Erised's Bane
Author's Note: I really have other things that I should be working on right now, probably studying for my Microeconomics test, but for some strange reason I've been obsessing over this chapter and I think it would be really helpful if I could just get it out of my head, so there you go. It's two-thirty in the morning, by the way, which is probably the best time for me to write because I'm usually unhampered by the weirdness I acquire during the day and I get my artistic inspiration from the weirdness that is just plain me. So there you go, guys...and if you think I should actually focus on important information in my author's note instead of just mindless drivel, tell me, even though I quite enjoy writing my mindless drivel.
Disclaimer: If I had a penny for every time that I wished I owned Harry Potter, I'd be as rich as J.K. In other words...Harry Potter? Not mine.
Chapter Fifteen: A Hogsmeade Vacation
Harry woke up on Saturday morning with on odd feeling of dread and anticipation. It took him an entire three seconds to realize just why he was feeling as he did--number one, it was the day of the anticipated Hogsmeade trip. Number two, he had a date...a real date...with Susan Bones. It was almost too much for him to comprehend in the half-dozed state one has right after waking.
"You gonna stay there all day sonny, or are ya' gonna get dressed?" Growled an all-too familiar voice from the wall."
"Lord Hornswaggle, have you ever wondered what I could do with a gallon of turpentine?" he muttered under his breath.
"What's that?" the painting replied.
"I said that a cup of hot coffee and a muffin would really be divine." Harry said slightly louder. Lord Hornswaggle humphed and sauntered back out to his sentinel duties at Harry's front door. The low murmurs and thumps above him told Harry that the boys in the sixth year's dorm were also waking. On a spurt of sudden good humor, Harry picked up the book he and Ron had tossed around a few nights before and lobbed it up at the ceiling. All movement ceased for a brief second and suddenly a great thundering indicated that the boys had began stomping about. Harry quickly pulled the blankets back over his head to ward off the shower of dust that came raining down on him.
After a few moments the cascade ended and he slowly got up and out of bed, stretching. He turned to the window and saw with slight interest that there was faint frost fogging the pane--in other words, it was the perfect day to be wearing the leather robes. A faint grin formed on his face when he considered the prospect.
It wasn't the habit of Hogwarts students to wear anything but the normal school uniform on trips. But neither was it against the rules to do otherwise. Occasionally, especially on days later in the spring when it was nice and mild, a few of the more casual students would wear muggle clothing down to the little town.
But would Susan approve of such a show? He thought nervously to himself as he stood at the trunk, looking at his options. If it had been another girl...Lavender, perhaps...he wouldn't have thought twice about what to wear. It would have been the most stylish of his items, definitely. But with Susan...well, she wasn't the showy sort. He bit his lip for a moment before shaking his head. The normal school outfit it was...at least he couldn't get in trouble for that.
He dressed and left his room, approaching the portrait of the fat lady. She appeared almost as tired as he was, so when he said the password (Bravado) she snorted slightly and swung open. He clambered up into the familiar room with a faint sense of regret. He missed being with the others just as much as he missed having his own place. But, well, that was to be expected. He made himself comfortable on the couch just as Ron swung down the stairs. His friend occupied the seat across from him, propping his long legs on the table.
"Hey, Harry. Ready for the big date?"
Harry blushed at his friend's taunting. "It's not such a big deal, Ron. Don't get all...well, you know."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well. Neville's been in a right state all morning. I don't think he believes what's happening to him just yet."
"He's growing up." Harry said with an amused grin that belied his own feelings. "So is your little sister."
"Yeah." Ron replied, though he seemed anything but amused. They chatted a moment longer before Hermione joined them, beaming.
"How are you?" she said happily. "Looking forward to today, Harry?"
"What? Oh...yeah." he said, turning red once again in a way which made Ron choke back another snort. Hermione ignored him.
"I think it's spectacular, the way you've handled this situation. The whole Cho thing was a mess, to tell you honestly."
"I really don't want to think about that right now." Harry said, feeling a sick churning when he thought of the circumstances of the year before. Though, he had to admit, having a girl for a best friend did have its advantages. Especially when she could tell him when he was being an idiot...as she told Ron frequently.
"I suppose you shouldn't." Hermione said. She turned to Ron. "You seen Dean yet? He said he'd meet me around now?"
"What? Oh, he was just getting dressed when I left the dorm." Ron said.
"When are you meeting Susan?" Hermione asked, turning back to Harry.
"In a little bit. We're going to walk down together."
"Any idea what you're going to do?" Hermione asked.
"Well...I guess we'll go to the Three Broomsticks. Other than that..."
