AN: First off, let me start out by saying that this story WILL contain incest, So all of you out there who have been leaving reviews about not wanting it, or ways to stop, can QUIT! Secondly, Harry will be a bit emo at times in this chapter, but by the end he won't have time to worry about such things. So if you plan on bitching like some of you did last chapter about him being a push over, DON'T! Finally, I'd like to thank Joe Lawyer for betaing this chapter and just being an all around awesome dude to talk to.
WARNING: In the coming chapters, Harry begins acting out of character. There IS a reason behind this, and it will be explained in the coming chapters after.
Harry sauntered through the hallways projecting an air of cool indifference to the whispers and looks he was receiving. All those who stopped to watch him, unconsciously making room for the boy who seemed to radiate power and an aura that said 'you may not like me, but you will respect me.'
Entering the Great Hall, he briskly clamed a solitary spot at the Ravenclaw table, where he blocked out the festive Halloween streamers and decorations hanging in the room, along with the looks he was accustomed to receiving after years of being in the center of attention. However, rather than seeing and hearing the stares and whispers of gossip mongers that he was having trouble with, they were the concerned gazes of those who considered him a friend.
Not knowing, nor caring what he filled his plate with, Harry brooded over the past couple of weeks as he served himself.
Everything had been going fine for him up until the day of the quidditch tryouts. Maybe that should have been his first clue that things were going to be going wrong for him; everything was going all too easily for Harry Potter.
As Iris and the others left after coming to see if he was alright after his crash, he had expected for Daphne to tear into him. He had been ready for anything, from another bout of yelling from the quiet girl to being hexed and cursed. Anything would have been better than what had actually happened.
Daphne had simply looked him in the eyes, her breathtaking icy-blues staring into his Avada Kedavra-greens. Moments passed in which both Harry and Cho, who had walked around the grounds with the group, both started to squirm waiting for something to happen. But much to their surprise, Daphne shook her head at him, an unreadable look in her eyes before she walked away without a single word of parting. Since that day Daphne hadn't so much as looked at, or even spoken to the green-eyed boy, and it was driving him crazy.
If the fact that his closest friend wasn't speaking to him wasn't devastating enough for the youngest male Potter, he also had to deal with his conflicting emotions over his reaction to Iris.
'What kind of sick bastard gets off on hugs from their ten-year-old sister,' he thought scornfully. Dropping the fork he was holding on to the table, he closed his eyes trying to stomp out the memory of how soft her skin had felt against his own, and the mouthwatering scent that had accompanied their embrace.
He lowered his head as a sneer crossed his face and a feeling of self-loathing filled him as his body reacted to the memory of her being in his arms. as it always did when he thought about the moment they had shared.
'God I'm sick,' he thought as his eyes burned with unshed tears. 'She trusts me enough after all this body has done to her, to hug me like any normal sibling should, and I turn it into something so... perverse.'
Harry was unaware that many were watching him. That the masses could see him hunched over as his long curtain of hair hid his face from view. His hands placed on both sides of his plate, balled into fist that were shaking along with the rest of his body. Nor did he know how in his despair that power was rolling off of him.
Had a professor been in attendance they would have forced him off to Madam Pomfrey, for a strong calming draught, but it was the unfortunate luck of those in the hall that they were all absent at the moment.
But if the combined assault of missing his best friend and dealing with his self hatred wasn't enough of a strain on his mind, he also had to fight his wounded pride and ego that was craving revenge on those who had made him show weakness to the masses.
The thought of what had happened that day passing through his mind was like a switch for the still emotionally overloaded boy. His anger and disgust for himself, flaring into hate for whoever it was that had gotten the best of him.
'If I ever find out who it was, they'll pay dearly,' he vowed mentally, a cruel smile playing across his lips that was thankfully unseen by all.
FLASH BACK
A giddy Harry practically skipped through the hallways on his way downstairs for a late lunch.
With Daphne having nothing to do with him as of late, and his random burst of self-loathing over being turned on by his sister, Harry had few things to be cheerful for, but that had changed earlier in the day.
Just a couple of hours prior, Harry along with all of the other first year ravens, had tried out for their house dueling team. And much to the joy of Harry and the captain of both the quidditch and duel team, Carter Kirkwood, Harry had effortlessly beaten Mandy, Terry, Kevin, and Padma for one of the three spots on the team, with Blaise and Daphne calming the other two.
Thus why he was experiencing a euphoric high at the moment. Besides the time he had been spending with Cho and on occasion Katie, Harry had very little to be happy about since his accident, but now that he had joined the duel team he was hoping to be able to unleash some of his tension by hexing people. It was only an added bonus that the training sessions held for the team were divided by year, meaning he would have more of a chance to get Daphne talking to him again.
As he jumped down the last six steps of the grand staircase he couldn't help but to feel relieved that he hadn't had to duel Daphne for his spot. Something told the boy that even though she wasn't giving him any attention, she wouldn't have had any problem setting his ass on fire.
Landing on his feet with the grace and skill of a cat, Harry took in his surroundings. All around the Entrance Hall were random groups of students, some joking and playing around, others taking their free time to spend with the opposite sex, while a few had even conjured tables and chairs to sit at as they played games or studied.
Harry had begun to move on, his stomach letting him know of its need for nourishment, when Katie and her two older friends, Angelina and Alicia, drifted through the entrance from outside. All three girls looked to be walking sluggishly and were covered in filth and grime, making more than just Harry wonder if they had been out on the quidditch pitch practicing.
A smile worthy of any prankster slithered its way on to Harry's face as his prankster side reared its head. The three beauties had yet to become aware of his presence, much to the first year's pleasure. With his newfound cheerfulness he slinked up behind them.
"- know he's a good flyer, but it doesn't change the fact he's an ass," Katie grumbled, running a hand through her sweaty hair.
"Ass, or not, Oliver wouldn't get rid of him now for anything," Angelina replied as she used her wand to clean some of the grime off the other two and herself. "Though he was pissed that Longbottom was running around school telling everyone he had made the team."
Alicia burst into laughter, shaking her head in mirth. "He should have kept quiet, but I laughed so hard when our, oh so lovable captain, started going on and on about losing our secret weapon."
"So," Harry said interjecting himself into the trio's conversation, taking joy in the fact that he had startled them in the process. Giving the girls a disarming smile, he draped his arm around Katie's shoulder pulling the girl into his side. "Having trouble with your new seeker?"
"Potter, I know that you're a pervert," Katie told him bluntly, ignoring what he had said, "but if you haven't noticed I'm dirty at the moment and I will not be held responsible for any of the smells you inhale as a result of you invading my personal space!"
Harry knew she was uncomfortable about smelling after a workout and wanted to give her space, but even more so, he wanted to mess with her as had become custom for the two. In the end, the latter of the two wants, won out!
"Don't worry Bells, you always smell good to me." Katie's eyes doubled in size as he leaned into the bend of her neck, his long blood stained looking hair, giving her goose bumps as it fell across her skin.
Taking a deep breath that was mixed with her scent, he sighed in content, "Even when covered in sweat, you still manage to smell of fresh cinnamon." Just as he was about to pull away, he ever so lightly brushed his lips against her collarbone, earring himself a small squeak from her.
When he finally did resurface from the curve of her neck, he was rewarded with the sight of Katie's face sporting the same color red as her house colors.
"Besides Bell," he said as Angelina and Alicia laughed at their young friend, neither knowing how far the boy had gone. "You have yet to tell me that you hate my perverted nature," he teased.
Reaching up Katie smacked his chest lightly. "Sick pervert," she muttered, without any real heat to her voice, nor did she remove his arm from around her.
