Third summary: This can maybe be seen as a prequel to the second chapter. Maybe. No pairings here but continuing the line that not all of Harry's friends are really his friends. And Harry discovering a new skill. Situated in his fourth year and the tournament.
Ch. 3 How About That
Harry had been having a headache for a while now. He almost wanted to believe he had some seer talents and the ache was a warning throb of his participation in this ridiculous tournament. But that was just wishful thinking. He wasn't a seer and there was nothing he could do about being forced to participate in this ridiculous tournament. While being mocked and hated by the whole magical world, it seemed. No one was willing to help him not to die. The Gryffindors still stupidly thought him above their help or in Ron's case, a weasel and a liar. He couldn't really understand it. First his housemates had thrown a party. By the next afternoon, he had become a pariah. The rest of the school just disliked him for taking Cedric's thunder or embarrassing Hogwarts or something equally preposterous. Teachers were the same. Dumbledore was avoiding him. Hermione talked to him but it felt like she was also miffed about one or another thing and just nagged.
His headache only got worse.
"Madam Pomphrey?" Harry called into the empty infirmary.
The matron bustled out of her office and frowned when she saw him. "Alright Potter," she sighed and pointed to a bed. "What is it this time? Someone hexed you? Prank gone wrong? The students hounding you..."
Harry stared at her dumbly. Why would she immediately think that.
"No! No one has hexed me. I just have a headache that doesn't go away. It's been going on for a week now." Harry rubbed his neck while twisting his head. Nothing seemed to work.
Pomphrey clucked and spun her wand around his head. "Nothing seems to be wrong. Probably just tension. You should've left this tournament business alone."
Harry watched her bustle away incredulous. The nurse was obviously dismissing him. She was giving off a very indifferent and annoyed aura.
"Should've left well enough alone... Incompetent... Greedy little boy. Why put his name down at all," he heard her mutter.
"Excuse me!" Harry raised his voice. She had no right to blame him.
"What?" The nurse turned, sounding irritated.
"I didn't put my name in the goblet," Harry grunted out.
Pomphrey raised her eyebrows. "I didn't say you did."
Harry wanted to gape but his head throbbed again. "Can I just have the headache draught, please?"
"You should just go and sleep it off," Pomphrey replied.
Harry stared at her incredulously. Always before she practically forced everyone to drink more potions just to be sure and now that he was actually in pain, she wasn't giving him any help.
"What? I would sleep it off if I could. That's why I am in here!" Harry was getting angry. For the whole week his head had been killing him, most students were shunning him or like the Hufflepuffs, actually knocking into him while muttering. Now, he wasn't getting help with even a headache. He glared at the nurse.
"just desserts I say. Just desserts. Stop staring at me like that!" She sounded nervous.
Harry heard Pomphrey say it loud and clear, yet her mouth hadn't opened. Stunned by that, Harry jumped off the bed. He was really on the edge of a mental breakdown. That was why his head was hurting. He was getting all loony.
"Have it your way then. Always figured you just wanted to make us patients suffer. A nurse, right," Harry huffed and almost ran outside. He didn't dare and look at her anymore.
Just by the door there seemed to be a new patch of cold medicines and headache relievers. Harry glanced back and Pomphrey had not come after him, so he snagged two vials of the latter and rushed outside. Immediately he drank one vial and as the throbbing pain ebbed away, he tried to make sense of what just happened. Not Pomphrey's attitude but how could he hear her speak without her opening her mouth. Had he just imagined it all?
-o-
It happened again! He had no headache this time. He did not have even a scratch on him. Two second year Hufflepuff girls walked towards him and they were very annoying. And it took a lot from him to say that. Lavender Brown was in his year after all. But they squealed and talked about outrageously dirty things about Cedric. They were twelve! How did they even know about stuff like that?!
But once the girls noticed him, he realized they were not talking, just walking side by side, each on their own. And once they noticed him, their "talking" turned real ugly. Apparently he was a useless piece of cow dung who looked like a dung beetle and who should've been kicked out of the school.
Yet their mouths didn't move.
