I would like to start off by apologizing for taking so long in writing this chapter. I just got out of the flow of writing at the end of last year and I'm trying to get back into it. I hope that none of you have forgotten about this story. I've got some great ideas for later on in the story. My goal is to finish this story by the time the real Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out.
Chapter 11
Harry enjoyed being an Animadus, but only at night could he ever transform into a phoenix, and even then he would get very little sleep. So Harry was forced to concentrate on his studies, and limit his flying nights to once a week.
A few uneventful days passed by before the Gryffindor fifth-years actually had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. Harry was looking forward to seeing Fleur's teaching style.
"Velcome clazz," she greeted after all of the students had entered. "My name, as some of you may know, eez Professor Delacour. I am your new Defense Against Ze Dark Arts Teacher, and zis year, I vill teach you ze proper methods of dueling, along viz some new curzes."
Harry had had a bad experience with a dueling club in his second year, and prayed that this would be much different. He looked over at Ron, but he did not give a look back. Ron, who had been cruelly rejected by Fleur the year before, was drooling at the stunning, silver-haired woman.
"Today, ve shall vork on starting a duel. For zis, I vill need a volunteer." She looked around the room. "'Arry?"
Harry was surprised at being picked, since he was the only one in the class to not raise his hand. He begrudgingly went to the front of the room.
"Now many of ze curzes you all know are good for starting a duel. 'Arry, do you think you know any?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Well, the-"
"Don't tell me, show me," Fleur prompted.
"Okay," Harry said reluctantly. "Expelliarmus!"
Fleur's wand went flying out of her hand.
"Not bad," she said as she went to get her wand, "but why do zat ven you can do zis? Petrificus Totalus!"
And at that, Harry was paralyzed on the spot, with gasps from his classmates. "I'm zhure you all know ze Full Body Bind."
Half of the class began to clap. Fleur muttered the countercurse and Harry was restored.
"Now here's a new vun. Necaniverto!"
Harry's vision clouded, then darkened, than vanished. As he blindly staggered around, Fleur explained. "Zis, clazz, eez the Caecus Curse. Ze victim of zis curse vill be temporarily blinded."
Now the whole class broke out into loud applause and laughter. Harry felt humiliated.
"Very good, 'Arry," Fleur said as she returned his vision.
"Yeah, GREAT job," Ron laughed sarcastically.
"Veasley!" Fleur glared at him, and the class fell silent. "What I just did to 'Arry vas not for your amusement, but for your instruction. I'm zhure you vould not be laughing about eet eef I 'ad done eet to you."
Ron's face turned red as he recoiled back into his seat, and he remained silent until the end of the class.
* * *
Harry sat in the crowded Gryffindor common room doing his homework and trying to forget about what had happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione had been teasing Harry about it ever since, but Ron had been surprisingly sullen since being yelled at by Fleur.
So Harry sat alone finishing up his homework. Hermione was sitting in the lounge chair near the fire reading another of her titanic books (she had already finished her homework since she did it first thing when she got home), and Ron was in the dorm, probably moping.
Harry was then approached by George and Fred.
"Hi, Harry. What's up?"
"Nothing much," he replied.
The twins looked at each other and said in unison, "He doesn't remember."
"Remember what?"
"The date."
"It's September 11."
"Oy vey," said George.
"It's Ron's birthday tomorrow," Fred informed him.
"Oh yeah," Harry remembered.
"And we were wondering if you could go to the kitchen and ask the house-elves to make him a cake?"
"Okay," Harry sighed. "But if Hermione knew what we were doing she'd go nuts."
* * *
So Harry made his way to the kitchen, but he had barely set foot through the door when he was greeted by a small, green house-elf wearing a green and yellow checkered shirt and two unmatching socks, one solid black and the other striped blue and purple.
"Hello, Harry Potter. How may Dobby help you?"
"Hi, Dobby. Listen, I need you to make a cake for Ron. Tomorrow's his birthday," Harry said.
