The Legend of the Phoenix Well

AmethystPhoenix

Story Summary:
Normal people have unexciting school lives. Harry's not a normal person. His seventh year may be the most chaotic of all. First, Voldemort is immortal. Second, he's got a necklace everyone wants, but he doesn't want at all. Third, he just might be becoming more Slytherin... over a girl! What's Harry to do?

Chapter 02

Chapter Summary:
After a year of nothing from Voldemort, Harry receives a phoenix necklace from his Aunt after a dementor attack. It possesses mysterious powers, and shows Harry a well in the middle of a forest. What's worse, Voldemort is immortal, and can only be defeated by a legendary weapon to destroy all evil, according to the legend, and he's out to destroy it. Add that to N.E.W.T.S., Ginny, Icicle Weasley, romance between Ron and Hermione, an ex-girlfriend as DADA professor, Auror applications, Quidditch and responsibilities, and the usual... and you get Harry's seventh and most chaotic year at Hogwarts.
Posted:
10/02/2003
Hits:
2,710
Author's Note:
Finally! The second chapter! Sorry I didn't update sooner; I had so much homework. Anyway, sorry if some of the characters seem OOC, but it's all part of the plot. Also, there's something at the end (you'll see) that needs an explanation. My answer: J.K. Rowling says it's possible, so it's possible. Okay, on with the fic!

Chapter Two: Shocking Revelations

Aunt Petunia was nowhere to be seen the next morning as Harry packed all his possessions for the permanent move out. He had begun to think it had been a hallucination of some kind after intense stress. Sighing, he grabbed his glasses, which were more like souvenirs now, and set them in his trunk next to the pocket sneakescope Ron had given him for his thirteenth birthday.

All his life, he had wanted to leave Privet Drive for good, and that day had come. He was a little shocked to find out that he was getting nostalgic when he walked around his room. Smiling, he ran his hand over the stumps of bars over his window, and remembered when Fred and George had torn them away in his second year. Then there was that time Oliver Wood had accidentally Apparated on top of Harry's desk instead of Glastonbury, spilling ink all over it and Harry's homework in the summer before sixth year. Oliver had never been good at Apparating, and the ink stains were still on the desk. Harry didn't feel like magicking them off.

There was a knock on the door, and Ron's muffled voice wafted through. "Are you in there, mate?"

"Yeah! Come on, I don't have a lock anyway to keep you out," Harry replied. Ron opened the door, looking sheepish.

"Did you pass your Apparation test yet?" he asked eagerly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "My birthday was yesterday, Ron."

"Oh. My test's next week. Then we can Apparate everywhere, drive Hermione crazy since she can't take the test until December..."

Harry and Ron both sniggered as they realized they would be able to do something Hermione could not. Ron looked curiously at Harry. "Hey, mate, where'd your glasses go? Did you lose them? 'Cause you can do a Summoning Charm now."

"No. But I did that spell in last year's book... you know, the one Flitwick skipped over since it was too hard, even for N.E.W.T. level?"

"That one? How long did it take you?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Not long."

The door creaked open slowly, and Dudley cautiously poked his head in. "Uh... your-your d-dad w-wants y-you t-two d-d-downstairs." Then, as fast as he could, he slammed the door and bolted away.

"You would think he would get used to it after sixteen years," Harry said.

"I quite agree," Ron said.

Dudley was sidling into the kitchen with his hands over his bottom, clutching protectively. Harry and Ron shared raised eyebrows, then proceeded into the entrance hall, Harry levitating his trunk. Dudley watched them warily, craning his almost nonexistent neck upwards, as he had only reached the height of 150 cm (5 ft).

Mr. Weasley was standing in the entrance hall, looking uncomfortable in a wool sweater and faded jeans, the same ones he had worn three years before. Tonks was wearing her usual T-shirt, this time with "Wand Girls", a new band, on the front, and jeans. She looked more at ease, and had on her real look. She had begun doing that ever since Sirius had died. She thought it was revolting, and was doing it for her cousin, but male wizards thought differently. "Wotcher, Harry! Nifty look you've got there... I'd say you've gone from nerdy cute to hot cute!"

Harry turned bright red while Ron sniggered. "Yeah, Harry," Ron said in a falsetto voice. "Or should I say..."

