Disclaimer / WARNING: I do not own, or claim to own Harry Potter. There is cutting in this chapter, for those who find this offensive, or are cutters themselves that are trying to stop (me, actually) and think this may cause a relapse, stop reading here.
By Dianna Tuohy On 6/19/05
Chapter Eight: Diagon Alley And The Hogwarts Express
Today I fell and felt better,
Just knowing this matters,
I just feel stronger and sharper,
Found a box of sharp objects what a beautiful thing
A Box Full Of Sharp Objects by The Used
--..--..--
"Stop it!"
"Uh, uh, uhhhh… You know you… want it slut. Shut the fuck up." Sweat dripped from Piers brow as he thrust harder, deeper.
"S-stop!"
Pier's muffled his voice with a cigarette flavored kiss. He moved away shortly as Harry began to gag and grunted a word into his ear with every thrust-
"You-Belong-To-Me."
--..--..--
Harry's eyes popped open. His heart was beating wildly. The pajamas Ron let him borrow clung to his sweaty body. He soon realized he wasn't breathing and inhaled a gasp of air.
"You-Belong-To-Me."
Harry tried to stay stable, he really did. But the memory, locked away for so many days and still so fresh, attacked him.
"You-Belong-To-Me."
He could practically feel the heat, the pain and Pier's body rubbing against him. The smell of sweat invading his lungs and the moans and groans that always haunted him when he couldn't touch his ring…
My ring! Where is my ring?
Harry's hands scrabbled feverishly against his chest looking for the cool reassuring touch of his serpent ring. But it wasn't there. His hands grew more frantic and desperate as he scratched at his neck searching for it. Soon he gave up and rummaged through his bed. All the while the memories attacked his brain…
"WHERE IS IT?" he finally yelled, grasping his hair in frustration.
Harry fell to the floor hugging himself desperately. How could he not realize how much he needed it now? The pain… the unrelenting pain… Sirius… The prophecy… Piers… His uncle… It was if all the wounds were freshly given to him just moments after he woke up.
Oh, God… Oh, God… It hurts so much… Please make it stop… Please make it stop…
"Harry! Harry, are you all right? Is it You-Know-Who?"
Harry sobbed, rocking his body in an effort to comfort it.
Ron's lanky legs knelt near him and his face peered closely into his own. "Harry, mate, are you okay?" he asked, tentatively placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. He looked horrified to see his friend in this state.
Harry choked slightly as he tried to speak. "Ring… I lost my… ring." It didn't sound ridiculous at all at that moment. To Harry, it seemed to be the most important thing in the world.
"Your ring? Um, okay. I'll help you find it, then. What does it look like?" Ron asked quickly, trying to calm Harry down a bit.
"S-snake. On a chain. It's a snake on a chain." Harry forced out.
The red head looked obviously bothered by the notion that Harry would have a "snake on a chain" but he looked anyway. Harry clutched his heart; it felt like it was being torn. He hoped desperately that Ron would find his ring soon.
Ron searched on Harry's bed, finding nothing, and then he searched under the bed, and found nothing. He began to search near Harry and he couldn't find it there, either. Ron got up feeling quite exasperated and felt something cool against his toe. He bent down and picked it up. It was a long silver chain with a ring hanging off of it. He brought it up to his face and examined the small snake biting the tip of its tail and furrowed his brow before giving it back to Harry.
Harry held the ring tightly in his fist, swearing to himself that he was never going to lose it again. Ron watched him quietly before going back to his bed. There was a silent agreement between them; they were to never speak of this again.
"G'night, Harry."
"Night, Ron."
--..--..--
Harry felt as if he just went to sleep when he was being shaken awake again by Mrs.Weasley. "Harry, wake up dear. We're spending the whole day in Diagon Alley, remember?"
Harry remembered. He jumped out of bed, nearly knocking poor Molly off of her feet. She beamed at him and went to wake up Ron as Harry pulled some things out of his trunk and went to shower.
--..--..--
"Really, Harry, I don't think you need all of those," Hermione lightly scolded as she watched him struggle with a large bag of clothes.
