Thanks again everyone.

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Nothing is my Own

I've got ten seconds to publish this chapter before my boss gets back so, warning, I haven't edited it yet. I will later, but if I don't publish now, I won't get to today.

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Chapter Twenty-Three: Rainy Days

"RON! What are you doing?" Harry screamed across the Quidditch pitch as Ron nearly feel off his broom.

"Trying to guard the bloody goals!" Ron screamed back wiping the rain out of his eyes.

"Not doing a very good job mate!" Jake replied refraining from laughing.

"Come on guys, we've got a tough weekend coming up and we're nowhere near ready!" Harry flared.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, "well instead of yelling at us let us practice, you can yell when we're in the locker room!"

Pavarti slammed a bludger with all her might towards the right side of the stadium and tried to position herself so she'd be able to receive it if it came back. Coincidently, Harry was also on the right side of the pitch. Harry narrowly missed the flying ball, "watch it!"

"Sorry Harry, didn't see you there. Heard ya, but didn't see ya," Pavarti jeered zooming out of earshot before Harry could respond.

"CONCENTRATE! ALL OF YOU!" Harry finally shrilled before going back to his snitch searching.

"Look to your right," Ginny said in frustration as Harry desperately tried to locate the snitch in the pouring rain.

"You're a chaser not a seeker, pay attention to your own position," Harry snapped at her.

"Times up!" Madame Hooch yelled suddenly appeared with the Ravenclaw team close behind her.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team descended and uncounted their brooms.

"You guys looked good up there," Cho Chang offered as Harry walked by.

He tried to smile at her, but only managed a weak attempted. Without Cho even saying a word the Ravenclaw team was up in the air, organized and prepared to use every second of their practice time wisely.

Ron shook his head, "maybe you should try to get her practice plan, we could sure use it."

"Shut-up Ron," Harry snapped feeling jealous race though him as he looked at Cho.

The locker room looked dreary as the soaking Gryffindor put up their gear.

"We've got to get it together out there," Harry stated, wondering if a pep talk would work at all.

"Oh Harry, it was pouring rain, what were we suppose to do?" Ginny asked hanging her Quidditch robe over the half wall.

"It could very well be pouring rain the days of the tournament, we can't use that as an excuse," Harry said flatly, sounding a bit too much like Oliver Woods.

"Woods what have you done with Harry?" Ginny joked, apparently thinking the same thing Harry was thinking.

"Very funny Ginny, but I'm serious. If Ravenclaw is ready, I guarantee Slytherin is too," Harry said slightly annoyed with her Weasley sense of humor.

"Is McGonagall on your case about the Quidditch trophy again?" Ron asked.

"I've been on this team since my first year, you guys might not have any pride, but I do!" Harry finally snapped. "We're meeting in McGonagall's classroom tomorrow at nine to go over some practice strategies."

Ginny let out a sigh, "maybe you should ask Professor McGonagall before volunteering her room."

"If she wants to win the trophy again, she won't object," Ron offered.

Pavarti sneered, "tomorrow, is that going to give you enough time to get the strategy from Chang?"

Harry didn't answer, he just looked at her in disbelief. "What in the world is her problem today?" Harry asked himself silently.

The boys and girls dispersed into their separate changing facilities, and the clean showered Gryffindors left their frustrated practice to grab a bit to eat. The thunder outside echoed loudly.

"I hate storms, they always make me so edgy. Hey I bet Slytherin is practicing right now, maybe one of them will get struck by lighting," Ron said making conversation with Dennis Creevy and Harry as they walked to the Great Hall.

"Ron, that is so heartless," Ginny stated coming up from behind him, "hopefully all of them will get struck so they can still remain a team."

Harry and Dennis let out a soft chuckle at Ginny addition.

"Are you talking to me?" Ron asked sarcastically, since Ginny hadn't said a word to him since they had been back at Hogwarts.

"You are a self centered pig," Ginny cooed before pushing past him.

Harry shook his head, "are you ever going to make peace with her?"

"Not until she apologizes for being mad at me," Ron said casually.

Pavarti's statement kept ringing in Harry's ear as she watched the doors of the Great Hall for the Ravenclaw team. Why was he waiting for Cho? Because Pavarti was right, he needed help in planning the practice strategy. Being Quidditch captain was no where near as easy as it looked, and he was starting to understand why Angelina and Oliver had been so uptight all the time.

