Kateydidnt: Okay. . .first of all, did you reread it? ::Winces:: I hope it
made sense the second time through. I'll go ahead and answer your questions
though. Harry was crushed to death, but he was brought back to life as
described later in the chapter. Second, remember when the Chosen One took
Harry's body from Sirius and the others? It was so that Voldemort would be
killed in the afterlife as well. . .Voldemort threw the knife at him right
before he died there for good. If you still have any questions, feel free
to e-mail me and I'll be glad to answer them.
Rachel A. Prongs: Yes, well you were the only person to at least voice the correct idea! Yay! Go you! Lol, yeah, I came up with the bed part at like one in the morning. . .I thought it was funny, glad someone else thinks so, too!
Englishgirl: Thanks! And of course I had to give Cedric his due! Poor chap died far too young. . .::Moment of silence:: At least now he gets to say goodbye to Cho someway.
Mell: Wow, if you spent 5 reading this, then, to put it simply, I'm honored! Thanks for the review! Brought back all those good memories in the story. . . I liked it when Harry said that to Voldie, too. Seemed appropriate, didn't it? As for being paper thin. . .I was gonna cut that part out, but, if you think about it, what else do you expect? Death by nose, I know. . .what a way to go. . . One more thing. . .the Chosen One being a girl. . .GIRLS ROCK! Snape's letter. . .well. . .kinda. . .Thanks for the review! I really like getting the longs ones! ::Gets shifty eyes:: I'll just be taking that cookie now. . .
Silver Angel: Small? How about a big festival? I'm planning something like that for ********! It's bound to be loads of fun! Oops, did I bleep that out? Shucks, I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out. . .::Grins evilly:: I know, you hate me. . . The end is near, though. . .so depressing. . .can I count you in for the sequel?
Istalksiriusonweekends: Happy are you? That's good! We're all happy here! Thanks for the review!
Maggie: ::Crouches behind the desk:: Would you kill me if I told you you're not going to find out into the epilogue? That's what I thought. . .if it'll make you feel any better, the epilogue's next chapter!
LaDee Night: Did you really? Oh gosh, sorry 'bout that. . .doh! I feel bad now! And yes, I do believe you're on the mailing list? Why? You wanna be taken off?
EriEka127: Glad you love it! And here's the update!
Amy: Thanks! I like the way I brought him back too! Ronnish. . .I like it. I'll have to start using that. . . ::Sigh:: Yes, the end is near. . .Is anyone else depressed or is it just me? Oh well. . .I'll get over it. . .my little baby's almost all growed up!
Danny's Girl: You say boo, I say yay! ::Takes out noise makers:: Yay! No more killer rodents! I'm safe! Sorry 'bout your writer's block. . .anything I can do to help?
Vaness: A MILLION!? THAT'S THE MOST I'VE EVER GOTTEN IN ONE GO!!! THANKS! Wow, a million points for one chapter. . .don't I feel special? Thanks again! Here's the next chapter. . .probably not a million points worth but. . .
Sugar Quill: More, more, more! Here it is! Hope you love it like the other chapters!
Maxwell Coffee House: . . .Thanks. . .I think. . . Lol, short and to the point, I like it! Thanks for the review!
Angelic Demon16: Three days!? Wow! That's a lot of time. . .thanks for investing it on my story! By the way, welcome to my story. . .and my mailing list! I'm so glad you like my story. . .but what chapter almost made you cry? The one when Harry died?
Charlie: Thanks! What a nice thing to say! Does it really get better every time? Wow, what an inspiration! Yay! I'll get that book published yet! And yes, I know. . .HARRY'S BACK! Never gets old! Aw! He's too cute; I couldn't kill him off for good! I'll keep trying to write 'more beautiful stuff.' Thanks!
CCS Rox: Everyone seems to be dying of curiosity as to where Harry's going. . .is it really that interesting? ::Shrugs:: Oh well. You'll find out, but you gots ta wait for the epilogue. . .and that's next chapter! Thanks for the review!
Potterfreak: Thanks! I'll keep going. . .almost through though. .
Wanted: Love
Ch34: Tying up Loose Ends
Harry sat in a carriage with Ron, Lavender, and Hermione. An hour after he had left with Fawkes, Harry had returned, smiling broadly. He had refused to tell them where he had been, saying they would find out in due time. This didn't go over too well with any of them, but after Dumbledore announced that the school would be allowed to visit Hogsmeade in celebration of Harry's return, it was all but forgotten.
"This is great! I haven't been to Hogsmeade in over a year!" Harry said, leaning back, "I should come back from the dead more often."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Harry, and we should try harder in Divination."
Lavender nodded heatedly at this, but the other three burst out into laughter as the carriage came to a halt.
"Excellent! We're here!" Ron exclaimed, jumping out of the carriage, quickly followed by his companions.
The town seemed busier than any of them remembered it, probably because the threat of being killed was next to none again.
"Good thing I brought this," Harry said, pulling out his invisibility cloak.
"You're not going actually use that are you?" Ron whined.
"Unless you want me to be accidentally mobbed to death by everyone in town," Harry laughed.
"Yeah, Ron. In case you've forgotten, everyone thinks he's dead," Hermione pointed out.
Ron sighed, "I know. . .it's kind of hard to have a conversation with someone who isn't there, though."
"Not my problem," Harry laughed.
"Gee, you're sensitivity is really touching, Harry," Ron said sarcastically as Harry pulled on the cloak.
He disappeared under the silver material and together the four made their way to Three Broomsticks. Quite a few students were already there, but, as none saw Harry, they ignored the them. Once seated at a table in the back, Ron and Lavender left to get drinks for the four of them.
"It's good to be back," Harry said quietly so no one but Hermione would hear him.
"It's good to have you back," Hermione said out of the corner of her mouth.
"So, I never got the chance to ask you. How did you like the gift I gave you?" Harry asked, and Hermione was positive that he was staring at her.
She turned to where she thought he was and stared at where she thought his head was, "It was the best thing anyone's ever given me."
Hermione felt something brush by her ear followed by a gentle, "Glad you like it."
She blushed and looked down as Ron and Lavender returned with the drinks.
"Oi, Harry, where are you, mate?" Ron asked in his normal voice.
Lavender hit him upside the head, "Say it a little louder why don't you, Ron? That's a group of reporters over there if you haven't noticed."
"Are you serious?" Harry asked, looking over to a table by the window where six or seven reporters and photographers sat, "Damn. . .just my luck."
"Just keep quiet and they'll never know," Lavender said before gaining a look of puzzlement, "Er. . .Harry. . .where *are* you?"
"Next to 'Mione."
"Right, I knew that," she said, putting a cup of butterbeer on the table.
"So what do you all want to do this summer?" Harry asked, his hand appearing only long enough to pull the cup under the cloak.
"I don't know. Things have certainly changed this year, huh?" asked Ron, leaning back.
"Yeah. . .it all worked out, though. I got everything I wanted," Harry said.
The three looked intrigued, "What would that be?"
"You should know that," Harry said, laughing.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Harry turned to see an entourage of paparazzi racing towards him. Apparently, his laughter had shaken the cloak off his shoulder, because now his head was "floating" in midair. Everyone in the store froze and turned to see the Boy-Who-Lived's head.
"GHOST!" someone from the front of the story shouted.
Screams filled the store. Ghosts weren't anything new for them, after all, they were witches and wizards, but floating heads were a completely different story.
Harry looked anxiously back to his friends, "So much for staying undetected, huh?"
"Harry, you better take that thing off before they call in the Aurors," Hermione had to shout over the noise to be heard.
Harry nodded and took off the cloak, "Hey! You can stop running! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Silence slowly fell over the store as every turned to see Harry standing next to his friends, complete in a body of flesh and blood.
"Er. . .guys. . ." Harry whispered as everyone continued to stare, "I think we better go while we still can. . ."
The three nodded and the four quickly made their way to the exit. Right at the door, however, Harry felt someone grab his arm.
He turned and saw a reporter gawking at him before turning to his fellow reporters, "It's him! He isn't dead!"
The reporter turned back to Harry, "Mr. Potter! How did you manage to escape death!? Is You-Know-Who really gone for good!? How did you do it!? How did you come back!?"
"Er. . .no comment. . ." Harry leaned to his friends, "Let's get out of here!"
"Right!" Ron said, before kicking the reporter in the groin and grabbing Harry's free arm, "Let's move it!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lavender raced out of the store as quick as they could, a gaggle of people chasing after them.
"Are you sure it wasn't better to just let them call the Aurors?" Harry called over his shoulder as they darted down an alley.
"If you kept your cloak on this wouldn't be a problem!" Ron shouted, though he sounded rather like he was enjoying himself.
"Just shut up and run. . ." Harry said as they climbed over a tall wall, blocking the exit to the alley. They landed on the other side and brushed themselves off, leaning against the wall.
"Glad that's over," Lavender gasped out as she caught her breath.
"Oh crap. . ." Harry's eyes widened, as well as the others.
They had just jumped into the backyard of the Daily Prophet's headquarters. Photographers and reporters crowded the yard and stared at the four of them, Harry in particular. Harry quickly started pushing his friends in the direction of the gate, and not a moment too soon. Just as they reached the main street of Hogsmeade, though, a loud rumbling of many people racing after them echoed up into the sky.
"Here!" Lavender said, pulling the other three to the side of the street and shoving abandoned copies of the paper into their hands.
The big crowd of paparazzi from the Daily Prophet had apparently met up with the other group of reporters and such and the whole lot of them came charging down the street. Quickly, the four sat on a bench, crossed their legs, and held the newspapers in front of their faces.
The mob of people rushed passed them and the four carefully poked their head over the tops of the papers. Seeing that they were temporarily in the clear, they tossed the papers to the side and ran in the opposite direction. They were almost at the carriages that would take them back up to Hogwarts when, out of no where, the mob of people cut in between them and the carriages.
