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Chapter 21 Quidditch

Harry had agreed to return to lessons, even his extra lessons with Dumbledore. Satisfied, Dumbeldore had allowed him to return to his common room. They had not reached any kind of agreement yet, but Harry knew he would have to fight every step of the way, to make Dumbledore give him more freedom to help in the war.

The next morning he went to Defence against the Dark Arts and sat brooding at the back of the class. He had already studied the counter spells the rest of the class were learning, so he answered when called upon but the rest of the time he remained silent. It was his only class that day so he went with Ron to the library for the next free period and watched as Ron finished his homework.

In the afternoon Ron had Muggle studies and Hermione had Arithmancy, so Harry was left to wander around alone. Ron had mentioned extra quidditch practice, for their upcoming game against Hufflepuff, but Harry wasn't really in the mood, it seemed wrong to be playing when so many had just died. He promised to be there after dinner though, just because he felt bad, he shouldn't stop the rest of the team playing.

As he was wandering past the lake, a silvery light burst in front of him and Dumbledore's disembodied voice spoke; "Harry, you have a potions lesson at 2:30pm, to make the Potion you missed yesterday. Please do not miss it; Professor Snape will be waiting for you."

Harry looked at his watch, 2:15pm, he would have to run and get his books then run back down to the dungeon to be on time. A Slightly breathless Harry reached the Potions classroom, just as the first year Slytherin and Gryffindors' were going in. confused, he followed them.

"Mr Potter, how nice of you to join us," Snape announced. "You will work at the table in the corner, you have one hour, and please do not disturb my other students." With that Snape turned and collected the register, ignoring Harry. Harry took his bag to the table and began to set up his ingredients. The hour passed quickly, with only two sneering comments from Snape, and Harry packed up his books and tidied up his work space. When the first years were dismissed, Harry approached Snape.

"Where will I leave my cauldron?" Harry asked.

"Put it in the store room, next to the rest of the 7th years, and put a name tag beside it."

Harry nodded and followed Snape's instructions, then made a quick exit, before Snape could start an argument. 

Dinner and quidditch took up the rest of the evening and Harry managed to sleep early, without too many disturbing dreams. His first lesson after breakfast was with Dumbledore. Still a little tense around the headmaster, Harry waited in the classroom but when Dumbledore arrived, he suggested that they go outside, in the sun.

"I have been asked to help restore the wards around Hogsmead, "Dumbledore told him as the descended the stairs. "Would you like to help me?"

Harry, deciding it would make for a less uncomfortable lesson, nodded eagerly. So Dumbledore waited until Harry donned his 'Weasley' glamour charm and then they walked to Hogsmead.

There had obviously been much activity in the last two day because Harry noted that many of the houses had been restored. He spent the next hour on the outskirts of the town, renewing the anti-muggle protection charms. But was surprised when Dumbledore told him they would be placing temporary anti-apparation wards around much of the town, leaving only one 'free spot' at the edge of it. This completed Dumbledore suggested Harry might like to fly back to school, so he wouldn't be late for his next lesson.

Transfigurations class was not the difficult challenge it had once been for Harry and he was able to catch up quickly from the few missed lessons. Professor McGonagall declared she was satisfied with their work and let them leave without any homework – they had a quidditch match the next day, and she liked to give the team plenty of rest before hand.

 It was a dull rainy Saturday morning when Harry made his way down to breakfast with the rest of the team. He felt detached somehow, different from the other students, but if they noticed, they must have put it down to nerves because no one mentioned it. Harry ate his toast and marmalade, which tasted quite bitter, and drank his orange juice; he had been avoiding pumpkin juice ever since Dumbledore had doped his.

Nott had passed with his cronies, bumping Harry as he passed, but Harry had ignored him.

The team made their way on to the pitch with a flourish; Dean Thomas' commentary was lively and complimentary as always. Harry took to the sky above the rest of the players, with the hufflepuff seeker shadowing him. He searched around for the snitch, oblivious to the rest of the match; he wanted this game to be over quickly.

His firebolt felt sluggish and Harry noticed that he was having some trouble controlling it. Distracted he spotted the snitch and aimed towards it. But he felt as though he was flying through porridge, his usual graceful control of his broom gone, he couldn't catch the hufflepuff seeker. The snitch vanished from his vision and he withdrew to a higher level.

