"Harry's stomach was starting to act up in anticipation; he could barely get down a bite of toast or a sip of juice. He watched Ron eat a bowl of porridge, two slices of toast slathered with butter and marmalade, five sausages and some kippers. "Hungry much?" he asked Ron, feeling ill as he watched. "Mmm?" Ron mumbled back at him, his mouth full. It seemed to be an effort for him to notice that anything in the universe existed outside of the food in front of him. "Wan' be bebaird," he said through a mouthful of porridge. Harry nodded, grimacing and leaning back in his seat, so he wouldn't be sprayed with food." - EW!
"and some couples kissed (a bit too enthusiastically for Professor McGonagall, who broke Lee and Katie apart with some well-aimed sparks)." - What a spoilsport McGonagall is.
"Malfoy warned her, although he seemed pretty pleased with himself when the spell converted his canvas bag into a nice simple black leather suitcase to which he added his initials: DIM. Ron and Harry started to laugh when they saw that. "Perfect initials, Malfoy. What's the I stand for?" Ron chuckled. "The I stands for I don't want to tell you..." "Do you know?" Ron tried to ask Ginny on the sly. She shook her head dumbly, but Harry wasn't sure if she was being truthful or not." - That IS funny.
"Harry realized that Lupin was going to go out into Muggle London in robes. They waited while he took his robes back to his room, returning in rather shabby brown pants and a brown shirt. "My guard uniform," he mumbled with some embarrassment. Harry didn't know what to say. He still thought it a crime that Lupin had to support himself the way he did." - I agree with Harry about Remus's job.
"When Malfoy was standing before a triple mirror in the suit he was getting, he squinted and stared at the mirror in an odd way, Harry thought. Finally, he stepped up to it and started rapping it with his knuckles. "Well? he said to his reflection. "What's wrong with you?" Harry walked over to him, standing very close. "Stop it, Malfoy! What's wrong with you ?" Malfoy still peered with a perplexed look into the mirror. "Stupid thing isn't working...hasn't said a word about whether this looks all right..." "Malfoy," he said more softly still. "Muggle mirrors don't talk. " "They don't?" He still stared at the mirror, his eyes narrowed. "No." Finally taking this for an answer, Malfoy walked away from the mirror, as though it had slighted him by not commenting." - That was very funny.
"He heard a wail then, and Narcissa Malfoy ran from the chamber, a handkerchief held over her face in anguish. Lucius Malfoy did not look at her. Harry leaned forward and raised his eyebrows at Draco Malfoy, who saw and whispered, "It's the liquidation of assets thing." He was smiling. "She needn't have told me not to come back to Malfoy Manor. Looks like she won't be going back either-at least, not for long." Harry nodded. She would be destitute, no money or place to live. Harry wasn't sure Draco Malfoy should look so gleeful about this, but then his mother had just a little while ago disowned him and recommended that he kill himself..." - And Draco was OK all these years with such a mercenary mother? Or was she the lesser of two evils?
It sucks that Mr. Weasley's office reminded Harry of his life before he got his Hogwarts letter.
"Well, there are some things she doesn't need me to tell her..." "Such as when your hormones are completely out of control? Yeah, she can probably figure that out when she's standing facing you with a chair in one hand and a whip in the other." Malfoy got a lopsided smile and a faraway look on his face. "Ginny with a whip...now there's an image..." - Hehehe.
"Harry looked back and forth between her and her younger self. He smiled. "You haven't actually changed very much since the age of four, have you, Gin?" She looked a little miffed. "I hope I have..." "I mean your face. It's impossible not to know that that's you." He nodded at the photo. She still had the same snub childish nose covered in freckles, the same large brown eyes, the same thin, pale face under the mop of flaming hair." - Hehehe.
"Fred and George were laughing; they were each missing some teeth, but different ones. "Fred and George didn't lose the same teeth at the same time?" "Oh, mum loved that. For a while she could actually tell them apart." Ginny smiled." - Hehehe.
"but it was starting to look like someone would wind up in the hospital wing. He had no idea how close to right he was, however, until Liam Quirke did a Bludger Backbeat just as Alicia, Katie and Angelina were heading toward the Ravenclaw goals with the Quaffle again, sending the iron ball behind him, directly toward the part of the stands where the Gryffindor supporters were sitting. There was a hue and cry as spectators scrambled to get out of the way. Will Flitwick narrowly avoided being hit, splintered wood was flying after the heavy ball hit the seat where he'd been moments before, and Madam Hooch blew her whistle hysterically while Jordan yelled expletives which would normally have resulted in his being reprimanded by McGonagall, except that she was now using quite surprising language directed at Liam Quirke and examining young Will for any damage. Even Professor Flitwick was on his feet yelling at Liam. "That's my great-nephew, you sodding yob!" he cried at him; which was strong language indeed for the little wizard." - Aw, I wanted to hear McGonagall's "surprising language"!
