Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 63

Hi all, 

Here’s the first of three chapters I owe. This is a slow chapter, as it’s setting up some things, so I didn’t get further along than I initially planned.

Chapter 63

5th September

Harry walked down the stairs into the common room, ready for the first day of classes. There weren’t many students awake yet because he got up early to do a training session with his staff. He wanted to get some practice in before his DADA class today, as he expected Sheena to do something crazy for her first lesson.

His friends had not arrived yet, so he took a seat on a sofa to wait for them. When he felt eyes on him, he paused and looked around. None of the students appeared to be paying attention to him. He noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up at the lion portrait on the wall. Had its eyes moved?

Shaking his head, Harry put it down to his eyes playing tricks on him. As far as he was aware, the portrait was stationary, and not magical in any way. How could it move?

“Did you see anything?” Harry hissed.

“How can I see anything when I am wrapped around your wrist?” Nagini poked her head out.

“Never mind.”

Nagini retreated back into his robe. The snake had been unusually quiet for the past few days, but it wasn’t anything unusual. She didn’t like to speak much anyway, and she preferred to observe rather than interact with others. 

Harry felt an arm wrap around his shoulders from behind. “How’s my favourite Seeker?”

“Why are you calling me the Seeker?” Harry looked up at Oliver's face. His captain appeared so fresh-faced that he could have been awake for a long time. He was holding a rolled-up scroll, and Harry groaned as he realised it was likely the new tactics he had devised for the team. Doesn’t he ever take a break? “That has yet to be determined. Don’t you need to still hold tryouts for the team?”

Oliver gave him a disappointed expression. “There is no need for false modesty. "No one can compete with you on a broom."

"The thing is, Oliver," Harry said. "I am going to be extremely busy this year. I will be juggling two educations, as well as my various projects. I don’t know if I have—”

“Harry!” Oliver grabbed his shoulders. “You can’t abandon me now. I only have two years left at school, and I would like to see Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup in both."

“We won last year,” Harry pointed out.

"That is not enough for me," Oliver exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "There will be scouts from the various Quidditch teams this year paying attention to me, and I need to demonstrate my abilities so that I can pursue a professional career in Quidditch after school. The best way to show off is to win everything. I can’t do it without you, Harry.”

“No pressure,” Harry sighed. 

"Stop bothering him," Angelina approached and ruffled Harry's hair. "Our local hero has a lot on his plate. You already forced him to play last year.”

“Angelina!” Oliver protested. "Harry was forced to play Quidditch in the first match, but he came to enjoy it. Right, Harry?”

"If I play for the team again," Harry told him. “There will be no more crazy practice schedules. I don’t have time to practise five times a week. Two is my limit.”

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but Angelina covered it with her hand. “That sounds reasonable. The Seeker usually does his own thing, so you don’t need to be involved in game tactics that much.”

Angelina dragged the protesting Oliver away. “The team tryouts are this weekend, Harry.”

Bemused, he watched them leave before looking back at the portrait again. He could have sworn the lion had winked at him. Maybe he was going crazy.

Harry took out the marauder's map from his pocket. He activated it and looked over the map to see if there were any strange people lurking around the castle. After last year, he was going to be extra cautious, and no one was taking the map away from him again. Everything appeared to be normal, so he rolled up the map and put it away.

When his friends arrived, they all went down to the Great Hall. However, there were a few more oddities that occurred along the way.

"Harry, why are the knights bowing to you?" Daphne inquired, her gaze drawn to the creaking armour that was bent at the waist. It made for a hilarious sight.

"Why do you think they are bowing to me?" Harry's brow furrowed. "It could be any one of us."

"Let us be honest, Harry," Hermione said, poking him in the back. "Who among us was the one who saved the castle from an intruder? They are showing their respect.”

“It’s still weird,” Harry muttered.

"That is what we have come to expect from being your friends," Tracy laughed. "There are a lot of strange things happening. I am curious as to what will happen next. Anyone want to make a guess?”

“A red carpet will roll out to welcome him into the Great Hall,” Gabrielle guessed.

“The ghosts will serenade him with a song,” Neville said, grinning.

“He will get a marriage proposal from Moaning Myrtle,” Daphne said.

