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Harry made his way into the Great Hall for dinner. He was feeling a bit off about the match the next day against Ravenclaw, where he would have to match up against Cho Chang. Although he no longer had a crush on her, he was completely worried about the connections the two of them had to Cedric. Angelina noticed, and hoped he'd be feeling a bit better after some sleep. "Team, Bed!" she called, a little earlier than usual.
Harry woke up dreading the match. Harry walked up to the quittich pitch, dreading the match. He was chanting over and over in his head I'm not playing Cho, I'm playing Ravenclaw... I'm not playing Cho, I'm playing Ravenclaw.... The time before the match seemed to blur blindingly fast. One minute, he was waiting alone at the edge. The next Madame Hooch was stepping out to begin the game. At the whistle, Harry immediately flew high above the game on instinct. Mentally, he was still chanting I'm not playing Cho.... and barely noticed that Cho was marking him like last year. However, it was clear to anyone else that Cho's mind was not in the game either. The spectators that watched the two seekers quickly grew tired of them circling lazily above the field, and watched the quaffle action instead.
What action that was missing in the search for the snitch was easily made up for by the chasers and beaters. Ron seemed to be taking a personal stake in the game. He had already scored 7 times in the first 15 minutes, and intercepted the quaffle three times. Angelina and Alicia were trying hard to match him as well, and the three seemed to be unstoppable. Ginny completed the team, making several spectacular saves. Ravenclaw mounted a valiant effort, though. In particular, their beaters seemed to always be aiming shots at Ron, and even Fred and George couldn't stop them all. The scoring was amazing, and before anyone knew it, the score was 190-40 in favor of Gryffindor.
The score seemed to finally penetrate Harry's mind. 190-40?! Had he really zoned out that much of the game? Seconds later, another Gryffindor goal put the score to 200-40. Harry felt a giant weight fall off his shoulders. It didn't matter now. He didn't need to catch the snitch. Harry's eyes resumed scanning the field with a new energy. He shortly discovered the snitched, and zoomed after it. Cho gamely followed along, but it was clear she wasn't going to stop him. Ron noticed them going after the snitch, and scored as quickly as possible. Harry caught it shortly afterwards, ending the game at 360-40. A high-scoring game, but everyone quietly agreed that it was Potter's most boring game ever.
The next week of classes brought an abrupt change of subjects in most of Harry's classes. In Herbology, they were learning how to tend English Poppy, a magical variety of the common opiate in the muggle world. Ron sniggered until Professor Sprout pointed out that, unlike opium, English Poppy was not hallucinogenic. Hagrid seemed a bit put off as well. Besides muttering about the centaurs, he was instructing them in the care of Sheath Snakes. This seemed odd, especially for Hagrid, since Sheath Snakes were not only merely borderline magical, but passive for the most part. For some reason in Potions, Snape was acting civilly to Harry. Draco, however, was by far worse than ever. He severely tested Harry's new resolution to remain calm. Draco, failing to rile him up, grew increasingly irritated. Lastly, in Divination, Trelawney abruptly ended the Orb section, and started level three palmistry.
"I thought we were doing level three Crystal Balls after orbs," muttered Ron. Of course, Harry knew better – Ron hated Crystal Balls just as much as reading palms.
"Why are all the teachers changing their lesson plans?" wondered Harry.
"I don't know. But I just had an idea. Play along with it," Ron whispered as he was looking at Harry's hand. Suddenly, he screamed loudly. Every eye shot over at him, and he sat there, half-sobbing, half-staring at Harry, and he wailed, "I'm s-s-sorry!"
By now, Harry had caught on. He stage whispered to Ron, "What did you see, Ron?"
"I, er, didn't see anything." Ron appeared to be panicking.
By now Professor Trelawney had quickly glided over and insisted, "Come now! You have had a clairvoyant insight. What was it?"
Ron appeared to be fighting back tears, although Harry knew he was really fighting back laughter. "I, saw, d-death!" he sobbed, "On the very last week of school, after the finals!"
Now Harry not only had to keep a straight face, but look doomed as well. "No! But those predictions you made the last month!"
"What predictions?" Trelawney asked. Clearly she had thought Ron was incapable of divination, but was quickly changing her mind.
Harry answered, with his lip quivering, "Ron predicted Alicia's name being chosen for Hogwarts champion. He wasn't even surprised when the name came out. And there were others. And they all came true!" Harry sobbed hysterically on his desk. Most of his fellow Gryffindors realized that this was an act, and were sniggering to themselves. Lavender and Patil, however, looked like they were restraining themselves from running over and comforting Harry.
Ron gently patted Harry on the shoulder, and then spoke softly to Professor Trelawney, "Er… Maybe I should take him back to the commons?"
Trelawney looked sympathetically at Harry's crying figure, and gently nodded. Ron guided the grieving Harry Potter down the trap door, waited until they were safely out of hearing range, and broke down laughing. "I, saw, d-death!" Harry howled, "You were brilliant!"
"What about you, all those nice tears!" Ron gasped, rolling on the floor.
Finally, when they were only chortling, as opposed to crying with mirth, Harry said to Ron, "You know, I have to thank you. Not only did you get us out of Divination, but the old bat's going to feel sorry for me the entire year!"
"No, I need to thank you! Now she thinks I'm an actual diviner!" Ron replied.
"Hmmm... Maybe we should spread a rumor at the end of the year I nearly died." Harry suggested.
