Chapter 20: Tensions and Rumors
By now, most of the staff were watching Ron and Draco with a bit of worry, and Professor Snape seemed to be keeping an unusually close eye on his snake. Snape. Using his mind rapes, he knew the boys hated each other, but it was the appearance of a relationship that he wanted to avoid.
That meant fewer incidents between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors, as he tended to call Draco over whenever he noticed Ron was about. That, in turn, resulted in a quieter Castle for all concerned. The Headmaster seemed a bit flummoxed, as if he had no idea how to handle the situation.
Harry/Gilderoy knew neither boy was a poof, but it was just so much fun to take the micky out of the staff by saying things like, "I think Mr. Weasley is jealous of how much time Mr. Goyle and Mr. Crabbe spend with Mr. Malfoy. Have you seen the way he glares at them, even when they aren't anywhere near Mr. Malfoy?" and "Have you noticed that whenever Mr. Malfoy has words with Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley always jealously butts in, as if he can't stand the thought that Mr. Malfoy might be paying more attention to Mr. Potter than to himself?" Making a few of those comments where older students could hear started a very convenient rumour mill.
Gilderoy continued to press Neville into the developing "Golden Trio" group, making Ron feel the outsider as he struggled with lessons that the others breezed through. Neville's new wand made a huge difference in his self-confidence, and that confidence showed up in his homework and study habits. The three, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were consistently at the top of their classes.
Ron was a distant follower, barely passing the tests and homework. And his abysmal wand prevented his spellcasting from coming close to matching his friends' efforts. His anger at Harry bled over to Hermione, so he was reluctant to ask for help. And if he did ask, he blew up when she refused simply to let him copy her work. His grades suffered as a result, reinforcing the gap between him and his friends.
Harry had taken Gilderoy/Harry's advice about Colin, and they got together twice a month for an hour or so. Colin would have Harry pose at various locations doing magical things. Then, in an empty classroom, they would review the pictures and pick the best ones for distribution, and decide which ones needed reshooting.
Colin happily spread the word that the photos were available and where the money went — his mostly to camera related expenses and Harry's to the Quidditch Broom Fund. Several times Harry agreed to specific picture requests, charging extra for the students that wanted to pose with him.
Just to annoy Harry, Gilderoy had happily spread the news to all the Firsties that there was a Harry Potter Fan club. The club dues included two discounted autographed pictures of Harry — Gilderoy had made that suggestion to Colin. Colin made no profit on those two, but sold far more of the new photos each month as Harry okayed them to club members than he would have otherwise.
He just brought a batch of newly approved copies to each meeting, and viola, he sold them all, increasing his income in one big jump. Gilderoy's quite gift of a feather-light bottomless bag made it easy for the small boy to carry his entire inventory and satisfy any customer on the spot.
Malfoy had had at first taunted Harry about his "glory-seeking." Harry, after some coaching by Gilderoy, had shut him down by merely observing that the other boy was just jealous of his success. And pointing out that someday Draco might be able to garner some fame and respect himself and no longer need to use his slogan, "When my father hears about this . . . ."
When he first heard what Colin and Harry were doing, Ron had exploded in a jealous rage. Even after being told the profits were going to get new brooms for the teams, he still kept his temper at a low boil over the unfairness of his best friend buying expensive brooms for the teams while ignoring his 'best-friend's' malfunctioning wand. The Fan Club kept up the pressure as he was constantly seeing evidence of his best-friend's fame wherever he looked.
That resentment flared up even higher when The Daily Prophet announced Harry's lawsuit versus the publishers, especially as the desire to taunt Harry brought the Malfoy heir to the quartet even more often than before.
.
Boy-Who-Lived is Boy-Who-Sues!
By Rita Skeeter
Today, Fleecem, Cheatem, and Beatem announced that Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, was filing suit against four publishers. Winickus Press, Flourish & Blotts Publishers, L. C. A. Comics, and Little Red Books.
All were served legal parchments for portraying as truth stories about Harry Potter that they knew were lies, for defamation of character of an Ancient and Noble House, invasion of privacy of an Ancient and Noble House, theft of royalties from an Ancient and Noble House, and falsely claiming trademark on an Ancient and Noble House.
Gilderoy Lockhart, author of such works as Magical Me (Biography) and Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award explained, "Mr. Potter came to me recently complaining about these books that had been written about him without his knowledge or permission. He asked my help in the matter."
And by "these books" the famous author indicated a pile of books on the table at the legal offices of Fleecem, Cheatem, and Beatem. Books with titles such as "Harry Potter and the Golden Needle," "Harry Potter and the Price of Being Noble," "Harry Potter and the Muggleborn Uprising," all books our children read and enjoyed. All of which purported to tell the true story of Harry Potter's life after October 31st, 1981.
Naturally, this well-known author was happy to lend his extensive experience in the publishing world to a young Wizard in need of proper guidance. Now a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Lockhart added, "The young Wizard's guardian's lack of respect in handling the boy's name and public image respect is deplorable." And, lest anyone think this was only about making money, he explained, "Any and all monies earned in the lawsuits will go to The Lily Potter Foundation. The foundation will use that money to assist disadvantaged Wizards and Witches afford the expensive items required when attending Hogwarts — wands, books, potion kits, and so forth." He went on to say, "Mr. Potter is only concerned with regaining control of his public image."
Professor Lockhart said that the monetary damages that he expects the legal firm to collect for the Boy-Who-Lived to be in the thousands of galleons, "After all," he said, "We are talking about over ten years of books being published without a single knut being paid in royalties to Mr. Potter."
Requests for statements from the affected companies were not returned by the time this paper went to press.
What astonishes this reporter is the brazen theft of money from an orphan . . . .
.
It went on in that vein for several more paragraphs, bemoaning the poor state of publishing that they could so abuse the legacy of Harry Potter, to whom the Wizarding World owed so much.
Ron saw all that attention and the money going to his best friend and helping other Wizards and Witches, but not him! It was all too much and the poor boy stormed out of the Great Hall, and assiduously avoided the black-haired Wizard and his friends for most of the next few weeks.
This, naturally, threw Harry, Hermione, and Neville together, and highlighted Ron's envy and ever-present anger when he did re-join them.
.....
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