Ron Potter and the Next Generation by PEMDAS
Chapter Notes: Ch. 11 at last! What will Ron and Harry do with the Slytherins' files? And what can they do without the Marauder's Map or the Invisibility Cloak? Find out...
Ron and Harry did not open the files of the Slytherins that night. They decided to sleep right away, not daring to defy Professor Potter any longer. They had all day Saturday to do so, and additionally, they were very tired. They climbed straight into their four-posters, falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, they awoke late, and everyone had already gone to breakfast. Ron and Harry decided to skip breakfast and go over the Slytherins’ files, and they got onto Ron’s four-poster, closed the curtains, and opened the file at last.
It was soon obvious why the file was confidential. It contained just about every bit of information on the person: body information (height and weight), wand information, background information...and they also served as a kind of criminal record for their Hogwarts life, detailing every detention they’d served, and (this part impressed both Ron and Harry) a special ticker-type thing that records the House points they’d earned and gained throughout the year, and changed magically every time they gained or lost more.
Several named stood out for Ron and Harry. Among the first-years were the most recognizable names; Malfoy (obviously), Nott, Avery, Macnair, and Lestrange. There were also two fourth-years (another Nott and another Avery), a sixth-year (Dolohov), and three seventh-years (a third Nott and two Lestrange twins). Harry wrote down the names on a separate piece of paper, then they examined the sheets more closely for information.
Most unfortunately, none of the names had any criminal records relating to the incident off-grounds last Saturday, and Harry and Ron figured that it had yet to be updated to the records, which was regrettable...but they were sure it had to be one of these eleven, because no one else would surely dress up as a Death Eater...? But what they did find was what they’d expected from these kids.
“Look at this!” Harry said, pointing to Andy Dolohov’s record. In his fifth year, he attempted to smuggle a cursed skull into the school. Two years prior to that, a teacher confiscated a list from him of Muggle-borns in the school, apparently a hit list for people to curse.
The seventh-year Lestrange twins, Janice and Josephine, were not as troublemaking. The only offenses between them was staying out an hour past curfew in their third year and cheeking Professor McGonagall in their fifth year. The same went for the fourth-year Nott, Kevin, who had only been in trouble once, for making a second-year do his homework a few days ago.
“Does this mean we take them off the suspect list?” Harry asked, concerning the three non-troublemakers.
“Nope,” Ron told him. “In fact, these could be prime suspects, as they could just be doing all this bad stuff without getting caught. That makes them extra dangerous.”
“Oh, right,” Harry said, and they went back to scanning the records.
After about another hour, after determining the Slytherins that could possibly have been communicating with Death Eaters and writing them down, Ron and Harry closed the packet of papers. Ron put the papers in his bag, and Harry said, “Now what do we do with these names?”
“We need to figure out a way to interrogate all of them,” Ron said, thinking hard. “And we can’t use Veritaserum this time; there’s too many of them...Snape would notice it’s gone.”
“Polyjuice Potion?” Harry suggested.
“Nah, too risky, and we don’t have a brainiac girl to help us...” Ron said, thinking.
“Well, the only thing left to do is ask your dad,” Harry said, sighing, and Ron rounded on him.
“Are you crazy?!” Ron exclaimed. “He doesn’t want us involved in this, remember?”
“But we can at least ask!” Harry protested. “It can’t hurt!”
Ron groaned. “Fine,” he said. “But I don’t see what good it’ll do.”
***
They found Professor Potter in his office, grading tests. “Dad?” Ron said tentatively, and Professor Potter looked up, smiling.
“Ah, Ron, Harry!” he said, beaming. “What brings you here?”
“Just wanted to visit our favorite professor!” Harry said, smiling back. Professor Potter’s smile faded slightly.
“All right, what do you want?” Professor Potter said, still smiling slightly. Ron’s stomach lurched.
“We were wondering...” Ron said slowly, “about that incident by the lake last week...”
Professor Potter shook his head. “Boys, boys,” he said, “I’ve told you before, that information is private.”
“But...” Harry stuttered.
“We think that someone was communicating with Death Eaters!” Ron burst out. Professor Potter turned to look at him.
“Ron, I...” Professor Potter began, but Ron kept going.
“Dad, I think the son or daughter of a Death Eater might be meeting with their mother or father in the forest,” Ron said, “and they...”
Professor Potter raised his hand for silence. “Ron, the staff has considered that possibility,” he said, “and we searched the forest, but there’s no Death Eaters in the forest. Trust me.”
“But...maybe you didn’t look hard enough!” Harry exclaimed.
“We did a magical scan of the forest,” Professor Potter said. “It would have identified any Dark magic residing in the forest. We found none.”
Ron realized his father was probably more informed than he was, but he pressed on, not willing to give up. “Dad, any one of the sons and daughters of Death Eaters in Slytherin could’ve done it...and you know who it is...”
