"Bloody fuck," Harry growled, slamming the book down on the table, startling Hermione from her Transfiguration essay.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione sighed tiredly, dropping her quill and shaking out her hand. The scroll she was writing on was six feet long with microscopic print.
Harry flung himself into the chair across from her and slumped forward. "It's impossible to research anything in this library. It's been three weeks since you've found that one liner in Magick Most Evile. Why is it that there are absolutely no books on subjects that you want to know about and thousands of books on inane random subjects you couldn't care less about?"
Hermione blew on the glistening wet ink. "Have you tried Flourish and Blotts?"
"Yeah, and all I succeeded in doing was getting a look from the cashier. It's a banned Ministry topic."
"Why would you expect it to be located in the Hogwarts library then?" Hermione asked, looking up at him from over the top of her scroll.
"Because Dumbledore rarely accommodates the Minister," he said, resting his chin on top of his folded arms.
She scowled at him. "The Headmaster follows the laws, Harry."
"Not in all things, Hermione. He shirks laws that hinder him from completing his goals. Or haven't you noticed?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said superciliously, rolling her homework up and securing it with a wax seal charm.
"Don't be naïve, Hermione. Why do you think Fudge and Dumbledore are always at odds?"
"You tell me."
Harry shook his head and stood up from the table. He gathered the books he'd been going over for the last couple of hours and tucked them under his arm. "Dumbledore is a great wizard, Hermione. He is, there's no doubt to it, but he will run roughshod over anything that doesn't go with his plans."
"Dumbledore is the greatest Light Wizard since Merlin!" Hermione hissed at him, as he walked back toward the stacks. "He would do no such thing!"
"Maybe," Harry agreed easily, disappearing into the Charms stacks. "But why hasn't he gotten rid of Voldemort, if that's the case? Why is he looking to a 17 year old boy to do it for him? After all he took care of Grindelwald, didn't he?"
Hermione didn't answer him and he slipped away further into the stacks. He was going to give up checking the library for stuff on Horcruxes. There was no point, he thought, giving credit to Hermione's point. Dumbledore wouldn't have books on an evil banned subject in his school; at least not where students could get to them.
Harry's new target was the Headmaster's office and checking the wizard's personal library. He wouldn't be able to do what he'd done to get the potions ingredients right from underneath Snape's nose. The office was sure to be warded with many booby-traps not unlike an Egyptian pyramid. Just the thought of the raid thrilled Harry and he returned quickly to Hermione.
She was sitting there, busily working on updating her astronomy charts. A model of the solar system was rotating serenely on the corner of the desk. As Harry approached he noticed there was an ink smudge on her cheek from her hand pushing her hair away from her face.
Gently, he picked up one of her charts and glanced over it. Astronomy was one of the classes he'd dropped after getting his O.W.L.s. He hadn't seen the point in continuing taking all offered classes just to get his parents approval, it was only wasting his time when he could be working on other more important things.
"Hey, Hermione, do you still have your copy of Hogwarts, A History?" Harry asked putting the chart down and taking up his seat across from her again.
Hermione looked up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she did, leaving another smudge of ink on her other cheek. "Hmm?"
"You look like you're ready to do battle," Harry commented, leaning forward and touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers.
Hermione looked at his ink stained fingers and hurriedly touched her own cheek. "Oh no!" she cried, staring at her blackened fingers. "Harry, do you have a handkerchief?"
Harry shook his head, pulling out his wand instead and casting a simple cleansing charm making the ink smudges disappear. Hermione touched her cheeks again and was relieved not to find ink on her hands. Her smile of thanks stirred something in his gut.
He cleared his throat and asked again, "Do you have your copy of Hogwarts, A History?"
"Of course I do," Hermione answered, opening her book bag and pulling out a few shrunken texts. "It's in my room. Just summon it from the common room."
"Thanks," Harry said, standing up once more. "I'll see you in the common room after you've finished your homework and rounds."
He walked around to stand beside her chair. He watched for a moment as she scratched something down in the corner of her astronomy notes before pressing a kiss to her temple. She blushed, quickly waving him away with a gentle scolding that they were in the library. Harry laughed and walked away.
He passed Daniel coming on his way in as he left. Daniel nodded coolly as he went by and Harry returned the gesture. Halfway down the hall he gave one look over his shoulder and caught sight of his brother disappearing into the back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts' stacks.
Harry ignored the tightening in his gut and hurried through the castle to the Ravenclaw tower. As he past the singing armor from the week before, they broke into disjointed bawdy songs that hardly made a lick of sense. They were really only sing-shouting dirty words at this point. By the end of the week they would be silent unless somebody pranked them again.
