Chapter 56

And excellent company," added Padma. They tapped the tops of their bottles together then took a drink.

The sun was setting now, and the few wispy, slightly grey clouds in the sky seemed to take on a pinkish hue as Hogwarts castle was bathed in an orange glow.

"It really is a lovely place, isn't it?" asked Padma.

"It is," agreed Harry "We really are quite lucky when you think about it."

"Some of the interior leaves something to be desired though."

Harry smirked and said "I trust that it's not the creaking suits of armour that you are talking about."

"The finest magical institution in Europe is what we were told," said Padma "If that really is the case then I pity the rest."

"I got told something similar," said Harry "though I believe it was the world, not just Europe. And then there was something about it being far safer than even Gringotts."

Padma looked over at him and smiled reassuringly "It'll be okay Harry. They'll all know the truth soon enough."

Harry looked at her in surprise "But I changed my story."

"I know. But I'd have to be a fool not to see why. My father may not be allowed on the Wizengamot but he has a few friends there, including Madam Bones."

"Oh!" said Harry, suddenly understanding.

"Yes, oh. Don't worry, everyone in my family believes you, and so do others."

"Then why did no one stand up and help?"

Padma shook her head and said "If there's one thing that I have come to understand during my time at this place, it's to never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers."

Harry snorted "Boy, ain't that the truth. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that in addition to the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup there's a Biggest Moron Cup that most everyone vies for."

Padma chuckled and said "I think that awarding such a thing would be hard to judge."

Harry laughed too, and threw a piece of crust out onto the surface of the lake. A moment later a tentacle belonging to the giant squid surfaced, grabbed the crust and disappeared again.

"You ever wonder how a creature adapted to a deep sea environment survives in this lake?" asked Padma as she fished a plate of cauldron cakes out of the picnic basket.

"I have thought about it from time to time," said Harry with a grin "One rumour I heard was that it's actually Godric Gryffindor, still alive in his animagus form."

Padma laughed and asked "Where on Earth did you hear something like that?"

Harry shrugged "Some crazy person mentioned it. Surely it's not that unreasonable of an idea."

"If you had suggested any other wizard throughout history then yes, there might be a possibility of it, but come on, a person's animagus is related to who that person is. Godric Gryffindor would have been a lion of a griffin, not a giant squid."

"I suppose. Gryffindor house is usually associated with the element of fire, and the squid is clearly aquatic."

"And water is the element associated with Slytherin," said Padma "Dear Merlin, I hope that the squid isn't actually Salazar Slytherin."

"I'd better buy a harpoon, just in case." said Harry.

"Not every Slytherin is out to get you Harry."

"I know, but based on past experience, why take the chance?"

Padma just smiled and shook her head.

They remained like that for several hours, eating and drinking a little bit at a time and talking about everything and nothing. Padma managed to coax out of him what had gone bad between himself and Hermione, and listened as he talked about learning of his family over the last few weeks of the summer.

Harry learned that Padma's family was in the business of growing tea and importing it to the UK. Her uncle lived in India, overseeing production, and her father, living in England, was in charge of distribution. Padma's older brother, who had finished Hogwarts before she had started, was currently working for their father, and Padma planned to do the same, whereas Parvati wanted to do something else with her life.

When the sun disappeared behind the mountains, Harry lit the candles and they stayed there for another hour before deciding that it was time to head back inside.

As they neared the steps leading into the castle, Harry's mind became preoccupied with one thought – should he kiss her? He planned on walking her back to her common room, but was it right to end the night on a kiss? He honestly didn't know if he was supposed to or not, and was silently hoping that Padma would give him some kind of clue.

Sadly, it was not to be. Not because Padma refused, but because of outside forces. Harry had had such an enjoyable few hours, and was so worried about his problem on the walk back that he completely forgot why he and Padma had left the castle in such a hurry earlier.

They reached the top of the steps, pushed open the doors and immediately came to stop at the sound of a voice which asked in a scottish accent "Enjoying yourselves, are we?"

The pair looked ahead and found that their way was blocked by the usual trio of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape.

One look at each of their faces told Harry all that he needed to know, and he heaved a heavy sigh before muttering "Oh, balls!"

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