"This is *not* good!" Hermione said as they slowly backed up, "Not good, not good, this is definitely not good!"
"This way, hurry!" Harry said, pulling them towards the Shrieking Shack.
"You'd think they do this for a living!" Ron panted, obviously not used to having to run so much.
"Earth to Ron, they *do* do this for a living!" Lavender said, almost hitting them over the head when something suddenly pulled all four of them into some nearby brush.
Sirius, Remus, and Tali put their hands over the teens' mouths as the mob of people rushed by. As the sound of the mob died down, the adults let up their hands.
"Forget something?" Remus asked, pulling out a quill.
"The portkey!" Harry said, hitting his head.
"You mean we nearly got killed, and it all could have been avoided if we remembered that stupid quill?" asked Ron.
"To put it shortly," Tali nodded.
"Come on, we better get back to Hogwarts before they find us," Remus said, holding out the quill.
They all touched it and were instantly jerked back to Hogwarts. After steadying himself, Harry saw Dumbledore smiling.
"I'm glad to see that you made it out of there in one peace," he said, eyes twinkling.
"Yes, well, I don't think I'll be able to step one foot out of this castle safely again for a while," Harry said, shaking his head.
"Which is why I decided to help speed up the process some," Dumbledore said.
"What?" asked Harry, getting a feeling that something was up.
"Harry, I know you're not going to like this but. . .I've just set up a date for a press conference," Dumbledore said, cutting to the point.
Harry's mouth dropped open and he faced a nearby wall before beginning to hit his head into it repeatedly. Everyone gained smiles at his subtle antics, but Sirius pulled Harry away from the wall. Harry rubbed his forehead, where he had been hitting it, which was rather red.
"Do I have to?" he asked reluctantly.
Dumbledore nodded and Harry sighed, "When is it?"
"Tomorrow."
**************
Harry ran through the halls of Hogwarts. This was definitely not a good thing. How was he supposed to arrive on time if no one woke him up? Now he had three minutes to get to Dumbledore's office so they could Floo over to the Ministry building where the press conference was going to be held.
"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!" he shouted as he rushed past the students in the halls.
They called out after him, wishing him luck and saying that they would be watching. That was another thing that Harry hadn't been too pleased to find out. Apparently, the whole conference was going to be displayed in every single fireplace in the world that was connected to the Floo system.
To Harry it was bad enough to have to face a room full of hero-crazy witches and wizards, but now the entire world was going to be watching him. He turned a corner and collided into none other than Cho Chang, causing both to fall to the floor.
"Damn! That's the third time today!" Harry exclaimed, standing up and rubbing his rump with one hand and extending the other to Cho, "Sorry 'bout that."
"It's no problem. I expect you're running late," she said with a smile as he helped her to her feet.
"How'd you know that?" Harry asked, surprised.
"With the way you're running, I sort of guessed," Cho said.
Harry rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "That obvious, huh?"
"Well, there's that, and the fact that your conference starts in ten minutes," she laughed, too.
"And two minutes to get to Dumbledore's office," Harry sighed.
"You better get going, then," Cho said, stepping out of his way.
"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said, taking off again but very quickly stopping and turning around, "Oh! Before I forget I have something for you."
Cho looked at him curiously, "What?"
Harry walked back to her and pulled out the letter and box with the necklace in it that Cedric had given him. Cho took the items and instantly recognized the handwriting on the envelope.
"Cedric," she whispered inaudibly.
Harry gave a small smile, "He visited me before I came back. He wanted me to give those to you."
Cho looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly around the neck, "Thank you!"
Harry hugged her back, "It's no problem. It's the least I can do for the two of you. . ."
She sniffed and let go, "Still, thank you."
"Yes, well, I better be going. . ." Harry said, staring down the corridor.
"Right. I'll be watching you," she said with a smile, envelope and box clutched to her chest.
Harry sighed and shook his head, "As will everyone else. . ."
She laughed, "You better get going. You have about a minute now."
Harry looked down at his wizard watch, grimaced, and took off running again, "See you later, Cho!"
He sprinted the rest of the way to the gargoyle blocking the entrance to Dumbledore's office and was only a minute or two late. Luckily, his friends were waiting outside for him, all wearing dress robes. Ron's was a deep blue, Lavender was in a soft pink color, and Hermione was in purple. Harry could have hit himself upside the head. How could he have forgotten that he was supposed to wear dress robes?
"Little late there, Harry," Lavender smiled as Harry fell against them, panting heavily.
"Well if someone would have woken me up. . ."
"Oh, so now you're blaming us for your laziness?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry smiled and nodded. Hermione looked at Ron and Lavender who nodded at her. Simultaneously, the three moved out from under Harry's weight, who promptly fell to the floor.
"Ow!" he exclaimed as he collided with it, "That's four times now!"
His friends laughed and Ron extended his hand, "A bit clumsy today?"
"A bit," Harry said as he took Ron's hand and stood up.
"Come on, we better get going before we're really late," Hermione said, turning to the statue, "Sugar Quill."
"Wouldn't want that," Harry muttered under his breath as the four made their way up to Dumbledore's office.
Sirius, Tali, Remus, Dumbledore, the rest of the Weasleys (even Bill and Charlie), and half of the school's professors were already waiting for them. Without a single word, they were ushered over to the fireplace. Sirius, Remus, and Tali went first; most likely to secure the area before Harry came through, which he thought was rather unnecessary.
Not only were there bound to be hoards of Aurors there, but he was also the most powerful wizard currently living. Harry decided it best not to voice his opinion, though, for he knew it would be ignored. To the rest of the magical community, he was one of the most important wizards to ever exist, and they weren't about to take any chances. Harry knew this, though it didn't make him feel any better.
Sighing, he took his Floo powder and stepped into the fire place, "Ministry of Magic-Conference Room."
Harry felt himself pulled off his feet as he was sucked through the Floo System. Reaching his destination, he stumbled out of the fire place. If one thing had managed to stay the same, he still didn't like to travel by Floo powder. Remus caught him and helped him to brush off the soot on his robes.
"I still say there has to be a better way to travel," Harry said after discovering that the soot was there to stay.
"It's a shame we didn't think to bring a change of clothes," Tali said, mostly to herself.
"Don't bother," Harry said, shaking his head and waving his head.
Instantly, his sooty, black Hogwarts robes were replaced by deep forest green robes. The three adults stared at him as Harry straightened his new robes.
Sensing their eyes on him, Harry looked up, "What?"
They quickly shut their mouths and Sirius laughed, "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you do that."
Harry laughed; he had been right after all. Someone stumbled into him from behind and he turned around to see Ron looking up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the arrival of Hermione and Lavender shut him up temporarily.
"Oi, Harry. When'd you change?" Fred asked, stepping out of the fireplace, having just arrived.
"I was just getting ready to ask that," Ron said, crossing his arms.
"Get over it," Fred said, playfully ruffling his brother's hair.
"Hey!" Ron shouted, swatting his brother's hand away.
"Oi, Harry! What's the big idea? You honestly going to wear Slytherin colors out there?" asked George, coming into the room.
Harry looked down at himself and shrugged, "I didn't really think about it."
He waved his hand again and his robes changed into the same burgundy ones he wore when he first came back. Once again, the new arrivals stared at him.
"That answer your question?" Sirius laughed, looking at them, and they nodded dumbly.
While they waited for the rest of their group to arrive, which really didn't take that long, Harry took in his surroundings. The room was carved completely out of marble. Drapes and tapestries of varying colors decorated the walls as rugs that sank beneath your feet covered the floor. And, just as Harry had expected and dreaded, twenty or so Aurors were stationed at numerous positions around the room.
As they caught sight of Harry looking at them, they smiled and, a few, even bowed. Before he could stop himself, Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. Nope, this definitely wasn't going to work for him. Dumbledore noticed this and smiled.
"They're here for your protection, Harry," he said pointedly.
Harry shook his head again, "I don't need protection."
"There are still some Death Eaters out there. This is just a precaution," Arthur jumped in.
"An unnecessary one," Harry added.
"Conference is starting," said an Auror, walking into the room and bowing at the sight of Harry, "Are you ready, Mr. Potter?"
Harry groaned and hit his hand to his head but waved him off none the less. The Auror looked slightly confused at Harry's behavior but left anyway.
"Remind me why I'm doing this again," Harry said with some dread.
"Look, Harry, I know you don't like public speaking, but you're going to have to explain it sooner or later," Tali said pointedly.
"Can't I just submit it in writing?" Harry asked with forthcoming dread.
Lavender, Hermione, and the Weasley children all snickered at this as Harry gave them a look that clearly stated that he was serious.
"Surely you don't think you can explain it all in a letter?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry thought for a moment, ". . .I could give them Merlin's book."
"You're their hero, kid," Sirius said, gently punching his shoulder, "They want to hear every detail from you."
"I know," Harry said, annoyed, as he shook his head.
"So you're ready?" Remus asked.
He sighed and hunched his shoulders in defeat, "I suppose. . ."
The group made their way to the door where the Aurors in the room had already congregated. Harry gave one last sigh before the doors opened. A bright light and loud chatter met them. Instantly the chatter died down and the Aurors led everyone out of the room and onto a large platform in the front of the room that was already covered in what appeared to be diplomats from other countries.
Once settled in his seat, Harry could see what appeared to be hundreds of reporters and such in the area directly below the platform which he was on. As his eyes traveled across them, they all bowed, and it took every ounce of self-control that he had not to groan and walk out of the room. It wasn't like he was king, why were they bowing to him? In the back of the room a wizard operated what appeared to be a wizarding camera.
All of a sudden, all he wanted to do was squirm. He had been hoping that he had been mistaken about being broadcasted live. . .apparently not.
