He was running around ten minutes late when he reached the classroom, having not had time to shower before dinner so he had rushed one before coming.
He entered the room to find Bellatrix already working on the spells they had been assigned.
"Sorry I'm late, I was running a bit behind" he explained apologetically.
"Just do the last two on the sheet" she returned irritably, not even looking up to acknowledge him.
"What, no threats of dismemberment?" he asked jokingly.
"I've got more important things to think about than you being late, so just get on with it then we can get out of here you idiot" she growled. Harry just shook his head. Clearly she was not in a good mood today.
He took out his parchment and the two completed the work in silence, with Bellatrix keeping her attention firmly on what she was doing.
"Done" Harry declared as he finished writing the final sentence.
"Are you waiting for a trophy?" Bellatrix retorted.
Harry just frowned at the girl and shook his head.
"Fine" Harry sighed. "Same time next week?" he questioned.
"Whatever" Bellatrix answered simply.
Harry packed his things away wanting to get away from her and the mood she was in. He had barely stepped into the corridor when he felt something impact against his shoulder and immediately felt blood running from a deep wound where the cutting curse had hit him.
He turned only to see a furious looking Bellatrix glaring at him the same way her older counterpart had in the Department of Mysteries, her wand aimed directly at him.
He barely got a glance at her when his attention was dragged away from the girl by a furious voice.
"You thought you'd get away with cursing me you bastard" Rudolphus LeStrange spat as he came out of the adjoining classroom.
He was instantly joined by Rabastan and Snape as they came from two others and now had him surrounded.
Instinctively he raised a silver dome shield that protected him on all sides and growled in fury. He had been tricked. The one time he hadn't checked the map and he had been ambushed by them.
He was furious with them but he was more mad at himself for being so lax and neglecting his usual level of vigilance.
He should never have trusted Bellatrix and because he had, even though it was a small amount, he had paid the price. The pair weren't particularly close but he felt betrayed by the girl and again felt a wave of fury overcome him as the first spells impacted against his shield.
He had of course been prepared for such an attack during his training but he hadn't considered the fact that he would need to use it at school.
He growled again as another series of spells reverberated against his shield and he could here shouts of rage coming from his attackers as his shield did not even waver under the onslaught.
He switched control of the shield so that he could maintain it wandlessly and began twirling his wand around him, building his power as much as he could.
After a third salve struck against his barrier he dropped it and ducked, releasing his spell at the same time.
A sound much like that of a canon blast sounded throughout the castle and the floor and walls around him cracked under the power of his spell.
After the smoke and debris had cleared he looked around him, wand at the ready only to find his four assailants completely unconscious and he immediately bound them all in thick ropes to ensure they could not attack again should they wake. He had just finished and was ready to tend to his wound when Dumbledore, along with the entirety of the staff rounded the corner with their wands drawn.
"What is the meaning of this Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore demanded.
"These bastards attacked me" Harry ground out angrily. "I only defended myself and as you can see I was very lenient with them" he pointed out.
He took a step closer to the headmaster before he spoke again.
"Next time, I won't be" he growled, his eyes glowing dangerously.
Dumbledore swallowed deeply before speaking.
"What happened?" he asked gently, wanting the boy to calm down.
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Myself and Black were doing our Defense work for the week and we'd just finished" he began. "I went to leave and she cursed me in the back and then these idiots appeared and tried to attack me" he concluded.
"I see" Dumbledore mused, stroking his beard in thought.
"Rest assured they will be punished Mr. Potter" he promised. "Now, I think you should head to the hospital wing to get that looked at" he suggested.
Harry shook his head.
He had a very good idea of what Dumbledore's idea of a punishment was but knew there was little he could do. He only had himself to blame after all for his laxity and putting his trust in the wrong people.
"I'll fix it myself" he sighed. "And Professor?" he added to Mortlake. "As you can understand, I will not be working with her any longer" he said firmly.
"Of course Potter" he conceded. "Find another pair to work with" he offered.
Harry just nodded and left the professor's to deal with the four Slytherin's and headed back to the common room.
He entered it to find everyone whispering furiously and looking worriedly towards the door.
"What the bloody hell was that noise?" Sirius asked as Harry closed the portrait behind.
"Your wonderful cousin and some of her friends decided to attack me" Harry sighed.
"Are you ok?" James asked worriedly.
"Yeah, she cursed me in the back but they will have a nasty headache for a few days" he explained pointing to his shoulder where he had been hit. "Shit, you should go to the hospital wing" Sirius declared. "That's really deep" he added with a grimace.
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