Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? I was hoping to get this chapter out a little earlier but uhhh, life and my motivation had other plans for me. Anyways, here is the next chapter. Here we finally start to ramp up a bit in terms of the plot since we've now gotten to the infamous Slug Incident of the book. Of course, some elements will be different from how they are in the books/films and I hope you guys enjoy the changes that I've made. Enjoy!

Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.

Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.

Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.

Chapter 5: Slugs and Mudbloods

XXXXXX

A few weeks passed after the incident in the library and Seth's investigation of the book. Since then, he'd been corresponding with the notebook more frequently than he originally thought he would. There was just something about being able to talk, or write in this case, to someone who would listen and understand without asking a million questions or be skeptical or critical or what have you that gave him a sense of solace that was much needed to calm his inner turmoil. This was especially the case when he was finally persuaded into revealing the cause of that turmoil.

You know Seth, I feel as if you have been hiding something from me.

Seth looked down at the words in surprise and wrote back.

Why do you think that? I already told you all about my magic sensing right?

You did but I am not referring to that but rather, the reason why I sense strong feelings of anger and insecurity whenever you write about your family.

You can tell how I'm feeling by how I write?!

Of course. Whenever you are excited, your words tend to tilt and almost blur together as if you cannot wait to get your words down on the page. Whenever you are angry, your words tend to bleed ink from how hard you press your muggle writing utensil on the page. And when you are insecure, your letters are a little large and a bit shaky, as if you are struggling to even write down what causes you such inner turmoil.

Seth blinked, taken aback by the large block of text and also how comprehensively the notebook was able to break down his feelings just based on his writing.

Well damn. That's…not something I ever noticed before.

Not many do until it is pointed out. Please remember that I am here to offer you a safe space in which you can release your deepest inner thoughts upon my page without judgment or concern. It will also certainly help you feel better if you wrote them down as well.

Seth hesitantly tapped the page with his pen before writing his response.

I guess…

Well then?

He sighed and gave in like he always does.

Alright, so last year some shit happened and I ended up encountering this magic artifact called the Mirror of Erised. It's this magic mirror that's supposed to show you your true desires. I did hear from other sources that it's magic isn't perfect and it just shows you what it believes you think you want and not what your heart actually does. I'm pretty sure I was told that just so I wouldn't let what I saw in the mirror make me go into some spiral but…

But you fear that what your mind and heart want are one and the same correct? Especially when considering the altercation you had with your family before coming back to Hogwarts.

Correctamundo.

Pardon?

Means you're right.

Ah. American slang again?

Nah. Just an excuse to butcher the English language.

…

Seth snickered. If the notebook had a face, it would totally be giving him a deadpan expression right now.

Anyways, where was I?

You were speaking of your fears regarding the Mirrod of Erised and your conflict with your family.

Oh right…

May I ask why are you so reluctant to share what you saw in the mirror? Surely it was not as bad as you believe it to be.

I'll have to respectfully disagree with you there.

And why is that?

Cause it was bad alright! End of story! Period!

Seth…

He scowled at the notebook and petulantly wrote back.

Tom…

Do not try to play that game with me. You know you will lose.

Damn. There goes my distraction plan.

Seth.

The ink faded to allow him a moment before words appeared again.

You know you need not fear any judgment from me. Whatever has shaken you so, perhaps I can help in assuaging your concern? I have been helpful in that regard so far haven't I?

Seth reluctantly agreed.

Well…yeah…

Then please share what you saw in the mirror and how it connects to your family conflict so I may help put your fears to rest once and for all.

Okay then. What I saw in the mirror…it was myself but not really. I was…older, probably mid 20s, and I could tell I was more powerful too. But there was a strange glint in my eyes like the kind you see in serial killers or psychopaths and there were these dark hazy shadow like figures that hung around my feet.

Could you make out what those figures were?

Yeah, after looking for a little longer…

And?

Those shadows…they were my family and friends but not like I know them. They were…kneeling and bowing to me, like I was some sort of god but the look in their eyes wasn't of reverence…it was of fear. They were scared…of me. The deepest desire the mirror showed me was an older version of myself who was so powerful I stood over my family literally and metaphorically and they feared me for it…

I see. And how does that tie in with the conflict with your family?

Seth briefly hesitated but decided he was already in for a penny so he might as well be in for a pound. Of course, he was going to omit details since he didn't feel like explaining the whole deal about Fablehaven and Shadow Charmers and Fairykind and such to a notebook. Not yet at least.