He was awarded a punch on the arm before he could finish. Mr. Weasley, who had paid no attention whatsoever to the conversation, turned away from the lamp next to the wall, and grinned. "Are we ready, everyone?" he asked jovially. "Cars are so exciting... ours is strictly Muggle, you know, it's Tonks's car..."

"Dad got a little excited on the way here," Ron said under his breath. Harry wasn't surprised.

"...It's even got a steero, or whatever you call 'em..."

"Stereo, Mr. Weasley," Harry said.

"... yes, those..."

"Dad," Ron said.

"...and air-compostion?" Mr. Weasley went on.

"Dad," Ron said a little louder.

"And you'd never guess... these little bags called air bags! Absolutely ingenious!"

"DAD!" Ron yelled. "Can we go now?"

Mr. Weasley smiled. "But of course! I was waiting for you!" Ron rolled his eyes, and started out the door. Harry was on the porch when Aunt Petunia rushed from the kitchen.

"Wait! You didn't say goodbye!"

Ron gave Harry a questioning look as Aunt Petunia proceeded to squeeze Harry in what was probably a hug. "Bye," Harry wheezed. "Aunt Petunia... can't... breathe..."

Aunt Petunia backed away slowly. "Goodbye, Harry. And remember your promise..."

"I will," Harry said. He turned, and left. Ron left the door of the car open, and Harry got in, shutting the door behind him.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked. "Don't you hate each other?"

"She had a change of heart yesterday," Harry said. "Now I'm her "ickle Harry"."

Ron snickered, and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, restarting his perpetual eating.

The inside of Grimmauld Place was a bit cheerier, since the portrait of Mrs. Black had been removed. Harry hadn't been there since fifth year, and it was a lot different. The sounds of people talking in the kitchen were heard, and the place was well lit, and the elf heads were gone.

Mr. Weasley had Apparated straight back to work, leaving Tonks to see them away before driving away. Harry and Ron stood in the hall stupidly, wondering where they were supposed to go. If they went into the kitchen, and there was a meeting, Ron would be in serious trouble, as his mother wouldn't let him in meetings. If they went to their room, everyone might have been expecting them in the kitchen. "So, uh, is Hermione here already?" Harry asked.

"She's been here for a week," Ron said, shrugging. "Fred and George are at their Joke Shop, and Ginny's helping them, and living with them too. She'll be back the day after tomorrow."

"Okay," Harry said, shrugging. Ron looked at him with a surprised, wide-eyed look.

"You mean you aren't disappointed?" he asked in a hushed tone reminiscent of Trelawney.

Harry stared at Ron. "Disappointed? Ron, we're friends. Remember, she got over me," he said in a confused voice.

"But you're supposed to... date her," Ron said.

Harry's mouth fell open in absolute shock. When he recovered, he started laughing. "Date her, Ron? Really, you think you want me to date her now, but once you see the slobber, you'll go into Older Brother Mode."

Ron turned red and mumbled something like, "No I wouldn't. She needs a boyfriend."

"Correction, Ron," Harry said. "She used to need one. Until Corner. Then she went with Dean, Anthony, Kevin, Larry, Walter, Thomas, Chris, John, Mark, Evan..."

A hopeful look came over Ron's face. "You've been keeping track! That means you like her!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do not. Everyone knows. Except for you, of course."

A stale whiskey odor reached their noses, and a moment later, shuffling steps were heard. Mundungus Fletcher trudged up the stairs from the kitchen, and stopped when he saw Harry and Ron.

"S'up, Ron?" he asked. He squinted at Harry. "Who's this? Is it... why, it's Harry!" He patted Harry in the back good-naturedly. "They're waitin' downstairs, you know. Been waitin' ten minutes already."

"Thanks, Dung," Harry said as he and Ron started down the stairs to the kitchen.

Pots and pans clattered as they neared the cavernous space. Hermione sat at the table near the unlit hearth, reading an enormous book like always. Mrs. Weasley bustled around, and Remus and Bill sat looking at maps. A very familiar blond sat next to Bill... Harry recognized her as Fleur, who had dated Bill since his fifth year.

