Harry Potter The Surprise

Albus and Minerva left the infirmary with satisfied grins on their faces. Purging potions were indeed very unpleasant - and both thought these two students deserved a little softening of their attitudes to authority figures - namely themselves.

Neither would have felt as smug had they known the potions Poppy was now administering their students tasted of strawberries, and was nothing more than a placebo Poppy had developed to 'help' homesick first years. When Poppy Pomfrey told you 'this will make you feel better' she was believed.

The Headmaster and his deputy had barely left the infirmary when Harry offered his apologies to the Hogwarts Healer.

"Madam Pomfrey, I'm really sorry for dragging you into this..."

"Nonsense, after what happened the other night, I was always going to be leaving Hogwarts. You were just about to announce your lordship, and tell Dumbledore to stick his school where the sun doesn't shine. While I certainly believe that will happen in the near future, I don't think either of you are quite ready for that step yet."

Knowing they had a trusted ally here, Hermione let the healer into some of their tentative plans. "We are currently looking into getting a base, outside Britain, where we and some of our friends could be taught by tutors."

"Luna made a throwaway comment though that has both of us thinking, she said 'why not open your own school'. While we're nowhere near ready for that step yet, we're thinking in terms of months - not years. Whatever route we go down, new school or tutoring a group of friends, there would always be a place for you there."

Hearing that had Poppy grinning. "From the moment I first met you, Miss Granger, I could see the ambition leaking out of every pore. I thought it was only your circumstances of birth that stopped the hat placing you in Slytherin."

"Opening your own school though, in direct competition with Hogwarts and Dumbledore, only a couple of Gryffindors could come up with something as bold as that. I'll hold back and see what develops but, like you both, leaving Hogwarts is certainly in my future. Now hold still Mr Potter, this is quite tricky to cast."

"What did you do to him?"

Hearing the concern in the young witch's voice, and remembering that these two took down Albus Dumbledore, Poppy was now thinking she should probably have explained what she was going to do before casting.

"Hermione, I feel fine. What's the matter?"

"You don't look fine…"

"Miss Granger, the potion I supposedly just gave you would leave you looking like that. If you two are sitting here the picture of health, the Headmaster will soon see through us. Hold still now."

Harry got to see first hand what had alarmed Hermione. Her skin colour had paled dramatically, and even had an underlying tint of green in there too. Her face also appeared drawn, with her hair that so typified Hermione now hanging like a wet dishrag. Harry was seriously impressed.

"Madam Pomfrey, this is genius. The three of us saw how low Dumbledore will stoop to get what he wants, and we just seem to be attracting trouble at the moment. We'll quite happily stay here until the Express takes us home."

....

With Harry and Hermione being held in what amounted to quarantine within the infirmary, things inside Hogwarts settled down once more. Minerva was just thinking they may actually make the holidays without any more incidents when she felt the buzz start to go around the hall.

Looking up from her breakfast, she spotted small groups of students gathered around and obviously reading something. Since her own Prophet had yet to be delivered, Minerva didn't know what was causing the latest stir. She was soon to find out however as a blonde second year Ravenclaw witch approached the staff table.

"Professor, I know you don't subscribe but Harry paid for four copies of our latest issue, a paper for three Heads of House and the Headmaster. Could you hand them out please? I don't want to get into the same trouble Harry did the other morning."

Luna handed over four copies of The Quibbler, and then got out of there as quickly as possible. Harry had also paid to ensure there were a couple of issues on all four of the house tables, but she wasn't for mentioning that.

She certainly wasn't going to mention that there were copies currently winging their way to members of the Hogwarts school board, or a number of people at the ministry either. Luna wasn't in Ravenclaw because she was stupid.

Understanding Harry Potter would never buy Severus anything, even a newspaper as crazy as The Quibbler, she handed copies to Filius, Pomona and Albus before unrolling her own issue and almost choking at what she saw there.

A picture of Mr Potter and his friends standing beside the body of an enormous rotting basilisk took up half of the front page. The headline though was the real clincher, it cut straight to the heart of the matter almost as effectively as the famous sword Harry had used to slay the beast he was pictured with.