Disclaimer: I am to Harry Potter what decency is to Southpark. Bad example, Southpark haven't even heard of decency... ;)
Harry dropped on the room's bed, at the Leaky Cauldron. Now that he was done running away, he could sit down and let the anger get back full force.
"How dare she, she...excuse of a bitch herder!"
Harry growled, thinking of his aunt Marge. How dare she say that of her mother! He might regret the consequences, but the only thing he regretted more was not to have hurt her enough!
A knock on his door interrupted his musing. He went to answer it and a tweed-clothed man walked into the room as soon as the door opened enough.
"I'm glad you made it here safely, Harry! You don't mind if I call you Harry, do you?" asked the man, visibly expecting Harry to recognize him. His clueless look must have given him away, though.
"But where are my manners! I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magical Britain. I am so glad to finally meet you!"
Despite the man's obvious good disposition toward him, Harry felt a stone drop in his stomach. He was already found out!
"Pleased...to meet you, sir," he answered, putting a bit of his own in the vigorous handshake the Minister gave.
"Good! Now I want to say first and foremost how dangerous leaving your home was! What's this... blood? You're bleeding, Harry!"
Harry looked at his scratched hand and back at the Minister.
"I'm sorry! I hope I didn't dirty your hand!"
"Never mind that, what happened?" the Minister asked, genuine concern on his face and... was that fear?
"A dog startled me before I got on the Knight Bus and I scratched my hand. Nothing to worry about," explained Harry.
"Oh! Good! I'll get a med-witch to come by and check on that. You wouldn't want it to get infected or leave a scar, would you?" he winked. "Now, about tonight's matter..."
Harry didn't know what overcame him but he felt he had to explain himself. Such an important man going out of his way to help him, especially when he gave him nothing but trouble...The man was probably at home with his family when he had to take care of a 'Boy-who-lived' problem.
"I'm so sorry! It's just...she was the worst! I can handle them talking as if I wasn't there or hit me with a stick when they notice me. I can handle them calling me a freak, a punk, a gook-for-nothing freeloader but comparing my mum, who gave her life for me, to some kind of animal... to a ... a dysfunctional bitch nonetheless...I just... I couldn't let it pass."
Fudge was not an easy man to reach. Politics made one's emotions as slick as melting butter: it slid over you with a greasy feeling. Harry's outburst made his vacuum-isolated heart beat once more. It was just so horrible and cruel. He didn't know where to start. For once, he was at loss for words.
"If I could just avoid having my wand snapped and...not leaving Hogwarts for good, maybe...just do some prison time and then..."
"Harry! Harry, Harry...calm down. You are not going anywhere. I wasn't going to punish you at all. The report the Aurors left me with a bad opinion about your relatives but I thought it was merely a reaction due to tonight's events. After what you just told me, there is no way we would even make a file about it, except maybe in their name," he finished, his voice clearly getting harsher.
"You won't...confiscate my wand? But...last year...when the house elf..."
"Last year was last year, Harry. Circumstances were different. It was detected that a pastry was levitated in a room full of muggles, some of them not being related to you, before said pastry was dropped on one of the muggle's head. It is in our policy to snuff out the first year pranksters by scarring their wits out and showing them that we can trace their acts. As if we would seriously detain a twelve years old in prison...Only they can believe that!"
The Minister chuckled with some mirth, shaking his head. Harry felt his cheeks redden. He really thought they would do it! Even now...
"We'll see what we can do with your...situation, Harry. I'll have a talk with Dumbledore."
The Minister's political side took over. If he could score a few good points with the boy, he would raise his own political image and get a perfect spot to question some of Albus's decision.
"Thank you, sir," said Harry, clearly relieved.
"Nonsense! Call me Cornelius. After tonight's event, I'd like to think we'll become friends!" he said, smiling.
"Yes sir...Cornelius."
"Now is there anything else I can help you with, Harry?" asked Fudge, already walking toward the door.
