezing and almost doubling over. Harry assured everyone there that he wasn't actively saying Voldemort had returned, and most things the Prophet was saying he had said, he hadn't actually spoken on.
"But, has he returned?" Harry nodded grim lines on his face.
"He has, yes. But what good would it do to shout it on the rooftops if no one believes me? They'll figure it out, eventually. This article does upset me a bit." Harry sighed.
"Shout it… from the rooftops?" Neville questioned. Harry and Dean snorted.
"Muggle thing." Harry and Dean said with a shared look.
"So muggles shout things from rooftops?" Luna questioned. So, the rest of the ride was spent explaining a lot of muggle sayings, and Harry deflecting Dean's questions about his paleness.
Sitting down in the great hall, Harry was sandwiched between Neville and Dean. Ron and Hermione sat in front of them but hadn't had a chance to say anything due to the sorting. Gryffindor had gained most of the students, and by the shining badges on Ron and Hermione's robes, Harry knew that they had their work cut out for them this year. Though Harry wouldn't admit it to anyone, except probably Neville, Harry was going to enjoy making tonight just a bit harder on them.
"So, Harry, care to tell us where you've been?" Ron spoke up after Dumbledore had released them to enjoy the feast.
"Care to tell me why you haven't written to me all summer?" Harry shot back. Neville scooped some potatoes on his plate, and Harry smiled at the boy.
"Oh Harry," Hermione began. "We wanted to, really we tried, but Dumbledore told us you would be safer without us writing to you. And, well, you didn't write to us much either." Harry took a bite of his potatoes, not having a response for her. They were good, but not as good as the ones Neville had grown himself. They were slightly sweet, and not as smooth as the ones he was used to.
"Well, that's that, then. Dumbledore told you not to, so you didn't. You didn't write to me, so I didn't write to you. Crazy turn of events that is." Sarcasm laced his words, and he watched as Ron got slightly red in the face. He watched Hermione put a hand on the red-heads arm. Both looked like they wanted to say something, but both refrained.
"So, Neville," Harry asked. "What are you most looking forward to this year?" He shrugged.
"Mostly herbology, but we've gone over most of the plants last week. I am super excited about the Uklade plant though, I heard they're super hard to come by." Harry nodded.
"Isn't that the one that produces a honey-like substance if stroked correctly? And they grow in large clusters, so how is it hard to get your hands on them?"
"They do, but they're mostly male flowers protecting a single female. See, the male flowers are a dark blue, but the female equivalent of that is a purple-to-yellow sort of fade. They blend in easily with so many flowers growing, and only the females produce honey. It's rare, but only really used in a few potions I think."
"The Elixir of Wealth right? And I think it's used in the Draught of Might as well." Harry said, eating some of the pork he had on his plate.
"Wow Neville, you know a lot about plants," Hermione said. Neville looked down at his plate, not wanting to look at the bushy-haired girl.
"I-I guess, yeah." He stuttered.
"So you'd rather stay with Neville than your two best mates?" Ron voiced, anger evident on his face.
"Yes, when my two best 'mates' won't talk to me. The feast is almost over, don't you have prefect duties to do?" Harry rolled his eyes. Eventually, Ron and Hermione got up and headed over to the first years, introducing themselves.
"Do you wanna head to the common room?" Dean asked. "The password is Mighty, so we can get in a little early." Harry nodded, and he, Dean, and Neville headed up to the Gryffindor dormitory, ignoring Ron and Hermione when they tried to stop them. No one noticed the multiple pairs of eyes following them.
"That did not happen!" Dean howled with laughter. They sat on Harry's bed, laughing about stories from their summers.
"It did, I swear!" Neville laughed. Harry's head hung in embarrassment, but he held a big smile on his face. "Then, not listening to me, he touched the plant again and both of us were covered in stinky sap!" They all laughed, Dean, falling off the bed in the process, which only made them laugh harder. It was peaceful until it wasn't.
"We have one argument and now you're all buddy-buddy with Potter, huh?" Seamus snarled. The laughter fell quickly as Dean got back on the bed.
