Harry Potter and the Loss of Innocence

Chapter Twenty: Going Home for Christmas

At times life is wicked
And I just can't see the light.
A silver lining sometimes isn't enough
To make some wrongs seem right.
Whatever life brings
I've been through everything.
~Creed: Don't Stop Dancing

Dark Lord Asks

Harry Potter to Join Him!

By Rita Skeeter

Sources close to this reporter have revealed
to her that Mr. Harry Potter, currently a sixth
year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry, received on the first of December
a letter from You-Know-Who. The sources go
on to say that Potter was offered the position
of You-Know-Who's second-in-command.

This worries me. What sixteen-year-old boy
could turn down such an offer of greatness?
Can a sixteen-year-old boy see what the
implications such an action could entail?

It was reported several years ago that
Potter could speak Parseltongue. This is
the ability to speak with snakes and is a
trait which commonly belongs to Dark
Wizards. How does Potter, a half-blood
of decent parentage, receive such talent
as this?

Many put him up on a pedestal because
Potter has survived many meetings with
You-Know-Who. What if we are missing
a crucial element of the story? Maybe the
one thing that Potter has not told us about
his meetings with You-Know-Who is that
he was just meeting a friend, who in no way
wanted him dead.

How can we be so sure that Harry Potter
is on our side? Why would You-Know-Who,
an accomplished dark wizard, go after a
one-year-old child? Maybe You-Know-Who
knew that Harry Potter was the next Dark
Lord and wanted to take care of him while
he had the chance?

As of this writing, I have not received a
report on how Potter responded to this
invitation. I worry, though, that this letter
was just a formality. I fear that the hand
of friendship has already been extended
by Voldemort and accepted by Potter. If
Potter has truly turned against us, it is the
responsibility of Albus Dumbledore, the
headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry, to take the boy under his wing
and steer him back to the side of Light. If
Potter won't return to us, then Dumbledore
must allow the Ministry to arrest the boy
and force him to face the Mugwump for his
crimes against our beloved country.

Harry stared at the page in silence. Right after Sephra left, the owl that delivered Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet had landed right in front of her. She had let out a small scream and hastily read the article. Harry grabbed it from her when she gave him a worried look.

It was Skeeter again. This was the kind of rubbish he was used to being printed by the Daily Prophet. Her source didn't have any news about his reply. Could that be because they just wanted to get him in trouble?

Harry looked straight ahead, thankful that his back was to the other tables. Hermione and Ron were surprised by the look on his face. They hadn't thought the article would make him as angry as Voldemort's invitation the day before. Harry was fuming. He was learning to fight to the death so that scum like Skeeter could live without Voldemort in her life. He was so against what Voldemort stood for that he had formed his own group to train them how to fight. How could she even think about printing this garbage?

Harry stood up suddenly, feeling the eyes of every student in the Great Hall follow him up to the front table. He held the newspaper in one hand. His other hand was balled up into a fist. Harry hoped no one would get in his way, because he needed to hit something.

"Professor," Harry told the waiting Headmaster when he arrived to the front, "I would like to speak to you about Rita Skeeter." Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Harry to enter the side chamber were he had gone after his name was called for the Triwizard Tournament.

"What would you like to do about this?" Dumbledore asked patiently.

"I want that other reporter, Vachel something," Harry continued, "to write an article refuting this rubbish."

Harry noticed that all the paintings were empty and the door glowed with a slightly red tinge for only a moment. "We now have complete privacy, Harry," Dumbledore explained. "Vachel Mente is a member of the Order. He has written his articles only with approval from me. I believe he'd be more than willing to write this article for you."

"I'd be more than willing to give him an interview," Harry said. "I'd hate it, but if it would help, I'd do it."

"No, no," Dumbledore said shaking his head. "We'll keep this to sources only. What I must ask you is if you had a copy of that letter you sent?" Harry nodded. Dean and Seamus had thought the letter too good of a joke to send off without making a copy. They made him copy the poll as well. "Good. Just leave it lying around sometime and I'm sure it'll make its way into Vachel's hands. And the copy of Voldemort's letter, slightly doctored. We won't print all his threats. I don't think that would be very wise."

"Well, I'll just drop it now then," Harry responded with a smile. He let go of both letters and watched as they floated to the ground. Both were copies, so Harry didn't mind letting go of them.

"Well, look what I've found," Dumbledore said picking up the letters and feinting surprise. "I'm sure the Prophet would like to print these."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The article ruined Harry's whole day. He tried to stop thinking about what this witch could possibly be up to again. His class work suffered because of his inability to concentrate. He was moody all day and even snapped at Ron during Defense. Harry hoped it wouldn't ruin the friendship they had just managed to fix.

Many of the D.A. members had complained to him about the Saturday meeting, but Harry told them that it was the only day this week that they could have it. They didn't like the answer and left grumbling. Harry didn't care what they thought at the moment. That was the only time and that's when they were going to meet. It wasn't like they had anything important planned for that day.

The training session that night didn't go well either. Thia ended up just talking to Harry about the invitation and newspaper article. Harry tried to talk with her, but he was distracted and his temper was starting to boil. When the time came for him to leave, he left quickly and headed directly to bed; he didn't want his temper to ruin any of his friendships.