"Katie Bell scores! Gryffindor THIRTY, Ravenclaw STILL ZERO! That's my girl!" Then Lee ducked his head as McGonagall turned to him in surprise, speechless about this last exclamation. Harry smiled as he scanned the field. He'd suspected as much, since that first match when Ginny had had to step in for Katie..." - Yay! for Katie and Lee.
"Charms went well, Harry knew, because Professor Flitwick was so terrible at doing a poker face. There was no chance that a student taking the Charms O.W.L.s had to wait until they received their results to know how they did with him. Harry went through the basics, then the intermediate-level charms, and then Flitwick asked all students to stay past the usual time who wanted credit for advanced charms. Harry, Ron and Hermione were the only Gryffindors who stayed. The test was basically dueling with Flitwick, who'd been a champion in his youth. Ron went down very quickly; Hermione held her own for some time, before he also disarmed her. After dueling for more than half an hour, Flitwick and Harry were still at it, and Harry had abandoned his robes and was dripping sweat, while the little wizard was still cool as a cucumber and pacing around humming to himself before aiming his wand at Harry nonchalantly and muttering charms. After more than an hour, Flitwick stood still and faced an exhausted Harry and lowered his wand. "Bow, Harry," he told him gently. "The duel is over. It is a draw." Harry lowered his wand and bowed, and that's when he heard, "Expelliarmus!" and felt his wand slipping from his grip, felt himself hurtling backward, bracing himself before he struck the wall hard, and, wincing, sliding down into a sitting position. Flitwick smiled and walked over to him, handing him his wand. "Really, Harry. You should have known better," he smiled at him. Harry looked up at the professor, his eyes unfocussed. "I do now." Flitwick helped him stand and patted him on the back. But Harry had a feeling that he hadn't exactly failed advanced Charms." - Yay! for prof. Flitwick.
"In the prefects' bathroom, he encountered Malfoy, but that no longer had the power to ruin his day. He merely sauntered in, smiling at him as he soaked in the tub, saying cheerfully, "Good morning, Malfoy! Beautiful day, isn't it?" Malfoy had had his eyes closed and opened them now. He leaned against one of the short sides of the tub, his arms spread out on either side of him on the tub ledge. He no longer bothered to hide the Dark Mark. There was no need to bother. "You're damn cheerful for this time of the morning, Potter. Jump in the lake, will you?" "Actually, I thought I'd take a shower. Maybe I'll do a swim in the lake later..." he practically chirped as he headed for the showers. He saw Malfoy shake his head. "You, Potter, are too happy to be allowed..." "But the O.W.L.s are over!" Harry crowed as he stood under the pounding water, making the noise echo off the tile and marble lining the room. He turned and saw Malfoy putting his head around the corner. "I have two words for you, Potter. SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP." "That's five words." "It would be two if you didn't make me swear." "That wouldn't be any fun," Harry laughed," - That bit made me laugh.
"Why aren't you celebrating them being over?" Malfoy walked back toward the tub, started draining it and collecting his clothes. "And just who am I going to celebrate with? The only Slytherins who'll have anything to do with me are Snape and that fourth-year, what's-her-name. And I'm starting to think she fancies me, so I don't want to hang around her too much and give her the wrong impression..." "Or you could spend all of your spare time with her. Then she'd probably stop fancying you pretty fast." Harry laughed as Malfoy threw a damp towel at him, catching it while it was still in the air. "You can laugh, Potter. Even if you only got two O.W.L.s, you'd have people to commiserate with you..." Harry sighed and bit the bullet; he should do it, he should. Malfoy was hinting about it broadly enough. "Malfoy," he finally said, as he took a red bathrobe from the wardrobe. "Dumbledore said that he's going to let everyone third year and up go into Hogsmeade again next Saturday. We'll be getting our O.W.L. results on Friday. No matter what the outcome-why don't you celebrate with us? Ginny will want to be along anyway, and then you can spend some time with her. We'll all go down to the village after breakfast." Malfoy looked at him and swallowed. He hadn't acknowledged what Harry had done in sharing the Quidditch Cup with Slytherin, but Harry knew it meant a lot to him. He was starting to understand how Ginny had had such a struggle at the beginning of their relationship to get Malfoy not to sabotage himself. "If you like," Malfoy said noncommittally. Harry nodded. "That's it, then," he said firmly. After Malfoy left, Harry collected Sandy and asked her, "Why do some people find it so hard to let other people be nice to them?" He wasn't just thinking of Malfoy; Ron was this way too. They had far more in common than either of them would ever have admitted." - I am glad Harry invited Draco and that Draco accepted the invitation.
