Oh god please ignore if its repeated my computer was being weird when i re-posted this
Luv ya,
Von-Lilith <3
It wasn't until the end of September that Boy had a chance to actually meet his brother again.
He was sitting in the library with Penelope, who insisted that he call her Penny, going over their homework for Arithmancy. In that time, he found out that Penny was very affectionate. Anytime they weren't in class, she pinched his cheeks (lightly), ruffled his hair, or had her arm around his shoulders.
"Alright, Buh-Harry," she said in a mock-stern voice. "What book did you use for that last part? That was not in the class book."
He shook his head, taking an old, dusty book out of his robes-turned-knapsack. "What do I get out of it?" He wiggled the text just out of her reach.
She put on an overly exaggerated pout. "Pretty pretty please? I have some of Honeydukes finest."
Narrowing his eyes, he pretended to think it over. "A whole bar?" The first time he'd ever had chocolate was about two weeks ago. Penny had been studying and occasionally slipping her hand into her pocket, then bringing it up to her mouth so fast that Boy was left confused. When he'd asked what she was doing, she slipped a little square of it into his hand, with a warning not to let the librarian see it. It was the most incredible thing he'd ever tasted.
"Half," she declared.
He handed over the book. "Deal."
"Come on, guys," a familiar voice was saying, too loudly for library etiquette. "Over here is free."
Boy looked up to see Jamie and a few Gryffindors swaggering over to a nearby table. Well, that wasn't fair. Jamie was the only one swaggering.
The others seemed to be basking in his presence.
"I'm so sorry that you're related to him," Penny whispered. "He's such a little prat."
Boy could only shrug. He didn't know either way, having never spent any time with his twin, but he couldn't tell her that. The instant Boy said anything negative about the Potter family, he knew that Jamie would write to Sir. That couldn't happen. He was learning how to be normal, and it was going well. It was something he was not willing to jeopardize.
When the truth about his name came out, he started being hounded on all sides, especially by his housemates. If anything about the Potters was revealed, he would be in serious trouble.
"Chapter twenty-six," he told her. "That's where I got it. There's a lot more information, but I didn't use it because I'd be over the length limit."
"You are an absolute gem!" She squealed, ruffling his hair again. "Even if you are robbing my choco stash."
"I could be persuaded to say a third instead... if you have my favorite." He grinned impishly.
She giggled. "I can deal with that, Buh-Harry. You're the only reason I get that anyway. How can you stand it? Raspberry, coconut and caramel do not belong together!"
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Yes, they do." In truth, he didn't mind taking a smaller amount. Never having gotten sweets before, he still hadn't found a chocolate he didn't like, but only in small doses. That was a lesson he'd learned the hard way. As the bars were pretty large, one third of one would last him almost a week if he had two squares per day, which was plenty for him. He liked to have them after breakfast and lunch. Letting them melt on his tongue, he was able to savor the taste for quite a while.
"Hey, you!" Jamie called out in a stage whisper.
Both Penny and Boy turned to face the rowdy table of lions. "Yes?" They asked together.
"Not you, slimy snake!" A red haired boy sneered. "Her!"
Brows raised, they stared.
"What do you want?" She asked pointedly, not liking the tone of the redhead. "I'm studying, as you should be."
"Aww, don't be like that." Jamie said, ruffling his hair in a way that showed off the scar that made him famous. "I just wanted to ask if you had a spare quill."
"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'. "Sorry."
Boy knew she was lying. Penny always carried around at least three quills at a time, just in case one broke or was misplaced.
"Alright, then," he said. "Well, what about you, snake? Oh, it's you." His nose crinkled in disgust.
"Hi, Jamie." Boy said casually. He really did want to get close to his brother, but it was clear that Jamie didn't want the same.
Jamie grunted in response.
"So do you have a quill or not?" The redhead demanded.
Boy shook his head, but pointed his 'wand' at a piece of parchment that he'd accidentally spilled ink on. With an unnecessary flick of his fake wand, he turned the tight scroll into a standard brown quill. "Here."
"No thanks," Jamie scoffed. "I'll go find one that isn't diseased."
Closing his eyes, Boy sighed.
Penny gasped. "Five points from Gryffindor for insulting a student. Five points to Slytherin for being helpful, even if it was met with hostility."
"You didn't have to do that," Boy said with a sigh.
"Sure I did," she replied flippantly. "I'm a prefect, and that comes with certain responsibilities. The point system is a big part of it. If I didn't have to report my reasons, I'd have given the little weeny a detention."
Boy blinked, jaw hanging. Was this what it was like to have a friend?
"Are we friends?" He blurted out, astonished and horrified by his bluntness.
Her brows rose. She had a curious look about her. "Of course we are, Harry. How could I not adore you?"
She called him Harry. She must be serious.
Boy smiled warmly at his first ever friend. "Just checking."
"Okay," she said with a shrug. "Now show me what pages you didn't use."
Despite how rudely Jamie had behaved the other day, Boy couldn't give up hope that they could be close. It might be far-fetched for now, but maybe that would change if they got to spend some time together. The only question was how.
As it turned out, that hurdle was overcome for him.
The day that flying classes were held, Boy had somehow been added to the roster, even though he was a fifth year and that class was for first years.
It didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, he was incredibly excited. It was as good an excuse as any to see his twin and meet some people his own age. He was enjoying his courses, but all of his classmates were fifteen, many were closer to sixteen. Aside from their homework, which he did with Penny exclusively, they had absolutely nothing in common.
Flying might be what creates a bridge between him and them. Plus, the chance to fly for the first time was incredibly thrilling. He'd been fantasizing about it since he saw Sir and Jamie fly past his attic window when he was somewhere around five or six.
Jamie was being held tightly around the middle, squealing with delight, while Sir was urging the broom faster and higher.
In that moment, Boy understood wanting. It was strange. He wasn't jealous of Jamie, but he wanted to share that with his brother. He didn't want Jamie to be left out. He still didn't.
Boy was confused. Really really confused. It made no sense. Yes, he realized that the first year restrictions might not apply to him, but this? It doesn't make any sense.
"Buh-Harry!" Penny practically shouted, waving him over to where she and Percy were standing on the third floor.
"Penelope," Percy said in a tone, suggesting weariness. "We are prefects, not first years. You can't shout in the corridors."
She ignored him in favor of swinging Boy around in circles. When she put him down, she grinned widely. "How did you do it? I couldn't believe it! This is so exciting, Buh-Harry!"
Boy, who was only a little bit dizzy, shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure how it happened," he said honestly. It had been just over a month of being in the public for Boy to say he was proud of his newfound ability to hold conversation.
"Aww," she said, smirking. "Percy, I think he's still in shock."
"Maybe a bit," Boy replied, not embarrassed at all. "Why do you think they put me on the team?"
Percy cleared his throat importantly. "If my sloth of a brother is correct, you flew admirably well in class, though he may have hurt himself in admitting it."