“Hilarious,” Harry snarked. “Don’t get my hopes up too high.”

“The Grand Staircase will be ready for him when we reach it,” Hermione said wistfully.

Tracy snapped her fingers. “Or it will violently turn and throw Gilderoy Lockhart off the staircase.”

“Why are you picking on him so much?” Hermione asked, annoyed.

“Did you know that you have to buy his entire set of books for Care of Magical Creatures,” Daphne said. “It should be criminal that students should be charged for so many useless books.”

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, and the others had to listen as she bickered with Daphne. When they reached the Grand Staircase, it was on a higher floor. Some students were about to step on it when it violently jerked and moved to where Harry's group was standing. The students cried out in rage.

"I believe Hermione wins this round," Harry said as he stepped onto the stairs. “Maybe you're a Seer?”

“As if I believe in that nonsense,” Hermione huffed. 

They entered the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. Their friends came over and sat beside them, and they talked about the strange events over breakfast.

"Why are these things occurring?" Neville asked. “It’s almost like the castle is treating him like a prince.”

“Don’t say that too loud,” Harry hissed. “I don’t need another story about me going around.”

It wasn’t worth getting worked up about. The incidents were minor in the grand scheme of things, and they weren’t dangerous. 

“What’s this?” Gilderoy appeared at their table. “Is Mr Potter a prince now?”

Harry groaned inwardly. Gilderoy stood there, his teeth flashing. The man didn’t seem to notice that his smile wasn’t met with enthusiasm. He was dressed in outrageously flamboyant blue robes and had a cloying, flowery scent that made Harry want to sneeze.  

“I don’t believe we have met before, Harry. My name is Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award.”

Who introduces himself like that? “Hello, professor.”

"Harry has an Order of Merlin as well," Blaise said, smiling. "But it is a little more special than a third-class title. First class is reserved for someone who has done something truly exceptional."

There were some sniggers from the table.

Gilderoy’s smile thinned. "Yes, I believe Harry deserves some recognition for his heroic actions, but the Minister of Magic may have been overly enthusiastic when he bestowed the title on him. We don’t want others to accuse Harry of favouritism, right?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. That sounded awfully petulant.

"I am sure you know how that feels, Professor Lockhart," Daphne said, shooting him a scathing look. 

Gilderoy’s smile vanished, and he openly glared at the girl. 

"There is no Order of Merlin, Fourth Class, Daphne," Susan reminded her, giggling. “There can’t be a downgrade from third class.”

“Unfortunate,” Daphne muttered.

"What about all the stuff he did in his books?" Hermione argued.

"Oh, right!" Gabrielle exclaimed. “It’s too bad we won’t have your class this year, professor.”

Gilderoy recovered his smile. “That’s alright. I am sure we can arrange some private lessons if you are so eager to learn about magical creatures."

Gabrielle shuddered and drew closer to Harry. Her sarcasm was completely lost on the moron.

"I’m glad to have such an expert professor on the scene," Harry said. "With your experience, you can take care of the dangerous creature that resides in the forest."

“What are you talking about?” Gilderoy took a step back.

"There was a recent sighting of a Nightmare in the forest," Harry informed him. "It is causing all kinds of problems for the residents. You should probably address the problem sooner rather than later."

Gilderoy paled and fled back to the head table. Everyone who overheard the conversation laughed at his retreating figure. 

"My hero has gallantly retreated to fight another day," Terry sighed, imitating Hermione's voice.

“Shut it,” Hermione said, smacking him in the arm.

“Great work, Harry,” Susan patted his arm. “Thanks for getting rid of him. Now we can eat in peace and quiet.”

“Potter!” Draco appeared at the table with his usual goons.

“Spoke too soon,” Harry grumbled. “What can I do for you, Malfoy?”

“Don’t expect things to go your way this year,” Draco said. “Things are going to be different this year. I will make sure of it.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you as well. Did you have a pleasant summer? I was sorry to hear about your father.”

Draco looked confused by Harry’s response. “What?”

“I heard your father made a fool of himself with the Board of Governors.”

"Do not talk about my..." Draco stopped and looked down at the ground, clenching his fists. 

It was Harry's turn to be confused. Why had he cut himself off?