"Now then, getting back on point," Harry announced more to the third years than he did the scarlet-shaded Katie. "Longbottom being more trouble than he's worth," he stated knowingly.
"Something like that," Alicia grimaced nodding her head. The three girls along with Harry entered the Great Hall, with none of the former being all that surprised when the first year raven joined them at their table.
Unseen by either Katie or Harry was the figure at the Ravenclaw table that saw them walk in with his arm around her. Their almost black eyes narrowing in both anger and hurt.
"Let's just say he's very sure of himself," Angelina answered dryly.
Before anymore could be said between the foursome they were joined by the redheaded menaces known as the Weasley twins.
"Hello lot," Fred greeted from beside Alicia, pulling a plate of sandwiches toward him as his brother sat beside Angelina.
"Why Fred, I do believe there is something here that doesn't belong," George said jokingly, he had taken up a thinker's pose as he stared at Harry, who was oozing smugness back.
"How are you Mister and Mister Weasley?" Harry could feel that he was going to have fun messing with the two of them on this day.
"Great!"
"Fabulous!"
"Superb!"
"Wonderful!"
"We get it!" The trio of chasers chorused with varying looks of annoyance. It appeared that they had dealt with the twins enough times to know when they would need to be cut off.
"What about yourself, Mr. Potter?" One of the twins asked as the other leaned over the table toward him before asking, "Have you been living everyday like a Marauder?"
Harry smiled, knowing what the two were getting at. "All I can tell you is, I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good!" Harry was only barely able to keep himself from breaking out in an evil cackle at the way the twins paled at his words. "And that I will continue to do so until my, Mischief has been Managed!"
The girls had started staring at the three boys in bewilderment. The only thing weirder than the way the young raven was talking was the way the smiles and blood had drained away from the faces of the twins.
"How?" The one that had been called Fred before asked, Harry though knew them well enough to know that the chances he was really Fred were slim.
"How is simple," Harry replied smugly, enjoying how the twins were torn between excitement, and being hesitant about the unknown in front of them that had knowledge about one of their most prized possessions. "The creators told me about themselves."
"You have to tell us who they are," Fred demanded. Harry was starting to worry that the two brothers were going to pass out if their faces became any paler.
"First off, calm down! You both look like you're about to start humping legs!" The girls giggled at his choice of words even though they didn't know what was going on, while the twins looked at him expectantly, neither having paid any mind to his words. "Now I know you both want to know who they are, but I'm willing to go one step farther. I'll introduce you to them."
The twins gasped and were about to start in on him when he cut them off. "However, I'll be needing something in return," he stated mysteriously.
"What is it," George whimpered as he squirmed in his seat, drawing an incredulous look from the girl beside him.
"You have to give me 'it'," Harry informed them.
"No! Absolutely not!" Both Twins shrieked.
"You can't just expect us to hand it over," Fred objected, he was shocked the firsty would even suggest such a thing.
The look on the twins' faces was what Harry imagined they would look like had they walked in on their parents going at it. 'This is going to be a harder sell than I was hoping,' he thought, resigning himself to the long battle ahead of him. But if he ever wanted to get the second copy of the map, then he would just have to deal.
"What are you guys talking about?" Angelina inquired, voicing the question that had been plaguing not only her mind, but the other girls as well.
"Nothing!" Harry and the Twins answered together, causing them to smile at each other despite the fact they were bartering at the moment.
Alicia raised a menacing eyebrow at them at the same time Angelina crossed her arms expectantly. Katie who had been silent up to this point set back intent on watching the coming storm her two mentors were about to unleash upon the boys.
"Gred, Forge," Alicia protested. "We know that when you don't tell us what's happening, is the time that we should know exactly what's going on!"
"She's right," Angelina agreed. She was pleased to see the worried look on the twins' faces.
Harry chuckled internally as he remembered many scenes just like this in his past life. It was a blessing to be able to see the love birds bickering again. Leaning over to Katie he stage whispered to the girl, "Remind me to never become as whipped as those two."
Katie, who had been taking a drink of her water when Harry had spoken to her, found her airway blocked as she choked on the liquid. Coughing in a very unladylike manner, she glared at the boy beside her as he rubbed circles on her back attempting to sooth her.
"Oi!"
"We're not whipped; we just know a lost cause when we see one!"
"Correct dear brother –of-mine," George nodded in agreement. "But just wait until you get to the age where you want to... touch things! I bet you'll be as whipped as any other guy!"
Harry and Katie broke out in laughter as Angelina and Alicia smacked their respective twin in the back of the head before telling them off for 'trying to corrupt innocent minds'.
Harry took the distraction of the four across from himself and Katie as a chance to tease her. "If what the twins say is true, then you should probably start training me now," he commented as he gave her a long once over. "I think I already want to... touch things!"
Katie could sense her cheeks reddening as an affect of his words and gaze lingering over her body. She had always been known as the person to mess with others and wasn't used to being on the other end of the joke. To make matters worse, he was teasing her about sexual things, a line she herself had never crossed when messing with someone other than him. Not that she minded his words, or his touches, but she did mind being the only one to tense up. She fully intended to show him she could get him as easily as he could her.
"I'm sure you do," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the first year. "I remember how flustered you were on the train when you thought you might see a pair of shorts."
Harry took the smug look on Katie's face as a challenge he couldn't let pass. "What can I say; it's not every day that you have a doe-eyed beauty try to show you what's up her skirt. Though if the offer is still on the table, I'd be more than willing to catch a glimpse or two."
Flushing once again Katie opened her mouth to respond, even though she wasn't sure what she was going to say back, when the twins cut her off by wolf whistling at the two.
"What is wrong with the youth of this day and age?" Fred questioned as he shook his head in mock-disappointment at the red faced first and second years. "Back in my day we didn't start flirting like that until at least the second semester of second year."
"It's not their fault dear brother," George informed him knowingly, patting his shoulder. "I blame that darn Teen Witch Weekly. It's corrupting them, it is! But as the two responsible adult-like folk we are, we can't let them go on like this without at least educating them."
"You're absolutely right," Fred nodded to his brother before turning back to Harry and Katie. "So do you two want to do this together, or separately?"
Both Katie and Harry were on high alert for whatever it was that the two were about to try. "What do you mean?" Harry questioned.
"Why were going to teach you two about the wand and its holster!"
Harry had been there with all of the other boys in his year in the last time line, when the twins had dragged a bound and gagged Ron in front of them, and gave him the same talk as they were about to attempt to teach Katie and him. Harry recalled Dean saying it was a lot like when he had received the talk about the birds and the bees from his uncle, the only difference being his uncle hadn't said as much or gone in to anywhere near as much detail as the twins had.
"You know what," Harry exclaimed nervously standing up. "I think you should just give it to Katie at the moment, since I have that thing at that one place to take care of at this very moment."
"Traitor," Katie yelled at him as she jumped up to follow him. Unfortunately for the two, the twins saw it fit to follow along too, spurring Angelina and Alicia to chase after them.
Harry, who was fighting with himself, to keep from outright running away from the group trailing behind him, turned out into the entrance hall, and walked straight into someone, knocking them both into the floor.
"Fool, watch where you're going," Neville hissed at him from his spot on the floor.
Harry was more than aware that the two most well known first years running into each other would draw attention, so he decided to make a fool out of the boy before him. "I don't see what you're upset about," Harry remarked as he easily picked himself up from the ground and started to dust himself off. "With all that fat of yours I'm sure that your landing was a hell of a lot softer than my own!"
