Thanks to KittyMonster for being my beta reader.
I hope everyone enjoys this! This is my first HP fic, so please R&R. I'd appreciate it ^_^
Warning: This fic contains OOTP spoilers (and will probably not make much sense if you haven't read it)!
For the Love of Quidditch
Chapter 5 - "Escape"
***
Surprisingly, Dumbledore allowed Harry, Ron and Ginny to continue to play quidditch. There were conditions, of course - the most stringent being Mad-Eye Moody was now required to accompany them to all of their games and practices. There had also been some extra security measures added to Longtoad's Field by way of more charms and barriers. The security on the field now rivaled that of Grimmauld Place.
Harry and Ginny's first practice since leaving the Burrow would have been the best yet had it not been for Harry's abysmal performance. He was far too distracted by thoughts of Sirius to concentrate on finding the snitch, and as such let it slip by right under his nose twice.
Ginny, on the other hand, was playing better than ever. She seemed to be taking out all of her stress on the exercises and scored three times in the first ten minutes of practice, despite a valiant effort from their keeper Kerr. During passing drills Harry watched her reprimand the other chasers furiously if they so much as threw a lopsided toss, her own passes being flawlessly accurate.
All the while Mad-Eye had been watching them, his normal eye focussed on the pair while his magical one turned in all directions. Occasionally Harry would hear him clapping when Ginny scored a goal.
By the end of practice Ginny was smiling and sweating from her efforts and Harry had only managed to make himself more miserable because of his lackluster performance (still, he couldn't help noticing Ginny's curves through her shirt which was sticking suggestively to her frame with sweat).
"Hey Harry!" She greeted him as she approached at the end of practice. "Is everything all right?" She asked after noticing his solemn expression.
"Hrm. Yeah. Just not having a great practice, I guess." He answered with a sigh. Or a great life, he thought glumly.
"Well, the last few days have been downright awful, so it's okay to have a bad day. As long as you're ready for our next game this weekend." She said optimistically. Harry nodded. He knew he shouldn't let his team down with another poor showing, especially since it could cost them the win, or worse, the league cup, but he couldn't quite make himself care.
Mad-Eye flew over to them on his broom - Harry recognized it as the same one he had used to take Harry to Grimmauld Place for the first time.
"You two ready to leave?" Mad-Eye asked with a grunt. "It's bloody hot out here." Harry hesitated for a moment, but finally took hold of the portkey that Moody held out for them. No longer was it the familiar cap that would take them to the Burrow, but instead a moldy old shoe, the white fabric gone sickly brown with use.
Back at Grimmauld Place Harry tried to escape upstairs before anyone could ask him to do otherwise. He'd been avoiding his friends fairly successfully for the most part, only emerging from Sirius' room to feed Buckbeak and to eat occasionally when his stomach wouldn't leave him alone. If his friends had noticed his absent behaviour, they didn't let on. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Ron had given him some strange looks, and he'd caught Hermione and Ginny whispering to each other in the kitchen one day - he'd distinctly heard Hermione say his name before the girls noticed he was there and stopped talking. Even so, they had yet to come to him asking what was going on, and Harry hoped they'd keep it that way.
"Hey Harry, want to play some chess?" Ginny asked just as Harry was heading for the kitchen door. Damn. Harry racked his brain for an excuse not to join her.
"Um... I have some studying to do." He said the first thing that came to him.
"Oh. Do you need any help?" Ginny asked pleasantly.
"It's sixth year stuff."
"I could still help." Bloody hell, she really isn't one to give up easily, Harry thought, slightly perturbed.
"No. It's really something I need to do alone." He said coldly, trying to emphasize 'alone'.
"Okay. Well, maybe later then?" Harry just shrugged and walked up the stairs, leaving a dumbfounded and annoyed Ginny behind him.
Instead of continuing to Sirius' room, Harry turned to the right at the top of the stairs and entered the door there, grabbing a bag of leftovers he had left there earlier on the way in.
"Hi Buckbeak." He bowed and the giant hippogriff reciprocated the action. Harry stepped over to him and stroked the feathers on his neck. Buckbeak made a clicking noise in his throat and nipped at the bag in Harry's left hand. "Okay. Okay."
Harry sat on the floor and began throwing scraps for Buckbeak, who snapped them up hungrily in his huge beak. Harry watched the large creature eat in bored fascination.
"I'm your new owner now, did you know that?" He asked the beast. Buckbeak ignored Harry's attempt at conversation and continued munching on a chicken bone. "I'm sorry Sirius isn't here anymore." He said forlornly. "It's my fault you know, that he - he's dead." He stammered, tears welling in his eyes.
There was a knock on the door. Harry quickly blinked away the tears as it opened with a creak.
"Harry?" Hermione stuck her head through the opening, looking slightly relieved when she saw him crouched on the floor next to Buckbeak. "Ah, there you are." She stepped into the room. Buckbeak stopped eating and eyed her warily. She bowed. Buckbeak stalled for a moment, but then bowed back.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting." Hermione started again. "Ginny said you were studying alone - which I thought was weird - so I thought I'd come see if you needed any help. You weren't in your room but I heard voices in here." She explained. Harry chucked another chicken carcass to Buckbeak. It emitted a loud crunch when he chomped down on it, bones and cartilage crushed easily in his powerful beak. Hermione cringed slightly. "Anyway, do you need any help?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm quite capable of feeding my new pet on my own, thanks." He said curtly, sarcasm dripping off his tongue. Hermione frowned.
