Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 31 The Aftermath

Harry scowled but said, "just be carful then," he said slowly, "and do it for you, not for me. I'm done with the lot of them."

Hermione just looked at his with steely determination, then added "I'm still going to research this. It's insane that none of the teachers can do anything or over ride it. I need to make sure we're not going to be blindsided by anything else, or that it doesn't have any nasty consequences we don't know about."

"Thanks Hermione."

"I can't really believe they did that," Neville said quietly.

"Do they really hate me that much though?" Harry asked in morbid curiosity.

"I don't think it's that. I think some honestly don't like you because they don't know you. You've always been rather withdrawn and antisocial. And it didn't help that Ron hogged so much of your attention." Neville said considering, "They all believe whatever rumour is going around. None of them ever really got a chance to know you, not that that's an excuse, you're a Gryffindor and that deserved house loyalty. It's as simple as that. But I think half of it's the hype, herd mentality, one get's angry and it spurs others on."

"Just so," cut in George, "Gryffindors are brave and will follow a leader doggedly, but are not always,-"

"The most loyal or open-minded, astute people in the world," Fred finished, "they're fiery and hot headed."

"And Ron, we checked Harry," Neville said, "Hermione asked Fred and George to do it, but we checked him for magic, he's clean."

"Yeah, mum would never let anyone potion or compel her baby's," Fred said slightly condescendingly.

"It's all him," finished George, "Bill taught us how to check."

Harry slumped, a small part of him, had still been hoping it was magic on Ron. "I guess now I think about it, his jealousy has been getting worse, and he had always tried to hog my attention."

"You would not believe how many people he gives the stink eye to when they try and talk to you," Neville said.

Sighing, not wanting to think about it too much, Harry pushed it from his mind and said, "I'm out, but will you lot be okay?"

"We'll be fine, won't we?" George said and the others nodded.

"Ron won't actually hurt anyone. We were surprised he hexed you so bad, to be honest. He's generally just hot air." Fred said

Harry shivered at the memory of slugs crawling around inside him again, and shut his mouth tightly, feeling queasy. What if there were still some slugs left?

"Where are you staying, Harry?" Asked Neville, "did you go to Professor McGonagall?"

"No," Harry said, "she has too much on. She doesn't have enough time to worry about my issues. I'm not about to ask for her help when I know she'll tell me to stop waisting her time or to stop bothering her like she did after my name came out. She doesn't like me much anyway," Harry said, "I can look after myself. I found a bolt hole away from the tower, I'm fine."

"Not even the hospital wing?" Neville asked.

"Why bother? Pomfrey nocks me out and will keep me there all day, and theirs nothing you can do for the slug hex anyway except wait it out." Harry said irritably.

"True, Ron got himself with it in second year." Hermione said before sighing, "It was the seventh years, and McLaggan. They'd been conspiring after the task, really up in arms about the Parseltongue thing. It was as if your oath didn't matter at all!"

"It started with a few of the older years, and the wizard raised," Neville said.

"Then it just kept picking up steam, the younger years stayed out of it, but when the prefects supported it, and the seventh years were intimidating those that disagreed it got out of conrole." Hermione said.