Neville's face turned puce as he came to the realization of who had not only knocked him over, but had just insulted him. "Watch your mouth Potter," he warned venomously. "I'm more of a man than you'll ever be!"
Harry snorted as he and those who were gathering around the two watched the Boy-Who-Lived stand up. "The measure of a man is not decided by the amount he eats, Longbottom!"
Puce gave way to red as Neville's anger grew. "I know you're jealous of me," he sneered. That's why you became the seeker for Ravenclaw! You want to be like me," he accused, earning nods of agreement from some of his supporters in the crowd.
Harry laughed mockingly, causing more than a few raised eyebrows from what appeared to be at least half the school gathered around them. "What do I have to be jealous of from a fraud like you?" Harry asked sarcastically, his laughter giving way to his own sneer. "I'm better than you in every way! I earned my way on to my house team, against a brilliant player who just so happens to be a sixth year, while on a school broom."
"If I recall correctly, you were breaking school rules flying around like an idiot when your Head of House came and brought you to Oliver Wood." His sneer had turned into something even Draco would have been proud of as he talked down the boy before him. "How messed up is it that you not only don't get punished for what you did, but then you get on your house team without even trying out."
Neville hadn't expected him to know how he had made the team, nor had he wanted too many to know about it, wanting to claim he had won the spot and try to pass off the rumors the Slytherins were passing around about him as lies.
Feeling his anger rising still more, he latched on to one of the things the boy he loathed had said. "How dare you call me a fraud, I earned my spot on the team fairly!"
"Who said I was talking about quidditch when I called you a fraud," Harry questioned? He was starting to feel on edge being surrounded like they were. He could see a lot of Slytherins and others who didn't like him glaring at him, and once or twice he saw Cedric circling them.
"Then what were you talking about Potter?"
"I'm talking about how you run around this school acting like it was you who defeated Voldemort," Harry flung the words at the boy, enjoying when he and the rest of the crowd flinched as if they had been hit at the mention of 'that' name.
Having gone pale at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, it took Neville and many others a minute to gain some composure and to fully realize what had been said by the Potter heir.
"What do you mean," Neville growled, too upset by the long-haired boy to hear the angry buzzing coming from the crowd. Many, even those who liked Harry did not like where he was taking the conversation. "Everyone knows I defeated the Dark Lord!"
Harry performed a fake cough that did nothing to cover his muttered call of "Bull shit!"
Neville seethed in anger, wishing for nothing more that to curse the boy before him. "If I didn't then how did I get this," he yelled as he lifted his bangs showing off a scar that looked like a cloud. "This proves that I killed him!"
"No that shows you survived a killing curse," Harry counted, it was just too easy to squash all of the boy's explanations when he knew more about that night than any other person bar Voldemort. "Though I doubt if even that was your doing."
Blinking owlishly Neville asked, "What do you mean?"
Harry smiled at him victoriously. "Well let's answer your question by asking those gathered here another." Turning to the group at large, Harry was faced with looks ranging, from amusement, to worry, all the way to hate.
"Which is more likely to have defeated the Dark Lord? A boy who isn't even the top of his school year, somehow having the power to beat old Voldy, or a retired ex-head of the Unspeakables doing something in the last seconds of her life that not only stops Voldy, but protects her sorry-ass grandson at the same time?"
As one the entirety of those gathered went silent as they processed what had been said. Harry could see that his words made sense to a lot of those around him, while others looked on in complete denial. But it was Neville who was the most fun for him to watch.
The-Boy-Who-Lived looked close to passing out as he realized Harry's words not only made sense, but were plausible. Harry couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have something you've believed all your life, a fact that you had boasted about more times than you could count, turn out to possibly be a lie.
Having enough of watching the emotions playing across the faces in the crowd, Harry made to leave, pausing only long enough to stop beside the shell shocked Neville to speak. "But in the end it doesn't matter which one you're talking about, whether it be Voldemort, or The-Boy-Who-Lived, both are nothing more than fools who thought of themselves as gods that walked amongst us lowly mortals."
Saying his peace he continued on, those who were blocking his way parting for him to leave. He was feeling very pleased with himself as he felt most of those watching him start to question what had always been preached to the masses. What he had said would be seen as blasphemous by most of Neville's strongest supporters, but he also knew that those who didn't follow the media blindly would see the truth in his words.
He was past most of the still shocked, silent crowd when screams pierced the air. Harry had only just started to turn around when a bolt of energy surged into his back, sending him through the air. As more and more screams reached his ears, Harry only had enough time to register the agonizing pain in his back as his consciousness slipped away.
Flash Back End
Many felt what happened to him was someone giving him what he deserved, whether it be justice served for talking down to the almighty Longbottom, or punishment for speaking the Dark Lord's name, while others were simply appalled that somebody had the nerve to attack him from behind. All Harry knew was that if he found out who had attacked him, he was going to make life hell for them.
The professors had questioned everyone about the attack, but all had claimed to have seen nothing. Harry could believe that in most cases, as jammed packed as the area had been it was understandable to not see what happened, but for not even one single person to see what had happened was pretty unbelievable by any stretch of the mind.
Harry groaned to himself, still unaware of his fluctuating aura as he recalled how upset his family had been. His mother and sisters had been in a right state when he had come through later that evening, in the medical wing. It had taken more than a few hours of reassuring them and hugs (much to Harry's dismay) that he was alright, before they finally calmed down.
And while the girls' reactions had been predictable, his father's had not. Harry was wrapped up in a group hug with his sisters, Lily sitting at the foot of his bed, her hand placed on his leg, wanting some kind of contact with her beloved son who for some reason drew danger like a magnet, when he heard his father's voice go off like a bomb in the next room. James had been so upset about his son being hit in the back by a borderline dark cutting curse that he had threatened to dose the entire school with Veritaserum, just to get some answers.
Harry had spent as much time trying to calm his father down as had his sisters and mum, but James had refused to listen to reason. The youngest male Potter was finally forced to ask his mother and sisters to leave, before he was finally able to calm James down. And then the only reason he didn't go after the whole school was because Harry informed him that he was going to get his revenge the Marauder way and that he would never forgive him if he ended up making him look any weaker in front of the school than he already did.
Harry's emotions were still on full blast, his mind, despite the meditation he had been using, was a swirl of shame, anger, and regret, when he felt a soft hand run through his hair.
"Harry," Katie called softly, her voice and face both laced with concern. "Are you alright?"
Plastering on a fake smile, he replied, "I'm fine, Bells, why wouldn't I be?"
She grimaced at his answer. "Well I don't really know how to tell you this, but... I guess you could say that your magic is whipping around wildly." Katie informed him with a small laugh; she found the way his eyes widened very cute, even though the situation was anything but funny.
"Damn, give me a second!" Before Katie could ask what he was doing he had closed his eyes and had relaxed his body completely.
As she waited for him to stop whatever it was that he was doing, Katie took a seat beside his still unmoving form. Glancing up and down the table she was relieved to see that Cho wasn't in attendance.
She would never say anything to Harry, but the friendship between her and Cho had become very strained over the past couple of weeks. They were of course still best friends, but nonetheless whenever one of them was around the long haired first year neither of them could help sending resentful looks at the other.
'We're going to have to talk soon, before something happens to blow things out of proportion.' Katie thought as she experienced a stab of panic at the thought of losing her best friend Cho.
"Are you alright?" Harry had come out of his meditation to be greeted by the sight of his Gryffindor friend looking anxious.
Pulling a strand of hair behind her ear she fixed him with a caring look. "I'm fine," Katie told him firmly, "you on the other hand are not!"
"I'm fine," Harry started only to be cut off.
