Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 35 – Year 2
A couple days after his meeting with Sally-Anne, at lunch time, Harry - while paying lip attention to his classmates' chatter around him – was lazily reviewing all he planned during class hours. Not during the first class, for sure; a relatively interesting lesson with Lockhart, where they re-enacted his 'triumphant' crusade against the evil banshee of who knows where, with Harry exploited as the grateful muggle mayor that all but polished Lockhart's boots for saving his worthless town.
'Still beats the other roles', thought Harry, amused at the memories of Megan being told that her face and voice were perfect for acting as the banshee, or Justin and Zacharias stuck as two village thugs that got killed by the monster while they were having a drunken brawl on their way home.
No, it was the second class of the morning, history of magic, that granted Harry ample time to consider in details what to do. While history has never really interested him, Harry had read here and there some books about the past events of magical Britain. 'Just not goblins' commented bitterly Harry: professor Binns was simply insufferable, and if not even Harry could keep attention for long, chances were most students couldn't either.
In fact, Hufflepuff had been paired with Slytherin for that lesson and no one in green robe could remain focused either. 'Only Hermione…. or Percy' commented mentally Harry, with a smirk.
How those two ended up in Gryffindor puzzled him, whenever he bothered to consider the problem. 'Hermione, maybe…' conceded Harry, reminiscing the several times when she bravely, or recklessly, faced grave dangers just to help him. But the latter really showed no deep, hidden bravery of any kind. Nor cowardice either, but that by itself was hardly qualifying for the red robe, especially with his huge ambitions.
'Family ties' thought Harry, at the memory of how Percy told him that he asked the hat to be assigned to Gryffindor. If that was his original motivation he was probably regretting it now. Harry had a quick but interesting chat with Ginny right the evening before, during an unplanned meeting in the courtyard, Hufflepuff and 1st year Gryffindors exchanging places for Herbology.
"Poor Percy, they still are not talking to him" had said Ginny, a sad expression on her face. For what Harry could guess she was now the middleman, 'middlegirl' corrected himself Harry, between her siblings. "What's worse is, the twins seem to have discovered that Percy has a liking for some girl, they don't want to tell me who, and are planning something big on them" added Ginny, sadly. "If they do, Percy won't like that, at all. But no one listens to me!"
"You could warn your mom, maybe she could force them to stop" had suggested Harry, but his advice only got an horrified expression from Ginny's face in response.
"No way! Harry, you… remember how this started, right?" asked Ginny, becoming quite red in the face, for once not because of him. "None of us, not even Ron, told mom about that. And you must not, either! You won't, right Harry?"
"Absolutely, don't worry" said Harry and after some more chitchat they split in a rush, both of their classmates already gone and their classes about to start.
'Anyway' thought Harry, while piling up some more food in his plate and giving Zacharias a non-commital grunt of approval to his comments about Slytherin's latest gossips. Something about Malfoy buying his spot in their quidditch team, or something.
'Flying class. It shouldn't be too hard' thought Harry, trying to focus. The idea was simple: fly between the trees, fake an accident when somehow out of sight, place the school broom under his cloak of invisibility and transfigure the closest piece of wood to an apparently broken broom. Not much could go wrong.
'So long as someone doesn't notice me, and steal my cloak!' raged Harry, irritated at the mere idea of losing his precious heirloom. Chances were low, anyway. And, a few seconds after, he sighed 'Because stealing is bad, of course', the irony of the situation not lost on him.
'After that…' he considered, only to be startled by a loud "Harry!" almost shouted in his hear.
"What?" he asked, irritated, to the culprit – Ernie, who was looking at him with an entertained expression.
"Don't what me" he countered "we were talking to you, but you were just looking at your potatoes. Did they do something to you?"
"Just telling me that you are eating them too much, and are getting fat. Let me check" said Harry, giving him a quick stare down. Ernie just smirked.
"Yeah, sure. So, are you really coming to fly class, later? Why?" asked Ernie.
