Chosen - a Harry Potter fanfic
By Anton B. Ingibjartsson, AKA dragonwrath7
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. I am not JK Rowling.
This story was partly influenced and inspired by the fanfic In The Words Of Ginevra Molly Potter, by TheJealousOne.
THIS STORY CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS TO ALL THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THEM AND DON'T WANT THE EXPERIENCE RUINED FOR YOU, REFRAIN FROM READING FURTHER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Chapter Five: A Lesson Learned
Please, thought Harry, don't put me in Slytherin. Please!
"Slytherin," said the Sorting Hat calmly, "is not the only path to greatness. Putting you in Slytherin would greatly damage your chances of completing your mission. There is, in fact, only one house here that will suit you."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Classes began the next day. Harry was quite happy to discover that magic was not as difficult as he presumed. In fact, he seemed especially gifted at it. The only person who was quicker to learn spells than him was Hermione. Only one type of spells gave him trouble; curses. He wondered if the Trinity Wand had anything to do with that, as Ollivander had said it might not be capable of certain spells. When Ron was the only one of the trio who couldn't perform a certain spell, both Harry and Hermione tried to help him, but Ron didn't seem to like that. This was often because Hermione's type of help generally included correcting Ron in her bossy voice, which could be very annoying. Whenever Ron lost his patience with Hermione, Harry gave her a light scolding and tried to convince her not to be so bossy. This usually had the result of putting Hermione in a bad mood for the rest of the day, during which she wouldn't talk to Harry or Ron. Ron's bad mood seemed to vanish during this time, and Hermione always came back the next day in perfectly good spirits.
Harry made sure to spend at least a portion of his free time in the library studying useful spells he wouldn't learn in the classrooms. He quickly mastered the relatively simple healing spell Episkey, and then went on to study the theory of Occlumency, the art of closing your mind to intruders. He found that with enough training, you could always know when someone was trying to read your thoughts or take over your mind, to which you replied by closing your mind and focusing specifically on not thinking about anything at all.
The time Harry spent in the library was often shared by Hermione, but Ron seemed to think it was a waste of time, and generally did not join them. This worried Harry; Ron was supposed to have become his best friend, but instead he spent almost all his time with Hermione. He didn't complain, though. Having a friend, any friend, was a huge improvement over his life before all this.
Harry's worst subject turned out to be Astronomy. Each Wednesday at midnight he found himself looking at the starry sky through a telescope, trying and failing to memorize the names and attributes of various stars, planets and moons. He found Herbology difficult but interesting, whereas he considered it quite a feat if he managed to stay awake through an entire History of Magic class. He did fairly well in Transfiguration, and was the first student besides Hermione to turn his match into a needle. Charms, however, seemed to be his best subject. He usually managed to perform any charm almost as soon as he'd seen Professor Flitwick do it. Hermione was always a little ahead of him, though.
And then there was Defense against the Dark Arts. The way Professor Quirrell taught it seemed like a waste of time, and Harry didn't even bother listening to him. Instead, he used this time to plan ahead. How should he stop Quirrell from getting the Philosopher's Stone? He could, of course, wait for the right time and just play through the events from the book, but that seemed a bit too risky. He knew now that some changes he made would affect events that didn't even seem related, like how changing things in the hut on the rock had almost prevented him from getting to King's Cross. He was no good at chess, and to get past the chessboard challenge he'd need Ron, but he couldn't be sure Ron would play the game the same way he did in the book; too much had been changed between the two of them. Plus, he had no guarantee he'd survive a duel with Quirrell. In the book, it had almost killed him. He didn't dare go to Dumbledore to tell him Voldemort was hiding on the backside of Professor Quirrell's head. He wasn't sure he could trust Dumbledore not to read his mind, and his skill at Occlumency wasn't nearly good enough to keep someone like Dumbledore out.
Out of all his subjects, the one he hated the most was Potions. Not because he was bad at it, but because Professor Snape's feelings for him were nothing short of Hate with a capital H. He had been expecting it, but that didn't make it any easier. Snape did not seem to hate him any less no matter how polite he was or how hard he tried to stay out of trouble.
"Potter!"
"Yes, Professor?"
"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"The Draught of Living Death, sir."
Snape raised an eyebrow but did not comment. Instead he continued the questioning.
"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
"In the stomach of a goat, sir, though I'd much prefer to just get one from your cupboard, sir."
Harry couldn't resist that last part, and a few people laughed. Snape, however, did not seem to find this funny.
