DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., etc. No money was made in the creation of this story.
A/N: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I just recently came back from a 10-day camping trip and as you would guess, I had no time to work on my story. For those who have grown frustrated with my slow updates, please accept my apology.
Chapter 7: Fried Chicken and the Sudden Jolt
It wasn't until late that evening when Madame Pomfrey returned to the hospital wing and as Harry had expected, she wasn't very pleased with his newest injury. She gave him the usual lecture about carelessness and their idiotic outcomes. She believed the injury was the result of a stupid accident and Harry was planning on keeping it that way. She was, however, very impressed with the bandages that were applied to his foot; something he knew he had to tell Nancy.
After finishing her lecture and repairing the broken drawer of Harry's night table, she told Harry that he was free to leave the hospital wing. This pleased Harry. He never enjoyed being in the hospital wing and as everyone around him says, he spends too much time there. Though despite being allowed to leave, he didn't want to leave Hermione's side.
"Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey sighed, frustrated with his persistence, "it is late and you haven't had anything to eat for the past two days. You must go and get something to eat if you hope to gain all your strength back. I will take good care of Ms. Granger and I promise to inform you the moment there is a change in her condition.
"Besides," she continued, quite perturbed by Harry's silence and lack of action, "since you're no longer a patient, you are now considered a visitor. Visiting hours are over; therefore, you must leave the hospital wing. If you do not do so, it will result in a detention."
Harry didn't know how to respond. A detention was the last thing he needed to worry about, but when it came to Hermione, he'd accept a million detentions to be allowed to stay by her side. He struggled to find the words he wanted to say but Madame Pomfrey spoke before he had chance to say anything.
"Please Mr. Potter," she said in a reassured tone. "You need to go to the Great Hall and get something to eat. Ms. Granger will be fine. I will alert you when there is a change, but until then, you need to try to get yourself back on track. You are Head Boy, after all. Without Ms. Granger, your duties will double, so I must insist that you continue on your way and be prepared."
"Thank you," Harry said softly as he stood from his bed.
He had completely forgotten that he was Head Boy and was on the verge of panicking when he realized that he didn't have Hermione to fall back on. He held himself together, not wanting to cross Madame Pomfrey and took in a deep breath. He knew he could always turn to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall if he needed any help with his duties.
Madame Pomfrey gave him a pat on the shoulder and soft shove to get him moving. Harry gave her a thankful smile and after one last glance at Hermione, he left the hospital wing.
Harry pushed his hands into his pockets and slowly made his way through the quiet corridors of the castle; his thoughts moving painstakingly back to the memories of Saturday morning and the scolding he received from Nancy earlier today. He did his best to forget it all, but the harder he tried, the harder it became.
He could smell the gentle aroma of dinner lingering about the Great Hall as he entered it, his stomach immediately rumbling. All he wanted was to get something to eat and get to bed as quickly as possible, but upon seeing Ron and Nancy sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, his want for a hasty disappearance left him.
The two were in the middle of a deep lip lock. He walked quietly towards them, not entirely sure if he should interrupt them, but before he had a chance to make up his mind, Ron's eyes opened slightly and soon focused on him. Ron immediately broke the kiss and almost violently pushed Nancy off him.
Nancy was shocked at first but upon realizing Harry's presence, she instantly shifted farther away from Ron and tried to straighten her hair. Harry could tell that the two were trying their best to calm themselves down, but their faces were as red as tomatoes.
Harry hesitantly took a seat on the side opposite of the two and gave them a weak smile. He had just made an awkward situation even worse and he didn't know how to break the tension without bringing up the argument he and Nancy had. And as he feared, another uncomfortable silence fell upon them.
"Hey Harry," Nancy said softly after several minutes. "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you earlier."
"No, it's okay," Harry replied, incredibly relieved that she brought up the subject. "You didn't do anything wrong. I needed to hear that."
"I know you did…. But I had no right to yell at you the way I did. I should I have handled it better. I understand that you've been through a lot and I know that you're angry. Yelling at you when you're like that isn't the best way to get my point across."
"You know how she gets when she gets rattled up," Ron snickered, causing her to look at him with a careful expression.
"I am not like that all the time," she protested as she slapped his arm playfully.
