Quidditch League Season 9 Round 1

A/N

Team: Tutshill Tornados

Position: Chaser 1

Prompt: Your character discovers who has been sending them anonymous letters.

Additional Prompts: treasure (word), Astronomy Tower (setting), hippogriff (creature needs to be in the story)

Word Count: 2,981

Trigger Warnings: none

…..

Harry Potter had never felt worse than he did right now. Sure there were times in his past when his life had been threatened, numerous occasions actually. However, despite knowing what it was like to put his life on the line, nothing compared to the misery he now felt being misunderstood and neglected as he returned to Hogwarts for his fifth year.

He had only been back for a week, and it was the worst first week he could remember. For him, Hogwarts had always felt like his only real home, the one place of solace he relished returning to when he left the Dursleys at the end of every summer. Now, however, he was sitting in his new DADA professor, Dolores Umbridge's, office, writing lines with her torturous black, pointed quill which was bewitched to torture him by cutting words into his hand as he wrote.

Harry sat there, hating his teacher and everyone he knew as the words "I must not tell lies," etched into his skin on his nondominant hand. Even Ron and Hermione seemed more distant than ever. They had both become prefects and seemed to be whispering behind Harry's back more than usual and would shoot him worried looks, which irritated him greatly. Come to think of it, everyone seemed to be whispering behind his back nowadays whenever he would enter a room. Nobody seemed to believe his story of how Cedric Diggory was murdered because the stupid Prophet was in cahoots with the Ministry to cover up the story, and everyone seemed to believe their version of the story over his. Everyone was too afraid to admit that Voldemort had returned.

It didn't help that his homework load was greater than ever either, considering that this was his O.W.L. year and all the teachers doubled down on content to make sure every topic was covered for the test. Harry hardly had any time to do anything fun these days, which only exacerbated his mental and emotional suffering. He needed someone like Dumbledore or Sirius to confide in, but everyone in his life seemed unavailable for some reason or another.

It was Thursday night, and Harry finally finished his next detention with Umbridge, which seemed like it must've lasted at least three hours. Harry knew tomorrow night would be the last night he would have detention with Umbridge, which helped his feelings somewhat as he trudged to the Gryffindor common room.

Upon entering, he saw several people in there, two of whom were Ron and Hermione. It must've been near midnight by this point, and Harry wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, not even them. He noticed as he glanced quickly over at them that Hermione was knitting what appeared to be hats and Ron was focusing on his parchment, presumably writing an essay which Hermione had probably finished hours ago.

"Harry!" called Hermione, clearly concerned. She noticed him not stopping to check on them.

"Oh, hullo," he said, a little too casually. Ron and Hermione were expecting him to sit with them, but instead Harry surprisingly said, "I'm gonna go ahead and head up now. G'night."

Before Harry turned around he caught a glance of Hermione giving him another confused look and Ron looking a bit put out that Harry didn't join them. Nevertheless, Harry went up to his four-poster bed and changed into his pajamas before finding a mysterious letter sticking out just under his pillow.

Curious, he opened it. He didn't recognize the handwriting, and there was no address or name on the letter.

Harry,

I know you're going through a lot right now, more than any of us will probably ever know. But I want you to know that there are people here at Hogwarts who believe you and care about you very much, even if they seem unavailable to you right now. I can't give away my identity at the moment, but just know that you are such a treasure to me and many others, and we only want what's best for you because we care about you very, very much. Know this as you continue your trials against You-Know-Who and the other you-know-who, (who, we can all agree, kinda looks like a toad. Am I right?).

Sincerely,

Your anonymous friend

Harry read and reread the letter, hardly believing what he was reading, thinking he was somehow dreaming already due to fatigue. Comforting thoughts arose in his mind knowing that someone, somewhere in Hogwarts cared about him and believed him about Voldemort. He thought it could be a girl's handwriting, but he couldn't figure out how a girl could've smuggled a note into his pillow in the Gryffindor boys' fifth year suite. He also could've sworn that where the person wrote "care," there was a trace of an "lo," underneath it as if they were going to write another word there, but his mind was swimming with thoughts as he finally fell asleep to the ambiance of Dean, Seamus, and Neville's snoring.

A week came and went since Harry had received that anonymous letter, and, although he didn't know who they were, it did help motivate Harry to continue his studies and eat more as he had been skipping meals due to time constraints and depression. Ron had tried out and made the Quidditch team as Gryffindor's new Keeper, which Harry was thrilled to find out about. Something in Harry's mind made him want to keep his letter to himself however and not tell Ron or Hermione about it, just as he didn't want to tell Ron or Hermione about the scars on his hand from Umbridge's detentions. He knew they would worry, or they would start whispering even more behind his back, something which he couldn't stand the thought of.

