DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, etc. No money was made from the creation of this story.
Chapter Eleven: Christmas in the Forbidden Forest
Harry woke and found himself covered by several warm blankets next to a small fire. He slowly sat up and stretched his arms, wincing when he felt a sharp sting in his left arm. He looked at it and found that it was bandaged with a splint, and hung from an arm sling that was wrapped around his neck. Harry let out a soft yawn as the memories from the previous night rushed into his head.
His eyes grew wide when he suddenly remembered that he was in the Forbidden Forest. He recalled running from a mountain troll, being held hostage by a group of centaurs, and the centaurs scrambling around when they were ambushed by something. He shook his head slightly as he tried to figure how he managed to get where he was, his heart rate rising.
"You okay there, Harry?" a voice came from his left.
Harry violently jerked, his body tensing as he slowly turned to look at the person who spoke to him. He found Keung smiling at him. Harry's body relaxed and he gently slumped back onto his warm blankets.
"How long have I been sleeping?" Harry asked as he ran his right hand through his hair, staring into the dark blue sky, slowly growing brighter from the morning sun.
"You've been sleeping for almost eight hours now," Keung replied as he started to wipe his left arm with a wet cloth.
Harry looked at Keung's arm and noticed a dark scar around his left wrist. Harry remembered that Keung received that scar from Reins during their fight in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry's eyes then focused on a deep cut in his left forearm. Harry looked at Keung's face and watched him grit his teeth as he slowly wrapped the white bandage around it.
"What happened to you arm? Did the centaurs do that?" Harry asked, concern in his voice.
"No, the centaurs didn't give this to me. Though they were a handful...feisty buggers," he replied softly as he fastened the bandage securely and pulled down his left sleeve. "I got this a long time ago."
"Doesn't look like it's healing," Harry pointed out as he sat up from his blankets again.
"It's one of those wounds that will never heal, Harry," Keung said firmly as he stared into the fire. "Oh, Happy Christmas. I'm sure that you'd love to celebrate it anywhere else but here…but Happy Christmas nonetheless."
"Happy Christmas," Harry responded as he looked back up at the sky.
Keung threw several pieces of wood into the fire, his eyes staring intently at it. Harry constantly looked at him, trying to prepare the things he wanted to ask him in his mind. However, every time he opened his mouth, he quickly closed it, unsure if the question he wanted to ask would make Keung angry.
"What is it that you like to know?" Keung said with a smile as he finally broke his gaze from the fire and looked at Harry. Harry's body tensed as he opened his mouth again, yet nothing came out. Keung released a sigh, his eyes sincere, "It's okay, Harry…you can talk to me. I'm actually a pretty nice person, you know."
"Well…I've talked with Professor Dumbledore about everything, but there are a few things that I don't get," Harry said quietly as he got out and took a seat next Keung by the fire.
"So you know everything about the trial and the Ministry of Magic hushing everything up," Keung smiled as he threw in another piece of wood into the fire.
"Yeah," Harry softly spoke as he looked at the fire.
"What is it that you want to know?" Keung asked as he lowered himself back onto the forest floor, putting his hands behind his head.
"What happened when you came to Hogwarts? What caused all of this to happen?" Harry asked quietly, hoping that Keung didn't get angry from his questions.
"It's quite a long story," Keung said as looked at Harry. "You really want to hear it?"
Harry nodded slowly. Keung rose to his feet and started to pace back in forth in front of the fire, trying to sort everything in his mind. He finally came to a halt and looked at Harry.
He took a deep breath and began, "I didn't have many friends before I went to Hogwarts. The few friends that I had were all Muggles and when I heard that becoming a wizard meant that I would be gone for the majority of the year, I knew that I would slowly lose them. But I wanted to be a wizard more than anything in the world.
"I was really scared when I first boarded the Hogwarts Express. I looked around into the different compartments and found everyone happy and smiling. They were joking around and eating candy and just having fun. Watching everyone look so happy, made me feel kind of worse because I didn't know anyone."
"I know what you mean," Harry said as he looked up at Keung with a weak smile. "Same thing happened to me during my first year."
Keung smiled at Harry before continuing. "I eventually found an empty compartment and I decided to stay in it. I pulled out a few of my new books and decided to look through them to pass the time. That was when I met my best friends.
"Their names were Richard, Michael, and Chris. They were first years too, but they all grew up around each other so they were all really good friends. They befriended me and they told me that I was going to have a great time in Hogwarts. They started to tell me stories of all the trouble they used to cause around their Muggle neighborhood, and I just thought that they were completely amazing.
"Well…we got to Hogwarts and I met Hagrid. How is Hagrid by the way?"
"Oh, he's great," Harry nodded. "He's teaching the Care of Magical Creatures classes now."
"That's really good to hear. I liked him a lot…he always made me feel welcomed at Hogwarts.
