The Quest of Three by SweetWood
Hermione walks in on Harry and Cho. Ron discovers a hidden mastery of dragons. And Harry's facing the greatest evil yet. Together, can they complete the quests set before them? Will the quests draw them together, or drive them apart?
Disclaimer: If you're reading this, you're probably planning to steal my plot. Or my characters. Well guess what? The plot is MINE and if I find out you've stolen it WATCH out! And you know what else? The characters are J.K. Rowling's. So, don't steal. Have a nice day, all.
Where Harry Potter went, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger followed. On this particular day, they were walking through the halls of their school, Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. They were all about sixteen years of age, in their sixth year at Hogwarts. The three were a rather mismatched trio.
The redhead, Ron, was the tallest, and had freckles and held a few assorted books in his arms. The second was Hermione. She was surprisingly rather pretty, with honey brown hair and large brown eyes. She too had books, but a large stack of them, which she obviously had trouble carrying. On the top was a copy of Hogwarts, a History, which was her favorite book. She referred to it numerous times in a single hour, much to the dismay of her companions.
The last was Harry. Some might say he had a rather odd appearance. His hair, black as a cauldron, stuck out at strange angles. His eyes were startlingly green. But the altogether oddest thing about him was his scar. It was in the shape of a lightning bolt, slightly off center of his forehead. The scar was what made him famous. It was a mark of his defeat of the wizard Voldemort at the tender age of one.
The trio had reached the end of the hallway. They veered to the right, down a narrow stone staircase. They were headed to the dungeons for their least favorite class (potions) with their least favorite teacher (Professor Snape). Finally reaching their destination, they pulled open a heavy iron door.
The door's hinges squealed in protest, being heavily rusted. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the eighth, ninth, and tenth of the students assembled in the classroom. Professor Snape sat in his usual position behind his desk. When he turned to look at Harry, he gave him a look of pure loathing. The headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, had told Harry five years ago that Snape hated him because he had hated Harry's father, James Potter. Harry didn't care what the reason was. He hated Snape the same way Snape hated him.
The dungeon room scene was far from a normal, muggle classroom. Squishy looking things in murky water floated in jars lining shelves on the wall. Only torches on the wall, and flames licking the sides of caldrons lit the dungeon.
Three and a half minutes later, the entire class was assembled and Snape was beginning the lesson.
"Today we will progress from Flu Tonic to Vanishing Solutions," Professor Snape explained coldly. "Does anyone know the main ingredient of Vanishing Solutions? How about you, Potter?"
Now, Harry had no idea of the answer. His classes had not been so advanced to study Vanishing Potions yet. However, Hermione and he had perfected the art of speaking magically mind to mind the previous year. They had discovered the ability when they had needed to speak without hearing in an attempt to vanquish Voldemort's forces, which were trying to murder Harry. The answer came to him in a flash. It came from Hermione, who Harry secretly thought swallowed her textbooks over the summer.
"Powdered hoof of white horse," he answered quickly. Snape looked rather startled. It was their first potions class of the sixth year, since they only had potions one semester. Harry had yet to make use of his ability during Snape's class.
"It seems to me Mr. Potter has finally decided to study over the summer," Snape remarked acidly. Just like him, thought Harry, unable to say I'm right, had to add a biting comment. But all the same he was pleased, and relayed his thoughts to Hermione, who thought back, No Kidding.
The rest of class went by somewhat uneventfully, if you don't count Neville Longbottom spilling half his Vanishing Solution on Snape's desk. The solution was only half diluted, and caused Snape's desk to appear patchy in places where the solution had not penetrated. Neville was given detention and Snape took off fifteen points from Gryffindor.
After potions the trio had a free period, in which they headed toward the library. Hermione was researching the history of all spells, charms, potions, and garments of invisibility, which she found "fascinating." Ron simply shook his head.
The problem, Harry had discovered, with the mind-to-mind speaking was that whenever Hermione had a particularly strong thought, he picked it up. He was continually receiving bits of information about Cradney the Crass, until he said to Hermione,
"Who the hell is Cradney the Crass?" Hermione showed him. He turned out to be an inventor of the Unsee Charm who had the habit of working naked. Whoever had illustrated the book had been a lover of detail.