I found out that they hid some very important information from me. It involved my sister and this life changing decision she was going to make on her birthday this year, which already passed now that I think about it. Damn, and they didn't even bother sending me a letter but then again, it's not like I sent one first cause I was just that mad at her. Anyways, at first, I was upset that they tried to hide that from me but then I got really angry when they tried to ban me from being able to make the same decision simply because of the type of magic I wielded which is dark inclined by the way. My sister, the one I've trusted to have my back in more dangerous situations than I can count, the one who's been through hell and high water with me when we were younger, the one who's been blessed by sunshine and fairies and the light inclined, said to my face that I couldn't be trusted because of that magic and that I never will be no matter how much I prove otherwise.

After that passionate rant, Seth felt emotionally drained as he watched his bitter and frustrated words slowly fade into the page. An awkward silence ensued as the notebook tried to parse out the best response for the sudden emotional info dump.

I…have no words. Initially of course. There is certainly a lot to unpack here.

Seth chuckled sardonically.

Yeah, no kidding.

And we will certainly do so, especially since I am curious about what sort of magic could prevent you from being trusted by your family. But first, I would like to say that I am sorry that your family fed into the irrational fear that you were made aware of by the Mirror of Erised.

Irrational fear huh? My family made it seem perfectly rational and I kinda get where they're coming from considering people with that kind of dark inclined magic aren't typically on the right side of history.

But you are not that kind of person are you? Why must the bias of others be a burden you carry? But then again, that is just the bias of those blinded by the light is it not? For even the darkness can offer salvation to those who need it. Light and dark, they are two sides of the same coin. They are needed to balance each other. It is only those who carry ill intent which breaks that balance and it is unfortunate that such people are usually inclined towards the darkness.

Seth sniffed tearfully, suddenly emotional from the support a notebook of all things was giving him. He smiled down at Tom's reassuring words, already feeling better.

Thanks Tom. You always seem to know what to say.

Well that is my purpose is it now? Now you should rest for the night. Heavy conversation must be sparsed out over a lengthy stretch of time to allow for an easier time to come to terms with the subject matter being discussed.

Roger that, my good notebook. Have a good night, Tom, and thanks again.

You are very welcome, Seth. Good night.

Seth closed the notebook and had to admit that Tom was a very smooth talker. The notebook had a way of making him feel reassured and safe in revealing such personal things. He also noticed how it's magic kept trying to latch onto his soul. He was very amused by its lackluster attempts that were easy for him to bat off. It was a good way for him to stretch out his Shadow Charmer limbs and practice his abilities.

Quietly, he thought it was also a way for him to prove to his family that he wasn't a danger because of his abilities. If anything, being a Shadow Charmer made it easier for him to fight off the influences of the dark inclined. Like how he was able to trick those wraiths into helping him without completely freeing them or giving into their influence and selling his soul in the process.

(Conveniently forgetting (or perhaps being shielded from by an outside source) the fear he felt the first time he interacted with those dreadful shadows and the work he had to put in to keep a clear boundary between him and the beings that lurked in the dark.)

He did end up asking Tom about it one day during one of their 'therapy sessions' though.

Hey Tom.

Yes Seth?

I've noticed recently how it seems like some of the magic of the notebook is trying to latch onto my soul like it's trying to possess me or use me as an energy source or whatever else it could do with that connection. Why is that?

Ah that. That would be the unfortunate side effect of the dark magic used to create me.

Huh. I thought as much. Is it something I should be worried about?

No. Your magic seems to be pretty strong and holds up well against the notebook's magic. Besides, the magic is also very weak and specific so even if it succeeded in latching onto your soul, there would be no ill effects towards you. It would also be a simple matter to sever the connection, again, because your magic seems to be too strong for anything to happen.

Cool beans. Thanks for the info.

Of course. Now let us move on in our conversation and cover why you shouldn't let your family's fears influence your decisions.

Seth happily complied, satisfied by the answer he'd been given. (Or maybe he was made to feel that way so he wouldn't press further.) He'd also preened at Tom's compliments about his magic, something his own family did on rare occasions and only if it aided them in some way, and trusted Tom enough to take it at face value that he didn't even question how Tom knew the strength of his magic in the first place.