Harry became aware of the commentary; Dean Thomas had noticed Harry's uncoordinated attempts to catch the snitch. The crowd seemed to have focused their attention on him and Ron called for a time out. Harry landed by the captain and dismounted his broom.

"What's going on Harry?"

"Don't know, I think there's something wrong with my broom, I can't seem to make it fly properly," Harry said.

"We could ask Madam Hooch if you could use one of the school brooms," Ron suggested.

But Harry shook his head, "That would probably be even slower. I'm okay, I'll just have to try and spot the snitch well before their seeker."

"Alright, but give me a signal if you need another time out," Ron replied.

The team mounted their brooms and the game resumed. Harry heard a roar and noticed Ginny had scored, then he spotted the snitch close by. Turning slowly he tried not to attract the attention of the other seeker, Harry followed it. He tracked it for several minutes and noticed that the hufflepuff seeker was now closing in. In a desperate attempt to end the game; Harry outstretched himself to catch the snitch. But just as his hand closed around it, he realised his mistake. The lack of control of his broom had left him unbalanced.

The crowd, who had been screaming in victory as Harry caught the snitch, were now screaming in terror as they watch Harry freefall to the ground. Harry tried to transform into an eagle, so he wouldn't land on the hard ground, and found that he couldn't. Panic bubbled up in his throat and he was only about a foot from the ground when a large orange bag of feathers appeared below him, to break his fall.

Harry dropped into a fluffy, white, feathery haven, but he still felt the ground impact on his spine, though much softer than it would have done. Hands reached in a grabbed him, hauling him out of the bag. Dumbledore was sweeping down through the students and Madam Pomfrey was running to keep up.

Ron patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Are you all right?" Harry nodded, unable to speak, his breath still laboured.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked, again Harry nodded. "What happened to your broom?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think it was the broom, I think it's me. I couldn't transform to save myself," Harry replied quietly.

Madam Pomfrey had arrived and was checking him out, poking and prodding with her wand. "Bring him to the infirmary," She commanded and went ahead speaking quietly to Dumbledore.

Ron put Harry's arm around his own shoulder and Hermione had appeared at his other side, between them they managed to help him up to the castle. Harry was now able to walk, but he still felt a bit funny. But he imagined that falling twenty feet to the ground would probably do that to a person.

Just as they reached the first floor Harry suddenly had the desperate urge to go to the toilet. But he adamantly refuse Ron's offer to go in with him, just in case he collapsed. Harry pushed open the door and went in, he had just finished washing his hands when he heard a door creak open behind him, and he called out, "Ron, I'm fine, honestly."

But the reflection in the mirror was not Ron, it was Alexander Nott. "Now I know why Malfoy cursed you so often," Nott growled, "I gave you enough of that bloody potion to knock you unconscious. You were supposed to fall and kill yourself, but you just refuse to die don't you?"

"Nott, sod off," Harry replied. "Surely nothing's worth going to Azkaban for."

"I won't be going to Azkaban Potter," Nott threatened, "Because no one knows I'm here and when they find you all alone on the bathroom floor, they'll think you were injured from your fall."

Several things happened at once; Nott raised his wand to curse Harry, who set up a weak protection charm, making it bounce off. Nott ducked, to avoid being hit on the rebound. The bathroom door opened and Charles Blake walked in, the curse caught the side of his head and he crumpled onto the floor. Harry leapt on Nott and Ron and Hermione burst in with Neville and Ginny. Everyone started talking at once.

"Hold it," Harry yelled. "Ron, Hermione get Blake to the hospital wing. Ginny, Neville help me with him."

And so the strange little procession went to the infirmary. Blake was floating on a stretcher transfigured by Hermione, and Nott was trudging behind, bound and led by Neville and Ginny. Harry walked at the back, his head pounding, tripping over several stairs.

Dumbledore and Pomfrey were waiting in the infirmary for them. Pomfrey took charge of Blake and Dumbledore sat Nott down on a chair, leaving his hands bound.

"Mr Nott, do I need to administer veritaserum or will you explain your actions today?" Dumbledore asked.