Everything looked a lot shorter to Harry, since he had grown a lot since Christmas of his fifth year. Fleur, who he hadn't seen since the end of his fourth year, was once taller than Harry was. Harry realized suddenly that she was now shorter and celebrated inwardly. In the summer, he had had his big growth spurt, and had expected it then after Remus told him the year before. Sure, he wasn't as tall as Ron, but his ego wasn't going to drop anytime soon.

There were some flat-footed footsteps from a room to the side, and a slouched figure shuffled in. He was wearing red robes, and had dark hair that fell into his eyes. It was Viktor Krum. Ron's jaw dropped. "What's he doing here?" he blurt out.

Hermione looked up sharply, the first to see the two. "He's part of the Order, Ron."

"You're still writing to him?" Ron asked. "It's been three years!" He looked triumphantly at himself and Harry as he realized they were both taller than Viktor as well (though Harry by not as much).

Viktor was watching the argument with amusement. Apparently there was something going on that Hermione had informed him of through her letters. Harry shrugged, used to the bickering, and picked up a mug from the table with interesting designs, and studied it.

"Look, Ron, he's not threatening our relationship," Hermione said.

"CRASH!" Harry dropped the mug. He pulled his wand out and quickly repaired it. Everyone in the room was looking up. He ignored them and said, "Relationship?"

"Uh, yeah... relationship..." Ron said.

"We got together," Hermione said.

"Finally!" Harry said before he could stop himself. "Took you long enough."

Fleur was eyeing Harry with more interest than was decent for someone with a steady boyfriend. Harry chose to ignore her. "Nice look, Harry," Bill said.

Molly Weasley bustled in from another side room, and saw Ron. "Oh, you're home! Is Harry here?" She scanned the room and found Harry. "Oh, are you a new friend?"

Ron snickered, but Mrs. Weasley didn't notice.

"Do you go to Hogwarts? Ron goes there. He's a Prefect, you know. I'm so proud..." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum," Bill said.

"He got ten O.W.L.s, did he tell you that?"

"Mum," Bill said.

"What, Bill?" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"He's Harry," Bill snickered.

Mrs. Weasley blushed. "Sorry, Harry, dear... want something?" she pushed Harry to the table, where she pushed a plate into his hands and started stacking freshly baked cookies on it. When the baking pan was empty, she allowed Harry to stagger with the plate onto a bench. "I'll go make some more," she said.

"Oh, no, that's quite..." Harry began, but she was already out of hearing range.

Ron grabbed a cookie, and stared coldly at Viktor. "So, er," Harry said, trying to break the silence, "how is everyone? I haven't seen some of you in a while."

"Zat is true," Fleur said, still avidly staring at Harry.

Viktor whispered something to Hermione, who giggled. Ron looked miffed.

"So, Viktor," Ron said in a crisp, biting tone, accenting "Viktor", "When did you get here? And why are you here?"

"Vell, I am part of the Order," Viktor said simply.

"Oh, really?" Ron said sarcastically. Harry shot him a warning glare.

"Yes. Haff you heard? That last attack on Muggles and the Dementors... they are not You-Know-Who's doing. It vas all Lucius Malfoy and the Dementors' ideas. You-Know-Who hasn't done anything since June 1996."

"You would think that he would do something. Last year was expected. He needed time to gather more followers and heal from the Ministry fiasco," Bill said. "But we were expecting him to start this summer on the wizards. Voldemort, not just the Death Eaters. But the attacks so far have been half-hearted, and someone got away during the Muggle attack."

Harry let out a breath.

"Oh, no," Ron said, reading the letter Mrs. Weasley had just handed him and throwing it aside. "Not her."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Icicle..." Ron almost whispered.

"Icicle? Who's that?" Hermione asked.

"She's our cousin. Oh, come on, Ron, she's not that bad," Bill said.

"Says who?" Ron retorted. "You were too old for her. She... she's like Parvati. Or she was the last time I saw her."

"When was that?" Harry asked.

"When I was six."

"A mini-Parvati," Harry said, wincing.

"So anyway," Ron said in a scared voice, "She used to always wear make-up, and dress in low-cuts and stuff. You know, Parvati-like. And she was six. She'd get Ginny to do it too. Mum wasn't too happy. And..." he said, his voice dropping even lower, "she used to chase me around, saying she had to practice for the day she would start kissing. She wanted me as her practice dummy."

