24/7/22

AN: HELLO EVERYONE!

First - Sorry for the wait, i would have had this up a little sooner, but the temperature over here in the UK the last couple of weeks was so high it made my creative writing part of my brain to short out.

Second - Sorry for how long this chapter is, but i couldn't find a good place to cut it.

Either way, i hope you all like it.

Over the next few days, every chance Harry got he asked Professor McGonagall if his Firebolt was ready to be returned to him yet.

On the 10th time he asked (or was going to ask) at the end of Wednesday's Transfiguration class she answered him before he opened his mouth saying:

"No Potter, you can't have it back yet. We have checked for most of the more usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you when we are done with it. Now please stop badgering me."

"But he's a Gryffindor, Professor," Jack spoke up from where he and Ron were waiting for Harry by the door, earning a glare from the teacher.

"It's a figure of speech, Frost." she said trying to stay calm "Now all of you, get out, you have to get to your next lesson."

Outside and a few corridors away Jack spoke up.

"You know, I think the reason why it's taking so long is because since the Quidditch World Cup players are buying seven Firebolt's at a time, no place has them anymore, meaning they can't find one to swap and replace Harry's with."

"Wanna make a bet on that?" Harry asked, confident that he will get his Firebolt back.

"Ok. If I win and it gets replaced, I want..." Jack said thinking to himself "20 Gallons from you."

"Ok." Harry said, agreeing to that as he could afford it "And if I win and I get my broom back – the one I got from Christmas – I want... you to stand in front of everyone – maybe in the Great Hall – and say that you lost a bet."

"Anything else?" Jack asked looking to Baby Tooth who was taking notes on what the terms of this bet might be.

"And you can't do your April Fools Day Pranking thing this year."

"*GASP!* You can't make me do that!" Jack said his voice loud enough to draw in a small crowd. "It's one of my best friends' birthdays. I do it to celebrate her. If she knew I skipped it she will turn all her pranks on me."

"Then the bet is off." Harry said moving his bag on his shoulder a little and starting to walk away.

"Fine." Jack said after a bit sighing. "Then by the Ancient Rules, the wager is set." Jack said, holding out his hand to Harry who took it, shaking it, and looked up to the crowd where a few people gasped.

Among them was Neville who looked the most shocked. "Jack! You can't just make bets using the Ancient Rules just like that!"

"Oh Please Nev, I know what I'm doing, and I am honest and keep my promises." Jack said, rolling his eyes and waving it off as if it was nothing. "I won't die just because of this wee little bet."

"Um, excuse me? Die?" Harry asked, holding his hand which felt like it was tingling a bit.

"The Ancient Rules is a set of betting rules set, well in the ancient times, to tell all Wizards, and Spirits, and other magical beings, how bet's should be played." Ron explained as they continued to their next lesson.

"Ok, but where does the dying come in?" Harry asked in a mix of calm and panic.

"It's one of the rules," Neville said before reciting "'Should after the bet is complete, and a caster of said bet does not pay up within 24 hours. They will die.'"

Harry stopped where he was, his bag dropping to the floor in shock.

"So if I lose, and forget to pay Jack the 20 gallons within 24 hours, I'll be killed," he asked.

"Yep, but don't worry, I'll be there to tell you to fork over the money straight away." Jack said smiling.

"You don't seem to be as worried as Harry does Jack," a voice from behind them said, making them turn to see Elisa who had her arms crossed with Annie and Luna.

"Why should I?" Jack asked, smiling "Neither of us will die, I promise." he said, sighing knowing April will be disappointed if she found out about him not 'celebrating' her day.

"Then why set the bet against the Ancient Rules?" Luna asked confused. "If it was just another friendly bet, why add a death penalty to it?"

"Adds a bit of drama to it, Little Moon," Jack said smiling.

"And if you die?" Elisa asked, coming closer to him and poking him in the chest. "What would happen then huh?"

"Neither of us will die, I keep my promises, and my end up, in all bets I make, be they set to the Rules or not." Jack said, trying to calm her down. "To make up for making you worried, I'll take you on a date for the Hogsmeade Weekend closest to Valentine's Day. Promise."

