Gryffindor's Pride (1)

a/n; Edited several things since this chapter sounded weird to me.

warning; mild curses near the end

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(THIRD POV)

Thousands of birds flew by the grand hall's open ceiling and started perching on the tables in front of the students. Delivering packages and letters to their owners.

A great grey owl and a snow-white owl landed in front of Iryan and Harry respectively.

Hedwig hooted and handed Harry a letter with his beak which Harry took. He looked confused, who would send him a letter?

Seeing Harry's face, Ron eyed the letter he was holding and asked curiously, "What did you get there?" scooting over to see the worn looking paper on Harry's hand. "Who's it from?"

"A letter…" He opened it and skimmed the content, "From Hagrid, He's asking whether or not I want to join him for tea later…"

Harry read the letter again from top to bottom, making sure he didn't miss anything.

He was grateful for the giant's help and friendliness. But he also sometimes wonders why he's doing all this for him. Does he have a hidden intention?

After all, it wouldn't be a first.

He, after all, had experienced it first hand at how scary friendliness can get when there's a double meaning behind their actions.

"Do you have a quill I can borrow?"

"Yup," Ron gave Harry a Quill and he scribbled a yes on the bottom of the letter,

He was careful, but at the same time curious. Maybe the giant really just wants to have a cup of tea...

"Do you want to join?"

"Can I?"

"Yup, I'm sure Hagrid wouldn't mind," you can also be a witness

"Then I would like to!"

Harry added a line to the letter saying that he'll bring some company and looked at Iryan who had been quiet since the owls came.

"How about you Ryan?"

"Nah, I'm good." Iryan answered, his fingers still on the letter, tracing the content "You go have fun, and say hi to Hagrid for me"

"Ok," Harry nodded and did not pry any further,

(IRYAN'S POV)

"Heh…" I hummed, picking up the teacup and twirling it in a circular motion as to stir the content inside of it. Though, it was only tea there.

The letter was about the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Mr and Mrs. Crowell seem to have to go somewhere and would probably be out of reach for a while. Meaning we, Me and Mateo, would have to spend Christmas at Hogwarts…

Not that I mind, it would be quite different than how it would usually be, yes. But it didn't really bother me. Just…

Matty,

Poor kid, I thought he could finally spend Christmas with his parents—Christmas where he didn't have to wake up early the next day to go somewhere else.

Oh well, guess he was just out of luck.

There's always next year.

I folded the paper and slipped it to one of the pockets in the robe.

"Say, what lesson do we have after this?" I asked after sipping the tea.

"Double potions with Slytherin" Harry was the one who answered, but I could hear Ron blanch from the mentions of it. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, I heard Professor Snape really favours Slytherin—which isn't the main problem. The problem is that, I also heard his really strict to the other houses" Ron grumbled and I heard a soft 'thud' sound from his direction, "I have a bad feeling about that…"

Oof,

I didn't need to see his face to know how pale he probably got by that sentence alone.

.

.

.

...True to his words, the class we had was… an experience—to say the least.

The classroom itself already felt eerie with how chilling the air in there was like. Now that, plus the fact that the professor came strolling in from the back like a vampire before the class started.

His footsteps sounded as clear as crystals, and so did the sound of his flowing cloak.

"There will be no foolish wand-waving nor will there be any silly incantations in my class. Therefore, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art, that is; Potion Making. However, for those who do…"

He kept on going,

His voice followed his footsteps—reaching the front of the class. And by the time he finished. He paused for a few seconds before drawing out, "...Mister Potter, our new… Celebrity"

Aiya?

I could feel Harry tensed at the mention beside me. And Ron, who was seated with Finnigan behind us, probably was thinking something like, 'I knew it' while shriveling up.

"Potter," he called out, "What would happen if I add powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Wow, this professor is really...

Harry shifted and let out a soft sigh, "By adding a powdered root of Asphodel to the Infusion of wormwood, it'll make a sleeping potion known as the living draught"

And clearly, our dear professor wasn't expecting that with how his voice turned scarier than before, "Correct…" he drawled

"Next, what is the difference between Monkshood and wolfsbane?"