"Well, when we got to the Great Hall and we met Professor McGonagall. She told us that it was time for the sorting. I was somewhat excited about the whole idea of being a sorted in a particular house and how they would become your family. However, after meeting Richard, Michael, and Chris, I wanted nothing more than to be in a house with at least one of them.
"It seemed though that fate wanted to play a cruel trick on me. While all three of my friends were sorted into Gryffindor, I was sorted into Slytherin. Why I was sorted into Slytherin, I'll never know. The Sorting Hat took at least five minutes to sort me. It went on and on about how I had the potential to be in any of the houses, but it decided that Slytherin was my best option.
"And that pretty much began some of the hardest years of my life," Keung sighed as he took his seat next to Harry again. "Despite the fact that I was placed in Slytherin against my will, they still welcomed me. Though the one thing I really wanted was to be a Gryffindor. That pretty much caused loads of problems for me.
"Whenever I had a class where the Slytherins attended it with the Gryffindors, I would always sit with Richard, Michael, and Chris. They would often joke about me being in the wrong house, but they were my best friends. This didn't necessarily go over well with the Slytherins, especially Professor Snape. He took it as an insult that I didn't show pride in my house or myself.
"I didn't really care what they said to me. I started to resent them for all the resentment they were showing me. The only Slytherin that seemed to truly befriend me was none other than Magnolia Reins, who was at the time a second year student."
"So, you were actually friends with that woman?" Harry asked as he let his mouth drop.
"Yes," Keung nodded slowly. "Magnolia was the only person in Slytherin house that I could talk with. She was an very kind girl and she received several insults about wanting to being friendly with me. However, Magnolia came from a very respected family and she was considered to be a model student by Professor Snape, so the insults she received were minimal. In fact, some of the Slytherins congratulated her for showing me pity.
"Well as the years went on, things didn't get easier. I remained best friends with Richard, Michael, and Chris and from my connections with them, the Gryffindors accepted me. This made me feel wonderful, but the Slytherins felt that I had delivered another sharp blow to them. Again, Magnolia was my only friend in Slytherin. She occasionally warned me that I shouldn't be causing trouble with our house, but there was nothing I really could do. Even if I had stopped talking with the Gryffindors, the Slytherins would never have accepted me.
"Professor Snape could never take points away from me for my actions, so I spent at least four days out of the week with him in detention. He would always give me the most rigorous lectures about house loyalty and how Slytherin house was the best house in the school. I respected him as a professor and listened to what he had to say, but in the end, if I had to choose between the two houses, I would have still gone with Gryffindor."
"I might actually have to say that your life has been harder than mine," Harry said with a grin as he looked at Keung.
"You kidding me!" Keung laughed as he stood up and stretched his back. "Having to live up to everybody's insane expectations, not having a personal life, people always hassling you for your life story…your life is harder…just say mine's a bit more complicated. But you can't say I didn't really deserve it."
The two laughed for a bit as Keung helped Harry to his feet. Keung walked over to the blankets and with a flick of his wand; it vanished. He then made his way to the fire and with another flick of his wand; the fired extinguished itself. He turned and smiled at Harry.
"We best make our way back to Hogwarts. It'll take pretty much the whole day for the journey on the count that those centaurs had to take you so bloody deep into the forest."
"Thanks for helping me again…" Harry said as he started to follow Keung through a narrow passage of trees. "Thank you for all the times you've helped me."
"Think nothing of it, Harry," Keung smiled as he slowly started to descend a small hill. "It's been a pleasure."
"Hey Keung…what happened with Veronica Cross?" Harry asked, but when he noticed Keung's body tense, he immediately regretted asking the question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I mean..."
"It's okay Harry," Keung replied as he gave Harry a weak smile. "I told you earlier that I would tell you and I will."
Keung took a deep breath as the two continued to walk through the woods. Harry felt horrible about having Keung relive through such a horrible memory. Keung slowed his pace down slightly to ensure that Harry could keep up with him. He gave Harry a weak smile and let out a soft sigh.
"During my fifth year at Hogwarts, a student from a school in Russia transferred to Hogwarts and everyone was talking about her," Keung started as he looked up towards the trees. "She was utterly beautiful, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life. And by some twist of fate, she was sorted into Gryffindor. My friends always joked about her with me because they knew how much I liked her.
"Though I've never liked a girl before…not in that way, you know. So as you can imagine, I wasn't sure what I should do. I was really nervous when I was around her…my body feeling like it was jelly…my mind going blank every single time I wanted to say something to her. I remember several times I made a complete fool out of myself, because I would approach her and open my mouth, but nothing would come out. Really pathetic when you think about it."
Harry couldn't help but snicker at his comment, which caused Keung to grin at him. Harry remembered the emotions and anxieties he experienced the night before his birthday outing with Hermione that year. He had stood in front of his mirror for several hours trying to figure out what he should say and how to hide his nervousness from her.
