A/N: Some readers pointed this out and I apologize. Last chapter was quite disorienting as I am having difficulty at making the words flow. Also I'm sorry for the long delay. I got my hands on Mass Effect 3 and got carried away. I promise the next update will be on my birthday, which is quite soon. Thanks to HoosierCullen for the 800th review. Enjoy!
30. Friendly Voices
He felt dizzy as they finally separated for air. The taste of her lips still lingered on his mouth and he smiled dazedly at the memory.
Well, that was one reaction he wasn't expecting. Hoping, maybe, but definitely not expecting this. But then again, it was Dora. She said herself that she kissed him just because she could. The thought wiped off the grin from his face.
"Dora?" he whispered, being so close to her that he could observe every tiny curve in her lips.
Her smile faltered a bit as she understood what was coming next. She didn't know what to say or what to do. What Harry said was so unexpected that she acted on impulse and snogged the poor boy senseless. Now she thought about it, she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. She was afraid that he had mistaken teenage lust for real love. She gave him the taste of a good snog, and taunted him by wearing tight clothes which would make him gawk at her breasts. But she did all that just to get a rise out of him. She liked to mess with him, and now she was facing the consequence.
It wasn't that she thought Harry was too young or anything. Sure, he was fifteen and she was nineteen, but if her dating experiences said something, Harry was a far cry from all the lousy jerks she ever dated. He was sweet, kind, funny, cute and incredibly noble. Most importantly, he cared for her. He didn't do anything just to get on her good books, he genuinely cared for her. And that was the worst part.
He was probably saying this because he found her attractive (the thought pleased her, surprisingly) and he knew a very limited number of girls who really cared about him for who he was. As he confessed to her, he saw Susan as a sister, Hermione didn't attract him, and Hannah was taken by Neville, so that left just her. It wasn't hard to see that even though he didn't realize it yet, he was actually acting out of desperation, fuelled by the hormones building up inside him.
"Dora, please say something." He pleaded and now it was her who panicked. What was she supposed to say? Tell him that he was too young? She was too old for her? Or that he was mixing up lust for love?
"Harry, sweetheart, you probably haven't thought this through. I mean-"
"It's okay Dora. I am too young." He said resignedly and it broke her heart to see him so crushed. "I understand." His voice was forcibly steady, but she could sense that it was threatening to crack.
"No darling. It's not that. It is true that I am too old and you could do so much better with a girl who goes to school with you than me. But that's not what I'm talking about." She tried to explain, silently putting up a privacy charm around the room. No one needed to hear this.
"Then tell me what it is, Dora." He raised his voice as his mouth slightly trembled. "Because I know I won't do better. None of the girls I go to school with knows me like you do. They are not the ones I need or want. I asked you because you understand me and you mean so much to me. Tell me why you think I haven't thought it through because believe me, I thought a damn lot about this before I said anything."
She didn't wince as he almost shouted. It made her angry instead. "Because you are too young!" she yelled. "Not too young for me, but too young to understand what you are talking about. Just because you like to look at my tits and you like to be kissed doesn't mean that you are in love with me! It's called lust."
"Lust my arse!" he snapped and Tonks was taken aback by the force in his voice. She always knew that Harry could be a bit hot-headed, but she never had a row with Harry and this was the first time he was raising his voice with her, and he wasn't finished yet. He stood up and continued.
"I know exactly what lust is, thank you very much! You think what I feel for you is lust? Then let me tell you something. When I think of you, I don't think of a girl with great tits or a gorgeous arse. I think of the girl who held me when I was down, who showed me what family really means. I think of a young woman who is funny, cool, and someone I can always count on. You are hot, Dora. But to me the more important thing is that you are beautiful. Does it make sense?"
His voice had gradually calmed down and he said the last part barely in a whisper. She stared at him in wonder. She didn't know why she was trying to come up with another good excuse and a part of her mind suggested that she was afraid of what can possibly come out of this.
"I... I understand Harry, but I don't know... I'm just afraid that if something goes wrong, I'll lose a friend like you." She admitted and Harry gave a hollow laugh.
"It's okay, Dora. If you like someone else, or you just don't like me like that you can just tell me. I knew I never should have asked you, cos I don't think we can go back to where we were from now, no matter how hard we pretend to."
She knew he was right and could really think of nothing else. So she did what she wanted to do from the moment she first held an infant Harry in his arms.
"Okay, so how about we go on a date tomorrow?"
To her pleasant surprise, it was Harry who rushed forward and captured her lips in a kiss that told how much he was hoping for this answer.
...
The man in the dark blue robes scowled at the building in front of him. The house was exactly what he expected to be, knowing who its owner was. That didn't mean he had to like it. It looked like a tasteless rich person's home, which was one of the many descriptions that could be used for Rita Skeeter. Not wanting to stay here longer than necessary, he knocked the door.
