Rhapsody of Harry Potter
Chapter Nine: Don't Know What You're Fighting For
Rated PG13
Summary: Harry gets powers that could drive him insane… eventually. The Elemental Guardians will come into play... eventually. And Harry finds true love… :everyone 'aww's:… Potentially. :evil grin:
Warnings: Eventual slash… Potential swearing… Probable bad grammar… It's not my fault, I swear! Blame it on the English department! It's hardly my fault if all they've taught is Shakespeare, Chaucer, and themes! I really wouldn't mind actually learning something I'm gonna use! And the Canterbury Tales aren't even finished! What's the use of that! … I'm ranting, aren't I? Also, beware of the overuse of exclamation marks!
Disclaimer: Though it would be possible with my ultimate power, my Shadow Angels, and the Evil File of LIKITYSPLIT! I must confess that I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with the books- :gets prodded by spear wielding lawyer:… or the movies. Happy now! :lawyer smirks: I hate you. :pouts:
G- :looks at the readers staring up at her: … I'm bored…
K- … :sighs: …
A- … :blinks: …
G- … :crickets chirp in background: …
K- … :sweat drops:
A- … :scratches neck:
G- … :watches lazily as readers glare and pick up rotten fruit: …
K- … What are they doing with that?
A- … They're gonna throw it at us…
G- … :eyes widen as the readers judge the throwing distance: … Uh… You aren't really gonna throw that at us are you? … um, guys? Guys? :readers throw rotten fruit: AAAARGH!
K- AAAAAAAAHHH!
A- NOO! SOS! HEEEEELP MEEEEE!
G, K & A- :run into bomb shelter to wait out the reviewers:
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If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
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Previously on Rhapsody of Harry Potter:
On his way past the Headmaster, Harry paused slightly, facing away from the other teachers and not looking at Dumbledore. The man was playing a dangerous game. And losing. To a teenager.
"This isn't over," Harry said softly.
"I know," Dumbledore replied.
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Wednesday Morning (25th September)
Harry woke up with Ginny and Ron's fight from the week before on his mind. He still wasn't exactly sure how to react, seeing as Ron was stabbing him in the back. Again. After all, this wasn't the first time Ron had thrown a tantrum and he usually got over them. Eventually. Finally he had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't say a word to either of them. He'd just pretend that everything was perfectly normal.
Ginny, however, made this terribly difficult, as she would scowl and yell at Ron at the slightest thing he did wrong. Ron didn't help and now the two weren't talking to each other at all. No matter how much Hermione and Harry tried, they stubbornly refused to listen.
Sooner or later someone was going to snap, and then the real trouble would start.
Even though Harry was angry with Ron, he firmly believed that family should love and support each other unconditionally. This belief came from his own relatives, as he knew that they were not his true family. After all, what family would treat one of their own the way they treated him?
But the Weasleys were a family, a proper family who loved each other. Harry didn't want to ruin that for them, even if it meant that he couldn't speak to Ginny or the others again. Harry sighed and looked at his watch, frowning at it for a moment. The watch still didn't work, why was he still wearing it? And why did he keep forgetting to take it off?
Shrugging, the boy cast a spell to find out the time, noting that he had two hours before anyone else would be getting up.
"Looks like I'm off to the tower again."
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Thursday Night (26th September)
"It must be in the genes," Harry told Hermione, after they had both unsuccessfully tried to getting the two Weasleys to talk for two days straight.
"I know that you blame Ron, but Ginny isn't even attempting to make things better," said Hermione neutrally.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd heard Ron," Harry muttered.
"Then why won't you tell me!"
"Ron will think I'm trying to brainwash you. He already thinks I'm evil."
"Oh for Merlin's sake Harry!" Hermione snapped, frustrated with everything, "I have my own brain! If you can't tell me, transfer the image into my mind."
Harry opened his mouth to reply, then paused to think, shut his mouth and just nodded his head in agreement. They had found this useful little spell the previous year when they were finding new spells for the reformed and renamed Defence Association.
"Memorium Recalitus," Harry incanted, making a complex movement with his wand and concentrating on the memory.
A fine mist of swirling colours appeared to stream out of his forehead and hovered in front of him. Making a symbol in the air, he said "Transferatus," and the mist flew over to Hermione to be absorbed into her own forehead. For a few seconds, the girl simply stood and watched the memory. Then her eyes flew open and she flung herself at Harry.
