Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 103: A debt
"So, no one got hurt?" Harry asked.
"Harry!" Lily and James came to his side.
"We are fine, luckily these stands had managed to hold, despite that tremor," James said.
"It wasn't luck…I'm sure these structures are heavily reinforced with magic so they will never fail." Lily explained.
"Yes, but you can still fall from them…" Added Harry.
"Why didn't you tell us anything about the earthquakes that had been occurring since the start of the year?" James was looking straight at Harry with a serious expression.
"It didn't seem that important. And I'm sure Lyra has already filled you in." Harry brushed aside his concerns. Strange occurrences at Hogwarts were a common thing for him.
"She did tell us…but I didn't think they were this bad." Lily commented.
'Now that she mentioned it…I did notice that the tremors seem to be getting more violent.'
This just added to his sense of urgency to find the cause and put an end to it, before someone gets seriously hurt…or dies.
He was still not completely convinced that the giant snake living under Hogwarts was the culprit. After all, even a monster of that size should not have the strength to shake a giant castle like Hogwarts.
However, the Chamber of Secrets was the only place he had yet to search, so the answer should be there…hopefully. That was his only plan for the moment.
'But without a parselmouth to open the entrance, I'm going to have to resort to more drastic methods…I will need to find a way to force Dumbledore out of the castle or he will definitely notice what I'm planning on doing.'
His father is a member of the Wizengamot so he could ask him to call an emergency meeting, but he is going to want to know more about what his son is planning on doing at school if he makes that request.
'Maybe is better if I just ask her…'
"Harry!" James got closer and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Leaving the earthquake aside, that was a fantastic game!. I think you may have broken some record there!."
"Yes, it was very short thought…" Lyra added.
"Of course, we are glad that you won, dear. But…I would prefer if you keep those reckless maneuvers to a minimum in the future…no need to risk your life for a school game." His mother reminded him.
"Harry!, you flew very high!" Holly raised her hands in the air.
He smiled.
"I did. When you are a bit older, maybe I can take you to fly with me." He glanced at his parents.
"Maybe…" Lily did not seem convinced.
"Yes, let's go!" Holly exclaimed.
"When you are older, not now little lady," Lily told her.
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During the next day, people talked mostly about two things, the last earthquake and the Quidditch game.
The new Gryffindor seeker had surprised everyone with his speed and now everyone was throwing glances at Harry as he passed through the corridors.
However, Harry's mind was currently preoccupied with something else.
'That will do…'
He finished writing the note he was planning on passing to Daphne.
Her father was a member of the School Board of Governors, and as such, was qualified to call for a very much-deserved meeting to discuss the current incidents in the school.
To be fair, they should have already closed it for safety. The Headmaster must have pulled several favors to prevent the Board or the Ministry from taking action so far. But that was not going to last long.
Professor McGonagall announced the end of today's classes. Harry walked outside the classroom and waited, hoping to have a chance to give Daphne the note he had written.
What he was not expecting was a group of several Slytherin students walking directly towards him in the hall. With Pansy Parkinson at the front, followed closely by Daphne, Trace, Nott, and Zabini.
"Potter, I wanted to have a word with you," Pansy called for him.
Harry turned to look at her and waited for her to approach.
Pansy and the rest stopped in front of him.
"I wanted to formally thank you for saving my life yesterday. If there is anything I can do to repay you for that…all you have to do is ask."
"I see…" Harry could understand where she was coming from. For pureblood families who follow old traditions, this could be even considered a life debt and it would be a huge deal.
He was about to brush her off as this was a small thing for him but an idea came to him, this could be an opportunity to strike at the death eaters and it would be foolish to just let it go.
"I understand, Miss Parkinson. I formally accept your thanks. I will inform you when I can think of a form of repayment."
"I will be waiting then." Pansy nodded to him.
The group started to walk away, but Daphne remained behind.
"I also wanted to…"
"Daphne." Harry interrupted her and got closer to her, his face was only a few inches away from hers. He wanted to make sure that no one saw this.
"W-what…" Daphne was startled by his sudden closeness and blushed slightly.
But then she noticed that he placed something on her hand.
"Read it when you are alone, is very important…please," Harry whispered to her heard.
"Oh, and you don't have to thank me. I will always protect my friends."
Unaware of the girl's embarrassment, Harry walked away.
'If everything goes smoothly, Lord Greengrass may be able to drive Dumbledore away from Hogwarts by Monday.' It was already the end of the week and he will have to give at least one day of notice.
'I will need to make some preparations…I have a giant snake to kill...again.'
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