Plus, as we have a pair of house elves," said Harry. "One of them can get past the eagle and get your bath things and a change of clothes for you for the next morning."
"That would be nice, too," she smiled. "Would they also be able to find my things that the pixies steal from me and hide?"
"I'm sure they can," Harry replied, forcing his own anger down again. "Do you have anything missing now?"
"A few things," she said. "But, they've been missing for a while."
"Then, I'll talk to Dobby this evening," said Harry. "I know he, Winky or both would love to go on a treasure hunt to find your things for you. It would also be helpful if you wrote down a list of what you know the... pixies... have taken and hidden. Just to help them out, mind."
"Thank you," she said, getting a little teary. "I'll write it up during History of Magic class, this afternoon."
"History of Magic class?" asked Harry, looking mock-confused. "We have a class on that?"
"Yes, Harry," Hermione smirked. "You call it 'Afternoon Nap Time', even though we now have it Friday mornings."
"Oh, the one with the ghost!" exclaimed Harry, pretending to be surprised; before he frowned in apparent confusion. "If it's not 'Afternoon Nap Time', why does he read us bedtime stories, then?"
His words had the desired effect, as it made Luna giggle as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve cuff of her robes.
As the three left the Great Hall after lunch heading for the dungeons and Potions, Harry asked, "What say we stop by the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets on our way back to our apartment? I want to see if we can determine just what charms and wards Ol' Twinkles has put on the sinks."
"Ol' Twinkles?" Hermione asked, a little annoyed with Harry's disrespect while Daphne snickered.
"Well, I thought you'd be quite upset with other names I've come up for him," Harry shrugged.
"Like what?" she demanded.
"Let's see," he replied, raising his right hand and starting to tick them off using his fingers. "There's 'White Whiskered Wanker', "Manipulative Old Fool', 'Leader of the Laughable', 'The Greater Fuck-up', 'The Pizza Supreme Muck Flinger of the'..."
"Language, Harry James!" an annoyed Hermione snapped back, interrupting. "And, though we know he's made... and will otherwise make... mistakes, he's still the Headmaster and we should show respect."
"Hermione," he sighed. "You were there when he tried to hit both Daphne and me with a compulsion charm, and then more directly attacked me with Legilimency. That's highly illegal. One of the other names I have for him is 'The Chief Criminal of the Whatchamacallit'."
Stopping their small party in the corridor, Harry turned Hermione to face him. "Do you know why he uses that silly cantrip to make his eyes twinkle like that?"
With a frown of annoyance... whether it was at Harry's disrespect, or that there was something she didn't know... she shook her head.
"Making his eyes twinkle like that, draws your eyes to his," he explained. "Once he has you looking him in the eye, he can use passive, or wandless, Legilimency against you. Passive or not, without prior permission, it's still illegal. Using the eye twinkle means he's doing it deliberately.
"You need to understand that Dumbledore is not the nice man he has just about everyone thinking he is. He will not hesitate to break the law, or violate your rights, if he... and he alone... decides he should. Whenever he says, 'It's for the greater good', it means someone has just been, is in the process of being, or is about to be, well and truly shafted by him. Often, that person is me. It's led to me developing a near knee-jerk reaction of clenching my bum cheeks when he says it."
Hermione sighed and looked away. "I know," she said. "But, it's hard to think like that of a person who has so much authority. You're supposed to be able to trust them to do the right thing. That there is so much corruption in the wizarding world appalls me."
"Yeah, well," Harry sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Once Riddle is done and dealt with, that's what John said we'll be tackling next. That's why he doesn't want me to destroy Riddle before the events in the graveyard. I've... We've... got to let him get a body back so I can then kill him. That way, I'll become known as the Man-Who-Vanquished, supplanting the Boy-Who-Lived as my hyphenated appellation.
"We then use that respect... and near idolisation from the sheeple... to enter into the political arena, and come down hard on everyone we need to; to ensure we improve our society. That's one of the reasons why we have to let Dumbledore die. He'd just get in the way if he doesn't."
This was their first Potions class since Harry's 'ultimatum' to the Headmaster. And everyone was completely shocked at the radical change in behaviour of their 'esteemed' Potions Master. Gone, was the perpetual sneer; even if the scowl, though muted, was still there.
The lesson started with an overview of the potion they'd be making, it's uses, and what to watch for when it was being brewed. Only then were they permitted to collect the ingredients and set their cauldrons to bubbling away on the wizarding flame. And the instructions appeared on the board.
There were no accidents, no exploding cauldrons, and no denigrating remarks from the Professor. And, after the potions were bottled, realistic marks with similar points awarded.
When it was finished, some of the 'Claws and 'Puffs congregated just down the corridor in shock. They discussed what they'd just gone through. It was Susan Bones who summed up how they were feeling when she asked, "Did what I think just happened, actually happen?"
Ernie MacMillan, another 'Puff, put it in perspective when he said, "I think I learned more about potions in that one class than I've learned in the past three years!"
"I can't believe he actually awarded me points!" exclaimed Stephen Cornfoot. "He's never done that before!"
Smiling to themselves, the three listened in for only a short while before they headed directly to the second floor and Myrtle's bathroom.
Once at the door of the bathroom, the three looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. Harry then stood guard as lookout as Daphne and Hermione began the process of detecting for any charms or wards.
Once it was shown the door to the bathroom was clear of such, the two girls entered to make sure the bathroom was unoccupied. Hermione then stuck her head out and beckoned Harry in. Thankfully, Myrtle wasn't there at the time.
.
.
.
🍀Visit my site at tiendup for more advanced content...🍀
🍀Read the complete novel in PDF, available at my Store!🍀
https://sunflowersfic.tiendup.com/