"I don't think so, unless you know who's going to be our next Defence teacher! I'm really curious about that!"
"I'm afraid I do not! Such matters are handled by Hogwarts Board of Governors," said the Minister bitterly.
"Really? Such a waste! Isn't the DADA course a must to become Auror? They shouldn't leave that to a new teacher every year. You could make the course more regular if the program was Ministry established for the Auror need, and even make freshly graduated Aurors give the course as part of their training, with experienced ones as guests, sometimes. At least, we would be sure to have someone that has some credibility, compared to the fraud that was Lockhart," Harry said, the idea sprouting out of him as he said it.
Cornelius froze in the door frame, his mouth open.
"That...that is actually a very good idea, Harry! I will see for this possibility to be considered by the Board. Decidedly, I will have a lot of things to discuss with your Headmaster..."
The Minister left, leaving a much calmer Harry Potter behind. The later decided he had enough emotions for the day and went to bed.
The rest of the year went by smoothly, without any other special interferences. That is, of course, if you don't call Harry finding out he has a convicted godfather, that Ron's rat is an escaped Death Eater on the loose and that the best DADA teacher they had was a werewolf. Pretty eventless. Why even mention the dementors, Harry's prowess with a Patronus or Hermione using a time-turner to assist to all the courses available? That's a Harry-normal year.
Well, Harry and Ginny became good friends and Ron eventually got over it. That's a noticeable point.
The Quidditch Cup right after Harry's third year was a magical event, so to speak. The game, the brooms, the Bulgarians, the Irish and the Death Eaters, all on the same field! The Death Eaters were a lousy After-Game show, thought. They knew how to crash a party something fierce as everyone fled when they saw them.
Harry lost his wand, only to have it found on the body of a stupefied elf that was accused of casting the Dark Mark in the sky.
School wasn't even begun that Harry was already tired of the mystery and tragedy. Hopefully, the rest of the year would be a bit calmer.
As if...
Ginny ate her breakfast with Luna. She was not in the mood to endure Ron and Hermione bickering that morning. The stomach ache of her monthly feminine condition decided to start that very morning. For the short time it has been happening to her, she hoped that her cycle would always stay like that. One day of heavy pain and irritability with only a couple more to watch her...flow, afterward. Some girls complained about three days, even going as a whole week full of bellyaches!
The other bother that came with her condition was that she became acutely aware of the boys around her. Every girl entertain the romantic side of a princess-saved-by-the-prince relationship at the tender age of five. Now, she found herself a bit more interested in what followed the first chaste kiss the prince used to wake the princess. Why waste time: she's already in the bed!
The next matter was that such thoughts plagued her during the Quidditch Cup, while sharing a tent with her three brothers, Hermione and...Harry.
After all the efforts she made to befriend him, explaining she had no crush on him, after giving up a year of allowance to follow them to the Quidditch event, that was her reward? The very acute, very conscious desire to just kiss him while grabbing a handful of his bum in public?
Okay, those were not good thoughts to have at this day of the month. Her body played enough tricks on her as it was without burning her seat.
"You seem particularly distracted this morning, Ginny," said Luna airily. "It's as if you're trying hard to avoid thinking about something while only doing so."
"It's exactly that. Have you got something to help me?" asked the redhead, half-angry, half-pleading.
"You know how some people say that not thinking of something is as hard as not thinking of a pink elephant?" asked the blonde.
"Yeah," answered Ginny warily, the picture of the offending-coloured pachyderm in her head.
"Well, I find it easier to do it with a Crumpled-horned Snorkack," she said with finality.
"I don't know what a Crumpled-horned Snorkack is supposed to look like," deadpanned Ginny.
"Well, there you go, champ!" quipped back Luna, resuming her Quibbler reading after some origami work on it.
Ginny froze, tried not to think of the mythical beast and found her mind feeding her a blank spot. A blissful smile appeared on her lips.
"Thanks, Luna."
