Chương 63: Chapter 063
Harry noticed that everyone else was still asleep. Dean Thomas, a dark-haired, dark-skinned boy almost as tall as Harry slept like a rock, occasionally mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Harry thought the boy was talking about football, but couldn't be sure. Semus Finnigan, a boy of Irish descent with pale skin and sandy-colored hair lay on his back, his arms spread out and his mouth hanging wide open. And Neville Longbottom, the round faced boy, was curled up in a ball laying on his side.
Since no one was awake to see him, Harry waved his hand towards the trunk sitting in front of his bed. He smiled when the small charm he had placed upon his trunk spoke the password in a hushed tone. It was a very basic charm, one he had discovered during the summer when he looked up basic household charms. He had set up the speaking charm specifically for this instance, since he suspected—quite correctly—that he would be up long before any of his roommates were.
The trunk unlocked with a soft 'click' and another wave of his hand caused the small, rotating circular lock with the numbers one through four to move until it reached number two.
The trunk opened up as Harry directed more magic at it. One of his three sets of school robes and a large towel flew out to land in his outstretched hands.
After closing and locking the trunk, Harry made his way to the communal showers where he enjoyed a nice long soak under hot sprays of water. He came out nearly half an hour later dressed in his clothes with the towel laying over his still wet hair.
Not long after arriving back in his bedroom, Harry found himself sitting down on the couch in the common room reading Hogwarts, A History. It was a very interesting book, and he was nearly half-way finished with it, having read quite a bit of the book over the summer. Harry hoped to finish it before the end of the week.
As he continued flipping through the pages the sound of the door leading to one of the dormitories opening had his ears perking up.
He turned just in time to see Fred and George Weasley walking into the common room. Unlike everyone else who couldn't tell them apart, Harry knew exactly which was which. The one coming up to him on the left, Fred, had two extra freckles on his nose, and the other one, George, had a very small, almost unnoticeable scar on the left side of his cheek.
"Fred, George," Harry greeted the two with a small nod. The two twins grinned at him as they hopped over the couch and sat on either side of him.
"Good morning, Harry," George greeted with a large smile.
"And what a wonderful morning it is," Fred added.
"Indeed, the day is young."
"The sun is shining."
"And the weather is mild."
"Which begs the question of just why you are reading on this fine morning when you could be doing something more productive?"
"Much more productive."
Harry, who was keeping his ears on the conversation as it bounced between one twin to another, gave them a raised eyebrow to show his amusement. While he had not paid any particular attention to the pair last night during the sorting, he had seen them and listened to their conversation just like he had with everybody else at his table. That, plus his earlier observations during their meeting on the Hogwarts Express let him know these two were trouble makers. It was very likely they were the 'Marauders' of this era.
"And just what could I be doing so early in the morning? Breakfast isn't until eight."
"True, very true," Fred said with nod.
George began rubbing his chin in mock contemplation. "Well, you could always think up new and inventive ways to cause mischief."
"I must concur with my dear brother," Fred added helpfully. "Why would you want to... read." He mock shuddered. "When you could think up more and more ways to spread chaos and joy to the school?"
At those words, Harry's lips quirked up in a small, half-smile. "Aside from the fact that I don't think chaos and joy should ever be used in the same sentence again, perhaps I am just the kind of person who enjoys reading a good book in the morning instead of finding ways to get myself in trouble."
The twins gasped in mock horror.
"You hear that, Gred? He doesn't enjoy pulling pranks."
"I heard, Forge. It's shameful how these young-ins are getting more and more boring over the years."
Harry rolled his eyes, before his attention turned toward the rest of the common room. During the time he and the two Weasley's had been talking, many other Gryffindor students had been making their way down the stairs. Already he spotted many older students as they walked out of the room, most likely going to the Great Hall, and three first years: Fay Dunbar, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom.
"Well, I do apologize for being such a bore," Harry spoke to Fred and George as he closed his book shut with a snap, shrunk it with a tap of his wand, then stood up. "I'll see what I can do about becoming more exciting in the future. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going."
"See yah, Harry," George said with a jaunty wave as he and his brother stood up.
"Don't be a stranger now!" added the other.
Harry shook his head at their antics, but waved all the same, before making his way over to Neville Longbottom.
"Good morning, Neville," Harry greeted with a smile. The other boy nearly jumped out of his skin when Harry spoke, and quickly whirled around to see the raven-haired youth next to him.
"Oh, Harry," Neville breathed, looking like he had just received the scare of his life. "Good morning. Did you... did you sleep well?"
"I slept quite well, thank you. And you?" asked Harry cordially.
"Oh... yeah, erm, I slept alright," Neville mumbled, and Harry almost sighed at the unenthusiastic response. Looking at him, one would never suspect this boy belonged to the house of lions. Everything from his posture to his subdued way of speaking denoted to someone lacking the necessary self-assuredness to do well in the house Godric Gryffindor had created. Neville Longbottom, Harry had determined, was a very skittish and easily frightened boy with a complete lack of self-confidence.
He was also the reason Harry decided to go into Gryffindor. As the heir to the Longbottom name and fortune, Neville would eventually inherent the title Lord of Longbottom and a seat on the Wizengamot. More to the point, his family was one of the Founding Five, which made allying himself with this boy even more imperative. Having Neville on his side after they graduate from Hogwarts would definitely be a boon politically, if nothing else.
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