DISCLAIMER: See
A/N: Guess what, folks? HPCC is finally kaput here!
BTW, I was reading "Redemption" by krtshadow as I was originally writing this chapter the first time around, so there are a couple of scenes form that story that got imbedded into my subconscious that got poured into this chapter. Call them "tips of the hat," if you'd like. At the end of this chapter, I'll tell you what they were, but in the meantime, can you find them?
CHAPTER 24: WHEN STORM CLOUDS ROLL IN
Hanc vir amabat. The man used to love her. –
Harry was in Lupin's memory. Almost
everyone
was listening to a radio about Harry's status at the hospital, when Cho
got up
and blasted it apart. Over in the corner, Snape was handing a vial of
something
to Dumbledore. (1) Just as Mrs.
Weasley was hugging the girls to comfort them, the door burst open with
a BANG.
It was Lupin. His streaked hair was a little askew, and he had a look
on his
face that would have scared little children. Breathing furiously, he
glared at
Dumbledore.
"Albus," he fumed, "why didn't you do anything to prevent
that bitch from shooting him?" He was so furious he didn't even
care about his language.
"I would have, except, well..." Dumbledore looked apologetic and
trailed off. "I tripped."
Lupin stared at him, as did everyone else in the room. "You tripped,"
he repeated in an "I-don't-believe-you" tone.
"Yes. You see, not all that many witches and wizards know how simple
Muggle weapons like that work, so they panicked. I would have disarmed
her,
except someone bumped into me while trying to flee, thus causing me to
trip."
The werewolf was taken aback. "And about after that?"
"Well, Remus, I think you did a particularly good job yourself,"
Dumbledore stated, and everyone else smirked. "I must have you return
this
year as DADA teacher. I will sort it all out with Cornelius and Amelia;
convincing them shouldn't be that hard. By the way, did you know that
Mr.
Dursley had the concealed pistol?"
"Yes, but I thought you would have been able to stop him."
"So did I, and I would have, but I didn't plan on tripping either, so
it
was an accident."
"Harry told me why he wanted the Dursleys to see her imprisoned.
Because
he wanted to gain their trust by proving to them that the person
responsible
for sending the dementors last June would be rightly punished."
"Hm, then maybe placing Harry with his relatives wasn't such a bad idea
after all."
"Albus," he growled, "This has just been one time too many.
Somehow, because of you, one way or another, harm keeps coming after
Harry."
Dumbledore frowned. "Remus-"
But Lupin, who was overall, a kind, passive, gentle person, had finally
reached
his boiling point. Even Harry shuddered at his rant.
"DON'T YOU DARE, ALBUS!" he screamed; everyone retreated to the
farthest reaches of the room, and Snape glided over to the door, just
in case.
Dumbledore tried to soothe his younger colleague, saying, "Now, Remus,
I
understand that you're angry but-"
Evidently, that was the wrong thing to say. Lupin continued his
meltdown,
cutting off the Headmaster. "HOW DARE YOU, YOU SENILE OLD FOOL! IT'S
BECAUSE OF YOU THAT ALL MY CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE DEAD, AND INTERESTINGLY
ENOUGH,
THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNEW JUST HOW ANGRY I COULD GET IF ENOUGH
THINGS
WERE DONE WRONGLY! JAMES, LILY AND SIRIUS- HARRY'S PARENTS AND
GODFATHER, IN
CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN- ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! I AM SO SICK AND TIRED
OF YOU
AND YOUR WHAT'S RIGHT AND WHAT'S EASY SPEECHES! PLACING HARRY WITH HIS
AWFUL
RELATIVES HAS JUST BEEN ONE INJUSTICE IN A STRING OF MANY!"
Once again, onlookers were terrified at just how angry Lupin could be.
Dropping
his tone to a very cold level, he commenced with a rather Snape-like
speech,
while Dumbledore looked unfazed. "Albus," he said, his voice deathly
cold, "I know about the blood protection as long as Harry is with his
relatives. I know that now. But I still think it was the wrong thing to
do, and
here's why.
"I've found out from various sources, namely Hagrid, Minerva, some of
the
Weasleys, even Harry himself, how much the Dursleys hate him. They
hated magic,
so they thought they could squash it out of him by treating him so
horribly
that, according to both Muggle and Wizarding laws, it bordered child
abuse."
Allowing everyone to gasp and mutter, he continued. "I pieced it all
together. For ten years, before he started going to Hogwarts, he slept
on a cot
in the cupboard under the stairs. He lived on only small rations of
food. His
aunt and uncle neglected him while lavishing his cousin with gifts,
who, I
might add, bullied him mercilessly at school. The clothes he owned were
hand-me-downs from his cousin, who was much larger than him. They all
made him
the servant, having him do everything from cleaning the house to
tending to the
gardens to doing the cooking. No wonder Harry sympathizes with
house-elves so
much; he was made to be like one. No, I take that back, even worse;
even
house-elves didn't have to do the laundry."
Everyone glared daggers at Dumbledore, even Snape, who couldn't believe
it. He
thought Harry was over-exaggerating in his letter. Harry could see
their point;
Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, being treated like that was enough to
drive
any wizard mad. The old man showed no sign of recognition at the
unfriendly
looks. Only getting started, Lupin continued.
"And it gets even worse. You had Hagrid take Harry away that night,
away
from Sirius, who should have rightfully been Harry's caretaker. He was
so
enraged that night that he went after Wormtail, thus ending up in
prison for
that crime he didn't commit. After that, he was on the run for three
years,
only to die a month before his name was cleared. Sirius never even got
the
chance to act as a guardian, which I think he would have gone an
excellent job
at. My best friends dead, their son abused, my true best friend rotting
in
Azkaban, and Wormtail living happily in the Weasley household as the
pet rat,
ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF YOU, HARRY POTTER, ONE OF MY BEST
STUDENTS EVER
AND FAMOUS HERO, GREW UP NEGLECTED!
"Do you realize what his parents and godfather would have done if they
knew of this outrage? James would undoubtedly would have transformed
into a
stag and stabbed you with his antlers, Lily would more than show you
her wide
array of charms, spells, curses, jinxes and hexes, and Sirius would
transform
into a dog and rip you apart if his friends hadn't done that already.
I've seen
them angry on various occasions, some of which still make me shudder to
this
very day, and believe me, they were never pretty sights." He paused to
let
that sink in for effect.
Breathing heavily at having ranted all that, Lupin tried to go on, but
Dumbledore added, "I had hoped that Petunia Evans Dursley, Lily's
sister,
would and could get over her grudges and raise him well. She could
have,
possibly. It was mainly so that Harry wouldn't grow up snobbish with
such
ideals of fame." Snape's jaw dropped.
"Hmph!" Lupin grunted, not at all his normal, polite self. "And
since when is child abuse necessary to teach modesty? But that's not
all; let's
move on, shall we?
"Harm didn't stop coming after Harry once he started Hogwarts; far from
it. Last year, you let Umbridge have her merry way, 'la la la, I'll
torture
Potter today!' And you just isolated yourself from him!"
Suddenly
rounding on Professor McGonagall, he shouted, "And I know that
you
only made things worse, giving him more detentions and telling
him to
just deal with it! Harry told me himself!"
"You did WHAT!?" Hermione shrieked from across the room, glaring at
her Head of House. McGonagall looked about ready to burst into tears at
being
scolded by two of her best students during her time as a teacher. "You
sent him to that toad? Do you have any idea how much he bled
afterwards? I had to get essence of murtlap tentacles ready for him
every
night!"
Lupin rounded back on Dumbledore. "And now you were letting the other
teachers to refuse to help him? That's horrible, Albus, I never thought
even you
would do it in a million years."
"Remus-"
Lupin was beyond it now. "Even with Umbridge away from Hogwarts, you
let
her cause trouble. What about a week ago in Diagon Alley? You let
Umbridge
nearly crash the whole thing!"
Once again, Dumbledore had his case ready. "I'm not a vindictive person
by
nature; otherwise, I would have left her in that forest for good. Molly
was
already giving her a good rant, so I decided not to interfere and just
let her
scream at Umbridge. As for the barrier, well, it's a relatively new
spell. As
long as the caster remains conscious, the barrier stays up, so even I
couldn't
force my way through it. Besides, after Harry and his friends had to
suffer
under her for ten months, I thought it would have relieved some of the
stress
if they had defended themselves."
"Why did she and her 'Inquisitorial Squad' even start that fight?"
"I believe she has gone crazy and has blamed Harry for most, if not
all,
of her problems, and since half of those students had imprisoned Death
Eaters
for parents, she whipped them up into revenge."
Lupin snorted. "Always an excuse ready, Albus; that's just the way you
do
it, isn't it? After how much you claim to care for Harry, you then do
this to
him? How dare you help Harry out for four years, and the moment
Voldemort
returns, you turn your back on him! And you dare berate the rest of the
Wizarding world for doing the same thing? Your philosophy was just to
throw him
into the lion pit and let him fend for himself!"
Harry felt as though his stomach had slipped a few notches. Lupin was
right;
Dumbledore was rather neutral in the whole thing.
Still concentrating on the memory, however, he saw Dumbledore getting
angry at
being accused of not caring for Harry, with that look on his face that
could
freeze falcons in mid-dive. Lupin, however, was completely oblivious to
this.
"I'm warning you, Albus; you ever, ever-"
"Excuse me?" Dumbledore cut across him. The tone in his voice was so
sharp that it could have cut through the thickest of walls. "I think
you
have it the other way around, Lupin. I'll do as I see fit when it comes
to
Harry's welfare, and you will not interfere with it."
Lupin stared blankly at Dumbledore before giving out a god-awful
scream.
Looking Dumbledore straight in the eye, he screeched, "YOUR HYPOCRISY
WILL
ONE DAY RUIN EVERYTHING, SO TO HELL WITH IT, ALBUS, YOU-" and he chose
a
lengthy combination of some extremely foul swearwords that made for a
wide a
mixed reaction. (2) Dumbledore
himself blushed a little from the embarrassment; Hagrid was unsure
which side
to take, so he just looked back and forth between them, his mouth
agape; Mrs.
Weasley quickly clamped her hands over Ron's and Ginny's ears; everyone
else
mainly gasped at seeing the powerful wizard being verbally thrashed by
a man
one quarter his own age; McGonagall looked as though she had swallowed
a lemon;
and Snape looked as though he had just seen Voldemort running through
while
wearing a pink dress, but then he was grinning like a school boy.
(Personally,
Harry thought the swearing was a bit extreme.) Having gotten that off
his
chest, Lupin strode to the door, and said, "I'll accept your job
opportunity, Albus, but only to make sure that nothing happens to him.
He's
still upset over Sirius' death, and he needs me." With that, he stormed
out.
The memory continued as Lupin went up to his own room, sitting on his
bed and
breathing as though he had just run several miles. A few moments later,
Snape
strode in, carrying a smoking goblet.
"Wolfsbane Potion, Lupin," he said, handing over the goblet.
"I'd hate to see you transform tonight without it."
"Thank you, Severus," he said, accepting it.
"You know," Snape continued, smirking, "I've wanted to say some
of that to him for years. For once, I wish I actually had some of the
Gryffindor bravery and recklessness. Bravo for the verbal rampage. It
would be
hard to say which is worse: your bark or your bite. I would have added
a few
things, except I think you covered all of the finer points."
After taking a gulp of the potion, Lupin asked, "You've actually wanted
to
say some of that to him?"
"I always thought Dumbledore cared for Potter a bit too much. I agree
that
the boy is powerful in his own rights, and he has his advantages, but
even he
can be as weak and flawed as the rest of us. I tried to bring some of
this to
his attention from time to time, but he just gave me that look, warning
me not
to interfere with his plans. Of course, all he did was give me that
look, since
I never resorted to actual yelling and cursing."
Lupin chortled. "How observant, Severus. Was it the 'angry god' look or
the 'shut up or you're sacked' look?" (Harry suspected this was some
sort
of code between Hogwarts teachers.)
"It was more of the 'angry god' look. The one I often got for
questioning
Potter's capabilities." Harry paid careful attention to this; he wanted
to
hear this. However, the next moment, it all dissolved, and Harry felt
himself
coming back out of Lupin's Pensieve.
~*~*~*~
Harry took a moment to get his bearings straight. He also kept thinking
about
Lupin's words; he was right. Dumbledore wasn't doing what was best,
only what
he thought was best. His rage at Dumbledore and his grief for Sirius
was
renewed; oh, how he hated the man who he once trusted so much...
Just then, a mane of red hair popped into Harry's room. It was Ginny.
"Oh,
hello, Harry! It was about time for your part in the meeting. We
couldn't find
the Extendable Ears anyway. Come on."
Harry followed her and their friends, but with that blank look on his
face,
when what he really wanted to scowl.