"Oh, Ron, don't be pathetic. You were just six at the time. She didn't know better!" Hermione said. "I bet she's changed loads. I can't wait to meet her. When is she coming?"

Ron shook his head disbelivingly. "Day after tomorrow," he said. Then, dropping his voice so only Harry could hear, he said, "It's a good thing she went to Durmstrang. Imagine Hermione like that!"

Harry shivered. "Bad mental image, Ron!" he said. He tried to imagine what Icicle would look like, but his mental images of a fiery redhead in Parvati's clothes didn't work out.

***

Harry made his way down to breakfast two days later yawning and wishing he could go back to bed. Hermione was dragging both him and Ron down to the kitchen, screeching that it was ten in the morning and they should get used to the Hogwarts schedule.

"And the members of the Order are waiting for both of you!" Hermione added. "They've been waiting for an hour already!"

"That's nice," Harry said, yawning and not paying attention.

"Nice?" Hermione scowled. "You gave Snape another reason to make more snide comments about you, and then after the meeting, you'll be blowing up in our faces about it. That's not nice!"

"Relax, Hermione," Ron yawned. He tripped over the troll-leg umbrella holder, glared venomously at it, and hurried after Hermione, who had a vice-grip on both the boys' arms.

"Relax?" Hermione said. "Relax?" She shook her head disbelievingly. "Ron, if the entire Order is here, it must be really important! I mean, Voldemort could have done something!"

"Nah, Hermione, unless if he decided to have a Breakfast Brunch," a voice said from their right.

"Imagine that," snickered an almost identical voice. "Old Voldie having a Breakfast Brunch with his Death Eaters and their families. Oh, Lucius, tell Narcissa to make deviled eggs. I do love how she adds the right amount of salt every time!"

"Oh, and while you're at it, tell Draco and Wormtail to set the table... in a 'country' style..." the first person said.

Hermione spun around, dragging Harry and Ron along with her. "Honestly, Fred, George, this is not the time to joke! He could have done something!"

Ron's nineteen year old twin brothers, Fred and George, stood with their backs against the wall, smirking. "Honestly, Hermione," George said, "we're not doing anything. We're serious. Dumbledore's having a Breakfast Brunch. He felt the Order was getting a bit too melancholy, and he thought we can't work that way. So we're having breakfast together. He even made Snape come."

Harry shook his head. Dumbledore was eccentric... and sometimes, Harry wondered if he was flat-out crazy. "So, you came back this morning?" Harry asked.

"Yup. Really early. They wanted us here for breakfast," Fred said. "Ginny's upstairs, washing. She says she'll never live with two bachelors again. Sigh..."

"She says we're too messy," George said in the false sad voice. "She's becoming such a girl, our Ginny..."

"Honestly," breathed Hermione as she jerked on Harry and Ron's arms, making them yelp.

"Hermione!" complained Ron as she dragged the two down the stairs. Fred and George, laughing, followed the three.

"Hey, Harry, where'd your glasses go?" George inquired.

"Used a charm," Harry said, wincing as Hermione banged him against a coat hanger that looked like a withered tree. "Ow, Hermione, my Apparating test is today!"

Hermione continued to drag the two down to the kitchen, where the buzz of conversation stopped when they entered. She let go of them, and Harry and Ron rubbed their sore arms, scowling.

"Ahh! You've arrived!" Dumbledore said, moving over, making a spot on the bench between him and Snape. Mrs. Weasley immediately pushed a piece of toast into Harry and Hermione's hands. Harry bit into his. "Professor Snape has been saving you a seat!"

"W-what?" Harry said, choking on the toast in his mouth. Snape looked at Dumbledore, looking like he wondered if Dumbledore was still sane. Dumbledore smiled, and motioned for Harry to sit. Harry stared, then sat, immediately moving as far as he could from Snape. Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George sat across from them.

"So, how are you, Harry," Dumbledore said jovially.

"Er, fine," Harry said. "Most of it." Snape rolled his eyes.

Dumbledore seemed to spot someone come in, because he moved over yet again. "Ah! You're here! Come and join us! Professor Snape has been saving seats!"

Harry caught a glimpse of Snape's face. The Potions Master seemed ready to murder. Trying to keep Snape from seeing his face, Harry averted his eyes to his bacon to keep from laughing. Across the table, Ron seemed to be doing the same thing.

