"See you guys tomorrow," Harry greeted his friends outside the Great Hall after the conclusion of the opening feast.
"Yeah," Neville nodded. Together with Susan and Hannah, he walked downstairs toward the Hufflepuff Common Room.
There was nothing of note in the announcements, apart from Lockhart's appointment as the new Defense instructor. Harry had noted, to his amusement, the look of utter disdain Snape had directed at the man during the feast, who had coincidentally been sitting right beside him. With the way the man had been pestering Snape with whatever drivel he seemed to be interested in, Harry had to honestly wonder whether the man had a death wish. Snape looked ready to curse the man right in front of the entire Hogwarts populace.
"Potter!"
Harry stopped mid-walk and turned around, looking curiously as he saw the Weasley twins alongside another older boy and three girls. The twins were grinning like they always used to, while the older boy was giving him an appraising look. The three girls however were smirking. He had no idea why.
"Yeah, what is it?" Harry asked with an inquisitive look on his face. One of the twins sighed.
"What? No greetings for us? And here we thought we'd become friends after what happened last year."
"I'd rather not associate with the two of you more than I need to. Particularly after what I saw in the alley," he replied with a chuckle. The twins were indeed fun overall, but he'd much rather remain far away from them.
"You saw that, huh?" The other twin smirked. "Believe me, that was the best part of our summer."
Harry rolled his eyes. "What do you two want?"
"Oh nothing. We heard how you've got a special flying tool, and our dear captain here wanted to personally ask you about it."
Harry looked at the boy whose back the twin had clapped.
"This is Oliver Wood. Our dear captain and the biggest Quidditch fanatic you'll ever see. And these are our lovely chasers – Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet. The famed flying vixens of the mighty Gryffindor!"
Harry nodded toward them in greeting, ignoring the flamboyant introductions.
"So you've got a Nimbus? The latest one?" the boy who had been introduced as Wood asked keenly.
"I've no idea how you know, but yeah, I do," Harry shrugged. "What about it?"
"Ah, you're underestimating our captain here, dear Harry," Johnson smirked. "He can recognize a broom simply by its shape. One look at the package and he knew you had the lovely Nimbus 2001."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"So you're planning on trying out for the Quidditch team?" Wood asked abruptly. Harry looked at him with a frown.
"I fail to see how it's any of your business, but I've no plans yet. It might change though."
Wood nodded and turned to look at his teammates. "We'll prepare anyway. See you all tomorrow at practice. Don't be late."
They watched as Wood walked off without another word. One of the twins sighed.
"Always so uptight when it comes to Quidditch, that lad," he muttered and turned to smile at Harry, who shrugged.
"I've seen more odd people than that one."
"I'm sure you have," he grinned. "Say ladies, mind if we talk in private for a bit?"
The girls smirked before they winked at Harry and walked toward the giant staircase, leaving him with the Weasley twins who sighed as one.
"Merlin, what I wouldn't give to have you in Gryffindor. Why'd you have to go and join the Eagles, mate!?"
"Too true, brother o' mine."
Harry snorted. "You two want something?"
"You bet we do!" The other twin exclaimed before looking around. Seeing there was no one in the vicinity, he gestured toward an alcove. Curious, Harry followed them and saw one of the twins pull a shrunken bag out of his pocket. He handed it to Harry, who looked at it with furrowed brows.
"What is this? It smells… disgusting," Harry said with a small grimace as he held the bag far away from himself.
"This is our newest invention, the Booty Stinker! One touch and your butthole will smell like shit for an entire day. And guess what? The stinky one doesn't even know something's wrong!"
Harry looked at the bag in disgust and made to throw it. However, the twins prevented it.
"Hey! What's the matter? Don't worry, you won't have to touch the pouches."
"Why are you giving me this crap!?"
"Crap he says," the other twin chuckled. "Well I guess you could call it a Crappy Stinker as well."
"What we want you to do, dear Harrykins, is to make these few students from your house sleep with this little baby here under their pillow without them knowing about it. Don't worry, it will vanish once they wake up so there'll be no proof left."
Harry took the piece of parchment with a frown, recognizing the two names.
"What did these two do to you?"
