A/N - hey guys....wow....80 hours a week for a month strait....so
tired......so very tired....
I know I haven't updated in a very long while, so if you want to flame me I
understand. Hmmm....I wonder how many flames I can get....I like
flames....hmmmmmmm
disclaimer: if she wants it that bad she can have it.......
Chapter 7
As Harry's studies got into full swing, he barely noticed as the weeks turned into a month and soon it was the middle of October. The trees on the edge of the forbidden forest were beginning to turn the usual beautiful orange and red and the halls of the castle were whistling with the cool air. It also denoted another favorite time of year.
On Harry's way through the Gryffindor portrait hole, he bumped into Professor McGonagall, head of the house, coming out.
"Good afternoon, Potter. You might want to fancy yourself a look at the bulletin board when you get in there."
He nodded to the Professor and headed towards the board, but it was easier said than done. It seemed as if the whole house was gathered around reading a notice placed on the wall. Harry pushed his way to the front to read the sign.
To All Gryffindor Students:
Saturday at 9:00 a.m. will be Quidditch tryouts for this year's team.
Available positions for the house team include:
1 Keeper
1 Chaser
The current team will conduct the tryouts and judge for the positions.
The new team will then choose this year's captain.
Harry fought his way back out of the mob. He then saw the rest of the remaining team waving him over to a back corner. After he joined them, they spent the rest of the afternoon discretely discussing how the tryouts would be conducted.
**************************
The team got down to the field at 8:00 on Saturday morning to get ready for the tryouts. They had all decided to wear their crimson uniforms so that they would be easily distinguishable from the sea of black robes. As soon as the masses had gathered, the team looked at each other trying to decide who would officiate. Harry seemed to be elected by some unspoken vote. He sighed, jumped on his broom and hovered above the crowd.
"Excuse me," said Harry, his voice not loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Hello!" Harry said again, still failing to be noticed.
Suddenly a massive explosion came from the area where the old team used to be standing. Several people screamed and Harry was nearly knocked from his Firebolt in surprise. The team had since been knocked to the ground from the noise and Fred and George Weasley's hair was standing on end slightly singed. They were both laughing.
"Sorry...just trying to get everyone's attention. Harry'll tell you what to do."
Smiling, Harry looked back over the crowd and gave the instructions for the tryouts. For the Keeper position, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson belted person after person with the quaffle trying to see who could block the most the goals. For the Chaser position, the Weasley twins pelted potentials with bludgers to see who could get by them the fastest and score. After a very long day of tryouts, and a few minutes of team deliberations (in which yelling matches were threatening to break out from several members), the decisions were made.
Harry motioned for everyone to gather around.
"The Gryffindor team thanks everyone who tried out today. Everyone did a great job and it was a really hard decision. After everyone talking we have a kind of surprise. If we announce your name, please come up to the front to receive your uniform. First, our new Chaser will be..." Harry rolled his eyes and took a breath. "Collin Creevy."
A girlish scream came from the back of the group as light clapping and groans could be heard throughout. Even though he was not the most popular person in Gryffindor and was constantly stalking Harry, there was no denying he was one of the best on the field that day. He was just small enough that he could duck in between the other players but large enough to hold his own against the bludgers.
"For the Keeper position, we had an extremely tough decision due to two very qualified people. So what we are going to do is have a person who starts games and then someone who is back up. The starter will be Dave Burnton with Ron Weasley as the back up."
Automatically a group of fellow sixth year students started congratulating Dave and pushing him up to the front while several other students cheered for Ron. Ron drug his feet up to the front and put on a fake smile as he was handed his uniform. Hermione came running up to her two friends and simultaneously gave them hugs. As soon as Ron was close enough for only Harry to hear, he whispered, "Always seems that I'm a back up to someone, doesn't it."
Hermione let go muttering something about how proud she was of the both of them as Fred and George pulled them to the first meeting of the new team. Harry was so stunned at Ron's comment that he could hardly think and before he knew it the meeting was underway.
Alicia spoke up.
"First order of business. Team Captain. The floor is open for nominations."
"I nominate Harry Potter!" replied Collin.
"I move the nominations cease!" yelled Fred.