Ron was flipping through a qudditch magazine. Harry watched as he fairly beamed over he favorite team's stats. Harry sincerely wished the Cannons would get to the playoffs this year. He didn't think he could stand another week of Ron's moaning about the
"Damn Hornets, we'll get them next year, we've got Wood now, he'll show them what a keeper is." Wood. Yes, Harry was still friends with Oliver Wood. He had been drafted by the Chudley Cannons one year after his final year at Hogwarts. He took the time to write to Harry even though he got hundreds of fan letters (most from admiring girls) each week. Harry suspected his lack to respond to his fan mail came from his deep involvement with his current girlfriend, Jenifer, an American witch.
Harry himself was deep in thought. Voldemort had been in hiding since the aurors had killed one of his top agents. She had also been in on his life force. Her death had weakened Voldemort by half. But one half was still scheming, and gathering strength as he did so. Harry sighed. Why did Voldemort want to kill him so badly? He hardly looked like much. He had built up more muscle than he had had at thirteen, but he was still a skinny kid with glasses. Then something broke into his thoughts.
"Harry, I want you to stop worrying! You're at Hogwarts, for goodness' sake, under the protection of Albus Dumbledore himself. You've also managed to single-handedly defeat Voldemort numerous times. And I don't want you to worry Ron. Ever since Voldemort killed his uncle, he's been so afraid someone else close to him would die!" Hermione ranted silently. Harry shook his head. This magical speaking was useful sometimes, but it really got on his nerves when Hermione could pick up his thoughts.
She was right of course. He had to stop worrying! What could he think about that was pleasant? "How about Christmas? A voice whispered in his head. This is the last year to ask Cho Chang to go to the Yule Ball." Harry sat up sharply. That wasn't pleasant! What if she turned him down? He slumped down gloomily. He had one week to ask her. Maybe he'd write her a note. That was it! He got out his pen and began scribbling. What he got out was not dignified, cool, or even very readable.
Dear Cho Cho,
I was wondering would you like to go, no come to the Yule Ball with me? Yours Truly, I mean, no, Love, no no, Sincerely Harry (Potter)
No, that wasn't right at all. He did have two days to think about it. He jammed the note in his Transfiguration book and slammed it shut. He cursed silently as he gathered up his books to head to Divination. Why couldn't Cho ask him to the Yule Ball? That would make things A LOT easier.
Divination was the one class Harry never paid attention in. Professor Trelawney was quite ditzy, and plus, the incense always made him sleepy. When Harry and his friends arrived in the tower, Professor Trelawney announced,
"The great planets have aligned. It is time for a surprise examination." The class groaned. Hermione rolled her eyes. Though she hated Divination, she needed the credit to graduate. She still thought Trelawney and this whole class was full of it.
Trelawney bade each of them enter, one by one. Hermione was the last to go. Though she believed she should never cheat in school, her whole opinion of Trelawney, and Ron's encouragement had led her to fall back on the students' way of getting through Divination: make things up. She was droning on about her horrible death when the moon was orange when suddenly, Professor Trelawney began to speak at a high pitched chant that scared Hermione.
"When the Dark Lord rises,
Three shall turn him back,
One of wisdom, one of fire,
One of midnight storm;
Lo, the circle will be broken,
And one shall win alone."
Hermione felt a chill run up and down her spine. The Dark Lord rising? She had to tell Harry! Already done, 'Mione. I heard the whole verse. Any theories? Hermione mentally shook herself. How Harry could act so calmly at a time like this. But he always hid his emotions, his way of coping. Hermione had to admire him for it. He must struggle every day, and we don't even know, she thought.
That evening, Harry sat in the common room staring at the fire. He too had been disturbed. The last time Trelawney made a prediction like that, it had nearly led to his death. He heard a creaking noise to his left. The portrait hole opened, and in walked Oliver Wood. Wood had returned to Hogwarts to give broomstick lessons and teach Quidditch for a winter job. He had always been like a big brother to Harry.
