Chương 18: Chapter 18
Charlie felt unable to make the decision about Ron and Hogwarts so forwarded the problem to Cairo, Arthur Weasley predictably hit the roof.
"What in the name of Merlin was Ron doing attacking the Potters, in the company of the Malfoy boy no less. I knew when Charlie told us that's who he was hanging about with there would be trouble."
Molly wisely let her husband rant himself out before she spoke, "What do you think we should do about this? Will Ron be safe there?"
Arthur was still mad though, "Not if he deliberately disobeys me again and goes after the Potters. Had they harmed that girl in any way, Lord Potter would have demanded vengeance, and got it. They would at the very least been expelled, with their wands snapped and magic bound. We all know he would have done it in a second if they'd harmed his wife. As if we don't have enough trouble with Percy still missing, Ron has to go and pull a stunt like this. I never thought I would see the day when the twins would be the sensible ones in this family."
Bill was also very angry but for a very different reason, "I never thought I would see the day when a brother of mine would be prepared to stand back and watch a young girl get hit by beater bats. Are you sure he's not adopted? Hanging out with Malfoy and now pulling this shit! If Charlie hadn't burned our bridges with Muriel, I'd say send him there. They deserve one another."
Molly being the calm one was also something never seen before, "That doesn't help us decide what to do next."
Arthur took a couple of calming breaths, this was not a decision to be made in anger. "Ok, let's look at this logically. He can't stay with the Lovegoods, the girls currently share the only other bedroom and there's no one there to home school him. Britain is Hogwarts or nothing. Charlie can't take a child onto a dragon reserve so the only other option is here. We eat, sleep and work with not enough hours in the day to get done what we need, where have any of us got the time to teach Ron anything. He would end up spending his days fetching and carrying while we try to make a go of this place."
Neither Molly nor Bill could argue with any of that.
"I still see Hogwarts as his only option. Minerva has him in detention until Halloween, let's wait until then and see if it controls his temper. Perhaps we could get him here for the Christmas holidays and introduce him to some hard work. Two weeks helping out here will have him desperate to return to Hogwarts and stay out of trouble."
Molly just kept glancing at her new clock that had no hand for Percy and Ron's still pointing at Mortal Peril. The logic behind her husband's thinking was crystal clear and bringing Ron here for the Christmas holidays might just be the kick up the arse her youngest son needed to get him back on the straight and narrow. They would just have to pray the safety measures the school had taken would be effective and Ron stayed out of trouble until then. The family didn't really have another option at the moment and Christmas wasn't that too far away.
-oOoOo-
When Harry and Hermione arrived in Crawley, they found total disarray and mum appeared ready for a good cry. Moving home is regarded as one of the most stressful things you can do in life, Emma's emotions were already all over the place as good memories of raising Hermione here had surfaced all day. This was totally irrational as she adored her new home but a part of her would always miss this place.
Hermione sprang into her mother's arms while Harry surveyed the scene. "Ok, I'll phone the restaurant and get a booking for seven. That should give everyone time to get ready for dinner and we'll leave from there to our new home."
Emma glared at her son as if he'd just stepped off a spaceship and was unaware of how things worked in this world. "And who, pray tell, is going to do all the work while we're enjoying some wonderful pasta?"
Harry's smile melted her heart but his words made her laugh. In a deep voice, Harry began the well known introduction.
"If you have a problem…"
A smiling Hermione joined in with her husband, "If no one else can help you…"
Dan was now laughing as well, remembering the times in Australia when they'd watched re-runs of the show. Laughing and joking that perhaps they should have contacted them to deal with Voldemort. He joined in the chant. "And if you can find them…"
Emma's mood had done a polar shift, here were her two kids laughing and joking. That's what made a home, not bricks and mortar. She to joined in for the punch line. "Maybe you can hire the A-Team!"
Sirius was now giving all four of them the alien spaceman look. He was forced to admit though, whatever stunt the kids had pulled had been bloody effective. Only moments before Emma had been freaking out.