"Harry collected Sandy and asked her, "Why do some people find it so hard to let other people be nice to them?" He wasn't just thinking of Malfoy; Ron was this way too. They had far more in common than either of them would ever have admitted. "I do not understand people very well, Harry Potter," she answered, "but perhaps they feel that they do not deserve it?" "It was a rhetorical question, Sandy. That means I wasn't really expecting an answer. But I think you understand people better than you think you do." - Sandy was a wise little snake there, IMO.
"Malfoy still grimaced, then nimbly plucked Hermione's letter from her hand. His astonishment was even greater than when he'd seen Harry's letter, but now he found a way to turn the information to his advantage. "So, Potter. Couldn't outperform your girlfriend?" Harry smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "If we're talking about performance, Malfoy..." "I'm out of here..." he muttered, throwing the letter back at Hermione, who caught it in the air, laughing." - Hehehe.
"about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (which some of them could say amazingly fast)." - Hehehe.
"Harry turned to Dumbledore. "Where is this? Really? In relation to Muggle London?" Dumbledore pointed down at the chair in the center of the room. "Directly above that chair, about two-hundred feet or so, is the chair where the Muggle Prime Minister sits when Parliament is in session." Harry's mouth hung open in shock. Dumbledore smiled. "Actually, it may be over a few feet. But my point is, Harry, this chamber was here before this city was a little Roman settlement called Londinium." - Merlin!
"Finally, Mrs. Weasley released Ginny from a tight hug, kissing her on the cheek, and turned to Malfoy. She looked uncertainly at him, then suddenly, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, turning swiftly to join her husband and sons. Malfoy touched his cheek briefly, then pulled his hand away with a guilty look on his face as he caught his mother's eye. She was sitting several rows lower than Remus Lupin, and was staring daggers at him. Harry saw Malfoy swallow," - Poor Draco!
"the Dark Lord had a bit of a weakness for Head Boys. He liked their drive and ambition. Percy looked embarrassed by this-he liked to think these were good qualities, and here he was being coveted by Voldemort because of them." - EW! And I do not have one iota of sympathy with Percy over that.
"Corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes and a stout." - The food is not bad at all, IMO.
"Bubble and squeak," he said experimentally, "and pumpkin juice." - Yum!
"Ginny was having some shrimp dish that smelled garlicky (luckily, Snape wasn't present), and Hermione had chosen (without a thought to the invisible servers, he noticed) a serving of paella." - Yum!
"Only Draco Malfoy had no food in front of him and did not look as though he wanted any. He still looked in shock. Ginny tried to get him to try some of her lunch, and Ron did the same, but he shook his head dumbly, a vacant look in his eyes. He wasn't truly with them, Harry thought. This was a price he hadn't expected to pay. He was suddenly disowned, cut off, destitute and alone. For someone who had led the kind of privileged existence Draco had, this would be an utter shock to the system. Harry felt confident that Dumbledore would find some way to sort things out for him, and he probably would not care at all about the tuition, but, having had no family really, for most of his life, Harry could not begin to imagine what it would be like to have one, and then have it snatched away because he had done the right and just thing." - Poor Draco! It must be really bad if Ron if offering him food off his plate. After all, we know what Ron Weasley is like about food!
"Finally Malfoy said, "Potter." "Yeah Malfoy?" Silence. "Well, Malfoy?" "You can't call me that." "What? That's what I always call you." "I know, but I shouldn't use that name any more. I'm no longer a Malfoy, remember?" "What are you going to do, go by just one name, like Sting?" "Who?" "Never mind. So I'm supposed to call you Draco now?" "Yes." "I don't think so. You still call me Potter." "All right." He took a deep breath and forced out the word: "Harry. There. I said it." Harry made a face. "Don't do that. This isn't going to work. As far as I'm concerned, you're still Malfoy." He actually smiled a little. "And I suppose I'd better keep calling you Potter." "So we actually agree on something." "A miracle." They each had a small smile." - Small smiles are better than none whatsoever.
"Harry was actually started to doze off when he heard footsteps and looked up to see Dumbledore approaching." - "starting to doze off".
"He looked up at Fridwulfa's face, so like Hagrid's. It was a comforting face, oddly motherly. Harry couldn't put his finger on it. He thought of how comfortable it was to be around Ron's mother, when she was bustling around the kitchen or sitting by the fireside reading the Daily Prophet aloud to her husband, or even lecturing the twins or sighing over Bill's hair. Other people's mothers, he thought. I'm always latching onto them..." - Harry is not wrong about his mommy issues.
Merlin, I hope Fridwulfa is better at keeping secrets (that Harry is a golden griffon animagus) that her son!
