Title: Kiss.

Author: AspergianStoryteller.

Genre: Supernatural/General.

Summary: When a dementor tried to Kiss Harry Potter, it got more than it bargained for. And Harry did not walk away unaffected. Don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 21: Things Of Note This Week.

Harry looked at his meeting time again. Right after his Hospital appointment and Ginny's meeting.

Saturday 12pm.

In the days before his meeting on Saturday, one thing of note happened in school.

Besides good class work and quiditch there were a few more, creative, recreational, funny contests, some involving the whole House, some of which just needed the teachers.

This time, two of each House's Prefects (or people nominated by the Prefects) had to participate in the House competition: pumpkin juice sculling.

'On my mark!' cried Professor Flitwick. He loved these competitions, especially the literacy quiz. 'One, two three!'

'Go Ron!'

'Chug chug chug!'

'You can do it Ced!'

The Great Hall filled with cheering and clapping as the eight students selected drank their extra large goblet of pumpkin juice as fast as they could. The drinkers stood in front of the teachers' table so everyone else in their own places could view. So far Ron, chosen by their Prefects, was tied with Crabbe and Goyle from Slytherin. Behind them, Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff was gulping furiously to keep up with the surprising efforts of a Ravenclaw Prefect.

'Come on man!'

'Beat her!'

Flash!

A jinx meant for Ron was blocked by Professor Flitwick's ward and the foolish student who'd sent it found themselves gushing pumpkin juice from their mouth for the next ten seconds.

'Go Cedric!'

'Woohoo!'

'Go girl go!'

'YES!'

'First place!' Professor Flitwick declared. Ron and Crabbe tied and raised their goblets high. 'Second! Third!' Goyle and the Ravenclaw girl. They both slammed their goblets down on the table. 'Fourth!' Cedric grinned at his House table. 'Fifth! Sixth! ... Seventh, eigth! Well done!'

Harry and Hermione were with the Weasely's, clapping for Ron and waving at him when he beamed at them. It was Fred, George and Ginny doing much of the yelling.

Professor Flitwick charmed his voice speak over the noisy, cheering students, and they got quieter as he announced the results of the competition.

'In first place tied, Ron Weasley and Vincent Crabbe! Twenty points each to Gryffindor and Slytherin!'

A pause was allowed for triumphant screaming.

'Second place goes to Gregory Goyle, eighteen points to Slytherin!'

Third placed Eliza Greenwood won sixteen points for Ravenclaw and Cedric, coming in fourth earned Hufflepuff fourteen points. It went down until Ravenclaw's other competitor had six points for his efforts.

'Excellent work little brother!' The twins clapped Ron on the back.

'We knew you'd put that big mouth of yours to good use some day!'

Ron pinched the offending twin but kept grinning proudly.

'Oi Weasley!'

Five red heads turned.

'Ron Weasley!' A Seventh Year Gryffindor specified. 'Great show! You're definitely going to compete for us at the eating contest.'

'Sure! I'll get first with no ties!'

'Hey Greenwood! What else can you guzzle down like that?'

'Silence Mr. Fable,' Snape silenced the offending student.

XXX xxx XXX

Walking through the reception room of St. Mungo's was always interesting, Harry thought. Every week there were new people with new ailments waiting for treatment. Granted, some of them sported rather gruesome injuries, or rather boring ones. Like that woman over there with her robes ripped to bloody shreds at the back to make room from malformed, scaly spikes. Her face was scrunched up in discomfort, but she was able to talk to the Healer examining her.

As in their previous visits, Professor McGonagall escorted Harry up to the minors' ward on the first floor. This time however, she returned to school without Harry for the meeting with Dark magic sensitive students and their parents.

'Do stay out of trouble if you can, Mr. Potter,' she told him.

'I managed to last week didn't I?' Harry was half amused and half disgruntled.

'Keep it that way,' Minerva's stern face seemed to be hiding amusement in it somewhere. 'If you can keep from giving us all heart attacks again, I'm sure we'll all be happier.'

Harry decided not to bother arguing that most of the time, trouble had found him, and that if the teachers were helpful and attentive as Hermione liked to believe they were, a lot things would have gone differently.