"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his shoulder.
Harry stood awkwardly as she hugged him, uncomfortable with the physical contact, though it wasn't unpleasant. He knew that Hermione wouldn't hurt him. The only fight they had gotten into was when she had been trying to protect him, though he was too stubborn to notice.
Harry patted her on the back. "It's alright Hermione; I'm not going to break down just because Ron was spreading rumours about me, no matter how cruel or untrue they are."
"I know Harry," she said, letting go of him and stepping back before a suspicious look came over her face. "How long has he been sneaking out at night to snog girls in closets?"
"I don't know, you'll have to ask Ginny."
Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I think I might do just that."
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Later Thursday Night
Harry stared out at the Forbidden Forest, watching as the trees swayed gently in the wind. Soon, he spotted something coming towards the castle from the direction of Hogsmeade. Squinting, he tried to make out the shape but it was too far away, though it was closing in fast.
When it reached to forest, Harry sighed in relief. It was just an owl. After a short wait, the tawny owl landed on the ledge next to the teenager and stuck out its leg for him to take the parchment tied to it's leg. How strange, Harry thought as he untied the letter. I don't get letters from anyone after Sirius…
Sighing, Harry opened the letter and began to read.
Harry,
I hope you're doing well. How long has it been since we've seen each other? It seems like it's been years. Too many years. I sent this letter to you with a warning, you must stay away from Snape. He always has and always will be on Voldemort's side, so you can't trust him no matter what anyone tells you! Don't trust anyone but yourself!
Please take this into account when you're near him. He may be a complete git, but he's dangerous as well.
Solemnly swearing that I am up to no good.
Harry swallowed. Surely it couldn't be…
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Friday Morning (27th September)
Harry was innocently sitting down reading over the letter he had received when it happened.
"I'M GOING TO MAKE THAT BASTARD WISH HE WAS NEVER BORN!"
Harry's eyes widened as Hermione stormed down the stairs from the Girl's dormitories, muttering to herself. All he managed to catch was something about 'two-timing bastards' and 'Merlin damned bitches' before he decided that he definitely didn't want to know.
Unfortunately, he and Hermione had two completely different agendas.
"Have you seen a certain filthy, depraved, dishonest red-headed bastard skulking around?" she asked pleasantly.
Harry blinked. "Do you mean Ron?"
Hermione smirked evilly. Very evilly. "Yes, him."
Deciding that he wasn't going to stand between Hermione and her revenge, as well as knowing that whatever it was she was going to kill Ron for was probably well deserved, Harry pointed to the staircase.
"He's still in bed."
"Good," she said, with that same evil look.
Harry shuddered as he watched her stalk up the stairs. That was one woman you didn't want to get angry. Speaking of women you wouldn't want to get mad, Ginny calmly walked down the stairs, still dressed in her pyjamas. The teenager grinned as a loud crash came from upstairs, and a loud squeal was heard.
"I take it that Hermione has found Ron," she said as she sat down next to Harry.
"From the very manly squeal, I'd say so," Harry replied. "What did he do?"
Ginny's eyes hardened at the question. "You remember when Mione was dating Ron last year? Well, it turns out that he never went to meet her when he was sneaking out for snog appointments."
"He was cheating on her?" he asked, shocked that anyone would be stupid enough to actually cheat on Hermione.
"Yup. Frequently. I just assumed that he was going out to see her, but she says that she never met him after curfew because they might be found and get detention."
Another crash came from upstairs along with the sound of shattering glass. Harry grinned.
"I hope he learns his lesson."
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Thursday Morning the next week (3rd October)
Hermione sat staring at her plate, thinking about the letter Harry had received the week before. After bugging him about what was wrong for almost a week, the boy had finally told her about the strange letter. Something was nagging at her about it, something wasn't right. No matter how much she wished it were, it couldn't possibly be him.
"Harry?" started Hermione slowly.
"Yeah?" Harry replied very unenthusiastically.
"Do you think Moony could have written the letter?" she asked tentatively.
Harry gave her a mildly thoughtful look.
"Who's Moony?" Draco asked, confused.
"Is it like a moon thing?" Blaise asked.
