Parseltongue- Harry speaking ; snakes speaking

'mind talking/ communicating'

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The first priority on Harry's mind was to find Hermione. Over the two months that had passed, Harry had observed a lot of people. From Hermione, he had picked up that Hermione seemed to always be studying, trying to get perfect marks on each score and cramming all the information into her brain. He also learned the she seemed not to know how to make any friends, and when she hung out with the group or the surprise birthday party, he noticed how she always seemed to be in a daze when people included her in conversations. She hid all of this very well, but Harry, who was accustomed to reading people, courtesy of the Dursleys, came across the little things and tried to make it his goal to help her come out of her shell. And right now, she needed someone to reassure her that whatever that was said wasn't true. (The Dursleys would have a fit if he didn't understand a simple gesture. If he immediately didn't understand what they wanted, then, well, life is cruel sometimes.)

Harry ran, or basically walked as fast as he could, across Hogwarts, trying to find someone. After a while, he spotted them coming out of the Transfiguration classroom, along with Lee Jordan. Harry quickly rushed over.

"Hey, Lee, Fred and George!" he said, catching their attention. He ignored the looks he received when a Slytherin called out to three Gryffindors. The three turned to him, noticing the aura around him. Without a word, Lee dragged them away into a more private area.

"Hello Harry," Lee said.

"What can we-"

"do for you?" Fred asked.

"I need your help," Harry answered as he caught his breath. "Hermione ran off after a comment made by, um, someone. Can you help me find out where she is?"

"Say no more," the three said simultaneously.

"Have you told him about the map?" Lee asked.

"No-," Fred started.

"But now we can."

Harry by now had calmed down very much and watched in excitement as George took out a familiar parchment out from his robes. Scabbers caught and started climbing up Harry's leg. He scooped him up and cradled him in his hands.

"How come Scabbers is always hanging around Harry?" Lee wondered. But everyone ignored him.

"This here, Harrykins,-"

"is the secret to our success."

"George, if you will." Said twin pulled out his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly, starting from the center, ink started to appear, spreading throughout the parchment. It read, Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's Map. Scabbers wiggled around in Harry's arms. Harry had to hide a smirk as he gently stroked his uncle. Oh, he knew what Scabbers was thinking.

"We owe them so much," said Fred, getting a dreamy look in his eyes.

"So basically this map shows-," Harry was cut off by Fred.

"Everyone."

"Where they are-"

"What they're doing.-"

"Every minute-"

"Of every day."

Before Fred even finished his line, Harry was already looking around where Hermione could have gone. He finally found her name in the girl's restroom on the first floor.

"There!" he said, pointing at her name. Everyone huddled closer to observe the map. "Now what are we going to do?" Harry wondered aloud. He scanned over the map again and saw his friends getting closer to where they were hidden.

"Hmm, I know!" Lee exclaimed. "Why don't we wait until all the girls beside Hermione are out, then one of us stands guard to warn us if someone is approaching."

"But aren't we invading someone's privacy by entering the opposite gender restroom?" Harry asked.

"True. Sorry, didn't think of that part."

"Well, does anyone-"

"have any other ideas?" George finished.

"Why don't we ask one of the girls to bring her out? Then we could take her somewhere private and comfort her."

"Hmm, not bad. Okay, let's do it," Lee said. Harry glanced once more at the map, and saw his friends a few feet away.

"How do you put the map away?" he asked, faking confusion.

"You tap your wand at the parchment and say 'Mischief Managed'. The ink will instantly disappear."

"Brilliant. Now, let's go out."

As soon as Harry exited the archway, he bumped into Draco.

"Harry!" he cried. "There you are. We've been searching everywhere for you!" He helped him get up and brushed off dust from his robes.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled. "I didn't mean to worry you." Draco sighed.

"It's alright. Do you feel better now?"

"Mhm."

"Great."

"Now, what happened? Why did Hermione run off?" Harry looked up to see Neville. Behind him were Susan and Hannah. He wondered when they joined Draco in his quest to find him, but he ignored that part.

"I'll tell you later. Right now we need to find her," Harry replied.

"We think-" Fred started.

"She might be in the restroom."

"Lead the way."

Once they got to the restroom, Hannah and Susan went inside to retrieve Hermione. The boys anxiously waited outside, wondering if their bookworm was alright. After five minutes, the girls came out.

"Harmione!" Harry exclaimed. After a split second of hesitance he flung himself upon the girl. His action surprised everyone, since Harry didn't seem to like others touching him and was never the one to give a hug.

He pulled himself away from his friend and said, "I was so worried about you! Are you okay? You know whatever Ron said isn't true. You are not a nightmare and you are surrounded by people who are your friends! You are absolutely brilliant and if he can't see it then he is not worth your time."

His eyes were filled with so much sincerity and he spoke in such a no-argument tone that Hermione didn't doubt him for a second. She burst into tears again and this time she flung herself upon him. Harry stiffened for a second but immediately hugged back. The two stayed there, taking in comfort from one other. Their friends simply stood beside them, watching the scene with a smile. After a few minutes, Hermione pulled back, rubbing away her tears and smiling.