As the laughter died down, Harry made his announcement. "Ok everyone, we're going to have a new addition to our family! The adults' complexions were changing colours to ones not found in any rainbow and Dan was actually swaying on his feet. Hermione meanwhile, was rolling on the floor laughing.
Harry just pressed on regardless, "Mum, dad, I'd like to introduce you to the A-team. Dobby!"
The little elf popped into the room as relief flooded into the three adults. It was Dan who found his voice first. "Harry, you ever pull a stunt like that again and I'll be coming after you with a pool cue."
Dobby was standing there, proudly wearing his new robes with the Potter crest on them. He moved in front of Harry at the perceived threat, which just made Hermione laugh all the louder.
Harry put his hand on his little friend's shoulder, "Easy there Dobby, that's our father and he's only joking. I hope! This lovely lady is Emma, our mum. Sirius you've already met."
Dobby was bouncing on his heels with uncontained excitement. "It is an honour to work for such a great family."
Harry thought he'd better explain, "Ah yes, Mum, dad, we hired Dobby to work for us. He's the best elf in the country and will have us moved while we're still eating our starters. We'll leave directly from the restaurant to Devon and spend the night there, that way we'll be ready for all the vans delivering our new stuff tomorrow. Mum, if you tell Dobby what needs to be done, he'll handle the rest."
Harry was helping Hermione back to her feet, she'd laughed so hard she'd been crying. He in turn felt his godfather's hand on his shoulder. "That was really well played Harry, you had us all going there. Your marauder heritage is beginning to come through."
Harry gave a wicked smile, "Speaking of marauders, Remus and Tonks are coming over to help us move. Now that we're heading to the restaurant instead, you might want to give someone a call. I need to let them know if it's seven for seven or eight!"
Sirius gave his godson a hard look, "you really are a marauder." He still hurried away though to give Hestia a call.
Emma was sceptical at best about leaving all this work in the hands of this small being but Hermione put her mind at rest. "Mum, Dobby is a house elf. He really is only happy when he's helping his family. We're now his family so relax and let him help. Harry wasn't joking, Dobby really is the best. And the best paid too!"
Emma couldn't understand why this made Hermione and Harry smile and Dobby blush, then again she didn't exactly understand a lot about house elves. When they'd heard that this little creature had saved them all from the Malfoys, where Hermione was being tortured, Sirius had been determined to free him. That action had cost the little fellow his life, yet Hermione appeared to be saying the best way to repay him was to give Dobby plenty to do. Emma would never understand magic.
-oOoOo-
The restaurant was loads of fun as Remus and Tonks told stories about their visit to the ministry earlier today.
This was the first time Hestia had met the Potters and Grangers, she was gobsmacked by the stories. "You really beat Amelia Bones in a duel?"
Tonks was chuckling, "She took it in good spirits, and they both defeated me and Remus at their extra class on Wednesday. I also heard there was some trouble on Thursday after Quidditch practice, five Slytherins in the infirmary?"
Sirius was about to congratulate them when Remus cut in, "That wasn't them, these two acted very responsibly and had Minerva shadowing them. That there were injuries was purely accidental, Malfoy and Weasley came off the worse."
His eyes were sparkling as Sirius now knew his godson had a hand in that, right under McGonagall's nose as well. He really was a marauder. "Remus, that git doesn't have a name. Just a couple of death eaters for parents."
As the stories continued, Sirius was even more surprised at what Fudge had said to the children. Taking death eaters off the streets and backing reforms, what more could you ask for? Sirius never thought he would vote for Fudge but the minister was currently doing the business.
As they left the restaurant, Sirius rather bashfully said he would see them early in the morning. Harry tried not to grin too much as he answered his godfather, "Bring Hestia if she's free, I've already added her to the wards."
The four bound for Devon portkeyed away, with the promises that the other four would be there first thing tomorrow morning.
