Episode 12. Part 10

Episode 12. Part 10

***

- Congratulations to you, Lord Potter! Top score! - Minister Fudge exclaimed enthusiastically as he handed over the first certificate, shaking Harold's hand under the flashes of the witch cameras, and quietly, inaudible to the journalists, remarked, "I must say that I did not believe that a former student could prepare for such a serious examination in just half a school year.

- The habit of study, Minister Fudge, has played into my hands," answered Little Boy Who's-Stealing just as quietly.

- But you passed almost perfectly in all your courses... Would you mind reporting on your results in the press?

- You've already done that, haven't you! - snickered the hero. - Not on the front page, please. But somewhere in the column to the side. Superfluous attention to my not too outstanding, domestic successes, not good for you and me.

- Of course it is. But of course you didn't come to me to brag about your results, did you?

- That's right, Minister Fudge," Harold squinted, businesslike.

The minister, after answering a few questions from the journos, waited for Harold to do the same to draw him into his office for a more private conversation.

- Frankly," Potter continued, already in his office, "I have a warning and a request for you. Of course, for a little help on your part, I'm willing to return the favor at any moment..." Cornelius was as curious as a darling. And then Harold "in confidence" told about the planned play between supporters of Dumbledore and the Council of Lords. And also vividly highlighted how Fudge himself could benefit if he played along.

- But this is madness! - He exclaimed, realizing how risky the game was.

- Yes, it is. But if it does, and it will, I've no doubt you'll be on the winning side, as will the Council of Lords with their reforms and... the money they will use to support some of your projects.

- Cornelius blinked confusedly. The prospect Lord Potter had told him was very much to his liking indeed. But the risk... The public might take it badly. Besides, he didn't understand the benefits of Survivor Boy himself. The idea looked as if he wished to put an end to his reputation once and for all: - You... - Oh, don't worry about me! Don't worry about me!" "I just want to get out of this game and live in peace with my wife in some paradise..." smiled Harold dreamily. And Fudge bought it again, taking the risk to believe the hero... They shook hands, after which the minister decided to flaunt his friendship with the celebrity by walking him out of the Ministry. On the way they ran into Cornelius' wife. Potter, having said hello, perhaps too primly pressed his lips to the back of her hand, focusing on this... Harold left the Ministry, very pleased: no one noticed that the minister's wife was missing a ritual goblin belt, which stupid witch was trying to emphasize the nonexistent waist...

***

"Nev, have you had your ear pierced for a long time?" Dudley once asked, after another gathering of Dumbledore's Army and DADA practice, noticing a small platinum ring in one of his friend's earlobes.

- Not. Mom gave it to me right before school," Longbottom shrugged. - She said that it was a talisman against evil eye and suggestion.

Dudley narrowed his eyes thoughtfully... "It must be terribly painful to pierce your ear," he remarked to support the topic of conversation and find out the details.

- Mom insisted on pain relief, but Grandmother said that a man should endure. I was… afraid," Neville admitted quietly. "But it only hurt for a moment. Then it just stinged.

- Great! And Harry has a tattoo under his shoulder blade. Little scorpion. When his skin was gone from the painkiller, he whined for a week and twitched in pain, regretting that he wanted a tattoo at all, Dursley surrendered his brother so as not to focus his friend's attention on the ring in his ear. At the same time, remembering that Harry spent three hours trying to lie down so that it would not hurt, and fell asleep for the same amount. And who also did not sleep because of a stubborn brother, then ?! Dudley chuckled at the thoughts that increasingly returned to his cousin, and immediately sighed, "It's ironic that he got the tattoo a year before Hogwarts, for a decade, and now it turned out that the scorpion is his animagus essence."

"Not just a scorpion, but the most poisonous magical scorpion in the world!" Neville snorted in an expert voice. He easily understood why Malfoy was a peacock, why Dudley was a panda, a symbol of kindness, generosity, calmness and measuredness. Hermione is a barn owl, a symbol of erudition and devotion. And he himself is a bear, good-natured and clumsy. But Potter... "Why do you think it's a scorpion?"