"She looked at Ron. "So those things you said-" she said softly. Ron looked uncomfortable. "Just trying to make it look good. Didn't want Malfoy's dad to suspect anything." But Harry remembered the way he'd spoken to her, the edge to his voice. There was a grain of truth to it. Those things didn't just come out of Ron's head at that moment; they'd been festering." - I agree with Harry's thoughts on the things Ron said.
"Ron and Malfoy glanced at each other behind her head. She turned and looked at Ron, while Malfoy stuck his tongue out at Ron and made a rude face. Ginny turned to look at Malfoy and he instantly converted his features into a beatific smile, while Ron returned Malfoy's rudeness with the middle finger of his left hand, out of Ginny's range of vision. Harry tried to stifle a laugh," - I just laughed.
"After breakfast, Ron and Ginny and the twins bade their parents goodbye. Mrs. Weasley did not hug Harry though, or talk to him or Hermione. He felt strange, watching her leave the Great Hall with her husband. Did she hate him now? he wondered. Had Ron told her about him and Hermione? He didn't know what to think. Her being upset with him was very nearly as bad as Ron. He looked at Hermione, sitting next to him. She had noticed Mrs. Weasley's behavior as well. She didn't look happy about it either. He remembered when Ron's mother had snubbed Hermione after the Witch Weekly article about her toying with Harry's and Krum's feelings. He dreaded finding out what she thought of Hermione now, if Ron had told her about their physical relationship. On the other hand, he thought, she could be upset with them about Malfoy." - There is Harry's mommy issues again.
"I should have known you'd bollix up your first real girlfriend experience. Cho doesn't count, of course..." "Of course..." Harry mumbled, feeling more than a little insulted, but if thinking of his and Hermione's relationship as one horrendous, disastrous encounter after another cheered him up, he wasn't feeling inclined to correct him. Then he was struck by something Ron had said that was just a bit upsetting. "What do you mean, 'first' girlfriend?" Ron stopped walking for a second, then resumed his course, moving ahead of Harry so he couldn't see his face. "Oh. Nothing. Nothing at all. Let's go..." - So, why does Ron not think Harry and Hermione will last until whenever?
"Ron was still looking very serious. He told Malfoy, "Harry and Hermione are friends. Not that you'd understand being friends with a girl. You think they're only good for one thing." "What would you know about my personal life? And remember-your sister is my friend. So if what you're saying is true, I should be seeing a lot more action from your sister than I have been...oof!" Ron brought his knee up into Malfoy's groin; Harry flinched involuntarily. He thought he would probably react that way even if it were Voldemort getting a knee in the groin. The very thought was just too... "You don't talk about my sister! And you don't talk to my sister, ever again, you dirty, slimy little snake..." Harry heard Sandy hissing at him, but he was distracted, so he asked her to repeat what she'd said. Maybe it was important, something that was about to happen in the entrance hall... "I said, tell your friend that snakes are some of the cleanest creatures there are," she said with an injured tone to her voice. Ron whirled on hearing Harry speak Parseltongue, and then hearing Sandy's hissing. "What is it?" he wanted to know. "Is she-?" Ron looked at Malfoy, whose arms he was still holding against the wall; he didn't want Malfoy to know about Sandy's Sight. "Nah, it's not that. She's just-a little upset about what you said. She wants you to know that snakes are actually quite clean." "Oh. Can you tell her I'm sorry?" "He's sorry, Sandy," Harry hissed to her. "I heard him. We're also not slimy," she hissed with that hurt voice again. "Yes, yes," Harry said a little impatiently. "He's very sorry, Sandy." - Sandy was very funny there, unintentionally.
"Malfoy scowled. "Do you wear that damn snake all the time, Potter?" Harry scowled back. "Do you wear that face all the time, Malfoy?" Even Ron laughed now, stepping back from Malfoy and letting him go. Malfoy rubbed both upper arms simultaneously. Harry, Ron and Hermione walked up the marble stairs together. "Hey!" Malfoy called after them. They turned; he stood at the foot of the stairs where Crabbe and Goyle were still making infinitesimal progress toward where Ron had been back when Harry had put the curse on them. "Aren't you going to do anything about them?" Harry looked back and forth between Crabbe and Goyle, who looked like very ugly statues. "I see no difference." He smiled at Ron and Hermione, who were laughing again," - Hehehe.
"Hermione giving Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy the evil eye whenever they started ogling her, which was far too often for both Harry and Ron. They were still needling her about the photo; Neville had apologized to her for handing it to Malfoy in the first place, but the damage was done." - EW!
