Chương 80: Chapter 080

"That's really sweet of you." Hannah's comment actually made Harry blush. No one had ever told him he was sweet before. Well, Lisa had, but he had long since been desensitized to anything she said. Harry wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or flattered. "You're a really good friend."

"I guess."

Harry shifted a bit as he regain control of the blood flow to his cheeks. He did his best to finish eating before Hannah could make anymore comments about him and how sweet he was.

Once he finished eating, he looked over at the others to see if they were done as well.

"So... to the library then?"

Susan and Neville agreed, while Hannah merely sighed and slumped her shoulders. "I guess."

The group of four stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. Because none of them had brought their books or school supplies, they separated and went to their respective dorms to get their supplies, before meeting up again and making their way to the library.

The library was one of the few places Harry had been dying to see since coming to Hogwarts. The library was very large, nearly twice as large as the one in Surrey. The dozens upon dozens of shelves filled to the brim with large tomes nearly had Harry drooling. The mere thought about all the knowledge contained within those books was almost enough to make him lose his composure. Only his iron will and determination not to look like a raging bookworm having book withdrawals kept him from running up to the nearest shelf and grabbing the first book he could get his hands on.

"Well," Harry started, his body tingling with the desire to snatch a book and start reading. "Why don't we find some place to sit. The sooner we can finish our homework, the sooner we can go exploring."

Near the back of the library Harry, Hannah, Susan and Neville came upon a small area for people to read and work. Several tables were evenly spaced around this section of the library in a neat and orderly fashion.

It seemed they weren't the only ones who had gotten the idea to complete their homework at the first opportunity. A number of students were already sitting at the tables, writing down on sheets of parchment or reading from some of the ancient tomes. Most of them were from Ravenclaw, Harry noted.

Most were older students that Harry didn't know the names of, but recognized by face. However, sitting at a table near the back, he saw two first years working diligently on their homework: Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin.

Terry was a skinny boy with short cut brown hair, pale skin and steel gray eyes. He wasn't very tall, but neither was he short. Standing head and shoulders shorter than Harry, he was about average in height. Nor did he look very athletic, judging from what Harry could see of his thin wrists.

Sitting across from him, Lisa Turpin's long, raven-colored hair framed a face with thin pink lips, a button nose and dark brown eyes. She stood several inches shorter than Harry, though it was hard to tell with her sitting. Her fair skin indicated her as someone who stayed indoors most of the time.

Deciding that this was the perfect opportunity to make two more allies outside of his house, Harry led his group over to the pair.

"Excuse me," he said in a polite voice. When Lisa and Terry looked up, their eyes widening upon seeing who was speaking to them, Harry offered a charming smile and affably inquired, "do you mind if we sit with you two?"

Terry and Lisa both blinked, then looked around at the several empty tables near them. They were probably wondering why Harry wanted to sit with them when there was plenty of space available. At least, that's what Harry assumed they were wondering. They appeared confused, but it could have been from something else, though he doubted it.

Whatever they were thinking, the pair eventually decided that having Harry Potter and his friends sit with them was perfectly acceptable.

"Sure," Lisa said, waving her hand towards the empty seats at their table. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Harry grinned and sat down. Behind him Hannah, Neville and Susan looked at each other, before following suit. When they were all settled, Harry decided that introductions were in order.

"It's nice to meet you two. My name's Harry Potter, and with me are my friends Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones and Hannah Abott." Neville, Hannah,and Susan gave their own greetings as Harry introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you too," Lisa said with a smile. Terry gave them a nod, but still seemed too surprised that Harry Potter wanted to sit with them to say anything. "I'm kind of surprised to see you guys here. I thought we Ravenclaws were the only ones who would be coming up here to get our homework done the first chance we got."

Harry carefully masked the frown he wanted to show. There was that house stereotyping again. If he weren't so intent on gaining allies in other houses and people like Susan and Hannah, he would have wondered if there was some kind of loyalty charm to ensure that people only got along with those in the house they were sorted into.

"I find that it's best to get homework out of the way before doing anything else," Harry replied. "That way we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week, and can use that time to relax and have fun."

"I never thought of it like that," Terry said, looking thoughtful. "But I guess it makes sense."

Susan looked over at Hannah with an expression that could almost be considered smug. The blond girl threw her hands up in exasperation. "Alright, alright, I get it. Work first, play later. Sheesh, perhaps you should have been in Ravenclaw."