He also noticed how he'd been more fatigued lately, getting tired sooner in the day. But he just brushed it off as a bout of depression from all that happened since the summer that would go away soon enough.

Others had noticed his change in behavior, especially those in the Gryffindor dormitory, and voiced their concerns. But he assured them it was nothing to worry about, just some seasonal depression.

"But isn't that like a winter thing?" Dean had asked.

Seth waved him off. "I'm American. The usual rules don't apply."

"If you say so. Wanna play a game of exploding snap?"

In addition, his relationship with Hermione had unfortunately taken a sour turn with Harry and Ron refusing to take sides, at first. But they soon ended up siding with Seth after Ron made an offhand comment about Lockhart that had Hermione jumping down his throat like he'd offended her family instead of insulting a grown man's hairstyle.

I dunno what to do. She's never acted like this before. Hell, even my sister's never acted like this whenever she got celebrity crushes. This is like infatuation on another level.

Your friend Hermione, she seems to have been rather sheltered or, at the very least, had her head buried in books more often than she has interacted with other people. Rest assured, she will move on eventually.

You sure?

Of course. But do not take my word for it. Those of the female gender are very mysterious creatures after all.

Haha. True that.

Indeed :D

Seth paused as he watched the ink slowly fade away, amused that Tom was beginning to pick up the nuances of emojis so that it'd be easier for him to understand the tone of voice it wished to use.

Truly, Tom was the only one who ever tried to understand and even listen to him. It was nice to have something like the notebook on hand he thought as he mindlessly batted away its nth attempt to latch onto his soul.

XXXXXX

Seth was startled awake when Harry let out a shout of surprise. He blearily blinked as he sat up in his bed where pens, papers, and books were scattered around haphazardly on its surface. The notebook lay open beside his pillow.

He sluggishly opened his curtains to see what happened and caught a glimpse out the nearby window where he could see a thin mist hanging across a dark sky with the colors of dawn just barely starting to appear.

Others in the dorm were also startled awake and opening their curtains, disgruntled since they didn't expect to be awoken so early on a Saturday morning. They were ready to rip into whoever woke them but could only pause when they saw Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, brightly grinning down at Harry who'd fallen onto the floor most likely because the mad lad had pulled the poor boy out of his bed, literally.

Seamus blinked once, twice. "It's too early in the morning to be dealing with whatever this is," he declared before closing his curtains.

Dean nodded and closed his curtains too.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Neville asked.

Harry groaned. "I'm fine. You should go back to sleep, Neville."

Neville hesitantly nodded before closing his curtains as well.

Ron blinked, slightly more coherent than the rest, and asked with words slurring from sleepiness, "Whateryou doin here, Wood? Don you know what timeisit?"

Seth nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's the ass crack of dawn."

"Exactly!" Oliver said cheerfully with eyes gleaming from crazed enthusiasm, "It's a part of our new training program. Come on Harry! Grab your broom and let's go! None of the other teams have started training yet. We're going to be first off the mark this year."

Ron and Seth looked at Oliver as if the teen was a few cans short of a full pack. Harry could only sluggishly go along with whatever madness Oliver was asking for. He tried to find his Quidditch robes while yawning and shivering from the early morning cold.

"Good man!" Oliver complimented, thumping Harry proudly on the back and making him drop back onto the floor with a groan, "Meet on the field in fifteen minutes."

Harry sighed as Oliver left. Then he turned to the others and waved off their concern. "You two should go back to bed."

"Alright then," Ron easily agreed, eager to go back to sleep, "You need anything later?"

Harry was about to say no when he paused to actually think with his sleep-fogged brain. "Maybe some toast? I have a feeling this morning is going to be a long one."

"Alright," Seth nodded, "With butter and raspberry jam, yeah?"

Harry nodded and smiled in thanks. "That'd be great."

Then he quickly finished changing and left, leaving Ron and Seth to go back to sleep the few remaining hours until it was a reasonable time in the morning.

XXXXXX

Seth opened his eyes, feeling as if he'd only slept for a few minutes when it had really been a couple hours. He sat up with a yawn and back cracking stretch before opening his curtains.

"Finally," Ron said from where he sat on his bed, all dressed and ready to go, "I thought I'd have to wake you up myself if you took any longer."

"Who are you and what have you done to Ron you Hermione rip off?" Seth jokingly asked.

Ron scowled. "Oi! Can't a bloke wake up one of his best mates and make sure he gets breakfast at a decent hour?"

