In Every Darkness
Chapter Sixty Seven: Team
20.10.1996
Harry felt that if one more person came up to him to tell him that they were glad he'd recovered, he would scream. It had been three days since he'd woken up, and there still people coming to him.
His friends viewed the whole thing with evident amusement, but Harry didn't seem to find it at all funny. It had been nice the first time he'd gotten up and had left the hospital wing, but now it was dead boring and very annoying to boot.
He had told no one what had really happened, saying only that he was confused and couldn't remember. Not even his friends questioned this.
His teachers were dedicating the afternoons and most of the nights to Harry and his friends so that they could catch up with the rest of their year, and the three Gryffindors were snowed under with homework.
Lily wasn't faring quite so badly – she had gone to some classes and had been keeping up with some of her homework. That was besides the fact that she'd been ahead of her year before Harry had been hurt.
Hermione was probably faring the best of the trio, being in the same general position as Lily was. Ron was going the worst of all of them, but Harry and Hermione were helping him as best they could.
Harry was happy to discover that while he'd been asleep, his friends had organised the Quidditch team and had entered them in the Quidditch Tournament. The end result had been:
Keeper: Ron Weasley
Chaser: Luna Lovegood
Chaser: Ginny Weasley
Chaser: Gabrielle Delacour
Beater: Ernie McMillian (the former Hufflepuff team had formed a different team with some Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students, which Ernie didn't want to be in.)
Beater: Lily Adams
Seeker: Harry Potter
They had decided on the team name of Unity, at the insistence of Hermione and the rest of the girls on the team – the boys had wanted to be the Battlers.
"Well, we are a team that unites Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons," Ginny pointed out defensively when Ron told Harry about this.
"I don't mind. It's an ok name," Harry assured them. "Who's the captain?"
"Who'd you think? You of course!" Lily laughed at him. "After all, we wouldn't have been united if not for you! Ernie and Ron both half wanted to be Captains as well, but they eventually agreed that you were the best person for it."
"We're playing our first came in four weeks time," Ron added, looking a little nervous.
"So you are going to have to really good at getting your homework and catch-up work done then, aren't you? If you want to get time to practice, I mean," Hermione put in sternly.
Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, "Yes Hermione, we know."
Hermione huffed at him, but smiled. "You do? That's good! Let's get to the library and do some more work then!" she said brightly, and Ron groaned.
Harry smiled faintly himself and wandered in the direction of the library with his friends around him. "Guess so," he agreed. As they walked and chatted, Harry's mind flitted back to when he'd awoken properly for the first time.
Harry opened his eyes, the world was blurry, and after a short time he realised this was because he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Oh good, you're awake," a voice spoke in his mind.
"Yes, I'm awake now Grypis," Harry agreed calmly. "But why did I sleep for so long?"
"Because the memories were obviously somewhat traumatic – you did nearly die! – and after resolving them, you were worn out. You fell into a very deep sleep, finding your way to the place where all life begins. You were close to it when you were looking at those memories, and I suppose your mind must have found it's way back there," Grypis replied.
"I didn't want to leave," Harry remarked.
"No. No one wants to leave that place if they manage to find it, and the only way to get someone out of there is to remind them of something that means more to them than anything else," Grypis replied.
"The feel of the wind means more to me than anything else does?" Harry asked, surprised.
"The feel of the wind, yes, but more importantly it is the freedom of the wind that you love best," Grypis told him. "You want to be free of all the things that bind you, and the wind personifies that for you."
"Oh."
"Oh indeed."
At that point Madam Pomfrey had come and interupted them. She had given him his glasses and then gone to get food.
"Hey Harry! Don't space out," Ron said, waving a hand in front of Harry's face. "That thing might happen again!"
"It won't, I was only thinking," Harry replied. But put his thoughts aside for the moment, so as not to worry his friends.
"What happened with Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"I stunned him in the Chamber because he was being a little prick," Hermione replied. "He was laughing at you for fainting, and now everyone's laughing at him for doing the same thing."