“Are you okay?” Harry looked at him closely. “You are looking a little pale there, Draco.”

He was not joking. Draco appeared as white as a ghost, with dark circles under his eyes. His hair was also dishevelled, which was unusual for someone who was very conscious of his appearance.

"He is always pale, Harry," Terry reminded him. 

“I don’t want to hear you speak in my presence, Mudblood,” Draco hissed.

The students at the table let out shocked exclamations, and some appeared ready to leap to their feet and curse Draco.

Terry's face hardened, and he rose to his feet. “Do you want to repeat that?”

Blaise yanked him back into his seat as Harry's grandmother approached the table. “What is going on here?”

Draco sneered but said nothing before walking away, his trolls following closely behind. 

“Are you already causing trouble?” Minerva inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. “Do you mean Draco? He came over here to cause trouble.”

“I was referring to Professor Lockhart.”

“Did he come crying to you? He is a bigger nuisance than Draco. He came over here to brag about his accomplishments.”

"He even tried to discredit Harry's Order of Merlin title," Susan added.

“Hmm. Well, try to ignore him from now on," Minerva advised. "I cannot have you disrespecting a professor, even if he may deserve it."

Minerva left, and they returned to eating breakfast. Hermione practically inhaled her food before pulling out the runic puzzle Harry had received from Professor Bagshot. She was determined to solve it, despite the fact that she had never studied runes before. Harry was not bothered that she had not returned it yet because he wasn’t in a hurry to complete the puzzle. He almost expected Hermione to read up on Ancient Runes so she could solve it herself. If his suspicions were true about who made it, he didn’t think it would be so easy.

Following breakfast, they proceeded to their first class. It would be DADA, with the Gryffindors sharing a class with the Ravenclaws, as in the previous school year. Harry slowed down to speak with Padma, who was trailing in the back. He had noticed that she had been unusually quiet over the last few days, and she had not said anything at breakfast.

“Is there something bothering you?” Harry asked.

Padma shook her head. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

"You spent time in India, right?" Harry said. "You mentioned some of the traditions within the magical community. Are you being sold off into some old dude’s harem or something?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Padma replied. "My father would never permit such a thing. Besides, it’s less common among the younger generation these days. Only a few older families continue to practise it." 

"That is a relief. So what happened that has made you so quiet?”

“Have you seen Parvati around?”

Harry paused. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her around. I don’t really pay attention to her. She can be a little overwhelming at times. Where is she?”

“She has come down with a sudden illness,” Padma said, her eyes downcast. “It has caused her magic to become wildly unstable. She’s still at St Mungo’s, and the healers are still trying to find out what happened to her.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Harry said, giving her a hug. “Do you have any idea what caused it?”

Padma nodded. "She touched an object while we were exploring one of the old temple ruins. There are many ruins in India that contain cursed objects, but the one we were visiting was supposed to have already been fully explored and made safe. The object is being examined now, but no one has been able to figure it out.”

“Did you try my appraisal scroll?”

“Yes, it gave a description of the object itself, but didn’t mention any curse.”

“Yeah, it’s not omnipotent. If the curse was added after the fact, then it may not show up in the description.”    

“There is no immediate danger to Parvati’s life,” Padma said. “But I’m afraid if this continues for too long, then that may change. And she will miss out on her Hogwarts education.”

“Do you mind telling the others?” Harry asked. “We can come up with a plan of action to see what can be done.”

“I don’t mind.” 

“Would your father mind if I examined the object?”

“He’s calling in as many experts at the moment to examine it, so I don’t think he will allow it,” Padma sighed. “But if he doesn’t find an answer soon, then he might be more open to the idea.”

Harry called back the others, and shared what Padma had told him. The others offered their sympathies, and promised to have a club meeting later to discuss the issue. He noticed that Neville seemed particularly affected by the news, and stuck to Padma’s side. Could it be that the shy Gryffindor had a crush on her?

They reached the classroom and entered, only to find that Rowena was already waiting for them. The desks had been removed, leaving a huge empty space. The others shared glances, wondering what was going on, but Harry had an idea. There was a weapons rack at the front of the classroom, with several different types of weapons. 