"nothing particularly useful had been learnt from Lockhart during their second year. For reasons Harry understood all too well, Moody didn't even want them to use the Lockhart books for reference, which they could have done, Harry thought. Even though he hadn't banished any banshees himself, Lockhart had quite accurately written down the methodology used. Harry thought he might refer to the books anyway, without telling Moody. He could skip over the self-aggrandizing bits. After all, he'd already paid good money for the books, and there was information in them he'd need to know." - I would be too sickened by what Lockhart did to Neville to still use his books.
"A bolt of lightening struck the ground at his feet and seemed to create the fissure which now opened there." - "bolt of lightning".
"I saw Roger Davies get a recruitment letter this morning." Malfoy snorted. "Well, that's probably overdue, isn't it? He's probably more evil than my dad, in some ways..." - I agree with Draco's opinion of Roger.
"Ron looked uncomfortable; the gash on his cheek had healed pretty well, but there was a very fine line visible because of his freckles; there was a kind of border now, on his cheek, a line where the halves of some of his freckles didn't match up. He had decided to grow his facial hair to hide this, and now had the beginnings of a bright red beard and mustache, which Harry had heard Parvati complaining about. She obviously didn't share Hermione's opinion of red beards." - That opinion of Hermione's now creeps me out.
"Before he left, he reached out with his hand for just a moment, then quickly slipped out the door. Hermione squeaked a little when she felt the contact, then laughed. "Being groped by the Invisible Man," she said musingly. "Kinky." He smiled under the cloak, having to make an effort to suppress his laughter." - Hehehe.
"And then this idiot shows up, Longlegs, Locklegs, Longheart..." "Lockhart? Gilderoy Lockhart?" "Yeah. That's the git. Memory charms specialist at the Ministry. Fresh out of school. Decides if he doesn't step in, little Neville, having seen his parents tortured, would be traumatized for life. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't completely, not before some damage was already done. I don't know how bad it would have been if the git had been allowed to do a full-fledged charm on a not-quite-two-year-old. Probably wouldn't have two brain cells left to rub together. I managed to get him sacked after that, thankfully." Harry stared in disbelief. And Lockhart had almost put memory charms on him and Ron when they were down in the Chamber of Secrets. Thank goodness for Ron's broken wand, he thought, looking at Neville again. So it was a bad Lockhart memory charm that had been hampering Neville's thought processes all this time." - I hope some Healer hexes off that Gilderoy Lockhart's bollocks, and soon!
"Harry remembered Snape sitting by Neville's bedside, sometimes checking his pulse, feeling his forehead. Harry wondered how much he blamed himself for what happened to Neville, both when he was a baby and his addiction to Eutharsos Potion. Then Harry realized that Snape may or may not have known about Lockhart's overenthusiastic memory charm work. If he knew, that might explain why Snape didn't like Lockhart. Then Harry realized that no one really needed an extra reason to dislike Gilderoy Lockhart." - Good point, about not needing an extra reason to loathe Lockhart.
"plus a sporran (somewhat like a wallet) hanging in the front of his kilt," - In practice, in the old days, closer to a lunchbox.
"He smiled and laughed, jumping off the stage, his kilt flying. Harry glanced at Hermione, who looked like she was about to choke. "What is it, Hermione?" he asked, concerned. "Oh, nothing," she answered, her voice higher than usual. "It's just that-um-" "What?" "Well, he, uh, certainly believes in being traditional." Harry thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. Then he realized what she meant, what she must have seen. "Hermione!" "Well, it wasn't like I made him walk over a mirror or anything! I heard that's what they used to make them do in the military." Harry watched her eyes follow Lucas off the dance floor. He couldn't afford to appear even the slightest bit concerned about where she looked; and actually, he was starting to find it somewhat amusing in a discovering-just-how-libidinous-Hermione-was sort of way." I found that aspect of Hermione amusing too.
"seconds on the cake, which was chocolate with raspberry filling." - Yum!
"Suddenly, a loud voice in the corridor was giving the password. Ron was heard very clearly saying, "Kneazles!" Harry fought the urge to shout, "Gezundheit!" as an answer." - Hehehe.
"Ron had his arms around Parvati, his hands were on her bare back under her thin violet sweater." - No wonder such a big deal was made of Lavender getting her the sweater, hehehe.
"I thought we could go up to Fluffy's old hangout." "You mean where you were ducking the prefects' meeting?" "Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that-"
She sighed as she walked, speaking lowly, trying not to move her lips too much. "I can't really blame you. Roger was being a real prick." "Hermione!" Harry said in shock, then clapped his hand over his mouth. "Harry, if there's one person who does not inspire me to watch my language, it's Roger Davies." - Maybe there is a curse on each Head Boy badge ever issued at Hogwarts and they automatically become the worst or biggest prick imaginable the moment they have that badge!
About that sword dancing: There is a series of books called Outlander and in one of the books Jamie Fraser, the hero, does the most moving sword dance.