"Well, Magnolia never approved of my liking for her," Keung continued as he helped Harry up an incredibly steep hill. "She said that it's one thing to be friends with the Gryffindors but to actually have one as my girlfriend would seriously be out of the question. That was when I realized something. Magnolia liked me. I don't know if she liked me the whole time she knew me, but something must of happened somewhere. Though I wasn't really sure what I was suppose to do…I liked Magnolia as a friend, but nothing more."
"That explains the reason why she called you `her love' while we were on the Knight Bus," Harry said as he took a deep breath.
The two had reached the top of the hill and Harry was glad to see that he could see the castle over the horizon. Though he did realize that he and Keung did have an incredibly long journey ahead of them, and the fact that it started snowing didn't make things easier.
"Yeah…her love," Keung groaned as they made their way along a dirt trail. "Well as time passed, something happened between Veronica and me. She and I were studying in the library together and for the first time, she and I really started talking. And we weren't talking about everyday things like homework and classes, but we were talking about our dreams and we really opened up with each other. And after that day, we became really good friends. We would usually get some food from the Great Hall during lunch, and we'd go out towards the lake and eat by the water."
Harry looked at Keung and he could tell that he wasn't feeling incredibly well. Keung took a deep breath and continued. "On Halloween night, we had our first kiss in the library, and that was when everything went right and when everything went wrong. Everything was right because being with Veronica made me feel like the happiest guy in the world…but wrong when Magnolia found out. Her caring for me turned into pure hatred. So as you can imagine, my life as a Slytherin wasn't anything to brag about.
"Veronica and the Gryffindors were the only friends I had now. Though that surely did change."
"You don't have to talk about it anymore," Harry exclaimed, noticing Keung's body had started to shudder.
"No Harry," Keung said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You should know everything. You should know the whole story behind this.
"I listened to several Slytherins talking one day during lunch when I couldn't find Veronica. I heard them say that Magnolia was going to play some sort of prank on her…you know…scare her. After listening some more, I heard that this was going to take place in the portion of the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid's cabin.
"I ran as fast as I could towards the Forbidden Forest and when I got there, I saw Veronica on the ground with this masked woman holding a fiery sword. I immediately ran in to fight the woman. She hesitated to fight me…actually; she was trying to run away. Though I wouldn't let her go…I felt that it was Magnolia behind that mask and I wanted to prove it to myself."
Keung's voice got harsher as he continued his story. "During the fight, I knocked her down…though when I did so again…the blade of her sword swung down…striking Veronica. I ran over to her and realized that she was dying. The woman started screaming apologies to me saying that she didn't mean to harm her. I looked at her and found none other than Magnolia staring back at me.
"She tried to run away, but I was able to grab a hold of her arm and I wouldn't let her go. She pleaded with me to let her go, but all I wanted to do was to turn her over to Professor Dumbledore…however to get me to let go, she swung the blade at me and struck my arm."
Keung lifted his left arm and Harry realized that the cut that he was cleaning earlier must have been from the Rein's Flamora blade. He then remembered that the enchantments from the Flamora blade never allowed a cut wound to heal, which explained Keung's need to always redress the wound.
Harry looked puzzled for a moment, before he stated, "You never told Professor Dumbledore about that cut, did you?"
"No, I didn't," Keung replied as he stopped walking. He turned and looked at Harry with a depressed and infuriated look on his face. "You need to understand something, Harry. This world claims to revolve around truth and justice, but it doesn't. It's nothing more than some idealistic dream. I knew the moment I became a suspect; the Ministry of Magic would of never listened to what I had to say. They would never believe that Magnolia Reins, a member of a very wealthy and powerful Wizarding family, could ever conjure a Flamora weapon or commit murder. I, on the other hand, was an outsider. I didn't like my house and I was constantly being badmouthed by Professor Snape.
"I knew that Professor Dumbledore would keep me out of Azkaban, but I also knew that the Ministry of Magic wasn't going to lift a finger to find Magnolia." Keung was on the verge of yelling. Harry took several deep breaths as he absorbed everything that Keung was saying. "I knew that if I wanted to bring Magnolia to justice, I needed to do it myself. But I couldn't do it as I was. That was when I decided to take the Flamora Scroll and Veronica's wand from Professor Dumbledore's desk."
"Why Veronica's wand?" Harry asked quietly.
Keung pulled the silver wand out of his pocket along with what looked like a Gryffindor tie. "I guess you could say…something of a good luck charm," Keung smiled weakly as he held the wand in his hand. He then tied the Gryffindor tie to the wand, before he placed it back inside his pocket. "Also, if I hadn't had taken it, I wouldn't have been able to summon my Flamora blade."
"How do you summon the blade?" Harry asked as the two started walking again.
"I read through that scroll so many times trying to figure it out," Keung groaned as he looked at Harry. "Though after two years of trying, I finally realized that I was missing something. The scroll told me that the only way to form a Flamora weapon was to unleash my emotions into the shape of a weapon. No matter how angry I was when I tried to form the weapon, I couldn't do it. I was missing something; I needed something along with my anger. When I saw Veronica's wand, all my painful memories of loss and death filled every part of my being and the hatred I felt towards Magnolia increased many times over.