Seth raised a questioning eyebrow in response as he rifled through his trunk for clean clothes.

"You've been looking pretty tired these past few days," Ron continued, "Even with your whole spat with Hermione, she's worried about you and wants to make sure you're okay."

Seth scoffed in disbelief. "Then why doesn't she tell me that herself?"

To Ron's credit, he remained unfazed as he answered, "She will when we go meet up with Harry at the Quidditch pitch. They should be done with practice by now given how early they started, yeah?"

Seth was taken aback. "Wait what? You managed to convince Hermione, the same Hermione who almost hexed you last week for making fun of Lockhart's hair of all things Hermione, to hang out with us?"

Ron nodded.

"How?!"

Ron shrugged. "Wasn't too hard. I guess she felt bad about how she acted even if she didn't say as much and agreed to come when I asked earlier this morning."

"Huh…" Seth looked at Ron with such intensity that it made the red head fidget nervously.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." Then he mumbled under his breath, "Next few years are definitely gonna be an absolute nightmare once we hit puberty."

"Did you say something?" Ron asked.

Seth smiled innocently at him. "Don't worry about it."

Ron eyed him suspiciously. "Sure. Anyways, hurry up and change before breakfast's over."

"Alright, alright. Hold your horses."

Seth quickly changed into casual wear and followed Ron down to the Great Hall where they met up with Hermione and shared a silent, tension filled breakfast together. Soon, the trio made their way to the Quidditch stadium, with toast buttered and jammed just for Harry, only to start in surprise when they saw the Gryffindor Quidditch team exiting the locker rooms still in their uniforms and clutching their brooms.

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron asked as they approached the team.

"Haven't even started," Harry grumbled petulantly as he graciously accepted the toast from Seth, "Wood's been teaching us new moves since dawn."

Eventually, the team began practice while Ron, Hermione, and Seth settled in the stands to watch. Ron sat awkwardly in between Hermione and Seth who both refused to look at or speak to one another. The red head didn't even bother trying to do anything to fix the situation, already keenly aware that he'd get caught in the crossfire with a sixth sense only younger siblings could obtain.

However, the three spectators' attention would soon turn to the twins as they pointed something out on the field below. The three followed where the twins pointed and saw the Slytherin Quidditch team arriving on the pitch. The Gryffindor team immediately flew down to confront them.

Ron, Hermione, and Seth exchanged confused and wary glances before leaving the stands for the pitch. The closer the trio got, the more they could see the many sour and angry faces on both teams with the majority in Gryffindor as the Slytherins also had quite a few smug expressions as they held shiny new brooms in their hands.

"What's happening? Why aren't you all playing and why are they here? Why is Malfoy here?" Ron grumpily asked. He was looking at Draco in his brand new Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin seeker, Weasley," Draco said with a particularly sour look on his face.

"And Mr. Malfoy so graciously sent us all the new Nimbus 2001 brooms as a 'congratulations' for his son making the team," Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin team, added with a disgruntled expression.

Ron and Hermione gaped in shock at the blatant bribery though the Gryffindor team seemed equally shocked. Even though it was almost an open secret that there had been many Slytherin players who bought their way in considering how the quality of the team seemed to drastically change each year, they also noted how Flint, Draco, and one of the beaters, Peregrine Derrick, seemed bothered by the fact. Meanwhile, Miles Bletchley was sporting an impressive poker face and the rest of the Slytherins, Lucian Bole, Graham Montague, and Adrian Pucey, were grinning smugly.

"Good, aren't they?" Pucey arrogantly said, "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms too."

Montague guffawed. "You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives. I expect a museum will bid good money for them."

The three smug Slytherins laughed with Flint and Peregrine joining in with their Oscar award winning performances. Bletchley maintained his poker face while Draco scowled.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione sharply retorted, "They got in because they had the skills and talent to deserve their position."

Draco's scowl deepened at her words and Seth was reminded of how passionate the other was about Quidditch and that he was of the mindset that one had to earn their place rather than buy it since that proved you deserved the position and wouldn't be able to have it taken from you on a technicality or for some petty reason.

Bole turned red faced and viciously spat out, "No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little mudblood!"

