Chapter 13: Having a bad day.
Two days after the Yule Ball, Rita Skeeter struck again. There were two stories on the front page and their headlines were in huge letters.
The first article was about "Dumbledore's Big Mistake"1. It painted Dumbledore in an unfavorable light and Harry was pleased to see the headmaster having to deal with some bad press and its encompassing issues. What upset Harry slightly was that the article also hurt Hagrid.
Harry's feelings towards Hagrid had cooled over the last half a year as he learned more about his godfather, Sirius. He knew that Hagrid had been the one to deliver him to the Dursleys that fateful night on Dumbledore's orders.
What he found out last year, and later confirmed by Sirius, was that Hagrid had prevented Sirius from taking him that night, even though he knew that Sirius was his godfather and legal guardian.
That made Hagrid, a child in a giant's body, a kidnapper on Dumbledore's orders. Hagrid realized none of that, the greatness of Albus Dumbledore blinded him from the truth. Harry knew that as the Head of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore could have arranged for the reversal of Hagrids' expulsion and gotten him the right to carry a wand again. The information about his involvement with Harry's placement would have severe repercussions if it became public, hence, no trial.
Sirius's situation was definitely unique. Harry did not know why the headmaster hadn't arranged for a trial with the evidence that Pettigrew was alive. Remus had explained that Veritaserum would force anyone to tell the truth. The puzzling thing was why didn't Dumbledore follow through?
Sirius had taken the time to explain the events surrounding that fateful night in October. Harry understood that Sirius didn't abandon him but that he wasn't thinking clearly in his grief and anger and it had cost both of them everything.
Harry took this lesson to heart and he tried his best to remain level headed, no matter how angry or sad he was. That was why he was still upset at his loss of control in the Great Hall over Rita's last article.
His good mood over the article about Dumbledore evaporated quickly when he saw the second headline, and accompanying photo, in the Daily Prophet. `Potters Pureblood Princess,' took up the entire upper bottom third of the front page. The photo showed him and Ginny hugging before they walked away smiling and holding hands.
The article went on at length about how Harry had finally broken free from his Love Potion induced stupor and had found true love in the arms of Ginny Weasley. Rita vilified Hermione, again. The decisive factor for Harry was when Rita called for an investigation of Hermione for the obvious use of an illegal Love Potion on the Boy-Who-Lived.
Harry was desperately trying to reign in his temper. The dishes around him had begun to rattle ominously. After a few deep breaths, he was starting to calm down and the dishes stopped rattling.
Unfortunately, just as Harry regained control of his temper two things happened that set him off all over again.
Draco Malfoy had sauntered over towards Harry with the Daily Prophet clutched in his hands and a sneer on his face.
"Finally saw the light, eh, Potter?" Malfoy drawled. "Ditched the Mudblood and found yourself a proper pureblood, even if she is from a family of blood traitors." Draco said with a sneer while pointing at Ginny, who was sitting across from Harry at the Gryffindor table.
Trying very hard to maintain control of his temper, Harry hissed, "I am not dating Ginny Weasley. I am in love with Hermione. Now leave you pathetic inbred fool before I do something that you will regret."
The dishes had started to rattle again, and a few even cracked, as Harry's anger rose. Magic was beginning to pour off Harry in small pulses he was so mad.
Draco could feel the power coming off Harry, as could anyone within twenty feet of him. He knew that it would only take one more little push for something bad to happen. Deciding that he did not want to be on the receiving end of Potter's outburst he began to back away slowly and silently.
He had gone about four feet when salvation arrived in the most unlikely form. Seizing his chance, Draco began backing away a little faster.
The Weasley temper had boiled over again, saving Draco from embarrassment in front of the whole school.
A hand gripped Harry's upper arm and spun him around violently. The shock of being grabbed momentarily quenched Harry's anger.
"What's the matter now, Potter? Is my sister not good enough for the Boy-Who-Lived? She's much better than a nagging, know-it-all, bookworm." Ron said heatedly.
Quickly realizing that things were getting out of hand fast, Draco and a bunch of other students were backing further away from a shocked and angry Harry Potter.
There was a shout, followed by the oddest squelching noise, which caused a few people in the Great Hall to jump and then laugh when they saw the results of the spell.
Ron Weasley was lying on his back, slapping at the disgusting bat bogeys hitting his face. Ginny Weasley was standing with her wand still pointed at her brother as he writhed around on the floor trying to escape the attacking bogeys.
