Chapter 49, everybody! Written ahead for once, but since I spent a chunk of the day watching Harry Potter with Mom we're posting late. Oops. ^^;
In other news, we're referencing the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them…really think that Newt should have been called in as an expert rather than being incidental to the plot, but what can you do.
Slytherinsal, thanks for the review! Me too, I noticed he wasn't being very active in the past couple of chapters, but that might be because everyone's using their brains (that's going to end soon).
Missy96, thanks for the review! Don't worry, Snips is going to be making a comeback soon.
Harry Potter © 1997 J.K. Rowling
After sending the letter to Sirius and Remus telling them about the Triwizard Tournament (and giving them a hard time for knowing about it and not sharing), Harry and Ron headed for the library to do what probably everyone was doing: looking up information on the tournament and the Goblet of Fire.
Unfortunately, everyone was indeed doing the same thing—as with during their second year and the Chamber of Secrets, no information on either the Triwizard Tournament or the Goblet of Fire was available.
"Hermione's probably read everything about it though," Ron said, as they fell back on their usual activity in the library—namely, once again trying to figure out what Snips was. Care of Magical Creatures seemed focused on Blast-Ended Skrewts this year, so he wasn't expecting too much on strange little potions-loving creatures on that end—although Hagrid told them that he was still looking.
Dumbledore was still looking too, as he informed Harry when Harry encountered him in a corridor and asked.
"I have been making inquiries over this past summer, among other things," Dumbledore said. "And I sent a memory of Snips to my friend Newt Scamander—if anyone would know about any fantastic beast or how to find someone who did, it would be him."
Defense was notable due to Moody showing them the Unforgivable Curses, which had scarred quite a few of them. And after the second Creatures lesson cemented the fact that yes, Skrewts were the topic of interest this year, more than a few people (Ron included) asked Malfoy if they could get in on the extra-credit with Buckbeak instead.
"Sorry, but it's an exclusive club," Malfoy said haughtily, arms crossed. "Reserved only."
"Can I get in?" Harry decided to try.
Malfoy considered him. "Yes, but only because you've actually been polite about the subject instead of bellyaching about it, like some people."
"You talk about it all day and we don't even have Quidditch to get your mind off of it," Blaise moaned. "Talk about something else. Like sneaking into the Triwizard Tournament."
"You two trying for it?" Malfoy asked.
"Maybe," Ron said. "If Fred and George can figure out a way around whatever age restriction Dumbledore put in. What about you, Harry?"
"Erm…no," Harry said, realizing he hadn't given it much thought since that first night of daydreaming. "Honestly, I'm looking forward to a nice quiet year for once—let everything happen to someone else for once."
Blaise nodded once. "Understandable. Now if you'll excuse me, I have Runes to get to—AKA an hour of hippogriff-free discussions."
Harry wondered how Blaise handled learning about the hippogriff rune that class.
In other news, Harry wasn't quite used to having someone to have regular correspondence with, but after the first letter from Remus telling him that Sirius kept spending his days sitting next to the mailbox in dog form Harry made sure to write at least once a week. Neither Sirius or Remus had ever heard of Skrewts either, but Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick had managed to come over one weekend to help with the wards on the house, and progress proper was under way—Sirius predicted that they'd be able to have a Christmas party in the house, Dumbledore had already agreed to hook up the headmaster fireplace to the Weasley fireplace just in case, but they were both hopeful that they could do it direct to the new Black fireplace.
Asking them to say hi to Kreacher for him had resulted in Hedwig bringing a pot of French onion soup courtesy of Kreacher, complete with a note saying that Master Harry is too kind but also too thin, please eat more. Apparently he had also written a note to the Hogwarts house elves, since whenever Harry sat down at meals now several extra hearty dishes popped up that Snips was happy to point out.
"Is it too late to quit being a wizard and be a house elf instead?" Ron asked during one of these meals.
"You'd have to clean the house, though," Harry pointed out.
"Nevermind then."
