Chapter 8:
Bloody Wall of Steel
"Screw you!"
"Gladly. Just name the time, Black."
A loud crack was heard by the entire Care of Magical Creatures class.
"How thick is your skull?" Phoenix cried.
Harry stifled a laugh as his friend walked in cradling her hand.
"What exactly just happened?" Harry asked.
"I stayed with Pansy last night and Nott has made it his mission to be an arse all morning," she stated. "I finally got fed up with it and may have broken his nose. Stupid Death Eater's kid doesn't know when the hell to step off."
"And you tell us not to name names." Hermione said.
"His parents were Death Eaters. Have the dark mark and everything." She replied. "Nott happens to follow his parent's views very closely. He's one of those Slytherins."
"On another note, what do the Slytherins say about Harry?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.
"They are siding with Cedric, but most of them, aren't going to hold you accountable for anything. Most of them saw your face, shock, fear, need I continue?" She asked.
"So I shouldn't have to worry about them coming at me?"
"Wrong, you woun't be dealing with most of them and a few are going to watch out for you like our year mates, Adrian and his friends and Heather." She told him. "Gives the other Houses more reason to hate me."
"Phoenix…" Hermione started.
"What, I'm not blaming him, merely stating that by getting the Slytherins on Harry's side is going to give them another reason to dislike me because they are none too impressed that Harry is, as Cho put it this morning, taking the spot light away from a true Champion."
"So Ravenclaw is going to be less than nice this year," Harry replied.
"Heather said she would talk to Cedric for you, so it might just be a scattering of students from each house, however, don't get your hopes up."
Harry just shrugged and looked over to Phoenix's quickly sweeling hand.
"You should get that checked out, it doesn't look too good."
"I can imagine I probably fractured if not broke it. Nott's skull feels like punching concrete or maybe even steel."
"Why did you punch him at all?" Hermione asked
"He's a sick, perverted bastard, that's why." She growled.
"Hey Harry, do you know who punched Nott?" Seamus asked and saw Phoenix's hand. "Bloody Hell mate, what happened to your hand?"
"I punched a bloody wall of steel!" she replied. "Ah shit, Harry tell Hagrid I went to see Pomfrey, if she finds out I left it any longer than I have she'll have my head."
"I'll tell him," Harry promised.
"What does she mean she punched a wall of steel?" Dean asked.
"She broke Nott's nose," Harry chuckled as he watched her run back to the castle.
"I'd hate to piss her off," Seamus decided.
For Phoenix's sake, Harry didn't say anything. She was making peace with them now that she wasn't just the enemy in the corner and he wasn't about to remind anyone of the past three years.
Before much longer, Hagrid had appeared from his hut. Without hesitation, Harry ran over, glad to be away from Seamus and Dean.
"Harry, how can I help ya?"
"Phoenix asked me to tell she went the Hospital Wing and might not be here. She messed up her hand somehow."
"Thanks for telling me Harry." He replied and started shouting out instructions.
"Walk them?" Malfoy asked.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Ron cried.
"Tie the leash around the middle, and use your dragon hide gloves."
"Phoenix would be having a field day," Draco muttered.
"Your cousin would be in heaven," Harry replied.
"Grinning like a maniac and have the stupid leash already tied," Blaise chuckled.
"Our little fire fairy," Pansy ginned earning a glare from her friends.
"She sure does seem to like heat," Harry said and tried to figure out the leash. He didn't get too far before Hagrid was calling him over.
"Harry, come help me with this big one."
Harry ran over quickly, wondering why Hagrid needed his help.
"Who do yah think fooled the Goblet?" He asked when Harry was close enough.
"You believe me?"
"Phoenix talks tah me 'arry, came over the weekend. Scared otta her wits for yah, poor girl."
"She talks to you?"
"We have tea every Saturday." Hagrid smiled. "We talk abou' tha dragons. She's told me all about her summer."
"She's so lonely," Harry sighed.
"Sure was, never has fit in well, even with the Slytherins." Hagrid said. "I shouldn't a told you tha'."
"Why didn't she ever tell me?"
Hagrid looked down at Harry, glad to see someone finally starting to pull the girl out of her shell.
"She ain' gonna tell yah everything, some stuff, yah got to keep to yerself." Hagrid replied.
"What does she talk to you about?"
"That there is none yer business."
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"If you want to know more about her, you talk to her."
"Alright," Harry nodded. "Thanks for the class Hagrid, it's was really…informative."
Hagrid sighed heavily and watched Harry run after the rest of the class.
The end of the week couldn't come fast enough for Harry. The only people he trusted were Hermione and Phoenix. The rest of the school kept their distance. Even the students who believed him wanted nothing to do with the young champion.
