Harry Potter and the I'm-not-going-to-give-the-game-away
Ha! That spoiled it, didn't it? No ultra-revealing titles for me! (This may in part be because I'm not entirely sure of every detail of our journey… The precise location, yes; how we get there, no). The deal is that it's Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, and there are these people, and these things happen… You'll have to keep reading to find out more. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! (Maniacal laughter) There may be a bit of Harry/Ginny and certainly some Draco/someone BUT I WON'T TELL YOU WHO!!! Romance I suppose. Action, Drama, (if you could really call it that). Perhaps PG13 to be on the safe side, but I'm not really sure how the rating system works.
Harry and all the rest of the characters except for the unnamed one, Hogwarts and so on are the perpetual property of J. K. Rowling; long-may-she-continue-to-feed-our-obsessions!!!
Chapter One
There were voices coming from the fire - it burnt a bright turquoise green, and figures emerged, whispering; their voices washing over the huddled form on the sofa, cocooned in dreams.
"She looks exhausted, Albus; surely there's something we can - ""What are they doing to her out here? Those muggles, you can't -"
"Should we - should we wake her, do you think?"
Albus Dumbledore shook his head.
"No; let her sleep."
Professor Flitwick murmured something, and placed a warm, glowing bauble in the softly curled hand.
Then they were gone.
* * * *
Harry Potter sighed with contentment as he slid out of the portrait-hole. It was good to be back at Hogwarts. The summer holidays had passed in one long flurry (ha!) of doing absolutely nothing. The first few weeks had constituted the usual business of staying out of his aunt and uncle's way while they pandered to his enormous cousin Dudley. The remaining time had been far more pleasurable, as he went to stay once more in "The Burrow," where his best friend Ron Weasley lived with what had used to be a gaggle of red-haired, freckled children and their red-haired, freckled parents. The Burrow had been oddly quiet, though - with Mr Weasley and Percy away on business, Bill and Charlie still in Egypt and Romania respectively, and the twins living in Hogsmeade where they were getting experience and contacts - "learning the trade," so to speak, at Zonko's Joke Shop - the only people in the rambling cottage had been comfortable Mrs Weasley, Ron, and Harry. And little Ginny Weasley, of course. Or rather, not so little Ginny Weasley. He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, but the blushing child who tended to put her elbow in the butter a lot around Harry had all of a sudden become a self-possessed young woman. If he hadn't suddenly sprung up over the past year, he probably would have found her quite intimidating.
After the initial euphoria of being in such a warm and homely place - where Mrs Weasley, having already experienced it five times, understood perfectly the enormity of the two teenage boys' appetites, and Ron's bedroom was covered in animated Quidditch posters that reminded Harry not only of the wizarding world he loved, but also of his favourite occupation - the days had settled into a pleasant regularity. Harry, Ron, and Ginny de-gnomed the garden, tidied the attic for the residing ghoul (who, Mrs Weasley had decided, might feel more at home and make less noise in comfortable surroundings), played about on Harry's prized Firebolt in the paddock out the back, and talked endlessly. The boys arranged to meet their other best friend, Hermione Granger, in Diagon Alley two days before they went back to school; and four days beforehand, their school letters arrived with the morning owl.
Dear Mr Potter, Harry read;
I trust you are enjoying your summer holidays as a well-earned break following your O.W.L.s last term. The new school term will begin as usual on September 1st. A list of required textbooks is enclosed.
We congratulate the following students - Hang on; this is new, thought Harry - on their nomination and prescription to the position of School Prefect…
Harry didn't read the rest of the paragraph; he caught sight of the words "honour," "reputation," "others in our position…", but jumped straight to the list below, his heart thumping.
Bones, Susan (Hufflepuff)
Boot, Terry (Ravenclaw)
Finch-Fletchley, Justin (Hufflepuff)
Granger, Hermione (Gryffindor) -
Ron and Harry looked up over their letters and grinned.
"Big surprise," they said at the same time.
The two boys continued to peruse their lists.
Malfoy, Draco (Slytherin)
Harry groaned. Ron looked sick.
"Can you imagine the school with MALFOY as a prefect? Gryffindor won't stand a chance!"
Nott, Jennifer (Slytherin)
Patil, Padma (Ravenclaw)
Potter, Harry (Gryffindor)
That was the end of the list. Harry had to fight to keep the beam off his face when he saw Ron's reaction. The redhead had gone so pale he was almost green. Harry knew it must be a terrible disappointment to him - and it didn't help that his world-famous best friend had once again succeeded where he had failed. Harry tried to say something helpful.
"Er - maybe they… could there be a mistake?"
"Nup," said Ron, his voice strangely hollow. "I guess I'm just not good enough again."
He went to throw his letter on the table and a second piece of parchment fluttered from underneath it. Something written there caught Harry's eye and he stooped to pick it up.
Dear Mr Weasley, he read out loud.
After considerable discussion with the school council we have instituted a new leadership position among the student body. We are exceptionally pleased, therefore, to announce that, largely thanks to your enthusiasm and team spirit, you will as of now be Gryffindor's first -
"House captain," concluded Harry.
"House - what?" Ron was even paler than before and was swaying alarmingly. "Here, let me read that."
He snatched the parchment from Harry, read it through several times in disbelief, then slowly turned very pink on the tips of his ears.
"Signed by Dumbledore, too," said Harry encouragingly.
"I - … I - …"
"I'd go and tell your mum, if I were you," and Harry pushed the stunned Ron out of the room and propelled him towards the kitchen, where Mrs Weasley was teaching her grater to recognise different kinds of cheese.
If anything, the food for that last little bit of the holidays had been even better than usual, and Mrs Weasley couldn't see Ron and Harry without squeezing them both very tightly. Ron pretended to be embarrassed, but harry knew he secretly enjoyed it because in such a large family he rarely got so much attention.
* * * *
Harry smiled to remember it. One of the best things about being a Prefect, he reflected as he strolled through the darkened corridors, was a license to stay up and move about later than had been previously allowed. He was taking advantage of this newfound freedom to escape the noise of the Gryffindor common room, where Ron had organised a raucous game of Giant Twister as a get-to-know-you between the various years.
He was just considering turning back and luxuriating in the thought of his cosy four-poster bed in the Gryffindor boys' sixth year dormitory, when he thought he heard something around the next corner. Reminding himself that he was allowed to be there, so there was probably very little that Filch or Mrs Norris could do to him, harry advanced cautiously. He poked his head around the corner, to discover a girl of about his own age peering anxiously at her surroundings. She had very bloodshot eyes, and Harry thought she must have been crying. She was in her pyjamas, and looked hopelessly lost.
"Er," he said quietly, so as not to startle her. "Can I help you at all?"
The girl looked up and smiled uncertainly.
"Umm… are you lost?" After all, Harry reasoned, even Dumbledore openly confessed to not knowing the castle's entirety and he'd been at Hogwarts practically FOREVER.
The girl's smile spread over her face.
"If you could get me to the gargoyle on the second floor, that'd be great."
"The one outside Dumbledore's office?"
Something in the girl's expression flickered, but Harry couldn't recognise it.
"Er… Yes, I think so."
Harry guided the way through the dim corridors, finally stopping in front of one of the ugliest statues in the school.
"Thank you - I can find my way from here."
She smiled again, and touched Harry lightly and briefly on the arm as he bid her goodnight and went back down the hallway. When he turned at the stairwell to see which direction she went, the girl had vanished.
Presuppositions welcomed, so long as you're reviewing! I know my formatting is probably a little wonky, but I haven't done this before. Stay tuned!!!
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