"My pleasure."
Ginny sat with Harry in the common room. She was doing some crosswords while he was busy feeling miserable.
"He's just a prat," Ginny said without looking up.
Harry stayed silent.
"A jealous prat, might I add."
"How is that supposed to help," grumbled Harry.
"It won't unless you do something, anything. I don't know. Beat him up. Scream at him. It might have better results than sitting here and sulking."
"I'll just give him the time to realize how much of an idiot he's being."
"Don't hold your breath. It's been fourteen years and still counting, without him having a clue."
Harry snorted.
People threw dirty look as they passed by him. The whole castle was convinced he put his name in the Goblet of Fire, somehow.
"Any lead on the first task?" asked Ginny, writing down a four-letter word that was 'an essential instrument to do magic'.
"D...I...C...nah, it won't fit with the others..." she mumbled, smiling at her own joke.
"I've got no clue whatsoever. We're flying blind. It's supposed to be a surprise!"
"No wonder so many people have died: it's not the tasks but the crappy organization that is deadly," muttered Ginny.
Despite the potential danger he found himself in, Harry smiled.
"So what now?" asked Ginny, putting her paper aside. "How are you going to prepare?"
Harry finally surprised her by waving it off.
"Hermione's on it right now, in the library. She's looking for a wide range of useful spells. You know, the kind of multi-purpose ones they seem to keep forgetting to teach us in class?"
"I'll recruit Luna and we'll help you practise in our free time. You might need test subjects."
"Thanks Gin, I owe you one," said Harry, grinning.
"And I'll hold you on that, mister Potter!" she said, an impish smile gracing her lips.
Harry sat alone, again, in the common room. It was late, but the real reason there was no one else around was that with one week until the task, people did their best to avoid being in the same room as him. He didn't want to take a chance and pulled off his cloak before being near the painting of the fat lady when he came back from this particular night stroll. When he entered the common room, the few people still up left, saying how nice it was to be a Champion, not caring about such details as curfew.
Once alone, he sat down and put his head in his hands.
"Dragons...we have to face dragons..." he muttered.
Light footsteps were heard behind him and a weight made his sofa shift a bit.
"Knut for your late thoughts," yawned Ginny. She figured he was in the Common room when one of the girls her year spoke about 'bad company down there'. Ginny surprised no one when she threw on a night gown and walk out on them without a word.
"Dragons..." muttered Harry once more.
"Wow. Your thoughts are worth more than a mere knut," smirked Ginny.
"That's the first task. Dragons. Four of them. One for each Champion. We have...to defeat a dragon. It took ten wizards to stun one, even for a moment. Hagrid showed me. I followed him in the Forest. Madam Maxim knows, and so does Karkaroff."
"That leave only Cedric in the dark..."stated Ginny.
"Yeah, you're right! I'll find a way to tell him tomorrow."
They remained silent awhile under the light of the dancing, flickering flames of the fireplace.
"What am I gonna do?" almost whimpered Harry.
"We'll find a way, Harry. I promise," Ginny said, taking his hand. "I promise you."
Under the Champion's tent, Harry paced nervously.
"Accio broom... accio broom... accio..."
"Harry?"
Harry recognized Ginny's voice and desperately needed someone. He lifted the bottom of the tent and she crawled from under it.
"They left you alone? What kind of half-assed security is this?"
"Krum, Delacour and Cedric already went, as you might know. It's going to be my turn momentarily," he said, resuming his pacing before sitting down on the ground.
"Why me? Tell me! Why am I the one to face a dragon? I just want a normal life! No reporters after my blood, no dragons out to get me or other whatnot! I'm not special! I just...I just wanted to be left alone..."
Ginny looked at him, blinking. Ron might hate her for it later, but she couldn't help herself. She grabbed Harry's hands and helped him up.
"What did you say you wanted to be?" she asked softly.
"Just normal! A normal guy like any other..." he answered, only a bit hesitant.
"Close your eyes."