"No, even better! A death eater, while under the polyjuice potion, looking like you!" Harry and Ron burst into laughter again. It was going to be a fun year in divination.
Harry had a strange dream that night. Voldemort was in his chambers, and there were three death eaters with him. Apparently, one of them had just said something wrong, because Voldemort was extremely angry. The death eaters cowered before him, and Voldemort sat glaring at them, not saying anything. He sat glaring for several seconds before Harry thought, Well? What's going on? However, he was completely mystified, though, because no one said anything, or even moved. Gradually, the dream grew dim, and for once Harry wished the dream would continue. He woke up, as if from a nightmare, but he wasn't scared. And his scar wasn't hurting him! What was going on!
Lucius looked anxiously at his master, alongside Crabbe and Goyle. Clearly the news angered him, but remembering Voldemort's earlier announcement, said nothing more. Voldemort said nothing either. After an infinitely long minute, Voldemort's anger seemed to fade, and he turned to Lucius.
"Keep trying. They are seers, no doubt they already knew you were after them. But I need one of their hooves. You are dismissed," Voldemort commanded.
Harry was sitting in the Great Hall, eating his dinner, when he was joined by Ron and Hermione.
"So, how do you two think Alicia will do tomorrow?" Harry asked them.
"I don't know Harry. Don't you have more important things to worry about?" Hermione asked him.
"Well, I think I'll do ok as a guardian. I'm not that worried about it," Harry replied.
"I don't mean that. Don't you think you should be more concerned with the fact you only have 7 more months to live," Hermione asked sarcastically. Harry let out a little guilty grin. Suddenly, a leprechaun appeared with a poof at the end of the Gryffindor table, and started walking down towards the other end. People around the hall grew quiet and watched, and suddenly the leprechaun stopped in front of Harry, and announced, "Singing leprechaun for Mr. Harry Potter."
"NO!" Harry cried, but it was too late.
"Ohhhhhhhh… Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di, Oh Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di…" the Leprechaun sang, dancing to his Irish Drinking Song.
"There once was a boy named Potter
What a crazy guy
He couldn't ride a broomstick
Yet he still tried to fly
He tried to be a seeker
To be a snitch hound
Five minutes into the game
He ploughed right into the ground!
Oh, Aye-de-di-de-di…"
But it wasn't over. The leprechaun's song went for 7 more verses, ranging from how the boy named Potter had no family, to having a mudblood of a best friend (several people looked angry when the leprechaun sang that word), finally ending in a verse declaring the boy named Potter to be a failed wizard. After the song, the Leprechaun poofed away, sending out green and silver sparkles which spelled out the words 'Slytherin Rules' before falling to the ground.
Harry could feel every eye in the hall on him. But he couldn't help but chuckle. He then burst out laughing, along with Fred, George, and Ron. "I've never had someone go through so much effort to insult me?" Harry wheezed, "A rhyming Irish drinking song! Oh… Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di"
Fred, George, and Ron chimed in, "Oh, Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di"
"There once was a guy named Potter," Harry sang in a bad Irish accent, and then looked at Ron.
"Who lived in Gryffindor," Ron decided to play along
"He'll catch the snitch each game," Fred sang
"Of that you can be shore," George sang, apparently pleased he came up with a rhyme for 'Gryffindor' The four looked at Ginny, who was next down the line at the table.
"Up in the air on his broomstick" Ginny stammered.
"Flying really fast!" Lee Jordan sang.
"Zooming all over the place," Colin sung excitedly.
"Um… no game can ever last?" Hermione sang hesitantly. She clearly didn't like having to come up with rhymes at the top of her head.
Then the guys all sang, "Oh…. Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di. Oh, Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di"
"Then there were brave George and Fred," George sang, starting a new round
"The handsomest of the lot," belted Fred.
"Of course when they tell you this," sang Harry,
"Their eyes are surely shot," croaked Ron, after which Fred and George both yelled "Hey!" Then the four turned to the female chasers to their other side.
"You guys are crazy!" Alicia said, clearly not in a singing voice.
"You guys are seriously nuts." Angelina added. Both seemed to think the song was over.
"You know, they're both right," Hermione added.
"No ifs, ands, or buts!" Fred and George cried, and the majority of the table chimed in "Oh…. Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di. Oh, Aye-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di-de-di!" to end the song, while Alicia and Angelina both slapped their forehead and moaned. All the Gryffindors laughed, and the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws all cheered. The Slytherins simply stared at the Gryffindors, obviously thinking they were insane.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back up to the common room, they heard Alicia and Angelina talking.
"That was partly your fault, Angelina!" Alicia said, laughing.
"My fault? How is that?" Angelina chuckled.
"Oh come on! You couldn't think of a word harder to rhyme with than 'nuts'? You should've used 'wacko' or something!" Alicia poked.
"I'll have to remember that when I encounter a group of people pretending to be drunk Irish singers," laughed Angelina. Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't help laugh too. And the whole singing affair had certainly taken Alicia's worries away about the next day.
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Good call, Atheis and Aeris! I was worried that no one would have seen 'Whose Line Is It Anyways?' and not get the Irish Drinking Song. I also loved the back/thwack rhyme!
Oh, next chapter: the First Task! Oh yeah! But I have to warn you – I've been posting about 2 chapters a day. But I've got Computer Science projects up the kazoo, so I think I'll only be able to fit in 1 a day now. And the projected amount of chapters is 20, so the end should hopefully be posted by the end of next week (hopefully)
Thanks all for reviewing! Keep in coming! I saw Harry eyeing McGonagall… lol