Boy stared at him like he had two heads. "Well, I mean, I didn't crash..." He didn't mean for it to sound like a question but, oh well. "It really wasn't all that impressive. It was probably just beginners luck."
"Most likely." Percy said flippantly, then looked at Penny. "Penelope, we have a prefects meeting."
She sighed, calming her earlier excitement, hesitated, then pulled Boy into another tight hug. "Congratulations, Buh-Harry. You'll do great!"
Boy smiled, waving them away. "Go on, Penny. Don't let Percy be late." He was getting used to smiling. It was a good feeling.
Maybe now that he was on the house team, he would be allowed into the dorms! He'd get to sleep on a bed! Maybe.
Headed off toward Charms, Boy was startled when he was suddenly slammed sideways into a door.
Shaking off the fog his head was currently stuck in, Boy looked around. For some strange reason, he thought he heard muffled barking, and was wondering how a student would be punished for bringing an unauthorized pet to the school.
"You're so bloody special, aren't you?" Jamie sneered at the crumpled figure of Boy.
"Special?" Boy asked lamely. "What?" He wasn't special. Jamie was special. Why would Jamie think otherwise?
"I hope you have fun on those shite school brooms, because even if you were allowed to have one, which you aren't, my dad would never waste money on some Slytherin freak!"
The way he spat the words was honestly shocking to Boy. Yes, logically he knew how arrogant his twin was since they'd entered school, but he'd never been that way before, had he?
Boy didn't reply, not having a clue what to say.
Jamie took two large steps toward Boy, and was practically on top of him. He grabbed Boy by the hair and twisted his fist, which wasn't difficult as his hair was shoulder length.
Without a thought, Boy followed the direction of the hand currently jerking him around. He could feel some of it ripping out at the roots, but was determined not to cry out. It didn't stop his facial expressions from betraying his pain though. Sir had done this often enough, that he was trained to follow the hand rather than fight back. The only reason his hair was this short was because the day of the ministry testing, Sir grabbed his hair in chunks and used severing charms. Before that day, it had never been cut and was down to his knees.
"Get up!" Jamie snarled, changing his grip.
Now Boy was close enough to his brother to feel the hot breath on his face.
"Look at me!"
Boy opened his eyes obediently and gasped. The pure, unadulterated hatred on his brother's face was terrifying. Boy was pulled back into a memory of Sir from his attic.
Sir had been drinking again. Boy closed his eyes in resigned sadness. He knew what was coming.
Before he even had a chance to do anything, Sir was upon him, landing blow after blow. Sometimes the punches would turn into vicious kicks.
All the while, Boy was willing himself into unconsciousness to no avail. Why did they hate him so? Why was Sir the only person who had ever come up to his attic? Why come up at all?
He tried desperately to ignore the vitriol Sir was spouting, but that didn't make it hurt any less. It mingled with the physical pain, until Boy could no longer tell the difference. Inside, outside, it all hurt.
Jamie's punches and kicks didn't hurt nearly as bad as Sir's, but Sir usually stopped after a few minutes. Jamie wasn't stopping yet.
At least nothing was broken, Boy thought as Jamie finally let him drop to the floor.
Panting, Boy lay completely still.
"Don't want to join the team now, do you?" Jamie taunted, landing one final kick to Boy's side.
Why would that keep him from wanting to play? The bruises would fade in two days with a bruise balm.
Deciding to ignore the odd methods of his brother, Boy slowly got up from the floor and picked up his dropped bag. He had Charms class.
Keeping his head down was easy enough. His hair was at the right length to hide his face, and no one was looking at him anyway, so it was fine.
Boy snuck off to an abandoned classroom and set up his cauldron. He had to get the bruise balm made and applied before someone managed to get a look at his face. The ones on his arms, chest and back weren't really cause for concern, as no one could see them.
That was the only nice part of not being allowed in the dorms. Since he wasn't able to come and go from his broom cupboard without being seen during the daytime, he began sneaking into the showers in the middle of the night. It was useful, especially since it gave him something to do besides stare at the walls at three or four am.
Finally alone, Boy pulled his hair up into a sloppy bun to keep it out of his eyes. Any obstructions to his vision was dangerous when it came to brewing. If a lock of hair fell in, covered the number of stirs, or something equally important, it could become an explosive mistake. He preferred to pull his hair up.
Two hours later, Boy was blessedly finished with the finicky potion. Scooping a small glob of the clear paste, he used a conjured mirror to make sure every centimeter of the bruises were covered. By the end of the day, they would be at the sickly yellowish green stage and by tomorrow afternoon, they should be completely gone. No one had to know.
He considered using more of it on the rest of his bruises, but decided that it might be a better idea to hold onto the remaining paste in case something else happened.
With the way things had gone so far in his short academic career, it wasn't exactly improbable. Having it on hand was just practical.
As it turned out, his housemates were much less than pleased that the seeker position was handed to a scrawny little eleven year old. They were livid, especially the three hopefuls that had been training over the summer for the spot. Now that they had no chance at all to prove themselves, they seemed to decide that they would take out their aggressions on the reason they no longer had a chance.
If Boy had thought that being drafted to the team was a good thing, he was certainly disillusioned now.
The bruise balm only lasted two weeks. The soothing paste made from aloe plants primarily, was gone inside nine days.
Nearly all of the books on healing spells and potions were checked out of the library.
He hoped that they wouldn't be missed by anyone wanting to study healing.
Hexes and curses and jinxes were becoming a large part of his daily schedule. It got to the point of waking up at four thirty am to avoid everyone in the common room. They were left completely unattended until they got to the Great Hall, which wasn't until seven.
Boy didn't think that was very intelligent, but it helped him in a way. If there was a professor in the common room, they would see that he was sleeping in the broom cupboard. No one wanted that, least of all him.
The only time he wasn't being harassed by his fellow Slytherins was in class. That time was spent either with Penny or entirely alone.
Percy was the closest he came to having a second friend, and even he was little more than an acquaintance.
It was fine. He was doing very well in all of his classes and even though he appeared to be the only target for the beaters on the House team, he loved being out flying nearly every evening.
Despite their best efforts, Boy was in heaven on a broom. Sure he got more bludgers pelted in his direction than the rest of the team combined, but Boy was actually appreciative. As strange as it might be, having those bludgers after him constantly was a great way to improve his flying skills. Bobbing, weaving, flipping and dodging while keeping an eye out for the tiny winged ball was doing wonders for his agility.
If his teammates knew how he felt about their on-field antics, they'd probably make sure he could only practice by himself in the middle of the night... then report him for being out after curfew.
"Oh, go on Buh-Harry," Penny urged. "You've got to have more than tea! It's your first match! Against your prat brother's house no less. You can't lose. I won't allow it!"
His brow lifted. "Why do you want me to beat your boyfriend's house so badly?"
She choked on air. "What?! That tosspot is not my boyfriend!"