As for Phoenix, the girl had met the class as they entered the Entrance Hall, her right hand bandaged tightly. While she was proficient in casting spells with her left hand, she wasn't nearly as intimidating.
Finally the end of the week was in sight. Harry was sitting in potions, working with Hermione, watching Draco stifle a laugh as Phoenix struggled to keep hers and Crabbe's potion from exploding.
"Mr. Crabbe, switch with Mr. Goyle before your get yourself and Miss Black blown up!" Snape said an hour into class, vanishing the mud in Crabbe's cauldron. "Miss Black, I'm sure if you and Mr. Goyle work hard enough, you'll be able to re-do your work by the end of class."
Goyle grinned as he sat beside Phoenix and started going over what they already had finished as they restarted the antidote.
Half an hour later, a knock on the door made everyone stop and look up as a beaming Colin Creevy edged into the room. Colin started towards Snape's desk, but was stopped by the man's curt response to his entrance.
"What is it?" Snape demanded.
"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."
Snape stared down at the Gryffindor third year, quickly wiping the boy's smile from his eager face.
"He has another hour of potions to complete, he will come upstairs when class is finished."
"Sir…sir, Mr. Bagman wants him immediately," he muttered nervously. "All the Champions have got to go, I think they want to…"
"Sir, today is the weighing of the wands," Phoenix cut in.
"And you know this, how, Miss Black?"
"Viktor Krum was talking about it at breakfast this morning," she replied. "It is a crucial part of the tournament that every competitor must attend."
"Very well," Snape grumbled. "Potter, leave your things, you can return here later to test your antidote."
"Sir, I was told he had to take his things with him," Colin squeaked. "The Champions…"
"Very well, you are dismissed Mr. Potter."
Phoenix watched him pack his things quickly and almost run out of the room. She couldn't help but laugh a little.
"What's so funny?" Hermione asked from the next table.
"All you Gryffindors are so afraid of Snape, but all he is, is a big bully. I find it funny because he is harmless." Phoenix replied.
"Harmless?"
"Yes, harmless."
"You really are crazy." Hermione sighed.
"Has he ever actually hurt a student?" Phoenix asked.
"Well, no, I guess not," Hermione replied.
"I'll agree he can be a right git, but if you think about it, he really is harmless if just a little scary."
"Whatever you say," Hermione said as she bottled hers and Harry's antidote.
Half an hour later, Goyle bottled his and Phoenix's final product. Phoenix led the way out of the classroom, collecting Hermione on her way out of the dungeons. The two Gryffindors and the group of Slytherins following them entered the Great Hall and looked to find Harry sitting at the Gryffindor's table waiting for Hermione and Phoenix.
"I'll see all of you when I can," Phoenix promised before Hermione could drag her to their dark haired friend.
The Slytherins just nodded and left her to charge on the Potter boy.
"How'd it go?" Hermione asked sliding into the seat to Harry's left.
"Bless that French girl." He said.
"What did she do?" Phoenix asked, sliding into the seat across from him.
"She saved all the champions from Rita Skeeter." He said as Diggory walked over. He sat right across from Phoenix and glared at her.
"What's the meaning of this?" He asked in a harsh whisper, throwing a note on the table.
"That would be me trying to help you." She replied.
"What possible information could you have for me about the tournament?"
"For one thing, I can't say here, for another thing, I know what the first task is. So do Fleur and Krum." She whispered back.
"Then tell me why?"
"Heather is your sister, and she cares about you, she looks up to you Diggory and I would rather you didn't die for her sake." Phoenix growled.
"And were you planning to tell your own friend?" He asked. At that comment Harry pulled a similar note out of his bag.
"We're planning to talk about it after dinner," he told the seventh year.
"Look, you can hate me all you want Diggory, but don't blame me."
"I don't hate you, I…"
"We will talk later," Phoenix told him
"After dinner, have Harry show you where the Weighing of the wands happned, the two of us will talk then." He said and walked away.
"Freaky boy." Hermione said. Phoenix just shrugged and ate in silence. Her and Harry finished quickly and left to meet Diggory. They made it to the room only a few minutes after Cedric.
"You actually kept your word." Cedric said.
"Of course, so first off, I worked at Dragon Gates this summer so that's how I know the first task. It's Dragons." Phoenix explained.
"Dragons? Do we have to fight them?" Cedric asked.
"I don't know the exact details." Phoenix said. Harry was speechless. Dragons. Was she serious?
"Are you joking?" Cedric asked.
"Wish I was." She said sitting on a desk. "Dragons are dangerous and I'd hate to see a dragon or a competitor hurt."
