Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 40 Escaping Hogwarts

"She hasn't even noticed you, and it's been weeks! Did you know your robes have changed? They have the Hogwarts crest on them now; no house affiliation."

"Really?" Harry said, surprised, looking down. Sure enough, his Gryffindor crest had gone. That must be what Professor's Snape and Flitwick had been looking at. Dread pooled in his gut.

"Yep, I noticed it yesterday," Hermione said.

"If she hasn't noticed you, why would she notice me?" She continued, distracting him before he could panic further, "she hasn't done anything about it. And there's no way that anyone could not notice the tension in Gryffindor lately. Not with all the pranks Fred and George have been setting on everyone in retribution. Didn't you notice everyone was green last Tuesday?"

"Huh? I'd wondered about that." He said, pulling out a pot of salve and handing it over to her.

She snorted as she dabbed some of the thick paste over her eye, "well it came to a head last night. They were saying some awful things about you after dinner, and I lost it. I punched one of the seventh year girls who said something particularly nasty about you and your mum. It escalated to an ultimatum. If I had such a problem, I could leave. They voted and cast me out." She said matter of factly, "Fred, George and Neville came too."

"What? But? What....?" Harry stuttered.

"Fred and George said they already disappoint their mum, a bit more won't make much difference. Neville agreed actually with them, said, being declared not Gryffindor enough wouldn't surprise his Gran. He hexed McLaggan good though! He used the one George taught us last week. The Romanian one you need a proper counter for." She said with a wicked grin.

"Wow, good on you!" He said, "where are you guys staying? Are you guys, okay?"

"We went to the Room of Requirement, it gave us hammocks." She said, simply handing back the pot of salve.

"You keep it," Harry said, "I've got more. It works best if you put it on three times a day, till it's gone. It will heal it in two days I've found, for the nasty ones, a few hours for little ones. Are the others okay?"

"Thanks," she said pocketing the salve, "Yes. We got our things out no problem, they hadn't destroyed them like they did yours. Anyway," She smiled, "it's nice and peaceful there, and, all the books!"

"You sure you're okay?" He asked

"Yes, we're fine. Now come on, I know you have some time before your lesson with Bill. The train doesn't leave till 11, and they agreed to have an early breakfast with you in the kitchens."

"Are you sure you're right there? We don't know who else can get into the Room of Requirement. That's why I went to the lower dungeons. I hijacked a room and warded it." He said as they turned down the corridor to the kitchens and stopped outside the portrait of a bowl of fruit.

"We'll keep that in mind, but yes, we're fine," Hermione said as she tickled the pear and the portrait giggled and swung open.

The sea of elves parted for them, and they joined Fred, George and Neville at their usual little table by the fire in the back of the room.

"You lot okay?" Harry asked worriedly when they'd sat down. They didn't look worse for wear.

"Yeah," said Neville. He seemed to be sitting up a little straighter and seemed a bit more confident, "we got sick of hearing them bad mouth you, and we got sick of putting up with a house full of ass-holes."

"Go, Neville!" Harry said a bit shocked, by the change in the quiet boy.

"You should have seen him and Hermione, mate," they ripped the older Gryffindors a new one," Fred said with a grin.