Harry Potter and the Curse of the Gypsy

Authors Note: So, how is my little story going? I hope you like...I like! Please tell me what you think...just no flames! I don't mind criticism, but don't be mean! Anyway, this next chapter is going on...last chapter got a tad fluffy. Hope you like this one!!!

Disclaimer: Harry is not mine. Only in my dreams.

Potions Class ***********

"Harry and Cory, sitting in a tree..."

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

"Oh, very funny guys." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Real mature. I notice you don't seem to have any dates at the moment?"

Fred got an astonished look on his face and turned to George. "We don't have any girlfriends, George? How could you not tell me this?"

"I don't know...I thought we did. Harry, we would never have known that if you hadn't told us."

"Are you suffering mental health problems?" Cory said as she walked in the room. "I mean, how many times can one woman drop her child on the head?"

"I don't know...maybe we should ask mum sometime." Cory shook her head and crossed across the room to Harry's side. She gave him a short kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to him.

He blushed. "Hey, Cory. You ready for Hagrid's lesson tomorrow? I hear we're finally working with the Chimera...not just looking at it."

Cory smiled. "Of course. Hagrid wouldn't let anything go...wrong, would he?"

Harry blanched. "Erm..." he didn't really know how to respond to this. He didn't want to say anything against Hagrid...the first person he had ever really encountered in the magical world. But still...all things considered, he had been burned quite a few times with the screwts, and Malfoy had received a large gash, though it had been partly his fault. He opened his mouth but Cory raised a hand.

"Don't answer. I know." She shook her head. "I just hope we don't get killed."

"I don't know if it would go that far." George said. "I mean, he'll burn you, and cut you,"

"Break your bones, cut off vital limbs..." Fred added.

"But all in all...you're doomed."

"That's what I was afraid of." Harry and Cory said in unison. Harry looked up at Cory and blushed.

"Stop that, Harry." Cory snickered. "Every time you look at me, I think you've gotten too much sun." Harry felt his stomach churn and turned even redder. The twins burst out laughing."

"It's not my fault." He said back. "It's yours...why can't I have started off dating a girl who was nice and quiet...instead of a demon from the netherworlds."

"Uh-oh." Fred said pointedly. "Looks like the honeymoons over."

"Nope." Cory said, planting a kiss on Harry's forehead. "I think it's cute when he tries to insult me like that."

"My kind of girl." Bellowed George. He threw an arm around Cory's shoulders. "Why don't you dump the midget and run off with me to Ireland or something?"

"Sorry." She retorted. "Besides, I think those two hufflepuff girls you took to the ball still fancy you. Why don't you go to Hogsmeade with them day after tomorrow? You can go with Harry and me...it'll be a triple date." Harry looked at her with a suffering look.

"You mean spend the day with those two? We'll be lucky if we escape with some degree of sanity."

"Nope." George said, grinning. "You lost all that the day you met Miss Rock Star."

"Yeah." Chuckling, he threw his arms around Harry and Cory. "To think, this all happened because Harry met Cory."

"Isn't that a movie?"

"Anyways..." Fred sneered at George. "I was just saying, if it hadn't been for the prize Harry won, you two might not have hit it off."

"Are you kidding?" Harry snorted. "The way she acted when we met her, I would gladly have exchanged my prize for Ron's, if he would have..." He froze suddenly.

Ron's prize...he had forgotten about Ron's prize. The...the broom.

"Ron won a broom for the competition. For the Chaser competition." He said suddenly.

"Oh...oh yeah..." Fred turned red suddenly.

"He won a broom?" Cory said cautiously.

"Yes...what happened, Fred?" Harry said suddenly, looking at him.

"I...I don't know what..."

"You're lying." Harry said, standing. "You know, don't you?"

"Yeah, of course we know." George said. "I thought you did. You didn't seem surprised he was flying that Nimbus."

"I had forgotten." Harry said, looking at them suspiciously. "What did happen to it?"

Fred looked at George for a moment and sighed. "He sold it."

"WHAT?" Harry felt his eyes bulge. "He...he had that broom and he sold it?"

"We needed the money." George said awkwardly. "For dad."

"What...what happened?" Harry said. "Is something gone wrong?"

"It was before all the fighting." George said slowly. "We put all the money you gave us into the bank, without mum and dad finding out."