As he entered, they saw Fred and George in a huge space, with their
newest
inventions in place. "Hello, everybody!" Fred exclaimed. "We
will be demonstrating our newest goods for the war effort, which our
dear
friend Harry helped us create by coming up with the ideas and most of
the names!
First of all, Cheering Chocolates, perfect for warding off dementors!"
He
tossed one to Dumbledore, who ate it and was grinning widely all of a
sudden.
"I feel so much more cheerful," he declared.
"
"I want some!" Dumbledore exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh.
"We will place your order, so don't worry," Fred reassured him.
"We also have Garlic Grenades!" He took off the pin and threw it up
in the air, and as it landed, it sent a cloud of garlic to surround the
dummies. Using Scourging Charms, George was able to get rid of the
scent.
"Right," George said, pocketing his wand, "And to wrap it all
up, with help from Charlie the dragon tamer, Dragonbreath Delights!"
Inserting what looked like a ruby red Starburst candy in his mouth, he
inhaled,
and spat out a stream of fire at one dummy, and continued to do it for
the two
other ones. "It works for three breaths, and please use it responsibly
as
it's intended," he added.
"Excellent work, boys," Dumbledore said. "Now, to get down to
business."
Harry took a seat at the table along with everybody else. "Ever since
Voldemort was forced into the open last summer, no major battles have
taken
place. Just some skirmishes here and there. Alas, the giants have
joined him
and the vampires are still undecided as of yet, but there still may be
some
opportunities with the goblins and merfolk. We could even use
house-elves for
sneakier operations."
Turning to Harry, he said, "Like I said earlier, Harry, it's important
for
you to try and form your own connections with other people who can help
you
out. That's why I'm offering you and your friends the opportunity to at
least
be kept up to date on SOME secrets, not all, mind you, of the Order.
Higher
security levels then what you're normally used to, which is basically
public
knowledge."
Harry shrugged, barely keeping his anger down; he was still pissed at
Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiled, and behind him, Snape gave a frown at his boss;
Snape hated
all of the "Potter praise". "Of course, Harry; always eager to
rise to the challenge and to take anything that's thrown at you-"
The old man finally went too far. Harry launched himself straight out
of his
chair and banged his fist on the table, almost scaring everyone in the
process.
"You've finally gone too far," he said, causing gasps from everyone.
Dumbledore and Snape looked as though they had swapped facial
expressions.
Staring his Headmaster straight in the eye, he continued, "For trying
to
protect me, for guiding me through school, and for trying to train me
for the
Second War, I thank you. But I think you've made a very wrong
assumption if you
think I can handle anything. Like, I don't know, maybe abusive
relatives?"
Dumbledore turned to Lupin, looking very disappointed. "Remus, I
thought I
said-"
"Don't blame this on Lupin," he snapped, with an edge in his voice
that made half the people present flinch. He got out of his chair, and
pacing
around the table to face Dumbledore, he continued, "I had a right to
know.
The only details I got out of what happened while I was in St. Mungo's
were Ron
describing him as 'making his werewolf form look almost cuddly.' So,
Professor,
was this part of your grand plan; condition me into the weapon you
needed?"
Dumbledore looked very grave. Ignoring the shocked look from Lupin and
the
interested expression from Snape, he plowed on. "Was it to try and make
me
turn to you for advice for having rescued me from that hellhole, waving
aside
the fact you left me there to begin with? I know you're human too, and
even
humans make mistakes, but these mistakes were for the most part
avoidable if
things had been done differently. Based on blind hope, you abandon me
with the
Dursleys, keep the knowledge of the prophecy from me for years until my
godfather gets killed, and a whole lot of other things. With all due
respect,
Professor, I hoped you would think, and then make the decision, not the
other
way around. You've seen examples of how things have gone wrong in the
past, and
yet those don't seem to matter."
There were a few more gasps, as Dumbledore merely looked him straight
in the
eye. "Harry," he said, not showing a sign of anger, "I'm sure
you've heard the phrase 'desperate times call for desperate measures.'
Hope is
not so much of a bad thing either, if used properly. Even if
circumstances had
gone better, I would have still relied on the same old security
measures to
protect you."
These words almost visibly knocked Harry over. It was only what the boy
said
next that made everyone understand why. "So... you mean to tell me,
even
if Sirius was alive, even if we had managed to get his name cleared...
you
would have sent me back to the Dursleys anyway?" he asked, finishing
off
the last part with some venom in his voice.
Dumbledore looked down at the floor, his head almost hanging in shame.
"Yes, that would have been the case."
Harry felt his jaws clench in anger, although he didn't bare his teeth.
The
gleam in his catlike eyes looked almost bright enough to glow in the
dark.
"How dare you..." he hissed, while everyone gaped at the absurdity of
him telling off a person about ten times his own age. "So what was the
point of Sirius staying here? Just to keep my hopes up for as long as
you
needed? Oh, I'm so glad he escaped from that prison just to end up in
this
repeat of Azkaban! Even the cave outside of Hogsmeade would have been
better
than this! I've said it before and I'll say it again; people don't like
being
locked up! You claim to be concerned for what happens to me, and yet
you let
disaster follow me around whenever you're not looking!"
Then, in a flare of wandless magic, there was a flash of light as Harry
was
knocked off his feet and fell to the floor with a thud; people
screamed,
while Dumbledore looked very, very angry. "Don't even say that, Mr.
Potter! Sirius was a reckless man who paid for it with his life, all
because he
couldn't follow directions! You'd better watch yourself, or else you'll
end up
just like him, and you'd probably want that too, wouldn't you? And all
because
I try to prevent you from ending up like Voldemort!"
Dumbledore clapped a hand to his mouth when he realized what he had
just said
by losing his temper. Everyone glared at the Headmaster as though he
had just
killed their pet unicorn. Harry slowly got himself up, rubbing the back
of his
head, glaring at his mentor. Slowly, the latter said, "Harry, I..."
"Don't." Harry's voice was so cold that it was deathly silent. Both
Lupin and Snape looked so angry they were about ready to tear off the
old man's
head. "You've already badmouthed Sirius and compared me to Voldemort. I
think you've said enough. Besides, you make it sound as though having
similar
experiences to him is tantamount to becoming like him; whatever
happened to
your wonderful 'it is the choices we make' speech?"
'Score!' Harry thought savagely to himself. Ignoring everyone else's
looks, he
swept towards the door, and before leaving for good, he said, "A word
of
advice: Next time you help a kid growing up, make sure they don't grow
up
neglected in a living hell. Then you won't have to worry about history
repeating itself. I certainly won't end up like him; if you remember
what just
happened five minutes ago, it was comparing us that started all this.
If you
can make Dark Lords run like rabbits, then trying to prevent someone
from
growing up in an abusive hell shouldn't be too difficult." With that,
he
stormed out. In the distance, they could hear Mrs. Black shrieking her
head
off; then she was cut off as Harry repeated some of Lupin's colorful
verbiage,
which actually silenced the horrendous portrait for once, much to the
surprise
of everyone else.
~*~*~*~
Going up to his room at
"Harry, what's wrong?" Dean asked him.
"Nothing," he snapped. For some reason, he then decided to catch up
with reading his new textbooks before reading fictional books at his
own leisure.
"I'm going to get some work done in my trunk. Let Ron and Neville know
when they come. Oh, and tell them not to force their way in. I've been
told the
security systems on this thing can be quite nasty." With that, he
descended into it to do something productive, ignoring the looks on his
roommates' faces.
Harry walked over to one empty room and decided to make a dueling
dummy, using
some complex Transfiguration and Charms he'd come across for making
inanimate
objects alive. Thinking about the arguments that had transpired, he put
more
and more force into his attacks, practically blowing his artificial
opponent
all over the room. The dummy had the stuffing knocked out of it,
leaving what
looked like a beard like Dumbledore's. Dropping his wand with renewed
rage, he
transformed into a lion and continued to tear it apart savagely.
Deciding that
enough was enough, he transformed back, retrieved his wand, removed the
last
bits of fluff from his mouth ("Yuck"), and left the dummy fix itself
as he decided what else to do.
In the summer before his fifth year, Harry was able to get his mind off
things
by cleaning up Order HQ. He decided to make a store of potions in case
he
needed them, the same way Snape always had some interesting potions (or
the
occasional poison) on hand. He worked his way up from first-year level
potions
to ones he learned more recently. As he finished each one, he stored it
away
and worked on the next one. He was just storing away a Wit-Sharpening
Potion
when there was a muffled knocking noise coming from the ceiling, along
with
what sounded like Ron's voice. Scowling, he cleaned up and returned to
the top,
in order to see what the fuss was all about.
"Harry, mate!" Ron said as he popped his head out of the trunk.
Harry's four roommates were all dressed and ready for bed. "It's eleven
at
night; what have you been doing?"
"Working," he said simply.
Ron was taken aback by the look in Harry's eyes. Harry felt some pride
in it;
he knew how eye color can affect a person's nastiest looks when in a
bad mood.
Dumbledore, with sky blue eyes, gave off a kind of divine look. Snape,
with
deep black eyes, made a person tremble with fear at the sight of such a
dark
figure. Harry, with those viridian eyes, could make a person think of
something
dangerous or poisonous.
"Anyway, Harry," he continued, finding his voice again, "I was
chatting with Katie Bell earlier, and she also said that with the
N.E.W.T.s are
finally getting to her, she wants to make one of us the new Quidditch
captain."
Before Ron could even ask, Harry said succinctly, "You do it; I have
enough to worry about."
Ron grinned. "Thanks, mate. I'm so glad I finally have this chance.
Just
like Dumbledore with his second chances-"
He was cut off as Harry growled and said, "Don't you dare compare me to
him!" With that, he went back in, and slammed the trunk very audibly,
causing the other boys to jump.
"What was all that about?" Seamus asked.
Ron and Neville exchanged looks. "Well," Neville started, "Harry
was angry at Dumbledore earlier about something he found out,
Dumbledore then
said something that he shouldn't have, and Harry stormed out."
Dean and Seamus exchanged looks this time. Harry Potter and Albus
Dumbledore,
fighting with each other? Something about that was very unsettling.
"Er, what did he say?" Dean asked.
Ron looked uneasy. "I don't think I should say. It's really Harry's own
business."
"By the way, Ron, I think you forgot to tell Harry we have practice
tomorrow."
Ron cursed himself for forgetting, thanked Seamus, and knocked on
Harry's trunk
again, saying, "Harry! I forgot to tell you something!"
A moment later, it opened again, and Harry said, "What is it?"
"Practice tomorrow at two."
Harry smiled slightly. "I knew you were forgetting something. G'nite,
Ron.
I'll be done in it a bit. By the way, you can't hear anything from
inside the
trunk, can you?"
"Well, when you were blasting apart the dummies earlier, and I could
tell
it was that, but it hardly made any noise at all."
"Good. I didn't want to disturb anybody." With that, he went back
inside to clean up. A few minutes later, he got back out to get
changed, and
clutching "Return of the King," he fell asleep reading it.
~*~*~*~
That night, all over the Wizarding world, the attacks took place.
Museums,
potions ingredients warehouses, and hidden safes alike were attacked
and
raided. It was a good thing that Voldemort had Death Eaters who had
connections
to other wizards all over the world, especially Europe, such as the
Malfoys and
Lestranges with ties to
At one warehouse in
On the other side of the world, at the enchanted castle just north of
the
Scottish border, a seventh-year witch in Ravenclaw awoke with a start.
She had
seen attacks all over the world, and that last one before she woke up
truly
scared her. Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge, raiding a high-security
warehouse in
That settled it. She just had to tell Dumbledore in the morning.
Yet what would she tell Harry?
~*~*~*~
The next morning, shocking headlines were printed onto the Daily
Prophet:
"The Rise of Chaos." According to the article, museums and potions
warehouses in major locations all over the world had been attacked and
raided.
Interestingly, relatively few ingredients had been stolen, while the
rest had
just been used to create a giant mess. Obviously, they were looking for
something special. Over five hundred people, mostly innocent civilians,
had
been killed. The Dark Mark was launched into the air over every site.
Harry was finishing the article when Cho's owl flew over to him. "Dear
Harry, Can you please meet me outside by the lake after lunch? There's
something I need to tell you. –Cho."
He quickly wrote a reply: "Sure, see you then. -Harry"
The rest of the morning was spent in Harry's trunk, as he upped the
difficulty
level of his opponent, trying various new spells and curses. After
washing
himself off using the shower in his own private bathroom (the trunk had
its own
recycled and self-cleansing water supply), he cleaned himself up, got
dressed,
grabbed "Return of the King," and went out to get some lunch.
Lunch went as calmly as it could, given the recent circumstances. Harry
spent
most of his time, discussing new Quidditch tactics with Ron. Geoffrey
Hooper,
who had played in the first match, also joined in, giving some
experience he
had.
Right after lunch, Harry went out to the lake; Cho was already standing
near
the tree where Harry and his friends had done some studying last year
for their
O.W.L.s.
"Hey, Harry," she said softly as he came up to her.