Nott scowled at him but said nothing.

"Fine, Ginny, could you please go and find Professor Snape and ask him to come to my office, with some veritaserum." Dumbledore said. Ginny nodded and left.

"Madam Pomfrey, a word please, before you waken Mr Blake," Dumbledore called to her.

Harry sat down, shakily, on a chair beside Blake's bed. And the other students joined him. A groan from the bed drew their attention. Blake's eyes fluttered open.

"What's going on?" Blake muttered. "What am I doing back here? What the hell do you want Potter?" he spat out, seeing Harry rising from his chair.

"Hey, what's gotten into you, Charlie?" Neville asked in surprise, hearing Blake's tone.

"Oh shut up you," Blake replied.

"Move away from his bed guy's, he's not who you think he is," Harry told his friends, and then turning, he called in a louder voice, "Professor Dumbledore, I think you should come over here."

Dumbledore and Pomfrey rushed over, Madam Pomfrey immediately started to check him out but Dumbledore stood looking down at him.

"So you have returned?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, and I don't appreciate being forced to join Gryffindor, even when the bloody hat said I was still a Slytherin, or to make friends with these pathetic fools!" Blake snapped.

Harry could sense his friends, slightly behind him, shuffling uncomfortably. They were confused.

"So it hasn't been a year, but I'm glad really. If I'd had to listen to my own voice being nice to such losers any longer, I think I'd go mad. I changed my mind, I'd rather go to Azkaban than be forced to join his merry band of followers," Blake sneered. "Bloody hell, an oaf, a mudblood, a weasel and a bloody boy wonder!"

"Malfoy?" Hermione gasped as she suddenly realised who she was seeing. "And to think I stood up for you, stopped the Slytherins from picking on you!"

"Yes Miss Granger," Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "We had decided to give him a second chance, to see if he could learn some tolerance, but it would appear that we have failed. Mr Nott's curse seems to have broken the mind block placed on Mr Malfoy."

"But Sir, after what he did to Harry, how could you let him back here and not tell us who we were making friends with?" Ron asked. "What if he had tried to hurt Harry again?"

"Mr Potter was aware of this arrangement; he was given the ultimate decision about Mr Malfoy's punishment."

Ron turned to Harry with a look of disbelief, "You knew that was Malfoy, and you never told us? You let him walk about freely in our common room as though he were one of us? You let him chat up my sister!"

"Don't worry Weasel, there's no way I'd touch your sister, I may not have had all my memories but I still have taste!" Malfoy spat.

Ignoring Malfoy, Harry said, "Ron, I couldn't tell you," he tried to explain, "It wouldn't have been fair then, he wouldn't have had a real chance to change."

"Fat lot of good it seems to have done though, I thought I could trust you Harry," and with that Ron turned on his heel and stormed out of the hospital. After a few seconds Hermione looked at Harry and went after him.

"Madam Pomfrey, is Mr Malfoy recovered? I need to take him to my office and arrange his return to custody," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Yes, a little pain killer will sort him out, the actual curse didn't hit him very hard but it hit him in the head, which is why his memories seem to have returned," Pomfrey said.

Dumbledore nodded, and then turned to Harry and Neville, "I think you should lie down Harry, Mr Nott has apparently given you a potion to suppress your natural abilities, and Madam Pomfrey should be able to give you something to purge it shortly. I will have to go and deal with these two." Dumbledore turned to the two students and said, "Lets go, you can await the Ministry officials in my office." And he led them away.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands, he had made a mistake, again. Malfoy was still the same nasty, vengeful idiot and he had been doped, Again! Harry shook his head, he had thought himself safe from such things, he should have been able to read Nott's aura. He should have been expecting the attack, he knew about Nott looking up the potions.

"Harry, are you feeling alright?" Neville asked quietly.

"No, I feel like a fool," Harry replied. "I'm sorry Neville, I shouldn't have agreed to Malfoy's stupid deal! I should have known he would never change!"

"Why did you?"

"I felt sorry for him, you know? He was going to jail and he's the same age as us! It just didn't seem right," Harry replied.

"Well, now you don't have to worry about him or Nott," Neville said.