Dumbledore stood up and walked to the podium centered on the platform. As Fudge was dead and no new Minister had been selected, Harry wasn't really all that surprised that Dumbledore had been chosen to lead the conference. As Dumbledore went through his opening speech, Harry leaned forward on the table in front of him.
". . .And now we will open the floor to questions," said Dumbledore and instantly hands flew up everywhere, but Dumbledore chose a man in the back, "You, sir."
The man stood up, "Mr. Potter, was your death faked to lead You-Know-Who's remaining followers off your trail?"
"No," Harry said.
He was prepared to leave it at that, but a quick look from the others in the room told him otherwise, "I was actually dead for a while; I had to complete the Prophecy. But even if I hadn't, there wouldn't have been much of a point in hiding. Most of Voldemort's followers are either dead or in Azkaban."
Hands shot up again and Dumbledore called another one who stood and spoke, "Mr. Potter, I have two questions. First, you said that you hadn't completed the Prophecy, but you already defeated You-Know-Who. What was left? And second, how is it possible that you came back to life?"
Harry sighed inwardly. He knew these questions would come, and he had also dreaded having to answer them. Quickly as he could, he gave a shorter, less detailed account of what he had already told his friends. He supposed it didn't really matter what he told them. If he knew reporters like he thought he did, they would uncover the rest of the story before too long.
"Mr. Potter, it is rumored that you no longer need your wand to perform magic. Is it true?"
Harry knew the question that was going to follow his answer, "Yes, I have all the Chosen One's powers now, which includes wandless magic."
"Would you mind giving an example?" asked the same witch.
Yep, he had been right. Harry nodded his head before clapping his hands once. Instantly, he vanished from sight and bright fireworks exploded out of no where. Chatter of varied sorts erupted in the room, some of worry as to where he went, some of admiration, some of amusement, and some of all three. The noise settled down after a few minutes, but Harry had yet to reappear.
"Er. . .Harry," said Remus, "You *do* know that you need to come back, right?"
A sigh was heard, "Yeah, I know."
Some looked unnerved at hearing his voice but not seeing him. He quickly relieved this, though, as he reappeared at his seat with a bundle of flowers in his arms. Everyone stared at him a moment until he winked at Hermione and the flowers suddenly appeared in her arms.
She blushed profusely as he smiled at her, "Had to go all the way to New Zealand to find those."
Ron rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about Harry being a show off. Harry simply laughed and playfully shoved Ron, nearly knocking him out of his chair.
The conference went on for another grueling three hours. Harry was fairly sure that he had been asked the same questions a good ten or so times. Finally, it came to an end. Harry couldn't be more elated with that if he had tried. He slumped back in his chair and waited for the Aurors to direct him back to the room he had arrived in. Much to his surprise, however, Dumbledore stood up and walked over to the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the wizarding world, our conference will end momentarily, but first the Ministers of our many countries and I have a small presentation," Dumbledore said and it was then that Harry noticed that the other witches and wizards on the platform had congregated at the other end of the platform.
Harry looked around the room in bewilderment. What were they up to now? Those in the audience didn't seem to know what was going on either, but everyone on the stage smiled knowingly.
"What's going on?" he whispered to Lavender.
She smiled and shrugged, making it painfully obvious that she was lying. Harry pursed his lips to the side as he stared at her, willing her mentally to tell him as Dumbledore droned on to the audience. After several minutes she had yet to give in, so Harry collapsed heavily against the back of his chair.
"---but enough about that," Dumbledore said, casting a fleeting glance at Harry, "They say in order to maintain a healthy heart you should accelerate your heart rate for at least thirty minutes a day. I've known Harry for six years now, and I can quite honestly say that that has never been a problem."
He was about to go on when the crowd broke out into chuckles. Harry grew a small pink tint in his cheeks and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued after it had quieted down, "Mr. Potter has always shown bravery beyond the call of duty. As his Headmaster, I have observed him, and I can say without a doubt that he deserves this honor more than any previous recipient."
'What honor?' he asked himself, staring blankly at those around him.
"So without further ado, I am going to ask Harry to come up here. Harry, if you will."
Harry was a bit reluctant, still not sure what was going on. His friends quickly pushed him up, however, and he soon found himself shaking hands with all the Ministers as he past by. He allowed himself to be steered up to the podium where Dumbledore greeted him with a somewhat uncharacteristic hug.
"Er. . .sir? What's going on?" Harry asked quietly as they broke back into a hand shake.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he turned back to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, this award isn't an easy thing to achieve---"
'Award?' Harry mouthed to himself as he unconsciously raised an eyebrow.
"---It takes the approval of all the Ministers in the world, so I'm certain you'll all join me in congratulating Harry when I tell him that he has been chosen as the next recipient of the Order of Merlin. . .First Class," as Dumbledore said this, every single person in the room stood and cheered.
All his friends had hurried over to him as he fell back a step. They clapped him on the back and hugged him as the Aurors had to work extra hard to keep the mob of reporters off the platform. Harry had a difficult noticing this, though. His eyes were bugging out of his head and his heart felt as though it was preparing to jump out of his chest.
Out of all the things he had prepared himself for that day, this was not one of them. As he began to recover from his shock, he was pretty sure he heard the world erupt in cheers. After a good half hour of approval celebration, the Ministers sent up sparks and a hush slowly fell over the crowd.
Dumbledore took his place at the podium again and beamed at Harry, "Harry, on behalf of man kind, I would like to thank you for saving our world, and it gives me great pleasure to award you the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Once this was said, he stepped to the side. The Minister from Australia, a lean witch with blonde hair, came forward, "Harry, on behalf of Australia, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class."
As she said this, she raised her wand which emitted a pale orange light.
"On behalf of Japan, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class," said a stout man, wand emitting a black glow.
"On behalf of America---"
"On behalf of Russia---"
"---France---"
"---Germany---"
"--- New Zealand---"
"---Italy---"
"---Spain---"
"---Africa---"
More and more of the Ministers joined the others. All their wands emitted a different color, some of which Harry didn't even knew existed. All in all, Harry would have much rather preferred not to receive the award. All these wizards circling him with wands drawn weren't doing anything to comfort him.
'They could have at least told me what they were going to do,' he thought, perturbed, as the Minister of Greece finished giving his mahogany light.
Once his joined the rest, Dumbledore stood in for England, "On behalf of England, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Dumbledore's wand let out a red light. As soon as he let out his country's approval, the lights from all the wands sped towards Harry, arching upward at the last moment. The colors blended together and blocked Harry from view and everyone watched on fascinated.
Harry found himself in a pyramid of brilliant colors. Personally, he didn't understand why they couldn't have just given him a plaque and be done with it. Sighing, he thought that he should know better. Everyone always had to do things the hard way with him. Resigning to whatever awaited him; he looked out into the seemingly endless depths of the many colors.
Several faces stared back at him, none of which he recognized. They all looked just as confused as he did, and it didn't take long for Harry to figure out that these were the other recipients of the award. He briefly wondered if any of them had known what was happening.
His train of thought was cut short, though, by a golden beam of light shooting out of no where and hitting him square in the forehead. Harry felt an odd warmth erupt from his scar and attempted to bring his hand to it, but the beam of light was, surprisingly, solid and blocked him from doing so. The beam of light slowly moved down his body, spreading warmth every inch of the way, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being judged, mentally and physically.
When the beam finally withdrew back into the nothingness it had come from, Harry's vision wavered temporarily. As it started to clear, the pyramid of light slowly disappeared. The faces of the many people in the room stared anxiously at him, as if waiting for a report of what had happened.
All he could manage, however, was a breathless, "Wow."
Harry couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was, but he felt strangely. . .well, there was no other word for it, different. He knew this hardly covered what he felt, but it was all he could come up with at the moment.
"Harry, what happened to your eyes?" Ginny asked as Dumbledore addressed the audience again.
Harry looked at her, "I don't know. What's wrong with them?"
"Hey! Gin's right! What happened to them, Harry?" Bill asked.
Harry rolled his eyes and conjured a mirror. For a moment, he didn't see anything different, but then he saw it. His eyes. They were right. They had changed. Dumbledore's oh-so-characteristic twinkle in the eye had manifested itself in his own emerald pools.
He brought his hand up to touch his eyes, but found his glasses blocking the way. Thinking for a minute, he suddenly banished the mirror.
"I'm not sure what happened. . ." he started.
"It's the mark of the Order of Merlin," said Greenland's Minister, leaning in.
"O-oh," was the general consensus.
"I'm certain he wouldn't mind, would you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, turning to him.
"Huh?" Harry asked, rotating his attention back to the conference.
"It has been requested that you give a small speech."
Before he could control himself, Harry let out of groan of disapproval, "Is it really necessary?"
"It would be nice, yes."
"I don't have anything to say," Harry confessed, just loud enough for those on the platform to hear, and those who did let out soft chuckles.
"It's just a few words, Harry. I'm sure you can manage," McGonagall said, pushing him forward.
Harry quickly found himself at the podium. Cursing lightly under his breath, and waving his head slightly as he did so, it took him a few minutes to remember that everyone was staring at him. Blushing, he looked up and let out a nervous chuckle. He *really* didn't like big crowds, especially when he was the center of their attention.
"Er. . . Hi?" he asked, unsure.
His friends let out more chuckles behind him and Harry gave them a quick glare before turning back to the crowd. He shuffled on his feet as he searched his mind for something to say.
"I'm not really good at this sort of thing, so just bare with me," he said, looking back at them, ". . .I'm not really sure what you want hear, and, to be quite frank, I really don't have anything to say. . ."
Harry was saved by a hand in the back of the room. Sighing in relief, he nodded to the person, "Yes?"
"Mr. Potter, what do you plan on doing with your life now that the dark forces are in permanent retreat?"
