Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Beetle at Bay

January had passed by alarmingly fast. Before Harry knew it, February was nearly half over as well, bringing with it wetter and warmer weather and the prospect of the second Hogsmeade visit of the year. Harry had had very little time to spare on conversations with Cho since they had agreed to visit the village together, but suddenly found himself facing a Valentine's Day spent entirely in her company.

On the morning of the fourteenth he dressed particularly carefully. He and Theodore arrived at breakfast just in time for the arrival of the post owls. Hedwig or Phasming was not there—not that he had expected them—but Allison was wrestling a letter from the beak of an unfamiliar brown owl as they sat down.

'I was starting to get worried it wouldn't come in time...' she said frustratedly, tearing open the envelope and pulling out a small piece of parchment. Allison quickly read through the message and a grimly pleased expression spread across her face.

'Hey Harry,' she said, looking up at him. 'I need you to do something for me today, its quite important...Can you meet me at me in the Three Broomsticks around noon?'

'Well...I dunno,' said Harry dubiously. 'Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do.'

Allison looked a little annoyed by this statement

'Fine, if you have to just have her come with you,' said Allison urgently. 'Just be there, ok?'

'Well...all right, but why?'

'I'd explain but I don't have time. I have to respond to this as soon as possible, hey Theo, walk with me—'

And she hurried out of the Great Hall, the letter clutched in one hand and a piece of uneaten toast in the other with Theodore trying to catch up with her.

'Are you coming?' Harry asked Tracey, but she shook her head, though a giddy smile had crossed her face.

'This is me and Terence's first Valentines Day, and since nearly everyone will be a Hogsmeade we wanted to spend just a quiet day together. With all that's been going on we haven't really gotten to hang out really since Christmas.'

'That sounds like fun,' said Harry, 'but shouldn't Terence be hosting a Quidditch practice?'

'No,' responded Tracey. 'The Gryffindor's have the field booked, and from what Ter tells me they're going to be it. Their new Beaters, Sloper and Kirke, and just terrible.'

Harry found it very hard to understand why Terence wasn't practicing today, even without the field, as Harry would give anything to fly again, to practice, or to play in the match a couple weeks from now.

Tracey soon left, and not long later Harry temporarily returned to his dormitory to attempt to flatten his hair. Just as he was leaving the common room he ran into Theodore.

'Oh good, Harry, glad I caught you,' he said quite quickly. 'I know you got to go, but I just had to explain to you that when you meet up with Allison later she's going to get you to do something that relates to me. I give you permission to do so.'

'Theo, you are making zero sense,' said Harry still walking towards the stairs.

'I know, sorry, I might see you later.'

With that brief and odd conversation finished Harry made his way to the entrance hall to meet Cho, feeling very apprehensive and wondering what on earth they were going to talk about.

She was waiting for him a little to the side of the oak front doors, looking very pretty with her hair tied back in a long ponytail. Harry's feet seemed to be too big for his body as he walked toward her, and he was suddenly horribly aware of his arms and how stupid they looked swinging at his sides.