"Hey...you all can't do that...I don't have enough experience! Do I get a say?" asked Harry, quickly coming out of his trance at the mention of his name and the motion.
"Second!" yelled George.
"Hello? There are more experienced people!" came from Harry.
"We have a nomination. All in favor?" yelled Alicia over Harry's protests. A resounding "Aye!" was said by almost all.
"The aye's have it and the motion is carried. Congrats, Harry."
Harry just stood there moving his mouth for a moment until he saw Fred and George's identical grins.
"This is some of you guy's last year. You should be captain."
"Nothing doing. Because it is our last year is exactly why you should be captain. As soon as we get the team built up, it will be time for us to go. This way, you have three years to keep our championship team going!" said Alicia.
Harry just smiles and nodded. "Ok...if you insist. And for my first official duty, I'm ordering practice here at 7:00 a.m. sharp Monday morning. We have a match against Ravenclaw in two weeks! "
Everyone groaned. George called out. "We've created a monster!"
"Worse," Fred answered. "We've created Wood." And with everyone laughing, and Harry attempting to look hurt but failing miserably, they all started their walk back towards the castle. Harry looked around to find Ron to walk with, but he was not to be found. He shrugged and figured he had left a little early to head back up to the castle. As soon as they reached the common room, Hermione grabbed him.
"What happened to Ron? He came up a few minutes ago and wouldn't talk to anyone. He just threw his uniform into the trash over there and stormed up to the dorms.
Harry shook his head, almost as if he expected this to happen. He went over to the trash can a fished out the uniform, took a deep breath and slowly walked up the stairs and into the fifth year dorm room. The curtains around Ron's bed had been pulled shut and thankfully no one else was in the room. Harry threw his Firebolt on his own bed then went over and pulled one side of the curtains open and threw the uniform down on his chest. Ron responded by rolling away from Harry.
"If you care, I'm the one who fought for you to be on the team. And if you care, I thought you were better than Dave, but he was older so they gave it to him. And if you care, as Captain, I believe in everyone playing. But if you are not at the practice Monday, I will be forced to disqualify you from even that chance."
"Your Captain too? Bloody Hell, Harry, this day just keeps getting better and better! Why can't you let anyone else ever have the spotlight!" Ron growled as he sat up and pulled the curtain back around his bed.
Harry stared at the curtain a few moments, silently brewing at the scene that had just transpired. Suddenly his fists clenched tightly around the end of the curtain and whipped them open again. Ron tried to close them back but Harry pulled them down from their track. Ron looked directly into his eyes...the slightly glowing emerald orbs...and immediately sunk down into his bed. Harry then opened his mouth and began to speak in a dangerously low voice that was seemingly not his own.
"How dare you, you spoiled prick. You stupid jealous spoiled prick. I never asked for the spotlight. I never wanted to be the famous Harry Potter. All I ever wanted was a life with my parents and it was stolen from me...STOLEN." Harry recomposed himself and continued.
"You have the perfect life, Ron. You know what it is like to have a family that loves you and friends that love you. You know what it is like to have your parents say good job or to hug you when something goes wrong. I will never have that pleasure." Harry paused a moment as he took a deep breath.
"You said you were my best mate. You said that if something were to happen to me that you would be here. But Ron...that counts in both bad times and good. Every times something happened, you seem to calculate the level of fame that you will get out of it and if it's not worth it, you storm up here and put on a scene. Tell me. When you came up to me on the train our first year did you really want to be friends or did you just use me because you thought that if you pretended to be friends with me you would be popular?"
Ron turned his eyes away from Harry's briefly then returned them to the glare.
"Harry....I...I didn't even know it was you till you told me...I swear...I'm sorry..."
Harry leaned in close and almost whispered, seemingly very tired. "Not this time Weasley...not this time."
With that, Harry turned and walked to his bed grabbing his broom. Hermione, who had come up to check on them after she heard the yelling, walked up to Harry and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry...don't leave like this."
Harry looked into Hermione's soft brown eyes and sighed but said nothing. He just walked over to the window, mounted his beloved Firebolt and sailed out.
Ron had pulled himself up and was sitting on the side of the bed holding his head in his hands. "Oh Merlin...what have I done."