Harry smiled, something he could answer, "Well, I'm only sixteen, and I hadn't really planned on living past it, so I suppose you could say that I haven't thought about it. . . I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, but I'd like things to return to normal. Next week, at school, Gryffindor goes against Ravenclaw for the House Cup. . .and my godparents are getting married soon. Beyond that, though, I don't have any plans."
The next few minutes passed by in a blur. He vaguely recalled answering a few more questions, being handed a plaque, another part of the Order of Merlin award, and shaking hands with all the Ministers again before being ushered back to the room he had arrived in.
"Why didn't you tell me I was getting that!?" Harry asked incredibly after the door closed.
"It's called a surprise, kid," Sirius said as everyone laughed.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Some surprise. . ."
**************
"Harry! It's getting really bad out there!" Megan exclaimed, running into the Gryffindor locker room, "McGonagall's talking about canceling the match!"
"What!?" the rest of the Gryffindor team shouted.
"Yeah! So you better get your butt out there and fix it!" Megan said, shoving him towards door.
"Are you kidding, Megan!? If he goes out there by himself he'll be pulverized by them!" Dean said, using his bat to point towards the arena.
"So go with him if you're so worried," Megan said, "I am not losing the cup due to the popularity of a member on this team. I don't care if he is co- captain."
"Gee, you're concern touches me deeply," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "If you want me to go talk to McGonagall, fine. I doubt it'll do any good, though."
"Indeed," said McGonagall walking into the room, "I fear I cannot allow this match to take place. Harry, there are far too many reporters and well- wishers out there."
"You had to plug the Quidditch game, didn't you?" Megan muttered under her breath.
"Shut up, Megan," Ron said from his seat on the bench.
Megan glared and punched him hard on the shoulder.
"Ow!" Ron exclaimed, nearly falling out of his seat, "Merlin! You'd think that you didn't want me to block any shots, the way you're hitting me."
"If there isn't a game it won't matter, will it?" Megan sneered.
"Professor, they aren't going to do any dangerous. Why can't we just play?" Harry asked.
"You haven't been out there, Potter. There are people everywhere. Accidents do happen, you know," McGonagall said pointedly.
"Ah, come on, Professor. Nothing's going to happen!" Dean pleaded.
"Yeah, please, Professor!" Colin added.
"I don't know. . ." McGonagall led off.
Harry thought for a moment, "Professor. . .if I promise to stay out of the Forbidden Forest for the rest of the year can we play?"
Quite apparently Harry had hit a weak point, for McGonagall looked as though Christmas had just arrived early, ". . .I. . . As tempting as that offer is, Potter, it simply isn't safe."
"How did they get in anyhow?" Ginny asked.
"That," McGonagall said over the rim of her glasses, "is the question of the hour, isn't it?"
"Are you guys almost ready in here?" Madame Hooch asked as she strolled in.
"I thought the game was cancelled," Seamus said, confused.
"It is---" started McGonagall.
"Don't be ridiculous, Minerva. Albus called in a few Aurors, so the game is still on. Everyone's waiting for you," Hooch said knowledgably.
"But---" McGonagall started again.
"Alright!" Ron exclaimed, as the team grabbed their brooms and headed out of the room.
"Praise be to Dumbledore! Savoir of Quidditch!" Megan shouted happily, skipping out of the room.
In next to no time the Gryffindor team was out on the Quidditch field. McGonagall hadn't been kidding, either. The stands were packed with students, professors, reporters, and witches and wizards of all ages. Harry was strongly reminded of the Quidditch World Cup game and how the players must have felt.
"Like you're a fish being stared at in your bowl," Harry muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Ron asked, mounting his broom.
"Nothing," Harry said as Madame Hooch released the bludgers and the snitch.
The two teams took off into the air, waiting for the quaffle to be released. Hooch gave her typical pre-game rules before throwing up the final ball. Ravenclaw quickly took possession and wasted no time in making it over to the Gryffindor side of the field. Ron masterfully blocked the ball, however, before throwing it to his sister who darted back across the field.
Harry was well aware that most all eyes were following him, completely ignoring the game. Rolling his eyes in annoyance as flashes met him every which way he turned, he tried to concentrate on finding the snitch.
"Ravenclaw scores a goal, tying the game, ten to ten."
Remus' voice boomed over the speakers, and Sirius could be heard cursing loudly in the background. Harry turned to see Ron cursing himself as well at the goal. A bludger zoomed by his head and Seamus zipped after it before whacking it at one of the Ravenclaw Chasers.
"They're better than last time," Seamus called over his shoulder as he zoomed away.
"Much better," Cho said, slowing her broomstick as she reached Harry, "I wanted to thank you, Harry."
"What for?" Harry asked before adding jokingly, "There's still time for us to cream you."
Cho smiled and fingered the necklace she was wearing, "It was more than I could have ever hoped for."
"Don't mention it. . ." said Harry, spotting something golden sparkling near the Gryffindor goal posts, "I spy with my little eye, something small and golden. Ready to race for it?"
Cho nodded, "You bet."
The two sped towards it, but it didn't take long for Harry to realize that Cho was letting him win on purpose. He quickly pulled himself around, ignoring the indignant shouts of the crowd. He met up with Cho who was pretending to be busy looking for the snitch.
"You," he said with mock anger, "Were going to let me win."
"Er. . .of course not, Harry. Why would I do that?" she asked, feigning confusion.
"One can only wonder why Potter would pull out the dive so close to reaching the snitch," Sirius' voice echoed throughout the stadium, obviously annoyed, "I'm certain he has a good reason which he'll be happy to share later. . . GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! 50 TO 10!!!"
Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's commentary. If there was one thing he needed to work on, it was finishing one thought before moving onto the next one. Shaking his head, he looked back to Cho who was flying away from him.
"I don't know, why would you?" he asked, catching up with her.
"Er. . ." Cho started as Harry gave her a look that told her lying wasn't an option, "I owe you one, Harry. . .for the letter."
"So you were going to repay me by letting me win?" Harry asked, not impressed at all.
Cho nodded her head reluctantly and Harry pulled both of them to a stop, "Cho, you don't owe me anything. . . And I couldn't win knowing that you let me."
"But. . .Cedric---"
"Cedric was all about fair play," Harry said, looking her in the eye, "Surely you wouldn't want to let him down?"
Cho suddenly got a worried look in her eyes, "No! Of course not!"
"So you're going to try to win?" Harry asked, emphasizing the word 'try.'
Cho laughed, "Ravenclaw *will* win, Potter."
Harry extended his hand, "Like to see you try."
"We'll just see," Cho said, shaking his hand, "Oh, and Harry?"
"Hm?"
"Second place isn't all that bad!" she said before taking off into a steep dive.
Harry spotted the tiny dot of gold she was speeding towards and instantly chased after her. Over the years she had upgraded her broom to a Nimbus Two Thousand, but it was still no match for Harry's Firebolt. Before you could say Quidditch, he had caught up with her.
They raced neck and neck towards the ever-closer ground. The screams of the crowd had dulled out to a muffled shout in the wind which charged in and out of their ears. Both had taken one hand off their broomstick and outstretched it towards the snitch.
'Faster,' Harry urged his broom on mentally, 'Faster!'
It might have just been his imagination, but Harry was almost positive that his Firebolt put on an extra burst of speed. At the very last second, he pulled ahead of Cho and grabbed the snitch firmly in his hand.
As he pulled himself out of the dive, all the noise of the crowd seemed to be unplugged. Harry was positive that a single decibel louder and he would have gone deaf.
He firmly grasped his broom in his free hand before jumping off and falling the remaining ten feet to the ground. He was quickly joined by members of both teams. Apparently the Ravenclaws harbored no ill feelings about losing. The congratulated him as pools of people from the stands poured out onto the field.
"Harry! You did it! Gryffindor won!" Megan screamed excitedly as she jumped on his back.
"Make way, coming through!"
Madame Hooch pushed her way through the hoards of people surrounding the Gryffindor team. When she finally became visible, she was holding the House Cup.
She straightened her robes before walking briskly over to Harry and Ron and handing it to them, "Gryffindor wins!"
Of course, everyone already knew this, but it excited them all the same to hear it declared officially. By now, everyone in the stands had made their way onto the field, making it impossible to move much at all. Reporters were all etching to get to Harry, but everyone else did a good job of keeping them away.
"Party in the Common room!" Ron shouted over the noise, causing all Gryffindors in hearing range to go crazy with excitement.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, finally breaking through the crowd and throwing herself into his arms.
Harry gladly hugged her back as he let Ron handle the Cup, "Great game, huh, 'Mione?"
"Splendid!" she agreed heartily.
Harry smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and kissed him back, only on the lips this time. Those around the two began cat calling, but neither seemed to care. . .that is until somebody decided to pour a large bucket of ice water over them. They broke apart, sputtering, and looking around to see who had done it.
Ron and Lavender were quickly shoving their wands into their pockets.
"What was that for!?" Hermione asked, shrilly, as everyone around them laughed.
"Dean said that in soccer, the team always pours ice water over their coach after they win. . ." Ron said, glancing at Dean.
"He did, did he?" asked Harry, eyebrow arched, "Well in that case, we still have one more captain and his lover left. . ."
Ron and Lavender gulped before turning and running into the crowd. The rest of the Gryffindor team laughed still.
"I don't know what you think is so funny," Hermione said, pulling out her wand.
"Yeah, this isn't soccer, who's to say it's only the captains who get drenched?" Harry asked, raising his hand.
The team looked at each other and let out simultaneous shouts before running after Ron and Lavender.
"Shall we?" Harry asked, bowing to Hermione.