"Hi, Cho. Anyway, what is it?"
She frowned. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she said what
had been
nagging her for nearly a week now. "Harry," she began, "I'm
sorry, but..."
"Yes?" he encouraged her.
"...I can't keep doing this."
The words seemed to echo in his head. "What do you mean, can't keep
doing
what?"
"Harry, it's just that-" she stopped herself, composed her words, and
continued. "You know ever since that night a couple of weeks ago where
you
rescued Ginny? Well, this is going to sound strange, but, I was asleep
at the
time, and somehow, I was able to see what was going on. What's that
ability
called? Oh yeah, 'prescience.' You can see things happening great
distances
away while they're happening. Somehow, I was able to. And when you
kissed-"
"Cho," he cut in, "Excuse me, but, well, Ginny was just kissing
me for being heroic. That's hardly anything to worry about."
"Not the kiss itself," she calmly continued, "But the after-
effects of it. When you kissed her, you could feel it, couldn't you? A
bond
that was stronger and predetermined, somehow. That you and Ginny were
meant
together. Wizards and witches can sense these bonds during romantic
moments."
Harry just looked at Cho for a moment before she went on. "It's nothing
to
worry about, Harry. I've seen how you've felt towards her recently and
I can't
blame you. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you tried dating her.
I
wouldn't mind or interfere."
Cho leaned against him, hugging him, and saying, "Harry, you are one of
the strongest people I know, famous or not. I'm so lucky to have met
you. It
all seems so clear to me now; at the beginning of this year, we were
both
grieving, and we needed each other for support. And in the end, I
helped you
heal your emotional wounds, as I was supposed to. I was your teacher,
your
mentor in a sense."
"And now that's that? Just forget all of it?"
"No, Harry, move on and don't forget me. Even after Hogwarts, I'd still
be
honored to help you. Face it, you probably shouldn't be dating older
women like
me."
He laughed a little. "You're a year and a month older than me, Cho, I
doubt it counts like that."
"It's not just age or purposes in life, Harry. Beyond Quidditch,
sympathy
and pain of loss, do we really have that much in common? I know both of
us had
our issues last year, like you being angry with everyone and me being,
well,
kind of a whiny minx. They were just those little quirks of
adolescence.
Believe me, I can just tell these things about people. I can sense it
the same
way other creatures can sense which way the wind is blowing. I can't
explain
it; I just can sense it the same way you can sense other people's
presence in
the dark or something."
She sighed, letting go of him and staring out onto the lake. "I
remember
your Sorting in your first year. I heard on the train from one of my
friends
who saw you on the platform, and how she eagerly described you. 'Kind
of small
for his age, messy black hair and bright green eyes behind black
glasses. Oh
yeah, and the lightning scar on his forehead.' It was a bit of a
letdown when
you weren't a Ravenclaw, although at least by being in a different
House, you
were on a different team, and at least then I had a challenge. I had to
wait
until my fourth year to play you, but it was definitely worth it.
"The thing is, Harry, you've touched and helped out so many different
people that there will never be anyone who won't care about you."
"Unfortunately, being considered a celebrity by the Wizarding world may
have something to do with it."
"No, Harry, a hero, not a celebrity. I celebrity would do it all for
the
glory and the fame and the popularity. A hero does it for the good of
everyone.
At least you've kept to your desire to be a hero and not a celebrity."
Harry wanted to agree with Cho on all of this, especially the part
about being
meant to be with Ginny, but part of him was hesitant to let go of Cho.
However,
with his newly practiced Legilimency, he could see that it was entirely
true.
"Thank you, Cho, for being there for me. Thank you for helping me in
more
ways than one."
She looked him straight in the eye again and said, "Believe me, Harry,
I'm
not entirely happy about this either. I don't like it when things go
wrong;
hardly anybody does. Yet with my subconscious telling me every night
that it's
not supposed to work like this, I feel I have no choice but to agree.
Oh God,
I'm so sorry for dragging this on..."
"Dragging it on?"
"Yes, Harry, I kept trying to convince myself that I truly loved you,
that
it wasn't to be your girlfriend and reap whatever benefits that may
have
had..."
"Don't say that..."
"I've been a whiny little minx..."
"No, you haven't..."
"I can't keep doing this..."
"Then don't. Please, Cho, we all have our moments. Even you're allowed
to
have yours."
After she had regained control of herself, she took something out of
her
pocket. It was a small bronze medallion with Chinese symbols on it,
suspended
on a leather string.
"I needed this because I had all these horrible nightmares about Cedric
over and over again." Pushing it into his hands, she instructed him,
"Wear this at night, and it will help cut back on any disturbing
dreams,
and maybe do more."
"Thank you, Cho. One other thing: I'm pretty sure Ginny and Draco are
dating."
"They're not; they're only on friendly terms, and I should know from
the
rare occasion they've been seen together. Believe me, just because a
boy and
girl go to a ball together, that doesn't mean they're stuck with each
other for
life. That should be a lesson for every teenager: 'Dance Ball Does Not
Equal
Mating Season.'"
After sharing a brief laugh at this, Cho pulled herself closer to him
and gave
him a gentle last kiss, as a way of saying "It was nice while it
lasted". To Harry, her dark beauty made him think of a beautiful night,
and her kiss was like some gentle breeze.
"I'll still be there for you, Harry," she said. "Not as a
girlfriend... but as a partner. A partner trained in dealing with
whatever
trouble is thrown your way."
"Thank you," he murmured.
"By the way, Harry, I was thinking of writing to Teen Witch Weekly and
telling them that we aren't a 'couple' anymore. You know, just to let
them know
before any crazy rumors start flying if someone sees you and Ginny
kissing or
something."
Harry hesitated, but Cho quickly caught this and added, "Remember the
difference between celebrities and heroes, Harry."
A few moments later, he said, "Fine, but on four conditions. One:
You're
not doing this for any ulterior motives, like money or attention. Two:
Leave
Ginny and every other girl I know out of this; I'll approach her when
the time
is right. Three: No mentioning my home life with my relatives. Four:
Don't
bring up your prescience; people might want to manipulate you or
something if
they knew that."
"Done, done, done, and done," she said in a very businesslike way.
"Well..." not knowing if he had anything else to say. "What will
you do now?"
"I'll find a boyfriend. I have plenty of time for that. It's not a life
or
death situation, you know."
"At the end of last year, I heard you were with Michael Corner."
"We only talked to each other a few times about nothing romantic, but
the
Ravenclaw rumor-mongers made up the rest. Likewise, they were the ones
who spun
off those rumors about Ginny being with Dean Thomas."
"Oh. Well, good-bye, then."
"'Bye, Harry," she said, still smiling before heading back to the
castle. (3)
Harry stood there for a moment, with mixed and bittersweet feelings
closing in
on him. But as he went up to get his Firebolt, a new feeling came over
him:
gloom. Two mentors for life had just turned their backs on him within
the space
of twenty-four hours. Not good.
Then the fact she was also somehow able to see alternate possibilities
of
things had gone wrong in his life increased his sense of confusion and
loss.
How could she have done that? Harry wondered if it was impossible or
not, but
then again, ever since he had discovered that magic had actually
existed, all
of his perceptions of what was possible and what wasn't had changed
dramatically.
The gloom only deepened as he kept walking.
Unbeknownst to him, a blond and a redhead watched him as he passed.
~*~*~*~
"Well, that was interesting, to say the least," Draco commented.
"Poor Harry," Ginny said at last.
"So, care to use that tactic for today's Quidditch practice?"
"Yes, definitely. Thanks for telling it to me."
"The Gryffindor/Slytherin match has already been played, so I have no
qualms about doing so."
"Shh, someone's coming."
As some Hufflepuffs passed by, they suddenly started fighting. The
entourage
then witnessed a display of two different types of anger: Ginny's
volcanic fury
and Draco's glacial disdain. After the group passed, shaking their
heads, the
pair resumed normal conversation.
"Whew, that was close."
"So, anyway, you want to be Harry's boyfriend?"
"That would be nice."
"Quit blushing."
"And here everyone thought we were a couple."
"I didn't mind; the more outrageous rumors had me laughing anyway."
"Anyway, like you said, that was certainly an interesting conversation
they had."
"Behold, the wonder of Extendable Ears. I'm glad I invested in one."
"I'd better go get my broom. Later, Draco."
"Adieu, Ginny."
~*~*~*~
Getting his Firebolt and leaping out the window, Harry zoomed over to
the
Quidditch pitch. Ron, Katie, Ginny, Seamus, Jack and Andrew were all
ready and
waiting. "Katie? I thought the N.E.W.T.s were becoming too much for
you."
"Just for being captain, not enough to be Chaser," she said smugly.
After dodging into the locker rooms to get changed, he came back out,
ready to
go.
Ron drilled them for three hours, but Harry loved every minute of it
with his
friend as the new Quidditch captain. Ginny even pulled off some new
moves with
the Quaffle that Harry had never seen before. Towards the end of their
practice, Ron shouted, "OK, Harry, catch the Snitch one more time and
we'll be done!"
As the other six players all continued with their practice, Harry
easily saw
the Snitch and went for it when a player with a fiery mane carrying the
Quaffle
suddenly intercepted him-
"Ginny!"
She quickly spun around and her eyes opened wide as Harry zoomed at
her. Barely
five feet away, Harry made a split second decision, mounted his feet on
his
broomstick and leapt off of it.
The other five players watched in awe as the Firebolt went tilted down
a little
from Harry's leap, going neatly underneath a terrified Ginny, while
Harry
leaped forward like a lion, right over Ginny's hair without even
ruffling it. A
few feet past her, he deftly caught the Snitch in midair.
He actually caught it!
It was a second later that he remembered that he needed a broom in
order to
fly.
Wildly looking down, he saw his Firebolt beneath him, a little to the
left.
Letting gravity take its course, he reached for his broom, caught it by
its
handle, swung himself onto it, and regained his flight. He was back on
his
broom!
The next second, Harry realized he was heading straight for the
goalposts.
Going into a sharp climb, Harry went straight up and flew parallel to
the
center pole, cleanly going through the fair space between Ron and the
hoop that
he was guarding.
The rest of the team cheered as Harry zoomed over to them. "Bloody
brilliant!" Ron raved. "I doubt that's ever been tried before! I
don't think it even violates any rules! We need to come up with a name
for that
move!"
"I'll think of one," Harry assured him.
Ginny then flew up to him, looking a bit scared from the event. She
suddenly
grabbed him and kissed him on the lips in front of the entire team,
although he
felt about ready to fall of his broom from the angle he was sitting on
it at.
As they all oohed and aahed, Ron went pink.
Harry was exiting from the boys' lockers, and Ginny, who was waiting
outside,
pounced on him and pushed him back in, catching Harry completely off
guard. She
quickly locked the door (thankfully, all the other boys had left
already).
"Harry," she said quietly, "Draco and I overheard you and Cho
earlier."
Harry blushed. Ginny went on, "Harry, you are one of the most bashful
boys
I have ever met! Calm down."
"So," he continued, his voice a little strained, "What is it you
want to talk about?"
Ginny grinned. "Harry," she whispered in his ear, "Do you love
me? Not as a sister, not as a platonic friend, but as an actual
girlfriend?"
Harry was at a loss what to say. "I don't know; I just got over getting
dumped by Cho..."
"Harry, she didn't dump you; she was making sure you were with the
right
girl. So, do you love me?"
"Well, I-"
"Tell me, Harry, why did you really save my life? I know it wasn't to
play
the hero."
"Because you were likely to die at any moment and because I cared about
you."
"As a surrogate sister?"
He paused, and Ginny pressed on, "No, Harry, you cared because, deep
down,
you loved me. You were concerned for me, in spite of how I was going
through
that phase of not being able to speak to you without stammering and
blushing.
I'm past that immature phase now. Harry, can you look me straight in
the eye
and tell me that you don't love me?"
Harry was looking her straight in the eye, as emerald locked on to
russet. He
wanted to say, no, he was only her surrogate brother, he was only
concerned in
her best interests, but he had to admit that she was right. He was
trying to
deny it all these years and look past it, mainly out of consideration
for her
family, especially Ron, and because he really wasn't one for romance
back then
anyway. In the end, he could only think of one thing to say.
"No, I can't say that I don't love you."
She smiled. "Good. Now that we've gotten that out of the way..."
Wrapping her arms around him, she proceeded to kiss him repeatedly on
the lips.
Seeing as his glasses got in the way a little, she even took them off
while
doing so.
Cho was right about one thing: People could tell, just by kissing, when
they
were with the right person. With Ginny, it was like fire; hot,
spreading fire.
'Well, Cho,' he silently prayed, 'Thanks for helping me find the right
girl.
May you find the right boy.'
Since he decided that Ginny was doing this of her own choice, Harry
snaked his
arms around her waist and up her back, and returned his feelings for
her. Ginny
was feeling weak in the legs at just how good he could be at kissing;
unfortunately, her sudden weakness in the legs caused them both to
topple over.