"Very clever, Potter. So tell me, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"There isn't one, Professor. Monkshood and wolfsbane are two names of the same plant, which is also called aconite."
His answer did not seem to please Snape. On the contrary, he seemed to think Harry was making fun of him.
"Five points from Gryffindor."
Seamus Finnigan, a fellow Gryffindor student, did not think this was fair.
"What? You're subtracting points because he answered your questions correctly!?"
"That's another five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Finnigan, now be quiet. And you, sit down!"
He was looking at Hermione, who had not put her hand down since he asked Harry the first question, and by now had even stood up from her chair to reach higher with her arm. Harry wondered why she still had her arm raised, now the questions were over. Hermione did as she was told, but did not lower her hand. Snape ignored her and continued the class. When they started working on their potions, Hermione had no choice but to lower her hand, as she needed both of them to work with. She and Harry were paired together. Ron paired with Dean Thomas.
About half the lesson went by without incident, as they listened to Snape criticize everyone except Malfoy. Then Harry saw something that made him jump forward and grab Neville Longbottom's arm.
"DON'T!"
Everyone looked around at them. Neville had been about to add porcupine quills to his potion, but now looked at Harry in shock.
"W-what's wrong, Harry!?"
"Cauldron off the fire before you add the quills, or you'll end up in the hospital wing!"
Snape walked up to them. The look he gave Harry made it quite clear he was not impressed.
"You shouldn't be interfering in other people's schoolwork, Potter. Perhaps you thought it would make you look good to save your little friend? That's another point from Gryffindor."
"What!?" said Harry, outraged. "I just averted a disaster!"
"Don't contradict me, Potter. One more point from Gryffindor, and be thankful it isn't more."
After the lesson, Harry decided to pay Hagrid a visit. He had been surprised when Hedwig had not turned up that morning, as he'd been quite sure Hagrid was supposed to have sent him a letter inviting him for a visit. He supposed this had to do with something he had changed, but couldn't imagine what. When he told Hermione and Ron where he was going, Ron asked to come along but Hermione said she needed to spend some time in the library.
"What, again?" asked Ron incredulously. "You are such a bookworm."
"If she's a bookworm," said Harry, "then what am I? I spend even more time in the library."
"Yeah, you'd think you were studying for a major exam or something."
Hermione and Ron both looked at Harry, as if expecting him to explain himself.
"Well," said Harry after a pause, "maybe I'll see you in the library later."
Hermione smiled and ran off with a wave. Ron did not seem happy.
When Harry and Ron were almost at Hagrid's cabin, the door opened and a man stepped out. It wasn't Hagrid. Harry stopped, uncertain. He had not expected to find himself in this man's presence so soon.
Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway and smiled sadly.
"Ah, I see you already have two visitors, Hagrid."
"Err- Hello, professor."
Ron said nothing. Harry looked at him and saw he was a bit uncomfortable.
"Good afternoon, Harry. Is it indeed safe to presume you have come here to visit your friend?"
"Yes, sir. Err- is Hagrid okay?"
"I'm afraid he has developed a slight head cold."
"Couldn't madam Pomfrey just..."
"She could."
Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not elaborate. Instead he bid them farewell and walked past them toward the castle. Harry and Ron watched him leave, then turned towards each other and raised their eyebrows.
"Mental," said Ron.
"Something like that," replied Harry.
They went to the door of the cabin, which was still open. When they looked inside and saw Hagrid's enormous figure, Harry knew Dumbledore had not been completely truthful.
Hagrid wasn't sick; he'd been crying. Harry knocked lightly against the door.
Hagrid looked up.
"Oh... Hello, Harry."
"Err- Hi, Hagrid. This is Ron Weasley."
"Another Weasley, eh?"
Hagrid was clearly trying to keep things light and friendly, but tears were still running down his cheeks.
"Hagrid, what's wrong?"
"Nuttin', I jus' have a cold."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Ron seemed very uncomfortable. Hagrid wiped his tears away forcibly and blew his nose into a huge handkerchief. He attempted to smile, but it didn't look very convincing.
"Hagrid, please. What is it?"
Hagrid hesitated. He looked at Harry, then Ron, and then out the door.
"Friend of yours?"
Harry and Ron looked out the door and saw Hermione walking hesitantly towards the cabin.
"I thought you were going to the library," said Ron when she got close enough to hear.
"Well, I changed my mind."
Hagrid tried again to pretend he was in a good mood and started making tea. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down and all three of them stared at Hagrid, who was clearly miserable.