Harry's face flushed, but he complied none-the-less. The power-slap that landed on his left cheek left him staggering. It hurt like hell! It stung something fierce too! Harry looked at Ginny, now confused and hurt. She was shaking some life back in her right hand.
"Okay. Let's get this from the start. Repeat what you just said to me. What kind of life you wish for?"
"A normal life!" Harry almost yelled.
"Close your eyes," Ginny said again, looking at him straight in the eyes.
"What?"
"Trust me, close your eyes."
Harry did so warily, his eyelids jumping nervously, and rightfully so. The next power-slap, on his right cheek this time, sent a few tears flying. He barely strangled in a shout of pain.
Ginny took him by his collar and pulled him closer.
"You want to try that again?"
Harry shook his head.
"Good. You want an explanation?"
Harry nodded vigorously.
"You are NOT normal! You never were and never will be! Get it in that thick head of yours! No matter that you don't want your fame, fortune or power: you have it! Stop running away from it and use it! Enjoy it! Nobody's going to blame you for that! Don't feel guilty to have, or to be, what no one else has or is. They called your name twice already. Go and make that dragon regret it was picked up by you, of all of the Champions."
She turned him around and pushed him not so gently toward the exit of the tent. Harry walked straight, in a daze, until he was in a small field of rocks. A deserted field. The logical part of his brain told him it should be filled with a dragon right now.
The beast jumped from beside a rock, gave him a stare like one to a worm on the sidewalk and threw its head back to unleash inferno.
Harry's eyes narrowed. Oh yeah? Want to play with fire? All intent to summon his broom left him. He wiped his wand as the dragon threw its head forward.
"Aguamanti!"
The jet of water stopped the one of fire a mere five feet in front of him. Water being more consistent than fire, and Harry not being limited by his breath, he ended up winning that exchange, but barely.
The beast shook its head, took another breath and spit more flames. Unfortunately for it, each time it opened its mouth toward Harry, the latter was ready to send a new jet of water, more powerful each time, into its maw. The last one was as thick as Hagrid's leg and with enough pressure to send the head of the fire beast backward, and on the side.
"Do you like it, huh? Do you like being drenched enough to stop you from properly breathing?"
Harry's water assault was continuous now and didn't wait for the beast's offensive. The dragon was being pushed back and now tried to crawl away from the mad human. The abuse finally stopped.
"Accio Golden Egg," was all Harry said.
As the golden goal from the task soared toward him, the dragon looked at him once more, a bit panicked and more than a little angry. Harry raised his wand toward its ugly head. The dragon tensed and turned its head away, protecting it with a wing. Harry dropped his stance and walked away, whistling.
"What was that?" asked Hermione, stunned.
"That was Harry Potter, unleashed," answered Ginny, grinning as she walked over to them.
Harry strolled in the common room, lifting his egg over his head. Predictably, all Gryffindor came back on his side once he won. The Slytherins were reputed to be cunning but as an unwritten rule, you have to be edging toward your evil side. If not, you were an outcast.
Gryffindor was no better. You had to be brave, and courageous, but if you were not seen as strong...you ended up like Neville, overlooked.
The Common room was a continuous explosion of 'Harry', of 'Gryffindor' and of the twins' finest indoor fireworks. He hoped they were indoor ones. A banner showing Harry pushing the head of a dragon down a toilet seat was over the fireplace.
"What did I miss? Is it someone's birthday? What are we celebrating?" Harry asked, a shit-eating grin on his face.
People laughed and many patted him on the back. Harry was torn between enjoying it and yelling about hypocrites, backstabbing lions. Why not do both? He ran to a seat and jumped on it, his feet on the armrests.
"So, you liked it? You want to see more? You want Gryffindor to win the Cup?"
A loud cheer answered him.
"Just asking, you know, since I didn't feel much love or cheering for the past month," he said, his eyes never quite giving up on a touch of mirth.