After another annoying evening in which Ron and Hermione were miffed at him for not saying much at dinner in the Great Hall and finally interrogated him for being so distant, Harry angrily stormed up to his room again, this time, seeing another letter. Harry's heart pounded this time, anticipating that this was a letter from the same person.

Harry,

It has come to my attention that you have been rather cold with your best friends, Ron and Hermione. While I know you may not be seeing eye to eye with them, I must tell you that they are your lifeline in this difficult season. I, myself, wish I could be your lifeline, but I cannot be seen with you for certain secret reasons that I cannot divulge at this time. I am sorry for this, as I would like to be there for you, but since I can't, I must encourage you to be content and confide in Ron and Hermione. They are two of the best friends anyone could ask for, particularly for you and all that you've experienced with them. Please, please Harry. Trust your friends. They might let you down, but they'd never do it on purpose.

Stay strong,

Your anonymous friend.

Harry was a little irritated upon first opening up the letter, but then it turned into comfort, followed by confusion. So, obviously, this wasn't Ron or Hermione writing these letters. However, it was someone who knew that he was best friends with Ron and Hermione. Still, that wasn't much of a clue.

Harry thought to himself as he changed into his pajamas, and did some homework in his four-poster bed, unable to concentrate due to the letter still lying next to him on his study table.

He wondered if it could be Sirius or Dumbledore or even Professor McGonagall. Sirius wouldn't stay anonymous, however, as he thought about it. He would just sign off as "Padfoot" and probably reference his dad or his mum somehow. It wouldn't be Dumbledore because Dumbledore would probably not make a comment about Professor Umbridge looking like a toad as was done in the first letter. The same logic would apply to negate Professor McGonagall as a suspect.

He finally assumed that whoever wrote the letter, it was someone his age, who seemed unusually mature, and was very well acquainted with him. They also had access to his dorm room, which confused him even more, considering the handwriting seemed girly.

Harry sat there and sat there, unable to focus on his essay for Professor Sinestra on Uranus' moons. He finally decided to change out of his pajamas back into his school robes and see if Ron and Hermione were downstairs.

Sure enough, Ron and Hermione were in the corner, arguing about something of which Harry had no clue about. Once he arrived, they quickly stopped and gave him anxious looks, as if expecting some impending judgment.

"Er, mind if I join you?" said Harry sheepishly.

"Oh, don't be silly. Of course we don't mind, although we have our prefect patrol duties in about half an hour," said Hermione, glancing at Ron and moving some of her books to the floor to make room for Harry's belongings.

Harry almost got out his books and parchment before he looked at the blank wall in front of him, Ron and Hermione on either side of him at the table, looking hesitantly at him.

"Look…" Harry began. "I've been a git lately. I know it. You know it. 'Reckon the whole school knows it."

"Ya think?" said Ron.

"Ron!" whispered Hermione in a tone that Ron understood to be silencing.

"Okay! Sorry!" said Ron, who glanced nervously at Harry.

"No," said Harry with a sigh. "Ron is right, but I don't exactly feel like I have any friends at the moment. I mean...I need all the help I can get. So I guess what I'm saying is...can you forgive me and we be cool again?"

"Of course we can," said Hermione sympathetically, who had kicked Ron from under the table, clearly indicating that he should do something.

"Ow!" said Ron. "I was gonna forgive him too! He's only my bloody best friend."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she said. Then she turned to Harry. "Oh, but what happened to make you talk to us?"

Harry told them about the letters he had received.

"Pretty nice bloke, sounds like to me," said Ron.

"It could be a girl, you know," said Hermione, who suddenly looked embarrassed for some strange reason.

"Yeah, but how could a girl get a letter into the boys' rooms?" said Ron.

"Ron, I've told you this before, but you must've not been paying attention," said Hermione, still a little blush on her face.

"Come off it, Hermione. I can't remember everything like you can. You've got a photographic memory," said Ron, folding his arms and looking smug.

"Anyways!" said Hermione, trying to not look pleased with herself. "Girls are allowed into boys' rooms, technically, but boys are not allowed in girls' rooms."

"Oh yeah?" said Ron, the idea suddenly dawning on him. "Forgot that rule. Kind of a weird rule isn't it?"

"Maybe it is," said Hermione, her expression hard to read.

"So…" said Harry, interjecting. "The writer could be a girl, then?"

"Maybe…" said Hermione.

"Hermione? You know something, don't you?" said Harry.

"Do I? How would I know something?" said Hermione.

"Hermione, just tell me what you know," said Harry.

"Oops! Prefect duty! Time to go Ron!" said Hermione, clearly ignoring Harry and grabbing Ron's hand to signal him to leave quickly, which made Ron's ears turn red for some strange reason.

Harry sat there and contemplated what just happened, glad that he was on good terms with Ron and Hermione again, and hoping that they would believe him whenever he told them of his frequent nightmares and paranoia about Voldemort.

