Harry Potter: Don't touch

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Not long after the incident at the Quidditch match, Harry began to spend most of his free time with Zhou. So now Potter didn't have time for many other things: he had last seen Ron Weasley at the beginning of the month, on his birthday, and Harry had also temporarily stopped learning new spells and stopped listening to - reading? - Riddle's advice. In fact, he'd only interacted with Justin during lessons and meals. Finch-Fletchley, by the way, noticed everything perfectly, and Potter often saw his sly and understanding smile. Justin, however, unlike his usual behaviour, kept quiet and didn't make any jokes, and Harry was grateful to him for that. He began to have more and more fun in the company of Colin Creevey, who had become a sort of temporary replacement for Potter.

Harry Potter's regular meetings with Zhou began thanks to Zhou's own initiative. The day after she left the Hospital Wing, she invited him for a walk around Hogsmeade, and from that moment on they practically never parted during the day. Potter had told her almost all of his secrets: he'd told her about the Wishing Room, Moody, the invisibility mantle, and even Riddle. Chang had told him some secrets as well, but they seemed rather petty compared to his secrets. Here, for example, were a few of those stories:

She had her first magical outburst when she was still in her early childhood. At daycare during a walk, she liked to dig up worms and put them in a small bucket. Once in one of such walks one girl, seeing Zhou's actions, started to call her names rudely - for that age, of course - and pushed her. And during the push something happened to this girl ... True, about the further history is silent. Chang was ashamed of this event, and she refused to tell what exactly happened, just said that nothing good, and that ended her story. Harry was still tormented with curiosity and speculated as to what might have happened then. He was sure it had something to do with the worms, but just how? A bunch of worms appeared and attacked the girl? Had the girl herself turned into a giant worm? Did the worms take over the world?

The second serious incident happened shortly before entering Hogwarts; the girls in Zhou's class regularly teased her and called her narrow-minded. And then one day, after another round of teasing, they themselves changed their appearance as if they were from some Asian country. Needless to say, after it all came back in about an hour, the name-calling stopped, and with Chang no one else from the classmates did not communicate.

In general, she had magical outbursts quite often: entertainment magazines turned into smart books when Mr and Mrs Chang checked what their daughter was reading. When Zhou was in fourth grade, the scales that showed too much value after she stood on them simply turned to dust.

Compared to Potter's secrets, such petty secrets weren't even close, and in fact, it could be said that almost nothing interesting happened to Zhou four years of Hogwarts - except for the skull fracture she received due to Harry's own actions. So Potter's conversations with Zhou were not filled with some fantastic and interesting topics, on the contrary, they discussed quite ordinary things that happen day in and day out.

* * *

Harry had planned to spend April, as well as March, with Zhou, but unexpectedly Justin interfered with their tandem. On his day off, after breakfast, when Potter had made a habit of heading to the claw table, Justin followed him:

- 'So, I understand you've got romance and all that,' he said when Zhou asked what exactly he was doing here. - But Harry and I only see each other in class, Quidditch practice, and at night if he comes back to the bedroom before I've had a chance to sleep. It doesn't work like that, either you two are a couple and then I won't bother you, or you're just a couple of good friends, but then I'll be walking with you from now on!

Needless to say, from that day onwards Justin travelled steadily with them. Harry had tried to talk him out of it once before lights out, but he wouldn't make any concessions.

- No, I stand by what I said earlier: if I don't intervene now, you'll be stupid for another two years. You guys have been practically walking hand in hand for a month and nothing!

- Shit, Justin, I know you're trying to help... But you're not! - Harry tried to call him to his senses. - You're embarrassing me and Zhou with the weird statements you throw out every now and then.

- Well, now, if she didn't like you, she wouldn't be embarrassed, at least I don't think so... Well, if you want less of that sort of thing, fine, I'll stop. But we'll still walk together.

Harry stared at his hard-headed friend.

'No, we need to do things differently here...' he decided. - What was it Riddle claimed? Lying is a powerful weapon, but when you combine it with cunning, the weapon becomes deadly. Right?"

- What are you getting at us for? You've got Hermione. Ron said on the first of March that he asked her out! She hasn't really responded yet, but I'm sure he won't stop trying, even if she says no.

In fact, Ron stated that he only "wants" to ask her out, but Justin will never elaborate on that fact.

- Oh, he's going for it," Justin said thoughtfully. - Well, who cares, as Uncle Peter said, girls come and go, but best friends last forever.

Another time Harry might have felt through Finch-Fletchley's words, but certainly not under these circumstances.

No matter how hard Potter tried, such quiet sit-downs with Zhou were constantly disrupted by Finch-Fletchley's actions and words. His behaviour could be divided into two types, and Harry couldn't decide which of these types he hated more. The first type consisted of Finch-Fletchley being more silent, but looking at Harry with that expressive look that was interpreted as "Well, what are you going to do already? Perhaps you need some help? I can give you a push after all, you just say the word!".

