Chapter Fifteen

Harry was almost glad when Christmas break ended, and everyone returned; Raven had taken to sleeping with Harry as he had been having nightmares since his run-in with the mirror, where he would see his parents smiling at him, only for them to disappear moments later in a violent flash of green, followed by a high cruel laugh that Harry found eerily familiar yet could not place.

As Harry had expected, Hermione had immediately tackled him and proclaimed her thanks for his fantastic Christmas present, with the assurance that she would soon be putting it to good use.

Once term had resumed, Harry was too preoccupied with the astronomical amount of classwork/homework and Quidditch practice that he soon found himself in to worry about the mirror or the nightmares anymore. So he was grateful when they finally began to pass.

Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, returned to Hogwarts as a man obsessed; he had the team practicing five nights a week, and Harry was happy that he had Hermione as a friend as he didn't think that he would be able to keep up with his school work without her.

The only downside to the end of Christmas break was that it meant the return of Professor Snape from his suspension, and his hatred of Harry seemed to have been exacerbated in his time away.

In Harry's first Potions class of the term, Snape deducted twenty-five points for Harry's distracting hair color (black, with streaks of red and gold to signify Gryffindor) and demanded that Harry go and wash it out immediately, to which Harry had respectively declined, which earned him another twenty-five points lost.

Since then, Snape seemed to find fault in everything Harry did and seemed determined to take away as many points as he could, for whatever reason he could come up with. Harry had lost ten points for wearing his raven earring in class, for not being able to answer a question that he wouldn't learn the answer to until his third year, and for many other reasons.

Ron and Hermione would constantly argue that Harry should tell Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster about Snape's clearly unfair treatment, but Harry refused outright every time, refusing to be labeled as a child who could not fight his own battles and had to run to others for help.

As the weeks went on, Snape's treatment worsened as he seemed unable to get a reaction out of Harry that would allow Snape to further punish the boy. The final straw came when Snape decided that if he couldn't get a reaction out of Harry by tormenting him, perhaps tormenting Harry's friends would yield the desired result.

Harry had been sitting in class, attempting to make a calming draft, when Neville Longbottom had accidentally added the wrong ingredient, causing the poor boy's cauldron to explode and douse those nearest to him in a foul-smelling concoction.

Those who had been doused immediately began to swell like balloons, adding to the general chaos of the classroom as Snape tried to restore order,

"Silence!" Snape roared, his voice echoing off the Dungeon walls and causing instant silence, "All those who came into contact with Longbottom's idiotic concoction will immediately go to the Hospital Wing to receive treatment."

As the class began to disperse, Snape held up his hand to stop Hermione, who had been sitting to Neville's immediate right. Hermione had taken some of Neville's potion to her face, and as a result, her nose and front teeth had swelled considerably, giving her a beaver-like appearance.

"And where do you think you are going, Ms. Granger?" Snape asked with a sneer,

"To….to the Hospital Wing, Professor," Hermione said, her words slurring a bit due to the swelling of her nose and teeth.

"Why? I see no difference in your appearance," Snape said nastily, causing Hermione's eyes to immediately fill with tears; with a sob, Hermione dashed from the dungeon as Ron and Harry began to shout obscenities at the sneering Potions master.

It was perhaps fortuitous that Snape couldn't understand what Ron and Harry were saying due to them both shouting at the same time, as no doubt Snape would have docked fifty points at the minimum if he had been able to understand what Harry had called him.

"Silence!" Snape snarled again, "As there are now too many students missing to continue the class, you are all dismissed."

As the remaining class began to file out, Snape called out after Ron and Harry in a sneering voice,

"And twenty-five points will be taken from Gryffindor for yelling at a teacher."

Ron opened his mouth to retort when Harry quickly grabbed him and dragged him out, using one of his tentacles to slam the door shut behind the two.

"What did you do that for?" Ron demanded as the two stood outside the Potions classroom,

"He was looking for a reason to punish us more," Harry replied curtly as he began to drag Ron down the hall.

