I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

The Family that Chooses You

Chapter 50 – Demented

Harry continued to feel weak and unsettled as they left the Express. The energy at the Hogsmeade station was nervous. Not the normal nervous happy energy that the start of term usually brought. This had an undercurrent of fear to it. People clustered together more than they did in the past. Even though it was a warm late summer night, everyone shivered.

Harry looked over at Ginny. She looked like he felt, pale and weak. Her hair fell limply and she walked with short uncertain steps. Her face looked vaguely haunted and Harry could commiserate. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "Are you okay?" His voice could barely be heard over the noise of the other students.

She looked at him and her expression relaxed slightly. "I…I felt like I was…back there," she whispered back. "In the Chamber."

He nodded; it did feel like that. "You're not there," he said. You're with us."

She smiled, but it was small and fragile.

As they approached the carriages Harry stopped. For some reason he thought he could see a vague outline where a horse would be attached to the bars. It was incredibly indistinct and seemed to flicker in his vision. He shook his head to clear it.

He reached out to Ron and pulled him closer. "Ginny needs you," he whispered to his friend.

Ron's eyebrow rose. "Really? Me specifically?"

"She needs her brothers," Harry said emphatically.

Ron looked over and saw how small Ginny looked. Ron nodded. "Right, thanks mate." After a quiet conversation between him and the twins, they lined up waiting for the next carriage. The brothers gently pushed her into the carriage and filed in after.

As the next carriage rolled up Hermione looked forlorn. Normally the carriages were only supposed to seat four at a time.

Alicia took her hand. "Come on then. The five of us can squeeze in easily enough."

It was a tight fit as the carriage rumbled up the way to the castle but no one inside minded. Harry and Hermione and Alicia squeezed onto one bench with Angelina and Katie sitting across from them.

They disembarked from the carriage at the castle gates, mingling with the crowds of students making their way into the school. The girls kept close to Harry who still walked slowly.

"Potter! I heard you fainted!"

Harry was too tired to even groan, so he just looked at the grinning Draco. "Hi Draco," he said blandly.

The pale boy looked displeased, expecting more of a reaction. "What's the matter, Potter? Scared of some Dementors? They made you feel bad? You going to run to mummy?"

Harry flinched at that and the girls bristled.

"For shame Slug-o," Alicia drawled. Her face was a mask of society sensibility, a demure smile painted over unmoving cheeks, though her eyes blazed. "One does not point out the infirmities of others so uncouthly."

Muffled chuckles at the nickname made Draco flush bright red. "My name is Draco."

"My apologies Draco," Alicia said insincerely. "I was merely reminded of the pictures that circulated this last year. A slug of the tongue." She pretended to blush and held her hand over her mouth. "Oh no, I did it again. A slip of the tongue twice over. I do hope you will forgive me."

The chuckles were no longer muffled, some strayed into outright laughter. Draco seethed. "Go on then Potter," he said, trying to ignore Alicia. "Hide behind the skirts of girls. Not man enough to fight your own battles?"

"You know what, I think I figured you out," Angelina said, looking down at the shorter boy.

Draco looked up with a retort but did not realize how much the taller the fifth year girl was. His mouth closed foolishly and he looked about for Vincent and Gregory. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when they did appear but even they had to look up at Angelina.

She did not wait for an answer. "You're jealous."

Draco laughed but it was a shrill laugh, one that lacked confidence. "Of him? What would I be? I have power and wealth. I actually have parents," he said cruelly.

There were definite murmurs of disapproval at his last statement. Students glared at him and he looked shocked, clearly not expecting others to show anything but appreciation for what he thought was a witty remark.

Angelina throttled back her anger though it was clear she wished to throttle him instead. She smiled broadly, showing off her teeth. "Because, unlike you, Harry has friends that care about him. That actually want to be around him."

"I have Crabbe and Goyle!"

"You have flunkies. Harry has actual friends." She looped an arm around Harry's. "Also, you're jealous that Harry has girls that want to be around him and don't care about the capacity of his vault or how long his family history is."

Daphne laughed, a loud and hearty sound that made Draco turn even redder. She and her brunette friend had stopped to watch and at Angelina's words, the two witches laughed out loud. The laughter was infectious and soon everyone watching joined in.

Alicia slipped her arm into Harry's free one. "Such a sad predicament. The only two things dubious benefits you have, and they do not matter to everyone. You would have to rely on your charm and I do not mean any that you would cast with your wand." When Draco opened his mouth, she interrupted him. "I find myself bored by this. Let's leave Mister Malfoy to ponder his shortcomings, shall we?"

She and Angelina walked away from the sputtering Slytherin; their arms linked with Harry's. Katie and Hermione followed close behind and the girls giggled at the look on Draco's face.

Harry smiled with relief. "Thanks for that. I didn't have the energy to deal with him today. Any day really, but less today."

"Of course," Angelina said as they sat. "You're our friend. Only we get to tease you."

"Did those pictures really make the rounds?" Katie asked eagerly.

Alicia's smile was far too content. "Oh they most certainly did. Was quite the talk for a very long time. Lucius couldn't stamp them all out fast enough. He tried to spin the story of course, saying Draco was unjustly attacked and what not but almost everyone knows what really happened."

