The rumour mill at Hogwarts being one of the best in the wizarding world, before Friday, every student knew that Harry Potter had cursed his former best friend Hermione Granger so that she could longer see the words on a printed page and why. Nor, as they also found out, could she read handwritten notes, hers or anyone else's. The rumour mill also reported that not even Dumbledore could figure out what spell Potter had used and all possible counter curses had been tried to no avail.
The Ravenclaws and Slytherins had enjoyed watching Granger get twitchier and twitchier as the week progressed because she wasn't able to read. Granger attended classes, but they couldn't understand why she was doing so. It wasn't like she would be able to get anything out of the classes, until she was able to read again. The teachers had tried to find readers among the Ravenclaws for her, so she wouldn't fall too far behind, as well as someone to proofread the homework she had done with a dictaquill, but they always found valid excuses not to do it.
None of the Slytherin or Ravenclaw students were really very fond of her. The Slytherins disliked her because she was constantly beating their scores. And the Ravenclaws because of the arrogance with which she paraded her knowledge and her certainty that all the answers in life could be found in books. They knew this was not the case. The Ravenclaws knew that there were always new things to be learned and that old information sometimes had to be revised or eliminated when some new fact came along to contradict it. It was why they rarely if ever put themselves in a position of power in the Ministry or anywhere else. They disliked looking foolish like Minister Fudge was looking right now after his blunders with Potter and his own aide.
The Ravenclaw and Slytherin students had also enjoyed watching the show put on by the other Gryffindors and Potter as they made repeated attempts to get him to undo the curse he'd placed on Granger. It had been interesting watching him cut them off with a few well-chosen words. Ron Weasley, Granger's boyfriend, had been especially persistent and for two days had sported skin of deep green and hair of silver as well as a tendency to spout complimentary things about Slytherins whenever one happened to be nearby. The Slytherins were quick to pick up on this and had hung around Weasley to make this happen.
Because Granger was unable to read the written word a number of the sixth and seventh year Gryffindor students, her boyfriend Weasley included, had been forced into being readers for her and she had gotten very whiny and snappish when they didn't do it properly. Most of them refused to do it again after the first time and Professor McGonagall had no way of requiring students from other houses to do it. A couple of the more compassionate Ravenclaws had offered to proofread Granger's homework for the classes they shared with her on Wednesday, but they quickly left, and refused to do so again when Granger snapped at them they were wrong about an error in her homework.
The Ravenclaws also couldn't help shaking their heads in dismay at the stupidity of the Gryffindors. They kept trying to make Harry Potter forgive them on their timetable and not on his. The Gryffindors kept saying things like 'get over it', 'it's done and you need to move on'. The Ravenclaws however, or at least a majority of them had taken a different approach. While they were not experts on things involving emotion like the Hufflepuffs who were also being frozen out by Potter they did agree with them on one thing. The forgiveness, if it was going to happen at all, had to be on Potter's timetable not theirs. No one could maintain this level of anger forever, unless it was being stoked constantly and the Gryffindors were certainly stoking the fires that kept his anger going. About the only person in the whole school who could approach Potter for anything even remotely resembling a polite conversation, was Loony Lovegood, but then again, that girl wouldn't know a snub if it bit her on the ass.
.....
On Wednesday before he could get out of Transfiguration class, Harry heard McGonagall call out, "Potter, please remain behind. Mr. Creevy, tell Hagrid that Mr. Potter will be late to class."
Sighing, Harry turned away from the door and went to lean up against the nearest wall, his arms folded across his chest.
Once the classroom was empty, Professor McGonagall told him, "The Headmaster would like to see you in his office."
"When?" Harry asked not at all pleased by the prospect.
"Now."
Sighing again Harry followed the Transfiguration teacher up to the Headmaster's office. "Any idea about what he wants to discuss?"
"The Headmaster did not take me into his confidence about why he wants to see you, Mr. Potter." McGonagall told him crisply.
Probably wants to talk me out of making Granger swear that oath. Harry mused as they arrived in front of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.
"Pepper imps," McGonagall told the gargoyle and it moved aside.
After waiting several minutes for the young man to go up the revolving stairs, McGonagall finally ordered, "Go on up, Potter. You don't want to keep the Headmaster waiting.
Harry gave her a sour look before heading toward the revolving staircase. McGonagall though she heard him mutter, "brown noser," as he passed by her.
When he reached the top of the stairs, Harry leaned back against the wall to wait. He was curious to see just how long it would take for Dumbledork's patience to run out and for him to open the door himself. He was quite content to stay there all day. He had nothing better to do with his time after all it wasn't like he wanted to go to any of his classes and if there was one thing Azkaban had taught him, it was patience.
His watch showed that fifteen minutes had passed before the door to Dumbledore's office opened. He would have thought the old man could hold out longer, but apparently not.
"Come in, Harry." Dumbledore requested as he took a step back from the doorway.
"It's Mr. Potter to you." Harry reminded the old man.
Looking disappointed, Dumbledore repeated, "Come in, Mr. Potter."
Harry settled in the nearest chair and didn't say another word.
Dumbledore went and sat down behind his desk. Waving his wand a tea set appeared on the desk and Harry could see steam rising from the teapot. Picking up the pot and a cup, Dumbledore asked, "Would you like some tea?"
Harry shook his head no and continued to stare at the picture on the wall of Phineas Nigellus, a former Headmaster of Hogwarts and the great great uncle of his godfather Sirius Black.
Dumbledore slowly sipped his tea waiting for young Potter to speak. Despite the fact that Harry had made him come and open the door when he wouldn't knock, Dumbledore knew the boy was generally impatient as all the young were. It was only with maturity that one acquired patience.
Dumbledore was on his second cup of tea and Harry still hadn't taken his attention off the picture of Sirius Black's uncle. Phineas had spoken to the boy several times requesting he look at something else, but Harry just continued to stare at him without saying a word.
Finally Phineas had had enough and tried to leave his picture and found he could not. Turning his attention to the current Headmaster, he demanded, "Dumbledore, make him release me."
Dumbledore turned to face Phineas' portrait. "Make who release you?"
"Potter. Somehow he has managed to confine me to my portrait."
"Mr. Potter, have you confined Phineas to his portrait?" Dumbledore asked the young man.
"Yes," Harry told him.
"Why did you do that?" Dumbledore wanted to know.
....
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