"I am just curious about the advanced maneuvers Hooch teach, nothing more."
"More quidditch" murmured Wayne, from his corner of the table.
"Are you sure you don't want to try for the team, next year?" asked Ernie.
"Don't even think about it, Harry!" said Justin, from his side of the table.
Harry showed a surprised expression, but it was Wayne that spoke for him.
"Why not, again?" he asked, tiredly.
"More competition" added Zacharias from his corner.
"For real" said Justin. "I can't believe how hard it is to make it into the team."
"I am not sure how that is our problem, guys" said Wayne.
"It's not like any of you really want to get in, anyway" added Zacharias.
"Still not sure, here" said Ernie smiling, not even looking at them but at his lunch.
"Shouldn't we Hufflepuff just share the chances to get in, as classmates?" joked Harry.
"What about, a good Hufflepuff doesn't ruin his friends' chances?" countered Justin, unsure.
At this, Ernie started laughing – only to cough immediately after, and then rush towards the water pitch. Meanwhile, Wayne shook his head.
"So that's how it works, eh?" he asked.
"Figures" said Ernie, still coughing, but clearly entertained.
"Relax, I didn't change my mind" said Harry. Then, looking at Wayne and smirking, he added "yet".
Wayne smiled slightly while Ernie, finally breathing again, added "Beside, you should worry more about the girls. They weren't half bad."
"Full better than you all combined" commented Megan, that until now seemed busy talking with Hannah. Apparently, she was listening in.
"In your dreams" said Zacharias.
"Not even there" added Justin, smirking.
Unfortunately for them, she had already turned back towards Hannah and was ignoring their follow-up; still, Harry could see a small smile on her face that grew when Justin began complaining "Hey, I am talking to you!"
Ernie and Wayne just exchanged an amused look while the other girls, irritated, joined into the debate, Justin and Zacharias alone against them. "The wonders of a common enemy" commented Wayne.
'Indeed', thought Harry while piling up a final serving of potatoes.
Much later that evening, after all normal lessons were over, most of their class went down in the fields between Hogwarts and the stadium. No older years were in sight, even though the elective flying class was open to everyone, but there were up to some 3rds and even a couple of 4th years.
Madam Hooch then spent a full hour correcting some flying mistake she saw in the gathered students, and showed them a new maneuver – some kind of loop – forbidding everyone to perform it too close to the ground without her around. That done, though, she ordered a standing by prefect to distribute the brooms and remain there to oversee them all; finally she left, apparently to take care of an house team's training.
The kids quickly assembled, the prefect just sitting down with her textbook and occasionally glancing at them, and began to plan their matches. Harry could see the first years do the same in the distance while the older students, apparently not interested in playing with younger kids, picked up immediately some of the available brooms and formed a group of their own.
"So, how many are here today?" asked Trevor Boot, from the Ravenclaw's corner. With five more blue-robed students with him, his group was the second largest, right after Hufflepuff.
"Only 3 of us" said Dean Thomas, two more Gryffindors at his side.
"2 here" said Nott, Zabini right next to him.
"What about Malfoy and his cronies? They came to every single lesson last year" asked Zacharias, almost too casually. Harry, looking at him, just shook his head, amused. 'Troublemaker' was his mental comment.
Meanwhile the Gryffindors were snorting, or made faces. Zabini sent an hostile gaze to them, while Nott spoke again. "Malfoy got admitted into our house team. I think he is the only 2nd year that made it in the whole school."
"He'll be stuck polishing all those brooms of his" said Seamus Finnigan, frowning.
"I heard something about it. Did he really buy new brooms for the whole team?" asked Susan.
"He didn't" said Zabini. When the Gryffindors started making taunting noises, he added "Technically, his father did."
"Totally different" whispered Megan, loud enough for everyone to hear it.
"Slytherins" said simply Seamus Finnigan, a taunting smirk on his face. The two lone boys in green striped robes seemed ready to counter, but then a voice among the Ravenclaws said what most were probably thinking: "Are we gonna play or not?"