"That is what you think," Ron grinned as he proceeded to poke her in the sides, which in turn made her jump slightly in her seat.
"That was dirty!" Nancy cried, narrowing her eyes at him as she quickly reached out to squeeze his sides.
"Er…. So what are you two doing here so late?" Harry asked, causing the two to stop what looked like the start of a tickle fight.
"Just spending some alone time together," Ron replied cheerfully as he winked at Nancy.
"Oh stop it, Ron," Nancy giggled, her face was once again bright red. "I have to leave tonight and head back to Diagon Alley. There are plenty of old books and parchments that I haven't gone through yet and the research must continue. Never know when we might find another big breakthrough.
"So… I wanted to spend time with Ron, away from the rest of the Gryffindors before I left. You know how they get and the last thing we want to start a big scene or be teased."
"Oh, I understand," Harry nodded as he stood from the bench, "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I was just going to get something to eat."
"No, it's okay, Harry," Nancy said as she gestured for him to sit back down. "It's completely all right."
"You sure?"
"It's no problem, mate," Ron insisted. "We talked with Dobby earlier and he told us that he was going to prepare a special meal for you. He has been at it for the past hour, so you know it's going to be good. I reckon he should be out with the food in a little bit."
"Oh okay," Harry replied as he sat back down. "I'll wait for Dobby, but I'll go after that. I don't want to cut into your alone time together."
"Don't worry, Harry," Nancy giggled as Ron started to play with the back of her neck.
Harry just smiled at the two. Ron hadn't looked this happy in a long time and like Ron, he wished Nancy didn't have to leave so soon. Watching the two flirt, he felt the unusual feeling that Ron spoke of when he complained about his and Hermione's public displays of affection; however, unlike Ron, the thoughts of sibling indecency never once entered his mind.
"Oh dear! Sorry Harry," Nancy exclaimed when she realized that he was watching them with a silly grin.
"No no," Harry said as he tried to hold in his laughter. "I don't mind at all. Hermione and I have done that quite a few times in front of Ron, so it's only fair."
"Only a few times?" Ron gasped as he shock his head. "Come now Harry…. It's more like at least five times a day."
Harry snickered, causing the three to burst out in laughter. They haven't laughed like this since the last time they were together during the summer. Though without Hermione, the melody of their laughter wasn't right, but given their present situation, no one wanted to comment on it.
"Have you had anymore dreams?" Nancy asked after the laughter stopped, wanting to prevent another uncomfortable silence.
"No, not since Friday night," Harry replied as he rested his arms and head on the table. "I don't really know what's going to with then."
"Have you dreamt anything about the crest of Hufflepuff?" she asked, unsure if Harry really wanted to talk about his nightmares.
"No, sorry," he answered. "The only crest I have dreamt about was the Ravenclaw crest."
"That's good," she said somewhat relieved. "Since you haven't dreamt anything about it, chances are it hasn't yet been discovered by the Death eaters yet. We still have a chance with that crest."
"What about the crest of Gryffindor?" Ron asked.
"We all ready have that one," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone, causing the two boys' eyes to widen.
"What do you mean, we all ready have that one?" Harry asked slowly, trying to make sure that he heard her correctly.
"The location of that crest was the only one that we knew of," Nancy explained. "So we sent out a team to get it and they were able to retrieve it. They are currently moving about Europe and will return to England sometime within the next couple of weeks. Though the crest will be stored in a safe location outside the school."
"Why outside the school?" Ron asked. "You reckon Hogwarts would be the perfect place to hide it… especially with all of its enchantments and protections and all."
"Yeah but the last thing we want is to draw attention to the school," Harry answered for Nancy, who nodded in agreement. "We don't want to give Volde-- oh c'mon Ron… You-Know-Who any reason to come attack the castle… especially since he now has two of the crests."
"Though if we have the crest of Gryffindor, You-Know-Who can't put the Crest of Eternity together, right?" Ron said uncertainly. "Doesn't that mean we all ready win?"
"He can't but the Crest of Eternity together, but that doesn't means that we're not in danger," Harry said in a low but not hopeless tone. "The more crests he gets, the more powerful he'll be. When he finds out that Dumbledore and the Order have the crest of Gryffindor… it'll only be a matter of time before he forces Dumbledore to fight for the crest."