"When I attempted to summon the Flamora blade using Veronica's wand, I felt my entire body light on fire. It was the most excruciating feeling I have ever felt in my life. I felt sorrow and revenge fill every part of me, but I was finally able to summon the Flamora blade. However, I knew that even though I could form the blade, I was still no match for Magnolia.
"When I fought against her in the forest, she could of easily killed me during several moments of the fight…but she refused to. However despite the fact I knew I was completely outmatched, I continued to fight her. The reason she was too powerful for me was not because she had a vaster knowledge of magical spells, but was because she understood the strategy behind dueling and because she simply knew how to physically fight."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked as they made their way up another hill, Harry's heart pounding faster when he noticed that Hogwarts castle was steadily growing larger in the horizon.
"A wizard's greatest fear during a duel would be to lose his wand," Keung explained as he looked at Harry. "Once a wizard is disarmed, they feel completely useless. In many cases that is true. I knew that if I wished to really fight against Magnolia, I needed to train myself. So for the past six years, I've been doing just that. While I wandered the Wizarding world trying to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could about her whereabouts.
"When I heard reports about a woman attacking the famous Harry Potter with a fiery blade, I figured that it had to be her. No one else in their right mind would ever dare use a Flamora weapon in public. So, I decided to follow you…keep an eye on you." Keung stopped for a few seconds. He turned to look at Harry and gave him a confused expression, "You don't leave your house very much, do you?"
"I wasn't allowed to," Harry replied, his voice growing frustrated the more he thought about it. "I have lived with my uncle, aunt, and cousin for all of my life. They are the most horrible Muggles in the world. But, Dumbledore told me that I had to live with them because I was safe there."
Keung could tell that Harry didn't want to comment anymore on the subject and quickly continued his story. "Well…I received a letter from someone one day saying that you were going to take the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. It also told me not to interfere unless I had to. I didn't know who sent me the letter, but I decided to believe it. I rode that bloody bus the entire day, waiting for you to board it. You have no idea how glad I was to see you…that bus is horrible."
"Wait, is that the reason you didn't help Kingsley and me until Reins used her Flamora weapon…because of what a letter said?" Harry quickly asked, realizing that Keung could have easily prevented Reins' attack and Kingsley's injury.
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that," Keung replied with a remorseful voice. "When I saw you enter the bus, I knew the letter had to be from Dumbledore or someone who wanted you to be protected. I really wanted to help you, but I only allowed myself to do it when I knew that you were in serious trouble."
Keung could see the rage building in Harry's eyes and he knew that Harry wasn't satisfied with his apology. He couldn't blame him. He knew that he would have been just as mad if he were in that position. Keung felt horribly uncomfortable with their silence and wanted to desperately break it.
"Harry…Magnolia would never simply just attack you," Keung finally spoke. Harry turned to face him, his angered expression replaced by one of confusion. "There is no connection between you and her."
"Why would she attack me?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Don't you see?" Keung answered, his voice calm. "She would never attack you just to attack you…she must of been told to do it by someone. And who in this world would want nothing more than to kill Harry Potter?"
"Voldemort…" Harry replied, understand everything that he was hearing.
"That's right…and that was when I realized that she must now be one of Dark Lord's Death Eaters." Keung turned and looked at Harry again. "I wasn't about to let the only wizard capable of ridding the world of the Dark Lord be murdered by that insane woman. At that point, I permanently became your second shadow, only exposing myself when I needed to."
"And I'm grateful for it," Harry replied as he gave Keung a weak smile. "But, what are you going to do once you really fight Reins?"
"I honestly don't know," Keung answered with a shrug. "I've been chasing her for so long…I don't really know what I'd do. At first I wanted nothing more than to kill her, but now…I don't know if I could even do it if I was given the opportunity. It's a bit strange really…living only for revenge but not be sure about it."
"I think it just means that you have good heart," Harry said with a soft voice. "Dumbledore said to me that he was worried about how the Flamora weapon could corrupt you."
"The Flamora can easily corrupt a person. I try not to use it until I truly need to. The feelings I get when I use it…they aren't very pleasant. I have to really concentrate to make sure that I don't completely lose control of my emotions and myself."
"Keung, did you ever go back to your family?" Harry asked as the two continued along a narrow path, surrounded by trees.
"I tried," Keung replied with a sigh. "My parents are very proud and they believe that family honor is the most important thing in this world. When they found out that I was put on trial for being a suspected murderer, they literally disowned me. That was when I really decided that I would spend the rest of my life hunting down Magnolia Reins. When I said that she took everything dear away from me, I really meant it.
"Harry, you know my sister, Cho, right?"
"Yeah," Harry said hesitantly. "She's a really nice girl…she plays Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."
"That's really good to know," Keung said with a soft smile. "I miss her a lot. I remember always going into the living room and playing with my baby sister when she felt lonely. It was really some of the most peaceful times in the world for me. Hey…I heard you and your red-haired friend, Ron, talking about her one day. Did you go out with her or something?"