"I was already having some fun" said quietly Ernie to Harry, right next to him.
"We are only missing Ron, and it would have been the full circus" he answered.
In any case, groups of five or six students were already forming. Padma Patil had quickly joined her sister Parvati, and eventually Susan and Megan joined them forming a multi-colored team.
The Ravenclaws, down one member, formed a group on all their own and so the remaining Hufflepuffs joined with the two Slytherins. "Keeper again, Harry?" asked Ernie, as Michael Corner, Zacharias and Dean Thomas were arguing among themselves on who would start first.
"Sure, why not" he answered while picking up an old, really old Cleansweep from the pile of brooms next to the prefect. The older girl simply said "Don't do anything stupid" and focused back on her studies.
As the first game, Hufflepuff and mostly-Gryffindor, started Harry found it much harder than planned to fake a crash against the trees acting as goalposts. When the quaffle was coming for his side of the field too many eyes started watching him to try anything unusual, especially as the opponent's "chasers" were hardly capable to force him into risky moves with his broom.
Eventually, and after glancing at the lone team waiting for them on the sidelines – and its members, some of them flying on their own to pass the time – Harry decided to enjoy the game and worry about the broom later. The level of play was, as usual, quite abysmal but that didn't make it less fun for him, or at least relaxing.
Almost turning off his head, Harry let the game conclude. It didn't last long anyway: they had planned on 15 minutes rounds, and soon one of the Ravenclaws – Cornfoot someone, maybe? A muggleborn anyway, as he was using a wrist watch – walked in the middle, or at least beneath, of them and started whistling to draw their attention.
"Not bad" said Nott, giving up his brooms to the group of Ravenclaws waiting for them, while the almost-Gryffindors remained in the air.
"We won, but barely" said Zacharias. "It's not enough."
"Are you sure this isn't becoming an obsession?" asked Ernie, already empty-handed, sitting down.
"What are the alternatives, the gobstone club?" countered Justin.
"It's not that bad of a game" said Zabini. "I wouldn't join them, though" he added quickly, embarrassed, after he received a couple of weird stares.
"Why not? As Justin says, there is not much more to do here. In this, muggles do beat us hands down" said Harry, still on his feet. By landing last on the grass, and with the Ravenclaws one member down compared to the other two teams, he managed to keep the broom in his hands.
"Since when are you a muggle lover, Potter?" asked Nott, but lightly. Justin sent him an hostile look, but said nothing.
"Should we play with a ball while dressed in shorts, like they do?" questioned Zabini, clearly disgusted.
"Childish" added Zacharias.
"I can't imagine playing football in robes" said Harry, smiling "but some variety would be nice. And I always wanted to use a boat on the lake."
"Do you think we could dive into it? Maybe with a scuba setup" asked Justin.
"Dive into the lake? You mean, going down inside the water?" asked Ernie.
"If you can dive into the ground, go for it" countered Justin, amused.
"What are you two even talking about?" asked Nott, puzzled out.
"Ignore the muggle, Theodore" said Zacharias.
"I can't believe you would be willing to trust their weird contraptions. Scubas, now" said Zabini.
"Your loss" said Justin. "Still, I do wonder if I could ask my dad for a set and bring it here. With a speargun."
"I swear it is like hearing a chinese talk" said Ernie, shaking his head.
"Or a muggle" insisted Zacharias.
"On this, I might agree" said Harry, drawing a betrayed look from Justin. "Don't look at me like that. There are dozens of magical ways to explore the lake."
"Really?" asked Zabini. "Like what?"
"My mother uses a charm to make our clothes waterproof when it rains" said Nott.
"I heard Lumos works under water, too" added Ernie.
"Those are details. How do I breath without a mask and a tank?" asked Justin.
"A what?" said Zacharias.
"There are plants that gives you gills for a while, just by eating them. Transfiguration would work, but it is hard. And the bubblehead charm" said Harry.
"Are there really plants like that? I knew about the charm, of course, Snape uses it often enough" said Zabini.
