Harry Potter and the Arch of Hades

By: Merusa

A/N: Many of you are quite right- how the hell did Harry get Head Boy?!?! We'll see when we get to Hogwarts...

Chapter 2: Seeing the Obvious

"Boy. Boy! Boy, wake up!"

Harry grunted and rolled over. He buried his face into his pillow.

"BOY! WAKE UP!"

Harry lifted his arm behind his back and made a very rude gesture with his fingers.

"How dare you!"

Harry felt the covers being pulled off. He flipped onto his back and sat up, groping for his glasses-

CRACK!

He gasped in pain as a huge fist nailed a punch in his right eye. He focused his left eye and made out the huge, blurry shape of his uncle.

"We're going out." Vernon turned and exited the room.

Petunia slipped into the room a moment later. She crept over to his bed. "Harry, there's a steak in the fridge. Use it for your eye." She paused. "By the way, congratulations on getting Head Boy. Your mother would have been proud of you." She stole out of the room.

Harry stared after her for a moment, almost regretfully.

A moment later, he scrambled out of bed and grabbed his glasses. He pushed them onto his face and stumbled downstairs, nearly running Dudley over. He heard the telltale signs of his uncle's car leaving the driveway, backfiring more than once, but ignored it. He stumbled further into the kitchen and over to the ice box, before pulling out a semi-thawed steak. He pulled off his glasses then slapped it over his eye and groaned, moving to lean against the counter.

"Hey, Potter!"

Of course- Dudley had to have picked that time to annoy Harry. Harry ignored him.

"Potter, look what I found. You'll be interested in this."

"Actually, Dudley, I really don't give a flying fuck."

Dudley chuckled. "Oh, I think that you should."

Harry pulled the steak off of his eye and swiped the juice away with his hand. He pushed his spectacles back on, blinking owlishly.

In his chubby hands, Dudley held the photograph album that Hagrid had given Harry in his first year.

Harry felt his stomach turn. "Where did you get that?" His eyes remained trained on Dudley's pudgy, clutching fingers.

"Where do you think, dumbass? Your bedroom! Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I...." He flipped the book open. Harry saw that it was the picture of Sirius and his parents on the wedding day. Dudley turned on the sink faucet.

Harry saw red.

Lunging forward, he grabbed his album and snapped it shut. Drawing back his fist, he punched Dudley across the face.

Dudley snarled. Harry quickly dropped the album safely on the table.

A moment later he felt himself being tackled to the ground. The two boys wrestled, Harry with some difficulty do in large part to Dudley's enormous size. Fists flying and knees jerking, Harry lost himself in the fray, until-

"HAROLD JAMES POTTER!"

Dudley pulled up. Harry took the opportunity buy kneeing Dudley sharply in the ground. Dudley fell over, gasping in pain.

Harry glanced up to see an impressed looking Ron and Ginny. Next to them stood Mrs. Weasley. Her eyes were narrowed – she was visibly furious.

Harry scrambled to his feet. "Uh, hello, Mrs. Weasley. You're looking lovely today."

"Harry," she began, in a quiet tone but nonetheless a very dangerous one, "I feel that you are a son to me, and that it is my duty to inform you of something- when we get to the Burrow."

Harry gulped.

Ginny and Ron walked over to him, grinning. Ron grabbed his hand, and there was much manly back-slapping. Ginny grabbed him in a quick hug.

Harry grabbed his album from the table, and made to walk out of the room with his friends, cowering slightly at Mrs. Weasley's look. A loud grunt from behind him made him pause and turn around.

"Potter..." Dudley was struggling to his feet. He stumbled slightly, and the house shook. "You'll pay for that. If you've hurt anything, my girlfriend will have your arse."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Dudley, you don't have a girlfriend. The last time you were on the telephone talking to her, I picked up the other phone, and heard you talking to yourself."

Dudley got red. "Well, it's not like you have a girlfriend, or proof of one."

Harry hesitated. Dudley had a point; he didn't have any proof of Padma.

One beat later, Harry felt an arm slip around his waist. He looked down to see Ginny, who winked at him before turning back to Dudley.

"Are you sure about that, Dud?" Ginny smiled sweetly. Harry, fighting laughter, wrapped his arm around her waist.

Dudley sneered. "Well, then, how much is he paying you?"

Harry's face contorted in anger. He let go of Ginny and punched Dudley across the face again. Dudley staggered.

"Come on," Harry said, "Let's get out of here."

They walked to the fireplace.

-----

A few minutes later, Harry stumbled into the Weasley kitchen, coughing heartily. He straightened.

