Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, except of course for this brilliant story… and my obvious delusions ^_-
A/N: I hope the note that I previously posted cleared things up about the competition. The students teaching the DADA classes have no knowledge over the ones that they will be competing against and they are not considered "real" teachers (they can't even administer real tests… Dumbledore does that)… They were simply chosen because they were part of the DA, an easy way to organize volunteers… also think about it, there are people outside of the DA who could beat some in it, ie. Malfoy… keep up the reviews… they are good feedback!
Chapter 15: New BeginningsSoon after the incident with Malfoy, everything had returned to normal except for the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Hagrid was forced to cancel classes for a week because his giant brother had started to become restless, being by himself most of the time, and had started to throw tantrums when Hagrid would come. Hagrid decided that he needed to spend more time with Grawp to try and calm him down. As the absence of the COMC class had left a void in their schedules, the trio had decided to pass the spare time relaxing in the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione had her nose deep in a book while Ron and Harry were engrossed in a game of Wizard's chess. When Ron had decided that he had Harry beat, he broke the silence, "Hermione, we all know that Ginny is gonna enter the tournament, what about you?"
She looked up apparently disturbed that her concentration had been broken, "I suppose so… it will be a good gauge of how much we have progressed since the beginning of last year."
"I think the fight at the ministry showed how much we've progressed. I am entering this tournament to see how many people I can embarrass," Ron stated as he put Harry's king in check.
"What about you Harry?" said Hermione as she put her book down evidently giving up on reading and eager to hear his reply.
Harry thought about it for a bit and replied, "I don't know if I am going to enter yet but I do know that Ron has me beat in this game." Harry moved his king into the only spot he could, quickly followed by Ron moving and putting Harry in checkmate.
"Check-mate. I'll tell you one thing though mate."
"What's that Ron?"
"You don't want to face Ginny in the tournament." As he was putting the pieces away, he looked at Harry's face and the look of confusion. "You have no idea what I am talking about, do you?"
Harry was beginning to wonder what he had done to Ginny so that she would want to beat him so badly in the tournament.
"Aren't you supposed to be with her teaching your DADA class right now? I know if you're late again, she won't exactly be too happy."
With this declaration, Harry jumped up and ran to his room to get his wand and books. Not even a minute after he had run upstairs, he came flying back down the stairs and with a muffled good-bye, leapt through the portrait hole.
On his way to the classroom, he tried to think of a good excuse to give Ginny so that she might have some mercy on him. Before he knew it, he was in front of the door and could hear her voice informing the class to move the desks to the sides of the classrooms. Harry decided that he should go in before she went any further in the lesson.
Upon entering, all eyes were fixated on him. He walked to the front of the classroom and stood by Ginny's side.
"I'm sorry Gin, I just…I didn't…."
Ginny looked at Harry and grinned, "Now class, this is what happens when you come to class late and don't have a good excuse for it."
The class started to giggle and Harry started to turn a little red. "I'm sorry Gin, I got caught up in a game of Wizard's chess with Ron and a discussion about the tournament."
One of the fourth year Hufflepuff students overheard the part about the tournament and asked, "Are both of you going to enter into the tournament? I really think you should enter Harry, it won't be the same if you aren't in it."
"Don't worry Williby, we will let you ask any questions about the tournament after the demonstration. Are you ready Harry?"
"Ready whenever you are Gin."
Ginny then instructed the students to stand behind them so they wouldn't be in the way of the spell. As soon as they were out of the way, Ginny turned to Harry and nodded. As soon as she nodded though, all of the reasons that Harry was unsure about entering the tournament surfaced. He thought about his second year, when everyone accused him of egging the snake on to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley. Then about his fourth year and the portkey that had taken him and Cedric to the graveyard where Voldemort waited, and the previous year at the Ministry when Sirius had fallen into the Veil of Esimed.
Distraught by the onset of disturbing memories, Harry had forgotten what happy memory he had in order to summon his Patronus. When he looked over at Ginny, he saw that she had already summoned her Patronus; the lion was standing proudly in the middle of the classroom.
Harry desperately decided to give his a shot to see if he could produce his without his memory. As he spoke the words, "Expecto Patronum!" Harry watched as nothing happened except for a few silver wisps that had spurted from the end of his wand. He tried two more times but still nothing. He looked up despairingly to see all the students were looking at him with confusion plastered on all of their faces.
Ginny saw that Harry was struggling and decided to relieve some of the tension, "Alright class, everyone put the desks back in their rows, I think that you should all get a head start on your writing assignments for the Patronus Charm."
