Like A Phoenix From The Ashes
Chapter 2
By Kinsfire
He awoke with a pounding headache, in a strange room. After a moment of groping for his glasses, he found them and put them on, to discover that he was in a hospital room. Hmm, not the school, so this must be St. Mungo’s. What the hell hit me during the argument? They wouldn’t have struck me from behind, would they?
A healer came in shortly, carrying a small case filled with vials. "How are we feeling today, Mister Potter?" she chirped.
He blinked for a moment. "Well, I can’t speak for you, but my head feels like someone tried to cave it in with a chair or something."
She lost her smile and said, "That’s pretty accurate, from what I hear. There was something of a brawl in The Leaky Cauldron, and you were struck with a chair. Bill and Charlie Weasley rushed you here as soon as they could." She sighed. "I shouldn’t, but do you know if Charlie Weasley is seeing anyone?"
The memory of everything up to the chair impacting with his head came back to him far more solidly than it had upon his awakening. "For whatever girl’s sake, I sure hope not," Harry muttered.
The healer raised her eyebrows, but said nothing else. "How long have I been in here?" he asked her finally.
"Today’s the fifteenth of August," she replied. "You came in on the twelfth. That was an ugly head injury. To be honest, we were worrying whether you’d come out of that coma."
"Well, I am. Any idea when I’ll be getting out of here?"
"Probably before the week is out. We just want to make sure that you’re all right."
"I understand. Anyone actually willing to visit me out there?"
"The Weasley family are out there, as well as a friend or two from Hogwarts, as I understand it." She placed three vials on the table next to his bed. "I want you to drink these two potions, and then after your visits are over, this one." She handed him the first of the vials, which he downed quickly, and repeated the performance for the second one. "That should speed your healing." She exited the room.
The first to enter the room was Ginny, and she looked as if she had left furious several stages behind her. She stalked to the bed and punched him in the jaw. "Come near me again, Potter, and I’ll … I’ll make you wish I was going to kill you." She spun and left the room in tears.
He was blinking and rather stunned, and not just from the impact of her fist against his jaw. He was still trying to figure out what had happened when Bill and Charlie entered the room. "Ginny's got quite the right hook, wouldn't you say, Bill?"
"So, what sort of lies did you feed her?" Harry snarled.
"None, really. We told her about you running into Pansy in Diagon Alley, and how you hugged her, and kissed her. How she chose to believe our meaning is beyond our control," Charlie said mock-angelically.
"Sneaky. Tell the truth such that it's true, but still a lie at the same time. I'd imagine you very carefully aimed the conversation to get her thinking along those lines before telling her, and were very careful not to tell her that the hug was merely a friendly one, and that the kiss was on the forehead?"
"Not our fault if we were never able to tell anyone that information," Charlie replied smugly.
Harry stared at him for a long time. "Remember one thing, Charles. You too, William. Revenge is a dish best served cold, it's been said. Your mistake is leaving me alive. I will get revenge for what you've done."
Charlie snorted. "This is supposed to frighten me?"
"It should," Harry said coldly. "You've heard the prophecy about me when I told it to the Order. Now, either you believe I have what it takes to defeat one of the most powerful wizards in a generation, or you should be on the run, preferably to the United States. You're still here. That means that you think I have what it takes. I was hoping to do it with my future fiancée by my side, but you two scotched that quite handily."
"What?" Bill asked in shock.
"I told her last night, before anything happened, that if she still loved me when she left Hogwarts, I'd ask her to marry me." He looked at Charlie. "Thank you," he snarled. "Now get the fuck out of my room."
"And how do you expect to enforce that?" Charlie mocked.
In answer, Harry stared at him, and suddenly thrust his hands outward. The door opened, and the two of them literally flew from the room, landing a few moments later with a loud crash, which was quickly followed by groans.
Ron popped his head in the room, his face red with rage. "First you break Ginny's heart, and now my brothers' legs?" He leapt into the room, obviously aiming to do further injury to Harry, but slammed into an invisible wall. "Coward!" Ron yelled as he banged on the wall. Harry simply threw his hands out again, and Ron joined his brothers in the hallway. He swung his hand, and the door slammed shut.
It opened a few moments later to show Hermione looking warily into the room. "Come to punch, or slap, or simply taunt me, Hermione? Everyone else has."
"You know me better than that, Harry," she said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh, nasty bruise she left." She pulled her wand and quickly healed the mark Ginny had left.
"I am seventeen, after all," she said with a smile.