"Mr. Hagrid," said Hermione, "is something the matter?"
"That's what I'd like to know," said Harry.
"Yeah," added Ron. "Come on, Hagrid. Tell us."
Even Fang the boarhound seemed to be miserable, but Harry thought he was simply emulating his master's feelings. Fang felt bad because Hagrid felt bad.
"I've just got a cold. Tha's all."
"No you don't," said Harry firmly. "Please, Hagrid. I'm your friend. I want to know."
Hagrid turned to them and seemed to be looking them over, deciding whether he could trust them or not. Finally, he sat down and stared at the floor. Fang went over to him and Hagrid scratched him absent-mindedly.
"I- I had this three-headed dog," he began, each word seemed to cause him pain and a tear ran down the left side of his beard.
"Fluffy?" said Harry.
Hagrid looked up.
"How do you know abou' Fluffy?"
"How do you think I know about Fluffy?"
Hagrid stared at him, apparently thinking, and then he seemed to come around.
"Oh, yeah. Seer. I forgot. So- So d' yeh know what happened to 'im?"
Harry shook his head slowly, and felt as though his insides were freezing up. What could possibly have happened to Fluffy to make Hagrid cry like this?
"He's- he's- he's..." but apparently Hagrid couldn't finish the sentence.
"Dead?" asked Harry, feeling his heart slow to a stop.
Hagrid broke down completely and sobbed openly in front of them. Ron looked like he didn't know what to do, but Hermione stood up and immediately began trying to comfort him. Harry just sat there and stared into space as he felt his insides vanish completely.
What did I change? What did I do wrong?
What makes you think you did anything wrong?
This wasn't supposed to happen. Fluffy's supposed to guard the Philosopher's Stone. How can he be dead?
Someone must have killed him to get to the stone. Good thing they can't get the stone if they're intending to use it. Dumbledore's protection, remember?
But that protection requires the Mirror of Erised. According to the books, he won't move the mirror down there anytime soon.
Don't panic! Dumbledore was just here, remember? I think we can trust him to take care of this. He'll probably add extra protection to the place.
I hope you're right.
Harry got up and helped Hermione try to comfort Hagrid. Ron got up too, but went to tend the tea. When Harry and Hermione had successfully calmed Hagrid down somewhat, they sat back down and Ron poured tea for everyone.
They spent an hour talking to Hagrid and making sure he was in fairly good spirits before leaving him. On their way back to the castle, Hermione told them she'd best get up to the library, and asked Harry to join her.
"Sorry, Hermione, I'm not in the mood right now."
"Yeah, let's go up to the common room," said Ron. "Think you can beat me at Wizard's Chess, Harry?"
"I doubt it, but..."
"Hold it! If you're not going to the library, shouldn't you at least get started on your homework?" said Hermione, suddenly stern.
"You, Hermione," said Ron, "have got rules and homework on the brain."
Of course, this did not go over well with Hermione. Without another word, she strode away in the direction of the library.
"Why do you always have to be like this?" asked Harry.
"Because she's a bloody nightmare!" answered Ron angrily. "I don't see how you can stand to hang with her."
Harry didn't like Ron's words one bit, but he said nothing. He knew trying to prevent Ron and Hermione from fighting was like trying to stop the sun from setting.
When they got up to the common room, Harry was in no mood to play chess, so instead he got started on his homework. This seemed to irritate Ron a great deal. As Harry was taking out his homework, Ron went up the stairs to the Dormitory, muttering something that sounded very much like 'figures'.
Some time later, Ron came to find Harry in the library and told him grudgingly that he'd better take a look at the notice in the common room, which displayed the date of their first flying lesson.
"But then, you already knew, didn't you?"
Ron's tone made it perfectly clear he was still upset.
"I didn't know the date," retorted Harry irritably.
Hermione, who sat opposite Harry, looked up from her book and stared at the pair of them.
"What is the matter with you two?"
"Nothing," said Harry and Ron in unison.
"No, honestly-"
"He's angry because I took your side in that argument the other day," said Harry.
"What argu-" began Hermione, who had clearly forgotten about the incident altogether.
"You always take her side!" yelled Ron, which caused everyone in the library to stare at him and earned him a disapproving 'shush' from Madam Pince, the librarian.
"Well, of course!" yelled Harry right back. "She's my best friend!"
Ron and Harry were staring angrily at each other, ignoring Madam Pince, who looked as if she was about to throw them out. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Hermione couldn't help giving him a small smile.