Boy switched from teasing to concern in an instant. "What happened, Penny?"
"You're just too young to be so perceptive." She replied with a sad sigh. "We may have had a row. Doesn't matter. You just need to obliterate Gryffindor and all will be right in my world."
Boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll do my best. For you."
Smiling now, she ruffled his hair. "I knew I could count on my little Buh-Harry."
"Alright already," he snorted. "Take my mind off the match. What was your row about?"
"Oh, sure, skip over your problems to tackle mine." She scoffed. "I just can't pry him away from his books! It makes no sense! He's always been at the top of the class, so he should be able to make a little time for m... for friends."
He kind of felt bad for her. Something he'd read a few years ago was brought to mind. One of his near captures during the semi-frequent library trips he'd made left him with a book he hadn't meant to grab. It was a mis-shelved romance novel most likely belonging to Ma'am. In it, there was a woman who felt as though she were being neglected by a potential lover. That woman, Emmalyn, decided to attract her attention by giving herself a new look.
At the time-who was he kidding? He still didn't understand the logic, but it had worked for Emmalyn.
"I have an idea," he said mischievously. "There's still another hour till the match. We need to go to your dorm for a bit."
"Buh-Harry, you're an eleven year old boy, not to mention a Slytherin. I can't let you into Ravenclaw tower!"
He let his head fall dramatically on her shoulder. "How about this? If I can get your dormmates to agree, you let me help you. Deal?"
Reluctantly, she acquiesced, pointing out the two girls in her dorm.
Boy was nervous. He couldn't remember ever starting a conversation with someone. If spoken to first, he was having less and less trouble, but he was still learning.
"Hi, I'm Harry. You're Penny's dormmates, aren't you? Olive and Amelia?"
The two girls in question looked at him, brows knit.
"Yeah...?" One said curiously. She was pale and had a light dusting of freckles beneath her startling silvery eyes. Her hair was long, blonde and wavy.
Her companion was curvier and taller, and she had a lovely mocha complexion and purple eyes. There were only three families he could recall hearing about that carried that particular trait. One was a first year Slytherin, Zabini.
He went over his plan quickly, only stammering a few times.
"Oh," the girl, Olive said, her eyes huge. "Penelope's right. He's so adorable! Come on, Amelia! Let's see what he can do!"
"Fine, fine." She relented. "But we reserve the right to fix it if you mess her up. Okay?"
He nodded, grinning.
Forty-one minutes later, Boy transfigured a broken quill nib into a hair clip with a tiny raven. That in place, he stood. "Okay, quickly quickly. I've got to get to the pitch. Let's go."
Olive and Amelia were left gawking.
"Wait!" Penny half yelled. "I can't go down there yet! I haven't even seen-"
"Don't care!" Boy said hurriedly. "No time."
"You're gorgeous, Penelope," Olive said with astonishment.
Penny's jaw dropped. "Is it too much?" She asked, bringing her hands up to pat her hair.
Boy swatted them away impatiently. "You're fantastic. Can we go now?"
Before he knew it, Boy was outfitted in his green and black quidditch robes and various padding. He breathed slowly, trying desperately not to be ill.
The captain was speaking, but Boy was unable to concentrate on the words. Slytherin cunning would ensure victory or some other nonsense. Boy just wanted to make it through the game alive. He almost didn't care who won. Almost.
Boy landed heavily, rolling off his broom. There was no noise. No cheers, no boos, nothing.
He sat up, still wondering what had happened. Something tickled his hand. It was a little gold wing. He had the snitch. Merlin, he caught the snitch! They won! They won!
480-360 Slytherin wins!
The announcement snapped the crowd out of its stupor. They went mental. Screaming, clapping, some booing, but mostly cheering.
He had really done it! He won the game! And he didn't die! Well, it was a very near thing, but somehow the broom stabilized before it bucked him off. Who cares? He won!
Seeing the team flipping out together didn't even bother him, despite the fact that he was still on the ground about thirty meters away. He won!
He won! Boy won something!
He sat there for a while. Eventually the cheers died down. The Slytherins left the pitch. The Gryffindors were grumbling as they shuffled their way to the locker rooms. The spectators filed down from the elevated stands.
"HARRY! HARRY, YOU DID IT!"
Boy looked to his right to see Penny and her dormmates running his way, sporting green pennants and flushed faces.
When they drew closer, he stood. Okay, that hurt. "I didn't imagine it, then? I really did win?"
They burst out laughing.
Penny wrapped him in a tight hug. "Gods! I knew you had to have some kind of talent to be let on the team, but that was incredible, Buh-Harry!"
His cheeks hurt. Had he been smiling that long? It was a wonderful feeling and he wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.
The next thing he knew, Boy was being lifted under the armpits and deposited on Olive's back. He grabbed her shoulders in surprise. "What-?"
"You've been limping." Amelia said, as if that was an explanation. "And you're small enough to be carried up to the infirmary."
"I don't need the infirmary. I know a fair amount of healing magic." Merlin knew he'd gotten an education in that.
"In the famous words of Buh-Harry Potter, 'don't care!'" Penny said pompously.
Madam Pomfrey had him fixed up pretty quickly, which didn't surprise him, though she did put him on bedrest until the next morning. Boy was worried. He didn't know how long the Slytherins would be up celebrating. It was a good thing it was only Saturday, because he might not get to bed until very late, as he had to wait for the common room to be completely cleared.
Penny and her friends waited for him to finish up, then swooped him onto Amelia's back to get down all those stairs.
He had tried to protest, but they ignored him, saying how 'bedrest' didn't mean 'walk down like a dozen flights of stairs'.
"But you all have to go right back up!" He tried. "It's entirely redundant!"
"Oh, it is not," Olivia said, rolling her gray eyes. "Dinner is being served in an hour, so we're just going to the library until then. Besides, Penelope wants to see if Percy's there."
Boy stifled a giggle at the teasing tone. "We can all go to the library, then. I'd never get any rest with the partying that's most likely going on in the common room anyway."
"Okay," Amelia said. "Saves my back-"
"I told you I can walk!" Boy didn't whine. Absolutely not.
"Calm down, Buh-Harry. It was a joke." Amelia stopped to wiggle him around for no apparent reason. "See? Light as an owl feather."
He groaned, letting his head fall to her shoulder.
"Okay, I have to know," Olive began, looking Boy and Penelope over. "Why the weird nickname? I mean, it's cute and all, but I don't get it."
Boy tried to reach out to cover Penny's mouth, but she was too far away, and Amelia, noticing this, intentionally sidestepped to further the distance.
Penny smirked. "When I met this this awkward little eleven year old, he was being picked on by Professor Snape-"
"But he's a Slytherin!" Olive blurted. "Snape always favors his own."
"I'm also the only eleven year old to be put straight into fifth year." Boy muttered grumpily.
