Chapter 5: Problems, Detentions and Secret.
Harry made his way out onto the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the team.
"This year we are going to be working harder. We'll trainer harder and longer - so that means longer training times," Wood, their captain, informed them.
"Or what?" A dark haired female asked. "Wood, we have exams this year, remember?" she demanded and Harry smiled up at Angelina.
"Yes, I know, but the Quidditch Cup is also important," he informed them. Katie shook her head as they passed through the court when they saw the Slytherin team dressed up in their Quidditch outfits, also making their way over to the Quidditch pitch.
"Oh what now," Wood muttered as he made his way over to the Slytherin. "What is this all about then?"
"Now, easy Wood. I have a note from Snape," Flint told him as he handed Wood a roll of parchment and Wood took it.
"I, Severus Snape, give the Slytherin Permission to use the Quidditch Pitch to train their new Seeker," Wood repeated before looking up. "You have a new seeker, who?" he asked.
Flint grinned as he hit one of his teammate and they moved over, letting the new seeker step through.
"Uh oh, I smell trouble," Ron muttered from where he was sitting near the edge of the court before he got up and hurried over to where the two teams stood, facing each other. Hermione and Mia looked at each other before they also hurried over where they saw Draco stepping through the gap between the teammates, dressed in his Slytherin outfit.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked and Malfoy smirked.
"And that's not all new this year," Malfoy told them as he turned his broom and everyone looked at them as Ron, Mia and Hermione moved next to them.
"Those are Nimbus 2001, where did you get them?" Ron demanded.
"Draco's father gave them us to," Flint explained and Malfoy smirked at Harry while Hermione arched an eyebrow.
"At least no one in Gryffindor had to buy their way in," Hermione remarked as Pansy moved closer to the teams and arched an eyebrow at Hermione. "They got in on pure talent."
"No-one asked you, you filthy mudblood!" Pansy hissed only to choke when she found a hand wrapped around her neck. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she saw that the hand was attached to Harry Potter. His green eyes were lit up from the fire that was behind them.
"What did you say?" Harry asked. "Did anyone say you were allowed to speak to her, let alone use that filth of a word?" Pansy clawed at Harry's hand but it wasn't working, her nails were too short and Harry didn't feel anything but the blinding rage that was raging through his veins.
"Hermione," Mia whispered and Hermione looked at her. "You need to calm him down, he'll only listen to you." Hermione nodded as she moved forward, shrugging off Ron's hand that tried to stop her.
She placed her hand on Harry's arm.
"Harry," she started and Harry turned to face her, his green eyes still blazing. "Let her go, it's okay, she gets the message," Hermione soothed.
Pansy felt the hand unclench before she dropped to the ground with a hard thud, gulping down air through her parched lungs while Harry's eyes started to return back to their normal colour.
"It's okay," Hermione soothed, still holding onto Harry's arm before he full regained his surrounding and looked around to see everyone watching him before he took in a deep breath.
"Let's go and visit Hagrid," Mia suggested and Harry nodded as they moved away from the others with Hermione holding onto Harry's arm. Ron followed them a minute later, leaving two groups of stunned Quidditch teams behind him.
Pansy just narrowed her dark eyes at the retreating people and plotted how to get her revenge on them making her look like a fool.
They stopped outside Hagrid's hut and Mia knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing Hagrid.
"Hello, wondering when you were going to come up and visit me," Hagrid told them as he stepped to the side and let them through. He watched as Hermione led a shaken Harry over to one of the seats while Mia and Ron took up the end. Hagrid closed the door behind him and moved over to the last seat. "What happened?" he asked.
"Pansy Parkinson called me a name, Harry almost attacked her," Hermione told him and Hagrid arched an eyebrow.
"What did she call you?" Hagrid asked and Hermione shook her head.
"I don't know but I could tell it was horrible," Hermione told him.
"It's the most degrading name someone could call another," a cold voice spoke up and everyone turned to look at Mia, who had her back turned to them, looking out of the window before she turned to face them. "Pansy called Hermione a mudblood." Hagrid gasped in rage.
"She never!" Hagrid hissed and Mia nodded before she turned to her best friend. She had hoped to spare Hermione from this abuse but knew that the wizarding world would have never let it go unless they had abused all the muggleborns.
"Mudblood is a word that is very popular among pureblood - like Pansy. Purebloods believe they are better because their blood hasn't been 'tainted'. Mudblood is a name what they call muggle borns - witches and wizards who are born into muggle parents," Mia explained and Hermione's face paled. "Now you know why Voldemort was the most feared wizard to walk on earth - he wanted rid of all muggle borns because he believed that magic should only be for the pureblood. It's funny, the way purebloods are running out, they will have to marry their own family in order to keep it pure."
"Not every pureblood believes this," Hagrid assured Hermione. "The Weasley, the Longbottom, Dumbledore - there is a vast amount of people who likes muggle borns but for each one, there is more pureblood who rather keep it pure."
"That's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed. "But still doesn't explain Harry's reaction…"
"My mother was a muggle born," Harry cut her off and Hermione looked at him. She had heard of Harry's parents but not their inheritance - hearing that Harry's mother was a muggle born was a shock. "Calling you a mudblood is disgracing my mum."