A moment later, someone sat down next to Harry. The smell of strawberries immediately reached Harry's nose. Quickly, he turned his face, but it was too late. He sneezed loudly. Snape glared at him. Harry glared back, and sneezed again, this time getting the cereal in his mouth on Snape's robes.

"Mr. Potter!" Snape seethed, standing up jerkily and wiping the cereal off his robes with a napkin while everyone stared at the two. "Please control your bodily functions while dining!"

"Sorry," Harry said in a muffled voice. He was allergic to strawberries and the scent of strawberries. He took a bite out of his banana.

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone letting the air of a balloon, and the room immediately smelled of rotten eggs. "Excuse me," Mundungus said, turning red at all the attention. Harry sneezed again. The banana in his mouth went flying onto Snape.

"Sorry. I'b allergic to strawberries," he said. He sneezed again, and Snape continued to glare at him.

"Here, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, handing him a handkerchief.

"Thanks," Harry said. He sneezed again.

The conversation started again. Harry sat down, as did Snape. Mrs. Weasley got rid of the strawberry lotion Ginny was wearing.

"Ginny!" Ron said in a horrified voice. "You've lost your chance of getting a boyfriend! You wore strawberry lotion!"

The Weasleys, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Remus, and Tonks turned to look at him. Harry and Hermione looked annoyed, and Dumbledore was smiling his half-smile.

"What boyfriend, Ron?" Harry heard Ginny say from next to him as he looked at Ron despairingly.

"Why, Harry, of course! He's allergic to you now!" Ron said.

Harry began to cough extremely loudly to make an excuse for his reddening face. Hermione rolled her eyes.

The table was silent. Fred dropped his spoon. McGonagall was the first to break the silence. "Oh, Mr. Potter, stop that... it's quite unneeded. Mr. Weasley, please keep your romantic opinions to yourself," she said in her usual crisp tone.

Harry stopped mid-cough, while Ron reddened, realizing what he had just said. "Er..." he said, looking like a tomato and quickly turning maroon, "um... bacon, anyone?"

Harry stared at him. "Bacon?" he repeated. "Ron, there's no bacon."

"Er... yeah... here's the butter..." Ron said, pushing the butter dish into Harry's hands.

"So... how do you think England did in the semi-finals?" Charlie said loudly. Slowly, the babble of conversation began again.

"Erm, hello, Professor," Harry said, turning his head away from the still-remaining lotion smell Mrs. Weasley had been unable to remove. "Um... I've got all my homework done..." he trailed off as Snape continued to glare wordlessly at him. "So..." Harry said, still trying to get rid of his embarrassment, "I find it very interesting that, er... aconite and wolfsbane are the same thing... very interesting fact I learned over the summer..."

Snape glared at him. Then he said icily, "Mr. Potter, is your brain filled with holes? Or do you not remember that you learned that fact in your first Potions class?"

"Oh, erm... heh," Harry said, feeling extremely stupid. He hadn't been able to wisecrack Snape even; he was so embarrassed.

Instead, he turned towards Ginny when the smell went away, setting the butter dish on the table gingerly. He found himself looking at Ginny's flaming red hair, now streaked with strawberry blond. His first thought was that Ginny was obsessed with strawberries.

"So, professor, who's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ginny said eagerly to Professor Dumbledore. "Is it Professor Lupin again?"

Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "No, I am afraid Professor Lupin is busy with the Order this year. It seems like the Death Eaters are moving, if not Voldemort himself. No, it will be a new teacher."

"New?" Ginny asked.

"I believe you have met her," Dumbledore said, winking at Harry.

For some reason, Harry felt an ominous feeling when Dumbledore winked at him. He wondered why. Was he having some sort of premonition about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? He had the strange feeling he knew the teacher better than Ginny...

All his thoughts flew out of his mind when Ginny turned around. Harry's elbow landed straight into the butter dish. He swore under his breath while Ginny giggled. He pulled his wand out sharply and removed the stain.

Quickly, he put his wand away before anyone could see him with his wand out and wonder what happened, and started gazing at Ginny's very attractive face, framed by her beautiful red hair.

Wait a second, thought Harry. Since when did I think of Ginny as attractive and beautiful? What's happening? Ugh, this is proving Ron's point... but she has changed over the summer...