His treatment session went pretty much like last week, except he brought homework with him. (Hermione's insistence. Harry hoped it wouldn't interfere with the happy vibes he was supposed to be exposed to.)

'Hey Vin, what's the difference between the toilet head dunking jinx and the toilet death's head curse, besides the obvious?' As he spoke, Vin Orange's silver frog clambered up his head, putting an ethereal webbed hand over Harry's eye.

'The toilet head dunking jinx just dunks the victim's head into the bowl a couple of times,' the cleaner explained. 'The toilet death's head curse, however, holds the victim's head under toilet water until they drown. The more they struggle, the messier it gets... '

The two shuddered imagining it. What a gross way to go.

'The toilet death's head curse is also a Dark curse,' Vin added.

Harry crossed it off his mental check list of Dark spells to try. He wouldn't wish that death on anyone. Although he might try the former on Malfoy and his cronies if things got ugly.

'Is that your Defence homework?'

'Yeah. My friend made me bring here to work on. Our school work's gotten even harder this year because of O. next year.'

'Ah, O., I remember stressing over them when I was at school,' Vin sighed. 'Speaking of school, who's your Defence teacher this year? Did Lupin manage to stay on?'

'No, he couldn't stay,' Harry said sadly. 'He was the one the best we've had.'

'Bummer. That position is jinxed you know.'

'Seriously?'

Vin nodded. 'Yeah. For decades no one's been able to stay for more than a year. Something always happens to them. Poor Professor Hasler taught his class so well that they accidentally put him in hospital during a duel.'

'Oh. So far we've had one killed, one lost his memory and the other, well, people are prejudiced.' Harry pushed back the memories of trying and terrifying encounters associated with each teacher's, reason for leaving.

'So who's your teacher now?'

'Mad Eye Moody.'

'No way. Really?'

Harry nodded. 'He's good. A really practical teacher. We're learning loads about curses.'

'I bet you are. I'd love to learn under him.'

When Twelve o Clock came, Healer Nathaniel walked with Harry downstairs and flooed to Hogwarts after him.

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace and got out of the way. Nathaniel joined him in flash of green fire and they sat on the beds until Mrs. Weasley and Ginny left Madam Pomfrey's office.

'Hi Harry,' Ginny waved. 'See you at lunch?'

'Yeah. Save some for me.'

'Good afternoon Harry,' Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry hello. 'You're here for a meeting too?'

Harry nodded and hoped she wouldn't worry excessively.

'And where are your guardians? Are they coming here?'

'I'll be acting in place for them,' Nathaniel informed her.

Thankfully, before she could ask more Madam Pomfrey called Harry into her office for his meeting.

'Bye Mrs. Weasley, bye Ginny.'

Madam Pomfrey's office was similar to Nathaniel's but the walls were white, and her personal affects were different. The group got settled into chairs and went over Harry's situation.

'I'll hold off putting Dark spells on Potter but he still needs to watch and learn,' Moody said. 'Non-Dark spells though, you'll be fighting those.'

'Personally, I don't agree with performing Dark magic on students full stop,' Madam Pomfrey muttered.

'Is that agreeable everyone?'

The teachers nodded and murmured their agreement.

'When all of the dementor magic has been flushed out of Harry's system,' said Nathaniel, 'and when I'm sure it is safe, Harry may be able to take part as normal. After a rough start his body has adapted to Darkness quite well. I don't encourage any recklessness though Harry.'

Harry felt his face heat up under the adults' curious eyes. 'Are we done?'

'Yes. You may go Mr. Potter. Eat a good lunch.'

The only kid in the room stood up to leave, and turned around at the door. 'Thanks for coming Healer Nathaniel.'

'You're welcome Harry. See you next week.'

XXX xxx XXX

What do you think? Tell me what you think!

I know this seems a bit strange, but surely someone at Hogwarts (I'm thinking the twins, maybe Dumbledore) would have suggested this and it caught on. Who wants to give me ideas for more House comps?

Eliza Greenwood is the name of the supposed ghost who haunts my house. We blame mysterious things on her.

Thanks for reading!