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Harry Potter and the Cracked Reservoir
Chapter 19: Charlie’s Prank
By Musings of Apathy
Chapter 19: Charlie’s Prank
Thank you to my Beta’s Donalddeutsch, Cateagle and Sparky40sw.
"Come on Harry," whined Ron, "How can you not be hungry? You just spent an entire day as a great dragon."
"Thanks to Charlie," grumbled Harry, grudgingly.
"Yeah, thanks to Charlie," agreed Ron, smiling.
"Yeah, a whole day as the Care of Magical Creatures creature was bad, and Charlie had to get Dumbledore to schedule every creatures class to be able to see the special creature for the day," complained Harry. "And all that for a prank. Who ever knew that Charlie was so…creative?"
"But Harry," added Hermione, "It was a good learning experience and I, for one, enjoyed it."
"Hmmph," pouted Harry.
"At least most of the students didn’t know who you were," said Ginny.
"At least you did," added Harry, breaking a smile.
"But, how can you just sit there?" Ron asked. "I know that I would be starving."
"Ron," interjected Harry, "You’re always starving."
Hermione and Ginny giggled.
"Hey, I’m a growing boy," Ron protested
More giggles.
"Hmmph," said Ron at being the butt of giggles.
Harry still had not replied to the question of his appetite, but did wear a wide, knowing grin on his face.
"I think that I know why," answered Charlie as he sat down to dinner. He had decided to stay the remainder of the day after assisting in a special day of Care of Magical Creatures class with a mostly docile male dragon, procured special for the day’s classes.
"Why?" asked Ron.
"Well," Charlie said while he cut his chops, "I happen to know that during Ginny’s ride during the lunch break a herd of wild highland sheep went missing."
Ginny looked shocked.
"How did you know? Harry, I swear, I didn’t tell," claimed Ginny, wide-eyed.
Harry gave her a peck on the cheek.
"I know, Gin," answered Harry. "Besides, they were wild and flame broiled mutton turned out to be good even without the mint jelly."
Hermione wrinkled her nose at the idea.
"Harry," Hermione exclaimed, "that’s disgusting."
"Actually, Hermione," offered Ginny, "It was quite good."
The group looked at her like she was crazy.
"Oh, um," temporized Ginny, "Harry used one of his talons to tear a tender piece off for me."
They started to look less turned off of the idea until…
"You just have to ignore the burnt wool smell," Ginny added.
There was a collective groan and a pushing away of plates by those surrounding as they imagined the smell of burnt hair as their only reference.
Well, except for Ron. Nothing could turn Ron from his meal.
The following day being Saturday and still early in the school term, Harry and Ginny were able to spend the bulk of the day with their animagus research material (read: muggle animal physiology books). They were both patently excited to be studying the animagus transformation. Nothing better than a good first week at school followed by time with your love interest.
Ever since they had learned of their natural forms, with the help of Professor McGonagall, they had been using free time to gain the instinctual understanding of their animal forms.
According to the Professor, in order to transform, they must have built a section of their mind that will contain the model of their animal. The only thing that they need do to transform after their initial transformation would be to call up that part of their brain that held their animal.
In order to affect their initial transformation, they needed someone to cast the spell on them when they are concentrating on the form. While it was possible to enact the changing spell on yourself, it was also infinitely easier to have someone to perform the spell for you.
At the beginning of the school year they had found their forms to be a falcon for Ginny and a black panther for Harry. Professor McGonagall had been very helpful in procuring, from London, the necessary anatomy and physiology books to build the required knowledge base.
So here they sat with sheaves of parchment that would hopefully soon hold their detailed sketches of each area of the animal’s body, inside and out. Just in the first week of working on the project, they had made a good dent in the drawings necessary to build their animals.
"Harry, how long did Sirius say it took for them to learn how to become an animagus?" Ginny asked.
She had been feeling that this was going faster than her conversations with the grim animagus had led her to believe that it should.
"A couple of years, I think," Harry said absently.
"Yeah, that’s what I remember him saying," Ginny confirmed. "Isn’t this going faster than it should?"
"Dun’no," Harry responded. "I’m just happy that it is. At this rate we should be ready before Christmas break."
"Why did it take them so much longer than it’s taking us?" Ginny continued.
"They didn’t have professor McGonagall’s help," Harry stated. "Experience means everything."