" Hey Harry. Didn't expect to see you this time of night." Wood sat his muscular body down into a red armchair. "There's a lot of memories in this chair," Wood told Harry. "Here's where I opened my first broomstick on Christmas, and really fell in love for the first time. He smiled. "I was fifteen." Harry thought about that. Sure, he liked Cho, but he didn't love her. Or anyone, at least, not like that. He smiled.
"Hullo, Oliver. What are you doing here this time of night?"
"Just came here to reminisce. You really miss Hogwarts after awhile." Harry nodded. Hogwarts was more like home than Privet Drive ever was. He had never thought what he would do once he left Hogwarts. He did know one thing- he was NOT going to live with the Dursleys. "So, how are things going for Gryffindor these days?" Oliver asked Harry.
"Well, we're currently battling Ravenclaw for second. Slytherin is winning. Little surprise, when Snape loads on the points. The twins have lost us quite a few points. They're really serious about this joke shop thing, and the seventh year dormitories keep having explosions during fourth period- when the twins are free." Oliver chuckled.
"Those twins," he said. "Them and Lee Jordan always made me laugh. Especially Jordan. I've already recommended him to the National Quidditch society. I hope he'll get a job commentating for the league after he graduates." After talking with Wood for another half-hour, Harry climbed back to bed.
When he woke up the next morning, it was pitch black and freezing cold in the dormitory. He stumbled down to the common room. There he found most of his housemates huddled around the dim light of the fire. Harry went to sit by Ron and the twins, who had Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet on their laps. Harry turned his head to Ron when Fred and Angelina started kissing.
"What's going on?"
"There's a blizzard outside." Ron inclined his head toward the window. All Harry could see was a solid curtain of white. "The magic used to keep the lights on has worn out. All the teachers have been up since four, when the lights went out, working to strengthen the spell but it looks like they'll have to create a whole new one."
At that moment, there was a knock on the portrait hole. Hermione got up to open it. Missy Caymbride and Cho Chang walked into the room. It went instantly quiet. Cho took a deep breath, and said,
'The teachers would like to announce that classes have been cancelled for today and tomorrow." Cheers rang through the room, and Neville dropped his Potions textbook and let out a whoop. The sheer sight of Cho reminded Harry about his note. Maybe he'd ask Sirius about it! Sirius was currently living in the owlery as a guard dog. Since the owlery was in the school, it would be easy to ask Sirius for advice. By the time Harry had finished thinking, Cho and Missy had gone.
Ten minutes later, a house-elf, beaming proudly, brought breakfast for everyone. When breakfast was over, Harry slipped unnoticed down to the owlery. There, he met a large black dog, which he explained all his girl troubles to. Sirius listened carefully, his dog-ear cocked attentively. When he finished, Sirius sniffed around the room, then started speaking in a low voice.
"You know Harry, I had the same problem as a boy. Girls were after me too, but there was this one certain girl who I really wanted to take. Morgan Finch. Actually, your friend Justin Finch-Fletchley is her son. He smiled doggily, and his tail waved like a plume. I finally just went right up to her when she was by herself and asked her. She said yes. Harry, my advice to you is this: catch her at the right moment, and not by surprise. Smile at her, something, to let her know she has your attention. It doesn't have to be that obvious." Harry nodded slowly.
"I was thinking about writing her a note."
"Bad idea, Harry. If she turns you down, she has the note to use against you, as something. I'm not saying she will," he said when Harry frowned. "Just be cool." At that moment, some students entered the owlery. Harry patted Sirius, then returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
Later that day, Harry was lying on his bed, doing an essay for Professor Binns. Then, he heard sounds coming from the spare bedroom. He got up, and peered through the blurry glass window in the door. Two shapes lay on the bed. The red blur of hair told him it was George and Alicia. He had passed Fred on his way up to the dormitory. He shook off the urge to watch. It really wasn't his business. Then, Ron burst into the room.
"Where's George?" he demanded. Harry pointed to the door, and Ron peered into the room through the window. When he looked back he was grinning. "About time," he said. George has been waiting for this since sixth year." Harry started to feel gloomy. What was it with this romance thing? He had never even had a girlfriend. Why couldn't he find that special someone?
