None of the character, locations, etc, in this story belong to me. They either belong to JK, her publishers, or WB. I'm not totally sure,
but I know they don't belong to me. And obviously, I am making no money from this story.
When Harry woke up the next day, he still felt tired. He wasn't altogether surprised by this, since he had spent a lot of the
night worrying about his friends. Surely it couldn't be possible that - but he put his thoughts about Ron and Hermione to the back of
his mind. If it was true...well, surely they'd tell him soon enough.
At breakfast, Hermione was still rather quiet, but Ron certainly wasn't. He was talking to Rosemary very enthusiastically, to
Hermione's obvious annoyance, and she seemed to like him a lot too. But then again, thought Harry, she's like that with everyone. Polite,
interested in what they have to say, laughs at their jokes...she should meet Percy some time.
"So then," Ron was saying, "We landed the flying car in the school grounds."
"Finally!" laughed Rosemary. "Did you get in trouble?"
"Well, yes, but that wasn't the last of it. You see when we landed it we crashed into the Whomping Willow."
"What's that? Sounds painful."
"Oh, it was. You see, the Whomping Willow is a tree that hits back."
"Oh no, how awful," said Rosemary, but she was laughing.
"And then," said Ron, obviously loving the attention and drawing the story out as long as possible, "McGonagall actually told
us off for damaging the tree!"
Rosemary laughed, and Harry blushed as he saw Cho Chang approaching.
"Hi, Cho," he said quietly.
"Hi, Harry," she said, and smiled. "Hermione, I just wanted to remind you about the prefects' meeting at lunch."
"Oh, thanks Cho, I'd completely forgotten, what with -" She stopped. "one thing and another," she finished quickly.
"Okay I'll see you later - oh no! Oh, I'm really sorry!" Cho had knocked over Harry's glass of orange juice, and the orange
stain was spreading slowly through the white tablecloth.
"It's okay, don't worry about it," said Harry, "It's fine, honestly."
"Oh, I'm really sorry Harry...here, let me pour out another glass for you," Cho said, doing so, and handed it to Harry.
"Thanks," he said, going even redder as Hermione cleaned the tablecloth with a stain-remover charm.
"Okay, I'll, umm, see you at lunch, then, Hermione," said Cho Chang.
"Alright, thank you for reminding me," Hermione answered as Cho left.
"You're a prefect?" said Ron, surprised.
"Yes, and so is Cho is the Ravenclaw prefect" said Hermione. "I'm sure I mentioned it." Fred and George snorted.
Ron hastily and rather awkwardly changed the subject. "Rosemary," he said, "why are you called Rosemary?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Harry remembered the conversation on the train, and said, "What he means is, the people on my mum's side of the family tend
to be named after flowers, but you're from my dad's side."
Rosemary smiled. "Well, that was the point, you see. They named me after a flower to sort of show your Muggle family that
we were really just normal people. Dad said they should call me Petunia, but Mum protested."
Just then, Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff came over. "Sorry about this," she said, "but is there any orange juice at this
table? We weren't given any this morning for some reason."
"Yeah, there's some here somewhere," said Harry vaguely, but when he looked he saw that the pitcher was empty. "Oh, sorry,
we must have drunk it all. But here, have this." He handed her his own glass. "I poured this out but never drank it."
"Oh, thanks, Harry," said Hannah, smiling. "That's really nice of you." And she went back to the Hufflepuff table.
*****
The fifth years were going through their usual chronic boredom in History of Magic when Professor McGonagall's voice rang
out through the classroom. "All students are to return to their common rooms. Prefects, please go to Professor Dumbledore's office.
Harry Potter" - Harry jumped - "you better go too. There will be no more classes for the rest of the day."
Usually a cheer would have greeted these words, but the Professor sounded much too serious for that. Harry tried to ignore
the fact that everyone was staring at him curiously as they packed their books away. Professor Binns, the only one not staring at
Harry, looked thoroughly put out that one of his classes was being cancelled. Obviously he enjoyed goblin rebellions.
Ron and the other's went up to the common room, but Hermione and Harry walked nervously along the corridors to Dumbledore's
office. What had happened now...?
Outside the office were the rest of the prefects, as well as the Head Girl and Head Boy. They all looked confused and nervous,
and were talking to each other in hushed voices. Harry tried hard not to look at Cho.
The door opened. It was Dumbledore. "Ah, you are here," he said. "I am afraid I have very serious news. A student has been
attacked."
Harry heard Hermione gasp next to him. He knew what she was thinking. Surely they had left all this behind them in second year...
"Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff has been poisoned. She is in the hospital wing."
Hannah Abbott? thought Harry. Oh no, the orange juice...
"When will she be revived, sir?" asked Ernie Macmillan, who was the Hufflepuff prefect.
