Erised's Bane
Author's Note: Hi everybody! How's it going? I was going to try and get the Christmas chapter up for Christmas, but things are going slow in fan fiction land and therefore the celebration will have to occur a few days after the holidays. *sigh* Oh well. Anyway, I'm writing this chapter because I've gotten all good and obsessed again, and I really hope you enjoy this! Anyway, have a nice day and enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. So don't sue me, because I'm not even going to try and pretend that I am J.K.R.
A Holiday From Hogwarts
"Christmas plans are definite." Ron said. "We're going to the Burrow."
Harry looked up at Ron for a long moment. "You mean you're going to the Burrow. You can't possibly mean that Dumbledore would actually allow me to leave the castle..."
"No, he is allowing it. In fact, he's the one that suggested to mum that it might be nice for you to get out of the castle for Christmas." He leaned closer. "Course, at least half the order is planned to be there as well, so you I don't really think he's worried along those lines."
Harry let out a deep breath before grinning. "That's a relief. After the Crowne family..." he trailed off, the memory too fresh for him to think about without feeling a little twinge of anxiety. "Anyway, I was almost certain I wouldn't be allowed to come."
"Well, be thankful." Ron said as he sat down next to Harry and took a large bite of his dinner. Harry looked around, enjoying the sight of Hogwarts decorated for Christmas but nonetheless glad that he wouldn't be seeing it the entire holiday. Several weeks had passed since he had begun Legimency with Young, and he had only just begun to access the thoughts and emotions of other people. This was what made him turn just in the nick of time to see Malfoy squared off against him, Crabbe and Goyle flanking either side.
"Hey Potter, are you going to delight us with a show of your spectacular skill this evening?" Harry found quickly that he was prepared for this moment by all the derisive sneers the Slytherins had been shooting him for the past few days.
"Sorry, Malfoy." He muttered. "Unlike some people I don't need to show off."
"Then what do you call it?" Malfoy said with an unpleasant sneer. He leaned closer. "Been planning this for years, have you? Probably been practicing Apparition since you found out about it."
"Actually, no." Harry said. "How about you? Or has daddy been too busy running from the Aurors to teach you anything new?"
A general cry arose when Malfoy reached out and gripped Harry by his collar, fairly lifting him from his chair. "Don't--you--dare--speak--of--my--father--that--way!" he said through tightly clenched teeth.
Harry smiled slightly. "I don't have to tell everybody about your dad." Harry said. "All they have to do is open the Daily Prophet. For a change, they're telling the truth."
Malfoy raised his arm and his fist was heading towards Harry's face when Malfoy cried out in surprise. Harry's eyes widened when he felt a shock similar to that that had struck his uncle in a similar incident, and saw him skid across the floor and into the table across from him. Ron's mouth dropped open in astonishment as he looked from Harry to Malfoy and back again. "Whoa." He muttered, swallowing his potatoes.
Harry felt ice drop into his stomach when he saw Snape descend from the teacher's table and head in his direction. Malfoy was already up on his feet and lunging back at Harry when Snape intervened, gripping either boy by the arm. "Why don't we take this somewhere else?" he snapped when Malfoy began to speak.
Practically dragging both boys, Snape pulled them towards the outer hall and pushed them both away, crossing his arms and looking at them observantly. "Now, would you like to tell me the meaning of this?" he asked sternly.
"Potter disrespected my father." Malfoy snapped.
"Your father is a Death Eater!" Harry shot back.
"Silence!" Snape sighed as he looked at the both of them and, as usual, his eyes settled on Harry. "You of all people should now that magic is not allowed in the corridors outside of class, nor is it allowed in the Great Hall during mealtime. What have you got to say for yourself?"
"I didn't do any magic." Harry said. "Not on purpose anyway."
A gruesome smile flitted across Snape's face. "And I suppose Draco here just flew across the floor of his own accord?" he said mockingly.
"As I said, I didn't mean it." Harry reiterated. "You can look; I don't even have my wand on me."
Snape's eyes narrowed and he brought out his own wand. Harry thought for an insane moment that Snape meant to curse him until he realized that if Snape intended to do anything to him it wouldn't be where Dumbledore was a full ten steps away.
