"Harry Potter and the Brethren of Ares"
Author's Note: Once again, here we are, in another chapter of "...Ares"! Guess what? We're halfway done!
Disclaimer: Yea, I'm J.K. Rowling. And, my one year old cousin can bend it like Beckham. Hi, fellow soccer/football people!
Italics: Harry's thoughts.
Chapter 12: Worth the Risk
Harry hurried down the stairs towards the Great Hall. He was late, that he was sure of. He didn't want to miss too much more of parenting class, though, so he continued to hurry towards the doors. His hand was on the handle, when-
"Damn!" His bag split open of its own accord. He quickly dropped to his knees, and moved to grab his inkwells before his books were ruined.
"Potter."
Harry sat back on his haunches, sighing in annoyance. He was having such a good year, too....well, besides Remus. And the apple. And Sirius being gone. And....
Well, he had Padma, now didn't he?!?!
"What, Malfoy? Harry didn't bother moving from his position on the floor. Malfoy deserved nothing more than a view of his backside, thank you very much.
Wait. That sounded sooo wrong.
"Listen, Potter, I had something to ask you."
Harry stood and turned to face the slightly taller boy. "What? Come to finish what your father started?"
Draco smirked, and pushed his tousled blonde hair away from his face.* "Tell me the Prophecy, Potter."
Harry sneered. "Voldemort must be getting pretty desperate, sending some ferret like you to do his dirty work."
Draco's smirk widened. "I never fail to get to you, Potter. That's why he sends me."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Try and get to me, Malfoy." He turned and began walking towards the doors. There wasn't much of a point to going to class anymore.
"Sirius."
Harry froze in his tracks. "Say it again, Malfoy."
"Oh, I can say so much more than that. I can say how poor, pathetic Harry Potter only wanted to save the godfather that was like a brother to him, the godfather who was the parent he never had, the man that he loved as the father he never had. I can say how you stopped Occlumency lessons with Snape, how you had a bad dream and ran to save the day. I can say how you watch him fall through the Arch of Hades. I can say how you watched him die-"
Draco was stopped from continuing with a sickening crunch as Harry's fist came into contact with his jaw. Harry's knee lifted and slammed into the weaker boy's stomach, before his other leg came around to sweep Draco's legs off the floor, and knock him to the ground.
He collapsed on the floor in a heap, nursing his jaw. Harry stood above him, breathing heavily.
"Yes, Draco, I did that. But some things are worth the risk. You wouldn't know that, though, huh?" Harry grabbed his bag and once again made for the doors.
"Harry?" He turned, and Ginny stepped into the right. "What happened? Why did you hurt Malfoy like that? Not that he didn't deserve it, although I would have aimed my knee a bit lower." Despite her words, she looked as though she'd witnessed something she rather wished she hadn't.
Harry opened his mouth as if to respond to the redhead, but the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Ron and Hermione's arguing voices came flowing through.
"'Mione, why do we have to check out the noise?"
"We're the Prefects, Ron. And don't call my Mione." Hermione stopped in her tracks, the door they opened swinging shut behind them. "Harry? Ginny? What happened to Draco?"
Ginny looked nervously at Harry. Harry rolled his eyes. "I beat the crap out of him." He scowled.
Harry's three friends were immediately surprised by his tone. Harry hadn't spoken like that since before Sirius's death.
Ron nodded at him, though. "Good job, mate. We're going to have to take points off, though."
Harry shrugged. "See if I give a damn."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at Harry, who appeared to be getting angrier by the moment. "What's wrong with you, Harry?"
"Who says anything is wrong? Everything is just good and dandy, no stupid dark lord trying to get information out of me, no idiotic ferret recounting my many wonderful adventures. Nope, everything is right as rain, Lady Mione. I was just going to speak to our dear friend Hagrid. Really."
Hermione stared at him. She looked close to tears. "Harry, why won't you talk to us?"
Ron came up and draped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. She was so surprised she almost stopped crying.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Do you have a problem, Harry?"
Harry glared at her. "What's it to you? You probably don't give a damn."
"I do give a damn, idiot."
"Yeah, and I really sounds like it."
"Oh, go snog Padma."
"I'd love to, but I don't think I should just go and pin her up against a wall. Really, we haven't been on a date yet."
"You are so sick."
"You think I'm sick?"
"Yes, I do."
"That's your problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go Reducto a brick wall."
Harry turned on his heel and stomped outside, not even sure why he was so mad. There was simply something about Ginny that could set him off.
He marched to Hagrid's cabin, and, to his dismay, heard three sets of footsteps behind him. He gave a quick grunt of anger, but it was mostly at himself. There he was, the Boy-Who-Lived, getting ticked off at nothing once again.
Oh, what a wonderful world...
He rapped sharply on the door to Hagrid's cabin, and it swung open to the sound of Fang's barking. Hagrid took one look at Harry's face, and said, "C'mon in, you four."
Sighing, Harry stepped inside the cabin. He dropped his bag in its customary spot, and began to pace.
Hagrid exchanged nervous glances with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. No one was quite sure how to handle Harry when he was in a mood like this.
Harry began to murmur under his breath angrily. His companions only caught snatches of his words.
"....was worth it....only trying to save him....miss him...driving me mad...apple..."
Harry's pacing increased in speed, and his mutterings became more and more indistinguishable.
"'Arry..."
"GOD DAMNIT!"
Harry abruptly stopped moving and slammed his foot into the side of Hagrid's large chair. He kicked at it repeatedly, cursing under his breath.
"DAMN DRACO! WHAT IN THE HELL DOES HE KNOW ABOUT ME?"
His friends watched silently through worried eyes.
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT...I ONLY WANTED TO SAVE HIM!"
He kicked helplessly at the chair again. "It's not my fault...."
Harry was then surrounded by his four friends, holding him in a group hug.
***
Sirius stared at the scene, disbelief etched over his face. "I didn't know he was that upset...."
Lily touched his arm. "It's ok, Sirius."
James nodded, holding Lily by her waist. "I think his friends have him covered."
***
*Umm....slashy much? oO;;
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