"Well that, Mr Macmillan, is the problem. We don't know what the potion is that she has been poisoned with. Without that
information she cannot be revived. She is not in any immeadiate danger, we think, but she is unconcious. Prefects, I would be grateful
if you'd explain the situation to your houses and tell anyone with information to come forward. You may go." The prefects nodded gravely
and left.
"See you later, Harry," said Hermione.
"Yeah, okay," he replied, nervously.
"Harry?" said Dumbledore. "You'd better come up to my office."
Harry followed in silence. The password now, he noted, was "toffy". Dumbledore really did seem to like Muggle sweets.
"Harry," Dumbledore said when they got into his circular office. "I have spoken to Miss Abbott's close friends. They told me
everything that she ate last night and this morning, and I have checked all of those foods. Except for one." Dumbledore looked very
solemn. "Harry, I have been told that when Hannah could find no orange juice at her own table she went to the Gryffindor table in search
of some. There was none left there either, but you offered her your untouched glass. I have reason to believe that it was poisoned."
He looked very hard at Harry.
"But that orange juice, Professor, I didn't...I mean, I..." Suddenly Harry realized something. "I didn't even pour that orange
juice! I never even touched the cup!" he cried triumphantly. "That was -" But he stopped himself as he realized what he was about to say.
He couldn't say it was Cho Chang, he couldn't get her in trouble with Dumbledore, he couldn't betray her. But of course she hadn't attacked
anyone, it was impossible, ridiculous...He would just have to lie to Dumbledore. But even as Harry thought it he realized that telling
Dumbledore a direct lie was really a bad idea. He wasn't sure he could even do it.
"That was who, Harry?" Dumbledore demanded. "Who? Tell me, it's important!"
"That was...Cho Chang..." Harry said very quietly.
Author's Note: BWAHAHA! Here ends chapter five. Please r/r! All ideas, suggestions, praise, criticisms, everything, will be welcome.
I want to know what everyone thinks about this new twist in the plot. I was going to make this more of a romance-fluff story (cuz we all
enjoy those! lol) and of course the H/R will continue (how could it not?) and the H/G will appear eventually (I hope). I just figured that I
needed more of a plot (by the way, my favorite abbreviation on this site is PWP. Plot? What plot?) and that people being attacked would be
nice (that was sarcasm). Anyway, opinions please. And tell me who you think poisoned Hannah Abbott! Who was it, and what was their motive?
I'd love to hear what you think!
but I know they don't belong to me. And obviously, I am making no money from this story.
When Harry woke up the next day, he still felt tired. He wasn't altogether surprised by this, since he had spent a lot of the
night worrying about his friends. Surely it couldn't be possible that - but he put his thoughts about Ron and Hermione to the back of
his mind. If it was true...well, surely they'd tell him soon enough.
At breakfast, Hermione was still rather quiet, but Ron certainly wasn't. He was talking to Rosemary very enthusiastically, to
Hermione's obvious annoyance, and she seemed to like him a lot too. But then again, thought Harry, she's like that with everyone. Polite,
interested in what they have to say, laughs at their jokes...she should meet Percy some time.
"So then," Ron was saying, "We landed the flying car in the school grounds."
"Finally!" laughed Rosemary. "Did you get in trouble?"
"Well, yes, but that wasn't the last of it. You see when we landed it we crashed into the Whomping Willow."
"What's that? Sounds painful."
"Oh, it was. You see, the Whomping Willow is a tree that hits back."
"Oh no, how awful," said Rosemary, but she was laughing.
"And then," said Ron, obviously loving the attention and drawing the story out as long as possible, "McGonagall actually told
us off for damaging the tree!"
Rosemary laughed, and Harry blushed as he saw Cho Chang approaching.
"Hi, Cho," he said quietly.
"Hi, Harry," she said, and smiled. "Hermione, I just wanted to remind you about the prefects' meeting at lunch."
"Oh, thanks Cho, I'd completely forgotten, what with -" She stopped. "one thing and another," she finished quickly.
"Okay I'll see you later - oh no! Oh, I'm really sorry!" Cho had knocked over Harry's glass of orange juice, and the orange
stain was spreading slowly through the white tablecloth.
"It's okay, don't worry about it," said Harry, "It's fine, honestly."
"Oh, I'm really sorry Harry...here, let me pour out another glass for you," Cho said, doing so, and handed it to Harry.
"Thanks," he said, going even redder as Hermione cleaned the tablecloth with a stain-remover charm.
"Okay, I'll, umm, see you at lunch, then, Hermione," said Cho Chang.
"Alright, thank you for reminding me," Hermione answered as Cho left.
"You're a prefect?" said Ron, surprised.
"Yes, and so is Cho is the Ravenclaw prefect" said Hermione. "I'm sure I mentioned it." Fred and George snorted.