After her fight with Ron, Hermione had thought it would be a good idea to stay away from Gryffindor table for a while. When the Weasley had reported to the hospital wing, he had lost them fifty points for fighting with other students and another ten for not telling them who had attacked him. Though most of the Gryffindors knew that she had a good reason for hexing Ron, it was best that she kept a low profile for the time being. Hence the reason they were sitting at the far end of the Slytherin table, as far away from the teachers and Gryffindors as they could get.
Harry and Hermione ignored the two Slytherins. "I mean…" Herm began, "they were at Hogwarts together. All three of them. Moony would know too."
"Maybe," Harry frowned doubtfully.
"Can someone tell me who, or what, Moony is?" Draco asked again, more grouchily.
"I did," Blaise replied, "It's a moon thing."
"Harry, he can't be alive. He just can't be," Hermione told him, as though there was no other possible explanation.
Harry just looked at her stubbornly, not wanting to believe anything.
"Oh for crying out loud! Who the hell is Moony?"
"A moon thing!"
Hermione finally turned and acknowledged Blaise and Draco. She gave him a sharp stone cold look. "Moony is Professor Remus Lupin, idiot," she told him in a very agitated voice. "If you can't sit here and keep your goddamn mouth shut, I'll snap your face in half! Got it?"
Draco nodded soundlessly, obviously remembering the incident back in third year. Blaise hid a smile by coughing into her hand.
Harry and Hermione got up together and left, leaving behind a very puzzled and hurt Draco and a very bright sunny Blaise.
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Friday Morning (4th October)
The following morning, Harry was feeling like crap. He dragged himself out of bed and made his way down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. He sat down next to Hermione, who was absorbed in a book, as usual. They had decided that they could finally go back to sitting at the Gryffindor table, though Hermione should still keep a low profile. She looked up when Harry sat down.
"Morning Harry!" she said rather brightly.
Ron had finally been kicked out of the hospital wing that morning and nothing had been done to punish her as he had refused to tell the teachers just how exactly he had gotten his… er, injuries.
"Mmph," Harry replied.
"O-kay then," Hermione said, a bit deflated, "what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Harry mumbled almost incoherently.
Hermione gave him a puzzled look but didn't say anything more, returning to her book. Harry ignored her and instead looked around tiredly. His eye caught the Slytherin table where Draco and Blaise would look at him and then start whispering together. He glared at them suspiciously and returned to his toast, nibbling at it half-heartedly.
A fluttering of hundreds of birds sounded and the owl post had arrived. Harry looked up to see owls of all shapes and sizes fly over his head. He was surprised when an eagle swooped down threateningly, nearly taking his nose off, and landed in front of him. Harry looked at the eagle cautiously to see if it would bite, then tentatively removed the letter tied to its left foot. He picked up a sausage from the platter in front of and pushed it at the eagle, who gobbled it up and then flew away – its feathers brushing threateningly at Harry's face. Harry abandoned his toast and looked at the envelope. It was plain except for the wax seal on the back that Harry didn't recognise at all. He slit the envelope open and read,
How are you Harry?
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Just a follow up from my last letter – keep away from Snape. The greasy bastard. It's for your own safety, you know. Dumbledore may think he's changed for the better but a leopard can never change its spots. Keep that in mind and keep your nose out of things that don't concern you. One of these days, that stubborn streak of yours could get you killed.
Solemnly swearing that I am up to no good.
Take care, Harry,
You know who.
Harry spat out his pumpkin juice, coughing and spluttering as the liquid went down his windpipe.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Hermione asked, patting him on the back; a frown creased her brow.
Harry simply stared blankly at the letter in front of him.
"Harry?" Hermione prompted, expectantly.
"I got another one."
"Let me see that." Hermione snatched the letter out of his hand, her eyes rapidly scanning the letter. "Well?" she questioned, "There's nothing wrong with that. Apart from the getting killed part, it sounds perfectly fine."
"It's not that," Harry started, "It… it – "
"It what?"
"It sounds like, something Sirius would write," Harry finally forced himself to say.
"It could also be something Remus would write," Hermione countered, then seeing Harry's face continued, "Look Harry. Sirius is dead. You're just going to have to accept that. Nothing you do can bring him back."
"You're wrong," Harry muttered stubbornly. "It has to be him!"
"HARRY!" Hermione yelled.