At once, Seth had a feeling that Bole said something akin to a slur because there was an instant uproar. Flint and Peregrine dove in front of Bole to stop the twins from jumping him. Montague and Pucey threw out taunts that almost had Oliver come over swinging and made Alicia shriek in outrage, looking like she was going to claw their faces off if Angelica hadn't been holding them both back with strained effort. Hermione was shaken by the whole affair with Harry confused and Draco looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

Ron looked thunderous and plunged his hand into his robes, pulling out his wand. "You'll pay for that one, you snake!" He pointed his wand at Bole's face before anyone could react.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of yellow green light shot out of the wrong end of his wand, hitting him in the face and sending him reeling backward onto the grass. Immediately, all the fighting stopped as they looked to the groaning redhead.

"Ron! Are you alright?" Hermione rushed over to him in concern.

Ron opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead he gagged and suddenly vomited several slugs out his mouth and onto the grassy pitch beneath.

The reactions from the Slytherin team were varied. Pucey, Montague, and Bole fell howling to the ground in laughter. Draco looked like he wanted the heavens to strike him where he stood as an act of mercy. Peregrine shook his head at the absurdity of the situation while Bletchley still held his poker face.

Seth caught Flint and Oliver exchanging exasperated glances. They looked like two tired Quidditch captains who just wanted to play Quidditch and not deal with all the bullshit schoolyard antics that prevented them from doing so.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Gryffindor team gathered around and comforted Ron while making sure to keep a careful distance of the slug splash zone. The twins, however, had a manic twinkle in their eyes that just spelled trouble.

After a particularly hard release of slugs from Ron that left him looking especially pale, Harry quickly stepped in to support his friend.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's for help. There's no way he'll make it to Madam Pomfrey without there being trouble."

Hermione and Seth nodded in agreement to his suggestion and rushed over to help get Ron off the ground. Harry and Seth supported Ron by the arms and the quartet double-timed it to Hagrid's, leaving the two teams behind to hash out whatever conflict remained.

XXXXXX

"Nearly there," Harry said the quartet hightailed it across the grounds and saw Hagrid's hut come into view, "You'll be alright in a bit, we're almost there."

Just as they stepped into the vicinity of Hagrid's pumpkin patch, the front door opened to reveal Lockhart, who was wearing robes that were the palest shade of mauve and came striding out with his head turned back towards the inside.

"Quick! Hide!" Harry hissed at the others, not wanting to deal with the professor on top of everything else that already happened this morning.

He guided them all to hide behind the largest pumpkin in the patch. Seth had to grab Hermione's arm and drag her along when she stood rooted in place.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing. If you need any help you know where I am. In fact, I'll give you a copy of all my books! I'm surprised you haven't already got any one of them. I'll even sign them for you and send them over tonight!" Lockhart rambled on obnoxiously.

Hagrid grunted as he stepped out into view at the doorway.

Lockhart smiled brilliantly at him, oblivious to the half giant's irritation. "Goodbye then! And make sure to keep an eye out for my owl!"

Hagrid slammed the door in Lockhart's face but the man didn't seem bothered by it. He walked away with a cheery hum but stopped by the patch to admire the enormous size of the pumpkins.

Lockhart hummed thoughtfully. "These pumpkins have truly grown to positively wondrous proportions while maintaining a healthy color. An engorgio spell couldn't be the only thing used. I'll have to speak with our dear Gameskeeper again and find out the secret behind them before All Hallow's Eve."

The way he spoke about getting Hagrid's pumpkin growing secrets seemed off to Seth but he was distracted from his thoughts when he saw Hermione about to call out to the professor and quickly put his hand over her mouth. She glared at him and he glared back. The quartet waited with nervous patience, though Hermione fidgeted impatiently and would've given them away if Seth hadn't had an iron clad hold on her, until Lockhart was out of sight.

They then made their way to Hagrid's door and knocked urgently. The door swung open revealing a grumpy Hagrid whose expression immediately brightened when he saw who was actually standing there.

"Bin wonderin when you'd come ter see me! Come in, come in," Hagrid cheerfully said, "Thought you'd mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again."

Seth grinned. "Sorry to disappoint. As you can see, pastels aren't my color and I'm not vain enough to love the sound of my voice and go peacocking around."

Hermione frowned deeply at the dig while Hagrid and Harry guffawed. Ron's attempt to laugh ended in a torrent of slugs being released in front of Hagrid's door.

Hagrid startled at the sudden appearance of slugs. "Guess this wasn a social call, eh?"