Hermione walks in on Harry and Cho. Ron discovers a hidden mastery of dragons. And Harry's facing the greatest evil yet. Together, can they complete the quests set before them? Will the quests draw them together, or drive them apart?
Disclaimer: If you're reading this, you're probably planning to steal my plot. Or my characters. Well guess what? The plot is MINE and if I find out you've stolen it WATCH out! And you know what else? The characters are J.K. Rowling's. So, don't steal. Have a nice day, all.
Where Harry Potter went, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger followed. On this particular day, they were walking through the halls of their school, Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. They were all about sixteen years of age, in their sixth year at Hogwarts. The three were a rather mismatched trio.
The redhead, Ron, was the tallest, and had freckles and held a few assorted books in his arms. The second was Hermione. She was surprisingly rather pretty, with honey brown hair and large brown eyes. She too had books, but a large stack of them, which she obviously had trouble carrying. On the top was a copy of Hogwarts, a History, which was her favorite book. She referred to it numerous times in a single hour, much to the dismay of her companions.
The last was Harry. Some might say he had a rather odd appearance. His hair, black as a cauldron, stuck out at strange angles. His eyes were startlingly green. But the altogether oddest thing about him was his scar. It was in the shape of a lightning bolt, slightly off center of his forehead. The scar was what made him famous. It was a mark of his defeat of the wizard Voldemort at the tender age of one.
The trio had reached the end of the hallway. They veered to the right, down a narrow stone staircase. They were headed to the dungeons for their least favorite class (potions) with their least favorite teacher (Professor Snape). Finally reaching their destination, they pulled open a heavy iron door.
The door's hinges squealed in protest, being heavily rusted. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the eighth, ninth, and tenth of the students assembled in the classroom. Professor Snape sat in his usual position behind his desk. When he turned to look at Harry, he gave him a look of pure loathing. The headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, had told Harry five years ago that Snape hated him because he had hated Harry's father, James Potter. Harry didn't care what the reason was. He hated Snape the same way Snape hated him.
The dungeon room scene was far from a normal, muggle classroom. Squishy looking things in murky water floated in jars lining shelves on the wall. Only torches on the wall, and flames licking the sides of caldrons lit the dungeon.
Three and a half minutes later, the entire class was assembled and Snape was beginning the lesson.
"Today we will progress from Flu Tonic to Vanishing Solutions," Professor Snape explained coldly. "Does anyone know the main ingredient of Vanishing Solutions? How about you, Potter?"
Now, Harry had no idea of the answer. His classes had not been so advanced to study Vanishing Potions yet. However, Hermione and he had perfected the art of speaking magically mind to mind the previous year. They had discovered the ability when they had needed to speak without hearing in an attempt to vanquish Voldemort's forces, which were trying to murder Harry. The answer came to him in a flash. It came from Hermione, who Harry secretly thought swallowed her textbooks over the summer.
"Powdered hoof of white horse," he answered quickly. Snape looked rather startled. It was their first potions class of the sixth year, since they only had potions one semester. Harry had yet to make use of his ability during Snape's class.
"It seems to me Mr. Potter has finally decided to study over the summer," Snape remarked acidly. Just like him, thought Harry, unable to say I'm right, had to add a biting comment. But all the same he was pleased, and relayed his thoughts to Hermione, who thought back, No Kidding.
The rest of class went by somewhat uneventfully, if you don't count Neville Longbottom spilling half his Vanishing Solution on Snape's desk. The solution was only half diluted, and caused Snape's desk to appear patchy in places where the solution had not penetrated. Neville was given detention and Snape took off fifteen points from Gryffindor.
After potions the trio had a free period, in which they headed toward the library. Hermione was researching the history of all spells, charms, potions, and garments of invisibility, which she found "fascinating." Ron simply shook his head.
The problem, Harry had discovered, with the mind-to-mind speaking was that whenever Hermione had a particularly strong thought, he picked it up. He was continually receiving bits of information about Cradney the Crass, until he said to Hermione,
"Who the hell is Cradney the Crass?" Hermione showed him. He turned out to be an inventor of the Unsee Charm who had the habit of working naked. Whoever had illustrated the book had been a lover of detail.