The Great Hall fell silent and many people turned around to look at Hermione and Harry from their tables, trying to see where the noise was coming from. Hermione cringed and blushed in embarrassment. So much for keeping a low profile…
Harry turned around and met Blaise's eyes, who nodded in understanding. At the Slytherin table, she started talking loudly, "And then Draco fell in the lake…"
Hermione, still slightly red, lowered her voice and continued as if nothing had happened, "Harry, listen to yourself. You sound deluded and believing the unbelievable is not going to help anyone, let alone you."
"Well maybe I am deluded," Harry muttered stubbornly.
"Don't we know that," Hermione said waspishly. She sighed tiredly, "Harry I don't want to argue with you. The point I'm trying to make is that even though Remus hasn't exactly had much contact with you since Sirius got… well… you know. You need to accept that he cares just as much as Sirius did, and maybe this is his way of getting you to take things seriously."
"It's not the same," Harry said in a hollow voice.
"What's not the same?" Draco asked, slipping into the seat next to Harry. Blaise just stood there, doing a bad job of being inconspicuous. She was doing about as well as a flashing red light bulb would.
Hermione sighed exasperatedly, "What have I told you about interrupting people?"
Draco gulped and instead looked at Harry. Harry chucked the letter at Draco, which he caught and started reading. Blaise read over his shoulder. Suddenly Draco had and alarmed expression.
"You-Know-Who? As in the Dark Lord? What if it's another plot to kill you?"
"You sound like Moody," Harry told him dejectedly.
"You sound like you've been through a Dragon's nest a hundred times," Draco retorted, "What's wrong?"
"Just tired."
"Yeah," Blaise said happily, "and Draco's the world's nicest person."
Draco started to nod in agreement then realised what Blaise had said, "Hey! I am too nice!"
Hermione interrupted them. "Harry? What does it mean by 'Solemnly swearing that I am up to no good'?"
"Who's doing what now?" Blaise asked curiously.
"The person who wrote the letter swears that they're up to no good," Draco replied.
"Oh. So why are they arguing about it if the person is out to get Harry?"
"Surely you know," Harry said to Hermione, missing Blaise and Draco's conversation.
"Humour me," Hermione replied impatiently.
Harry shot Hermione look. "The password for the Marauders Map."
"Exactly," Hermione said triumphantly, "The Marauders. And they were?"
"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. What has this got to do with anything?"
"Everything. There were four of them, but two are dead. Meaning that there are still two people it could be," Hermione pointed out.
Blaise and Draco stared at her blankly before the blonde had a flash of inspiration. "Wormtail? Isn't that Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yeah!" Blaise said with wide eyes, "He's like Voldemort's lapdog."
Harry's eyes widened in realisation as the impact of their words hit him. Harry voiced his thoughts, "Him? Why would he even write to me? Let alone warn me about anything?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Life debt, remember?"
Harry had a steeled closed off look in his eyes. Hermione stared at him intently, while Blaise just continued to look highly confused. Draco rolled his eyes at her, while listening intently to the conversation.
"No." Harry replied firmly.
"When Harry says no it means no," Blaise said knowingly.
"Funny thing about the word 'no'," Draco said sarcastically.
"Oh come on Harry!" Hermione hissed.
"You heard Blaise," Harry told her, "No means no."
Hermione gave Harry a look that said she was about to get violent. Draco inched out of the way. Hermione got out of her seat and snapped her book shut.
THWACK!
Hermione slapped Harry around the head. Hard. Then the girl turned and stormed out of the Great Hall in anger.
Harry stared after her in shock, raising a hand to his cheek where a large red handprint was already forming. Draco winced in sympathy, knowing how hard the bookworm could hit. Blaise, however, looked rather unsympathetic.
"She is right you know. It's infinitely more likely that it's someone who is alive, even if that person is supposed to be your enemy," she said wisely.
"But I…" Harry trailed off. "You're right. She's right." The teen grinned slightly. "But then again, she's hardly ever wrong. She is Hermione after all."
--- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP --- RoHP ---
Friday Night
"I'm such an idiot," Harry sighed as he once again stared out at the forest.
"So I have been saying for the past six years."
Harry whirled around to find his Potions Professor standing beside him. "Do you have some sort of alarm system that tells you whenever I'm out here?"