"Ah, nothing so serious. We just find them too haughty and think they deserve to be brought down a peg or two. Do it for us, will ya?"
Harry sighed. "Fine. I promised you anyway. But you could do better. This one takes too much time. Why not make something easier? Like something you can slip into someone's food?"
"This is a prototype only. More will come soon."
"Indeed, and the next one will be a banger," the other twin grinned. "See ya then, Harrykins. Gotta talk to our contacts in the yellow house as well. Make sure to do it before going to bed, all right?"
Harry shrugged and pocketed the small bag. He was about to leave when one of them stopped him.
"No need to return the leftovers. Use it on whoever you prefer. We'd happily take credit for it if you don't want. Just don't use one on yourself or someone you don't want smelling like crap, gotcha?"
Harry snorted but said nothing as he walked out of the alcove and made his way toward the Ravenclaw Tower. A few minutes later, the twins exited the alcove and went about their merry way, chuckling mischievously.
-Break-
"You mean you wasted the entire time!?" Hannah exclaimed in a hushed whisper as she and Susan sat on the latter's bed, mindful of their two dormmates who gave them curious looks. Hannah smiled sweetly and they shrugged before going about their ways.
The blonde turned toward her best friend who sighed.
"Come on, Sue! You had him all to yourself, and you didn't even try anything!? How chicken are you!"
"It's not that easy," Susan complained, blushing. "I told you what happened on the train. After that, I just couldn't do anything!"
"But that was the best opportunity you had!" Hannah retorted furiously. "Ever since our visit to the Diagon, you've been telling me how you're gonna make your move as soon as you can, and then you go and waste such a golden chance! You two shared that hot moment on the train, for Merlin's sake!"
Susan sighed. Hannah had cornered her first thing once they were back at her home after their shopping in the alley a few days after Harry's birthday, and she had no choice but to admit that she'd developed a crush on Harry. Her best friend had wasted no time teasing her before she started to formulate plans on how to bring them together. Skeptical of what this idiot might do, she had no choice but to get her off her case. And now, she could do nothing but endure this lecture.
"I'm telling you, Sue. You're taking too much time," Hannah continued, before leaning closer to whisper, "and you know what? I've heard that the muggles do it at our age! Can you believe it!?"
Susan's eyes widened. She was not that big of an idiot to not know what her friend was talking about.
"It!?" She squeaked. "You mean that it?"
Hannah nodded eagerly. Susan's mind replayed the moment on the train once again, and try as she might, she couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering into dangerous territories.
"Merlin, that look is creepy," Hannah's mutter brought her back to the Earth and she flushed.
"W-well…" Susan cleared her throat. "I-I'm sure that's exaggerated. No way the muggles do it at fifteen!?"
"Yes they do!" Hannah retorted firmly. "And here you are. Can't even try to butter up your man, let alone confess. What a disappointing sight."
"Hey! That's enough now," Susan complained. "I told you I'll do something, didn't I?"
Hannah rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Better do something before someone else comes into the picture. I've heard even the older girls talking about how cute Harry is. It won't take long for someone else to sink her claws into him."
Susan's eyes widened as she stared at her friend who walked over to her bed and got under the covers. Mechanically, she slid under her covers as well.
The visage of a beautiful blonde-haired girl and a certain dark-haired boy smiling together came to the forefront of her mind, and she vehemently shook her head.
"There's no way Harry would get together with someone he doesn't even know," she whispered to herself and closed her eyes.
However, another voice inside her was quick to remind her of something.
'They could always know each other. It doesn't take that long anyway.'
Groaning, Susan rolled over and clutched her pillow to her chest as she went to sleep.
-Break-
The next morning at breakfast, those sitting around a select few gave them looks filled with disgust. One such person was sitting not far away from Harry and his friends at the Hufflepuff table.
"It's disgusting," Hannah grimaced, looking at a fellow second-year Hufflepuff whose name Harry had never bothered learning.
"You'd think he'd have some manners, considering how he keeps bragging about his family name," Susan replied, scrunching her nose.
"I really can't eat like this. I'm going," Hannah replied, standing up. However, her eyes widened when the smell suddenly vanished. "Huh? What?"