"Harry's father was the pureblood and Harry's mum was the muggle born - Harry is a half blood," Mia explained. "Same as my family - though mine is a little more complicated."
"But Harry's strong," Ron pointed out and Hagrid shook his head.
"Genetics - Harry's father was pretty good in some classes and Harry's mother was excellent in all of her classes - it makes sense it would pass on to Harry. By the way, people who say that pureblood is more stronger and powerful needs to take a good look at their history. There are more records of half blood than pureblood - Merlin himself was a half blood."
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered.
"I wish I could go back in time and kill the person who started up this whole pureblood - mudblood war," Harry muttered. "It caused nothing but trauma for people on the receiving end."
"Muggle born witches are raped for just being a muggle born," Mia told her and Hermione's face paled. "That's the kind of world we live in."
"Jesus," Hermione whispered and Hagrid shook his head.
"These day, I am ashamed of our world," Hagrid admitted and Mia shook her head.
"I just don't get where Pansy keeps popping up!" Mia exclaimed. "She was no-where near us then she just popped up."
"Mia," Hermione started and Mia looked at her. "Now is not the time to be wondering these things," Hermione told her and Mia rolled her eyes.
"What are you kids doing up to this afternoon?" Hagrid asked and Mia shook her head.
"Nothing, I think. No classes," Mia told him and Hagrid nodded.
"Then just stay in the common room. Strange things have been happening around here," Hagrid told them and Harry arched an eyebrow.
"How do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Roosters have been killed off," Hagrid explained. "I've been finding them dead - some animal has been getting into them and I don't want you on the ground just encase they decide to go for something better than roosters," he warned and Harry nodded.
"No problem," Harry told them before he looked at his watch. "We better head off back up to the castle. I need to see if Quidditch training has been rearranged or if Wood has managed to make sure that we got it."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they all stood up and made their way out of Hagrid's hut. Hagrid opened the door for them and watched as they walked out.
"We'll catch you later Hagrid," Mia told him and Hagrid smiled as he waved to them. He couldn't help but admire Mia, she reminded him too much of Callie and while he was still loyal to Dumbledore, he could see that Sirius taking Harry away was good for him. Harry had grown into a remarkable young man and he could only hope that Dumbledore saw it soon…before it was too late.
Harry found out that from Katie that training had been rearranged to another time due to the Slytherin having a note from Snape. Katie sat down across from Harry. They were both in the Common room.
"Do you want to tell me what happened in the Court?" Katie asked and Harry looked up at her, startled before looking away. Katie reached out and touched Harry's shoulder. "I'm not judging you, I know what it's like to be called a mudblood but I've never seen anyone lose their temper like that before."
"I don't know what happened," Harry admitted as he looked up at Katie. "When I heard her call Hermione that name, I just…snapped." Katie nodded.
"I just wanted to let you know that none of us blame you for what happened with Pansy and we understand it," Katie told him and he nodded and she smiled gently. "Better hurry up and get ready, dinner will be soon." With that, she walked off, leaving Harry alone. Harry just smiled before he shook his head and hurried up the stairs.
Once he got changed into his normal clothes, he hurried out of the Common room and down the stairs to where Ron was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Ron asked and Harry smiled.
"Just got caught up to talking to someone," Harry told him and Ron nodded as they moved over to the Great Hall only to stop when they heard a female voice calling after them.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I have your detentions worked out," McGonagall told them and they turned to see her walking toward them. Both of them had forgotten that they were going to have detentions.
"Mr Weasley, you are working with Mr Filch, cleaning," Ron let out a small groan. "Mr Potter, you are
helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail."
"Oh what?" Harry demanded. "Can't I do the cleaning too?" McGonagall sent him a glare.
"No you can't, Professor Lockhart asked for you, specifically," McGonagall informed him. "Please meet them at the doors of the Great Hall after dinner tonight." With that, she walked off, leaving two desolated boys behind.
"Oh, this is just brilliant," Ron, muttered as he led the way into the great hall and Harry nodded.
"I have Lockhart for Detention, can it be any worse?" Harry asked as they moved over to their house table and sat down next to the girls.
"What's up with you two?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"We received our detentions," Ron explained. "I'm with Filch."
"I'm with Lockhart, answering his fan mail," Harry told them and Hermione looked at him, startled.
"I thought he answers his own fan mails," she told him and Mia sighed.
"I'm guessing he does, he tells Harry what to write and Harry writes it down," Mia told her and Hermione sighed.
"And what's more annoying, he requested me!" Harry explained and Mia arched an eyebrow.
"He really wants to be linked to you, doesn't he?" Mia asked and Harry shrugged.
"I don't know and I don't care, as long he doesn't keep me too late, I'll be happy," Harry muttered under her breath.
"I don't know," Hermione started, almost cautiously. "He does tend to get a lot of fan mail." Harry whined as he dropped his head onto the table while Mia moved the plate out of the way in time before his head hit the table.
Hermione reached out and rubbed Harry's back, comfortingly.
"I'm sure it'll be okay," she told him before looking at Ron and Mia, not once convinced.