"So anyway!" Penny cut in. "I introduced myself, and he was blushing and stuttering. When he introduced himself, I don't know what he was trying to say, but it came out as Buh-Harry. It was so adorable! I couldn't help myself!"
"Oh, he does blush!" Olive cooed. "I wish I had a camera."
Boy put his head back down as they giggled. He knew they weren't being mean, just teasing, so it was okay.
"Alright, Buh-Harry," Amelia said quietly as they entered the library. "You know how it's a Hogsmeade weekend?"
"Mm-hmm," Boy hummed.
"Well, I have a date tomorrow morning around noon. Can you work your magic on me, like you did with Penelope? Please? It's my first date, and I want to look my best."
Boy flushed again, but turned to Penny as he was finally put down. "By the way," he whispered. "How did that go?"
"Put it this way, cutie." Olive grinned. "Percy didn't realize his team had lost until one of his housemates tripped over him, trying to follow his friends out of the stadium."
This time, it was Penny who turned red.
Boy covered his mouth to keep from laughing. It took him a minute to calm down. "Alright, so, Amelia... what do you need me to do?" He was eyeing her features already, figuring out different ways to highlight her eyes. He was a bit nervous though. The only reason he'd known what to do with Penny's hair was because his own hair was similar, at least, it was before Sir had chopped it all off. Amelia's was very different, given the fact that she was black.
"Buh-Harry!" Penny hissed chidingly. "You're a Slytherin! You should have figured out by now that if you have something that someone wants, you make a trade."
Boy snorted.
"Okay, not cool, Penelope," Amelia whined. "Besides, you didn't pay him!"
"That's because it was his idea, not mine." She replied with faux arrogance. "And we were friends for more than a couple of hours."
Amelia groaned. "Fine, fair is fair. What do you want in exchange?"
"I don't think the Potter's are very into sweets," Penelope said when Boy didn't respond. "I don't think poor little Buh-Harry had ever tried chocolate before we met."
Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Seriously?" Olive asked.
Boy nodded.
"That explains why the Weeny-who-lived is always cramming sweets in his gob." Amelia added.
Boy blinked. Did no one like his brother? Penny had made her dislike clear, but Amelia too? "Why do you all seem to dislike Jamie so much?"
"Sorry," they said together sheepishly.
Olive just shrugged. "Honestly, I can't figure out how you two are even related. He's so bloody arrogant, while you're shy. He's a bit of a bully, while you're sweet. I think the only thing you two have in common is Snape's ire, even though you're actually intelligent."
Penny and Amelia nodded in agreement.
"Okay, how about this?" Amelia asked. "My date isn't until noon, so you can come with me early to pick something from Honeydukes."
"I'm not allowed in Hogsmeade." Boy said.
"Why?" Olive asked. "You're a fifth year. It's for third through seventh years."
Boy shrugged. "I didn't know I was going to be a fifth year until the Headmaster mentioned it after I wasn't called to be sorted."
"So you never got the consent form." Amelia finished for him.
"Nope," he shook his head.
The girls shared a look, but didn't say anything.
For the next half hour or so, Boy spent some time getting to know the two girls he'd introduced himself to, exceedingly glad that he'd done so.
By the time they headed for the Great Hall, he found himself two new friends.
"Come on, Buh-Harry," Amelia urged. "Come sit with the Ravens."
He hesitated. "Is that allowed?"
"Miss Prefect?" Olive prompted.
"Not against the rules, Buh-Harry. I promise." Penny assured him with a wink.
In the Great Hall, the Slytherins were still on their high from the big win. The Gryffindors were blessedly quiet, though everyone knew it would only last until the typically rowdy group got over their loss.
Boy decided to enjoy the quiet while he could. Despite being one table closer to the 'Gryphs' as his new friends called them, Boy barely heard them.
For the next fifteen minutes, Boy had his first fun meal. He talked and joked and squared away his deal with Amelia. She was going to get Boy a refillable gift certificate for Hogsmeade, figuring that they would ask for his help again at some point. She also mentioned that because of how the certificate worked, he would be able to use it in any shop in the little square.
Boy was thrilled at the prospect of having money to spend when he was eventually allowed to go. Penny offered to get catalogs for the shops, so that she could purchase what he wanted with his certificate until then. Boy was excited to shop, especially since they said that some of their friends might be interested in what they were dubbing as his 'makeover business'.
Honestly, he thought they were more excited about it than he was. They were making plans. Boy just thought it was kind of fun. He had always liked playing with his own hair, so the idea of getting paid to play with hair was great.
A hand on his shoulder startled him.
Boy whipped around to see who grabbed him. "Hello, Headmaster." He greeted, hating the unexpected grip.
"Harry," he said kindly. "I think it's time for you to join your house."
The Headmaster spoke just loudly enough to attract a fair amount of attention.
"Pe-" he'd nearly mentioned Penny. "I didn't think it was against the rules, sir."
"No, it isn't." The Headmaster agreed. "Though there is a lot to be said for organization."
"Sir?" Boy didn't understand.
"It is quite easy to lose track of the students if they are not where they are supposed to be. With so many to look after, it would be prudent to assist in making the task easier, would it not?"
Boy sighed. "Yes, sir." He put down his goblet and stood, shoulders slumped.
"I'm sure your teammates would like to celebrate today's victory with you." The man said cheerfully, patting his shoulder heavily. "It was, after all, a particularly good catch, if I do say so myself."
At that, several of the Ravenclaws clapped, along with some of the more polite Hufflepuffs. Gryffindors mostly just glared, and the Slytherins didn't make a sound.
Dejectedly, Boy made his way to the very end of the Slytherin table. Since he'd already eaten most of his meal, he decided not to grab anything. The pumpkin tarts looked nice, but he just wasn't in the mood.
He wasn't sure what to think about being separated from his new friends. The reasoning behind it was... well, stupid. Obviously the man knew where he was, given the fact that he made Boy move. How was that making anyone's job harder? He'd only been at the very next table!
Penny's eyes narrowed. She stood, followed almost immediately by Amelia and Olive. As one, they moved to the far end of their own table, after asking some of the others to scoot down of course.
They continued to chat, but now there was an underlying tension that seemed to stunt the conversation.
Boy was unhappy with the way his day had turned out. He was ushered down to the dungeons with the rest of his housemates and had to spend several hours reading in the obnoxiously loud common room.
He was absolutely exhausted, but no one seemed to want to go to their rooms! The first years started heading for bed around midnight. The second and third years began tapering off a little while later. Apparently the rest of the students were planning on seeing dawn.
All he wanted to do was Go To Bed! He didn't want to bother anyone, do anything insidious, break anything, just sleep! Was it really too much to ask?
Four thirty-two. That's what time the last couple went to bed. Four thirty-two. He had to meet Amelia around nine to start in on her long hair if he was going to have time to do what he'd planned.
He groaned, realizing that he still had to be the first person awake to avoid detection.