"No. It merely happens that we both appear to be insomniacs who have nothing better to do than stare out from the top of an Astronomy Tower every night," the man replied.
Harry shrugged. "It helps me think."
The two sat, or stood, in silence for a while before Harry decided to tell Snape about the letters. They did concern him, after all, and Harry didn't believe that Snape was evil and trying to kill him. If he was, the man could have simply pushed him off the tower at any time.
"I've been getting these letters… they're basically warning me about you being a Death Eater," Harry started, noticing that Snape tugged on his left sleeve when he mentioned that, but there was no other sort of recognition. "I know they're from Wormtail, Hermione convinced me of that, but still… It sounded so much like…"
Snape turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Black?"
Harry sighed once more. "Yes."
The Professor was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "As much as it pains me to contemplate what went on in Black's mind, if he was alive then I have no doubt that he would not simply send you letters. He would drag himself back here to see you, bringing whatever fleas he happened to be carrying with him, even if it meant that he would be captured once again and taken back to Azkaban."
A tear ran down Harry's face as a slightly strangled chuckle escaped him. "Why?"
Harry wasn't entirely sure what the question was. Why would he come back to see me? Why did he come to the Ministry? Why would he leave Grimmauld Place when he knew it wasn't safe? Why? But Snape could answer them all with a single reply.
"Because he loved you."
Another tear followed the first and a sob escaped from the teenager. Snape was completely unprepared for it when Harry turned and wrapped his arms around him, sobbing into the man's robes. Severus stood completely still for an instant, unsure of what to do, but awkwardly patted the emotional teenager on the back before simply sitting down next to him and offering whatever comfort he had.
Neither moved until it was almost sunrise.
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Author's Note
Well, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but that's to be expected from a chapter that has been haunting me for about eight months now. I never want to see this chapter ever again! However, the good thing about it is that I'm almost finished chapter ten. Actually, I started ten before I got very far with nine. I had this awesome scene in my head, and I wrote it really quickly before I could forget. So I should have chapter ten up very soon, hopefully within a month! There's also a lot less angstyness in the next chapter. This was basically a chapter full of fill-in plot, which will have almost nothing to do with future chapters, but I just wanted to get to Halloween without skipping two months. Now I'm only skipping one!
Before I forget, I'd like to thank Shikes for all her help on this chapter. I never would have been able to finish it without her! I actually did about half of the writing, but the rest was her. Hopefully, I won't encounter another chapter like this one ever again…
Also, sorry if the characters seem out of character, or even out of character from how I've been portraying them, but none of them wanted to co-operate with me for this. I had other things I wanted to do in here and some things I never even thought about until they were written, but this is the way it turned out.
Reviews
Thanks to my Evil Advisor (Gldnlqr), WitchVela, Serpent91, hermiones mirror twin (yes, I know Blaise is supposed to be a boy, but I wanted to write a girl so :shrugs:), websurffer, crazy-lil-nae-nae, sarah-sama, LauraDee (I told you this time, aren't you proud?), MinaChan (Yay! I'm number one! :Takes virtual cookie: Thanks! ), Touch of the Wind, The Insane Imortal Dragon, Alexandria Jade Lily Potter (You'll just have to wait and find out! :grin:), cHiBi-nIN (Short reviews are ok, I'll take all of them I can get!), rbtfngyuj0, elka shadow (I know how you feel, happens to me all the time… In apology, I shall give you a cookie. :hands over a cookie:), charmedsisters (I'm glad you decided to read it! I'm going to try and make it as plausible as possible for a 'Harry gets powers' fic, and hopefully he doesn't get too powerful…), Griffen48035 (I think I replied to yours already… If I didn't you can yell at me…), and insanechildfanfic.
VeryDarkAngel73 - Thanks for the review, and don't worry, you don't have to talk me into that EVIL EVIL pairing because I was already planning on it :grin: I am planning on doing a bit of HPDM though, so that should make your friend happy if they're a draco fan.
You can steal my Evil Death Glare of Doom if you like, but you have to give me credit for its invention (even though someone else probably came up with it sometime… but that isn't the point…) and I'll say it qualifies under the Evil Associate title.
Hope the chapter helps with your withdrawals!
Um… his powers will come about sometime, I'm planning on two thingys and one is found very soon, so look out for it!
If I missed anyone, feel free to review and curse at me.