Professor Potter turned sharply to look at Ron. “What do you know about the students in Slytherin?” he asked suddenly.
Ron’s heart skipped a beat. “Um...” he said. “We just heard some names...from other students...”
Professor Potter said, “Ron, give me your bag. Accio.” Ron’s bag flew from his hands before he could protest. Professor Potter riffled through it and pulled out the Slytherin student records and looked positively alarmed. “How did you get this?” he asked, and Ron couldn’t bring himself to say that they’d broken into Snape’s office. He instead looked back into his father’s green eyes, feeling guilty.
“Fifty points from Gryffindor for stealing from a professor,” Professor Potter said, “and another night of detention for both of you.”
“Dad...” Ron lied, “Harry didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Another twenty points for lying to me,” Professor Potter said coldly. “Please leave my office.”
“But-”
“NOW!”
Ron stormed out of the office, fuming, and Harry nervously ran after him. Once the door had closed behind them, Ron began ranting. “I HATE my dad!” he yelled. “Taking points from his own House...who does he think he is?”
“He had good reason...” Harry started, but Ron cut him off.
“Like he never did anything bad while HE was at Hogwarts!” Ron spat angrily. “He’s such a hypocrite. ‘Be a good boy and don’t get in trouble, even though I was a troublemaker in school’. He’s just like Sirius was to him...”
These words seemed to strike home to Ron and Harry both. “So THAT’S why he’s doing that,” Harry said thoughtfully. “He wants to remember Sirius.”
“Well, even so,” Ron said, still angry, but not furious as before. For the time being, though, he needed to channel that energy he was using to be angry into something productive, like finding out which Slytherin was sneaking into the forest. In fact, a plan was already formulating in his mind...
***
“Ron, are you crazy?!” Harry exclaimed. They were at lunch, and Ron was explaining his idea to Harry. “The Veritaserum was one thing, but that’ll never work!”
“It can, and it will,” Ron insisted. “Trust me. All we need is a little time. And maybe a little luck.”
“A little?” Harry said. “It’ll take a miracle!”
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Ron said. “My dad’s not exactly all-knowing; he failed Divination, remember? There’s no way he can catch us!”
“But even still...right under his nose...”
“Trust me,” Ron said. “This is going to work. Here’s what we need to do...”
***
The first detention with Professor Potter was set for the next evening, in the professor’s office. Harry and Ron knocked on the door at seven ’o clock sharp, apprehensive for what they were about to do. Professor Potter opened the door, looking grim and tired, but still smiled slightly when he saw them. “Hello, boys,” he said. “Now, this should be quick and painless, if you cooperate.”
Professor Potter went on to describe their task, which was to clean his office...“every nook and cranny”. This made Ron nervous, because it was almost like his father was challenging him to search for the Cloak and Map. “...so you understand?” Professor Potter asked. The boys nodded, and Professor Potter nodded, walking around his desk and sitting behind it.
As he worked, Ron and Harry cleaned slowly, wishing they had their wands. Suddenly, after about twenty minutes of silence, Professor McGonagall burst in. “Harry,” she said, referring to the professor, “we have a situation on the fifth floor. Apparently Peeves pushed a student down the stairs, and they got stuck upside-down in the trick step. We can’t seem to free her.”
“All right, I’m coming,” Professor Potter said, sighing and standing up. He crossed the room to the doorway, giving his son and nephew a meaningful look before following McGonagall out of his office.
As soon as the door closed, the boys ran over to the desk, searching through cabinets. “It’s got to be here somewhere...” Ron muttered, shoving papers aside and nearly pulling out the cabinets from the desk. Suddenly, Harry found it. “Here!” he said, holding out the object to show Ron.
“Good,” Ron said, taking it from him. Obviously it wouldn’t fit in his pocket, so Ron walked over to the window and dropped it into the bushes three stories below. He would have to retrieve it after detention. After closing the window again, they fixed the cabinets and began cleaning again. A minute later, Professor Potter walked back in, muttering. “Stupid poltergeist...should have him removed from the school; really...” He looked up, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously, obviously suspecting something.
“That will be all, boys,” Professor Potter said. They had only been working for a half-hour, but Ron and Harry weren’t complaining. After submitting to a search with a Secrecy Sensor, Professor Potter let them go. After the boys had left the office, they heard the office door close behind them. Obviously, Professor Potter was going to search and see whether they’d taken the Cloak or the Map.
He would, of course, find both of them, still well-hidden where he’d left them in a floor panel beneath a rug. However, he had no reason to suspect a small object was missing from a back corner of his desk, which Ron and Harry were now sprinting down to the grounds, intent on reaching the object they’d left in the bushes...
***
Author’s Note: What do you think this object they stole was? What could they have taken that could possibly help them, and Professor Potter wouldn’t suspect them of taking? You’ll have to find out in Chapter 12, coming soon...thanks for reading! Please review!