"Well, great then," said Ron. "You two bookworms will make a fine couple!"
With that, he strode off. Harry dropped back into his chair and pretended to continue reading 'Weapons of the Mind', a book about Occlumency and Legilimency. Hermione's smile had vanished and she watched Ron leave the library before staring worriedly at Harry, but she said nothing. Eventually, people stopped staring and went back to whichever books they were reading.
Harry awoke early on the day of the first flying lesson, and the memory of his argument with Ron was the first thought to enter his waking mind. He hadn't planned this. He was angry at Ron, but they were supposed to have become best buds by now. He couldn't believe he wasn't on talking terms with Ron because he took Hermione's side in a small argument that Hermione had forgotten all about anyway. Though he felt he was right and Ron was wrong, he decided to try and make peace. Holding a grudge over something so insignificant was just plain stupid. He turned toward Ron's bed, but it was empty.
He was halfway down the stairs to the common room when he heard raised voices.
"You're being stupid!" yelled Hermione.
"Well, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Who's smart and who isn't?" yelled Ron.
"Just go and apologize! Then you can be friends again!"
"Apologize? For what? It's Harry who-"
"Harry who what? What happened, exactly!?"
"Harry took your side!"
"Took my side in what?"
"He ALWAYS takes your side!"
"Always takes my side in WHAT!?"
"Don't pretend you haven't noticed!"
"I'm not pretending! What's Harry done that's so horrible?"
"You- you're just defending him because you fancy him!"
Harry was at the bottom of the stairs now, and saw that Ron and Hermione were standing on either side of the common room. Ron was fuming, but that was nothing next to Hermione, who looked like she was about to explode.
"How DARE you!? I don't fancy Harry!" screamed Hermione.
"Yeah? Could've fooled me! You two are ALWAYS together!"
"Yes, we are! That's what friends do!"
"Friends? Who'd want to be friends with YOU!? You keep yapping about this and that that you read in some books, you keep forcing your own ideas about everything on everyone else, and you stick to the rules like stink to a troll! Harry even told me he only hangs around you because you're the smartest student in our year!"
"That's not what I said!" yelled Harry, now very angry. They looked at him, realizing his presence for the first time.
"Well, it's what you meant!" yelled Ron angrily at Harry. "How can you even stand to be around that... that..." Apparently, he could not think of anything bad enough to say.
"...that hag!?"
Harry was neither aware of reaching into his pocket for his wand nor uttering the incantation for the banishing charm for the first time; all he knew was that Ron was suddenly thrown against the wall, Harry's wand pointing at him, Hermione screaming in shock. As soon as Ron had recovered from the blow, he stared incredulously at Harry.
"Don't EVER call her that again!" yelled Harry furiously. "Get lost!"
Ron did not need to be told twice.
"Fine!" he yelled and half ran out of the common room through the portrait hole. They heard a loud bang and the Fat Lady yelled angrily after him not to damage her frame.
Harry looked at Hermione and felt his anger vanish at the sight of her teary eyes. He finally lowered his wand and put it back in his pocket. Hermione ran to him, crying, and hugged him.
"You're both so stupid!" she cried, punching him in the ribs mid-hug. Harry let her; she didn't punch that hard and Harry felt like he deserved it anyway. He knew this wasn't really his fault; it was Ron who'd started it and who wouldn't drop it. Even so, he felt responsible. None of this would have happened if he hadn't changed things, and he felt bad about attacking Ron, but he couldn't just stand there and do nothing while his best friend was being insulted. Not even for Ronald Weasley. And right then, Harry thought he'd never be able to forgive Ron.
Despite the great negative influence the argument had had on all three of them, it did have a positive side-effect; none of them could take their minds off the argument long enough to feel really nervous about their first flying lesson.
"Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up," barked Madam Hooch at the students when she arrived for their flying lesson. Nobody dared disobey. Harry and Hermione stood next to each other, but Ron made sure to keep a clear distance from the pair.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom and say, 'Up!'"
"UP!"
Very few brooms obeyed. Harry's broom rose into his hand hesitantly, perhaps sensing his slight fear of heights. Ron's broom flew up at his second attempt, but Hermione's just kept rolling around. Harry advised her in a whisper to try making it a request rather than an order. Hermione immediately changed her tone and the broom rose into her waiting hand.
