Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and all things related.
A/N: I'm back! And I just lost a game of cards to Comet. That girl is way too smart for her own good. I hope you like the way I'm pulling this along. Could you please review this chapter?
Phoenix – "He needs encouragement."
Kev – (Gulps) "Oh, Phoenix. You're back from your nap already?"
Phoenix – (Smiles Cheerfully) "Of course. You didn't think I would miss the next chapter did you?"
Kev – (Smiles Nervously) "Of course not."
Chapter Five: Quidditch Jazz
Harry left his first class somewhat confused. Things had gone well of course, but as always, something odd happened. Professor Warren had told everyone to call him by his first name. It was unorthodox but everyone complied and began to call him Rai. Rai had sent his wand floating around the classroom collecting basic information about everyone. To most everyone's delight it had turned a sickly green and spit purple sparks when it came to Draco Malfoy. The most embarrassing thing was that once the wand got to Harry (who was sitting in the back of the room) it began to shake violently and cycle colors. It had then promptly dropped onto his desk.
He had to take Rai's wand back to him in front of the whole class. He still didn't know why it had happened. After that the lesson had progressed smoothly. Rai had talked extensively about defensive spells and counter-curses. Harry now walked alone along the corridor to his next class. It was as he turned the corner towards Magical Tracking that he saw something that made his blood boil. A group of Slytherins pushing someone around. He saw them tossing around a valuable looking necklace – playing "keep away" - and laughing.
He couldn't see anything of the victim except a shock of black hair. Harry weighed his options. He could slip away unnoticed, finally proving to everyone that he didn't have to "play the hero". Or he could take action proving everyone right but at the same time helping someone. It took only a split second to decided that helping someone was much more important than what everyone thought of him. He whipped out his wand and said "Acio Necklace". The jewelry came zooming through the air to his outstretched hand. Just before the bullies realized what had happened Harry arranged the expression on his face into something resembling a storm cloud.
He strode purposefully toward the mob of students. The fourth and fifth years scattered as they saw him leaving only the sixth and seventh years. As the crowd thinned he could see that the victim was female. Oddly enough he didn't see Malfoy anywhere. "What's going on here?" he asked. An older boy strode forward. He had very dark hair and a permanent scowl. He was tall and muscled, reminding Harry of Marcus Flint who had graduated the previous year.
"None of your business Potter." His voice would have been menacing had Harry at all cared. Harry looked around for an alternative for fighting. Several of the other boys backed their ringleader. "It's nothing that concerns you." Harry glanced a wisp of silver over one of the boy's shoulders. There was his chance.
"Oy," he yelled waving, "Sir Nicholas!" Gryffindor's resident house ghost floated toward the scene.
"What can I do for you Harry?" He looked on curious to what the commotion was about.
"Since my fellow students," he said gesturing to the Slytherin group, "Tell me that what they are doing is none of my business, would you be so kind as to fetch Professor McGonagall or Flitwick for me?"
"I'd be delighted to be of assistance. Shall I be off then." The gang of snakes scowled and the leader spoke up.
"There's no need for that." he said. "We were just leaving anyway." He then took his cronies and trudged down the hall and rounded the corner. It was only then that Harry saw who he had saved.
Cho Chang stood smiling at him. Sir Nicholas decided that he had better leave these two students to themselves. Harry nervously handed her the necklace and she put it on. He admired it then. It was a gold chain necklace with a several silver rings. In the center of the chain was an elegantly carved sapphire wren. He marveled at how good it looked one Cho.
"Thanks." He barely heard her say it.
"For what?" he asked stupidly.
"For helping me silly." She was smiling at him. He smiled back.
"I should be going. I'm going to be late for class." He began to walk again toward his Magical Tracking classroom. He entered the room and sat down in one of the back row seats. He was gathering his things from his bag so he didn't notice someone sitting next to him. When he looked up from his course book ("Tracking and Investigating Magical Mysteries" by Kame Leon.") He found himself looking once again at Cho Chang.
"So you're taking this class too?" He nodded dumbly. It was then that he heard it. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. That sound was so familiar. Visions of his fourth year flashed in his mind. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. "Harry?" Cho asked, "What's wrong? You've gone deathly pale." He hadn't realized that he was acting so strangely. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
The door burst open and the teacher hobbled in. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. A partially missing nose, a wooden leg, a hunched back, and a madly spinning bright blue eye. Alister "Mad-Eye" Moody stopped into the middle of the classroom. "Good Morning class."
"Good morning Professor Moody," was the chorused response.
"Constant Vigilance!" he yelled. Paranoid ex-auror "Mad-Eye" Moody had been commissioned to teach once before in Harry's fourth year. However he had been kidnapped and impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr. The young Death Eater had made the farce of a "Triwizard Tournament" into a great tragedy. Moody was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Harry desperately tried to calm himself down as Moody began a speech about the dangers of the wizarding world. He kept telling himself that Crouch Jr. was in Azkaban as a soulless shell of a man. He did manage to calm himself down and follow the lesson rather well. However he promised himself that he would check the Marauder's Map to be sure it was the real "Mad-Eye".