"No you're not! People who are fine do not attempt to smother those around them with their magic," she informed him sternly. "If you don't want to talk about what's upsetting you, well that's your right! But don't lie to me!"
Giving her a searching look, Harry wondered if he could confide in her without coming off like an idiot. Since he was attacked the amount of time he spent with her had increased. And though they spent most of their time together flying, trying to make the other blush, or just simply hanging out with mutual friends, he was worried that he would scare her off by talking to her about how messed up in the head he was.
Sighing audibly he gave her a tired look. "Just me being as my mum calls it 'vain'."
Katie didn't say anything, settling on giving him a look that said "Go on!"
"Well it's not just the vain thing, it's a number of things," he explained. "Daphne still won't give me the time of day, I'm having... problems with my sister, I still want to kill whoever it was that attacked me, and my classes are putting me to sleep!"
"Wow," Katie said quietly, concern filling her eyes. "You're really messed up, huh?" As soon as she said it she burst out laughing at the surprised look on his face. "I'm joking Potter," she had grabbed a hold of his robes to keep from falling as she had laughed. "You have every right to be upset about all those things!"
"First off, if Daphne can't get over whatever it is that's bothering her, that's her fault, not yours."
Harry looked to be about to come to her defense, but Katie cut him off once more. "I'm not saying anything bad about her. From what Cho has told me, she's a great girl." Harry calmed down as he realized she wasn't talking down his friend. "All I'm saying is if she can't accept your apology," here she paused to fix him with a stern look, "you did apologize, right?"
"More than once," he admitted sheepishly.
"Well then it's up to her to make the next move, and until she does there's no reason for you to worry over it," Katie assured him. "Now as for your sister, it's common for siblings to fight from what I hear. I'm sure you'll work out whatever problem it is that's between the two of you."
'She has no idea what the 'problem' between us is,' Harry thought as a wave of guilt made itself known to him, like it had many times over the past couple of weeks. "You're right, I'm sure we'll be okay!"
Katie beamed, happy she was being a help to him. "As for being angry about being attacked, well that's only natural," she stated. It was so scary seeing you cut open like that. When I saw the blood pouring from you as you hit the floor, I was sure my heart was going to stop."
"I'm fine," he assured her with one of his charming smiles. "I've had much worse in the past. No the only thing that was really hurt that day was my ego, which if you're wondering is still very much bruised." He had started chuckling half way through reassuring her, but when her normally soft brown eyes, turned as sharp as any of his beloved blades he stopped at once.
"It's not funny," Katie hissed venomously. "A lot of people were upset - it didn't help any when Pomfrey wouldn't let anyone see you," at the mention of the school healer a sneer made its way to her pretty face.
"Hey it's alright, I'm fine and I can assure you, I will get whoever it was that attacked me!"
She looked as if she wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap, when he told her that he would be getting his attacker back, but said nothing to dissuade him from his goal.
Clearing her throat she continued. "Let see, we gotten past Daphne, the sister, and the ass that attacked you, what else was there?"
Harry watched her as his insides did a weird sort of wiggling as her nose scrunched up as she tried to remember what else was bothering him. She was just too cute for words.
"Oh yeah," she exclaimed loudly as she recalled what his final problem was. "Your classes are too easy! You'll have to forgive me if I don't pity you on this one. I wish my classes were easy for me!"
Chuckling Harry replied, "Yeah well, not all problems can be world class ones!" He smirked evilly at her before continuing, "Now that I think of it, I was awfully rude to bring up how easy lessons are, to you of all people, a Gryffindor." Shaking his head in mock-regret he gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry Bells!"
"Ass," she hissed without any heat in her voice smacking him on the shoulder. "See if I help you again, you bookworm! Gryffindor is way better than Ravenclaw," Katie boasted loudly.
"You do realize, you just yelled that Gryffindor was better than Ravenclaw, at the raven's house table right?" He asked shaking from his attempt to hold in his laughter as most of the table had turned to glare at her.
Blushing from head to toe, she ducked her head into his shoulder. "You ass, you made me do that on purpose, didn't you?" She asked, her words muffled by his robes.
"Listen Bells, if you don't stop talking about my ass and worm in public, people are going to start thinking you're some kind of scarlet woman," Harry told her knowingly.
"Ughh, I can't win with you can I?" Katie asked sounding both annoyed and amused at the same time. She resurfaced from his shoulder her face redder than before.
"I don't know if you'd want to or not," he told her smugly. "First prize is a kiss, but... if you really want to win so badly, I'd be more than willing to throw one of our little games sometime!"
"That's it, I give up," Katie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You're incorrigible!"
"Harry, Katie," Cho greeted, appearing across from them, grabbing an apple before sitting down. "How are you two?"
"I'm fine, but Bells over here won't stop talking about my-" Katie's hand cut him off before he could continue.
"Don't mind him," Katie told her friend, both girls giggling from the eye smile Harry was giving them. "I think your team practices are being to rough on his delicate little head."
Cho felt uncomfortable with how close the two were, but couldn't help laughing along with them like she always did when the three of them were together, even though the three of them together rarely happened.
"Is that right," Cho asked eyeing Harry who still had Katie's hand over his mouth, he was vigorously shaking his head with a scandalized look in his eyes. "I see what you mean Kat... maybe I should have a talk with the captain about getting Gillian to take it easy on him."
Harry seeing a lost cause, sighed from behind his human version of Silencio, sending both ladies a half-hearted glare much to their amusement.
Pulling out her wand Cho used it to check the time and nearly choked at what she saw. "Katie if we don't hurry, we're going to be late for DADA," she said jumping to her feet.
"So," countered Katie as she stood up to follow her, "it's not like Quirrell will do anything if we show up late. He has to be the least frightening professor we have."
"Frightening or not I don't feel like dealing with my housemates shooting me dirty looks because I was late because I was trying to make sure my best friend actually shows up to class," Cho stated in one breath. Katie and Harry gave her amused look that made the girl turn crimson. "Guys," Cho whined weakly as her friends started laughing at her.
"You better go pervert," Harry told Katie from his spot at the table. "She's too cute to deny, I might just end up throwing you over my shoulder to get you there on time."
"Yeah, because you getting a chance to put your hands on me will be all Cho's fault right?" Katie asked knowingly, doing a good job of keeping how much the comment about Cho's cuteness bothered her.
"You know that's a good idea," Harry nodded. "You know I think I'll carry you both to class!" Both girls took off running leaving behind their giggles as Harry stood up. "Oh come on," he shouted after them, "you know you want a ride!"
Harry was unaware of just how loud he had been until a call from the Gryffindor table caught his attention.
"After they're done can we get a ride," Fred yelled across the hall as George nodded his head vigorously from his side.
S2ndC
Harry's mood had taken a noticeable upturn since early that morning. It seemed the time spent with Katie and the few minutes with Cho had done him some good. He was in such a good way that he was once again hanging out with his year mates.
"Why can't I beat you," hissed Blaise. Said boy was sending a laughing Harry a stink eye as they made their way to the Halloween feast. "I try reading your movements, but every time I think I have you, you start moving like - like I don't know what! It's like your dancing or something, it's as infuriating as Peeves when he's terrorizing someone."
"What can I say," Harry said mockingly, "I was made to move!" He winked at a group of third year girls that broke out in giggles as he shakes his hips. "See, even the ladies think so!"
"Very funny," Blaise remarked dryly. "And here I was wondered why I couldn't hit you, when the answer was here before me all along," he said not trying to hide the contempt in his voice. "In your hips!"
Harry smiled cheekily at his friend, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, as long as you now know, I've done my part."