As Hermione walked over in front of him, leaned down and picked up the broom that was laying by his bed, he looked up...tears filled his eyes and threatened to roll down his cheeks. "You may have just lost the best friend you will ever hope of finding," she said matter of factly. She then walked to the window and looked out, hoping to find a trace of where he had gone.
******************
The sun was slowly fading in the western sky as Harry stared absentmindedly towards the horizon. He was lying on the roof of the Gryffindor tower, a place that he had discovered towards the end of his fourth year. It was the kind of place that a person could collect their thoughts, scream without anyone hearing or just stare at the Hogwarts grounds. Harry had done all three within the last two hours since the fight.
Suddenly, a large crash behind him made him jump up and his hand unconsciously went towards his wand. But as soon as he saw who it was, he immediately rushed over and kneeled next to the mass.
"Hermione! Are you ok? What were you thinking trying to fly up here? You know you and a broom stick don't get along! You could have been hurt!" After he realized that she was ok and there were no broken bones, he leaned back and sat down.
"How did you know about this place? I'm the only one ever up here. Now I'll have to find a new secret spot."
Hermione took his hand and comfortingly squeezed it. She felt a gentle squeeze back.
"I won't tell anyone...I promise. Last year I when I was taking a walk around the lake with Victor, I saw you fly up here. I figured when you flew out it would be the first place you would go."
Harry looked down at the ground, but Hermione quickly put her hand under his chin and lifted up his face.
"He is sorry, you know," she said, studying the reaction in his eyes.
"I know he is...he always is."
Harry stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof. He placed both hands on the side and leaned slightly forward, watching the fading sunset intently. Hermione walked over next to him and sighed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it."
Harry nodded. "Sometimes when I come up here and watch it, it seems like it takes forever for the day to end. Sometimes it takes a lifetime and sometimes I think I'll never see the sun again." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "But I have to have faith that I will. I don't know what the future is holding in store. But I know something is coming. My scar...it hurts constantly now. I never get a break. I'm just tired. Maybe Ron would like to know how that feels having to live every day knowing something is coming and you can do nothing to stop it. To have people who you think you trust have your whole life planned out for you but they won't tell you because they don't think your old enough to be able to accept it."
Harry stopped a second to calm back down and turned to face Hermione.
"I love Ron as if he was my own brother. You and he and maybe Sirius are the only true family I will ever have. But something is coming. I know it. I need to surround myself with people who I know that I can trust with my life and who know that I would gladly die to protect them. Ron is not that type of person. He runs at the first sign of something not going his way. If he gets jealous of something he hides in his bed like a child."
"Harry...we are children. We are only 15. We have our whole lives ahead of us..."
"Hermione..."
"No Harry. I listened to you and now it's my turn. Do you have any idea how scared we were when you disappeared last year? Ron was the first one down there when you disappeared. His dad and Bill both had to hold him back from running into the forest to find you. I was a no good blubbering idiot but he was going to find and save you at all costs. And do you remember our first year? The time that he sacrificed himself in the chess match so that you could go on and stop Quirrell? I admit that he looses his temper quite easily and yes, he has a monster of a jealous streak but when it matters, he's there."
"So your taking his side?"
Hermione sighed, walked over and picked up Ron's broom. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I can't. I will be here for you the same as I will be there for him. But so help me if either one of you try to put me in the middle of this by making me choose a side..."
Harry nodded as Hermione walked to the edge of the roof.
"Hermione...you're going to kill yourself trying to fly that back to the ground...why don't you ride with me back down?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'll manage. I need the practice anyways. Maybe I should invest in lessons seeing that this is one of the major forms of transportation for magical people."
Harry's ears perked up at this. "If you need someone to teach you, all you have to do is ask." He bowed low. "Always at your service."
Hermione giggled and messed up his hair while he was leaned over. He immediately shot up.
"Thanks for the offer...I'll think about it."
"Good enough. Now, my Firebolt is a little easier to manage...at least ride that down? And no fancy trying to stop at the window and climb in stuff? Just make it to the ground and walk up?"
Hermione picked up the Firebolt and handed Harry Ron's broom. She then said in her best Southern belle accent (but failed miserably) "Awh...how sweet. I do believe you are worried about me."
