Harry Potter and the Kid and the Tiger
Disclaimer: Wow! I got more then one review for a chapter! ::cheers:: This chapter right here was a lot of fun to write, while it does advance the plot a little (we find out who Ron has a crush on...and it's not Hermione, Lavander, Padma, or Parvati). BTW, on the Web last nite I came across a fansite that said JKR said H/H would NEVER date! Is this true, 'cuz I never heard of it be4...especially on the bigger more updated sites. If she did, maybe J.K. will change her mind, I mean remember HP and the Doomspell Tourny, and the June 2001 release date for Book 5? In any event, H/H forever! And as always 1 review for the next chapter.
My mum was related to Salazar Slytherin. That means I'm related to Salazar Slytherin. But Dumbledore told me in my second year that Voldemort was the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin. So he wasn't the Heir, obviously. But even relation to that slime was...horrible. Maybe Sirius had the facts wrong. In his heart however, Harry knew that wasn't true. The only good thing that Harry was getting out of this was his head being on Hermione's shoulder, and her stroking his hair telling him that he'll be okay, but Harry really wasn't thinking about that. He hadn't cried in years. But now the tears were really spilling. He was thinking not only of the fact of his mum being related to Slytherin, but his parents being killed because they had him.
His mum had be a successful Unspeakable, and his dad had been a great Auror. He had really screwed things up. They had been killed because of him.
"C'mon Harry," Ron's voice broke through Harry's troubled thoughts, "It's not that bad. Your parents were successful, weren't they? Who cares about relations that were over a thousand years ago, what do they matter? Really, Harry?"
"They matter a lot," Harry mumbled through his tears.
"Yeah right," Hermione said, "No it's not Harry. C'mon, evil people have had good children and vice versa. Do you really think your dad would have married your mum if she was that bad, like Salazar Slytherin?"
"I screwed things up," Harry muttered, defeated on one topic.
"How so, Harry?" Harry heard Ron's voice.
"I was born," Harry answered.
"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed, "Why do you always beat yourself up? Your parents really wanted you Harry. Why else would James duel with Volde-er-You-Know-Who," Harry heard Ron gasp, "So you and Lily could get away? And your mum gave her life for you Harry. The ultimate sacrifice," she continued, stroking his hair with her fingers, "You didn't ruin their lives. You furfilled them. I'm sure they were happy to go into hiding to protect you. They loved you Harry, don't blame yourself for being born."
Harry nodded.
"Thank you Hermione," he said, "I really needed that. I'm glad that Ron and you are here for me."
Harry lifted his tear-streaked face from Hermione's shoulder.
"Well," Ron said, "Now that's over with, we might as well go to class, right Hermione?"
"I don't think so," Hermione said.
"Why not?" Ron asked indignantly.
"Because, Harry nearly died on the way over here and we haven't mentioned a thing to Dumbledore about it. Plus, his scar disappeared when he was out, and it did that at my house as well. Obviously, we need to tell Dumbledore about this. After all, Sirius just told us to go to Dumbledore if anything weird happened. You remember the password, right Harry?"
"No," Harry said, "I mean, yes I remember the password, but really Hermione, I just hallucinated."
"No, you didn't Harry," Ron said firmly, "I agree with Hermione on this. We need to see Dumbledore about this."
"No," Harry answered flatly, "I just-dreamed it-that's all. I didn't see Voldemor-You-Know-Who did I?"
"But Harry," Hermione pleaded, "Sirius just told us to go to Dumbledore if anything strange happened."
"Hermione, please, no, if it happens again, yes. Maybe we'll go, but not right now."
Both protested a little, but eventually gave in. Harry was thankful for this, it wasn't sure what was wrong with his scar, but for some reason he didn't want to go to Dumbledore's. He wondered what it was, fear, pride? He didn't know, but he had a premonition that he shouldn't tell Dumbledore, idly he wondered why. Then a piercing pain ripped through Harry's forehead and he fell to the ground.