Giving up on sleep completely, he hopped into the shower, deliberately making it a little too cold to be comfortable to keep himself awake.It wasn't until the end of September that Boy had a chance to actually meet his brother again.
He was sitting in the library with Penelope, who insisted that he call her Penny, going over their homework for Arithmancy. In that time, he found out that Penny was very affectionate. Anytime they weren't in class, she pinched his cheeks (lightly), ruffled his hair, or had her arm around his shoulders.
"Alright, Buh-Harry," she said in a mock-stern voice. "What book did you use for that last part? That was not in the class book."
He shook his head, taking an old, dusty book out of his robes-turned-knapsack. "What do I get out of it?" He wiggled the text just out of her reach.
She put on an overly exaggerated pout. "Pretty pretty please? I have some of Honeydukes finest."
Narrowing his eyes, he pretended to think it over. "A whole bar?" The first time he'd ever had chocolate was about two weeks ago. Penny had been studying and occasionally slipping her hand into her pocket, then bringing it up to her mouth so fast that Boy was left confused. When he'd asked what she was doing, she slipped a little square of it into his hand, with a warning not to let the librarian see it. It was the most incredible thing he'd ever tasted.
"Half," she declared.
He handed over the book. "Deal."
"Come on, guys," a familiar voice was saying, too loudly for library etiquette. "Over here is free."
Boy looked up to see Jamie and a few Gryffindors swaggering over to a nearby table. Well, that wasn't fair. Jamie was the only one swaggering.
The others seemed to be basking in his presence.
"I'm so sorry that you're related to him," Penny whispered. "He's such a little prat."
Boy could only shrug. He didn't know either way, having never spent any time with his twin, but he couldn't tell her that. The instant Boy said anything negative about the Potter family, he knew that Jamie would write to Sir. That couldn't happen. He was learning how to be normal, and it was going well. It was something he was not willing to jeopardize.
When the truth about his name came out, he started being hounded on all sides, especially by his housemates. If anything about the Potters was revealed, he would be in serious trouble.
"Chapter twenty-six," he told her. "That's where I got it. There's a lot more information, but I didn't use it because I'd be over the length limit."
"You are an absolute gem!" She squealed, ruffling his hair again. "Even if you are robbing my choco stash."
"I could be persuaded to say a third instead... if you have my favorite." He grinned impishly.
She giggled. "I can deal with that, Buh-Harry. You're the only reason I get that anyway. How can you stand it? Raspberry, coconut and caramel do not belong together!"
He leaned in conspiratorially. "Yes, they do." In truth, he didn't mind taking a smaller amount. Never having gotten sweets before, he still hadn't found a chocolate he didn't like, but only in small doses. That was a lesson he'd learned the hard way. As the bars were pretty large, one third of one would last him almost a week if he had two squares per day, which was plenty for him. He liked to have them after breakfast and lunch. Letting them melt on his tongue, he was able to savor the taste for quite a while.
"Hey, you!" Jamie called out in a stage whisper.
Both Penny and Boy turned to face the rowdy table of lions. "Yes?" They asked together.
"Not you, slimy snake!" A red haired boy sneered. "Her!"
Brows raised, they stared.
"What do you want?" She asked pointedly, not liking the tone of the redhead. "I'm studying, as you should be."
"Aww, don't be like that." Jamie said, ruffling his hair in a way that showed off the scar that made him famous. "I just wanted to ask if you had a spare quill."
"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'. "Sorry."
Boy knew she was lying. Penny always carried around at least three quills at a time, just in case one broke or was misplaced.
"Alright, then," he said. "Well, what about you, snake? Oh, it's you." His nose crinkled in disgust.
"Hi, Jamie." Boy said casually. He really did want to get close to his brother, but it was clear that Jamie didn't want the same.
Jamie grunted in response.
"So do you have a quill or not?" The redhead demanded.
Boy shook his head, but pointed his 'wand' at a piece of parchment that he'd accidentally spilled ink on. With an unnecessary flick of his fake wand, he turned the tight scroll into a standard brown quill. "Here."
"No thanks," Jamie scoffed. "I'll go find one that isn't diseased."
Closing his eyes, Boy sighed.
Penny gasped. "Five points from Gryffindor for insulting a student. Five points to Slytherin for being helpful, even if it was met with hostility."
"You didn't have to do that," Boy said with a sigh.
"Sure I did," she replied flippantly. "I'm a prefect, and that comes with certain responsibilities. The point system is a big part of it. If I didn't have to report my reasons, I'd have given the little weeny a detention."
Boy blinked, jaw hanging. Was this what it was like to have a friend?
"Are we friends?" He blurted out, astonished and horrified by his bluntness.
Her brows rose. She had a curious look about her. "Of course we are, Harry. How could I not adore you?"
She called him Harry. She must be serious.
Boy smiled warmly at his first ever friend. "Just checking."
"Okay," she said with a shrug. "Now show me what pages you didn't use."
Despite how rudely Jamie had behaved the other day, Boy couldn't give up hope that they could be close. It might be far-fetched for now, but maybe that would change if they got to spend some time together. The only question was how.
As it turned out, that hurdle was overcome for him.
The day that flying classes were held, Boy had somehow been added to the roster, even though he was a fifth year and that class was for first years.
It didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, he was incredibly excited. It was as good an excuse as any to see his twin and meet some people his own age. He was enjoying his courses, but all of his classmates were fifteen, many were closer to sixteen. Aside from their homework, which he did with Penny exclusively, they had absolutely nothing in common.
Flying might be what creates a bridge between him and them. Plus, the chance to fly for the first time was incredibly thrilling. He'd been fantasizing about it since he saw Sir and Jamie fly past his attic window when he was somewhere around five or six.
Jamie was being held tightly around the middle, squealing with delight, while Sir was urging the broom faster and higher.
In that moment, Boy understood wanting. It was strange. He wasn't jealous of Jamie, but he wanted to share that with his brother. He didn't want Jamie to be left out. He still didn't.
Boy was confused. Really really confused. It made no sense. Yes, he realized that the first year restrictions might not apply to him, but this? It doesn't make any sense.
"Buh-Harry!" Penny practically shouted, waving him over to where she and Percy were standing on the third floor.
"Penelope," Percy said in a tone, suggesting weariness. "We are prefects, not first years. You can't shout in the corridors."
She ignored him in favor of swinging Boy around in circles. When she put him down, she grinned widely. "How did you do it? I couldn't believe it! This is so exciting, Buh-Harry!"
Boy, who was only a little bit dizzy, shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure how it happened," he said honestly. It had been just over a month of being in the public for Boy to say he was proud of his newfound ability to hold conversation.
"Aww," she said, smirking. "Percy, I think he's still in shock."
"Maybe a bit," Boy replied, not embarrassed at all. "Why do you think they put me on the team?"
Percy cleared his throat importantly. "If my sloth of a brother is correct, you flew admirably well in class, though he may have hurt himself in admitting it."
