It was Thursday, October 31, 1991, and Harry had just sat down at the Ravenclaw table with Padma to eat breakfast when he heard a familiar frustrated sigh near the doors to the Great Hall. He turned to look and saw a redheaded boy dogging Hermione's heels and begged her for a loan of her Nimbus 2000. Hermione told him no, because it had been a gift from her best friend.

The redhead then changed how he asked and Hermione said no again. Harry started to get a bad feeling about it, so he stood and walked over to the Griffindor table and waited for them to approach Hermione's normal seat.

“Oh, come on, Granger! You don't even like flying! At least let someone that knows how to use a broom take it for a ride!” The redhead nearly shouted.

Before Hermione could tell him no again, Harry stepped around her and held a hand out to stop the redhead from following her. The redhead in question was focused on Hermione and didn't see him. He made an 'oof' sound as his chest hit Harry's outstretched hand and stumbled back.

“Hey, what was that for?” The redhead asked and rubbed his chest.

Harry didn't need to read the blue box over the boy's head to tell him that Ron Weasley was a bully. Just his actions in the last minute had told Harry that. He also didn't need to see the relief on Hermione's face for saving her from the boy.

“The lady said no, Weasley.” Harry said in a stern tone.

Ron looked at his Ravenclaw tie and huffed. “It's none of your business.”

“When some idiot bothers one of my best friends, it is my business.” Harry responded.

Ron frowned at him. “You can't call me that.”

“Why? Does the truth hurt?” Harry asked and heard a couple chuckles and Hermione's cute giggle.

Ron's frown changed to a glare. “Go back to your own table, bookworm!”

“Ooo, that compliment actually made my idiot meter buzz. Well done.” Harry said, sarcastically. “Oh, wait. You were trying to be insulting, weren't you? How... original.”

That earned a few more laughs.

Ron looked at his housemates and saw their amused faces. He tried to intensify his glare and it just made him look constipated. “This had nothing to do with you.”

“Considering I'm the one that gave her the broom, it has everything to do with me.” Harry said.

“You?” Ron gasped and then squinted his eyes at him. “Why would you give the know-it-all a broom and not me?”

“I have a tendency to not give expensive gifts to idiots and bullies.”

“Stop calling me that!” Ron nearly shouted.

“Stop being one and I will.” Harry said and felt a hand on his arm.

“Harry, he's not worth getting into trouble over.” Hermione whispered from behind him.

“That's where you're wrong. I hate bullies and there's usually only one way to deal with them.” Harry said.

Hermione caught her breath and her hand tightened on his arm.

“However, you are right that I'd rather not be kicked out of school for wringing an idiot's neck... with so many witnesses around.” Harry looked into Ron's eyes. “Do you understand, idiot? If at any point that you are alone from now on, I will be visiting you to pay you back for bullying Hermione.”

Just then, two tall redheaded twins appeared on either side of Ron.

“Don't worry, Harry. We'll have a few words with our wayward brother.” Fred said and grabbed Ron's left arm.

“Now that we know what he's been doing when we weren't watching him.” George said and grabbed Ron's right arm.

Harry gave them each a look and nodded. “I'll leave him in your capable hands.”

“Thanks, Harry.” Fred and George said at the same time, picked Ron up, and carried him out of the Great Hall.

“H-Harry.” Hermione whispered and Harry turned around to look at her. “Th-thank you.”

Harry smiled and gave her a quick hug. “Friends would have just told him off. Best friends need to make sure he never does it again.”

Hermione blushed and lifted her head to look into his bright blue eyes. “How can you be so forward when you're not even a Griffindor?”

Harry gave her a teasing smile. “If we were older, I could make a joke about having all of the houses inside of me and then I would ask if you wanted to have some of another house inside of you.”

Hermione stared into his eyes as she thought about that, then her eyes widened when she realized what he meant. Her mouth made that little 'o' of surprise before she blushed so hard that her face turned to a deep red almost instantly.

“Why don't we eat at the Ravenclaw table this morning?” Harry said and Hermione nodded. He led her over to the table and sat her next to Padma, then he sat across the table from them and everyone started eating.

“You are so lucky to have asked him to marry you first.” Hermione whispered to Padma.

“I really, really am.” Padma whispered back.

Harry did his best to not let them know that he heard them and ate as if he hadn't just heard that another girl wanted to be his wife. It wasn't because of his fame, power, or money, which made him feel all weird and happy inside. He was almost tempted to want his emotional block back in place, just so he wouldn't react because of his emotions.