"Accio Wand!" he said sternly. When nothing happened, the smile on his face faded a little. "Did you leave it in the Great Hall?" he said. "I really think you should confess, Harry, unless you really are the lying little brat that the papers say you are."
"He didn't do anything!" the three of them turned to see Megan standing there, arms crossed over her thin chest. Her two friends stood at either side, one of them looking in wonder at Harry as he had seen the Creevey brothers doing so often in the past.
"Go away, Miss Wyatt. This doesn't concern you." He said sharply.
"He didn't do any magic!" Megan said again. "I was sitting right there beside him, I would have seen it!"
"Young lady, I would suggest you keep your nose out of business that doesn't concern you." He said. Megan stared at Snape defiantly even as her two friends dragged her away. She finally snorted and turned her nose up at Malfoy, turning away to leave with her friends.
Snape turned back and looked at Harry and Malfoy, who were shooting each other piercing looks. His lips curled up as he looked at them, and he took a deep breath.
"Potter, getting into a fight whether you did anything or not constitutes a detention. You'll be working in my classroom for the next two days."
"Christmas holidays begin tomorrow." Harry said.
"I dare say you have nothing else to do?" Snape said. Malfoy sneered over at Harry.
"But you see, I do. I've been invited to my friends for Christmas. I don't have to spend Christmas here at Hogwarts. In fact, Professor Young might even be stopping by." He said.
Snape was quiet for a long moment. "After the holidays then." He said with a sneer as he turned.
"And aren't you going to punish Mister Malfoy here?" the three of then turned to see McGonagall standing there. Snape straightened his back and looked at her.
"Welcome to our little party, professor." He said. McGonagall looked over her glasses and took a deep breath.
"Were you thinking of letting mister Malfoy here off the hook when you punish a Gryffindor? I hate to point the finger, but it appears as if you didn't leave your house prejudices behind when you left school." She said.
"Fine then." He snarled. "Malfoy, two days detention for you as well."
"And he will serve them for me." McGonagall said sternly.
"But I..."
"You have a Gryffindor. To make things fair, I will have a Slytherin. End of discussion, Professor Snape."
Snape said nothing but gave McGonagall a fierce look as he crossed back into the Great Hall. Malfoy scoffed at Harry as he went back to the Slytherin table, where his friends greeted him with loud applause. From the corner of his eye he saw Malfoy bow from the waist and wished sincerely at that moment that he could put his hands around his throat.
"Harry..." he looked at McGonagall, and expecting the worst lowered his head.
"Do you think you could try and not provoke your enemy?" she said. "I'm glad you didn't fight this time, but do make an attempt to ignore young Malfoy."
"But he..."
"I know all about tough classmates Harry." She said, her voice slightly softer. "In case you haven't placed it together in your timeline, I went to school with Tom Riddle. If ever there was one who hated Gryffindors, it was he." She sighed. "Perhaps you had better go to your room and let the fervor in here die down. Have you eaten?" Harry shook his head. "Then I'll have dinner sent up to your room."
She swept back into the hall and Harry was finally left alone. He slowly turned and, ignoring the questions from the paintings that watched him as he passed, he slowly trekked back to his bedroom. He met Hermione, late to dinner from studying, and gave her a brief explanation of what had happened, but before she could follow him he went off and entered his room, closing the door behind him.
Silent house-elves appeared a few moments later with a tray full of food from the kitchens and he picked at a few morsels before he realized that he couldn't eat at all. He sighed and set down his silverware as he leaned back in his chair.
He glanced up and saw light flickering in Hagrid's cabin over the sparkling snow that had just fallen. Mind suddenly made up, he crossed to his trunk and pulled out an old familiar friend...his invisibility cloak. He then took the Marauder's Map and looked at it, seeing a large convergence of dots in the great hall, with only the occasional dot wandering through the hall.
"Whazzat?" Lord Hornswaggle said when Harry opened the door and exited. He closed the door again and walked away as quietly as possible. Since the halls were relatively empty, he got down to Hagrid's cabin relatively quickly. A moment passed after he knocked before it opened up to reveal, to Harry's surprise, not Hagrid but Madam Maxime, who was dressed in a vest of some fine black fur and sleek boots--like a feminine, somewhat less scruffy version of Hagrid.