It was pitch dark.
"Are you sure you can keep him under the curse my Lord?" A voice rippled out of the shadows.
An oily voice replied, "Naturally, the boy will never be able to...
"Harry! Are you all right?"
Harry looked up at the pained faces of Ron and Hermione.
"Yes, quite," Harry grunted getting off the floor attempting to get up, "I just, er, well fainted again. That's all. I'm really well, you know-"
"A bad liar," Hermione finished for him.
Harry smiled weakly, "Yeah, that too."
"What happened?" pushed Ron.
"I dunno. Voldemo-er-You-Know-Who, had a curse on someone, but I don't know who. Then he said they'd never be able to....something, that must've been when you guys woke me up."
"Hmmm," Hermione said, "There's only two curses where the person wouldn't know or act like they were under them, on is the Imperious Curse, obviously, and the other is one of the In-"
"Hermi, you know too much much," Ron said clearly aggravated.
Hermione glared at him, but shut up.
"Well," Harry said nervously, "Shall we go back?"
They nodded.
Soon, however, everything became routine. They naturally were getting a load of work, at least twice as much as they had the year before and they had though that had been a lot. Hermione took it easily, scoring a low of a 101%, which as she put it "was going to completely obliterate my grade", while everyone else showed signs of immense stress. The only fun class was Hobbes' Defense Against the Dark Arts class where homework was sparse and people began getting some slivery mist for their Patronuses, of course Hermione was the first one to conjure up a Patrous and it came around in a rather humourous matter...
"Hermione," Hobbes called, he had taken to calling them by their first names since the students were calling him by theirs,
"Let's see how far you are on your Patrous."
Harry watched as Hermione smiled waved her wand and bellowed out "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
The entire class was stunned when none other then a silvery-colored Harry Potter came out of Hermione's wand! Being that Defense Against the Dark Arts was with the Slytherins several of them laughed. The Patronus-Harry pulled his wand out of his robe and began running around the room like Harry's and Calvin's had done. Unfortunately, Hermione's Patronus was headed straight for Malfoy, who panicked and yelled out a spell. Naturally, it went right through the Patronus version of Harry Potter, and hit Malfoy's girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, who immediately attempted to cover her mouth. Malfoy had hit her with a Growth Charm, and like it had for Hermione it hit her right in the teeth.
The entire section of Gryffindors laughed, and Hobbes was barely concealing his sniggering as he said, "Ten points from Slytherin Draco, Pansy, I suggest you head over to the hospital wing so that Poppy can fix you up."
In tears, Pansy left.
Shortly after that incident it was Halloween, which meant the traditional Halloween Feast which Harry had only missed once in his entire schooling at Hogwarts, which had been when he had gone to Nearly Headless Nick's, the Gryffindor ghost, five hundredth deathday party. Harry hadn't enjoyed that much and would have rather gone to the normal feast as it ended up making him look as though he had opened the Chamber of Secrets. Rumors were that Dumbledore was even going to allow some dancing, and Harry hoped so. He'd really like to dance with Hermione. He looked over at her when they were in Transfiguration and they smiled at each other. Professor McGonagall noticed and smiled herself a little.
After class Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Calvin were headed towards their next class when Calvin spoke up,
"Hey, you guys want to play some Calvinball on the Quidditch pitch tonight?"
"Calvinball?" Harry frowned, "What's that?"
"It's a game," Calvin answered, "Hobbes and I play it all the times. It can get really cool if there's more then two players."
Ron shrugged, "I dunno, there's the feast and all tonight."
"No, that's not what I meant, I meant after the feast."
"But we're prefects!," Hermione exclaimed, "What will the rest of the Gryffindors think?"
Ron rolled his eyes, "Probably not worse of you when Ginny took that picture of you guys kissing."
Harry's head whipped around, "How did you know about that?"
Ron's ears went red, "Er, well, I told her to take a picture."
"Ron!" Hermione was shocked.