"Then we'll have to even it up," Ron exclaimed as he turned to Nancy. "Have you found any clues that will lead the Order to the crest of Hufflepuff?"
"Nothing solid enough to pinpoint any sort of location," she replied with a depressed sigh. "According to the manuscript written by the old mage, Hufflepuff was extremely concerned about the crest falling into the wrong hands, so she transfigured it into some other object. Problem is we have no idea what. She never told anyone what object she transfigured the crest into."
"What is the Order going to do?" Harry asked.
"The only solution is to track down all of her most prized possessions in hopes that one of those items is the transfigured crest," Nancy answered despairingly. "But that poses another problem."
"What's that?" Ron asked as he started to rub the back of her neck, trying to ease her tension.
"Hufflepuff collected many artifacts during her life time," she explained, "and so she has many… hundreds of what she thought were prized possessions."
"That doesn't sound horribly bad," Ron commented. "All the Order has to do--"
"I haven't gotten to the bad part yet," she interrupted. "She loved charities and would always do her best in helping them… so before she passed away, she donated the majority of her possessions to those charities… many of which sold those items for money to help their specific cause."
"More that likely, it was a collector that bought the artifacts," Harry stated with a sight. "And it's the nature of artifacts to move from collector to collector or wind up in a museum. That means that those items could be anywhere by now… especially after a thousand years. For all we know, so of them could have been destroyed or lost."
"Blimey…." Ron gulped, utterly stunned. "That makes things almost hopeless."
"The Order is forced to rely on luck and we hope the Death Eaters have to do the same," Nancy said as they heard a crash coming from outside the main doors of the Great Hall followed by the squeal of a house elf; Dobby they figured.
"Half the Order is currently running around the world trying to find those items," she continued. "So far we've been able to locate about thirty of them, and so far, nothing."
"I didn't think we would be lucky enough to find it all ready," Harry sighed as they heard further commotion come from outside the Great Hall.
"Harry Potter sir!" Dobby cried as he rushed through the large doorways with a large plate of food in his hands. "Dobby is very happy to see you, sir!"
"It's good to see you too, Dobby," Harry replied with a smile. "Thank you for the food, it looks and smells delicious."
The large silver plate was covered with so much food that Harry wasn't sure if he could finish it all. Dobby had prepared a grand assortment of his best dishes with included fried chicken, baked ham, mashed potatoes, fresh honey rolls, and stuffing. Harry couldn't help but show a grin when he noticed Ron's hungry stare.
"If there is anymore Harry Potter sir needs, please tell Dobby," the house elf announced as he saluted Harry.
"I'll be fine, Dobby," Harry replied, saluting back. "Thank you again."
Dobby bowed so low that his long thin nose touched the floor and with one last salute, he took his leave.
Harry snickered as he turned back to his friends. He noticed that Ron was practically drooling over the food, his right hand trembling slightly and slowly creeping towards the plate, while Nancy sat next to him, slightly offended that he paid more attention to the food than her.
"You can grab a piece of chicken if you like," Harry offered to Ron.
"No no, I couldn't, mate," Ron replied but it was more than obvious that he wanted to.
"It's okay, go ahead," Harry offered again as he picked up a large chicken wing and held it out to Ron. "There is no way I can finish all of this food on my own. I'm not that hungry."
"If you insist," he smiled widely, taking the offering and taking a bite out of it. "This… is… really… good…."
"I'm glad you're happy," Nancy huffed as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him.
"You want anything?" Harry asked her.
"No, I am completely content with my boyfriend," she replied while glaring at Ron; however, he didn't take notice.
"Okay, I'll be heading off then," Harry said as he stood from the table and picked up the large plate.
"You sure, Harry? You can stay," Nancy said.
"No, it's okay," Harry replied. "I need to get to eat and get to bed. I haven't full regained my strength yet and Madame Pomfrey wants me to rest up. Besides, you two need some alone time together."
"You sure?" Nancy asked again.
"Yeah," Harry nodded as he turned to Ron. "Want another piece of chicken?"
"If you're offering--"
"No, he's fine," Nancy interrupted as she slapped his hand away from the plate.
"What was that for?" Ron asked as he rubbed his reddened hand with the other.