Another week passed by. This was by far the best week Harry had had up to this point in his fifth year. Ron and Hermione proved to be good study buddies again, and now that he didn't have detention with Umbridge, he was able to catch up on his studies and readings, which, while still stressful, didn't seem as bad when he had his two best friends to talk to.

Thursday rolled around, and Harry was curious to see if another letter would reveal itself on his bed this evening when he returned from dinner. Sure enough, when he arrived, a letter was sitting there.

Harry opened it. It was the same handwriting.

Harry,

It's a risky move, but I think it is time I revealed myself to you. I can't do it in this letter in the event that a certain someone finds it. However, if you want to meet me, I'll be at the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night at 8. Feel free to bring your special Cloak with you if you want.

Sincerely,

Your anonymous friend

Harry read this and contemplated what to do before deciding that he should give in and meet this person tomorrow night, even if it was at the Astronomy Tower. It was somewhat taboo to go to the Astronomy Tower on Friday night because Filch would frequent the place, knowing that students would try and sneak off to a secluded spot to be alone romantically if it was a nice night. Harry determined that this must be the reason the writer wanted him to bring his Cloak. Harry was bothered by this statement, however, because only a precious few people even knew that his Cloak existed, and he still couldn't figure out who was writing these letters.

Eventually, the next day came to an end. Harry was more than willing to put away his school books, unable to have the stamina or desire to study on a Friday night, and grabbed his Cloak before heading off to the Astronomy Tower, avoiding and evading everyone that walked around the halls, including Ron and Hermione, hoping they wouldn't hear his footsteps. While on the castle grounds, he could've sworn he saw a Hippogriff flying above the Forbidden Forest, looking for someone. This made him think of Witherwings and Hagrid and worry about where he had gone to, but he eventually shook that from his mind as he determined to trek up the Astronomy Tower and decipher the identity of the mystery writer.

Harry arrived at the Astronomy Tower, still in his school robes and invisible under his Cloak. Although the stairwell was narrow and dark, Harry could hear footsteps at the top and wonder if that was the person he was waiting for, or if it was a romantic couple that he was about to embarrassingly stumble upon. As soon as he got to the top, he was confronted by none other than Ginny Weasley. Harry's eyes went wide under the Cloak as he went back downstairs, removed the Cloak, and confronted her. Ginny jumped when Harry emerged from the staircase. She also blushed.

"Er, sorry, Ginny, I didn't mean to interrupt anything…" said Harry.

"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, looking confused.

"I mean...you know...you... and Michael Corner…"

"Oh… yeah…" said Ginny. "Well...that's why I wanted to come up here, so he couldn't find us."

"Oh?" said Harry, feeling confused. "So, you were the one that wrote me those letters?"

"Yes…" said Ginny sheepishly, and Harry could see her blush even in the dimly lit tower which was also bathed in moonlight. "I didn't want Michael to find out, but I felt so sorry for you, seeing you so miserable on your first week back. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. I needed you to know that someone...er...cared about you." she said, feeling more embarrassed by the second.

"Well...er...thanks Ginny," said Harry awkwardly, but he truly did feel grateful that Ginny went to all that trouble. "You know, I was pretty miserable when Umbridge gave me that detention."

"I know you must've been. Ron told me one evening at dinner when you weren't there. I sat with him and Hermione, and he said you were in detention with Umbridge. That's when I knew you needed someone to talk to. Ron and Hermione told me you hadn't been talking to them much," said Ginny.

"Oh," said Harry, feeling guilty now that he heard this. "I was in a bad place. I keep having these nightmares about Voldemort and a large black door at the end of a dark hallway."

"That sounds...horrible," said Ginny, shuddering at Voldemort's name and at the thought of those nightmares.

"What do you think about what Dumbledore and I said about Cedric Diggory and Voldemort?" asked Harry a little brazenly.

Ginny shuddered again. "I think you're right, Harry. I think V-Vol-You-Know-Who is back like you said and that he killed Cedric and that the Ministry of Magic is in denial about the whole thing."

Harry breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I believe you because you're my friend, Harry, but also because you were the only one there at the graveyard. No one else was there, but anyone at Hogwarts or at the Ministry who could see your wand spell-casting history would know you didn't perform a killing curse on that night," said Ginny logically.

"Good point," said Harry.

"Plus, my parents believe you. And so does Ron, and Hermione of course," said Ginny imploringly. Harry couldn't help but notice how beautiful Ginny's brown eyes looked in the moonlight as he continued talking to her, but that was a weird thought for him to have about Ron's sister, so he just put it in the back of his mind.

"Well...thanks Ginny. I needed this," said Harry at the end of their meeting, feeling like there was more hope in the world now.

"I needed it too," said Ginny shyly, and they proceeded to have a lovely conversation into the night until the time came for them to hide from Filch. They hid under Harry's cloak and then vamoosed out of there safely to Gryffindor Tower, safe and encouraged by each other's presence.