Harry chuckled.
"We get our marks back for the Defense assignment today," Hermione said suddenly, looking happy. "We had to hand yours in for you," she added, "since you were asleep."
Harry nodded his thanks.
"You'll probably get the best mark," Hermione added. "Since you had your subjects help with writing the essay."
Harry shrugged noncommitantly. "Maybe," he replied evasively. "Come on, we've still got that potions assignment to do, Hermione … and one for Charms as well …"
"We'll never catch up," Ron moaned.
"Of course you will Ron," Hermione said. "I have already caught up."
"Well big surprise," Ron muttered.
"What was that?"
"Never mind …"
Harry smiled as his friends bickered over mundane things. Lily was sitting beside him, doing her own work. "Do they ever stop?" she wondered aloud.
"Of course not," Harry replied calmly. "You should know that by now."
"I suppose I should," Lily agreed with a faint smile. "I suppose you get really tired of it?"
"You should have seen the time that they didn't speak to each other for months back in our third year," Harry replied with a faint smile. "Remind me to tell you about it sometime."
"Harry, tell me about the time that Ron and Hermione wouldn't talk to each other for months back in third year," Lily replied.
"Not now," Harry told her, smiling slightly.
"Oh, well, you didn't say that," she said, pretending to be offended. Harry smiled slightly.
"Well, I'm saying it now," he responded.
"Ok. I'll ask some other time then," Lily said, returning to her work, while Ron and Hermione lost track of what they were arguing about and went back to their work.
Harry finished his potions essay with a smile, just as the bell rang.
"Meet me at the Quidditch pitch at lunch time, don't tell Ron and Hermione that you are coming," Lily breathed in Harry's ear as they packed up and got ready to leave.
Harry turned to say something to her, but she raised a finger to her lips, already walking away.
With a shrug, Harry stood up, packing his things into his bag with a swift flick of his wand, for a moment thinking back to first year, when this small feat would have been impossible for him.
"Come on, Defense next!" Ron said happily, and the three friends strode off, Ron and Hermione managing to get by without bickering at all.
When they reached the classroom, Tonks was ahead of them, for once, and was seated at the front desk, nursing a foot, which she had obviously hurt by tripping over something.
The class filed in and took their seats, Harry, Ron and Hermione coming quickly to the front row, while the Slytherins slunk sullenly into the back of the classroom.
"Well!" Tonks said brightly. "Today I have to hand your assignments back. I'm going to read your marks aloud to the class … Yes, Malfoy?" she interupted herself, glaring at Malfoy, who had his hand up in the back row.
"What if we don't want our mark read out?"
"Too bad," was sharp reply. "If you don't get a good mark, it's your own fault for not working hard enough. Part of the grade if effort, Malfoy, though the major part is content.
"As I was saying, I'm going to read out your marks from the top mark downwards," Tonks finished.
"The top of the class was Harry Potter, with his assignment on Tatsu Kendo … Malfoy, what is it this time?"
"You should deduct some points from him because he knows the person he's doing the assignment on," the Slytherin said, looking smug. Most of the Slytherins nodded in agreement, but the Gryffindors glared.
"I don't think so Malfoy. You were doing your assignment on Harry Potter, you know him, so would you like me to take points from you as well? A lot of the people who were the subjects of assignments are still alive and quite well known. It doesn't take that much to owl them and ask them for help with the assignment. Five points from Slytherin for so ridiculous a question.
"As I was saying, Mr Potter topped the class, getting one hundred and ten percent. Hermione Granger came after him, receiving one hundred and five percent …"
She continued going through the marks, slowly winding her way down. Harry was pleased to see that most of the Gryffindors had gotten pretty good marks. In fact, the first five people were Gryffindors.
Finally she was down in the low teens, and Malfoy's mark had not yet been read out.
Grabbe and Goyle had been forced to leave the advanced class when it was discovered that the people who'd tested them for Defense Against the Dark Arts in the OWL's had been bribed to do give them high marks.