Boy stared at him like he had two heads. "Well, I mean, I didn't crash..." He didn't mean for it to sound like a question but, oh well. "It really wasn't all that impressive. It was probably just beginners luck."
"Most likely." Percy said flippantly, then looked at Penny. "Penelope, we have a prefects meeting."
She sighed, calming her earlier excitement, hesitated, then pulled Boy into another tight hug. "Congratulations, Buh-Harry. You'll do great!"
Boy smiled, waving them away. "Go on, Penny. Don't let Percy be late." He was getting used to smiling. It was a good feeling.
Maybe now that he was on the house team, he would be allowed into the dorms! He'd get to sleep on a bed! Maybe.
Headed off toward Charms, Boy was startled when he was suddenly slammed sideways into a door.
Shaking off the fog his head was currently stuck in, Boy looked around. For some strange reason, he thought he heard muffled barking, and was wondering how a student would be punished for bringing an unauthorized pet to the school.
"You're so bloody special, aren't you?" Jamie sneered at the crumpled figure of Boy.
"Special?" Boy asked lamely. "What?" He wasn't special. Jamie was special. Why would Jamie think otherwise?
"I hope you have fun on those shite school brooms, because even if you were allowed to have one, which you aren't, my dad would never waste money on some Slytherin freak!"
The way he spat the words was honestly shocking to Boy. Yes, logically he knew how arrogant his twin was since they'd entered school, but he'd never been that way before, had he?
Boy didn't reply, not having a clue what to say.
Jamie took two large steps toward Boy, and was practically on top of him. He grabbed Boy by the hair and twisted his fist, which wasn't difficult as his hair was shoulder length.
Without a thought, Boy followed the direction of the hand currently jerking him around. He could feel some of it ripping out at the roots, but was determined not to cry out. It didn't stop his facial expressions from betraying his pain though. Sir had done this often enough, that he was trained to follow the hand rather than fight back. The only reason his hair was this short was because the day of the ministry testing, Sir grabbed his hair in chunks and used severing charms. Before that day, it had never been cut and was down to his knees.
"Get up!" Jamie snarled, changing his grip.
Now Boy was close enough to his brother to feel the hot breath on his face.
"Look at me!"
Boy opened his eyes obediently and gasped. The pure, unadulterated hatred on his brother's face was terrifying. Boy was pulled back into a memory of Sir from his attic.
Sir had been drinking again. Boy closed his eyes in resigned sadness. He knew what was coming.
Before he even had a chance to do anything, Sir was upon him, landing blow after blow. Sometimes the punches would turn into vicious kicks.
All the while, Boy was willing himself into unconsciousness to no avail. Why did they hate him so? Why was Sir the only person who had ever come up to his attic? Why come up at all?
He tried desperately to ignore the vitriol Sir was spouting, but that didn't make it hurt any less. It mingled with the physical pain, until Boy could no longer tell the difference. Inside, outside, it all hurt.
Jamie's punches and kicks didn't hurt nearly as bad as Sir's, but Sir usually stopped after a few minutes. Jamie wasn't stopping yet.
At least nothing was broken, Boy thought as Jamie finally let him drop to the floor.
Panting, Boy lay completely still.
"Don't want to join the team now, do you?" Jamie taunted, landing one final kick to Boy's side.
Why would that keep him from wanting to play? The bruises would fade in two days with a bruise balm.
Deciding to ignore the odd methods of his brother, Boy slowly got up from the floor and picked up his dropped bag. He had Charms class.
Keeping his head down was easy enough. His hair was at the right length to hide his face, and no one was looking at him anyway, so it was fine.
Boy snuck off to an abandoned classroom and set up his cauldron. He had to get the bruise balm made and applied before someone managed to get a look at his face. The ones on his arms, chest and back weren't really cause for concern, as no one could see them.
That was the only nice part of not being allowed in the dorms. Since he wasn't able to come and go from his broom cupboard without being seen during the daytime, he began sneaking into the showers in the middle of the night. It was useful, especially since it gave him something to do besides stare at the walls at three or four am.
Finally alone, Boy pulled his hair up into a sloppy bun to keep it out of his eyes. Any obstructions to his vision was dangerous when it came to brewing. If a lock of hair fell in, covered the number of stirs, or something equally important, it could become an explosive mistake. He preferred to pull his hair up.
Two hours later, Boy was blessedly finished with the finicky potion. Scooping a small glob of the clear paste, he used a conjured mirror to make sure every centimeter of the bruises were covered. By the end of the day, they would be at the sickly yellowish green stage and by tomorrow afternoon, they should be completely gone. No one had to know.
He considered using more of it on the rest of his bruises, but decided that it might be a better idea to hold onto the remaining paste in case something else happened.
With the way things had gone so far in his short academic career, it wasn't exactly improbable. Having it on hand was just practical.
As it turned out, his housemates were much less than pleased that the seeker position was handed to a scrawny little eleven year old. They were livid, especially the three hopefuls that had been training over the summer for the spot. Now that they had no chance at all to prove themselves, they seemed to decide that they would take out their aggressions on the reason they no longer had a chance.
If Boy had thought that being drafted to the team was a good thing, he was certainly disillusioned now.
The bruise balm only lasted two weeks. The soothing paste made from aloe plants primarily, was gone inside nine days.
Nearly all of the books on healing spells and potions were checked out of the library.
He hoped that they wouldn't be missed by anyone wanting to study healing.
Hexes and curses and jinxes were becoming a large part of his daily schedule. It got to the point of waking up at four thirty am to avoid everyone in the common room. They were left completely unattended until they got to the Great Hall, which wasn't until seven.
Boy didn't think that was very intelligent, but it helped him in a way. If there was a professor in the common room, they would see that he was sleeping in the broom cupboard. No one wanted that, least of all him.
The only time he wasn't being harassed by his fellow Slytherins was in class. That time was spent either with Penny or entirely alone.
Percy was the closest he came to having a second friend, and even he was little more than an acquaintance.
It was fine. He was doing very well in all of his classes and even though he appeared to be the only target for the beaters on the House team, he loved being out flying nearly every evening.
Despite their best efforts, Boy was in heaven on a broom. Sure he got more bludgers pelted in his direction than the rest of the team combined, but Boy was actually appreciative. As strange as it might be, having those bludgers after him constantly was a great way to improve his flying skills. Bobbing, weaving, flipping and dodging while keeping an eye out for the tiny winged ball was doing wonders for his agility.
If his teammates knew how he felt about their on-field antics, they'd probably make sure he could only practice by himself in the middle of the night... then report him for being out after curfew.
"Oh, go on Buh-Harry," Penny urged. "You've got to have more than tea! It's your first match! Against your prat brother's house no less. You can't lose. I won't allow it!"
His brow lifted. "Why do you want me to beat your boyfriend's house so badly?"
She choked on air. "What?! That tosspot is not my boyfriend!"
Boy switched from teasing to concern in an instant. "What happened, Penny?"
