37. What The F…!
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Happy stepped into the hall and saw the reaction from all the faces. It was evident what was going on in their heads as Happy noticed the newspapers on each table.
He silently went and sat beside his friends and started eating the food. He was the only one eating while the others stared at him. Even Ron, Harry, and Hermione were the same. How could a human have a potion as his blood? It was shocking and unbelievable.
"Happy, is this true?" Hermione asked him. "How do you...have such blood?"
"Is this because of that?" Harry inquired.
Happy shook his head. "No, I've had this blood since the beginning. Even the Goblins know and wish to capture me, probably."
"What?!" The trio exclaimed at the same time.
"Let's just eat for now and talk later." Happy dismissed the three and focused on the regular food on the table.
Happy had always been a rather strange student at Hogwarts, doing very odd things. But this was the first time he had stood out this much. He could feel the eyes of every student on him. Some students looked envious. While others were afraid?
Gradually, he could hear the murmur of whispers spreading among the students, which soon turned into a loud clamor that filled the air.
Everyone began to openly talk about his strange condition, and he could hear whispers of "lucky devil" and "I wish I had his blood" coming from all directions. He even noticed some gossiping that Gryffindor won in the last match due to his luck, which was true. But opinions were quickly spinning out of control.
The teachers, as well, were mainly shocked. However, Happy couldn't help but notice that the three most senior faculty members seemed completely unfazed; Professor Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore.
Thankfully, the morning breakfast was over soon, and the classes were in order. The first class was Transfiguration, and as expected, all the students were more interested in Happy's blood than the teachings. Professor McGonagall had to take a lot of points from houses to silence them.
The following class was Potions, and this time, nobody dared to speak anything. But Snape was regularly glancing at Happy occasionally, and it didn't go unnoticed by the trio, who were already set on believing that Snape was the bad guy.
For the most part, Happy continued to think about what to do now. He could not control the murmurs of the students, but he sure needed to keep himself safe when he stepped out of the school.
After the class finished, the trio came running behind him and surrounded him, asking questions.
"Happy, what's going on? When did this happen?" Ron asked him. "How can your blood be a potion?"
"I wouldn't look like this if I knew the answer, buddy." Happy replied. "Look, I'm in as much confusion as any of you. On top of that, I have to worry about surviving outside the school now. Since the news is public, anyone would want to capture this sweet juicy body of mine for an unlimited source of lucky potions."
Hermione gasped once she understood the gravity. "Let's tell the Headmaster."
"He knew long ago, Hermione. Let's stop talking about this and go to Hagrid's hut to catch a breath. I don't like everyone staring at me." he suggested and strode away.
Merely twelve or thirteen years old, the trio truly had no idea how to help Happy, as their worldview was limited, and the scope of danger was unknown to them. Despite knowing a few things, they remained young, after all.
Meanwhile, Happy was mentally sixteen and knew very well that his life was in danger. Thankfully, he at least knew about his power of luck, but it was unknown how it would work.
....
As they approached Hagrid's hut, they knocked on the door. They could hear the sound of barking coming from inside.
"Harry, Happy, Ron, Hermione!" Hagrid exclaimed, calling them inside.
Of course, Hagrid had learned about Happy from the newspaper. But he didn't ask any questions, nor did he treat Happy differently. Instead, he offered some nice hot chocolate as Halloween was approaching and winter was near the corner.
"Yer like a unicorn now, Happy." Hagrid jokingly said. "They have special life-enchanting blood, an' jus like tha', yeh have life-altering blood."
"One in high demand." Happy replied.
Hagrid patted his shoulder and reassured him. "Don't worry, I'm sure Dumbledore will do somethin'. Ye can also come here to my hut if ye ever get frustrated by backtalks o' others."
Happy appreciated it, but he was not going to depend on them. Considering Harry's life, the school didn't really do an excellent job of protecting him. So, his confidence was at the bottom. Still, he enjoyed the time there.
As for others, the murmurs began to slowly die down as the days went by. Other than what was in Happy's body, there wasn't much that made him any different, so the students soon lost their interest.
Of course, some asked for some of his blood for some experiments. Some even threatened to take it forcibly. At all times, they met a painful accident for one reason or another. So, overall, he knew he was safe in the school.
....
Just like that, days went by, and Halloween arrived. Happy looked forward to the day as the feast was likely to have something new and unique. Though, just as he ate, he also remembered something—the thick plot!
'I need to stay away from the trio tonight. I have enough rumors going on, so I can't have another rumor calling me heir of Slytherin.' Happy decided and ate quickly.
"Ah, guys. I feel some pain in my stomach. I will head to the room before you." Happy got up to leave.
"And I have been called by Professor Lockhart." Harry sighed depressingly.
"It's also Nearly Headless Nick's 500th Deathday Party." Hermione reminded them. "He invited us."
"You all can go. I will be in the room and sleep." Happy said farewell and rushed out of the Great Hall. However, he went straight to the Room of Requirement to do his training. His own magic was going to be his one and only defense outside the school, after all.
To train, he set up a series of moving targets around the room. Then, with each flick of his wand, he sent spells hurtling toward the targets, watching as the targets darted and weaved out of the way.
Sweat beaded on Happy's forehead as he continued to train, casting spells with fierce determination. Despite the exhaustion that was creeping over him, he refused to stop. He couldn't afford to take a break, not when his enemies lurked around every corner.
Boom!
Woosh!
Sometimes his spells landed, and a few times, they missed. He didn't go easy on himself.
But as the night deepened outside, Happy finally lowered his wand, his body shaking with exhaustion. Feeling that all the energy was drained out of him, he decided to call it a day.
Happy walked out of the Room of Requirement and down the dimly lit corridor. There was nothing but the desire for some snacks circling in his mind.
But suddenly, he heard something that made his blood run cold.
It was a soft hiss—the sound of a snake. Happy knew that this was not a good sign as he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"Fuck! Let's just run!"
However, as Happy ran, he felt the noise becoming louder. Again, he cursed, but this time the school. "Just a few kids live here! Why the hell did they make such big fat sewer pipes in the school?"
"Hisss!"
"I'm supposed to have high luck! Why is it coming after me?!" Happy wondered and ran like never before. Of course, he knew he could fight the thing with his luck, even when he didn't have Harry's protagonist's luck. But he chose to run for the time being.
"Argh!"
Thud!
Out of nowhere, he stumbled onto something and fell face-first. It was a hard fall, but he quickly recovered and stood up.
"What is th—"
His words went back into his mouth the instant he saw a body—a petrified body, to be precise.
"Wait! Mrs. Norris was supposed to be petrified! Why is Professor Lockhart petrified here?!"
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