Draco saw the look on Ginny's face as she hexed her brother. By the time Weasley hit the floor, Draco was a good twenty feet away from the Gryffindor table. His self-preservation instincts kept him quiet as he continued to back away from the scene in front of him.
"Thanks, Ginny. You have got to teach me that spell." Harry said with a light chuckle as he stepped back from the bogies attacking Ron. Amidst the chaos, his anger had disappeared.
"You're welcome." Ginny said before she turned her attention back to her pillock of a brother. "Ron, if you had tried to get a date and actually show up for the ball, you would know that I went with Neville, whom I like a lot."
Neville was grinning like a Cheshire Cat and trying to match the color of Ginny's hair with his blush. "Thanks, I like you too, Ginny."
They linked hands and left the Great hall together, both still blushing from their confessions in front of everyone.
Harry knelt down next to Ron and whispered, "You just don't learn do you?" He stood back up, pointed his wand at Ron, and said, "Stupefy."
Harry glanced around after watching Ron slip into unconsciousness. `Why hadn't a teacher stepped in?' When he looked up at the staff table, he only saw the headmaster sitting there, watching him, but making no move to intervene. He could not figure out why Dumbledore didn't interfere before everything got out of hand.
Deciding that he didn't really care, Harry pointed his wand at Ron and said "Mobilicorpus."
As Ron rose into the air, Harry began directing him towards the exit. Just as he reached the stairs to the second floor, Professor McGonagall and Hermione came out of the transfiguration classroom.
"What are you doing with Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter?"
"Hello, Professor; hello, Hermione. Ron got hexed in the Great Hall and I'm taking him to the Hospital Wing." he indicated to the bat bogeys still attacking Ron's face.
He could have sworn that he saw a smile on his professor's face but it was gone in a flash.
"And why is he unconscious?" McGonagall asked.
"Well," Harry hesitated but one quick look at his head of house's face made him quickly continue "I kind of stunned him." he mumbled.
"What was that Mr. Potter?"
Taking a deep breath, Harry said in a clear voice, "I stunned him because I didn't know the counter jinx. He was slapping at his face and moaning like a baby so I did the first thing that came to my mind."
The professor gazed at the disgusting bogies still flapping around on Mr. Weasley's face, decided that they were indeed a bit nauseating, and waved her wind to reverse the hex. "Very well, take him up to the Hospital Wing then. Who was the teacher on duty in the Great Hall this morning, Mr. Potter?"
"Professor Dumbledore was ma'am."
"Hmm." Minerva said through pursed lips. "Thank you Mr. Potter. You two are free to enjoy your morning once you drop Mr. Weasley off at the Hospital Wing."
"Thank you, professor." The two teens chorused together as Harry levitated Ron up the steps towards the hospital wing.
"What happened in the Great Hall, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry was about to answer her when he noticed a portrait moving from frame to frame, following them. "Ron got hexed so I stunned him to stop the screaming." He answered while watching as the portrait continued to flit from frame to frame, as they got closer to the hospital wing.
When Harry had floated Ron to the nearest bed, the portrait had settled into the frame near the matron's office.
Hermione gave Harry a searching gaze before dashing off to fetch Madam Poppy Pomfrey.
The hospital matron bustled over and asked, "What happened to Mr. Weasley?"
Harry's gaze shifted sideways for a moment so he could see the portrait in the frame. It was listening in on their conversation intently. "I stunned him because he was screaming and slapping at his face from the hex that hit him. Professor McGonagall dispelled the hex but told me to bring him up here just to be safe."
Madam Poppy Pomfrey swept her wand along Ron's unconscious body. A quick healing spell on his nose later, she was satisfied with her patient's condition. As she put her wand away, she said, "He'll be fine and should wake up in a few hours. Run along and have a nice day."
The two teens left the Hospital Wing hand in hand. The only place he could think of that did not have any portraits was their spot by the lake.
Hermione realized that something was bothering Harry but he seemed reluctant to talk about it while inside for some reason. Figuring that he would answer her questions once they were outside of the castle, she settled into a comfortable silence.
She had felt Harry's anger through the bond when she was talking with professor McGonagall. His anger had spiked a couple of times in the span of a few minutes before it vanished abruptly; in its place was a feeling of mirth.
They had reached their spot down by the lake and Harry pulled Hermione down onto the bench next to him. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before speaking quietly, "We were being followed through the halls by a portrait."
Hermione instantly knew who had ordered the portraits to follow Harry. The question was `Why?'
1. Goble of Fire, JKR. Paraphrased from the original title, Dumbledore's Giant Mistake.
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