A few moments later, Skeeter opened the door.
"Yes? Who are you?"
He didn't react to her rudeness. He just gave his identity and she immediately plastered a wide smile on her face and welcomed him in.
"So how may I help you Mr-"
"My client would be holding a press conference tomorrow. You are invited." He said shortly and her eyes widened.
"That's fantastic! And after the conference I would love to have a private-"
"My client does not wish to grant any interviews at the moment. And in any case, I doubt you would get a chance to catch him in private with journalists from all over the world that would be attending."
Her eyes widened at this. "Merlin's beard, what is the conference about?"
"You'll see. Be present by 10 am."
"Where does he live?"
"The same place where you were trying to hide in his bathroom for a coup last year. Good day."
Skeeter scowled as the man disapparated with a small 'pop' sound.
...
"All the reporters would be arriving within a few minutes. And your guests are here. Should I send them in?"
Getting an affirmative, the secretary went out of the room and ushered the guests in.
As they closed the door behind them, the newcomers exchanged greetings and pleasantries very quickly. They were tensed, but also determined.
"Let's get this over with."
"Let's go."
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, you were invited today for a conference by three people. One of them is, obviously, Viktor Krum. The two others are Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory. Before it starts I must warn you that any question about any of their private lives would leave us with no other choice than bodily expelling you from the room." Ignoring the protests of a few reporters, the announcer carried on.
"Now we are clear on that matter, please welcome Mr. Krum, Ms. Delacour and Mr. Diggory."
There was much applause as the trio entered the room, looking very serious. They took the three empty chairs and Fleur and Cedric took a deep breath. Viktor was used to the press, so he remained sulky as usual.
"We ask you to refrain from asking questions until the speaker permits you to do so, but be assured, everyone will get a chance." With that, the announcer stepped down from the raised platform and Fleur stood up. She had been practising English since Viktor first shared the idea with her via owl post.
"Good morning, everyone. As you might be wondering what this eez all about, we will tell that to you soon. You should probably know that the three of us were part of the Triwizard Tournament last year, along with 'Arry Potter. We knew him from the Tournament and this conference eez about him.
"The British press claims that 'Arry is an attention-seeking liar, and your ministry is no doubt behind it. We are 'ere to tell you otherwise. From what we came to know from him and others, we can guarantee that You-Know-Who eez really back, and 'Arry is simply telling ze truth."
A lot of chaos followed the statement, and Fleur sat back, scowling at the disbelieving looks sent her way.
"She is right."
The room grew silent as the star of the show, Viktor Krum, spoke out. The reporters leaned forward to listen.
"She is right because I know the truth. I saw everything. I even saw the British Minister destroying the evidence. Harry captured Peter Pettigrew, but he was kissed by a dementor before he was questioned."
At this point, a blonde witch raised her hand and Krum nodded at her.
"Amanda Larrson, Mr. Krum. When you say you saw it, you mean to say you saw Potter bringing back Pettigrew, don't you?"
"No. I wasn't there at that moment. I think I vas at Hogsmeade then."
"Then what did you see?"
"I saw You-Know-Who returning. Harry and I vas holding the cup together, which vas a portkey, and suddenly someone activated it. We vere taken to a graveyard where a Death Eater shot a Killing curse on me, But Harry saved me by pulling me down. Then I disapparated to another place."
A mousy man raised his hand and without bothering with introductions, he asked his question as soon as Krum nodded.
"If you disapparated to another place how did you see You-Know-Who?" he asked rather aggressively. Apparently, the news was not taken well.
"I didn't say I went to another area. I disapparated behind some bushes to see if I could help Harry in any way. Unfortunately, he was bound and had his blood taken by the same Death Eater who tried to kill me. Using the bones of his father, and one arm from Pettigrew, along vith Harry's blood, some dark ritual was done and You-Know-Who was... resurrected." He finished with a shiver as he remembered the horrific scene.
"Didn't you try to stop him?" a reporter from Germany asked hopefully and Krum looked at him in a disbelieving look.
"You expect me to duel vith You-Know-Who?" he asked incredulously and the man looked sheepish.
"So what happened next, Mr. Krum? A weedy woman asked.
"He summoned his Death Eaters and tortured Harry. With the Cruciatus." He said, ignoring the gasps and mutterings. He noticed Cedric and Fleur grimacing. Fleur actually cried when he first described the events at the graveyard to him and Cedric while Harry was in the hospital wing.
"Then he put the Imperius on him, ordering him to beg for death. But Harry fought it and broke through it."
At this point, he had to stop as the gasps were louder and some reporters almost shouted in surprise.
