TSS: Chapter 15: The Gods of Irony

> *“Charlus!” Harry tried desperately. “I know what this looks like but I promise you, I did nothing! I was wandering the school and-“ but before he could finish, Weasley had drawn his wand. A second later, Granger had followed, and both wands were suddenly trained on Harry.*
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> *“Don’t move!” Hermione said forcefully as Ron began crying out, screaming about a tragic scene to draw the attention of the crowd. Subconsciously, Harry took a step towards the passageway. “You’re not going anywhere, Potter,” Granger said shrilly. “Stay where you are or I swear I will curse you.”*
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— Harry, trying to reason with Gryffindors, always a losing strategy.

## Summary:

Charlus tails The Weasley Terrors. Harry gets his invitation to the Weitts' Samhain Gala. After breakfast, Harry and Charlotte have a private conversation where the latter confides in Harry. Charlus gets confirmation that the Twins were responsible for the prank-gone-wrong on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Harry is tutored on the nature of 'dark' magic by Emily. Charlotte teaches Mulciber and Jugson a lesson. Harry stumbles into an uncomfortable on the night of Samhain.

## Plot:

**October 15th, 1992:** After a rather successful Quidditch practice, the Weasley Twins depart the Gryffindor Changing Room talking about ideas for pranks. Unbeknownst to them, they are followed by Charlus under his Invisibility Cloak in a bid to determine if they were responsible for the prank pulled on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

**October 17th, 1992:** Over breakfast with his friends, Harry receives his invitation for the Weitts' Samhain Gala. That leads them to discuss the events that transpired during the previous one. When the conversation turns to politics, Harry ends up thinking about the article published on October 13th by The Daily Prophet that basically slandered The Muggle Protection Act — thus marking a complete change in tune by the newspaper.

After breakfast, the friends split up, with Harry wishing to speak in private to Charlotte. He leaves the breakfast table alone and uses a secret passage that lead near the Slytherin Common Room. To gain Charlotte's attention, he starts 'thinking loudly' — his method works and soon Charlotte separates from Ginny and Laine and heads out towards him. Harry brings her to his private training room where they end up talking a little bit about the Mind Arts. Eventually, they get to the real reason behind Harry's desire for a talk — the reason behind Charlotte's question about Millicent Bulstrode a couple of days back. Charlotte ends up confiding in Harry by explaining to him the whole situation and the two of them try to figure out the reason behind the attack. The main working theory presented by Charlotte is that the attackers are egged on by an older student, most likely one with a grudge against her sister.

**October 18th, 1992:** After another Quidditch practice the Gryffindor team congregate in the Changing Room. There, their Captain, Oliver Wood, informs them that the match schedule for the season has been set and that their first game is on November 7th against the Slytherin team. When the team is dismissed, Charlus approaches the Weasley Twins and together they head towards the Forbidden Forest for a private conversation. There Charlus manages to get a confession and a explanation for the Twins' prank-gone-wrong on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Satisfied, as he deems it an honest mistake, he decides not to report them to Dumbledore, but, to eventually let Harry know, as he deems him deserving of knowing.

**October 19th, 1992:** Around dinner time, Pansy is dragged into an abandoned classroom by Draco and his group. There she is confronted for her ditching them for Potter. The tension in the room is high as the verbal spar ensues, but, right before a physical confrontation can start they are disturbed by the arrival of Harry and Charlotte.

A couple of minutes earlier, in the Great Hall, Harry notices the absence of Pansy and of Draco's group. Suspecting that something was afoot, he leaves the Great Hall, with Charlotte hot on his heels to provide backup. They arrive at the abandoned classroom where Pansy is held. There, Harry tells Draco to stop harassing Pansy and bails her our of the situation she had found herself in.

**October 24th, 1992:** Harry is once again participating in the dueling club organized by Calypso. After losing his duel with Calypso he watches the duel between Cassius and Hestia. Cassius ends up losing when Hestia hits him with the blinding spell, this leads Harry to learn the counter from Calypso. A conversation ensues between Harry and Calypso on the nature of magic, more specifically if there is any merit to the Ministry's classification on magic as 'dark'.

Back in the Slytherin Dorms, Harry has a conversation with Emily via the enchanted diary. There, he finds out, that in truth, 'dark' magic is not addictive, but, instead, powerful magic is addictive, and a lot of 'dark' spells require powerful magic to cast. The problem with some casters stemming from the fact that when using 'dark' magic they base it on emotions rather then intent, thus plunging themselves in a state of negative emotions.

**October 25th, 1992:** Charlotte is in the Library with Ginny and Laine under the guise of working on an assignment. When Derrick Mulciber, whom she was spying on, is about to leave, she packs up her things and follows after him. On his way out of the Library she bumps into him, in the process quickly scanning his mind with Legilimency — thus finding out about his plans to ambush her. So, using the passageway from the Library to the dungeons that Harry showed her, she intercepts him, ambushes him and drags him to the room used by Mulciber and Alex Jugson as a meeting place of sorts. She decides to wait for the latter boy, when he arrives he is stuck with a full-body bind and Charlotte delivers her warning for him before taking her leave.

**October 28th, 1992:** After showering in the Slytherin Changing Room at the conclusion of a Quidditch practice, Harry is greeted by Charlus who wants to talk to him. Harry agrees and they end up having a private conversation in the castle, with Charlus apologising for acting like a git, Harry explaining to Charlus that he does not believe in blood purity and that his problem with muggles is completely unrelated. Harry warns Charlus in the end that at the moment he does not consider him a friend, due to Charlus previous behaviour, but, that he is willing to try to rebuild their relationship.

**October 31st, 1992:** After Harry's friends leave for the feast, Harry decides to challenge the Gods of Irony by thinking that nothing worse than last year's Samhain troll encounter could happen. He then decides to wonder the castle.

Meanwhile, the Golden Trio head out towards the Deathday party organized by Nearly Headless Nick to celebrate his death.

Some hours later, Harry proceeds to return to the Slytherin Common Room from his wanderings in order to prepare for the Weitts' Samhain Gala. On his way back he hears a raspy voice that scares him, he decides to flee from it and stumbles in front of the second-floor girls bathroom where Mrs. Norris is hanged and petrified before a wall covered in writing that acclaims the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Before he could leave the scene of the crime, is is caught in that position by The Golden Trio. While Harry is distracted by the situation, Hermione decides to take matters into her own hands, decides that Harry is guilty and disarms and body-binds him.