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OEBPS/Chapter17.xhtml

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             <p>So Harry was moderately disgruntled as they settled into the line with the Weasleys and the Grangers. Hearing Molly and Hermione gush about the fraud didn't improve his mood. Harry had actually already purchased the Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two, last year; so all he needed to do now was just buy all seven of his books that Lockhart required his students to purchase.</p>
             <p>Harry made an effort to stand behind some of the Weasleys, but when the photographer knocked Ron out of the way, Lockhart still picked Harry out of the crowd. "It can't be Harry Potter!" the man shouted.</p>
             <p>When Lockhart dived forward and seized Harry's arm, Harry twisted his arm around the man's wrist, rotating his arm within Lockhart's grip until his fingers popped open.</p>
-            <p>"Har-ry," Lockhart said in a stage whisper. "You and I together are worth the front page!"</p>
+            <p>"Harry," Lockhart said in a stage whisper. "You and I together are worth the front page!"</p>
             <p>Harry tried to back into the crowd, but while they parted to make room for Lockhart, they closed behind Harry. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley straining to push through the packed aisle. The pushy photographer shot another picture from behind Harry and to the side, no doubt so it would look like he was standing next to the smiling Lockhart. It probably also meant that Harry's scowl was mostly invisible as well.</p>
             <p>"Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is! It's a perfect opportunity for me to make an announcement I've been wanting to make for some time now!"</p>
             <p>"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography &#8211; which I shall be happy to supply free of charge!" This got scattered applause from the crowd and a sneer of distaste from Harry. Gilderoy must have been a very accomplished liar, Harry decided, because the man seemed a bit disconcerted by the irritation and distaste Harry was displaying. <em>Had he never encountered someone who saw through his act?</em> Harry wondered. <em>He must have been awfully quick with the memory charms.</em></p>