Thinking about this, Elisa nodded then left with the girls.

With that the boys carried on with their journey only just making it to their lesson.

o0o

That night there was another Anti-Dementor lesson, and the first thing that Lupin said to Jack was:

"Knowing the teachers and their behaviours', I will be on your side of this bet of yours against Harry, Jack."

"Thank you Professor," Jack said smiling "Want to add something to it? Like say... a few very, very rare Chocolate Frog Cards?"

"Oh no, it took me a long time to get those," Lupin said, chuckling a little. "No, I'll just stay at the side lines and support you. Now then," he said, turning to Harry, Elisa, and Annie, "Let's see how everyone has been doing then."

For the next hour or so, they practised and tried different memories, and tried adding more oomph into the cry 'Expecto Patronum!' but all that seemed to come out of their wands were silvery vapours, although Elisa's did seem to be turning into some kind of animal rather than a shimmer of light like the others.

After Harry had had a turn with the Bog-mentor, Lupin said, sternly:

"You're all expecting too much of yourselves. For a teenage witch or wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out any more are you?" he asked, aiming this last note to Harry.

"I thought a Patronus would – charge a Dementor down or something," Harry said, panting a little, recovering from his last attempt.

"A true Patronus does do that," said Lupin, nodding. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors come to your next match, you should be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground."

"They better not come to it," Jack said from where he was, where he was doing some homework – Baby Tooth watching over him - frowning as he remembered what happened last time.

"Oh cheer up Mr. Mopey," Elisa said smiling as she came over to join him "I'm sure after Dumbledore's talk he had with them last time, they will stay put."

"May I remind you, Madam Snowflake," Jack said not looking up at her "That it's partly Dumbledore's fault that they are here in the first place. Letting them be posted at the gates of this teenage prison. Honestly."

"Now Jack," Lupin said, pulling some bottles of butter-beer out from his briefcase for everyone. "Calling Hogwarts a teenage prison is a little harsh, don't you think?"

"I notice you're focusing on that, and not me calling out that it's Dumbledore's fault those beasts are here, Professor." Jack said smiling as he packed up his homework.

"Hey butter-beer I love that stuff!" Harry said unthinking as he saw the bottles, making Lupin raise a curious eyebrow at him.

"Oh err, Jack, Ron and Hermione brought some back last time there was a Hogsmeade weekend." Harry lied quickly.

"I see," Lupin said in a slight 'I don't quite believe that' voice. "Well then – Let's have a small toast to the winner of the Gryffindor – Ravenclaw match, whoever it may be."

"Why it's going to Ravenclaw of course, Professor," Elisa said smiling "Roger Davis has concocted a very good team this year."

"Excuse me, but Gryffindor has had the best team it has had in years – Oliver Wood said so." Jack said, pausing in drinking his bottle "So I think Gryffindor will win."

"Now now you two, save it for the match," Annie said, bouncing with glee, or maybe it was the effects of the butter-beer.

Nodding and having a temporary truce, Jack and Elisa settled down to enjoy their bottles of the foamy gingery drink.

They were all in silence for a few minutes before Harry asked:

"What's under a Dementor's hood?"

Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... well, the only people who really know are in no fit state to tell us. You see, a Dementor only lowers its hood to use its last and worse weapon."

"What is it?" Annie asked, feeling a bit scared.

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss."

"A kiss is their worst weapon?" Jack asked, sounding confused.

"Hey, you have not had a kiss from our Great Aunt Julie," Elisa said, shivering a little. "Her kisses are the worst."

"Yes well I'm afraid these kisses are far, far more worse than that," Lupin said, cutting the argument off there. "You see, it's what Dementors do to those they wish to utterly destroy. I suppose there has to be some mouth under there, because they clap their jaws over the mouth of the victim and – and suck out their soul."

At this Jack who was in the middle of taking a sip of his drink, nearly spat it out again.

"Excuse me?!" he asked, looking at the teacher.

"What – they kill?" Harry asked, nearly spitting out his drink.

"Oh no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist if your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no... anything. There's no chance of recovery. You'll just, exist as an empty shell. Your soul lost forever."

