Chapter 4- Harry Learns a Lesson: Never EVER Upset Angelina Johnson
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"So what got you into trouble?" Fred asked Harry as he sat down next to him on Filtch's moldy couch. Mrs. Norris followed Harry, purring and wrapping her bony body around his legs.
"Was carrying dungbombs," Harry answered, ignoring the cat as best he could. "And I also was caught down a hallway that was off limits."
Fred winced. "Ouch, tough one for you. Well, George and I got it from Filtch for testing one of our new experimental tricks on him. Don't quite know why he took it so bad, really... " A smirk crossed his face.
"Which one was it?" Harry asked curiously.
"It was item #117 the 'color cleaner'," George answered. "It was Fred's brilliant idea to replace Filtch's old floor clearer with our own, but for some reason the old sod didn't like it...." He shrugged clearly bewildered. "After all, I thought the Entrance Hall floors looked better in pink."
"Much more cheerful at least," Fred commented.
Harry struggled to hold back a laugh. After all, this wasn't the first time Fred and George had gotten in trouble with performing "experiments" on Flitch to help in perfecting their tricks to their future Joke shop "Weasley Wizard Wheezes".
"I have a question for you, Harry," George said, drawing Harry out of his thoughts.
"Yeah?"
George pointed down at his feet. "Why's Mrs. Norris hanging on your leg like that?"
Harry was slightly taken back and looked down at the dusty furred car on his leg. "Oh! Um, well, you see I ran into this little problem a little while ago, and accidentally drank this potion. It seems to--."
"What, makes cats love you?" Fred guessed before he could finish. "Oh, mum made us a potion like that once. It was for Socks, our old cat we used to own."
"Oh yeah. I remember him," George said in remembrance. "Good ol' Socks. Spiteful thing, he was! Mean all over. He wasn't always mean though..."
"Yeah, but ever since that incident with that haywire broomstick, he never really was the same," Fred stated.
"I'd never known a cat to yowl so loudly before," George stated. "I thought Mum was going to kill you for sure with that one, Fred."
"But it was your idea, George," Fred reminded him.
"Well, it was your broom," George pointed out.
Fred shrugged. " Mum fixed him up all right in the end - made us drink a Cattus Charus potion. Nasty stuff, but made him friendlier then a kitten."
"That is, until you set that firecracker off on his tail."
"Must have set a record with how high he flew though," Fred mused. He sighed. "It really was ashamed Mum got rid of him after that. He was a fun pet." Silence followed for a moment between the twins as if to reverence the departed cat. "So anyway," Fred said at last, looking back over at Harry. "How'd you get a hold of it, huh? Mess up in Potions class?"
"No," Harry said slowly, turning a bit red. "Actually, it's not that type of potion at all. It's an Amorae Potion."
"What!" The twins' mouths fell open.
"What?" Harry said, confused at their horror-stricken faces.
They were both looking at him wide-eyed.
"You got infected by the Amorae Potion? But that stuff's illegal! You can go to Azkaban for that!"
"I can go to Azkaban?" Harry said in surprise. A picture played in his mind of himself wearing the exact rags Sirius had worn when he met him, hunched over with his eyes sunken in, sitting alone in a cell at Azkaban. His insides turned cold at the mere thought of the Dementors. "It wasn't my fault though," he protested in a scared voice, "Ginny was the one who gave it to me."
"Ginny?" both the twins exclaimed at the same time.
"Why?" George demanded.
"How?" Fred said at the same time.
Harry hesitated. "Well, she sort of didn't mean to. I took it from her actually."
Harry then explained to the twins what exactly happened.
"Wow! This is unbelievable!" Fred said after he had finished.
"I know," Harry muttered miserably, the idea of Azkaban was still looming in his mind.
"And to think I wasn't there to see Ron's face when you were on the floor snogging Hermione!" Fred said with great regret.
"We were not snogging!" Harry said indignantly.
"Well this explains Mrs. Norris and all," George said thoughtfully; "but one more question for you, Harry: How'd you get down to that forbidden corridor area? Fred and I have been trying for a week now to get there, but the stairs kept changing and leading us to McGonagall's bedroom. Gave her a nasty bit of a shock last time too, walking in on her when she had her hair up in curlers and a bathrobe on. Mind you, neither one of us was too happy to see her either." George grimaced at the frightful memory. "The crazy woman! Don't know why she got so upset. Made us clear toilets for a week. Without magic too!"
"Took thirty points from Gryffindor also. And it's her own house!" Fred fumed.
"McGonagall was really the reason I ran into the hallway," Harry admitted. "I was, uh, running away from her and Hermione after I caste a banishing charm on her."
Fred blinked. "You attacked McGonagall?" he asked calmly. Then his voice grew to a pitch not so calm. "What the hell's wrong with you? That woman's a walking time bomb. She could kill you just by looking at you."
"Well, I didn't have very many options!" Harry said, annoyed. "The alternative would've been far worse."
Fred laughed. "Oh man you're in so much trouble! I can just see the look on McGonagall's face when she gives you detention."