"You take care, Harry," Nancy smiled, ignoring Ron's question. "I'll be dropping by every other week or so to let you guys know what I find and just to check up on you both."
"That'll be great," Harry smiled back. "Good luck with the research and all."
"Thanks. Oh, if you have any dreams that would help us find the crest of Hufflepuff, please tell Dumbledore."
"Don't worry, I will," he said with a firm nod. "I'll see you later."
Harry made his way out for the Great Hall, trying to keep his laughter contained when he heard Ron try to defend himself in regards to his insensitivity. It was so like Ron to act the way he did and then defend himself when his actions were brought up. Emotional range of a teaspoon, he grinned as he walked through the corridor towards the Head Room.
The castle was its usual quiet self. Except for the occasional ghost, Harry didn't see anyone. He was glad about this for he didn't want to be hounded by the students about the fight that took place with Vincent. He didn't want to be reminded of how he and the Order were severely defeated by him.
Harry's mind settled on the meeting he and Keung had with Vincent in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry didn't realize it before, but there was something very familiar about him. He couldn't quite determine the reason why, but he felt it egging him at the back of his mind. It felt as if he were an acquaintance in a past life.
The sword once again surfaced in Harry's thoughts and once again it was calling out to him, tempting him. Harry shook his head vigorously as he placed his plate of food onto a nearby table. He no longer pondered about it or wanted to claim it. After meeting Vincent, Harry wanted nothing to do with the cursed blade and only wished it would stop haunting him. However, whenever Vincent entered his mind, so would that sword.
The sound of voices coming from around the corner of the hallway broke Harry's thoughts, and his mind was free, at least for the moment. Harry listened carefully and recognized the voices belonged to Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkninson.
"All the Aurors together couldn't beat that one Death Eater," Malfoy laughed loudly as they rounded the corner. "If that is the best the Ministry of Magic can come up with, they are done for. Just a team of five of those Death Eaters can do away with that Cornelius Fudge… the idiot he is."
Harry quickly hid behind a statue, curious to hear what else the two Slytherins had to say. He could hear their footsteps growing closer and he hoped that the smell of his food wouldn't attract too much attention. Luck was on his side for the two were unaware that they were heading straight towards him.
"Do you think that that Death Eater will come back?" Pansy asked, her voice somewhat shaky as if she were worried.
"I do hope so," Malfoy replied in a hopeful tone. "He nearly killed that jumped-up Mudblood. Maybe next time, he'll finish the job and rid us of Saint Pot--"
Malfoy stopped when they saw Harry step out from behind the statue several years in front of them. They could see the fire in his eyes, his clenched fists shaking slightly. When he took a step towards them, Pansy quickly moved behind Malfoy with a terrified squeak. Malfoy eyed Harry carefully, unsure of what to do.
"Wh-what do you want, Potter?" Malfoy snarled as he crossed his arms.
"Do you find it funny that Hermione was hurt, you disgusting slug?" Harry growled as he grabbed Malfoy's robes and shoved him against the corridor wall. "Do you find it funny that the castle was attacked?"
"Come off it, Potter!" he scoffed, pulling his robes out of Harry's grasp and shoving him back. "No harm with a little laugh. But if you must know, I find it bloody hilarious. I haven't seen something so funny in ages and I do hope that Death Eater comes back for a second appearance."
"You are unbelievable," Harry said lowly as he released a frustrated sigh. No matter how much Draco Malfoy angered him, he knew he shouldn't attack him. Lowering himself to such a level would be something he could never forgive himself for.
"If that Death Eater does come back," Harry continued, "I hope he gets you. Ridding the school of one pathetic bastard would cause no harm…. In fact, it'd be quite funny. Don't you think so, Malfoy? It would be bloody hilarious."
Harry turned and slowly walked back to the table that held his food. He knew his last comment struck a nerve and could possibly cause Malfoy to snap. Harry slowly moved his hand to his pocket and was ready to defend himself if Malfoy tried anything.
Malfoy's restraint was gone and his anger had taken over. Harry heard him growl followed by a stomp and the movement of robes. From the sounds that echoed throughout the corridor, Harry could tell that Malfoy had opened his robes and was reaching for his wand.
"Hold it right there!" Harry heard a raspy voice shout before he had a chance to pull out his wand.