"Iz zat you, 'arry?" she said. "Oh, you are so much beeger since I saw you ze last time! Let me see you!" She bent over and laughed heartily. "Taller, most cairtainly, but not as tall as me, yes?"
"Hello, Madam Maxime." He said with a half-hearted smile. "Is Hagrid here?"
"Right behind you Harry." He turned to see Hagrid standing there. He stomped the snow from his boots and took Harry by the arm, leading him into the warmth of his cabin. Fang bounded in behind him and shook, sending an icy spray through the room.
"Oh, bad doggy." Madam Maxime cooed, stroking Fang behind the ear.
The door closed and Hagrid pulled the scarf from his neck. "Why aren' you at dinner, Harry?"
"Malfoy." Harry said simply. Hagrid shook his head. "A bad egg if I e'er saw one." He grunted. "Don't worry 'bout anything he says, specially since he's got no ground to stand on, father just escapin' Azkaban an' all."
"He's just causing trouble." Harry said. "What with things like...like apparition and all." He cringed as he said it, but by Hagrid's laugh it was obvious that he already knew all about it.
"Prob'ly a bit jealous." He muttered. "Idn't he always?"
"It sounds to me as eef zis Malfoy is an awful boy." Madam Maxime said.
"He's a Slytherin." Both Hagrid and Harry answered automatically. Maxime laughed.
"Now thees, thees is why I am glad zat at Beuxbatons we 'ave no 'ouses." She said. "It causes many problems. But tradition ees strong here," she said, "I can understand zat."
"Guess you could say that." Hagrid said. "You want some tea Harry?" he asked.
"Okay." He said, grimacing when he was handed not only tea but a plate of cakes also.
"You don't 'ave to worry 'bout those," Hagrid laughed, "Maxy made 'em!"
"Maxy?"
"My little 'agrid's pet name for me." Maxime said with a smile.
Harry picked up one of the cakes and bit into it, finding to his relief that Maxime appeared to be a much, much better cook than Hagrid. "These are very good." He said through mouthful that he swallowed down with a bit of tea.
"Yessss...they are..."
Harry jumped and looked about him wildly until he saw the glint of eyes in the corner. "The serpents!" Harry said. "What are they doing in here?"
"Oh, well..." Hagrid looked at Harry sheepisly, with a grin to match. "You know I can't leave 'em in the cold, 'arry, and they don't seem to like fire much. Besides, they're used to it now. Won' even leave the house."
Harry nodded and looked at the snake for a moment. "Well..." he said, setting down his food. "I was just wondering when you'd be able to stop by the Burrow." He said.
"We'll be by eventually." Hagrid said. "Not for a couple'a days, though, we still 'ave to finish up business 'ere."
"And...the serpents?"
"Fine on their own, if I jes make sure an leave 'em with some extra bits to nibble on while I'm away."
Harry grinned squeamishly--even though he wasn't as nervous around the serpents as others, the idea of them munching away at what Hagrid called 'bits' and what Harry guessed he would call something completely different, was still enough to churn his stomach a bit.
He talked with Hagrid and Madam Maxime for a little while longer, until looking at his watch he discovered that it was high time he headed back for the castle. "Bye, Hagrid. See you soon." He said as he threw the cloak over his shoulders and headed back through the castle.
He was halfway to his room when he heard Ron and Hermione talking in the hallway. He almost threw the cloak off until he realized that they were talking rather quietly, and it seemed they didn't want to be interrupted. He edged closer, to give them indication that he was there, but what they were saying caught him dead in his tracks.
"Oh Ron..." Hermione was saying breathlessly, voice catching in her throat. "I sort of knew the way you felt but...but I didn't think it was like this...more of a-a passing fancy..."
"I like you Hermione." Ron said irritably. "And we're good friends. Better friends than you could ever be with Dean."
"But Ron..." Hermione sighed. "That's just it. We're friends. Friends. I can't think of you like that. I'm so sorry, I didn't want to..."