Ron hastily and rather awkwardly changed the subject. "Rosemary," he said, "why are you called Rosemary?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Harry remembered the conversation on the train, and said, "What he means is, the people on my mum's side of the family tend
to be named after flowers, but you're from my dad's side."
Rosemary smiled. "Well, that was the point, you see. They named me after a flower to sort of show your Muggle family that
we were really just normal people. Dad said they should call me Petunia, but Mum protested."
Just then, Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff came over. "Sorry about this," she said, "but is there any orange juice at this
table? We weren't given any this morning for some reason."
"Yeah, there's some here somewhere," said Harry vaguely, but when he looked he saw that the pitcher was empty. "Oh, sorry,
we must have drunk it all. But here, have this." He handed her his own glass. "I poured this out but never drank it."
"Oh, thanks, Harry," said Hannah, smiling. "That's really nice of you." And she went back to the Hufflepuff table.
*****
The fifth years were going through their usual chronic boredom in History of Magic when Professor McGonagall's voice rang
out through the classroom. "All students are to return to their common rooms. Prefects, please go to Professor Dumbledore's office.
Harry Potter" - Harry jumped - "you better go too. There will be no more classes for the rest of the day."
Usually a cheer would have greeted these words, but the Professor sounded much too serious for that. Harry tried to ignore
the fact that everyone was staring at him curiously as they packed their books away. Professor Binns, the only one not staring at
Harry, looked thoroughly put out that one of his classes was being cancelled. Obviously he enjoyed goblin rebellions.
Ron and the other's went up to the common room, but Hermione and Harry walked nervously along the corridors to Dumbledore's
office. What had happened now...?
Outside the office were the rest of the prefects, as well as the Head Girl and Head Boy. They all looked confused and nervous,
and were talking to each other in hushed voices. Harry tried hard not to look at Cho.
The door opened. It was Dumbledore. "Ah, you are here," he said. "I am afraid I have very serious news. A student has been
attacked."
Harry heard Hermione gasp next to him. He knew what she was thinking. Surely they had left all this behind them in second year...
"Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff has been poisoned. She is in the hospital wing."
Hannah Abbott? thought Harry. Oh no, the orange juice...
"When will she be revived, sir?" asked Ernie Macmillan, who was the Hufflepuff prefect.
"Well that, Mr Macmillan, is the problem. We don't know what the potion is that she has been poisoned with. Without that
information she cannot be revived. She is not in any immeadiate danger, we think, but she is unconcious. Prefects, I would be grateful
if you'd explain the situation to your houses and tell anyone with information to come forward. You may go." The prefects nodded gravely
and left.
"See you later, Harry," said Hermione.
"Yeah, okay," he replied, nervously.
"Harry?" said Dumbledore. "You'd better come up to my office."
Harry followed in silence. The password now, he noted, was "toffy". Dumbledore really did seem to like Muggle sweets.
"Harry," Dumbledore said when they got into his circular office. "I have spoken to Miss Abbott's close friends. They told me
everything that she ate last night and this morning, and I have checked all of those foods. Except for one." Dumbledore looked very
solemn. "Harry, I have been told that when Hannah could find no orange juice at her own table she went to the Gryffindor table in search
of some. There was none left there either, but you offered her your untouched glass. I have reason to believe that it was poisoned."
He looked very hard at Harry.
"But that orange juice, Professor, I didn't...I mean, I..." Suddenly Harry realized something. "I didn't even pour that orange
juice! I never even touched the cup!" he cried triumphantly. "That was -" But he stopped himself as he realized what he was about to say.
He couldn't say it was Cho Chang, he couldn't get her in trouble with Dumbledore, he couldn't betray her. But of course she hadn't attacked
anyone, it was impossible, ridiculous...He would just have to lie to Dumbledore. But even as Harry thought it he realized that telling
Dumbledore a direct lie was really a bad idea. He wasn't sure he could even do it.
"That was who, Harry?" Dumbledore demanded. "Who? Tell me, it's important!"
"That was...Cho Chang..." Harry said very quietly.
Author's Note: BWAHAHA! Here ends chapter five. Please r/r! All ideas, suggestions, praise, criticisms, everything, will be welcome.
I want to know what everyone thinks about this new twist in the plot. I was going to make this more of a romance-fluff story (cuz we all
enjoy those! lol) and of course the H/R will continue (how could it not?) and the H/G will appear eventually (I hope). I just figured that I
needed more of a plot (by the way, my favorite abbreviation on this site is PWP. Plot? What plot?) and that people being attacked would be
nice (that was sarcasm). Anyway, opinions please. And tell me who you think poisoned Hannah Abbott! Who was it, and what was their motive?
I'd love to hear what you think!