"M-Moody…." Harry stuttered as he watched the old Auror walk out of the shadows and towards them.
Malfoy's face turned white and he immediately straightened himself and clumsily tried to straighten his robes.
"Attacking a man when his back is to you!" Moody roared as he gripped Malfoy by his collar. "That is by far the most despicable and cowardly act any wizard could do! Slytherin or not, I expect better behavior out of any student that attends this school."
"I'm sorry!" Malfoy squealed, his knees trembling. "I'm very very sorry!"
"If my memory serves me right," Moody stated as he narrowed his eyes, "this is the second time that I have caught you trying to attack Potter from behind. You deserve to be punished, you worthless piece of scum."
Moody pushed Malfoy back, causing him to fall onto his backside. Moody reached into his robes and withdrew his wand, aiming it at Malfoy's forehead. Malfoy, fearing what was to come next, pulled up his arms for protection.
"No Moody!" Harry exclaimed as he stepped in front of Moody, blocking Malfoy from him. "He deserves to be punished but not like that. He will get detention for trying to attack me."
"Detention?" Moody retorted, lowering his wand. "Detention is no suitable punishment for such an act, laddie."
"Sorry, Moody," Harry said firmly. "He will get detention. Nothing more. We do not punish the students that way."
"Fine then, you are the Head Boy," Moody huffed as he crossed his arms. "What will he have to do for detention?"
"He will…." Harry finally turned and faced Malfoy, whose lower lip was shaking and face paler than ever. "He'll have to clean the owlery for Mr. Filch for a month."
"A month?" Malfoy cried, completely shocked and ready to be enraged once more, but held himself together when his eyes met with Moody's. "A month… yeah, sounds fair. I'll report to Filch tomorrow."
"You better, laddie," Moody said lowly, his magical eye bulging out at him. "I will check in with Mr. Filch and if I hear that you have neglected your duties or performed the them poorly, I will not hesitate in punishing you myself."
"Yes sir," Malfoy replied weakly as he gave him a quick nod. "We… we've stayed here for too long. Pansy and I need to continue our rounds… our prefect duties."
"Fine, be off then," Moody sneered as the two Slytherin prefects turned on their heels and hurried down the corridor.
"I take you're going to pretend that you were the same Moody that was our professor during our fourth year?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"Might as well. No point trying to explain the truth to the students. I hardly believe that they would believe me anyways," Moody replied as he turned to face Harry, the eyebrow over his good eye raised. "You manipulated him quite well, Potter."
Harry released a soft sigh and gave Moody an apologetic look. "You've been watching the whole time?"
"Long enough to see you verbally provoke him into attacking you," Moody replied. "I could see that you wanted to attack him, but you're not accustomed to throwing the first blow. So you wanted to provoke him so your attack would be in self-defense. It's easer to fight someone in self-defense."
"That was what I was hoping for," Harry admitted, his guilt creeping over him. "He said some bloody awful stuff and I just wanted to blast him. He is one of the few people who could and would make me that angry, and he enjoys it. But… it still didn't feel right to just attack him."
"Good to know that your conscience is working," Moody chuckled as he patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'm not saying you did the right thing in provoking him, but better that than to simply raising your wand and letting him have it."
"That's why I only gave him detention for a month," Harry grinned. "Were you really going to transfigure him into a ferret?"
"I wasn't going to do anything to the boy. I was only playing along with what you started. Besides, I can't do it even if I wanted to. I don't know that charm," Moody grinned back. "Though I do know how to transfigure a person into a dung beetle."
Harry laughed as he bid the old Auror goodnight and retrieved his food. Malfoy the Dung Beetle. He had to admit, it had a better ring to it than Malfoy the Bouncing Ferret.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
It was September 16th and for the majority of the school day, the Gryffindors were abnormally silent. No one needed to ask for an explanation for the students in the other houses knew the reason for it. It was Hermione Granger's birthday and the once happy occasion was clouded by worry and pessimism. Even Professor McGonagall wore a very depressed demeanor during her classes, her usually enthusiasm gone.
Hermione hadn't shown any improvement in her condition; something most people saw as a bad thing. Harry knew that it wasn't good that Hermione hadn't shown improvement, but was also greatly relieved and content that her condition hadn't worsened. He only hoped that whenever her condition was to change, it would be for the better.
