Chapter 7 Ripples In The Pond

It had been almost two months since they had come to Hogwarts. Halloween was just a few days away. It had been hard for a few of them, being in a strange environment. They were settling, learning magic and making friends, but it was taking time.

Harry, Justin and Sally-Anne got into Hufflepuff. Hermione got her wish to be in Ravenclaw, and Neville and Dean were in Gryffindor. That didn't stop them sharing meals.

So far, the conspiracy was coming along. Slowly for some, and quickly for others.

It started with Hermione. She made it her life's mission to get all muggleborns and half-bloods under her banner. She passed notes, gave out the secret parchments and held meetings in bare classrooms. All the muggleborn in her house knew what was going on. They secretly planned to either sneak out to Gringotts or go during the summer. She stressed how important it was to keep it on the downlow. Making sure that it could have deadly consequences if they didn't.

They would hopefully spread the news to the half-bloods, and they could get their parents to do the same.

The main idea was to ask the teller for a meeting room, then pay for the full heritage test. All in all, it would cost about ten pounds sterling, or two galleons. A small price to pay for what might be a great deal more. Even if there was no vault, they would have a name of an ancestor. That would help with the whole standing up for their rights. The more proof they had, the better off the plan would be.

The others weren't fairing quite as well. Harry and Justin had only convinced a few people. Even when they told them that there might be money involved. Those that weren't convinced were trying to stay loyal to the wizarding world, for giving them a chance to learn magic. It was a warped sense of loyalty, but there it was.

Dean was making some headway, but Gryffindors had to be approached with caution. If you told them they were being repressed, they would want to charge ahead and demand retribution. So, he had to feel them out first, and then if he felt they would keep the secret, he'd hand them a note telling them to meet with Hermione, who held the secret parchments and master card.

Neville didn't know what was going on. He knew they were up to something, but so far, he hadn't been brought in. He didn't mind, he had friends, and Dean was a great guy to hang around with in the common room. He did hope that one day they'd confined in him, but until then he was just going to enjoy their company.

Sally-Anne kept completely out of it. She wanted nothing to do with the whole thing. She already had her vault and was more worried about surviving school. Hufflepuff had been the ideal House for her, but she missed her parents terribly. She just wanted to go home.

Some of the professors had an idea that something was going on, but only Sprout knew for sure. She had been approached by one of her seventh years, on the sly, and she had confirmed what the firsties were telling them. The Herbology Professor truly hoped that whatever the kids were doing worked. She may be a pureblood, but she believed in equal rights.

The other professors were mostly in the dark, especially Dumbledore. His focus was on Harry, mulling over why the boy was in Hufflepuff. So far, the boy had not gone near the third-floor corridor. Not even with the hints Hagrid had dropped. Potter was uninterested, like he has something else on his mind. The headmaster had talked to the Sorting Hat, trying to find out why he had sorted Harry the way, but the Hat wasn't talking.

Quirrell had dismissed the boy completely. Voldemort took one look at the scrawny kid in Hufflepuff robes and didn't see him as a threat. He figured the boy's mudblood mother must have done something that fateful night.

Hermione figured out quickly that the portraits would talk, so warned everyone, via the parchment. They were very diligent about being discreet.

Now though, the kids were all sitting at the Hufflepuff table. It was the only table that didn't give them flak for sitting together. They did join the other tables from time to time, but they got ribbed by the upper years. So, they mostly hung out here.

"Harry," Hermione said softly, not looking him and dishing herself up some food, "how are you progressing? Have you talked to anyone new since last week? I really hope so, everything is coming along well on my part. You'll let me know, won't you?" she said as quietly as she could, but not looking like they were up to something.

"Yeah," he answered just as softly, taking a sip of water, "Me and Justin talked to a few. There's a girl named Tonks, seventh year, who sussed us out right quick. She's helping. Says her dad is a muggleborn, and she wants to find out if he's also got someone magical in his family. She says that would make her a pureblood."

"That's 'Justin and I', not me," the bushy-haired girl corrected, then sighed. "She's going to keep it a secret, right?"

"Yeah," he said, turning his head a bit to look at her, giving her a nod. "Her dad's a solicitor. He might be able to help too."

"Oh, that is good news."

"Harry," Justin said a bit loud. "Are you going to try for the Quidditch team next year? You're one hell of a flyer," he asked, jerking his head to the Head Table, where Dumbledore was watching the group.

"Yeah, I think I am," Harry said, just as loudly. That seemed to please the Headmaster. How the man heard him from that far away, Harry didn't know. The old man seemed to be obsessed with him. There was an air of disappointment around Dumbledore when he looked at Harry.

"How do you like Hufflepuff?" Dean asked, sitting across from Harry and grabbing a sandwich. "I have to tell you Gryffindor took it personal when you didn't go there. That Ron kid took it really hard. Not sure way though, I think his mum read those storybooks to him and his siblings. That's the only reason I can think of anyway."