"So why aren't you screaming your head off at me? The way Bill and Charlie are gloating, they've apparently got Ginny thinking that I shagged Pansy Parkinson in Diagon Alley."
"Well, you have to admit that the ring is sort of a dead give-away that something is going on between you two," Hermione said quietly. "Why couldn't you admit it to any of us?"
Harry went white. "What sort of ring are we talking about?" he finally asked.
"A white gold ring with a single ruby set in it. The box was labelled 'To my Pretty little Pansy' in your handwriting." She winced. "I recognized it, Harry. It's definitely your handwriting."
"That's the evidence that they used, huh? Along with stringing the conversation to make sure that it sounded like I had a long romantic kiss with her too, right?" Hermione nodded. "One question, Hermione. Do you believe them?"
"I don't know what to believe, Harry. I've known you for six years, but you've changed this last year. You don't seem like the kind of boy who would tell Ginny all the things you said to her last night, and then go out and publicly be romantic with another girl, without warning Ginny that you had to do it for some plan or other." She scowled. "But you're also asking me to believe that her two older brothers can be so cruel, vicious, and heartless as to intentionally destroy their sister's happiness the day after she turned sixteen. I can't honestly believe that they would sit there for three entire days, watching her cry her heart out. They love her too much." She sighed. "But you have never been the type to do what they accuse you of." She grabbed her hair. "I just don't bloody well know who to believe anymore!"
Harry started at her curse. "Hermione, you know me. You know how highly I value truth — even if I don't always practice it," he said, looking down at his hands.
"I know, Harry. The problem is, you've lied before, when you thought it was important enough to hide what you were doing."
"I know." He looked at her again. "Can I at least convince you to sit on the fence, then? I'll understand not taking either side. I won't push you to take mine."
"I can do that," she said with a wan smile. "Hold off until I have more facts."
"Verify who wrote that box label, for one thing. Don't just judge by the way the handwriting looks. That ring was supposed to be a promise ring for Ginny — promising to marry her if she still wanted me after her seventh year. Despite what Ron thinks, and apparently what your future brother-in-laws think, I don’t throw away money on stupid things."
She blinked at him. "What do you mean, ‘future …’" she began.
"I’m not stupid. That’s a conversation for much later, though." He laughed a humourless laugh. "Go see to your boyfriend. My wandless magic was a bit … strong."
She looked at him in surprise. "This isn’t over," she said softly. "We’ll talk later, one way or another." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I’m staying on the fence. Even if it costs me my friendship and my boyfriend." She stood and exited the room. Harry could hear the beginnings of questions thrown at Hermione. He shook his head, picked up the vial, and drank it.
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When he awoke again, he opened his eyes to see Professor Dumbledore. "Ah, awake again, I see. How are you feeling, Harry?"
He reached up and rubbed his jaw, finding that someone had healed it in the night. "Much better. Any idea when I’ll be permitted to leave?"
"Today, in my care. I will be returning you to your London abode, which currently houses just Dobby and Winky."
"I take it that the Weasley family decided that they would not stay in my house a moment longer than they had to? Get away from the man who broke their daughter’s heart?"
"Unfortunately, you are correct. Molly has had several … choice comments to make." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Some family," he grumbled. "Well, they’ve taught me one lesson I needed to know, at least."
"And what lesson would that be?" the headmaster asked, the worry evident in his voice.
"The Dursleys began the lesson, and the Weasleys completed it, sir. Family is worthless. When you need them there to protect you, do not expect it. When you need them to believe the truth about you, know that they will choose to do otherwise." He looked the headmaster in the eyes. "Yes, the night before Bill and Charlie beat the hell out of me, I did, in fact, have sexual relations with Ginevra Weasley. She has been the only woman I have ever done that with, and quite likely the only woman I ever will have had relations with. To be precise, sir, I was making love to her, and I mean that in the proper sense — making my love for her evident via physical means." He sighed. "I bought that ring that Bill and Charlie used to prove I was chasing Pansy — I bought it for Ginny. I did not write that label. Yes, I hugged Pansy, and kissed her forehead. Her grandfather had just passed away. I was consoling her as best I could."
"Then William and Charles have lied to their family in order to cause the ending of your relationship with their sister?" Dumbledore looked over his glasses, into Harry’s eyes. Harry, realizing what the headmaster was doing, intentionally lowered his shields to allow the professor access to whatever he wanted.