"And Ron wanted to contribute something." Fred sighed.

"But...but why?"

"Harry...haven't you heard? Dad was fired."

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Harry pulled off his gauntlets as he walked down the stairs, Cory at his side. His hair was singed on one side and he had just come from the nurse to have a large cut on his palm healed. "I'm just glad we had the gauntlets." Harry said darkly. "Otherwise, I think that thing would have cut off my arm."

"Vicious creature, isn't it?" Cory said. "Of course, I'm sure there is worse."

"And I'm sure that Hagrid will eventually find the worst." Harry said. "If he looks hard enough." Cory chuckled.

"Of course. But at least he means well."

"Yeah." Harry shook his head. "To think, if a Snape taught that class...there would probably be dead bodies as far as the eye could see."

"Hey, I don't think he'd willingly kill off students." Harry gave Cory a cynical look that made her laugh. "All right, maybe...certain ones."

"Yeah." He shuddered. "What a scary thought."

"We have potions next, don't we?"

Harry pretended to shudder. "Yech...don't remind me."

"Well, I guess we had better get going. Professor Snape doesn't need yet another excuse to take points from Gryffindor."

"He finds his ways. 'Potter, Five hundred points for sneezing without permission!' What a..."

"Shh..." Cory snickered. "I'm supposed to be the shrew here, remember?"

They continued in this vein for quite some time. They finally reached the doors to the dungeon classroom. However, they were in for a bit of a shock.

Ron stood at the door, face shadowed. "So, the twins told you, did they?" Harry froze.

"Well...yeah, but..."

"Listen, I don't need you feeling sorry for me." He said angrily.

"What?" Harry said, looking at Ron strangely.

"Shove it, Harry...can the act. I know you don't have it all that bad...I've seen what you've got in Gringotts. If I had that, I wouldn't worry about money either." Ron sneered.

"But...are you insane?" Harry asked with astonishment. "For ELEVEN YEARS all I ever got for my birthday was my uncle's old socks! All I wore were that fat pig cousin's old clothes! I had it worse than you did, idiot! I SLEPT IN A BLOODY CUPBOARD!"

"But you haven't got it so bad now, do you? You..."

"SHUT UP RONALD WEASLEY!" Everybody turned to Cory, and it was obvious that she was fuming.

"And what does the internationally famous girlfriend of the internationally famous boy-who-lived have to say?" Ron sneered. "Something vastly important, no doubt."

"Ron, why can't you just shove all this? So you've got it bad...none of us here have perfect lives, you know! Do you think I've been happy, with..." she froze, her eyes going dark. "No. I'm not going to talk with you about that. You'll just find some way to twist it around, stupid selfish..."

"What happened, Ron?" Harry said suddenly, looking into his friend's eyes. "I know what happened with your family...what happened to you?"

Ron looked back at Harry for a long moment and shuddered before turning away. "I just don't like being friends with somebody who has to be in the limelight every other..."

"SHUT UP!" Cory stepped forward and slapped Ron hard across the face. Everybody ceased their excited chattering and stopped to look at him. Cory had just started to raise her hand again, when...

"Don't you dare!" Hermione rushed forward and caught Cory's arm, sending it swinging back. "I can't believe I actually thought you were better than you seemed at first! You two...can't you see what's going on? Why don't you just pay attention to Ron? I can't believe you're acting so stupid!"

"Stupid!" Cory shrieked. "Who's being stupid? Certainly not you, I forgot...Hermione Granger is NEVER wrong!"

"But, I..."

"You annoying, know-it-all, good for nothing witch!" Cory said angrily. "I tried to be nice to you, but no...you just go off. You know we're right about things...why can't you just admit you were wrong for a change?"

"Wrong? You're nothing but wrong! Can't you..."

"EVERYBODY SHOVE IT!" Everybody turned once more. This time to Neville. His round face was flushed bright red and he was looking nervously at the floor. "Listen, this all started because of what Ron said to me. I don't care, anymore. I just don't want us all fighting like this. It has to stop NOW!"

"It had better." Said Snape's cold voice. "Because I've already taken fifty points from Gryffindor already. Get in the room, before I take fifty more." He stepped out from his office. "Get in."