"and it's just amazing how many of the really famous Scots were magical..." - Really? Like who?
I KNEW Ron would react badly to learning Harry is a golden griffon animagus.
Poor prof. Flitwick!
"When he was dueling Neville, on the other hand, Ron did not seem to expect he would lose. He was quite nonchalant about his attack, and when Neville dodged his disarming charm and sent the same back at Ron, Ron knocked over a half-dozen club members and staggered to his feet, looking dazed, staring at Neville as though he'd never seen him before. Neville smiled at him, but Ron was definitely not smiling back." - Yay! for Neville.
"The next time Neville dueled, he beat Crabbe. He had a triumphant gleam in his eye as he saw the wands go up for him, and Harry couldn't help feeling that Neville was starting to come into his own." - Yay! for Neville.
What WAS that spell Neville did when he duelled Hermione?
"Finally, one of Neville's disarming charms landed squarely on Roger, who flew backward into Angelina and George. They helped him up, but he was quite ungracious about it and did not even thank them. Angelina looked like she might put another hex on him, but George put his hand on her wand arm, smiling and shaking his head, silently reminding her what a git Roger was. She smiled back at George and put her wand away." - Yay! for Neville.
"Harry ached inside, thinking of what a good friend Ron was, how little he deserved him. Even now, he was still keeping the Animagus training from him, and Neville knew. In fact, he realized, Neville was the first person apart from McGonagall and Dumbledore who had seen his transfigured form." - IMO Neville was always a better friend to Harry than Ron ever was.
"Ginny said, putting her hand on his arm, then on his cheek. "You don't look well." Then she moved her hand to his forehead, as if checking for a fever, but when she made contact with the scar, he cried out, closing his eyes and knocking her arm away. "Ow-" she started to moan, then stifled this when she saw the looks on Ron's and Hermione's faces. Hermione looked very, very grim. "Harry-it's your scar, isn't it?" Hermione said softly. He opened his eyes, looking at her dully, nodded. Then he turned to Ginny, who was still holding her arm. "Sorry, Ginny," he mumbled. She shrugged, letting go of her arm reluctantly, as though she were only trying to make him think she wasn't hurt. He staggered to one of the empty armchairs by the fire, sat down heavily. He started speaking in a low voice as the others moved to sit in the other chairs. "Voldemort is going after Muggles now. I saw him. It was a tube station. It-blew up..." He hit the arm of the chair repeatedly, frowning, his eyes squeezed shut. Suddenly his eyes flew open. He remembered. He knew. "It was Westminster." "Westminster!" Hermione squealed. Ron and Ginny looked at her strangely; they didn't know why this was significant. "Westminster," she said again, softly. "That's right near Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. And from Parliament Square, you can walk along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square..." - At least Harry remembered the tube station this time.
"There's no work for Remus Lupin in the wizarding world, any more than there is for Sirius Black. Remus lives in a flat in Manchester, works as a night watchman in a warehouse. On nights with a full moon, if he has to work he locks himself into the warehouse. If Sirius is around, he goes with him, stays with him in dog form. His employers also gave him a gun, for the guard job. When the moon is full, Sirius puts bullets into the gun that he made special-bullets made of silver. Remus has made him promise that if it looks like he could possibly get out or hurt someone in any way, he will use the gun." - Poor Remus!
"The gits on Fleet Street are going to be wetting themselves-oh, pardon me, Harry-" Harry grimaced. "I'm fifteen, Sirius, not five." Sirius smiled at him. "Right. I got that point the last time I saw you..." - Hehehe.
"I couldn't breath properly afterward," - "breathe properly".
"Peeves might have done him a favor; the impromptu cold shower seemed to have been just the thing to wake him up. Then suddenly, his stomach growled as it hadn't since the time between Dudley starting his diet after Harry finished third year and the arrival of his birthday cakes from his friends and Mrs. Weasley. A feral, animal sound generated from deep within him. A wild sound... He smiled up at Peeves, who was still showing off his aerobatic abilities. "Thanks, Peeves. That was just what I needed, I think." He turned to go up the marble steps that would eventually lead him to Gryffindor Tower (squelch! squelch!), then decided that what he really needed to do was go down to the kitchens for a bite. But Peeves was appalled by being thanked for his prank. "Thanks! I drop ten water balloons on you and all you can say is THANKS? Whatever happened to, 'Sod off, Peeves?' Whatever happened to name calling? No 'git,' no 'prat,' not even a 'get away from me?'" But Harry only smiled at him, pushing his damp hair off his forehead, going through the door leading to the stairs down to the kitchens. Behind him, Peeves was still suffering from his attack of poltergeist-inadequacy. "WHAT ABOUT A 'GO TO HELL, PEEVES?'" Harry turned to him briefly before closing the door. "Well, if you could, you'd hardly be here, would you?" he said calmly. He closed the door behind him, smiling as he heard Peeves lose it further. His scream of "Aaaaaaaargh!" was probably heard all over the castle," - Unnerved Peeves is very funny.