"I'm going to head to the library, I'll catch up with you two later," Hermione said as she rose from the table.

Ron narrowed his eyes as he watched her leave, "did you hear who asked her out?"

Harry knew but shrugged, "who?"

"Victor Krum, not like they haven't had some type of fling since fourth year. I don't know what she see in that stupid bloke."

"Is she going out with him?" Harry asked sounding sincere.

"Hell, she's been writing to him forever now, like seven scrolls a letter. Of course she's dating him now!" Ron said like it was common knowledge.

Harry shook his head, "did she tell you she was going out with him?"

"She doesn't have to tell me mate, it's too obvious. She's been in love with him forever. Probably going to run off and get married as soon as we're out of Hogwarts."

"Ron, you really are thick sometimes," Harry said turning his attention back to the Great Hall doors.

The Ravenclaw team finally made their entrance looking very satisfied.

"I'll be back," Harry motioned to a protesting Ron.

"Hey Cho!" Harry called as she turned towards him with a huge grin spread across her face.

"Hello," Cho said sweetly, smiling at Harry innocently.

"How did practice go?" Harry asked.

A boy Harry vaguely recognized from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team spoke up, "oh no you don't Potter, you're not going to charm our secrets out of our captain."

"It's okay Paul, I'm not telling him anything," Cho said sternly, winking at Harry out of the corner of her eye.

Harry grabbed Cho arms and lead her away from her team.

"Save me a seat," she yelled over to them.

"So what's up Harry?" Cho asked slightly puzzled by his forwardness.

"Nothing, why do you looked so shocked?" Harry asked noticing the look of surprise etched on her face.

"Harry, in the four years I've known you, I can count on my fingers the number of times you've actually come up to talk to me," Cho stated.

"I talk to you?" Harry defended.

"What's up?" she continued.

Harry sighed, "I need your help, how did you get your team so prepared for practice?"

"I can't tell you how to organize your practices. You've been playing Quidditch longer than I have, surely you know how a practice is run."

Harry shook his head, "it was a mess out there tonight. We didn't accomplish anything."

"Evil glare coming from the Gryffindor table," Cho joked looking over Harry's shoulder.

Harry glanced back seeing a definite look of disgust on Pavarti Patil's face.

"Padma told me she has a crush on you," Cho smiled leaning closer to Harry's ear, "I don't think Terry knows that though."

He lost complete knowledge of his tongue, afraid anything he said would come out wrong.

"I just keep thinking I'm the worst Quidditch Captain ever," Harry said looking at Cho pathetically.

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" Cho accused.

Harry smiled, "maybe, would you help me if you did?"

Cho shook her head, "NO! you'll do fine, trust yourself." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, "want to meet for lunch tomorrow? My herbology class is cancelled."

"Sure," Harry said awkwardly, feeling he was accepting another date with Cho.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I'll meet you outside the doors," she turned and joined her Quidditch team for a bite to eat.

When Harry turned to go back to the Gryffindor table he noticed Pavarti had left, and he felt a sense of dread from her missing appearance.

"I'm off to Chess club, Hermione wanted me to remind you of your lesson with Professor O'Riley," Ron said as he approached, interrupting Harry's train of though.

Harry nodded turning his eyes away from the Gryffindor table and walking with Ron towards the Great Hall doors.

"So what's going on with you two anyways?" Ron inquired eyeing the Ravenclaw table.

Harry stumbled, "I'm not really sure anymore."

"I thought you we're over her, being she cries all the time," Ron tried to joke.

Harry frowned, "she doesn't cry all the time, you really are insensitive. Do you have any idea what she's been though?"

"Sorry mate, don't have to get defensive," Ron said holding up his hands, "I'll catch up with you later."

Harry finally understood what Hermione had meant when she had said Ron was the most insensitive toad she had ever met. If he had ever been as ignorant as Ron, than he couldn't believe Cho would even acknowledge him anymore.

Dread filled his half-empty stomach with ever step closer to the Defense classroom. Another rumbled of thunder rattled the castle walls, and he felt himself shiver. The class room felt damp as he entered, as the walls leaked with moisture.

"Professor?" Harry called, but there was no response.

He slowly walked up to her office door and knocked, "Professor?"

