All through the next week Harry was stuck in a muddle. Between his new found half-brother, the truth about his parents finally coming out, devising plans for seducing Draco Malfoy, trying to figure out what to do with Cho, and dodging Neville's advances, he could barely consentrate on his school work, and the only reason he passed his Charms test was because he agreed to expose his entire left buttcheek to Professeur Flitwick after class. "So the rumours ARE true..." And he promptly left Harry standing alone without an explination as to what these "rumours" are.
The only thing that seemed certain now was that this weekend the Christmas holiday would begin and Harry would have two whole weeks to sort through this tangle his life had become at the Weasley's.
He was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the great hall across from Ron. The later was currently using his right arm to shove mash potatoes and gravy into the bottomless cavern he called a mouth, and his left to fondle Hermoine, having long forgiven him for the earlier "incident". Cho spotted Harry and hastily made way and sat down next to him. They were so close Harry could feel her breath in his ear. "Meet me next to the statue of the humped lady in the sixth floor corridor at nine." Ron spat a huge glob of potato onto his plate in shock. Then she kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "Oh, and don't be late." When she walked away Ron looked at Harry with a strange mixture of disbelief and admiration. "Oh my god Harry! I think she wants to boink your doink!" As specks of gravy and saliva flew from his mouth landing on Harry's lower lip.
Harry got up and left the great hall. Outside the door he was suddenly ambushed and before he could resist was pushed to the ground. He looked up into the faces of at least twenty jeering Slytherins. "I'm gonna kick your ass penis boy!" a tall seventh year roared.
"Yeah! Kick his ass!" The crowd rumbled.
"Hold him!" The seventh year ordered, he clearly had some authority over the others. Faithfully Crabbe and Goyle each held down one of Harry's arms, and several first years struggled to hold down his flailing legs. Harry felt a hot pain as the leader crushed his lit cigarrette against Harry's neck. He let out a cry but the Slytherin's were already dragging him out onto the grounds. They brought him over to the edge of the forbidden forest. Harry kicked and struggled with all his might but there were too many of them to get away.
Harry tried to yell, "What did I ever do to you ?!"
The leader spat at him in fury and growled, "Don't even pretend you don't know! You've been screwing Cho! She was my girlfriend in third year and you decided to play with her! I would've creamed that Diggory too, but unlike you he's a man and knows how to fight!"
The leader punched Harry in the gut and laughed, "Look how scrawny he is! The penis boy can't even fight!" At this the entire crowd burst out into histerics. They began to chant, "Scraw-ny penis boy! Scraw-ny penis boy!" Harry could see Draco standing in the crowd gazing solumnly at him. He felt hot tears of embarrasment springing into his eyes.
Crabbe and Goyle piped up, "Malfoy! Our man! Why don't you get a go at we lil' Potter? You're always taking about how you want to torture him!" Beads of sweat were clear on Malfoy's forehead. Harry squeezed his eyes tight. Draco's eyes shifted uncomfortably and he was shaking. "Scrawny... penis boy." The words cut through Harry's flesh like a hot knife. It hurt worse than the cigarrette.
Just then a voice boomed over the rowdy Slytherin's, "What the fuck are you losers doing? If the headmaster catched you morons doing anything to his precious Potter boy you'll be expelled before you can say 'Filch fucks cats' ."
As the crowd dispersed leaving Harry heaving on the cold damp ground he caught a glimpse of a slim pale boy walking away. Thomas. His savior.