Rating: 12A, the rating will change to 15 in some chapters for contents.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
Chapter Three
Ron was startled awake by a sudden loud movement, realising the noises were coming from the bed beside him he pulled the curtains from around his bed, open.
He saw Harry potter, the famous boy whom no one wanted to know, sitting on his bed with his head down and his hands over his face.
Ron considered answering weather he was all right or not, he didn't want to be caught talking to the social outcast of the school. As it was the middle of the night and it was obvious no one else in the room was going to wake up he decided to ask the famous boy his question.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked quietly, trying not to startle the boy he question. That didn't work out as planned, as it was enough to startle Harry a lot.
Harry now sat straight and looked suspiciously at Ron. Harry wondered why all the sudden Ron wanted to talk to him, and showing concern. Harry wasn't going to ask his questions, as he knew the minute Ron was in public he would forget all about this night and that he ever existed. But he did still answer Ron's question, as he didn't want to seem rude.
"I'm fine!" He answered in a monotone voice and intended to leave that as his answer.
Ron looked closer at Harry he never really had time to inspect 'the boy who lived.' He noticed, 'the boy who lived,' was bearing living, his eyes held no spark. He knew it was because of the entire student body at Hogwarts, they made his live miserable. He was ashamed to say he was one of them who made his life a living hell.
"I'm sorry!" Ron said shocking himself and Harry. Ro could see Harry was confused so he elaborated.
"For making your life miserable, ignoring you. No one deserves that!" All Harry could do was nod his head, agreeing with what Ron had said. He didn't really know what Ron wanted him to say, so he stayed silent.
They had been silent for 10 minutes and Ron decided if the boy across from hi wasn't going to say anything he was going back to seep. The moment he was going to lay back down Harry spoke.
"I've always been miserable!" Harry declared, now Ron was confused.
"I don't understand." Harry chuckled at Ron's answer.
"Of course you don't as this is the first time anyone in this school has spoken to me!" Harry answered, angry from being neglected all his life, coming thought as he spoke.
"I'm listening now!" Ron declared calmly to Harry noticing his anger, whom he thought had very right to be.
Harry was shocked once again, Ron didn't recoil or ignore him again after his outburst, but stood his ground. Harry wanted to know more then ever why Ron cared.
"Why do you want to know?" He asked and Ron thought about the question, 'why did he want to know?' he questioned himself in his mind.
"I'm not really sure, it just sees like you need someone to talk to and I'm offering. I may find out something about you I may not of understood probably before, that makes me not be so scared anymore. Maybe in time you could learn to trust e and be my friend, because I'm willing to be yours, it obvious you need friend."
"Yes I do need friends, but I don't know if I could ever trust you with my deepest issues." Harry answered trueful, grabbing his chance at getting another friend, other then the mysterious girl at the end of last summer term.
"That sounds okay for now, so why have you always been miserable?" Ron pressed; smiling like a Cheshire cat this caused Harry to laugh heartedly, and he told Ron what life was like at the Dursley's.
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Hermione awoke from the sound of a group of first year student's playing 500 yards away in the grounds of Hogwarts. She knew last night she was nearing the boundary of Hogwarts, but didn't know she was that near. She found it ridiculous how close she was to the boundary; if she had a little bit more strength last night and continued a little longer she would already of been given medical treatment. Now the blessed medical treatment even though only 500 yards away now seemed to far, she had lost a lot of blood during the night. She didn't have the strengths to lift her head properly let alone walk 500 yards.
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Dumbledore's intuition kicked in again, it told him Hagrid should search around the inside of the boundary of the dark forest, something was needed to be found and fast. Dumbledore was looking out of the window towards the dark forest awaiting Hagrid's arrival.
"You wanted to see me professor?" Hagrid asked as he stepped though the threshold of professor Dumbledore's office.
"Yes Hagrid, I need you to search the inner boundary of the dark forest again, only up to about 800 yards. There is something that needs to be found extremely quickly. I believe this something was the girl I asked you to search for in June."