"Now, when I blow my whistle," said Madam Hooch after showing them the proper grip on their broom, "you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"
As expected, a very nervous Neville kicked off before Madam Hooch even said 'one'. Even as Madam Hooch called after him, he shot high into the air, clearly to scared to control his broom. Harry reached for his wand. As everyone looked on, Neville lost his grip, fell off the broom, plummeted towards the solid ground and – bumped off it like it was a trampoline. Madam Hooch looked around and saw Harry, whose wand was still pointing at the ground where Neville lay, unharmed.
"Cushioning Charm, Potter?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Wand use is strictly forbidden during flying lessons. One point from Gryffindor."
Harry nodded and stowed his wand away. He had been expecting a rule like that to be in place, but the fact that Madam Hooch only took one point and didn't even give him detention showed him that she approved of his actions.
His feeling of relief did not last long, however, because only a short while later he discovered something that was distinctly different between him and his book counterpart. He was a horrible flyer. The only one who did worse than him was Neville. Harry was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Sure, he'd never been big on sports, but the real Harry loved Quidditch. The fact that he couldn't fly meant that he'd probably never be a Quidditch player. This would certainly change things.
At the end of the lesson, Madam Hooch gathered the brooms and left ahead of the students. As Harry walked towards the castle with the other Gryffindors, he heard Malfoy shouting something to his fellow Slytherins behind them.
"Look! It's the stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."
Harry was in no mood to deal with Malfoy right then, so he simply turned around and aimed his wand carefully.
"Accio!"
Neville's Remembrall, which had undoubtedly fallen out of his pocket when he fell, flew out of Malfoy's hand and into Harry's. He wordlessly handed the little ball to Neville and walked on into the school. Malfoy, however, was not going to let him just walk away. Out of sheer instinct, Harry dived forwards just in time to avoid a burning hot shower of wand sparks and swiftly turned around to face his enemy.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Malfoy's body went rigid and he fell backwards. Harry got up, brushed himself off and put the wand back in his pocket. Then he looked down at Malfoy.
"Trust me, Malfoy, you don't want to mess with me."
Malfoy's body was already losing its rigidity by the time Harry turned around and walked away. Harry wasn't surprised; the spell he had used was a curse, the one type of magic he had trouble with. As he and Hermione left the Slytherins' sight, Harry made a mental note to study methods of using charms offensively, since they were his specialty.
For the next few weeks, Harry spent most of his time studying. He and Hermione sat together in the library for hours a day, but as it turned out they both spent half their time there doing absolutely nothing. Hermione kept looking at Harry or the door or simply staring into space with a rather sad look on her face. Harry was quite sure she was hoping Ron would come into the library to apologize or Harry would go and apologize to Ron. Although she never mentioned Ron or the argument he had with Harry, she didn't seem to have changed her view on the situation and clearly still though Harry and Ron were just being stupid. Harry had a very hard time concentrating on his books, because his thoughts continuously wandered between Ron, Scabbers and Ginny.
Whenever his thoughts strayed near Ron, Harry would shake his head and make an extra effort to concentrate on his work.
He did think about Scabbers a lot. Had he made the right decision? Wouldn't it be better to just grab Scabbers and take him to Dumbledore? But no, a voice in his head kept telling him to wait, and out of simple cowardice, he agreed. If he tried to take Scabbers to Dumbledore, Ron would think he'd gone mad. If he went to Dumbledore, there was no guarantee he wouldn't get his mind read, either by Dumbledore or Snape. He couldn't risk them finding out he was from another world, nor could he share his knowledge of his future with them. He had already gotten in trouble for interfering with the timeline. Besides, he couldn't be sure that Pettigrew's reappearance would be enough to get Sirius out of prison. He had to wait until Sirius escaped.
And then there was Ginny. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about the pretty face he had been caught staring at the day he met Hermione. A part of him sometimes wondered if he only liked her because he was supposed to, but another part kept reminding him that his book counterpart had not fallen for Ginny until years later.
One day he was yet again in the library with Hermione, supposedly continuing his study of Occlumency, but in reality thinking of Ginny and letting his imagination run quite free. He barely registered the fact that Hermione had stood up. She said something about going to the bathroom before dinner, and strode off. She was already out of the library by the time Harry realized he'd better put the book away and go down to the Great Hall to eat.
On his way there, he ran into the one person he did not want to see. Ron suddenly appeared out of a secret passage behind a banister. They both froze and stared at each other. Harry could feel his anger welling up again, even though Ron was looking quite apologetic. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Harry, deciding to ignore him, walked on.
"Harry, wait."
