Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: None of the characters except Cheria are mine; they all belong to JK Rowlings.

Pride Crushed, Dignity Rising

By: CNJ

PG-13

2

Harry:

I smiled softly as I leafed through my parents' photo album after school the following afternoon. I never tire of looking through it. My parents were killed by an evil wizard, Voldemort when I was just a year old, so this album is very dear to me, my biggest link to my beloved parents. I usually keep it in my nightstand in a low drawer. My great-aunt Miranda and Hagrid tell me I have a lot of Mum's personality and her eyes and snub nose and I have my dad's black hair and thin mouth. Oh, I can tell my parents really loved each other. They met at Hogwarts and became a couple in their seventh year. They didn't marry until they were twenty-six and they had me two years later. I smiled wryly as I remembered hearing that I was born in breech position...feet out first. Miranda, who is my dad's aunt, had been at my birth. She's now my legal guardian and I was looking forward to going home to her for the Christmas break. A little over a month away, I thought, closing the album and putting it away. I then pulled out some of my books and started my homework. Transformation and potions, not too much tonight. It must have been about an hour later when Ron poked his red head in and called, "Heyy, Harry, coming to Quidditch practice?"
"Oh...yes, I am..." I closed my book, put my little vials away and Ron and I started out toward the field to join the rest of the team. The sun was partially out, but it was windy and cold and we practiced flying our brooms in wind.
"The important thing is that the wind can't really push your brooms," Ron told us. "It may shake some, but don't let it distract you. So...are we ready to beat Slytherin this Saturday?"
"YEEAAAAH!" All of us crowed. We then headed in. It was growing dark by then and in another hour and a half, it would be time for dinner.

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I showered, then headed to my dorm and got more homework done. I finished early and leaned over to get the album out again. But...it wasn't there. "Oh...dear..." I muttered. Had I misplaced it without realizing it? I was sure I'd put it in the low nightstand drawer. But it wasn't there. I searched my bed and all around and even in the closets with no luck. Oh, God. My stomach lurched painfully. It was time to go eat, so I went, hoping it was in some place I wasn't looking.

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Ginny:

Hermione, Ron, Cheria, Neville, and I managed to grab seats next to each other at dinner that night We were talking fast about homework and Quidditch when Harry came running in, slightly flushed and a little out of breath. Ron patted the chair next to him and Harry sat, his dark hair messier than usual. I then noticed he looked really worried about something, his bushy brows drawn together in a nervous frown with a small vertical line between them.
"What's the matter?" I asked softly.
"I...can't find my parents' photo album," he told me softly, looking around as if to make sure no one else except our group heard.
"Oh...God," Hermione gasped. We all know how precious that album is to Harry. "I'm...sure it'll turn up someplace under a bed or something." I wasn't sure I was too convinced, because Harry doesn't lose things.
"When did you last see it?" Cheria asked.
"I had it on the bed this afternoon and was looking through it," Harry said shakily. "I then started my homework and I guess put the album...somewhere...I thought the nightstand drawer. We had the Quidditch practice then and when I came back to the dorm and went to look at it more, I couldn't find it..." Harry's hands had started to shake and he clenched them together. We ate quickly, then headed back upstairs and looked all over the room. Several other dormmates helped us look around, but no album turned up. I got late, so reluctantly, we headed to bed.
"Maybe you dropped it somewhere and we can look in the lost and found," Neville told Harry sympathetically.
"Possibly..." Harry was unconvinced, I could tell and the vertical line was back between his brows. We all headed to our beds.

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Harry:

I still had no luck finding that album the next day or on Thursday morning either. "Damn!" I swore as I almost ran late for my first class, Supernatural Psychology on Thursday. I ran and barely made it there. Unfortunately, Malfoy is in that class too and he noticed my state.
"What's the matter, Potter?" he jeered.
"None of your damned business..." I muttered, sitting down. None of my other friends are in this class, so I'm stuck with Malfoy alone in this class. Some of the others snickered. I silently willed Professor Bilrock to get in here.
"Did you by chance...lose something, Potter?" Malfoy kept up. Was it my imagination or did he put emphasis on the word lose? But he couldn't have...my heart began to pound. None of the Gryffindors would let slip our password and Malfoy couldn't have gotten into our dorm, not without one of us knowing about it.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" I snapped. Just then, Professor Bilrock came in from her office.
"My, my, are we crabby this morning, Mr. Potter," she said cheerfully. Oh, great, isn't it just my luck that she heard me tell Malfoy to shut up. "I would take five points off Gryffindor, but I figure you just got up on the wrong side of the bed, Mr. Potter."
"I'm sorry, Professor Bilrock," I apologized.
"He's come on the wrong side of life..." Malfoy whispered and he and Crabbe snickered. Bilrock started the class then and thank the stars we had a lot of notes to take, so Malfoy had to shut his horrid face for once to keep up.

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Ginny:

It was a huge crowd by the door at the Great Hall for dinner that night and while our group waited to go in, Hermione, Ron, and I talked about the Divination homework assignment.
"The part in the second unit is confusing," Ron told us, his freckled long nose scrunching up. "I wonder what Professor Trelawny means at that part?" Harry was quiet and I knew he'd had no luck finding that album. Finally, the crowd by the door thinned and we were able to get in. We had to pass by Malfoy and his yes-men. Oddly enough, they were by our table. Malfoy sneered in our direction.
"So...Harry, did you find whatever you...lost?" Malfoy called. We turned to look at him. How did he know about Harry's album? Unless...
"Who said I lost anything?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at Malfoy.
"Let's just say...a little owl told me," Malfoy grinned maliciously and something red gleamed from his robe pocket.
"Hey!" I shouted. Just then Malfoy pulled it out and it was the album. Oh...God! How had Malfoy gotten in?
"You didn't say...you lost this dear thing?" Malfoy held the album up high and Harry stared at it, his eyes wide with horror.
"Give it back, Malfoy..." Harry whispered. By then, almost everyone was looking over at them.
"How did you get into our dorm?" Ron demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Malfoy's gray eyes glinted meanly.
"Give it back!" Hermione demanded.
"Maybe if you say please," Malfoy jeered. Harry tried to grab it, but Malfoy held it high. Being much taller than Harry, he was able to keep it out of Harry's reach. Malfoy's six-two while Harry's only five-six. Ron tried to reach for it, but had no better luck, since Malfoy was able to dodge him too. Anyway, Goyle stepped in front of Ron and pushed him back.
"Give it here, Malfoy..." Harry pleaded, breathing fast.
"Where's the please in it?" Malfoy laughed rudely. "If you can say that, you'll get this back."
"Please..." Harry lifted a lip in disgust.
"Sure thing." Malfoy gave a flick of his wrist backward and tossed the album...back into the torch's flame! Several students gasped in horror as the album rapidly blackened and dwindled into black ashes. Harry stood stunned, his eyes wide. It was a long minute and I couldn't believe Malfoy could be that cruel. Ashes tumbled into the plate under the torch and Crabbe reached for a handful. So did Malfoy and they tossed the ashes to Harry, who backed up several steps trembling. "Here's the album back, Potter," Malfoy singsonged. Harry's eyes filled with tears, he ducked his head and fought against the tears unsuccessfully. The tears spilled down his face and he covered his face with his hands and turned to weave his way though the crowd, soft sobs ripping out of him. Malfoy and his yes-men laughed cruelly. Ron's face went bright red as he lunged at Malfoy and landed a few punches at him before Crabbe and Goyle held him off. Ron yelled curse words at Malfoy and Hermione, Cheria, and I added a few choice words of our own. The next few minutes were bedlam as students pushed against each other and finally, the deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall come through the crowd to see what was going on. We told her and Malfoy tried to butt in with his version, claiming that we'd started a fight and all. McGonagall had to blow her whistle to quiet all of us. Then she saw crying Harry, who was struggling through the crowd.
"Mr. Potter, are you all right?" she called. Harry shook his head and kept going, leaving the Great Hall, sobbing. Finally, I guess she wasn't able to get a clear story of what exactly had happened but Slytherin did end up losing ten points since I showed McGonagall the ashes of what had been Harry's parent's photo album.
"Great..." Ron muttered angrily as we sat down to eat. "Just fantastic!" Ron jabbed his fork into a chicken piece so hard it flew off the table and landed into his lap. "Harry cried in front of Malfoy! Malfoy's goddamned happy!"
"It was precious to Harry," I said softly. "Harry couldn't stop his tears."
"Oh, I know..." Ron heaved a breath, his face still red. None of us were very hungry, so we wrapped up some food for later and to take to Harry.

Harry:

I don't know how long I cried. I was just too humiliated to go back down there and face Malfoy and the others again. I sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, weeping for what seemed to be eternity, embarrassed at being unable to stop my tears. Just thinking about that album kept making me cry. Usually I cry very quietly, but tonight, I could feel gasping sobs tear out of me. It might have been an hour; it might have been fifteen minutes, but I heard others in the room, felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, Harry..." Ron sat on a nearby stool, a look of disappointment on his face. I knew I'd broken our informal pact not to let Malfoy see either of us cry and that made fresh tears come again. I tried to speak, but my throat tightened so painfully and chokingly that I couldn't speak for a long minute. I'm so sorry, I barely managed to mouth out before my lips tightened into more crying. Hermione stroked my shoulder and Cheria and Ginny handed me tissues. Good thing it was just the five of us here. My glasses slid down my wet runny nose and I let them fall into my lap as I wiped my face more.
"It was a nasty prank," Hermione said softly.
"Hey, hey, it's not a deal about our...agreement," Ron put in, attempting to ease the sting of my humiliation. It didn't really ease my pain, but it did help to know he was on my side.
"I really don't know how I'm going to face tomorrow," I told the others shakily once my tears had finally slowed.
"You will," Ginny told me. "Think of all the other difficult situations you've faced."
"Malfoy is going to be worse than ever knowing that he got the best of me," I caught my breath in a shuddery sob. "Oh, I made a fool of myself and everyone saw it."
"Hey, listen, we'll face him down together," Hermione told me, her brown eyes peering at me in support. "He may think he's gotten you down for now, but you'll go to class tomorrow and he'll realize that he can't drive you out of your day to day activities. We'll show Malfoy that we stand by you all the way."
"Wh-what...if I cry again tomorrow right in class?" I worried, wiping a stray tear from my face.
"I can tell you something funny so you won't?" Ron suggested.
"And even if you do, you'll survive it and go on with your life," Cheria put in, pulling out foil-wrapped remains of dinner. "Feel like eating?"
"Not really, but I guess I have a bit of butterbeer," I blew my nose and put my glasses back on, still feeling very embarrassed. My heart was still very heavy, but it was good knowing that I had friend on my side. Others then came in and some of them asked if I was all right. I nodded weakly and tried to smile, but couldn't.
"It was rotten, what that ass did," one first-year put in. "You're far better than him, so don't let him pull you down."
"We're rooting for you, Harry..." a third-year added.
"Thanks..." I told him. I was grateful for their support.
"And don't forget, we have a game this weekend," Ron put in. "We'll blow those Slytherins out of the water!"
"Yeah..." the others put in. I hoped I had the courage to face tomorrow or I was in trouble. I wondered how long it would take me to recover from this. I'd just gather up the shreds of my shattered pride to just try to get through the next few days.