Harry flicked his wand back into the holster and motioned for her to sit down.
"Repelling Charm. You'll learn in fifth-year Charms," he replied. "You okay, Nev? You're awfully quiet today."
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Neville replied with an awkward smile. "Just had a late-night sleep. That's all."
Harry nodded and went back to eating.
"We've got Lockhart's class first thing today, and a double at that," Susan remarked with a grimace. "Any expectations?"
"Don't care," Harry replied. "I'm studying the fifth-year materials and any issues would be covered by McGonagall or Flitwick. Don't think I need to attend his classes."
"You're planning to skip?" The redhead asked in surprise. "You'll get detention!"
Harry sighed. That was indeed a bother.
"Is there any way I can skip without the threat of a detention?" He asked, looking at all three of them.
"No clue, mate," Neville replied with a small smile. "Better attend the class and study whatever books you'd want. Much like what we do in History."
Harry nodded with a frown. It seemed that was the best he could do. No matter what his opinion of the man was, the fact remained that he was a professor and as such, a person in a position of power who could fairly assign him detentions. He didn't want to let his free time be stolen for such trivial purposes, not to mention he had no idea what Lockhart's idea of detention would be.
'Probably wiping the photos he'd undoubtedly have of himself,' he thought with a snort.
Harry had no idea how true his thoughts would be, and he was honestly taken aback at the sight of the Defense classroom.
The walls were painted in some pinkish-purplish shade which he couldn't name, and they were lined up with large frames bearing Lockhart's photographs in various poses. He had never laid eyes on a more disgusting sight.
"I'll happily endure detentions if it means I never have to look at this shit ever again," he muttered from the entrance of the classroom where he and his friends stood staring at everything. However, before he could turn around to bolt away, a hand grabbed his firmly. Turning around, he saw Susan sigh.
"Come on, just get this over with. As you said in the Great Hall, we've got no idea what his detentions would be like. I'm sure you'll hate cleaning all those frames by yourself."
Harry opened his mouth to retort before abruptly closing it. Sighing, he nodded.
"Point."
There were two sets of seats, arranged opposite one another with a wide space in the middle, presumably for the professor. They walked over and took the seats closest to the exit door, and Harry noted with a frown that they were sharing the class with all four houses.
"Why is everyone here?" He asked Neville.
"I heard Diggory talking about it," the boy replied. "Lockhart said that he had so much to teach the students that it would be impossible to cover everything if classes had to be separated, so the Defense class is combined for each year."
"Teach the students my arse," Harry muttered before looking around. As expected, students from all four houses were present. However, not everyone had arrived, particularly those who had been pranked. He didn't think they would be arriving either. He nodded at Tracey when she smiled at him from the seat right at the front on the opposite side before looking at Daphne who was reading something with a deepening frown.
'Must be one of Fraudhart's books,' he thought to himself.
Shortly, the man in question arrived as the last pair of students came in. Harry and his friends, and he noted, several others as well, grimaced when the man grinned at them with his perfect shining teeth glinting in the light.
Lockhart picked up a book off Terry Boot's desk and help it up alongside his face, and they saw two Lockharts grin similarly.
"Me," he said, winking in tandem with the Lockhart on the cover of the book. "Gilderoy Lockhart. Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and a five-time winner of the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"
The man grinned, and Harry grimaced at the lovestruck sighs a few girls sitting near the front let out. He turned his head and exchanged a disgusted look with his friends.
"I see you've all bought the entire set of my books – very good. I've planned to start the first class with a little quiz – nothing to be worried about. Just to check how much you've read, how much you've taken in, you know, the usual."
With that, the man handed out a stack of test papers and asked the students to take one and pass the rest behind them. Once each student had one, he grinned.
"You have thirty minutes! Go!"
Wondering what kind of quiz it would be like, Harry looked down at his paper and his eyes bugged out. He read the questions one by one, starting on the first page and continuing to the third without even a break in between – a total of fifty-four utterly useless questions that made him want to rip the pages apart and burn them with the newest Firestorm spell he had read up on.
He managed to stop his instincts and left the papers as is, not even bothering to put his quill anywhere on the test. Having no intention of letting his time go to waste, Harry pulled out Dolohov's book which he had charmed to look like a regular textbook and started reading.