"You're just too young to be so perceptive." She replied with a sad sigh. "We may have had a row. Doesn't matter. You just need to obliterate Gryffindor and all will be right in my world."
Boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll do my best. For you."
Smiling now, she ruffled his hair. "I knew I could count on my little Buh-Harry."
"Alright already," he snorted. "Take my mind off the match. What was your row about?"
"Oh, sure, skip over your problems to tackle mine." She scoffed. "I just can't pry him away from his books! It makes no sense! He's always been at the top of the class, so he should be able to make a little time for m... for friends."
He kind of felt bad for her. Something he'd read a few years ago was brought to mind. One of his near captures during the semi-frequent library trips he'd made left him with a book he hadn't meant to grab. It was a mis-shelved romance novel most likely belonging to Ma'am. In it, there was a woman who felt as though she were being neglected by a potential lover. That woman, Emmalyn, decided to attract her attention by giving herself a new look.
At the time-who was he kidding? He still didn't understand the logic, but it had worked for Emmalyn.
"I have an idea," he said mischievously. "There's still another hour till the match. We need to go to your dorm for a bit."
"Buh-Harry, you're an eleven year old boy, not to mention a Slytherin. I can't let you into Ravenclaw tower!"
He let his head fall dramatically on her shoulder. "How about this? If I can get your dormmates to agree, you let me help you. Deal?"
Reluctantly, she acquiesced, pointing out the two girls in her dorm.
Boy was nervous. He couldn't remember ever starting a conversation with someone. If spoken to first, he was having less and less trouble, but he was still learning.
"Hi, I'm Harry. You're Penny's dormmates, aren't you? Olive and Amelia?"
The two girls in question looked at him, brows knit.
"Yeah...?" One said curiously. She was pale and had a light dusting of freckles beneath her startling silvery eyes. Her hair was long, blonde and wavy.
Her companion was curvier and taller, and she had a lovely mocha complexion and purple eyes. There were only three families he could recall hearing about that carried that particular trait. One was a first year Slytherin, Zabini.
He went over his plan quickly, only stammering a few times.
"Oh," the girl, Olive said, her eyes huge. "Penelope's right. He's so adorable! Come on, Amelia! Let's see what he can do!"
"Fine, fine." She relented. "But we reserve the right to fix it if you mess her up. Okay?"
He nodded, grinning.
Forty-one minutes later, Boy transfigured a broken quill nib into a hair clip with a tiny raven. That in place, he stood. "Okay, quickly quickly. I've got to get to the pitch. Let's go."
Olive and Amelia were left gawking.
"Wait!" Penny half yelled. "I can't go down there yet! I haven't even seen-"
"Don't care!" Boy said hurriedly. "No time."
"You're gorgeous, Penelope," Olive said with astonishment.
Penny's jaw dropped. "Is it too much?" She asked, bringing her hands up to pat her hair.
Boy swatted them away impatiently. "You're fantastic. Can we go now?"
Before he knew it, Boy was outfitted in his green and black quidditch robes and various padding. He breathed slowly, trying desperately not to be ill.
The captain was speaking, but Boy was unable to concentrate on the words. Slytherin cunning would ensure victory or some other nonsense. Boy just wanted to make it through the game alive. He almost didn't care who won. Almost.
Boy landed heavily, rolling off his broom. There was no noise. No cheers, no boos, nothing.
He sat up, still wondering what had happened. Something tickled his hand. It was a little gold wing. He had the snitch. Merlin, he caught the snitch! They won! They won!
480-360 Slytherin wins!
The announcement snapped the crowd out of its stupor. They went mental. Screaming, clapping, some booing, but mostly cheering.
He had really done it! He won the game! And he didn't die! Well, it was a very near thing, but somehow the broom stabilized before it bucked him off. Who cares? He won!
Seeing the team flipping out together didn't even bother him, despite the fact that he was still on the ground about thirty meters away. He won!
He won! Boy won something!
He sat there for a while. Eventually the cheers died down. The Slytherins left the pitch. The Gryffindors were grumbling as they shuffled their way to the locker rooms. The spectators filed down from the elevated stands.
"HARRY! HARRY, YOU DID IT!"
Boy looked to his right to see Penny and her dormmates running his way, sporting green pennants and flushed faces.
When they drew closer, he stood. Okay, that hurt. "I didn't imagine it, then? I really did win?"
They burst out laughing.
Penny wrapped him in a tight hug. "Gods! I knew you had to have some kind of talent to be let on the team, but that was incredible, Buh-Harry!"
His cheeks hurt. Had he been smiling that long? It was a wonderful feeling and he wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.
The next thing he knew, Boy was being lifted under the armpits and deposited on Olive's back. He grabbed her shoulders in surprise. "What-?"
"You've been limping." Amelia said, as if that was an explanation. "And you're small enough to be carried up to the infirmary."
"I don't need the infirmary. I know a fair amount of healing magic." Merlin knew he'd gotten an education in that.
"In the famous words of Buh-Harry Potter, 'don't care!'" Penny said pompously.
Madam Pomfrey had him fixed up pretty quickly, which didn't surprise him, though she did put him on bedrest until the next morning. Boy was worried. He didn't know how long the Slytherins would be up celebrating. It was a good thing it was only Saturday, because he might not get to bed until very late, as he had to wait for the common room to be completely cleared.
Penny and her friends waited for him to finish up, then swooped him onto Amelia's back to get down all those stairs.
He had tried to protest, but they ignored him, saying how 'bedrest' didn't mean 'walk down like a dozen flights of stairs'.
"But you all have to go right back up!" He tried. "It's entirely redundant!"
"Oh, it is not," Olivia said, rolling her gray eyes. "Dinner is being served in an hour, so we're just going to the library until then. Besides, Penelope wants to see if Percy's there."
Boy stifled a giggle at the teasing tone. "We can all go to the library, then. I'd never get any rest with the partying that's most likely going on in the common room anyway."
"Okay," Amelia said. "Saves my back-"
"I told you I can walk!" Boy didn't whine. Absolutely not.
"Calm down, Buh-Harry. It was a joke." Amelia stopped to wiggle him around for no apparent reason. "See? Light as an owl feather."
He groaned, letting his head fall to her shoulder.
"Okay, I have to know," Olive began, looking Boy and Penelope over. "Why the weird nickname? I mean, it's cute and all, but I don't get it."
Boy tried to reach out to cover Penny's mouth, but she was too far away, and Amelia, noticing this, intentionally sidestepped to further the distance.
Penny smirked. "When I met this this awkward little eleven year old, he was being picked on by Professor Snape-"
"But he's a Slytherin!" Olive blurted. "Snape always favors his own."
"I'm also the only eleven year old to be put straight into fifth year." Boy muttered grumpily.
"So anyway!" Penny cut in. "I introduced myself, and he was blushing and stuttering. When he introduced himself, I don't know what he was trying to say, but it came out as Buh-Harry. It was so adorable! I couldn't help myself!"
