Chapter 21: A Call for Justice
Luna was so happy, she was actually skipping along the corridor while heading down to have breakfast with her friends. Just the thought of having friends waiting on her was enough to have the little blonde second year smiling. Waking up and having all her clothes to chose from was a brilliant start to the day too.
She didn't know what Dobby had done but not one single item of her belongings had gone missing since he returned them. Her bed had also been untampered with, providing the rare opportunity to have a good night's sleep into the bargain. Things were certainly looking up for Luna Lovegood, until she looked up and spotted the trio of girls who were clearly waiting on her.
"Look, the retard can't even walk along the corridor like a normal person."
"Of course she can't, because she's not normal."
"You shouldn't be in Hogwarts, Loony, far less Ravenclaw."
As they were hurling their insults, the trio of witches had moved to physically prevent Luna getting past them. Marietta Edgecombe seemed to be particularly incensed with the blonde Ravenclaw standing in front of them.
"I don't know what you did to keep us out your trunk but there are other ways to show you're not wanted here, and stop you spreading your lies about Ravenclaw."
All three witches were shocked to hear a voice coming from behind them.
"From where I'm standing, Luna's claims that her housemates are bullying her look like the truth to me."
Turning around to find themselves faced by four third year Gryffindors was a bit of a shock, especially since all four already had their wands in their hands.
They weren't too bothered though. After all, they were fourth year Ravenclaws. Cho Chang tried to dismiss them out of hand. "This is a Ravenclaw matter, nothing at all to do with you ruffians…" She soon had a face-full of a growling Harry Potter, his angry green eyes were boring right into her like lasers.
"Luna is family to me and Neville, family means everything to us. Raise your wand against her and I guarantee you will find yourselves in more trouble than you know how to deal with."
This was too much for Marietta. "Oh, big bad Potter - we're so scared. This isn't gullible Gryffindors' you're talking to, we don't buy your tough guy act."
The other fourth year witch started screaming, while pointing at Marietta's face. Cho's shocked expression saw Marietta reaching for her makeup mirror, and letting a scream out herself.
"Potter, what did you do? I demand you fix this - at once."
Harry just smiled at the girl who now had 'BULLY' spelled out by pulsating red spots on her forehead. "Hey, this is a Gryffindor you're talking to, I don't give a shit what any Ravenclaw with a rash wants."
She tried to draw her wand but Hermione's disarming spell saw Marietta shooting fifteen feet along the corridor while landing on her bum, with her wand flying into Hermione's hand.
"As I just said, more trouble than you know how to deal with. Anyone else care to try? No? Well anything happening to Luna and we'll know just where to start - with you three. If there's anyone else involved in this, call them off…"
"What's going on here?" The three Ravenclaws perked up at the appearance of their Head of House. Cho couldn't wait to get their version of events in first, probably because Hermione was too busy using her ring again to cancel her spell on Marietta's forehead.
"Professor, these Gryffindors attacked us in the corridor."
An unrepentant Harry simply told the truth, as he saw it. "We're doing your job for you, Professor. You've had two years to stop the bullying of Luna by her own house, we've put an end to it in two minutes."
Filius was shocked more by the attitude Harry was displaying here, rather than what he was saying. "I can't fix something if I don't know what's happening. You should have approached a member of staff."
"Professor, with respect, the worst bully in the castle is a Head of House. We have a headmaster who thinks Snape can do no wrong, and a Deputy who goes along with whatever Dumbledore says. We have no trust in the staff at Hogwarts."
"Albus Dumbledore is a very wise wizard…"
Harry cut right across the professor, displaying a knowledge of events that surprised the Head of Ravenclaw. "Do you think it was wise of him to set a trap for Voldemort, using the Philosopher's Stone, inside a castle full of children? Where was this wisdom when we had a basilisk the size of a bus roaming the corridors and petrifying students? Hermione figured out what it was, and how it was getting around the school, yet the wise headmaster couldn't. What about the school being surrounded by dementors…"
Cho had clearly heard enough, even Flitwick's presence couldn't dampen her tone. "Potter, you're full of shit. Do you honestly expect us to believe a basilisk was roaming the school? I suppose you personally dealt with it?"
The smile Harry wore was predatory. "Professor, I would like to offer you, and these three students of yours, a once in a lifetime opportunity to go down to the Chamber of Secrets and see the evidence for yourself. We can go right now, trust me that you don't want to eat breakfast before going down there. I'm fed up with people who don't know what they're talking about calling me a liar, perhaps this will shut them up."
Hermione was in Harry's head, trying to help him control his temper. She was only partially successful.
"Dementors make you relive your worst memories. For me, I hear my mother begging Voldemort to kill her, and spare me. Voldemort is such a piece of shit he killed her anyway, before turning his wand onto me. My parents died so I would have a chance to live, I intend to live my life in a way that I hope they would be proud of me. That means I won't stand back and watch my godsister being bullied, or stand for those same bullies calling me a liar. We'll all go down there and then see who's full of shit."
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