Before he was Voldemort's lieutenant, Antonin Dolohov was a dueling legend, having competed at the top level for six years during which he won the title four times before retiring prematurely. Harry didn't need to ponder much on the reason behind it. Every so often, he read the man describing his thought process during the duels, how the entire event was organized, how he had started participating, and everything in between. Harry found it very fascinating, particularly when he learned that there was a U-18 bracket as well. Even though he was fifteen, he believed he could pose a challenge to any competitor since he was already well into his OWL coursework.
He had already decided to ask Flitwick more about it. The input of another former champion would indeed be invaluable.
Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the test papers and instead of starting the class, he shoved his ass on his chair and started grading them. The students stared in disbelief, or adoration in the case of a few fangirls of his.
"I told you… an utter waste," he leaned over and whispered to Susan, and went back to reading his book. The redhead grimaced and with a sigh, pulled out her Transfiguration text. Beside her, Hannah and Neville copied her.
It was another half an hour later when Lockhart finally put the quill back into the inkpot and sighed.
"Tut, tut – none of you remembered anything from my books. Neither my favorite color that I mention in Year with the Yeti, which is lilac as you can see all around you by the way, nor my ideal birthday gift that I explicitly mention in the twelfth chapter of Wanderings with Werewolves, which is harmony between all magical and non-magical people – though I'll never refuse a large bottle of Ogden's finest."
He gave them a roguish wink and most of the students stared at him in disbelief, Harry included. A few, such as the three Gryffindor males, were shaking with silent laughter. Sadly though, a few girls were staring dreamily at the man and sighing occasionally, much to the disgust of their fellow students. Harry noted that it included two girls from Gryffindor, two from his own house, one from Hufflepuff, and two from Slytherin.
"Always knew Thompson was a bint. At least Jones is better," Hannah muttered with a scoff as she stared at the two Hufflepuff girls sitting together a few seats in front of them.
"And that Patil girl from Gryffindor could learn a thing or two from her twin," Susan responded distastefully. "The less said about Parkinson and Bulstrode, the better. At least the other two girls are sensible."
Harry looked over at Daphne and Tracey who were also staring at Lockhart with disgust.
The man continued, "Alas, it seems none of you will get any points. Fret not, though. You'll get many opportunities to earn points for your house, starting today!"
Curiously, they saw Lockhart grab the cloth draped over what looked like a cage. He turned to look at them with an expectant grin.
"Now, my dear students, brace yourselves. In this class, you will come face to face with some of the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! It is my job to prepare you. With me, you will find yourselves facing your worst fears. However, know that no harm shall befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you all remain calm."
Harry stared at the spectacle with a bored look as he leaned back and relaxed. Meanwhile, many students, his friends included, leaned forward slightly to take a good look at whatever it might be. He made eye contact with Daphne who pursed her lips and stared in exasperation.
"I must ask you not to scream," Lockhart said in a low voice, trying very hard to sound menacing. "It might provoke them."
With a dramatic flourish, he pulled the cover off the cage, and the class was filled with another irritating noise.
"Behold," Lockhart declared dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies."
Someone snorted near the front, and Harry saw it was none other than Malfoy. Lockhart turned to look at the boy expectantly.
"Yes?"
"Well, they're – they're not very dangerous. Look like some idiotic creatures to me," the blonde choked out amidst his laughter which his cronies soon joined in.
"Don't be so quick to judge!" Lockhart exclaimed, wagging an annoying finger at Malfoy who stared at it in surprise. "They can be devilish tricky little blighters!"
"I'm done. See you all in the next class," Harry muttered as he shoved his book into his bag and his friends quickly turned to look at him. Their eyes widened when he vanished from sight.
Under his disillusionment charm, Harry Potter walked out of the shitty lesson, cursing Lockhart all the while.
-Break-
Having taken time to read up on his own for the remaining duration of the class, Harry arrived for Charms and saw, to his surprise, students from Ravenclaw and Slytherin already present. He had expected to be the first to arrive considering the class was supposed to have ended only a couple of minutes ago.