-oOoOo-
In Ottery St Catchpole, a young readheaded girl was having trouble sleeping due to a mixture of apprehension and excitement. She was excited that their friends would be moving into their new house tomorrow but apprehensive because of the letter she'd received from her twin brothers describing the attack. If one of those bats had touched Hermione, Ron would have needed a couple of beaters to stop Ginny from killing her brother.
The voice from the darkness startled her, she thought Luna was asleep. "Ginny, stop worrying about this and get some sleep. This is Harry and Hermione we're talking about here, they like you in spite of your family."
Ginny spoke her fears out loud, "I just see those bats hitting our friends. How could my brother take part in something like that? He's supposed to be a Weasley."
Luna tried to reassure her best friend, "Ginny, I don't think for one moment that Harry and Hermione were in any danger. Think about it, you saw them take out your family inside Hogwarts. That was an adult, a fifth year, two third years and Ron. What chance would a bunch of first years have against our friends? The professor was there for a reason. If they'd managed to hurt Hermione, then Harry would have gone nuts. If they'd managed to hurt Harry, well let's just say Hermione can be scary and I'm glad she's our friend."
Those words made a lot of sense and calmed Ginny's apprehension. Her excitement though just expanded to fill the void, who wouldn't be excited at having such good friends as Harry, Hermione and her best friend Luna.
-oOoOo-
Ron Weasley had no friends, even his twin brothers were refusing to talk with him, George called him 'despicable' but he'd no idea what that meant. Draco had been taking a lot of stick for his miserable attempt at an ambush on two first years, him ending up in the infirmary again didn't help his case either. Draco then decided to blab about Ron's protective cup, anything to divert attention away from his own failures.
Word of this had spread like wildfire and Ron was now the laughing stock of the school. Cups of various sizes kept appearing wherever he went, usually with a couple of nuts in them. He'd actually eaten them the first couple of times, that was until Fred pulled him aside and angrily explained what the nuts represented and why people were falling about laughing every time he ate them. Ron threw up and swore never to eat peanuts again. His protection was charmed to stay in place unless he was in the toilet or shower, he wasn't allowed to take it off. He also could hardly walk down a corridor without someone playfully aiming a kick at him to see if it worked.
Ron was delighted to be spending most of his free time in a supervised detention, it was the only peace he got. This left him wondering how he could accumulate more detentions to cover him for the rest of the year. One thing was for sure though, it wouldn't involve the Potters. It may be just bad luck but they always seemed to be there when his family jewels took a pounding. He thought the Potter bitch putting her foot through them was bad enough but nothing had prepared him for the pain of those beater bats. Ron had no faith in a little cup protecting him from anything like that, he also wanted to spend the rest of his life without experiencing agony like that again.
He'd finally learned his lesson and would be giving them a wide berth from now on, he was also adding Draco to that list. Ron reckoned he was better with no friends than ones who turned on you when it suited their needs.
-oOoOo-
Dobby was smiling as he fed everyone who arrived for breakfast in their new home, Emma was in absolute awe of the little guy. He'd moved everything, including cars, while they dined in the restaurant. Now he was happily rustling up breakfast for ten on their first morning here. Waking up in their new room this morning and then having breakfast with their now greatly extended family had Emma feeling all emotional again. Dobby was a blessing, taking the task of feeding six adults and four kids in his stride.
Dobby had to disappear as the delivery men began arriving. As soon as the stuff would be unloaded though, the happy little elf placed the items wherever Emma told him to.
Luna was astonished at all the new furniture placed in the room for her and Ginny, she turned to discover that Harry had been standing behind her. "We hope you like it, we also hope you spend a lot of time here. We told you before, our door will always be open to you."
The little girl was overcome with emotions and found herself in Harry's arms. "Never doubt that you're our friend Luna, one of our best friends in the world."
Luna got herself back under control but did not leave the comfort of Harry's arms, "Thanks Harry, I'd better go and hug Hermione now or I'll be in trouble." Her smile as she said this brightened the room.
"I think she's in the library with Ginny, I sneakily ordered a few hundred books to get her library started. You and Ginny are welcome to stay the weekend if you want, you're welcome to stay every weekend."