"Who's Ron?" asked Dobby.
"You know, Ron Weasley," Harry said in frustration.
Dobby still looked at him confused. Harry sighed. This was why he avoided any unnecessary conversation with Dobby.
"Ron Weasley, who gave you the socks…"
Dobby's eyes suddenly brightened up. "Oh yes! Ron Wheezy! Dobby will bake a cake for Harry Potter's friend Ron Wheezy!"
"Good," said Harry with a sigh of relief. "See you later Dobby."
"Good bye, Harry Potter!"
* * *
So Harry sat in the common room the next day playing wizard chess with Ron, waiting for Dobby to deliver the cake. It had taken Harry some time to convince the Fat Lady to let a house elf carrying a birthday cake in.
At 6:30 Harry began to get impatient. He hardly noticed how long he gone without losing already.
"Geez, Harry!" said Ron, "You're really getting better at this." This remark was met with a sarcastic cough from one of Ron's chess pieces as it moved three spaces forward.
"Checkmate!"
Harry let out a loud groan, but it was drowned out by the creaking sound of the Portrait Door opening. And, as Harry expected, Dobby marched in proudly carrying a gigantic three-tiered birthday cake. Dobby's unmatching clothes were covered in cake batter as he set in down on top of the chessboard, scattering all of the pieces.
"Happy Birthday, Ron!" yelled Fred, George, and Harry.
"You guys really shouldn't have," Ron said, half in shock, half in confusion as he read the top of the cake, 'Happy Birthday Ron Wheezy!' "This is way too much."
"Well if you think that this is too much, then you really won't like this," said George.
"Like what?" Ron asked curiously.
"This!" yelled Fred as he pulled the scarlet Gryffindor Quidditch robes over Ron's head. "Happy Birthday, brother Keeper!"
"Oh my God!"
"Fred, I think our little brother is going to have trouble dealing with his next present."
"Next present?! Guys, this is already-"
But Ron was cut off when the brand new Silver Streak broomstick came flying through the window right into his hands.
All Harry heard the overjoyed Ron manage to say for the rest of the night was "How in hell?…"
Chapter 11
Harry enjoyed being an Animadus, but only at night could he ever transform into a phoenix, and even then he would get very little sleep. So Harry was forced to concentrate on his studies, and limit his flying nights to once a week.
A few uneventful days passed by before the Gryffindor fifth-years actually had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. Harry was looking forward to seeing Fleur's teaching style.
"Velcome clazz," she greeted after all of the students had entered. "My name, as some of you may know, eez Professor Delacour. I am your new Defense Against Ze Dark Arts Teacher, and zis year, I vill teach you ze proper methods of dueling, along viz some new curzes."
Harry had had a bad experience with a dueling club in his second year, and prayed that this would be much different. He looked over at Ron, but he did not give a look back. Ron, who had been cruelly rejected by Fleur the year before, was drooling at the stunning, silver-haired woman.
"Today, ve shall vork on starting a duel. For zis, I vill need a volunteer." She looked around the room. "'Arry?"
Harry was surprised at being picked, since he was the only one in the class to not raise his hand. He begrudgingly went to the front of the room.
"Now many of ze curzes you all know are good for starting a duel. 'Arry, do you think you know any?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Well, the-"
"Don't tell me, show me," Fleur prompted.
"Okay," Harry said reluctantly. "Expelliarmus!"
Fleur's wand went flying out of her hand.
"Not bad," she said as she went to get her wand, "but why do zat ven you can do zis? Petrificus Totalus!"
And at that, Harry was paralyzed on the spot, with gasps from his classmates. "I'm zhure you all know ze Full Body Bind."
Half of the class began to clap. Fleur muttered the countercurse and Harry was restored.
"Now here's a new vun. Necaniverto!"
Harry's vision clouded, then darkened, than vanished. As he blindly staggered around, Fleur explained. "Zis, clazz, eez the Caecus Curse. Ze victim of zis curse vill be temporarily blinded."