Harry just smiled a very lopsided smile.
"Always."
And with that, Hermione mounted the broom and shakily flew off.
disclaimer: if she wants it that bad she can have it.......
Chapter 7
As Harry's studies got into full swing, he barely noticed as the weeks turned into a month and soon it was the middle of October. The trees on the edge of the forbidden forest were beginning to turn the usual beautiful orange and red and the halls of the castle were whistling with the cool air. It also denoted another favorite time of year.
On Harry's way through the Gryffindor portrait hole, he bumped into Professor McGonagall, head of the house, coming out.
"Good afternoon, Potter. You might want to fancy yourself a look at the bulletin board when you get in there."
He nodded to the Professor and headed towards the board, but it was easier said than done. It seemed as if the whole house was gathered around reading a notice placed on the wall. Harry pushed his way to the front to read the sign.
To All Gryffindor Students:
Saturday at 9:00 a.m. will be Quidditch tryouts for this year's team.
Available positions for the house team include:
1 Keeper
1 Chaser
The current team will conduct the tryouts and judge for the positions.
The new team will then choose this year's captain.
Harry fought his way back out of the mob. He then saw the rest of the remaining team waving him over to a back corner. After he joined them, they spent the rest of the afternoon discretely discussing how the tryouts would be conducted.
**************************
The team got down to the field at 8:00 on Saturday morning to get ready for the tryouts. They had all decided to wear their crimson uniforms so that they would be easily distinguishable from the sea of black robes. As soon as the masses had gathered, the team looked at each other trying to decide who would officiate. Harry seemed to be elected by some unspoken vote. He sighed, jumped on his broom and hovered above the crowd.
"Excuse me," said Harry, his voice not loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Hello!" Harry said again, still failing to be noticed.
Suddenly a massive explosion came from the area where the old team used to be standing. Several people screamed and Harry was nearly knocked from his Firebolt in surprise. The team had since been knocked to the ground from the noise and Fred and George Weasley's hair was standing on end slightly singed. They were both laughing.
"Sorry...just trying to get everyone's attention. Harry'll tell you what to do."
Smiling, Harry looked back over the crowd and gave the instructions for the tryouts. For the Keeper position, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson belted person after person with the quaffle trying to see who could block the most the goals. For the Chaser position, the Weasley twins pelted potentials with bludgers to see who could get by them the fastest and score. After a very long day of tryouts, and a few minutes of team deliberations (in which yelling matches were threatening to break out from several members), the decisions were made.
Harry motioned for everyone to gather around.
"The Gryffindor team thanks everyone who tried out today. Everyone did a great job and it was a really hard decision. After everyone talking we have a kind of surprise. If we announce your name, please come up to the front to receive your uniform. First, our new Chaser will be..." Harry rolled his eyes and took a breath. "Collin Creevy."
A girlish scream came from the back of the group as light clapping and groans could be heard throughout. Even though he was not the most popular person in Gryffindor and was constantly stalking Harry, there was no denying he was one of the best on the field that day. He was just small enough that he could duck in between the other players but large enough to hold his own against the bludgers.
"For the Keeper position, we had an extremely tough decision due to two very qualified people. So what we are going to do is have a person who starts games and then someone who is back up. The starter will be Dave Burnton with Ron Weasley as the back up."
Automatically a group of fellow sixth year students started congratulating Dave and pushing him up to the front while several other students cheered for Ron. Ron drug his feet up to the front and put on a fake smile as he was handed his uniform. Hermione came running up to her two friends and simultaneously gave them hugs. As soon as Ron was close enough for only Harry to hear, he whispered, "Always seems that I'm a back up to someone, doesn't it."
Hermione let go muttering something about how proud she was of the both of them as Fred and George pulled them to the first meeting of the new team. Harry was so stunned at Ron's comment that he could hardly think and before he knew it the meeting was underway.
Alicia spoke up.
"First order of business. Team Captain. The floor is open for nominations."
"I nominate Harry Potter!" replied Collin.
"I move the nominations cease!" yelled Fred.
"Hey...you all can't do that...I don't have enough experience! Do I get a say?" asked Harry, quickly coming out of his trance at the mention of his name and the motion.