"Thank you Harry, it means a lot to me." Harry gave her a sweet smile in return.

"Wait, what happened?" Susan asked.

Draco explained, "Weasley insulted Granger which caused her to run. Harry lost his composure and lashed out, scaring the wits out of everyone who spectated." He laughed at the end.

"You know you can call me Hermione, right? And Harry lashed out?" she turned to look at the green-eyed boy.

Harry looked down and mumbled, "He insulted you and made you upset. I was already pretty stressed and that was the final straw."

"The final what?" the purebloods asked. The ones who were accustomed to muggles giggled.

"Oh Harry," Hannah said. She then pulled him into a hug.

"Blimey, guys, it's almost time for the feast!" Lee exclaimed after he cast a tempus charm. The group bid farewells and rushed to their respective dormitories, dropping their things and changing into their robes. Then they walked to the Great Hall. The hall was decorated to Halloween theme. The sky above was enchanted to look like a clear sky with a full moon. There were carved pumpkins floating above them, and the ghosts were chatting with anyone who would listen. For the feast, the group sat at their own tables. After Dumbledore finished his speech, the food appeared. Everyone dug in, enjoying the richness and the taste. Everyone was chatting, laughing, and simply enjoying themselves. Harry, on the other hand, ate a bit less than what he originally ate. He didn't feel like celebrating his parents' death.

Suddenly, the doors slammed open and Professor Quirrel ran in with a panicked look upon his face..

"Troll in the dungeons! Just thought you ought to know." Then he fell over and fainted. Harry wondered how he ever got his job.

Chaos erupted after a few minutes. Everyone started running around and screaming and pushing each other.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore roared. That got everybody to shut up.

"Prefects, please guide your houses back to your common room. Us teachers will go and deal with the troll."

Before anybody could react, however, they heard someone mumbling, "Wouldn't it be wiser to stay here?" Everybody turned to see the source of the voice.

"What?" Draco asked. Finally, they saw Harry looking up, unaware of the stares from the whole school.

"I said, wouldn't it be wiser to stay here? I mean, the troll is in the dungeons. That's where the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs reside. Besides, even if the troll was in the dungeons, wouldn't we hear it pass the Great Hall?"

"...That is...correct, Mr. Potter. I did not think of that," McGonagall said. Harry, startled, looked at her to see the whole student and teacher body staring at him. He blushed a bright pink and quickly looked down at his lap.

"Alright, change of plans everyone. Stay here, do not venture out unless we tell you to. Some teachers will be going out to deal with the troll," McGonagall said. Dumbledore then stood up and went out the door with Professors McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, and Flitwick following him. The Hall slowly picked up their conversations, keeping in mind that it is unlikely that the troll will enter.

After 20 minutes, the teachers returned.

"It is safe to go back to your common rooms. 5 points to Mr. Potter for thinking rationally. Have a good night, everyone," McGonagall said. Everyone bid each other goodnight and headed to go to sleep.

As Harry was walking to the dungeons, he felt a tug at his pants. He looked down to see Scabbers motioning him to an empty corridor, then running into it, waiting at the end. Harry looked back and told his roommates that he would be back in a bit, then proceeded to follow his uncle into the hallway. Eventually, they ended up in front of a door. Harry looked questionly at Wormtail, who nodded. Cautiously, he opened up the door and stepped into a seemingly old classroom. But the classroom had blankets and cushions in them. There were also beanbags and some board games upon some shelves.

"How is it?" Harry turned around to see his uncle in his human form. He looked better than when he last saw him in his original form. It seemed like he got the opportunity to use a bathroom, because he looked much cleaner and he changed his clothes.

Harry gave him a soft smile. "It's lovely. Did you do this?" He sat down on a red beanbag.

"Yeah. I sneaked out and set it up in case I ever wanted to be alone or spend time together. Come here, Harry." Peter was sitting on the floor next to him and held his arms out. Harry slipped into them and sighed.

"I remember how you mentioned to Ron when I was in your arms that you didn't know what I was doing. Then you found out I was cuddling you. So, let me show you how it's done."

Harry simply smiled and moved to find a comfortable spot. Then for the night, the two talked to each other and shared stories. When Harry returned to his dorm to sleep, his eyes were shining a bit brighter than before.

***

Correct me if I am wrong, but whenever I imagine Harry's eyes, I think of this^. I drew this to show how I imagine them. Lots of people say that he has his mother's eyes, but I think they are a bit different than that. I think of Lily's eyes as pale grass color, while Harry's are like emeralds. Literally every green known to man are blended in them. Pale grass is quite similar to green eyes above, but they lean more on the light green shades than the dark green. I think that's why people say Harry has his mother's eyes, which is true, they both have green eyes, but Harry's has more different shades in them and are more vibrant.

Update:

Hopefully, you hard to please people are happy now. 🙄

Not gonna lie though, I had fun remaking it.