"Hey Harry, can I have your Firebolt?" George asked hopefully. "I figure that since you probably won't need it after McGonagall's murdered you, it might as well go to good use."
"George!" Fred said in reproach.
Harry glanced at Fred appreciatively until...
"That's not fair! I should have Harry's broom!"
Harry's face fell. 'Why did I tell them this?' he wondered to himself.
Suddenly something interrupted his thoughts. It was a loud noise at Filtch's door. It was a sound like someone fiddling with the lock though Harry wasn't sure. He sharply glanced at the doorknob on the door and saw it turn from left to right quickly as someone tested it.
"Hey guys, be quiet for a second," he ordered to Fred and George who were still arguing over who got to have his broom.
They broke off from their talk and looked over at Harry.
There was another sound from the doorway and a muttered word. Suddenly the door flew open and their eyes fell on a girl standing with her wand out in front of her. She smirked in triumph and pocketed her wand.
"Miss me, guys?" she asked happily to Fred and George who were gapping at her in absolute amazement.
"A-Angelina?" Fred stammered.
Angelina giggled and struck a pose. "In the flesh," she said, tossing one of her dark braids out of her face. "And at your service too."
"But what are you doing here?"
"Why, helping you guys, of course! You do want to get out of Filtch's office, don't you?"
George's jaw dropped. "You mean, you're breaking the rules to help us? But this is unbelievable for you. You never break the rules! What about being Head Girl?"
Angelina shrugged. "Who cares about all that, George! Though I am mainly helping you in return for Fred doing me that favor last week with the frogs."-- Fred's cheeks reddened a bit. "Oh hi, Harry!" Angelina said, just noticing Harry. "What are you doing in here with these two losers?"
Harry gulped, eyeing Angelina nervously. The now captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina stood even taller then him. She was strong. She was fast. In other words, a greater worry to him then Hermione. The potion seemed to be triggered by touch, but was he to be sure of this? Was it really safe to answer her, or could his voice possibly trigger it?
Fred and George exchanged glances, both seemingly thinking along the same lines as Harry.
A confused look crossed Angelina's face as she observed them. Clearly she had expected more praise for what she had done then this.
"Hey, what's up with you guys?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "I come here, breaking about ten rules in the process, and save you guys from Filtch and all you can do is stare at me like I've grown two heads! What, is my mascara smearing or something?"
"Erm..." Fred shot Harry a glance, looking as though he had come up with a decision, then jumped up from his seat quickly and went to Angelina, taking her by the elbow. "Listen, Angel, we're really grateful for you helping us out and all," he said, though his sincerity was fooling nobody, "but I really must ask that you come with me for a second. I have some-- er-- important things to talk to you about."
Angelina looked Fred in bewildered suspicion as well as hurt. She seemed to understand that they didn't want her there and resisted him as he tried to pull her away from the room. "What's so important that you can't tell me in front of George and Harry?" she asked.
"I---uhh-- it's romantic wishy-washy stuff, ok? I don't want Harry and George to hear me if you take my meaning."
"I don't." Angelina whipped her arm away from Fred and glared at him. "What are you really up to, Fred Weasley? You've never said anything romantic to me ever! And as for whishy-washy stuff, I'm surprised you'd even know the term considering for Valentines last year you got me a box of Dungbombs."
George snickered, and Fred blinked in surprise. "But I thought you'd like the--... I mean...uh.... That's completely beside the point! Can't you just trust me and listen for once, Angelina?"
In answer, Angelina turned towards Harry.
He quickly tried to avoid meeting her gaze as if she was a Basilisk who would kill him if he looked straight at her eyes.
"Harry, I demand that you tell me what Fred and George are up to this minute! Why is Fred behaving like a total creep and..." --She then noticed something strange-- "wait a second... What the hell is wrong with Ms. Norris?"
Harry fidgeted uncomfortably as Angelina stared down at the love-struck cat busy licking his shoes, purring exceptionally loud. He tried to think of a satisfactory lie that she could believe, but his mind came up blank and he merely stuttered out a few 'ers' and 'ums' while trying not to look like he was hiding something.
Angelina glare turned from Harry's to Fred's then to George's slightly guilty faces. She was getting extremely annoyed now. "What have you guys done now, huh? Intoxicated Ms. Norris?" she accused.
Then, much to Harry's horror, she stepped further into the room, towards him. He gasped and jumped back.
"NOOO!!"
Instantly Fred ran to stop her and George sprang from his seat, shielding her from Harry who fell behind the couch.
"What the-- Fred Weasley! You get your hands off me this instant!" Angelina shrieked, as Fred wrapped his arms around her shoulders, picked her up, and forcefully pulled her back away from Harry. She kicked her legs and waved arms violently. "What-- I ---Aggg! That's it, you guys! I'm getting really pissed now!" she screamed.
"Angelina, just listen to us for a moment!" Fred said through clinched teeth as he strained to keep Angelina back and her hands away from his face. "W-We're doing this for your own good! Harry's been effected with a potion at the moment and--"
Fred stopped talking quite abruptly as Angelina's broke free and spun around. WHAP! Her fist made hard contact with his face causing him to reeled and fall back in a shocked daze.
