Harry Potter & the Price of Mercy

by: NecessaryEvil

Chapter Eight: First Day of Classes

Disclaimer: Have you read the name other than Harry's on the cover of the books? Well that's who owns the characters from the books, the rest are either mine or from Yu Yu Hakusho (Genkai and Yusekei).

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers.

shdurrani: Thanks for the reviews. As to belittling my own work, I find ppl trash it less if I have a sense of humor about it....plus there's something called being modest.

Now on with the show.

Ron woke up to find that Harry had already gotten up and left the dorms. He had noticed that Harry had been distant ever since he had gotten back from where ever he had been all summer. That was another thing that bugged Ron, Harry refused to tell him, Ron, his best friend, where he had been for two months of his summer vacation, but Cho, someone Harry had hardly ever talked to less than a year ago obviously knew. Granted it seemed that she had been there, but it still made Ron feel left out.

He heard the shower running and after having a brief look around the dorm saw that it could only be Harry. He knocked on the door and heard Harry yell, "Come on in," Ron opened the door and sat down on the sink platform.

"Where were you this summer?" Ron said after a moments pause, he thought he heard a small sigh so he continued, "Come on, mate. I'm your best friend,"

The shower turned off and Harry stuck his hand out of the stall, Ron handed over a towel and some robes. A few minutes later Harry stepped out fully dressed and looked Ron up and down, "I want to trust you, but if I tell you I'm not just trusting you with my life, I trust you with three other peoples lives," Harry looked Ron in the eye, "So you can't tell anyone....not even Hermione,"

"Deal," Ron said.

"Me, Cho, and this guy...I think he may have been a muggle...anyway, we were learning how to defend ourselves with wandless magic from this old witch named Genkai,"

Ron looked at Harry and said, "No, really,"

~~~

Harry had Transfiguration first thing, so he ate up his breakfast and headed to McGonagal's classroom. When he got there he found a group of Ravenclaws waiting outside, he looked at his timetable and saw that this year they had Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures with them, he couldn't remember ever having class with Ravenclaw, he'd had classes with both Hufflepuff and Slytherin, but never Ravenclaw, this made him wonder for minute, but he figured he'd ask someone later.

As this thought crossed his mind Professor McGonagal opened the door and the students filed in. Harry found a seat near Ron, who had found a seat near Sayouri, Hermione had found a seat at the front of the class, obviously angry at either Ron or Harry, or if it was a bad day maybe both. Harry didn't dwell long on the mysteries of his combustible relationship with his old friends as McGonagal began the lesson at this point.

" Today we will be discussing the history of Animagus. As it is a long process and you only have three years of time left at Hogwarts we will not be teaching you how to become Animagus, but you should at least know a little about them..."

The rest of the class consisted of boring information on who the first Animagus was and who the first failed Animagus was, but Harry wasn't really paying attention, he was thinking about the Marauders and all of the uses he could have for becoming an animal.

Apparently Ron was thinking on a similar line, because as soon as class was over he said, "Let's become Animagus," Harry was a little impressed that Ron was suggesting taking on such a difficult task until he continued, "Imagine the look on Hermione's face when we figure it out without her help, and imagine how impressed girls would be," Harry rolled his eyes at this, but agreed that they should become Animagus.

~~~

Their next class was Divination, in which Professor Trelawney made her usual predictions about Harry's death and Harry, as usual was half asleep for the rest of the class, until he heard Trelawney say, "You can't always trust who you want to," when Harry heard that he sat bolt upright and started paying attention, if he was right Trelawney had just made her third real prediction in her life, it was time to go to Dumbledore with this thing Harry thought before falling back into a state of half wakefulness.

~~~

At lunch Harry headed to the entrance to Dumbledore's office and began saying names of various candies he had heard of, the gargoyle finally leapt aside when Harry said, "Ton-tongue Toffee," and Harry walked up to the office. When he knocked on the door Dumbledore called out, "Come in,"

Harry stepped into the office and wasted no time in saying, "I think Professor Trelawney just confirmed a dream of mine,"

"Hello Harry...are you sure,"

Harry nodded.

"Tell me," Dumbledore was in business mode, when Harry had finished telling him about the saying he said, "Thank you for informing me," and ushered Harry out.

As Harry walked out he heard Dumbledore muttering, "Poor boy,"

~~~

After lunch Harry had Care of Magical Creatures with Ravenclaw and they were re-covering Nifflers. Harry ended up pairing up with Hagrid for the gold hunt and to Harry's mild surprise Ron ended up pairing up with Sayouri, must be closer than I thought, Harry thought briefly before getting to work. There was a gold finding competition and Harry and Hagrid's Niffler tied with Ron and Sayouri's.

~~~

Hermione wasn't at dinner which didn't phase Harry, because she often spent her meal time in the Library, so he followed Ron to a seat with all the other Weaselys where they everyone was listening to Fred and George's new product ideas in hopes of avoiding being on the butt end of a joke. The twins welcomed Harry and got into a conversation with Ron about the "git who would give you two money," in Ron's words, the twins did not try to convince him otherwise and Harry had to chuckle a little as they said;

"Yup, total git,"

"Doesn't have any idea how to use money,"

"Could use a tip or two from Harry here, he'd never invest with us, knows us too well,"

~~~

After dinner Harry made his way up to the Common Room after a brief stop in the library to pick up advanced Transfiguration books to help him and Ron to become Animagus, did some reading up and then went up to bed where he flopped down, but before he could fall asleep Ron said, "Harry,"

"Yeah?" Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Do you think a Ravenclaw would be impressed by an Animagus,"

Harry smiled to himself, "Yea, I think Sayouri will be impressed when you turn into an animal," and with that Harry turned over and went to sleep, leaving Ron gawking at his friend.

~~~

Harry walked along the precipice watching the edge and looking into the void, he felt a presence start to walk along side him and stopped and looked at who had joined him before turning his attention back to the edge and continuing to walk.

"So back again Harry," Cedric said finally.

"S'pose so," Harry replied.

"Why?"

"Because I feel so wanted," Harry said sarcastically.

"You obviously wanted to talk to me. You did call me," Cedric said calmly.

"Do I have a chance?"

"You came here just to ask me that?" Cedric asked

"No, just getting started,"

"You have more than a chance, I'd say,"

"Did it hurt?"

"Instant Death,"

"That a no?"

"No,"

"How did I get here?"

"It's an impossible feat for the living,"

"So you don't know,"

"Right,"

"Do you think you'll ever come back?"

"Anything's possible,"

"That's all,"

"Then I'll go," Cedric turned and left and Harry turned and walked away from the edge.

~~~

Harry woke up shivering and went to take a shower bits of ice melting off as he went. Harry shivering furiously did not notice this and just continued on to the shower.

A/N: This is going somewhere, just rather slowly. Gotta have foreshadowing and character development. Review, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.