The Heir- Harry Potter Male Reader Insert

Chapter 85: Another Left

Harry, Ron and Hermione reeled in the Extendable Ears. Harry, who had found the need to remain silent increasingly difficult the longer they eaves dropped, now found himself unable to say more than, 'Ginny -the sword -''I know!' said Hermione.

She lunged for the tiny beaded bag, this time sinking her arm in it right up to the armpit.

'Here ... we ... are ...' she said between gritted teeth, and she pulled at something that was evidently in the depths of the bag. Slowly, the edge of an ornate picture frame came into sight. Harry hurried to help her.

As they lifted the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus free of Hermione's bag, she kept her wand pointing at it, ready to cast a spell at any moment.

'If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office,' she panted, as they propped the painting against the side of the tent, 'Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!'

'Unless he was asleep,' said Harry, but he still held his breath as Hermione knelt down in front of the empty canvas, her wand directed at its centre, cleared her throat, then said, 'Er - Phineas? Phineas Nigellus?'

Nothing happened.

'Phineas Nigellus?' said Hermione again. 'Professor Black? Please could we talk to you? Please?'

'"Please" always helps,' said a cold, snide voice, and Phineas Nigellus slid into his portrait. At once, Hermione cried, 'Obscuro!'

A black blindfold appeared over Phineas Nigellus's clever, dark eyes, causing him to bump into the frame and shriek with pain.

'What - how dare - what are you -?'

'I'm very sorry, Professor Black,' said Hermione, 'but it's a necessary precaution!'

'Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?'

'Never mind where we are,' said Harry,and Phineas Nigellus froze, abandoning his attempts to peel off the painted blindfold.

'Can that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr Potter?'

'Maybe,' said Harry, knowing that this would keep Phineas Nigellus's interest. ' We've got a couple of questions to ask you -about the sword of Gryffindor.'

'Ah,' said Phineas Nigellus, now turning his head this way and that in an effort to catch sight of Harry, 'yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there -'

'Shut up about my sister,' said Ron roughly. Phineas Nigellus raised supercilious eyebrows.

'Who else is here?' he asked, turning his head from side to side. 'Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the Headmaster!'

'They weren't thieving,' said Harry. 'That sword isn't Snape's.'

'It belongs to Professor Snape's school,'said Phineas Nigellus. 'Exactly what claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!'

'Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!' said Hermione.

'Where am I?' repeated Phineas Nigellus, starting to wrestle with the blindfold again.' Where have you brought me? Why have youre moved me from the house of my forebears?'

'Never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville and Luna?' asked Harry urgently

'Professor Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest, to do some work for the oaf, Hagrid.'