D.H.P.C.C.G. - Ernie MacMillan

Appearances/Mentions: Book 2. Pgs 144, 148-150, 152, 175, 186, 199.
Summary: male, Hufflepuff, Harry's age. Seems to be one of the main instigators of the belief that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin, possibly the social equivalent of Harry and Draco in his year and house. Apologises to Harry when Hermione is attacked.
Physical Descriptions: stout boy, has pudgy hands (Book 2).
Relatives/Friends: friends with Hannah Abbot, knows Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Important Events:

• Book 2, Pg 144 - "Dear, dear," said Lockhart... looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you get, MacMillan... careful there, Miss Fawcett... pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot..."

• Book 2, Pg 148-150 - Harry goes to find Justin to explain what happened as Herbology is cancelled... thinking that Justin might be using his free lesson to catch up on some work, (Harry) decided to check the library first.
  A group of Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working... "So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?"
  "You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl.
  "Hannah," said the stout boy, solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue." There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in wth Filch. Next thing we now, Filch's cat is attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know, Creevey's been attacked."
  "He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly. "and, well, he's the one who made You Know Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?"
  Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Harry edged nearer so he could catch Ernie's words. "No one knows how he survived that attack by You Know Who, I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark Wizard could have survived a curse like that," He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You Know Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark lord competing with him. I wonder wha other powers Potter's been hiding?"
  Harry reveals himself... every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the colour was draining out of Ernie's face. "Hello," said Harry. "I'm looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley."
  The Hufflepuff's worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie. "What do you want with him?" said Ernie, in a quavering voice.
  "I want to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Duelling Club."
  Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."
  "Then you noticed that, after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?"
  "All I saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake towards Justin."
  "I didn't chase it at him! It didn't even touch him!"
  "It was a very near miss," said Ernie. "And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so -"
  "I don't care what sort of blood you've got! Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?"
  "I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly.
  Harry walks out...

• Book 2, Pg 152 - No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene. "Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.
  "That will do, MacMillan!" said Prof McGonagall.
  Prof McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. This Ernie did...

• Book 2, Pg 175 - Ernie MacMillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had 'given himself away' at the Dueling Club.

• Book 2, Pg 186 - it was nearly 4 months since Justin had been petrified... Ernie MacMillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day...

• Book 2, Pg 199 - Harry... found himself face to face with Ernie MacMillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologise for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well -" He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it.
  Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron.
  "That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."
  "That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry.
  "Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.
  "No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared.
  Harry points out the spiders to Ron... "But we can't follow them now," said Ron.
  Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously.

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