"Well, for a little bit," Harry answered, incredibly worried how Keung would react. "Though things didn't work out between us…just was too complicated…you know. She is a very nice girl and all…but...."
"Don't worry about it, Harry," Keung said with a smile as he gently patted Harry's right shoulder. "She's old enough to take care of herself. Though I have to admit that she can be very complicated…real mental, right?"
"She can be," Harry said with a relieved sigh.
"Hey Harry, do me a favor," Keung said with a soft but stern voice. "Please don't tell Cho about me. She doesn't need to know anything more than what my parents have told her."
"But," Harry started, "this would show that you were innocent…you can go back to your family."
"Harry, please…I won't be ready to go back to my family for a while. I'm dead to them right now; best it stays that way for the time being. Promise me, you won't say anything."
Harry nodded, still unsure of why Keung would want such a thing, but knew he shouldn't pry anymore into it. They walked for a bit without saying a word, Harry's mind circling again at the article that he had read about the murder, when his mind then went back to the Daily Prophet article about the burning of the Cross' home.
"Keung, did you know that the Veronica's home was burned down a few years ago?"
"Yes, I've heard all about it," Keung replied softly. "I went to investigate, but I was never able to get close enough to the house to do anything. The Ministry of Magic seemed to be concerned about something pertaining to that house, but I really don't know what or why. I've also been searching around for Veronica's brother, Willard, but I haven't had any luck yet."
Harry and Keung walked for what seemed like hours without saying a word. The two tried to pace themselves taking breaks every so often, so that they wouldn't get too tired. The two would relax for a few moments and look up at the hazy sky, the sunlight barely shined through the thick trees. It would snow at random times of the day, causing the two to walk faster towards the castle.
Harry thought about everything. His mind working as hard as it could to piece everything together, but he was still unsure about a few things. He looked at Keung and thought for a few moments.
"Keung…" Harry finally said, breaking their long silence. "Do you still have the Flamora scroll?"
"Oh no, Harry," Keung replied as he shook his head. "I destroyed it a long time ago. I don't want anyone finding it and doing anything stupid with it. It's bad enough that it was stolen once…don't need any more mishaps happen. Though I do remember reading something in the scroll that really intrigued me."
"What was it?" Harry asked anxiously.
"In the beginning of the scroll, it talked about the formation of the first Flamora weapons," Keung explained. "It was created by a warlock in a fiery pit located on an uncharted mountain. The fire that blazed within the pit was called the Flame of Flamora. The part that somewhat frightened me was that the Flame was black. It obviously shows that its warlock wasn't a very pleasant.
"The scroll stated that all the Flamora weapons ever used, drew its power from that one flame. And he flame almost works like a virus…a disease. A portion of the flame lives inside the user and when that flame strikes another person, some of it is transferred into them, and so on. The flame needs to travel through the blood. That's the reason why those who have been struck by a Flamora weapon can form their own and why children of a Flamora wielder possess the same ability.
"When you think about it, it is almost an ingenious design. If the flame could pass through the blood, an army of Flamora wielders could be easily formed."
"You mean to say that…Lord Voldemort could try to create his own Flamora army?" Harry asked with his eyes wide.
"It's very possible. I mean all Dark Lord really needed to do was to have Magnolia poke all of his Death Eaters with her blade, and with proper training, they all can be as deadly as she. The public isn't aware of it, but the Ministry of Magic has been in complete hysteria over what to do if such a situation occurs," Keung replied with a grim voice.
"How can something like that be stopped?" Harry asked, his voice full of tension.
"There was something scribbled near the end of the Flamora Scroll," Keung started as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "I figured that if the instructions are followed, the Flame of Flamora would be extinguished. When that happens, the Flamora wielders will no longer have anywhere to draw their power…meaning that the Flamora weapons would no longer exist."
"What did the instructions say?" Harry asked as the two hopped down from a large boulder.
"Hmmm..." Keung said softly as he thought to himself. "It was poem...oh yes.
"The Flame of Flamora isn't meant for the light of heart,
Its powers can kill and split the world apart.
For those who wish to end the misery of its burning reign,
Dispatch thy love, fury, and sorrow into the flame.
"I've been thinking about that for some time now, but I still don't know what it means. Though discovering the meaning would be pointless if I don't know where the Flame is even located. Those are the things I'll worry about once I get you back to Hogwarts."
"That's something Hermione would be good at solving," Harry smiled as thoughts of Hermione filled his mind. Though along with the pleasant feelings that came into his heart, a certain feeling of dread soon formed. He knew that he needed to do everything in his power to save her and his friends, but he also knew that she really hated it when he placed his life on the line. "I'm just hoping she doesn't get too mad at me about all this."
"Hermione…the girl that was with you at the Leaky Cauldron and Hogsmeade…has bushy brown hair?" Keung asked as he turned and looked at the somewhat confused Harry.
