Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 39 Last Few Things Before Break

TRIGGER WARNINGS!

This one has some trigger warnings! The details are at the bottom of the page for anyone who wants to check them.

If I put them here they'll contain spoilers for everyone.

Happy Reading

The last week of term passed slowly. The weather got colder, the snow continued to fall, covering the ground in white, and the lake started to freeze around the edges. Harry wondered if it would freeze enough that year for them to skate on. Hermione certainly had made it sound like fun, and from what he'd read, his mother had enjoyed it too. Hermione had promised to teach him if the it froze enough.

The tension in between the Gryffindors and Hermione, Fred, George and Neville, however was only building. Fred and George relentlessly pranked the whole house and anyone who had a go at them, thereby keeping themselves safe from being hexed into submission. And Neville seemed good at not being noticed. Hermione, however, was no so lucky.

Hermione was now getting hexed and teased by the Gryffindors just as much as Harry was. It was just as well the two of them had been practising duelling and other (muggle) methods of defence, as it came rather in handy during the rest of the term. The Gryffindors were very good at getting them while out of sight of the teachers.

Hermione and Harry had taken to using as many secret passageways, and the cloke to get to class as often as possible. When not in class or in the Room of Requirement, they were in the library sitting close to Madame Pince's desk where no-one would dare try and hex them. It was exhausting. But Hermione was determined to right the wrong her house had done Harry. Or at least teach them the error of their ways. And while Harry didn't like it, he accepted his friends choice and was warmed by her determination on his behalf.

Harry was very relieved to have the snake passages to avoid everyone with. Something that Hermione had been fascinated with and had then insisted he try to teach her Parseltongue. So far, it with little success. But between still being hexed in the corridors and the usual staring, and whispering, Harry much preferred the dark narrow stone passageways that were hiden behind the snakes. Hermione, however fascinated she was, did not enjoy the small dark spaces as much as Harry did.

When he wasn't in the library with Hermione, or out in the forest, he spent most of the time in the lower dungeons, in his cupboard or his trunk, generally huddled over a hot cauldron or around his bluebell flames with a book and his notes.

He spent as little time as possible in the main school, or at least away from the people of the main school. The castle was getting increasingly boisterous, and seemed to have been overcome with the hype of the Yule Ball. The Hogwarts staff seemed intent on continuing to make a good impression on their visitors. And Harry wondered bitterly if it was partly due to his 'embarrassingly poor performance' at the first task.

The suits of armour had all been re-polished until they shone and were bewitched to sing carols when anyone passed. It was a bit disconcerting to hear "0 Come, All Ye Faithful" and "god rest ye merry Hippogriff," sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words. Though it was very funny when Peeves managed to get himself inside them and replaced the lyrics with rude reinventions of his own.

Harry thought bitterly that if only the staff put as much effort into actually making Hogwarts safe, as they did with making her look good! Then maybe Harry wouldn't have to put so much effort into staying out of sight, just to keep himself safe.

But they seemed determined to show the castle at her best for Christmas. The decorations that went up were the most stunning Harry had ever seen. There were everlasting icicles on the banisters, huge Christmas trees in the Hall ladened with everything from luminous holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls, and real fairy's flitting amongst the candles. There were holly and mistletoe decking the halls and walls, and more floating candles than Harry had ever seen in his entire life.