Chapter - 32 : Shadows of Trust part - 2

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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All three quickly pushed the food away from them as Harry questioned the ghost. "Sir Nicholas, can you tell me who did this?"

"Oh the Weasley twins are notorious pranksters, beginning to rival even your father and his friends..."

Their conversation was interrupted there by loud laughter emanating from the Gryffindor table. One glance was all Harry needed before the three of them headed straight over there. Neville was currently sporting a large pair of donkey ears and was braying every time he attempted to speak.

Ron Weasley was laughing the loudest, certainly not an attractive sight since his mouth was full of food at the time. "Hey Neville, someone made an ass out of you!" He then proceeded to laugh even louder at his own joke.

Harry wasn't laughing, he was furious. As Hermione and Padma took Neville with them to sit at the Ravenclaw table, he headed straight for the headmaster. "Sir, what action are you going to take against this bullying of a first year?"

Albus was beginning to think the fates hated him, why couldn't he be allowed to eat a meal in peace? "Bullying Mr Crow? I think you are mistaken. This was merely a simple prank, something I can assure you that your father was very fond of."

"You must be mistaken sir, goblins don't believe in pranks. They would look on that as an attack on their person, and react accordingly. Since it was only receiving a warning that stopped me also being a victim, I would still like to know what action you are going to take over this unprovoked attack?"

Severus couldn't take any more of this arrogant boy. "Go back to your table and mind your manners. This is the way young witches and wizards behave inside Hogwarts. If you are so determined to be a goblin, go back to Gringotts where you obviously belong."

Snape's mention of Gringotts reminded Harry of yesterday, and of his training. Now would not be a good time to lose his temper, a different approach was needed here. Harry gave a mocking bow before replying. "Thank you for explaining that to me sir, There is no mention of this pranking phenomenon in either Hogwarts a History or the students handbook. I do not need nor want special treatment and shall just have to do my best to fit in."

Harry walked back to his place at the Ravenclaw table and picked up his knife and fork.

"Harry, what are you doing? Eating that will see you turn the same as Neville."

Harry made sure everyone could hear his answer. "You heard the professor Hermione, this is the way we're supposed to behave. Just because we think this is nothing but juvenile bullying doesn't matter, why should we be treated any different from everyone else?"

She wasn't sure what he was up to until spotting Harry's slight wink. Even though she though he was nuts, Hermione began eating her breakfast too. As this had now gotten everyone's attention, they all saw Padma join them in breaking their fast. When there were four pranked students sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Ron Weasley's laughter reverberated around the hall. "Told you he was an idiot! Imagine eating food you knew was pranked."

Ron was interrupted by the Head of Hufflepuff. "Ten points each to Mr Crow, Miss Granger and Miss Padma Patil for displaying not only courage, but loyalty to a friend."

Minerva was right behind Pomona, though she was reprimanding one of her cubs. "Mr Weasley, stop braying like a donkey. This isn't a farmyard so please learn some table manners, otherwise you may find yourself with a trough instead of a plate."

These announcements brought widespread applause and saw Harry stand and bow toward both professors, his long ears well worth the price of what he now saw. His head of house must have erected some kind of privacy shield because Master Flitwick was clearly shouting at an angry Snape yet there was no sound. It was a big-eared but satisfied Ravenclaw who now sat back down to finish his breakfast.

The four friends went for a walk outside the castle while waiting on the prank wearing off, their ears were only just beginning their journey back to normal when they were approached by a pair of identical redheads.

"Really well done this morning people, you managed to reverse the prank back on us."

"Yeah, everyone knew who was to blame so we've been getting sniggered at since. Clever way to get most of the hall on your side, that's never happened to us before."

Harry was pleased to discover that his voice was now back to normal. "You know of course that was only the beginning? Goblin honour dictates that I retaliate against you and your brother. We've never met before so it must have been him that put you up to this, big mistake guys."

"What do you make of this George?"

"Yeah, little firstie kills one troll to save a few lives and suddenly thinks he's ready to take on the infamous Weasley twins."

"Don't know what things are coming to? Youngsters today, no respect for their elders."

The one apparently called George became serious for a moment. "Why the hostility toward Ron? If you had to sit beside him at mealtimes we could perhaps understand..."

Harry found himself liking these two, even if they were related to Ron. They both oozed the personality and charm that was sadly lacking in their younger sibling. "Your brother tried to barge his way into our group. When that didn't work, he reached for his wand and fired a curse at Hermione. He couldn't even do that right though and hit Padma instead. That's why the girls were in the infirmary when that troll attacked."

The twins shared a nervous glance, "That's not exactly the story he told us."

Hermione huffed at that news. "Why am I not surprised. Your brother is a jackass yet we all end up with the matching mule ears at breakfast. I'm with Harry for a little payback."

Both twins laugh at this. "Looks like we've got some competition in the pranking stakes, we'll have to watch our food from now on."

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Welcome to the world of our fanfic! Your support is the heartbeat of this story, allowing us to craft new adventures and explore deeper character arcs. With over 55 chapters ahead, becoming a patron gives you exclusive access to bonus content and the chance to influence the narrative's direction.

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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