Title: Harry Potter and the Demise of an Enemy
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure
Summary: Harry begins's his sixth year at Hogwarts… a bit differently, this is my take on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Taken from Chapter Six
Mr. Moony bequests the name of Pads to Anton in the spirit of getting on with things and because… yah
Mr. Padfoot bequests the name of Claws to Hermione because once they come out they don't go back in
Mr. Prongs bequests the name of Snake to Harry because well duh
Mr. Moony bequests the name of Howler to Ronald because he loved the one his mommy sent him
Mr. Padfoot bequests the name of Muzzler to Luna because with any luck she can just start snogging Ron when he acts like a prat
Mr. Prongs bequests the name of Fangs to Josephine again… duh
Hermione walked slowly up the stairs later that same night to Harry's room. Ron was downstairs with the others when she had left to follow Harry she thought she had seen a rather triumphant look on Joey's face but couldn't be sure. Ginny ran by her crying ignoring the older girl's questions. Hermione looked at the open door where Harry sat, his shoulders slumped staring at the wall.
"Harry?" she asked entering the room treading softly.
"Why didn't you stay, why didn't you get me anything for Christmas?" he said his tone slightly accusatory as he looked at Hermione.
"Harry you're with Ginny and… I was scared," she said the last part so quietly Harry had to strain to hear her.
"God Mione what are you scared of," he asked moving over to her and gripping her biceps underneath her skin and shirt he felt only strength and closed his eyes for a moment knowing that it was his fault she woke at five o'clock every morning to train.
"I don't know, I don't know and I hate it," she exclaimed tearing away from his grasp.
"I broke up with Ginny," Harry said softly, "I think something was… wrong there."
"Joey," Hermione said suddenly.
"What about her?" Harry asked cocking his head to the side.
"I'll explain later," Hermione said hurriedly. She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out a small box, "Happy Christmas Harry." Harry grasped the small box and pulled it open, inside was a gold band with lightning bolts in green jewels all around the outside.
"Happy Christmas," Harry said sheepishly, "I got it when we picked up Joey's gift." Hermione opened her own longer box and found a necklace with a small animal head as the charm, looking closer she saw it was a cougar who sat patiently as if waiting for something to happen.
"It's beautiful," she breathed pulling it from the box, "Could you?" Harry nodded and she pulled up her hair allowing Harry to clasp the necklace.
"Mione can we go back to the beginning of the year, when everything was right?" Harry asked moving close to her so a whisper of his chest pressed against his back, his hands on her shoulders.
"I'd like that," she whispered back leaning fully into him with a sigh.
"So how exactly does this work?" Joey asked holding Padfoot as they stood at the edge of the forbidden forest, trying out their animal forms for the first time.
"In theory you just concentrate, put a picture of the animal in your mind and well…" she trailed off shrugging. Harry reached over and put a supportive hand on her shoulder as Joey closed her eyes.
Uh, guys, I don't think this looks right, she commented, Harry looked over to find her completely black with green stripes and green eyes identical to her own.
"Well that is interesting," Dumbledore's voice called behind him a fuming McGoggnigall.
"Professor," Harry said quickly handing Padfoot off to Anton.
"No need Harry where well aware of what you've been doing," Dumbledore nodded at Joey who had again become herself.
"Then can you tell me why that happened?" she asked stroking her tiger as much for his comfort as her own.
"Because none of you are ordinary wizards, wizards and witches with extraordinary powers will sometimes change the colors of their animals as their own marker," Minerva barked from behind them, "Josephine if you please."
"Joey," the girl mumbled but handed Padfoot off to Harry again and changed, the small animal in Harry's arms squirmed and scratched him forcing him to release his grasp on the creature that moved over to Joey and jumped onto her back.
McGoggnigall smiled and petted the large tiger that moved between her and Dumbledore balancing Padfoot carefully on her back while the little tiger seemed to enjoy the ride. Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged, he focused on the large tiger he had earlier seen and all of a sudden he could smell the worry on Hermione. He reached out to nuzzle her side to convince her he was fine as he opened his eyes. The gasp Hermione uttered was a surprise as he looked directly up into her deep brown eyes. Harry's green eyes had remained the same while his fur and mane where as black as his hair.
Well that's new, Joey commented trotting over to him, Hermione caught Pad's as he jumped into her arms.
That sounded like a challenge to me, Harry said falling back on his haunches as Joey did the same. Both sprang forward with carefully sheathed claws batting each other. Luna gave a yelp and jumped out of the way of the rolling animals, Joey pushed down on Harry and both changed back into their human forms at once laughing as Joey appeared seated on Harry's chest. Luna cocked her head to the side and within the blink of an eye a large pure white unicorn stood where she had. Joey jumped slightly as a fox hopped into her arms quickly. Hermione shrugged and concentrated, when she opened her eyes she found everyone looking at her strangely.
What? She asked sure she had done the transformation correctly. Instead of the usual light brown that stood with her animal it was a dark brown same as her hair with instead of the black lines on her face they where the same light blonde as the highlights in her hair.
Good look for you Hermione, Joey finally responded tackling the smaller animal.
"This is a blast Harry," Hermione said tossing the quaffle back and forth with Joey on the firebolt Harry had gotten her.
"I told you if you had a proper teacher you would love it," Harry answered rather satisfied with himself.
"Try to shoot on Ron," Harry suggested as she became more comfortable on the broom. He had always assumed it wasn't a fear of heights just of falling, with enough practice she was as high as Harry usually was searching for the snitch. Joey came up and tossed a quaffle to Hermione as Harry flew Ron down to prepare him for the girl's attack.