The common room was bustling with of students from different years clustered in groups working on homework. Padma and Lisa brushed by him on their way out to find Hermione for some Charms help. Rebecca and Cornfoot were not so much studying in the dark corner of the room as they were playing tonsil Quidditch. Harry weaved through them all and stood at the base of the stairs leading to the girl's dormitories.
"Accio Hermione's Hogwarts, A History!"
Seconds later, Luna came flying down the stairs holding onto the book in question in one hand and her wand dangling in the other. She let go of the book two-thirds of the way down and landed lightly on her feet.
"That was more fun than my ride on the Jujubee on my sixth birthday!" she laughed, tucking hair behind her ears revealing dangling miniature light bulb earrings.
"Er…yeah, okay," Harry replied, holding onto the book.
Luna smiled cheerily. "Well, I'm off to find Ronald. He's dieing to know about the Zeppimarlen. They like toe jam and Ronald has lots of toe jam."
"Right."
"Come to think of it," Luna said tucking her wand behind her ear, "I like Ronald's toe jam too."
"Er…right," Harry muttered, repressing a shudder as he watched her leaving before going to take a shower. He never wanted to hear about Ronald's toe jam again.
Upstairs, he tossed the book onto his bed and pulled his robes up over his head. His glasses got caught and came off when the robes did, leaving Harry practically blind. He fumbled for them and slipped them back over his nose. Grabbing his towel, Harry made his way into the bathroom and shut the door.
Placing his stuff on the back of the toilet, Harry startled a spider out of hiding. It ran around in a panic, bumping into the walls repeatedly. Harry watched it, astonished by its behavior and took a step backwards. That seemed to calm the spider down a little bit and Harry reached over to turn on the spray, keeping his eyes on the spider all the while.
He watched as the spider squeezed itself out under the doorjamb, leaving Harry staring at the exit point in bemusement. As soon as the water was good and hot he stepped onto the cool tile. The deluge of water hit his chest and Harry ducked under the showerhead so his hair flattened under the pressure.
He exhaled and tilted his head upward. Steam wafted throughout the small bathroom as Harry took a nice long shower relaxing under the heated spray. He spent more time resting against the wall then anything else and was thoroughly relaxed by the time he shut the water off.
Idly, Harry traced his scar before slipping on his glasses and walking over to the mirror. He hadn't felt anything in a while and wondered absently what Voldemort might be planning. How soon until the next attack? Who would it be and why?
Harry studied his reflection in the mirror for a moment then cast a silent wandless drying charm and was pleased with its effects. His hair was only slightly damp now instead of the dripping wet it'd been when he first got out of the shower. It wouldn't take long to air dry.
Harry dressed casually noticing that he was much taller than he'd been at the end of the summer. The hems of his pants were creeping up his legs. He would have to let out the seems and darn some transfigured socks to lengthen the pant legs.
"Well if I fail to become an Auror I could easily become a tailor at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," Harry said to his reflection, giving it a wry grin.
He gathered his stuff and left, taking the time to place everything back where it went. Just before he finished doing so, Cornfoot came breezing in with Entwhistle talking excitedly. Harry watched them coolly from his position on the edge of his bed. He wasn't over the team's fool play from tryouts and personally thought a whooping by Hufflepuffs was just what they deserved.
"We're going to cream those, Puffs!" Cornfoot crowed, smacking Entwhistle on the back. "They don't stand a chance!"
"Blake's going to steal the snitch right out from underneath that Zeller girl!"
Kevin nodded, sweeping back his hangings and flopping onto the bed. "Those Puffs haven't won a game in years."
"They're not going to win tomorrow either!" Stephen asserted, grabbing some robes from the floor and sniffing them. "They've got too many newbies playing. Hey, Kev smell this. Does it smell clean to you?"
"What for?" Entwhistle demanded, ignoring Stephen's outstretched hand.
Cornfoot grinned wolfishly. "I'm going to get Rebecca into a broom cupboard somewhere in the castle tonight. She owes me."
Harry snorted. Poor Bradley, she's probably going to think she was being kissed by the giant squid, rightly assuming Cornfoot's pro at tonsil Quidditch was the end of his finesse. He turned away from them and closed the hangings, casting a silencing ward around his bed and began to read the introduction of Hogwarts, A History by the light of his wand. It was dreadfully dry and by the end of it, Harry couldn't fathom why Hermione loved the book so much. He flipped to the table of contents and skimmed through it looking for anything on Headmasters, Headmistresses, and specifically their office.
He didn't find anything on their office per se, but he did find out some interesting things about it while looking up other subjects. Under 'Castle Portraits' the book mentioned that the ones of the Headmasters and Headmistresses were to help the current Head. They did this by observing all comers and goers and offering their advice when solicited and even when they weren't.
