Chapter 25 Nabbing A Few People
Harry's POV
He met up with his gang of friends outside the Great Hall for dinner. He had no idea he had spent the entire day in the library. They went inside and the first thing Harry did was go to the Staff Table. He decided on telling Flitwick, at least this man hadn't done anything to him yet. "Hello, Professor, I don't believe we've been reintroduced. I'm Harry Potter," he said to the diminutive man.
That got some looks from those that had doubted him. Madam Maxime was now wondering if she had been wrong. Karkaroff was still in the firm belief that the boy was faking. The rest of the Hogwarts' staff, barring Snape and Moody, was giving him looks of pity. He cut them all icy glares, and then turned his attention back to Flitwick.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Potter, my name is Professor Flitwick. I teach Charms, and am the Head of Ravenclaw. What can I do for you this evening?" Filius asked with a beaming smile. He had yet to have a confrontation with this boy, and was more than happy to help. He still remembered the nice shy boy from his class and was hoping Minerva was wrong and the child had not turn in so someone as vile as she said.
"I was coming from the library and was confronted by a Boggart," Harry said blandly. Even though this was one of the professors that he didn't hate, he still had very little positive emotions for the guy, since he couldn't control his own House. Luna had told him that she had gone to complain to the man in her first year, but he said that until she had proof then there was little he could do. Harry understood that, to an extent. After all the teachers were busy that year, doing the Aurors' job and trying to solve why people were being petrified, but the man could've taught her how to ward her things.
"Oh my, that is not good. Why, first years will be terrified. Thank you, Mr. Potter, for letting me know. But, why tell me and not Professor Moody?" Flitwick asked, placing his fork on the table.
"Luna said you were mostly a nice man, so I came to you," was the stoic answer.
"Mostly?" came the confused inquiry.
"You like to turn the other way when others are being bullied," Harry stated boldly.
"Ah, yes, Miss Lovegood's nargles. I had forgotten about those. Tell Miss Lovegood to come to me after dinner and we will discuss her missing things," Flitwick said thoughtfully. In truth he had forgotten, and the young girl hadn't come to him again. He had thought perhaps it had been solved without his input. "I will be in my office around eight this evening."
"I'll tell her. The bogart is right outside the library, and the last I saw it, it was in a suit of armor," Harry said, feeling a bit better about the man.
"Very well, I will talk to the DADA professor and we will go and take care of it," the half-goblin stated, hopping down from his chair and doing just that.
Harry shrugged and went to join his friends. He had done his job and now all he wanted to do was eat. As he joined the table he leaned over and whispered to Luna to meet the man after eight. She nodded her head and gave him a grateful grin.
"Why did you need…?" was all Hermione got out when someone kicked her foot. She looked around at the people surrounding her and Luna and Neville were both giving her pointed looks.
"It's alright, guys, I'll answer her question. Weasley set me up to face a Boggart," he said as he started to load his plate.
"Not saying that you are wrong, but are you sure it was Ron?"
"I saw him," was the answer as Harry took a bite of his roast beef. He really liked the way they prepared it. It was spiced just right. He was going to have to talk to Dobby to see if he couldn't get the recipe. For some reason he felt he liked cooking.
"Oh," was all she said as she too took up some food, and pulled Gryffindor's book out and started reading it.
"I assume you are going to pay him back?" Neville asked, taking some chicken and potatoes.
"Well, yeah," Harry said a bit astonished that he would ask.
"Okay, just to let you know, Ron is terrified of spiders," the not quite as shy boy stated.
"Is he really?" our hero hummed, thinking that that might be too easy, but still the arsehole had set him up to face his greatest fear. He'd have to think about it.
Rita's POV
Rita Skeeter was taking a bath for the hundredth time today. It was the reason she never showed up to work, that damn soot was still covering her. No matter what she did, she couldn't get it off. Her hair and skin on the front have of her body was black as coal and no magic would make it otherwise. The rest of her was her normal self.
She tried to settle down and write, but every time she saw her hands she was compelled to wash them. It was infuriating.