Blaise shook his head feeling exasperated by the boy's whiplash like mood swings. He was happy that his friend was feeling better; he just wondered how long the playful Harry would be around before moody, emo avenger Harry would poke his head back out.
"Have you found anything," Harry asked in a subdued voice. They had just reached the entrance hall and Harry had his eyes focused intently on the area he had been attacked.
Blaise silently cursed himself for jinxing the situation. "There are... rumors going around that the attacker was a Slytherin. But for the time being, my contact doesn't have anything to report on who it was that attacked you."
Harry nodded absentmindedly as they drew closer to where he had landed. "Who is your contact and what does 'rumors' mean?"
"As I've told you on more than one occasion, I won't betray who it is," Blaise answered forcefully. "Just know she is trust worthy. As for the rumors - well let's just say that in the Slytherin common room more than one person is claiming the crime."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he again spoke. "Well then, if many want to claim responsibility for what happened to me, then they should all take part in the punishment." Blaise actually felt sorry for the house of snakes. He wouldn't have wished any one to be on the wrong side of those eyes at the moment. "Oh and by the way Blaise," Harry said gaining his friends attention once more, "tell your lady friend, the 'contact', to keep her head down. Things are about to get messy for the snakes... and maybe for the lions as well."
"What do you mean lady friend, I never said-" Blaise began.
"Yes you did," Harry cut him off giving him a look that left no room for argument. "Don't worry about it; your secret is safe with me."
The boys took up residence mid-way down the table. Passing the time until Dumbledore's speech, the two talked about how they could read their opponent during duels.
As Dumbledore addressed the hall in his normal cheerful manner, Harry kept getting the feeling the man was watching him more than he usually did. Had he messed up again without somehow noticing?
As Dumbledore finished his pre-feast speech and was taking his seat his eyes met those of the young Potter's. Normally, Albus would never intrude upon someone's mind as it was an illegal act and downright rude to do so. But for some reason that was beyond his brilliant mind, he found himself trying to enter the boy's mind. An action that would later on cause him a great deal of remorse.
He could feel the magic laced probe leave him. But as it reached those emerald like eyes the probe was obliterated, leaving nothing, not even the magic from the mind attack behind. Dumbledore felt himself blinking owlishly as he wondered what had happened. And though he was happy that he was unable to enter the child's mind, not wanting to be the type of person who invaded people's privacy, he couldn't begin to fight the onslaught of questions that appeared in his mind.
Harry had been more than a little shocked when he felt the rune covered earring in the helix of his ear start to buzz with magic. Harry didn't have time to react before he started to feel a deep regret as if he had done something without meaning to and that it was very wrong, but at the same time a jolt of excitement passed over him as if he was going to appreciate what was about to happen.
'What the hell was that,' Harry thought as his eyes turned wild giving him a dangerous, almost animalistic look.
He hadn't felt foreign feelings as he just had, since Voldemort had enjoyed playing with his mind. Could he still have some of the madman in his head? Was some of the old Harry resurfacing? Or had he really been crazy all this time and he was just now figuring it out?
"Harry," Blaise called sharply. He flinched when his friend's eyes turned on him. They were so sharp that they bordered on crazed. "Ar-are you all right." He asked in a shaky voice.
"I'm fine," Harry snapped, his teeth snapping against each other loudly. As the emotional high took him over he failed to dig up any remorse for barking at his friend. "Why wouldn't I be?" He questioned his voice full of accusation.
"I-I don't know," Blaise stuttered out. Feeling more than a bit of fear, he tried to slowly reach for his wand, but stopped when Harry narrowed his eyes. "It's just that you're fine one second, staring up at Dumbledore, then the next you're completely on edge."
His eyes widened as realization hit him like a bludger. Dumbledore was one of the strongest mind-magic users on the planet. His earring was made for the sole purpose of protecting the wearer's mind. It would make perfect sense for the sensation he had experienced to be coming from the piece of jewelry sheltering his mind.
His demeanor slowly changed from enraged to one of a person contemplating something solemnly. 'Why would the earring expose Dumble's feelings to me?' He pondered as those around him focused on their meals and conversations. The exception to this being Blaise, who was watching him warily, waiting for another outburst and Harry himself.
The CRACK of the entrance doors slamming open startled many, none more so than Harry and Blaise. Harry, who had been brainstorming over reasons why he received the old man's feelings, had been ill prepared for such an intrusion. Blaise had pulled his wand when the noise had reached him, having been expecting he would have to defend himself against the wrath of his friend.
Both boys, along with the rest of the Great Hall, watched as the turban wrapped Professor stumbled through the doors that were still vibrating from the amount of force they had impacted the wall with. The man himself looked like he was only seconds away from having a heart attack.
"Th-there's a troll in the dungeon," Quirrell shrieked. Falling to his knees, he clawed at his chest taking deep painful breaths.
Harry felt the all too familiar rage, which seemed to always be ready to burst forward these days, surfacing once again. All around him chaos had broken out, yet he kept his eyes trained on the DADA professor, who hadn't pretended to faint like last time, but had continued to pull at his robes as if doing so would allow him to breath.
'It looks like his acting is better in this world,' Harry thought grimly, and yet for a reason he could not explain a highly amused laugh escaped him. Thankfully only Blaise heard him over the yelling and wide spread panic. Harry didn't worry about the boy hearing him, because he was sure the kid already knew he was messed up just from the way he had acted in the past few minutes.
Loud bangs being let off in rapid succession silenced the room instantly.
Dumbledore held his smoking wand high above his head as he slowly looked around the room, giving them all an intense look that made those who met it, feel calm. "You will all follow your prefects and Heads of House to your common rooms where the feast will continue, while the Troll is being taken care of," he announced continuing to spread his gaze over the mass of frightened students.
During this time, Harry had taken to looking down his house table looking for Hermione. He released a breath he wasn't aware that he had been holding when he saw her nervously clothing the arm of Morag who was in the same state as the former. Knowing she was safe from the Troll Harry split his attention between the still acting man and the conversation happening at the staff table. Even with how silent the hall had become it was still difficult to hear Snape speaking to Dumbledore.
"Albus that plan of yours won't work," Snape informed him without his usual air of smugness. "McGonagall and Flitwick both failed to show up for the feast. Nor did Hagrid, Kettelburn, Vector, Sinistra, and Babbling make an appearance. All the others who are not here left the castle for other dining arrangements."
"That is troubling," Albus replied. His gaze went to each of the staff members in attendance as he assessed the situation. A grim look passed over his ancient face before any but the most perceptive could witness it. "There has been a change of plans," he called out to the attentive crowed. "You will all remain here until the situation has been seen too. Do not fear the problem will be taken care of with haste!"
Whispers broke out once again as the few professors in the hall grouped together at the head table. Harry was beyond surprised to see Quirrell pull himself together and head to the group that was developing a course of action, and if from the look of suspicion on Snape's face was anything to go by, he was just as shocked as Harry was.
'Shouldn't he be going for the stone?' Harry thought as his eyes narrowed to near slits. 'What is he planning?'
Before he had too much time to ponder over the DADA professor's plans, he heard his name being called from across the hall. It took him a few seconds to find who it was that had called out to him as the hall had slowly become a mash of emotional, talking students. Finally the people calling Harry found him.
A hand placed on his shoulder turned Harry, so that he was facing the twins, Angelina, and Alicia. All of whom wore scared and worried looks.
"Harry, have you seen Katie?" One of the twins asked as the others moved in closer to better hear him. "We haven't seen her since earlier today when she was with you and Cho."
"We would have asked Cho, since we saw them leave together, but she seems to be missing too," supplied the other twin.