Luna had never been made welcome anywhere before, "Thanks Harry, I'll ask my dad later."
"You can ask him tonight, he's invited for dinner. The rumours about us must be flying everywhere so we decided to meet the neighbours tonight, the Diggory's are also invited. Nothing fancy, just dinner and a few drinks."
Luna squeezed Harry tighter as she struggled to control her emotions again, inviting her father was something she didn't expect. They were friendly enough with the neighbours but she'd never visited the Diggory's before though had played at the Burrow with Ginny. Here, not only was she invited but her best friend and father were being made welcome as well.
For the first time since her mother died, Luna felt part of a family again. She also felt Harry's arms tighten around her as she bravely tried not to cry. Luna loved being hugged and felt as safe in Harry's arms as she did in her fathers, he didn't find her strange or annoying and wanted to be her friend.
"Luna, in this house we let our emotions out. This is your room and we hope, not only will you be happy here but stay as often as possible."
Luna gave a rather unladylike sniff before replying, "Harry, I may never leave!"
The genuinely warm smile that lit his face at those words told Luna he'd have no problem with that. She'd better go and hug Hermione soon because Luna was getting very comfortable in Harry's arms. It was what she imagined a supportive older brother would be like, Luna loved that feeling and couldn't get enough of it.
"Hermione sure is going to be surprised when I hug her for ten minutes."
This had Harry laughing, "Luna, Hermione is sorting out her new books. Even I wouldn't get a ten minute hug out of her at the moment."
Luna gave him a peck on the cheek, "Thanks again Harry, for everything." She let him go and skipped away to find Hermione.
Harry felt someone ruffle his hair from behind and turned his head to find Tonks standing there. "Harry, what I wouldn't have given to have a friend like you when I was that age. Hell, I don't have a friend like that now!"
Harry just smiled at her, "Yes you do Tonks, me!"
-oOoOo-
Amos and Tabitha Diggory had already decided they wouldn't like these people before they even attended, it wouldn't be neighbourly not to go but they intended to leave as soon as manners allowed. Walking into this beautiful home and finding Molly and Arthur's youngest being treated like one of the family threw a very large spanner into the works. The house itself was a hybrid of muggle and magical, they had electricity but dinner was served by a house elf. Luna and Ginny dragging Xeno away to see their room, while begging to be allowed to stay for the weekend, also shattered all their preconceptions on what they would find here.
The dinner was very informal with lots of chatting at the table, with Remus and Sirius there with their respective girlfriends, laughter also featured heavily on the menu.
When Dobby started serving the sweets, Hermione just had to comment. "Cheesecake and pavlova, are we relaxing the no sugar rules since you two are no longer working?"
Her father smiled at his daughter, "Yes dear, but we still expect you to brush and floss."
This led to Emma explaining to her guests what a dentist does and why they were no longer working. "We sold our business with the intention of moving our family to Australia, that's still very much an option for us. The exact same house as this is currently being built there even as we speak. I don't like the way people in Britain seem to have expectations of my son, we're giving it another chance but already have other options in place."
This raised a few eyebrows and Harry couldn't help but notice the look of panic on Luna's face, he leaned close and whispered to her. "Weren't you listening, the other house is an exact copy of this one." Luna still didn't understand so Harry put her out of her misery. "You have a room in that house to!"
Luna's elbow ended up in her strawberry pavlova, not from shyness but the insatiable need to hug the boy sitting beside her.
Hermione was as usual on Harry's other side with Ginny next to her. She just laughed at their blond friend's antics. "Luna, you can owe me one. I don't normally get cheesecake and intend to enjoy this piece."
Noticing where her elbow was had Luna blushing until Dobby appeared and had everything cleaned up with a fresh piece of cake in front of her in seconds.
Tabitha decided there wouldn't be a better time than now to ask the question that all her friends would want to know the answer to. "Can I ask why you chose to build a house here?"