She was going to get that scrawny runt if it was the last thing she did. She finally gave up on regaining her true coloring, got dressed, grabbed her handbag, Disapparated to Hogwarts gates, and morphed into a bug. Much to her dismay, she now looked like a dung beetle. Deciding there was little that could be done about that, she flew up the path.
She never saw today's paper, as if she would read that rag. There was never anything good in it, but for her articles; she was the best after all.
Dumbledore's POV
Flitwick and 'Moody' came back into the Hall and sat back at their seats. "Pray tell, what did Harry want, Filius?" the Headmaster asked, doing his usual grandfather glasses routine.
"Such a thoughtful young man, he let us know that there was a Boggart in the library corridor," the cheerful man stated, deciding he would take care of his House on his own. There was no need to trouble the Headmaster about it. "Never fear, we took care of it."
"Did he, indeed? Well, that is a wonderful surprise," Albus said as his eyes sought the messy-haired teen, thinking that the kinder more polite Harry was emerging. 'Maybe his friends are changing him? Soon he will go back to admiring me for the great man I am,' he thought with a happy grin. 'Yes, the poor boy may never remember, but he will see the truth soon enough.' And with those delusional thoughts the old man went back to eating his dinner.
Harry's POV
"The old man is twinkling again," Luna said in a sing-song voice as she made a fort out of her mashed potatoes.
"I wonder if he is trying to read someone else's memory," Harry said, looking at her fort with admiration. It was really good.
"No," she said vaguely as she ate the roof off her finished building. "I think he is just having happy thoughts."
Harry shrugged and went back to his own meal, thinking up ways that his payback to others might come back and bite him. He knew the spell that he placed on Rita was irreversible, which is why it took so much out of him, so he didn't have to worry about that. Weasley was a minor annoyance, but he was trying to play with the big boys. Right now, the dark-haired teen was trying to decide whether spiders or Worf, in full Klingon regalia, would be the better bet into scaring the boy off. Speaking of Ron, he cast a glance down the table and saw the boy shoveling food in his mouth with a very disgruntled face.
With a flick of his finger, Harry set a small illusion on the boy. He then went back to eating.
Ron's POV
A large hairy spider came from the ceiling and dangled in front of Ron, and then it just dropped on his arm. "Get it off! Get it off!" yelled the redhead as he swatted a spider that wasn't there.
"Get what off?" Dean asked, looking over he roommate. He didn't see anything to remove. He really didn't like Ron, not that he was a bad bloke, but he badmouthed everyone. Ever since Potter's name came out of the Goblet, the redhead had gotten worse. Most the Gryffindor tower avoided him. The skunk prank had made it easy. He was however glad that the jinx wore off and with it the smell disappeared. He and Seamus learn a lot of fumigations spells over the last week. Neville, on the other hand, learned a bubble spell to protect his belongings from the offensive odor.
"Don't you see that big hairy spider?!" the redheaded teen yelled, still swatting the insect, not noticing that his hand was going through it. All he saw was his greatest fear crawling up his arm. Why wouldn't that damn thing get off?
"You're barmy, there's nothing there," Seamus stated, and then went back to his dinner. He felt much the same way has Dean did.
The illusion faded and the youngest Weasley male left in a huff. He knew Potter had something to do with it, but when he had looked all he saw was a blank face. There was no wand present, so it couldn't have been the git, but he knew that the cheater had done something. He looked to his brother's and they were laughing their arses off, maybe he set the twins on him. He cursed the fact that he had been seen in the corridor.
Hermione's POV
"What did you do?" Hermione accused, looking to the twins after the other boy left. She wanted to go and help him, but he had been such a prat to her lately.
"Us? Oh, that wasn't us?" they denied, holding their sides and sitting up straighter, mirth still lining their identical faces. That was a great; they'd have to ask Harry how he did it. They needed to get the boy to make them copies of the book that Hermione was reading. Then they could pull off hysterical shite like that. Things like illusion jokes would be wonderful for their shop. Oh the endless possibilities.
She looked to Harry, who was just eating, albeit chuckling, shook her head and went back to her book.
"Weasley twins!" McGonagall yelled as she moved towards the students.
"We didn't do it!" they exclaimed, taking out their wands and presenting them to the irate teacher.