Justin's second type of behaviour was to talk about stuff and practice his wit on Potter. As a result, conversations with Zhou would turn into Finch-Fletchley conversations, with Chang acting as a listener. However, as Harry had once found out, the other wasn't as bothered by it as he was.- A week ago, Professor Lupin asked me to write an essay on redcaps," Finch-Fletchley's switch to the second type of Finch-Fletchley behaviour usually began with a story. - And I didn't just write about the Red Caps, I wrote about the Dementors, because we have to go through them anyway, don't we? And we have live representatives, so to speak, objects of research, and all I had to do was to go to the border of the school territory and watch the behaviour of these creatures. I've noticed, by the way, that if you watch them from afar, you don't get any bad vibes. Perhaps they aren't as bad as they seemed to me on the train, though, they're being moved away from Hogwarts soon anyway. After the test, Lupin said that both of my essays were great, and that he wouldn't give me less than a Satisfactory for the exam, even if I didn't attend! Defence Against the Dark Arts is a cool subject after all!

The Dementors really should have left Hogwarts soon. Sirius Black's behaviour was still a mystery to everyone. He had somehow snuck past the dementors, mistaken the Hufflepuff drawing room for the Gryffindor drawing room, then shown himself to Ron Weasley, left Hogwarts and gone, as the muggle witnesses claimed, to some island. Harry was under the impression that Sirius had simply hidden something important in the tower when he was a Gryffindor student, and then after all these years, had taken it away as soon as he had the chance. Could it have been related to last year's attacks?

- I know someone who told me that defence against the dark arts is useless crap," Harry looked at Justin expressively.

- Who is this person? Tell me who he was, and I'll smack him upside the head for being so stupid.

- Actually, it was you," Harry laughed. - You said that in first and second year, and when Snape replaced Lupin, you said you'd ask Dumbledore to remove it from the compulsory programme. Now make good on your promise and kick yourself in the head!

- No, that won't do," Justin pondered for a moment. - If it was me, then I'll hit you over the head.

- What?!" Harry choked on the logic. - What does that have to do with anything?

- Nothing," Finch-Fletchley shrugged.

Zhou giggled softly, and Potter turned his attention back to her.

- So that's it, then? I see, you two are in this together now. I thought he was pissing us both off, and now it's like....

- Harry, no! I just liked the joke, it's nothing like that.

- I'm fine.

- There! We don't need you, Harry. - Justin jumped in.

- ...I realise he's pissing us both off, I was joking too, don't take it seriously.

- No, you're not. - Finch-Fletchley kept up. - You're just pissing her off and she won't tell you!

- Oh, well, that's good, then, cos I was beginning to think so.

- Don't listen to him, Zhou, let's go to the Great Hall!

- Listen, I've got an idea, let's go to your living room, there's a riddle in there...

- Don't listen to him, I'm telling you!

- ...It's a password and he's not clever enough to solve it, we'll be safe there.

- Well, I actually-" Zhou hadn't really gotten into the spirit of Harry and Justin's friendship yet and wasn't sure what she should do, but then Finch-Fletchley decided to intervene in their dialogue again:

- Hey, why are you ignoring me?

- You know what, let's go! - Zhou said decisively.

They went into the drawing room, Finch-Fletchley of course followed them, but just before they entered they sped up, quickly answered a simple riddle about a phoenix and fire, and slipped into the drawing room. For two hours they talked about all sorts of things, until at last a dozen Clawbacks came into the drawing room, along with Professor Flitwick and a pissed-off Justin.

- What kind of arsehole comes up with an entrance system like that! - He was indignant. - How was it even possible to figure it out? Good thing the Hat didn't send me to Ravenclaw, I wouldn't have left the living room at all.

- Was it hard? - It took a lot of effort on Harry's part to make sure his phrasing didn't show even a tinge of the schadenfreude he now felt.

- Oh, shit! Tell me, Zhou, seriously? Do you always stand in front of the door for two hours and play guessing games like complete idiots?

- Well, actually, we almost always solve the riddles on the first or second try, sometimes, however, we get something very difficult and then our Dean, Professor Flitwick, helps us. There's some sort of system in the door to alert him. Like, if about ten people can't solve a riddle, he'll know about it.

- Oh, great, so I'm the lucky one. Okay, you win, I won't bother you anymore, I just need a word with Harry, I remembered I have something to tell him.

- I'll be right back, Zhou," Harry said.

He retreated with Justin to a corner of the living room.

- If you're going to go on about your-

- I mean Riddle," Finch-Fletchley said. - Remember I said I'd look him up?

- Well, what did you find?

- He's a murderer, he's been killing people in droves! - Finch-Fletchley made a scary face.

- What, what's this nonsense? - Harry's heart was racing.

Was Tom lying all the time?Justin made a face and laughed:

- Just kidding, I was just getting back at you for that pleased look you gave me when I got here. Actually you were right, you can be proud of yourself. Your Riddle is actually just a nerd who got P's in every subject except transfiguration, he even has some sort of trophy for services to the school. And to be honest, I didn't even think he'd been here, I thought someone had thrown him in here on purpose so he could attack a basilisk, because I was thinking that just when I noticed him at your place, the attacks stopped. I confess he gave me quite a scare that summer, so I imagined.... Anyway, like I said, you were right, I was wrong, be proud. I'm going to go, try not to be stupid and confess to Zhou at least before exams.

Justin headed out of the living room, on the way he said something to Professor Flitwick, causing him to look at him reproachfully. Potter turned back to Zhou. The April day was coming to a smooth end.