"I hate those books," Harry grumbled, taking a vicious bite of his lunch. He chewed thoughtfully, pondering on how to answer. "Do you remember what Justin talked about on the train? It was like that," he finally decided on. "Hufflepuff is good though, we get hot chocolate at night, and the older years, tell us stories. It's really relaxing, and quite fun."

"Oh, really. Hmmm, that explains a lot," Dean said, realizing what the other boy meant. He did wonder how Harry would have fared in the House of the Green. He was a hero, but those guys, especially the upper years, might not have appreciated the Boy-Who-Lived in their house. Merlin knows, Snape hated him. "Glad you like your House. Gryffindor it okay. The blokes I room with are nice, and there's lots of games going on, mostly chess, but a few other. It's never a dull moment in the common room."

"Yeah. I think I dodged a bullet with this outcome," Harry said, looking at the greasy-haired professor, who always seemed to be glaring at him. He still hadn't figured out why. However, being in Hufflepuff helped. After the first disastrous lesson, he went to Sprout, and she must have set the man straight, because he was no longer singled out in class. It didn't stop the glares though.

The only person in all of Hufflepuff that liked the man was Sally-Anne. And he treated her with kid gloves.

Dean glanced up and the Head Table and saw that Dumbledore was still watching them. So, he took out his parchment and wrote a quick note to Harry to meet him in a classroom they used after dinner. He had a surprise for the boy.

Harry pulled out his parchment, glanced at it, nodded and put it away. He then quickly filled his mind with homework assignments. It had been Tonks that told him that both Dumbledore and Snape could do Legitimacy, and that since he probably had no shields, he should not look them in the eye, nor think about what he didn't want them to know. So, all the conspirators learned quickly to fill their minds with meaningless stuff. It hadn't been easy at first, but with practice, it became second nature. It wasn't Occlumency, per se, but it did the trick.

"Hey, Neville, what does Hogwarts do for Halloween?" Harry asked the shy boy.

And the talk turned to the feast in a few days, and everyone was happy to change the subject.

After dinner, Harry went to said classroom, as sneakily as he could. Which wasn't very. However, the corridor that the room was down, held no paintings. So, they were slightly safe. As long as they didn't stay there too long. He went inside and saw Dean with two redheaded teenagers.

"Harry," Dean greeted, then waved to the two teens. "This is Fred and George Weasley. Good luck telling them apart, they tend to lie about who's who."

"Hello," the messy-haired boy said with a stiff nod.

"I was talking to them about their pranks and they told me that they knew how to sneak out of the castle. According to them, they know all the secret passageways. So, I asked if they could smuggle you out. Don't worry, they promise to keep it a secret. They don't know the whole story, but they don't care. As long as they are causing mischief, they're in."

Harry was a bit gobsmacked. He hadn't figured out how to sneak out, but there the answer was right in front of him, grinning like loons.

The twins approached and each grabbed a hand and started vigorously shaking them.

"Wonderful to meet you, old boy," said the one on the right.

"Right spiffing it is, ole chap," the left one said.

"We are the Twin Horrors,"

"the Mischief Makers,"

"the Purveyors of Pranks."

"Nice to finally meet you," they both said as they let his hands go.

"Right, okay, nice to meet you too," the dumbstruck Harry replied.

"So, we were thinking,'

"there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming on Halloween,"

"so, we'll smuggle you out then."

"Then we can sneak you into Hogshead,"

"where, Dumbledore's brother works,"

"Owns the place, doesn't he?"

"Right you are, bother o' mine."

"Anyway, he'll let us floo you to the Alley,"

"Hates his brother, won't rat us out."

"We'll take you there, and you can do your secret thing."

"Sly ones you are,"

"Too right,"

"You in?" they both asked.

A brilliant smile lit Harry's face and he nodded quickly.

"Okay, meet us on the fourth floor,"

"after breakfast,"

"by the statue of the one-eyed witch."

"And we'll get you to where you need to be."

"Right, times a wasting,"

"Too right, my uglier twin."

"See you then," they both said and exited the room.

"Wow," Harry said, staring at the door.

"Yeah," Dean said sheepishly, "they take a bit to get used to. Good blokes though."

"We'd better get going," Harry said, his head still spinning. And the two left, splitting up and going in separate directions. Harry was still contemplating what he was going to find out at Gringotts. He still had a bit of money left over from when he got his school supplies. Not much though, since Hermione suggested he purchase some books that he needed to know as a muggleborn, well muggle raised.

He went to his dorm, not really paying attention, waved at his roommates, and went to bed with a whirling mind. It took him a while to get to sleep.

Halloween came bright and cold. Harry made sure to put a hoodie on under his robes. He was so nervous, that he only picked at breakfast. Hermione tried to get him to eat more, but his stomach was just too upset. He glanced at the Gryffindor table and noted the twins had no issue eating. Wankers.