At the end of the second week at school, Harry was exhausted and moving on autopilot. Thank goodness that he could move directly from the Chamber to the hallway in front of the Gryffindor tower. He managed another four crests in addition to his exercise, practice and study regimen. Unique customized school crests set solidly into their stone floors now adorned all of the hallways belonging to the active branches of study at Hogwarts.
"Hey, Harry," exclaimed Ron, "where’ve you been all day?"
Harry had just stepped into the common room with his book bag slung over his shoulder. He was exhausted from a day in the caves below the school. Most people, of course, didn’t know they existed and only he and his girlfriend had been recent visitors there; well, except for Harry’s number one enemy fifty years prior, but they didn’t like to think of him when it wasn’t necessary. Ron and Professor Lockhart had only been to the mouth of the caves at the end of a drainage nexus, not within the cave system itself. It almost seemed to be a private place, and the fact that Harry controlled the only entrances to the area made it his choice as to when the general populus should learn of them. This moment, with at least twenty Gryffindor members in attendance, was not the time. Harry used the chamber as a practice area for his greater power training, which could do great damage and always drained him to the bone, but unexpected visitors could be hurt before Harry could curb the magic.
"Training, Ron," he said, glancing around to the others in the room to convey his point.
In a rare moment of insight his friend understood Harry’s reluctance to reveal more. Harry had told him that it was not supposed to be common knowledge that he was in extra training. For the most part he contented himself with not telling his housemates where he was at all hours of the day.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Ron apologized.
Ginny poked her head around the edge of the couch that she was occupying, out of Harry’s vision, to see that it was her boyfriend that was coming her way.
"Harry," cheered Ginny, "come here, you must be exhausted. I saved you a spot."
Ron looked at Ginny sprawled on the couch and snorted. She had stretched out earlier, taking up the entire couch and wouldn’t budge for those few that asked. Saved a spot, indeed. A right lioness she could be.
Harry dragged himself to her, bending down to give her a peck on the lips. She eased herself up, allowing him to slip behind her, and snuggled back into his embrace as she lay back down. Ginny sighed in contentment as they both relaxed bonelessly.
Even with his relaxed schedule of official classes, Harry worked himself harder than any other member of Gryffindor house; even Hermione worked less hours, now that she had other distractions. Not to say that she let any of her studies go lax, but she seemed to understand the value of free time better now.
"Ginny, with his training schedule, when do you and Harry ever get any time together?" Hermione asked.
Ginny glanced back at her boyfriend to see his eyes closed. She felt his steady, slow breathing and knew that he was asleep.
"That’s simple, Hermione," Ginny answered. "I’ve been helping him study and research things that he needs to learn, we research our transfiguration together, I go with him occasionally when he is training, and yet he still finds time to treat me special. He is such a romantic."
"Harry, a romantic?" asked Hermione in shock.
"Yeah, we’ve gone out to dinner under the stars, he took me on a picnic lunch, he’s voluntarily taking dance lessons with me, and, sometimes, he just surprises me between classes with a rose and a snog between classes. I never see him come and he disappears before I can get a word in edgewise," she said wistfully.
Ron heard this and looked on disbelieving.
"A snog in the hallways, how is that romantic?" asked Ron.
"Oh, it’s just so surprising, spontaneous, and sudden and the rose is just so perfect," she babbled. "He enchants all of them so that they last forever. I have a vase beside my bed for them all. Every time that I look at them I just think of how passionate he is and how considerate. You know that he casts a cushioning charm on the wall, he is just so considerate," Ginny said like a girl in love.
Ron however was turning green at the sum of his sister’s words. And yet he still didn’t engage his brain enough to realize that, maybe, ignorance would be bliss.
"But, why would he cast a cushioning charm on the wall?" asked the green Ron.
"Ron!" said his own girlfriend, "isn’t it obvious? The walls are stone and they would hurt when he…um…when she…Ginny, help me out here," she said as she started to get flummoxed and embarrassed.
Ron was still clueless and Ginny was blushing something fierce.
But that didn’t stop her from twisting her brother’s tail.
"Well, you see Ron," she said as if she were talking to a child about birds-and-bees-ish sort of things, "When a man loves a woman, he likes to surprise her and throw her up against the wall and kiss her until she can’t form coherent thoughts or make her knees function properly. Since the wall is hard, and he cares about her welfare, he makes sure that she is comfortable and not hurt. Then, when he’s done, he gives her a rose so that she knows that it was not just a fantasy running amok with delusions in her mind alone," Ron was definitely looking pallid and seemed to regret every question he had ever asked his sister in his entire life. "Of course the full body flush and the bruised lips would be enough for some, but he wants to make it extra special."
