Chapter 8
By the next morning, the story of Harry fainting on the train had spread like wildfire. The stares and whispers from the few people awake and about followed Harry down to the Great Hall for breakfast from Gryffindor Tower, Neville at his side. Just like the previous year with the entire school's Heir of Slytherin nonsense. His runespoor, Ember's obvious presence around his neck and the wary looks he caused weren’t helping either.
"It's worse than last year.” Harry whispered to Neville as they made their way down the main staircase. “The staring and whispers … Ron and Hermione helped but even they were on edge about the Heir of Slytherin thing and the snakes in the school popping up to talk at the end of the year after, well, you know…”
Neville just nodded quietly. He remembered the end of the year for Harry, how stressed out the smaller boy had been even as he was, once again, lauded as a hero for having to do something horrible that no one was ever told about. Harry never told anyone the full story about the end of the year but the new scars and bruises he had caught glimpses of in the dorm bathroom painted a grim enough picture. He hadn’t noticed the snakes though. Honestly, they had been following Harry since the beginning of first so Neville had just written it off as a Harry-Potter-Thing.
Dropping into seats next to each other at the Gryffindor table, backs to the wall, the boys ate in a companionable silence while the Great Hall slowly filled up for the morning meal.
The breakfast hour was half over when Hermione arrived, already carrying a stack of thick books from the library.
“Little light reading?” Harry teased her as she settled in across from him.
“Mmm,” she responded, loading up her plate. “I wanted to get an early start on any supplemental reading.”
Harry and Neville shared a glance and rolled their eyes. Classes hadn’t even started; they hadn’t even received their schedules. How on earth did she know what supplemental reading would be helpful?
Fifteen minutes before the end of breakfast, the Heads of House descended from the table at the front of the Hall to make their way down the now crowded tables with student schedules.
Stopping at the clump of third year Gryffindors, Professor McGonagall passed parchments out to Harry, Neville and the rest of the group, causing Hermione to finally pull her head out of whatever she was reading at the moment.
“And where is Mr. Weasley?” Professor McGonagall asked as Hermione plopped her already bulging bookbag on the bench and reached to refill her tea.
Hermione's eyes turned to Harry and Neville across from her, eyebrows quirking at Ron's absence before flying up her face when she clocked the snake around Harry’s neck.
“I think he's still upstairs. We let him know that we were heading down but I don't know if he got up after we left.” Neville answered. Harry seemed to be too busy avoiding a staring contest with Hermione to answer.
“I see. And does Mr. Weasley usually require assistance in getting to breakfast on time?” the McGonagall eyebrow was rising.
Neville nudged Harry with his knee under the table. Harry's eyes jerked up to the professor’s before quickly shaking his head, unsure how to respond.
“Um. Well, yes.” Dean Thomas piped up from further down the table.
Thank Merlin for Seamus and Dean!
“He usually sleeps through his alarm, so we take turns mostly. Last one to use the bathroom lets him know it's free. He hadn't moved this morning, so we let him know we were headed down to breakfast and what time it was.” Added Seamus.
Professor McGonagall's eyebrow had reached the maximum disapproval height. Ron was so dead, Howler incoming. Definitely incoming.
Harry cringed internally as Seamus trailed off, wilting under the gaze of their stern Head of House.
“I see.” Those two words, paired with the eyebrow, sealed Ron's doom as the tardy redhead clattered through the door and collapsed into the open seat between Hermione and where McGonagall was still standing.
“Your schedule, Mr. Weasley. Please see me during office hours this evening.” Handing Ron his schedule, she continued to make her way down the table.
With her continued trek down the table toward the fourth years, Harry finally checks over his schedule. Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. What? He sent the letter asking to change weeks ago.
“Neville? You done?” Harry asked.
“Yeah. Double Potions first looks like. Your stuff still up in the dorm?” Neville responded, standing up.
“Sure. Need to talk to McGonagall real quick first though.”
Stopping Professor McGonagall at the end of the table where she was passing out the seventh year NEWT schedules, Harry asked if she had a minute to discuss his schedule.
“Of course, Mr. Potter, what seems to be the issue?”
“I sent a letter to you about three weeks ago asking to change my electives. I wanted to swap Divination and COMC for Runes and Arithmancy.
“And I also needed to let you know about Ember,” Harry tacked on, indicating the three headed snake wrapped around his throat.
“Yes, I had meant to have a word with you about the snake. It’s against Hogwarts policy…”
“Sorry Professor, but he’s not. I’m Parselmouth. Per the Hogwarts original charter, I can have a snake companion.” Harry interrupted before cringing. He interrupted McGonagall. He was so dead.
Mouth pursed, McGonagall pinned the small boy with a glare. “Mr. Potter. I appreciate you doing the necessary research regarding your new… companion. As for your letter regarding the change in electives. I’m not sure why it was not received but that is no matter. If you are sure. The workload will be a substantial difference to what you currently have.” Harry gave a firm, if not insulted nod to confirm his choice at her inquiring look. “Very well, the alteration is simple enough as they share the same time blocks.” Taking his schedule from him, she tapped it with her wand, swapping out Divination and Care for his requested classes.
“Anything else? Mr. Longbottom?” At her question, Neville looked stunned.
“Um. May I change to Ancient Runes? Not sure I’ll survive Care if Hagrid is teaching…no offense to Professor Hagrid but I’m probably safer memorizing than well…”
With an unusually amused expression, McGonagall made the requested change to Neville’s schedule as well before heading back up to the Head Table while the two boys made their escape to grab what they would need for their first morning of classes.