Chapter 8: It Happens Again
Ron seemed to find Hermione the most consoling. He was rarely seen without her. They always held hands reassuringly and Hermione occasionally had her arm around Ron's shoulder.
Harry was glad Ron was gradually getting over his grief, but often felt left out. He would spend time with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, but it wasn't the same. They didn't even spend meals together anymore.
"Ron and I are going to eat by the lake today, Harry. Do you want to come?"
"No," Harry answered, watching them as they left.
He wanted to go, but knew that Hermione and Ron didn't really want him to come. Sighing, he began to eat his meal.
"Hey, Harry," came a voice from right behind him.
He turned and saw Azar leaning over from the Ravenclaw table next to him.
"Want to join us?" she asked.
"I-I dunno…"
"Oh, c'mon. The teachers surely wouldn't mind if you ate at a different table."
"Well…"
"Please, Harry," another voice asked.
Harry's heart gave a jump as he saw it was Cho.
"Okay," he said softly, blushing slightly.
He sat right next to Azar, glancing at Cho right across from him. "Hello, Cho."
"Hello, Harry. Are you enjoying your classes this year?"
"They're okay."
"I was sorry to hear about your friend Ron."
Harry nodded. They were silent a moment.
"So," said Azar, "you two know each other?"
"A bit," Harry answered quietly, "We're both Seekers on our quidditch teams."
"What exactly is quidditch? I'm looking forward to seeing it, but have no idea how it's played."
Though she didn't know it, Azar had just hit on the one subject Harry could talk all day about. The rest of lunch was spent in a whirl of talk and laughter. Harry walked off to Potions in a very good mood.
Hermione and Ron were already there when Harry arrived. He sat next to them, preparing himself for another day with Neville as his Potions partner. Snape, however, had other ideas.
"Miss Granger, partner with Mr. Potter today. Though you may disagree, you and Mr. Weasley are too young to act as though you were married."
Half the class, the Slytherin half, burst out laughing. Blushing, Hermione turned instead to Harry and Neville joined Ron. They began chopping and set their cauldrons boiling on their fires. A small explosion came from Neville's cauldron soon, but thankfully nothing splattered anywhere.
"Now we need 1 mg of spider's hair," Harry said, pouring in a handful of beetle's eyes, "You got that, Hermione?"
Hermione didn't answer. Harry looked up at her.
"You got that, Hermione?" he asked again.
Without answering, she swiftly knocked away the cauldron. Before any one could say or do anything, she grabbed Harry's hand and pulled it into the fire.
Harry screamed as his flesh contacted with the burning ashes. He tried to pull away, but her grip was too strong. His screams echoed through the dungeons.
Harry heard Snape yell something, but the pain was controlling his mind. He felt Hermione let go and quickly snatched his hand from the fire. He stared at it, aghast. Nearly his whole forearm was blistering and his hand was charred.
"Mr. Weasley, take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing now!" Snape yelled.
Harry felt himself being taken out of the room and down the corridors, yet didn't see a thing. Pain was the only sense he had now. When they burst into the wing, Madam Pomfrey nearly had a fit about how dangerous fires were in class. She was able to cure Harry's arm in almost no time, but insisted that he stayed. Ron refused to leave him.
In just a few minutes, Dumbledore, Snape, and a very frightened Hermione burst through the door. Hermione's hands were blistered. After Pomfrey cured her hands, she hugged Harry for all she was worth.
"I didn't mean to! I had no idea! Harry, I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. It's okay, Hermione," he answered, patting her back awkwardly.
She finally let go, tears in her eyes. Harry turned to Dumbledore.
"What's going on, Professor Dumbledore? How come two of my best friends have attacked me, and then not remember it?"
"We're not sure why, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said sadly, "It is, however, some very strong Dark Magic that can make a person go through burning their own and their friend's hands. And such magic only works when you're near your victim. Whoever is performing these curses, they must be on school grounds."
****
"Harry, duck!" Ginny squealed, diving behind their makeshift fort.
Too late. The snowball hit him squarely on the back of his head. Harry spun around, spotting Azar standing a few yards away.
"I thought Seekers are supposed to have quick reflexes," she called, already holding another snowball.
"Well, that's in the air," Harry called back, "Besides, Seekers also bid their time before they attack!"
Taking careful aim, Harry flung a snowball at Cho, who was busy making her own pile of weapons. Just as it was about to hit her he cried out, "Hey, Cho!"
She turned just in time to see the snow contact with her face. Laughing, she wiped it off and called back to Harry, "Oh, you're going down, Seeker boy!"
Harry was a little surprised at the reaction he got, but quickly yelled back, "Wouldn't bet on it, Seeker girl!"
He then dove behind the small fort, scrunching in with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They were building up a huge stockpile of ammunition.
"Hey, stop just making them and start using them!" Harry laughed.
Before any of them could answer, Azar burst over the top of the fort crying, "Ambush!!!"
"Feel my wrath!" Fred laughed menacingly as he belted Ron with a snowball.
Cho flew over the fort, landing on Harry. They rolled around in the snow, laughing. Then Cho pinned him, shoving snow in his face.
"I told you, you were going down," she smiled.
"And you were right," he laughed, wiping the snow from his face, "But you know what this means, don't you?"
"What?"
"Revenge!"
The group fought until they were exhausted and went back to the castle soaking wet. Christmas had come and gone and they were enjoying the final days of Christmas Vacation. The Gryffindor quidditch team was undefeated so far for the year, thanks in a large part to their new Keeper, a sixth-year named Jamison Knight. The Gryffindors also acquired quite a large number of female fans thanks to the boy.
Angelina Johnson turned out to be just as ruthless a captain as Wood had been, though she let them have Christmas Vacation off. Harry had had no more run-ins with spaced-out friends trying to kill him, to his relief.
When vacation was over, classes started with a vengeance. The teachers seemed determined to prepare them for O.W.L.s. Ron and Hermione were spending a lot more time with Harry, though not quite as much as they used to. Harry didn't mind. If ever he felt lonely, he'd just find Azar and Cho.
Time passed quickly and soon Easter Vacation was upon them. Harry was just walking around the grounds one day when he spotted Ron and Hermione talking by the castle wall. He was about to run up to them when they stopped talking and started kissing. Harry blushed and turned around toward the lake.
He felt so strange. His two best friends were becoming more than friends with each other. Not that he felt left out. In fact, he'd rather be left out of that. Sighing, he walked up to the lake, staring at his own reflection. A few minutes later, another familiar reflection appeared on the lake's surface.
"Hey, Cho," he smiled turning toward her.
Then his face was plunged into the water. Cho had him by the back of the neck and was holding his head underwater. At first he thought she was playing around, but then he tried to fight back and found her grip too overpowering.
He struggled, trying to grab her arm, her head, anything. He could see nothing but the murky water. Gradually, he felt his strength weakening. He felt dizzy; he needed oxygen. Trying with all his might to get out of the water, he pushed against the ground. It was no use. This was it. He was going to die at the hands of the girl he loved.
Harry felt his worry disappearing and a huge wave of calm swept over him. The lake seemed to be getting brighter. He saw two figures in the water…his parents. Then all went black.
~*~*~
A/N: Please review!!!
I'm extremely proud of this chapter.
What happens to Harry?
Will we ever find out what's making people attack him?
I don't think I'll post the next chapter until I get 5 reviews at least,
so REVIEW!!! If you want to know the end, that is…
Thanks so much to those of you who have reviewed!
Especially my Riddles buddies!
-Ady