"But he insulted Hermione!" Ron argued, "How can we call ourselves her friends if we let that stand!"

"We're not going to!" Harry growled back, coming to a stop, and turning to face Ron, "But getting a detention and losing a couple of dozen points isn't going to help anyone."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked,

"We're going to make that greasy prick wish that he had never returned to Hogwarts!" Harry growled back as a grinch-like smile spread across his face, "But we're going to be smart about it."

Ron's eyes twinkled gleefully at Harry's words, and a similar smile began to spread across the redhead's face as the two began to walk to their next class, whispering conspiringly to each other as to how they would make Snape's life as miserable as possible.

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A week later, Harry and Ron sat in Potions next to Hermione; they had not told their friend what they were planning for fear that she would attempt to stop them, even if her honor was the reason they were about to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting class.

Snape was being his usual sneering self, moving around the class and insulting students left and right; Snape seemed to be showing particularly vindictiveness toward Neville, no doubt blaming the poor boy for his accident during the last class.

Finally, toward the end of class, Harry looked over at Ron and nodded slowly, causing Ron to smile in anticipation at what was to come; Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly as she caught Harry's nod, and she looked over at Ron with a raised eyebrow, who simply winked back.

When Snape turned to insult Neville for the third time, Harry pulled out a vial that he and Ron had been working on all week and hurled it into Draco's cauldron; instantly, bright red and gold foam exploded out of the cauldron and began to spread throughout the class like a flood.

The foam had been a creation of Jinx's from years past; she had come up with the substance after Harry had come home crying one day after being bullied by an older student. It had taken her almost a month to get the formula right, but once she had, the end result was nothing short of monstrous in its capacity to cause chaos.

The foam needed only a tiny space to contain it, but once released would rapidly expand to fill every remaining space, but the best part was that the foam would harden like concrete once it came into contact with anything not made of it.

As the classroom rang out with screams, Harry quickly grabbed Ron and Hermione and dragged them out into the hallway to join the others who had been smart enough to run for it once they saw what was happening.

As Harry and Ron watched with barely contained glee, Snape and all the Slytherins who hadn't gotten out of the way in time struggled to free themselves from the rock-like substance as the foam spread around them.

"Well, that was fun," Harry said happily as he grabbed the classroom door and slammed it shut, "Who's up for nachos?"

"What are nachos?" Ron asked with a grin as the two turned to leave,

"Wait!" Hermione called, making the two turn to her, "We can't just leave them like that!"

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"Because they could suffocate with the rate that that stuff is spreading!" Hermione said quickly,

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Harry replied, "It'll stop before it covers their mouths."

Hermione's mouth dropped in astonishment at Harry's words, and Harry laughed at her expression.

"It was you!" Hermione whispered in horror as she dragged the two away from possible listeners, "Why would you do something like that? You could be expelled!"

"Because he insulted you!" Ron growled, making Hermione's eyes widen,

"And no one insults our friend!" Harry growled, "Especially now, some greasy git with a chip on his shoulder!"

Hermione looked like she was about to cry as she threw her arms around Harry and Ron, who looked at each other with surprise for a moment before returning her hug,

"You two are the best friends I've ever had!" Hermione sniffled as she pulled away from them and wiped her eyes, "Even if you two are both insane!"

"We all go a little mad sometimes," Harry whispered eerily, quoting one of Raven's favorite movies. "Now, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving, so let's head down to the Great Hall!"

"What about those trapped in the Potions class?" Hermione asked anxiously,

"The foam should evaporate in an hour," Harry shrugged, "At least, it did last time, anyway."

"Oh…." Hermione said thoughtfully, "Well, that's okay then, I suppose."

With a laugh, the three turned and made their way to dinner as behind them, the frantic students were trying to figure out what had happened to their Potions master and what they were supposed to do to fix it.

