That was a good point. Though Harry thought he could get Peeves to do a few things in exchange for the Fulmenifer treatment. Harry wouldn't enjoy...interacting with Peeves that way, but he would if he had to. "I can sic Peeves on all of you. Trust me."
Angelina stopped walking. "You've got my attention. What exactly are you trying to do, Harry?"
The other chasers stopped, too.
"I want to know about runes that interact with the dead..."
"Banishing a ghost is a really bad idea," Alicia said.
"I know. I just want to repel them. Maybe some runes on something I wear that keeps them away."
"Oh. Oh! That is clever. Hmm, but. Well...," Angelina said as she started working through the possibilities. "When we get to the common room, let me write down a few books for you. I don't know that they have what you need – and they are dry and thick and boring – but they might do the trick."
"Thanks," Harry said. He'd just needed a place to start. He wanted to show Professor Babbling that he was serious about his topic, even if it was probably more advanced than she had intended.
"So is Oliver always like that?" Harry asked.
"He's got two settings," Katie said. "Bad is the normal one. Tonight was worse. We're closing in on a match and he's twelve kinds of crazy over all these rumors."
"How many of them are true?"
"This time?" Alicia asked. "Because of you, I'm guessing they're all true. You kept a low, low profile your first two years here."
Harry frowned and stopped asking questions. He just didn't want to know any more.
....
Harry felt the mirror buzzing. He said, "Padfoot," then he saw the face of his godfather in the mirror.
"Why are you grinning?" Harry asked.
"I found it."
Harry knew what "it" meant instantly. Padfoot had been looking for it since summer. It was the Book of Family Magics compiled by the Potters.
Harry was glad he was in his little hideaway on the fifth floor so he could have a private conversation.
"Where? How?" Harry asked.
"I can't tell you how many fields the Potters own. Not to mention the plots of clay where your family must have gotten their material to make..."
"Pots?" Harry supplied. "Pots from the potter?"
"Correct. But it wasn't in any of those places."
"Sirius..."
"It was underneath the vault we found at Godric's Hall."
"Underneath? A second story?"
"Just a niche, not big at all. There was a heavy floor stone over top of it. And there were three barrels of coins on top of that. Your family did what they could to keep it secret."
"I guess. Well, what's in it?"
"I'm not a Potter. I can't even touch it..."
Harry closed his eyes. Of course. "Well, maybe at Yule, then?"
"Oh, yes. I wrangled a ticket to your Quidditch match, too."
Harry smiled. "It should be fun."
"I'd be happier if I didn't have to walk through a bunch of Dementors to get on the grounds. I've had enough Dementors in my life."
Sirius didn't talk much about Azkaban, but Harry knew it left its mark.
"I've been working on my Patronus more," Harry said. Every week for at least two hours since Neville had almost been Kissed on the Hogwarts Express.
"Does it have a form yet?"
"No, just a blurry haze."
"Well, keep working on it."
"I will. It's just so...specific. It's only useful against one creature."
"And those creatures surround Hogwarts. Keep working on it, Harry."
"I will. I'm just whinging."
"I know. On my end, I'm running into a bunch of deaf sods when I try to get the Ministry to recall them. Of all the people to listen to, I think I know more about their effects than they do. Still, they're quite 'resolved,' idiots..."
Harry should have remembered how much Sirius hated them.
"Well, the Ministry won't listen. So I'll keep trying the spell." He also had Sunfire in reserve if he needed it. It was a slow death for them, but it also caused immediate fright or pain.
"How are you classes going?" Sirius asked.
"Snape is behaving."
Sirius still had trouble not muttering when he heard something, anything, about Snape teaching children.
"And how is Charms?"
"It's a good class. This year isn't as interesting as last year. But Transfiguration is better."
"Your Defense class?"
"He sticks to the book and doesn't stutter." So better than first year and a distant second to Madam Spurl, if Harry were to rank them.
"So you're still missing that foul little witch?"
"Madam Spurl was great."
"I'm sure." Sirius had a look on his face. A prank? Something. Something that related to Madam Spurl. Hmm...
"And your electives?" Sirius asked.
.....
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