"Yeah," he replied with a weak smile. "She doesn't like it when I get myself into these situations."
"I completely agree with her," he said with a grin. "Watching over would be a lot easier if you didn't always have to find trouble."
The two laughed and continued their journey through the forest. The sun slowly started to set and Harry was starting to find the emptiness of his stomach unbearable. He also noticed that it started snowing again, but Harry didn't have time to feel the cold with he and Keung continuously moving. The two traded a few jokes and took a few more breaks until they were finally in viewing distance of Hagrid's hut. Harry's eyes lit up when he realized that it was finally back at Hogwarts.
Keung suddenly jumped away from a nearby tree as an arrow struck it. Harry was completely startled and nearly fell to the ground. Keung and he looked at the shooter to see a very angry Hagrid with his crossbow raised and another arrow prepared.
"Yeh release Harry if yeh know wha's good for yeh!" Hagrid growled as he aimed the crossbow at Keung.
"No Hagrid," Harry shouted as he stood in front of Keung. "He's okay. He saved me."
"Yeh sure Harry," Hagrid replied as he started to lower his crossbow, Harry nodding quickly.
With a sigh of relief and a large smile, Hagrid dropped his crossbow and gave Harry a fierce hug. "Oh, Harry. Runnin' inter the fores' like tha'…Ron and Hermione couldn't sleep las' nigh'. They were walkin' aroun' the all day lookin' for yeh."
"How are they?" Harry asked as he looked up at Hagrid. "Are they all right?"
"Yeah, they're back a' the castle," Hagrid responded as he looked up and took a closer look at Harry's companion. He released Harry from his hug and slowly walked over to him, his eyes widening when he recognized who it was. "Can' be…Keung?"
"Hey Hagrid," Keung smiled as he took a step forward into the dim light. "It's good to see you again."
"Yeh too, lad," Hagrid smiled as he gave him a rough pat on his shoulder and looked towards Harry. "Dumbledore be expectin' yeh. Yeh both best go."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Upon entering his office, Harry immediately informed Professor Dumbledore about Keung saving him in the Forbidden Forest and leading him back to Hogwarts castle. Keung was incredibly reluctant at first about speaking to the Headmaster, but when a soft smile and calm eyes greeted him, his nerves relaxed.
Keung apologized for stealing the scroll, but Dumbledore only smiled at him telling him to respect the flame's power and not to misuse it. Keung could only respond by saying that the flame wasn't a gift, but in fact a curse. Harry let out a soft sigh, feeling the exact same way about the scar on his forehead.
"So you believe that Lord Voldemort is planning on exploiting the Flamora weapons," Dumbledore said with a still voice as he looked at Harry and Keung.
"I believe so Professor," Keung said as he took a step forward. "It would be an unstoppable army."
"Without proper preparation, I would have to agree with you," Dumbledore replied as he stood from his chair and walked around to them. "I've been afraid of when such a time would come. Lord Voldemort knows he cannot fight against the Ministry of Magic the way his current army. Now he wishes to use the Flame of Flamora.
"The Order and the Ministry will be informed about this and we will take the necessary actions. However in the mean time, Harry you must be more cautious about your actions. I understand that you were trying to save your friends last night and I commend you on it, but please don't leave the castle next time."
"I understand Professor," Harry said as he nodded. He knew that Dumbledore wanted to say more, but Harry wanted to keep the subject on the Flame of Flamora. "Do you happen to know where the Flame is located?"
"That has been something I have been trying to locate for the past twenty years," Dumbledore replied with a low tone. "It is protected by magic that far surpasses my powers and knowledge. However, I refuse to surrender to it and I continue to search for it to this day."
"Do you know how to extinguish the Flame?" Keung asked.
"Yes, I do. A person that possesses the skill to use the Flame can only extinguish it. Did you find my little message at the end of the scroll?" Dumbledore asked with a soft smile on his face.
"That was you who wrote it," Keung replied with a look of confusion. However before he could get another word out, the door of Professor Dumbledore's office opened and Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape entered the room.
"Oh my, Potter," McGonagall sighed with relief as she walked over to him. "You have no right running off the way you did. We all thought that you were killed by that mountain troll."
"I'm sorry Professor," Harry replied. "I didn't mean to…it seemed like the best idea at the time."
Professor McGonagall let out another soft sigh as she turned and looked at a flustered Keung Chang. Her expression became firm but her eyes had a look of gratitude in them. "I take that you're the one who saved Mr. Potter."
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Keung replied as he noticed Snape's glare. He ignored it, keeping his focus on McGonagall's stern eyes. "I'm really sorry about what happened all those years ago. I hope you…"
"What is he doing here, Headmaster?" Snape hissed as he looked at Keung with utter dislike.
Harry was completely taken aback by the look that Snape gave Keung, because it reminded him dreadfully of the one that he always gave him. Aside from his father's friends and himself, he had never seen Snape glare at anyone with such fury before.