"You know that's not what I meant. Studying, Harry. Do you need any help with studying?"
"I said no."
"Fine. Well, talk to you later then." And with that she bustled from the room, shutting the door behind her with a dull thud. Harry sighed and turned back to Buckbeak, who was awaiting another morsel.
"I really wish they'd leave me alone, you know." Harry continued as he chucked him a piece of meat. "It's for their own good. I wish they'd just understand that and go away."
The next practice was as equally bad as the last, and Harry found himself in a fowl mood when he returned to Grimmauld Place. He stormed up the kitchen stairs to the entranceway, Ginny not far behind. As he rounded the corner to go up the next set of stairs, he glared back at her to ward her away from him, but in doing so forgot to look where he was going and walked right into the portrait of Mrs. Black. Harry jumped back and rubbed his head.
"Stupid little half-breed! How dare you come near me!" She howled, wiping off her dress. Harry grimaced, not sure whether to continue upstairs or to try and shut her up. "And another filthy brat too! Putrid, loathsome scum! Even though my horrible, muggle-loving traitor of a son is dead they still come and befoul my home!"
Harry stopped dead as he heard it, turning on his heels to face the still screaming portrait. "What did you say?" He growled, his voice low and gravelly in his throat.
"Vile thing! You dare speak to me-"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" White-hot rage bubbled into Harry's mouth, coursed through his veins, his voice thick with bile.
"You heard me you rotten child! Filthy abomination-" Harry launched himself at the painting before he realized what he was doing. He flung himself at Mrs. Black, punching and scratching at her image. She continued screaming profanities at him as her eyes bulged out of her head and she tried to avoid his fists. But Harry was screaming too. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF HIM THAT WAY! SIRIUS WAS BRILLIANT! YOU OLD BAT! HOW DARE YOU!" Ginny shrunk back into the stairwell to avoid his flying punches as Harry tore the curtains from the wall and continued his assault.
Unsatisfied, Harry stepped across the room, picked up the umbrella stand and threw it with all his strength at the portrait. It hit with a loud crash and he heard the old lady scream and run out of the way. Finally he stopped his attack and stumbled backwards, breathing hard. The portrait was now a mess, full of dents and tears, the most obvious one being where the troll's leg had hit it. He could hear Mrs. Black muttering and sobbing to herself outside of the painting. Ginny was still cowering in the corner, looking at Harry with both fear and disbelief.
Finally she stepped forward, touching Harry's arm and bringing him back to reality. He turned to look at her, his eyes wide and feral. He backed away, towards the staircase leading upward toward his room. "Harry-" she started.
"L-leave me alone." Harry stuttered and continued backing away before breaking into a run up the stairs and slamming the door to his room.
He plopped down on the soft bed, still panting. He massaged his wrists and took stock of his injuries. His knuckles were now hidden behind large gashes that dripped blood down the back of his hand and his fingers. He grabbed the nearest t-shirt and wrapped it tightly around his fist. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him in the hallway, but he realized he felt slightly better for it.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Harry sighed. Why won't they just leave me alone? "Go away." He snarled. Despite Harry's words, Ginny stepped into the room and made her way over to the bed, sitting next to him.
"I just came to see how you were." She said. She tried to look into his eyes but he averted his gaze.
"I'm fine." He answered through gritted teeth.
"You don't look fine. Here, let me take a look at your hand." She reached over and grabbed the t-shirt, pulling it away from his broken skin. "Ouch. Harry you should really have that looked at."
"I said I'm fine." Harry restated tersely, pulling his hand away from her.
"Don't be stupid. You need to relax. Let me give you a massage." Ginny turned and placed her hands on his neck before he could protest. Her hands were warm and soft, yet firm as they pressed into his skin. He felt his heart begin to race as a bolt of pleasure ran down his spine. No, this is wrong, Harry thought, remembering his plan. He stiffened, shrugging Ginny's hands from him and then moved to the other end of the bed.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Her voice was smooth and sweet and tinged with concern.
"Don't touch me." Harry retorted.
"Um... all right. I'm sorry." Ginny frowned, looking confused and slightly hurt.
"Don't be. Look, we can't be friends anymore." His heart sank in his chest, knowing what he was doing, what this meant. But her gathered up all his Gryffindor courage and sneered at her the best he could.
"Harry, why? I know you're upset but I thought... I thought..."
"You thought wrong." Harry snapped, more harshly than he had meant to.
"Why? Harry, please. Let's talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about, Virginia." He slid her full name off his tongue with venom. "I never want to see you again." He saw her eyes well with tears as her eyebrows furrowed into a scowl, but turned away before he had to watch her cry. Seeing her like that might break his resolve, and he couldn't let that happen. He was being cold, was probably hurting her more than she let on, but this was for her own good.