At the end of Lupin's explanation, Jack looked out the window at the crescent moon in the sky, wondering if that was what happened to him when he came out of the lake all that time ago.

After all - even though he was a spirit - he was just a shell of himself. No memories, no feeling (although that might be because he was always cold), and his heart and brain were still working when he fell into the lake, so he guessed they had to be when Manny saved him.

He was so busy thinking about it, Jack almost missed Lupin say:

"It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the paper this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementor's permission to perform it if they find him."

"You do know, Professor Lupin, that Black never got a trial for what he supposedly did all those years ago, right?" Jack asked, turning back to the teacher who looked surprised.

"Well of course he did," Lupin said though sounding unsure "Everyone is given a trial to determine how long their stay in Azkaban will be."

"But sir," Elisa said speaking up "By the time Black was brought in, it was around the end of the war, loads of bad wizards were coming in, and going by his family history and the fact that you wizards are so easy to push around and quick to judge, do you really think he would get one like everyone else supposed did too?"

There was a moment of silence which Harry broke by saying: "He'd deserve it."

"Do you think so?" Lupin asked turning to Harry and ignoring Jack and Elisa. "Do you truly believe that anybody is worth of such a fate?"

"Yes. For - for some things " Harry said firmly before taking another swig from his bottle and looking away from them.

Checking the time, and looking for a change of subject, Jack suggested that they all went to bed.

Agreeing on that, the students finished their drinks and left the classroom, Annie going on to Baby Tooth about what she thinks her Patronus will be, when she finally manages to do it, Elisa beside her pretending to listen like the big sister she was, and Jack and Harry walking in silence, too busy lost in thought to talk.

Both boys were so lost in thought, they weren't paying attention to where they were going, and soon accidentally bumped into Professor McGonagall.

"Do watch where you are going, Potter and Frost," she said, a little annoyed.

"Sorry Professor." they say together, before noticing that she was carrying a Firebolt broomstick in her hands.

"I've just been looking for you, Potter in the Gryffindor common room."

"We were all with Professor Lupin in the History of Magic classroom," Elisa explained, remembering last Halloween, as she, Annie and Baby Tooth came up to the others, Baby nodding her head to confirm it.

"Yes, well. Here you are Potter," Professor McGonagall said, holding out the broom for him to take.

"I can have it back? Seriously?" He asked checking to be sure and pulling out the written down number of his broom, which he had been carrying around with him since it was taken away, checking to see if they matched.

"Seriously. I daresay you need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match. And just so you know Mr Frost, it is the same one I took from Potter on Christmas Day," she said a small smirk of pride on her lips as she pointed out the numbers on the handle bar.

Wanting to be sure, Jack did a quick Disillusion spell, but no, the numbers were the same.

"Yes Professor," Jack said, sighing a little.

"Oh and Potter," Professor McGonagall said as she was turning away "Seeing as you are the main Seeker for our team: Do try to win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night…"

With that she turned and left the students there.

"Well I need to get back to my own common room," Elisa said, eyeing the broom in Harry's hands.

"Ok, night sis," Annie said, smiling.

Once she left, the Gryffindor's and Baby Tooth continued to the common room, barely getting around the corner when they bump into Ron, who Jack guessed, had been following their teacher.

"She gave it back to you," he said beaming, "Listen, can I still have a go on it?"

"Yeah anything," Harry said smiling. "You know, we should really make up with Hermione. She was only trying to help after all."

"Yeah I guess…" Ron said in his mopey voice "She's in the common room now - working, for a change."

"Elisa seemed pretty keen on leaving," Jack pointed out, looking to Annie for answers.

"Oh that's because she needed to tell everyone that Harry has his Firebolt back" Annie said smiling.

"They're all going to find out in the morning, so why bother?" Ron asked, confused at this and annoyed he didn't understand why Elisa cared so much about it.

They all turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance.

"But I wrote them down," Neville was saying tearfully "I must have dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale!" roared Sir Cadogan.