Harry did not stop, but he heard Ron scuttling behind him.
"I need to talk to you."
Harry pretended not to hear him.
"Harry, please."
Harry could feel himself stopping abruptly, but he did not speak or turn around.
"Harry, I... I've been a git," said Ron in a half-whisper.
"Sorry?" replied Harry, though he could hear Ron perfectly well.
"I said I've been a git," said Ron a bit louder.
"Gee, you think so?" said Harry sarcastically.
"Yeah, and... um... I'm- I'm sorry."
"Glad to hear it," said Harry, his anger rising. "Have you told Hermione you're sorry?"
"Err, no."
"Then why are you talking to me?" said Harry furiously, aware that he was almost shouting. He turned around to let Ron see just how angry he was. "How come you're not apologizing to Hermione?"
"I didn't think... she's not..."
"Hermione," said Harry firmly and angrily, "is not a hag!"
"I know... I'm sorry-"
"Why the HELL are you apologizing to ME!?"
Harry turned back around so he wouldn't have to look at Ron. He did not want Ron's guilty face to lessen his fury. He was quite determined to remain angry at Ron at least until he had the decency to apologize to Hermione. Possibly longer.
"Get lost," he finally said, and walked away.
"Harry-" began Ron.
"Get lost," repeated Harry loudly and lengthened his stride, but Ron was running behind him.
"Harry, please!"
"Apparently," said Harry angrily, coming to a stop, "you didn't learn your lesson last time!"
He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ron's chest.
"GET LOST!"
Ron looked frightened, but didn't move. Eventually Harry lowered his wand and walked away. This time, Ron did not follow.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the Great Hall and came to a stop. As he stared into the hall, his insides went cold. Thousands of bats were fluttering to and fro all around the Great Hall and there were flying pumpkins with carved-out faces and candles inside. In his anger at Ron, Harry had forgotten that it was Halloween, and assuming Quirrel had not made any changes to his plan, there would be a troll loose in the castle tonight. He quickly scanned the Hogwarts table, but Ron was not there, nor was Hermione.
He had to warn them. He had to get them to safety. He ran towards the nearest girls' toilet and saw Lavender Brown coming out of it.
"Lavender! Is Hermione in there?"
"She was," answered Lavender, looking at Harry in a very questioning way.
"When did she leave?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago. Said she was going up to Gryffindor tower with her schoolbag before going down to the feast. Harry, what's the matter?"
Harry had no time to explain why he was so panicky. He ran full speed towards Gryffindor tower, where the Fat Lady informed him that he'd just missed Hermione and that she had not seen Ron since he left for the feast. Now Harry was starting to really panic. He asked which way Hermione had gone and then sprinted off.
Harry's heart was pounding painfully in his chest, as if it were saying don't you dare let them die! He ran like he'd never run before, checking every secret passage on his way back to the Great Hall.
Suddenly, Harry tripped over a halberd that should be held by one of the suits of armor and his face hit the floor painfully. He could hear cackling in the distance and cursed Peeves under his breath. When he got up, however, he heard something else.
"I'm really sorry."
"Why are you telling me? Go apologize to Harry."
"I tried. He told me to apologize to you. Wouldn't even listen to me."
Silence.
"I'm sorry I called you a... you-know-what. I'll never use that word again, I swear."
Harry took a step towards the voices but yelped when he suddenly experienced a shooting pain in his leg. He seemed to have twisted his ankle. He let himself fall against the wall and then hopped one-legged towards the voices, using the wall for support. Apparently his yelp had not gone unnoticed, because a moment later Hermione came around the corner with Ron right behind her.
"Harry?" said Hermione when she saw him. "Are you alright?"
He didn't answer, but leaned against the wall and let himself slide to the floor.
"What happened to you?" asked Ron.
Harry pointed at the halberd.
"Peeves."
Hermione started to fuss over him, but Harry was looking at Ron.
"Ron, I've been an idiot."
Hermione stopped and looked at Harry and then at Ron.
"Join the club," said Ron.
There was a few seconds' silence, during which Hermione's gaze kept moving between Ron and Harry.
"Sorry," said both Ron and Harry at the same time. They both smiled.
"You're so stupid, both of you!" said Hermione, teary-eyed but smiling.
"So what are you doing here?" asked Ron. "The feast can't be over yet."
And Harry remembered why he'd been looking for them.
