Episode 6. Part 2
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Dudley sat at his desk, covered in his textbooks, and hid his eyes. It wasn't that he felt sorry for Locons, he just didn't want to see the triumph on his brother's face. And the ZOTI professor was an idiot himself. There was no need to act out the skit about how he defeated the vampire described in his book. Naturally, the offended peacock summoned Harold to play the role of the future vanquished enemy. That was all he wanted...
After all, Harry remembered perfectly well how he had changed memories at will to vendors, landlords of the rooms they rented, just random passers-by, and even the police. So when Locons, with triumph in his eyes and superiority on his face, hoping to humiliate Potter himself, turned to him, supposedly showing him visually how he had defeated the vampire, Harold intercepted his gaze. Oh, he played the part perfectly, with sizzling notes, just as described, repeating the words of that poor vampire. Except that he wished Locons could see him as a real bloodsucker. Magic responded easily to his master's call, and...
The unfortunate professor, winner of the prize for the most charming smile (according to Witchpolitan) and holder of the Order of Merlin of some degree there, white as chalk, with a cry of "WAMPIRE", forgetting about magic, knocked with himself the glass in the window and safely fell from the third floor, continuing to crawl to escape "escape". And this after a fall, with multiple fractures!
The triumph on Harold's face at that moment, made his classmates pale as well...
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- He should be expelled! It was his fault I almost died! - Locons yelled to the whole infirmary.
- I'm certainly not enamored of either Potter or Lochons, but I must admit that if this keeps up, I'll have to change my opinion of the boy for the better," Snape grinned openly, provoking his... colleague. - However, I agree that... the brutality with which Potter continues to act, the very fact of attacking the professor, even if in such a... 'casual' way - yes, it cannot go unpunished. This... indifference to someone else's life that he had put in danger reminded me of...
- Yeah, I didn't expect Harry to do that," Minerva interrupted the Dean of Slytherin before he could say anything she didn't want to hear about James and Lily Potter's son for sure. - Clearly, what frightened you, Professor Locons, was random magic...
- Accidental?! Accidental?! Yes, I..." Dumbledore's non-verbal silence spell silenced the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Powers.
- I'm sure, Zlatopust, that the boy didn't mean you any harm," Albus decided confidently. - And the fact that it happened is not his fault. We all know that in children his age, magic is still unstable and often out of control. It's an accident. And we won't punish our student for it. Besides, you jumped out the window when you saw the vampire. Harry didn't make you do that.
The argument about punishing Harold Potter went on for a long time. Locons tried to get an expulsion for his offender, Snape tried to get a harsh punishment for the son of the enemy, Minerva was willing to do the work but not the lost points, Albus was defending the boy, hoping that after that he would start to trust him.
Only Pomona Sprout, Dean of the Puffendoos, and Philius Flitwick, Dean of the Clawed Men, were silent. If the former simply did not know what to say, then Filius, being a half-blood goblin, was a cunning and cunning creature. He loved children and wished Harold no harm. The boy greatly pleased him with his progress, as did his cousin. He especially liked the way these children approached old problems in new ways. A fresh outlook - exactly what had been lacking in the wizarding world for many decades now, for even the Muggleborn did not bring anything significantly new to wizarding society, just getting used to the routines of the wizarding world. The Boy Who Survived was, in the half goblin's opinion, quite different. That was why he was silent about something all the professors had somehow forgotten: Harold controlled magic perfectly, unlike all the others, with absolutely no need for spells or memorized wand movements to control the gift.
So Filius remained silent, wondering what it was about Locons that bothered Potter that he decided to get rid of the lying hero right away. He had no pity for Goldilocks, and Flitwick had a true goblin attitude toward murder, and yet he was determined to find the answer to his question. Just so that the man destined to be great didn't do something stupid before his time and become a second Tom Riddle...
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- How's that? Do I look good in pink headphones? - Wiping the blood off his lip and grinning crookedly about it, Harold asked his classmates.