Harry grinned at her and tried not to look at Ron's face. He had spent a whole bag of galleons on new clothing. (Which was desperately needed, mind. His current pants were falling right off his backside, even with a belt.) But he still felt guilty about doing it in the presence of Ron. Several times he tried to buy his friend something, but Ron would always refuse, his ears turning a brilliant pink. So he turned to Hermione, who always gave and accepted gifts with ease, and bought her stuff. She seemed awfully happy. It was very unlike her to be so light hearted.
Harry's clothes weren't the best he could buy. They were average and comfortable. All he wanted was something new that fit him; it didn't need to be worth a hundred galleons apiece, like how Malfoy's outfits often looked.
How strange. I haven't thought once of Malfoy almost the entire summer…
Hermione interrupted his thoughts shortly after they started. "Harry," she said cheerfully. "Ron and I are going for an ice cream, want to come along?"
Harry furrowed his brow. Why didn't she automatically assume he was coming? Something was off…
"Uh, no thanks. I think I'll go off on my own for a bit," he replied slowly, deciding to take the chance to be alone. It might be his last for a while.
As Hermione walked off, arm in arm with Ron, Harry noticed the delicate floral scent that always seemed to cling to his nostrils was fading. He sniffed the air once more, and set off down the cobble roads of Diagon Alley.
Harry walked first to Whitehall's Winking Diamonds. He thought the name was quite strange and out of place, but when he hesitantly stepped into the shop, he understood why. There were jewels everywhere. They sparkled and twinkled and actually seemed to wink tantalizingly.
Usually, Harry would not ever walk into such a shop with so many expensive items. But now he would have walked into a mansion made of solid gold to find out the information he was about to inquire about. He held his serpent ring in his hands, the chain being repetitively twisted and untwisted in his nervous fingers.
"Hello, may I help you?" A white haired lady at the counter greeted him. She looked at his old clothes with distaste (the Weasley children all thought it too hot for robes) and Harry had the feeling he was unwanted.
Deciding he didn't really care, he greeted her back and pulled out his ring.
"I'm sorry, sir." she said, sticking up her nose at him in disgust. "We don't purchase second-hand items here. Perhaps you would be happier down the road." She motioned toward the downtown part of Diagon Alley, where a lot of the cheaper shops were located.
Harry grit his teeth. He disliked people like her. They reminded him of the Malfoy family. Harry didn't notice that that was the second time he thought of Malfoy that day.
"I am not here to sell this," he said with forced politeness. "I am here to see if you can find out anything about it. I am willing to," he jiggled the gold in his pocket, "pay."
With the jangle of money the clerk's demeanor changed instantly. "Oh yes, of course sir." She picked up the ring by its chain and held it between her thumb and forefinger while staring intently at the serpent's glittering emerald eyes. The women seemed perturbed. Harry coughed and her head snapped up.
"I will need to hold this for about an hour. If you are willing to let me, that is," she said, bowing her head slightly in small sign of respect.
"I take it that you are Whitewall?" Harry asked.
The woman seemed ruffled. "It's Whitehall, and yes, I am. Victoria Whitehall."
Harry sighed. "Yeah. Sure, you can hold it." He eyed all of the jewelry. He cleared his throat carefully.
"Also, I was wondering if you had anything of interest to teenage girls. About fifteen or so."
Whitehall smiled; it looked like quite a greedy smile.
"Oh yes, we certainly do."
--..--..--
Harry walked down the street a half an hour later with a bag from Whitehall's. He was to roam for another thirty minutes, then go back and check out what information the woman has found. But with every step he took, he seemed to get weaker and more depressed. With every step he took… the memories invaded his mind ferociously.
A man passed, he had a rat-like face and lightly bumped into Harry.
"You-Belong-To-Me."
A lock of black hair caught his eye.
"Why did you kill me, Harry?"
His back suddenly ached horribly.
CRACK!