Tabitha wasn't fooling anyone with the casual way she asked, especially Ginny who was used to hearing this woman and her mother gossiping for hours about everyone. The redhead showed her temper as she fiercely defended her friends. "I know what you're asking and will give you the answer. My father told us that Harry paid over ten times more than the next best offer for this land. That gold is the only reason they've managed to start a business abroad. Harry also apologised to my dad and Bill as the lost their jobs for something my mum did. I know you and she were friends but she caused all of this, not Harry and Hermione."
Tabitha was livid, she'd just been put in her place by a ten year old. There was no Molly to scream at her daughter for speaking out of turn, Emma Granger actually looked pleased for the girl. Tabitha would just have to consol herself with all the juicy bits of gossip she'd just picked up, the Weasleys had their own business?
Amos was also taken aback by the youngest Weasley's revelations, this put a whole different complexion on the situation.
After dessert, the kids were heading for their rooms. Xeno kissed Luna and Ginny goodnight before excusing himself and heading home. Left with no option, the Diggory's also made their excuses and left. Sirius invited the rest back to 'Padfoot's pad' for a few drinks but Dan and Emma begged off, it had been a busy day.
The moment Ginny left the room she apologised to her friends, "I'm sorry you two but that woman is the biggest gossip in the world. We all knew what she was asking so I just told her the truth."
Harry was smiling, "Oh you certainly told her Ginny! Don't worry about it, I told Luna earlier that we let our emotions out in this house. I hate to burst your bubble but that woman is nowhere near being the biggest gossip in the world."
He and Hermione headed off toward their room laughing, Hermione's had a rather wicked quality to it.
-oOoOo-
The holder of the 'World's Biggest Gossip' title was currently floating, and not because she was on a ship. Sitting having dinner served by waiters while 'chatting' with the rest of the table was sheer bliss for Petunia Dursley. She and her husband were dressed to impress and it was working, they were instantly accepted as belonging by these people.
The thought of spending months like this while they cruised the globe had her giddy as a schoolgirl with her first crush. The thought of all the credit card bills that would await their return never crossed her mind. She justified the spending by their instant acceptance, therefore it was worth every penny.
-oOoOo-
Minerva had watched all weekend as the excitement built inside Hogwarts, she'd let the anticipation simmer until Sunday dinnertime. As she stood to make an announcement, all eyes in the hall were fixed on her. That was why no one noticed Albus looking like he wanted to throw a tantrum. He was the headmaster, he should be the one making the announcements, not sitting here like the proverbial spare prick without a clue to what his deputy was going to say.
He sat and pouted as Minerva spoke to his school.
"I understand most of first year are looking forward to Friday's unprecedented tour of Gringotts' facilities." Her glance toward the four Slytherin first years who would be again excluded was missed by no one. There was no sympathy for the four idiots who tried to attack the most popular couple in the castle.
"The Goblins have provided an itinerary for the visit and, like our trip to the ministry, some of it will be very exciting. It will certainly all be very informative, Lord Potter has arranged the opportunity for all muggle borns to open their own vault, the benefits of which will be explained at the time. We will also be given the first ever tour of the vaults and have some of their safety features demonstrated. The highlight of the day will be a chance to see the famous Gringotts dragons, this is an opportunity afforded very rarely and I myself have never seen them."
This generated quite a bit of noise as the excitement was off the scale, the Weasley twins could be heard shouting over it that they wanted to be transferred back into first year.
Minerva fixed the pair in her gaze, "If you think I'm going to suffer you for an extra two years, then you can think again!"
Both twins noticed the corners of her mouth creeping up as their head of house almost smiled.
"Now, as with the theme park trip, we've arranged a quick lesson in order to give everyone an insight toward what they can expect on Friday. Due to quidditch practice and the new defence club, this lesson will take place tomorrow night in Professor Flitwick's class. Your behaviour at the theme park and again at the ministry was exemplary, a credit to yourselves and Hogwarts. I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone that I expect the same standard of behaviour on Friday."