...Something,

"They are the same plant, Sir" he answered without missing a beat

Wow~ our Harry is smart~ who would have thought those Lesson's—more like long rambles, in Mr. Crowell's Garden could end up so useful.

"Correct," His tone gotten darker.

There was a noticeable pause before he told us to open a page in the course book. Guess our dear professor finally realized he won't be able to bully Harry so he simply started the lesson.

Making a potion to cure boils

Everyone got paired up, Including me. I guess I was thankful I didn't get paired up with a stranger. But at the same time, I don't think we're that close.

Neville,

"Hello," i greeted him with the most friendly smile i can muster,

"Um, yes. Hi" he meekly answered me,

He somehow reminded me of the first time I met Harry, for some reason. Timid,

"We haven't spoken much, but I hope we can get along?" I try to give him a reassuring smile. But he somehow ended up squeaking… was the smile too forced?

"Can you gather the ingredients? I'll prepare the things we'll need"

"S-sure…"

"Ok, thank you Neville"

"Yea…"

I heard him standing up from his seat and scampering away to the material section of the room. Well, at least he listens to instructions well. And as I had said to him, I started to prepare the cauldron and the things we'll need to make the cure.

It had been quite a while since I last made it. But I should still remember how to make it as Mr. Crowell did.

"Here are the snake fangs, dried nettles, horned slugs, and advil" Neville put them next to me

"Thanks~"

Each of the ingredients had a distinct scent to those who are familiar to them. So navigating through them isn't that hard.

I gave Neville the mortar and the 6 snake fangs and told him to crush them to fine powder, while I heated the cauldron and measured the other ingredients so we just need to add them later.

By the sound of things, our group seem to have gotten out scot-free from the professor's rage with how he just huffed when he passed by.

Which was a true blessing when I managed to hear the small scolding he did to even a Slytherin student and other students about the smallest mistakes.

In the end, Only Malfoy seemed to even get an ounce of praise from that professor. And when we finished, Neville gasped like he hadn't been able to breath the entire time.

(THIRD POV)

"You good?" Iryan asked Neville who sounded like he was suffering from hyperventilation.

"Y-yea…" he whispered, "thanks for stopping me putting those quills when I panic"

"It's ok," Iryan reassured him, "Besides, you look like you actually know what you're doing most of the time you didn't panic"

"My Granny often teach me about things like that—that really could've gotten bad"

"Like?"

"It could have exploded, breaking the cauldron—bad, really bad"

"…ah," Iryan stopped at his tracks a bit, 'I didn't know that. I really prevented a tragedy huh?' he thought,

The hallway was practically empty, the only ones there was their group of students who just finished potions

"Anyways, uh.. Crowell, I'll be excusing myself first" Neville fidgeted around,

"Just call me Ryan, and yes. See you around" Iryan waved towards him with a smile

"Ok, see you around, R- Ryan" Neville shot him a gleeful smile before running off to who knows where.

Iryan waved him off for a while before putting his hand down. "How long are you just going to stare at me Robbo-boy?" he asked,

Mateo hummed, straightening his posture that was just leaning back "Was waiting until you finish talking with Longbottom, which is now." He walked towards Iryan, "Potter is getting held up by Snape, Did he offend him somehow?"

"None that I can think of, but with how his speech at the beginning of the lesson was sung out. His whole existence is probably an offence to that professor" Iryan laughed dryly

Mateo stared at Iryan who was now leaning to the windowsill. He wasn't a conversation starter, so he just opted to look towards the window and take in the view.

It wasn't the first time he passed by this hallway, but the view here—no matter how many times he saw it, still amazed him how calming it was.

"Did you get the letter from your parents?"

"Father and Mother?"

"The Christmas holiday, are you going to stay at Hogwarts or will you go off with Mrs. Flickchered again?"

"I'll be staying at Hogwarts, '' Mrs. Flickchered said she would be doing something related to… automatons? I don't know the specifics, but from the letter, It seemed urgent"

"Heh…" Iryan hummed, enjoying the evening breeze from the opened window

"Yea,"

They enjoyed the remaining time in comfortable silence when a certain red-head's voice broke it.

