[a/n] s/6044969/2/Journey-Through-the-Dark This twist on another fanfic, about 10 years old without updates. Just took the two most important scenes. Italics is quoted from the story ~900 words. The original also had an effective scene with Viktor, but it's not included.

Harry Does Different CVIa

JTtD By Earl Lonsdale

They started heading back to Hogwarts, and Harry fell into line with Susan. He had been thinking of her while they walked and swallowed slightly before saying, "Susan, can I talk to you alone?"

Susan nodded. They walked a bit slower to allow Neville and Ginny get ahead.

"I know you have other offers but would you consider going to the ball with me?" asked Harry hopefully.

"No," said Susan.

"No?" Harry was shocked. "Just like that? No 'I need time to think'? No 'I'll get back to you'?" He sounded annoyed. "You think I'm worse than Corner, whom you called a pig?"

Susan giggled at his indignation but softened her gaze when she saw he was truly hurt by her response. "Harry, I don't think you're a bad person at all. Quite the opposite. But I spoke to Ginny earlier about dates and she said you hadn't really been thinking about any. I think you're asking me now because I'm the closest witch around and not because you want to be with me… whereas the other guys actually wanted to be with me regardless of how little I might care about them."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to date a guy who doesn't know if he likes me," said Susan, referring to his words from earlier. "If I come with you knowing that, we'll both have an awful time… my housemates will get offended… and… do you know how to dance?"

Harry shook his head.

"And you're doing the opening dance," said Susan pointedly. "You don't really want to be with me; my housemates will get offended; and we'll look like fools in the opening dance. Can you blame me for saying no?" She looked at Harry's crestfallen face at her harsh analysis of the situation. "How about this… sort yourself out and ask me again tomorrow before dinner. I'll think again."

"In front of the other Hufflepuffs?" asked Harry.

"Yes."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "So they can laugh at me when you say no again?"

Susan didn't respond and they walked quietly back for a while. "It's up to you," she said finally. "I'll say yes to someone tomorrow night."

Harry headed straight to the library, skipping dinner. He was troubled by his conversation with Susan. She had called Michael Corner a pig and yet she hadn't outright rejected him; whereas she not only did that to him but also invited him to be a laughing stock in the great hall. Why would she do that? He was bothered and tried to think of what he knew of Susan Bones. Truthfully, he didn't know her that well, despite being in the same year and sharing several classes. He knew her aunt worked in the Ministry of Magic and had reached very close to the top in a man's world. By all accounts, Susan was not unlike her aunt in that respect. She had a beautiful smile, he had to concede, and a pretty face. And sometimes when she laughed, her hair…

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"So, what do you think?"

Harry looked at Susan intently, hoping that the dread and terror inside him wasn't as apparent in his face. He had marched with determination to the Hufflepuff table when Susan arrived, and her friends had instantly become wary. But Harry had ignored the jibes thrown at him by Zacharias Smith and Wayne Hopkins and walked straight to Susan.

"I… uh…" Susan looked at a loss. Despite having been the one who suggested he ask her at dinner, she was blushing and didn't look like she expected him to actually do it.

"I promise I'll do everything I can to make the evening fun for you," Harry urged desperately. "I'm taking extra dance lessons with Professor McGonagall and I'll try not to embarrass you… I really want to have you as my date and I…"

"Go away, Potter," Wayne Hopkins snarled at him. "You can't have her."

Harry ignored him and kept looking at Susan, who had turned a deep shade of crimson. "Will you at least consider?"

Susan swallowed. "No…"

Harry felt his stomach drop. He could hear the jeers from the others nearby and a look of dejection crossed his face. But it quickly morphed to anger, he growled at her "Well thanks for that Bitch!"

"What? Wait! That's not what I meant. I - - -" Susan realized how she had been misinterpreted and wanted to correct it at once. More, she HAD to.

Hannah Abbott pounced on the verbal assault on her lifelong friend, countering aggressively "Watch your mouth Potter!"

"Get outta here, Potter!" Justin Finch-Fletchley had never forgiven what he'd suffered in 2nd Year. He gave the rude intruder a shove, and had more than enough mass to back it up as he towered over even some Sevenths.

Harry stumbled into a couple people he never identified and bounced back, ready to fight.

"You lot stop!" Susan was horrified over what was unfolding. She should have just said Yes last night. All the redhead had done was grab hold of his shoulder. Something caught her in the jaw, she never saw it, and knew no more.

The whole exchange had been witnessed by most of Hogwarts' population. For a change, Professor Snape sat silently, with almost a smile on his face. It was Professor Sprout whose voice lashed out first "Mister Potter! That will be fifty points from Gryffindor! And you will have detention with Mr. Filch for a month!"