Harry lost his footing and stumbled down the street, narrowly missing several people and knocking over a small child eating a bogey flavored ice cream cone. He soon found himself in a dark alley, remembering things the ring often made him forget and reliving the pain the ring often dulled.
Somebody stepped into the ally way soon after Harry did. They had dragon hide boots and silky black robes. As he looked up, he saw the Malfoy family crest sewn onto the person's chest. It was Draco Malfoy.
Harry was in so much pain, so much agony that seeing Malfoy cracked something inside of him. It was like a small light was shown in the dark cavern of his mind. He could hate him, and hate him, and it seemed to distract him. Harry felt so darkened, so abandoned, and so very malevolentthat it felt good to see somebody he could cause pain to and not feel guilty.
Harry simply looked at Malfoy, examining him.
Malfoy looked back; he seemed confused.
They stayed like that for a few moments. Gray eyes meeting green. Waiting for the other to make a move. Time stretched out and still nothing happened. Then Malfoy walked hurriedly away, nearly tripping over his robes.
Harry would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain. But he was, and he hoped he would be able to move to get his ring back. He checked his watch and saw that he had about another thirty minutes. Harry groaned, trying to empty his mind like Snape had tried to teach him so long ago…
Blank, blank. Think of nothing. Think of nothing.
Fingers tangled themselves into Harry's hair, snapping his head back.
Blank, blank. Think of nothing. Think of nothing.
Gasping moans whispered against his ear as another body rubbed against his own.
Blank, blank. Think of… nothing. Think of nothing…
A needle filled slowly with burgundy liquid from Harry's arm. His mind was blank… Oh, so blank…Empty with fascination of watching his blood be taken. His arm tingled slightly as it fought being asleep and Harry duly noted that Snape's hand grasped his upper arm very hard indeed. He seemed to want to stop the circulation or something.
That was when something sparked.
If blood was the thing to make his mind blank, then why not spill his own?
Yes, a tantalizing voice whispered into his ear. Why not spill your own blood? It is no harm. You've already spilled so many others'.
It was a mechanical response. Harry burrowed through his bags of muggle clothes. He found a pair of black jeans that had a safety pin holding the tag to it. The pin was a gold color and there for merely decoration, since the tag could have been attached with a cheaper plastic. Harry took the pin off and examined the sharp point. Then, after taking a shallow breath, he pressed it against the underside of his arm and dragged it harshly to his wrist.
He stared at the cut. It barely pierced the skin. Small droplets of blood somehow managed to squeeze out and Harry planted his eyes on them. The point wasn't sharp enough. It was frustrating and Harry checked his watch. Fifteen more minutes until he had to be at the shop.
He got up and pulled down his sleeve. A stinging sensation came from his cut, but it felt relieving also. Soon he was hurrying down the streets back to Whitehall's jewelry shop.
"Yes?"
Harry looked at her with a haunted face. "Are you finished yet?"
Whitehall nodded, but not with much certainty. "I may need this longer. I have done some research, and found very little."
Harry sighed, his heart plummeting into his stomach.
"How much longer?" he asked darkly.
"A week, perhaps more."
Harry eyed the ring in her fingers, and rubbed his face with his hands. The decision wasn't pleasant, not at all, but he had to stop acting so reckless.
Keep it, an enticing voice in his head whispered. Who cares about its history? She's just trying to keep it to herself.
The overwhelming urge to jump up and take his ring back was stifled, and Harry relented to her wishes. "Another week. How will I know when you're finished?"
Whitehall considered this. "I will owl you."
"How much do I pay?" Harry asked with sudden thought.
She smiled. "Considering the difficulty in finding information I will charge you… ten galleons for each day of research."
Harry outright stared at her, but made no comment.
"Sir, you have not yet told me your name. I will need it to get in contact with you," she said.
Harry turned to go, "My name is Harry. Harry Potter."
He was out of the door so fast he missed her gasp of surprise and the look of dumb shock pass on her face.
--..--..--
Ron and Hermione smiled at him as he struggled passed the large crowd. Hermione had her arm hooked with his and her eyes looked strangely blank, though her smile was bright. Harry examined her carefully. Ron shifted on his feet.