Ron looked down at his feet, "Um, yeah, I'm sorry."
"Anyway," Calvin said, a little irritated, "C'mon Hermione, you've got to let your hair down a little bit. If you get a detention, which you won't, so what? Your low is a one hundred and one, give me a break!"
Hermione blushed a light scarlet shade, "Yeah, but we're the prefects."
"Did the password change," Ron said exasperated.
"No," Harry and Hermione answered at once.
"Then no need for you two to be in the common room. I want to play Calvinball, whatever that is."
Calvin smiled wickedly, "Trust me you'll enjoy it. Oh, and bring your wands."
The Halloween Feast was fantastic, although Dumbledore didn't allow any dancing, there was some live music played by "Dobby and the House-Elves", a band that Dobby had somehow managed to put together. Not only that, the food was terrific! Harry couldn't ever remembering so full following the Halloween Feast in all his years at Hogwarts.
Harry then noticed Ron wasn't sitting next to him anymore. He leaned over to Hermione and whispered in her ear, "Where's Ron?"
Hermione looked around, then she pointed at the band. "Up there talking to Dobby."
Harry nodded, and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek and she blushed and a few of the Gryffindors laughed a little and muttered, "Prefect couple."
Ron came back red-faced.
"What's wrong Ron?" Harry inquired as he bit into a chicken leg, and ate some of a baked potato.
Ron just moaned in anguish as a reply.
"Ron, what's wr-" Harry began again but was interrupted by Dobby's magically magnified voice.
"Excuse me, sirs, I have just gotten a song request, sirs, from Mr. Ronald Weasley, sir, here's a song for Miss Cho Chang, sirs, "I'm In Love With You!"
The Great Hall rippled with laughter, and if possible, Ron's face got even redder. Harry was a little bemused, it was a pretty well known fact that Harry had like Cho for some of his third year and most of his fourth year. Meanwhile, Ron had liked Hermione in fourth year. They had switched crushes! Meanwhile, "Dobby and the House-Elves" went into a wild song that had most of the Great Hall moving to the beat as they ate.
Hermione smiled at Ron, "Way to go Ron! I never would have thought you'd get the nerve!"
Harry looked at Ron, who was absolutely mortified, "Hey, Ron, that took guts."
Ron muttered something about, "Imperious or something in my pumpkin juice."
Harry sniggered and took a sip of his own juice, "Don't worry Ron, they'll get over it soon."
Ron didn't really eat much after that, and people were looking at him and sniggering.
Harry leaned over to Hermione, "How the heck did Dobby form that band?"
Hermione sighed, "I'd like to think that was the work of S.P.E.W," Harry smiled and chuckled, "But Dumbledore convinced them that it was hard and important work to be in the band."
Harry nodded, "Dobby's a good little guitarist and singer though," The band had finished "I'm In Love With You," and had jumped into "Wicked Love Potion".
Hermione nodded and then whispered into Harry's ear, "We should get out of here soon, Ron looks sick."
Harry nodded and he saw Hermione hesitate, as though she wanted to do something and decided not to, then she leaned in to kiss Harry on the cheek. Unfortunately, Harry turned his head a little bit because he heard someone coming behind them, and Hermione's kiss got him full on the lips. Harry might have enjoyed this more then he did if the entire Gryffindor table hadn't laughed, and then as one gasped.
"So, Potter and Granger, how sweet," Snape's voice came from behind them and Harry and Hermione quickly separated.
"Er, sir," Hermione tried to explain, "It wasn't what you think."
"Silence!" Snape bellowed, "Fifty points from Gryffindor for conduct unbecoming of Hogwarts students." With that, Professor Snape walked off slowly.
Harry and Hermione turned back to the table which was now into in hysterics, especially Calvin and Ron.
Harry leaned over to Hermione, and whispered, "Let's go play some Calvinball."
She nodded, and Harry turned to Calvin and Ron, "C'mon you two gits, let's get the bloody heck out of here and on the pitch."
