Disclaimer: I own nothing. Still. Could you have guessed?
Harry Potter and the Elements of Magic
Summery: OotP SPOILERS!!! A 6th year fic. Voldemort's quest for the weapon, which is being protected by the order, continues. Strange events start happening at Hogwarts and the students all suspect the new exchange students are to blame but Harry, Ron, and Hermione know better...
(H/Hr, R/OC)
A/N: ok NOW I'm starting with the plot. Things to look forward to: Hogsmeade, Halloween, detention with Snape, and "weird event one". But first, I must make an apology/ clear something up. I'm surprised that no one picked up on this but I re-read OotP over vacation (yeah I know, I have no life) and Katie Bell didn't graduate at the end of last year. I assumed she did but you know what they say about when you assume (if you don't, I wont tell you). I have proof too if you don't believe this (p. 575: "You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school,' Ginny corrected him. "There's a difference. Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser. Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway.") Ugh. That was stupid of me. Well, I think I'm gonna make it that since it's her seventh year (I KNOW this one) she's decided that she wants to devote her time to preparing for NEWTs instead of being on the Quidditch team since that's more important after she leaves school. Ok problem solved… kinda… I think I'll put that in part one later. Ok then, now that that's out of the way, let's roll.
Chapter Six
Something's Not Right, Part II
Harry had never seen a bigger commotion in the entrance hall since the night Fred and George had escaped from Umbridge on their brooms. He saw Hermione standing near the door and eventually worked his way over through the sea of students.
"Hey Hermione," he greeted. "Where's Kelly?"
"Probably still getting ready. She overslept. Again. Where's Ron?" she asked.
"What?" Harry began, bewildered. Ron had been right behind him before but now he was nowhere to be seen. "I have no idea… We must have gotten separated in this mess…"
"Oh… alright then… I guess we should wait for them," said Hermione sounding slightly flustered.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked. He really hated to see her unhappy.
"What? Oh, nothing. I guess I just have a few things on my mind…" she replied.
Harry was about to inquire further when Ron pushed his way through the crowd.
"Bloody third years! They're everywhere! I don't think there's ever been as many," grumbled Ron. "And they're all too enthusiastic! Let's go to Zonko's, I want to see the Shrieking Shack, I heard Honeyduke's has sherbert balls that levitate you three feet in the air. Honestly,"
"Um, Ron? You do know that you said the same exact things when we were third years, right?" said Hermione, obviously amused.
"Yes… well… that's not the point," said Ron agitatedly.
Harry rolled his eyes and scanned the mob in front of them. Almost immediately he saw a very disgruntled Kelly working her way over.
"This school really has no social life, does it," she observed.
"No, Hogsmeade is about it," confirmed Hermione.
"Well, there's always the parties after we win a Quidditch match," said Ron.
Kelly sighed. "Ok, that's just pathetic. Something's going to have to change."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "What are you going to do, organize a party?"
"Something of the sort," she replied matter-of-factly. "I would have one for Halloween but," she closed her eyes and continued in a forced calm voice, "Snape gave us detentions. So I don't know when to have it. You don't have any convenient holidays between Halloween and Christmas, do you? For the first time I'm beginning to miss Thanksgiving…"
"Not at Hogwarts," said Hermione walking over to a thestral-drawn carriage, the others following her lead. "I'm not sure if a party's the best idea though… what if a teacher caught on?"
"I'm sure they're surprised that there isn't anything going on already. Besides, charms happen to be my specialty… though not particularly memory charms," she added in afterthought after seeing the incredulous look on Harry's face. "But I think the flyers can be encoded so only certain people can read them. Let's say anyone but people over the age of twenty and Slytherins."
"Yes but—"
"Oh relax, Hermione, Kelly's right. This place has been rather dull after Fred and George left," interrupted Ron.
"You're just saying that because—"
"Would you look at that," said Harry, wrenching open the door of the still moving carriage, "we're here. Let's go."
The group hopped out, a few hundred feet from where they were usually dropped off, following Harry's lead with quizzical looks on their faces.
"Well then," said Kelly who was the first to recover from Harry's thoroughly odd behavior, "I suppose we should be off to Honeyduke's."
Ron nodded fervently and they progressed to the crammed sweet shop.