"Second!" yelled George.
"Hello? There are more experienced people!" came from Harry.
"We have a nomination. All in favor?" yelled Alicia over Harry's protests. A resounding "Aye!" was said by almost all.
"The aye's have it and the motion is carried. Congrats, Harry."
Harry just stood there moving his mouth for a moment until he saw Fred and George's identical grins.
"This is some of you guy's last year. You should be captain."
"Nothing doing. Because it is our last year is exactly why you should be captain. As soon as we get the team built up, it will be time for us to go. This way, you have three years to keep our championship team going!" said Alicia.
Harry just smiles and nodded. "Ok...if you insist. And for my first official duty, I'm ordering practice here at 7:00 a.m. sharp Monday morning. We have a match against Ravenclaw in two weeks! "
Everyone groaned. George called out. "We've created a monster!"
"Worse," Fred answered. "We've created Wood." And with everyone laughing, and Harry attempting to look hurt but failing miserably, they all started their walk back towards the castle. Harry looked around to find Ron to walk with, but he was not to be found. He shrugged and figured he had left a little early to head back up to the castle. As soon as they reached the common room, Hermione grabbed him.
"What happened to Ron? He came up a few minutes ago and wouldn't talk to anyone. He just threw his uniform into the trash over there and stormed up to the dorms.
Harry shook his head, almost as if he expected this to happen. He went over to the trash can a fished out the uniform, took a deep breath and slowly walked up the stairs and into the fifth year dorm room. The curtains around Ron's bed had been pulled shut and thankfully no one else was in the room. Harry threw his Firebolt on his own bed then went over and pulled one side of the curtains open and threw the uniform down on his chest. Ron responded by rolling away from Harry.
"If you care, I'm the one who fought for you to be on the team. And if you care, I thought you were better than Dave, but he was older so they gave it to him. And if you care, as Captain, I believe in everyone playing. But if you are not at the practice Monday, I will be forced to disqualify you from even that chance."
"Your Captain too? Bloody Hell, Harry, this day just keeps getting better and better! Why can't you let anyone else ever have the spotlight!" Ron growled as he sat up and pulled the curtain back around his bed.
Harry stared at the curtain a few moments, silently brewing at the scene that had just transpired. Suddenly his fists clenched tightly around the end of the curtain and whipped them open again. Ron tried to close them back but Harry pulled them down from their track. Ron looked directly into his eyes...the slightly glowing emerald orbs...and immediately sunk down into his bed. Harry then opened his mouth and began to speak in a dangerously low voice that was seemingly not his own.
"How dare you, you spoiled prick. You stupid jealous spoiled prick. I never asked for the spotlight. I never wanted to be the famous Harry Potter. All I ever wanted was a life with my parents and it was stolen from me...STOLEN." Harry recomposed himself and continued.
"You have the perfect life, Ron. You know what it is like to have a family that loves you and friends that love you. You know what it is like to have your parents say good job or to hug you when something goes wrong. I will never have that pleasure." Harry paused a moment as he took a deep breath.
"You said you were my best mate. You said that if something were to happen to me that you would be here. But Ron...that counts in both bad times and good. Every times something happened, you seem to calculate the level of fame that you will get out of it and if it's not worth it, you storm up here and put on a scene. Tell me. When you came up to me on the train our first year did you really want to be friends or did you just use me because you thought that if you pretended to be friends with me you would be popular?"
Ron turned his eyes away from Harry's briefly then returned them to the glare.
"Harry....I...I didn't even know it was you till you told me...I swear...I'm sorry..."
Harry leaned in close and almost whispered, seemingly very tired. "Not this time Weasley...not this time."
With that, Harry turned and walked to his bed grabbing his broom. Hermione, who had come up to check on them after she heard the yelling, walked up to Harry and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry...don't leave like this."
Harry looked into Hermione's soft brown eyes and sighed but said nothing. He just walked over to the window, mounted his beloved Firebolt and sailed out.
Ron had pulled himself up and was sitting on the side of the bed holding his head in his hands. "Oh Merlin...what have I done."