A moment later, Dumbledore sat heavily after conjuring up a squashy chair. "I can not believe that they could do such a thing."
"Why am I not surprised?" Harry barked. "People who’ve known me six years deny that Bill and Charlie could do that. You’ve known them longer than me — why should you believing them surprise me?" Harry clenched his jaw so tightly that he heard his teeth grind.
"My apologies, Harry. I did not intend to make you believe that I disbelieve you. You are telling the truth — I know that now. Now I must find a way to get William and Charles to admit the truth. Anything I say will be seen as favouritism to you." He shook his head. "I am far more disappointed in that entire family than I have been — ever. I wish that I could convince you otherwise about family, but with an experience such as this after spending your life with the Dursleys — they shall never be able to properly apologize for their current treatment of you, I fear. And someday they will wish to, Harry — that I promise you." Albus Dumbledore stood. "And it was such a delightful relationship to see, as well," he murmured.
"Hey, at least they don’t have to worry about their sister dating me anymore," Harry growled.
"That is their biggest crime." He contacted the healers and secured Harry’s release from the hospital.
As they appeared in the entryway of 12 Grimmauld, Harry said, "Ought to be interesting in two weeks. You have a Head Boy that one half of your students will ignore. Ron and Ginny are very popular Gryffindors, so their story about how I hurt Ginny, especially with a Slytherin, is going to spread like a wildfire through the tower. I don’t think I need to say anything about the Slytherins, since Draco still runs the show over there. Who knows how the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws will react?" He shrugged. "I predict that Gryffindor will not see the House Cup this year. Might want to let the teachers know that I’m taking book on how quickly I’m kicked from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, too."
He walked over to the stairs. "Ron always thinks that he gets the short end of the stick. I only wish I had his problems."
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September first came, finding Harry on the Hogwarts Express heading for his seventh and last year of Hogwarts. As he’d predicted, the majority of Gryffindor students were ignoring him, with one or two notable exceptions. Dean had already informed him that it might be an idea to watch his back, and Neville, of all people, had informed him that he was going to pay for his disrespect of Ginny.
Currently, sitting in his compartment with him were Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger. Her relationship with Ron was on the rocks over ‘the Ginny incident’ as everyone seemed to be calling it. Ginny had flat out ended the friendship with Hermione, which had caused Hermione a few tears, but a great deal more anger. "I will laugh in that girl’s face when it’s discovered that her brothers lied to her," she had growled.
"So you believe me now?" he asked.
"I had a chance to talk to Dumbledore about Head Girl duties, and asked his opinion of this situation. He supports you one hundred percent. I trust Dumbledore." She cocked her head. "Legilimency?" Harry nodded with a smile. "Thank you," he said, and then snorted. "Now I just have to find my Hufflepuff supporter amongst the girls."
Luna and Hermione looked at each other and then started laughing. "Pansy, me, and Luna," Hermione finally said. "Try Susan. Maybe she’ll believe you."
A red head popped in the doorway. "Did I hear my name called? Hi, Harry."
"Hi, Susan," he replied. "I assume you've heard the stories about how evil and horrible I am?"
Susan's rolling eyes were far more eloquent than any words she could have said. "So, sounds like you're taking applications for your entourage of girls. Want my resume?" She gave him a dead serious look that was broken only by a quiet twinkle in her eyes.
He looked at her for a moment, and then at the serious looks on the other girls faces, also with eyes twinkling. He started to laugh. "Perfect!" They all cocked their heads at him questioningly. "Well, Susan here is a redhead, Hermione is a brunette, and Luna is blonde. Can anyone tell me Pansy's hair colour?" He grinned.
They chuckled with him for a moment, and then Susan became serious. "How are you handling things, Harry?"
"Honestly? Like hell. The Weasleys have declared me persona non grata. The woman I gave my heart to, and a good chunk of my soul, has told me that she has every intention of making me wish I was dead if I approach her for anything other than school related things. I'd love to just be able to switch that off, but I can't. Then I've got Ron, who spent all last year lying to me about being together with Hermione."
"Everyone knew about it," Susan said. "He tried to tell you that they weren't?"
"And he convinced me not to say anything to Harry because he thought that Harry might feel like we were abandoning him," Hermione said softly. "I'm sorry, Harry," she added.
"Don't worry about it. I wonder if his real reason for not saying anything is that he feels like he was poaching?"
"Poaching?" Luna asked. "What do you mean?"