As the class started to get the classroom back in order, Ginny pulled Harry aside, "Harry, what happened?"
"I lost hold of my happy memory. It all has to do with the upcoming tournament. I haven't decided whether or not to enter the tournament. It was only until I tried to think of my happy memory that I begin to realize why I feel so unsure about entering."
Ginny looked at Harry and was anxious to hear what he was going to say. "What is it that is holding you back Harry?"
Harry looked down at the ground and felt a wave of sadness come over him, "Well Gin, I started to think of all the previous situations I had been in and I started to think that entering wouldn't be the best idea. Especially with what happened last year and Sirius, every time I get into a duel, something bad happens."
Ginny looked at Harry with the deepest remorse, "I understand your concern about entering the tournament but you have to enter. All of these younger students have heard so much about Harry Potter and they look up to you. Look at Williby, he told you the tournament wouldn't be the same without you. Regardless of what has happened in your past, you have to look at this as an opportunity to test your skills in a controlled environment and a chance to show your fellow students what you are all about."
Harry pondered what she said for a moment, than looked at her with a slight smile. "I guess you're right, it would be a good experience. Plus it would be a great chance to get to kick Malfoy's butt without getting detention or house points taken off. I just don't know if will be able to forget what happened last year."
"Nobody expects you to forget what happened last year, it's just that we don't want to see that hold you back either. You know that Sirius would have wanted you to enter this tournament in a heartbeat."
Harry looked at her and smiled, he knew Sirius would have wanted him to enter. He was so glad that Ginny was such a good friend. She had helped him come to, what he thought would be a very difficult decision, in one short conversation. He knew know what he would do. "You know what… I'm going to enter the tournament. Thanks for helping me sort out my thoughts."
Ginny looked at him and had a smile from ear to ear, "Well it was nothing short of what you did for my on the Quidditch pitch. You helped me figure out what my happy thought was. I mean after all, what are friends for?"
With this, Harry turned to the class, and shouted "Expecto Patronum!" Out of his wand came the image of a stag, which pranced playfully between the tables, drawing gasps from the students. After a few seconds, it had disappeared as fast as it had appeared and drew a round of applause from the class including Ginny.
After the class stopped clapping, Ginny walked up to the front desk, "Now as for Williby's question, both Harry and I will be entering into the tournament. As for any other questions that you might have, keep them in mind for the next class. Class dismissed."
With a general sigh of disappointment that their questions would have to wait, the students reluctantly shuffled out of the classroom.
Harry and Ginny nodded to each other and followed the trailing students out the door.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The remainder of the week passed by pretty uneventfully. Everyone was looking forward to the coming Hogsmeade visit. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry were especially looking forward to it because they could once again see Fred and George's shop.
Before the students knew it, Saturday had arrived. They were scheduled to leave for Hogsmeade immediately following breakfast. As usual, Ron stuffed as much food as he could into his mouth while everyone stared at him, amazed at how large his appetite was.
After breakfast, Ginny told them she would meet them in front of George and Fred's shop as she was going to walk down to Hogsmeade with a few of her friends. They parted ways and the trio headed out through the front gates of the castle. On their way, they decided after lunch they would split up to shop for each other's Christmas gifts. Soon the three friends arrived in Hogsmeade and made their way towards the twin's shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
When they got to the front of the store, they sat down on a bench to await Ginny's arrival. Ron decided to remain standing in front of the bench "I hope Ginny isn't too far behind… I want to see what else Fred and George have come up with since we last saw them."
"As a matter of fact, there she is know," said Hermione in the direction they had just come.
As Ron turned around he saw Ginny walking slowly towards them with Dean next to her. They slowly came to a stop and Dean looked in the direction of the Weasley's front window. When he saw Ron's face and the daggers being shot at him, he said a quick good-bye and hustled off in the opposite direction.
When Ginny turned around she had a confused look on her face until she saw the look Ron was giving Dean's faint image. She walked defiantly in the direction of the trio and confronted Ron, "There was no need for that Ron…we were only talking. I can't believe how immature you can be sometimes…"
"Hey guys, glad you could make it," exclaimed Fred as he jumped out the front door of the shop startling everyone but Ginny who was still fuming.
"Whoa, what happened to you Ginny?" asked Fred as he saw the look on her face.
"Nothing…absolutely nothing. Just Ron being Ron!!" then she turned and went into the store without giving Ron time to say anything.