"You know what? Fine." Ron said, furiously. "Fine! Just run off with Dean, I don't think I even care. It was all a big laugh to you, anyway. What, are you going to run off and laugh about poor pathetic Ron after all this?"
"You're being unreasonable!" Hermione said. "See? This is why you and I would never ever work! We can't agree on anything! So just drop all this, Ron, okay? Find yourself somebody else, because you and me...it just isn't right..."
"I bet if it was Harry you'd say yes." Ron said stubbornly. Standing where he was standing, Harry felt his stomach drop, and embarrassed as he already was from this conversation, he was already looking for a quick escape but could find none nearby.
"No I wouldn't! You two are my best friends, and nothing else! So stop acting so tragic, Ron!" She stormed off in one direction and Ron quickly took off in the other. Left standing there, unseen and alone, Harry felt the color rising to his cheeks. Knowing that something was going on between his two best friends was one thing, but to be witness to it was another completely. He waited a few minutes to be sure nobody was nearby before he slowly trudged back towards his room, thankful when he finally got back inside that there was no way for anybody to interrupt his thoughts.
"I can't believe I didn't see it." He said aloud to the empty room. He thought back and started noticing little things that had hardly seemed worth mentioning in the past; things that indicated Ron may have been feeling a little different than Harry had expecting. Things like...like Ron and his sudden jealousy of Viktor Krum in fourth year, while the Triwizard tournament had been going on.
And what had Ron meant, that Hermione would have said yes if Harry had been doing the asking? Blushing at the thought, he batted things around in his mind a bit. Certainly he had noticed that Hermione was a girl, but he had never noticed her in that way. He couldn't think of Hermione as anything but a friend, and to be truthful the fact was like a relief to him. There, at least, was one friendship that would stay solid, because Hermione didn't have any feeling for him.
Or did she?
He frowned in confusion, and almost cursed Ron for bringing things like that into their cozy little world. They had been solid friends since the last time that they broke up, when Harry and Ron had fought in fourth year. But after something like what had just happened with Ron and Hermione, would things ever be the same again? Would he ever have to turn Hermione down? Had Ron noticed something Harry hadn't?
It made his head hurt to think about it. "Well...at least we have the holiday for the two of them to get these things out of their system." Harry said. Lord Hornswaggle, who seemed to have entered the room sometime during Harry's soliloquy and was now snoring in his frame, snored in what might have been a reply to his question or a response to whatever dream...if any...a painting might have.
He undressed and got into bed, watching the shadows drift across the ceiling as the fire died, and the glint of the snitch that had been flying around at the top of his room since that summer, and his birthday. "I wish I could have stayed eleven." He muttered, thinking of his first year at Hogwarts, and realizing that the big 'adventure' had been more of a game than anything he had encountered in the past year. He thought of the days when he had been scrawny, Dudley hadn't been a boxer and had been simply fat, and when he and Ron had shied away from Hermione, being the mousy bookworm that she had been.
He thought of the days when Voldemort was still just a name to frighten his kind, instead of a real threat that sent hidden messages into the air and controlled Death Eaters that could be practically anybody...the days before he had realized that any new person he met could be a potential danger.
Now all that was gone. The past summer, Dudley had become even beefier, Harry had developed into a boy of average height, though still extremely thin and pinched, and now Ron and Hermione were swimming in a mass of feelings that he had somehow been sucked into. And Susan...
His girlfriend.
His life had always been a mess. But at least when he was eleven, it was a mess he could sort through.
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The steam from the train billowed into the sky. It was the first time that Harry had taken the train back from school for the holidays, and it was in fact his first real holiday away from school excepting the year before, which had been spent at Grimmauld Place and the closed ward of St. Mungo's.
He thought suddenly of Sirius singing convoluted Christmas carols and a sad smile passed over his face.
Snow was falling from the sky like a solid white mass, and the ground was covered with it. He was standing there, looking off into the distance, when he heard the crunching of footsteps approaching him and he turned. Hermione was standing there, pink-cheeked from the chill and smiling. "Well, I'll miss you." She said. "Have a Merry Christmas, Harry."
"You too." He said. "Do you think you'll be able to stop by the Burrow on Christmas day, at least?"