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Raven watched her brother and his friends with narrowed eyes; they had arrived nearly half an hour before the class bell had rung and were all wearing suspicious grins on their faces that instantly made Raven wary.

Her second clue that something was wrong came when the twin Weasleys showed up to dinner and immediately began to bow to Harry and Ron, proclaiming that their little brother had finally joined their ranks, and in a fantastic way.

The final clue came when Snape stormed into the Great Hall and made a beeline straight for her little brother; remembering what had happened last time, Raven immediately rose from her seat and intercepted the enraged-looking Potions master.

"Get out of my way!" Snape snarled,

"Sure, right after you explain to me why you're looking at my little brother like you're about to murder him," Raven replied with a raised brow.

"That little brat destroyed my classroom!" Snape spat, "He released a dangerous substance that trapped many of my students and me for over an hour! We could have died!"

Harry snorted at that, and Snape's face turned red with rage as Raven turned to look at Harry with a disapproving look on her face.

"Harry? Is this true?" Raven asked,

"I have no idea what he's talking about, Raven," Harry replied, his face the picture of innocence, nearly breaking Raven's composed demeanor.

"Do you have proof of your accusation?" Raven asked as she turned back to the incandescent Professor as the rest of the Slytherins who had been trapped began to stumble into the Great Hall.

"I know that little brat did it! He's just like his bastard of a father!" Snape spat, spittle flying from his mouth,

"Be careful how you talk about our father, Snape," Raven growled, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "He was twice the man you are."

"Your father was a slime!" Snape snarled, "Strutting about the castle as if he owned it, tormenting anyone that got in his way!"

"You jerk!" Harry yelled as he jumped up from his seat, only for Raven to hold her hand up at him to stop, as she glared daggers at Snape; a moment later, Hermione and Ron each placed their hand on Harry's shoulder and forcefully brought him back to his seat.

"You're pathetic," Raven stated as she dropped her arm back to her side, "Holding onto a grudge for more than three decades against a man who's been dead for ten years."

A vein began to pulse in Snape's temple as Raven continued in a voice as cold as ice,

"Yes, my father made mistakes in his youth, as we all do, but he was a decent and kind man who eventually grew up. On the other hand, you are still the same cruel, angry little boy you were as a student, hating a dead man for no other reason than because my mother chose him over you. So tell me, Snape, why did my mother decide to end her friendship with you again?"

The color drained from Snape's face at Raven's words, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless as the entire Great Hall watched with bated breath to see how he would respond; Harry looked ready to physically attack the Potions Professor. Only Ron and Hermione's hand on his shoulders was keeping him in his seat.

"I know what you did, Snape…." Raven hissed as her eyes flashed red again, "Aunt Minnie gave me my mother's diary not long ago, and it tells in great detail the reason why my mother ended her friendship with you. Because you're a bigot, Lily Potter saw you for what you are!"

Snape had gone deathly pale by the end of Raven's speech, and his hand seemed to twitch involuntarily, as though he was about to go for his wand; seeing this, a small smile began to spread across Raven's face and she slowly crossed her arms over her chest as she stared Snape down.

"Do it. I beg you…."

Snape's hand twitched again, and it seemed as though he was going to actually try when suddenly Dumbledore appeared and placed a calming hand on Snape's shoulder,

"I believe your classroom requires your attention more than Ms. Potter, Severus."

"So the brat just gets away with it?!" Snape spat, "He nearly killed me!"

"I already told you that I didn't do it!" Harry shot back, "And you've no proof to say otherwise!"

"Do you have some proof, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow; Snape's face turned red with barely contained rage as he glared first at Harry, then at Raven, who smirked at him.

"Careful, Snape," Raven said softly, "You've already been suspended. Next time you might not be so lucky."

Snape's eye twitched for a moment before he spun on his heel and stormed from the Great Hall, growling obscenities under his breath; once he was gone, Dumbledore turned back to Harry and Raven and gave both a knowing smirk, his eyes twinkling madly.