"He is our guest, Severus," Dumbledore replied as he walked back to his chair and took a seat. "For saving Mr. Potter's life on several occasions and saving yours as well at Hogsmeade, I believe we owe Mr. Chang a warm reception."
"He is nothing more than a coward and a liar," Snape snarled as he continued to look at Keung.
"I'm sorry Professor Dumbledore," Keung said as he turned and looked at him. "Thank you very much for your warm hospitality but I must be going. There are a few things I need to take care of. I will return later."
"Godspeed, Keung," Dumbledore smiled. "You are always be welcomed at Hogwarts."
Keung nodded and turned to give Snape an icy glare. He made his way towards the front door and gave Harry a smile.
"Thank you again," Harry said with a soft smile.
"Don't worry Harry," Keung replied as he stopped at the door of Dumbledore's office. Before he walked out the door, he turned and smiled at Harry. "I'll still your second shadow…just don't get yourself into too much trouble."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry laid in his usual hospital bed and let out a sigh of relief from the comfort. After he had left Professor Dumbledore's office, Professor McGonagall led him down to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey cleaned him up and healed his wounds. An extremely happy Dobby had brought him a tray of assorted food and sweets, and Harry happily finished the entire tray before Dobby left back for the kitchen.
He looked at the ceiling, his stomach full and his body no longer aching, and hoped that his friends would come down soon. He heard the door of the hospital wing open and we quickly sat up from his bed. A large smile formed on his face when he saw Ron and Nancy enter, carrying nicely wrapped presents. However, his smile somewhat faded when he realized that Hermione wasn't with them.
Nancy placed her present at the nightstand next to Harry's bed and leaned down and gave him a quick hug. "You really know how to scare us, Harry."
"Yeah," Ron added as he placed his present on top of hers and gently knocked Harry in the shoulder. "The whole school was scrambling around looking for you."
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as he took a deep breath.
"She's on her way," Ron replied as he pulled up two chairs for Nancy and himself. "We've all been a mess after you disappeared, but Hermione had gone completely mental."
"She couldn't sleep at all last night. She kept getting out of bed and going to the bathroom," Nancy continued as she gave Ron a soft smile and sat down in her chair. "I think she was crying the whole night."
"She's really mad at me, isn't she?" Harry asked softly as he sank back into his bed.
"Well, she definitely isn't pleased with you," Nancy answered softly as she gave Harry a weak smile. "You know that she cares about a lot about you."
"Yeah, you're her best friend and everything," Ron said with a small smile.
"You're both her best friends too," Harry added as he sat up from his bed again.
"Yeah, but she's been really close to you lately, you know," Ron said as he crossed his arms. Harry could sense a little tension in his voice but he didn't think much of it.
"I'm really sorry," Harry pleaded. "I never meant to make you all worry. You know that's the last thing I would ever want to do."
"It's okay, Harry," Nancy smiled as she reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his presents. She handed them to him with bright smile on her face. "Happy Christmas, Harry."
"Thanks," Harry smiled as he placed the presents in his lap. "The presents I have for you all are…"
Ron chuckled a little and looked at him with a bright smile, the tension completely gone from his voice. "I found them under your bed last night. I was having trouble sleeping too and I found them. Hope you're mad at me."
"Oh, I'm not mad," Harry snickered as he gave Ron and Nancy a big smile. "Did you guys like your presents?"
"Blimey yes!" Ron smiled. "A polishing kit…I was thinking about buying one as soon as I had enough saved up. A good polishing is exactly what my Clean Sweep needs."
"The dictionary will be really helpful when I need to start writing those three-foot parchments for my N.E.W.T. classes. Thank you very much," Nancy grinned. Harry was happy to know that his friends liked his presents and he hoped that Hermione liked hers as well. "Go on, open yours."
Harry picked up Ron's gift and tore the wrapping paper. He opened the box and found several packages of candy from Honeydukes, as well as several different gag items from Fred and George's joke shop. Harry found a small bag of yellow beans and looked at Ron with a confused expression as they pulled them out of the box.
"Those are Weasley's Yellow Vision Beans," Ron explained as he looked at the beans. Though from Harry's blank expression, he knew he had to explain more. "When you eat them, everything you see turns yellow. It's actually quite cool. The affects last for about fifteen minutes or so, and they also taste like lemon."
"Thanks, these are great," Harry said with a small laugh as he picked up Nancy's present.
He tore the paper and opened the box to find a wristwatch. He took it out of the box and examined it and noticed that his initials were engraved along the face of the watch. "This is really nice, thanks Nancy."
"I thought you would like it," she replied as she pulled up her sleeve and showed him her watch. "One of my dad's friends makes wristwatches for Muggles, so I decided to write him a letter and ask if he could make watches for all of us. They also have a really neat enchantment. If one of us is ever in serious trouble, the wristwatch will start to vibrate and the face of the watch will change to the initials of whoever is in trouble."
