45 45. What The F…  

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Days passed without any significant development. Happy was able to deepen his ties with the school elves and teach them a few more dishes, like ramen, sushi, and chicken fried rice. Of course, he had to learn them first.

Beyond that, he had another session with Snape and learned to master the shield magic to the point he could cast it in any emergency and protect himself. But, sadly, he couldn't find what he truly desired, as Ginny still didn't give him the diary that he truly wanted.

....

It was February 14th, and love was in the air at Hogwarts.

Valentine's Day had arrived, and the castle was adorned with red and pink decorations. In addition, the corridors were embellished with shimmering heart-shaped garlands.

Couples could be seen everywhere. They whispered to each other in the common room, and sat close together on the spacious couches. Outside, hand in hand, couples strolled along cobblestone paths, their footsteps blending with the gentle rustling of leaves. Hidden nooks, embraced by blossoming roses, provided secluded corners for murmurs of promises and stolen kisses.

In the midst of the enchanting and romantic atmosphere, a burst of unexpected mischief emerged in the form of a Koko, the goose.

"Woof woof woof!"

"Purr purr!"

"Hee-haw! Hee-haw!"

As he spotted couples lost in their own little worlds, he couldn't resist the temptation. So, with loud noises, Koko announced his presence every time he went up to a couple. He wouldn't leave them alone until they gave him something—Tax… treats!

If not given, he would look and stare with his judging round eyes, as if they were doing something inappropriate in school. Slowly, he pressured them into giving in.

Meanwhile, Happy found himself receiving an unexpected abundance of chocolates. Girls from all houses showered him with their affection, and a significant portion of the chocolates came from the Slytherin House. It appears the Lestrange house was simply too famous, even if he was in Gryffindor.

Cho Chang also nervously approached Happy, clutching a small box of chocolates in her hands. She took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.

"Hey, Happy! Um, I hope you're having a great Valentine's Day."

Happy looked up, a smile spreading across his face for more good stuff was incoming, "Cho! Yeah, it's been quite a day so far. I received so many chocolates. How about you?"

"Well, I actually wanted to give you something. It's not much, but I hope you like it." She extended the box of chocolates, her cheeks flushing a faint pink.

"Thank you! They look different from the rest."

"These chocolates are special. They're from my grandparent's town in China. They're supposed to be the best." She shyly explained.

"Thank you so much. I can't wait to try them!" Happy grinned and walked away, for there were many more girls to receive chocolates from.

Happy made his way to the Great Hall. Sitting at the Gryffindor table, he proudly displayed his collection of chocolates, feeling like the king of the castle. However, his triumph was short-lived as he noticed Harry receiving chocolates from girls from other houses.

Each time a girl approached Harry and gave him a box, Happy's eyes narrowed in determination.

'I need more!'

Happy went around the hall, trying to make himself seem more 'available' to receive the sweets, and it surprisingly worked as a few girls came to give him boxes. Even some girls from senior years came.

Finally, after an hour, Happy found himself at a tie with Harry.

So he went and sat beside Harry, their tables covered in a mountain of chocolates. Each had 40 boxes.

"You two sure are popular..." Ron muttered, jealousy in his voice.

Happy was a competitive man. A proud Gryffindor who could not ever accept losing, and he even had the pride of a Slytherin, the gluttony of a Hufflepuff, and half a brain of a Ravenclaw.

"Harry Pottah! I will not accept defeat. Thence I'd like to wager. The loser has to give all their chocolates to the other party." Happy proclaimed in a theatrical voice. It prompted other nearby Gryffindor members to also look on with interest, as Happy was usually the most fun to be around.

Harry smiled and joined in. "Are you sure? You're nothing more than a glutton who eats like a beast. I doubt more girls will give you chocolates."

"Woah! Spells fired!" Dean Thomas shouted from Happy's other side.

Happy scoffed and looked across the table. "Ah, but we have a lady who can break this tie! Miss Hermione Jean Granger! I believe you have not given anyone chocolates yet. So, would you do us the honor of choosing one of us?"

"Why are you bringing me into this?" Hermione scowled. "Both of you are my good friends. I'd rather not give anyone chocolates. It's a waste of money."