"He look ridiculous whenever he does, to be honest" added Nott, with a small giggle, followed by Ernie and Zacharias.
"How would I even get such a plant, anyway?" asked Justin, skeptical.
"You buy it, dumbass" countered Zacharias, dismissively. "Spend more time with wizards and you might remember Diagon Alley exist."
"Got you there, Justin" said Ernie, friendly, to Justin who started almost to pout.
Amused, Harry decided this was as good a moment as any to start working. Hopping onto his broom, his Cloak of Invisibility folded and hidden under his robe, he gave a quick "I'll be around" to the kids around him and flied away.
'A tree, a tree…. where to?' he mused: it needed to be close enough to let others watch his supposed crash, and far enough that they wouldn't actually get any detail. Small bushes would also be useful. 'There will work' he finally concluded, while starting some intricate flying maneuvers.
"You didn't" said the prefect, horrified, when she finally reached Harry – her attention drawn by the noises of horror of other students – and saw one half of a broom in his left hand, the other half at his feet.
"Accidents happen" was Harry's only reply, beside his shrugging shoulders.
"Those brooms are older than you, Potter! Maybe even Hooch, and they were still here" she said, scandalized.
"I guess they got frail with age. It wasn't even that big of a crash, to be honest" he said, grinning inside and frowning outside.
"Why, you…" she started, unsure, only for her face to darken and her voice to get higher "20 points from Hufflepuff. And detention. And, and…"
"And it was an accident. I'll pay damages if necessary, but I wasn't breaking any rule" said Harry.
"You'll do what I say. I am a prefect!" she claimed, pointing at her badge.
"Not the best one. You were supposed to watch over us" countered Harry, offering her the piece of the broom. When she, torn between embarassment and anger, didn't pick it up he shrugged and dumped it on the ground next to the other piece. "Have it your way" he finally concluded, walking away.
"Don't ignore me, you little brat" she complained, grabbing him by his arm – and receiving a very loud, although quite fake, yelp of pain from Harry.
"My arm hurts all over, and I am going to the infirmary. Leave me alone" he complained, while nursing his right arm and walking away. After a minute, Ernie catched up with him.
"Harry, the prefect sent me. Are you ok?" he asked, a little worried.
"I had better days, but i am. I only need a checkup" he answered.
"Oh, good" he said, relieved. "I am sorry you got hurt, but… well, you were asking for it."
"Was i? How mean of you" said Harry, smirking.
"Come on. You were flying upside down, without your hands on the broom" complained Ernie.
"It is actually a standard seeker action!" countered Harry "and I was doing fine. That branch was the problem." Meanwhile, they had arrived at the castle's doors to the fields, stopping there.
"Ah, of course. The evil tree" said Ernie, ironically.
"Listen Ernie, I am mostly fine. Honest. Go back to the others, or we will be two players down."
"You sure?" asked Ernie, unsure.
"Let me see" said Harry, using his supposedly injured arm to open the door. "Yes, I am fine. Go, go".
"….are you really hurt?" asked Ernie, skeptical.
"Oh, this hurts so much Ernie! This is already a severe punishment, make sure to tell that to the prefect" said Harry, a smile on his face.
"Green eyes and silver tongue… that explains a lot. I'll make sure to tell it to Nott and Zabini" said Ernie, finally smiling. "Later, Harry."
Harry, nodding at the boy, walked inside the castle. After a short walk he arrived at the infirmary, knocked on the door and stepped inside. The room itself was half-empty, and a couple of sneezes could tell why the few students in it were there. 'Excuses' thought Harry, well aware of how a simple pepper-up potions was more than enough to take away the worst symptoms of a cold; who knows what duties were they trying to avoid? Still, it suited his plan.
"Good evening. Potter, right? Sit on that bed, I am coming soon" said Madam Pomfrey, rising her eyes to meet him while being busy talking to some older Gryffindor. Harry, following her order, obediently sat down where she had pointed to. Looking outside of the closed windows he could see a distinctive white shape on the trees in front of them; a shape he focused on, and that soon moved.