- You know, cousin, I liked you better dark and silent," Dudley snorted, rubbing his swollen eye. The brothers had just had a fight over... headphones, which were supposed to protect students from the mandrake's screaming. The headphones came in a variety of colors, but mostly natural: black, gray, brown, red, white. The pink ones were one, and the cousins liked them immediately. How an argument over who would take them escalated into a full-fledged fight, the boys had no recollection. But they did release the emotions they had accumulated after the incident at ZOTI. The professors had been rinsing Harold's nerves for almost three weeks with lectures and admonishments. Plus, some of the students had become afraid of Potter. And Locones himself, as Madam Pomfrey had released him from Sickbay, had not given his cousins a pass. Anyway, Harry was getting on his nerves. And so was Dudley, for he was the one who had to calm his brother down, restraining his rather explosive nature
Yes, the cousins were relieved when they fought. But that didn't change the fact that they'd disrupted the lesson, and they'd trashed half the greenhouse under whatever number it was, destroying tables, glass, pots of plants, and all sorts of other equipmen
- Wizards," Professor Sprout grumbled, restoring with magic what could still be restored. - Ten points from Gryffindor! And practice. Come back after class and help restore the greenhouse. - The Gryffindor and Slytherin classmates huddled nervously in corners, trying to stay away from both Pomona's rather predatory and poisonous plants and the inadequate cousins. But they still looked at the brothers with a mixture of apprehension and admiration: they'd never seen such spectacular, cool, and sometimes sneaky street tricks before. And the physical strength to smash tables was impressive, too
- You know, ma'am, on vacation we have no way to defend ourselves except with our fists. And it's safer. A bruise or an abrasion or even a fracture is easier to cure than the effects of a failed curse," Harold remarked nonchalantly, fixing the pink earbuds on his charcoal hair. Dudley rolled his eyes: whatever his cousin said, he liked being the center of attention.
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- Cornish Pixies, huh? - Harry squinted slyly, glaring mockingly at Locons as he tried to protect his valuables from the encroachments of the carelessly released lower-level dark creatures. - I'm determined to like these guys! All kids love to smash and break. - Dudley grinned wryly, involuntarily remembering how he loved it back when his parents were alive: smashing and breaking. - Draco, Theodore, Neville, are you with us?
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- So, what did you say happened? Professor Locons, of course..." Minerva pursed her lips: insulting a colleague, even though he was a bit of a mess, especially in front of the students, was just not something she considered possible. But it was not because of Locke that they had gathered for the Pedagogical Council again, calling the students to it: "But why did you join the riot?!
- Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Nott, how did you even get involved with this bad company! - echoing McGonagle, Snape snarled. - They are quite a disgusting influence on you. I am extremely disappointed...
- Professor McGonagle, Professor Snape, Madame Pomfrey, we've been bitten by the Pixies," interrupted the Dean with a charming smile, Theodore Nott holding out his slightly swollen hand to the demanding stares, which did show the prints of tiny but sharp teeth. Harold, Draco, and Dudley repeated his actions, showing his neck, ear, and shoulder respectively. While doing so, to keep from laughing, they tried not to remember how much catching and how they made the little pranksters bite them when everyone else had already left ZOTI class. - I think it's related. I got dizzy almost immediately after the bite, blurred my vision, and somehow thought doing what we were, um, doing was fun," Theo fluttered his eyelashes innocently.
- What are you talking about, Mr. Nott? - Severus asked in shock. He was sure that his serpents would never behave like Gryffindors, stupid and reckless, and even if they did, they wouldn't put themselves up to it. And suddenly, the best Slytherin sophomore students were messing with Potter! This is a disaster! What would he say to their fathers in the notification letters he would be required to write! What would Draco and Theodore themselves tell their parents?! This... This was unthinkable!
- Severus, it's a well-known fact that Professor Locons should have told the students," Madam Pomfrey muttered reproachfully as she continued to examine the bites. - Pixie has poisonous saliva and sharp teeth, and with an instant application of the right spell to the bite, the venom is virtually undetectable. However, the consequences are unpredictable and...
- You are simply trying to protect Potter and his cronies! - Snape was indignant, not noticing that he had added the hated Potter and his godson to the company.
- Children, you are dismissed! - The school nurse stated categorically. - Come into my infirmary and I'll treat your bites...
- Mr. Potter, Mr. Dursle, report to the school for detention for disrupting class," said Minerva to the brothers in pursuit. Unfortunately, no one gave her the right to cancel the workout, even with professors like Locons. And yet, she almost tried to do it, looking at the drooping shoulders of her almost beloved students...
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- You think I can't destroy your glory, Puppy? Rejoice in impunity while you can.
- I think actually defeating the Dark Lord in a year is a greater achievement than hiding a light Spell of Enchantment in the pages of your books and thereby gaining fame.
- So I just need to destroy your fame.
- And I need to bring you out in the open.
- And we'll see who has the last laugh...
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- Tear it up. Kill...
- Hey, what the...?! - Dudley exclaimed, shaking his head.
- Did you hear that too? - Harold raised his eyebrows in surprise, but also relief. They'd just returned from their work at Locon's when they heard a mysterious hissing and very frightening voice, belonging to no one in particular. - Let's go," Potter pulled his cousin determinedly after the voice. Soon the boys emerged into the corridor on the second floor, where water was spilled and something resembling blood was written on the wall with a mysterious inscription. - The Chamber of Secrets? Why does that sound familiar to me?
