Grim Grinning Ghosts

Chapter 10: Nimbus 2000 and Redheads Solve Most Everything

The next morning had Harrison scowling with great annoyance at a package that had just been delivered to him by no less than six large screech owls, causing most of the dwellers of the Gryffindor table to turn their heads to stare at it. It was rather large, and suspiciously broomstick-shaped. A note had fluttered right on top of it, and Harrison had already read it, rolling his eyes as he did.

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor McGonagall

Harrison internally snorted. Honestly, what else could the package be, but a broom? Sometimes he wondered how the Wizarding World managed to hid themselves from everyone else if their level of subtlety was this bad. A glance to his side told him that Ron was looking curiously at the note in his hands, so he passed the piece of parchment to him whilst still muttering about their common sense.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously, "I've never even touched one."

Hermione, who had managed to grab the note during Ron's whine, raised a single eyebrow at the package.

"It's not that..." she began, but was interrupted by Neville leaning over on the other side of the table.

"Hey, who gave you the broom?" the round faced Gryffindor asked curiously.

Hermione simply made a noise of derision before handing over the note. Harrison watched as Neville's eyes scanned the elegant writing, before once again returning to the obvious broomstick package.

"It's for getting on the team, if you're curious as of why. McGonagall's got us as the new Seeker after she heard of how we...saved you." Harrison explained softly.

Neville simply nodded in understanding before handing the note back and returning to breakfast. The group of Griffs decided to focus on eating the rest of their meal and pretended for the moment that the broomstick package did not exist. Well, except for Ron, who was stuffing his face with bacon while somehow simultaneously drooling over the unopened Nimbus.

When breakfast was over, it was Harold that took the brown package with his normal labored, slow movements. The smile that threatened to split his face apart was the opposite of Harrison's internal worrying, but the zombie had been around the ghost long enough to know this wasn't the important kind of worrying that he should be concerned about. So ignoring Harrison's internal soliloquy of why flying a broom was still a bad idea, Harold, along with Ron and Neville, promised Hermione they would meet her at their first class before making their way out of the Great Hall.

Or, at least, they were going to leave before Draco and company decided to bar their way out in a mock haughty fashion. Malloy himself was standing in a rather silly pose, with his arms stretched to the sides and his nose in the air. Harrison, seeing his friend in such an amusing stance, took over the body for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Draco? How may I help you?" he asked with a small smirk.

As if on a hinge, an arm swung to the front, stopping so that the hand was pointing at the package. This caused the Slytherins behind him to stifle their laughter, while Neville and Ron didn't even try to hide their chortles as they watched the white haired Slytherin's funny behavior.

"What..." Draco drawled in an almost perfect mimicry of Professor Snape, "is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Harrison mockingly drawled back, holding out the package.