"There's a troll!" said Harry. "I was looking for you because there's a troll loose in the castle. We have to get back to-"
He suddenly went deathly quiet. Ron and Hermione froze too. It was clear they had also heard what he heard.
Thump.
Harry quickly stood up, somehow managing to ignore the pain in his leg.
Thump.
The sound was getting closer, and Harry had a feeling he knew what it meant.
Thump.
Hermione moved closer to Harry and firmly grabbed his wrist. Apparently she was even more frightened than he was.
Thump.
It was coming from just around the bend. Ron, though now pointing his wand in the direction of the sound, had moved behind Harry. Harry drew his wand, but could not think what to do. He was too frightened to think clearly.
Thump.
Around the corner came a troll. The thumping noise was the sound of its steps. It looked at them and raised its enormous club.
"Ron," said Harry, trying to sound calm but failing miserably. "Take Hermione and run."
Ron seemed to like the idea. He grabbed Hermione's hand and tried to drag her away, but Hermione held on to Harry and wouldn't let go. The troll was advancing on them menacingly.
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine. Just go."
But she didn't, and now Ron seemed to realize that Harry couldn't run.
"Hermione," said Ron in a terrified voice, "grab Harry."
She hadn't let go of him yet, but at Ron's words she strengthened her hold. Harry doubted he'd ever be able to feel his left arm again. Ron let go of Hermione and grabbed Harry's other arm.
They ran. Hermione and Ron carried Harry between them, ignoring his protests that they couldn't outrun the troll this way. Indeed, the troll did not seem to take well to its victims trying to escape, and was now running after them.
Thump – thump – thump – thump.
Harry didn't know what to do. His panic was making it impossible to think.
Thump – thump – thump – thump.
There was nothing he could do. The troll was going to catch them. They were all going to die.
Thump – thump – thump – thump.
Now a new feeling took over; something more powerful than panic. He was not going to let his friends die.
Thump – thump – thump – thump.
And through his panic he heard a clear voice from somewhere inside his mind.
Think, said the voice. Focus!
He raised his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
In retrospect, Harry would have said that it sort of worked. The club was lifted out of the troll's hand, but the fact that Harry was being dragged away made it difficult to control the spell. The club fell heavily to the floor behind the troll. Ron, Hermione and the troll were all surprised enough to stop running. Harry shook himself free from his friends' grasps and prepared to finish what he'd started, but he'd forgotten about his twisted ankle. The shooting pain caught him by surprise and he fell forwards. The wand flew out of his hand and slid on the floor towards the troll. When he looked back up he saw his wand between the troll's legs.
The troll, however, seemed completely uninterested in the small wooden stick. It was stupidly looking all around for its club. Finally, it turned around and saw it lying a few feet away.
Harry acted. Once again ignoring his pain and his friends' pleas that they keep running, he got up and jumped, sliding on the floor after his wand. The troll was facing away and did not see him slide between its legs and grasp the little stick. Not until Harry got up right in front of it did the troll notice him. The troll bent down to pick Harry up. Harry turned away from it, pointed his wand and cried the incantation.
"Accio!"
The giant club flew off the floor towards him. Harry threw himself to the floor and the club hit the troll straight in the face. It fell backwards and hit the floor with an almighty crash.
Author's Notes:
This used to be chapter 6, but I've had to change the number of each chapter since I combined the first two chapters into one.
Well, that's another chapter up. It sure took a lot longer than I expected. Sorry about that, but at least it's fairly long. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's my longest chapter yet.
Ron seems to have an easier time apologizing here than in the books, and that's because I didn't think he'd become such a git until he'd gotten to know Harry and Hermione a little better. I'm partially basing this assumption on certain details from 'In the words of Ginevra Molly Potter' (mentions of how he used to be before he came to Hogwarts). As for how easily he gets angry at Harry and Hermione, that part can be explained in one word; jealousy.
I was a bit worried that I was making Snape too evil, but when it comes to Snape, is there really such a thing as 'too evil'? I don't believe so. I also had him ask the exact same questions as he does in the book, and some of you are going to think he might have asked something different after hearing Harry's first answer, but I say he didn't really have any reason to change which questions he asks.
Why did Hermione keep her hand raised? Well, it has to do with a detail that I intend to introduce in future chapters so I can't really tell you yet. Sorry.
Would Dumbledore lie? It wasn't much of a lie, really, but I wondered the same thing. The thing is, he knew Harry and Ron would see for themselves that Hagrid had been crying the moment they saw his face. Also, I thought Hagrid might ask him to lie for him about something like this. That's how I feel about it. Sue me.