"Very well, mr. Potter, I am available now" said eventually the nurse, walking next to him while the girl she had been talking to went out of the room. "What is it that – uff, what now?" she stopped mid-talk, as a couple of knocks could be heard coming from the windows. Turning around, she and Harry could see a white owl waiting there.
"Even requests by owls, now…" complained madam Pomfrey, moving away to open the way for the owl and picking up a message attached to its leg. The owl itself remained just outside of the open window, waiting quietly. 'Good girl' thought Harry, smiling at his Hedwig.
Meanwhile, the nurse's face had a stunned expression on her face. "The nerve of some students!" she said, while folding the parchment in her hands. "And for everyone's information, no, I don't provide memory potions or any potion that helps with studying for the exams! It's not what I am here for" continued on madam Pomfrey, irritated, while going back to her desk.
"Someone that is already worried about his Owl or Newt" said Harry, casually, from his bed. "I heard they are quite difficult."
"Only for those who don't start studying from their first day" she said grumbling, while looking for a quill. "N.e.w.t.s, maybe, but the O.w.l. should be easy for anyone who simply pay attention in class."
"If you say so" commented evenly Harry. "So, can I get some assistance?"
At this madam Pomfrey stopped her search for a second, and then came back to Harry. "Right, sorry. This letter can wait. What are you here to complain about, mr. Potter?"
"I just had a quidditch accident" he started. "Nothing broken, I think, but it hurts badly enough and I was told to come here."
"Quidditch again" said madam Pomfrey with some irritation. "That silly game alone creates one third of my workload."
Harry remained silent while madam Pomfrey took out her wand and started waving it over his body. "Nothing broken, correct, and I can't find any serious damages in general" she said eventually. "It might have been a painful crash, but overall you are fine."
"Good to know" answered Harry. "I would like a painkiller potion for later, I still have to finish my homework."
At this madam Pomfrey frowned a little, and seemed to murmur between herself something that contained the word 'lazy'; still, she nodded and moved towards her cabinet, unlocking it with a key she took out of her pockets. "Only a bland one, though, mr. Potter. If you need more tomorrow, you'll have to come back."
"Sure, seems reasonable" said Harry, while picking up his wands and checking the other students laying down on the beds, to make sure that no one was paying him any attention. As they weren't, Harry started waving his wand just when madam Pomfrey had opened her potions cabinet and was rummaging into it.
"SKREEEEEE!" - A loud screech resonated inside the room, startling everyone. It was Hedwig, that had flown towards several brown blurs on the ground that were moving rapidly between beds. Even madam Pomfrey remained frozen for a second, before turning and addressing the whole room. "What is the meaning of this? What have you done?"
"There are rats on the floor!" said an older student, followed immediately by a long scream of disgust from a much younger girls, that immediately jumped on her bed, looking frantically around her. Meanwhile Hedwig continued her hunt, flying towards any rat on the ground whenever they moved between beds, and crashing down several items that were placed on the nearby bed stands.
Everyone's attention was stuck on the ongoing hunt, except Harry's. He had moved carefully around the room, with his face oriented towards his owl while getting closer to the now open cabinet. Once next to it, whenever everyone's gaze was farther from him, he picked up bottles and vials of those potions he recognized. Soon, satisfied, he approached the main door.
"This is crazy. Can't we come back later, madam?" he said, loudly enough for everyone to hear him. At his words the other students lightened up in the face and, after gathering their few items, left the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey barely gave them any attention as she had opened the window and was waving Hedwig out of it. The owl, with a final screech, left – and so did Harry, that most certainly didn't want to wait for the moment when the nurse would discover that the rats had been magically created.
'Destruction of private properties, theft, public disturbance…. not my best day' thought Harry, torn between a small, smug sense of satisfaction for getting what he wanted and a much larger sense of guilty for violating so blatantly so many laws.
Shaking his head, he started walking towards the Room of Requirements.