Harry visited her everyday after his classes. He would usually bring his homework with him and do it while sitting in a chair by her bed. He often read the homework readings out loud in hopes that the combination of his voice and information she often hungered for would trigger some sort of physical response from her. She, however, never responded, but it didn't stop him from continuing.
Harry didn't bring his books with him today. Today not only marked Hermione's birthday, but was also the day of the Gryffindors' Quidditch tryouts. He didn't like the idea of having the tryouts on same day as Hermione's birthday, but it was the only available evening that they could reserve the pitch. He was very happy though when Ron and Ginny volunteered to lead the tryouts until he showed up. It meant that he would at least be able to spend sometime with Hermione.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione," he said softly to her as he took a seat in his usual chair. "I'm really sorry but I can't stay very long today. I know it's really rotten of me and I know you'd be angry with me… especially since it's because of Quidditch. I promise to make it up to you and I'll stay here with you as long as I can."
Harry knew that in Hermione's current state, she more that likely couldn't hear a word that he said. Though in the off chance that she did, he did want to do his best to explain himself. For all he knew, she was very much awake inside, but had no way of waking up physically. He brought up the theory with Madame Pomfrey, but from the expression she gave him afterwards, he knew that it was a theory he needed to keep to himself.
"I brought you a couple of presents," he smiled at her as he held up two nicely wrapped gifts. "I don't know why I wrapped them up, since I'm just going to unwrap them and tell you what they are. I guess you could say I got a bit caught up in the moment.
"Anyways," Harry snickered to himself, "I'm opening the first one. I think you'd be able to figure out what it is because of how small the box is. I bought it in Diagon Alley. Actually, it came from the same store where I bought your necklace. When we all went book shopping before first term started, I kind of sneaked off to get this for you, I hope you like it.
"It's a promise ring," he said quietly as he opened the box and pulled out a small ring. The band was made of white gold and it held a small light-blue diamond, which was cut in the shape of a heart.
"It isn't incredibly fancy. I know you don't like anything that's overly fancy. I find it funny that you enjoy reading and studying the most complicated stuff but you prefer your life to be simple as possible. I still don't know why you want to be with a guy like me if you want a simple life… I seem to do nothing but make your life more complex than it really has to be. But I do promise with this ring that I will always love you and be with you. No matter what happens, you know that you will always be the keeper of my heart."
Harry quickly rubbed his watering eyes and took in a deep breath. He placed the ring back into the box and closed it. He placed it on her night table and then proceeded to unwrap her second present, which revealed a large book.
"I remember how excited you were when Professor Spencer brought this up at our first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, so I did some quick research and found this book. According to Professor Dumbledore, it's the best book ever written on the subject. It's Lucille Van Morgernstern's Everything You Would Ever Want to Know About the Internal Makings of Spells.
"I read through a few of the chapters earlier and it is pretty interesting. I may have to borrow it after you're finished reading it. Actually, you know… maybe I'll just start reading it to you, you know, that way we'll both be learning something and when you wake up, you can finish it on your own. And if you let me, I'll borrow it afterwards."
Harry's smile grew very weak, but he took in another breath and opened the book. He turned to the table of contents and casually read through it before turning to the introduction. He cleared his throat and with a tone of a storyteller, Harry began to read the introduction out loud to her.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Blimey Ginny!" Ron cried as he glared at his sister. "You have ran all of them haggard! They're only trying out for a House Quidditch team, not a national team. Come off them a bit before they start hating the sport."
"If they do love the sport," Ginny replied with a harsh tone, "they will not mind going through the extra effort of proving themselves and working hard."
The tryouts had gone on for an hour and a half, thirty minutes longer than what was originally expected, and as Ron had said, the newcomers were fatigued to the point that they were ready to fall of their brooms. Ginny had them run every possible drill that she could think of, trying to bring out the potentials of each newcomer. At this moment, they were flying back and forth across the pitch as fast as they possibly could, a drill that was good for building up stamina and agility.
"Come now," Ron said, his frustration nearly at its maximum, "you know perfectly well after watching them try out for the first fifteen minutes that none of them are good enough to play for the team. Half of them can't even control their brooms."