"Just because you didn't hear him out doesn't mean I didn't, Shay. Get over yourself."
"My mum almost didn't let me come back to Hogwarts because of you!" Seamus said, turning his anger to Harry.
"Why, because some stupid writer of the Prophet said I'm a liar? Oh man up Seamus. I didn't say it. In fact, for most of the summer, I was too busy working to even go get my Hogwarts clothing. If it weren't for Neville I wouldn't have. Bugger off." Harry turned back to his conversation trying to ignore the angry Irish boy, as well as a now angry Ronald Weasley.
"So we can't write to you and now you've replaced us? What a good friend you are." Ron spat. Harry's anger began to rise.
"So you can turn your back on me again? Just like the second year? Or fourth? No, Ron. I'm upset. You haven't even apologised."
"What's there to apologise for? We told you Dumbledore didn't let us write? You could have just come to-" His voice cut off with a gurgle. "You could have stayed with us! Not Neville." Anger flared up in Harry again.
"I'll have you know, Neville is a great friend and I would gladly stay with him for another summer. At least when he's being a prat he apologises!" Neville was, in fact, not a prat, but the sentiment still stood.
"Fine then, you arse! Be a git, I could care less. Have fun with your new friends!" He and Seamus stomped off into the bathroom.
"Good thing we're already ready for bed, eh?" Neville tried to joke, but it fell flat. "I guess we should all be in bed before they come in and yell at us some more. Goodnight guys." He got off the bed and headed over to his own four-poster.
"Night, Nev. You too, Dean." Dean just sighed and clasped Harry's shoulder before heading to the bathroom.
"I'm going to try and calm him down first, and maybe explain what you told me in the carriage. Night, Harry." Harry nodded and closed the curtains around his bed, laying down with a sigh. He didn't want to be angry, but their avoidant answers and anger directed at him made him so. He was grateful for Neville, and wouldn't stop being his friend for any reason, but he wanted his best mate back. Ron didn't get him the way Neville did, but he understood him in a way others didn't. He missed him, he did, but he wasn't gonna be all buddy-buddy with a giant prat.
Laying down, exhausted from the trip to Hogwarts and his own emotions, he fell asleep quickly.
"Kill the spare!" Green light flashed, covering everything.
"It's your fault I died, Harry! If you could have taken the cup before I did! How could you do this to me?" The images whined.
"Why would we want to be friends again after you chose Longbottom over us? Avada Ke-"
Harry awoke, a scream caught in the back of his throat. Sweat covered his skin, dripping from his hair to his shoulders. He hadn't had that dream in a while, and it seemed like the newest bouts of anger and sadness had only added to his nightmare.
"Uhm, Harry." He heard. His body tensed until he realised who was talking to him.
"Neville, hey. You alright?" He asked, eyes lowered.
"I, uh, came to ask you that. I heard you get up." Harry gave him a puzzled look.
"Why are you up? What time is it?" Neville blushed but shrugged.
"It's about five in the morning, last time I checked. And, uh, probably the same reason as you. Nightmares." Harry just nodded. "Would you wanna join me? I'm just reviewing some transfiguration before tomorrow." Harry followed the teen to his bed, and they both sat there, silently looking over a set of books. It was a little while before either of them spoke.
"Can I ask what it was about?" Harry said suddenly. Neville looked a little shocked but just gave a sad smile.
"I doubt it compares to your nightmares. Mine are just, silly, I guess." Harry shook his head.
"No, you're my friend, I wanna hear about yours whether they're about world domination or you stubbing your toe." That got a small laugh out of the blonde.
"Well, as you know, I grew up in a wizarding family. A lot of esteemed magical families. And, well, I was meant to be a squib, so they say. I don't know what they mean by that, but even as a child, I believed it. Even as a child, I was an official heir, due to my parents. I'm not," He took a shuddering breath. "I'm not good at anything but herbology. I always feel so, so stupid compared to the rest of you. Especially you, I know we're friends but you radiate so much power, I can't compare. You just never had to use it so I never felt it like I did last night, but Harry you're so strong it is unbelievable. I just don't know how I can keep up."