She checked them over and snarled. She was sure it had been them. It wasn't the first time this year they embarrassed their younger brother. She turned to her other troublesome student, who was already handing her his wand. After clearing Harry, she growled under her breath and left to find the younger Mr. Weasley. She needed to know what happened.
Sirius' POV
Sirius was ecstatic that he was finally out and about. He had finished Merlin's book and was excited, though nervous, to get started but first he wanted to have some fun. He had gotten some new clothes earlier and felt like a new man. Right now he was chatting up some bird, who granted was a few years younger than him. However, he wasn't going to complain since she was of age. "So, why's a good looking woman like you sitting here by yourself?" he asked in his most suave tone. He was really out of practice.
She was a good looking woman, about twenty-five and had long straight blonde hair. Her curves were to die for, and she was wearing new clothes from Tylor's Threads, which accented them quite nicely.
"Waiting for my twin sister," she giggled. "We do everything together," she purred as she leaned towards the handsome man. She hadn't seen him before; maybe they could have some fun. It wouldn't be the first time she and her twin played a little slap and tickle together.
"Really? Maybe we three can to something together," he said smoothly, sidling closer to the girl. "Tell me more about you and your sister. Are you identical?" he added as he waved Madam Rosmerta to refill their drinks. Now all he had to do was figure out where he was going to take them, since he couldn't go to the Shack. Rosmerta rented rooms, didn't she? Well, he'd figure it out, later.
"Oh, yes we're the same… everywhere," she purred again, pressing those curves on his arm.
"Lovely." Oh, yeah, Sirius was going to get lucky tonight.
Harry's POV
Harry was just about to serve himself some dessert, when his brain went into Yellow Alert. He looked around, but didn't see an adult anywhere near him. He was confused until, he noticed a beetle in Luna's hair. He looked at his map and it read Mrs. Wiggles, so he knew it was an Animagus. Normal animals and pest don't have names, unless they were pets, like Mrs. Norris. So, even if this wasn't an Animagus, he should put it in a jar, so he could return it to its rightful owner, right? He was sure this was a human in animal disguise, though. And judging from the coloring he knew just who this was.
Quick as a wink he blinked, and the bug was stunned. He wandlessly floated it into his non-TARDIS pocket, knowing it wouldn't kill her. Though he might later, if she was here to hurt him or his friends and judging from the fact that she snuck into the castle, well… he'd see. Yeah, it wasn't a nice thought, but only a conniving person would sneak into Hogwarts. They had to be up to no good.
The rest of dinner was uneventful as the gang talked of classes and Magical Theory they had read. Hermione was getting frustrated that Luna and Neville were making arguments that contradicted what she was saying, but they never gave up their source. The twins asked if they could read the books, and Harry agreed that he'd get it to them tomorrow at lunch. Finally, everyone got up from the table and made their way to their beds. Well, Luna went and talked to her Head of House, but the Gryffindors called it an early night.
Harry was in his room, sitting on his bed. He took out the bug, placed it on the other end of the mattress, and then waved his hand to make them reform to their human form. An unconscious dual colored woman was laying on his bed. 'I knew it was Skeeter. Oh, this will be fun,' was his wicked thought as he glanced at his map to confirm it. He tied her up and woke her.
"Hello, Rita, what can I do for you today?" he asked kindly. He was making plans for this bitch, but the spell from the Howler would be a good start, so he was going to play innocent for now.
"You could untie me and let me go," she said coyly, which really with the jinx made her look ridiculous.
"No, I don't think I will. At least not until you tell me why you were sneaking around the castle," he demanded with a wave of his hand, placing a truth spell on her.
"I wanted to get some dirt on you," she said airily, like it was okay to let him know that.
"Really? Well, if you wanted an interview all you had to do was ask," Harry said, settling into his pillows. He took out his wand, released the spell, and said, "Shall we start."
Rita wasn't about to let that opportunity slide, so she quickly dug into her purse and withdrew her Quick Quotes Quill, some parchment and she settled at the end of the bed. They talked for a good while, Harry telling her how he woke up in an alley in London missing his memory, and the abridged version of rest of the two weeks since. She smiled wickedly, thinking she could spin this to make the boy look weak. Her revenge would be sweet.