- Hogwarts history," Dudley shrugged nervously, immediately beginning to sneeze at the new vision that came over him in a very unexpected way: "Slytherin's Secret Haven. Harry, promise me you'll stay out of it! - Dursle, terrified by what he saw, grabbed his brother by the arms and looked hopefully into his green eyes.
- Why? - He tilted his head to his shoulder. - We could use a "secret hideout" within these walls.
- I just saw you with a gnarly gash on your arm, and a fang protruding from it! - Dudley exclaimed hysterically, but quietly enough, clutching the other man's hands a little too tightly. Harold looked into his brother's eyes and knew: this was no joke. What was threatening to happen at Hogwarts this year was very dangerous, above all for his life. The Boy Who Survived was not an idiot, and so he nodded slowly, swearing almost sincerely:
- I promise I won't get into this on my own. - But his cousin was reassured by that, too. Hearing the noise of the students returning from the Halloween feast, which the cousins weren't attending so much because of their scheduled detention, which Locons wanted to ruin their holiday, as because it was the day Harry's parents died, the brothers scurried off again. - But there was nowhere to run: the noise was coming from all directions. So they had to duck into the girls' bathroom, which they knew wasn't being used.
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- What do you want? Come to make fun of bespectacled Myrtle? - yelled the ghost of a fourth- or fifth-year girl, threatening to give away her cousins' whereabouts to the crowd. - Of course you're going to enjoy this. GET OUT, you filthy little..." Harold took a step toward the ghost, intending to silence her, perhaps forever, but Dudley stopped him by tugging at the sleeve of his robe:
- Harry, don't," he asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with his cousin, and turned very politely to the translucent girl, "I apologize for disturbing your privacy, ladies. We read in the history of Hogwarts that you are the last person to die within the walls of the school for the last fifty years. We've noticed that ghosts are very fond of talking about death. Sir Nicholas's example is very vivid. And so we'd like to know how you died? - The expression on the ghost's face, changed from angrily placid, to coquettishly embarrassed:
- Oh, it was awful! - she happily began the story, telling how she had locked herself in the bathroom and cried because of someone's hurtful words. How she had heard a boy's voice speaking in a funny language. How I came out to tell him to get out. How she saw two huge yellow eyes in place of one of the shells and how she died. Harry and Dudley, in some places, nodded along, oohing admiringly or dejectedly, and making sorrowful faces. Then, waiting for the professors, who had dispersed the investigation, and not the students to leave the corridor, the brothers said something about themselves to keep the conversation going. Familiarity ensued quickly. Plaksa Myrtle herself offered to spy on someone for her cousins because they treated her well. Harold looked admiringly at his brother, who not only stopped him, but deftly found them an ally.
Still, the professors left. It was the middle of the night, and the children wanted to sleep, so it was time to say goodbye.
- It was very nice talking to you, Harold, Dudley," Myrtle flirtatiously fluttered her eyes, but suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked: - "You're Gryffindor, aren't you? Yes, well, tell that filthy redheaded girl not to come into my bathroom anymore.
- Why not?
- She's teasing me," the ghost snorted before disappearing into the wall. Dudley and Harry looked over at each other: they only had Ginevra Weasley as a redheaded girl. But was she connected to the mysterious writing on the wall!
Harold pulled an invisible robe from his backpack and threw it over his and his cousin's heads. They disappeared into the night, hesitant to jump to conclusions...
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— Добрый день, Мистер Филч. Как вы? — очень тихо спросил Гарри у завхоза, навестив его в перерыве между парами. Пожилой мужчина вскинул голову, ожидая увидеть издёвку, но ошеломлённо замер, увидев лишь искреннее сочувствие. — я слышал, что произошло с миссис Норисс, но говорят её можно вылечить?!
— Директор и Помфри так сказали. Но… — Филч гневно сжал кулаки и нервы у него сдали. Он всхлипнул жалобно: — Мне бы только узнать, кто это сделал с моей кошечкой! Уж я бы позаботился о том, чтобы его выгнали! Бедняжка лишь не любила нарушителей, но была беззащитна перед ними. Знал бы ты, как часто над ней издеваются! Половина школы — малолетние живодёры! Не понимают, что уже сейчас их поступки говорят об их личностях.
— Я могу вам чем-нибудь помочь? — участливо спросил Гарольд, искренне жалевшего старика, которого ненавидела почти вся школа. Мистер Филч изумлённо взглянул на студента, а после решительно кивнул: у этого мальчишки была возможность поиздеваться и над ним, и над его кошечкой, но он и не помыслил об этом. А лишние руки завхозу никогда не повредят…
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