Harry smiled apologetically at the half giant. "Sorry Hagrid."

Hagrid sighed and waved them all in. "Alrigh, alrigh. Ya better come in."

Harry and Seth helped support Ron over the threshold and into the hut. They set him down on a chair by the fireplace while Hagrid grabbed a large bucket and plunked it in front of the queasy redhead.

"Better out than in Ron, so get em all up!" Hagrid cheerfully said.

He then bustled around, making them tea while Fang slobbered over Harry who happily scratched behind the boarhound's ears.

Hermione anxiously watched Ron in concern as he bent over the bucket. "I don't think there's anything we can do except wait for it to stop long enough to take him to Madam Pomfrey. The curse he used is difficult at the best of times but with a broken wand…ohhh, I hope you'll feel better soon, Ron."

Seth snorted derisively. "Oh so now you're concerned about our well-being."

Hermione looked at him sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well I'm not the one who almost cursed their friend just because of an offhand remark about your 'precious Professor Lockhart'," he sarcastically stated.

She turned red and scowled. "Well at least I have some amount of respect for the one in charge of our education in defense against the dark arts."

"More like an amount of infatuation," he sneered cruelly at her, "Tell me, how many times have you written 'Lockhart x Hermione' in your notebook while mooning over that narcissistic peacock during class?"

Hermione flushed an even deeper shade of red and put her hand in her sleeve to presumably pull out her wand to hex him.

"That's enough!" Hagrid roared.

Everyone was startled by the half giant's intervention.

"There's no need ter be mean ter yer friend, Seth," Hagrid gently scolded, "If she likes Lockhart, she likes Lockhart."

Seth frowned and looked away while Hermione smirked smugly at him.

"And Hermione," Hagrid turned to her, making her jump at the sudden attention, "Ya shouldn be so quick with yer temper. You canno go cursin yer friends just cause yer don like what they're sayin."

"I do not have a temper," Hermione protested.

"You do actually," Harry tentatively interjected, "It's become a nightmare talking with you. You always manage to steer the conversation to Lockhart and whenever we try to get you to stop, you snap at or threaten to curse us."

Ron lifted his head up long enough to jerk his chin pointedly at her. "Look, you've already got your hand up your sleeve."

"No, I don't!" Hermione vehemently denied.

Everyone looked at her flatly.

She immediately flushed with guilt when she realized that her hand was indeed grasping her wand inside her sleeve. She quickly pulled her hand away.

"Now I don like ta see yer friendship fallin apart just cause of something so silly so apologize ter each other and mean it," Hagrid said. "Then maybe Draco will stop complainin bout how mopey you've been, Seth," he added as an after thought.

The quartet looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean by that Hagrid?" Harry asked curiously.

"Mean exactly that," Hagrid responded, "Draco's been stoppin by me hut every so often. Always great talkin to him since he seems ter always know what's goin on among the students, specially you lot."

Ron and Hermione looked utterly baffled by the fact that Draco Malfoy was apparently a notorious gossip.

Seth snorted in amusement. "Ha! Who knew Draco Malfoy of all people would be like a granny at a knitting circle."

Harry nodded along with a chuckle. "Yeah. He really doesn't look like a gossip with that slicked back hair and pretentious attitude of his."

"While I'm glad ya find tha amusin. I still haven heard any apologies from you two," Hagrid interjected, giving pointed looks at Seth and Hermione.

The two in question shrank under his gaze and reluctantly turned to face each other. An awkward silence hung for a bit before both tried to say their apology at the same time and stopped in surprise. Then they both laughed a little at the absurdity of it all.

"I'm really sorry for being so rude and snappy with you, Seth, and for even threatening to curse you over something so petty now that I really think about it," Hermione sincerely said, "Gosh. I don't know what's gotten into me recently but I promise to be a better friend to you and the others."

"And I'm sorry for being so insulting towards you, especially when it comes to Professor Lockhart. I promise to keep my mouth shut about him or at the very least, not say anything so rude," Seth genuinely said, a 'whenever you're around' goes unsaid but was very much implied.

Hermione looked like she wanted to argue but decided it wasn't worth the trouble and graciously accepted his apology with a nod.

Hagrid nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now who wants a cuppa?"

Everyone except Ron accepted a mug of steaming hot tea from Hagrid.