"Yes, I think we shall," Hermione said, grabbing his hand and running into the crowd.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about not updating in a while! I don't really have an excuse, so I won't use one, but, hey, I updated! Yay! Everything's happy again! And only the epilogue left! Great, ain't it!? I'm so excited! I've already started on the sequel, and I can guarantee that if you like this story, you'll like the sequel, too! Gosh, I'm so excited! And remember, reviews are nice!
Rachel A. Prongs: Yes, well you were the only person to at least voice the correct idea! Yay! Go you! Lol, yeah, I came up with the bed part at like one in the morning. . .I thought it was funny, glad someone else thinks so, too!
Englishgirl: Thanks! And of course I had to give Cedric his due! Poor chap died far too young. . .::Moment of silence:: At least now he gets to say goodbye to Cho someway.
Mell: Wow, if you spent 5 reading this, then, to put it simply, I'm honored! Thanks for the review! Brought back all those good memories in the story. . . I liked it when Harry said that to Voldie, too. Seemed appropriate, didn't it? As for being paper thin. . .I was gonna cut that part out, but, if you think about it, what else do you expect? Death by nose, I know. . .what a way to go. . . One more thing. . .the Chosen One being a girl. . .GIRLS ROCK! Snape's letter. . .well. . .kinda. . .Thanks for the review! I really like getting the longs ones! ::Gets shifty eyes:: I'll just be taking that cookie now. . .
Silver Angel: Small? How about a big festival? I'm planning something like that for ********! It's bound to be loads of fun! Oops, did I bleep that out? Shucks, I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out. . .::Grins evilly:: I know, you hate me. . . The end is near, though. . .so depressing. . .can I count you in for the sequel?
Istalksiriusonweekends: Happy are you? That's good! We're all happy here! Thanks for the review!
Maggie: ::Crouches behind the desk:: Would you kill me if I told you you're not going to find out into the epilogue? That's what I thought. . .if it'll make you feel any better, the epilogue's next chapter!
LaDee Night: Did you really? Oh gosh, sorry 'bout that. . .doh! I feel bad now! And yes, I do believe you're on the mailing list? Why? You wanna be taken off?
EriEka127: Glad you love it! And here's the update!
Amy: Thanks! I like the way I brought him back too! Ronnish. . .I like it. I'll have to start using that. . . ::Sigh:: Yes, the end is near. . .Is anyone else depressed or is it just me? Oh well. . .I'll get over it. . .my little baby's almost all growed up!
Danny's Girl: You say boo, I say yay! ::Takes out noise makers:: Yay! No more killer rodents! I'm safe! Sorry 'bout your writer's block. . .anything I can do to help?
Vaness: A MILLION!? THAT'S THE MOST I'VE EVER GOTTEN IN ONE GO!!! THANKS! Wow, a million points for one chapter. . .don't I feel special? Thanks again! Here's the next chapter. . .probably not a million points worth but. . .
Sugar Quill: More, more, more! Here it is! Hope you love it like the other chapters!
Maxwell Coffee House: . . .Thanks. . .I think. . . Lol, short and to the point, I like it! Thanks for the review!
Angelic Demon16: Three days!? Wow! That's a lot of time. . .thanks for investing it on my story! By the way, welcome to my story. . .and my mailing list! I'm so glad you like my story. . .but what chapter almost made you cry? The one when Harry died?
Charlie: Thanks! What a nice thing to say! Does it really get better every time? Wow, what an inspiration! Yay! I'll get that book published yet! And yes, I know. . .HARRY'S BACK! Never gets old! Aw! He's too cute; I couldn't kill him off for good! I'll keep trying to write 'more beautiful stuff.' Thanks!
CCS Rox: Everyone seems to be dying of curiosity as to where Harry's going. . .is it really that interesting? ::Shrugs:: Oh well. You'll find out, but you gots ta wait for the epilogue. . .and that's next chapter! Thanks for the review!
Potterfreak: Thanks! I'll keep going. . .almost through though. .
Wanted: Love
Ch34: Tying up Loose Ends
Harry sat in a carriage with Ron, Lavender, and Hermione. An hour after he had left with Fawkes, Harry had returned, smiling broadly. He had refused to tell them where he had been, saying they would find out in due time. This didn't go over too well with any of them, but after Dumbledore announced that the school would be allowed to visit Hogsmeade in celebration of Harry's return, it was all but forgotten.
"This is great! I haven't been to Hogsmeade in over a year!" Harry said, leaning back, "I should come back from the dead more often."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Harry, and we should try harder in Divination."
Lavender nodded heatedly at this, but the other three burst out into laughter as the carriage came to a halt.
"Excellent! We're here!" Ron exclaimed, jumping out of the carriage, quickly followed by his companions.
The town seemed busier than any of them remembered it, probably because the threat of being killed was next to none again.
"Good thing I brought this," Harry said, pulling out his invisibility cloak.
"You're not going actually use that are you?" Ron whined.
"Unless you want me to be accidentally mobbed to death by everyone in town," Harry laughed.
"Yeah, Ron. In case you've forgotten, everyone thinks he's dead," Hermione pointed out.
Ron sighed, "I know. . .it's kind of hard to have a conversation with someone who isn't there, though."
"Not my problem," Harry laughed.
"Gee, you're sensitivity is really touching, Harry," Ron said sarcastically as Harry pulled on the cloak.
He disappeared under the silver material and together the four made their way to Three Broomsticks. Quite a few students were already there, but, as none saw Harry, they ignored the them. Once seated at a table in the back, Ron and Lavender left to get drinks for the four of them.
"It's good to be back," Harry said quietly so no one but Hermione would hear him.
"It's good to have you back," Hermione said out of the corner of her mouth.
"So, I never got the chance to ask you. How did you like the gift I gave you?" Harry asked, and Hermione was positive that he was staring at her.
She turned to where she thought he was and stared at where she thought his head was, "It was the best thing anyone's ever given me."
Hermione felt something brush by her ear followed by a gentle, "Glad you like it."
She blushed and looked down as Ron and Lavender returned with the drinks.
"Oi, Harry, where are you, mate?" Ron asked in his normal voice.
Lavender hit him upside the head, "Say it a little louder why don't you, Ron? That's a group of reporters over there if you haven't noticed."
"Are you serious?" Harry asked, looking over to a table by the window where six or seven reporters and photographers sat, "Damn. . .just my luck."
"Just keep quiet and they'll never know," Lavender said before gaining a look of puzzlement, "Er. . .Harry. . .where *are* you?"
"Next to 'Mione."
"Right, I knew that," she said, putting a cup of butterbeer on the table.
"So what do you all want to do this summer?" Harry asked, his hand appearing only long enough to pull the cup under the cloak.
"I don't know. Things have certainly changed this year, huh?" asked Ron, leaning back.
"Yeah. . .it all worked out, though. I got everything I wanted," Harry said.
The three looked intrigued, "What would that be?"
"You should know that," Harry said, laughing.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Harry turned to see an entourage of paparazzi racing towards him. Apparently, his laughter had shaken the cloak off his shoulder, because now his head was "floating" in midair. Everyone in the store froze and turned to see the Boy-Who-Lived's head.
"GHOST!" someone from the front of the story shouted.
Screams filled the store. Ghosts weren't anything new for them, after all, they were witches and wizards, but floating heads were a completely different story.
Harry looked anxiously back to his friends, "So much for staying undetected, huh?"
"Harry, you better take that thing off before they call in the Aurors," Hermione had to shout over the noise to be heard.
Harry nodded and took off the cloak, "Hey! You can stop running! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Silence slowly fell over the store as every turned to see Harry standing next to his friends, complete in a body of flesh and blood.
"Er. . .guys. . ." Harry whispered as everyone continued to stare, "I think we better go while we still can. . ."
The three nodded and the four quickly made their way to the exit. Right at the door, however, Harry felt someone grab his arm.
He turned and saw a reporter gawking at him before turning to his fellow reporters, "It's him! He isn't dead!"
The reporter turned back to Harry, "Mr. Potter! How did you manage to escape death!? Is You-Know-Who really gone for good!? How did you do it!? How did you come back!?"
"Er. . .no comment. . ." Harry leaned to his friends, "Let's get out of here!"
"Right!" Ron said, before kicking the reporter in the groin and grabbing Harry's free arm, "Let's move it!"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lavender raced out of the store as quick as they could, a gaggle of people chasing after them.
"Are you sure it wasn't better to just let them call the Aurors?" Harry called over his shoulder as they darted down an alley.
"If you kept your cloak on this wouldn't be a problem!" Ron shouted, though he sounded rather like he was enjoying himself.
"Just shut up and run. . ." Harry said as they climbed over a tall wall, blocking the exit to the alley. They landed on the other side and brushed themselves off, leaning against the wall.
"Glad that's over," Lavender gasped out as she caught her breath.
"Oh crap. . ." Harry's eyes widened, as well as the others.
They had just jumped into the backyard of the Daily Prophet's headquarters. Photographers and reporters crowded the yard and stared at the four of them, Harry in particular. Harry quickly started pushing his friends in the direction of the gate, and not a moment too soon. Just as they reached the main street of Hogsmeade, though, a loud rumbling of many people racing after them echoed up into the sky.
"Here!" Lavender said, pulling the other three to the side of the street and shoving abandoned copies of the paper into their hands.
The big crowd of paparazzi from the Daily Prophet had apparently met up with the other group of reporters and such and the whole lot of them came charging down the street. Quickly, the four sat on a bench, crossed their legs, and held the newspapers in front of their faces.
The mob of people rushed passed them and the four carefully poked their head over the tops of the papers. Seeing that they were temporarily in the clear, they tossed the papers to the side and ran in the opposite direction. They were almost at the carriages that would take them back up to Hogwarts when, out of no where, the mob of people cut in between them and the carriages.
"This is *not* good!" Hermione said as they slowly backed up, "Not good, not good, this is definitely not good!"
"This way, hurry!" Harry said, pulling them towards the Shrieking Shack.