"Right, sugar quills."
They all split they're separate ways when Harry heard a familiar voice calling him.
"Harry! How are you? I can't believe I haven't seen you since last year," greeted Cho Chang, a lot more upbeat than she had been in the past year. Unbeknownst to Harry, Hermione's grip on her glass jar of Sugar Free Tooth Flossing String-Mints became unusually tight.
"Er… hello, Cho… how was your summer?" Harry asked, feeling uncomfortable but not in the way he had before. He just wanted to disappear at the moment and never see Cho again.
"Oh, it was wonderful, really! I saw my cousins for the first time since I started Hogwarts and we just had a blast together. How was yours?" she asked in the same bubbly manner she had often carried herself in in Harry's fourth year. This time, however, he was not attracted to it, it was just annoying.
"Well… it was fine," he said. He felt stupid for constantly using the same excuse, but it was certainly better than the truth.
Cho, however, did not pick up on his lack of enthusiasm and continued.
"So, do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's? I don't think it'd be too crowded today."
Somewhere in the background Harry heard a glass jar smashing on the ground but he couldn't look he was too busy trying to find an excuse… any excuse not to go to the café from hell with Cho.
"Well… erm… see… I'd really love to go but… I mean… No offense… but I really don't think it'd work out between us…" he stammered.
"Oh," replied Cho, looking extremely putout. "Well alright then. I'll be seeing you around I guess."
"Yeah, see you, Cho."
Harry stood in the same spot for a few moments as he watched her walk away before turning back to the large assortment of flavored chocolates.
"So… there's really nothing going on between you two anymore?" asked Ron as he strode over from a display of Fizzing Whizbees.
Harry shook his head and involuntarily glanced over towards Hermione, who was cleaning up a shattered mess and talking in whispers with Kelly.
"You know, I never really thought Hermione was much of a klutz," said Ron, following Harry's gaze.
"What? Oh yeah, klutz, surprising, yep…" he babbled, thankful for Ron's ready-made excuse.
Just then Kelly walked over with Hermione following her somewhat reluctantly.
"We're going out and about. Meet you back at the castle at five?" the blonde one asked.
"Er… ok. Where are you going, exactly?" asked Ron, puzzled.
"Around. Girl stuff, you know? Shoes, make up, stuff that makes you want to gag every time you come in contact with it," she answered.
"Well, have fun then," Ron quickly said as though if he waited any longer, he'd get dragged along.
"Yeah we'll see you then," said Harry.
All Hermione did was put on a smile that looked almost like a grimace, as though she knew some unpleasant details about their escapade that Kelly didn't feel like divulging.
Kelly gave Hermione's sleeve a slight tug and they were out the door. Harry watched after them for a moment before Ron broke into his thoughts.
"So, where do you want to go now?" he asked.
"I dunno," said Harry off-handedly. "The Three Broomsticks, I guess?"
Ron nodded in agreement and they walked out into the unusually warm October afternoon.
"So what's up, Harry?" asked Ron almost as soon as they were out of Honeyduke's.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, come off it," said Ron. "You've been right out of it lately, mate."
"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Harry a little too quickly and instinctively increasing his walking speed.
"You know bloody well what I'm talking about, Harry," continued Ron, increasing his stride as well. "You say you're over Cho, who's it now?"
"I should be asking you the same question."
"I never liked Cho, Harry…"
"You know what I mean. Besides, I don't like anyone new," Harry said, not exactly lying. "But I don't think that I could say the same thing for you."
Ron looked flustered for a moment before continuing somewhat reluctantly. "Ok. Fine. So I like Kelly. But don't tell her, please? I mean, she'd never like me and that'd just be awkward."
"You think telling her would be awkward…" Harry mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The Halloween decorations in the Great Hall were more than up to their glorious standards. Bats merrily flew in and out of groups of first years, causing them to jump. Pumpkins shot flickering glares towards the staff table and vibrant orange and black streamers glided majestically across the ceiling of the hall.
Kelly sighed wistfully, peeking through the large double doors. "Oh, how I despise him so."
"Join the club," said Harry. "I'm sorry I got you two into this. I doubt Snivellous will be to kind towards us this evening."