Her office was empty and just as bear as the previous visit he had made there. Small trinket littered her desk with a couple of open books. Her walls where empty, not a single picture. He picked up one of the book, "Werewolves: Recent Breakthoughs in Magic."

Harry slowly flipped though the pages when a picture fell onto the floor, he slowly bent down to pick it up and stopped suddenly realizing what it was.

Smiling and waving at him were faces of eight happy Gryffindors. Most he recognized, there was Sirius, Remus, Peter and his father, James. Sitting with them where four young girls. He recognized two of them, one of them was his mother, the other was a much happier looking December O'Riley. The other two he didn't know, though one did look vaguely familiar.

He searched the picture, recognizing the back ground instantly as the Gryffindor common room, but something else about the picture caught his eye. It was the way his late Godfather was holding Professor O'Riley. He looked so happy, and so did she. The young dark haired witch leaned over and planted a kiss on Sirius cheek, and the two waved ignorantly back at Harry.

He sat placed the picture back into the book at sat it back on the desk. His eyes scanned the room and found a similar looking pensive sitting on the corner of a shelf, inviting him to come take a look. At first he thought it might be Professor Dumbledore's pensive, but it was smaller and the engravings were different.

He looked at the silver fluid swirling around, tempting him. Maybe this was the answer to his wish, he could finally know what Professor O'Riley and Remus were talking about at Grimwald place.

"No Harry," he scolded himself backing away from it, "that isn't your business."

Just as he had made up his mind not to pry something caught his eye. The engravings were so elaborate, so beautiful. He let his fingers run across them and worship their ancient secrets. The large "P" in the middle of the pensive boarder caused him to squint his eyes. One little peak couldn't hurt, could it?

"I was warned you have a habit of dipping into pensives," Professor O'Riley suddenly said, cause Harry to jump.

"I wasn't going to pry, I swear," Harry said defensively, remembering Snape's reaction.

She smiled, "I apologize for being late, but apparently Professor Snape has voice some concerns about my treatment of students, and requested a conference between me and Dumbledore."

"Your treatment of student?" Harry asked confused.

She grinned, "you know old Snape, he's always trying to pick fights he can't win."

"So, are you ready to start, I know Snape has taught you some Occlemency?" O'Riley started.

Harry shrugged, "I didn't do very well."

"You have to trust you mind. If you trust you have something worth hiding in your head, then you can defend it."

Harry fumbled around in his robes for his wand.

"We won't be needing wands tonight Harry, I think it best if we start with the basics," she said suddenly.

"Now, close your eyes and try to drudge up your most reclusive memory. Think of something you don't want anyone else to know."

Her voice rang like a melody inside his head, as he felt his mind beginning to relax. An image of a warm summer day played. Dudley was smashing a toy dump trunk into the wooden boarder of a sand box. Harry wasn't allowed to play in the sand, so he sat over in the grass watching Dudley in jealous. Suddenly Dudley started coughing and crying.

"You choked your cousin with sand?" O'Riley said interrupting his thoughts.

Harry looked at her amazed, "you can see it?"

She nodded, "when you relax, you're allowing your mind to be completely vulnerable. Knowing what a relax mind feels like is the first step in understanding the art of Occlemency."

"Now, clear your mind again, but this time try to keep concentrate on keeping the thoughts your thinking to yourself," she instructed.

"How come Professor Snape used a spell to break into my mind?" Harry suddenly asked.

"Sick pleasure, I can't really speak for Professor Snape," she said shortly.

Harry shook his head, and he thought Sirius hated Snape. He closed his eyes trying to summon a new memory, but the one that appeared wasn't one Harry cared to drudge up.

Sirius was too close to his mind. He, Ron and Hermione was in the shrieking shack. Ron with his broken leg was clenching on to Scabber trying to keep him away from a mad looking Sirius.

"No!" Harry said suddenly trying to push the memory out of his head.

December O'Riley bit her bottom lip, "you really miss him a lot, don't you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry spat.

"I think we've done enough tonight. Practice relaxing your mind, but concentrate on keeping your thought to yourself. We'll meet again next week," Professor O'Riley said abruptly.

Harry started to head for the door, feeling angry and not completely sure why.

"Harry, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. You're not the only feeling loss right now," December O'Riley said with tears misting over her eyes.