OEBPS/Chapter26.xhtml

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             <p>"But what if we think it's something the headmaster needs to know, or even the Ministry?" Molly wondered aloud.</p>
             <p>"I think Harry realises that's possible. He trusts our judgement, Molly, and I think we should trust his, for now." Arthur said with a smile. In truth, he'd come to think of the serious young man like a seventh son. The boy's words at the Ministry custody hearing came back to him. Never mind what he'd done for the Wizarding world, the boy had earned at least a little trust.</p>
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             <p>Fortunately, after Valentine's Day things settled down a bit for Harry and his friends. He was quietly grateful for this, as it gave him some breathing room to work on a few things.</p>
             <p>He owled Rita Skeeter and suggested that she might want to take a close look at Gilderoy Lockhart and his ever so illustrious career. The discrepancies in his and Hermione's timelines could possibly be explained away as 'mistakes' and 'typographical errors', but the man's hesitancy in dealing with certain issues and questions in the classroom was far more damning. Harry was fairly confident that, given a few hints that something was amiss, Rita would inevitably dig up the dirt.</p>
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             <p>Professor McGonagall's nostrils whitened a bit, but she gave no other hint as to her feelings. "Though he did not respond to my inquiries, the owl did take the letter, so I suspect he is still alive. Perhaps he would be willing to accept a letter from <em>you</em>."</p>
             <p>Harry didn't have to question her emphasis on the last word. In addition to his fondness for Lily, the influence-monger lurking below the Slytherin's affable exterior would leap at the chance to make the acquaintance of the Boy Who Lived. "I think I'll do that," Harry said, the real purpose of the conversation accomplished. "Thank you for taking the time to tell me about them," he added, with real sincerity. He wondered why he'd never thought of asking Professor McGonagall about his parents before. "Though I'm a little scared when I think about what you'll be able to tell our kids someday," he added with a smile.</p>
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             <p>Once Harry had a plausible reason for contacting Professor Emeritus Horace Slughorn, he wasted no time in contacting the man. Predictably, his owl was answered immediately, and he began an almost daily correspondence with the retired Potions teacher.</p>
             <p>Harry never deluded himself about the round little man's motives. He was in it for himself just as much as Rita Skeeter was. But excessive self-interest was a lot easier for Harry to deal with than outright malevolence. All Harry had to do was make it worth Slughorn's while to secure him as an ally. But the man was still a Slytherin, and he'd be expecting to be taken advantage of. Better to bait the hook subtly, until Slughorn made the suggestion himself.</p>
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             <p>Minerva McGonagall didn't appear eager to answer that question. "I&#8230; understand your concerns, Mr. Potter," she finally said. "That being the case, I believe I will be making some additions to the DA curriculum, starting this weekend. I will also speak to some of the other professors about encouraging attendance."</p>
             <p>"I appreciate that," Harry said, sincerely, feeling his sudden anger draining away, leaving him tired and tense.</p>
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             <p>As the Easter Holidays approached, Harry was once again faced with the choice of what subjects to take next year. Recalling all the problems he had setting up the Temporal Transit Field equations, Harry immediately signed up for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. After giving it some careful thought, he didn't sign up for Care of Magical Creatures. He felt a little guilty he hadn't been able to spend as much time with Hagrid as he wanted, and he'd hoped he could stave off some of the problems that plagued the poor man in his classes. But students were normally limited to two electives.</p>
             <p>Hermione, of course, was delighted that Harry wanted to take 'some really challenging courses' too. This made it a little easier for him to persuade her to <em>not</em> take everything as she had planned, reminding her that it might cut into her DA or martial arts time. He also hinted that he'd read that Arithmancy was really difficult, and that they needed to be ready to spend extra time on it.</p>
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             <p>"I suppose it couldn't hurt to know what Bill is always nattering on about when he comes home for holiday," Ron said affably.</p>
             <p>Hermione's answering smile made the poor boy's ears go pink again.</p>
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             <p>The Duelling Association slowly gathered new members each week. A few came out of curiosity and a few came because they knew they weren't getting much out of their Defence classes. Some older students came because they wanted to challenge Harry. Understanding that he needed to establish his <em>bona fides</em>, Harry obliged them &#8211; provided they were willing to duel with nothing more lethal than a stunner.</p>
             <p>The martial arts had drastically improved Harry's footwork, and thus his mobility. That alone made him a novelty for the older students, who couldn't seem to hit a rapidly moving target. That, combined with Harry's almost reflexive use of stunners, disarms, and shield charms made him practically unbeatable. It also won the DA a lot of converts.</p>
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             <p>Harry stood rooted in place as the ebony-haired girl smiled again at him and then spun and left the room. He finished re-arranging the room before he got his blush under control again. When he returned to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione told him that he just missed Ginny, who had gone to bed early complaining of a headache. Harry wondered if she'd been waiting for him in the hallway outside the classroom.</p>
             <p>Ginny was quiet the next morning as well. Harry wondered if she'd seen him with Cho, but he didn't know how to ask without making things even more awkward.</p>
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             <p>The morning of the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match dawned soggy and rainy, not to mention unseasonably cold. Harry could have sworn it had been a sunny day in the previous timeline, but he supposed random factors could have altered the weather over nearly two years.</p>
             <p>Whatever the reason, Harry wasn't looking forward to flying in that mess, and picked at his food. Hermione, of course, was urging him to eat a good breakfast to fortify himself against the chill rain.</p>
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             <p>Hermione and Ron tried to talk him into going to their head of house, but Harry knew it was just their word versus Snape's regarding Draco's failed potion. He'd rather save his complaints for when it would do some good, and not just make people think he whinged a lot. He'd been looking forward to watching Cho face off against Cedric, since the Ravenclaw girl was now restored to her position as Seeker, but he knew Ron and Oliver would give him a play-by-play account afterwards. After all, he'd be facing her at the end of the season.</p>
             <p>Ginny was still withdrawn and quiet though. Harry wished he knew what he could say to her, but things were so tangled up now. Once their Occlumency was solid, then he'd see.</p>
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             <p>Harry entered the Potions dungeon that Saturday morning expecting a confrontation, but he was disappointed. Of course, that's not to say that Professor Snape wasn't his normally nasty self. When Ron and Neville lingered in the hallway outside, Snape threatened them with a detention with Filch to make them leave. But once they were alone, he barely acknowledged Harry's presence beyond indicating where the cleaning supplies were located. Then the lank-haired man returned to marking essays and muttering to himself. Harry opened the cupboard and retrieved a bucket and a couple of scrubbing brushes.</p>
             <p>Partially-brewed potions, of course, still contained magically-reactive ingredients. This meant that most Wizarding cleaning procedures, such as spells and charms, could be very hazardous. One <em>Scourgify</em> could trigger a massive magical backlash if one was particularly unlucky. It was worse the more the residue was allowed to build up on a surface. The flagstones lining the floor of the Potions classroom didn't appear to have had a thorough cleansing since the previous summer. What this all added up to was that Harry had a lot of scrubbing to do.</p>