Calvin and Ron got up still sniggering and they walked out of the Great Hall.
After they closed the doors and walked out Calvin pulled out his and yelled, "Accio Calvinball!"
A half a minute later a volleyball came zooming around the corridor, and landed right into Calvin's hands. Then he yelled,
"Accio masks!", and "Accio time-fracture wickets!"
The masks, which actually were just black blindfolds with eye-holes cut into them, weren't that bad when they came through the hallway, but the time-fracture wickets, which were croquet wickets, came through the hall jingling and came pointy-ends first. They all dove out of the way, but Calvin just broke off his Summoning Charm, and they landed in a heap at his feat. Following this, Calvin Summoned four croquet mallets. He handed the "Calvinball equipment" out to each of the other three and held the time-fracture wickets and his mallet as they walked out.
"Why the masks?" Ron inquired.
"No one's allowed to question the masks," Calvin replied.
"Sounds like a great game," Harry said while rolling his eyes.
Calvin nodded, "It is a great game. Hobbes'll meet us on the pitch in a few. Had to grade his tests first, he told me is favorite student, Hermione Granger got a 138%."
Hermione blushed, "I missed two extra-credit problems?"
Ron started sniggering and Hermione sent him a death glare. Calvin noticed and smiled, muttering something about, "Just like Susie..."
"Susie?" Harry inquired.
Calvin nodded sadly, "My girlfriend, she's a Muggle. Susie Derkins. Or she was my girlfriend."
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione cautiously.
"She broke up with me in my fourth year, said she didn't like me not being there, and since we are only fourteen we can't handle a long-distance relationship."
"What about being Dictator-For-Life of G.R.O.S.S.?" Harry teased, smiling.
Calvin chuckled, "Well, let's say I'm glad the position is for life, 'cuz otherwise I'd have been impeached three years ago."
Eventually the quartet made it too the Quidditch field. Harry breathed in the fresh air, he hadn't been on the pitch at night for a while, he preferred having his practices in the afternoon unlike former captain Oliver Wood, who if he had it his way, Hogwarts would have no classes except Quidditch practices and two hours asleep a night.
"Oy, Harry," Calvin called, shaking Harry out of his thoughts,
"Help me set up the time-fracture wickets, in any way you can, and put your mask on, Hermi's got 'em."
Hermione tossed Harry a mask, he nodded his thanks and strapped it over his eyes, with not small amount of difficulty as he was wearing glasses. Harry grabbed a few wickets and placed them around the field when he was done, Calvin tossed Harry the Calvinball.
"You start, Hobbes'll be here soon."
Harry caught the Calvinball and gazed at it, it looked perfectly normal, "Er, what do I do?"
Suddenly Calvin yelled out "Swooping Penalty! No holding the Calvinball for more then five minutes!" With that, Calvin Disarmed the Calvinball from Harry, and ran off in the direction of a large clump of wickets. Harry meanwhile hit the ground with a thud, he got up quickly however and chased after Calvin.
Calvin meanwhile cleared the wickets with a bounding leap, Harry tried to follow him but misjudged, and tripped. Calvin yelled out victoriously.
"Aha! You are in the Pit of Murkiness, you have to let me perform three spells on you!"
Harry's mind whirled. How did Calvin come up with that? There really wasn't much of a field, let alone zones of play, it was almost as if...
"You're making this up as you go along!" Harry cried out and whipped out his own wand, "Well, then you're in a Curseyourself Quadrilateral! You have to perform the Jelly-Legs Curse on yourself, and surrender the Calvinball!" Calvin's face went ashen and he threw the Calvinball to Harry to grabbed it with a whoop and performed a Levitation Charm on himself and he tossed the Calvinball towards the scoring hoops, sending it up further with Repelling Spells. Finally the Calvinball went through the hoop. Harry Summoned the ball back to him.
"That gives me five bogies!" he cried and suddenly he couldn't move and an icy feeling set over him. Then as though far away he heard Hobbes' voice.