Harry caught her just inches off the floor, before he fell on top of
her, and
he quickly used his hands to break his fall.
Both of them were temporarily taken aback by the positions they were
in, with
Ginny laying on the floor and Harry's face hovering inches above hers.
Ginny,
however, wasn't about to let this awkwardness get in the way. Her arms
grabbed
him around the torso like the vines of a Devil's Snare, pulling him
downward,
and he went along with it, continuing to kiss her.
A few minutes later, Ginny was actually purring from all the
excitement; she
could get used to this. Suddenly, there was knocking on the door and
Ron's
voice followed it. "Harry? Where are you? Why's the door locked?"
The two of them quickly separated, and as Harry magically retrieved his
glasses
and put them back on, Ginny got up and smoothed out her hair and
clothes, and
just for grins, she shouted, "Harry, quick, zip up your pants!"
Harry looked at her as though she was crazy just before Ron screeched,
"WHAT!? ALOHAMORA!"
The door flew open with a BANG, causing it to rattle on its hinges, and
Ron
burst in, purple-faced, only to find himself face to face with a
devilishly
grinning Ginny. After she laughed nonstop, she prodded Ron in the chest
and
said, "Ickle Ronniekins, you are so gullible! Do you really think Harry
and I would do that, let alone in the boys' locker room? I was just
helping him
look for something, and when I heard you walking by, I had to seize the
opportunity!"
Ron gaped while Harry started chuckling. Ron muttered something about
how she
was like the twins before walking out.
As Harry got his stuff, he asked Ginny, "Why were you purring?"
Ginny blushed. "Because... Oh never mind."
Harry grinned. "Well, since you are so beautiful..." he transformed
into a lion and purred and made a "Rarr," sound, causing her to laugh
even more.
"Oh, so beautiful I tame wild beasts, huh?" she chuckled as she
scratched him behind the ears.
He transformed back and said, "I'm not wild, you know!"
She grinned. "Come on, let's go."
~*~*~*~
As she went back to her dorm room, Ginny was still fantasizing about
what had
transpired. Harry Potter, famous young wizard, was all hers! She could
squeal,
except she wanted to keep it all a secret for time being.
As she got her Transfiguration books, she went to visit Professor
McGonagall
for an assessment.
~*~*~*~
Harry's lips and tongue still tingled from what happened. He wondered
exactly
what would happen when it was revealed to her family that they were in love. Ron would undoubtedly throw a fit.
In retrospect, Harry decided, it was a good thing that Ron hadn't
caught them
on the floor with him on top of her.
He also wondered if Potter men had a hereditary weakness for red-
haired women.
At this point, his train of thought turned a little sour. It made him
think of
his parents, which made him think of Sirius, which made him think of
Wormtail,
which made him think of Voldemort, which made him think of Dumbledore.
Lip locking with Ginny may have lifted his mood a little, but now he
was
sinking back into the anger he felt at Dumbledore.
In fact, Snape was pretty sour a lot of the time and yet the Headmaster
allowed
him to be the Potions Master, Head of Slytherin, and work for the Order
of the
Harry didn't consider his mood to be wrong; being angry at Dumbledore
did not
constitute being in league with Voldemort. Going back up into his
dormitory, he
continued to read his new books and to take his training up a notch. As
he
alternated between his wand and his Animgaus form to use swipes, bites
and
spells, all his anger got vented on the new innocent dummy he created,
whose
Muggle martial arts didn't hold long against his leonine fury.
~*~*~*~
The rest of Harry's day was relatively gloomy, and he just kept reading
books
and practicing. He was about halfway through with "Return of the
King." Somehow, Harry found solace in the books. He hadn't been much of
a
bookworm in his primary school days, although he could escape his
horrible
existence by just reading a book, and it also gave him something to do
while
hiding from
Even lately, Harry felt some need to
study,
because he knew how his parents were both so highly praised at magic in
their
own subjects, and he wanted to follow in their footsteps and become
great
wizards just like them.
Even as he sat eating at dinner that night, he also read his book
whenever he
got the chance. Actually, even to the most trained eye, it was hard to
say what
he did more of: eating or reading.
"Er, Harry?"
His head snapped up. Ron and Hermione were talking to him from across
the
table. "Yeah?"
"What are you reading?"
"A book on Dark creatures."
"Ron told me about the new trunk."
"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the one you gave
me,
Hermione."
"It's okay, Harry, I mean, your new one was your grandparents'
trunk."
"Hey, mate, since I'm also carrying more stuff these days-"
"Go ahead, Ron, I'll give you the keys and everything after dinner, if
it's okay with Hermione."
"Of course it is."
"Good, problem solved, anything else?"
"Harry?"
"What?"
"You're being snappish."
He paused, unsure of what to say. He just shrugged and went back to
reading,
barely touching his dessert. He was so absorbed he didn't see the
worried
glances his friends swapped with each other.
Neville came up to them, carrying a letter. "Harry," he said
breathlessly, "New update from St. Mungo's from the people who in
charge
of the ward my parents are in. They're looking at certain potions and
magical
plants which might work, and they want my help."
Harry grinned for the first time that meal. "That's great, Neville."
He nodded. "My schedule's also being rearranged, so I'll be Snape's
Potions class first thing tomorrow, working in the back on what might
work." Seeing the looks on their faces, he explained, "I've been
getting courses in my spare time on how to keep up with Potions, so I'm
all
caught up like you guys! It's also easy once to make the connections
between
plants and potions!"
Harry grinned even more. "This I have to see tomorrow."
Up at the staff table, Dumbledore was forcibly reminded of another
student he
had half a century ago with striking similarities.
~*~*~*~
Ginny excitedly dumped her transfiguration books in her dorm room. Yes
yes yes!
She had done it!
Her mood quickly deteriorated when she saw Harry at dinner. He was just
slumped
over a book, hardly even eating at all. Ron and Hermione were briefly
conversing with him, but that didn't last long.
'What on Earth is wrong with him?' Ginny wondered. 'I'll talk to him
later.'
~*~*~*~
That night, Harry kept dreaming about Sirius (he even had the medallion
Cho had
given him). Sirius laughing, even singing like he did the Christmas
before his
death. His mind kept racing over the thoughts of Sirius being happy,
and he
even wondered what could have happened if he hadn't died.
If he hadn't died...
Harry woke up the next morning several minutes earlier than the other
boys, and
he just lay in bed, thinking about that brave man who spent the later
half of
his life unjustly in prison or on the run. Sirius didn't deserve any of
this in
life. Neither did Harry. Sirius would have been able to talk to Harry
about
this, counsel him, except he was dead.
The word just kept repeating itself in his mind...
Dead, dead, dead!
Harry silently cried into his pillows. What on earth had he done to
deserve
this!?
As the boy dried his tears, he silently came to a conclusion: Trust
Dumbledore,
but only to a certain extent. The man may be brilliant when it came to
managing
the student body or controlling the Order of the
With that in mind, he got ready for the new week of school.
~*~*~*~
The next morning, Harry swept down to the Potions dungeons. Most of the
class
had already been assembled there. Neville was at his own desk and
table,
adjacent to Snape's desk. Several potted plants were already on the
table,
alongside all the usual potions equipment. The professor sneered at his
former
student occasionally, but left it at that.
"Today, class," he started, "We will be working on a Brevis
Animagus potion." (His eyes briefly flickered over Harry at this.)
"It takes a day to settle, and you will all try it in your
Transfiguration
classes later next week. It should be noted, however, that this potion
only
transforms a person into their Animagus form that they would be most
suited
for, and that, hypothetically, it is not the only form they could
potentially
gain through the required training. However, since I am the professor
for
Potions and not for Transfiguration, I am not the one to ask about all
the
different details and theories. What you will be brewing will be enough
for ten
people to last in their forms for up to five minutes. Instructions are
on the
board, and ingredients are in the back. You may begin."
Harry easily completed this potion, and Hermione even ended up asking
him for
help. As Harry did his work, he noticed how Neville tried cutting up
different
plants and testing them in several different solutions in his cauldron,
and
even worked on notes alongside Snape, even though Neville was still
glancing at
his professor nervously.
At the end of the class, when everyone had bottled their samples, Snape
said,
"Potter- a moment, please."
Harry went up to him as Neville was putting everything away. "Potter,
due
to the fact that we can't risk your form being revealed, I have one or
two
ideas as what to do. Either it can be altered to transform you into an
animal
other than a lion, or you could give the potion to Longbottom instead."
"Let Neville take it; I wonder what he'd become." Neville looked
nervous at being discussed like that.
"Oh, and Harry, I just realized," Neville piped up, "For one of
our experiments, we need lion urine, so..."
Harry looked repulsed.
"...do you think you could try to find other lions later in the
Now he looked relieved instead. "Sure."
"By the way, I don't think it would work with lion Animagi; Professor
Sprout told us so."
Snape, who had been watching the amusing exchange with a tiny smirk,
added
something else to say. "By the way, Potter, Dumbledore will be detained
for the rest of the week, due to work with the Ministry for finding a
new
Minister. Someone else will be teaching you Legilimency for the rest of
the
month. He's waiting in the Room of Requirement."
"Well, thanks, then. By the way, how's the research going?"
"It's off to a good start, with plenty of notes and no melted
cauldrons,"
Snape sneered, causing Neville to flinch a little.
"Right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, he left. As
Neville went to gather his notes and tend his plants one last time for
the day,
Snape mused over the change in attitude over the boy.
Snape had seen the boy's anger towards Dumbledore two nights before;
the hurt
and betrayal in those viridian eyes haunted him. Potter hardly
resembled either
of his parents anymore. The Potions Master was forcibly reminded of
when he
first saw Potter nearly six years ago; he didn't have that perpetual
smile
James had nor was he as well-fed or healthy, and his eyes, those
unnerving eyes
Lily had, held traces of sadness and fear that his mother never had.
Even now,
when he was taller and more muscular, that sadness still hung in the
air around
him. He was more brooding, more anti-social, and only participated when
he
needed to.
Something else then arose in Snape's memory. An image of a different
youth he
had seen somewhere before. Just take away the glasses and the scar;
maybe make
the hair a little neater-
He inwardly swore when he realized.
~*~*~*~
Harry walked into the Room of Requirement to meet-
"Mad-eye?"
The ex-Auror stomped his way over to Harry, saying, "Come on, lad!
Dumbledore is busy for the rest of the month with the Ministry!"
"So Professor Snape told me."
Moody eyed him (with his normal eye, that is). "Something bothering
you,
Potter?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. Anyway, let's get to work."
Moody looked curious now. "OK, now this is actually the sort of thing I
should have been doing a couple of years ago."
Harry smiled slightly. "Actually, there were three good things about
the
imposter: I learned to resist the Imperius Curse, it inspired me to
become an
Auror, and, oh yeah, Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."
The old man grinned wickedly. "I liked that one. So, let's get down to
business." And for the rest of the period, the two of them went back
and
forth, and Harry even tried transfiguring Moody into a parrot towards
the end
of it.
"OK, lad," he explained as he transfigured his now pointed nose and
mouth back to its original shape (with the piece of it missing), "I'll
agree you've got a since of humor, but it's often best to perfect your
Occlumency, just in case."
"I know," he said.
"Just read the next chapter, and you'll be all set."
"Thank you, Professor Moody." And as Harry left, he even
imitated a parrot's voice, squawking, "AWK! Constant
vigiliance!" This caused Moody to roar with laughter.
A few moments later, Moody calmed himself down. He had put up with
people
saying how crazy he was (and Albus Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley often
sympathized with him on that), but he had to admit that was what he
would have
heard if he owned a parrot. 'Maybe I ought to get one,' he mused, 'so
then I
wouldn't have to keep repeating it to people so often.'
~*~*~*~
Harry's good mood quickly wore off as he did his classes with the
Slytherins.
Perhaps he was a little too critical in taking off points, but it
seemed to
relieve his mood. Even if he had to take twenty points off from a
student for
calling him "Snape Jr.," he felt it was justified.
What had made that mood uglier to begin with was the issue of Teen
Witch Weekly
that half the female students had gotten delivered around lunchtime.
The cover
showed a smiling Harry walking next to a dark silhouette with a
question mark
in the middle, saying, "Who's next?" The Gryffindor girls started
gossiping, which had eventually spread to the other tables.
Cho's article, entitled "Confessions of a Girlfriend," made for mixed
reactions from Harry, once he had heard about it. Apparently, she said
how much
she loved him as a friend, and how she wasn't really meant for him,
given the
circumstances in the Second War; on the other hand, she said something
about
letting his unwanted fame blind her. Harry's rage boiled when he heard
that
part! Cho never said that to him! (The fact that the whole
boyfriend/girlfriend
thing was made up by her to "protect" him from other girls also had
its vices.)