When Harry's eyes caught Padma's, hers were filled with possessiveness and happiness, so he let his own eyes match and she gave him a beaming smile. He returned the smile and decided he didn't want the block back in place after all. He didn't want to lessen what he had with her, because it was still growing and he wanted to know where it was going to go.

*

After morning classes, Fifth Year Ravenclaw Prefect Penelope Clearwater ambushed the first years of her house and grabbed the attention of Harry Bones. She informed him about the Headmistress and her order to find him and to bring him to her.

Harry told the others to go ahead to lunch and he followed the pretty fifth year to McGonagall's office. The gargoyle's password was Animagus and the two of them went up the moving staircases and Penelope knocked on the office door.

“Come in.” Minerva ordered.

Penelope opened the door and brought Harry inside. “I've found your lost sheep, Headmistress.”

Minerva's lips twitched. “Thank you, Miss Clearwater. You can switch tonight's patrol schedule with Miss Farley.”

“Thank you!” Penelope gushed. “I can't wait to tell Percy!”

“Dismissed.” Minerva said and the happy girl left the office at a run. After the door closed, Minerva put on a serious air and picked up something from behind the headmaster's desk and put it on the desk.

Harry's eyes squinted as he saw Hermione's broom.

“I confiscated this after someone reported that a first year had brought a broom to school.” Minerva said, her tone accusing.

“The student neither bought it nor brought it to school.” Harry said with forced civility. “There are no rules against receiving gifts, headmistress.”

Minerva bristled slightly at the boy's tone. “Mister Bones, I will have you know that...”

Harry pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and tossed it onto her desk. “That's written permission for Hermione to not only own a broom, she can fly it inside the Great Hall if she so wished!”

Minerva glared at the boy for a moment before she picked up the piece of parchment and read it. It had Albus Dumbledore's signature, his authorization, and a blank permission for Miss Granger to do whatever she wanted. She stared at the thing for almost a full minute before she put it down.

“Why didn't you give this to me before?” Minerva asked.

“Before what?” Harry asked and she didn't answer. “Oh, you mean before you embarrassed yourself!”

Minerva blushed slightly and stayed quiet.

“You don't want to admit that one of your own students is a jealous berk?” Harry asked. “Just because Hermione wouldn't loan him the broom she received as a present from me, no matter how much he begged and how mean he was, he suddenly realized that it's not allowed for first years to have. How does it feel that he set you onto the girl he's been bullying since the first day of school?”

Minerva blushed fully now and remained silent.

“I sincerely hope you return that broom, quite publicly, just like you did when you stole it from her.” Harry said and Minerva winced. “It should also be with a very sincere apology for making Hermione feel even more ostracized from her House and her housemates.”

Minerva nodded and Harry thought about giving her a bunch of permission slips for all of the other first years he had given brooms to. By the look on her face, he could see that it wasn't necessary.

“Have a good day, headmistress.” Harry said and walked out of the office.

Minerva didn't even try to stop him or asked him about what she had wanted to see him about. His Quiddich class.

*

Everyone was in the Great Hall eating when they all felt a very ominous feeling fill the hall. They all stopped eating and turned their heads towards the doorway. There stood something that none of them had ever seen before.

An angry Harry Bones.

“WEASLEY!” Harry yelled and it was so loud that everyone winced and the four redheads at the Griffindor table jumped slightly.

Everyone watched as Harry strode angrily into the room and along the Griffindor table. No one moved or said anything as that ominous feeling became stronger.

Harry stopped beside Ron and glared at him. “You just couldn't let it go, could you?”

Ron's ears turned red. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Harry grabbed him by his collar and picked him up as if he weighed nothing. He punched him in the stomach and then in the face, to the utter shock of everyone, even the teachers.

“You wanted my best friend's broom so badly, so I'm going to give you a broom, too.” Harry said and held a hand towards the Great Hall's doors.

It took a few moments of silence before someone asked what was going on. Just then, the Entrance Hall's doors made a wood shattering sound and part of them broke away as a rotten old school broom flew in and slapped into Harry's hand.

“I hope you choke on it!” Harry shouted and slammed Ron onto his back on the table, which scattered food platters and plates, then he shocked everyone as he shoved that old broom right into Ron's mouth and down his throat. Both the redhead's throat and belly bulged as the broom hit resistance and only a few inches of handle were left sticking out with the bristles and footholds.