As Hermione walked over in front of him, leaned down and picked up the broom that was laying by his bed, he looked up...tears filled his eyes and threatened to roll down his cheeks. "You may have just lost the best friend you will ever hope of finding," she said matter of factly. She then walked to the window and looked out, hoping to find a trace of where he had gone.
******************
The sun was slowly fading in the western sky as Harry stared absentmindedly towards the horizon. He was lying on the roof of the Gryffindor tower, a place that he had discovered towards the end of his fourth year. It was the kind of place that a person could collect their thoughts, scream without anyone hearing or just stare at the Hogwarts grounds. Harry had done all three within the last two hours since the fight.
Suddenly, a large crash behind him made him jump up and his hand unconsciously went towards his wand. But as soon as he saw who it was, he immediately rushed over and kneeled next to the mass.
"Hermione! Are you ok? What were you thinking trying to fly up here? You know you and a broom stick don't get along! You could have been hurt!" After he realized that she was ok and there were no broken bones, he leaned back and sat down.
"How did you know about this place? I'm the only one ever up here. Now I'll have to find a new secret spot."
Hermione took his hand and comfortingly squeezed it. She felt a gentle squeeze back.
"I won't tell anyone...I promise. Last year I when I was taking a walk around the lake with Victor, I saw you fly up here. I figured when you flew out it would be the first place you would go."
Harry looked down at the ground, but Hermione quickly put her hand under his chin and lifted up his face.
"He is sorry, you know," she said, studying the reaction in his eyes.
"I know he is...he always is."
Harry stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof. He placed both hands on the side and leaned slightly forward, watching the fading sunset intently. Hermione walked over next to him and sighed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it."
Harry nodded. "Sometimes when I come up here and watch it, it seems like it takes forever for the day to end. Sometimes it takes a lifetime and sometimes I think I'll never see the sun again." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "But I have to have faith that I will. I don't know what the future is holding in store. But I know something is coming. My scar...it hurts constantly now. I never get a break. I'm just tired. Maybe Ron would like to know how that feels having to live every day knowing something is coming and you can do nothing to stop it. To have people who you think you trust have your whole life planned out for you but they won't tell you because they don't think your old enough to be able to accept it."
Harry stopped a second to calm back down and turned to face Hermione.
"I love Ron as if he was my own brother. You and he and maybe Sirius are the only true family I will ever have. But something is coming. I know it. I need to surround myself with people who I know that I can trust with my life and who know that I would gladly die to protect them. Ron is not that type of person. He runs at the first sign of something not going his way. If he gets jealous of something he hides in his bed like a child."
"Harry...we are children. We are only 15. We have our whole lives ahead of us..."
"Hermione..."
"No Harry. I listened to you and now it's my turn. Do you have any idea how scared we were when you disappeared last year? Ron was the first one down there when you disappeared. His dad and Bill both had to hold him back from running into the forest to find you. I was a no good blubbering idiot but he was going to find and save you at all costs. And do you remember our first year? The time that he sacrificed himself in the chess match so that you could go on and stop Quirrell? I admit that he looses his temper quite easily and yes, he has a monster of a jealous streak but when it matters, he's there."
"So your taking his side?"
Hermione sighed, walked over and picked up Ron's broom. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I can't. I will be here for you the same as I will be there for him. But so help me if either one of you try to put me in the middle of this by making me choose a side..."
Harry nodded as Hermione walked to the edge of the roof.
"Hermione...you're going to kill yourself trying to fly that back to the ground...why don't you ride with me back down?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'll manage. I need the practice anyways. Maybe I should invest in lessons seeing that this is one of the major forms of transportation for magical people."
Harry's ears perked up at this. "If you need someone to teach you, all you have to do is ask." He bowed low. "Always at your service."
Hermione giggled and messed up his hair while he was leaned over. He immediately shot up.
"Thanks for the offer...I'll think about it."
"Good enough. Now, my Firebolt is a little easier to manage...at least ride that down? And no fancy trying to stop at the window and climb in stuff? Just make it to the ground and walk up?"
Hermione picked up the Firebolt and handed Harry Ron's broom. She then said in her best Southern belle accent (but failed miserably) "Awh...how sweet. I do believe you are worried about me."
Harry just smiled a very lopsided smile.
"Always."
And with that, Hermione mounted the broom and shakily flew off.