Giving Ron and his group a dark look, Cory and Harry sat at a table and began setting up their cauldrons. Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm down...he knew what happened if you let your emotions take over when you were in potions. However, Cory was still seething, and kept shooting Hermione dark looks.

The Slytherins slinked in five minutes after class had started. "Sorry, sir." Malfoy said. "Somebody messed with the door to the Common room...we couldn't get out."

Snape looked at them before turning back to the board, where he was hastily scribbling various runes. "Yes, well, I see you are here now. Take your seats so I can get started."

"Yet more preferential treatment for the Slytherins." Cory hissed.

'Yep...' Harry thought. 'She's definitely in a bad mood.'

"What was that, Miss Johnson?" Snape said, turning to look at Cory.

"Nothing, Professor." She said in a sickeningly sweet tone that made Harry wince. Yes...they were definitely in for trouble.

"That is good." Snape said, narrowing his eyes. "I wouldn't want to have to do anything to you."

"Yes you would." She said quietly. "And you will, too."

Snape turned and slammed his fist down on his desk. "Miss Johnson, I would advise you against getting on my bad side today. That is ten points from Gryffindor, and not another word for the rest of the lesson!"

She smirked back at him, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back. Snape glared at her for a long moment before looking up. "Now, today, we shall be learning about Aging Potions. There are many types...most invented by witches trying to find effective ways to prevent the effects of aging. The one we are taking increases age, but you must be careful...very careful...not to add any sort of dragon ingredient, whether it be scale, or blood. This reverses the process, and makes you younger."

"Great." Harry said, desperate to make Cory's mood better---he feared what would happen should she become vindictive. "I don't need to get any shorter."

She snorted softly, but didn't appear to become any less moody. But, to his relief, she didn't appear to want trouble any more than he did, and kept quiet, though Snape kept subtly shooting concealed insults to both her and Harry.

Nonetheless, when Snape concluded his speaking and they began preparing the potions, he felt a flood of tension ebb from his chest. With Cory's help, he had the potion ready to sit in under a half-hour. He and Cory were the first students to get to this point, and to Harry's smug satisfaction even Hermione seemed to be having her difficulties.

"It can't be that hard." He heard her muttering. "Fred and George made one last year."

Snape wandered over a moment later and gave them dark looks. "Why aren't you working?" he sneered. "There is no room in this class for slackers."

"Actually, Professor." She said shortly, "We just finished and are letting them stew for the fifteen required minutes. Or had you forgotten that the potion turns bright pink when it's ready for simmering?"

'This can't be happening.' Harry thought miserably when he saw the angry look on Snape's face.

"I remembered. I was just so shocked to see Potter do something correct, I lost my senses for a moment." He scoffed as he turned away. He paused, a dark smirk on his face. "Oh, and since you two are done so early, you won't mind testing your potion first, for the entire class. I'll expect you to come front and center with your potions...both of you...the moment you are done."

"Yes, sir." Cory said darkly. "Whatever you say." When Snape turned, Harry saw her roll her eyes. They heard Malfoy snicker from across the room.

"You think he might explode or something?" Harry heard him ask his cronies. He ignored the taunting best he could.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Harry hissed. Cory nodded.

"Of course I am." She whispered back. "I've made it before...well, with help. But it looks and smells just like it is supposed to."

He sighed and sat back, watching the minutes pass away on his watch. Five...ten...twelve...fourteen...and...

"Potter and Johnson...I believe you are ready to partake of our little experiment." Snape said. The Slytherins laughed evilly, and Ron seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Hermione seemed a little nervous, though he wasn't sure if it was for his safety or because she was afraid that somebody might be better than her for a change.

"Are you ready?" Cory said quietly to Harry, the vial of pink liquid poised at her lips. He nodded. "Then on the count of three...one...two...three!" At that, the both of them tossed their heads back and downed the vials.

Harry felt his head spinning. His vision faded as he felt a strange sensation clouding his senses. His clothes were getting tighter and tighter...he suddenly realized it was because his body was growing, like it had when he had taken the Polyjuice potion...

He heard Snape mumble a quick growth charm...obviously he didn't want an older Harry Potter standing naked in class, his clothes in shreds around him...

And all of a sudden he could see again. And he saw that everybody was staring at him.

"Oh, my. Harry..." He turned.

