With a smirk and cocked eyebrow he stepped back and gestured them within.
"It worked," said Neville moving to sit on the triple-seat sofa again. Both girls, of course, immediately moved to sit either side.
"It was funny!" declared Susan, who suddenly broke out in laughter.
"It went as planned, then?" asked Harry.
"Like clockwork," replied Hannah.
"We were lucky, too," said Susan. "We ran into Patil and Brown in the entrance hall, before we went in. Hannah also immediately saw the opportunity and, in a voice both could hear, said to me―"
"... Isn't it surprising Potter's entered into a Concubine Bond Agreement with Greengrass," finished Hannah in a 'stage' whisper.
Susan took it up again, "That had Patil and Brown in our faces as if they'd apparated there, demanding to know more."
Neville added his own bit. "I told them both, quite sternly mind... Parvati and Lavender, that is... that Harry wouldn't like them gossiping about his private life."
Laughing Hannah said, "Then he said, 'Besides, Daphne is a lovely girl and will make Harry very happy'."
"Thereby confirming it was true," grinned Harry.
Neville slightly blushed.
Hermione, who found out at dinner what the Longbottoms were going to do, thought it was a bit unfair to use Patil and Brown like that. Then decided it couldn't have happened to a 'nicer' pair of witches. Just like the two 'Puffs, Hermione sounded as if she put a silent 'B' to the last word.
Susan, now getting into it, explained, "That then led to what happened in the Great Hall."
Still laughing, Hannah said, "Both Patil and Brown practically ran into the Great Hall ahead of us. Before we even walked in they were already going from witch to witch in their gossip network across Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."
Explaining, Hannah said, "There are two Ravenclaws who then spread the word to Slytherin."
"Uh-hmm," said Susan. "Thinking we might have had to help spread the word, Hannah and I were prepared to sit back at Hufflepuff. However, it was instantly clear we wouldn't have to. So, we sat with Neville at Gryffindor with our backs to the wall and just... watched it all happen."
Neville said, "It was astonishing. I think we'd only just sat down when Nott jumped to his feet and yelled, 'No! Greengrass is mine!' Which had everyone stare at him."
Hannah said, "It looked like Headmistress Marchbanks was going to berate him; but, before she could say anything, Malfoy jumps to his feet, draws his wand and snarls at Nott, 'Greengrass is mine, Nott! My father is organising it as we speak!'"
Neville, laughing, said, "It looked like there was going to be a challenge to duel, right there in the Great Hall, as Nott and Malfoy went at each other. But, the Headmistress stood and fired off a Cannonblast charm before things escalated too far."
"Spoil sport!" declared Susan, mock piously.
Neville said, "She then slowly stood and demanded, 'Who is responsible for the spread of this private information of two Noble and Ancient Houses?'
"Almost every witch in the place looked right at Patil and Brown."
Susan said, "Then Lavender, obviously realising even the Headmistress was now staring at her, stands and declares, 'Parvati and I were told by Abbott and Bones.'"
Hannah immediately added, "That's when Susan stood and said―"
Susan smoothly cut in and said, "We did not tell Miss Patil nor Miss Brown. Both... witches... overheard a private conversation of members of the Potter-Longbottom Alliance that was of a sensitive nature.
"Heir Longbottom, when they tried to demand more information, immediately warned both of them that the information was both private and that speaking of it would offend Lord Potter and he would not appreciate his private life being a subject of gossip.
"Apparently, they ignored that warning."
"Oh, this is getting better and better," said Harry.
Neville nodded and said, "That's when the Headmistress immediately docked them both twenty five points each and assigned them a month's detention."
Hannah said, "And then she said both girls should consider themselves very lucky that the information that Miss Greengrass was now in an agreement... but not what type... with Lord Potter was true."
Hannah said, "That's when both Malfoy and Nott were shouting, yet again, about how Daphne was supposed to be 'theirs'. And she docked both of them twenty five points each. Plus, assigned the same month's worth of detention."
Susan took it up. "When she turned her attention back to Patil and Brown she added they should thank Merlin it was true because, if it wasn't, Lord Potter would have the right to demand satisfaction from them both for defaming the Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House. And that she'd be unable to save them if he did, because you had the right under the law to deal with them, directly."
Susan said, "Both were crying, by that time."
Neville cut in again and said, "That's when she confirmed the real facts, but still left out it was a Concubine Bond Agreement, only saying it was a formalised legal relationship agreement and said she could only say that because she knew the public announcement of it would be in tomorrow morning's Daily Prophet.
"Then she warned everyone about the consequences of gossiping about the Nobles, how Lord Harrison Potter is not the meek young boy everyone thought him to be and told them, from that point on, anyone caught gossiping such sensitive information should expect to be sent home suspended, if not expelled."
Hermione mused, "It sounds like she was looking for an excuse to state that."
Harry turned a surprised look to her and said, "You know; I think you're probably right."
While Hermione looked back, pleased, he turned to see how Daphne was handling it.
When he saw her expression, he thought, 'Obviously alright with it, from that smirk.'
"So," he said, "We've been outed in a very cunning and beneficial plan by the House of Longbottom. Very well done, you three."
Neville almost preened he was so pleased.
"What's even better," added Daphne, "Is no one would ever suspect Neville Longbottom or two 'Puffs would engineer something so devious. Even if told outright what they'd planned and had done, no one would believe them."
Again, Neville was right pleased.
Turning her attention to Harry, she said, "Your cunning and deviousness has already been, as you would say, 'outed'. But, Neville's, Susan's and Hannah's has not. I recommend we keep that as quiet as possible, for as long as possible."
"You're thinking of using them to spread information and or disinformation in future," said Hermione. "Clever."
"Yes," she freely admitted.
"We can do that," nodded Neville, as both girls also nodded.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After the other four had left for the evening, Harry called on Dobby, whispered some instructions into his ear and sent him on his way. But, Hermione had seen him do it.
"Harry, if I may know, what was that about?"
Looking a little shamefaced he replied, "I sent Dobby to tail Tracey back to the Slytherin dorms while invisible. If she faces any trouble, he's to deal with it from cover or while being disillusioned or remaining invisible."
Clearly pleased, Daphne said, "Thank you, Harry."
Harry just gave a lopsided shrug and said, "If anyone does try to take advantage of the fact she's alone, they won't know what'll hit them. If they don't know it's a house elf giving them a magical spanking, they won't be able to protect themselves from it if they try again later."
"Are you going to have Dobby follow her everywhere?" asked Hermione.
"No," he replied. "Only when I know she's going to be alone. When she's moving about with other Slytherins of her year - such as, going from class to class, class to Great Hall, dorms to Great Hall, etcetera - then she's protected by numbers.
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