Hermione was trying to decide between her own embarrassment and humor at Ron’s green appearance.
"Oh, poor Hermione," Ginny said in a mock sympathetic voice, "it seems that your boyfriend doesn’t know about these things. Maybe you could get him to ask Harry for some advice."
Humor won out for Hermione as Ron’s jaw fell open. Harry just slept on, ignorant of his girlfriend’s antics.
Later that evening Ron stole away to the owlery to send a missive to his brothers. Each got an identical letter.
Brothers Weasley;
I have just come from a most unpleasant evening. Our dear sister felt it necessary to twist my tail, leaving me quite green around the gills. While telling us how romantic her lovely boyfriend was she let it slip that he was in the habit of casting a cushioning charm on the walls of Hogwarts and surprising our dear little sister by throwing her up against the wall and snogging her until, and I quote, "she can’t form coherent thoughts or make her knees function properly." He then gives her an everlasting rose (a rose charmed by himself to last forever, that is) and disappears as quickly as he came.
Should we all be worried about our dear little baby sister? Is she safe? Should we put a stop to this?
Your brother,
Ron.
Ron only had to wait a day and a half for the replies, as four owls deposited letters for him at breakfast one day.
Dearest Ron,
We are sorely disappointed in you. We are sure that The-Boy-Who-Lived would never endanger our lovely sister physically and would never hurt her emotionally. Beyond that, we are convinced that she can take care of herself and will not be forced into anything.
We are curious as to why you are writing about such an easy and obvious way to wind you up.
That we are, Gred. I wonder if he is angry for other reasons.
That could be Forge. What would those reasons be?
Well Gred, could he not like to see his best friend and his only sister happy?
I don’t believe so Forge. I believe that he is just jealous that he did not think of it first.
But Gred, would he be Gryffindor enough to try such a thing in the open in front of Queen and country, not to mention students and professors.
Alas, we will never know Forge as he will seem like a copy-cat as his girlfriend has already heard of the tactics.
Perhaps he is just jealous. He did fail to think of it first as you said, Gred.
Ah yes, thank-you, but how is it that we did not think of it ourselves in our tenure at that wonderful institution?
Who knows, dear brother, but at least our girlfriends have not heard from dear Ginevra of this, so we may still be successful.
Quite right. But does this not give you any ideas for our someday-to-be brother-in-law?
Right you are twin of mine. I have now hatched a plan myself.
As have I.
So, dear Ron, do not worry about it and expect a prank in the mail for Harry in the coming months.
Yours truly,
Gred and Forge.
P.S. Could you ask Harry for the spell he uses on the flowers? We could make a mint selling Everlasting Roses.
Ron blanched. He could see he would be getting no help from his twin brothers in keeping his sister chaste. He couldn’t understand how they didn’t feel that she needed protection. She was, after all, their baby sister and therefore needed a brother’s protection.
Well, maybe he would receive help from one of the others.
Dear youngest brother,
I believe that you have our younger sister read completely wrong. Of my siblings, I believe that she is the most responsible and trustworthy. I do not believe that she is going to be forced into anything, much less by Harry. He is, after all, your best friend.
But, on to other issues. This is the first letter that I have received from you this school year and you have not talked about your own academic pursuits. If you are to have a chance of making Head Boy as I myself did, you will need to buckle down and study. It is not enough to be an exemplary prefect, as I am sure that you are as a brother of mine, you must show the headmaster that you are amongst the best in the classroom as well. I hear from mother that you have made Quidditch Captain. While I did not desire to take that path of recreation, I have heard that being Quidditch Captain is a good stepping-stone to Head Boy as you have a chance to show your leadership abilities. It is not yet a foregone conclusion, as you may think, that Harry will receive the Head Boy position. He was not made prefect and it may be safe to assume that he will not be made Head Boy. The position of Head Boy is one requiring a true leader and he does not seem to be such. Just buckle down and work hard and you are sure to gain the position of Head Boy.
Yours,
Percival Ignatius Weasley.
"What a daft ponce," Ron exclaimed, earning him questioning glances from the Gryffindors near him.
"What is it Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Oh well," Ron said, stalling, he didn’t want to reveal to Hermione that he wrote to his brothers about Ginny’s relationship, "Percy wrote me and has this whole diatribe on how I need to study more to make Head Boy." Hermione snorted her agreement with Ron’s brother. "But then he goes on to say that ‘It is not yet a foregone conclusion that Harry will receive the Head Boy position,’ as ‘the position is one requiring a true leader and he does not seem to be such.’"