"What's the matter with her?" Harry asked, completely ignoring the fact that she was less than a foot away.
Ron's ears turned pink. He bit his lip and grinned; it looked forced. "What are you talking about, mate? She's fine. Right, Hermione?" He elbowed her in the side.
A smile too happy to be normal broke out on her face. "I'm fine, Harry," her voice was high and saccharine sweet. "Really."
Harry didn't believe her for a minute.
"All right… Ron, let's find your mum."
--..--..--
It was the last day of summer vacation. The air smelled sweet outside in the Weasley's garden and as the family sat outside and ate, Harry inhaled greedily. All the Weasley's were there, with the exception of Percy. He seemed either too ashamed or too angry to want to have anything to do with his family just yet. Harry narrowed his eyes as he thought of the letter Ron got from him last year and he was glad he wasn't here or Percy may have been grievously injured.
He watched Ron and Hermione carefully. He didn't care if they got together, he really didn't. He expected it for about as long as he could remember. Despite what a lot of people thought, he wasn't that oblivious. It's just that… It was wrong. Hermione wasn't acting like her usual self at all. She seemed more like a bushy haired version of Lavender or Parvati now.
Harry picked up his fork and began eating. He wore long sleeves. This was for two reasons. One, he still had some marks from being at the Dursley's and two, he had more cuts and scars from his recently acquired "hobby". As he thought of this, his fingers twitched while they ached to pull down his sleeves. There was nothing for it though. Harry couldn't eat and keep his sleeves from showing his wrists. It was suspicious and unnecessary because nobody really paid any attention to what his arms looked like.
He frowned at the group around the table. Nobody noticed what he was doing. Nobody noticed the deep scars and clotted cuts. Nobody noticed the thin trail of dried blood on his wrist. He wondered if that was because they didn't see them, or because they didn't want to see them. He took another bite and pulled his arms on his lap.
Snape hadn't returned to continue fixing his eyesight. Harry wondered why very briefly. He honestly didn't care. Just as long as the charms the adults put on him kept working.
There was an edge of melancholy in the air. It bit at the inside of Harry's stomach and he sighed deeply. Everyone else seemed happy, why wasn't he? The group was cheerful and bright, the scene was beautiful, the food was good, but he was sad. All he wanted to do was crawl up in his transfigured bed and sleep. Or brood. Or maybe clean his cuts that Ron interrupted him in making. It was uncomfortable, sitting in the midst of his friends and knowing dry blood caked his arms. The mask he had to wear to stave off suspicion was tiring.
Sensing his unhappiness, Fred grinned at him. "So, how's life been treating you Harry? You never did tell us about that fight." He winked.
Wrong thing to say.
Harry forced a grin in return, something he's been doing a lot lately, and got up abruptly. He automatically regretted it when all the heads at the table swiveled in his direction. "I, er, I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go to sleep early today. Busy day tomorrow, you know." This little announcement was so fake and brittle that when he spoke it, he could practically hear it break in his ears.
But no one objected when he turned toward the house, so he increased his pace and began rubbing his itchy arms.
--..--..--
"'Arry, wake up," a gruff voice mumbled to Harry as he shook his shoulder.
Harry's eyelids felt heavy. He was still very tired. Ron struggled to walk without tripping over the various clothes strewn about. Somehow he managed to get out of the room without causing himself harm. Harry pushed himself up and looked down at his aching arms. Cloth from his sleeves stuck to his skin where blood soaked through it. He pulled them away roughly and winced. The wounds started bleeding again.
"What a brilliant start of the day," he said in a mix of disgust and bitterness.
The bitterness subsided, however, when he realized what day it was. September first. He was going back to Hogwarts! Soon he had all of his things packed and a new set of muggle clothing shielding the view of his arms. When Ron came in, holding a towel around his waist loosely Harry went to take a shower but paused.