Finally, Malfoy was the only person left, and all the Gryffindors were watching him with unmistakable glee.
"And last, and most definitely least, Mr. Malfoy – you received a zero. You didn't to follow instructions, your essay was poor and what you did write was incorrect. A further twenty points from Slytherin," Tonks finished, smirked at the furious Malfoy. "I suggest that you pay more attention to instructions in future."
Tonks really didn't like Malfoy, and she even lost her cheery demeanour when she spoke to him, becoming sharp, and almost stern.
"Now," she bounded happily up. "Since that paper-crap is out of the way, we'll be working on some more jinxes! Pair up! Harry, you with me, we'll have a duel – you know the spells that I'm going to teach, so you can demonstrate with me, then practice them."
Harry groaned. He knew almost all of the spells that were being taught, since he did teach DA, and he had learnt quite a bit from Lily as well.
Harry limped out of the class, looking very weary. He had been forced to spend most of the remainder of the lesson duelling with Tonks, then with Hermione, who had also picked up on the spells very quickly. Harry hadn't taught them in DA yet, because the students under sixth year lacked the knowledge to use it properly.
It was lunch time, but Harry wasn't very hungry. One of the spells that Tonks had used on him was a Nauseating charm, to try and distract him. He'd countered it fast enough, but some of the effects still lingered.
"I'll see you in the Library later," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione. "Can you get Unity together?" he added to Ron.
"Yeah, sure," Ron replied. "Where and when?"
"After all the years have finished classes, in RR," Harry replied.
"Ok, see you later," Ron and Hermione nodded in farewell and went into the Great Hall while Harry headed out onto the Quidditch Pitch to meet up with Lily, wondering what his new friend wanted.
"I've got something really important to tell you," Lily told him, the moment he stepped onto the pitch and before he'd had enough time to even open his mouth.
***
*grins evilly* ooh that was fun! Next chapter might detail what Lily had to say to Harry, but then again, it might not as well …
Thanks:
Meghann, ER, Dnd4Ever, Sweet A.K, HermioneGreen, Jbfritz, Butler, HoshiHikari4ever, LonelySpirit, BurningTyger, TuxedoMac, Kurbani, Maxx77, AthenaKitty, Jaded Angel8, Rhinemjr, Pam, Chicken Stars, shdurrani, MikiBaby, OhioGrl-HPFan, Kraeg001, Mike Potter 2002, Gryffonfanwriter, Stix-the-Rebel, Gaul1, Kaye, Nicoletta, Jen, Penny, MiakaChan5, Romm, Evil Anti-Patriotic Elf Named Cin, PhoenixPadfoot89, ER, Clare, Clare, Dumbledave, Fcuking Cathy, KuruptReader, Misty43, Anna L. Black, Fawkes31.
NOTE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE: some of you thought that Remus was dead – if you remember, his mind was trapped in the dream weaver that Snape and he had made. Now he is with Snape, but can only talk mind to mind and doesn't actually have a body.
Also: quite a few of you didn't understand what happened with Harry – after looking through his memories, his mind was tired and wanted to rest. Because they'd been looking deep in Harry's mind, they came near the … a sort of basis of reality, I guess you could call it. A warm, safe place where nothing can harm you, where you don't notice the passing of time, or remember anything from your life. That's what caused the coma, Harry being trapped (willing trapped, but trapped none-the-less) in that place.
Penny: No, I meant McGonagall – the younger one. Michael, that is.
To the Ice Princess of Capricornia,
We are sorry to hear that Our Royal Cousin must return to school and band practices now, but remain happy that We do not have to do this for a little while yet. We do, of course, understand and forgive any late reviews.
We do, of course, accept Our Royal Cousins invitation to attend the ball – We would enjoy coming immensely. When is it?
Sincerely,
WolfMoon,
Lady Death,
Queen of Tenebralia,
Goddess of Darkness and Evilness.