"What did ickle Ronnie do now?" said Fred poking Ron in the ribs with a maniacal grin on his face.
"Shut up Fred. Let's see the store and what you got."
They entered the store and saw that is wasn't very big but what they had was packed wall to wall with all kinds of little goodies. What they also noticed that there was no sign of George.
"Wow Fred, you and George have come a long way since all of your experiments at the Burrow," Harry said as he perused the new merchandise that the shop was advertising. One piece in particular looked like the stuff Fred and George had used to create the swamp that was now part of a monument in a wing of Hogwarts.
"You had a little to do with the success Harry!" George proclaimed as he appeared out of a door that went to a stockroom.
"You prat, you almost scared me half to death!" yelled Ron, as he was right next to the door looking at some ten-tongue toffees on the shelf.
"Sorry, Ronniekins, I don't mean to scare away potential customers."
The rest of the visit was just catching up with the twins. They soon found out from George that Fred was "dating" Angelina Johnson. As soon as he divulged this information, Fred shoved an elbow right in George's ribs. Fred told them that he and Angelina were just friends and not dating. George responded to this by saying, "Sure, and Dumbledore is actually a member of the Weird Sisters," which also earned him another elbow to the ribs.
Fred told them that Angelina was doing well, as she was trying to get a spot on a professional Quidditch team but had only been able to muster a position as a press agent to Puddlemere United.
Also, the twins talked about Penelope and how she hadn't come out of her house since returning from St. Mungo's. They also believed that her family was on vacation in America but couldn't be absolutely sure, as no one had talked to Penelope.
After talking about school and what had been going on there, Ron started to tell them all about the tournament. Fred and George were excited to hear about it. All they wanted were the Slytherins to be embarrassed by a few particular Gryffindors; they certainly didn't think it was asking too much.
After a while, Harry said that they should be going cause they still had a few things to do before going back to Hogwarts. As they were leaving, Fred and George told them to come back and visit whenever they could. The four friends said their goodbyes and started back up the street.
Ginny stopped and told Hermione and Harry that she was going to go meet up with Dean, Luna, and Neville. She had been ignoring Ron ever since going into the shop but when she said she was going to meet Dean she said it in Ron's face then turned around and walked away.
Harry, Hermione and Ron decided it was time for lunch so they headed for the Three Broomsticks where they would get some food and butterbeer.
As soon as they were done, it was time for them to go their separate ways so they could go shopping for Christmas presents for each other. They decided to meet back in front of the Three Broomsticks two hours later as that would give them ample time to go shopping.
As Harry split from the others, he knew what he was going to get Ron and Ginny, but was unsure about the others. Harry walked around Hogsmeade trying to figure out where to start but couldn't figure out a good place. He passed by Honeydukes and decided to go in and buy a few sweets for in between meals. After making his purchases he walked down towards Dervish and Banges to see what he could find in there. As he walked in, he saw a line of bookshelves so he decided to take a look to see if anything would interest Hermione. As he looked through the last bookshelf he saw a rather large book, looking relatively new and he picked it off the shelf and had found the ultimate gift for Hermione. The book's title was "Hogwarts' a History, a more detailed, updated version," and as Harry read the title, a grin came upon his face. While he looked around the bookshelf some more, he saw a book that would be perfect for Luna, "Mystical Legends Part 2: Fact or Fiction?" Even though she probably wouldn't buy him something, he figured that it would be a nice thank you for all her help with the research into the Veil. As he went up to the counter to pay, he saw a flyer that said people could now order owls through Dervish and Banges. He knew he wanted to get Ginny her own owl but he was unsure about how he was going to get it without going to Diagon Alley, he was thoroughly relieved that finally had his solution. Before wasting any more time, he filled out the order form and paid for the rest of his gifts.
He left the shop very fulfilled that he was able to find a way to get the owl and set off for the post-office to order Ron's gift. He walked in the post office and filled out his order form for the broom the Excelsior. He went to the counter and paid for the order, very impressed with himself for getting Ron the perfect gift.
As he walked out of the post office, he realized he should have gotten Ginny a broom as well. She was brilliant at Quidditch and the team would have definitely benefited with her on the newest broom. As he was thinking this to himself, he walked by a new shop, which was located next to Fred and George's shop. The new shop was called Gorda's Magical Gardens and Harry decided to take a look inside. He glanced around the shop, which looked a lot like the greenhouses at school but one plant in particular jumped out at him. At first glance, he thought it was Devil's Snare but realized that he was mistaken. The plant he was looking at was a Flitterbloom. He remembered last year being told about the St. Mungo's healer who made the mistake of thinking the Devil's Snare that was next to Broderick Bode's bed was a Flitterbloom. Harry knew that such a plant would be great for Neville, so he had no choice but to get it for him.