Ginny giggled on, holding her sides. Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, laugh-fest over," he said teasingly.

"Sorry... just... so... funny!" Ginny gasped.

"What? What's so funny?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Nothing, Ron," Harry and Ginny chorused. They looked at each other.

"Jynx," Ginny said.

"Tut, tut, so immature," Harry said back. He was quite relieved. The elbow had been shock, that was all...

"Oh my gosh! Icicle!" Ginny said, looking past Harry quickly, and getting up. Ron's head jerked the other way, away from the doorway as he hid under the table. Hermione sighed.

Harry braced himself for something that would look terribly out of place. After all... a fiery red-head in Parvati-clothes? He turned to face the doorway.

There was no red. Instead, a raven-haired girl that reminded Harry of (he winced when he thought of it) a young Bellatrix Lestrange wearing a low cut black muggle dress stood in the doorway, smiling a cold smile. "Hello, Ginny," she said. "You've grown a lot."

Mrs. Weasley bustled up to Icicle. "Oh, dear, how you've grown!" she said, smiling. "Now, then, your cousins should be done with breakfast... come on, all of you... the Order doesn't need you here right now... you should all catch up. Ron! Don't be silly, Harry, dear, would you and Hermione please get Ron to go with the rest of you?"

Hermione began to pull on Ron's arm forcefully, making him cry out in complaint. "Harry, help!" Hermione said.

Sighing, Harry walked to the other side of the table, and hoisted Ron up. He and Hermione "leap frogged" Ron out the door. Harry knew Snape was relieved they were leaving. Ron groaned as Hermione shut the door behind them, and followed the others to the hall.

"Well," Fred said. "Absolutely corking to see you..."

Percy shot him a withering glare. "Nice to see you at last," he said. His siblings, Harry, and Hermione glared at him, still not forgiving him.

"What are you doing here?" George said in a low voice.

Percy looked affronted. "I have as much as a right to be here as you do!"

"No you don't, you totally ditched us in seventh year," George said pointedly. The other red-haired Weasleys nodded their consent.

"Um, excuse me," Icicle said, looking very miffed at the spotlight being taken from her. "Can't we catch up, instead of this?"

"Er... I'm leaving," Ron whispered to Harry. He began to sneak away.

"Oy! Ronniekins!" Fred said, an evil grin on his face. He grabbed Ron's arm. "Remember Icicle? I bet she remembers you! Where are your manners?"

Harry heard Ron swear under his breath as Fred dragged him back. "Hello," Ron said dully.

Icicle wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Harry. "You're Harry Potter," she said reverently.

"Er... yeah," Harry said nervously. "Nice to meet you. So... you went to Durmstrang?"

"Yeah, my dad's their dad's brother," Icicle said. "My mother was a relative of the Blacks, though really distant. They're having me stay here for my last year of school, since they're busy. I'm Isidora Cleopatra Weasley, Icicle for short."

She sounded breathless. "Er..." Harry said nervously. Icicle was making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm Hermione," Hermione said quickly, sensing the tension. "Ron's girl friend."

Ron turned even more red than before.

"That's nice," Icicle said. She looked bored. "So, what are you all doing here? I thought you lived at the Burrow."

"We do," Ginny said. "We're just here... at the moment."

"What are all those people doing in there?"

"Well, Dumbledore made them come here for a breakfast brunch," Fred said. "If you ask me, Dumbledore's gone 'round the bend." He made a swirling motion around his ear.

"Fred!" Percy said indignantly.

"It's not like you don't hate him, Percy," George said sarcastically.

Percy failed to detect the sarcasm. "That's right, George, good point. I don't hate him. I never did."

"Yeah, right," George said, his voice now dripping with sarcasm.

Even Percy noticed. "Well," he huffed. "If you don't... if you... I'm leaving." He stalked off, the back of his neck bright red.

Icicle watched him leave. "Does this have anything to do with two years ago?" she asked. Fred and George, both red, walked the other way. Bill and Charlie shrugged, then went back into the kitchen.

"You bet it does," Ron snarled, momentarily forgetting his phobia of his cousin. He suddenly remembered who he was answering, and backed away quickly.

"Grow up, Ron," Ginny said wryly.

"So... what have you been up to, Ginny?" Icicle asked.

"The usual," Ginny said. "You know, school, that stuff..."