"Dean was a horrible on his broom before he started playing Quidditch," Ginny retorted as she pointed towards her boyfriend, "and look at him now. He'll probably be one of the best Chasers that Hogwarts will ever have."
"If you two don't mind, please don't bring me into the discussion," Dean stated squeamishly as he and Seamus Finnigan took a step back from the two arguing siblings. It didn't seem like they heard his comment.
"That's true, but it took him a bit before he became really comfortable on his broom," Ron argued. "None of these guys are simply going to pick it up by doing mindless flying exercises all day."
"So I leave you two in charge and this is what happens," Harry laughed as he approached them.
"H-Harry!" Ginny exclaimed. "We didn't think you were going to show up."
"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I was reading something to Hermione and I completely last track of the time," he replied at the two before looking up that the newcomers zigzagging through the air. "I thought the tryouts would be over by now."
"They were suppose to," Ron replied as he shot his sister another look. "Ginny has had them flying around in circles for the longest time. Mind you, there were more that tried out, but half of them quit and left about thirty minutes ago."
"I wanted to weed out the bad ones," Ginny said as she crossed her arms and returned her brother's look. "And if you must know, it worked. We know for sure that only the very determined ones are left."
"That's good," Harry said, cringing when he saw two newcomers nearly collide with each other. "Which of them do you think should be added to the team?"
Ginny grew silent, causing Ron to sigh and answer for him.
"We don't think any of them are good enough to join the team," he answered with another sigh. "I mean, we practically already have a full roster. You know, you being the Seeker, Ginny and Dean being Chasers, Jack being a Beater, and me being the Keeper. Andrew came back and tried out a bit, so we want him back as our other Beater and we all feel that Seamus is great for our last Chaser position."
"You mean, you had them run drills for ninety minutes and none of them are going to make the team?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.
"None of them were good at anything," Ginny explained. "I was hoping that some of them would be like Dean and be poor in one aspect of the game but exceptional good in some other. So I made them do drill after drill after drill. But, they are all poor in all aspects. None of them can catch well, fly well, or throw well. The only thing they have going for them is their determination."
"You know they're going to be mad when we tell them that none of them will be making the team," Harry sighed as he looked back up at them. "If you feel that none of them have what it takes, then there is no point having them keep up with the drills. Have them come down and break it to them gently. We don't want to lose any potential players."
Ginny nodded and called out to the newcomers to land. They did and with a worried sigh she proceeded to explain that none of them had made the team. While some of the newcomers lowered their heads, some, as Ron and Harry had feared, were outraged, asking why they had to work so hard to achieve nothing. Harry wanted to step in and help her, but knew that it was a situation that she could handle on her own, especially since it was her determination to find their hidden potentials that led to the rough tryouts.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ginny was able to calm the group down, easing them by stating that they were all potential alternates in case of a player injury, and dismiss them. Though the damage had been done. Three of the newcomers who did possess the potential of being Quidditch players within the next couple of years were fed up and cursed the sport before leaving the pitch.
"Well that went well," Ron grinned at his little sister, causing her to give him a hard punch in the arm. "What was that for?"
"It was just as much your fault as it was mine!" she screamed at him, rearing to punch his arm again.
"How you figure that it was my fault?" Ron asked as he took a step away from her.
"Harry put both of us in charge," she replied, throwing a punch at him, but missing. "If you thought my methods were bad then you should have said something and not just agree with me."
"I never said I didn't agree with your methods…. You just took them too far!"
"Let's see how you like it when I take my fist too far!" she bellowed, throwing another punch.
"That's not fair! I can't hit a girl!" Ron yelled as he dodged another punch.
"Tough luck then, because I have no problem hitting boys! Especially stupid and obnoxious ones!"
"Have these two always been fighting when I'm not around?" Harry asked Dean and Seamus as they along with Andrew and Jack watched the two Weasleys go at it.
"Not usually," Dean replied as he lowered his head, releasing a sigh. "But they do have their sibling fights every once in a while."
"I guess you could say that without Hermione around, Ron has no choice but to empty his frustrations on Ginny," Seamus added as he watched Ginny connect a punch into Ron's gut. "Oh… that must have hurt."
Harry nodded and crossed his arms, not wanting to verbalize the emotions that he was feeling inside. He looked down at the grass and kicked his foot back and forth, making a small hole. What he really needed was someone to talk to. He felt odd about turning to Ron for the two never really talked about matters of the heart and because of him, the one person he always turned to couldn't talk back.