Harry felt a chill run down his spine at the same time a thought he had in the past crossed his mind. Or did he have the misfortune of having a third god, named Fate, taking an interest in his life? Had he jinxed himself, or worse Katie and Cho?
"Do you have the map on you?" He demanded scaring the group of Gryffindors and Blaise who had come up to them to see what was going on.
Not getting anything out of the two besides a flinch, Harry pulled out his wand and without caring who saw what he was doing, summoned the map from the two. Snatching the floating bit of parchment out of the air, he quickly unfolded it and muttered the saying, activating the map as the older students gaped at his spell use.
Locating the bathroom where he and Ron had saved Hermione from the Troll at on the map, he saw that both girls were in fact there. But what made his heart nearly stop was that the Troll was just down the hall from the bathroom. It had moved there faster than it had last time.
"FUCK!" He cursed nearly ripping the map in two as he turned on the spot and took off for the exit of the Great Hall.
In his haste to save the two girls who he had become so close to in the past few weeks, he failed to remember the highly curious group of students behind him that would undoubtedly give chase. It also escaped him in his panicked state that had he gone straight to Dumbledore then and there, he could have informed him of what was happening so the aged Headmaster could have called his Phoenix and been by the girls' side within seconds.
As it was now, Harry was climbing stairs at a rate that should have been outside the abilities of an eleven year old, with a group of Gryffindors and his Ravenclaw friend chasing behind him calling out to him.
"Harry, what in the name of Merlin has gotten into you today," Blaise roared from his place at the back of the group. "Damn it, answer me Potter!"
The dark skinned boy questioned his need to study people for the first time in his life as he tripped, banging his knees painfully against the steps. Quickly pushing himself upright, he continued on chasing after the boy who fascinated him.
While Blaise was by no means ready to start dating, he knew for a fact that he wasn't gay... or at least he thought he wasn't. Ever since meeting the long haired boy, who drew attention like a niffler to gold, Blaise had found himself watching him more than was necessary. He knew it was weird and that if anyone found out, he'd be labeled gay and rejected by his peers, but he just couldn't help himself.
The way Harry would act one way, one second, then do something that was the complete opposite of the way he should the next, was what drew Blaise to him. It was almost like two different people were in control of one body. Harry actions today alone proved how much fun the boy could be to watch, even if he did come off as a bit dangerous. And that was exactly why Blaise would never report his friend's strange behavior to anyone - they were just too entertaining for Blaise to give up!
They were now on the second floor racing through the winding hallways as paintings from inside their frames yelled for them to slow down. The twins and the others had ceased in trying to get the young boy to answer them and were now focusing solely on trying to keep up with him.
"Do you think this has anything to do with where the girls are at, or are we losing at a game of tag," Fred panted as he took a corner he had seen Harry disappear around seconds before. "And what in Le Fay's name is that smell?"
The smell, the prankster spoke of was at first nothing more than an unpleasant, yet mild discomfort. But slowly, the farther they traveled the stronger the smell became.
"The Troll is just up ahead, and has more than likely cornered the girls," Harry called over his shoulder. He had only realized he was being followed when Blaise had called out to him. As the turn off for the hall the bathroom was in came into sight he had thought it would be a good idea to warn the others what they were following him into.
Harry smiled to himself when his words didn't deter them, but instead spurred them into moving faster. They would make good allies when the war started up. Even Blaise who had little to no interaction with either girl pushed his already tired body faster.
Harry's musing was smashed by a dual set of screams that pierced the air as they turned into the hallway. For the second time in his 'life', Harry watched as the Troll entered the girl's bathroom. But unlike last time when the creature had slowly ambled its way into the restroom, this Troll smashed through the double doors as if they weren't even there.
Without slowing, he pushed himself toward the beast as a single terrifying thought crossed his mind. 'The damn thing is bigger than last time!'
"HELP!" Katie and Cho screamed together as Harry pulled his wand, the others mirroring his actions seconds later.
Just as they were about to cross the threshold and enter the bathroom the entire hallway shook. The impact was so strong it nearly succeeded in knocking them off their feet. Grabbing the frame where one of the doors once stood to steady himself, Harry pulled himself into the bathroom just in time to see Cho and Katie dive under the swing of the monster's club as it tore the stalls off the wall.
The bathroom was a disaster zone. The walls and floor were covered in huge spider web like cracks that spread all throughout the stones that made up the room up. Water pooled across the ground from where all but one of the sinks had been smashed, by the large creature, causing the smallest pieces of debris to float.
The troll roared his anger over having missing his targets as he turned, cornering both girls as he did so. Raising his mighty club he made to bring it down on the two frightened girls, both of which were helpless against the creature.
Harry without thinking about what would be most effective against the Troll's thick hide called out the first spell that came to mind.
"Aqua Flagellum!"
Out of his wand burst a highly compressed rope of water. Seeing the spell he had chosen without thought, he immediately lashed out with it hitting the creature in the back of its neck leaving a long nasty gash in its wake.
The Troll voiced its pain through an ear bleeding roar as it dropped its club, where it landed behind it. With a hand pressed to its wounded neck it thundered around to focus its beady eyes onto an impressed looking Harry, a cocky grin on his face.
When he had first started using the spell he had actually hit himself with it. The difference had been that while it had hurt, it had done nowhere near as much damage as it had now.
"Mate that was a really cool, really advanced spell, but I - uh - think you might have pissed it off," One of the wide eyed twins whispered.
The Troll while being stupid did have superb hearing. So when he heard the whispered comment he turned his attention from Harry to George before charging at the redhead.
"MOVE!" Harry yelled sending those who had followed him into their current situation scattering. He himself stood his ground and started the needed wand movements to cast the spell he wanted to attempt.
"Haurientes Vinculis!" He yelled his voice full of excitement at the promised battle. Black, glowing chains shot out of his wand and at the troll. The glow from the chains intensified as they wrapped around the beast, pinning its arms to its side.
Even with its small mind the Troll could tell the chains were bad news and that he needed to get away from them. However, every time he would attempt to break them, the glow would intensify and for a reason it could not comprehend he would feel weaker.
"Cho, Katie, move your asses while he's distracted," Harry called. Both had been holding one another as they stood transfixed at the sight of what he had done. "And be careful, I have a feeling he's about to get pissed."
Neither needed telling twice, moving as fast as they could while still holding onto each other, they made their way over to where the rest of the group had gathered to watch what was taking place.
Meanwhile, the Troll had been growing steadily madder with each failed attempt to escape. In its rage it started to spin and bash itself into walls to break the chain, destroying the bathroom to what looked to be beyond repair.
"We're all together now; let's grab boy wonder and bolt!" Angelina ordered getting nods from everyone except Blaise.
"Wait," he placed a hand out stopping them all. "Look at Harry, he wants to fight it!"
Alicia grabbed the hand blocking her way, giving it a squeeze that almost brought Blaise to his knees. "So what, we let him get killed, because he wants to fight?" Her tone at that moment would have been more than enough to freeze the black lake.
"Do you really think he's going to die after what we just saw?" As he had spoken he had tried turning in place to lessen the older girl's grip, but to no avail. "He conjured those chains! That alone is a what, forth - fifth year spell? Then add in the fact that they're glowing and that means they're more than likely a spell from above NEWT levels!"
The group still had worried looks on their faces, especially Cho and Katie, but Blaise, a person who loved nothing more than observing people and their actions, could see that all of them were as curious as he was.
"Now add in all you know about him, the way he acts, his grades, the effect he has on people, anything you can think of." Blaise stopped here as the Troll gave its loudest roar yet as it collided with the wall. They could all see the links in the chain starting to pull apart under the troll's constant assault, and the way Harry was eyeing the creature. It was almost like he was hoping it would get free. "Look at him, he's not normal!"
