A Morning Full of Activities
Albus was mad. His pawn was not falling in line the way she was supposed to. She was being difficult. He watched her walk into the Great Hall with the Malfoy and Longbottom boys chatting happily with them.
He watched Cedric Diggery get up and cross the hall to her and sighed. That damned Hufflepuff couldn't just take his win. Always the honorable one.
Harri looked up and smiled at Cedric. She said, "I heard you guys one! It was a good game, but next time, I won't be going easy on you," in a joking tone.
"Heir Potter-Black, I hadn't realized that you had fallen from your broom, or I would have stopped the game right there. The rest of the Hufflepuff team and I would like for us to do a rematch due to the outside interference," Cedric said, his back straight like any Heir apologizing. Harri blinked for a second before straightening her own back.
"I do appreciate the offer, Heir Diggery. I will need to speak to my team before making any sort of decision about a rematch, but your apology is noted and appreciated. There is no ill will between us or our houses," she said as she held her hand put for him. She smiled at him happily. "I'm sorry I didn't see that catch. I was told it was brilliant."
She felt Draco pat her on her back and knew she had done the apology thing correctly. It had been something they had covered briefly about when another house feels slighted or when they feel that they have slighted her houses.
Cedric took her hand and shook it with a smile. He said, "The snitch dived at a right angle, and I had caught it just above the bleachers," with a small bashful smile.
"Bloody brilliant," she said with a happy chuckle. "Let me talk with Oliver, and we will get back to you on the rematch. I hope he isn't still trying to drown himself in the shower," with a roll of her eyes and a playful smile. Her caption could be quite dramatic when he wanted to be.
"We dragged him out, don't you worry Harriaken," Fred and George called from their place with the rest of the team. She looked over, and Oliver looked like a kid on Christmas at the mere thought of getting a rematch.
"It'll probably be a yes on that rematch," Harri whispered to Cedric, causing the older Seeker to laugh. "It was nice talking to you, Cedric. Maybe we can grab Cho and have a Seekers match at some point?"
"That'll be fun," Draco agreed readily. He snaked his arm around Harri's waist without thinking. She leaned into him happily.
"I would be game," Cedric said excitedly. "I'll talk to Cho. Us Seekers need to stick together after all."
"Birds of a feather and all that," Harri said with a laugh. She waved at Cedric as their group made their way to the Gryffindor table. Draco's friends were already there and chatting with Dean and Semus happily. They sat down with a smile.
"What did we miss?" Neville asked as they started to get breakfast. They were all starving as they had slept through dinner.
"Well, Dumbledore has been moodier lately," Seamus said casually.
"Well, Aunt Augusta told him off, so I'm no surprised," Harri said with a nod.
"Harri!" Hermione called almost in tears. "They’re going to execute Buckbeak!"
"There's also that," Dean said causally. "Honestly, I don't know what you expected. They put animals down after they attack people in the muggle world, too. I don't see how Hagrid still had a job after that. Imagine if an agricultural teacher brought a dangerous animal to class and it bit someone. Do you think the animal would get away scot-free?"
"They could relocate the animal! They're wild it's not their fault that they followed their instincts, and Malfoy did insult it," Ron said angerly. "And don't talk about Hagrid like that. He's a good professor!"
"Let's all calm down. Yes, they could relocate Buckbeak, but if the decision has been made that he is too dangerous like Dean said, then there really isn't anything we can do. Yes, Hagrid is a good friend, but he does need more training as a professor. Maybe someone could shadow him for a little while and give him pointers?" Harri suggested kindly.
"Harri, we have to fight for Buckbeak!" Hermione said angerly.
"No, we don't. Buckbeak nearly took off Draco's arm and tried to drop me hundreds of feet in the air. I know that it's hard, but it wouldn't have been pushed for if the people that had come to evaluate Buckbeak hadn't thought it was necessary. People I hired, by the way. Well, Narcissa hired in my steed, but I trusted her on this," Harri said tiredly, "Look I've nearly died twice in two weeks and I don't want to argue with you guys on this. I'm sorry you are so upset about Buckbeak, but it's not our jobs as children to fight this case."
"What happened to you, mate?" Ron said disappointedly.
"That's enough, the both of you," Percy said, appearing behind them. "Harri is right. It isn't her job or ours for that matter to fight for Buckbeak. Hagrid is trying to get it appealed so he could be rehomed, but it isn't our concern. As for what happened to Harri, it is called growing up Ronald, something you should be doing. I've raised you better than this."
Ron pushed past his sibling, muttering angerly as he went. He needed a moment to cool down. He knew that they were right, but everything had been changing, and the routine they had built the last few years was broken.
He kept walking until he saw a sign that said wellness testing. He had forgotten that the governors were doing to find and help children with disabilities. He huffed and got in line. Maybe there was a reason things always felt like it was too much for him. Maybe there was a reason reading was so hard.
Back in the Great Hall, Harri stood from the table and said, "I need some time alone," softly. She walked to Myrtle's bathroom. She was thankful the ghost wasn't there as she made her uncomfortable.
She opened the chamber and went down. She wanted to see what secrets it held. Maybe there was text on how to use parseltongue in magic. She had heard rumors that Slytherin had been a healer, and maybe there was a way to heal Aunt Alice and Uncle Frank.
She walked down the gross hall vanishing bones as she went. She has heard the skins were expensive and made good armor, so she was going to have some tailored for herself and her friends.
She wasn't naive. She knew war was coming, and she wanted to be prepared. The last two times she had fought against Tom, she hadn't been prepared, but she wouldn't make that mistake again.
She entered the main chamber and started to vanish the water that was all over. She would hiss at the walls to see if anything opened. She got the statue where the basilisk had come from and went inside. She heard a tiny hissing and turned to the nest. She knelt down and greeted the baby snake.
"My name is Harri. What's yours, little one," Harri asked softly as the small snake slithered up her arm.
"I'm Daisy. My grandmother had been protecting me from the mean boy who claimed to be Slytherin's Heir," Daisy said as she wrapped her neck.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your grandmother. I'm afraid it is my fault she is dead," Harri said, her voice full of sorrow. She wished that she hadn't had to kill the basilisk. It wasn't her fault Tom had been abusing her.
"She would have been grateful. She was not meant to hurt the students, and the fact that she was used to kill one and to hurt others weighed on her," Daisy said sadly.
"I hope she had found peace," Harri said softly. "Daisy, do you know if Slytherin had a study down here?"
"Of course, young Lady! It is in the tunnel to the right," Daisy said, pointing her nose towards the direction. Harri noticed for the first time that Daisy's eyes were glazed over. She realized that Daisy was blind.
She followed Daisy's directions and hissed an open at a snake carving on the wall. She entered a beautiful study in awe.
"Well, it is about time one of my Heirs came to see me," a voice said sternly.