Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 51: A New Opportunity
"Let's take the cabin at the end." Harry walked ahead and opened the door.
Three boys were already inside.
"What do you want, Potter?" Ron seemed to have gotten in a foul mood the moment he saw him. And he only got worse when he realized that Hermione was standing right behind him. "Still with him?"
"We are taking this cabin. Go sit somewhere else," Harry told them.
"Seriously?" Seamus stared at Harry in disbelief.
"Why are you acting like this?" Neville glanced at him. "We haven't done any—"
"Let me stop you right there." Harry raised his hand. "I care little for your actions of the past, or even for you in general. I just want some peace and quiet so I can think, and this last cabin is perfect for that. Now, go somewhere else before I make you."
Ron was shaking with anger. "You are going to make us?!" His wand was already in his hand.
Neville and Seamus went to stand up and try to stop him, but it was too late.
"You had your chance." Harry was much faster than Ron, and before this one even began to mumble some harmless jinx, he had already formed his spell and shot it at the three boys.
They had time to let out a short scream that quickly turned into an animalistic cry as their bodies transformed into small mice of different colors.
"Whoa! That looks fun!" Luna cheered from outside the cabin. "Can you turn me into a bird? I always wanted to fly."
"Maybe another day." Harry conjured a wooden cage and levitated the creatures inside before hanging it from one of the walls.
"Urgg… I don't like mice." Hermione made a face of disgust as she looked at the three little creatures making squeaky noises.
Harry placed his case in its place before turning his attention to the three transformed students. "You are going to behave properly for the rest of the journey and will be allowed to return to your human forms. Otherwise, I can think of less pleasant things to transform you into."
The three creatures stopped making noises immediately.
"Good." Harry sat down in one of the corners and got comfortable.
Hermione closed the door of the cabin before sitting in front of him. "Harry, are you planning on staying all summer with your family?"
He glanced at her. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, my parents were planning a trip to Paris. Maybe I could convince them to bring you along."
"There is nothing in Paris that interests me, so no," Harry responded.
"You can come to my house then," Luna added. "Dad and I are planning on traveling north, looking for some crumple-horned snorkacks."
Harry remained silent for a moment, wondering if this was also one of her imaginary creatures or a real one, even though he had never heard of it. "No... I may visit your house later on in the summer. I have other things to deal with first." He still had to figure out how to infiltrate the Ministry.
Hermione looked concerned about something. "Are you going to stay with your family all summer?"
"Family?..." Harry stared at her. "I have no such thing. Nor need for it. If you are referring to those muggles, the Dursleys, I wi—"
There was a sudden knock on the door before it opened up.
"Excuse me…" A pretty redhead girl poked her head inside. "Ah, there you are!" She looked directly at Harry.
"Susan! You can't barge into someone else's cabin like that." Her friend Hannah was trying to pull her away from the door. "Why do you have three mice inside a cage?."
"Susan Bones?... what are you…" Hermione knew the girl from class but didn't understand what she was doing here. They never talked all that much outside the classroom.
And this year, the Hufflepuffs weren't particularly nice to Harry either.
"Sorry, I just wanted to speak with Harry for a bit. Is that okay?" she asked while giving Harry a playful wink.
"Bones…" Harry repeated her last name. He was sure to have heard it somewhere else, but couldn't quite place it. "Come in then." He felt curious about what this girl could possibly want.
"Thank you!" She walked inside while Hannah waited at the door. Then, without hesitation, she sat down between Luna and Harry. "I had been meaning to speak with you before, but then the Headmaster went and forbid us from leaving our common rooms… how boring that was."
Harry stared at the girl. "What is it that you wished to speak with me about?"
Susan licked her lips. "I just wanted to tell you how great your new look is. I'm a huge fan."
"What the…" Hermione couldn't believe how forward this girl was being.
"I see. Thank you." Harry responded and noted she was leaning very close to him, enough for her generous breasts to rest against his arm.
Susan chuckled. "You are welcome. By the way…" She pulled something from her robes. It was a small golden card with something written on it.
"In one month, there is going to be a big party at the Ministry to commemorate my aunt's ten-year anniversary as the Head of the Auror Department. And I have a plus-one invitation…" She showed him the card.
"Your aunt… did you say Head of the Auror Department?" Harry asked.
That must be one of the most important positions in the Ministry.
Or at least he had to assume, since he had little knowledge about it. Something else he will have to remedy during the summer.
"That's right, my aunt is Amelia Bones. But that's not the important part. I wanted to invite you to accompany me. It's going to be a fun party, and there is going to be a ball." She offered him the card. "Would you come with me?"
Harry glanced at the card in her hands. He had been racking his brains for a way into the Ministry, and now one had just fallen into his lap.
"How can I say no?" He took the card.
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