Everyone stared, completely speechless, as Harry picked Ron up and then sat him back onto his seat. Ron's head was cranked back and the end of the broom stuck straight up into the air.

“Now you have your own broom. Enjoy it.” Harry said and pat him on the shoulder. “I suggest not moving much. I read a book about sword swallowing and any shifting could cause damage to the stomach and throat. Then again, you say and do whatever you want anyway, no matter how many times you are warned.”

Ron's eyes looked frantic and he made odd sounds.

“No talking, either. It constricts the throat.” Harry said. “It was nice talking to you again, Weasel.”

Everyone watched as he went to Hermione and apologized for Ron's behavior and that the headmistress would be visiting her soon to return her gift. Hermione just stared at him as he walked back over to the Ravenclaw table. No one moved or said anything as Harry sat down and piled his plate with food, ate it all, and then he stood.

“I'm going up to the third floor corridor to destroy the place that can cause a most painful death.” Harry announced and no one reacted as he walked across the room and left.

Ron's pitiful whimper sounds were the only sounds in the nearly deathly quiet of the Great Hall.

Minerva walked into the Great Hall and went down the Griffindor table. She didn't notice the complete silence until she reached Miss Granger. She thought it was fitting and she placed the expensive broom onto the table and then sincerely apologized to Miss Granger for making assumptions and not investigating the allegations before taking action.

When everyone remained silent, Minerva looked around at everyone's staring faces. “What's going on?”

Everyone lifted their hands and pointed back at the Griffindor table. She looked where the fingers pointed and her eyes widened at the sight of the youngest Weasley making a valiant attempt to eat a school broom. It looked to be stuck, however.

“Poppy? If you would be so kind to look after that?” Minerva said and motioned to Ron. “It seems Mister Weasley has something stuck in his throat.”

There seemed to be a huge shuttering gasp from everyone before they all burst out laughing.

*

Harry's hand trembled as he approached the third floor. He made a fist and quickly went over everything that happened and analyzed his emotions. It had actually felt good to put the idiot in his place, he finally decided. It wasn't a permanent solution, so there was a high chance that Weasley would try to get back at him or at Hermione, and that was not going to be allowed.

“Kreacher.” Harry said as he stepped into the right-hand side corridor.

Kreacher popped in and bowed slightly. “Master calls.”

“I need you to keep an eye on Ron Weasley. Discreetly, of course.” Harry said and then thought about it. “Actually, is there an elf spell that stops children from waking at night and making messes?”

Kreacher nodded.

“Then cast that spell on him and you only have to watch him during the day. He is a threat to me and my friends and I want to know if he is planning anything.”

Kreacher smiled. “Can I help you if he is?”

Harry chuckled. “If you go to the Great Hall right now, you might see what I've already done to him.”

Kreacher let out a cackle and popped away.

Harry cast several detection spells at the door to the room and he laughed at the simple locking charm. Behind that was a Cerberus, or a three headed dog, and he took out several steaks as he opened the door and tossed them in. While the dog was busy chowing down, Harry opened the trap door and cast the wall lighting spell.

The devil's snare covered the floor and Harry changed the illumination on the walls to become sunlight. The living vines screeched and fled, only to reveal a hole in the floor. Harry took out his broom and flew down through the hole and opened the door.

A quick immobilization spell and he had the key for the next door. A broom flight over the chessboard and he was through that door. A beheading spell took care of the troll, and the next room had a simple puzzle. He figured it out easily and then cast detection charms on the vials. None of them were poison.

Harry shook his head and drank the right one to pass through the black flames and entered the next room. He laughed at nothing being there, except for a large ornate mirror. He read the inscription and closed his eyes as he went through Voldemort's memories and then Dumbledore's.

It was the Mirror of Erised and was the final trap in Dumbledore's gauntlet for Harry Potter to get through and prove his worth. Harry shook his head and didn't bother touching it as he stored the thing. He would send an owl to Amelia about the object and would ask her what she wanted to do with it.

The time Harry spent there was almost a waste, because it hadn't activated a quest or another dungeon. Then again, he wasn't with Padma. Perhaps he needed her to be around, since the Party System started with 2 members. He would have to come back here and see, even though he had already completed it.

Harry left there and went to the History of Magic classroom. He had some time before class started and he set things up before he sat down and relaxed as he waited for his eager students.