A/N: Well, I have the stomach flu and had to stay home today, so you guys
get a new chapter! Hope you enjoy!
Thanks to Ankalagon: coming right up!!!; athenakitty; Authoress; LoonyLoopyLisa; Xirleb70; and wanderingwolf!!!
CH12: Awfu - er, Fond Reunions
Albus entered his office and stopped short. Sitting at his desk was a man he had never seen before.
The man was dressed in a green sweater and donned black jeans, which matched his tousled black - tipped blue - hair, and he was tapping his fingers on the desktop. It was obvious he was waiting. And definitely impatiently.
"Can I help you?" Albus asked brightly, still wary about the stranger in front of him.
"Don't exactly want your help. It seems to get me into all sorts of trouble." He stood up and Albus met familiar green eyes.
"Harry?"
"In the flesh." Harry took a mock-bow. "Now I believe you have something that belongs to me?"
"Ah yes. Just a minute." Albus went over to a cabinet and started rummaging through it. "You're looking well. You sure grew up."
"I had to." Harry said shortly.
Albus coughed uncomfortably. "Oh. I - I - "
Harry cut him off. "I don't have much time. What did Gringotts leave with you?"
"This." The Headmaster pulled out a battered looking trunk. "It was your mother's. I'm sure there will be some items in there that will interest you."
"Thanks." He placed a Shrinking Charm on the trunk and put it in his pocket. "Then I'll be going."
"Wait!" Albus called as Harry started down the stairs. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"But - but - I was hoping you'd - "
"Look." Harry said as they stopped in the Entrance. The sounds of dinner floated through the ajar doors of the Great Hall. "With total disrespect, I really don't want to be in, around, or even in sight of this school."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" - or even in sight of this school." The words carried into the Hall, stopping conversation.
"That's - " Fred began.
"Harry," said George.
"Potter?!?" Ron exclaimed. "What the hell is he doing here?" He jumped out of his seat and ran towards the doors.
"We should probably stop him," George observed.
"Or not," Fred said wickedly. "Our littlest brother needs a good throttling."
"As long as we all get to watch," said Neville.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry sighed. He really didn't want to deal with the old coot today. So when someone stomped out of the Hall it was a welcome interruption. For a moment.
"I swear I'll - " Ron's fist flew towards Harry's face and .....
...... Before anyone reacted, Ron was on his back, Harry's foot on his chest and wand pointed at his throat.
"What are you doing?"
"You know what I'm doing," Ron answered stupidly. He appeared to be a bit dazed.
"Well, you seem to be making an ass out of yourself in public, but it may not be the same thing to you." There were a few snickers from the gathering crowd. Ron chose not to answer. "Okay, let's try an easier question. Why are you trying to knock my lights out?"
"Because you are a cowa - " Harry pressed his foot into his ex-best friend's chest harder, effectively cutting off his reply.
"Remember which one of us has a wand pointing at them, Weasley."
"What are you going to do?" challenged Ron. "You were always too afraid to fight me before."
"When? We never fought before."
"My point exactly," he said smugly.
"I never had a reason to bash your head in before, but I'm getting dangerously close to doing it now," Harry threatened.
"You wouldn't dare. Hermione doesn't like violent people."
"And I care what she thinks why?"
"Oh, come on, Potter. We all know she has a thing for you."
"Trust me, the feelings aren't mutual."
"You don't want to go out with her?" asked Ron, clearly amazed.
"Not in the least."
"Good! Not that I care," he quickly added.
"Right. I hope you two live miserably ever after together. Now, all I really want is to leave this bloody school, which I can't seem to do. It's making me a bit irritable." He removed his foot and let Ron up. "So get out of my face before I take a leaf out of the fake-Moody's book and turn 'you' into a ferret. Or maybe a weasel," he said, the last bit thoughtfully.
Ron let out a squeak, vaguely reminiscent of a ferret actually, and scurried off. The Twins clapped.
"Very good, Harry!" said George.
"Simply superb!" Fred chimed in.
Harry gave a wry smile. "Glad you approve."
"I've wanted to see someone knock him off his high horse for a long time," Severus said. Minerva hit him.
"You can't say that!" she said. "At least, not in front of the students."
"Min's right, Sev," chuckled Harry. "And, if there are no more objections, I'm going to go now." Without anymore ado, he walked out of Hogwarts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cho sat in her dorm room, finishing her Charms essay.
"What is it? The juice .... conjuring .... starts with an H .... "
"Hentora Charm?" said someone behind her. Cho whirled around.
"Harry!" She threw her arms around his neck. "I thought you already - "
"Did you think I'd leave with out saying good-bye?" Harry asked, hugging her back.
"I had hoped not." She smiled. "Sit down. Can I get you some .... juice?"
"No, no. I just wanted to visit before I left. I really do have a long trip ahead of me."
"Alright," Cho sighed. "We all really miss you around here, you know. Could you come back and visit again soon? Maybe?"
"We'll see. Who knows? Maybe you could come visit me. Ever been to the USA?"
"Really? I could do that?"
Harry laughed at her excitement. "Sure, you're always welcome."
"I may hold you to that."
"Bye Cho." And before she knew it, he was gone.