"Cory..." They stood staring at one another for a long moment. Cory was obviously older---he would estimate at least twenty. She was taller, and her figure was more...womanly. Her hair had grown down to her elbows, and waved about her in soft curls. In short...well, as a girl she had always been attractive. As a full-grown woman, she was...

"Beautiful..." he murmured.

Cory smiled smugly. "You don't look so bad yourself, Potter." Harry looked down at himself...and realized that the floor was much farther away than it had been a few minutes ago.

And then he glanced up and caught a look of himself in the mirror. He was a lot taller. And...handsome, though he was reluctant to use such words about himself. His hair was still messy, but longer, and fell untidily about his collar and into his eyes. He was taller, and though still quite thin could see the faint prominence of muscles on his arms. His face was much more chiseled.

But mostly what he saw, was...he looked almost exactly like his father.

Snape could see it also. He had gone slightly pale as he looked at Harry. "Well," he muttered after awhile. He dug in his pockets for small vials filled with a blue liquid. "It appears you have correctly made this potion, to the shock of everybody in this room, I am sure." He handed Harry the vials.

He gave one to Cory. He drank it quickly, feeling a sinking sensation. When he peeked his eyes open, he saw that he was back to normal. With a sigh, he turned and sat back down. "How can you stand all those things he says?" Cory asked after a long moment.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "I've only yelled at him once...when he said something about my father."

"He did what?" Cory appeared ruffled. "Why, that..."

"Cory, forget it. Listen, it does no good to get mad at him."

"But the way...the way he treats people... I just can't believe it." She sighed. "It's abominable."

"You can be pretty awful too." Harry said, raising a brow.

"Yeah..." she looked over and Ron and caught his eyes. "But I...I would never say something cruel about somebody's parents...especially if they never met their parents." She said loudly, emphasizing the words. Ron went scarlet and turned back to Hermione.

"Stop your bickering." Snape said, turning back. "I feel like I'm in the company of five year olds."

"At least I'm closer to that age than you are!" Cory shouted, getting to her feet.

"What do you mean?" Snape growled. Cory crossed her arms and sneered back.

"I mean you act like a child...taking out things on people just because of stupid incidents from your school days!" She retorted icily.

"Quiet, girl. You don't know..."

"I don't know what I speak of?" she snorted. "I do, as a matter of fact. A friend of James Potter once played a prank that almost got you killed, didn't he? And once James Potter made you stand in the middle of the Quidditch field...in front of everybody...completely naked? And then...and then there was the time that the both of them posted a picture of you dressed as a BUNNY for the entire school to see!"

"ENOUGH!" Professor Snape said. "You are the most ignorant, selfish, and self-absorbed creatures I have ever met! You are coarse and vulgar, and possibly the worse student I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with, save Mister Longbottom, who is consistently wreaking havoc in this room."

"Well, FINE!" she shouted back. "Because I am leaving...RIGHT NOW!" She picked up her books and opened the door quickly, sending it slamming back into the wall. Without a second glance she walked out of the room.

Snape raised his wand and slammed the door closed. They heard the lock click into place. He turned to the rest of them, seething. "That...that is fifty points from Gryffindor. Be sure to thank Miss Johnson when you fail to win the House Cup this year. Now GET BACK TO WORK!" Everybody quickly went to his or her desk...nobody seemed to think it a good idea to cross Snape's path.

He walked about the room, snapping angrily at the students for even the smallest flaws. Harry say silently, packing up his cauldron and bottling the aging potion. He prayed that Snape wouldn't find reason to wander his way.

Finally, when the entire class had finished their potion, Snape saw it fit to release them for the day. He had just raised his wand to open their door than...

"Sir! Snape, Professor sir! Singer, singer girl trapped! Trouble, sir, trouble there is!" Dobby appeared in the room and began squeaking.

"What are you speaking of house-elf?" Snape sneered.

"Miss Cory...Cory being attacked, sir. A big man has her! Big man, with big long shiny blade! He said he going to kill her, sir!"

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HAHAHAHAH!!! I am evil! So, what do you think? I think I can't think at all...lol, still a favorite quote. What a cliffie, heh? Something to bring you back here, to get ya' reading! Before you leave, make sure you click on that incredible purple box down there...it has these magical powers, see, and when you click it you will rich and beautiful for the rest of your life...

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