Happy looked into Hermione's eyes. "No more books from my house."

"..."

"Oh, I think I have a small candy." Hermione's expression did a one-eighty, and she fiddled with her skirt pocket. "My best friend Happy, here you go."

"Wait!" Harry objected. "This is corruption and blackmail. You forced her."

Hermione defended herself. "Harry, why bother? Do you think you can eat all those chocolates? Only Happy can accomplish that feat. Just give up."

Harry glanced at the small hill of chocolates before him on the table and sighed. "You're right, Hermione."

So, Happy took the chocolate and won. Of course, he used coercive means, but all's well if it ends well—words of a true Slyth...Gryffindor.

"Harry!"

All of a sudden, a feminine voice came behind Harry. Heads turned, and it turned out to be Ginny Weasely.

"I was late…I wanted to give you chocolates, Harry." Ginny extended a box.

Happy's eyes widened as he went along with the goofy play. "Come on! I had nearly won."

"I brought some for you too, Happy." Ginny extended another box.

Happy instantly melted back in his seat, and a big smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you're such a brilliant junior, Ginny. Come, sit here, and eat with us."

Happy immediately made space between himself and Harry, allowing Ginny to sit between them, fulfilling her dream of being closer to Harry.

Meanwhile, Happy ceased all his goofiness and looked at the two with utmost alertness. He looked for any obsessive, insanity-like features on Ginny, and at the same time, he tried to see if Harry was hearing the voices.

Of course, he knew he was too goofy the entire day, but being goofy and unsuspecting was more acceptable and beneficial to him than appearing too bright and raising suspicion from all the eyes secretly watching him.

As far as he remembered, Harry was supposed to find the diary in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom on the same day. As Ginny was going to realize it was behind the petrification.

'Why is the Basilisk even targeting purebloods? Neville wasn't anywhere near the target spectrum.' Happy wondered while silently munching on some chocolate delights while passing down small pieces to the happy goose under the table he had brought secretly.

Furthermore, Happy understood he had a bigger matter to deal with. 'I need to somehow make Harry learn he can speak with snakes. Maybe it's time for a trip to the forbidden forest; there should be a few snakes in there.'

As he remembered the plot that was supposed to be, his eyes fell on Hermione, who was talking with some girl on her side. Their eyes met for a second. She gestured to ask what happened, to which he looked away.

'She's going to be petrified if everything happens according to the plot. But I can't let that happen anymore. Her petrification will only help to send Hagrid to Azkaban and Dumbledore out of school.'

It was a rare sight, but Happy did not speak much that day, from morning till evening. He ate as usual, but his complete focus was on keeping an eye on Harry. If Harry finds the diary, he had planned to quickly destroy it using Gryffindor's sword. With luck, the Basilisk would then stop attacking with an agenda and be able to be tamed by feeding it regular food first.

'Ah! He's doing it!' Happy followed Harry after dinner at the Great Hall. The Boy Who Lived was walking strangely that evening and holding his scar-clad forehead from time to time.

"Koko, when I say, start screaming like a rooster—our precious lives depend on it." He warned Koko as he kept the goose tucked inside his sweater over his chest. Only Koko's cute head was protruding out of the sweater's neck, right below Happy's chin.

"Wuf!"

In the desolate, silent corridors, Happy carefully followed Harry, who was inspecting the walls, likely due to the voices he was hearing. Then, slowly, they started to walk toward the second-floor girl's bathroom.

'Yes! Go and get the damn diary!'

Slowly, but surely, Harry entered the bathroom. It was not used by anyone because of Moaning Myrtle's ghost, so they had the assurance of not being caught.

"Koko, stay silent."

Thud!

Happy heard a loud thud and rushed to peek inside. It was dark, but the moonlight from the windows was coming and lighting up everything.

"Why is he—"

Harry Potter was on the floor, sitting as if he had fallen back. But, there was something in front of him, on which he was fixated.

'What happened?' Happy wondered and walked closer.

The closer he came, the more he noticed—it was a person lying on the floor.

Nothing could have prepared Happy for it, because what he saw made everything he knew redundant.

"G-Ginny is petrified?!" He shouted nearly and cursed from instinct. "What the hell is going on?!"

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