He Who Walks Between Worlds

Five Good Things

Beginning Notes

Warnings: Bullying

All characters (except for Holpey) are owned by J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.

Harry

Harry stared in disbelief at Hermione's retreating figure. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't see what was right in front of her nose. 

"I believe you, mate," Ron said.

"Thanks," Harry said. "We need to do something."

"Do what?" Ron asked.

"We need to learn what di Angelo is up to. I can keep an eye on him with the Marauder's Map, but that won't tell us what he's doing."

Ron shrugged. "I dunno. Hermione probably would, but she's mad at us right now. We can ask her when she gets over it."

Harry glanced over at Hermione, who was placing tangles of string that only vaguely resembled cloth around the room then covering them with bits of paper. "What is she doing?"

Ron looked equally bewildered. "Who knows why Hermione does what she does. Oy! Hermione! What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" 

"They're hats for house-elves," she said briskly now stuffing her books back into her bag. "I did them over the summer. I'm a really slow knitter without magic but now I'm back at school I should be able to make lots more."

"You're leaving out hats for the house-elves?" said Ron slowly. "And you're covering them up with rubbish first?"

"Yes," said Hermione defiantly, swinging her bag on to her back.

"That's not on," said Ron angrily. "You're trying to trick them into picking up the hats. You're setting them free when they might not want to be free."

"Of course they want to be free!" said Hermione at once, though her face was turning pink. "Don't you dare touch those hats, Ron!"

She turned on her heel and left. Ron waited until she had disappeared through the door to the girls' dormitories, then cleared the rubbish off the woolly hats.

"They should at least see what they're picking up," he said firmly. "Hey, wait. We could ask the house elves to spy on di Angelo for us."

"That's a great idea!" Harry said, springing up from his chair. "Lets go now."

"It's after curfew," Ron pointed out. 

"I have the invisibility cloak."

They waited until everyone had gone to bed before slipping on the invisibility cloak and creeping down to the kitchens. Harry tickled the pear on a picture of a bowl of fruit and the portrait swung silently open. Even though it was nearly midnight, the kitchens were still bustling. A swarm of elves converged on them, and in the corner, a pale boy with black hair looked up.

"What are you doing here," Harry demanded of Nico di Angelo. He just cocked a maddening eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"We were hungry," Ron said. di Angelo said nothing.

"Well, what are you doing," Harry asked. 

"I couldn't sleep."

"So you decided to do dishes?" Ron asked incredulously, and Harry noticed for the first time that di Angelo's hands were covered in soapy suds.

Di Angelo shrugged. "Why not?"

All this time,  the house-elves had been bustling around, and now they came up with a platter of tea and cakes. "Would Masters Ronald and Harry like tea and cakes? What about you Master Nico?"