Harry's conversation with the snake bought them a few months. Harry had told the crowd that the snake had agreed to go back to sleep for several years so that Harry could find it food, and that was the main rumour afloat. Several others were that Harry had threatened the snake into submission, and that Harry had sacrificed the first year Ravenclaw that had been found Petrified in the girl's loo on the fourth floor, a rumour that had probably been started because of Draco's suggestion. But despite the talk, this news coupled with Dumbledore's announcement that the Heir of Slytherin had been captured alleviated the fear that had begun to grip the school. In February, Harry had been buried under a pile of valentines seeking to express thanks for saving them all. He blamed it on Lockhart and his gaudy Valentine's Day celebration.
Meanwhile, Harry and his friends had been trying to figure out what to do with the basilisk.
"You know," Draco suggested one day, "We could always just find something to feed it, then tell it to go back to sleep."
Harry glared at him. "We're not sacrificing McGonagall."
Draco looked away, but Harry had already seen his laughter. "That's not what I meant, Harry," he said in a stifled voice.
"What do you mean then?" Hermione asked him. They were all sitting in the library on one of the rare days where Pansy and Draco joined in. Even Anthony was only sitting a desk or two away.
"What I mean," Draco explained, "Is that there's a whole Forbidden Forest just outside our doors that's filled with all sorts of food for that thing."
Blaise raised his eyebrows. "That's an idea," he said thoughtfully. "But how would we get it out to the Forbidden Forest without it killing anyone?"
"And why would we want a great filthy snake roaming around the forest?" Ron cut in incredulously. "My brothers go in there sometimes, they've told me stories. That forest is bad enough without a basilisk."
"If we didn't want to kill it, though, that would be our only option," Hermione argued.
"Wait, why don't we want to kill it?" Harry asked. "We'd just need a rooster."
"You try convincing Hagrid to let you borrow one then," Neville said, looking up from his homework and making a face. "He got really suspicious when I asked. Someone's been killing them all year, according to him."
"Well then, we could just find some other way of getting a rooster," Blaise said dismissively.
"We could just take one," Pansy suggested. "I mean, he's got to sleep sometime. We'll just nip into the coop and make off with it."
"We already discussed this; he'll probably have spells up," Hermione said doubtfully. "Especially if someone's been attacking them all year. I doubt it'll be that easy."
"How are we going to get a rooster then?" Blaise asked. "Any suggestions aside from theft?"
"Harry could get Filch to get one from Hagrid," Hermione said. "You're his favourite, aren't you?"
"He might be able to get me one," Harry agreed. "But I'd probably need an excuse..."
"Just tell him it's for an extra credit assignment," Dudley suggested. "You are his favourite."
"I don't know," Harry said uncertainly. "I mean, I'll try, but he might want to know why, and then what do I tell him?"
"Tell him the truth, Harry," Neville said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like you're doing anything wrong, saving us all from a giant evil snake."
The rest of the table stopped talking, surprised.
"He's right," Draco said in bemusement. "We aren't doing anything wrong."
YOU ARE READING
Magical Connections
FanfictionHarry's relatives were shocked when the Hogwarts letters came. Not because Harry got into Hogwarts. They had expected that. But Dudley, on the other hand...That had been a surprise. Or Harry and Dudley's years at hogwarts