Harry felt betrayed. How could such a beautiful, intelligent girl like
her
actually not take that into consideration? He had been understanding,
polite,
and all of that other stuff, and what did he get? This! On the other
hand, he
had to give Cho credit for saying that just because he was famous, that
didn't
mean it was just some other celebrity relationship.
Yet another article tried pairing him up with different girls from
Hogwarts who
he had been seen with. Hermione and Ginny were automatically on the
list, as
were Luna and Parvati (someone had taken a picture at the Yule Ball
during his
fourth year, so they suspected her). There were even other witches,
even 10
years older than him at most, who they tried pairing him up with.
Another problem it started was how girls were giving him salacious
looks in the
hall, not unlike the looks Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum had once
received.
Throughout the entire week, a few girls even went to extremes like not
fastening up their uniforms all the way, then accidentally-on-purpose
dropping
their things and bending down to get them, thus trying to give Harry a
view
down their robes. Harry eventually countered their strategy by taking
off his
glasses and cleaning them on his robes as he walked, which was
coincidentally when
they tried to bend down, or so it seemed. It was only for the week
after the
article was published, because after that week, they gave up.
Yet another problem was that without a girlfriend, every girl, even
those not
at Hogwarts, was trying to woo him! Everyday, at least a dozen
packages,
undoubtedly filled with some girl's knickers; Harry defended himself by
using
the Reductor Curse on any packages, which resulted in half-scared owls
flying
away and shredded lingerie all over the Gryffindor Table, much to the
amusement
of everyone else.
The professors noted Harry's change in attitude that entire week. Of
course,
since all five of his professors, except for Professor la Fontaine,
were also
part of the Order, they knew about Harry's argument with Dumbledore.
His mood
was also reflected in his work; he conjured rather sinister-looking
furniture
in Transfiguration, he handled wilder creatures a little roughly in
CoMC, some
of the spells he used on his classmates in Charms were so powerful that
even
Professor Flitwick needed a moment or two to break them, and when he
deactivated a Shock Coin in DADA (designed to electrocute anyone who
touched
it), he not only removed the curses, but he practically melted it.
These days, he was also reading nothing but Legilimency. He practiced
whenever
he got the chance, often meditating alone in his room, going from
chapter to
chapter like wildfire, so that whenever he met with Moody, he was
always at
least two chapters ahead. Moody marveled at his progress and even said
that he
could be done with it by the end of the year, if he tried real hard.
He was also isolating himself more and more, just reading, practicing,
and
training. He wanted nothing to do with Dumbledore or the goddamn
prophecy, but
he reasoned that he was doing it to destroy the menace known as
Voldemort, not
be the Wizarding world's savior again. Of course, he went to his
classes and
did his homework and practiced his Quidditch, but everyone noticed how
cold he
had become. Those vibrant green eyes, once so full of sparkle and
curiosity,
became hard and cold. Even as he swept through the halls, or even his
common
room, people watched him, unable to explain what could have caused such
a
change in this energetic, eager boy.
Eventually, though, rumors leaked. Rumors about him fighting with
Dumbledore,
rumors about him trying to use Dark magic on Dumbledore, even rumors
about him
trying to send messages to Voldemort... Harry would have hexed anyone
he heard
saying this, except he was too wrapped up trying to get his work done.
And
these days, he hardly did anything but his work. He couldn't explain
it, but he
just wanted to be alone.
Ron, Hermione, and the others tried to approach him, but Harry was
several
steps ahead of them. He didn't want to be seen or talked to, so with
his
Invisibility Cloak and Marauders' Map at the ready, he was quickly able
to
avoid them. He didn't want their sentimental babbling. His roommates
also tried
talking to him, but he just used his bedroom in his trunk, and the
other boys
quickly gave up after getting several electric shocks and occasionally
knocked
on their backs.
At the end of Legilimency on Friday afternoon, Moody said, "Harry, lad,
why are you so, well, moody these days?" He laughed harshly at his own
pun.
"I'm a very busy person, Moody," he said shortly.
"Harry, take a break, talk with your friends, just do something. You're
always hunched over a book these days. You look like you'll pounce on
someone
at any minute. You're holding something in, and it's not healthy."
He paused. "My health is perfect, but thanks for your concern."
Moody eyed him suspiciously. "You can't just go moping all over the
place."
"I'm a teenager; I'm allowed."
"Anyway, Harry, in another month or two, you should have practiced
enough
Legilimency. However, you're past the practical stages; you don't need
me or
Dumbledore or anyone else anymore to practice this with you."
"So should I just make this period in my schedule a study hall or
something?"
"I guess you could; that's up for the Headmaster to decide."
Harry looked a little angry now. "I'm a little past placing everything
in Dumbledore's trust, but since I got myself so many new books to
read, I
guess that would be the right thing to do. Thanks for your help over
the past
week, Moody. By the way, how's it going with finding a new Minister of
Magic?"
"Amos Diggory, Arthur Weasley, Amelia Bones, and Joseph Cornwall are
the
remaining four candidates."
"What are they doing to get there?"
"Amos and Arthur are using the sympathy factor after what happened to
Cedric and Percy respectively, Amelia Bones has been very strong and
influential lately, and Cornwall is brilliant at coming up with plans
and
strategies."
"Interesting. Well, I have lunch, then my third year classes. 'Bye,
Moody."
"Good-bye, Harry."
As the youth left, Moody got out his Communication Crystal. "Albus? We
need to talk."
~*~*~*~
Harry walked into the Great Hall a little late for lunch and
immediately
noticed that Dumbledore was missing from the staff table. This was
solved when he
got a note via owl asking him to see the Headmaster during lunch. He
scowled
and walked back out, heading to Dumbledore's office.
"Yes, Headmaster?" he asked when he saw his professor with a very
grave expression on his face.
"Please sit down, Harry." It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order.
Reluctantly, Harry did so.
"Harry, a lot of students have been asking me about you. Is something
wrong?"
He had to stifle a genuine laugh. "Professor Dumbledore, Supreme
Mugwump,
Order of Merlin, First Class, all those other titles can't figure out
the
problem when the answer is so simple. Himself."
Dumbledore looked confused, while Harry filled in the answer.
"Dumbledore,
ever since I first walked through the doors of this castle, I have
respected
and admired you. For all the wonderful times, the eccentric wisdom, the
advice,
and even the occasional food fight, I thank you. However, I'm getting a
little
annoyed at how you're forgetting that my life is, let's see, whose to
control?
Oh yeah, mine. I'm still not over losing Sirius, and I'm
allowed to be
miserable; it's perfectly within my rights, and until I see a rule
saying I
can't be, it'll stay that way."
Dumbledore looked sad now. "Harry, you shouldn't let yourself sink into
depression like this-"
"Or what? Afraid I'll turn into Voldemort? 'Mwahaha, I'll take over the
world and kill whoever gets in my way'? Is that what you honestly
think?"
"I said or implied no such thing. Already, his path and yours are
straying
dangerously close. History is starting to repeat itself, but will you
really
let that happen?"
Harry glared at Dumbledore. "'I find your lack of faith disturbing,'"
he sarcastically quoted while hissing. Dumbledore briefly had that
twinkle in
his eyes; apparently, he got the reference. Nevertheless, Harry plowed
on.
"No, really, I do; here I uphold your wonderful wisdom about 'the
choices
we make,' and then you shatter it by talking about destiny. So which is
it,
Professor: Predestination, or the power of choice?"
Dumbledore simply gazed at his student. "A mix of both, actually. We do
have our own choices to make, but they are confined to certain
parameters. For
instance, if you have an upcoming test, you can study and succeed, or
be lazy
and fail; either way, you have to take the test."
"Yeah, and I'm studying for the test that might literally kill me, and
yet
you're complaining about it?"
"No, but you seem to be forgetting you have a life outside of books.
Even
Miss Granger remembers to put her books away every now and then. By the
way,
how about the book on Dark Magic?"
"Haven't even touched it yet; I'm still reading the other books."
"Is this over Miss Chang?"
"I'm a little peeved over a couple of things that she wrote, but no,
that's not it."
"Is this about Sirius?"
The old man finally chose the wrong thing to say. "Of course it is!
With
all due respect, sir, you may be one of the most powerful wizards
alive, and
yet that does not give you control over everything you can get your
grasp on,
including other people's lives, like mine or his!" Taking down the tone
in
his voice, he continued, "If I ever have any questions regarding my
education or my future beyond Hogwarts, I'll ask you. But it only goes
as far
as that. Anyway, I still have to have lunch and teach my third year
classes."
"Actually, Harry," Dumbledore interrupted him, "I'll find
someone else to teach those classes today; maybe I can get Moody to do
it."
"But sir-"
"No, Harry. Since so many responsibilities have been loaded onto
you already, maybe I should relieve you of a couple for the time being.
This is
not a suggestion, Harry: Take a break. I don't think you could endure
being
called 'Snape Jr.,' one more time."
"Fine, sir," he said quietly, ignoring the little jibe. "By the
way, how did Professor Snape react to the epithet I earned?"
"It was hard to say, although he looked a little angry at being dragged
into it," Dumbledore mused, his eyes twinkling again. "Also, just
keep studying your Legilimency for the rest of the year, Harry; I'll
even give
you an exam at the end. Your second period each day is now study hall.
Just
don't disturb Madam Pince."
"Er, fine."
"Oh, and Harry, with so many gaping holes in your schedule, you might
want
to take this responsibility very seriously."
"Of course I will," he said a little stiffly. With that, he departed
straight for the kitchens.
Dumbledore sighed. Harry was still angry with him, obviously. Actually,
the
"Snape Jr." comment cheered him up a little. If he remembered
correctly, the Quibbler had printed some speculations several years
ago, saying
that Snape was actually Harry's biological father, merely because Lily
Evans
helped the young Slytherin through school. Dumbledore didn't dare tell
Harry
that, of course; the boy would probably never be on speaking terms with
Luna
Lovegood or her father ever again.
He got up to get some lunch for himself. Just after he left, the sword
started
glowing again.
~*~*~*~
Harry was just returning from the kitchens when he passed by the staff
room. He
was just passing by when he heard Dumbledore mentioning his name. He
gritted
his teeth; what was the manipulative old coot up to now? He grinned
mischievously; time to try out his own Extendable Ear.
"Well, it seems that young Harry is a little uptight lately,"
Dumbledore was saying.
"Of course, with those magazines printing who knows what, that may be
it
too," McGonagall added. "And with the girls following him around
like- what did Miss Weasley call them?- oh yes, 'popularity-seeking
parasites.'"
"I still can't believe what I heard that night... Mr. Potter was abused
by his relatives...?" Sprout murmured.
"That's low, Albus, and I would have added my opinions that night,
except
I think everyone else covered the finer points," Snape drawled.
"It could have been worse," Dumbledore said defensively.
"Worse? Worse!?" McGonagall half-screamed. "Like
how?"
"Well," Dumbledore started, "It turns out that Vernon Dursley
brought his concealed weapon, not out of his fear of magic, but because
someone
told him to do so."
Dead silence followed this. Harry was listening...
"Please explain, Albus," Flitwick piped up.
"Somebody bribed him to bring it. Mr. Dursley persuaded his family to
be
nice to Harry because they would get rid of him soon enough. I couldn't
believe
it myself. Years of being protected by blood magic at his relatives'
home, and
yet Harry could have been sold out at any time..." Harry felt his veins
freeze like ice; he could have been sold out at any time...
Dumbledore was just continuing, "That's why I finally decided to have
him
spend the rest of his summer at the safe house. At least he was safe
with his
friends; maybe I should have done it all along-"
That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. That was the
final
insult; Harry felt his last shred of tolerance and patience snap. It
was time
to set things to rights.
Pocketing his Extendable Ear, he got up and used his wand to blast the
door
open. It swung against the wall and nearly fell off by the hinges,
exposing the
shocked reactions of the teachers. Dumbledore sat at the far end of the
table,
evidently shocked at being caught in the act.
"So..." he growled in a very lion-like way. "Your perfect
security system wasn't so perfect after all."
Dumbledore merely looked back at him, his face unreadable.
"What's more, you admit to the fact that there were much better
alternatives than dumping me with them, only you can't even say it to
my
face." Dumbledore wanted to correct this, but Harry cut him off.
"If there's anything to thank you for, Professor, it's for giving me
the
next few hours off," he continued, "Because that way, I get to visit
someone and have a little discussion with them." With that, he swept
out.
Every teacher was thinking the same thing: The Dursleys were going to
be in for
a world of hurt.
But Dumbledore was reminded of something much more sinister; what
happened when
Tom Marvolo Riddle went to visit his three Muggle relatives after all
those
years...
'Oh Merlin,' he silently prayed, 'What have I done?'
~*~*~*~
After he got changed into Muggle clothes, Harry took his
motorbike-as-backpack,
and was about to head out onto the lawn when he remembered the red and
gold
necklace that would help them keep track of him. It was a nifty device,
but
there was one problem with it; he didn't feel like being followed.