"Oh, he does blush!" Olive cooed. "I wish I had a camera."
Boy put his head back down as they giggled. He knew they weren't being mean, just teasing, so it was okay.
"Alright, Buh-Harry," Amelia said quietly as they entered the library. "You know how it's a Hogsmeade weekend?"
"Mm-hmm," Boy hummed.
"Well, I have a date tomorrow morning around noon. Can you work your magic on me, like you did with Penelope? Please? It's my first date, and I want to look my best."
Boy flushed again, but turned to Penny as he was finally put down. "By the way," he whispered. "How did that go?"
"Put it this way, cutie." Olive grinned. "Percy didn't realize his team had lost until one of his housemates tripped over him, trying to follow his friends out of the stadium."
This time, it was Penny who turned red.
Boy covered his mouth to keep from laughing. It took him a minute to calm down. "Alright, so, Amelia... what do you need me to do?" He was eyeing her features already, figuring out different ways to highlight her eyes. He was a bit nervous though. The only reason he'd known what to do with Penny's hair was because his own hair was similar, at least, it was before Sir had chopped it all off. Amelia's was very different, given the fact that she was black.
"Buh-Harry!" Penny hissed chidingly. "You're a Slytherin! You should have figured out by now that if you have something that someone wants, you make a trade."
Boy snorted.
"Okay, not cool, Penelope," Amelia whined. "Besides, you didn't pay him!"
"That's because it was his idea, not mine." She replied with faux arrogance. "And we were friends for more than a couple of hours."
Amelia groaned. "Fine, fair is fair. What do you want in exchange?"
"I don't think the Potter's are very into sweets," Penelope said when Boy didn't respond. "I don't think poor little Buh-Harry had ever tried chocolate before we met."
Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Seriously?" Olive asked.
Boy nodded.
"That explains why the Weeny-who-lived is always cramming sweets in his gob." Amelia added.
Boy blinked. Did no one like his brother? Penny had made her dislike clear, but Amelia too? "Why do you all seem to dislike Jamie so much?"
"Sorry," they said together sheepishly.
Olive just shrugged. "Honestly, I can't figure out how you two are even related. He's so bloody arrogant, while you're shy. He's a bit of a bully, while you're sweet. I think the only thing you two have in common is Snape's ire, even though you're actually intelligent."
Penny and Amelia nodded in agreement.
"Okay, how about this?" Amelia asked. "My date isn't until noon, so you can come with me early to pick something from Honeydukes."
"I'm not allowed in Hogsmeade." Boy said.
"Why?" Olive asked. "You're a fifth year. It's for third through seventh years."
Boy shrugged. "I didn't know I was going to be a fifth year until the Headmaster mentioned it after I wasn't called to be sorted."
"So you never got the consent form." Amelia finished for him.
"Nope," he shook his head.
The girls shared a look, but didn't say anything.
For the next half hour or so, Boy spent some time getting to know the two girls he'd introduced himself to, exceedingly glad that he'd done so.
By the time they headed for the Great Hall, he found himself two new friends.
"Come on, Buh-Harry," Amelia urged. "Come sit with the Ravens."
He hesitated. "Is that allowed?"
"Miss Prefect?" Olive prompted.
"Not against the rules, Buh-Harry. I promise." Penny assured him with a wink.
In the Great Hall, the Slytherins were still on their high from the big win. The Gryffindors were blessedly quiet, though everyone knew it would only last until the typically rowdy group got over their loss.
Boy decided to enjoy the quiet while he could. Despite being one table closer to the 'Gryphs' as his new friends called them, Boy barely heard them.
For the next fifteen minutes, Boy had his first fun meal. He talked and joked and squared away his deal with Amelia. She was going to get Boy a refillable gift certificate for Hogsmeade, figuring that they would ask for his help again at some point. She also mentioned that because of how the certificate worked, he would be able to use it in any shop in the little square.
Boy was thrilled at the prospect of having money to spend when he was eventually allowed to go. Penny offered to get catalogs for the shops, so that she could purchase what he wanted with his certificate until then. Boy was excited to shop, especially since they said that some of their friends might be interested in what they were dubbing as his 'makeover business'.
Honestly, he thought they were more excited about it than he was. They were making plans. Boy just thought it was kind of fun. He had always liked playing with his own hair, so the idea of getting paid to play with hair was great.
A hand on his shoulder startled him.
Boy whipped around to see who grabbed him. "Hello, Headmaster." He greeted, hating the unexpected grip.
"Harry," he said kindly. "I think it's time for you to join your house."
The Headmaster spoke just loudly enough to attract a fair amount of attention.
"Pe-" he'd nearly mentioned Penny. "I didn't think it was against the rules, sir."
"No, it isn't." The Headmaster agreed. "Though there is a lot to be said for organization."
"Sir?" Boy didn't understand.
"It is quite easy to lose track of the students if they are not where they are supposed to be. With so many to look after, it would be prudent to assist in making the task easier, would it not?"
Boy sighed. "Yes, sir." He put down his goblet and stood, shoulders slumped.
"I'm sure your teammates would like to celebrate today's victory with you." The man said cheerfully, patting his shoulder heavily. "It was, after all, a particularly good catch, if I do say so myself."
At that, several of the Ravenclaws clapped, along with some of the more polite Hufflepuffs. Gryffindors mostly just glared, and the Slytherins didn't make a sound.
Dejectedly, Boy made his way to the very end of the Slytherin table. Since he'd already eaten most of his meal, he decided not to grab anything. The pumpkin tarts looked nice, but he just wasn't in the mood.
He wasn't sure what to think about being separated from his new friends. The reasoning behind it was... well, stupid. Obviously the man knew where he was, given the fact that he made Boy move. How was that making anyone's job harder? He'd only been at the very next table!
Penny's eyes narrowed. She stood, followed almost immediately by Amelia and Olive. As one, they moved to the far end of their own table, after asking some of the others to scoot down of course.
They continued to chat, but now there was an underlying tension that seemed to stunt the conversation.
Boy was unhappy with the way his day had turned out. He was ushered down to the dungeons with the rest of his housemates and had to spend several hours reading in the obnoxiously loud common room.
He was absolutely exhausted, but no one seemed to want to go to their rooms! The first years started heading for bed around midnight. The second and third years began tapering off a little while later. Apparently the rest of the students were planning on seeing dawn.
All he wanted to do was Go To Bed! He didn't want to bother anyone, do anything insidious, break anything, just sleep! Was it really too much to ask?
Four thirty-two. That's what time the last couple went to bed. Four thirty-two. He had to meet Amelia around nine to start in on her long hair if he was going to have time to do what he'd planned.
He groaned, realizing that he still had to be the first person awake to avoid detection.
Giving up on sleep completely, he hopped into the shower, deliberately making it a little too cold to be comfortable to keep himself awake.