Hermione looked torn between amusement and disapproval. "It really shouldn't be funny," she said, "it is very mean-spirited." She giggled. "But he really is an awful prat and he deserves it."

Alicia patted her hand. "That's the idea dear. One can try to save the potioneer from drinking poison, but if they prepared it themselves well, sometimes you must let magic do its thing."

"Are you corrupting Hermione now?" Katie asked, smiling. "Teaching her how to be a tricky high society witch?"

"Among other things," Alicia said. She tilted her chin up and raised her nose into the air, affecting a posh expression. "Someone must teach you lot proper decorum and manners. Pinkies up you savage," she said to Angelina who raised a cup to drink.

Angelina told Alicia where she could put her pinky, making the other three snort.

"That doesn't sound comfortable at all," Oliver said as he sat down beside Alicia.

"Wasn't supposed to," Angelina replied with a grin.

He greeted everyone. His eyes rested on Harry. "You alright Harry? Fred mentioned that a dementor came into your compartment. They didn't anywhere else on the train."

Harry shrugged feebly. "Still feel a little off but okay otherwise. Hopefully some food will help."

"Food always helps," Oliver agreed.

"Always did take the most care of your stomach," Alicia said scathingly. "Careful you don't go to flab."

Oliver lifted his shirt to inspect his abdomen, then slapped it confidently. "I think I'm doing alright. I managed to stay on top of my regime while at home."

"Put it away Oliver," Angelina said with a laugh. "Trying to blind us with your pasty skin tone?"

"Only if someone shone a light at me," Oliver laughed. "I'll work on a tan before the winter comes. Oh, I'll be right back, I need to ask Professor Sprout something." He rose from the table and walked over to the Herbology professor.

Katie nudged Angelina with her elbow, giggling hard. She pointed at Alicia who looked very pink and concussed. "Take a good look Hermione, this is what a high society witch looks like when she's been caught unaware," she said laughing.

Alicia scowled and kicked out under the table. Harry yelped and jumped, banging his recently kicked leg into the table.

"Now you're attacking Harry!" Katie yelled, pulling Harry to the side. "As if he hasn't suffered enough today!"

"I'm so sorry!" Alicia squeaked, face red from embarrassment and suppressed anger. "I wasn't aiming for you Harry!"

Harry winced and rubbed his leg. "You could have waited for Oliver to come back to kick him. I wasn't the one that pulled my shirt up."

That made her sputter and Angelina and Katie howled with laughter. The three Chasers dissolved into arguing with each other that included more under-the-table kicking and dire threats.

Hermione shook her head and leaned across the table to Harry who had swapped seats with Katie to dodge more kicks. "Are you okay? Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey?"

He shook his head. "And set a new record for going to the Infirmary before term officially starts? No thanks. I guess I'm really sensitive to Dementors, more than others."

"Maybe not that much more," Hermione said softly. The Weasleys arrived and Ginny still looked very rattled. Her brothers sat around her, keeping her between them and normally she would be fighting that tooth and nail but she looked more relieved right now, being with them.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, she looked really bothered by them too. I hope she's feeling better."

"You know, you're allowed to worry about yourself when you're not feeling well," she said wryly to him. "It's perfectly normal to focus on yourself at those times." She bit her lip. The word normal had just slipped out like that and she knew Harry always tried to appear 'normal'.

He seemed to have missed her slip-up. "I rather worry about others," he said plainly. "Helps distract me. It's nice to care about others."

Hermione sighed but with a smile. "You're far too noble Harry."

"Does this mean you'll call me Sir? Like a knight?" His eyes twinkled at the thought. "I like the sound of Sir Harry."

She laughed. "You'd need armor and a sword," she teased.

"I could borrow the Sword of Gryffindor," he mused. "Do you think any of the enchanted suits of armor would let me wear them from time to time?"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Oliver said, catching his comment and sitting beside him. "Every year someone gets that idea and they get stuck. The armor keeps them trapped for as long as the armor wants." He ruffled Harry's hair. "You wouldn't be able to fly."

"Never mind then, not worth it."

"You win us the cup this year and I'll call you Sir Harry all you want."

"Deal!" The two boys shook on it.

"What's got those three so worked up?" Oliver asked, nodding at the three Chasers who were still fighting with each other.

"Oh, the usual I suppose. Alicia was pretending to be snooty and Angelina wanted to knock her down a peg. Katie got involved because Alicia accidentally kicked me." Harry smiled slyly. "Actually, now I think I remember. They're arguing just how much of a flabby belly you got."

"What?!" Oliver looked indignant and pulled his shirt up again. "Excuse me ladies, but as you can see, not a bit of flab here."

"Put your shirt down you shameless peacock!" Alicia glared at Oliver, her face cherry red. "What are you doing, exposing yourself like that. You trying to put us off our dinner?"

"And blind us?" Angelina said.

"You lot have no room to talk, chatting about me like I'm a slab of meat."

"We know you're more than a slab of meat, Oliver," Katie said snidely. "You're a slab of meat and a broomstick!"

Hermione was chuckling hard as the arguing trio became a quartet. "That was very bad of you Harry," she said but the scolding was lost as she dissolved into giggles.

Harry laughed.