As he walked out of the new shop, he ran into Dean, literally. All of Harry's packages went flying into the air while he hit the ground hard.
Dean scrambled to his feet, "I'm so sorry Harry I should have watched where I was going."
Harry got to his feet and dusted himself off, "Don't worry, no big deal."
Dean helped Harry gather his packages, "So what are you doing with your afternoon here?"
"Actually, I am buying Christmas presents. What about you?"
"Well I am not going to do my Christmas shopping until next month. I think it is best not to do your shopping too much in advance."
Suddenly, an idea popped into Harry's head. "Dean, I know that you and Ginny have become close. Are you planning on getting her anything for Christmas?"
"I really didn't know if I should, do you think I should?"
"Well, I know that she would love a broom for Christmas… particularly the Excelsior," said Harry with a grin on his face.
Dean looked surprised, "I can't afford to give her such an expensive gift Harry."
"What if I gave you some help with the finances?"
"I am not sure that is such a good idea Harry. If I am buying the gift, I think that I should buy it and not take money from anyone else."
Harry understood exactly what he was saying, "Well, look at it this way, you are still going to give her the gift and she will love that you gave it to her. Just look at it as my investment into improving our Quidditch team's chances of winning the Quidditch Cup this year."
Dean thought about it for a second but still seemed unconvinced. "I don't know Harry."
Harry was determined; "All Ginny has to know is that it is from her good friend, not about where he got the money. Remember, it is the thought that counts."
"Well, I would really love to give it to her…. okay Harry, but I will pay the money back to you as soon as I get it."
Harry thought about it and decided this would be the best offer he could get and in a month he would conveniently forget that Dean ever owed him any money. "You got yourself a deal!"
Harry gave Dean the difference between what Dean was going to pay and the price. Harry told him about the order form at the post office and how to fill it out. Dean thanked Harry many times and they parted ways. If Ron ever found out that Harry was involved in this, he would be eating slugs for the remainder of his life. As he thought about it though, it was worth seeing Ron's reaction as Ginny got her broom on Christmas.
Harry decided that he was done with his shopping and started to head back to the Three Broomsticks as it was getting close to when they said they would meet up again. He was on his way back when he saw Remus and decided to take a detour and find out what he had been up to.
"Hi Remus, how are you doing?" As Harry got closer to Remus, he noticed something different about him. It wasn't that he was dressing different or his looks had changed much but he seemed different. It was like he was carrying himself in a different matter then when Harry usually saw him.
Remus looked at Harry with a huge smile spread across his face. He walked towards Harry and wrapped him in a big hug, "I am doing quite well Harry, and how are things with you."
"Alright I suppose. So what is new with you since I last saw you?"
"A few things I suppose. Let me show you one of them." He then proceeded to jerk Harry in the opposite direction of where Harry was supposed to be headed.
"I don't mean to ruin your fun but I am supposed to meet Hermione and Ron in front of the Three Broomsticks very soon. Where are we going anyway?"
"Don't worry about Hermione and Ron, Molly is distracting them by going back to the twins' shop and testing out their new goodies," as soon as he finished it seemed that he started to walk faster.
"Alright but could you please slow down a bit…. I can walk on my own you know."
"Too right, sorry Harry. I am just so excited about what I am going to show you."
The walk wasn't that long and before he knew it, they were in front of the front door of the shrieking shack, which looked more run-down than ever. Harry wondered what surprise Remus could be hiding inside of the place where he found out the truth about Scabbers aka Wormtail and Sirius. Harry could hear Remus mumble something quietly but couldn't make out what he said. Before he knew it, the door swung open and Remus entered. Harry wondered what he said to open the door because he knew that many people tried to unlock the door but always unsuccessfully. The twins had tried to access the house through the front door many times, but never even budged the door a fraction. Harry followed Remus into the house.
When Harry entered, the door shut behind him but what he saw in front of him wasn't the shrieking shack from his third year. It looked like a newly renovated image of what it had been in its prime. Everything was polished and dusted; the paint was redone on all the walls. It looked completely different.
"Remus, this is amazing!!"
"I had a little bit of help from some people but I did most of the work. So I am guessing you like what I have done with the place?"