Frowning, he took down his disillusionment charm and entered the classroom. Looking around, he saw a vacant seat near the front and walked over.
"Hey Harry," He turned to his left in surprise to see Tracey grinning at him from the seat right beside his. Daphne was sitting the closest to him, with Tracey sitting on her other side. He nodded at the pair.
"Hello."
"Can you believe what that moron did!?" Tracey exclaimed. "Releasing those pixies like that and then making the students deal with his mess!"
Harry frowned. It seemed Fraudhart was even more incompetent than he had thought.
"I told you he was a fraud, Trace," Daphne sighed. "At least you accept it now. Better late than never."
"How could I know that the man was a fraud? I never met him. In fact, my mum was gushing over him so much that I seriously thought he was some big deal! Dark creature hunter, my ass!"
Daphne slapped Tracey on the back of her head.
"No need to get crass," she chuckled before turning to look at Harry. "Smart thing you did, getting out of that class before any mess happened."
Harry looked at her in surprise.
"How'd you know?"
Daphne chuckled again, and given how somber she had been the previous evening, Harry was even more surprised. Perhaps it was because of the sight of the Thestrals or the painful memory the creatures elicited, but it looked like she was not the stoic person he had thought she was.
"I'm pretty observant, if I say so myself," Daphne replied. "However, in this case, I just happened to look over toward where you were sitting and noticed you were not there anymore."
Harry nodded.
"Can't say I blame you though," she continued with a smirk. "I'd have done the same had I been sitting there. Sadly, as you saw, I was near the front. Couldn't just take off."
"Better sit near the exit from now on then," he smirked.
"Yeah, I guess," she sighed.
"Wait a minute," Tracey said with wide eyes. "You left the class before it ended? Really?"
"Oh, shout louder and tell the entire school, why don't you?" Daphne admonished. The brunette looked around and saw several students looking over at them inquisitively and gave a sheepish look.
"Oh sorry, but you really left early? Lucky you."
Harry shrugged. "Couldn't take his antics anymore. I'd leave that class if I could. Perhaps I could talk to the professors about it. It's not as if I need his instructions anyway."
"You can do that!?" Tracey asked in surprise, and even Daphne was looking interested. Harry shook his head.
"I don't know if it's possible. But I don't think there's any harm in asking."
"I guess… still, they might allow you since you are so advanced. There's no way they would allow us to skip his class," Tracey muttered dejectedly.
"Then study in advance as well," Harry remarked casually with a shrug.
"Yeah, as if everyone's a genius like you," the brunette scoffed. All the while, Daphne stared at Harry with an interested look on her face.
They sat in silence for a few moments, awaiting the arrival of Flitwick. There were still a few minutes left for the class to start.
"Thanks for your offer though," the blonde said suddenly. Harry turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile. "The one you made last night, of you being there to listen if I wanted to talk about it. I'm good though."
"The offer is there anyway, so feel free," he replied with a wave of his hand, to Daphne's surprise. However, before she could say anything, Flitwick emerged from the door that Harry knew led to his office and private quarters and started the class.
-Break-
"I'm hungry," Tracey complained as the class ended. She was already ready to go to the Great Hall for lunch. After two double lessons and a harrowing first lesson at that, it was perfectly understandable. "I'll see you in the Great Hall."
Daphne saw her best friend bolt out of the classroom and sighed before turning to look at Harry.
"You're really doing the OWLs coursework already," Daphne commented with an impressed look on her face as the last students filed out of the classroom, leaving only them with Flitwick, who was busy at his desk.
Harry nodded.
"Why though?" She asked inquisitively, earning a frown from the boy.
"Why what?"
"Why study so much in advance?"
Harry looked at her in confusion. "Because I can?"
"That's all?" Daphne asked in surprise. Harry shrugged.
"Magic is interesting, and I want to be the best I can be. If it takes me faster than normal, it's only a consequence, nothing else."
"I see," she muttered, looking critically at him. "That's quite ambitious of you, Potter."
"Just practical. I think it's normal to try to be the best version of yourselves. In fact, I find it surprising that more people don't try doing the same. Instead of exploring the depths of magic, they take it for granted. Feels pretty disrespectful to this gift we've been given, to be honest. And call me Harry. I'm not too much into this surname business."
