"Is there anything else, Harry, before I go?"
"Do you mind explaining to Professor McGonagall so she can explain to Ron Weasley. I just know he's going to blame me..
"Oh, and tonight someone let a troll into the castle. Dumbledore has something dangerous in the third floor corridor, but he's warned the students not to go near it on pain of death at the opening feast."
"WHAT?"
Harry gave Amelia a gamin grin.
"Harry Potter, are you pulling my leg?"
"Wouldn't dream of it, at least not here and not now."
"What happened with the troll?"
"Well, Hermione Granger, who at present is sacked out in the infirmary, and I didn't attend tonight's feast. While we were talking in the girls' bathroom, we got attacked by a twelve foot troll. I really wish I'd fought things other than wizards the last few years. My usual tactics used against large stupid creatures suck. Anyway Professors Snape and McGonagall came along and killed it. As for the corridor I've been being a good student and doing as I'm told. I'm staying away from it. That's not to say I won't try to put the pieces together if they come my way but I'm not investigating. I have no desire to fall in with a certain someone's plots."
"Fine." Amelia grimaced. She really didn't need this atop the other things she was dealing with.
"I wonder who cursed you?" Harry said in an apparent non sequitur.
"What?"
"There's an ancient Chinese curse that goes may you live in interesting times, I wonder who cursed you with it?"
"Me? What about you?"
"I know who got me! I got it twice over, both of them powerful wizards, Riddle and the Headmaster. Given who cursed me, it's no surprise I'm a trouble magnet." Harry's emerald eyes danced, and his grin widened to that of a cheshire cat.
"Cheeky brat." Amelia looked him over from head to toe. She knew when Sirius found out about tonight he would grill her to make sure Harry was okay. "Well, I see no damage, so I'll be on my way."
"Amelia, thanks. It means a lot that you dropped everything and came." Harry's expression had shifted again to a serious one.
"I.. I can't say it's a pleasure because I wish it weren't necessary, but I know you won't abuse the privilege. Now, I'll head off and find your head of house, shall I?"
"Goodnight." Harry watched her leave and then headed up to his dorm to get ready for bed. He supposed that it was reasonable that he was tired, given the gamut of emotions he'd been through that evening.
Harry's prediction came true. Despite having things explained to him by the deputy headmistress, Ron blamed Harry for costing him his pet. Harry ignored the other boy for several days and prayed he'd be smart enough to realize he was outclassed if it came to a fight, but given the level of intelligence the other boy usually displayed he didn't count on it. Figuring an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, he set a couple of wards on his belongings and put a protective charm on Sheba. Then he went to speak to the twins, he needed to congratulate them on their huge prank anyway.
"Ah, Fred it's ickle Harrykins!"
"And what can we-"
"do for our fellow Prankster today?"
"Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on your prank that made everyone who sat on the benches at breakfast in the Great Hall on the first quack like ducks for two minutes. Tres droll and definitely good fun."
"Like wise for your prank on Mrs. Norris-"
"watching her freak out because every step-"
"made her sound like she was farting,-"
"running through the halls trying to get away."
"But the sounds never stopping-"
"until she refused to move. Filch running-"
" to get help and when he gets back-"
"Nothing is wrong!"
"Hysterical!" they finished together.
"I thought so too. Second, I need information and I figure as his brothers you know him best. What will it take for me to bury the hatchet with Ron about the whole Pettigrew/Scabbers thing. I was thinking a gift certificate to Eeylop's or Magical Menagerie, but I'd also be willing to get one to Quality Quidditch seeing he's so quidditch obsessed."
George snickered, "Throwing galleons at the problem?"
"I've got them, think they'll work?"
Fred sighed, "Probably."
"How much? Do you think?" Harry asked. He didn't like Ron but if he did this he didn't want to be thought of as cheap either.
"Well, if it was me. I'd do a couple sickles, that gets a rat at the Menagerie." George said.
"Do more and, if I know Ronniekins, he'll either think you're trying to bribe him or trying to show off your money." Fred said.
"What would be his reaction if I got him a certificate for an owl at Eeylop's that was a couple sickles shy of what he needed for an owl? Would he have the gumption to save up to get an owl?"
"Maybe . It would be a toss up whether he sees it for what it is,"
"or if his pride takes it wrong."
"In either case, we think, Son of Prongs, your heart is in the right place."
"But it would-"
"likely raise fewer issues-"
"if you went with-"
"something to Quality Quidditch Supplies."
"Now if you'll excuse us we-
"have to get ready-"
"for the quidditch match."
Harry smiled and waved them off. He did feel bad for depriving Ron of his pet. It wasn't the other boy's fault that his inexpensive hand-me-down pet was really a corrupt wizard in disguise. He pulled out his phone and dialed Beth's number. She would be able to go to the alley and get the gift certificate.
The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match lasted four hours and it was miserable for the Gryffindors to watch. The students of the first year study group mostly sat together so those that understood the game could explain it to the ones that didn't. Harry and Draco set a friendly wager of a sickle on the match. Halfway through Harry handed a sickle to Draco. It wasn't that the Gryffindor team was actually that bad, but the Slytherin seeker Higgs had turfed the Gryffindor seeker four times and the Slytherins played a very rough game. Harry really wished first years could bring brooms to school. He would have made twice the seeker that Roberts was making.
Harry looked around. He didn't know why, but he felt an itch. The kind of itch he associated with having a wizard who had ill intentions around, but with the crowd around him he had no way of knowing who it was. For all he knew there were several around. He hadn't realized how used he was to always knowing someone had his back until now when he was having to do without. He felt downright nervous in a crowd like this. He had practice ignoring it though; he'd been practicing at every meal in the Great Hall since arriving at Hogwarts.