Ron was flipping through a qudditch magazine. Harry watched as he fairly beamed over he favorite team's stats. Harry sincerely wished the Cannons would get to the playoffs this year. He didn't think he could stand another week of Ron's moaning about the
"Damn Hornets, we'll get them next year, we've got Wood now, he'll show them what a keeper is." Wood. Yes, Harry was still friends with Oliver Wood. He had been drafted by the Chudley Cannons one year after his final year at Hogwarts. He took the time to write to Harry even though he got hundreds of fan letters (most from admiring girls) each week. Harry suspected his lack to respond to his fan mail came from his deep involvement with his current girlfriend, Jenifer, an American witch.
Harry himself was deep in thought. Voldemort had been in hiding since the aurors had killed one of his top agents. She had also been in on his life force. Her death had weakened Voldemort by half. But one half was still scheming, and gathering strength as he did so. Harry sighed. Why did Voldemort want to kill him so badly? He hardly looked like much. He had built up more muscle than he had had at thirteen, but he was still a skinny kid with glasses. Then something broke into his thoughts.
"Harry, I want you to stop worrying! You're at Hogwarts, for goodness' sake, under the protection of Albus Dumbledore himself. You've also managed to single-handedly defeat Voldemort numerous times. And I don't want you to worry Ron. Ever since Voldemort killed his uncle, he's been so afraid someone else close to him would die!" Hermione ranted silently. Harry shook his head. This magical speaking was useful sometimes, but it really got on his nerves when Hermione could pick up his thoughts.
She was right of course. He had to stop worrying! What could he think about that was pleasant? "How about Christmas? A voice whispered in his head. This is the last year to ask Cho Chang to go to the Yule Ball." Harry sat up sharply. That wasn't pleasant! What if she turned him down? He slumped down gloomily. He had one week to ask her. Maybe he'd write her a note. That was it! He got out his pen and began scribbling. What he got out was not dignified, cool, or even very readable.
Dear Cho Cho,
I was wondering would you like to go, no come to the Yule Ball with me? Yours Truly, I mean, no, Love, no no, Sincerely Harry (Potter)
No, that wasn't right at all. He did have two days to think about it. He jammed the note in his Transfiguration book and slammed it shut. He cursed silently as he gathered up his books to head to Divination. Why couldn't Cho ask him to the Yule Ball? That would make things A LOT easier.
Divination was the one class Harry never paid attention in. Professor Trelawney was quite ditzy, and plus, the incense always made him sleepy. When Harry and his friends arrived in the tower, Professor Trelawney announced,
"The great planets have aligned. It is time for a surprise examination." The class groaned. Hermione rolled her eyes. Though she hated Divination, she needed the credit to graduate. She still thought Trelawney and this whole class was full of it.
Trelawney bade each of them enter, one by one. Hermione was the last to go. Though she believed she should never cheat in school, her whole opinion of Trelawney, and Ron's encouragement had led her to fall back on the students' way of getting through Divination: make things up. She was droning on about her horrible death when the moon was orange when suddenly, Professor Trelawney began to speak at a high pitched chant that scared Hermione.
"When the Dark Lord rises,
Three shall turn him back,
One of wisdom, one of fire,
One of midnight storm;
Lo, the circle will be broken,
And one shall win alone."
Hermione felt a chill run up and down her spine. The Dark Lord rising? She had to tell Harry! Already done, 'Mione. I heard the whole verse. Any theories? Hermione mentally shook herself. How Harry could act so calmly at a time like this. But he always hid his emotions, his way of coping. Hermione had to admire him for it. He must struggle every day, and we don't even know, she thought.
That evening, Harry sat in the common room staring at the fire. He too had been disturbed. The last time Trelawney made a prediction like that, it had nearly led to his death. He heard a creaking noise to his left. The portrait hole opened, and in walked Oliver Wood. Wood had returned to Hogwarts to give broomstick lessons and teach Quidditch for a winter job. He had always been like a big brother to Harry.