"Oof!" he grunted as arms were suddenly tight around his waist. Bushy brown hair obscured his vision. Smiling slightly, Harry returned the hug.

"Hello, Hermione." The pretty brunette stepped back, grinning at him.

He looked around the room, having been the last to Floo there.

Ron and Ginny were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table. He hadn't realized how tired they had looked until then. Hermione sat back down and resumed picking at a piece of toast.

"Harold James Potter."

Gulping slightly, he turned to see Mrs. Weasley. She shook her spatula at him. "Dudley really deserved all that didn't he?"

Harry grinned. "He really did."

A moment later, he was engulfed in a motherly embrace. "Oh, Harry dear, I'm so sorry for yelling at you- it's just, sometimes I forget that you aren't one of my own sons, and that's what I do when I fight."

Without hesitation, Harry returned the hug. "It's alright, Mrs. Weasley. I shouldn't have done it." He closed his eyes for a moment. He loved it when Mrs. Weasley hugged him.

She let him go, swiping at her eyes. "Sit down, sit down, eat, you're too skinny!"

Harry slid into a chair at the table. He noticed that while he was ravenous, no one appeared to be sharing the sentiment.

Then, it hit him.

Percy.

He hadn't forgotten. There wasn't a chance of him forgetting that. But he hadn't known what to expect, either.

He cleared his throat slightly. "Gin, thank you for that back there."

She grinned, although it didn't completely meet her eyes. "It was no problem. I quite enjoyed it!"

Hermione looked confused. "Enjoyed what?"

"Harry beat Dudley up. Dudley insulted Harry. Ginny pretended to be Harry's girlfriend in order to insult Dudley back. It was funny." Ron had spoken in short, sharp sentences, looking down at his plate. Hermione looked up at him, seeming to be a little bit hurt.

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at Ginny. She mouthed Later to him.

The silence resumed. Harry quietly took the plate Mrs. Weasley presented him with and began to eat hungrily.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Weasley broke the silence. "Well, I have some good news for you. As Arthur and I are going to a meeting tonight, you-" Harry interrupted. "You mean we can go?" Mrs. Weasley smiled gently at him. "Sorry, Harry, no. Arthur and I are spending the night, so you three can invite some friends to stay over. Fred and George are coming as well."

Ron cheered slightly. Harry was glad to see his friend looking a bit more cheerful.

"Don't get too excited. Fleur is coming over to chaperone."

Ron shrugged. "Still fun."

Ginny piped up. "Who can we invite?"

"Anyone, as long as they're decent, but there's four of you already, so let's say, three more?"

They all nodded.

"Well, Padma, obviously, for Harry," Hermione said, "and then how about Neville and Luna."

They all agreed that the list was fine.

-----

A little while later, outside, Harry caught Ginny by her elbow. "Ginny, what's the matter with Ron and Hermione?"

She pressed a finger to her lips and motioned him closer. Ron and Hermione were only a few feet away. She pushed up on her toes and whispered in his ear.

"They had a huge row, I don't know what about. It was a few days ago, and they've barely spoken since." She wobbled slightly. He grabbed her elbow again to hold her steady. "You don't have any idea what about?"

"Uhm, well," she blushed, "I heard two names."

"Whose?"

Her blushed deepened. "Viktor's."

"And?"

"Well...yours."

Harry frowned.

"It's not what you think, thought," she continued on, rushing, "I think that maybe Ron thinks that Hermione fancies you."

"What?" He shouted.

Ron and Hermione looked over.

Ginny shook her head, dropping to her feet. "Yeah, that's right," she continued loudly, "I think that Colin would make a damn good Chaser if he had the confidence!"

-----

Fleur entered the Burrow that night, a few minutes after the guests arrived. Shortly afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley departed for the meeting.

Fleur turned to them. "Okey," she said, "I shall be in Beell's room. There will be a Silencing Charm on zee door. I 'ave 'eard nothing and zeen nothing. You were puurfect angels. Good night."

She trounced up the stairs, leaving behind some very confused teenagers.

"But- but-" Hermione appeared to be in shock. "She c-can't just leave us here! We could do a-a-anything!"

Fred grinned. "Exactly, my dear."

Ginny was grinning. "I know what we can do." She hopped onto the counter and slid across it, before bending to fish around in a drawer.

"What?" Neville said blankly, "Have a group shag in the kitchen?"

Luna giggled.

Ron looked scandalized. "Neville...that'd be incestuous!"

Fred and George were making gagging faces.

Harry and Padma were staring at each other awkwardly, both of their faces bright red.

Ginny shook her head. "You're all idiots. Aha!" She pulled a normal deck of cards out of the drawer.

"Strip poker!"