Chapter IX: Charlie's Caste
Herbology ended, and Harry had earned one hundred points for Gryffindor. If that wasn't great enough, the Slytherins lost seventy-five points due to Draco's outburst. Instead of eating lunch, Harry had to go and visit Dumbledore for his shrink session. He arrived about five minutes late, but fortunately, Dumbledore was not in his office.
"Wonder where he is," Harry mumbled to himself.
This is an opportunity to look at the symbol book, he thought. Look at it… And so, Harry crept over to the stool and lifted the gold, thick book. As he opened the front cover, he felt a sharp, cold, piercing pain in his chest.
"Ah," he said but tried to steady his hands. Before he could read anything, a blinding cobalt light hit him in the eyes. But it did not come from the book. It did not from the emerald leaf pendant…
"I am sorry but that book is strictly forbidden," Dumbledore's voice echoed across the room. His wand pointed at Harry until he gently put it away in his robe.
"But, what's in it?" Harry asked, knowing that he could not get that answer.
"There is nothing in there that should interest you. Now, we shall spend the next forty minutes talking."
Harry sat down in the comfy black seat and waited for Dumbledore to speak first. However, he did not. For forty minutes, neither of them talked at all. When the miniature clock on the wooden desk rang, Dumbledore motioned for Harry to leave. Right before he left the room, the Professor said,
"If I may give you a word of advice, dear Harry. Anger can be controlled but actions from anger can never be erased."
Harry's back faced Dumbledore, so when he rolled his eyes, the old wizard did not see him.
"May I go now?"
But Harry did not wait for a reply at all and left the room. He rushed down to the Quidditch fields where the Medieval Dragons class was being held. As the great field came into sight, Harry saw both Ron and Cho standing next to each other but apparently were not talking. Yet, where were the dragons? He didn't even see Charlie anywhere. Harry rushed toward Cho, and when he got there, he slightly tugged on her sleeve to pull her away from Ron.
"I didn't know you took this course," Cho said excitedly.
"Yeah, I do. I even saw the dragons earlier."
"Really? There are dragons near here?"
Harry nodded. "Right over the walls actually. Maybe we'll get to see them. But wait, I don't have my broomstick anymore."
Cho frowned. "Oh, no! Will you try out for the team then this year?"
Harry paused. He didn't know if he would be allowed to try out in the first place. "We'll see," he replied and turned his head slightly to see Ron staring at him. He immediately snapped his neck back to face Cho.
"Where is the teacher?" she asked and looked about.
"I don't—"
Just as Harry was about to respond, a dark shadow darkened over them all. As they murmured, a few students looked up to see a gigantic dragon flying over them. A girl screamed, but it was not Cho. Actually, she seemed quite exultant to see the dragon. And on top of the dragon was Charlie, riding it like a professional and wearing a rather elegant flying contraption.
"Hello, Hogwarts' students!" Charlie shouted as he yanked on black cords tethered to the beast's fat neck. There was a loud clamor when the dragon landed. Charlie jumped off and beamed his great smile.
"I am very proud to introduce you all to Augustus," he said and pointed to the dragon. "Now, for ten points, who can tell me what kind of a dragon he is? Come on, any one?"
Ron raised his hand.
"Yes, Mister Ron Weasley?"
The class chuckled; most of them knew the two were related. Ron gulped and slowly responded.
"That's a Grecian Golden Horn."
Charlie nodded, "Very close! 10 points to Gryffindor! It is a Grecian Yellow Horn, but the difference between that and a golden horn is that this dragon here is a male. The females have golden ones."
Ron grinned as a fellow Gryffindor patted him on the back. They needed all the points they could get after Harry lost so many within the first two days of school.
"How many of you have flown on top of a dragon?"
Harry raised his hand.
"Oh, yes, we all know about you, Harry. But anyone else?"
Don't I count? Harry thought. I can show them all how to fly. Why is Charlie ignoring my abilities just like everyone else?
"Excuse me, Charlie but I know a great deal about dragons seeing how I was in the Triwizard Tournament!"
"Harry, please call me Mister Weasley while I am teaching this class. And, we have all seen your skills. I would like someone else to demonstrate if you don't mind."
But I do mind, I really do! Why is it that when I can show some good that I am not allowed to at all? And I thought Charlie was the cool Weasley… I guess there aren't any then.
"Anyone else?"
Harry glared at the class. No one was raising his or her hand. After a good thirty seconds, Harry raised his hand again. However, Charlie completely ignored him.
How dare he! I am not invisible! Harry yelled in his head. I am right here, you bastard!
Suddenly, Augustus lifted off the ground, spreading its wings out a dozen feet and swishing them hard in the air. Large gusts of winds knocked students to the ground. Its tremendous body hovered in the air while it continued to pelt the class with heavy wind.
"Hold on to something!" Charlie yelled.
As he tried to get his wand it, it flew off into the air. Students starting screaming, and a few were almost swept up into the air. Harry dug his feet into the ground and was only swaying a bit. He turned his head to where Cho was, but she was no longer there.
"Cho?" Harry said to himself. He looked around him but didn't see her anywhere.
A high-pitched scream alerted Harry as he turned his head upward. There, in what almost looked like a tornado, was Cho. However, Harry was still livid with Charlie. If he had let me demonstrate to the class, then this wouldn't have happened!
"Harry! If you have your wand, please do something!" A familiar voice yelled in his ear. It belonged to Ron who was only a meter behind Harry holding onto his brother Charlie.
I really should help her, Harry said in his mind. But this is Charlie's fault. HE should do something. Why do I have to ALWAYS save the day?
And so Harry stood there watching Cho frantically trying to get her wand out. She spun in circles until Augustus decided to come back down. When he did, the tornado stopped, and Cho fell downward, plummeting without any way to stop it. She smacked into the ground rapidly. She didn't move… Didn't move at all…
"Ron, Harry, take her to the hospital wing, now! I will check to see if anyone else needs to go," Charlie said and hurried around the damaged Quidditch field.
Harry ran over to Cho. "Are you alive?" he asked in an uncaring tone.
Ron looked over at Harry and then Cho. "We better pick her up gently. I'll get her feet. You get her shoulders."
Harry ignored Ron completely. He grabbed Cho's body, swung it over his shoulder and walked off. Ron ran after him and caught up to him when they were inside the building.
"Harry, wait up! Why didn't you do anything out there?" he asked. He didn't seem irritated at Harry at all but more troubled.
"I panicked," Harry lied. They picked up the pace and arrived at the hospital wing within a minute. When they entered, Madame Pomfrey grabbed Cho and placed her on a bed.
"How did this happen?" she asked in a shrill voice.
"Ron, you explain," Harry ordered and walked off. Ron complied and stayed with Madame Pomfrey, trying to sort out all the details correctly.
As Harry left, he decided not to return to the Quidditch Fields. Class should be over soon anyway, he thought. Hopefully Charlie wouldn't get suspended due to this petty incident. Besides, it was an accident. Augustus was just showing off.
Deep down inside, Harry hoped Cho would be all right. However, another part of him, a much darker, more sinister part, wanted her to die. But why? Why did he have such dark thoughts? Sometimes he just wanted to strangle people that made him mad. It's normal to have fantasies but about hurting other people? Those weren't fantasies at all.