" Hey Harry. Didn't expect to see you this time of night." Wood sat his muscular body down into a red armchair. "There's a lot of memories in this chair," Wood told Harry. "Here's where I opened my first broomstick on Christmas, and really fell in love for the first time. He smiled. "I was fifteen." Harry thought about that. Sure, he liked Cho, but he didn't love her. Or anyone, at least, not like that. He smiled.
"Hullo, Oliver. What are you doing here this time of night?"
"Just came here to reminisce. You really miss Hogwarts after awhile." Harry nodded. Hogwarts was more like home than Privet Drive ever was. He had never thought what he would do once he left Hogwarts. He did know one thing- he was NOT going to live with the Dursleys. "So, how are things going for Gryffindor these days?" Oliver asked Harry.
"Well, we're currently battling Ravenclaw for second. Slytherin is winning. Little surprise, when Snape loads on the points. The twins have lost us quite a few points. They're really serious about this joke shop thing, and the seventh year dormitories keep having explosions during fourth period- when the twins are free." Oliver chuckled.
"Those twins," he said. "Them and Lee Jordan always made me laugh. Especially Jordan. I've already recommended him to the National Quidditch society. I hope he'll get a job commentating for the league after he graduates." After talking with Wood for another half-hour, Harry climbed back to bed.
When he woke up the next morning, it was pitch black and freezing cold in the dormitory. He stumbled down to the common room. There he found most of his housemates huddled around the dim light of the fire. Harry went to sit by Ron and the twins, who had Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet on their laps. Harry turned his head to Ron when Fred and Angelina started kissing.
"What's going on?"
"There's a blizzard outside." Ron inclined his head toward the window. All Harry could see was a solid curtain of white. "The magic used to keep the lights on has worn out. All the teachers have been up since four, when the lights went out, working to strengthen the spell but it looks like they'll have to create a whole new one."
At that moment, there was a knock on the portrait hole. Hermione got up to open it. Missy Caymbride and Cho Chang walked into the room. It went instantly quiet. Cho took a deep breath, and said,
'The teachers would like to announce that classes have been cancelled for today and tomorrow." Cheers rang through the room, and Neville dropped his Potions textbook and let out a whoop. The sheer sight of Cho reminded Harry about his note. Maybe he'd ask Sirius about it! Sirius was currently living in the owlery as a guard dog. Since the owlery was in the school, it would be easy to ask Sirius for advice. By the time Harry had finished thinking, Cho and Missy had gone.
Ten minutes later, a house-elf, beaming proudly, brought breakfast for everyone. When breakfast was over, Harry slipped unnoticed down to the owlery. There, he met a large black dog, which he explained all his girl troubles to. Sirius listened carefully, his dog-ear cocked attentively. When he finished, Sirius sniffed around the room, then started speaking in a low voice.
"You know Harry, I had the same problem as a boy. Girls were after me too, but there was this one certain girl who I really wanted to take. Morgan Finch. Actually, your friend Justin Finch-Fletchley is her son. He smiled doggily, and his tail waved like a plume. I finally just went right up to her when she was by herself and asked her. She said yes. Harry, my advice to you is this: catch her at the right moment, and not by surprise. Smile at her, something, to let her know she has your attention. It doesn't have to be that obvious." Harry nodded slowly.
"I was thinking about writing her a note."
"Bad idea, Harry. If she turns you down, she has the note to use against you, as something. I'm not saying she will," he said when Harry frowned. "Just be cool." At that moment, some students entered the owlery. Harry patted Sirius, then returned to the Gryffindor Tower.
Later that day, Harry was lying on his bed, doing an essay for Professor Binns. Then, he heard sounds coming from the spare bedroom. He got up, and peered through the blurry glass window in the door. Two shapes lay on the bed. The red blur of hair told him it was George and Alicia. He had passed Fred on his way up to the dormitory. He shook off the urge to watch. It really wasn't his business. Then, Ron burst into the room.
"Where's George?" he demanded. Harry pointed to the door, and Ron peered into the room through the window. When he looked back he was grinning. "About time," he said. George has been waiting for this since sixth year." Harry started to feel gloomy. What was it with this romance thing? He had never even had a girlfriend. Why couldn't he find that special someone?