Surprised, Daphne nodded before muttering, "Likewise then."
Harry nodded in response and watched as she walked out of the classroom with a thoughtful look on her face. Sighing, he walked over to Flitwick, who was fiddling with a few parchments on his desk.
"Excuse me, professor."
Flitwick looked over and smiled.
"Mr. Potter, how can I help you?"
Seeing no need to beat around the bush, Harry decided to be blunt.
"Lockhart is a fraud and his class is a waste. Is it possible for me to not attend that class and waste my time? I already wasted a lot last year, and I'd prefer not to repeat it again."
Flitwick blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"
Harry sighed. "Lockhart's classes are useless, and I'd prefer to actually learn something rather than watching that man prance about the classroom blowing his horn. You and Professor McGonagall helped me out with Defense last year whenever I needed it. I was hoping we could have the same arrangement this year as well."
Flitwick sighed. He had already heard what had transpired in the first class and he was not surprised in the slightest that the boy wanted no part in that farce. He had no idea why the man had been hired anyway.
He remembered Gilderoy Lockhart from his student days. The boy had never been a remarkable wizard despite being in his house, and his grades had barely managed to reach Exceeds Expectations. It was not surprising that he found the tales of the man's bravery and valor to be fictional with no basis in reality.
"If this was any other student asking this of me, I would have denied them without even thinking," Flitwick replied with a sigh. "But you are already studying OWL level spells in your second year, and so far, you have given me no reason to doubt your dedication. Can I count on you to keep up the level you have shown thus far at Hogwarts?"
"Without a doubt," Harry replied promptly.
Flitwick nodded. "Is there anything else?"
"I intend to compete in the U-18 Dueling League starting next year before transitioning into the seniors as soon as I can, and I would like to count on your expertise."
A small glint entered Flitwick's eyes as he smiled, rubbing his chin. "Is that so? Why the sudden interest in the circuit, if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's another way of testing myself against the best, and perhaps I could make a future in the sport as well," Harry replied with a small smile.
Flitwick chuckled. "Is that so? Considering your love for flying and who your father was, Minerva and I expected you to show more interest in Quidditch."
Harry smiled. "I've thought about trying out for the team, but I like flying more than the sporting aspect of it. Furthermore, I don't think I'm fit for a team sport."
"I thought so," Flitwick agreed with a chuckle. "It would be an honor to mentor you on your journey to be a professional duelist. It's been a long time since Wizarding Britain had a representative on the circuit, and I believe it's high time we had one of us competing at the highest level."
Harry smiled. "Thank you, Professor."
"I shall talk to Gilderoy about you not attending his classes," Flitwick said. "You may abstain from attending his lessons, and I want you to utilize that time to prepare for the circuit accordingly. We shall meet every Sunday evening two hours before dinner for our sessions wherein I will ascertain your progress and we will work on anything that needs to be worked on. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Harry nodded.
"If I recall correctly, you have your animagus training with Minerva this year as well, so it would be a challenge to handle everything. However, I have full faith that you can manage just fine. Do you have anything else you want to talk about?"
"No professor, that is all. Thank you," Harry shook his head with a smile and Flitwick dismissed him.
'Nice and easy,' he thought to himself with a smirk as he made his way to the Great Hall for lunch.
-Break-
"What's got everyone acting like idiots?" Harry asked once he arrived at the Hufflepuff table and slid in beside Neville, looking around the Great Hall where almost every student was snickering like mad.
"Weasley got a Howler at lunch today," Hannah replied with a grin. "Merlin, his mum's loud. Undressed him verbally, she did."
"He got scolded by his mother in front of the entire school!?" He asked in surprise.
"Remember how the entrance to the platform was blocked?" Susan asked him. Harry nodded. "Well, it seems Weasley, Finnegan, and Thomas also got caught in that mess. However, Weasley had the bright idea to fly his father's car from London to Hogwarts. It would've been fine, but the invisibility spell on the car malfunctioned and scores of muggles saw a flying car. It was even in the Prophet this morning."
"Seriously!?" Harry asked, looking over at the Gryffindor table.