"You'd think they do this for a living!" Ron panted, obviously not used to having to run so much.
"Earth to Ron, they *do* do this for a living!" Lavender said, almost hitting them over the head when something suddenly pulled all four of them into some nearby brush.
Sirius, Remus, and Tali put their hands over the teens' mouths as the mob of people rushed by. As the sound of the mob died down, the adults let up their hands.
"Forget something?" Remus asked, pulling out a quill.
"The portkey!" Harry said, hitting his head.
"You mean we nearly got killed, and it all could have been avoided if we remembered that stupid quill?" asked Ron.
"To put it shortly," Tali nodded.
"Come on, we better get back to Hogwarts before they find us," Remus said, holding out the quill.
They all touched it and were instantly jerked back to Hogwarts. After steadying himself, Harry saw Dumbledore smiling.
"I'm glad to see that you made it out of there in one peace," he said, eyes twinkling.
"Yes, well, I don't think I'll be able to step one foot out of this castle safely again for a while," Harry said, shaking his head.
"Which is why I decided to help speed up the process some," Dumbledore said.
"What?" asked Harry, getting a feeling that something was up.
"Harry, I know you're not going to like this but. . .I've just set up a date for a press conference," Dumbledore said, cutting to the point.
Harry's mouth dropped open and he faced a nearby wall before beginning to hit his head into it repeatedly. Everyone gained smiles at his subtle antics, but Sirius pulled Harry away from the wall. Harry rubbed his forehead, where he had been hitting it, which was rather red.
"Do I have to?" he asked reluctantly.
Dumbledore nodded and Harry sighed, "When is it?"
"Tomorrow."
**************
Harry ran through the halls of Hogwarts. This was definitely not a good thing. How was he supposed to arrive on time if no one woke him up? Now he had three minutes to get to Dumbledore's office so they could Floo over to the Ministry building where the press conference was going to be held.
"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!" he shouted as he rushed past the students in the halls.
They called out after him, wishing him luck and saying that they would be watching. That was another thing that Harry hadn't been too pleased to find out. Apparently, the whole conference was going to be displayed in every single fireplace in the world that was connected to the Floo system.
To Harry it was bad enough to have to face a room full of hero-crazy witches and wizards, but now the entire world was going to be watching him. He turned a corner and collided into none other than Cho Chang, causing both to fall to the floor.
"Damn! That's the third time today!" Harry exclaimed, standing up and rubbing his rump with one hand and extending the other to Cho, "Sorry 'bout that."
"It's no problem. I expect you're running late," she said with a smile as he helped her to her feet.
"How'd you know that?" Harry asked, surprised.
"With the way you're running, I sort of guessed," Cho said.
Harry rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "That obvious, huh?"
"Well, there's that, and the fact that your conference starts in ten minutes," she laughed, too.
"And two minutes to get to Dumbledore's office," Harry sighed.
"You better get going, then," Cho said, stepping out of his way.
"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said, taking off again but very quickly stopping and turning around, "Oh! Before I forget I have something for you."
Cho looked at him curiously, "What?"
Harry walked back to her and pulled out the letter and box with the necklace in it that Cedric had given him. Cho took the items and instantly recognized the handwriting on the envelope.
"Cedric," she whispered inaudibly.
Harry gave a small smile, "He visited me before I came back. He wanted me to give those to you."
Cho looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly around the neck, "Thank you!"
Harry hugged her back, "It's no problem. It's the least I can do for the two of you. . ."
She sniffed and let go, "Still, thank you."
"Yes, well, I better be going. . ." Harry said, staring down the corridor.
"Right. I'll be watching you," she said with a smile, envelope and box clutched to her chest.
Harry sighed and shook his head, "As will everyone else. . ."
She laughed, "You better get going. You have about a minute now."
Harry looked down at his wizard watch, grimaced, and took off running again, "See you later, Cho!"
He sprinted the rest of the way to the gargoyle blocking the entrance to Dumbledore's office and was only a minute or two late. Luckily, his friends were waiting outside for him, all wearing dress robes. Ron's was a deep blue, Lavender was in a soft pink color, and Hermione was in purple. Harry could have hit himself upside the head. How could he have forgotten that he was supposed to wear dress robes?
"Little late there, Harry," Lavender smiled as Harry fell against them, panting heavily.
"Well if someone would have woken me up. . ."
"Oh, so now you're blaming us for your laziness?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry smiled and nodded. Hermione looked at Ron and Lavender who nodded at her. Simultaneously, the three moved out from under Harry's weight, who promptly fell to the floor.
"Ow!" he exclaimed as he collided with it, "That's four times now!"
His friends laughed and Ron extended his hand, "A bit clumsy today?"
"A bit," Harry said as he took Ron's hand and stood up.
"Come on, we better get going before we're really late," Hermione said, turning to the statue, "Sugar Quill."
"Wouldn't want that," Harry muttered under his breath as the four made their way up to Dumbledore's office.
Sirius, Tali, Remus, Dumbledore, the rest of the Weasleys (even Bill and Charlie), and half of the school's professors were already waiting for them. Without a single word, they were ushered over to the fireplace. Sirius, Remus, and Tali went first; most likely to secure the area before Harry came through, which he thought was rather unnecessary.
Not only were there bound to be hoards of Aurors there, but he was also the most powerful wizard currently living. Harry decided it best not to voice his opinion, though, for he knew it would be ignored. To the rest of the magical community, he was one of the most important wizards to ever exist, and they weren't about to take any chances. Harry knew this, though it didn't make him feel any better.
Sighing, he took his Floo powder and stepped into the fire place, "Ministry of Magic-Conference Room."
Harry felt himself pulled off his feet as he was sucked through the Floo System. Reaching his destination, he stumbled out of the fire place. If one thing had managed to stay the same, he still didn't like to travel by Floo powder. Remus caught him and helped him to brush off the soot on his robes.
"I still say there has to be a better way to travel," Harry said after discovering that the soot was there to stay.
"It's a shame we didn't think to bring a change of clothes," Tali said, mostly to herself.
"Don't bother," Harry said, shaking his head and waving his head.
Instantly, his sooty, black Hogwarts robes were replaced by deep forest green robes. The three adults stared at him as Harry straightened his new robes.
Sensing their eyes on him, Harry looked up, "What?"
They quickly shut their mouths and Sirius laughed, "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you do that."
Harry laughed; he had been right after all. Someone stumbled into him from behind and he turned around to see Ron looking up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the arrival of Hermione and Lavender shut him up temporarily.
"Oi, Harry. When'd you change?" Fred asked, stepping out of the fireplace, having just arrived.
"I was just getting ready to ask that," Ron said, crossing his arms.
"Get over it," Fred said, playfully ruffling his brother's hair.
"Hey!" Ron shouted, swatting his brother's hand away.
"Oi, Harry! What's the big idea? You honestly going to wear Slytherin colors out there?" asked George, coming into the room.
Harry looked down at himself and shrugged, "I didn't really think about it."
He waved his hand again and his robes changed into the same burgundy ones he wore when he first came back. Once again, the new arrivals stared at him.
"That answer your question?" Sirius laughed, looking at them, and they nodded dumbly.
While they waited for the rest of their group to arrive, which really didn't take that long, Harry took in his surroundings. The room was carved completely out of marble. Drapes and tapestries of varying colors decorated the walls as rugs that sank beneath your feet covered the floor. And, just as Harry had expected and dreaded, twenty or so Aurors were stationed at numerous positions around the room.
As they caught sight of Harry looking at them, they smiled and, a few, even bowed. Before he could stop himself, Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. Nope, this definitely wasn't going to work for him. Dumbledore noticed this and smiled.
"They're here for your protection, Harry," he said pointedly.
Harry shook his head again, "I don't need protection."
"There are still some Death Eaters out there. This is just a precaution," Arthur jumped in.
"An unnecessary one," Harry added.
"Conference is starting," said an Auror, walking into the room and bowing at the sight of Harry, "Are you ready, Mr. Potter?"
Harry groaned and hit his hand to his head but waved him off none the less. The Auror looked slightly confused at Harry's behavior but left anyway.
"Remind me why I'm doing this again," Harry said with some dread.
"Look, Harry, I know you don't like public speaking, but you're going to have to explain it sooner or later," Tali said pointedly.
"Can't I just submit it in writing?" Harry asked with forthcoming dread.
Lavender, Hermione, and the Weasley children all snickered at this as Harry gave them a look that clearly stated that he was serious.
"Surely you don't think you can explain it all in a letter?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry thought for a moment, ". . .I could give them Merlin's book."
"You're their hero, kid," Sirius said, gently punching his shoulder, "They want to hear every detail from you."
"I know," Harry said, annoyed, as he shook his head.
"So you're ready?" Remus asked.
He sighed and hunched his shoulders in defeat, "I suppose. . ."
The group made their way to the door where the Aurors in the room had already congregated. Harry gave one last sigh before the doors opened. A bright light and loud chatter met them. Instantly the chatter died down and the Aurors led everyone out of the room and onto a large platform in the front of the room that was already covered in what appeared to be diplomats from other countries.
Once settled in his seat, Harry could see what appeared to be hundreds of reporters and such in the area directly below the platform which he was on. As his eyes traveled across them, they all bowed, and it took every ounce of self-control that he had not to groan and walk out of the room. It wasn't like he was king, why were they bowing to him? In the back of the room a wizard operated what appeared to be a wizarding camera.
All of a sudden, all he wanted to do was squirm. He had been hoping that he had been mistaken about being broadcasted live. . .apparently not.
Dumbledore stood up and walked to the podium centered on the platform. As Fudge was dead and no new Minister had been selected, Harry wasn't really all that surprised that Dumbledore had been chosen to lead the conference. As Dumbledore went through his opening speech, Harry leaned forward on the table in front of him.