"While I admire seeing your father's love of pranks was passed down to you, my boy," Dumbledore said warmly, "Perhaps in the future, you could ensure that you do not destroy an entire classroom when you perform a prank."

"Not saying I did it, sir," Harry replied with a grin, "But theoretically, if I did, and once again, I'm not saying I did, I'll endeavor to keep my pranks from causing total destruction in the future."

"I appreciate that, my boy," Dumbledore chuckled before turning away and striding back to the head table.

"Okay, Harry," Raven said softly as she turned to look at her little brother, who was suddenly sporting a sheepish expression, "Let's go have a chat."

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After a long lecture from his sister, in which it was made crystal clear that while she had no problem with Harry continuing their father's legacy of pranks and general mayhem, Raven expected Harry not to antagonize Snape any further without due cause, Harry made his way back to Gryffindor common room to find Ron and Hermione waiting for him, with bright smiles plastered across their faces.

"So, how did the little chat with your sister go?" Ron asked with a smirk,

"About as good as you would expect," Harry laughed, "She understands my need to protect my friends, though she respectfully asks that in the future, we keep our pranks from causing complete devastation."

"I think we can manage that," Ron said with a laugh as Hermione shook her head with a smirk,

"Now!" Harry said as he slapped his hands together, "How about we have some fun!"

"What did you have in mind?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow, "Quidditch?"

"I've got a better idea," Harry replied happily, "You guys want to watch a movie?"

"A what?" Ron asked in confusion,

"We can't," Hermione replied, "Technology doesn't work at Hogwarts."

"I think my stereo setup shows that to be fiction," Harry smirked,

"How DID you do that, by the way?" Hermione asked, "It shouldn't have been possible."

"Well, it took a LOT of experimentation and setbacks, but eventually, my friends Cyborg and Jinx managed to create a system that doesn't fail when it comes in contact with magic but rather works alongside it."

"Yes, but HOW?" Hermione asked in annoyance,

"Trade secrets, I'm afraid," Harry replied with a wink that seemed to annoy Hermione more than ever.

"Now, you all wait here, and I'll be right back!" Harry said before rushing up to his dorm where his bottomless trunk lay; after quickly popping it open, Harry grabbed his laptop, the movie he had chosen for tonight's entertainment, and a bag of potato chips and salsa.

Rushing back downstairs, Harry quickly placed the laptop onto the table in front of the couch, popped the DVD into it, and pressed play before tearing open the bag of chips and offering one to Ron, who had sat down on the couch next to him, with Hermione taking the other side.

"Hey Harry, what's this?" Fred asked as he and George sat on the arms of the couch,

"Rocky Horror Picture Show," Harry said as he bit into a chip, "It's a classic."

The Weasleys watched in silence for a few moments, wholly absorbed in the film as Harry and Hermione enjoyed the chips,

"What's that?" Ron asked after a moment,

"A car," Harry answered with a smile.

"What's happening?" Fred asked,

"Their car broke down, and they need to use a phone to call for help," Hermione explained,

"What's a phone?" George asked,

"I'll tell you later," Hermione responded.

"Why are they singing?" Ron asked,

"Because it's a musical," Harry replied.

"What's a musical?" George asked,

"A movie with songs built into it," Hermione replied quickly.

"What about-" George began before he was cut off,

"Would you all shut up and watch the damn movie!" Oliver Wood commanded from behind them; neither had noticed the older student walk in, too engrossed in the movie playing out in front of them.

As they laughed at the movie, more and more Gryffindors started filtering in, interested to see what all the commotion was about. Soon, the entire house was watching and a seventh year cast a spell to make the movie play out on the wall instead of the laptop so that everyone could watch without crowding around the small screen on the computer.

When the movie finally ended, the common room echoed with thunderous applause and a few whistles of appreciation.

"That was brilliant!" George said happily, "Absolutely brilliant!"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, brother dear?" Fred asked with a suspicious grin on his face,

"I think so, brother of mine," George replied with a similar grin, "But where are we going to find lacy lingerie at this time of night?"