"You're serious," Cedric breathed.
"No, that's Harry's godfather," Phoenix said.
"I don't think now is the time for jokes," Harry told her.
"Sorry," she shrugged. "Hey Harry, go ahead to the common room without me, I'm going to talk to Cedric for another minute or two."
"You sure?"
"I'll be fine," Phoenix grinned. "I can handle myself."
Harry just shrugged and left the room. The pair listened to his retreating footsteps before starting their conversation.
"Alright, he's gone," Phoenix said. "I'm assuming you wanted to talk alone seeing as you asked me to have Harry show me the room."
"You seem to have this notion that I hate you and I want to dispute that," Cedric said.
"Alright, dispute it to your heart's content, because I don't know what else to think."
"I don't know you," Cedric stated. "I can't hate you if I don't know you. However, I trust you and a few of the Slytherins about as far as I can throw Hagrid."
"Why?"
"You were taught by Lucius Malfoy and Draco is his son…"
"You are not alone in your suspicions," Phoenix said.
"What suspicions?" Cedric wondered as he hadn't finished.
"The events that were happening two years ago, I fear he may have had something to do with them. I can't prove anything and I never told Draco, but he gave Ginny Weasley a Diary, sneaking into her caludron when he ran into the Weasley's at Flourish and Blott's. I almost missed it, but I was intrigued by the girl and was watching her when he slipped it into her books."
"You don't trust him," Cedric said.
"Not in the least," Phoenix sighed. "Which is hard to admit seeing as he's been the only family I've known since I was five. However, if my suspicions are correct, he is responsible for the near death of no less than six students and Mrs. Norris."
"There is more," Cedric said watching her eyes flash.
"You know he taught me and the fact that you don't trust me means you know the kinds of things he had me research," Phoenix replied. "You know I've seen the Dark Arts and you probably suspect that I practice them."
"I don't think you practice them, you are too…"
"Young?" Phoenix asked. "That doesn't mean anything. I could cast the cutting curse when I was ten. I have no qualms with using a Dark spell if it could help, but I will never be against Harry, even if he had never approached me last year. I hold no love for the Death Eaters or Voldemort. They took my mum's best friends from her and mine from me. They got my mum sent to prison and…"
"They took a lot of childhoods and a lot of lives," Cedric said.
"Too many," Phoenix muttered.
"I'm sorry I offended you," Cedric told her. "I should have trusted Heather and Adrian's judgment. I think Heather is lucky to have you for a friend."
"Apology accepted," Phoenix smiled. "Maybe we could even be friends someday."
"Maybe," Cedric nodded. "And don't worry about Heather, I will apologize to her too."
"Send my regards, I'm sure when I'll make it down there again."
"I'll let her know," he promised and left the room followed closely by the girl. The pair went their separate ways feeling a little more secure than they had before. A dark cloud hung over them, but now they knew someone else had the same suspicions and for Phoenix, that made all the difference.
Phoenix was happy to get back to her dorm that night. What she was not happy to find, was her trunk wide open with a pissed off Hermione putting it back together.
"Ron got one of the younger girls to go through your trunk and get something, I don't know what," Hermione told her and dropped the cloak she was holding. "I'm sorry, I'm making more of a mess of it than it probably was."
"It's alright Hermione, there is nothing in that trunk of value, I keep my wand, Homework and valuables locked up and warded." Phoenix said easily cleaning up the mess.
"I didn't see anything missing…"
"There wasn't," Phoenix assured her. "Thank you for worrying."
"I don't know exactly who she is, but she called you a filthy Lestrange."
Phoenix sighed and cast her eyes to the open trunk.
"A name change doesn't mean people forget who I am," Phoenix told her.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I am a Lestrange, Hermione. My uncle was a Death Eater and my dad…my dad was suspected of one. No one has proof because they never found a body and no one is going to incriminate a dead man to get leniency."
"I guess so," Hermione said.
"I told Harry and Cedric today about the first task," Phoenix said, changing the subject.
"You did? I mean, of course you did."
"How have you been sleeping?" Phoenix asked. "You seem kind of out of it."
"Well enough," Hermione said.
"Hermione, you know you can ask me for help if you need it, right?"
"I know," Hermione smiled.
"I won't even tell," Phoenix teased as she changed into pajamas.
Hermione just smiled.
"Are you going to bed?" Hermione asked.
"I'm exhausted," Phoenix replied. "Forgot to do the Charms essay until last night so I was up for ages."
"Alright, goodnight Phoenix," Hermione smiled.
"Night," Phoenix replied and curled up under her covers. Hermione shut off the lights as she left, glad to see the other girl fall asleep so quickly.