Still, the mood clearly sobered. People suddenly remembered how they treated him, shunned him and called him every possible name from liar to attention-seeker just hours ago.
"This victory wouldn't be a Gryffindor victory, normally. It would be a 'Harry Potter' victory alone, if it was not for the support I had, that is. A few people stuck by me, even though I was despised by the whole school, including my own house! The ones who stood by me are the truly courageous and brave!"
Heads were looking down in shame. One of the 'Potter Stink' badges, which failed to be modified, choose that moment to wail in the silence.
"I think I made my point now, but remember: you owe me one. I brought glory on our house alone, as there is no Quidditch and no House Cup this year. Hufflepuff, the House that reward loyalty by the way, is the one to be under the spotlight in this European tournament. Thanks to a freak accident, Murphy's laws on my head or some evil critter's work, our house has a chance to shine brighter than Europe's three greatest magical school's Champions. I didn't want to enter this tournament," Harry said, his head lowering a bit, his old demeanour surfacing. "But since I'm stuck in it, I'll make sure I'll win!" he finished, his eyes burning with renewed fire and his fist pumping in the air.
He received a new round of cheer, even if the face were a lot more serious by now. Hermione turned toward Ginny, suspicion etched all over her face.
"Alright: cough it up! What did you say to him back there in that tent?"
"Just a prep talk! Honestly, I just wanted him to be able to leave his tent on his own two feet and start the fight! I never thought it would affect him past seeing the dragon..."
Hermione sighed but her eyes began to worry as Ron made his way toward Harry, who was trying to distance himself from the crowd a bit.
"Now what?" she asked nobody in particular, pushing her way forward to play mediator once more.
She never saw Ginny's smirk. She meant everything she said to Harry back there and was glad of the changes. It was a lot better than the moping and brooding!
Sensing the need for privacy from the pair, the crowd let Harry walk away, Ron hot on his heel. Harry chose a corner and turned to face Ron, looking at him square in the eyes. He had a good view of his eyelids as Ron's head was looking at his feet conscientiously. Hermione looked from one to the other, unsure as to how this was going to play out. The scene unfolded itself as Ginny walked to them, effectively closing them from the rest of the room.
"Harry, I don't know who would be crazy enough to enter you in this thing..."
"I did it, who else?" interrupted Harry, shrugging his shoulders. Ron looked back up, now totally stunned.
"I did it," repeated Harry. "Do you think for one moment that I would share that with you? You should know, by now, that you are my sidekick, the one I let stick along just to look better when compared to. You make it so easy too. I need someone to do the messy work, now and then. But for you to expect me to share any of my secrets with you is priceless. I guess I can forgive you, this time, for thinking too highly of yourself and forgetting your position."
Ron was livid, and as rigid as a statue. He couldn't move, couldn't think, as if trapped in a nightmare.
"That's what you think how I really feel, Ron?" asked Harry, letting go of the superior tone. "You really think, deep down, that I see myself like that? That I consider you as something else as the very first friend I made in my life?" kept on Harry, his tone almost pleading Ron to contradict him. "Whatever reason you had to betray our friendship and our mutual trust like that, if you want me to forgive you, you'll have to earn it. I'm tired of dealing with your insecurity."
Hermione wanted to scold him for his harsh words, but she had a hard time getting the words out as she had to deal with Ron's temper too for the last month. Ginny hoped her brother just hit rock bottom now, and would finally rise up as a better friend.
"Did you know that most boys look for their mother in their girlfriend choice?"
Luna's last comment, out of nowhere, made Ginny spit in a spray her mouthful of orange juice she was drinking. As she coughed and fought to catch her breath, Luna smiled with satisfaction.
"It's been almost a full year since last time I was able to make you spit something like that. I was starting to believe I lost my touch!" she said happily.
"What was that about boys and their mothers?" asked Ginny, ignoring the table that looked to drain itself from the spilled liquid.
Luna put her nose back in a hard cover book she had.