Hermione nodded. "You think you could go around twelve? Maybe Dean and I could join you."
"I guess that would be okay." Harry replied.
She smiled and he opened his mouth to say something else before he suddenly spotted Dean making his way down the stairs to Hermione. She blushed slightly, distinctly ignoring Ginny's eyes as she passed, and the two of them left. Taking his cue, Harry stood and waved goodbye to Ron, who despite his early cheerfulness appeared somewhat sulky.
He walked through the castle and down to the great hall, slowing to a halt when he saw the grouping of Hufflepuffs standing nearby. They quieted and turned to look at him, the younger first through fifth years craning their necks to see him. After a moment Susan emerged through the group and walked to his side. When she got there she looked cautiously back at them before whispering, "Don't say anything just yet. Let's go on, first."
So they started out from the castle and across the grounds of Hogwarts. He saw Hagrid and waved back at the cheerful giant, who seemed to have sustained a recent bruise about his wrist from his 'little' brother. As soon as they were out of hearing range of anybody, Susan sighed. "I thought I was never going to get away from them. Everybody is acting like this is some great big deal." She said.
"What do you mean?" questioned Harry.
"Well..." Susan paused, as if on the verge of revealing some great dark secret, making Harry slightly uncomfortable. "Hufflepuffs generally don't date Gryffindors. Not that there's anything wrong with it. It just never seems to work out that way. So our situation is a bit odd, and besides..."
Harry got the gist and completed her sentence. "Besides that, I'm Harry Potter."
"Exactly." Susan said, blushing. "I guess I've become something as a 'celebrity' in our house."
"Sorry." Harry said. "But I can honestly say I know how it feels."
Susan smiled. "Thanks. I knew you'd understand."
"So...where do you want to go?" Harry said cautiously, suddenly seeing himself back in the pink-infested tea room he had gone to with Cho and only barely able to keep himself from gagging.
"Anywhere but that blasted tea place." She said, exchanging a sly grin.
"So we'll just go about a bit until we find something?" he suggested.
"Sounds good to me." She responded.
They entered Hogsmeade and, careful not to get in the middle of a group of scavenging third or fourth years, made their way to all the usual haunts in Hogsmeade. They played around with the new inventions in Zonko's joke shop and, rather exhausted at their playful excursion, waded through the younger students at Honeyduke's. Harry, with a little bit of a blush, bought Susan a bag of treats (making double sure that no blood flavored lollipops or Cockroach Clusters had strayed inside).
Wandering back outside, and taking turns picking treats from the bag, they began ambling around town, slowly becoming more comfortable with one another. Whenever they caught somebody watching them, or one of the younger students making as if to come and speak to them, they would quickly avert their eyes and begin walking the other way as if somebody had cued them to do it. They were quite comfortable in their routine when an unexpected...and very much unwanted...fellow student appeared.
"So, found yourself a porky companion, Potter? And I thought you went to Neville when you wanted a little extra plump. Must have been my mistake."
Harry halted in his tracks, facing the cold sneering countenance of Draco Malfoy. "Give it a rest." Harry said, more in annoyance than in anger.
"Why should I? I thought your girl here might be in need of some entertainment, seeing as you seem to be boring her to death."
"I am not bored." Susan said, rolling her eyes. "And as for the pudgy comment, I should think you would realize I don't care enough to be bothered by what you think."
"Oh, so you don't care, do you?" Draco sneered. "What, are you trying to be noble? Or are you going to go run off crying and stuff your face with those sweets you have."
Susan stared blankly at him for a moment before gritting her teeth in irritation. "Where do you get off insulting other people, you ferret-faced bastard? Harry is a greater wizard than you'll ever be, whether it's a matter of skill or honor."
Harry almost jumped at this sudden declaration, and even with Malfoy there he started blushing. "Susan, I..."
"Oh no, let her finish Potter. I was wondering who the latest president of the fan club would be. So I guess it's Piggy Bones? Where's your badge, Piggy?"
Susan stepped forward so quickly Harry hardly had time to react. "Right here, you stupid Slytherin." She sneered, turning the bag of sweets upside down and letting the sticky, syrupy candy fall all over his head.
"Come on!" Harry laughed, hardly able to contain himself. He unconsciously grabbed her by the hand and the two of them ran off in the opposite direction, not leaving Malfoy time to do anything. By the time they had rounded the corner, he was shouting insults in their direction and threatening curses, but they were too far away for him to say or do anything and thus it didn't seem to matter.