Smiling
evilly, he threw it under his bed.
Harry ran up to the Astronomy Tower, restored his motorbike back to his
normal
form. Revving it up, he chose the invisibility option and took off. He
turned
south, mentally following the route the Hogwarts Express normally took.
'Dursleys beware,' he thought, 'Payback's a bitch, and you're overdue.'
~*~*~*~
Instantly, Dumbledore contacted all Order members, save the professors,
who
still had classes to teach. Dumbledore himself quickly Flooed over to
"Colleagues, I believe we are in a crisis. It seems that Harry Potter
has
started going down a very dark and dangerous road. He overheard me
earlier
discussing his abominable relatives when he said that he was going to
have 'a
little talk,' with them. If he does anything to harm them, I am afraid
that he
will start resorting to, shall we say, unethical uses of magic."
The message quickly sunk in. Everyone looked at each other fearfully.
Harry
Potter, succumbing to whatever rage he felt...
"Wait," Mr. Weasley butted in, "There's still that necklace I
gave him for his birthday. Let's just make sure he has it first, before
we go
jumping to conclusions. He won't like everyone running around in
circles for
his sake anyway."
"Thank you, Arthur. Can you tell where he is right now?"
The redheaded man took out a small device, checked it, and said, "
"I'll go to," Mrs. Weasley piped up.
"Molly," her husband said, "I don't think this is the right time
to mother him. Your heart has never been in the wrong place concerning
him, but
I think I should talk to him."
Mrs. Weasley looked surprised, but she agreed nonetheless and returned
back to
the Burrow.
"By the way, Arthur, how do you know it's just the necklace and Harry
itself?" Mundungus asked him.
"Because it only activates when it's being worn. I'll give him about
half
an hour, you know, just to calm down. I'll make sure he doesn't leave."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, smiling for the first time that week.
~*~*~*~
Quickly doing the math in his head, Harry realized it would take him 2
hours to
get to the Dursleys in time. Dammit!
He quickly swung around and headed back to Hogsmeade. Five minutes
later, he
ended up in the Three Broomsticks. Paying Madam Rosmerta a small fee,
he used
the Floo Network, so that way, he could get to the closest location he
knew to
Number 4,
"Diagon Alley!"
~*~*~*~
Mr. Weasley was enjoying a brisk ten-minute walk across the Hogwarts
grounds.
Using the password, he was inside Gryffindor Tower, and he walked up to
the
dorms and waited outside, giving Harry some time to get his thoughts
together,
and making sure he didn't leave it.
Or so he thought.
~*~*~*~
Once in Diagon Alley, he crossed over into Muggle London with his hood
up.
Walking into a back alley, he got his motorbike out again, turned on
the
invisibility, and took off for Little Whinging.
~*~*~*~
Deciding that Harry had had enough time to himself, Mr. Weasley walked
in. The
room looked empty, but using his device, he looked under the bed, where
the
signal was coming from. As he bent down, something orange darted out
from under
it-
"Crookshanks!"
Hermione's ginger cat was carrying the necklace in its mouth as if to
say,
"Look what I've just found."
Mr. Weasley snatched it back, cursed at his horrible luck, and quickly
contacted Dumbledore.
~*~*~*~
Harry silently touched down behind his uncle's workplace and walked out
from
behind the alley with his motorbike. Getting onto the main road, he
zoomed
towards the house. He was so close... (4)
~*~*~*~
Dumbledore practically leapt right out of his chair when he got the
report from
Arthur Weasley. Quickly rounding up Kinglsey and Tonks, they left for
~*~*~*~
Harry just turned around the corner when he saw the Dursleys leaving in
their
car. Keeping his distance, he followed right behind them.
~*~*~*~
Harry and his quarries were just two blocks away when the trio of
wizards appeared.
Damn! No one there either!
And then a thought occurred to Dumbledore: Was Harry really hell- bent
on
revenge?
~*~*~*~
The Dursleys were going to the mall, and Harry followed in pursuit.
As they pulled into a parking lot, Harry ducked into an alley and
stored his
bike away. Harry noted that
After watching them in the bookstore for five minutes before they moved
on to
the next store, he came up with a plan.
Ten minutes later, an announcement came over the mall intercom: "Will
the
Dursley family please return to the bookstore? You dropped something
back
there."
Believing it to be true, the Dursleys returned to the bookstore, where
Harry
quickly leapt at them from behind a bookcase and scared them into a
back room.
He locked the door and stared at the frightened trio, his speech ready.
~*~*~*~
Dumbledore called everyone else back to
~*~*~*~
"Hello again," Harry said, his eyes gleaming that vibrant green with
that glare of his. "In case you're wondering, I got the afternoon off.
Also, guess what I just found out? That somebody bribed you to bring
that
gun."
Vernon Dursley gasped and went pale while his wife and son turned to
look at
him incredulously. "So," Harry continued, "How much did they
bribe you? Enough?"
Weakly, his uncle said, "They didn't pay."
"Because I didn't die, right?"
He nodded like a coward.
"Lupin and I only let you bring it because we thought it would satisfy
your fear of magic, and help you feel more secure. Maybe you could tell
me who
bribed you? That wasn't a request," he added.
"I dunno," his uncle squeaked, "He was robed in black! I
couldn't see his face!"
Using his Legilimency, Harry could see this was true. Addressing all
three of
them, he continued, "Let's get one thing perfectly straight; for
actually
taking me in and not leaving me out to die or grow up in an orphanage,
thank
you, because for all any of us know, I could have grown up with a
vengeance and
a much different outlook on life. But just because you bought me in
didn't give
you the right to treat me so badly it bordered child abuse. You want to
know
why I let you attend the trial? So it could put you at ease, knowing
that you
could trust me, regardless of the fact I can do a few things you can't.
But
that wasn't the only reason; you know what the other one was?"
After all three of them shook their heads, he went on, "Because that
could
have been you on trial, in a Muggle court, for child abuse. You
may have
treated me like dirt, like some caged lab animal, but you're still my
relatives; the prospect of using my magic once I come of age to make
you suffer
after all these years may have seemed gratifying, but it's only out of
respect
for my parents that the three of you have good odds of leaving this
room
unharmed and untouched."
Aunt Petunia opened her big mouth. "Potter, you don't realize how awful
your worthless parents were, do you?"
Raising his wand and making her shy back into a corner, he growled,
"How
dare you say what they would have or would not have done. Think about
this: if
the situation had been reversed, and some psychotic nutcase killed you
and your
husband, do you really think my parents would have let your son suffer
like
that?"
After a moment's silence, he went on, "I know you and my mum didn't get
along, and I won't pretend to know what happened between the two of
you, and
I'm not going to just blindly assume she was the victim and you were
the
villain, but get this through your head right now: I am not your stress
relief
outlet for whatever may have made you angry or upset. As loud as you
yell or
shriek, my parents won't hear it. Talk to a psychologist; join a
therapy group;
as long as I'm not your little scapegoat for whatever goes wrong in
your life.
And that also goes for you two," he added to his uncle and cousin.
"And considering I was trying to make sure you were as safe as I was at
your house, obviously that shows I care at least a little, which is
miraculous
in itself, given what you've done to me over the years. You're damn
lucky I'm
not a vindictive or vengeful person by nature."
Putting his wand away, he continued, "I just found out from my
Headmaster
earlier about how he could have come up with much better alternatives
than
leaving me with you; even if Sirius Black, my godfather, now proven
innocent,
had had his name cleared in time, Dumbledore would have still made me
live with
you. I probably have every right to be angry and indignant like you.
Imagine,
the great and infallible Dumbledore, who I looked up to for so bloody
long,
making the awful mistake of leaving me with you. If it's any
consolation, I
hate him at the moment. Now we have that in common; who would have
thought?
"Anyway, I'm in no position to argue with the man, and he'll obviously
want me to return to
As he turned to leave,
Harry paused and sighed. "The circumstances around his imprisonment are
very convoluted, and I should explain some other time. Sirius-" he
swallowed,
then continued, "-last June, he- I can't even say it."
"Hold on!"
"Well, and I'm not saying this to avoid taking guilt, but most of that
wasn't my fault. The dementors were not my fault; trouble finds me no
matter
what. Hagrid giving your son a pig's tail may have had something to do
with you
calling Dumbledore 'a crackpot old fool.' Sorry about Aunt Marge, but
the last
time I checked, it's not good table manners to accuse somebody of being
drunks
while you're on your fourth glass of brandy. The pudding incident
wasn't my
fault; it was a house-elf who tried to keep me from returning to my
school and
went too far. And as for the toffee which enlarged
When no one responded, he said, "Good. By the way, I've endured
horrible,
terrible injuries over the years you can't even begin to imagine, so
don't feel
too bad for yourselves. Anyway, I'm glad we could have this discussion
like
civilized people without things getting out of hand. Oh, and here's one
more
reason not to cause havoc next summer." He transformed into a lion and
bared his teeth at them, taking in their fear at his newfound ability.
Resuming
his normal form, he said, "Have a nice day," and left.
The Dursleys composed their thoughts, also taking in the fact that
their
relative could now transform into a lion as well. Looking at each
other, they
resumed their shopping.
Aunt Petunia was in a haze as she continued shopping with her family.
All these
feelings were brewing within her. And to think her husband would accept
a
bribe! Even she wouldn't have done that!
No, she felt bitterness and remorse. She could have learned to love her
nephew,
raise him right. But she wanted so desperately to have nothing to do
with her
sister, and how the boy ended up looking like his insufferable,
arrogant father
had been the final insult!
Come to think of it, Lily hadn't let all that, that magic go to
her
head. Even when James Potter and his friends played some prank on her,
the
sight of them being told off by a very angry and very pregnant Lily had
definitely
been worth it.
The boy's words kept coming back to her; "What if the situation had
been
reversed?"
She felt threatened. Not in the sense that some monster had been
unleashed on
them, or some wizard had their wand pointed at her, but just threatened
by her
own hypocrisy.
~*~*~*~
Harry went behind an alley and took out his motorbike again. After
putting on
the invisibility enchantment, he flew over towards Ottery St.
Catchpole. He
really didn't want to be at Hogwarts at the moment. Somehow, the Burrow
seemed
more like home than the school he currently attended.
He felt heartsick on the way; poor Sirius, he thought. Harry had his
bike, but
he would have given anything to get back Sirius himself.
If he hadn't been brooding so much, he would have been more careful for
the
branch of a pine tree a couple of blocks away from the Burrow.
Thankfully, he
had his helmet on, so none of it got into his face. But as needles and
twigs
got clogged in the gears, he knew he was losing altitude.
'C'mon,' he thought desperately, 'Just a little bit further...'
~*~*~*~
Molly Weasley was
currently
rotating between three things at the moment: cleaning her house,
fretting about
Harry, or both. She was just putting the last dish in the cupboard when
a THUD
and a BOOM came from outside.
'What in Merlin's name was that?' she wondered. Quickly dashing
outside, she
saw a column of smoke coming up from the garden, and the gnomes were
running as
though doomsday had come. Running even closer, she saw the motorbike
that Harry
inherited from Sirius; the gears were a little busted, but could be
repaired.
And thrown several feet away from the bike itself was-
"HARRY!" she screeched at the top of her lungs, causing the
gnomes to run away even faster as she ran towards the boy. As she
removed the
helmet, she heard Harry mutter, "Ooh, look at all the pretty
Snitches..."
Not taking the time to laugh at this, Mrs. Weasley quickly bundled him
up and
ran inside with him, her motherly instincts in overdrive, and called
her
husband and Bill, who immediately Apparated back home. Quickly laying
out her
surrogate son on the couch in the living room, her husband got remedial
potions
from the kitchen and her eldest son get some compresses. After several
minutes,
the matriarch said, "He's bruised all over his body! Bill, can you
apply
some of the healing potions?"
Bill nodded as Harry groaned, "Where's my bike?"
For probably the first time in her life, Mrs. Weasley was actually
strict
towards Harry. "It's outside in the garden, but it's not as important
as
your health."
"But it was Sirius' bike," he whined, his voice weak. "Wait,
your garden? Oh, I'm so sorry..."
"Actually, I think you just may have gotten rid of the garden gnomes
for
good," Mrs. Weasley reassured him, "And both the bike and the garden
can be fixed. How did that happen, anyway?"
"Stupid pine tree got in the way..." Harry mumbled as Bill lifted his
shirt to apply the potions, which relieved the pain and got rid of most
of the
bruises.
"Anyway," Mrs. Weasley said, "Bill, you inform Dumbledore that
we found Harry. Arthur, you get Harry's bike, try to stop as much
damage as you
can and put it in the shed for now until we can get it fixed, and
please don't
tinker with it. Harry, dear, are you feeling better?"
He shrugged, his eyes a little unfocused. "Physically, I'm healing
already. Emotionally... for months, I've been trying to think about
everything
and anything other than Sirius...I've been trying to bury it by doing
schoolwork or homework or anything else, only to avoid thinking about
it..."