Why would I kill Fluffy? Well, you weren't expecting it, were you? Some of you may be thinking that Harry hasn't changed anything that would cause something like that, but I say: 'Says who?'
Now, my characters have been using rather advanced spells, including the summoning and banishing charms (both of which aren't taught until the fourth year). Hermione and Harry are the top students in Charms and other such classes so they should have an easier time performing advanced magic. Also, magic is a lot easier to use when you're angry or scared, remember? They won't have such an easy time performing those spells under normal conditions. Not yet, anyway.
My Harry is a horrible flyer. That means he won't be playing Quidditch. Deal with it.
Brooms have personalities. That's why they can tell when you're scared or nervous (see the book). I remember the film Hermione when she first tried to tell her broom 'up'. She kept repeating it in a bossy and impatient manner and the broom just rolled around. That's where the idea came that the broom would rather do what you say when you make it a request rather than an order.
Anyone who says Harry shouldn't have such a bad temper has not been reading this from the start. The reason is simple: My Harry is not the same as the book Harry (or movie Harry for that matter). Sure he overreacted a little, but that's just who he is. Hermione is his best friend after all (not to mention the first real friend he's had in a very long time).
Now, remember the halberd that Harry tripped over? Initially I intended Harry to find out that the troll had actually pushed the halberd down when it went down that hall earlier, but I skipped that. Harry was supposed to think it was Peeves at first anyway. I don't think Peeves minds taking the blame for this.
Well, thanks to all my readers.
Oh, and I've started school now, so my time on this story will be limited. Even so, I have no intention of abandoning it, so don't worry about that.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Those of you who have reviewed the previous chapters have sometimes asked questions. It's about time you got some answers. I'm afraid I can't answer some questions on account of spoilers. If I can't give a spoiler-free answer, I'm just going to say 'No comment'. Sorry.
Q: ...if Harry is pretending to be a seer, then why would he have to wait to release his Godfather from jail, he'd just stun Scabbers and hand him to Dumbledore.
A: I'm not surprised to be asked this question, but If you read this chapter, you'll see Harry's reasons for his decisions. If you disagree with Harry (and me), then you'll just have to live with it. Sorry, but that's how I feel about it, and that's how Harry feels about it. End of story.
Q: Why would Ron have gone to Harry's carriage?
A:Why wouldn't he? Ron's family is now somewhat friendly towards Harry so can you think of a reason he wouldn't go to Harry's compartment? I don't think the book Ron went into the compartment just to find out if he really was Harry Potter. He said 'everywhere else is full', which is probably mostly true. I doubt Ron would want to sit with older students, for one thing. I can accept your claim that I stuck a little too much to canon in chapter 5, but I'm also starting to think you're misunderstanding the concept of the butterfly effect. Just because Harry's meeting with the Weasleys was different doesn't mean that Ron wouldn't sit with him on the train; it just means that he MIGHT NOT. It means that you can't predict the effect of your actions. Also, some things cannot be changed. For an example, see the 'Time Machine' movie. I can promise you that there will be a great deal of change, but some things will still remain. For instance, I have every intention of keeping the Triwizard Tournament, though whether or not Harry participates is an entirely different question.
Q: Why does Harry need to be with Ginny...just cos it was in the books? He is not Harry as you pointed out in his conversation with the sorting hat, so why would he feel the same way about a woman?
A: Again, why wouldn't he? Snape and James loved the same woman. Being different people doesn't mean you can't love the same person. Also, the book Harry didn't fall in love with Ginny until book six. My Harry falls in love with her right off the bat. No, Harry did not fall in love with Ginny just because it's in the books. I addressed this somewhat in the above chapter.
Q: Why not Hermione?
A: No comment. Sorry.
Q: ...what happend to the original Harry? Shouldn't he be allowed to have his own live?
A: No comment.
Q: You also mentioned about the four elements of his wand. Are you trying hint at his affinity for those elements (elemental)??
A: No, not really. I just thought it was cool. It helped me decide to make Ramora fin the third core. I had already decided on Auguray feather and Salamander heartstring, and I realized it would be cool to use the four elements. That's all there is to it.
Q: What was Harry's original name?
A: I decided not to give him one. I might give him a name in the final chapters, but I probably won't. Those are ages away anyway. See, I couldn't name him Harry because it would completely ruin the point I made in chapter two.
Well, that's it. I'm still open for questions and when I get them I'll answer them in this manner.
See you next time.