"Actually Sir, it is," Jack spoke up making both boy and portrait turn to him "If this fine Gryffindor here did write the passwords as I witnessed him do only the other day - which in my opinion is not that smart a move Nev - then they could have been dropped or stolen, anywhere and/or by anyone." Jack said placing a hand on Neville's shoulder comfortingly "Mayhaps, if you didn't make your passwords so confusing and, I don't know, stick to one password all together, our good, fellow lion here would not be in this position. Hmmm?"

There was a moment of silence as Sir Cadogan thought on this.

"But a single simple password will be easier to decipher, good sir," he said to Jack, pulling out his sword "And it is my duty as substitute Guardian of Gryffindor Tower to make sure none but students of Gryffindor's choosing be allowed in. And for that they need the password!" He said this last point to Neville, pointing his sword at him.

"Actually, Sir Cadogan, I agree with the young man," a portrait over to the side of an old man in mediaeval clothes of red and deep blue, in a Wizard's Workshop said, getting all of their attention. "Simple passwords are harder to work out for, being so simple, no one thinks they are the word or words that are chosen. Secondly, no offense to you young man," he said this, looking to Neville. "But if he can get into the Tower on his first few tries rather than be left out here for hours fighting with you over if he is a Gryffindor or not, then maybe I can get some work done."

"Um, thank you Sir," Neville said, unsure how to feel about this portrait's words on the matter.

"Very well," the knight said, putting his sword away. "I shall make a new password, and it shall be a simple one this time. But I shall not put it into action until Monday morning."

"Of course Sir, after all it needs to be a good one, one simple that it can be remembered by everyone, including Neville here," Jack said smiling as he said this "But not too simple that just anybody can work it out and gain entry. Right?" he asked, looking to his friends for back up.

"Oh yes," "Definitely," "Sure."

"Right then." The knight said as he started to pace to think of a new password.

"Sir Cadogan, have you forgotten something?" The other portrait said in a parenting way.

"What? Oh, yes of course. Password?" He asked the students.

"Oddsbodikins" everyone but Neville said.

At that Sir Cadogan swung forward to let them in.

"Thank you…" Neville said in a small whisper to the stranger as they went in.

Once they were, everyone looked up and quickly came to see Harry and his Firebolt.

"Where did you get it Harry?"

"Will you let me have a go?"

"Have you ridden it yet Harry?"

"Ravenclaw'll have no chance now, they're all on Clean Sweep Sevens!"

"Can I just hold it Harry?"

While everyone was fussing over a piece of wood, Jack looked around and saw Hermione and made his way over to her.

When she didn't look up he said:

"Frost to Brownie Locks. Come in Brownie Locks…"

"Huh? Oh hello Jack," she said looking up and making some room for him.

As he sat down Crookshanks came over to sit in his lap.

"So, how's the case for Buckbeak's trial coming on?" Jack asked looking for her half of notes through the rest the notes and books surrounding her, and pulling out some of his notes from his bag.

"Oh, um I haven't gotten back to them yet," Hermione said, looking for them herself.

"Hermione, don't you think you're doing just a bit much?" Jack asked, in a serious voice. "You may be a star in everything you are doing, but sooner or later you're going to burn out."

"I'll be fine, Jack. Here they are!" she said, handing over her notes.

Rolling his eyes, Jack took them and looked them over compared to his, just as Harry and Ron came over with the broomstick.

"I got it back," Harry said, smiling and holding up the broom.

"See Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it." said Ron.

"Well - there might have been!" said Hermione trying to get them to understand why she did what she did. "I mean at least you know now that it's safe."

"I suppose," Harry agreed. "Well better get this upstairs -"

"I'll take it!" Ron said eagerly. "I need to give Scabbers his Rat Tonic."

Jack scoffed under his breath at this, but said nothing, hoping the medicine tastes horrible.

Taking the broomstick as if it were made of glass, Ron made his way up to the dormitories.

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at Harry when he asked if he could sit down too.

"I suppose," Hermione said, making more room.

Harry looked at all of Hermione's homework including a Muggle Studies essay ('Explain why Muggles Need Electricity') and at the Rune translation Hermione was now pouring over.

Jack was also looking at it and gave a small unsure noise.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking to Jack.