"I'll bet you a Galleon that Ron avoids Ginny until she gives up," Seamus laughed as he nudged Dean in the shoulder and pulled out a gold coin out of his pocket.
"You're on!" Dean exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a coin. "I bet you that Ginny knocks him out cold."
"Oh we want in!" Andrew and Jack said in unison, both with a Galleon in their hands.
Harry snickered as he looked as his team. His Keeper was in a life-and-death struggle with his star Chaser while the rest of the team made bets on the outcome. He shook his head and reached into his pockets, pulling out a Galleon of his own. If he couldn't beat them, he might as well join them.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Several weeks had passed and the students were anxious about their first trip to Hogsmeade. Dumbledore and Order were hesitant at first about allowing the students to go, but knew that the population would grow uncontrollably unruly if they were to be cooped up for too long. Since the emptying of Azkaban prison, Voldemort and the Death Eaters had not struck another public place and if they were too, Hogsmeade, more than likely would not be their target.
Hermione's condition hadn't changed in the slightest. The group knew that they could not continue to feel depressed over their fallen friend, and therefore did their best to cope with her absence. She was alive and believed well by Madame Pomfrey, so until further news would say otherwise, the worrying subsided. Ironically enough, this was the time when the majority of Gryffindors realized how valuable Hermione was to the House for without her intelligence and ability to answer professors' questions, the Gryffindors' House points were abnormally low.
Harry continued his routine throughout the weeks. He would visit Hermione in the mornings before going to his classes and right after would return to her and spend as much time as he could with her before having to leave to perform his Head duties. He would occasionally skip his Head duties for Quidditch practice, but nothing ever cut into his time spent with Hermione. For his constant need to visit her, many thought he would eventually have a nervous breakdown, but Harry was fine and well. He cherished every minute he spent with Hermione despite her being unconscious and his need to be by Hermione's side was not for the sake of his sanity, but for his want to be there incase she woke up.
"Visiting hours are over, Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey whispered to him. "You must go and start your duties. You know the first trip to Hogsmeade is tomorrow. The students will be exceptionally rowdy tonight. You and the prefects must maintain some sort of order."
"It shouldn't be too bad, Madame Pomfrey," he replied as he closed his textbook and placed it into his book bag. "Curfew is going to start soon and I'm pretty sure no one is going to disobey it, especially if their Hogsmeade privileges are at risk."
"Nonetheless," she insisted, "students can still be rowdy."
"Everything will be fine," Harry reassured her as he gave Hermione a quick peck on her cheek. "Nothing horrible has ever happened before."
Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrow and gave Harry a look that immediately told him that what said was false. Though she but didn't bother making a comment about it and simply shook her head with an agitated expression on her face. She walked him to the door of the hospital wing and gave him a nod before pushing him out and closing the door behind him.
Harry made his way towards the Gryffindor Tower, wanting to see how his friends were doing, when his scar started to tingle. He moved his hand to his forehead and rubbed his scar gently, worried about what could be possible wrong. He has experienced this feeling before and he knew that whatever was going on, Voldemort was happy. If Voldemort was happy, it meant that something horrible was about to happen.
Harry knew he had to inform Dumbledore about the situation and ran as fast as he could towards to the corridor that led to the hidden entrance of the Headmaster's office. The closer he got to the corridor, the stronger the tingling in his scar crew, but when he reached the stone gargoyle, he felt a jolt that was so strong that it nearly knocked him off his feet.
He leaned himself against the gargoyle for support, trying his best to remember the password that would reveal the staircase; however all his mind focused on was the growing throb in his head. He felt another sharp jolt, causing him to fall onto his back.
"What's going on?" Harry said through gritted teeth as his hands moved to his head.
Voldemort was happy. He was extremely happy.
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A/N: I know that cliffhangers are horrible with me since I'm not the speediest updater, but please bear with me. Thank you to those who took the time to review and I am really sorry for the delay of this chapter. For those that didn't read the Author's Note at the beginning of the chapter, I just got back from a 10-day camping trip and haven't had a chance to work on my story, hence the horrible delay. Thank you to those who have stuck it out and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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