He vowed to keep an even closer eye on the brat, and he asked Hagrid to tighten security on the grounds as well. It was clear that this person, whomever he or she was, had access to the school, but Snape was not yet convinced it was a student or staff member. It was possible someone was sneaking in for brief periods, just long enough to set some plan in motion. As he had expected, upon hearing that Harry might be in jeopardy, Hagrid immediately leapt into action and swore to step up his patrols. That was reassuring тАУ the giant was no genius, but he was well aware of what happened at and around the school, and if anyone could prevent trespassers, he could.
Snape debated having the mutt and wolf come over to help keep an eye on Harry, but decided in the end that it was an unwarranted risk. Sirius was still a loose cannon, and Remus would likely have to spend more time keeping him out of trouble than guarding Harry. If things grew any worse though, that remained a possibility.
##
It took a few days for all the gossip about the test questions to die down. Dumbledore had clearly spoken to Umbridge, because she reluctantly allowed Harry to return to her class, but she lost no opportunity to make snide, cutting remarks which led the rest of the class to believe that the headmaster, though convinced of Harry's guilt, nevertheless let him off because of his standing as The Boy Who Lived.
Harry managed to hold his tongue, but he could see that her deadly venom was slowly beginning to affect his classmates. No one actually came out and accused him of using his special status to get out of trouble, but he noticed that there were a lot more sidelong looks at his scar than there had been before. Even Ron, to his annoyance, seemed to think that Harry was just being modest, and he kept pestering Harry to tell him how he had managed the trick. The twins also appeared to believe it had been a prank, and their grinning at him and referring to him as "our apprentice" just convinced more of the student body that maybe Umbridge was right.
Harry sighed. He didn't understand why the other students acted jealous. Of him? What did they have to be jealous about? He was an orphan тАУ although he did now have a great da тАУ and Voldesnort and his band of Death Eaters wanted him dead. Was that something to envy? And since the term began, he'd been alternately getting into trouble with his professors for things he didn't do, like losing his homework or stealing notes, and being criticized by his peers for getting away with stuff and being given special treatment. It was all so mixed up!
At least his friends were sticking by him, though the others' disapproving looks and whispers were beginning to grate on his nerves, and Umbridge's constant, petty harassment didn't help. All told, it created a great deal of strain on the boy, and when the mysterious enemy struck again, it proved too much for him.
Dinner time at Hogwarts, as at most schools, was eagerly anticipated by the ravenous students, and there was often an initial rush into the room once the doors opened for mealtime. That evening, the first students into the room (including тАУ naturally тАУ Ron) halted in sheer amazement at the empty space in front of them.
"Where're all the tables an' chairs?" yelped Ron.
The students, now joined by several equally startled faculty, stared around them as if expecting the furniture to materialize in front of them.
"Look!" Finally someone's gaze strayed upwards, and soon a forest of hands pointing at the ceiling directed everyone else's attention there.
Stuck to the ceiling, as if gravity had suddenly reversed itself, were the missing tables and chairs, assembled in a particular pattern.
That was the point at which Harry, fresh from a dueling lesson with Flitwick, arrived on the scene. He was startled when the Weasley twins, joined by several others, greeted his entrance with loud applause, and equally bewildered at the looks of impatience or disgust directed at him by other students.
"Here's the little egomaniac," one girl from Ravenclaw commented loudly to her friends. "You'd think he'd eventually get tired of drawing attention to himself."
"I guess it's easy to pull off pranks if you know you won't get punished for them," a Hufflepuff said enviously. "Must be nice to be The Boy Who Lived!"
"Merlin, Harry тАУ are you trying to lose us points? Umbridge is right about you," an upper year Gryffindor snapped. "You don't care about anyone but yourself."
Harry was bewildered by the comments, until he too happened to look up. There on the ceiling, the missing furniture spelled out "HARRY P" with the remaining tables and chairs organized around it in a frame. His mouth dropped open.
"Harry, that's pretty funny," Neville admitted. "But I still think some of the professors might get upset."
"Potter, Potter, Potter! Don't you even know enough never to sign your own name to a prank?" Draco asked, bemoaning such Gryffindor foolishness. "You should have spelled 'RON W IS KING'!"
"Oi! I heard that!" Ron said indignantly. "I think he should have put 'DRACO IS A GIT'!"
"I didn't do it!" Harry protested, staring wildly from one to the next. "It wasn't me!"
The boys just laughed. "Sure, Harry! Sure!"
Hermione looked at him doubtfully, but at least she didn't immediately dismiss his words. "Harry, if you didn't, then who did? And why put your name up there?"
"I don't know, 'Mione," Harry protested, "but it wasn't me!"
"Little show off!" Another Ravenclaw sniffed, and several students, including some other Gryffindors, noisily agreed.
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Harry yelled at them, finally losing his temper. "YOU BLOODY тАУ"
"That will be quite enough, Mr Potter!" Professor McGonagall appeared at his side and took him by the collar. "I suggest you refrain from getting yourself in more trouble than you already are."
"But тАУ" Harry's protests were interrupted by the Headmaster's arrival. "My, my. It appears that someone has chosen to redecorate," he said, his eyes twinkling. "While the new arrangement is quite original, it does pose a few logistical problems, so I think we had best return things to their usual places." He waved his wand, and the students watched expectantly, but nothing happened.
Dumbledore exchanged a startled look with McGonagall, then wove a more complicated pattern with his wand. There was a moment when it looked as if the furniture would remain recalcitrant, but an extra, commanding gesture from the headmaster sent the tables and chairs gently drifting earthward.
McGonagall gave Harry a piercing look, then said, "Come with me, Mr Potter." As her hand remained on his collar, Harry really had no choice in the matter, but the smirks and jeering looks that were directed to him on his way out made his ears burn and his blood boil.
His Head of House escorted him firmly to her office, closed the door behind them, pointed to a chair in front of her desk, and said, "Now then тАУ" and those two little, innocent words destroyed what little self-control he still possessed.
Days of remaining silent despite Umbridge's sly digs, of ignoring the gibes of other students, of allowing the rumor of his cheating to circulate unchallenged finally boiled over, and all his anger and frustration about the injustice of it all exploded. He was confident that he was about to be тАУ again тАУ scolded and punished for something he hadn't done, just like he had been at his old school whenever Dudley set him up or blamed him for mischief he himself had done. Just like then, Harry knew he had no way of proving his innocence, but while in the past, he could do nothing but keep his mouth shut and suffer through the punishment for fear of his relatives, this time his newly unleashed temper rebelled. If he were going to be punished anyway, he might as well do something to earn it!