"Neville.." Harry was at a loss for words. He had always considered himself and Neville on an equal level because Neville was just as strong as he was. "I know that's how you feel and I can't change that immediately, but I want you to know you're my friend, a great friend of mine actually, and you are just as strong as me, if not stronger. You understand the theory much better than I ever could, and I love having you here. We work well together and I don't wanna stop that. If you feel like this even more, please don't hesitate to tell me. We'll work through this together, yeah?" Neville smiled, tears lining his eyes.
"Yeah, okay." The rest of the early morning was spent sharing whispers while they read. Soon they were joined by a grumpy, early-riser Dean who couldn't believe they were studying already.
"It's the first day," Dean grouched. "Can't you wait until at least lunch?"
"Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." Harry quoted, and Dean laughed
"You've seen that movie?" Harry grinned
"Yep, my cousin Dudley was watching it and I picked up that quote. Always wanted to use it." Neville made a confused noise, and the two boys shared a look before bursting into laughter.
"Neville, let me tell you about this great American film called 'The Shawshank Redemption'."
The first day of class was going to be bloody awful, Harry realised. Divination with Ravenclaws, Double Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs, a free period, lunch, double Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins, then another Divination, this time with Hufflepuffs. Sure, his evening would be free and he could spend some time with Neville, but two Loonybin classes, and two Defense with the Slytherins? Yeah, he was not looking into it.
"Welcome to Intermediate Transfiguration," McGonagall spoke. "This year will be one of your hardest years yet. The owl years. Therefore, any nonsense will have you removed from my class for a week, putting you behind your classmates unless you choose to self-study. Now, let us begin with some theory." Harry opened his Guide to Intermediate Transfiguration book and began reading. He toyed with the red and gold cover for a bit before fully focusing on the section McGonagall was reading
Intermediate Transfiguration (Year Five) is one of the hardest branches of Magic to learn, due to the O. that take place at the end of every school year. Transfiguration, a complex and intricate branch of magic within the wizarding world, is the art of changing the form and appearance of objects or creatures. Taught at schools all around, transfiguration requires immense skill, focus, and an understanding of the underlying principles that govern the transformation process.
The theory of transfiguration revolves around the concept of altering the fundamental nature of an object or living being, manipulating its essence to bring about a physical change. It draws upon the laws of magic, the principles of matter and energy, and the understanding of the interconnectedness of all things in the magical universe.
The first key principle of transfiguration is the law of similarity, which states that the transformation of an object into another form is facilitated by identifying and accentuating the similarities between the two objects. This is why transfiguration spells often require a clear mental image of the desired outcome and a deep understanding of the target object's properties. For example, turning a teacup into a mouse would involve recognizing the shared characteristics of their shapes, textures, and even internal structures.
The second fundamental principle is the law of conservation of mass and energy. This principle states that the total mass and energy of a closed system remain constant before and after a transfiguration takes place. In other words, the mass and energy of the original object must be accounted for in the transformed state. Skilled transfigures carefully manipulate the matter and energy within an object to achieve the desired form without violating this law.
Furthermore, transfiguration requires the wizard or witch to possess a deep understanding of the object's inherent properties, its composition, and the essence that defines it. This knowledge allows them to tap into the magical potential within the object and manipulate it accordingly. For example, transfiguring a stone into a living bird requires a thorough understanding of avian anatomy, physiology, and behaviour to ensure a successful transformation.
Another crucial aspect of transfiguration is the incantation or spell that accompanies the transformation. These incantations act as a channel for the wizard's intent and focus, helping to guide and shape the magical energy required for the transfiguration. The correct pronunciation, wand movements, and precise timing are all vital to the success of the transfiguration process.
It is important to note that transfiguration, particularly complex transformations, can be mentally and physically demanding. It requires intense concentration, discipline, and a clear understanding of one's magical abilities. The transformation process can be affected by external factors such as distractions, fatigue, or emotional state, making it necessary for transfigures to maintain a calm and focused mindset.