"Well, when he was getting a tattoo, he read somewhere that a scorpion is a symbol of something mysterious and contradictory," Dudley shrugged.

- Yes? Then it suits him," Neville sighed: he was afraid to admit to himself, but he lacked a friend who was uncommunicative and reserved, just like himself…

***

— HARRY, NO! "A scream from the fifth-year boys' dorm in the Gryffindor tower woke up all the students of the faculty. Fortunately, when they were awake, they did not hear who and what was shouting. But the fifth-year students knew that when they jumped up on the bed and instantly flew off it, pulling back the canopy of one of the neighboring beds, they would see Dudley Dursley sitting in bed. He was breathing convulsively, and with wild, completely insane round eyes, he looked into the void, as if he saw something absolutely terrible in front of him. The guys tried to shake him up, make him look at them or say at least a word, but they achieved nothing. Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom were especially demanding, because each of them was worried in his own way by the person whose name their friend shouted. However, the only reaction they got from him was the phrase: "I have to do something, I just have to!". Dudley, frightened by another vision, not hearing or noticing anything around, at some point simply jumped out of bed and quickly, but crookedly dressed, jumped out first from the boys' bedroom, and then from the Gryffindor tower, so that after a few minutes he carefully knocked to the teaching quarters.

— Where is Harry? Dudley asked hoarsely, as soon as Fleur's sleepy face and her hip, barely covered by a translucent dressing gown, appeared from behind the opening door.

Lady Potter looked at her husband's cousin from head to toe with a suspicious look, then said: "I thought you would never pgid," she opened the door wider and nodded into the passage, inviting him to enter, but Dudley only shook his head: "Where is he?"

"In London on business," Fleur shrugged her shoulders, shivering shiveringly and sincerely not understanding why Dudley refused to enter the professor's quarters. After all, she didn't call him to the bedroom. And so I had to talk through the threshold, and even into the corridor. "Spent the night at the Blacks, nave. The Dursleys were sobered by the mention of his brother's godparents: indeed, it was rash to go to Harold, and even after several months of ignoring each other. But what to do? A new plan popped into my head almost instantly. "Fleur, tell him to be careful when playing games with Dumbledore," Dudley asked earnestly.

The brother's wife nodded without hesitation: "Hogosho." But maybe himself? Arry misses you so much…"

Dursley breathed out wearily and admitted, more to himself than Fleur: "I miss him too, but that's how it needs to be for now. Sorry I woke you up," he apologized before leaving without waiting for an answer. Dudley hurried up to the tower to fetch his backpack, which contained an item stolen long ago from Harold himself. Yes, any methods will do this time, and the little thing could come in handy ...

***

"The little platinum ring in Neville's ear is an amulet, a conductor of someone else's will!" the twins exhaled in unison after all the Ratcatchers had gathered, except for four: Dudley, Harry, Krum and Fleur. They had meticulously bewitched the ordinary class from all sorts of snooping, like eavesdropping, peeping, and so on, before speaking.

— Fred? George? How did you know this? Goldstein asked shockedly when it dawned on everyone what the twins meant. "This is classified information from a trusted source," Fred proudly declared.

Overheard, right? Tracey chuckled skeptically.

"Davis, you're always spoiling the fun!" George was indignant and immediately received a conjured snowball in the chest.

- Never mind! The Weasleys figured out something. We now have something to cling to," Theodore interrupted the brewing mayhem.

- Yes. But if it's really about that earring, then that's a problem," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Neville is unlikely to take off the amulet himself.

"He won't take it off," Fred snapped, dropping all gaiety. - He is sure that the ring in his ear is a protection from the evil eye and suggestions.

— Dred is right. But that's not the main thing…" George picked him up.

"The main thing is that this is a gift from his mother," Fred nodded. "Second in his entire life," George added. - That is, he will not take off the earring voluntarily?