"Harry spotted Dobby and an elf that looked almost like Winky, but not quite; she also had large brown eyes and was wearing clothes, but she actually looked happy about this. She wore what appeared to be a dress meant for a large doll or a small baby. It was pink, with a floppy white collar and a little yellow duck embroidered over the chest. Smaller yellow ducks marched around the hem of the garment, which came below her knees, so that it threatened to look like a miniature ball gown. On her head, however, she wore an incongruous ski cap with holes cut for her ears. It was patterned in green, orange, purple and red. She wore mismatched socks, as Dobby always did, one a grey, red and black argyle pattern, the other a brown and tan herringbone." - What a stylish house elf!
"Dobby, do you think I could get something to eat? I missed dinner and I'm starving." Before he knew what was happening, Harry had been seated and about fifteen house elves had brought him six kinds of meat (three kinds of beef alone), four vegetables, three loaves of bread, and several goblets of pumpkin juice. Harry laughed, shaking his head." - In Dobby's mind, Harry probably CAN eat all of that, as in there Harry must be the size of Fridwulfa.
"They're very lucky to have you, you know. You can show them the ropes, take them where you go on your day off. Show them around Hogsmeade." Dobby looked embarrassed again. "Well, Harry Potter, I isn't really able to do that, because-I is never taking a day off. Boxing Day is my first day off ever..." "Dobby!" Harry said, trying to sound stern, but not doing very well. "Dumbledore gave you a day off a month. You should take it! What kind of example are you setting for the others?" Dobby grimaced, looking down and scuffing his foot on the floor. Harry sighed. "All right. The next Hogsmeade weekend is February tenth. Come into the village with me and my friends. We'll show you round. Promise? You'll make sure Biddy and the others come too?" Dobby smiled gratefully at Harry, as though he were saving him from himself. "I promise, Harry Potter. I promise! I is going to tell the others we is going to Hogsmeade with Harry Potter!" And he popped out of the kitchen, making Harry smile and shake his head again." - Harry and the house elves (that sounds like it should be the name of a wizarding band) in Hogsmeade made for the sweetest, cutest and funniest mental pic.
"He told Ron about what Sirius had said about the news reports and sending the papers, asking him to inform Hermione when she returned from the meeting." - I dread how Ron will handle the muggle references, but OK...
"Hermione was sitting with Neville; he caught her eye and also shrugged. Then he saw Neville looking at him strangely. Suddenly Harry wondered, Should I have trusted Neville? Should I have put a memory charm on him instead?" - I feel sad that Harry doubted Neville there.
"After that it was Hermione's turn again, and when Snape called her opponent's name, she got a look on her face that Harry could only describe as downright evil. "Malfoy!" Hermione and Malfoy stepped into the circle. After they bowed, Hermione began her onslaught. Malfoy never had a chance. She cried, "Rictusempra! Reverso! Inverso!" in quick succession, and soon Malfoy was giggling uncontrollably while thinking he was hanging upside-down in the air and also thinking that what was in front of him was behind him. He was so disoriented that he dropped his wand, closing his eyes and holding his head with both hands, looking miserable but laughing hysterically nonetheless. Hermione calmly picked up his wand and broke the spells on him herself, not bothering to wait for Snape. Harry heard her say softly as she handed his wand back to him, "Remember what happened when you dueled with a Mudblood." She returned to her space between Harry and Ron, her face still stony, but also satisfied." - Yay! for Hermione.
"After the break, Justin got a spectacular win over Millicent, making Liam grin broadly at him. Niamh even looked like she was warming to the idea of Justin and her brother." - At least the duelling club is good for more than Tom Riddle junior prep, it seems.
"But the really tense duel of this round was between Ron and Draco Malfoy. Harry figured afterward that Ron won for two reasons; first, he was just plain hacked off about losing a number of previous duels he seemed to think he should have won, and secondly-Malfoy didn't seem to be trying to win. He wasn't interested in losing quickly, however, drawing it out, but several times Harry saw that he had an opening that he would have exploited with anyone else, and didn't take it. Why? he wondered. He also found himself wondering whether Ginny had been upset about the way he'd let her beat him. He hadn't had any compunctions about beating George, so why was he letting Ron off easy? When Ron returned to the circle, looking much happier than he had before, Harry didn't dare hypothesize that Malfoy had thrown the duel. If there was a guaranteed way to upset Ron, that was it. Not that it took much sometimes, Harry reflected. Either Malfoy really was going to set his father up and wanted Ron to approve of him and Ginny, Harry thought, or he's lulling me into a false sense of security." - I feel sorry for Draco that he lost against Ron.