"What!?" exclaimed Harry as he spun on the Head Table, then he noticed the fallen redhead "oops"

While the Head of Hufflepuff went to check her student the Head of Gryffindor approached the others "While I agree Mr. Potter acted rashly, his behavior was predicated by yours. Misters Finch-Fletchley, Hopkins, Smith, Whitby and Misses O'Brien and Abbott, you may also inform Miss Bones have lost fifty points EACH and will serve the same detentions with Mr. Potter."

"What!?" all the Hufflepuffs protested "He hit Susan!"

She ignored Harry's smirk and lectured "I did not hear what started this incident. The fundamental difference is that I SAW the seven of you gang up on Mr. Potter. Not very fair, would you agree Miss Abbott? You may all finish your meals, afterward report to your rooms. I do not mean your Common Room."

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Dinner at the Yule Ball was a tremendous affair. The Head Table was occupied by champions, their escorts, top school and Ministry officials. Harry quickly became aware of a stranger among them. Particularly because said visitor kept giving him cold glares. He finally had to say something, his tone flat "This is my date, Parvati Patil. I can assume you know I'm Harry Potter. And? You are?"

"Amelia Bones. Head of The Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Came the frosty reply.

The sounds of eating stopped as, even the foreign visitors recognized the beginnings of a confrontation. McGonagall spoke "I caution you, Mr. Potter, this is a high official."

Harry nodded as his pulse quickened "Of an outfit with only a passing knowledge of the truth. Much like your daughter."

"How dare you!" the director was too enflamed to bother with the inaccuracy.

A glass clanked as it cracked on a dish, a fork fell to the floor unnoticed. Dumbledore spoke expansively "Harry, Amelia, this is a public affair. No place to air - -"

"No one calls the heir of House Bones a liar!" it took all of Madam Bones' years of discipline to keep from drawing her wand.

Parvati was secretly quite pleased, her date was publicly badmouthing the girl who'd he asked first to the ball. But she did know this wasn't a witch to be trifled with. She put a cautioning hand on his knee, but was ignored.

"I've learned a lot about lies and truth since learning I was a wizard." Harry pounded a fist on the table "The first lies I got were from my Aunt and her husband that my parents were layabout drunks!"

Anyone who could hear lost interest in eating. Such a remark was heresy in the Wizarding World.

Harry ignored the shocked looks and Dumbledore's attempt to silence him. Except it gave him another target "There's a difference between a lie and being wrong. Snape over there? He really believes it when he calls my Dad a swine so it's not really a lie. Just him being a dick."

"Watch your language Mr. Potter." McGonagall scolded.

He spared her a flinch, then returned to his target "Then there's the ones telling good stories about my Dad. Three men come to mind. All claiming to be his best friend. Two were telling the truth. Professor Lupin and Sirius Black. Then the liar Peter Pettigrew!"

"You know where Black is!?" came the furious shout "You will tell us at once or I will see you arrested!"

"No, you father of a Death Eater." Sneered Harry, who then directed his gaze to Amelia Bones, taking advantage of the opportunity that was right in front of him. "Wasn't Mr Crouch the one who sent people to Azkaban without trials?"

Amelia turned rigid and shot her head towards Harry sharply. "What did you say?"

"Err…" Harry felt conscious of being in the spotlight. "Sirius Black. Told me last year after learning he supposedly betrayed my parents. There was no trial, Director Bones. Crouch sent Sirius Black to Azkaban straight from the streets."

"From the crime scene, you mean," said Amos Diggory. "I was there as a Ministry Obliviator, same as Cornelius Fudge. There was no doubt at all… not a doubt…"

"That shouldn't make a difference," Hermione said vigorously. "Everyone has a right to fair trial and face his accuser. Or they should, as they do in the muggle world."

"The rules of natural justice originated in Merlin's time and are the same in both magical and muggle communities, Miss Granger," said Albus Dumbledore. He sounded thoroughly amused by the proceedings.

"Indeed." Amelia Bones looked troubled.

"Then why didn't Sirius Black receive a trial," said Harry. "Important information could have been discovered… like other Death Eaters' names… Black's motives for betraying my parents… or maybe… maybe, his innocence."

"Preposterous!"

Harry ignored Amos Diggory, and kept looking at Amelia Bones. But before she could respond to his indirect accusation of the Ministry throwing innocent people in Azkaban, Dumbledore spoke out, clearly and solemnly, "Pork chops."

Harry felt like tearing his hair out in frustration when Amelia hastily turned to make her own order "So, Madam? Are you actually going to do your job? Or just take everyone's word for it? Like a certain bunch of Hufflepuff thugs? Looks delicious, don't it Parvati?"

"Don't you think that's over the top, Harry?" Cedric was seething at the verbal assault on his House.

He answered, but looked at Amelia "I asked your little bitch to be my date in private. She told me I had to ask her in public. You want to think I slapped her for humiliating me like she did? Believe what you want."

*wheeyu* the Indian girl emitted a long low whistle. She couldn't wait to tell Lavender.