Harry winced from behind the couch where he was watching. Guilt pricked at his conscious. 'I should help them,' he thought to himself.
"Argg!!" George went flying back next, sporting a black eye similar to that of Fred's. Angelina let out a wild cry and jumped on top of George and Fred, her fists flying. Harry paled and averted his eyes from the inhuman scene. A loud cracking noise filled the room and an agonized yelp came from George.
Harry shrank back behind the couch, quivering. 'Er, on second thought, I think I'll just stay put actually... Fred and George are big boys. They can handle this...'
A nauseous feeling just like what he had felt when he first took the Amorae potion rose in his stomach. He groaned
and sank deeper underneath the couch.
"Angelina I'm telling you! You're making a big mistake!" Fred yelled with one of his hands over his blackening eye and the other uplifted at Angelina who had taken a break and was towered over him, her fists still clinched tightly and breathing hard.
"A big mistake, eh?" Angelina said angrily. "The only big mistake I've made, Fred Weasley, was ever going out with you to begin with." She gave a gruff laugh. "Here I was, sticking my neck out for you two to help you, and you repay me by attacking me!"
George and Fred grimaced and shrank back from her. George was dabbing his nose with his sleeve to stop the blood that was pouring out of it.
Angelina glared at them in disgust then swung around and focused her eyes on Harry who was trying to remain unseen behind the couch with his head underneath his arms.
'Oh God! Here she comes!' Harry thought in terror as the sound of footsteps coming towards him met his ears. He cowered deeper into his arms, too scared to look over the edge of the couch and see how close she was.
Angelina stomped over to him, going behind the couch, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him to his feet-- not hard, but forcefully enough for him to obey.
Harry fought with all he had in him to get free as soon as she touched him, but resistance was futile and Angelina's grip didn't change one iota. "Come on, Harry," she said loudly, ignoring his pulling and straining to get away from her. "I'm not going to let you stay here with such_ violent_ people as these!" (Fred and George whimpered while nursing their wounds. 'I think she broke me arm,' Harry heard George whisper to Fred in agony.) "You're coming with me to see McGonagall so I can inform her, since I am a Perfect, to subtract ten points from Gryffindor for the Weasley twins vulgar conduct."
"B-but...b-but..." Harry stammered as he tried to squeeze his hand out of her grasp. Angelina let go and grabbed his elbow.
"No 'buts'!" she shouted. Harry gulped and held his tongue. "It's bad enough that I had to put up with Fred and George's bullying, so I am certainly not going to take any from you!"
She lugged Harry forward with her, practically carrying him towards the doorway. Harry felt something at his feet and looked down to find Ms. Norris stalking beside him, her yellow eyes glowing at him in love. The sick feeling in his stomach increased.
"Oh no!" he muttered as the pain escalated. He stopped dead at the doorway and doubled over, grabbing his sides. "Oooooow," he moaned weakly. It felt to him like a volcano had gone off inside him. He wanted to throw up, but yet somehow couldn't. All he could do was hold his stomach and moan.
"Harry?"
"It hurts!.... A-A pain," was all Harry could say. His eyes began to mist over.
Angelina let go of his arm in alarm and squatted down in front of him, worried. "Harry? Harry, tell me what's wrong? Are you sick?"
"D-Dont... touch....me!" Harry said in agony as Angelina reach to grab his arm again. "P-Potion....will....be....trigg..trigg...Ahhh!" Another wave of nausea hit him.
"Potion? What potion? Harry, what's the matter with you? I don't under-" Angelina reached forward and held Harry's arm, but as soon as their skin made contact, it happened- "-stand...I..uh..." Angelina's eyes widened and her mouth opened. She yanked her hand back as if she got shocked and got to her feet quickly again.
Almost like it had never been there, the pain in his stomach subsided suddenly, and Harry opened one of his eyes to stare up at Angelina. A feeling of great dread replacing the nausea he had. He straightened back up and took a step back.
"H-Harry?" Angelina whispered, her eyes looking confused. "Why didn't you tell....I feel so....I..." Her voice dropped to a sort of purr-like whisper. "You know, Harry, your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen....So green... and so very... very... very... very pretty!"
Harry took another step back away from Angelina. His mind reverted back to their last Quidditch practice. The image of Angelina weaving in and out between players, always managing to catch the quaffle while evading bludgers played very vividly in his mind. She was obviously very fast-- faster then him by far, had great hand-eye coordination, great aim (she hardly ever missed the goal post), and a determination unmatched by anyone else on the team except maybe for Katie Bell. 'And myself,' Harry thought as he reached for his wand in his back pocket contemplating whether to try and escape first or just use the leg-locker curse on her and be done with it. He was sure she would understand him doing it once she realized why....
A slight groan came from behind him where George and Fred still were.
Actually, maybe she wouldn't.... Making up his mind, Harry got ready to make a run for it as soon as Angelina tried anything...By the look on her face, Harry had a feeling that would be any second now.