Harry rushed to the library. There was no one else he could ask. Maybe Sirius. Harry would send him a vague letter if he couldn't find anything. This sounded just as weird as his parseltongue ability. Only now he knew not to advertise it. To anyone. No one seemed to deserve his trust anymore.
The library turned out to be a bust.
The next few days, his new skill seemed to hone itself more and more and bring with it all kinds of new of headaches. He liked least the blinding one just behind his eyes that made even his hair hurt. It was a good thing that he didn't need to attend all the classes and he used that priviledge often. Despite it being the only thing Hermione was capable of talking about anymore. Nag. Nag. Which brought about his next heartache, not only did he have to listen to Ron mutter bad things about him, skipping classes brought out a very nasty side in Hermione.
-o-
"You really shouldn't skip any classes today, Harry. You will need all the skills in this tournament! You can't even do the summoning charm. Even Seamus managed it! You didn't." 'And that you entered the tournament without even consulting me and you were so stupid. Now I have to listen everyone complaining...'
Harry closed his eyes. He didn't care what she said aloud and what she thought. She always berated him, he always did everything wrong, he was always the worst type of person.
"Gimme a break Hermione. I'm dealing with it," Harry groaned.
She huffed. 'Dealing with it. You aren't dealing with anything. How about getting to classes and not hiding out. How about not making ME take messages to all the teachers. How about apologizing to Ron, how about making your homework for once. You're an idiot and expect me to do everything!' Aloud she said,"We have to study more Harry. You know the first task is only few weeks away.
Had she always been so selfish and self-servant. Everything she thought about was only about her. Her trouble, her gain, her bother.
As she was pretty much the only one to hang around him these days, he couldn't help but wonder if she had always thought of him like this. Even in the good times. She really was a nagger. How could she think such awful things and then smile and say something different.
He could see the dark humor in this, the friendless orphan, having picked two of the worst kind of people to be his first friends. Ron was revealing his nasty side too. He was always thinking of pranking Harry in a way he would hurt. Ron never actually did it but wanting him to literally break a leg, push him down the stairs, poison him, made Harry feel ill. Not to mention things that Ron actually did. He freely sneaked into his brothers rooms and 'borrowed' few knuts. He also happily went through Harry's stuff and hastily copied Dean's essays only to have Hermione read and correct them. Ron also told numerous lies about people behind their backs. Harry being his favorite subject.
Harry felt so confused, torn and disgusted with these people. How could they be so spiteful? They weren't stupid, they were just mean.
-ooooooo-
This one I personally really liked. I think it has potential, maybe. I figured this would only get worse until the first task, but by then Harry has figured out he is hearing everyone's thoughts. Sirius replies and the closest thing to this is legilimency. Sirius figures it's all about his magical maturity, which isn't supposed to come yet. But is coming, very fast and powerfully at that.
After the task is over, Harry simply can't forgive them anymore. Especially when their thoughts remain as they are. He struggles to gain control over his new skill and his participation in this tournament. The headaches are not helping. Finally during the second task, deep down in the lake when he is about to drown, he realizes something… someone is inside his head. Enter the shadowed soul of a grown Voldemort. That has been effected by the years he has remained inside Harry's head. The horcrux is weak but useful, sort of kind, calculating but not more malevolent than his 'real' friends.
Harry is not so alone anymore with Voldemort always along. There are some bumps in the way. Harry makes new friends and is not settling anymore. He finds good people and rotten people.
In the graveyard the horcrux Voldemort makes both Harry and the other Voldemort realize the dangers of the situation. Voldemort, neither of them, wants Harry to return but he refuses to stay.
After the tournament, Harry is sent to St Mungos for his injuries. He refuses to stay at the school's hospital. His world is turned upside down by Lucius Malfoy sweeping in and organizing a guard. Cedric's death is blamed on Karkaroff, the man having conveniently disappeared. The public story is that he went mad because his own champion didn't win. Eventually Harry is returned to Privet Drive where Voldemort is waiting.
I was unsure about the Voldemort angle. Might be left off but if it's there, things will stay interesting. I was aiming for a really neutral!Harry. Not taking either side and sidestepping everyone. It isn't hard when he can hear their thoughts.