"Yes professor right away!"
"Thank you Hagrid, don't worry about your class that starts in 10 minutes, I will cover for you."
"Yes professor." Hagrid answered and quickly left Dumbledore's office on his new mission. Dumbledore looked back out of the window and sighed deeply, he turned to leave to cover for Hagrid.
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Harry was surprisingly shocked and mistaken about what he thought the night before about Ron. He believed the minute they were surrounded by a large number of people; Ron would turn his back in him. He did not, the minute he got out of bed Ron had said 'morning' and asked 'weather he was able to get back to sleep last night?' He answered Ron's questions trueful, their interactions left their roommates stunned.
Ron believed him and Harry last night had made a slight connection that the famous lonely boy craved.
Ron asked Harry to join him and his fellow roommates for breakfast, he was delighted Ron had asked him, but the faces of the others he knew they didn't want him sitting with them. Ron quickly reprimanded the other and they relented and told Harry they would be honoured to have him join them. Harry quickly answered yes and thanked the, now Harry was sitting next to Ron and opposite his other roommates, happiest soared through him as his roommates ignored the rest of the school antics towards him and them.
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Hagrid went inside his hut and picked up his crossbow, a necessary tool to have even in daylight hours when walking within the dark forest. He went back outside and his class was already there, waiting for him to start today's lesson. They were all staring at his crossbow in his hands. The minute Draco Malfoy saw the crossbow he immediately quietens, who at the time was taunting a few Gryffindor's. The last time saw Hagrid hold a crossbow was the time he was in detention with Harry in their first year, and had to go into the dark forest. He didn't dare ask Hagrid if they're going into the forest, as he wasn't sure if he would like the answer.
"Right, I won't be teaching the class today, as I have to run an errand for Dumbledore in the forest. Your replacement teacher for today's lesson will be here soon." Hagrid spoke and the class cried sighs when they heard there was a substitute teacher coming, they're hoping it would become a free period.
"I wonder what dumb assed person would agree to cover for one of halfwit's classes?" Malfoy sneered. Harry smirked at Malfoy, as the replacement teacher was standing right behind him.
"What are you smirking at scarhead? It's not like you know who our replacement teacher will be!" Malfoy said, and saw Harry's smirk widen.
"Oh, but I do and so does the whole class except for you. As his standing right behind you!" Harry stated, Malfoy turned around and screamed when he saw that the replacement teacher was the headmaster.
"Mr Malfoy five points from Slytherin for insulting a teacher and five more from Slytherin for insulting a fellow student!" He said walking pass Malfoy and went to the front of the class. "Mr Potter is correct I am your replacement teacher." Dumbledore informed the class.
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30 minutes after entering the forest Hagrid noticed a leg sticking out of an entrance of a hallow tree. He slowly approached and looked inside, he saw the girl Dumbledore described to him three months prior. He carefully wrapped his arms around the girl and lifted her out of the tree. The girl's eyes flew open and started to struggle against him.
"Hey hold on, I'm from the school. I was told to come and get you." Hermione immediately calmed down when she heard the word school. She wanted to ask how he knew she was here, but the remainder of her strength was gone from when she struggled against him. He moved her in his arms into a position easier for him to carry her.
"Now won't be long until we're at the grounds of Hogwarts, then we can sort you out, you're lucky Dumbledore had another one of his hunch's that's who told me where you were."
Once Hermione was safe in Hagrid's arms he realised she fell unconscious once again. He quickly made his way out of the forest.
He approached the edge and saw Dumbledore had dismissed his class early and the only person whom seemed to be with Dumbledore was Harry. He walked over the threshold of the forest, with his precious cargo crutched tightly in his arms. This reminded him about how he was chosen by Dumbledore to bring Harry to his relative's house after his parents died.
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Dumbledore saw Hagrid out of the corner of his eye; he noticed that Hagrid was carrying a girl in his arms. He turned to the few students that were left out of Hagrid's view from the dismissed class.