“Welcome, class,” Sheena drawled. “I would say take a seat, but that’s not possible at the moment. Let me take a roll call before I share with you what we are going to be focusing on this year.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Tracy muttered.

After she took the roll call, Sheena grabbed a staff of the rack. “I will only be here for a year, so I wanted to introduce something new to the class that has been missing from the curriculum for too long. That is physical exercise and weapon training.”

A long silence greeted her announcement, but Sheena didn’t seem put off by the students' reaction. 

"Not many wizards know this," Sheena explained as she paced in front of them. "Especially among members of the British magical community. Stamina is an important factor in being able to defend oneself in a fight. Charlus Potter mentioned that he taught you how to dodge, which is the most effective way to avoid being struck by a spell. But to be able to dodge effectively, especially in drawn out fights, you need stamina. If you can outlast your opponent, then more likely than not, you’re going to win the fight.”

Sheena stopped and placed her hands on her hips, grinning at the class. “Any questions.”

Daphne raised her hand. “I can understand why having more stamina is important. But why do we have to learn how to use a weapon?”

“Because it’s cool,” Sheena declared. 

Harry smirked. He had a feeling this class would be extremely unconventional.

"Are there any other reasons?" Hermione asked, looking flabbergasted.

"Well, sure," Sheena replied, swinging the staff around. "Doing boring physical exercises to strengthen your body and increase your stamina is boring in and of itself. Learning to use a weapon achieves the same result, but it is a lot more enjoyable. Furthermore, it is a useful backup in case you are unable to use your wand. What if you got disarmed or ran out of magic during a fight? You would be utterly helpless.”

“It’s hard to carry around something like a staff around all the time, though,” a Ravenclaw student pointed out.

"Are you certain?" Sheena asked. "Harry, can you show us your weapon? I assume you have it with you."

Harry groaned inwardly, knowing where this was going, but he didn’t protest. He slipped his hand into his robe and grabbed the short staff strapped to his leg. He had made the strap to hold his staff because it was too unwieldy to keep stored in his pocket.

He displayed the staff for the students to see before activating it, and the staff extended to its full length. Those who were unaware that he possessed such an item approached it with curiosity. Harry handed it to one of the students, who nearly dropped it due to its unexpected weight. Even though the material Harry used was lighter than steel, it was still difficult to hold without practice.   

Sheena gave him a menacing smile. "I have heard that Mr Potter is skilled with a bo-staff. So, why don't we demonstrate to the class how cool wielding a weapon can be?"

“I would love to see that,” Daphne exclaimed, and everyone else followed her in saying they wanted to see it as well.

Harry grumbled as he stepped forward. The students backed up to give them room, and Sheena and Harry got into their stances, staffs held in both hands.

“I will allow you to use the Velocier skill,” Sheena said. “I want to see you at your best.”

Harry nodded. He activated the skill at level five before leaping forward towards Sheena in an explosive motion. 

He raised the staff in an overhead strike, bringing it down on Sheena's head. She held the staff vertically and calmly deflected the strike. She twisted her staff to turn his staff to the side and knock him off balance. He braced his leg to avoid overbalancing and drew back on the staff before thrusting it forward to strike her stomach with the blunt end of the tip. She stepped to the side and swept her staff down towards his head.

Harry drew back and crouched down, holding the staff above his head. The strike connected, and he winced as his body nearly collapsed under the impact. He swung his staff in a sweeping motion, intending to take out her legs, forcing Sheena to jump quickly to avoid the attack. She used the momentum to deliver her own overhead strike, which he narrowly avoided by rolling to the side.

The students cheered at the thrilling fight. From their perspective, Harry appeared to have the advantage in speed, but Sheena made up for it with technique and sheer power.  

As the fight progressed, Harry's arms grew heavy from the numerous strikes he had to absorb. He had never been in such a long fight with such a powerful opponent. He needed a surprise move to catch her off guard.

When her staff hit the ground after another downward thrust, he knew it was the right time. His foot stepped on top of her staff, and he dropped his own to free up his movements. He used her staff to propel himself into a flying kick, but Sheena was ready for it. She dropped her staff, grabbed his leg in mid-air, and threw him against the wall. Harry twisted himself so that his feet landed on the wall, and he landed on his hands and knees, avoiding serious injury.