"That's brilliant," Harry smiled as he placed the wristwatch on his left wrist.
"Though with our luck, it'll always be your initials on the watch," Ron grinned at Harry as he showed Harry his watch under his right sleeve.
"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over, please go and let Mr. Potter get some rest," Madame Pomfrey said with a smile as she looked at the three smiling students.
Harry watched Madame Pomfrey walk back to the office before his attention focused on the door of the hospital wing, wondering where Hermione was.
"She'll come by soon," Nancy smiled as she touched his hand and stood up from her chair. "Happy Christmas Harry."
"Yeah, Happy Christmas," Ron said as he got up and gave Harry his usual grin. "We'll see you tomorrow."
"Happy Christmas. Thanks again for the presents," Harry smiled at them, hiding the fact that he didn't want them to go. "I'll see you guys later."
Ron and Nancy made their way out of the hospital wing and Harry let out a depressed sigh. He placed Ron's present onto the nightstand and started to crumble all the wrapping paper into a large ball. He placed the ball on top of Ron's present and sank into his bed, wondering if Hermione was so mad that she refused to visit him.
Harry stared at the ceiling and sighed softly to himself, trying to find a way that he could ever make Hermione forgive him. He heard the door of the hospital wing open again, but he didn't bother to look. Though when he heard the footsteps growing closer, he looked and saw that it was Hermione walking towards him. Harry immediately sat up on his bed and moved his legs over so that he was now sitting on the bed rather than lying in it.
Hermione placed her gift on the nightstand next to Ron's and looked into Harry's eyes. Harry noticed that her eyes were dark and swollen from the crying that she had been doing. Harry opened his mouth and tried to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. He wanted to beg for her forgiveness but he didn't know how to ask for it. Hermione looked into his eyes and she knew that he was sorry.
She gave him a small smile as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against the crook between his shoulder and his neck. Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, kissing the side of her head gently. Harry's hand moved up and down her back and he felt her shudder softly against him.
"I'm really sorry, Hermione," he whispered into her ear as he kissed her temple softly, taking in the pleasant scent of her hair. "I didn't mean to make you mad…I didn't want to make you worry…I was scared that you would get hurt…I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry, Harry," she said as she looked into his eyes, their arms still wrapped around each other. "I'm not mad at you anymore. Believe me, I was really mad yesterday…but I'm okay now. I've just been really worried."
"I didn't mean to…" Harry pleaded but stopped when she gave him a warm smile.
The flicker of the candlelight danced on her face and he was at awe at how radiant she looked. He then noticed her move on of her arms off his neck and picked up her wand. He gave her a curious look and she simply smiled back.
"Hermione…what are you going to do?"
"Wingardium leviosa," she whispered as she flicked her wand. Harry noticed something float up above them and he looked up at it curiously. His eyes went wide when he finally recognized that it was mistletoe. He looked into her eyes and she gave him a soft smile as she placed her wand on top of her present.
"Happy Christmas, Harry."
"Happy Christmas, Hermione," he whispered as her hands went to his cheeks and softly rubbed them.
She closed her eyes and he did the same as he pulled her closer. He felt her breath against his lips again, but the thing he felt next was indescribable. Her lips were incredibly soft yet were firm against his, a soft vacuum forming in his mouth. He felt like he was flying again, but this was an adrenalin rush he has never felt before. His whole body trembled and he tightened his grasp around her.
Hermione pulled back softly and looked into his eyes, her cheeks completely pink. Harry moved one of his hands and gently rubbed her cheek. Her hands moved to his neck again and he softly pulled her head towards his, feeling the wonderful sensation again as their lips touched. Harry softly deepened the kiss, moving his hand to the back of her head and softly played with her hair. The sensations he felt were like nothing he had ever experienced before, his heart beating faster and faster.
The two heard the door of the hospital wing close and they pulled their lips away from each other and looked to see if anyone was there. When they realized that it was nothing, Hermione turned and gave Harry a soft smile.
"How was that?" she asked softly, her cheeks blushing even pinker.
"That was wonderful," he whispered as he tightened his arms around her.
"Better than…umm…you know," she said nervously, fidgeting with her words. "You know…Cho?"
"Who?" Harry asked completely confused of what she was talking about.
"Good answer, Harry," she grinned as she leaned in and gave him another deep kiss.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Madame Pomfrey exited her office to check up on Harry and was slightly taken aback by what she saw. Harry was sleeping, leaning towards the right side of his bed, while Hermione sat in a chair with her left arm on the bed and head resting on his shoulder. Madame Pomfrey walked closer to the two, and she noticed that Hermione's right arm was draped over Harry and her hand was holing his, their fingers interlocked.
"Kids," she whispered to herself as she let out a soft sigh.
She smiled at the two as she carefully pulled up Harry's blanket and covered Hermione with an extra one from the bed next to them. The two stirred slightly, Hermione rubbing Harry's shoulder gently with her cheek. Madame Pomfrey giggled softly to herself as she made her way back to her office.