To Filch's desk!" They cried in unison, their wands dramatically held above their heads as the watchers laughed; watching them run out of the common room, Ron turned to Harry with an expression of horror on his face,

"What have you done!"

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Harry was on time for breakfast the next day, and it was a good thing he was; otherwise, he would have missed the show. Once everyone else had arrived and begun to eat, music suddenly began to flow through the Great Hall, causing everyone to freeze what they were doing and stare as Draco Malfoy entered wearing a black robe. For a moment, Draco simply stood in the center of the Great Hall with a glazed look on his face; then, to the horror of the Slytherin's, the pureblood wizard threw open his black cape, revealing lacy lingerie, and began to sing.

"How do you do? I see you've met my faithful handyman. He was just a little brought down because when you knocked, he thought you were the Candyman!"

Jaws dropped as Draco Malfoy belted out the lyrics to 'Sweet Transvestite,' complete with choreography; to everyone's surprise, Fred and George took up the lines of Brad and Janet, making it clear that they were the ones responsible.

As Harry wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes, he had to admit that he was impressed; Draco managed the role quite well.

Sure, he was a little small in certain areas for the lingerie that Fred and George had picked out for him, but he sure could sing!

When the song finally ended, the spell Draco was under came to an end, and Draco regained his senses; he was stuck between horror, embarrassment, and complete outrage.

It was only made worse when he noticed that the entire Great Hall seemed to be laughing at him; even the teachers at the head table could not control themselves, and Beastboy had promptly collapsed to the floor as he held his sides and tried to breathe through his laughter, while Robin and Starfire leaned against one another and shook with laughter.

Draco turned to look at the twins with pure hatred and rage in his eyes; luckily, he had nowhere to keep his wand in his current outfit, and turned on his heel and ran out, his face an ugly shade of red from embarrassment and rage.

As the twins jumped on top of the Gryffindor table and took a bow, Harry clapped alongside the rest of the Great Hall; only the Slytherin table refrained, choosing instead to glare daggers at the ones responsible for their housemate's humiliation.

"Do you guys do birthdays?" Harry yelled as the twins took one final bow and leapt from the tabletop to the floor.

"If we ever do-" Fred began,

"-We'll make sure to offer you a discount for showing us such a great piece of art!" George concluded, making Harry laugh again before turning back to his food.

XXXX

"We must accelerate our plans," Voldemort hissed,

"But master, we are not ready!" Quirrell replied quickly, "We still don't know how to get past Hagrid's damned beast!"

"Then find out!" Voldemort snarled, sending a wave of pain through Quirrell's skull to emphasize his point, "The boy and his allies cannot be allowed to forestall my return! I grow weaker by the day!"

"What would you have me do, master?" Quirrell asked meekly, "The Potter brat's friends are keeping a close eye on me. It seems wherever I look, one of them is following me!"

"Hagrid has loose lips when drunk," Voldemort hissed, "Ply him with copious amounts of alcohol and find out how to get past that damned dog, then get me my stone! Fail me again, and I will show you the true price of those who displease me!"

"Yes, master," Quirrell responded in a scared voice, "I will not fail you; I promise. Before the year is out, you shall have the philosopher's stone, and the world will howl with misery at your return!"

"And then, I will finish what I started all those years ago," Voldemort replied coldly, "And Harry Potter and his sister shall die by my hand!"

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Author's Note:

I wanted to put out one last chapter before Christmas because it's the last one you're getting until the New Year; I'm going to Ireland in a few hours to see my cousins for the holidays and wanted to give you all one last gift before I leave. As such, I'll be trying to upload the latest chapters that I've written of "The World of Erised, Killian of Earth, and Another Weasley" before I leave tomorrow.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show and all the songs therein belong solely to 20th Century Studios Films; as such, I claim no ownership of it and am simply writing for the fun and enjoyment of my readers.

Happy Holidays everyone, and may you all have a great New Year!