"Oy, you're in the Freezing Fortress! You surrender the Calvinball to me!" Harry could also, hear the laughter of Ron and Hermione. His body then convoluted and tossed forward, he felt the Calvinball leave his grasp and he tasted mud. He had never been Disarmed from the back before. Just as he got up , Hermione, or rather her head, smashed Harry across the jaw. She had been in the middle of a flying dive, and Harry had gotten in the way.
"Oy!" Harry heard Hobbes' voice yell out, and Harry looked around as he pulled Hermione off of him. Hobbes was no where to be seen. Was this kind of a joke? Harry racked his mind for spells that would only allow just your voice to be heard, he could think of none. "You're in the Kissing Corner! Kiss Hermione, Harry!"
Harry blushed and so did Hermione, but he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. They were really beginning to enjoy the moment when the Calvinball crushed into Harry's gut. He pulled out of his kiss with Hermione and he heard Calvin yelling, "That's six calgoals! I'm winning!"
Harry, gasping for air as the Calvinball had knocked the wind out of him, stood up. "Oh yeah," he attempted to yell, but what came out was more raspy and feeble, "Your actually in the Opposite Zone! Everything you say is the opposite of truth! Your actually losing!"
"Also," Hobbes' voice rang out, "Calvin, you are also in the Dizziness Dungeon. You must spin around while singing a song by 'Wands Crossed'."
Calvin groaned.
"'Wands Crossed'?" Ron asked, clearly puzzled.
"American wizarding band, equivalent to your 'The Weird Sisters'," Hobbes' voice supplied.
Ron nodded and Calvin began to sing. Not only did he sing, but he danced as he spun. Break-dancing to be exact, and he twisted, bent, and jumped through the entire song. Harry really wasn't listening to the song, but rather was laughing along with Ron and Hermione as Calvin's dancing antics. Eventually the song came to an end, and Calvin finished and bowed deeply.
"Al-all right." Harry gasped, still laughing, "The way you get out of both the Opposite Zone and the Dizziness Dungeon is to...get bonked by the Calvinball!" Harry yelped as he fired the ball and it smacked Calvin upside the head.
"Whoo-hoo!" Ron yelled, "That's another point for me! I've got ten whatevers!"
Harry turned around angrily, "Oh yeah! How do you get a point?"
Ron held out a rock, "I've got the Rock! The, er, Point-Grabber Rock," Ron added hastily.
Suddenly the Rock began to levitate from Ron's hand and zoomed across the pitch, and was absorbed by nothingness. How odd. Harry thought.
Hermione, when she saw this, wasted no time is pulling out her wand, and shooting a Summoning Charm were the Rock had went from her hip, "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" she bellowed.
As a result they all saw Hobbes' head floating in mid-air. His torso followed, then his legs, and lastly his tail. Hermione meanwhile caught a silvery-looking piece of clothing.
"Why you..." Calvin then rattled off several words that were unsuitable for anyone, especially a fifteen-year old.
Hobbes meanwhile just laughed, "Five points from Gryffindor, Calvin. You really shouldn't use such language."
This only made Calvin's face become more heated and caused Hobbes more sniggering.
"C'mon, Calvin, we really got to go in."
Harry raised an eyebrow, a trick he had found irritated the Dursleys, "Why?"
Hobbes chuckled, "You were having so much fun, that you didn't notice Dumbledore sitting in the stands!"
They all looked up and did indeed see Albus Dumbledore sitting in the last row of seats at the pitch. Harry was instantly mortified, what if he had seen him and Hermione kissing?
"In any event," Hobbes went on, "I need to set an example for you guys."
Calvin looked daggers at Hobbes, "So having me sing a song by 'Wands Crossed' is a good example."
"Sure," Hobbes said nonchalantly, "Their a great band. Oh, and by the way, you guys make sure you don't miss my lesson tomorrow. It's very important."
Hermione nodded vigorously, and Ron rolled his eyes.