"They're long gone. No way Weasley could've stayed in the Great Hall after that humiliation. I kinda feel bad for the bloke. Merlin knows I'd want someone to kill me if my gran did something like that," Neville replied with a shudder. Harry frowned. Neville's grandmother was a sore spot indeed.
"You're done with lunch already?" He asked, looking down at their finished plates.
"Well, now that we don't have to deal with that stink, it was much easier," Hannah replied. Harry looked around and saw that the students who had been pranked were nowhere to be seen, and he recalled that they had not attended the classes either.
'People must've told them what was wrong,' he thought to himself, chuckling.
"I bet it was the Weasley twins," Susan remarked. "You have to give it to them. Their pranks are ingenious. If only this one wasn't so disgusting."
"You have to give it to them for their sources too," Hannah chimed in. "Students from all houses apart from Slytherin were targeted, and I heard many saying how those students were smelling since they woke up. I wonder how they managed to get into the other two houses that early in the morning."
Harry saw Neville quickly avert his eyes and look interestedly at his plate, rolling the final chunk of meat around in the gravy, and realization dawned on him. He smirked.
"Oh it's quite easy. Nev here helped them with the 'Puffs."
Neville's eyes bugged out as he whirled around to look at him. Susan and Hannah stared at the boy in surprise.
"How did you know that!?" He asked, shocked. Harry grinned.
"I didn't. You just confirmed it."
"Neville you…" Hannah floundered, before grinning widely. "Oh you sly dog! Good job!"
"Huh?" The boy asked dumbly.
"You pranked only the idiots. It's all good. So that's why you were so drowsy this morning. Must be busy infiltrating the dorms, right?"
Neville scratched his cheek sheepishly and nodded.
"I wonder who helped them out with the ravens though," the boy muttered.
Harry smirked as he looked at them, and Neville's eyes widened. "You too?"
"Guilty as charged," he replied.
Hannah and Susan looked at him in surprise.
"You are their agent in Ravenclaw!?" Hannah asked in bewilderment. "You!?"
"I won't say I'm their agent. More like a voluntary aid, why?"
"N-nothing," she replied. "Just never thought you'd play a prank, that's all."
Harry shrugged. "Those two deserve it, to be honest. That Edgecombe girl is a nuisance, and that Davies bloke is too cocky just because he's on the Quidditch team."
"Same with Smith, Macmillan, and Carmichael in our house," Susan replied.
"Pause! How did this thing work though?" Hannah asked. Harry chuckled and explained how the pouches worked.
"You infiltrated the girls' dorm!?" Susan asked, scandalized. Harry looked at her and rolled his eyes.
"I'll have you know I have a very faithful owl now who can deal with this trivial stuff for me."
"Oh wow," Hannah muttered, impressed.
"Did they give you some as well?" Neville asked in a whisper. Harry grinned.
"You have more of those?" Susan asked with a disgusted look on her face. Harry nodded.
"Who are you planning on using them on?" Hannah asked eagerly, leaning forward. Harry smirked.
"You'll have to wait to find out."
-Break-
"Goodnight, Ginny," Percy Weasley smiled at his sister, who grinned and gave him a hug before walking upstairs to the first-year girls' dormitory. She entered the room and quickly changed into her nightwear before throwing herself on her bed.
Digging into her bag, she pulled out a quill, an inkpot, and a black book. She had thought that her dad had bought her a diary to put her Hogwarts experience to parchment. However, she could've never guessed that he would buy her an enchanted diary that could help her communicate with someone. She had heard about Companion sets – a pair of enchanted diaries that communicated with one another.
Although initially surprised, Ginny had eagerly immersed herself in it. Her new friend was a very inquisitive and intelligent individual, and she guessed he was older than her and had either graduated from Hogwarts or attended another school. That didn't make her any less enthusiastic about talking to him though, and it had become a habit of hers ever since the first night she had talked to him.
Smiling, she opened the diary and dipped her quill in ink before bringing it over the page.
'Hi, Tom!'
She smiled when the words vanished and didn't have to wait for long as the reply of her secret friend came in a neat scribble.
'Hello, Ginny.'
-Break-
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