"That's another thing, how many times do I have to be doped before I learn my lesson, God's, I knew he was going to try something and I was too distracted to pay more attention."

"Mr Potter, drink this, "Madam Pomfrey handed him a bitter tasting potion. "You may return to your common room, but I would advise you to take it easy and get a proper meal."

Harry drank the potion and then stood up, waiting for a wave of dizziness to pass, then headed out before Madam Pomfrey could change her mind. Neville walked along beside him.

"Aren't you angry with me too?" Harry asked.

"What's the point? You tried to do the right thing and it 'bit' you, how would it help if I started moaning at you," Neville shrugged.

They reached the Gryffindor common room and spotted Ron and Hermione sitting in the corner. Harry approached them slowly and said, "I made a bad decision and I'm sorry."

"But that's always the point isn't it? YOU made the decision, alone, without even wondering how we would feel about it," Ron replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded. "It was me he tried to kill, not you. That's why it was my decision, and one of the conditions was that no one know; not even the Professors knew, except Dumbledore."

"It always comes back to that Harry, doesn't it?" Ron sneered.

"What?"

"Only you and Dumbledore, like none of us are even affected by this war. Other people besides you have suffered Harry!" Ron shouted, "Some of us have lost Brothers, Fathers Grandmothers! But you always think that it's all about you! You get all your bloody extra lessons and special treatment and you…."

Suddenly a muggle sticky plaster appeared on Ron's face and he looked at Harry in shock. The rest of the students were staring as the two friends faced each other.

"All about me? I wish it was all about me, and then no one else would have to die!" Harry raged. "Do you think it was fun for me? Losing my parents to him? Then Sirius, Hagrid? Being kidnapped by him? Being attacked at school by other students? My God I can't even eat in the Great Hall without being bloody drugged, yes I love that."

The common room started to vibrate and some of the younger students screamed, Neville stepped between the two, "Stop this, stop fighting, you two are friends. That's enough."

Ron ripped the plaster off his mouth and replied, "I thought we were."

Harry stared at his friend for a few tense moments then turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the Portrait as he went. His anger burning in his stomach, the torches on the walls sparked brightly as he passed them. Harry ignored them and continued at a near run. He found his way out the main doors and ran towards the lake.

The calm lake began to ripple and churn, and then its movements became more turbulent, the water was lapping over the shore reaching Harry feet. But he didn't see it; all he could see was Ron's angry expression as he had yelled at him. The lake was becoming more violent in its movements and waves were forming, a voice behind him startled him.

"Harry Potter, come back from the lake," Professor Snape shouted as he ran towards Harry.

Harry suddenly became aware of the water, forming high waves, taller than Harry. Snape grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him back.

"Potter, control yourself," Snape said in a quiet voice. "Take deep breathes, force down the anger."

Perhaps it was the shock of realising what he had been subconsciously doing or perhaps it was the shock of Professor Snape speaking in an almost claming voice, but suddenly the waters seemed to calm, the furious waves receded.

"Professor?" Harry blinked.

"Mr Potter, you must be careful of that temper of yours, else you might hurt someone," Snape said, with a glimpse of his usual sneer. "What in the world made you lose control?"

"I…. um…..I was angry…. About Nott and Malfoy, or Blake or whatever you want to call him," Harry muttered.

"Well drowning yourself or the school will not really help that situation now will it?"

"No, I don't suppose it will," Harry snapped as he realised who he was having a conversation with.

"Right, if you are feeling better, then I suggest we go into the castle, it is almost dinner time," Snape turned on his heel and left Harry staring after him in confusion. Had Snape just been nice to him? Harry questioned, first he fights with his friend then he was helped by his enemy, what a strange day.

Harry walked slowly up to the castle and went into the Great hall, the rest of the Gryffindors were giving him strange looks and Harry realised he had frightened them with his loss of control. Ron was sitting with Hermione, but Harry was still angry with him so he sat at the far end of the table. Hermione shot a few worried looks from one to the other, but kept her place by her boyfriend. Harry glanced sullenly down at his food, what if it was doped again? He was going to end up like Mad-eye moody, drinking from a hip flask and cursing anyone who came near his plate.