She had been watching Lockhart ever since Mia explained to her about Harry's actions and was slowly beginning to agree that they could be right. Lockhart rarely taught them anything in DADA due to his last class, and when she reread his books, she noticed that he rarely talked about how he managed to save the town, only the aftermath and his own glowing recognition.
"Yeah, I mean, Lockhart is an idiot, I'm sure it'll be fine," Ron agreed. Mia just kept her mouth shut, not once saying anything as she ate her dinner.
Harry, soon, brought his head off the table, grabbed his plate and started filling it up so he could eat something for the long night ahead of him.
Soon, dinner was over and they all made their way out of the great hall, where Filch and Lockhart were standing, waiting for their students.
"Come on Wesley, cleaning awaits," Filch growled and Ron blanched slightly before he followed Filch down to the trophy room while Harry walked over to Lockhart, who beamed at Harry.
"Harry, my boy!" Lockhart greeted. "Come on, I'll show you what to do when someone sends you a fan message and how to answer it correctly." With that, he led Harry off to his classroom with Hermione and Mia shaking their head in amusement before they headed up to their common room, hoping that the boys would last through the detentions.
Harry found himself in Lockhart's classroom hours later. He was sitting at Lockhart desk, at the side with a huge pile of closed enveloped to his left and a huge pile of blank parchments on his right with a quill in his hand as he wrote down whatever Lockhart was saying.
Lockhart was scribbling his name over pictures of him on broomsticks, teaching the class, stopping a ghost or werewolves, much to the annoyance of Harry.
"I'm telling you Harry, all these people out there are amazing. When they send me fan letters, they tell me how much they look up to me and admire me, just like you," Lockhart told Harry, who rolled his eyes.
"Jesus," he muttered under his breath before his head snapped up when he heard something.
Blood, kill, blood.
"What was that?" Harry asked as he looked around. Lockhart looked up from the picture he was signing his autograph on and looked at Harry.
"Sorry?" Lockhart asked.
"That voice," Harry prompted. "There was a voice."
"I didn't hear anything," Lockhart told him before he looked at his watch. "Whoo, look at the time! Time certainly flies past when you're having fun, doesn't it!" Harry just looked at him; he didn't hear the voice? "I think it's time for you to head back to the common room, it is late," Lockhart told him and Harry nodded as he left the classroom and out of the class.
Lockhart turned back to his pictures before he looking around the room, a scared look on his face.
Harry was walking along the hallway when he heard the voice speak up again. Gasping, Harry spun around, looking in all directions of where the voice could have come from when all of a sudden a hand clamped down on his shoulder. The sudden action caused him to reach up and grab the hand, twisting before he spun around and saw that he was twisting Draco's hand.
"Oh god, sorry," Harry told him as he let Draco's hand go and Draco stood back up.
"What's up with you? I haven't seen you this spooked before," Draco told him and Harry sighed as they both started walking up the stairs.
"I just heard a strange voice," Harry told him and Draco looked at him.
"How do you mean?" Draco asked as they reached a door. Harry looked around before he reached out and waved his hand over the door, causing it to glow slightly before he grasped the door handle and opened the door.
Draco stepped through first before Harry stepped through and shut the door behind him and they moved over to the balcony of the castle and sat down as they watched the stars lighting up the night sky.
"It's just weird, there's this voice - it seems to be coming from all around the castle and it's blood thirsty," Harry explained and Draco sighed as he looked up the at the stars.
"Do you miss home?" Draco asked and Harry laughed.
"The muggle world?" he asked and Draco nodded. "Yeah, I miss it. I miss sleeping in my own bed, I miss Rex, I miss the training and I miss be able to use my powers to my full extent," Harry told him and Draco smirked.
"I bet you miss having Hermione in your arms as you sleep through the night," Draco teased and Harry rolled his eyes.
They had a habit of having a sleepover every night in someone room and every time, Harry and Hermione found themselves wrapped up in each other arms, sleeping.
"At least I don't snuggle into my pillow," Harry shot back and Draco thumped him on the arm.
"It was the one time!" Draco shot back as Harry laughed and Draco shook his head as a smile lit up his face. "Home is great." Harry smiled back as they concentrated on the stars above them, letting life be peaceful while it could before Draco thought back to their earlier conversation and looked at Harry.
"You have to admit, it is kinda weird," Draco told him and Harry nodded in agreement.
"I know," Harry told him.
They both just looked at the sight in front of them, wondering what the future was going to hold now all these secrets were beginning to pile up on top of another.
TBC
Okay, don't expect Hermione to be the thoughtful Hermione as she was up above about Lockhart, she will some times revert back to the naive girl who wants to believe that a book is real and that the author is authentic but not all the time, so don't worry too much about it.
Sorry this took ages, I'm working all day this week because I asked for the Saturday off, but I'm spending the day with my friend, who I haven't seen in ages! I will have the next part up by Monday - it's half done so hopefully it won't give me too much problem.
Oh, by the way - this if 15 chapters all-together - be happy!
One little note to take into consideration - if Mia is like this with Lockhart, just what is she going to be like with Umbridge? (Grins).