"I thought he was your friend," Cho said in an accusing tone her eyes forming into slits as she prepared herself to defend her savior.
"I didn't say anything was wrong with him," Blaise said trying to back away from the girl. He failed to do so, on account of Alicia still being in possession of his arm. "I just said he wasn't normal! That's not a bad thing! I'm sure many a great mind was seen as abnormal during their youth. Take Dumbledore for example, he's as damn crazy as they come and yet he's still as amazing as he is."
"What are you trying to say?" Katie asked, speaking for the first time since being saved. "That he's the next Dumbledore?" She questioned with a hint of disbelief.
"I'm not saying that, nor am I saying he won't! All I'm saying is that we watch and see what he can do," by the end of his sentence there was more than a little begging in his voice. Seeing the looks of their uncertainty weakening, Blaise pounced knowing he would get what he wanted. "If things get out of hand we can always step in! Multiple spells from the seven of us would be more than enough to stop it long enough for him and us to get away to safety!"
No one said anything as they considered the possibilities. But in the end the choices they would have made, whether positive or negative, wouldn't have mattered, for at that moment the Troll with a bellow that seemed to hold all of its power, broke its chains, sending large metal links flying in every direction.
Harry felt his excitement rise at the sight of the troll freeing itself before a mood killing thought hit him. 'Great, I'm turning into Bellatrix.' Dismissing the thought as soon as it came, he focused on what he wanted to do next.
"Rullante Acqua!" He screamed out in Italian, it was one of the few spells he had mastered that used a different language as it incantation. Giving his wand a corkscrew twist, the water from around the room converged on the troll's ankles trapping them together and angering the creature further.
Wasting no time to admire his work, he slashed his wand downward then straight back up as he let out a cry of, "Adustum!" The water around the troll's feet slowly turned to ice that was unbreakable for even the troll.
The troll by now had completely forgotten about the humans it wanted to crush and was focusing solely on trying to stay upright. With strength that was common for its kind, but outrageous to most other humanoids, it effortlessly dug hand holds into the castle walls.
Harry taking the creatures distraction as a blessing and a disappointment, chose to end it before the creature was gifted with a burst of luck.
"Caeli Sphaera!" From his wand flew a large ball of compressed wind that flew into the back of the troll's head, slamming it, head first, into the stone wall. There it lost consciousness and as the full weight of its gigantic body pressed against the wall, the group of on lookers only warning that the wall was about to give in was the long dragged out moan it gave just before it crumbled.
Harry allowed himself a small smile as he gazed at the motionless body of the colossal creature. He knew that it wasn't much of a fight, but it still felt good being able to take out a large, even by troll standards, troll, without crediting the finishing blow to luck. And to top it off, he had gotten all of those high level spells off without even the smallest of hitches, and without even putting a dent into his magic.
"Cho, Katie, are you two alright - is everyone okay?" He asked turning to the stunned students. Seeing them looking between himself and the troll made his smile widen. "You know if you don't answer me, I'm going to think you're all brain dead."
"Mate, where did you learn those spells at? Are you studying to become an Elemental?" A flustered George queried, his eyes alight with mischievousness.
"The spell you used to trap its feet wasn't in Latin," Fred pointed out. "It sounded more like French... I think."
The young Potter didn't receive a chance to answer either of their questions as both Alicia and Angelina turned on them with murderous looks marring their beautiful faces. Harry could only chuckle as the twins were torn in two by the girls. Blaise seemed to be trying to escape their war path, but Alicia still had a hold on him.
"Help me damn it!" Blaise hissed under his breath as Cho and Katie made their way to Harry's side.
"Sorry mate, but I know when to fight and when to take what's coming to me." Harry apologized, though Blaise could tell he wasn't the least bit sorry from the smirk plastered on his face.
"Harry," Cho and Katie had each taken up residence on either side of him, both of them keeping a constant eye on their attacker. "How did you do all that?" Cho asked in a small voice as if speaking loudly would rouse the beast.
"I've spent a lot of my time here at Hogwarts training," he confessed getting nods from them both, neither pushing the subject. He took this time to look them both over and saw how rough they both looked, dirt and grime staining their flawless skin, torn and wet clothing, hair wildly splayed across their shoulders. And yet, he could honestly say he still found them as attractive as ever. "There's no reason to look so upset, it's over now and he can't hurt you," he promised, taking them both by the hand.
Cho beamed at him with tears in her eyes, being as close to being killed as she had been finally catching up with her, making her misty eyed. Katie was too busy wiping at her own eyes to notice, not wanting to show weakness to anyone, before giving them her own smile. At that moment Harry felt complete, but at the same time it felt as if something was missing. A something, that had he figured out whom else he was longing for, would have had sent him spiraling back into his own pool of self loathing.
"Good Lord!" At once, all of the occupants of the bathroom stiffened. The call had come from out in the hallway, but they all had recognized it as belonging to Professor McGonagall.
Harry wasn't at first all that worried; he had after all gotten away scot free last time, why shouldn't he this time? But as he gazed at the troll that had been used as a distraction by his DADA professor, he saw something that made his breath hitch. He had forgotten to melt the ice.
Letting go of the girls' hands, he grabbed his wand before hitting the chunk of ice with an over powered counter curse. The ice melted right away, but Harry felt his knees weaken beneath him. He had placed more magic in that one spell than he had all the rest since entering the bathroom.
The others watched wide eyed as he cast the spell, none of them saying a word. They didn't understand why he wouldn't have left his spell work around for the professor to see, had it been any of them they would have readily taken credit for it.
As the last of the ice melted away turning the floor once again into a mini pond, a ruffled looking McGonagall entered the bathroom. When she caught sight of Harry using the two older girls as support and all the rest of their group she clutched at her chest in a way that reminded Harry that he was going have to figure out what Quirrell was up to during all this.
"What happened here," McGonagall screeched. Harry had to fight back a moan as every eye in the room turned to him. McGonagall seeing this sent him the same look she had been since day one. "Well, I'm waiting!"
"It started when Professor Quirrell told us there was a troll in the dungeon," Harry told her trying to think up a lie so he wouldn't have to tell about the map, or his use of spells. "I knew that Katie and Cho had spoken of going to the library before the feast, but had failed to show up."
"I was worried about them and knew that the troll was in the dungeon, so I went to warn them about it." Harry didn't look at the others as he told McGonagall the lie, hoping that they would not only go along with what he was saying, but also have the common sense to not look surprised by his story.
"The twins and the others saw me leaving the hall and were worried about me and gave chase." Even though he wasn't looking straight at them, he could see those who had followed him tense out of the corner of his eye. "I know we should have contacted one of the Professors, me about the girls' whereabouts and they about my behavior, but we were caught up in the moment and didn't think." Much to his and the others in the room shock, McGonagall's eyes had lost a bit of their hostility as he talked.
"I respect bravery when I see it Mr. Potter, but do you mind telling me why the bathroom is destroyed and how exactly it is that the troll you were so sure to be in the dungeon came to be in the wall here?"
"As we were heading upstairs we heard screams and went to see if we could help who ever needed it," Harry told her flawlessly. "When we got here it had Cho and Katie cornered. Thinking fast we all started to pelt it with the debris from the smashed stalls and sinks. In the confusion, the Troll dropped its club. I saw this and sent it at the troll's head knocking it out, which was when it hit the wall making a new, and might I say very lovely, new entrance!"