She blushed brightly. "I don't think so. My mum and dad are dead set on having me all to themselves for a change. Witch or not, they keep reminding me that they're my family. Besides, it's been so long since my grandmother saw me she's wondering if I haven't run away or something."
"Well...I'll have Hedwig take you your gift." He said. "See you next year."
"Yeah." She replied, leaning forward to give him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Listen, I have to...to go and see about the Prefects. I volunteered to do duty for the first half of the trip. I think Ron was assigned to...to the second half...so see you later, okay?" He nodded as she walked away.
Spotting Susan at the same time she saw him, they approached one another. "Well Harry, I do hope my aunt will let me visit sometime." She said cheerily. "Why don't we get on board? It's awfully cold out here."
Harry half-nodded, looking around. "Yeah...but do you see Ron anywhere?"
Susan craned her neck to look over Harry's shoulder. "Mmm....look, over there. I think he's been accosted by Loony...I mean, by Luna Lovegood."
Harry turned and saw Ron standing by the train, backed into a corner by the familiar girl, with her protruding eyes and long, scraggly blonde hair. "Hey, Ron!" Harry called. Harry saw Ron glance up with relief and make a hasty comment to Luna before he jogged over.
"Quick, before she follows us." Ron muttered, grabbing Harry's elbow and steering him towards the train.
"C'mon, Susan!" Harry called. She laughed as she ran to keep up, as Ron seemed to be more worried about escaping than about the etiquette of his extremely hasty departure.
The three of them found a cabin occupied only by Neville and Ginny and took their seats. A long moment later the train whistled and began going down the tracks.
"I sure am looking forward to a break." Neville said. "Schoolwork seems to getting stressful."
"Tell me about it." Ron muttered. "Divination is awful. I thought Trelawney was bad, but at least she livened it up every once in a while by predicting Harry's demise." He said. "Now we've got that centaur. He's about as vague as you can get."
"Hmph." Ginny snorted, giving him a nasty look. "At least you've got your O.W.L.S. out of the way." She said. "Mine are in the spring, and I'm about ready to gut Snape."
Harry and Ron laughed, as Susan and Neville smiled weakly. "I almost wish I hadn't taken N.E.W.T. potions." Harry said reluctantly. "It's a disgusting course."
"Glad I'm not in it." Neville said. "All I really care about is Herbology. Well, and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Young does make it interesting, doesn't she?" Susan asked.
"She's a good teacher." Ginny said. "Not quite as nice as Lupin, or interesting as Moody, but she at least knows what's going to help us."
"Not like some people who...and I'm not naming names...are idiots who try and control us by teaching us nothing." Ron said. At that moment he made a coughing noise that sounded very much like 'Umbridge'.
"Well, we showed her." Neville said suddenly. "That night at the ministry."
"Unfortunately for us," Ron said. "The ministry fought back." Harry noticed that his arm twitched when he said this and thought suddenly of the scars on Ron's arm. He had only seen them once since he had left for the summer--they were faint, but still distinct.
"Tell me about it." Ginny said. "That's one place I never want to go again. And after Sirius..."
"Sirius?" Susan said suddenly. The others in the cabin all went silent. "Sirius Black?" she said again.
Harry looked over. "He was my godfather." He said quietly. "And very much innocent of everything they convicted him of."
Susan swallowed. "Did he...?"
Harry nodded slowly. "He died that night...trying to save me. Us." He shook his head.
"I'm sorry." She said. "My mum...she was all that was left when my family was killed off by Death Eaters all those years ago. She died when I was ten..."
It was at that moment that Hermione entered. He glanced over and saw her and Ron exchange quick glanced, and almost literally felt ice in the air. His initial suspicions were correct. It was going to be a very long trip.
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The chapters get slowly more and more angsty. Yeah, I know, there's a lot of shippers that don't appreciate the direction this story is going in. But what are ya' gonna do?
I myself am a Ron-Hermione centric person, though I am not sure if Ron is going to get what he wants or not in this story...
And boy, he must really hate Dean, going after his baby sister AND the girl he likes...
All of this and more on Days of our Magical Lives!