"Ugh, Harry, for the last time! It's not your fault! I should have known that water would only make the flames worse. I just wasn't using my head," said Hermione impatiently.
"Whatever. The point is that you three have detention and I get to enjoy the Halloween feast," Ron concluded, earning mutinous glares from the three in question. "What I mean is… oh look, I think Neville is trying to flag me down! I should be going…"
Ron beelined into the Great Hall and Harry, Hermione, and Kelly walked gloomily to the dungeons.
"Why, if it isn't my favorite Gryffindors. I'm glad to see that you're actually on time tonight," Snape greeted icily. "You will be peeling, dicing, and pickling the fruit from a Lycanthrope plant. It must be done on a full moon, which it was so convenient to have you three here tonight. Your supplies are over there. Don't mess this one up, you're helping your dear friend Moony out here after all."
The three worked without complaint well into the night preparing the slimy grey fruit. It wasn't until they had filled seven jars of the putrid substance that Snape let them go.
"Good, good. This should keep Dumbledore happy. Now kindly get out of my sight, I'd like to get to sleep before one o'clock tonight." Snape dismissed.
"I swear, he is pure evil. Lycanthrope plant? What on earth does he want that for? It's for werewolves, isn't it? Well… it wouldn't surprise me if he were one. I had always though a vampire would fit him better but—" Kelly stopped mid-sentence, gaping at something outside the door. "Holy shit," she whispered and Hermione had an equal look of disbelief on her face.
Harry looked over their shoulders puzzled at what could be so shocking but he didn't have to look far. Water was steadily oozing through the corridor walls and flooding the floor beneath.
A/N: OMG I'm sooo sorry that took me so long! And it's a cliffie! Oh Well… to make you laugh after all this, I found this AWESOME song! It's the hamster dance!!! It's a remix to cotton eye joe only its this hamster voice singing it and OMG it is sooo hilarious! Whew…Yeah. moving on…
Meh, I don't even think this chapter was that great! Especially the ending. Maybe because it's two thirty in the morning since I refused to put this off any longer. Tell me what you think, even if it's no very nice. You have to say why though, not just that you hate it.
Time for my chapterly review responses! You know you were looking forward to them all chapter… *sarcasm*
H "DB' G - ok, well that is a rather tiny thing, so I just left it. I had to have Ron follow through with those sugar quills this chapter, of course. Did I keep them IC this chapter? I dunno…
Cyberfrogx - you're right. But as long as they're believable I'm happy. I'm glad you like the story so far!
REALbluelightsaber -I'm so glad you like it so far! I hope I didn't kill this chapter… heh. I'm very worried if I'm writing Kelly well sometimes but I'm glad you think she's ok.
Qool - lol poor Ron. And Ginny does rock! Well… once she got over Harry and started to talk at least. Or maybe that's just the d/g shipper in me talking this time. And I can't help making them humorous! I Think I need to go to IHWA… Involuntary Humor Writers Anonymous… I might give in and change the category on this if I can't buckle down and be Sirius… no pun intended… *corny fake laugh*
Spirit detective Mae - yay I updated! And you got a penname! Lol, now you can't hound me for the next chapter in French class… for a while at least…
H2opologal – yeah, I think harry was *this close* to not making the team… would this be considered keeping up the good stuff? Lemme no…
Narwen Mithsul - lol in the whole chapter something wasn't right… and I think you'd agree with me now.
A.M.bookwork247 – yeah, the characters are a bit calm. I agree with you there… but I dunno… I just usually feel too tired to do anger when I'm writing this… lol. As for experience… ummm… none? Well… this and a large series of mystery solving stories that somehow involved cats getting trapped in airport folding chairs I wrote waaaaaay back in second grade…
LuVs2sLaY - really? You were on that? I had no idea… lol I made the password when I got the info packet before the actual cruise and I found out the name of it. Wow that was the worst written sentence I've ever seen… *ahem* anyway, as for H & Hr getting together, they're very stubborn people! I don't see them admitting it anytime soon… Kelly and Ron will probably be sooner though.
And if you ever want me to EVER update again, not only will you review but you will go here: Petition against a 2½ hour screenplay for GoF! It's impossible! Lol, I'll update if you don't go but I still think you should.
Ta ta for now
Emerald Earth
PS. REVIEW!!!