He turned around. Ron was bending over his drawers and picking out his socks and underwear. His body was sleek with water. Droplets of it fell from his fiery red hair and Harry couldn't help but watch as it fell onto the curves of his body. Then he realized he was standing in the middle of his best friend's room and staring at his barely covered form. Harry shook his head, wondering what the Hell was wrong with him, and walked out.
The shower was somewhat calming. It was cold enough to bring Harry out of any inappropriate thoughts about Ron.
Not that I have any, he thought to himself furiously as he soaped up his body. I like girls, not guys. I was just… interested. I never saw so much of Ron's body before. I was just curious. Yeah, that's it. I was curious. It's perfectly normal to look at boys like that once in a while. It is nature. It's normal. It is.
Then the sudden image of Piers holding his arms down and leering at him crudely flashed in his mind. A wave of nausea hit him and Harry promptly stumbled out of the shower and threw up in the toilet. Then he coughed as he wiped his mouth and realized tears were running down his face. Instinctively he reached for his ring. It wasn't there and it took several moments to remember why. When Harry did remember, however, he just got up and searched the small bathroom for what he wanted.
After crawling around on the floor and searching the cabinets, Harry found a razor. He took out the blade and sat on the toilet seat calmly. This was what took him away. This was what could make him numb, or make him feel when he wanted it to. Whatever he wanted, this little slice of metal could do. Harry held the sharpened edge to his arm and winced only slightly as he shoved it down and dragged it smoothly.
--..--..--
Harry was pleased to know that Mr. Weasley was able to get some ministry cars to bring them all to Platform 9 ¾. Arthur hinted that the reason they were getting them was because Fudge felt guilty about all that happened in the past year. Bill Weasley snorted and leaned in close to Harry.
"Heh, guilty. The only reason Fudge is lending us these cars is because he wants to protect his career. He wouldn't know guilt if it bit him in the arse."
Harry snorted as well, but felt uneasy with the older man's closeness. Bill's fiery red hair tickled his cheek as he spoke and when his breath was against his ear, Harry felt an odd flipping sensation in his stomach. When Bill moved away Harry was both thankful and regretful. It felt so nice to have a friendly presence so close but these feelings didn't feel right. Harry was unaccustomed to them, though they felt familiar, he couldn't recall when he last had them.
Hermione was attempting to chat with a still very stubbornly angry Ginny. They seemed to have made up, but she was still acting cold every chance she got to both Harry and Hermione. It was very confusing for Harry. Why would Ginny be angry with him? He stopped trying to ask Hermione. She was acting so strange and unlike herself that Harry found he didn't enjoy her company any longer. In fact, he avoided her tirelessly.
The trip to Platform 9 ¾ was uneventful. The handsome cars had no trouble getting there on time through the traffic. Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie all slept in late and said they would meet them there by apparation. Harry was forced to listen as Ron ranted in jealousy about the subject ("It isn't bloody fair!") on the ride there. When they arrived however, Ron seemed to forget all about it in excitement of returning to school. Well, the Welcoming Feast, mostly.
They carted their belongings through the crowds of milling muggles. Some of them gave the group strange looks, and Harry couldn't blame them. It wasn't everyday that a family of redheads, a bushy haired girl with a giant orange cat, and a small skinny boy with a scar shaped as a lightening bolt walked through the platform with trunks and owls. And that wasn't mentioning the old, worn robes Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wore. Harry grinned brightly at them all and leaned into the supposedly solid barrier to platform 9 ¾.
The Hogwarts express was there in all its glory. They all had about ten minutes to say their good byes before they had to get on. The twins, Charlie, and Bill were waiting for them near the barrier. Fred sighed and Harry glanced at him curiously. The twins then looked at him mournfully.
"It isn't going to be the same," George sighed dramatically.
"Yeah," Fred agreed.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.
"There'll be no McGonagall to hassle us," Fred started.
"And no Hermione to spy on our doings," George said seriously.
"No Ron to embarrass us."
"No Filch to annoy us."
Then they looked thoughtful. "There will also be no students to terrorize."
"No Slytherins to horrify."
"No Hufflepuffs to agonize."
"No Ravenclaws to patronize."