"Well, and I'm sure it's not meant to, but this says 'Those who live alongside nature, shall be gifted by those who protest it'." Jack read out pointing out the mistake.

"What?! No it doesn't!" Hermione said, snatching it back and looking for her hand-made Rune to English dictionary.

"How are you getting through all this stuff, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"What? Oh, you know, working hard and all that." she replied, looking like Lupin as she did.

"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked.

"Hah, yeah see, that's exactly what I said, kinda," Jack said smiling and petting the ginger cat in his lap.

"Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated looking number chart.

"Oh, no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione smiling "It's my favourite subject! It's -"

But what exactly made it so wonderful the boys never found out for at that moment, a noise which sounded like someone trying to scream whilst being strangled carried down the boy's staircase, making everyone turn to it.

Quickly footsteps could be heard running down them, as the cries rang out again, and into the common room came Ron, dragging a set of bed sheets behind him, running straight towards Hermione who he then shoved the sheet into her face.

"LOOK!" he bellowed. "LOOK!"

"Ron what?" Hermione said confused.

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

Before anymore was said Jack was up from his seat (after setting Crookshanks down of course) and pulling back sent a fist straight to Ron's face making the red-faced red-head to fall back crying in pain as he nursed a bleeding nose.

"Have you parent's not taught you ANY manners Ronald Weasley?" Jack asked sternly, his fists still clenched, standing between the youngest male Weasley and Hermione. "I would have thought even YOU would know that what you just displayed, in front of everyone here, is not something ANYONE - especially a Pure-Blooded young wizard - should display anywhere!"

"But- But Scabbers," Ron said, still on the floor and holding the bed sheet.

"Is a RAT really so important to you, that you forget all known manners you have, however low that number may be?" Jack asked, glaring down at him, his arms crossed with Baby Tooth next to him copying him.

There were nodding's coming from those in the room with them, and almost all of the girls looking disgusted at the Weasley boy.

"But, but look, there's blood on my bed sheets!" Ron said, still trying to be heard and show he was the victim here, slowly getting up and looking over Jack's shoulder to Hermione. "Scabbers is gone! And you know what was on the floor?!" he asked switching from Hermione and Jack.

"N-No?" Hermione said in a trembling voice, hugging her cat.

Ron held out his other hand and threw down a clutch of several long ginger cat hairs.

"That beast has had it out for Scabbers since the beginning, and now he's gone and eaten him!"

"That's no excuse for you and your lack of manners Ron!" Percy's voice called out from where he was, as he now came over to his brother. "Apologize right now!"

"What?!"

"Apologise or I'm writing home to Mum!" Percy said firmly, not caring that the rat that he had first, had possibly just been eaten.

Glaring at his older brother, then at Jack who had stepped aside to let Hermione to see them, he said to her "Sorry."

It was not a true apology, more of a 'I will say this only to get the one making me say it to back off' one.

But it was getting late, and everyone was getting tired so it was accepted and with that slowly everyone started to go up to bed.

Soon it was just Jack, Hermione, and Crookshanks left.

"You ok Brownie?" Jack asked carefully.

"I'm fine," Hermione asked, rubbing at her eyes a little, and fiddling with the collar of her shirt a bit.

"Are you sur-"

"I said I'm fine Jack!" Hermione said firmly looking up at him "Thank you for standing up for me and all that, but I am fine. So goodnight."

With that she gathered everything up and went up the girls staircase to her room.

Sighing Jack then looked down at the cat.

"You didn't eat him, did you?" he asked to which he got the answer of a shake of the head and a disgusted look on Crookshanks' face.

"Do you think Sirius should be told about this?" he asked not bothering to ask if Crookshanks knew where the rat had run off to.

But all he got was a shrug.

Sighing Jack tried to see the goodness of this.

Because now, Wormtail was out of the dorms - meaning he was away from Harry. But they didn't know where was, meaning he could run off to go and find his master and they wouldn't even know he was doing it.

Giving a mix of a sigh and a yawn, Jack looked at the clock over the fireplace.

It was getting early (which meant it was getting late) so, after giving the common room a quick check to see if the vermin wasn't still there, Jack slowly went up to bed.