"So what did Lockhart want with you anyways, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

Hagrid frowned. "Tryna give me advice on gettin kelpies outta well, like I don know. An he kept bangin on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

The quartet was surprised by how critical Hagrid was of the Hogwarts Professor considering how he usually sang their praises.

"Isn't that a little unfair?" Hermione asked, somewhat subdued and speaking carefully as if trying to be mindful of her words, "Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-"

Hagrid shook his head, cutting her off. "He was the only man fer the job an I mean the only one. Getting very difficult ter find anyone fer the dark arts job. People aren too keen ter take it on see. They think it's cursed. No one lasted long fer a while now. Speakin of curses…" He jerked his head to Ron. "Who was he tryin ter curse?"

"One of the Slytherin's called Hermione something that must've been bad because it made everyone go wild," Harry answered.

"Yeah. It was kinda insane how one word started a whole fight between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams," Seth added.

Ron lifted his head up and upon Hagrid's questioning gaze, rasped out, "She was called a mudblood," before dropping his head back into the bucket as a fresh wave of slugs appeared.

Hagrid looked absolutely outraged. "They didn!"

Hermione nodded. "They did. But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was meant to be rude but I don't understand why?"

Ron managed to lift his head up with a gasp and said, "It's about the most insulting thing you can be called. Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who's muggle born. There are some wizards, specially Slytherins, who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure blood."

Hagrid nodded solemnly. "Buncha nonsense if yer ask me."

"Right? I mean a bunch of us know it doesn't make any difference at all," Ron said, "Look at Neville. He's a pure blood but he can barely make a potion without it blowing up in his face." He paused to vomit slugs again.

But the three muggle raised wizards and witch still didn't see what the problem was though Harry could kind of see why 'mudblood' would be used as an insult.

"But I still don't quite understand how that's meant to be insulting?" Hermione said, still very confused.

Ron looked at her strangely for her continued confusion. "Cause it's a disgusting thing to call someone. It means dirty blood see, common blood, which is ridiculous by the way. Most wizards these days are half blood. If we hadn't married muggles we would've died out long ago." He retched and ducked back into the bucket.

"But I'm still confused," Hermione said, now starting to look a little peeved, "How is being called a mudblood an insult? How does mudblood even translate to dirty blood? I've read loads of books about various muggle cultures around the world and in many of them, it's believed that we came from the earth so being called mudblood would just be a weird way to call a person a person."

Seth nodded along to her train of thought. "Right? That's what I thought. And besides, if you're going to insult someone for having 'common blood' or 'dirty blood,' I'm sorry to say that there are more hurtful and cutting words that have been used. Mudbloods," he scoffed, "Honestly. At least try to be more creative if you're going to insult a sizable portion of the wizarding demographic."

Hermione and Harry chuckled in amusement while Ron lifted his head up long enough to look at them as if they'd all gone mad. Hagrid shook his head, surprised yet proud of how strong the kids before him were.

"Well either way, I don blame yeh fer tryin ter curse him ron, but maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. Spect a bunch of angry parents would've come marchin up ter school if yeh'd cursed their kid. Least yer not in trouble."

"Not yet anyways," Hermione said, "I'm pretty sure the commotion at the pitch would've caught Madam Hooch's attention one way or another."

Seth gave a shit-eating grin to Harry and Ron. "Better prepare your best kicked puppy expressions boys. Maybe if Professor McGonagall sees how pathetic you two look, she'll let you off the hook. Hey, that rhymed!"

Harry and Ron gave Seth a dirty look and went to retort but Ron ducked his head back into the bucket and Harry's mouth was glued shut by one of Hagrid's treacle tarts.

"Alrigh then, enough of that," Hagrid said, standing up from his chair, "Now come and see what I've bin growin."

Harry, Hermione, and Seth finished the last of their tea while Ron struggled to get up while still hugging his bucket of slugs. They all exited the hut and entered the vegetable patch beside it where they were finally able to fully take in the majesty of the dozen of giant pumpkins growing on the patch. The size of the pumpkins was indeed impressive given how they were almost the size of a small boulder and were able to shield the four of them from Lockhart's view.

Seth whistled, impressed. "Damn. What kinda fertilizer have you been using for them?"

Hgrid smiled as if he was saying an inside joke. "I've bin givin them, you know, just a bit of help."

Seth noticed Harry and Hagrid try to subtly glance at a flowery pink umbrella leaning against the wall of the hut. He raised his eyebrow in question but didn't bother to ask about it.