"That...was...great." Susan said, panting as she slid into the table at Hogsmeade. "I've never done anything like that in my entire life, Harry. I have to get in the middle of fights more often!"
"Only when you have a sackful of Honeyduke's around." Harry cautioned with a grin. He heard a faint cough and looked up to see Madam Rosmerta standing above them. He almost opened his mouth to order before remembering something he had heard once about letting the girl go first, so he shut his mouth and waited until Susan spoke.
"I'll have a cherry rum soda." She said.
"Just a butterbeer, thanks." She went away and returned a few moments later with the tray. Susan took her bubbling pink confection and gingerly sipped at it while Harry popped the cap of his butterbeer and took a sip. "What time is it?" he asked after a moment.
Susan glanced at her wrist. "About noon."
"Hermione said she and Dean might join us." Harry said. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah. I guess so." She said.
"Uhm..." Harry paused, suddenly remembering Cho's reaction to Hermione the year before. "Listen, before she gets here I just want to make sure that you know there isn't anything going on between me and Hermione. We're just friends."
"Oh, I knew that." Susan said. "There's a few people that think the two of you are together, but I doubted it. After spending that much time together, you're probably more like brother and sister than anything else."
Harry, who had never thought of it that way, nodded. "Yeah. I guess you could say that."
"But I'm not like your sister. Or your friend. Am I?"
Harry looked across the table and into her deep blue eyes and felt a deep stirring in his chest. "No." he replied. "No. Definitely not."
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Harry was still recuperating from the butterflies in his stomach the Monday morning after the Hogsmeade trip. He was picking at his breakfast, shooting Susan avid glances from two tables over, when all of a sudden a large white envelope landed with a loud plop next to his plate. For just an instant he remembered what had happened before, with the howler Voldemort had sent him, but the fact that Ron was looking at him with a puzzled expression and holding an identical envelope diminished that thought.
"What do you think it could be?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Harry replied. "But look...there's a seal on the front of it."
Ron shifted his own envelope around and his eyes widened. "Blimey, Harry." He said, dropping the envelope. "I can't believe it."
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"The National Quidditch Team. England's Team."
"What?" Harry suddenly snatched up his envelope and stared. "What are they writing us for? Who else got these?"
They looked around. Ginny was staring at hers in shock...the beaters from Gryffindor didn't have any. But a glance around the hall showed Malfoy, who had cleaned the chocolate from his hair, arrogantly waving his around as Pansy Parkinson oohed and aahed over him.
"Well, why don't we open it. Together?"
"Right." Ron said. The two of them pulled open the letters. Harry had to read his through twice before he could believe it.
Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,
As Captain of the National Quidditch Team for England, it is my pleasure to inform you that as a scout for new and upcoming young talent, I will be visiting Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and would like to observe you personally, along with several gifted individuals at your school.
I will arrive the day before the match of Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw October 22nd, and I will be staying until the match of Slytherin vs. Gryffindor the week after on October 29th .
I look forward to meeting you and wish you good luck for all the years to come!
Linc Hartwell,
The British National Quidditch Team
"Does yours say it too? Does it Harry?" Ron asked, gaping.
"It sure does." Harry said in astonishment. "He's a scout."
"He's coming here."
"What if he actually picks me to play for the team?" Ron said in wonder. "That would be great. Of course, he'll probably pick you, so the two of us could..."
"I hope you get it Ron." Said Harry, who had a somewhat ill feeling in the pit of his stomach. "But as for me, I won't be playing Quidditch professionally.
Ron laughed. "Yeah, right Harry. You're the most talented player Hogswarts has seen. Even Charlie couldn't beat you."
"No, it's not that." Harry said. "I mean...well, I have another career in mind." Harry, hwo had never openly discussed what he might do with his future with his friends, was slightly embarrassed to say so, even more so when Ron looked at his as if he were daft.
"And what else are you going to do?" Ron asked. "Join Hermione in the S.P.E.W. effort?"
"No." Harry said reluctantly. "I'm going to become an auror."
A long pause awaited him. When he looked over at Ron, his friend had a pale face. "You're kidding, right?"
"Of course I'm not." Harry said. "I've been battling dark wizards since I was eleven...well, that is if you don't count the fact that I almost defeated one when I was a year old. And there's...other reasons."
"You think you're going to defeat You-Know-Who." Ron said. "Is that it? You honestly want to keep fighting him until you end up dead?"
"It's either him or me." Harry said bitterly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked suspiciously.
Harry stood and made to leave the hall. "It means that I would rather have the training not to get killed when he comes after me, like he probably will, so I think I'll just forget about being a Seeker professionally and focus on learning how not to die."
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