What then to do? Susan asked frustrated. She was most interested in Neville's return to service, because this guy, a little awkward, but sympathetic, she really liked. — Tear out by force? - Or knock it out and ... - From being removed by force, if this ring is what we think about, most likely there is protection.

You need to be more subtle here," Astoria remarked, to the nods of Slytherins and Ravenclaw purebloods. "Maybe we'll tell Potter and he will quickly…" suggested Bem, a little sadly.

Everyone sighed: it was terribly unusual to solve such issues without one of the cousins, but they promised to help their leader.

- Stop, stop, do not smack the fever! Daphne, thoughtful until that moment, waved her hands. She slyly narrowed her eyes and put her graceful hands on her hips: "Boys, Harry's plan is good ... Just add one point," she suggested.

The rat-catchers looked at each other silently: since the cousins were playing some kind of their own games, often bypassing themselves, isn't this a reason for them to start something like that too?

***

"Dudley, what are you doing?! Ron exclaimed with sincere indignation. The Dursleys rolled their eyes and Riona narrowed her eyes in displeasure. "Obviously I'm kissing my fiancée," the Dursleys replied venomously, ready at that moment to easily and naturally curse the red-haired jerk. "But she's from Potter's team!" - Ronald was beside himself, catching a couple at the wrong time. And of course, he was outraged that Dudley, having defected to his team, did not break with all the old ties. But, to be honest, he was simply jealous, because he did not dare to go beyond holding hands in their relationship with Lavender. The girl was pretty, but not to his, Ronald's, taste. He wasn't sure he wanted to have an affair with her. But the girls he liked were on Potter's team, and he didn't seem to have a choice. - So what? That didn't stop her from being an angel in my eyes," Dudley objected quite seriously, for which he was awarded a new kiss, even more passionate. The existence of Ronald was instantly forgotten, even considering that he tried to pull the couple apart. He was simply not heard, not seen and not felt. Of course, this greatly infuriated the Weasleys. And yet he realized that all his attempts to get through to Dudley were pointless. To himself, he concluded that the Dursleys were no better than Potter ... Later, walking with the bride, whom he offered his hand and heart along with the rest of the soup set for Christmas, asking permission from the father of his then girlfriend, frantically pondered how inform Harold about the imminent wedding. However, he hoped that the girl's gossip had already conveyed everything to his cousin: after all, Riona had hardly told the rat-catchers about her consent. And yet, while he tried to enjoy moments of peace in Riona's company, because soon everything was about to change ...

***

- Let's agree. - Dudley was a little worried, standing in front of a whole herd of centaurs, half of which were aiming at him with bows. "I will bring you Umbridge, and you will let me make some noise in your territory. You know, thanks to the stars, that this is only until the end of the school year," he confidently pressed on the sore spot of all magical races. The centaurs wanted to get even with the Pink Toad, he knew it. And he needed a place to practice. Closer to Hogwarts, he hesitated: the Headmaster would have known about it. For the same reason, he did not leave school: he knew that under the hood, at least, surveillance. But the Forbidden Forest was like that also because it could absorb all sorts of magic, including tracking magic. Dudley had already agreed with the ingenuous Hagrid that he would help him in the forest closest to the mountains, where the protection of Hogwarts did not extend. It will be easy to deceive a half-giant. It remains only to agree with the centaurs, the owners of the forest in the area. Why with centaurs? Because only Hagrid, Lord Gaunt and Harold, crazy in terms of love for dangerous animals, could come to an agreement with acromantulas, and Dudley Dursley simply did not have the courage to do so.

"Your brother is dangerous," one of the centaurs remarked quietly. — Mars favors him. "According to the Ministry, you are dangerous too," Dudley snapped.

"But my brother just protects those who are dear to him. - Some of the most elderly-looking centaurs looked at each other, and then stared at the starry sky, almost simultaneously. It took almost an hour for an answer, but Dudley got it.

***