As class ended everyone began to shuffle out toward lunch. Sixth and seventh years had longer classes so longer breaks were given so that their brains didn't explode. "Potter," came the gruff voice of Professor Moody, "Walk with me would you? We're going in the same direction."
"Sure Professor." Harry hesitantly approached the man. He kept his hand on his wand at all times and tried to look everywhere at once.
"Good job boy," the gruff man clapped Harry on his back as he neared. "Constant vigilance." He looked over Harry's shoulder and gave a slightly scary smile. "Tell Ms. Chang that she can come as well if she likes."
Harry motioned for Cho to come along. As she caught up to them Moody began to talk again. "I'm glad you were being so cautious there boy." Harry was slightly annoyed at being called 'boy' but not enough to care. "You can be assured that I'm really me. Don't know why Albus would ask me to teach again after that "Triwizard fiasco."
"What is he talking about Harry?" Cho asked.
"In my fourth year and your fifth Professor Moody was kidnapped and impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr., a former Death Eater." Cho nodded in understanding. "He was the one who put my name in the Goblet of Fire and turned the Triwizard Cup into a portkey." Cho nodded again and Harry thought he saw something change in her eyes.
"Wasn't that your boyfriend that died Miss Chang?" She nodded once more, her face impassive.
Harry was curled under his blankets with a lighted wand and the Marauders Map. He was watching people move about. He had already determined that no one was in the castle that shouldn't have been. He had found some other uses for the Map. He watched as Professors McGonagall and Sinistra had a conversation concerning lesson plans. They were on the third floor on the left hand side.
Professors Snape and Flitwick were on the fifth floor discussing quidditch, which reminded Harry that tryouts were tomorrow. Since he had turned down the captaincy it had gone to Ron as a default. They had to find three new chasers and two new beaters. Professor Sprout was in her office and Hagrid was tending to some nifflers. He carefully avoided looking at the Gryffindor common room. To put it mildly he would have been in an awkward situation had he looked.
His eyes came to rest on Professor Moody and Headmaster Dumbledore. They were in the Headmaster's office and some charm was keeping their speech from showing up on the map. Harry reluctantly rolled up the Map and placed it into his trunk before turning in. He had to be awake early for Quidditch tryouts. He just hoped that Ron could tear himself away from Hermione long enough to get enough sleep. The prat was captain after all.
Harry was out on the quidditch pitch bright and early. The sun was just peeking above the horizon and he was zooming around on his Firebolt. An hour and a half still remained before tryouts took place so he decided to have a good fly. Up in the air all of his troubles fell away with the ground. He continued to zoom around the pitch. He was going top speed and everything was blurry below him. He couldn't help but give a small smile as he pulled out of a sharp dive and rocketed upward once more.
Harry circled one of the grandstands and looped through the goal hoops several times. He did spirals, rolls, sudden turns and tricky flips all unaware of his audience. The cool morning air was finally getting to him, his body was going numb with the cold. He descended to the ground and made his way toward the stands for a rest. A voice came from behind him.
"You get more and more amazing at that every time I see you." Harry whirled around to see the Ravenclaw seeker smiling at him again. He seemed to be bumping into her much more often. They had even been partnered together in Magical Dueling. Cho Chang was wearing normal clothing and had her broom slung over her shoulder. The two seekers spent some time talking about past quidditch matches, techniques, and quidditch in general. On an off chance Harry saw Ron and several other Gryffindor students strolling across the lawn toward the pitch.
"You might want to hide." Cho followed his gaze to the Gryffindor captain and the team hopefuls. "I don't want them to think you've been spying."
"You're probably right," she said, "See you at lunch then?"
"Sure thing."
She then crept down the stairs quietly as Harry mounted his broom. Harry took off. Just as an afterthought he decided to try something. He had seen some of the muggle boys in his neighborhood on skateboards and he thought it would be fun if he could mimic them. He did so with ease. He took the pose he had seen some of the more experienced of the boys use. As he had hoped, the spectacle of his showmanship distracted his best friend and the rest of the candidates. He saw Cho shoot him a grateful smile before she sneaked out of the pitch and headed back toward the castle.
By the end of the tryouts they had their new team and several reserves. Ginny and some of her friends were the new chasers. The Creevy brothers were the new beaters. They even had one reserve chaser, two reserve beaters, and a reserve keeper. Harry walked up to lunch tired and hungry, but it was the happiest he had felt in months. He couldn't wait to play quidditch. He had some ideas that might just make this season very interesting.
A/N: I hope this chapter was good enough to get a review. At least one? I really hope you enjoy this story.
Phoenix – "If they don't like it than they don't know what they are missing."
Kev – "Thanks Phoenix. But I still hope that they review."
Phoenix – "I don't care what the reviewers say. This is a good story."
Kev – "I hope you guys feel the same way." (Phoenix is still ranting) "Ciao everyone!"