"Bye Harry," she whispered. "Be careful."
Thanks to Ankalagon: coming right up!!!; athenakitty; Authoress; LoonyLoopyLisa; Xirleb70; and wanderingwolf!!!
CH12: Awfu - er, Fond Reunions
Albus entered his office and stopped short. Sitting at his desk was a man he had never seen before.
The man was dressed in a green sweater and donned black jeans, which matched his tousled black - tipped blue - hair, and he was tapping his fingers on the desktop. It was obvious he was waiting. And definitely impatiently.
"Can I help you?" Albus asked brightly, still wary about the stranger in front of him.
"Don't exactly want your help. It seems to get me into all sorts of trouble." He stood up and Albus met familiar green eyes.
"Harry?"
"In the flesh." Harry took a mock-bow. "Now I believe you have something that belongs to me?"
"Ah yes. Just a minute." Albus went over to a cabinet and started rummaging through it. "You're looking well. You sure grew up."
"I had to." Harry said shortly.
Albus coughed uncomfortably. "Oh. I - I - "
Harry cut him off. "I don't have much time. What did Gringotts leave with you?"
"This." The Headmaster pulled out a battered looking trunk. "It was your mother's. I'm sure there will be some items in there that will interest you."
"Thanks." He placed a Shrinking Charm on the trunk and put it in his pocket. "Then I'll be going."
"Wait!" Albus called as Harry started down the stairs. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"But - but - I was hoping you'd - "
"Look." Harry said as they stopped in the Entrance. The sounds of dinner floated through the ajar doors of the Great Hall. "With total disrespect, I really don't want to be in, around, or even in sight of this school."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" - or even in sight of this school." The words carried into the Hall, stopping conversation.
"That's - " Fred began.
"Harry," said George.
"Potter?!?" Ron exclaimed. "What the hell is he doing here?" He jumped out of his seat and ran towards the doors.
"We should probably stop him," George observed.
"Or not," Fred said wickedly. "Our littlest brother needs a good throttling."
"As long as we all get to watch," said Neville.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry sighed. He really didn't want to deal with the old coot today. So when someone stomped out of the Hall it was a welcome interruption. For a moment.
"I swear I'll - " Ron's fist flew towards Harry's face and .....
...... Before anyone reacted, Ron was on his back, Harry's foot on his chest and wand pointed at his throat.
"What are you doing?"
"You know what I'm doing," Ron answered stupidly. He appeared to be a bit dazed.
"Well, you seem to be making an ass out of yourself in public, but it may not be the same thing to you." There were a few snickers from the gathering crowd. Ron chose not to answer. "Okay, let's try an easier question. Why are you trying to knock my lights out?"
"Because you are a cowa - " Harry pressed his foot into his ex-best friend's chest harder, effectively cutting off his reply.
"Remember which one of us has a wand pointing at them, Weasley."
"What are you going to do?" challenged Ron. "You were always too afraid to fight me before."
"When? We never fought before."
"My point exactly," he said smugly.
"I never had a reason to bash your head in before, but I'm getting dangerously close to doing it now," Harry threatened.
"You wouldn't dare. Hermione doesn't like violent people."
"And I care what she thinks why?"
"Oh, come on, Potter. We all know she has a thing for you."
"Trust me, the feelings aren't mutual."
"You don't want to go out with her?" asked Ron, clearly amazed.
"Not in the least."
"Good! Not that I care," he quickly added.
"Right. I hope you two live miserably ever after together. Now, all I really want is to leave this bloody school, which I can't seem to do. It's making me a bit irritable." He removed his foot and let Ron up. "So get out of my face before I take a leaf out of the fake-Moody's book and turn 'you' into a ferret. Or maybe a weasel," he said, the last bit thoughtfully.
Ron let out a squeak, vaguely reminiscent of a ferret actually, and scurried off. The Twins clapped.
"Very good, Harry!" said George.
"Simply superb!" Fred chimed in.
Harry gave a wry smile. "Glad you approve."
"I've wanted to see someone knock him off his high horse for a long time," Severus said. Minerva hit him.
"You can't say that!" she said. "At least, not in front of the students."
"Min's right, Sev," chuckled Harry. "And, if there are no more objections, I'm going to go now." Without anymore ado, he walked out of Hogwarts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cho sat in her dorm room, finishing her Charms essay.
"What is it? The juice .... conjuring .... starts with an H .... "
"Hentora Charm?" said someone behind her. Cho whirled around.
"Harry!" She threw her arms around his neck. "I thought you already - "
"Did you think I'd leave with out saying good-bye?" Harry asked, hugging her back.
"I had hoped not." She smiled. "Sit down. Can I get you some .... juice?"
"No, no. I just wanted to visit before I left. I really do have a long trip ahead of me."
"Alright," Cho sighed. "We all really miss you around here, you know. Could you come back and visit again soon? Maybe?"
"We'll see. Who knows? Maybe you could come visit me. Ever been to the USA?"
"Really? I could do that?"
Harry laughed at her excitement. "Sure, you're always welcome."
"I may hold you to that."
"Bye Cho." And before she knew it, he was gone.
"Bye Harry," she whispered. "Be careful."