Mrs. Weasley let out a soft gasp and hugged Harry. "I'm always just
some
kid without a family..." he said softly, "Even that night at the end
of the Triwizard Tournament, when you hugged me to comfort me, that was
the
first and only time I remember being hugged like that..." He just let
his
tears loose, sobbing into her shoulder as she hugged him even tighter
without
cutting off his breathing.
Harry wept into her shoulder for several minutes. "People I get close
to
die; if I were you, I'd run," he sobbed.
"Nonsense!" she exclaimed. "You're one of the sweetest, bravest
young men I know!"
"Okay, even if not everybody near me dies, other terrible things still
happen. Like Percy..."
"Harry James Potter! Get that notion out of your head right now; I
don't
blame you in the slightest for Percy's actions."
"By the way, how's it going with your husband trying to become Minister
of
Magic?"
"So far so good, although he won't be disappointed if he loses. He took
Dumbledore's advice to try out for the position."
"Personally, I think he'd be great. Even in spite of what happened with
Percy, that shouldn't be used against him. If Mr. Weasley ever told him
to go
do that Death Eater stuff, I'll eat my Firebolt. And yes, you can quote
me on
that."
She chuckled softly, hugging him even closer. "By the way, where did
you
go?"
"I had a little chat with my relatives?"
"With or without magic?" she asked suspiciously.
"Ironically, I didn't even need to use magic; I figured, why put all
that
effort into scaring them when you can let them scare themselves with
their own
imagination? I think I put them on a guilt trip, though. The finishing
touch
was when I transformed- oops..."
"Sorry?"
"I became a lion Animagus last summer. Want to see?"
She nodded and let go of him, and he transformed in front of her. She
gasped
and noted how handsome he was as she petted and hugged him, making him
purr a
little.
"You know, my little cub," she joked as he transformed back,
"Dumbledore was worried you might have gone too far with your
relatives."
He growled in a leonine way. "Him!? What does he care! I overheard in
the
staff room, saying how my uncle brought the weapon because somebody
bribed him
to do so! He even said to all the other teachers how the security at my
house
could have been circumvented all these years if my relatives had sold
me out,
and that there were much better options than
Mrs. Weasley looked furious. She kindly said, "Harry, you stay right
here
on this couch and rest; I'll be right back." With that, she went over
to
her kitchen, and took out a red envelope... (5)
~*~*~*~
Albus Dumbledore was back at
Dumbledore was just contemplating how he hadn't been this unpopular for
a while
when an owl soared in with a Howler and dropped it right in front of
him.
Everyone stared at it fearfully, particularly all the Weasleys present,
and
Dumbledore, resigned for the worst, reluctantly opened it up. Once
again, Molly
Weasley had sent one of her legendary yet infamous Howlers.
"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW UTTERLY FOOLISH YOU CAN
BE!
HARRY RELATED THE WHOLE INCIDENT TO ME, AND YOU LEFT HIM WITH THOSE
HORRIBLE
MUGGLES TO BEGIN WITH! YOU MAY BE ONE OF THE SMARTEST AND MOST POWERFUL
WIZARDS
IN THE WORLD, BUT YOUR DECISION OVER THE BOY'S CARETAKERS DEFINITELY
RANKS UP
THERE IN THE TOP TEN STUPIDEST THINGS YOU'VE EVER DONE!
"YET ANOTHER THING YOU'VE DONE TO RUIN HIS LIFE EVEN MORE IS NOT BEING
THERE FOR HIM WHEN HE NEEDED IT THE MOST! YOU'VE JUST LEFT HIM TO
"IF IT WEREN'T FOR MY LOYALTY TO YOU, I WOULD KEEP HIM HERE AT THE
BURROW
UNDER LOCK AND KEY AND MAKE SURE YOU NEVER COME NEAR HIM EVER AGAIN! I
WOULD
EVEN USE MULTIPLE FIDELIUS CHARMS IF I HAD TO! IF YOU CARE FOR HIM SO
MUCH,
THEN STOP PILING ALL THESE RESPONSIBILITIES ON HIM, TELLING HIM TO BURY
HIS
MISERY IN HIS STUDIES, WHEN WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IS TO MOLD HIM INTO
YOUR
PERFECT LITTLE SOLDIER! DO YOU REALIZE HOW DISTRAUGHT HE IS, EVEN
ALMOST A YEAR
AFTER SIRIUS' DEATH? HE COULDN'T EVEN FLY STRAIGHT ON THAT MOTORBIKE,
CAUSING
HIM TO CRASH OFF TREES AND STRAIGHT INTO THE GARDEN! DO YOU LOVE SEEING
HARRY
SUFFER? YOU COULD HAVE CERTAINLY FOOLED ME!
"BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT REALLY IRKS ME? HOW YOU SACRIFICE HIS
CHILDHOOD AND HIS UPBRINGING FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PRECIOUS PLAN, AND
THEN WHEN
HE GETS A LITTLE MOODY, YOU THINK HE'LL TURN INTO ANOTHER DARK LORD! OF
ALL THE
RIDICULOUS NONSENSE AND IDEAS THAT HAVE FLOATED THROUGH THAT SO-CALLED
BRILLIANT
MIND OF YOURS, ALBUS, THAT HAS DEFINITELY GOT TO BE ONE OF THE WORST
EVER!
HARRY ALREADY HAS SEVERAL FRAGILE POINTS AND CRACKS IN HIS PERSONA, AND
YOU'RE
PRACTICALLY SWINGING TROLL CLUBS IN HIS DIRECTION! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS
TO
HARRY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN FROM HOGWARTS AS FAST AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE
YOU WILL
NOT LIKE WHAT I'LL HAVE TO SAY!"
As the Howler crumbled into dust, everyone was rubbing his or her ears,
which
still hurt from the matriarch's verbal onslaught. Dumbledore looked
somewhat
insulted.
"Do I enjoy seeing Harry suffer?" he muttered under his breath.
"Of course I don't!"
"What was all that about him crash-landing into the garden?" Ron
wondered.
At that point, the door flew open, and Molly Weasley stood on the
threshold, an
ugly look on her face. As everyone darted to the side, she strode
straight up
to Dumbledore. "Albus," she said, as everyone held their breath,
"Do you know where the medicinal potions are? I ran out at home."
"Try the bathroom," Dumbledore suggested.
"Thank you," she hissed, "And by the way, you might want to
remember what I said, about if anything happens to him, you will truly
regret
it. He still has a life, which you keep wrapping up around defeating
You-Know-Who."
"Because he's the only one who can."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Does this have anything to do
with the prophecy that was destroyed?"
Dumbledore felt his chest closing in on him. "I really can't worm my
way
out of this, can I?"
"No, Albus. Keeping information got Sirius killed. Send the students
back
to school, and tell the Order members about the prophecy."
"I told Harry about it, that night after the fiasco in the Department
of
Mysteries. I really think it's his right to tell anyone about it."
Snape stepped forward. "Once again, sir, you're caught in your own web
of
lies. You told me, didn't you? Although I thank you for your trust in
me. Since
I already know, I'll take the students back. Besides, I don't think I'd
want to
watch everyone's reactions."
Ron objected. "You can't do this, Professor Dumbledore! Half of us were
in
the Ministry last year, remember? We almost died because of that bloody
thing!
We have a right to know!"
Dumbledore looked straight back at Harry's best friend. "I think Harry
should let you know when the time is right, and even then, you might
have to
take Occlumency to prevent anyone from finding out about it. As long as
Voldemort doesn't know the last parts of it, we have the upper hand."
Ron looked about ready to object, but went along with it. Reluctantly,
he and
the other students Flooed back to Hogwarts along with Snape.
~*~*~*~
"So, Albus, the prophecy... what did it say?" Arthur asked him.
With a sigh, Dumbledore said, "Since you have risked life and limb and
much, much more for the sake of it, you all have the right to know.
Shortly
before Harry was born, I went to the Hog's Head to see about a new
Divination
professor, who you all know as Professor Trelawny."
McGonagall scoffed, but Dumbledore cut her off, "It IS an actual
prophecy.
'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born as
the
seventh month dies, born to those who have thrice defied him...'"
"Wait a minute," Mrs. Longbottom interjected, "At the end of
July, to those who..." she gasped, and fearfully asked, "It could
have applied to Neville too, couldn't it?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, but only that part of it. That was the
only part the eavesdropper heard before being thrown out of the bar.
The rest
of it, however, confirms that Harry is the one mentioned in it. Anyway,
it continues,
'The Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, yet he shall have power the
Dark
Lord knows not...'"
"'Mark him as his equal?'" Hagrid asked. "You mean-?"
"Yes, Rubeus, his scar, the souvenir from the failed attempt to kill
him.
As for the final part... I can't even say it..." he moaned while
burying
his face in his hands. "I'll let you know when the time is right."
With that, he quickly departed before anybody could stop him. (6)
~*~*~*~
Harry was feeling better now. He lay on the couch, staring up at the
ceiling.
The healing potions were taking effect, and he got up, feeling rather
sore,
considering what had happened.
Mrs. Weasley came back in, helping him clean up one last time before he
could
return to Hogwarts. Once he was all cleaned up, he thanked and hugged
her
before using the Floo Network to return to Hogwarts.
"
~*~*~*~
Harry got his things
together
and did his work in his office for the rest of the day. Looking over,
he could
see that Nemorphus was up to his adult height of six feet. He even
played with
his Runespoor for a bit, petting and feeding them. He fell asleep
shortly
before dinner while doing work at his desk.
Voldemort was in front of him. "Well, Potter," he said, "You
see how much friendship is worth. Friendship, love, and all that other
rot
causes betrayal. In order to be betrayed, you need friends to betray
you. But
when you were feared as opposed to loved, you were left alone, which
was what
you wanted to desperately, didn't you? Like they say, Potter, it's
better to be
feared than loved. The Lestrange brothers feared you as you killed
them. Your
friends feared you enough so they wouldn't do anything stupid. Do you
understand me? Harry?" (7)
"Harry? HARRY!"
He awoke with a start; looking at the time, he could see it was dark
outside.
"What time is it?" he moaned.
"It's five to nine," Ginny said. "Where were you? We had that
O.S. meeting tonight! Everyone was wondering where you were. Are you
okay?"
Harry rubbed his eyes. "I'm OK; I'll just get something to eat from the
kitchens."
"What about the meeting?"
His head snapped up. "Oh darn," he muttered, "Maybe I should
stop doing this for a while, let someone else do it..."
"Too many responsibilities being burdened?" Ginny asked.
"You're quoting your mum from her Howler, aren't you? I would know,
since
I heard her make it in the next room over."
"She had a point, Harry. I think she even scared Dumbledore."
"Anyway," Harry yawned, "I'm tired. I'll just get something to
eat first. Oh, I almost forgot..."
"What?"
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her right on the lips.
"Ginny," he said, "Do you want to officially be my
girlfriend?"
She giggled a little. "Yes I would!"
"Just keep it quiet," he warned her, "I don't want people making
you a potential target for anything."
"Of course. By the way, what was that about the garden at my house?"
"Oh, I, um, I accidentally crashed into it after something got caught
in
the gears. Your mum was really scared, but so were the garden gnomes; I
think I
just got rid of them."
"Yet another heroic deed for Harry Potter," Ginny laughed.
Harry smirked at how she made light of his unwanted fame. "Yeah, I
know.
Anyway, g'nite."
After he left, Ginny wondered about him. How and why had he changed?
She
finally concluded it was one of those pains of adolescence. Shaking her
head,
she decided to do prefect patrol for any misbehaving students.
~*~*~*~
Throughout the entire week, Harry's mood lightened up a little. He
participated
more in class, talked more with his friends, etc. He supposed he was
happy, but
part of the time, it felt like an act.
The class with the Animagus Testing potion was interesting as all the
different
sixth years gathered in a special combined class in the Great Hall to
see which
animals they would become, in case they wanted to pursue Animagus
training. Ron
actually liked being a fox, once he knew what was going on and not
being teased
by it. Hermione became a tabby cat (and was quickly dubbed
"Mini-McGonagall"), Neville became a brown bear, Dean became a hound
dog, Parvati became a peacock, whereas her sister Padma was a wild
turkey,
Pansy became a pug (causing some laughter from Hermione), Draco became
a viper,
and Harry witnessed the whole display of different creatures the other
students
became. They had just finished with all the other students, who were
all about
to leave, when suddenly-
"Potter, your turn," McGonagall said, evidently not aware of the plan
that Snape came up with. As Snape watched in a bored way (he was also
there,
with antidotes on hand, should anything go wrong), Harry drank his
portion with
some apprehension. He felt the familiar sensation, and after he closed
his
eyes, he transformed...
Something was wrong. He was definitely not a lion. Opening his
eyes, he
saw that he had wings with beautiful red and gold plumage. And then it
hit him.