Now the whole class broke out into loud applause and laughter. Harry felt humiliated.
"Very good, 'Arry," Fleur said as she returned his vision.
"Yeah, GREAT job," Ron laughed sarcastically.
"Veasley!" Fleur glared at him, and the class fell silent. "What I just did to 'Arry vas not for your amusement, but for your instruction. I'm zhure you vould not be laughing about eet eef I 'ad done eet to you."
Ron's face turned red as he recoiled back into his seat, and he remained silent until the end of the class.
* * *
Harry sat in the crowded Gryffindor common room doing his homework and trying to forget about what had happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione had been teasing Harry about it ever since, but Ron had been surprisingly sullen since being yelled at by Fleur.
So Harry sat alone finishing up his homework. Hermione was sitting in the lounge chair near the fire reading another of her titanic books (she had already finished her homework since she did it first thing when she got home), and Ron was in the dorm, probably moping.
Harry was then approached by George and Fred.
"Hi, Harry. What's up?"
"Nothing much," he replied.
The twins looked at each other and said in unison, "He doesn't remember."
"Remember what?"
"The date."
"It's September 11."
"Oy vey," said George.
"It's Ron's birthday tomorrow," Fred informed him.
"Oh yeah," Harry remembered.
"And we were wondering if you could go to the kitchen and ask the house-elves to make him a cake?"
"Okay," Harry sighed. "But if Hermione knew what we were doing she'd go nuts."
* * *
So Harry made his way to the kitchen, but he had barely set foot through the door when he was greeted by a small, green house-elf wearing a green and yellow checkered shirt and two unmatching socks, one solid black and the other striped blue and purple.
"Hello, Harry Potter. How may Dobby help you?"
"Hi, Dobby. Listen, I need you to make a cake for Ron. Tomorrow's his birthday," Harry said.
"Who's Ron?" asked Dobby.
"You know, Ron Weasley," Harry said in frustration.
Dobby still looked at him confused. Harry sighed. This was why he avoided any unnecessary conversation with Dobby.
"Ron Weasley, who gave you the socks…"
Dobby's eyes suddenly brightened up. "Oh yes! Ron Wheezy! Dobby will bake a cake for Harry Potter's friend Ron Wheezy!"
"Good," said Harry with a sigh of relief. "See you later Dobby."
"Good bye, Harry Potter!"
* * *
So Harry sat in the common room the next day playing wizard chess with Ron, waiting for Dobby to deliver the cake. It had taken Harry some time to convince the Fat Lady to let a house elf carrying a birthday cake in.
At 6:30 Harry began to get impatient. He hardly noticed how long he gone without losing already.
"Geez, Harry!" said Ron, "You're really getting better at this." This remark was met with a sarcastic cough from one of Ron's chess pieces as it moved three spaces forward.
"Checkmate!"
Harry let out a loud groan, but it was drowned out by the creaking sound of the Portrait Door opening. And, as Harry expected, Dobby marched in proudly carrying a gigantic three-tiered birthday cake. Dobby's unmatching clothes were covered in cake batter as he set in down on top of the chessboard, scattering all of the pieces.
"Happy Birthday, Ron!" yelled Fred, George, and Harry.
"You guys really shouldn't have," Ron said, half in shock, half in confusion as he read the top of the cake, 'Happy Birthday Ron Wheezy!' "This is way too much."
"Well if you think that this is too much, then you really won't like this," said George.
"Like what?" Ron asked curiously.
"This!" yelled Fred as he pulled the scarlet Gryffindor Quidditch robes over Ron's head. "Happy Birthday, brother Keeper!"
"Oh my God!"
"Fred, I think our little brother is going to have trouble dealing with his next present."
"Next present?! Guys, this is already-"
But Ron was cut off when the brand new Silver Streak broomstick came flying through the window right into his hands.
All Harry heard the overjoyed Ron manage to say for the rest of the night was "How in hell?…"