To Harry that meant that if they saw him in the office they'd rat on him unquestionably. Under 'Armor and Statues,' he learned that the gargoyle only ever opened if the password was stated. It could not be cajoled, transfigured, hexed, jinxed, or cursed. He'd have to be sneaky and get the password from Hermione without her realizing she gave it away.
There were some things not in the edition Hermione owned, that Harry knew about. For instance, Dumbledore owned a phoenix, called Fawkes. Phoenixes, weren't fooled by disillusionments or invisibility cloaks. Harry wasn't so sure he believed the bit on disillusionments, but just in case, he'd have to find some way around the bloody bird.
Time also wasn't on his side. There were wards that alerted the current Head when somebody Flooed, Owled, or came within proximity of the gargoyle standing guard of the stairs not to mention the ones in effect should he make it to the office where there was sure to be more. It seemed a feat almost unimaginable to complete without being caught.
Sighing, Harry shut the book and got up from the bed to go find Hermione. She was sure to be done with her homework and rounds by now since it was an hour and a half after curfew. He ambled down to the empty common room and reached the floor when the portrait door swung open admitting Hermione.
She looked flustered, with her cheeks red and her hair messed up. She looked like she'd been snogging in a broom cupboard. Harry felt a roiling in his gut and his face darkened.
"How was patrol?" Harry snarled, pointedly eyeing her appearance.
Hermione turned a darker shade of red. "Don't you dare accuse me of what it is I think you're accusing me of, Harry Potter! Your brother has already tried to persuade me that I'm only going out with you to make him jealous!"
Harry sneered, "And are you?"
Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "Boys!"
She tried to brush past him, but Harry caught her wrist. "I have the right to know if you're dating me to get to my brother," he growled, swinging her around. "After all we're twins! I look just like him--it's like practice."
Hermione jerked her wrist out of his grasp, thrusting her jaw out mutinously. She poked him in the chest and snarled back. "I would be dating your brother if I wanted to be his girlfriend. As it is I hexed him! I am also perfectly capable of hexing you too, Mister--"
Harry shut her up with a fierce kiss. She struggled against him briefly before changing her mind and kissing him back. He pulled away caught her gaze, his hand sneaking up through her long locks to rest at the nape of her neck.
"When--when did you hex him?"
"When he tried to take me into a broom cupboard," she said before stating defensively, "I came straight here after he tried it."
Tension eased out from Harry's shoulders. Next time he met up with Daniel, he'd get a hex or three in as well for good measure. Just what was his brother playing at? He was dating Ginny Weasley for Merlin's sake! Instead of voicing his thoughts on the subject he simply said, "Good."
"What? No, 'sorry, Hermione that I didn't trust--'"
Harry shut her up with another kiss, dragging her forcibly against him. She squeaked in surprise. The noise had him chuckling into her mouth. His laughter ceased and was replaced by a heated moan as she stood on tiptoe and rubbed her breasts against his chest. Her fingers finding purchase on his forearms as she tilted her head backwards.
"I do trust you," Harry murmured. "I don't trust my brother."
"You really have to get over these insecurities, Harry," Hermione replied, licking his bottom lip.
Her actions had him wanting to hold her closer, to press his rapidly growing arousal against her soft belly. His fingers flexed, digging into the soft flesh of her waist, as Harry fought the urge to reach down and grab her arse to do just that, sure that if he did he'd get smacked for his efforts. He broke away from her mouth, dragging his lips against the underside of her jaw. She moaned softly, tilting her head farther back to allow him more room to maneuver.
"Harry," Hermione exhaled shakily, her hands gliding up to hold onto his shoulders.
"Hmm?"
"Don't stop," she commanded, huskily.
Harry nipped at her neck, his hands becoming bold and sliding down to firmly cup her delectable rear. She mewled appreciatively, sidling closer until there was no inch of space between them. Harry emitted a possessive growl as he breathed out hotly against her skin, causing her to shudder in delight. She was his, not Daniel's.
"Are you two going to fuck right here in the common room?" a female voice demanded from the bottom of the girls' staircase.
Hermione jumped away instantly, hastily rubbing at her lips as if to wipe away his kiss. Harry cursed, straightening up to glower at the intruder. It was Padma Patil.
"Padma," Hermione said guiltily, promptly turning her attention to the state of her clothes as she tried to fix them so that there wasn't any sign of Harry's attentions. "I have to go, Harry."
Harry threw an annoyed look at the Indian girl before saying, sharply, "No you don't; there's plenty of broom closets."
