(2) Patrimony (H. Potter)

Chapter Eleven

Harry draws his finger over the back of Rhiannon's hand as she watches out the window, watching the scenery change. She's not been on this route before so it's all new. His eyes lift from her hand to her face. She's removed her scarf and jacket so she's sitting in just her little yellow sundress. She looks like sunshine, which is a contrast to the gloomy storm clouds outside.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" Neville suddenly asks, breaking the silence.

"Another remembrall?" Harry asks absent-mindedly.

"No" Neville answers. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago" He admits. "No, look at this" Neville digs his hand into his bag and pulls out what appears to be a small cactus in a pot, except this is covered in boils instead of spines. Rhiannon sees the reflection and turns.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia" She states in awe. "That's really rare, where did you get one?" Neville smiles at her.

"My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it" Neville answers.

"Does it do anything?" Harry asks.

"Loads of stuff" Neville answers proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism...hold Trevor for me" Neville suddenly drops his toad into Harry's lap and pulls a quill from his bag, Luna's eyes now peer over the top of her magazine to watch. Neville holds up the plant and then gives the plant a sharp poke with the quill tip. Liquid squirts from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, green jets of it. Hitting the ceiling, the windows and Luna's magazine. Ginny and Rhiannon both manage to fling up their arms to cover their faces from the liquid, but Harry, whose hands were busy preventing the escape of Trevor, receives a face full of the stuff. "Sorry," Neville states as he shakes his head to get the worst of the liquid out of his own eyes. "I haven't tried that before...Didn't realise it would be so...." He motions a little. "Don't worry though, Stinksap's not poisonous" Harry gives Neville an annoyed look but Rhiannon just shakes her head with a small smile.

"Look, we can get rid of it easily" Rhiannon assures Harry who slumps in his seat, still covered in the stinksap. She pulls out her wand. She gives it a wave and the stinksap then vanishes from him, Ginny, Neville and the entire compartment. Rhiannon nods, proud of herself before Harry smiles at her.

"You did that without an incantation" Ginny points out a little impressed. Rhiannon looks at her.

"Durmstrang doesn't believe in incantations" She offers. "Why tell your enemy what you are going to cast before you cast it?" She shrugs. Harry pulls a face and then nods in agreement, that's a rather smart strategy.

........

Rhiannon, along with Harry, Ginny, and Neville are swapping chocolate frog cards when the compartment door slides open and Ron and Hermione walk in with Crookshanks and Ron's owl, Pigwideon. Attila grumbles and tries to move out of the way of feet but it is a rather small compartment and they were pushed on size before.

"I'm starving" Ron comments as he stows his owl, Pigwidgeon in his cage, next to Hedwig before dropping between Harry and Ginny who has to press herself almost right up against the compartment door. Ron takes a chocolate frog from Harry. Instantly tearing into the wrapper and biting off its head.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," Hermione informs them as she sits next to Neville. "Boy and girl from each"

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" Ron asks.

"Malfoy" Harry answers.

"'Course" Ron agrees as he stuffs the rest of the frog into his mouth and then takes another one.

"And that complete cow, Pansy Parkinson" Hermione adds. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..." Rhiannon snorts and shares an amused look with Hermione.

"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asks them.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott" Ron answers.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw" Hermoine continues.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil" Luna adds, her eyes on Ron over the Quibbler in her hand.

"Yeah, I know I did" He agrees, surprised.

"She didn't enjoy it very much" Luna informs him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her"

"You didn't dance with her at all?" Rhiannon asks Ron who shrugs and shakes his head.

"I don't think I'd have minded" Luna admits. "I don't like dancing very much" She then retreats back behind her magazine, Ron stares at her a moment and then looks at his sister for an explanation, but she's stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop her from laughing. Ron then looks down at his watch.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," Ron tells Harry and Neville. "And we can give out punishments if people start misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something...."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron" Hermione scolds him.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all" Ron counters sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level"

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine" Ron defends himself.

"For heaven's sake, Ron" Hermione mumbles.

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing" Ron points out happily. "I....must....not....look...like...a....baboon's....backside" Ron mocks in Goyle's deeper voice. Everyone laughs but nobody is laughing like Luna, she is full-on cackling with glee.

"That was funny..." She points out, Rhiannon raises an eyebrow in amusement.

"Are you taking the mickey?" Ron asks her.

"Baboon's backside" Luna chokes holding her ribs. "That was funny" Ron glances around at the others who are all chuckling and smirking with their own amusement at the conversation and Luna's explosive response. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Just then the compartment doors open to reveal Draco Malfoy, smirking away at him, standing between Crabbe and Goyle. Rhiannon rolls her eyes slightly.

"What?" Harry asks Draco, sharply.

"Manners, Potter" Draco counters. "Or I'll have to give you a detention. You see I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments"

"Yeah," Harry agrees. "But you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone" Rhiannon snorts out a laugh as Ginny, Neville, Hermione, and Ron all laugh. Draco's lip curves.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" Draco continues. Rhiannon turns slightly to face him.

"Arsch mit ohren" She states with a growl and Draco snaps his eyes to her.

"Grindlewald, what are you doing here?" He asks her.

"I was enjoying the scenery....but it's suddenly turned sour" She answers and gives him a look. "And now you're kind of ruining my day, so....get lost, Malfoy, will you?" Attila punctuates this by growling and baring his teeth at Draco.

"Just watch yourself, Potter" Draco tells Harry. "Because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line" With one last malicious look at Harry, Draco leaves the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle following after him. Rhiannon motions with her fingers and the compartment door closes shut behind them. Hermoine and Harry share a look, understanding Draco's threat. Harry looks down and takes Rhiannon's hand again. The two of them share a look. She nods, understands what he's trying to say. He's worried about Sirius now.