Harry snorted at the alternating lines.
"We would have added Gryffindor, too, but we couldn't find anything to rhyme with 'patronize'," Fred said, looking as serious as George did. Then they broke out in identical grins.
"Do remember to owl us, Harry," George prompted. This time he really did look serious.
When Harry nodded that he would indeed remember, they went off to speak with Ginny. Arthur Weasley was talking enthusiastically with Hermione about muggle software, having seen a teenage muggle girl with headphones on the sidewalk. Harry went over and waited for a pause in the discussion to interrupt.
"Hey, Mr. Weasley, may I talk with you for a moment?" he asked, trying to ignore Hermione's wide I-only-live-to-please eyes. He made a note to himself to figure out what was wrong with her later.
The older man beamed. "Of course, Harry!"
Harry led him over to an abandoned spot and leaned in. "Mr. Weasley, I was thinking over the past few weeks about my summer at the Dursleys' and I was wondering about something." When Mr. Weasley nodded, he continued. "Before I left with Tonks I accidentally used some magic. I never got a ministry owl or anything about it though. Shouldn't I have been brought to another trial?"
Mr. Weasley looked relieved that that was all Harry wanted to know. "Oh, don't worry about it, Harry. I suspect the ministry knows what's going on, but Fudge is still on tenterhooks to do the right thing. He owes you quite a lot, you know."
Harry was going to ask why, but everyone began boarding the train. Mrs. Weasley came over quickly and gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Be sure to stay out of trouble, Harry dear," she said fondly as she bustled to say good bye to the rest of her children and Hermione.
As Harry waited for them to be done he noticed a flash of blond hair in the distance. Draco Malfoy and his mother were standing in a sort of huddle, talking in hushed whispers. Harry narrowed his eyes at them. They were up to something. Then Malfoy looked up at him and cocked his head to the side, examining him. There was a shimmer of hatred in those gray eyes and Harry returned it full force before walking with Ron and Hermione to board the train. Ginny trailed behind, she seemed to be fuming.
Harry stared outside of the window, trying to conceal his fury and despair from his friends.
"I'm sorry, mate," Ron told him earnestly. "I really don't want to go, but you know I have to."
Ginny just glared off into a corner, her brand new prefect badge shining like Ron's used to. Hermione seemed momentarily confused. Her eyes were as wide as Luna Lovegood's and Harry could just tell she was battling her new found urge to please, and her old steady determination to follow the rules. Ginny finally sighed and dragged the two of them off to the prefect's compartment. Ron was yelling that he would be back soon and Hermione was just letting Ginny handle her like a rag doll.
It made absolutely no sense. Hermione frivolous? Ron understanding? Ginny- well, actually, Ginny was acting quite normal, if not a little annoying.
Harry leaned back into the cushioned seats. There was a full plastic bag at his side. This particular bag was continuously being stared at by his friends. They wanted to know what it was but Harry wouldn't tell them. It was a surprise.
After a few moments of unrelenting silence, the compartment door swung open and a
pale pointed face poked its way in.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked automatically. To his surprise, instead of
an answer Malfoy plopped into the seat across from him.
The blond smirked at Harry's shocked expression. "What Potter, never seen someone sit down before?" He drawled with that familiar smirk still playing around his lips. Harry wanted to punch it straight off.
"I was just wondering what kind of diseases I can get with you in such close proximity," Harry drawled right back. The smirk fell off of Malfoy's face instantly and he turned pink. Soon enough, however, the smirk was back and so was his calm demeanor. Though, he still looked pink.
"Potter, Potter, Potter… Where are my manners? I haven't greeted you in the correct Malfoy way. My apologies," he said as he got up gracefully from his seat and extended a hand to Harry.
It seemed like an eerily familiar scene.
Harry shook his head, sending his messy hair all over his face. It was getting quite long now.
"What are you playing at, Malfoy?"
Malfoy cocked his head, his eyes looking wide and innocent. "I don't believe I know what you are speaking of, Potter. I am only trying to use my manners."