Besides when her lips thinned at the 'lovely' part of his story, McGonagall sent them all grudging looks of approval. "Well I must say that I'm impressed with the bravery you've all shown here today," she said as her gaze turned to the sleeping creature. "I wish I had received the Headmasters message sooner. I might have been able to help had I gotten here just a little sooner."
"You'll all receive ten points for looking out for fellow students." McGonagall allowed herself a small smile that lasted all of three seconds before her frown was back in place. "Just be warned, if any of you are to pull something like this again I will personally see to it that you are expelled!"
S2ndC
"Potions must really suck if you're a Hufflepuff," Blaise said to Harry and a few others who were leaving the dungeons together.
"You have no idea," Susan replied as the other puffs nodded their agreement. "I had thought people were being dramatic when they said Snape was evil, but I'm really starting to believe it."
"How Harry, a person he hates beyond all others, can avoid his wrath the way he does I'll never know," Hannah said turning the group's attention on the boy himself.
Harry had been too busy watching Daphne push her way through the mass of students to pay them any attention. The dungeons were always packed at this time a day by students leaving potions and the Slytherins making their way to the snake's common room.
"Harry!"
"Huh?" he replied, looking surprised at being called. "Oh sorry, I was just... thinking."
"She still not talking to you," Susan kindly asked, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. She, along with many of the other girls Harry called friends, had become comfortable enough around his flirtatious habits that they could now come into contact with him, without turning into an overripe tomato.
Harry sighed before smiling at the concerned girl. "No, she isn't."
It was mid-November and just a week after the Gryffindors crushing defeat over the Slytherins. The game had played out just as it had during Harry's reign as The-Boy-Who-Lived. The only difference being he had learned what it must have felt like to have been Malfoy during the last timeline, as he had taken to joining the Slytherins in cheering for the boy to fall.
In all the time since the troll attack nothing really good had happened; sure he was closer than ever to Cho and Katie, the twins now practically worshiped the ground he walked on, and he was faster and stronger than ever thanks to the time spent in the ROR, but other than those few positives, everything else had been bad or just plain boring.
His broom had yet to show up as Carter was more than willing to point out every time they saw each other. The Professors were watching him closer than ever before as if they expected him to go find more trolls to fight. Daphne was barely even willing to stay in the same room as him, making him start to wonder if he had done something to offend her further than just endangering himself. His mediation was going nowhere. The little sleep he did get was riddled with dreams featuring his sister. And to top it off Cho and Katie seemed to be at each other's throats as of late and he was getting the feeling it was his fault.
"I'm sure she'll come around soon," Megan Jones told him confidently. "You're both too good of friends to stay apart for too long."
Harry nodded she was right, while inside he was thinking that if that were true then why had it then been over a month since they had last spoken. If she didn't ever want to talk to him again, he was sure she wouldn't.
The small group of friends had almost made it out of the dungeons when off in one of the many passages, one of the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen waved for him to come to her.
Harry, like any other straight male would, stopped where he was with a look of surprise on his face. Blaise who had seen the girl waving his friend over looked to be having a panic attack. Turning so that his back was to the girl and the hall she was in, he pretended to be looking for someone, when in fact he was trying to give Harry a warning.
"Mate," the dark skinned boy said, sounding genuinely scared. "I have no idea why Vega Royce wants you to go down that hallway, but when you do, watch your step."
Harry scoffed eyeing the blonde. "I'll be-"
"No," Blaise hissed over him. "Her family is very old and very dangerous. There are rumors that her family is tied to every illegal ring, besides the sex slave trade. And the only reason that they're not in that business is because the family is, and always has been, ruled by women."
Harry's cockiness died away at once. Royce, he had heard that name somewhere before, but he didn't know where. He knew it wasn't the past timeline... he would have remembered the reputation and not to mention the goddess calling to him now.
"When you talk to her, do so respectfully, and pray to Merlin that she doesn't want you dead!" Having given his warning, Blaise left, not wanting to be anywhere near a member of the Royce clan.
Harry watched his friend leave with a growing sense of dread passing over him. 'Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be into young boys,' he thought humorlessly.
He walked cautiously up to her, and before he had even reached her, she turned and left. Not knowing what else to do, he followed trying to be alert in case anyone tried anything, while at the same time he tried to keep his eyes away from the heavenly sway of her hips.
She led him to one of the numerous abandoned classrooms the castle held. As he stared at the dust covered room, he idly wondered if this was the place Tonks had been attacked during her first year.
The snap of the door closing and being locked, knocked him from his thoughts. Vega turned to him her sweet and charming smile from before, turning cruel and haughty as she eyed him hungrily, her tongue darting out to moisten her perfectly shaped lips. If it hadn't been for Blaise's warning he would have thought he was finally going to be able to release some of the stress his dreams of Iris had brought him that he had been unable to get rid of himself.
"Harry." She said his name in a way that sounded like she knew him well, almost like she cared for him. "It's been too long, how are you?"
Harry was forced to crush his rising panic as he realized this person knew the old Harry. How was he supposed to act toward a person he knew, but didn't know at the same time? "I've been better," he answered in a smooth voice giving her a handsome smirk. "How have you been Vega?"
She batted her blue eyes at him as she made her way over to him. "I've been missing the Royce family's number one customer," she said coming to a stop right in front of him. "Why haven't you ordered anything as of late? Were the poisons we got you, not to your liking? Or maybe that special trunk we got for you isn't working right! Perhaps that cursed dagger we found just for you doesn't work so well?"
"No, no they are all more than satisfactory!" Harry had wondered where all of the non stolen items had come from, and now that he knew, he wished that they had been stolen. "I've just been rather busy as of late."
"I'll say," she said mockingly, backing away to sit on a desk. Harry didn't try attempting to pull his eyes away from her short skirt and her finely muscled legs. "You've put a twist in a lot of people's knickers Harry, especially those little girls always chasing you around."
Harry didn't say anything, he couldn't. The girl before him honestly scared him. The way she held herself, the air around her, her whole being screamed of being a predator. To a lesser extent, it was the same way people felt when dealing with Harry's darker side.
"But my jealousy of your future cum dumps isn't why I'm here."
'This girl is really pushing the limits of my self-control,' he thought as his teeth ripped the inside of his cheek open in an effort to keep from hurting her.
"I'm here because we've found just what will be needed to get through the Potter wards," Vega announced looking excited. "And as an act of good faith, I've already sent them to the woods outside your family's manor. They'll complete the job tonight!"
Harry's tanned skin turned pale, a thin sheen of sweat covered his body, and his mouth had turned bone dry. The way it sounded... it sounded like he had-
"By morning the job you spoke to us about will be done," she stated, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. "Your... 'family' will be no more!"
AN: So how was that for a cliffy? Did I do okay on the fight with the troll? Joe Lawyer commented on it, but how do you all feel about how I'm pulling things from the past that were only briefly mentioned in earlier chapters. And I will tell you I have done the same thing more than once in past chapters.
Also some have been talking about Harry and him having sex and that he's to sexual. I'm going to be straight up, there will be no sex in first year and honestly I don't know about second year. This however doesn't mean he won't enjoy some one-on-one time with some ladies. But all that aside, let me ask you this, and don't answer this question because more than likely you all will give the answer that society deems correct. If you were a seventeen year old boy who was thrown back into a younger body that many females seemed to find attractive, would you try and get laid? Or would you wait until you and the girl(s) you like were of age before doing something?
Now like I said earlier Harry won't be emo like he was in this chapter again. Between Katie's words, and what's going on with his family he won't have the time, nor patience to worry about getting the silent treatment.
So leave a review and I'll try and get the chapter 19 out... sometime before chapter 20.