Sheena didn’t give him time to relax. She dashed towards Harry, who quickly rose to his feet to defend himself. The door exploded open, and a suit of armour entered the room, its sword raised to defend Harry. Sheena cursed and threw herself to the side as the massive, two-handed sword crashed down on the floor. 

The students cried out as another suit of armour entered the room to join the fight.

“Stop!” Harry yelled.

The two suits of armour paused and turned to face Harry before bowing. Sheena rose to her feet and looked at them with caution. 

“Do you want to explain to me what’s going on, Harry?”

"How should I know?" Harry exclaimed, exasperated. He addressed the two armours. "Why are you interfering with our classes? I don’t need any help. Can you return to your positions?”

The suits of armour creaked as they straightened before leaving the classroom. 

“That definitely tops the Grand Staircase as the strangest thing that has happened to you today,” Gabrielle chuckled “And it’s not even lunchtime yet.”

Harry scowled. He needed to find out what was going on or it was going to become annoying very quickly. Maybe he could look for Lady Hogwarts? Would she even see him?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Harry was instructed to report to the headmaster's office after classes concluded that day. He came across Astoria, Ginny, and Luna along the way, who were being escorted by Violet Rosier, the Charms professor. They were also heading to the headmaster’s office.

“Why are you going to the headmaster’s office?” Harry asked.

"Ginny and I took care of some Ravenclaw bullies who were stealing from Luna," Astoria said, smiling. "Apparently, a Bat-Bogey Hex is too harsh of a punishment for thieves."

Ginny smirked. “I taught her the charm.”

"I wanted to pet the bats, but they flew away before I could catch them," Luna pouted.

Harry grimaced. “When did you become friends with Ginny?”

“The morning following the opening feast. She crashed a car into the Whomping Willow,” Astoria said. “It was a magnificent achievement worthy of my respect. Plus, she used to know Luna when they were younger.”  

Violet sighed. “If I wasn’t a professor, I would have approved of the punishment that the students’ received, but I must set a good example.”

The teenagers grinned at the professor's comment.

"Luna, if anyone bothers you again, please let me know, and I will take care of it," Harry told her.

"It’s all right, Harry," Luna said, smiling sweetly. "People cannot help themselves if they become infected with Nargles. It causes their minds to become fuzzy. Maybe I am a carrier and have passed it on to them."

“I feel fine, though,” Astoria said, and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Why does the fact that the three of you are friends terrify me?" Harry asked.

“Because you are smart,” Astoria said, patting his face.

“Does the punishment warrant a trip to the headmaster's office?” 

“Not usually,” Astoria said. “But the stupid cu… I mean, students complained so much that the headmaster had no choice but to speak to us. But there is another reason why we are going. Ginny needs our support, so we figured we would speak with the headmaster afterwards to get it out of the way.”

“Ginny is meeting with her parents and Amelia Bones,” Violet explained. “They need to talk about what was discovered with Emmeline Vance’s interrogation.”

“I’m surprised it took so long,” Harry murmured.

“Why are you heading to the headmaster’s office?” Astoria asked.

"Apparently, I am weird," Harry said. "The castle is behaving strangely towards me. There was an incident in the DADA class as well.”

"What kind of strangeness?" Ginny asked.

They arrived at the gargoyle statue as soon as she asked the question, and the stairs appeared without requiring a password.

“That kind,” Harry snorted.

They entered the headmaster’s office. Along with the headmaster, his grandmother, Amelia Bones, and the Weasley parents were also there. 

"Perhaps I should have scheduled the meetings better," Flitwick said, smiling. "I need to speak with Ginny first. Can the rest of you wait outside, please.”

“I have nothing to hide from my friends,” Ginny said. “Harry should be here anyway, since he was the one that saved me from those people.”

“We saved each other,” Harry corrected.

“Don’t be disrespectful, Ginerva Weasley,” Molly scolded her.

“Don’t call me that,” Ginny protested. “My name is Ginny.”

"The rest can stay," Amelia said, interrupting them before an argument could start. “I don’t have much to share anyway.”

The teenagers took seats and Amelia proceeded to explain what she had found out from Emmeline Vance.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t discover anything from using Veritaserum on her during the interrogation,” Amelia explained. “She was being protected from some obscure magic that we haven’t come across before. So, we couldn’t discover who the other assailants were who took part in the kidnapping attempt.”  

