Disclaimer:
I own nothing Harry Potter. Blah, Blah, Blah.
Chapter 8
Potter is our King
Harry spent the rest of the afternoon in Madam Pomfrey's very annoyed care. She had given him several grim moments of verbal thrashing on the subject of inter-house fighting that left him feeling like a disobedient first year. He knew he deserved the scolding, but the satisfaction of pushing that Slytherin prat into the dirt was making it difficult for him to stop his face from grinning. The nurse could tell by his expression that she wasn't getting through that thick Gryffindor bravado to make her point. However, she knew the rule about not healing fighting bruises of the attacker would probably push that smile off his face eventually. They were going to bruise hard and painfully for about a week. Harry had actually admitted that he had been the first one to throw a punch. She tut-tutted around the boy and shuffled him quickly out of the infirmary before the Slytherin house found out where he was and decided to take revenge. With both boys considered the leaders of their respective houses, the nurse hoped this didn't turn into a full-scale war!
The tall dark-haired boy ambled back up the stairs to the Fat Lady's portrait. With a mumbled, "Weasley's Wizarding Weezes Rule," he stepped through the portal and into the red and gold common room. He didn't know how Fred and George had conned the password, but it did make him smile. He wondered if all the houses had the same password this week. It wouldn't surprise him one bit.
He had just entered the large room when a chorus of cheers startled him in surprise. Ron led the ovation of, "Potter is our King," with gusto. The red-haired teenager led a laughing Harry around and in a manner imitating Percy he theatrically introduced his best friend to all the Gryffindors as," Harry Potter, also known as the Fist of Death!"
An impromptu party rolled through the late afternoon and into the evening. Dobby had shown up and provided a feast of food and butterbeer for all the house.
Dobby had whispered a quiet, "Harry Potter socked former master in the nose! I wished I had seed it!" The small house elf raised shocked eyes to Harry, but couldn't help but dance in pleasure at the thought of such things happening to the evil master who had knocked him around for so many years.
Eventually Harry sat down with a grunt next to Hermione who was drinking a butterbeer, but also reviewing her potion notes. He smiled at her attempt at house unity, but still not "really" joining in with the revelry.
"You look a little stiff, Harry. Wouldn't Madam Pomfrey heal your face?" She reached over and was tenderly touching his cheekbone that was blossoming into a lovely shade of green and yellow. Harry held his breath as she leaned so close. He could smell her hair. It faintly reminded him of apples. Or was it strawberries? Apparently the charm she had used was fading and her hair had started to curl on its own. She was so pretty. Why hadn't he noticed before?
He grinned with a wince. "My face isn't where it hurts the most. I must say that Malfoy surprised me. He was positively lethal. I'm just glad I got a shot in before he realized what was going on."
Her hand was still on his cheek and his face was getting warm. Her fingers were so soft. "Her…Hermione, I…uh…" he stuttered.
Neville interrupted with a loud slap on Harry's back. "Way to go, Potter! I hope his face sticks like that!" Neville guffawed and leaned over the couch between the couple. Hermione dropped her hand quickly with a flushed face as well.
The Gryffindors eventually went in to dinner arm in arm bursting into the Great Hall full of noise and cheers. No one was particularly hungry after the huge plates of food provided by Dobby, but they all sat with a clatter as several Houses nearby whispered about the fight. The Slytherins muttered angrily and shot fuming looks across the aisles.
Professor McGonagall stood up and focused her eyes on the disruptive Gryffindor table.
"That will be quite enough." She harrumphed suddenly quieting the group.
"As all of you may be aware, fighting will not be tolerated in this school." She continued pointedly searching out Harry until she had captured his eyes.
He swallowed hard and slowly realized this might actually be worse than he had previously thought.
"Professor Snape tells me that fifty points had been taken from Gryffindor because of a fight instigated by Mr. Potter against Mr. Malfoy from Slytherin House." The older woman looked over to the smirking Potions master and nodded his way.
"However, as head of house, I have deemed that insufficient." She paused as she could see the faces around her house table blanch in dismay.
"I believe a loss of two hundred total points would make the message much more clear. Mr. Potter has received detention as well. It would seem that my house has now reverted from first in league for House Cup to the absolute last. If any such behavior happens again, the punishments will double. Do I make myself clear?" Absolute silence surrounded the stunned group of students.
The Slytherin table could barely restrain themselves. Whispers all around the hall sounded from every quarter. The Gryffindors were aghast. Two hundred points! Seamus Finnegan; who had previously help lead the choir of `Potter is our King', glared at Harry and even Neville could only stare at his plate.
"Bloody hell." Ron whispered in despair.
Harry looked over and saw the smirk on Draco Malfoy's now bruiseless face. He winced as he felt the throbbing pain in his own nose and chin. It was going to be a long week.
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It took three days for anyone but Hermione to talk to him from his own house. He was able to get his homework finished with her assistance, but there was little joy in that. He got pranked by Jerv and Bartley when they stole all the towels from the showers and forced him to streak down the hall to the dorms. After having to run past the girls buck naked, the house must have felt he had paid his dues. Ron finally gave in and challenged him to a game of Wizard's chess. They had been playing for half an hour and were pretty well tied. Harry knew that Ron was letting him get a little ahead before demolishing him in some brilliant and lethal manner. He could never seem to fake Ron out in chess, and without a doubt, Ron was a commanding tactician.
"You have to play Quidditch now, Harry. You'll have the house on you for sure if you don't. Maybe you can win us a few games and get us back into first. It's early in the year yet." Ron said casually while looking down at his Rook decimated Harry's Queen.
"Yeah. I guess." Harry mumbled. He wanted to play. Things were starting to feel right again. He had fewer dreams about Sirius lately, and the joys of flying after the snitch seemed like a good idea after all.
"Yes!" Ron yelled knocking over the game pieces who yelled up at him. "Oh sorry, Harry."
"I was just about to win, too." Harry laughed. He hadn't beaten Ron in chess in all the years they had played. He'd come close, but never won. Several chess pawns grouped together and were yelling rather nasty things in Ron's direction.
"It's time for a lot of things to restart. Quidditch first and then the D.A.?" Hermione said hopefully with her head leaning over the couch. She had been reading her chapters again for Arithmancy while lazily watching her two best friends play make up chess.
Hermione's words shot several heads their direction. Neville, Lavender and several other members of the D.A. voiced their approval of restarting their club.
"No Umbridge to fight against, why bother?" Ron said slouching back against his chair and raking up the angry dropped pieces with his foot while trying not to get speared by the King's long sword.
"We didn't start the D.A. to fight Umbridge, Ron. Don't you remember? We started it because she wouldn't teach us defence. This year's teacher, Professor Fadora is alright I guess, but it isn't the same as the D.A. We learned so much from Harry. Don't you think?" Hermione had sat forward and earnestly said this in one breath.
"But all of you got hurt last year. Why would you want to go through that again?" Harry spoke quietly.
"Yeah, Ron. How's the brain?" laughed Neville.
Ginny rolled her eyes Neville's direction and shook her head at him as he was on the floor in giggles at Ron's scathing expression.
"We would have died without learning the spells and hexes you taught us, Harry. We thought we knew stuff until you showed us how they were meant to be done. You helped us survive." Ginny had approached quietly and sat next to Hermione on the couch.
Harry's eyes grew wide and suspiciously wet around the edges. "Thanks Gin." He whispered.
"So. Next Friday?" Neville stated not as much as a question but as a command as he rolled up next to the couch.
"Next Friday." They all responded with a laugh. Harry ran his fingers through his hair messing it up thoroughly. It was so good to be back.
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