"This psychologist here says that the trait a boy will look for are determined at a very young age, taking their mother as the perfect woman image," she resumed.
Ginny, looking at the name on the cover of the book, didn't know who this 'Freud' was, but he certainly was one creepy sicko!
"Is this for real?" asked Ginny, doubtful, knowing this may be only one more 'Luna things' to add to the list.
"I read that this dead man is one of the best-known psychologists in the muggle world and his books are studied in Universities."
Ginny's features went down.
"They look for their mothers? I don't want to date Harry for any resemblance I might have with his mother! What did she look like anyway?"
Luna's humming answer sent chills down her back.
"She was a slim redhead with a few freckles. She had the most gorgeous green eyes Harry is famous for. She had sharp traits, but had 'happy cheeks' too. You know, those of people who used to smile a lot."
Ginny's head banged on the table, her attitude attracting stares.
"I feel like I'm going to lose mine if you say one more word, Luna," she moaned.
No matter if Harry wasn't raised by his mother, she wouldn't give him a chance to look at her that way! What to do, what to do...
"Hey there, Gin. How are you? You looked... errrrr... troubled, this morning, at breakfast," said Harry to Ginny as he sat near her in the Common room, putting the Golden egg in his lap. He drummed on it lightly with his finger, as if wondering what to do with it.
"I'm fine, Harry. Luna was just being her usual self and I could just not handle it. Did you know she started reading on muggle psychology?"
Worry spread to Ron and Hermione who were already seated nearby.
"Which one? Did you catch a name?" asked Hermione.
"Some whack job called Freud, I think," answered Ginny, leaning a bit toward Harry to look closely at the egg. Harry tipped it her way to allow her a better look.
Hermione groaned and buried her head in her hands.
"That bad?" asked Ron.
"You don't even want to know," answered the bookish Gryffindor.
Conversation eventually got to classes but quickly went back toward the egg. Harry still had quite some time to figure it out, but didn't know how much time he would need to prepare.
"Don't forget that you have a more pressing issue, Harry," told Hermione seriously.
Harry groaned.
"What is it?" asked Ginny innocently, knowing full well what this was about.
"He has to find a partner for the dance at the Yule Ball," Hermione said smugly. "And so does Ronald here."
"That's mean, Hermione! I got it you don't want to go with me out of spite or whatnot but don't imagine a partner so not to have to go with Harry! He needs someone! He's a Champion!" argued Ron.
Hermione huffed, gathered her books and got up.
"It's not because you fail to see me as a girl that every guy does!" she said before storming off.
"There she goes again! Hermione! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" almost yelled Ron, going after her, surprising both Harry and Ginny.
"Was that my brother I just saw apologizing?" asked Ginny, smirking.
"Yeah, he does it a lot more since after the first task, and more sincerely to boot. Hermione is right, though. I need to find a date!" answered Harry, frowning.
Ginny sat sideways on the couch and let her legs lay over Harry's lap, ignoring the egg still there.
"Don't worry about that, Harry! You owe me one, remember? So, you will kindly, and publicly, ask me to go to the Ball with you!" she said with certitude.
Harry looked at the gracious legs on his lap and let his eyes travel back up to their owner.
"With you? This...is perfect! Gosh! And me who was so scared to look awkward all night long with practically a stranger stitched to my arm! But why publicly?"
"Come on, Harry? It's a unique event! A grand Yule Ball for the TriWizard Tournament, a contest that is century years old and you're the fourth participant! Live up a bit! Forge a legend! And girls like to feel wanted too..."
Harry was surprised at first but what started as a chuckle ended in a full blown laughter.
"And what would be a suitable, proper invitation?" he asked, mimicking to shine her shoe with a sleeve.
"Surprise me, Potter!" answered Ginny in her best snobbish tone, trying hard to harness the wild beating of her heart.
Harry grinned like a madman inside his own head, displaying only a small one. He would show her he was truly the son of a Marauder.