Minerva sat down to loud applause, Albus clapped politely but inside his innards were in turmoil. Was this his future? To be a mere observer while the world changed around him. He was now beyond desperate yet all avenues appeared closed to him. He had dreamed of the Potter lad attending Hogwarts for many years, those dreams had quickly turned into his worst nightmare. Albus Dumbledore might as well be invisible for all the notice anyone paid to him these days.
-oOoOo-
Hermione had her head down and was writing furiously. The lesson on goblin culture was outstanding and throwing up all kinds of useful and previously unknown facts and figures, she was determined not to miss any of them. A silent pause in the classroom had Hermione lifting her head from her notes to see a very red faced but determined Susan Bones with her hand in the air. Hermione couldn't remember the girl asking a question before, in either timeline. The strange sight had also silenced everyone else as Filius noticed the quiet girl waiting to ask a question.
"Sir, I think it's safe to speak for everyone here and say this stuff is brilliant! My question is why are we not taught this lesson whether we have a Gringotts trip or not? All Hogwarts has previously told us about goblins is historic rebellions, I am learning more about the world from these visits than I would otherwise following the normal Hogwarts courses. I feel it's now time for that to change."
Susan was now bright red from being the centre of attention but felt so strongly that someone had to say this. She was a pureblood, raised inside the magical community but now seeing the world through different eyes. These opportunities Harry had arranged for them should be available through the school for everyone.
Minerva didn't need her chat with Amelia to understand that Susan was incredibly shy. What the girl had just done had taken courage and the head of Gryffindor was well acquainted with that trait. She would have applauded the girl except she knew it would only embarrass Susan more than she already was. Minerva nodded to the girl, "I couldn't have said it better myself Miss Bones. We, like you, are having our eyes opened to the world around us and can see the obvious need for change. That a first year student can see the same, and have the courage to stand up here and say so only underlines my opinion that this is an exceptional yeargroup. It also underlines my opinion that the barriers that you have so successfully broken down amongst yourselves should be the new model for next year's new students."
Filius and the rest of the staff present could only agree with the Hogwarts deputy, watching this group had them all thinking exactly the same.
The headmaster's opinion was neither given nor sought. Albus had chosen not to attend, preferring instead to sulk alone in his office. His tentative plans were growing darker as his mood worsened. Memory charms, compulsion charms and loyalty spells were all running through his head. He was justifying them to himself under the banner of the greater good. When he found himself contemplating the imperious curse, a cold shiver ran down his spine as the justification dissolved into smoke.
It was 1899 all over again except Albus was finding himself on the other side of the argument, Gellert had argued that anything was acceptable for the greater good. To build a utopian society was going to have some cost in terms of lives and beliefs but it would be worth it in the end. Albus had countered with 'worth it to who?' That argument had eventually cost him his sister, Ariana was much too high a price to pay and had changed him forever.
His dilemma could no longer be considered anything other than a personal one, his reasoning of the greater good didn't stand up to the most basic of scrutiny. The measures he had been considering were purely to save his own tarnished reputation, Albus didn't think he could do that. To do so would be a declaration that he had turned dark, it would be better if the name Dumbledore was forgotten rather than being remembered in the same breath as Voldemort or Grindelwald for being dark.
-oOoOo-
Draco had spent the entire evening scrubbing a toilet by hand while Filch happily supervised his unwilling conscripts. They were spread throughout the castle with the squib and that bloody cat of his keeping a close eye on them all night. He had just been dismissed for the evening with the promise of lots more cleaning ringing in his ears.
Draco was slowly heading back toward the Slytherin common room. He was in no hurry as his standing in the house was only marginally above that of Weasley. Considering that the carrot top was the laughing stock of the entire castle, that wasn't really saying much.
He passed the Gryffindors on route back to their common room and noticed a few green trimmed robes amongst them. He was totally ignored by the entire group, Draco was wondering how he could prevent the Slytherins getting back to the dungeons before their curfew when his world suddenly went black.
-oOoOo-
Ron noticed the drapes still drawn on Draco's bed the next morning, if he wanted to miss breakfast then that was his business.