"He broke You-Know-Who's Imperius?"
"You can't be serious!"
"Merlin's beard, I can't even fight an average Imperius!"
"And he is just what... fifteen?"
"YES!" Krum raised his voice to be gain attention and everyone fell relatively silent once more.
"Yes, he is fifteen and he broke through You-Know-Who's Imperius. I didn't think it vas even possible, but it is true. He even threw a few spells at You-Know-Who, but he vas obviously lacking in the power and experience of You-Know-Who."
At this point he paused, deciding on what to tell. He wouldn't lie, but some things were not for everyone's knowledge. In this little time, however, Rita Skeeter raised her hand.
"Mr. Krum, are you saying that you simply watched as the poor Boy-Who-Lived was being put in pain by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers? You just let it happen without doing anything to help him, as you were supposed to?"
"Yes." Krum replied firmly, not letting the guilt he felt to show in his face. "I didn't go to help him because that wouldn't have helped at all. There vere about twenty Death Eaters and You-Know-Who himself vas there. If I did anything, I would've been killed. And that if I was lucky."
"What happened after that, Mr. Krum?" a burly Russian asked.
"they threw spells at each other for a while and then suddenly both of them fell to the ground. The Death Eaters went to check their master and Harry took out two Death Eaters from behind and flamed You-Know-Who's hand, grabbed Pettigrew and then took the portkey back to Hogwarts. I disapparated to Hogsmeade after that."
"Did you say flamed? As in he burned You-Know-Who's hand?" a dark skinned woman asked disbelievingly.
"Yes. He did. Harry is way more powerful than your average fifteen year old."
With that, he leaned back to his seat and Cedric stood up.
"Since you have no reason to believe what Viktor said, I am going to use this." He pulled out a vial of clear liquid from his pocket. "This is, as you can guess, Veritaserum." And without any further explanation, he administered three drops to Krum and waited for a few seconds.
"What is your name?" he asked, testing the potion.
"Viktor Pavel Krum."
"From what you said in this conference, are there any lies?"
"No."
"So everything you said was true?"
"Yes." He confirmed and Cedric nodded his head in satisfaction. He pulled out the antidote from another pocket and administered it to the Bulgarian, who looked quite relieved.
"How do we know it is not water that Mr. Krum took?" Rita Skeeter asked in a sickly sweet voice.
"You can come up here and take ze potion yourself and demonstrate for ze others. I'm sure we can find some interesting information from you." Fleur said with distaste. Skeeter sulked away.
"So now you all know that You-Know-Who is really back, but instead of even investigating the matter, the British Minister attempted to discredit Harry, with the help of the press, and we have given You-know-Who a critical head start. We really hope that everyone will stand together against this dark forces and together we can get rid of You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. That will be all. Thanks for coming."
Everyone was scribbling away furiously, but Rita Skeeter had other ideas.
"Miss Delacour, is it true that you and Mr. Diggory are secretly dating-"
Before she could finish her question, Skeeter found herself dumped unceremoniously outside the room by the wards.
"Well, ve did warn her." Krum said amusedly.
...
The result of the press conference was immediate. All over the world, the news was made the headlines, including the Daily Prophet. When everyone learned that the star Bulgarian Seeker confirmed under Veritaserum what the Boy-Who-Lived was telling a few days ago, and that the ministry had been trying to sweep it under the rug, there was instant uproar.
Fudge was thrown from office along with his useless advisor Umbridge after someone (*cough*Amelia*cough*) leaked the fact that Fudge was about to force Umbridge into Hogwarts as the DADA teacher. The Prophet took great pleasure in mentioning that Umbridge actually failed in her own DADA OWLs. Harry was once more a hero, and was considered the Saviour of the Wizarding World, seeing that he already outmatched Voldemort quite a few times.
The new interim Minister was Rufus Scrimegour, but he was expected to be replaced by Amelia Bones as Harry Potter was spotted visiting her office a couple of times, and was known to have a close friendship with Bones' niece.
But Harry really didn't care about all these. He was happy that his friends stood up for him and that everyone knew that Voldemort was back. The people's behaviour would change every once in a while. It wouldn't take them a minute to bring him down to the ground from the where he was considered now. He had learnt to live with it.
Wanting to be on the good side of the Boy-Who-Lived, Scrimegour appointed Auror Tonks for Harry's protection, basically giving her a vacation of sorts. She was to accompany Harry everwhere, and none of them seemed to mind. Harry was excused from the Underage Usage of Magic Law and was given private lessons on apparating with a standing apparition license. He mastered it within a few hours, shocking the instructor and took the license.
It seemed that, after all the crap he had to go through, life was finally starting to give him something good.
A/N: Review please!