(Later that Evening)
Reaching into his trunk, Harry pulled out a black silk Gringotts money pouch. Feeling the weight of it to make sure it was the right one, he tossed the pouch to Penny who was sitting on the bed watching with interest whilst massaging her feet, which looked rather sore. "It should be all there, your half of the jewellery from last year," he said, wondering how his friend would react to finding out the amount of gold she now had.
"How much is there in this thing? I've never had a black pouch before, let alone silk," she said, whilst examining the pouch with interest.
"Well, these bags are designed to hold up to five thousand galleons, and that one should have 3,753 galleons in it," he said, watching her go into shock. After all, the average year's wage was around the seven thousand mark.
"I can't accept this," Penny said after a while, pushing the money pouch away.
"Well, it's your half, it's there for you," Harry said, already expecting this. He decided not to mention that the fees the goblins charged had come out of his share of the gold.
"I don't want charity, Harry," she said with stern disapproval.
"It's not charity, it's your share, so take it," he said, stressing the word share.
"Harry, it's stolen," she said as if that made a point.
"What about that pair of heels you've been wearing about? That's the same thing, so get off your moral high horse," Harry snapped, causing her to go red. "Besides, this gold will help you out and you know it. It's not blood money; no one has died from this. It was just stuff we pawned off from the lost and found." He glossed over the fact that the caretaker had been hurt, even though it was only a stunning spell, because it would only help her argument.
"Now, do the reasonable thing and take it and use it so you can get the stuff you need. After all, that was what you wanted to talk about during the summer, wasn't it? Why else would you need the grant?" Harry questioned, watching as she went pale at his knowledge.
"How did you know?" she asked uncertainly.
"I put the pieces of the puzzle together. First, after fifth year, you are no longer required to attend Hogwarts. Second, I saw you had several college applications half filled out in your handbag during the summer when we met to have a drink," he said, remembering the meeting.
"College is free, Hogwarts isn't, and the books you were using earlier were second-hand, since they are clearly worn with age. If you had a sister or another family member that was magical, I would have dismissed it, but you don't. Third, your quills are duck feathers, not owl or swan, meaning you bought cheap stationery, which suggests a lack of money," he explained, whilst remembering his own time shopping for quills.
"That is also the reason your quills keep breaking. Finally, your shoes are too tight for you and that is the reason you are massaging your feet—to relieve the pain and restore blood circulation. Plus, last year you mentioned that your family wasn't very well off," he said, pointing at her toes. "And remember, I was in the same situation as you not too long ago. Only by good fortune am I no longer in that position," Harry finished, remembering his treatment at the Dursleys, having to make do with second-hand stuff and feeling worthless.
"You really are a genius, you know that, right?" Penny said, looking down at her sore feet, either in shame or acknowledgment of the point.
"Maybe, or I'm just good at noticing things and remembering them," he said softly, sitting down next to her. "Plus, I care for my friends, so I notice these things."
"That gold can give you a chance to succeed and overcome the barriers of being a first-gen if you use it wisely. You think that jewellery will be missed? No, it won't. You know that individuals like Lord Malfoy paid off juries and bought their way out of life sentences? The Ministry works on money and is rotten to the core, so what is three and a half thousand if it gives you a chance to make something of yourself?"
"So please take it and use it so you can get everything you need—to prove you are the best rather than those pureblood fools who believe they are entitled to everything just because their family has been magical for several centuries," he said, pleading with his friend.
"Nobody suffered or was killed for this money. It's clean. Just accept your half. You took that risk with me that night, so you should have half of the rewards," he said softly, placing the money pouch on her lap.
"Prove to the world that you are just as talented as any pureblood."
A couple of days later (Sunday)
Excitement filled the Great Hall; the Ravenclaw table was a hive of activity as the whole house was wondering who their new Quidditch players would be. The current squad members were watching with interest, trying to decide who looked the most promising. Harry just sat back and ate his breakfast calmly, using his budding Occlumency skills to keep himself calm and collected.
"Are you nervous, Harry?" Padma questioned.
"Nope, I feel fine," he said, holding up his hand to show it was still, with no sign of nerves.
"Damn," Terry said, whilst examining his hand. "Are you sure you want to try for the Seeker position? You would be far better playing as a Chaser, you know," the blonde Ravenclaw argued, clearly attempting to get him to change the position he was trying for, since Terry had been whitewashed by him earlier in the week.
"Na, I'll stay put. I've made up my mind. Besides, you've never seen me play as a Chaser," he said, causing the other Ravenclaw to redden.
"Are you sure? I heard seeking is rather boring," Terry said desperately, but clearly knowing how weak his argument was.
"Really, Terry, why are you trying out for that position then?"
"Cocky much?" Padma said after watching the banter.
"Confident, not cocky," he corrected. "I have the fastest broom, with Chang's being the closest one to competing with mine. I also trained regularly over the summer and since we've returned to the school."
"Harry will be a fine Seeker," a dreamy voice added out of nowhere.
Looking at the source of the voice—a blonde first-year that he didn't recognise—he responded, "Err, thank you. Do I know you?" He couldn't remember her name since his 'mental files' on first-years were rather limited.
"Luna. Luna Lovegood," she said dreamily.
Flashing a smile, "Nice to meet you, and thank you for your vote of confidence," he said, going on the charm offensive by habit, now he knew the girl's name. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Padma rolling her eyes, clearly knowing what was going on after being around him for a year.
"You should practise with your bow more," she scolded. "You'll need it if you ever go into the woods. Spiders are nasty things after all," she said randomly, before leaving them alone to sit by herself at the end of the table.
"Weird," Padma said, summing up her thoughts on the first-year.
"Indeed. She is right though; I need to practise the bow more, and spiders are rather nasty," he expressed, getting a smile from his friend.
"You ready, Harry?" an excited Tonks asked from behind him, almost making him jump out of his seat in surprise.
"Yeah, ready to rock and roll," he said automatically.
"Rock and roll?" Padma asked, not recognising the expression.
"Mundane saying. Rock is a type of style of Muggle music. The expression refers to being ready to shake the place up and party," he explained. "And Tonks here just happens to be going a little emo-gothic here," he said, checking out her darker clothes.
"Hey!" Tonks protested.
"Emo?" Padma said.
Harry sighed tiredly. It was times like this he hated the isolation between the magical and non-magical worlds. Before he could say anything though, Tonks explained for him.
"Emo describes someone who likes darker clothing, or darker, more primal music. Just because I like darker, more primal music, does not mean I'm an Emo, Harry."
"Whatever, but you do make a cute Emo, you know," he said, achieving the desired effect of making Tonks blush, whilst drinking some of the orange juice, enjoying its sour taste.
"Quiet, unless you don't want me to come and watch you," she threatened.
"Empty threat," he said confidently, already knowing how far he could push Tonks.
"Really? Are you sure about that?"
"Nope, because if I said I was sure, you would walk away on principle because you're a woman just to prove me wrong," he said, remembering Sirius' lessons.
"But if I said no, I wasn't sure, you would probably stay out of support, and also because it's part of the whole Puff code," he explained with a smile. "Either way, it's up to you. It's your decision and your time to spend, not mine, but I would like the support. It might make all the difference in whether I succeed or not."
"Damn you," she said after thinking for a moment and realizing if she left and he didn't get the Seeker spot, she would feel guilty and horrible. However, staying would mean he was right.
"Love you too," he said playfully, knowing full well he had Tonks in a bind and she would be in the stands as a mascot of sorts.
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