Hermione hummed thoughtfully. "Seems like an engorgement charm. But you've done a good job on them nonetheless."

"That's what yer little sister said," Hagrid nodded to Ron, "Met her just yesterday. Nice lass." He looked sideways to Harry with his beard twitching as if he was holding back laughter. "Said she was just lookin round the grounds but I reckon she was hoping ter run inter a certain someone at my house." He winked at Harry.

Harry blushed in embarrassment. "Oh shut up."

Ron and Seth snorted in laughter though Ron's ended with him accidentally dropping the bucket and spraying slugs everywhere on the ground.

Hagrid quickly pulled Ron away. "Oi! Watch it!"

He grabbed the bucket to scoop up the slugs that were too close to his precious pumpkins. Then shooed the quartet away to get the curse properly handled by Madam Pomfrey.

XXXXXX

It was nearly lunch by the time the quartet made their way back into the castle. Ron was now hiccoughing occasionally which only brought up two very small slugs. Unfortunately, they barely set foot into the entrance hall when a stern voice rang out.

"There you are, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

"Busted," Seth murmured.

Harry and Ron both shot him dirty looks and turned to face the music.

A very disapproving Professor McGonagall towered before them. "I'm sure you both know what it is I'm about to speak to you about."

Harry put on his best miserable kicked puppy expression before he answered, "Yes professor."

But Professor McGonagall, the teaching veteran that she was, refused to be swayed. "Good. You both have detention this evening. Mr. Weasley, you will be polishing silver with Mr. Filch. No magic will be used at all, understood?"

Ron gulped fearfully and nodded.

"And you Mr. Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail."

Harry gaped. "But Professor! Can't I go and do the trophy room too?" He desperately pleaded.

Professor McGonagall at least had a little pity to spare given the look she was giving him. "Unfortunately not. Professor Lockhart was very insistent when he requested you particularly. Eight O'Clock sharp, both of you. And not to worry, the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams will be serving detention as well. Some of them will even be joining you, Mr. Weasley."

She turned to Seth and Hermione. "Only Mr. Sorenson and Ms. Granger will be exempt from punishment as they were merely bystanders who stayed bystanders."

Ron hiccoughed nervously under her hard gaze and a tiny slug managed to fall out of his mouth.

Professor McGonagall was not impressed. "And I would advise you visit Madam Pomfrey posthaste, Mr. Weasley, else your time in detention will be most unpleasant."

Then she walked off leaving Harry and Ron in a state of gloom and doom with Seth shaking his head in sympathy and Hermione offering none considering they did break school rules over something she considered an illogical and childish attempt at schoolyard bullying.

They made a quick pit stop at the infirmary so Madam Pomfrey could fix Ron up, or at the very least ease his symptoms. Madam Pomfrey was not impressed with Ron but at least knew a general spell that could dispel the charm with an ease that either spoke of her great healing capabilities or the amount of time spent dealing with the stupidity of children with magic and no impulse control.

Then the quartet went to the Great Hall though Ron and Harry weren't able to enjoy their meals as much as they'd like. Both boys felt they'd gotten the short end of the stick though Seth and Hermione thought they were being overly dramatic.

"Filch'll have us there all night. There must be over a hundred cups in that room and no magic allowed? Even with others there, it's going to take forever. I'm no good at muggle cleaning," Ron complained.

"I'd swap with you in a heart beat, I've had loads of practice cleaning. But answering Lockhart's fan mail, he'll be a nightmare," Harry said hollowly, looking a man being sent to the gallows.

And just like that, Saturday afternoon melted away and the two boys were sent off to their respective detentions with a sniggered good luck from Seth and Hermione.

And scene! Man, this was a large chapter not gonna lie. I hope you enjoyed all the things I did here. The argument in the library finally has an aftermath reaction here with some Lockhart reveal foreshadowing sprinkled in. I also added some scenes of Seth interacting with Tom, slowly growing more complacent and affected by the diary in ways that aren't too troubling, yet. And I continue my campaign of showing how Slytherins are not all bad because that's just stupid and feels like projection from my point of view. Plus, I always thought mudbloods was the stupidest insult to ever be created like, there was literally nothing better that could work with a PG rating? Seriously?

Anyways, next chapter's gonna come out soon and be a bit shorter since I'm just going to cover the details of the detention and its aftermath. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I'll see y'all in the next one. Until then!