Harry grinned like he had no idea on her thought process. He just continued with his tale, until he was done. He left all the major things out of course, but gave her enough to think she had a juicy article.
When he finished, she got another coy look on her face and said, "Thank you so much, Harry, may I call you Harry? Anyway, I will make sure to write this up and I'll see you on the front page." With that she put her notes in her bag, turned back into a beetle and flew out the open window.
Harry waved his wand and shut it when she was gone. He then broke down and laughed his arse off. When he was done, he talked to his mind crew about setting up holograms outside mind. He really liked the idea of scaring annoying people off with Worf. They went over how it could be done, until he was too tired to continue. He went to sleep and had his favorite dream about women dancing in the moonlight.
The next day, he got up, ate with his friends and went to see Sirius. This time casting the invisibility spell on him, so he wouldn't be bothered by teachers.
Sirius was in a great mood, he just kept smiling and getting vacant looks, so Harry figured he had gotten some and left it at that. "Did you read the book?" he asked instead as he settled in his chair.
Winky popped in and set up a tea tray then mumbled something about housework and left. The dogman never even noticed his head was so high in the clouds.
"Sirius, the book?" Harry said louder, snapping the man out of his daydreams.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'll have to shore up my Occlumency, but I think I will be able to do some of the easy stuff. But like you said, I will have to unlearn everything I've been taught. It'll be hard," he said, his smile leaving his face. He really wanted this to work, but he still had doubts. He'd go over the book again when Harry left.
"Nay, as long as you think you can, you will," our hero argued with a wave of his hand.
"If you say so," the dejected man stated, not really believing the teen.
So the two sat and discussed Merlin's methods until lunch. Harry excused himself and ran to the castle, remembering to cast the invisibility spell. He really didn't want to have to talk to the old man again. As he entered the school, he saw the Bloody Baron, who didn't see him. So he shot the spell to hold him and floated the ghost to a greeting room. "Hello, Damien, I've been wanting to talk to you," he said with a smirk.
"How are you doing this magic? Nothing can hold spirits," the bound ghost asked, running his hand over the shield that preventing him from leaving.
"Just something I picked up," the teen said as if it were unimportant.
"Very well, what can I do for you Mr. Potter?" the Bloody Baron asked, hoping the child would now call him by his title. He truly hate when people used his human name, it was too painful.
"I just want to know what happened that night. I know Snape has something to do with my memory loss and I know you know how," he stated, all signs of friendliness gone. "And don't give me that story you gave the Head arsehole." He glared pointedly at the ghost.
"Everything I told the Headmaster was true," the spirit sniffed.
"But, not the whole truth. See I have this niggling feeling that I should remember you, Snape and what happened that night, and I wouldn't put it past the man to take that memory to save his skin. So tell me what happened and I might help you peacefully move on," Harry said smugly.
That was something to think about. While he still wanted to be near Helena, he felt he had done his penance for her murder. Then again, can you really do enough reparation for that type of crime? He debated it in his head and got a narrow look in his eyes. Perhaps the boy could talk to his love, and then maybe he might be able to leave on his own. "Will you talk to the Grey Lady? All I want to do is show her how sorry I am," Damien asked, still floating in that marvelous shield.
"I can ask, but no promises. Is that what you have Snape doing?" the dark-haired wizard asked.
"That and one other thing, though he is not keeping his part of our bargain," the ghost confessed with a scowl.
"Right, I'll do my best, but really after all this time, I wouldn't expect much. From what Luna tells me, she really hates you," Harry said with a bit of pity.
So the Baron told the young boy what occurred the night, hoping that this human would keep his word. They talked for a while and Harry left to eat lunch, after waving his wand and releasing the shield. He went to the Great Hall and sat with his friends. He looked at the twins and remembered his promise, so he reached in his TARDIS pocket and made two copies of the Gryffindor book. "Here," he said as he handed them over, "if you finish this one I have a few more you might like."
"Thanks, Harry," they said as one and dived into the books.
"So, how was your day?" he asked his friends and they settled into eating, all the while Harry was going over what to do with the information he had. He knew he could just out and out accuse the man, but with twinkle-eyes being his mentor that might not happen. So he glanced at the twins and came up with a plan.