Transfiguration, while awe-inspiring and powerful, is not without its limitations. The complexity of the object being transfigured, its innate magical properties, and the skill of the caster all influence the success of the transformation. Living beings, for instance, are particularly challenging to transfigure due to their inherent complexities and the risk of irreversible damage to their essence or identity.
Overall, transfiguration is a discipline that combines the understanding of magical laws, the properties of objects, and the power of intent. It is a testament to the vast potential of magic and the intricate web that connects all things in the wizarding world. Through diligent study, practice, and deep respect for the principles that govern transfiguration, wizards and witches can harness this branch of magic to reshape and manipulate the world around them.
'Well, isn't this interesting', Harry thought to himself. He quickly jotted down the notes in a messy scrawl before paying more attention to his professor. Neville sat beside him, intently staring at the paper while writing detailed notes. He had never really noticed before, but Neville had really neat handwriting. Unlike his messy mixture of cursive and print, Neville's cursive was almost like calligraphy.
"Mr. Potter, care to tell me why you're staring at Mr. Longbottoms notes? Is there something you don't understand?" Harry sighed and nodded.
"Yes, there is, Professor. How can Neville write the same notes as I did, but his look insanely better? I just simply don't get it." Neville flushed as Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs alike laughed. He shot Harry a dirty look, but Harry just grinned.
"Well Mr. Potter, I will advise you to ask Mr. Longbottom that question outside of class, yes? Now, back to chapter seven.." Harry and Neville shared a fist bump underneath their wooden table.
"No, I'm serious though, teach me how to write like that Nev."
"I thought your Godfather was Sirius?" Harry could barely contain his laughter.
"Harry please slow down, wait up, please!" Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance, finally stopping so his bushy-haired friend could catch up.
"Yes, Hermione?" He asked. The girl bent over and grabbed her knees, gasping for air.
"You're," She gulped some air. "You're so fast." Harry rolled his eyes again before sneezing. He wiped his nose and looked down at the girl.
"Is that all you need? I'll be going then." He went to turn around but Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Harry, please. What did we, no, I do wrong? It's only been a day and I already miss you so much. I get Ron is a massive jerk, but please, Harry. How can I be your friend again?" The girl looked close to tears.
Harry awkwardly patted her hand and tried to ignore her soft sniffles. Honestly, he had no clue what he wanted them to do to be his 'friends' again, as they said. In Harry's mind, he still thought of the two as friends. Just friends he was mad at.
"'Mione, look," She looked up at him, eyes big and filled with hope. "We're still friends. I'm not just gonna up and abandoned you after four years, especially not with what we three have gone through, but I'm mad. I'm so angry you guys didn't write to me but still wrote to Neville. You knew Neville wasn't given orders from Dumbledore to not write to me, so why didn't you give him a letter to send to me? To at least inform me why my two best friends weren't writing?" He sighed.
"I," She started to say, eyes still wide. This time when he looked at her chocolate-brown eyes, they had a look of self-reflection. "I hadn't thought of that. Oh God, I am such an idiot! It was right there all along!" Harry covered her hand, which still held his wrist, with his hand.
"I don't know what you can do for me to forgive you, but I won't tell you until Ron apologises."
"Then Harry, I'm sorry." He heard from behind him. He turned around, and there stood a despondent Ronald Weasley. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, especially since you took me back with no hard feelings after my pitiful excuse for friendship last year. You're my best mate, Harry. Sure, I'm a bit jealous you and Neville and Dean seem so close, but I'm supposed to be your friend. For that, I'm sorry." Harry gave him a soft smile.
"That was pretty Slytherin of you guys to corner me like that." Hermione turned a bit pink, but Harry just laughed. "I'm still mad, but if you two are serious about staying my friend, then I'll forgive you guys eventually. But you can't be a git to Neville, Ron. I enjoy us being friends. Same with Dean, no matter what Seamus says or does." Ron nodded. "Then let's head to Defense. By the way, who's the teacher? I wasn't paying attention at the ceremony."
"Some Ministry dog, Dolores Umbridge I think?"