OEBPS/Chapter27.xhtml

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             <p>His words were cut off when Ginny slammed into him so hard he almost fell over backward. Her arms wrapped around his ribs, her face pressed up against his filthy hospital wing pyjamas. She was murmuring something that sounded like 'you stupid prat.' He felt a steadying hand on his left shoulder and looked up to see Luna. She knelt down and slid her arm around his back. Neville joined her, his arms going around Luna and Ginny. The Hermione was on his right, tears streaming down her face as she buried her face on his right shoulder. Ron joined them a moment later, gingerly wrapping his arms around Hermione and his sister.</p>
             <p><em>Maybe I am a bastard,</em> Harry thought, <em>maybe I've manipulated them as badly as Dumbledore ever manipulated me. Maybe I don't deserve their forgiveness.</em> But they didn't seem to care. They held onto him like they were afraid he'd be torn away from them. He realized the front of his filthy pyjama top was damp from Ginny's tears, and then he realized he was crying as well. <em>Wait a minute, I don't cry. I never have, not since&#8230; But I have them back, don't I? All the way back.</em> All of his friends were back and suddenly, he didn't care. He let out a sob and held them tighter. He was shaking like a leaf, but he didn't care.</p>
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             <p>Afterwards, Harry couldn't ever exactly recall how long they'd huddled together. He knew enough time had elapsed for the worst of his tremors to pass, as well as for his legs to grow sore from the hard stone. His breathing was back to normal when Ron gave a start.</p>
             <p>"Do you think they've contacted Mum and Dad?" he asked.</p>
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             <p>Dumbledore nodded slowly, the rosy late afternoon light from the window seeming to strike sparks in his silvery beard. "Well, you've had a long day Harry. All of you, actually&#8230; and you've done no small service to the school. I'll be discussing the disposition of house points with your head of house. In the meantime, Arthur, Molly? Could you please escort these brave students to the fearsome hospital wing. I'll alert Madam Pomfrey, as I expect she will want to have a few words with them. There will be time for us to talk more, later."</p>
             <p>Harry allowed himself to be hustled from the Headmaster's office with a sigh of relief that almost set his knees to trembling. As he passed through the door, he darted one last look back and saw Professor Snape, his features shadowed against the light from the window, the reddish glow making his skin appear even more sallow in contrast. His eyes were hooded, but the muscles along his jaw stood out in sharp relief.</p>
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             <p>Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still a bit shaky as they led Harry and his friends to the hospital wing. Molly kept straightening Ginny's hair or brushing at her robes. Harry supposed she was just trying to reassure herself that her daughter was safe. He was a little surprised when she squeezed his shoulder as well.</p>
             <p>"Harry, it's so good to see you back on your feet again," she said. "We were so worried, first with you hurt, and then Ginny disappearing, and now&#8230; we've got you both back." Her voice cracked a bit at the end, and Arthur wrapped an arm around her shoulder.</p>
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             <p>The rest of them laughed a bit, but Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron!" she said, but her voice sounded more amused than annoyed.</p>
             <p>By the time they returned to their dormitories, Harry could barely stand. He checked the damaged trunk, a let out a heartfelt sigh of relief. The Glock was still where he'd left it, under some of his first year books, wrapped in one of Vernon's old socks. After re-packing it, Harry collapsed onto his bed, still half-dressed, and pulled the curtains shut. Sleep overcame him with the drone of conversation still filling his ears.</p>
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             <p>Ginny hated the hospital at Hogwarts &#8211; it wasn't anything against Madam Pomfrey or her establishment &#8211; she had similar feelings about St. Mungo's, or any other hospital. Throughout the year she'd done her best to avoid it. She'd been there in the Autumn to repair a bad scrape from a sparring mishap with Hermione, and after the Christmas holidays to borrow some emergency supplies when her monthly visitor caught her unawares, but she'd avoided an overnight stay. But after being near death in the Chamber of Secrets, she had an impressive collection of scrapes and bruises, meriting what she dreaded the most: an overnight stay "for observation", after her mum finished fussing over her. She hated the scratchy sheets on the beds, she hated the potions and she hated the smells of disinfectant and poultices and brewing potions, but most of all she hated the fact that she wasn't free to go until Madam Pomfrey released her. She'd tried to sneak out in the first light of morning, but the doors wouldn't open, and her wand was presumably locked up somewhere else for safe keeping. She briefly considered picking the locks, since Fred and George had taught her how while Harry was at St. Mungo's the previous summer, but she didn't have anything shaped remotely like a lock pick, and nothing in the hospital wing looked promising. So she waited, and fumed, and fidgeted, and fell into a fitful sleep as she leaned back on her bed, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to perform her Saturday morning rounds.</p>
             <p>"Good morning, Miss Weasley, how are we feeling today?" Madam Pomfrey asked, nodding her head in a way that made the tip of her Medi-witch's cap jiggle.</p>
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             <p>"Then that leaves the Quidditch pitch, or the bridge overlooking the lake," Luna said conclusively.</p>
             <p>"Thanks, Luna, you're a life-saver," Ginny gushed, running towards the door closest to the pitch.</p>
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             <p>Harry was mildly surprised that he awoke with no nightmares. He was shocked when he stuck his head out of the bed-curtains and saw the sun already lightening the sky beyond his window. He tried to process the idea of getting nearly twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep while he composed his to-do list for the day. <em>If yesterday was a Friday, then this had to be Saturday, right?</em></p>
             <p>And then the events of the previous day caught up with him and his eyes snapped open. His stomach clenched at the thought of Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets again, despite his best efforts to prevent it. Was Fate that adamant about having her way? He and Ron didn't use Polyjuice to infiltrate the Slytherins, so instead Draco used it to infiltrate Gryffindor. Was that just a coincidence as well? Was there any such thing as a coincidence anymore?</p>