". . .And now we will open the floor to questions," said Dumbledore and instantly hands flew up everywhere, but Dumbledore chose a man in the back, "You, sir."
The man stood up, "Mr. Potter, was your death faked to lead You-Know-Who's remaining followers off your trail?"
"No," Harry said.
He was prepared to leave it at that, but a quick look from the others in the room told him otherwise, "I was actually dead for a while; I had to complete the Prophecy. But even if I hadn't, there wouldn't have been much of a point in hiding. Most of Voldemort's followers are either dead or in Azkaban."
Hands shot up again and Dumbledore called another one who stood and spoke, "Mr. Potter, I have two questions. First, you said that you hadn't completed the Prophecy, but you already defeated You-Know-Who. What was left? And second, how is it possible that you came back to life?"
Harry sighed inwardly. He knew these questions would come, and he had also dreaded having to answer them. Quickly as he could, he gave a shorter, less detailed account of what he had already told his friends. He supposed it didn't really matter what he told them. If he knew reporters like he thought he did, they would uncover the rest of the story before too long.
"Mr. Potter, it is rumored that you no longer need your wand to perform magic. Is it true?"
Harry knew the question that was going to follow his answer, "Yes, I have all the Chosen One's powers now, which includes wandless magic."
"Would you mind giving an example?" asked the same witch.
Yep, he had been right. Harry nodded his head before clapping his hands once. Instantly, he vanished from sight and bright fireworks exploded out of no where. Chatter of varied sorts erupted in the room, some of worry as to where he went, some of admiration, some of amusement, and some of all three. The noise settled down after a few minutes, but Harry had yet to reappear.
"Er. . .Harry," said Remus, "You *do* know that you need to come back, right?"
A sigh was heard, "Yeah, I know."
Some looked unnerved at hearing his voice but not seeing him. He quickly relieved this, though, as he reappeared at his seat with a bundle of flowers in his arms. Everyone stared at him a moment until he winked at Hermione and the flowers suddenly appeared in her arms.
She blushed profusely as he smiled at her, "Had to go all the way to New Zealand to find those."
Ron rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about Harry being a show off. Harry simply laughed and playfully shoved Ron, nearly knocking him out of his chair.
The conference went on for another grueling three hours. Harry was fairly sure that he had been asked the same questions a good ten or so times. Finally, it came to an end. Harry couldn't be more elated with that if he had tried. He slumped back in his chair and waited for the Aurors to direct him back to the room he had arrived in. Much to his surprise, however, Dumbledore stood up and walked over to the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the wizarding world, our conference will end momentarily, but first the Ministers of our many countries and I have a small presentation," Dumbledore said and it was then that Harry noticed that the other witches and wizards on the platform had congregated at the other end of the platform.
Harry looked around the room in bewilderment. What were they up to now? Those in the audience didn't seem to know what was going on either, but everyone on the stage smiled knowingly.
"What's going on?" he whispered to Lavender.
She smiled and shrugged, making it painfully obvious that she was lying. Harry pursed his lips to the side as he stared at her, willing her mentally to tell him as Dumbledore droned on to the audience. After several minutes she had yet to give in, so Harry collapsed heavily against the back of his chair.
"---but enough about that," Dumbledore said, casting a fleeting glance at Harry, "They say in order to maintain a healthy heart you should accelerate your heart rate for at least thirty minutes a day. I've known Harry for six years now, and I can quite honestly say that that has never been a problem."
He was about to go on when the crowd broke out into chuckles. Harry grew a small pink tint in his cheeks and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued after it had quieted down, "Mr. Potter has always shown bravery beyond the call of duty. As his Headmaster, I have observed him, and I can say without a doubt that he deserves this honor more than any previous recipient."
'What honor?' he asked himself, staring blankly at those around him.
"So without further ado, I am going to ask Harry to come up here. Harry, if you will."
Harry was a bit reluctant, still not sure what was going on. His friends quickly pushed him up, however, and he soon found himself shaking hands with all the Ministers as he past by. He allowed himself to be steered up to the podium where Dumbledore greeted him with a somewhat uncharacteristic hug.
"Er. . .sir? What's going on?" Harry asked quietly as they broke back into a hand shake.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he turned back to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, this award isn't an easy thing to achieve---"
'Award?' Harry mouthed to himself as he unconsciously raised an eyebrow.
"---It takes the approval of all the Ministers in the world, so I'm certain you'll all join me in congratulating Harry when I tell him that he has been chosen as the next recipient of the Order of Merlin. . .First Class," as Dumbledore said this, every single person in the room stood and cheered.
All his friends had hurried over to him as he fell back a step. They clapped him on the back and hugged him as the Aurors had to work extra hard to keep the mob of reporters off the platform. Harry had a difficult noticing this, though. His eyes were bugging out of his head and his heart felt as though it was preparing to jump out of his chest.
Out of all the things he had prepared himself for that day, this was not one of them. As he began to recover from his shock, he was pretty sure he heard the world erupt in cheers. After a good half hour of approval celebration, the Ministers sent up sparks and a hush slowly fell over the crowd.
Dumbledore took his place at the podium again and beamed at Harry, "Harry, on behalf of man kind, I would like to thank you for saving our world, and it gives me great pleasure to award you the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Once this was said, he stepped to the side. The Minister from Australia, a lean witch with blonde hair, came forward, "Harry, on behalf of Australia, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class."
As she said this, she raised her wand which emitted a pale orange light.
"On behalf of Japan, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class," said a stout man, wand emitting a black glow.
"On behalf of America---"
"On behalf of Russia---"
"---France---"
"---Germany---"
"--- New Zealand---"
"---Italy---"
"---Spain---"
"---Africa---"
More and more of the Ministers joined the others. All their wands emitted a different color, some of which Harry didn't even knew existed. All in all, Harry would have much rather preferred not to receive the award. All these wizards circling him with wands drawn weren't doing anything to comfort him.
'They could have at least told me what they were going to do,' he thought, perturbed, as the Minister of Greece finished giving his mahogany light.
Once his joined the rest, Dumbledore stood in for England, "On behalf of England, I bestow upon you, the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Dumbledore's wand let out a red light. As soon as he let out his country's approval, the lights from all the wands sped towards Harry, arching upward at the last moment. The colors blended together and blocked Harry from view and everyone watched on fascinated.
Harry found himself in a pyramid of brilliant colors. Personally, he didn't understand why they couldn't have just given him a plaque and be done with it. Sighing, he thought that he should know better. Everyone always had to do things the hard way with him. Resigning to whatever awaited him; he looked out into the seemingly endless depths of the many colors.
Several faces stared back at him, none of which he recognized. They all looked just as confused as he did, and it didn't take long for Harry to figure out that these were the other recipients of the award. He briefly wondered if any of them had known what was happening.
His train of thought was cut short, though, by a golden beam of light shooting out of no where and hitting him square in the forehead. Harry felt an odd warmth erupt from his scar and attempted to bring his hand to it, but the beam of light was, surprisingly, solid and blocked him from doing so. The beam of light slowly moved down his body, spreading warmth every inch of the way, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being judged, mentally and physically.
When the beam finally withdrew back into the nothingness it had come from, Harry's vision wavered temporarily. As it started to clear, the pyramid of light slowly disappeared. The faces of the many people in the room stared anxiously at him, as if waiting for a report of what had happened.
All he could manage, however, was a breathless, "Wow."
Harry couldn't exactly put his finger on what it was, but he felt strangely. . .well, there was no other word for it, different. He knew this hardly covered what he felt, but it was all he could come up with at the moment.
"Harry, what happened to your eyes?" Ginny asked as Dumbledore addressed the audience again.
Harry looked at her, "I don't know. What's wrong with them?"
"Hey! Gin's right! What happened to them, Harry?" Bill asked.
Harry rolled his eyes and conjured a mirror. For a moment, he didn't see anything different, but then he saw it. His eyes. They were right. They had changed. Dumbledore's oh-so-characteristic twinkle in the eye had manifested itself in his own emerald pools.
He brought his hand up to touch his eyes, but found his glasses blocking the way. Thinking for a minute, he suddenly banished the mirror.
"I'm not sure what happened. . ." he started.
"It's the mark of the Order of Merlin," said Greenland's Minister, leaning in.
"O-oh," was the general consensus.
"I'm certain he wouldn't mind, would you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, turning to him.
"Huh?" Harry asked, rotating his attention back to the conference.
"It has been requested that you give a small speech."
Before he could control himself, Harry let out of groan of disapproval, "Is it really necessary?"
"It would be nice, yes."
"I don't have anything to say," Harry confessed, just loud enough for those on the platform to hear, and those who did let out soft chuckles.
"It's just a few words, Harry. I'm sure you can manage," McGonagall said, pushing him forward.
Harry quickly found himself at the podium. Cursing lightly under his breath, and waving his head slightly as he did so, it took him a few minutes to remember that everyone was staring at him. Blushing, he looked up and let out a nervous chuckle. He *really* didn't like big crowds, especially when he was the center of their attention.
"Er. . . Hi?" he asked, unsure.
His friends let out more chuckles behind him and Harry gave them a quick glare before turning back to the crowd. He shuffled on his feet as he searched his mind for something to say.
"I'm not really good at this sort of thing, so just bare with me," he said, looking back at them, ". . .I'm not really sure what you want hear, and, to be quite frank, I really don't have anything to say. . ."
Harry was saved by a hand in the back of the room. Sighing in relief, he nodded to the person, "Yes?"
"Mr. Potter, what do you plan on doing with your life now that the dark forces are in permanent retreat?"
Harry smiled, something he could answer, "Well, I'm only sixteen, and I hadn't really planned on living past it, so I suppose you could say that I haven't thought about it. . . I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, but I'd like things to return to normal. Next week, at school, Gryffindor goes against Ravenclaw for the House Cup. . .and my godparents are getting married soon. Beyond that, though, I don't have any plans."