Also on the Hogwarts end, Hermione was back to her fanatical levels of studying, even without the two extra classes of Muggle Studies and Divination. Even the first years were quickly learning that you did not mess with Hermione when she was busy studying—she had developed in third year the nasty habit of snapping at anyone who in any way interrupted her studies, ranging from actually talking to her, horsing around in the common room, or on one memorable occasion, breathing too loud. Even Snips didn't bother her during her studying bouts anymore—mistakes had been made.
They did, at least, make sure to inform her when it was dinnertime—specifically when they were already on their way out the door and able to bolt. She did seem intrigued by the news of Newt Scamander though, happily regaling them with how he had written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and had apparently dealt with something called an Obscurial in New York sometime before World War II "So if anyone can figure Snips out, it'd be him."
"But even Dumbledore is having trouble figuring out what Snips is," Ron said, looking at the little bat-creature as he flapped over to the steak and kidney pie, looking at Harry and pointing at it. Harry dipped him a little cup and set it in front of him so he could dig in. "I think we're seriously looking at him being an unclassified species or something."
"Hey—we could be the ones to classify him!" Harry suggested. "Write down everything we know about him, make a report—I bet Hagrid would accept it as extra credit, get us out of dealing with the Skrewts."
Well Ron and Hermione both liked that idea—Hermione tacked on looking up how to classify new fantastic beasts to her to-do list as she scampered back to the library after eating.
"She didn't even stay for dessert," Ron pointed out.
"You ever think that maybe we should stop her?" Harry asked.
"You stop her—the last time I tried I almost ended up in the Hospital Wing."
Harry agreed that would be hazardous to his health.
What Hermione was up to became clear one evening when she brought in a stack of leaflets and a tin full of badges that read spew—or rather, S.P.E.W., standing for the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare.
"Question: why?" Ron asked when she finished.
"Because this is important and no one is talking about it!" Hermione said fervently. "I've been doing my research, and elf enslavement goes back centuries—this needs to be addressed."
"I mean, I can understand it for elves like Winky," Harry said, wincing at the thought of the now-houseless elf. "But Kreacher seems fine now, and the Hogwarts elves are fine with their jobs."
"Because they don't know any better," Hermione insisted. "And Kreacher wasn't fine with it until after you talked Sirius into bribing him."
Harry went over that particular memory again, trying to figure out where, exactly, that had happened, resolved to ask Dumbledore if he could use his pensive for that later.
Unsurprisingly, this didn't gain much traction among the other students—mostly people signed up to shut Hermione up, although several Muggleborns and half-bloods, who had undoubtedly taken History classes in primary school, signed up as well. Luna, of course, interviewed Hermione about it, causing Hermione to be torn between her disdain for The Quibbler and her desire to tell people about the issue. Harry, in particular, was looking forward to the next printing.
Malfoy unironically signing up was a surprise, though.
"Just so long as I don't have to wear the stupid badge," Malfoy said. "And I'll give you an extra galleon to change the bloody name."
"Well I wanted to name it Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status, but it wouldn't fit on the badges," Hermione said.
"'Society for the Promotion of Magical Beings,'" Malfoy suggested flatly.
Hermione considered this. "We'll vote on it next meeting."
"I can't wait," Malfoy said, in a tone much drier than the current weather. At least it wasn't blustery the day Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were set to arrive.
Harry added Pegasus to the list of mythological creatures that turned out to be real, although the Durmstrang ship coming up out of the Black Lake was impressive and made him wonder if wizard pirates were a real thing.
And then, once they were safely inside and enjoying the special feast, Dumbledore announced who—or rather, what—would be doing the choosing of the champions: the Goblet of Fire.
"Well that shouldn't be too bad," Fred said. "Should be easier to outsmart a cup than a wizard."
Considering he and George both ended up with long white beards after their attempt, Harry doubted it.
"It'd be cool if we could participate, though," Ron said, eyeing the Goblet after Fred and George were sent to the infirmary by Dumbledore.
"Maybe," Harry said, watching a few Hufflepuffs walked up to the Goblet of Fire to put a few pieces of parchment in. Too young to participate, and honestly not too miffed about that, he decided.
For once, it would be nice to see a year at Hogwarts where he wasn't in mortal jeopardy.
Might still drop in on Madame Pomfrey and say hi though—didn't want her to think he had forgotten her.