"I wrote him at the beginning of July and mentioned that I was contemplating asking Hermione out for our first Hogsmeade weekend when we got back to school for sixth year. I got the most amused letter from Ginny the day you got to the Burrow last summer, Hermione."
Hermione's face had gone from surprised to angry. "He … that … oooo …"
"Hermione? You're losing the ability to speak coherently," Harry laughed.
She was red in the face, and it was obviously not from embarrassment. "He came thundering down the stairs, dragged me out into the garden, and professed how much he cared for me — how he fancied me. I was so touched by that. Now I find out he did it to beat you to it?"
"He does fancy you," Harry said. "He wouldn't have done that otherwise. For all I know, he needed my letter to finally get the courage to admit it to you. Don't be angry at him for that."
"I'm finally understanding his comments during the year, though. Whenever I thought it was time to tell you, he'd find a reason not to. And when you started seeing Ginny, he didn't want it mentioned so that it wouldn't hurt Ginny. He was fighting to keep you from knowing."
"Be gentle with him," Harry said.
"No," Hermione said. "I'm going to make him choose. Dumbledore trusts you completely on this issue. I've talked with Pansy, and she echoes your story. That's it. He can either trust someone he's gone to school with these past six years, or he can look for a new girlfriend." She crossed her arms under her breasts.
"Are you sure about this, Hermione?" Harry asked, worried. "Remember, you're basically asking him to choose between people he's known literally all his life, or this guy who stepped into his life six years ago and proceeded to get him in trouble more times than any of us can count."
"We'll talk about this when I get back from the meeting. I still don't know who the Head Boy is."
"Mind if I walk you to the meeting? Be interesting to see who it is." As she stepped past him, he carefully pulled the badge from his pocket and showed the other two girls with a wink. They winked back at him.
In the hallway, she said, "Well, since you're walking me there, I can say what I was going to in the compartment. You let people walk all over you, Harry. He wronged you. Let me repeat that for you. He. Wronged. You. Since you are my friend, I will not stand for that. Until he can find that tiny little brain of his inside that big hollow skull and realize that his brothers lied to the family just to break you and Ginny apart, we are through as a couple."
They reached the compartment, and Hermione opened the door. Ron poked his head out. "Get lost, Potter. This is for prefects and the Head Boy and Girl. I know Hermione's the Head Girl, so she has a reason to be here. I'm a prefect, so I do too. Same with Ginny. You have no reason to be here." He gave Harry a rough shove down the hallway, enough to make him fall back onto his buttocks.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed in a shrill voice.
Harry simply smiled and stood up. "It's all right, Hermione," Harry said calmly.
"No it's not! If he's going to be an arse …"
"No, really, it's okay. The meeting can't start until the Head Boy is here, now that the Head Girl is here, right?"
"Yes," Hermione said.
"And Mister Weasley here is bound and determined that I not enter the cabin, right?"
"It'll be over my dead body," Ron snarled. "More precisely, over yours."
"Ronald!" Hermione gasped. Ron suddenly discovered exactly why Draco had reacted the way he had in their third year, as blood began to flow from the nose she had just struck.
"I don't care. He has no right to be here, and he's not entering," Ron said through his hand. Ginny, fire in her eyes, came over and healed Ron's nose.
"Get lost, Potter," she hissed. "We all know that the only reason you're here is to cause more trouble." Her eyes flared, and she added. "I'm glad your parents didn't survive to see the right royal bastard you are now."
Harry's eyes went dark. "Hermione, you might as well come away from the room and come back to Luna and Susan. The Head Boy won't be at this meeting."
"How do you know?" she asked, her eyes calculating.
He closed his eyes and a flare of magic put him in his robes. He then reached into his trousers pocket and pulled out the Head Boy badge, then pinned it on his robes. "Because the Head Boy has been forbidden to enter by two of the prefects." He turned and walked back to the cabin that Luna and Susan were still in.
"Short meeting," Susan said.
"Ron and Ginny told me I'd be in the meeting over their dead bodies — actually over my own dead body." He shook his head. "I'll miss him as a friend, but I am really glad that the Head Boy and Girl have their own rooms. Probably something to do with counselling other students. Easier to do in a common room that only two people have access to."
The door slammed open to admit a steaming Ron Weasley, who stalked over to Harry, who stood to meet him. Before anyone could react, Ron lashed out and struck Harry in the chest, just below the throat. Harry felt something crack, and then intense pain went through his head as he impacted with the glass. Not again, he thought idly as his consciousness left him.
What happened to Harry?