"Get out." He ordered. She stood up, her body shaking slightly as she continued to fight the tears welling up behind her eyes. Harry glanced up at her. Ginny looked at him, meeting his gaze, and he saw the pain in her eyes as a single tear fell down her cheek. Harry scrunched up his face and screamed at her with all his strength, his voice hoarse and laced with acid. "Are you stupid? I said get out! GET OUT!" And with that she ran from the room.
Harry strode to the door and slammed it shut, blocking himself from her in fear that if he didn't he might be tempted to call her back, tell her how sorry he was and beg for her forgiveness. He punched the wall and heard a resonating crack. He leaned against the hard wood before slouching to the ground, caressing his fist. He peered at his knuckles, his cuts from earlier now spilling blood more fiercely. He smiled perversely at his own pain, studying the patterns of red that streaked down his hand and forearm. He didn't even notice the footsteps approaching from the hallway a few minutes later.
Ron burst through the door, causing Harry to be thrown across the room and land in a sprawling heap. He made no effort to get up. Even without seeing Ron he knew how mad he was, knew he knew what Harry had done to Ginny.
"You have some explaining to do, Harry Potter. Why is my sister in her room balling her eyes out over you? What did you do to her?" He demanded. Harry didn't respond. He heard Ron's footsteps, cold and heavy, walking towards him. Ron kicked him in the ribs, forcefully knocking the wind out of him. "Now."
"I didn't mean to-" Harry coughed into the floor, but Ron cut him off.
"Oh, and that's why you're up here instead of downstairs apologizing?"
"Ron, you don't understand." Harry pleaded.
"I understand you made my sister cry, Harry." Ron growled. "Now maybe you're falling into a bloody rut, but don't you dare drag my sister down with you."
"But, Ron, I -"
"But what Harry?" Ron snapped. "You think you're the only person who's been affected by all this? Oh, but of course you would, you selfish prat. I'm sure it never even crossed your mind how it's been for us. We lost our house, Harry, our home, because of you. And having our dad nearly die last year was just splendid." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, cruel and relentless. "Sirius was our friend too, you know. We went through all those battles with you - the Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Department of Mysteries - all of them. Maybe if you'd drag yourself out of your pit of self-pity, you'd realize that there are other people in the world too, other people who are suffering just as much as you are. Except we're not giving up." Harry heard a growl in his throat that sounded animal, primeval.
Ron picked Harry up by the scruff of his shirt, lifting him off the ground until he was eye-level with Ron. Harry looked away, down at the floor, unable to meet Ron's angry gaze. Ron's hand was curled into a fist so tight his knuckles were turning white. Harry wondered if Ron would hit him again, hoped he would. "You're pathetic. Get over this and get on with your life. And don't you ever come near my sister again or I will punch your lights out." Ron flung him to the floor and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry curled up into a ball, breathing heavily. He doesn't understand, Harry told himself. This is for her own good, for everyone's own good. He repeated it over in his head like a mantra, forcing himself to believe it. But maybe Ron's right. I'm just making it worse, maybe I should leave so they won't have to deal with me.
Harry made up his mind without really thinking it all through. Ron had confirmed everything he already thought about himself in his mind. He was he was a burden to his friends and he realized that merely avoiding them wasn't enough. He needed to leave.
Harry quickly put a few things in his rucksack - a few clean pairs of socks and underwear, a t-shirt, the book Ginny had given him for his birthday, a quill and a few sheets of parchment. He looked at his trunk, all his belongings heaped inside. He would miss much of it, but it would be too heavy to bring with him. He reached down into his trunk and found the mirror Sirius had given him, deciding to bring that too. Then he collected his broom and Hedwig, before going to the window. With some difficulty he managed to pry the window open. Hedwig flew out ahead of him. He looked down the side of the house - it was maybe 50 feet to the ground. He imagined himself falling to the dirt below, being found in a mangled heap by whoever next entered or exited the house, but thought better of it. If he killed himself, then Voldemort would be free to reign and murder everyone he was trying to protect. No, he needed to stay alive.
He heard someone come through the door, but did not turn to see who it was. Nothing could stop him from leaving.
"Harry?" It was Ginny.
AN: PLEASE review! I'll give you cookies this time! Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to review *hands out digital candy to all those who reviewed chapter 4*. I really appreciate it!
Okay, so i know Ron is very harsh in this chapter, but it's part of his character - being quick to temper and act out before he really thinks about the consequences - and it was needed to facilitate Harry's journey. i do like Ron and i'm not at all trying to make him out to be a bad guy or anything (despite his temper, he is a very good friend). Anyhoo, i will explain everything in the next chapter, so please wait until you read that until you send me oodles of flames >_
This is a pretty short chapter, i know, but the next one will be much, much longer. And i apologize for another mean cliffhanger ending. Sorry!
I just want to let everyone know that i have the whole story planned out, and i will not, under any circumstances, be abandonning this fic. I'm trying my best to keep the updates at around once a week, but with university and everything it may be a bit longer in between chapters. But, just so everyone knows, i am going to complete this fic.
Stay tuned for chapter six, where Ginny and Harry make an interesting discovery (and, of course, more quidditch!)!