Ron was glaring unbelieving at the parchment.
"How can he think that Harry doesn’t have the leadership skills to be the Head Boy? He’s the Head Boy in all but title. He leads a class at least three times a week of more than half of the school in defense techniques. He solves most of the problems of the lowerclassmen; when the first years of most of the houses have a problem they come to him before the prefects."
"Is that why the prefect duties have been so light this year?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah," answered Ginny, "Haven’t you seen the little tykes come up to him in the hallways?"
"Is that why he was late for potions last week? He lost twenty points for being five minutes late."
"Uh-huh," Ron confirmed with a nod. "A Hufflepuff had a question about writing to her parents. They are muggles and Harry answered her question and later took her to the owlery to send the letter."
"Wow, how did I not notice?" asked Hermione.
"Easy, you’re taking so many classes that you’re either in class or studying," said Ginny, chiming in on the conversation. "Not saying that’s a bad thing, but since Harry has only four organized classes, he has the time for the other students."
"But what about his training?" Hermione asked.
"He can do that at any time," answered Ginny, "Its best just before bed time, as he’s currently using most of his time training for exhaustion."
"Don’t you mean endurance?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, that too. He needs to be able to stretch himself harder and for longer and he needs to be in control, still, after he is exhausted," answered Ginny. Ron and Hermione both were looking at her like this was a new revelation about their friend. "Besides, it’s a good thing because he’ll let me cuddle him and baby him if he’s exhausted," she said, as if it were the best treat in the world.
Ron continued the last two letters after classes that day, as they weren’t going how he expected and he didn’t want his sister or girlfriend to find out about his attempted meddling.
He managed to find time before dinner when Hermione was busy in the library to read the notes from Bill and Charlie.
Hey Ron,
You’d better be careful about this line of thought. There’s a reason that Charlie and I are scared of Ginny. We taught her too well. While you were off to school, we taught her to throw a punch and land a kick. She’s deadly. Not only does she have every dirty fighting skill we could teach her, but she also inherited her mother’s yelling capacity and temper. She’s safe from Harry because she would just kill him if he hurt her and she’s safe from your meddling, as she would rip you limb from limb if she knew that you wanted to deprive her of her new love. Don’t mess with her. She can take care of herself. Worry about Harry’s safety around her, if you want to worry so much. If she wants, she gets.
And what’s wrong with you? Didn’t we teach you better that to let your best friend be the most romantic of your group? He didn’t have the advantages of older brother’s wisdom as a resource for learning. Were you asleep when you could have been learning from our successes and failures? Do something romantic for Hermione and stop worrying about Ginny. She can take care of herself, and besides, if she ever did tell us that Harry hurt her, then we could and would tear him apart. That is our job as brothers.
Sagely,
Bill.
P.S. I will have to ask Charlie how we never came up with school traditions as creative as Harry.
Daftest Ron,
You seem to be in the dark about how love works when you are teenaged. It can get hot and heavy quickly and most boys are not considerate of their love’s happiness, or at least not as their first priority. Harry seems to be the exception. Ginny has owled me numerous times about their relationship. It seems that after her first year she was reluctant to use a diary and I was her substitute. Don’t ask; I will tell nothing. You are the only one to know of her owling me on a regular basis, so no telling anyone. Especially her. I say this to let you know that I am privy to all that you have heard and more. There is nothing for the Brothers Weasley to worry about. You just need to step off of your high horse and realize that our sister is happier than she has ever been in her life. We didn’t have the ability to make her this happy as only true love can do this. She loves the way he trusts her. She loves the way he is soothed by her. And she loves the way he surprises her and shows how passionately in love with her he is. Just remember, as long as she trusts us, we’ll know if he tries to do anything to hurt her. If you screw up that trust, we will never know until long after it is too late.
Just remember, you can’t intimidate Harry. I’ve heard all of the stories from Mom about what he has done, and the ones from Ginny to fill in what Mom doesn’t know. There is no way in the world to intimidate Harry James Potter. He has faced dragons, merpeople, sphinxes, dark lords and deatheaters. If you try to scare Harry away, he’ll only do the opposite. He’s that strong and stubborn, as you should know as his friend. Don’t do anything stupid.
And…Ron. If Harry hurts Ginny, I will hurt him. If you cause Ginny to get hurt, I will hurt you.
Sincerely,
Charlie.
Ron paled at his brother’s conviction and took the combined advice of his brothers entirely to heart.