He was a phoenix!
'How on Earth did this happen?' he thought. 'Could I be a Polyanimagus
or
something? There isn't supposed to have been one in about two hundred
years...'
(8)
Craning his neck, he looked around and saw the reactions of his
classmates;
they were all staring at him with awe. He strutted over to a mirror
that had
been set up. He looked pretty much like Fawkes or Ardeavis did, but
with major
exceptions. His eyes were that same green, of course. He had a small
crest of
jet-black feathers on his forehead, which lead down to reveal a dark
lightning
bolt above his eyes. There were also small rims around his eyes for his
glasses.
He also had an impressive wingspan. Spreading his wings, he recalled
how birds
flew, and he took off. It was wonderful! It was quite different from
having to
hang on to his broomstick or his motorbike (which was still being
repaired, by
the way). His whistle was very friendly, and he soared around the hall,
singing
happily. Deciding to test out his strength, he swooped down and carried
Ron
off, who screamed with fright at being preyed upon by his
friend-turned-bird. He
weighed as light as a book! Harry probably could have carried Hagrid if
he
tried.
Deciding to land before they fell to the ground, he dropped Ron back
off and
waited around until the potion wore off. Feeling surprisingly heavy
again, he
shakily walked back to where the other students were as they applauded
for him.
"Don't do that again, mate!" Ron yelled. "And how could you done
that anyway? I thought you were a lion-"
Harry tried to cut him off, but it was too late; the other students all
caught
the slip of his tongue. With questioning looks, they interrogated Harry
to see
if it was true or not.
"Silence!" McGonagall commanded. After they all stayed quiet,
she said, "Apparently, Potter has the potential to be a Polyanimagus.
There hasn't been one for over two hundred years, and there hasn't been
a
phoenix Animagus for nearly eight hundred years... And yes, now that
Mr.
Weasley happened to mention it-" and Ron then found himself the subject
of
one of McGonagall's sterner looks "-Potter became a lion Animagus over
the
course of the previous summer, in record time, I might add."
To demonstrate, Harry became a lion again. The Gryffindors cheered
while most
of the Slytherins looked disdainful; apparently, it was the whole House
mascot
thing. Just to get even with Ron, he even chased after his friend, much
to the
amusement of everyone else, and Ron was running with pure terror on his
face;
Harry eventually pounced on him, pinning the redhead to the floor.
Transforming back, he asked McGonagall, "Professor, does this mean I
could
become any animal?"
"Unfortunately, Potter, Polyanimagi can be any Animagus who can take on
more than one form, whether it's two or two hundred. If you want to
continue
training to become a phoenix Animagus..."
Harry automatically tried becoming a phoenix. A few minutes later, he
was a
phoenix again. McGonagall's jaw dropped. "Just like that- what- how?"
Harry shrugged as a phoenix, and flew around some more until McGonagall
called
him back. "Well, Potter, you'll have to register with the Ministry."
"Will do," he said promptly. He transformed again, and concentrating,
he disappeared in a flash of fire.
Professor McGonagall looked thunderstruck. Regaining control of
herself, she blurted
out, "Homework tonight: Twenty inches on the theories and properties of
Animagi. I have my own work and research to do. Mr. Weasley, Miss
Granger, please
make sure Mr. Potter gets the assignment." With that, she fairly ran
straight out of the hall, eager to get to her office, which promptly
resulted
in everybody else laughing (plus a smirk from Snape).
~*~*~*~
Traveling by phoenix fire as a phoenix felt more like traveling by
Portkey,
only more... fiery. Landing in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, he
caught
everyone's attention. Landing in the middle of the hall, transformed
back,
ignored the surprised looks of all the Ministry workers, and asked,
"Can
anyone tell me where the Department for the Regulation and Control of
Magical
Creatures is?"
Amos Diggory suddenly fought his way through the crowd. "Actually,
Harry,
I'm in charge of it these days. I can get you there. Follow me."
Struggling to get through the crowd, Harry followed him. Overall, he
decided
that he really didn't need to keep his Animagi forms secret, since he
probably
wouldn't do real missions for the Order, and hopefully, Voldemort would
be gone
before then.
He filled out all the proper forms and such, and even demonstrated. On
the way
out, he wished Mr. Diggory good luck with the election.
He passed
"What aren't they interested in?" he said simply while leaving.
Behind him,
~*~*~*~
Later, Harry was
doing all his
work during the final three periods of the day. As he kept reading, his
mood
suddenly felt dark again. Being famous, and not because of a pair of
words
("Harry Potter"), being respected, being left alone... He loved
it.
He felt even darker the next day when a newspaper article ran through
about him
being a combination lion and phoenix Animagus. People were staring and
pointing
at him again! He was a little peeved at Ron for the slip of his
tongue.
As happy as he tried to be for the rest of that week, he still felt a
little
angry.
One thought kept coming back to him time and time again: 'It's better
to be
feared than loved...'
~*~*~*~
On Friday, the new Minister was announced: Arthur Weasley. Harry was
celebrating with the Weasleys that night, all of them dressed in their
finest
at a famous restaurant (with security guards all over the place), and
he even
drank a little champagne in a toast to his new Minister of Magic. It
was made a
little sad by how Percy couldn't be there with him. Harry had a feeling
that
Percy, who aspired to be Minister of Magic, would not be very happy at
all.
Eventually, they had to turn in early, because their match against
Hufflepuff
was tomorrow, and Ron's fanaticism was not to be taken lightly.
~*~*~*~
The match against Hufflepuff took place on a cold Saturday, even though
it was
the first of February. Dean had even drawn things including lions and
phoenixes, which, in Harry's opinion, was a bit overkill. Up until the
match,
Harry had been practicing the new leaping move repeatedly.
Ron said some speech about how they had lost to Hufflepuff twice in the
past
three years, because of a storm, dementors, and an unjust ban. "THIRD
TIME'S THE CHARM!" he roared, and they were all ready to go, all pumped
up
for victory.
As Ron shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain, Harry noticed Zacharias
Smith
leering at Harry unpleasantly. Harry ignored it as they took off.
Ron was near unbeatable. Out of fifteen shots at the goals during the
entire
match, he only missed one or two. Ginny, Seamus, and Katie made for a
near-unstoppable trio.
Smith played roughly. A couple of times, he nearly knocked Harry off
his broom,
and just when Harry saw the Snitch for the tenth time that game, he was
literally knocked off his broom. His broom went flying out to the
forest, while
Harry transformed into a phoenix to slow down his fall.
"PENALTY TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee and Madam Hooch screamed at the same
time. "But first, let's see if Potter can get his Firebolt back..."
As most of the crowd booed at Smith, Harry yelled, "I hope you have
lots
of money to pay for a new one if anything happened to it, Smith!" He
transformed into a phoenix and flew off in search of it, narrowly
cuffing the
Hufflepuff Seeker around the head.
It turned out that the broom was only a few trees into the forest. He
picked it
up, cleaned it off, and flew back over to resume the game. The
Gryffindors
breathed a massive sigh of relief, while Smith looked almost defeated.
Ten minutes later, Harry saw the Snitch again, but he was five feet
away when
Smith suddenly veered in front of him. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'Time to
act.'
The crowd gasped and muttered as Harry leapt off his broom and right
over
Smith's head, not even making physical contact with the shocked
Hufflepuff
Seeker. Almost in slow motion, Harry caught the Snitch, which was
inches from
Smith's fingers, and reached out for his broom, swung himself back on
it, and
zoomed back towards the goal posts and Hooch blew her whistle.
The Gryffindors exploded into cheers as the rest of the Hufflepuffs
clapped
politely, save one: Smith himself. Sourly, he shouted, "You're a
cheater,
Potter!"
Both Hooch and Ron came through for Harry. Triple-checking the rulebook
together, the instructor and captain concluded that indeed, no rules
had been
broken, and therefore it was legitimate. Smith cursed and leapt off his
broom
at Harry, shouting "I'll get you!"; a moment later, in a flash
of red feathers and yellow robes, Smith was flat on the ground and
Harry was
soaring above, causing everyone to laugh.
Retrieving his Firebolt, Harry parted his way through the crowd when
Smith
suddenly shouted, "How do we know he didn't use his abilities as a
phoenix
Animagus to do it?"
'That kid just doesn't five up,' Harry thought as the crowd quieted. "I
wasn't
a phoenix Animagus before I came up with that move; I've been working
on it
over time. Oh, and Smith, in case you haven't noticed, my Quidditch
robes are
the same color as phoenix feathers, which is why you might be so
confused.
Maybe you're not thinking straight because you tried to crash into me
one too
many times."
Everyone was laughing at Smith again, who gnashed his teeth in anger.
He
yelled, "You don't know what you're talking about! You can't tell the
truth about anything, not even Cedric Diggory's death!"
The crowed went deathly quiet as Harry glared at Smith. His hand still
clenched
over the struggling Snitch, Harry yelled, "HOW DARE YOU! I THOUGHT WE
WENT
OVER THIS! VOLDEMORT KILLED CEDRIC, NOT ME! AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW,
SINCE YOU
WEREN'T THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED!? HOW CAN YOU EVEN SAY THAT, YOU, YOU-
VOLDEMORT-SYMPATHIZER!"
Everyone gasped again as Smith flushed an angry color. Before anything
else
could be said, Dumbledore stepped in. "Smith, that's enough. There's
nothing wrong with House pride, but it becomes a problem when it
reaches House
fanaticism."
Ron walked over to Harry and stood by him, glaring at Smith. The
Hufflepuff
then said, "It would have been three years in a row!"
"Would that have been justified, though?" Harry challenged him.
"When Cedric Diggory beat me in my third year, it was during a storm
and a
hundred dementors; even he tried to call it off. As for last year,
well, with
Dumbridge controlling everything, you only got lucky. Whatever happened
to
Hufflepuff fairness, Smith?"
At a loss for words, an angry Smith got on his broomstick and flew
away,
leaving a very disapproving crowd behind him.
"Ignore him, mate," Ron said, trying to reassure his angry friend.
"That kid doesn't have a clue what he's talking about."
Harry dropped the Snitch to the ground as someone came charging up to
him.
"Richard Bailey from the Daily Prophet. That move you perfected, do you
have a name for it yet?"
Harry shook his head as Ron said, "You wouldn't believe how he pounced
like a lion!"
Then it occurred to Harry; looking at Ron, he said, "Thanks, mate, I
have
a name for it: Potter Lion Pounce."
Ron grinned. "Glad to help. Come on, party in the Gryffindor common
room!" As the Gryffindors cheered, another man came up to him.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, I'm Arnold Robin, coach for the English National
Quidditch Team. Can you guess why I'm here?"
Harry figured it out instantly. "Because of my amazing victory?" he
supplied.
Mr. Robin smiled. "Exactly. Do you want to be part of the reserve team?
We
could use your skills."
The boy thought about this carefully and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Robin; I
know this opportunity hardly comes anybody's way, but I currently have
a lot of
Dark wizards to worry about. Someday after the Second War, maybe, but
just not
now."
The smile faltered, but the man continued, "I understand perfectly. It
was
nice meeting you, Harry. I'll owl you when that times comes." With
that,
he left.
"If it ever does," Harry muttered under his breath, walking away
downhearted towards the locker rooms to get changed.
Behind him, the Snitch lay twitching on the ground, cracked from where
Harry
had gripped it so hard with his anger.
(End of Chapter 24.)
A/N: Okay, the two "tips of the hat" to "Redemption," by krtshadow: The first was the whole thing where someone curses Dumbledore out with swearwords that make for whole mixed reactions (the scene in Ch. 13 of “Redemption” still makes me smirk to this very day; the other thing was pointing out the possibility of Voldemort having someone bribe the Dursleys into getting rid of Harry, thus circumventing the protective wards around Privet Drive (which never even occurred to me until I read "Redemption.")
(1) This is an alternate thing of the small exchange between them in chapter 14, for those of you who don't remember (you know, just in case).
(2) No, I can't tell you what Lupin said, because quite frankly, I don't know all that many good curse words (and wizards probably have different verbal curses than Muggles do, anyway). I really had nothing specific in mind anyway.
If anyone can think of anything good as curses for ranting, feel free to email me. (Calling all truck drivers, drill sergeants, sailors, etc., LOL.)
(3) I tried to make this as realistic and non-mushy as possible. In your opinion, how well did I do that?
(4) Am I making this dramatic?
(5) GOOD GOD, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! (HAHAHA!) Sorry, but sometimes, rants and Howlers can be fun to write!
(6) Don't worry, Dumbledore will have to tell them... eventually...
(7) Don't worry, this isn't an actual message from Voldemort via Harry's scar; it's just a dream.
(8) I'm making this up, I know, but hey, writer's license.
BTW, do you think I did a good job with coining the term
"Polyanimagus?" And for that matter, do you like the Animagus forms I
chose for everyone?