Soon enough, the twin finished and left the Hall. Harry waited five minutes and followed. He met them at the statue, and they grinned, putting fingers to lips and gave the password for the one-eyed witch to move. It did, so they entered, waving Harry to follow.

They were half-way down the tunnel, when Fred spoke. "We're going to be coming out in the basement of Honeydukes. It's usually empty, but let George look first," he said as they walked on.

"Alright," Harry agreed, hoping they didn't get caught.

Everything went according to plan and soon they were standing in Diagon Alley. Harry had his hood pulled up and was keeping his face down. The twins didn't care, what was one more detention to them. Still, they hurried Harry along and quickly made it to the bank. Once they got to the teller, Harry asked for a meeting room. The goblin, having done this many times in the last few months, nodded and led them there.

Fred and George waited outside. There was a bench along the wall, and they spent the time planning their next prank.

"Well now, Mr. Potter, we've been waiting for you," the goblin stated, tapping his long finger on the table. He wasn't smiling, and Harry wondered what he had done to offend the goblins. "We've been sending you post for months now. Ever since you appeared at Gringotts on your birthday. Why have you not responded?" he asked, a bit impatient.

"I'm sorry, sir, I've not received any post from Gringotts," the confused boy answered, slouching a bit. Well, now he had his answer. He was hopeful they didn't hold his missing post against him. He like the goblins, they had been nice to him on his birthday.

"I'll have that looked into." The goblin seemed to grumble under his breath. "Now, how can Gringotts help you today?" he asked, his voice more amendable.

"It was pointed out to me that my mum was a muggleborn. I wanted to see if she had family that were wizards," he mumbled his reply, still worried that he had offended them.

"The test cost a galleon, one more for the room. It is a small price to pay, I'm sure," the goblin, who still hadn't introduced himself, said politely.

"Okay," Harry said, sitting up straighter and digging in his pocket for the coins.

He handed them over and the goblin pulled out a thick yellow parchment. "You need to use this quill to write your name. It will use your blood as ink. Don't worry, it won't leave a mark. You'd have to use it repeatedly to get one." He handed the black quill to Harry.

Harry quickly wrote his name at the top of the page and watched in awe at words started to form. They were elegant and spidery, and flowed quickly across the page, listing his entire family. Some names were red, others blue. He asked about that.

"The red means magical, the blue not," was the answer he got.

"Oh, okay," he said, still looking at his family tree.

His mum was in red, but her sister was blue. Her mum and dad were blue, and it went back five generations before the name was red. Artemisia Lufkin, it said. "Who was she?" Harry asked, pointing at the name.

"That was the name of the first woman minister. She kept her maiden name after marrying because she was already in office. It looks like you're related via her last born, who unfortunately lost her magic breaking a vow. It didn't kill her, only just, but she was turned out as an oath breaker, and a muggle. It was great sensation when it all happened," the goblin explained, pulling the parchment towards him. "The rest of the family was killed by the Dark Lady at that time, including the minister. Artemisia left quite a legacy, and her vault is still being held. Lucky for you, you came this year. Next year it would have been seized."

"Yeah, lucky," Harry mumbled, thinking he owed Dean, Fred and George a big favor for their help. If he had waited until summer, all would have been lost. Well, he still would know his family tree, but…

"You need your guardian to validate the vault," the goblin stated, looking back a Harry. His eyes had softened during the course of the meeting. He could see the boy was polite, and out of his depth. They would find out who was taking the child's post, and someone was going to pay.

"Shite," Harry swore, then immediately said, "Sorry. My relatives don't really like me. If they found out I had money they'd take it, and I'd never see a cent," he explained.

"Hmmm, let me talk to my supervisor and we'll see if we can't use this family tree to keep the vault from being seized, but still out of circulation. When you turn seventeen, or get emancipated, you can validate it yourself," the goblin said, rising from his chair and moving towards the door.

After he left, Harry started to worry. He really hoped the goblin didn't take long, he had to get back before he was missed. He needn't have worried, the goblin appeared only five minutes later.

"He said, it was fine, and well with in the law. So, came see us when you're an adult and we'll release it to you," the goblin stated, folding the parchment and putting it in an empty folder, to be stored with the Potter manager. "We'll keep this safe," he explained. "Have a good day, Mr. Potter."

"You too… ummm… I'm sorry, I never got your name," he said, tilting his head a bit questioningly. Last time he was here the goblins were nicer.

"Yes, we are not giving our names to those who do these tests. Plausible deniability, and all that," the goblin stated with a wicked grin.

"Oh, okay, thanks anyway, sir," Harry said, and quickly left, meeting the twins right outside the door.

"Did you get your task done?" the twin on the left asked.

"Yeah, thanks a million. We'd better get back though. I'm not sure how long my friends can cover for me. Dumbledore keeps tabs on me for some reason," Harry hurriedly said, making his way quickly out of the bank. The twins followed, and soon they were safely in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

Harry passed by Hermione on his way to lunch and whispered in her ear, "Mission accomplished."

She grinned.