Harry's jaw was still on the ground from shock "It is brilliant."
"Molly figured you would like it. She has been in Hogsmeade every weekend making sure I had everything I needed to finish the renovations. She has also been visiting Aberforth and seeing how things are going with rebuilding Hog's End and of course getting updates about the Order."
Harry was in shock. He thought Mrs. Weasley was busy but had no idea she was checking in on everything in Hogsmeade. But when he thought about it, it probably gave her a good chance to check in on her mischievous, entrepreneurial sons.
"I think Sirius and James would have gotten a tremendous kick out of me living here. Plus all my best memories of them are in this house so I figured if the wand fits, wield it."
"I think Sirius would have loved what you did with the place. It is just too bad he can't see it like this…." And with this comment Harry began to think about how much he missed Sirius at moments like these. This is what fueled his research of the Veil of Esimed and his desire to discover how it worked.
"It is a perfect house to have guests stay with me because it is big."
"Anyone in particular??" said Harry as he winked
"Um…. no not really…" Remus replied
Remus turned a little red and Harry just decided to get it out in the open, "So, how is Tonks?"
Turning away from Harry to sit in a beautiful armchair, Remus sunk into the chair and offered Harry a seat next to him on the Ottoman. "She is doing quite well. She went off to work this morning and should be back in a little while."
"How much younger is she than you?" Harry said jokingly
"When you get to my age Harry, the differences in age start to blur along with everything else and I believe that if you are happy…then nothing else matters. For the first time in a long time, I am starting to feel happy again."
"Well if you are happy Remus, then so am I," said Harry with true sincerity. "What I don't understand though, is if you fixed up the inside, why not fix up the outside as well?"
"I don't want to alert every death eater around here that someone has renovated the shrieking shack. One day I even hope to raise a family here. Harry, I want to let you know that if you ever want to get away from the castle for a little while, you could always come here. Dumbledore knows I have fixed it up and all you would have to do was use the tunnels by the whomping willow. But you are more than welcome anytime."
"Thank you Remus, I will have to take you up on that offer sometime…."
All of a sudden green sparks started erupting from the fireplace behind them and a face appeared amidst the flames.
"Remus, are you there??"
Harry and Remus turned around to see Molly Weasley looking very concerned.
"Yes Molly, I am here with Harry. We were just having a nice little conversation, what is wrong?"
"Oh Remus, things are not good, two Aurors are in St. Mungos after trying to control an outbreak at the Ministry."
A look of apprehension spread across Remus's face and he paled noticeably, "Who are the Aurors and why are they in St. Mungos?"
"The Aurors are Shaklebolt and…" after a slight pause "Tonks. But don't worry they were only stunned and no major problems are expected…"
As soon as she said that Tonks was going to be fine, he looked momentarily relieved as Mrs. Weasley continued. "…that isn't the big problem though."
As quickly as the concern on Remus's face had disappeared, Harry witnessed it come back just as fast, "Well what is then?"
"The attack was brought on by a group of death eaters lead by Bellatrix who caused enough commotion that Malfoy escaped."
Harry gasped at the fact that Lucius Malfoy was loose again and remembered the horrible image of Bellatrix Lestrange hexing Sirius into the Veil.
Remus stood up, "What do you need me to do Molly?"
"I need you to meet me and Mundungus in front of the Three Broomsticks so we can talk to the others about what went on. It seems that the death eaters have decided to break their silence by rescuing the Dark Lord's second in command from the Ministry… my guess is that this is only the beginning… Please hurry Remus."
"I will be there as soon as possible," Remus stated before dashing out of the room in a state of frenzy.
"Harry, are you there?" said Mrs. Weasley looking around for him.
Harry stood up from the Ottoman, "Yes Mrs. Weasley?"
"Oh, there you are. I already sent Hermione, Ron and Ginny back to the castle and told them you would meet them in the common room. Just take the tunnels back to the whomping willow. You remember how to get back, right?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Ok, good. I will see you later than." And with that her face disappeared from the flames.
"It was good seeing you Harry and remember, anytime you wish to visit….you are more than welcome."
"Thanks Remus, be careful." Remus nodded at Harry, and shut the door behind him.
During the entire walk back to the castle, the only thing that Harry could concentrate on was the look on Sirius's face as he had fallen and the triumphant laughter that had emanated from Bellatrix as a result….
Thanks to all of the reviewers!
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Keep up the reviews!! ^_^
Stay tuned for next chapter… who will be the top fifteen after the preliminary duel? ^_-