Horace was keeping a close eye on the group of five Slytherins responsible for attacking the Potters, their actions did not bode well for his efforts to ingratiate himself with the young lord and lady. Noting that one of them had yet to enter the hall for breakfast, Horace dispatched a prefect to discover the reason why.
The seventh year prefect was distinctly unhappy about having his breakfast disturbed in order to check on this little blond ponce, he stormed into the first year's dorm in a foul mood. "Right you little blond wanker, get your arse out of bed now!" The curtains were pulled back to reveal an empty bed that obviously hadn't been slept in.
The panic at the staff table when they learned this news was immediate and pronounced, Hogwarts couldn't afford to lose another student. Horace headed straight for his house table while Albus spoke to Argus.
"I had him cleaning a toilet until about half an hour before curfew headmaster. He left me heading in the direction of the dungeons."
Horace quickly returned and added a few minutes to that timeline, "A few of my Slytherins were in a large group of mostly Gryffindors that passed him in the corridor."
This sent the other heads of house scurrying to their respective house tables.
At Gryffindor, it was Lavender that answered McGonagall. "Yes we passed him in the corridor but didn't actually speak with him. We were all in Harry and Hermione's until just before curfew." Minerva then had that confirmed by a Slytherin as Miss Bulstrode was in her usual seat beside Mr Longbottom.
"That's right professor, normally Neville walks me back down to the dungeons but we were running late last night. Since Blaise and Pansy were there also, we walked back down together after saying goodnight to Neville and the others outside the fat lady's portrait. We left Harry and Hermione's barely ten minutes before curfew and just made it back to our house in time."
Minerva thought that Miss Bulstrode had just intelligently provided the Potters and Neville with a cast iron alibi. In the event something untoward had happened to Draco, those three would be near the top of the suspects list after their altercations with the boy.
The corridor sighting proved to be the last time anyone had laid eyes on the boy. Since that group consisted of all the first year Gryffindors, three Slytherins with Miss Bones and Miss Abbott from Hufflepuff, the chances of the group colluding in some form of cover up was nil.
It was quickly decided that their classes would continue while the ghosts and elves searched the castle. It was a worried Pansy who made her way over to the Gryffindors as they all had Herbology next. "Do you think seeing me in your company last night has caused Draco to do something stupid?"
Hermione figured she knew the girl well enough now to answer that, "Pansy, Draco is thick enough to do something stupid without your help or inspiration. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll turn up."
As the large group caught sight of the greenhouses, a clearly terrified scream had them all looking up.
Draco regained consciousness but found himself disorientated and unable to move. On opening his eyes the terrified boy screamed his lungs out and pissed himself from fright. This was not a good idea since piss, like everything else, has to obey the laws of gravity. Liquid will always take the shortest route down, with Draco dangling from the astronomy tower while tied by his ankles it had a couple of choices.
It poured out his collar and down his neck before running off his hair. The alternative route was through his armpits, down his outstretched arms and off his hands. He had a couple of beater bats charmed to be ten times heavier tied to his wrists, rendering him completly immobile. The only part of his body Draco could move was his head, he shook it wildly, creating a spraying image that would never be used in slow motion by a shampoo commercial.
They all stood frozen and stared at this sight, not one person was in any doubt who was responsible for this. Harry's words may have confirmed their suspicions but proving it would be an entirely different matter.
"Wow, looks like Draco pissed off the wrong people. I do hope his shampoo can cope with that, otherwise there may be a few Slytherins asking for a transfer out of his dorm."
Blaise managed to deliver his comment with a straight face, "Now if you could manage that Harry, I really would be impressed!"
What started out as gentle sniggers progressed to full blown laughter with the realisation that, though in a great deal of discomfort, Draco wasn't in any danger of falling.
Ron, Vin and Greg weren't laughing, that could so easily have been them up there. The terrified trio would now live in fear of what was planned for them.
Overall the message couldn't have been any clearer if the wicked witch had written it in the sky with her broom, don't mess with the Potters!
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