"I still can't believe you did that to Snape!" Ron mused, "Fred and George would love to hear it,"

"Please don't…" while Harry sighed with a faint blush on his face, but he seemed to have already accepted his fate, "I was just use to dealing teachers like him in my previous school"

"Wow, your school must've really sucked—Oh! Hey Ryan! Mateo is here too!"

The red head greeted them; Harry's eyes also showed slight relief when he saw them.

"You should have seen how Harry dealt with Sna—Mmpfftt???" Harry closed his mouth with his free hand and looked at Iryan,

"Let's go somewhere first, we're going to bother the other's if we talk in the hallway"

Iryan mused at the display while Mateo merely raised an eyebrow. "Okay," Iryan chuckled.

After he was released, Ron pouted but still kept his mouth shut for the most of it, though he did keep on mumbling something.

"Oh wait—didn't you have to go meet Hagrid?"

"Yea, we'll be going after this." Harry answered, he then looked towards Iryan, "How about you?"

"Me? I'll be going to the library. There is something I want to check. Matty will come with me" He replied chipperly

While Mateo looks both surprised, deadpanned, and seems to be expecting it all at the same time. "Since when—"

"Since now" Iryan gave him a benign smile

…

After parting with Harry and Ron, Mateo let Iryan hold his hand and led him to the library.

"What are you searching to begin with?" he ask on the way to the library, "I didn't know you like to study with the amount of complaints I always heard every time I visit"

"Just because I complained doesn't mean I don't" Iryan replied, "besides, It's related to my 'cousins' this time"

"Avery?"

"Yea,"

Mateo wanted to ask more about what Iryan meant, but seeing the smile Iryan always had became a bit strained, he refrained. After all, all the info he wanted to know will come to him eventually.

So he'll just wait,

Unless it's urgent.

He won't ask,

"Your breathing is becoming hitched— you curious?

Ah… he was caught,

"Don't worry, it's just a simple curiosity of who's in the family that went to Hogwarts before. They should have it right? A graduation book"

Mateo didn't answer immediately, and Iryan also didn't urge him.

"Maybe?" he answered after a while, albeit uncertain. He never went to Hogwarts nor heard any book like that from his Father or his mother. So how would he know?

"I'll take that as a positive"

"Why are you curious to begin with?"

"Hm?"

They finally arrived at the door to the library, but they didn't immediately enter.

Iryan pondered, "I heard most Witches and Wizards here attend Hogwarts in their early years. So as a pureblood, most—if not all, the Avery should have gone here, right?

If that's the case… I can also, maybe, figure out the bastard that did it" he said, the smile that was always on his face made his sentence seem… intimidating.

Mateo noted,

"After all, I was just a kid, I didn't really know who were my aunt and who were my uncles back then"

Mateo stared at the blonde in front of him. He remembered this was the very guy who was saying he would avoid all interaction with the Avery's-- he was at a point shivering at the mention of them. Well look at the irony.

Why-- no, what made him change his mind?

Mateo could only frown before sighing in defeat. Of course, he would be curious.

"I'll help you sort it out when I can"

Iryan chuckled, "We can only meet up on Fridays or weekends with how our schedule works. So I'll take what I can"

Opposite of what Mateo was thinking, Iryan laugh in his mind 'Info of people to avoid to lead a peaceful life'

(OMAKE)

In the library, they sat at the table near the window.

Iryan sat there while reading through the most recent graduation book while Mateo went off to search for the other graduation book years.

"These are the next batch; I think we'll just do this much for today"

"Ok, thanks for the hard work" Iryan said while still keeping his focus on the book in front of him, tracing every single line with his fingers.

It was not that hard to make the book's letter turn to braille. All they had to do was to change / add a rune at the cover of the cover to make the letters in it change.

Magic… is truly a blessing.

Mateo also took a seat and started reading a book himself.

Iryan noticed it and smirked, "There sure are a lot of witches huh?"

A deep feeling Mateo hadn't felt for a while resurfaced and his hold on the book tightened. He warily looked up and saw Iryan who was smirking, "Where are you going with this?"

"I wonder 'witch' year my mom was in"

"Iryan—"

"'Witch' ever year it was, my dad was one lucky fellow to meet her"

"…"

"😊"

"…" Mateo stared at him and sighed, "I swear—You're starting to sound worse than Father..."