“So, you didn’t get anything?” Harry asked.

“Not exactly,” Amelia said. “We raided her home and discovered some correspondence from Albus that she didn’t bother to throw away. It confirms that he was the instigator of the kidnapping attempt, and that he was specifically targeting Ginny. You were also a target, Harry, but only if the opportunity presented itself.”

“That comes as no surprise,” Harry muttered.

“Do you know why he is targeting me?” Ginny asked.

Her parents exchanged uneasy glances before Mr Weasley spoke. "We don’t know exactly why, but we had a disagreement with Albus after he suggested that he adopt you because you were special. He didn’t provide much explanation beyond that, and he assumed we would follow his lead like good little subordinates.”

“He actually believed we would give up our baby,” Mrs Weasley sniffed, and her husband patted her hand.

“If he believed Ginny was magically gifted, then there was no need to adopt her,” Minerva said, her lips thinning. “He could have personally taught her himself when she came to Hogwarts. The reason he wanted to adopt her is highly suspect.”

“If he had legal guardianship of her, then he could get away with a lot of despicable things against her.” Amelia s. “It’s unfortunate that children’s rights aren’t better protected in the magical community. Unless we capture Albus, we may never know his reason for wanting Ginny.”

"Albus cut off funding for our children's education after that," Mrs Weasley said, before giving Minerva a grateful look. "If not for you, they might have had to go somewhere else."

“You don’t need to keep thanking me,” Minerva said, waving a hand dismissively. "The Potters have sponsored a large number of children before, so the decision was easy to make."

Amelia revealed some minor details about the interrogation, but there was nothing noteworthy. After that, Harry had to watch as the headmaster lectured Ginny and Astoria about their extreme reaction to Luna's bullying. They looked unrepentant, which made Mrs Weasley angry. But Mr Weasley appeared to approve of Ginny's actions, though he didn’t dare say it out loud.  

After Violet escorted them out, the Weasley parents said their goodbyes and left through the floo. 

Amelia glanced at the headmaster. “Is there a reason why you asked me to stick around?” 

“Harry has a fascinating story to tell,” Flitwick said. “I would like to get your thoughts on it.”

Harry explained all the strange events that happened to him today, including the incident in the DADA class. Minvera sent him a stern look, as if she were blaming him for causing more trouble, which he found to be totally unfair.

“Does this have anything that happened earlier this year?” Amelia asked.

Harry had some thoughts on the matter. He knew that he had become the anchor for the castle wards, although he wasn’t sure what that actually meant. There was also the skill, Warden, he obtained after the incident with Merlin. Perhaps the castle recognised that he was connected to the castle, and that’s why they were paying attention to him.

“I need to ask Lady Hogwarts what it means,” Harry said. “I don’t know what's going on.”

“That is going to be a problem,” Flitwick replied. “She disappeared back into her chamber in the kitchens and is not responding to my summons.”

“What a pain.”

“There are no dangerous incidents, beside the classroom,” Amelia said, checking her watch, “For the moment, I suggest you refrain from any more duels with the professors. Investigate and see if you can find out anything on your own.”

Amela left after that, claiming she needed to return to the ministry.

"Have you still no idea who sent the sorting hat?" Harry inquired, pointing at the object in question.

"No, but we thoroughly examined it to ensure it was not dangerous," Flitwick said. "We believe it was created by a former alumnus who is an enchanter or artisan." 

“This hat is a lot less chatty, but I suppose that would be the case when you aren’t housing a horcrux,” Harry murmured. “May I try it on?”

Flitwick gestured for him to go ahead, and Harry retrieved the hat from the shelf.

“What are you trying to do, Harry?” Minerva asked.

“Just an experiment,” Harry said, before putting the hat on.

‘Hello, is there anyone there?’ Harry asked within his mind.

“Warden,” the hat said in response. “I didn’t expect you to approach me in this manner.”

What the hell does that mean? 

Harry was so taken by surprise that it took him a moment to reply. ‘Who am I speaking to?’

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Harry has an interesting conversation with the sorting hat.

Thanks for reading.