"Now that's quite the rude thing to say Ron , there's nothing slimy about these two girls." Nick said calmly which tipped Harry off that something was wrong. Nick was a joking and grinning individual most of the time and he only spoke calmly when he was angered. It was terrifying to Harry as he understood getting loud and unreasonable when angry but going calm instead sent chills down his spine. "You know what I mean! No one in Slytherin is every a good person!" Ron said turning as red as his hair while Tracy and Daphne shifted uncomfortably behind Nick.-
"That is simply not true and I can prove it. Merlin himself was part of Slytherin as well as many other famous wizards. What you are talking about is personal bias , not fact." Nick said calmly before leaving the red head stuck in place as he tried to find a way to argue with what Nick said. Harry decisively sided with Nick on this particular argument and introduced himself to Daphne and Tracy. Hermione simply left without any input at all once she figured out that it was a pointless spat.-
The two Slytherin girls separated from Nick and Harry since they didn't want to sit at another houses table and get stared at by the entire thing. "You alright?" Harry asked as they sat down at the long table. "Yeah , I'm fine Harry , just didn't expect to have to expose him so soon." Nick said with a sigh. Harry looked confused "What do you mean?" he asked. "The guy's a sheep mate , his opinions aren't his but rather things he's picked up from his surroundings. Rumors say that most dark wizards come from Slytherin so he thinks all Slytherin are evil. Get it?" Nick said while skewering a sausage in frustration.-
Harry thinks about for a moment and then compares what he's seen of Ron and has to admit that the idea fits. Ron is never the one who starts anything on his own but rather seems to be following everyone else's lead. "Does that mean he only hangs out with me because I'm famous?" Harry asked with a sad expression that hurt to look at. Nick sighed but nodded "At the moment yes , while he may hang out with you for genuine reasons eventually he is just here for your fame at the moment." Nick said honestly and he could see the hurt in Harry's eyes.-
"Cheer up mate , I was here before all this fame nonsense and I'm not going anywhere." Nick said and Harry did brighten up a bit hearing this. Ron eventually sat at the Gryffindor table but avoided making eye contact with Nick which worked just fine for him. Nick made sure that Harry wasn't late to the second portion of Herbology by leaving at about 12;30 since they ate plenty fast to fill up before leaving. They arrived at the greenhouses that the class was set to begin at and Nick shared some of the secrets he had found when he went exploring the castle yesterday.-
Tracy and Daphne joined them five minutes later and were surprised at the topic of conversation. "So you found the kitchens?" Tracy asked eagerly. "She likes to get late night snacks and has been complaining about it since we got here." Daphne explained with a sigh. "Hey! don't act like you don't share them with me!" Tracy said defensively and Nick and Harry both laughed at them. "Yeah the kitchens are pretty close to the dungeons actually so you'd have a good chance of raiding them without getting in trouble , not like the house elves will mind." Nick said with a chuckle.-
"Really? where are they? We looked all over yesterday and didn't find it." Tracy said honestly. "Okay so do you know the large painting that looks like a fruit bowl near the wine cellar?" Nick asked with a grin. "You're kidding right?" Daphne asked in disbelief. "Nope , if you tickle the pear it turns into a handle that can be pulled to let you in the kitchens. It's a bit creepy to be honest." Nick said with a slight shiver.-
"Ugh , we passed right by that painting like four times yesterday!" Tracy complained. "Not hard to understand why , I had to ask one of the other paintings to figure it out myself." Nick said with a shrug. "Wait , you can do that?" Daphne asked in surprise. Nick laughed "of course you can , Hell most of the time the paintings are just happy for the conversation since it can be kinda boring just sitting on the wall all day." He said honestly. "We will definitely check that out later." Tracy said happily. Professor sprout showed up right after she said that and greeted the group with a smile and a cheery disposition.
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