Ron looked miffed. He was in a bad mood from Percy. "You mean you list of boyfriends that doesn't include Harry?" he said in a crisp voice, dragging out Harry's name.

"Ron..." Harry warned.

"And your list that doesn't include Ginny?" Ron said.

"Ron..." Hermione said.

Icicle suddenly looked venomously at Ginny. Or at least it looked like it to Harry. A moment later, she was smiling again. "Well, then," she said. "I see you've learned quite a bit from me."

The door to the kitchen opened again, and Mrs. Weasley poked her head out. "Your Hogwarts letters are here," she said.

"Really?" Hermione said excitedly. "I can't wait to see what books we need this year!"

Ron, still steaming, stomped down the stairs first. Hermione followed tentatively. Harry, shaking his head, went after her, followed by Ginny and then Icicle.

Harry took his letter from Mrs. Weasley, and sat down, tearing it open. He took the letter out, and the list of school supplies. Slowly, he read it through, groaning at the amount of books that he'd have to carry around that year. He looked jealously at Ron's shorter list.

Feeling something else in the envelope, Harry reached in and took the object out. Inside was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain badge. Harry looked at it, turning it. It was a bit expected, and Harry wasn't surprised. He had been on the team six years, and was starting his seventh. Katie had left the previous year.

He tossed his badge up and down, happy that he had become captain, even though it wasn't a surprise. He caught Remus's eye, and grinned happily. Remus and Tonks grinned back, Tonks giving him a thumbs-up. Harry put the letter in his envelope, knowing it would say the same thing as before, and the list went in after.

"Can I see?" Ron said, less grouchy than before, now that he had found out he wouldn't have to be captain. After playing Keeper for two years, Ron knew he hated nervousness, which he seemed to have an abundance of. Becoming captain would just make him faint at the first match.

Harry handed the envelope to Ron, who quickly pulled one of the sheets of paper, trying to see if it was the list. "I want to see what books you have to get," Ron explained, opening the folded sheet. Harry looked at Hermione, who seemed slightly putout that she hadn't received the Head Girl badge. Instead, she had received the 7th year Prefect badge.

Harry looked at Ron's 7th year Prefect badge. "Yeah, I wonder who's Head Boy," Ron said quietly. "I hope it's not Malfoy..." Suddenly he swore loudly in surprise. Mrs. Weasley looked up from her Witch Weekly.

"Ronald Weasley!" she said. "You watch you mouth! Oh my!" she said, spotting the badge Ron was staring at.

Percy looked at it. "Ron! You did it!"

"But... but... but it's not my badge!" Ron stuttered. The room quieted as all the Order members watched.

"Then who's is it? Malfoy's?" Fred said. He and George had come in while they had been reading their letters.

"It..." Ron was unable to say more. He held up the envelope. It was Harry's turn to swear.

"How did I miss that?" he said.

"Well, I believe you have found your badge, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said.

"But... I wasn't a Prefect!" Harry said.

"Well, you see, it is not me nor the other teachers who choose the Head Boy and Girl. It is the Sorting Hat. And it's not always a Prefect who the hat chooses. The hat has its own mind," Dumbledore said.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry said, running out of the room. "Imagine Malfoy's face when he sees this," Ron said, a dreamy look on his face.


Author notes: Thank you to all my reviewers… now for some messages.
It has come to my attention that someone has been using my name to flame. Not only is that totally stupid of the flamer, but it's really disrespectful. Look, I know you don't like my story, but who forced you to read it? If you want to criticize my story, I would like it if you'd tell me why it stinks. This message is to all potential and current flamers...
On a more happy note, thank you to all my praisers (is that a word?) Hey, you're getting me to slack off of my homework (gasp!) for this story. Jk... but I enjoy writing because of people like you, who are the people who make this story possible.
n&hp: To answer your question, "Wotcher" is Victorian England slang for "What cheer!" Yeah, when you know what time period it comes from, the words "What cheer" make sense. I read that fact somewhere...
[Goes off like Hermione to the recesses of the Internet where the info geeks go for the most random information... just kidding, but I do like to read (no, really?)]
Furiya Celine: You’ll find out!
blackeaerials: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are Percy’s parents, so they forgave him. The Weasley kids aren’t so forgiving…