Over the next several days, Jay kept a close watch on the Weasley twins whenever he could. It was difficult to manage, what with classes, Blaise tailing them at every opportunity, and the occasional refresher chat with Dumbledore (who had still discovered absolutely nothing about their attackers-a fact none of them were surprised about). But he eventually realized that they stuck close to the Great Hall as much as possible when not actually in class. Why that was, he wasn't entirely sure. To keep a closer eye on their pranks? Because that's where the food was? No idea, but it was a plan, and he'd stick to it.

It was approximately twenty minutes before lunch ended when Jay casually sauntered over to the main doors, his hands stuffed in his robe pockets. The desire to get some form of revenge on Ronald Weasley burned even stronger in him. In all of them. Raven had had a few more study sessions with Granger, and the bookworm always had a new tale of woe about the redhead. He seemed to have a vendetta against Hermione after that Charms class and took it out on her whenever he could.

Jay didn't much care for her himself, not having a great deal of patience for bushy-haired swots, but she wasn't really that bad when you got down to it, and she certainly hadn't done anything wrong. All right, so she was a bit annoying with her tendency to wander around with her nose in a gigantic textbook all the time, and the way she answered every professor's question she possibly could, but those were really Ravenclaw traits in general, weren't they? Her fellow first years seemed pretty damn similar.

Plus, although Jay hated to admit it, he still remembered Weasel telling Harry he was the next Dark Lord. He despised being in Slytherin. He really did. But that rankled. Fuck that. He was no Voldemort, none of them were (not even Tom, ironically enough).

One of the Weasley twins was leaning deceptively lazily against the wall, supposedly watching the rest of the students stream out of the Hall, but Jay caught the flicker of the boy's wand up his sleeve. Not to mention, the other twin was nowhere in sight. Interesting.

"Hello...George?" Jay hazarded a guess. He knew he was probably wrong (and that even if he was right, the Weasley was likely to tell him he was wrong anyway), but was pleasantly rewarded with a crooked smile.

"That's right," George acknowledged. "What do you want, Potter?" Jay's mouth twisted before he could stop it. He wasn't Potter, damn it, he didn't even have a last name!

Patience, his twin consoled him. He doesn't know us, remember?

Right, Jay inwardly scowled.

"You can call me Harry," Jay corrected with an easy smile. "Just wanted to talk to you. You are one half of the most amazing pranking duo the school has ever seen after all." He hoped the bit of judicious flattery would help George open up, and he was soon rewarded with a full smile.

"I doubt that," George laughed. "But thanks anyway. And what would the Boy Who Lived need with pranks? Already hate your dormmates?"

"They're not so bad," Jay dismissed with a slight flap of his hand. "Well...besides Malfoy..." He let the words trail off in disdain.

"His father's on the Board of Governors," George said. "It'd be bloody stupid to do much to him."

"PIty," Jay sighed. "But no...actually, I was kind of hoping you could help me with something involving your brother."

"Which one?" George immediately asked, his face closing up with momentary suspicion.

"Ron," Jay said. "He's been picking on Granger a lot. Calling her a nightmare, a swot, saying she should go back to the Muggles. Making her cry. She even skipped Transfiguration the other day." Already, Hermione's reputation was such as she'd rather cut off her own fingers than miss a class. This was a serious charge.

"All she did was get a spell right in Charms first," Jay continued. "I've been studying with her sometimes, she's not so bad. And anyway, it's pretty dickish to make a girl cry."

"You're all right, Potter," George said, seemingly in admiration. "Oy, Fred!" he called, attracting the attention of his twin, who came loping down the hallway. His face was flushed and he looked like he'd been running, furthering Jay's guess that George had been the lookout for something.

"That was brilliant," Fred panted in laughter, but George cut him off with a warning look at Jay.

"Never mind that, Fred," George told him. "Potter here's got some very interesting things to say about ickle Ronniekins..."

Jay quickly summed up what he'd already told George and had the satisfaction of watching Fred's eyes darken in anger. Perfect. This was perfect. He had to bite his bottom lip to avoid the laughter bubbling up.

"Any ideas then, Harry?" Fred asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"A few," Jay said, his eyes sparkling wickedly, as he began to summarize his own plots...