Harry snorted. "Really? I wasn't aware you could buy manners. I'll remember that in the future."
The other boy seemed to be trying really hard not to get angry. "Listen, Potter, I'm just trying to be civil, okay? No need for you to rub it in my face. I'll leave right now if you want me to," he shot at Harry. Harry looked startled. He soon got over it.
"Malfoy, you hate me and I most definitely hate you. We're not friends, got that? I don't like you and I don't know what you're up to, but I'm not going to ask. You can leave or stay if you want, but if you step one toe out of line, I'm going to hex your fucking face off, got it?" The words shocked Harry just as much as they did Draco. Harry rarely cursed, even when he was angry and he knew he didn't want the Slytherin for company, so why did he give Malfoy a choice in the matter?
"Why are you here, anyway?" Harry asked him, still feeling quite pissed off.
"All the other compartments are full," he answered smoothly.
"Don't you have prefect duty?"
Malfoy gave him a superior look. "I do whatever I want to do and I go where ever I want to go."
Harry snorted in disdain. "They chucked you, then."
Malfoy glowered. "I'll have you know I asked to be relieved of my duties, Potter!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "And I'm Voldemort. Get the Hell out of my face Malfoy. Go find
a Slytherin to screw over. I'm about tired of you stalking me." He made sure he put a strong emphasis on the word "stalking".
Malfoy's breath hitched and his face went from shock, to confusion, to pure anger in less than a minute. "I do not stalk you, Potter! I'll let you know that it's you that stalks me!"
Harry could have laughed if he wasn't so angry. "Excuse me, Malfoy? I'm not the one following you around since first bloody year. WHY would I stalk you? It's not like I WANT to see your ferrety face around! I'd rather eat flobberworms then hear your whiny voice or see your ugly face EVER AGAIN!"
Malfoy held up his wand, his teeth bared and Harry did the same. A small, reasonable voice told him to back off and calm down, but he wasn't listening to that voice anymore. That was when somebody crashed open the door. Ginevra Weasley strode in looking scandalized. She whirled on Harry first and gave him a death glare to suit Snape himself.
"I don't want to know what has been going on," she said quietly. "And I don't much care, come to think of it. I just know you two better shut your bloody mouths and put those wands away before I curse both of you senseless, got it?" She growled, suddenly seeming more like an angered lioness than the cat Harry usually compares her with.
The two boys nodded dumbly and she stalked out, her robes billowing out behind her dramatically. Harry wanted to ask if she had been taking lessons from Professor Snape, but decided to keep his mouth closed. He and Malfoy looked at each other. Harry felt the familiar anger filling up inside of him and hissed, "Get the fuck out of my sight, Malfoy."
And surprisingly, Malfoy did.
"Hullo there, Harry." A familiar voice said a few moments later.
Luna Lovegood entered the compartment. Her eyes were wide but Harry found he liked it much more on her than he did Hermione. She had on her school robes already and she looked a little taller than she did last June.
"Hey Luna," Harry smiled. His anger receded quickly.
She smiled back and sat next to him. There was a painful silence for a few moments in which Harry stared at floor.
"Oh," he thought, remembering. "I've gotten something for you!"
Harry took up the plastic bag and started rustling through it. Luna watched him, through her permanently surprised look Harry could tell she wasn't really surprised at all. He found what he was looking for and pulled it out. It had a light, white silver chain and held a pendant of sorts. It was a raven's claw clutching a crystal ball. Inside the ball seemed to be swirling fog and the occasional sparkle. Harry held it out to her, watching her take it up and examine it. Luna seemed pleased.
"It's supposed to give its wearer an aura of knowledge," he supplied.
Luna nodded. "I know."
Harry felt that she was very intelligent, she just couldn't be taken seriously because of what people felt while they were around her. It was also supposed to gain concentration skills and have a few well placed protection charms on it. Harry said none of this. He was sure Luna already knew what it was and what it did, he was also sure she knew of the cost. And it cost quite a lot.
The compartment door slid open to find Ron, followed by Ginny and Hermione.