"Want to go easy on her to start out mate?" Ron asked watching Joey throw her head back with laughter.
"She has to be confident if she's going to be on the team when we set it up, I'd say let a few in to judge her technique," Harry suggested. They had had Quidditch tryouts before winter break (The season had been postponed because Madam Hooch caught a dreadful case of the Wizards Flu). The only decent chasers had been Joey and Ginny, Ron and Harry had been downcast until they saw Hermione and Joey tossing a tennis ball back and forth making sure it didn't hit any students. After a few minutes they began to speed up going so fast it was hard for Harry to keep up with the ball.
FLASHBACK:
"Left," Hermione called, Joey streaked to her right and snagged the ball from the air and in the same motion shooting it back to Hermione.
"Come on try to take it," Joey commented watching the students' loose track of the ball.
"Twenty house points to whoever throws them off," Snape commented easily from the doorway. He sneered at Joey whose only response was to bounce the ball off the column the professor was leaning against it causing to fly gracefully into Hermione's hands. A few bold first years attempted to enter in and to make it more challenging both Joey and Hermione fell to their knees throwing the ball on either side of the line of students. A couple clever passes between students' legs or heads left applause drifting through the corridors.
"I think we found our chaser," Harry whispered to Ron watching Hermione make a particularly clever pass of the ceiling
"She's terrified of heights, but if we can get her over that…" Ron said thoughtfully, he and Harry where co captains of the team and the fruitless search for a chaser was hopeless.
"I've got a plan," Harry smirked, he heard Snape up the ante to forty points and got a wicked smile on his face as he saw a lot of students trying to throw Joey and Hermione off none succeeding.
Claws, Fangs, I say you drop it when I come up to Hermione, that way we get the points, Harry suggested silently.
We are going to be late if we don't stop soon, and I'd much rather Harry got the points Fangs, Hermione commented never faltering.
Fine by me, Joey agreed easily, Harry moved up to Hermione.
"I'm going to throw you in the lake with the giant squid if you don't let me teach you to fly," he whispered. She looked at him convently just as Joey had thrown the ball. Unfortunately it bounced off the side of her head. The Gryffindor hourglass just a few paces down the hall filled a little more as Snape stomped off.
"Ow Joey God," Hermione said holding the side of her head as a hysterical Joey and Harry propped themselves up against each other at the furious expression on Hermione's face.
END FLASHBACK
"Alright let's go," Harry called. Both Joey and Hermione moved toward the hoops quickly. Ron watched the quaffle go back and forth as Ginny pulled to the side, as they sped up so did their passes until the quaffle became the tennis ball in the corner. They moved up and the quaffle went through the hoop out of Hermione's hands as a stun Ron just watched… he hadn't moved.
"And it's the Gryffindor Lions versus the Ravenclaw Eagles this fine Sunday morning," Lee Jordan a guest announcer due to the fact that his sister was the Ravenclaw keeper. The stands where filled with ministry officials and parents who had come to enjoy the match.
"Am I supposed to feel like I'm going to throw up," Hermione whispered tugging on Harry's sleeve.
"It'll be fine Mione, you're good," Harry smiled his eyes boring into hers as the Ravenclaw's did their lap around the field.
"AND THE GRIFFINDOR LIONS," Lee called, the doors opened and the team mounted their brooms, Harry and Ron in front with the chasers in a line of three behind them and the Crevy brothers bringing up the back. "Co captains Ron Weasley and Harry Potter keeper and seeker respectively lead their fighting lions on the field. Ginny Weasley Potter's old squeeze, Joey Potter his current sister, and Hermione Granger his rather attractive best friend take the field with gusto. If nothing else their stunning looks will keep the Ravenclaw's at bay. For any of those three interested I'm single… the Crevy brothers take the old Weasley spot's at beaters."
Harry laughed hysterically as he saw McGognagall running at breakneck speed toward the commentators' booth probably the only thing that had stopped his tirade about the girls.
"Lee Jordan you will commentate appropriately," McGonagall's voice sounded throughout the stadium.
"And the captains shake hands on the ground, another ex of Potters, shame he didn't date beaters that would be one hell of a… alright professor. The quaffle is released and the game is on," Lee said obviously getting quickly back into the swing of things. Harry was already in the sky watching as Terry Boot took the quaffle and rushed off toward the goals.
"Boot with a pass to Smith who sends it off to Cladwallader, oh it's snatched from the air by Potter between Cladwallader and Smith. Weasley pulls up beside Potter while Granger takes the left. A pass to Granger, to Weasley, to Potter, to Weasley, to Granger, to Weasley, to Potter, to… shit where did it go?" Lee asked, the applause was defining as the passing ritual made the quaffle a red blur if that. Harry watched smiling as Joey scored a goal with the keeper just looking stunned.
"That's 10-0 Gryffindor and… wow," Lee commented for the first time stunned to silence. A glance at Cho Chang told Harry she had yet to spot the snitch as he had been concentrating on the game.
"That's 220-100 Gryffindor, the snitch doesn't seem to want to play tonight" Lee said yawning. Most of the audience was still there but after the eighteenth hour of the game the team's had lost steam. Harry quickly spotted a glint of gold to Hermione's left. He jetted down, "It's possible Potter sees the snitch" Lee yelled, Hermione flew quickly out of his way as his hand closed around the little golden ball. "GRIFFINDOR WINS 370 TO 100."