"Boys, ran a long to your next class before you are late? Except for you Harry, I like you to stay for a bit." He spoke towards Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Harry. Puzzled of why Dumbledore wanted him to stay Harry watched as his new friends made their way back toward the castle.
"Hagrid, how bad is she?" Dumbledore asked Hagrid, who had stopped walking the minute he saw the other boys and kept out if sight. Dumbledore's question alerted Harry and he quickly turned around. He watched as Hagrid walked around the corner with a body in his hands. Whom he recognised as the girl who befriended him at the Triwizard Tournament,
"I very bad way sir, I don't think she has much longer. She fell unconscious the minute she realised she was safe." Hagrid answered.
"Well then we better get her to the hospital wing quickly." Dumbledore left with Hagrid he turned when he noticed Harry wasn't with the. He motioned for Harry to follow the. Harry quickly joined his professor's, surprised that he hadn't realised they had moved.
Hagrid laid Hermione down on the bed; Dumbledore and Harry finally saw the state she was in. Dumbledore sighed lowly shocked. He didn't expect her to be in the condition she was in; he looked towards Harry to see his reaction, and was more shocked when he saw that he wasn't surprised by her condition.
"Harry, this there something you wish to tell me?" He questioned. Harry realised Dumbledore was talking about why he wasn't more shocked.
"I had nightmares since the end of last term!" He stated. Dumbledore concluded they featured the girl that lay before them and how she got into the condition she was in now.
"She's been tortured the muggle way." Harry continued, confirming Dumbledore conclusion. But he wonder why Voldemort would result to such crude methods of torture, like reading his mind Harry answered his unvoiced question.
"He resulted to muggle torture when the unspeakable curses stop working on her." Dumbledore was fascinated and his eyebrows rose, and Harry chuckled at Dumbledore reaction.
"I don't how she did it, but after a while she was able to absorb the curses instead of them causing her pain." Harry stated plainly, a silence fell over the room that was only broken when Madam Pomfrey saw the state of her new patient was in.
"Out! Everyone out!" She admitted a loud shriek.
"Poppy, Harry will be staying in case she wakes, she only trusts him and if she wakes up alone or with someone she doesn't trust, she may resort to methods no one has seen in over a thousand years, without herself knowing. Plus I'm sure you have her recovery in heart, and for her to recover Harry will need to be there when she wakes." Poppy relented after a while and agreed to let Harry stay in the hospital wing. Dumbledore told Harry his assignments would be given to him at the end of each lesson by a teacher or a classmate. Whatever books he wanted, a house elf would be at hand in the hospital. He was to take his meals and sleep in the hospital wing as well. This made sure Harry was here all the time making sure he would be here then the girl woke.
Poppy showed him to the bed he would be sleeping in and charmed a desk to the side so he had a place to study. He sat down on the desk chair and watched as poppy started working on his first ever friend. After a minute or so he sighed and turned round, he pulled out his Deference Against the Dart Arts homework and book, and started his assignment.
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Harry glanced up from his work and noticed madam Pomfrey was still fluting around at a fast rate, treating the girl. She started to treat the girl an hour and a half before, 'she need a break,' he concluded.
"Madam Pomfrey, you need a break?" She looked up towards Harry after his question.
"Of course not dear, I'm fine."
"Madam Pomfrey you'll make yourself ill if you keep going at the rate you are. Take a Break!" Harry said, but his order/statement was ignored.
"Would it really hurt her progress if you took 15 to 20 minutes break?" Harry asked catching her attention again, thinking over Harry's Proposal again.
"Oh I suppose you are right, she won't get worst if I left there for a while. Like to join me to have some tea and cakes?" She asked.
"Okay! It's not like I can leave the hospital, well not until she wakes up." Harry answered Poppy's question.
End of chapter.. .. Please review.. .. And visit my website at www.angelfire.com/magic/thephoenixsong.