"Can you put this on for me Harry?" Luna asked, unclasping her butterbeer necklace.
Harry nodded and placed the thin chain around her neck, then he gently pushed her hair to the side and clasped it. It was smooth and fluid. He spent a lot of time doing that on himself with his own necklace.
The three greeted Luna and Ginny seemed to be grinding her teeth. "Harry, did you buy that for her?" As she asked this her voice was extraordinarily calm. Too calm.
Harry raised his eyebrows and nodded. Seeing her eyes flash he quickly added, "I got something for you as well."
Ginny looked dumbfounded. Harry pulled out a gold bracelet for her. It had small moving charms on it. There was a wand that let out sparks, a few kittens stretching about, a broom stick that promised to fly right back into the owners arm if someone stole it or they lost it, and even a dragon blowing a bit of gold smoke out of its nose. He handed it to her and as she examined it, her mouth was agape. For some reason, Ginny suddenly looked guilty.
"It has protection spells, relocating spells, luck charms, and its supposed to lift your mood," Harry informed her lightly. "Oh, and-"
He tapped the broom once with his wand and it immediately flew onto Ginny's right arm and clasped itself. Ginny looked pleased as well as a little disappointed. "Thank you so much, Harry," she said while grinning at him for the first time in weeks. Harry grinned back, hoping everything was normal between them again.
He dug into his bag again and tossed it to Ron. Ron blanched. "Really mate, I don't think I want a bracelet or a necklace. You cankeep it."
Harry snorted. "Look at it, Ron."
Ron did and his eyes nearly bulged out of their head. It was a gold pin shaped as a crown. Their were rubies at the tips and it had "King Weasley" inscribed in it. It that wasn't enough, under that it said "Keeper". Everyone in the compartment stared at it, waiting for Ron's reaction. He looked up shakily and grateful. "Thank you, mate." And Harry could tell that this pin meant the world to him just then.
Luna looked interested. "Aren't those types of pins supposed to put an aura of royalty around whoever wears it? Doesn't it also have good fortune and good luck spells complete with leprechaun and goblin charms?"
Harry nodded, still watching Ron's reaction. Ron swallowed. "Harry, I mean it, thanks a lot." His ears turned a brilliant shade of pink.
Harry smiled. "Anytime."
Luna gave him a very solemn look as if to say "That cost quite a lot."
Harry ignored this and got out the next-to-last gift. It was a ring. He tossed it to Hermione and she stared, open mouthed, at it. It was silver and had a light blue stone on it. It was a simple beauty, Whitehall had said. Perfect for engagements and friends alike.
"It has very strong protection charms," Harry started, but Luna knew a few things about the ring as well.
"It shows a deep love for the person it is given to. Not only romantic love but it can be platonic love as well. It has numerous protection charms-some of the strongest and can fight any harmful magic to an extent." She started ticking them off on her fingers. "This includes love potions, the Imperius curse (though not very well at all), poisons (stops weak ones, slows down strong ones), and anything harmful to the wearer's system. Really," she ended, "it's one of the strongest pieces of protection jewelry one could find. For the exception of a few others, and they are all usually used for an engagement and are stronger if the two people are in love."
Everyone stared at her in shock. Shesounded almost like the old Hermione, counting facts on her fingertips. The real Hermione only looked pleased and stared at it on her finger. Ron looked uncomfortable. The compartment was silent for quite some time. Then Luna began reading her new issue of the Quibbler and that sent Ginny to bring out Crookshanks and play with him, which brought Ron to take a game of exploding snap out and play with Harry. Hermione just stared out the window, looking confused. Nobody seemed to notice this but Harry.
A/N: Hey, here's a nice long Harry centric chapter for ya ;) Draco's up next, so no worries for you rabid Malfoy fans! I wanted to know what you guys think is up with Hermione, though. It'd be interesting to hear your views! Oh, and the new chapters should start to get longer-maybe even as long as this one. Which is almost twenty pages, and usually it is ten. I hope you enjoyed it and remember- reviews feed my muse and make me update faster!