"I don't want to go to a broom closet!" Hermione stated shrilly, face flushed as she cast Padma a nervous glance before whispering loudly, "I'll see you tomorrow for the Quidditch match. Okay?"
She left before he could say anything and was quickly walking up the stairs with her friend. As they were disappearing he overheard Padma asking Hermione, "How could you let him touch you? He's so vile; always trying to steal Daniel's fame for himself. Nobody likes him Hermione."
"Bloody bollocks," Harry snarled, running a hand through his hair.
He'd never hated anyone more as he felt another pang shoot up his groin. His balls felt like they were trying to crawl back inside his body and getting crushed in the attempt.
Harry turned around and stumbled out through the portrait hole. He ignored the portrait's complaint about the hour and made his way down to the ground floor of the castle. He had something to do.
Casting a silent disillusionment spell, Harry waited until the runny egg feeling disappeared before acting. A silencio on the hinges ensured the old doors wouldn't creak in protest as he opened the massive doors with another piece of silent charm work.
He went in the opposite direction of the lake to get to the Quidditch pitch. The late November wind was bitingly cold. Harry had to cast two wandless warming charms layered on top of one another to keep out the late night chill. Soon he was by the Quidditch pitch and snuck into the Ravenclaw locker room.
Harry made a beeline to the Ravenclaw broom cupboard where a spider was twirling down to make a web. He bated at it impatiently and unlocked the metal locker. Inside were six old brooms and one shiny new broom, which obviously belonged to Blake. Harry was tempted to take the boy's broom out for a ride.
In the end though, he took out his old faithful Cleansweep, running his hands along the worn handle. Harry disillusioned the broom and placed it over his shoulder. Harry headed over to the other side of the locker room for a snitch.
Behind the mesh cage, Harry selected from the ball racks a single snitch. He took it out and watched it unfurl it's white wings. He shut it down with a few taps of his wand and stuffed the tiny ball into his robe pocket.
Walking out onto the pitch, which was filled with silvery moonlight, Harry took up position in the center of the field. Harry tapped the snitch again with his wand, activating it.
When it unfurled gently in his hand, Harry released it into the air. He watched it gain height and hesitate. The snitch flitted around him once as if to get to know him before shooting off to the right. Harry counted to ten before mounting his broom and kicking off the ground.
From up above Harry could see more clearly the way the moonlight bounced off the goalposts, and reflected off the metal stands. He spent a long time circling the pitch doing lazy loop-de-loops and zigzags. He dived, practicing his Wronski Feint. The biting feel of the cold crisp wind against his face as he hurtled to the ground thrilled him and he forgot all about his issues with Cornfoot, Padma, and Hermione. The sharp spirals and corkscrews left him exalted and rejuvenated.
Finally, he began to look for the snitch.
Harry spotted no glimmer of light and searched in the shadows, which provided cover for the little winged ball. He flew close to the stands, searching the crevices between each of the houses and strained his ears for the flutter of wings. He was met with silence, but Harry waited undeterred.
It would come out, he knew. He just had to be ready for it. And at last, there it was, hovering near the bottom of the Hufflepuff stands. Harry flung himself forward over his broom and kicked off the Slytherin stands to go after it. The snitch darted around uncertainly before zipping off along the ground just above the tips of the blades of grass.
Harry plunged after it, flattening himself along the handle. The glittering golden snitch was getting closer and closer, as was the ground. Harry sharpened his focus and stretched out his arm, readying his body to pull out of the dive. Then cold metal hit his palm and Harry closed his fist in satisfaction.
Veering upward quickly, Harry knew that tomorrow the Ravenclaw team was going to lose. Blake couldn't beat Zeller, even if she was younger. Rose had been on the Hufflepuff team since her second year. This would be her first year as first string, but Blake didn't have the experience.
Harry leapt off his broom as it neared the ground and put everything back where it went. The moon was setting as he strode back to the castle. Luckily there weren't any classes tomorrow or he'd be miserable in the morning. Tomorrow he'd sleep in and visit with Serion, Oorjit, and Myrtle before the afternoon game. Get some brewing in if he could, or cast a stasis charm and hope the potion didn't foul.
He avoided Filch on the fifth floor by ducking behind a suit of armor and casting a silent confundus charm on Mrs. Norris. Every time she circled close to him, she'd find herself facing Filch and looking confused. The caretaker kept asking her what she smelled in a voice that went from positively gleeful to anxiously worried.
Carefully, Harry snuck around them and hurried up the rest of the way to the west tower. He woke the lady librarian up once more and slipped through, making his way up to his bed, where he collapsed tiredly and fell asleep; shoes and all.
º«««º»»»ºEnd Chapter 11º«««º»»»º