The Gryffindors had rashly answer today morning, wanting to ambush the ambushers, but in reality hitting the first Slytherins who had the bad luck to be the first leaving their own Common Room with a sort of paint explosive, drowning Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey (as well as the rest of the Slytherin Common Room Entrance and a whole corridor) in gold and red paint. It was also magically resistant to general counter-spells, certainly a new trick of the Weasley Twins.
Since then, Hogwarts was the scene of a series of pranks and magical skirmishes between the Snakes and Lions, with each side trading blow for blow.
"Don't worry, Nigel. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will stop this war as soon as he becomes aware of it at dinner. Hopefully before someone has to be sent to Saint Mungo's Hospital or to the cemetery."
It was not like it was the first time it had happened since September 1991 after all. Alexandra turned to Hermione.
"I'm more worried about this whole business with Crookshanks. What the hell happened for Weasley to threaten you this morning, Hermione?"
The Gryffindor girl's visage took a murderous expression, so threatening Morag pushed back a bit the chair she was sitting on.
"This red-haired git accused Crookshanks to eat his rat!" Erupted Hermione. "And he had the gall to look devastated, while two minutes before he was complaining that it was useless, old, had no magical power and he hadn't feed it for two days! But no! One remark of this Creevey boy that he saw a ginger cat pursuing a rat, and Mister Ronald Weasley comes to accuse me! Minutes later, he wanted me to pay him a new rat!"
A meow interrupted her tirade, and a lightning of ginger fur jumped on Hermione's knees. Hermione's anger disappeared, and she proceeded to caress the purring feline. Alexandra, not wanting to unleash another episode, chose not to mention she had effectively seen Crookshanks pursuing a rat too when she left for Black Cobra Manor.
It's too bad for Weasley, but I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. There are more than twenty cats in the castle...
"Did Weasley have the right to bring a rat to Hogwarts?" Alexandra asked to Morag. "The rules in our first-year letter for Hogwarts concerning animals were pretty specific, I mean."
"For first-years sure." Affirmed the red-haired Ravenclaw. "But as long as the animal isn't dangerous to earn at least two X by the Ministry of Magic classifications and a teacher doesn't catch you with it, you can pretty much bring everything you want at Hogwarts. One of my uncles told me he had brought a falcon when he was a student here, and he never had any problems. A rat, unless he's diseased, is not dangerous enough to be forbidden."
Gandalf only knows if they make diseases checking before we come for a new year...oh, who I'm kidding, it's Hogwarts. Of course they aren't checking.
"That was what I was afraid of." Not that it was a surprise, in a school where you could come face-to-face with a dragon or a troll by mistake. "Do you think there's a chance Weasley will retaliate against Hermione?" Alexandra continued in a low tone.
"I don't know." Morag touched her lower lip in uncertainty. "Weasley is completely unpredictable."
"Is it one of those moments where putting someone under your House's protection is recommended?" Asked Alexandra after a moment of silence, punctuated only by Crookshanks meows.
"No, definitely not." Said Morag with a vigorous negative nod of her to underline her point. "First, Weasley really doesn't care about House's traditions, assuming he even bothered to learn about them, which I really doubt. Secondly, you are the last member of your House, you aren't a Gryffindor and Weasley is friend with the Boy-Who-Lived. Giving House's protection to Hermione and Nigel would perhaps work against some Slytherins. Not against their own Housemates, when you are at the other side of the castle most of the week."
"So our best chance lies with Ronald Weasley taking the peaceful approach. Formidable." Alexandra did not mask the irony in her voice.
"Perhaps not." Smiled Morag. "With the Slytherin and Gryffindor at each other's throat, one word or two to an older Slytherin could force Weasley to deal with more pressing problems. I don't think it will be pleasant but..."
But it wasn't like the two Gryffindors had a pleasant stay in the Lion's kingdom, finished Alexandra in her thoughts.
"Your conversation is really interesting," said Nigel in a begging tone, "but could one of you help me understand Snape's homework? Otherwise I'm going to stay here until Monday morning..."
"Sure, Nigel." Said Alexandra, carrying her chair to move it to the left of the auburn-haired Gryffindor boy. "Now, let's start again..."
5th October 1992, Gringotts Bank, London
Every single goblin in every branch of Gringotts thorough the world, from the lowest clerk to the High King, knew that each fortress -pardon, bank- had a room where the most important clan heads could gather. Said room's location was a well-kept secret accessible only to those who participated in these meetings, was often several hundreds of feet below the level of the sea and protected by the best wards Gringotts could afford.
Right now, there was a session happening. And if one could have posed his ear against the door without being electrocuted, carbonised and having his corpse thrown to the dragons as a snack, the furious voices of the participants would have made clear the occasion was not to celebrate the huge profits of the past month.
"Please remind me, Clarok. Why are we tolerating this vermin known as humans, again?" Asked one of the nine goblins gathered in the room.
"They are good for the affairs?" Replied another who had more an appearance of a clerk, until one saw his hands scarred beyond redemption from the multitude of duels he had to fight in his career.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Makimafic
If you guys wanna check it out.