"Actually, he was really giving Parvati the willies at the Yule Ball. I think she thought he was being a dirty old man, looking through all the girls' clothes at their bodies... Now Malfoy smirked, and it looked to Harry like he was harboring some very dirty thoughts himself. It'd almost be worth losing an eye if the replacement lets you see Parvati Patil's body... Harry was shocked. You want I should tell Ginny you said that? Malfoy looked around, panicked. Harry thought he might have forgotten that he was actually talking to another person, that he wasn't engaged in an interior monologue. I did not say that. I will deny it with every breath in my body. Harry laughed. It's okay. I won't say a word. It just means you have a pulse, anyway." - EW!
"Ginny had defeated Goyle with the Impediment Curse, slyly walking up to him while he was moving in slow motion and removing his wand from his grasp, then returning him to normal speed. He stumbled, tried to curse her, then saw that she was holding two wands while he had none. The vote was unanimous, even including the Slytherins. Harry thought he saw Malfoy smirking, trying not to look proud of Ginny." - Yay! for Ginny.
"Millicent (she looked very smug about this)," - Yay! for Hermione.
"Snape was standing next to them, also looking at the cottage. They followed him to the door and waited with him while he knocked. When it opened, Harry felt his jaw drop, not because his mother was standing there, but because she was holding a baby on her hip, a baby with a tuft of black hair and large green eyes, and-no scar on the forehead. Aw! said Hermione. Baby Harry-so cute! Harry grimaced and colored. Please- She laughed." - I agree with Hermione.
"baby Harry climbed up onto the couch next to Lily and starting flicking at her earring with his fingers. Ouch! Harry, stop. Go play; Mummy has to talk to her friend. But the one-year-old did not get down from the couch. He sat back next to his mother, sticking his lower lip out, pouting. Hermione laughed. Harry grunted. Your girlfriend should never be allowed to see you as a baby, he thought. Under no circumstances." - AW!
"Petunia, there's a reason why the magical community tries to keep Muggles from knowing about what we can do. And I'm not even sure that I could help mother, even if I didn't care about breaking the law! When witches and wizards get cancer, they usually immediately remove the cancerous cells by magic, or transfigure them, but you said mum has it all through her! How could I remove it without killing her? And I'm not permitted to anyway. Petunia, we can only prepare ourselves for the inevitable... Harry's aunt's voice shook; he'd never heard her like this. I will prepare. You can stay here. Don't bother coming to the funeral. You won't be welcome. Not when you could have saved her and refused. What's the point of you being a witch if you won't save her? You know what you are, and that husband of yours? Unnatural. Abnormal. How can you not save your own mother? It's just- But Harry's aunt couldn't continue; she buried her face in a handkerchief and turned away from the cottage door." - No wonder Petunia loathes magic with every fibre of her being.
"Little Harry had gone into his room, was playing on the floor with some blocks and stuffed toys." - AW!
"small Harry had fallen asleep on the rug, his head pillowed on a stuffed bear. She went to him and picked him up so she could put him in his cot, but the movement woke him and he fussed. She shushed him, setting him down, giving him his bear. And then she sang to him. It was the lullaby from the music box... Harry listened to his mother's singing, a lump in his throat. Hermione laced her fingers through his, putting her head on his shoulder. When the lullaby was over, the baby's fussing was history; they could hear him breathing peacefully." - AW!
"Little Harry was wandering around the garden, his finger in his mouth, crying piteously. The scar on the forehead was bleeding, dripping down onto his nose." - AW!
"But that kiss, she went on, wasn't much like the one from the other day, was it? she said in a lower, more suggestive voice, her green eyes glittering. Both Harry and Snape opened their eyes wide as she leaned in toward him, clearly opening her mouth. Harry reflexively covered his eyes, saying to Hermione, Tell me when it's over. Beside him, Hermione sighed with exasperation. Oh, honestly, Harry. It's like going to the movies with my little cousins. Tell me when the mushy parts are over.' Harry peeked through his fingers at her. You're enjoying this? Well, she seemed reluctant to admit any such thing. I suppose I'm not as invested in it. That's not my mum over there. And that's not my dad, Harry reminded her. That would be different. He dared look at them again. They were ending the kiss. Thank goodness, thought Harry." - I am with Harry about this: I do not want to see my mom kissing people that way when they were young. I do not even want to see her kiss a young version of my dad that way.
"Hermione was looking at Sirius in a way Harry didn't like, as when had she stared at the young Severus Snape. Okay, he told himself, she looked at you that way too, when you got your hair cut. Get a grip." - I agree with Hermione: A young Sirius Black would have been tasty-looking beyond all sense.
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