Chapter 07 :
Harry bit his lips in worry. Some older boys from Ravenclaw and Slytherin surrounded him with perfidious smiles. They pretty much blocked every escape paths and the Gryffindor knew he would probably have to fight his way out. Seeing no wand in their hands, he immediately understood what they wanted to do : jeer at him. He had to stop himself from sighing in exasperation. He was used to this kind of behaviour from brats like Malfoy but these were older students, sixth or seventh years even... Surely they would not be so childish, right ? Yes, Harry was sure they weren't going to act like five years old little girls in a schoolyard...
...
He totally caught the « sarcasm virus » from Theodore, didn't he ?
"Harry Potter" sneered the leader of the band, "the famous Golden Boy... Ha ! Or rather Golden Tart, right ?!"
"Er... What... ?" Wondered Harry puzzled.
"Don't deny it, Potter !" Mocked some other boy. "We saw you asking Diggory on a date !"
"Yes... and ?"
"We know you're a faggot !" Answered another again, puffing up in pride.
This time, the young Gryffindor didn't even try to stop his exasperated sigh. They were so puerile...
From a nearby corner, unseen by Harry and his « new friends », Crabbe and Goyle were watching the scene with cold sweat soaking their backs. Behind them, Theodore Nott was scowling. Glaring eyes and mouth distorted in a disgusted sneer, he was writing the names of the young Potter's bullies in his secret notebook with the detailed exactness of a serial killer. Once the identity of the culprits was saved for later retribution, Theodore readied himself to intervene only to stop in the middle of his step, raising a brow in curious interest as a Ravenclaw from a younger year beat him to it.
A tiny girl with dirty-blonde hair, wide eyes of silvery shade and earrings made of real radishes, was indeed swaying on the spot just behind the leader of the group.
"What a big gathering of Nargles !" She said. "I hope my Butterbeer cork necklace will be strong enough..."
"GAH !" Jumped the leader in surprise. "Where the Hell does she come from ?!"
"Wha- ! Ah, it's okay." Reassured his friend. "It's just Loony Lovegood. She's a girl in Ravenclaw, a little crazy but mainly half-witted."
"I heard you, you know" happily hummed the so called Loony in a dopey smile. "You were calling Harry Potter bad words to hide your insecurities about your own sexuality."
"WHAT !?" Bellowed the bullies in outrage. "We would never- !?"
"Say you." She insisted before pointing the leader with a finger. "But I know for a fact that you are crushing on the Weasley twins. Something about « twincest », whatever that is..."
"HOW DARE YOU- !?" Shrieked said leader before amending in a muffled voice. "Or rather, how do you know about that... I thought I destroyed all the proof about the-"
One of the bullies, the one who called Harry a faggot, suddenly understood what the small girl was doing and aimed his wand between her squinting eyes.
"She's trying to confuse us !" He exclaimed before trying to transform her in a duck. "Ducklifor- !"
"Not so fast !" Cut off another female voice. "JEWELS KICK !"
"GYAAAAaaaAAARG !"
The poor wannabe spell-caster now subdued by a powerful kick between the legs -and all the males in hearing distance crossing their own legs in painful unity-, the band of bullies stood alert and ready to flee.
"Who dares !?" Shouted the leader, grinding his teeth.
"It is I, Cho Chang !" Answered proudly Cho, threateningly showing off her reinforced boots.
As the young woman was scolding the group of villains with kicks, Loony Lovegood cheering for her and Potter bemusedly watching the show, Crabbe and Goyle felt their very souls living their bodies in fright : Nott was slightly smiling.
Later, after their souls painfully came back and they recovered from their nervous breakdown, Crabbe and Goyle confered together :
"You know what this mean, right Goyle ?"
"Yeah, given N-Nott's reaction to seeing Potter being bullied, we can be sure of it : if we distract him with the Golden Boy, he will actually leave us alone !"
"And stop stealing our snacks !"
"Yeah !"
A victorious silence settled on them. After years of being the young Nott's favorite targets -cookie jars- a wild untamed wildfire of hope ignited in their hearts and nothing, nothing, would squash it. Finally, they would be able to fully enjoy their snacks... Finally, they would be free !
"Still" added Crabbe seriously, "let's keep out of Potter Bullying from now on."
"Yeah..." Agreed Goyle. "Nobody sane would risk being caught at that now that Nott is interested in him."
They shuddered in tandem at the thought.
And here's Luna ! I love her but she's hard to write.
Plew A.E