The next few minutes passed by in a blur. He vaguely recalled answering a few more questions, being handed a plaque, another part of the Order of Merlin award, and shaking hands with all the Ministers again before being ushered back to the room he had arrived in.
"Why didn't you tell me I was getting that!?" Harry asked incredibly after the door closed.
"It's called a surprise, kid," Sirius said as everyone laughed.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Some surprise. . ."
**************
"Harry! It's getting really bad out there!" Megan exclaimed, running into the Gryffindor locker room, "McGonagall's talking about canceling the match!"
"What!?" the rest of the Gryffindor team shouted.
"Yeah! So you better get your butt out there and fix it!" Megan said, shoving him towards door.
"Are you kidding, Megan!? If he goes out there by himself he'll be pulverized by them!" Dean said, using his bat to point towards the arena.
"So go with him if you're so worried," Megan said, "I am not losing the cup due to the popularity of a member on this team. I don't care if he is co- captain."
"Gee, you're concern touches me deeply," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "If you want me to go talk to McGonagall, fine. I doubt it'll do any good, though."
"Indeed," said McGonagall walking into the room, "I fear I cannot allow this match to take place. Harry, there are far too many reporters and well- wishers out there."
"You had to plug the Quidditch game, didn't you?" Megan muttered under her breath.
"Shut up, Megan," Ron said from his seat on the bench.
Megan glared and punched him hard on the shoulder.
"Ow!" Ron exclaimed, nearly falling out of his seat, "Merlin! You'd think that you didn't want me to block any shots, the way you're hitting me."
"If there isn't a game it won't matter, will it?" Megan sneered.
"Professor, they aren't going to do any dangerous. Why can't we just play?" Harry asked.
"You haven't been out there, Potter. There are people everywhere. Accidents do happen, you know," McGonagall said pointedly.
"Ah, come on, Professor. Nothing's going to happen!" Dean pleaded.
"Yeah, please, Professor!" Colin added.
"I don't know. . ." McGonagall led off.
Harry thought for a moment, "Professor. . .if I promise to stay out of the Forbidden Forest for the rest of the year can we play?"
Quite apparently Harry had hit a weak point, for McGonagall looked as though Christmas had just arrived early, ". . .I. . . As tempting as that offer is, Potter, it simply isn't safe."
"How did they get in anyhow?" Ginny asked.
"That," McGonagall said over the rim of her glasses, "is the question of the hour, isn't it?"
"Are you guys almost ready in here?" Madame Hooch asked as she strolled in.
"I thought the game was cancelled," Seamus said, confused.
"It is---" started McGonagall.
"Don't be ridiculous, Minerva. Albus called in a few Aurors, so the game is still on. Everyone's waiting for you," Hooch said knowledgably.
"But---" McGonagall started again.
"Alright!" Ron exclaimed, as the team grabbed their brooms and headed out of the room.
"Praise be to Dumbledore! Savoir of Quidditch!" Megan shouted happily, skipping out of the room.
In next to no time the Gryffindor team was out on the Quidditch field. McGonagall hadn't been kidding, either. The stands were packed with students, professors, reporters, and witches and wizards of all ages. Harry was strongly reminded of the Quidditch World Cup game and how the players must have felt.
"Like you're a fish being stared at in your bowl," Harry muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Ron asked, mounting his broom.
"Nothing," Harry said as Madame Hooch released the bludgers and the snitch.
The two teams took off into the air, waiting for the quaffle to be released. Hooch gave her typical pre-game rules before throwing up the final ball. Ravenclaw quickly took possession and wasted no time in making it over to the Gryffindor side of the field. Ron masterfully blocked the ball, however, before throwing it to his sister who darted back across the field.
Harry was well aware that most all eyes were following him, completely ignoring the game. Rolling his eyes in annoyance as flashes met him every which way he turned, he tried to concentrate on finding the snitch.
"Ravenclaw scores a goal, tying the game, ten to ten."
Remus' voice boomed over the speakers, and Sirius could be heard cursing loudly in the background. Harry turned to see Ron cursing himself as well at the goal. A bludger zoomed by his head and Seamus zipped after it before whacking it at one of the Ravenclaw Chasers.
"They're better than last time," Seamus called over his shoulder as he zoomed away.
"Much better," Cho said, slowing her broomstick as she reached Harry, "I wanted to thank you, Harry."
"What for?" Harry asked before adding jokingly, "There's still time for us to cream you."
Cho smiled and fingered the necklace she was wearing, "It was more than I could have ever hoped for."
"Don't mention it. . ." said Harry, spotting something golden sparkling near the Gryffindor goal posts, "I spy with my little eye, something small and golden. Ready to race for it?"
Cho nodded, "You bet."
The two sped towards it, but it didn't take long for Harry to realize that Cho was letting him win on purpose. He quickly pulled himself around, ignoring the indignant shouts of the crowd. He met up with Cho who was pretending to be busy looking for the snitch.
"You," he said with mock anger, "Were going to let me win."
"Er. . .of course not, Harry. Why would I do that?" she asked, feigning confusion.
"One can only wonder why Potter would pull out the dive so close to reaching the snitch," Sirius' voice echoed throughout the stadium, obviously annoyed, "I'm certain he has a good reason which he'll be happy to share later. . . GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! 50 TO 10!!!"
Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's commentary. If there was one thing he needed to work on, it was finishing one thought before moving onto the next one. Shaking his head, he looked back to Cho who was flying away from him.
"I don't know, why would you?" he asked, catching up with her.
"Er. . ." Cho started as Harry gave her a look that told her lying wasn't an option, "I owe you one, Harry. . .for the letter."
"So you were going to repay me by letting me win?" Harry asked, not impressed at all.
Cho nodded her head reluctantly and Harry pulled both of them to a stop, "Cho, you don't owe me anything. . . And I couldn't win knowing that you let me."
"But. . .Cedric---"
"Cedric was all about fair play," Harry said, looking her in the eye, "Surely you wouldn't want to let him down?"
Cho suddenly got a worried look in her eyes, "No! Of course not!"
"So you're going to try to win?" Harry asked, emphasizing the word 'try.'
Cho laughed, "Ravenclaw *will* win, Potter."
Harry extended his hand, "Like to see you try."
"We'll just see," Cho said, shaking his hand, "Oh, and Harry?"
"Hm?"
"Second place isn't all that bad!" she said before taking off into a steep dive.
Harry spotted the tiny dot of gold she was speeding towards and instantly chased after her. Over the years she had upgraded her broom to a Nimbus Two Thousand, but it was still no match for Harry's Firebolt. Before you could say Quidditch, he had caught up with her.
They raced neck and neck towards the ever-closer ground. The screams of the crowd had dulled out to a muffled shout in the wind which charged in and out of their ears. Both had taken one hand off their broomstick and outstretched it towards the snitch.
'Faster,' Harry urged his broom on mentally, 'Faster!'
It might have just been his imagination, but Harry was almost positive that his Firebolt put on an extra burst of speed. At the very last second, he pulled ahead of Cho and grabbed the snitch firmly in his hand.
As he pulled himself out of the dive, all the noise of the crowd seemed to be unplugged. Harry was positive that a single decibel louder and he would have gone deaf.
He firmly grasped his broom in his free hand before jumping off and falling the remaining ten feet to the ground. He was quickly joined by members of both teams. Apparently the Ravenclaws harbored no ill feelings about losing. The congratulated him as pools of people from the stands poured out onto the field.
"Harry! You did it! Gryffindor won!" Megan screamed excitedly as she jumped on his back.
"Make way, coming through!"
Madame Hooch pushed her way through the hoards of people surrounding the Gryffindor team. When she finally became visible, she was holding the House Cup.
She straightened her robes before walking briskly over to Harry and Ron and handing it to them, "Gryffindor wins!"
Of course, everyone already knew this, but it excited them all the same to hear it declared officially. By now, everyone in the stands had made their way onto the field, making it impossible to move much at all. Reporters were all etching to get to Harry, but everyone else did a good job of keeping them away.
"Party in the Common room!" Ron shouted over the noise, causing all Gryffindors in hearing range to go crazy with excitement.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, finally breaking through the crowd and throwing herself into his arms.
Harry gladly hugged her back as he let Ron handle the Cup, "Great game, huh, 'Mione?"
"Splendid!" she agreed heartily.
Harry smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and kissed him back, only on the lips this time. Those around the two began cat calling, but neither seemed to care. . .that is until somebody decided to pour a large bucket of ice water over them. They broke apart, sputtering, and looking around to see who had done it.
Ron and Lavender were quickly shoving their wands into their pockets.
"What was that for!?" Hermione asked, shrilly, as everyone around them laughed.
"Dean said that in soccer, the team always pours ice water over their coach after they win. . ." Ron said, glancing at Dean.
"He did, did he?" asked Harry, eyebrow arched, "Well in that case, we still have one more captain and his lover left. . ."
Ron and Lavender gulped before turning and running into the crowd. The rest of the Gryffindor team laughed still.
"I don't know what you think is so funny," Hermione said, pulling out her wand.
"Yeah, this isn't soccer, who's to say it's only the captains who get drenched?" Harry asked, raising his hand.
The team looked at each other and let out simultaneous shouts before running after Ron and Lavender.
"Shall we?" Harry asked, bowing to Hermione.
"Yes, I think we shall," Hermione said, grabbing his hand and running into the crowd.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about not updating in a while! I don't really have an excuse, so I won't use one, but, hey, I updated! Yay! Everything's happy again! And only the epilogue left! Great, ain't it!? I'm so excited! I've already started on the sequel, and I can guarantee that if you like this story, you'll like the sequel, too! Gosh, I'm so excited! And remember, reviews are nice!