Transition chapter before plot
"What's your problem?"
Harry almost jumped in his seat.
The trio were in the library conducting research on Nicholas Flamel, the guy Hagrid accidentally named. They were trying to figure out what the school could be protecting that came from him.
He had stacks and stacks of books in front of him, Hermione was on the otherside of the library sifting through her list of books she wanted to search while Ron was a bit close by, opening and closing random books before putting them back on their shelves. Harry read possible titles the man can be in before pulling then out and sorting through the pages and chapters.
He didn't really expected to be bothered.
He looks up as he tries to stop his beating hesrt to see Michelangelo looking at his mountain of books with curiosity.
"Studying before the holidays? I thought you were supposed to take a break, don't ya think?" He says.
"Wait, wait, what was that?"
"What was what?"
"The question you asked before that."
"Studying before the holidays?"
"No! Even- even before that."
Mikey laughs at his own silliness. "Oh right, my bad." His face suddenly got serious. Harry was so used to him having a little smile on his face thst jt felt weird seeing him without it. His face looked completely innocent but lacked something he can't describe. "What's your problem?"
"What...?"
"You're avoiding Leo." Mikey said in a matter of factly way. "And Raph noticed so he's starting to avoid you guys and if you avoid one kf us you're gonna avoid all of us, so what's your deals, dudes?" He roughly sat on the table, making it creak from yhe added weight but it didn't seem as though it would collapse. "I'm not dumb, i know there's something going on between the three of you and you don't trust Leo, you don't trust us. Because of that, Raph's upset, you know? And Leo feels left out. Donnie hates having to avoid Hermione too and I hate seeing them sad, so what the hell are you even doing to cut us off just like that?"
Harry's mouth felt dry. He didn't really realize that the brothers wpuld he upset. No, of course he realized, he just didn't want to see it.
If they were being honest, they unconsciously left Leo out of everything because they're scared he might overhear their conversation about Snape. He's a Slytherin, he would probably take offense tot he fact that his head of house was stealing something from Dumbledore.
"It's... It's honestly not his fault, okay. We don't mean to ignore-"
"It's connected to him, right?" Mikey cuts him off.
"I mean..." Well there was no point denying it anymore. "Yeah, it is connected to him a bit. But promise, after we deal with this problem we're going to stop! Once we prove that Sn- that, uh, someone is doing bad stuff in Hogwarts, we can all be back to being friends again."
"So we're not your friends anymore?"
Okay, he messed up on that one. "No!"
Mikey raised an eyebrow at that.
"It's complicated..."
"No, it's dangerous."
Harry did jump in his seat when another voice came.
He turns to look at his side to see Donatello leaning against a bookshelf with a book open in his hands. His eyes were drifting over the pages before he closed it a bit loudly.
"That's it isn't it? You don't want us involved because you view whatever you are doing as dangerous, right?"
Harry was cornerered. He knows these two probably planned it without the knowledge of their two older brothers.
"Look." Donnie slides the book back tk jt's original position and walks towards Harry. "Whatever you're doing, fine, don't tell us, but you are hurting our brothers, you are hurting us, by actively avoiding our older brother whom we love dearly."
"So you better go out there and apologise, dawg." Mikey says. "We don't care what you're doing, you can keep that all to yourselves! But read the room, got that? And say sorry, for crying out loud, it's like ya'll allergic to it or something."
Mikey hops off the table with grace before slinging one arm over his brother's shoulder, making Donnie stopp a bit lower to get to his level. The two walked away, muttering and poking at each other.
At some point when Harry turns around to think about the bizarre interaction, Donnie yanked Mikey off his feet, making the Hufflepuff dangle like a kitten.
Hermione and Ron finally walk in and asked what he was so caught up about.
"We need to say sorry." He says.
For once, they all agreed.
The trio walked over to the brother's usual place at the Hufflepuff table and said sorry. Leo's eyes sparkled although he asked what were they apologizing about. Donnie and Mikey ahared a litrle fist bomb while Raph gave them an eyeroll for their troubles.
As Christmas was nearing, snow fell on Hogwarts in blankets of white. It looked like someone has dusted everything with powdered sugar.
Leonardo was wrapped up more than his brothers were, Michelangelo can always be seen cuddled up close to him to give him warmth.
Professor Mcgonagall had also been going around the tables to list down students who would be staying for the holidays. Harry and Ron signed up. It was obvious enough that the Dursleys didn't want him around and it's far better than spending his time in his cupboard or having to spend the holidays at Mrs. Figg's cat smelling home. Ron's mom and dad are going to Romania to visit his other brother, Charlie, who works with the dragons there so him and his brothers were staying as well.
Just as Professor Mcgonagall was about to go back to show the rest of the staff who would be staying, Leo approaches her. Scratch that, his brothers are behind him and Raph pushed him to the front. Harry can't help but smile in amusement at that. He wonders if that is what it feeks like to have siblings of his own. It would be fun.
"Good morning ma'am." Leo greets politely. "Me and my brothers would like to stay as well."
"Are you sure?" The Professor asked. "No one home this holidays?"
"Our parents are..." Leo trails off, looking anywhere but the Professor.
"In Hawaii!" Mikey continues.
"Non existant." Donnie says flatly.
"Isn't present for eleven years of our lives." Raph says a bit bitterly.
The three looked at each other, not really expecting a simultaneous answer. And then the squabble started.
"Yeah... That." Leo says awkwardly. "So we would like to stay for the hokidays please, if you dont mind."
("What the hell was that?!" "Hey! I thought we agree on the Hawaii excuse!" "No one agreed to the Hawaii excuse!" "If you dunderheads just let Leo speak we wouldn't have—" "Shut up!" "Hey! Don't tell me to shut up!" "Not you idiot, him!")
"I'm very sorry for that."
"It's alright, dear." Professor Mcgonagall says, almost softly. "Anyone is welcomed in Hogwarts, especially her children. No need to apologize as well. Children are supposed to act like children after all."
Now this was goinh to be an interesting Christmas.