The next day didn't improve for Harry at all. Potions class right before lunch was a strained affair. Both men were angry with the other, and neither would apologize first. Harry tried to pay attention in Care of Magical Creatures class but Jobberknolls (small silent blue birds) were not very interesting to learn about. Hagrid was very unhappy because his big surprise hadn't arrived yet and he had to teach them about animals he considered boring.

Harry's head wasn't in the practice that night. He got hit twice by bludgers and almost got hit four more times. He didn't catch the snitch once and his temper was boiling over. Harry didn't know why he was so furious; it wasn't as if the article had actually hurt him. Everyone at the school knew where his loyalties lay.

"Harry?" Katie started asking him after the practice in the locker room. She waited until he looked at her. "Are you okay, Harry? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," he snapped at her. He opened his mouth to apologize, when his scar exploded with pain and instead of the apology a scream came out.

Ron and Ginny ran to his side immediately as he fell and started to convulse. Ginny grabbed his head and held it in her lap, stroking his hair and face. "Help me hold him down," Ron yelled at the others. Natalie and Kirke each grabbed a leg. Katie, Ron, and Sloper tried to hold his chest still. Harry was writhing in agony and screaming for all he was worth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, Mr. Potter," the cold pitiless voice of Voldemort said to Harry, "you decided to turn down my offer of friendship. You should have been the person Rita made you out to be. It would have been safer for your friends."

"I see you didn't take my advice seriously," Harry spat at him.

"Yes, that was most amusing," Voldemort said coldly. "I have never been told to go to hell by anyone still living. However, it is usually the last words of a few Gryffindors. If I'm not very much mistaken, they were your father's last words to me." Harry glared at the man with hatred. Then he let his face clear. Thia had once told him that a straight face could anger an enemy where an angry face would just amuse him.

"Yes, I believe that," Harry answered calmly. "What do you want, Tom?"

"I want you to be absolutely sure about your choice, Potter," Voldemort spat at him. Harry was pleased to see the man's cool had worn away.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life," Harry responded. "Now, if you could tell me how to leave this place, I would very much appreciate it, Tom."

Voldemort laughed and Harry screamed with the pain it caused in his scar. "There's no way for you to leave without my direct approval."

Harry looked around at the room they were in. It was a large white room, with no doors or windows. The light seemed to come directly from the walls themselves. "As much as I would love to stay and chat, Tom," Harry said, pleased to see the look of fury on Voldemort's face, "I really must get back to my Quidditch practice."

"I'm afraid that you're not leaving here anytime soon," Voldemort replied acidly. At that moment a thought occurred to Harry. If this place was Voldemort's making why was it all white? If Voldemort had had a choice in the matter, would he not have made this place dark and creepy?

"I think I can leave whenever I want, Tom," Harry told him. He walked to the walls and searched for a way out. Voldemort laughed at him and Harry's scar burst in pain. Ginny would be angry at him if he ended up in the hospital wing tonight; he had promised to help her with her potions homework. Harry noticed that the walls had flickered with his thought of Ginny. "Goodbye, Tom," Harry said confidently. He thought of Ginny clearly and watched the room fade away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry?" called the worried voice of Ginny, bringing him back to the land of the living. "Harry, are you alright?" Harry opened his eyes and met the deep brown eyes of Ginny. He smiled but couldn't say anything or even move. He looked down at his body and saw the whole Gryffindor team on his body holding him down.

"Get off," Harry croaked out. This startled them and they jumped off of him. Ron hurriedly left and came back with a cup of water. Ginny helped Harry swallow it. "Thanks."

"What happened, Harry?" Ginny asked caringly.

"Not now," Harry replied. He felt the blood trickle down his face from his scar. "I wonder if it's normal for scars to open like this?" Harry asked touching his fingers to the open cut.

Ginny brushed his hand off and gently washed the blood off with a wet towel. Harry winced when the warm water made its way into the cut, but didn't move away. Her touch was calming and loving. Harry smiled up at her.

When she was done, he looked at Ron and asked, "Would you help her get me up. I want to talk about this with Dumbledore." Ron nodded and between the two Weasleys Harry stood up. He was ashamed at how much he had to lean on them, but he had no strength to hold himself up.

They made their slow way up to the Headmaster's office, pausing to give the password and waited for the stairs to take them to the top. Harry knocked and waited for an invitation to enter.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice rang out.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Harry greeted the man. Three chairs appeared in front of his desk and Ginny and Ron helped Harry into one. Ron took the chair to Harry's left, but Ginny sat on the armrest of Harry's chair. She kept her hand on his shoulder, softly stroking it. "Voldemort visited me this evening after Quidditch practice."

"Was your after-practice speech so boring that it made even you fall asleep?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"That's the thing," Harry replied with a smile at Dumbledore's joke, "I wasn't asleep when he got in."

"You were never really asleep," Ginny explained before Dumbledore could say anything. "You were thrashing on the floor with your hands clasped to your forehead. That's why we were holding you down when you woke up."

"Could you explain to me what happened?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Harry went through the conversation and described the room as best as he could. "I see, well," he said slowly. "Harry, as much as you're going to hate it, I need you to start your lessons with Professor Snape again. You need to learn Occulmency."

"No," Harry stated softly, but strongly. "I'm not taking private lessons with him anymore. I will learn from someone else, but not him."

"May I ask why?" Dumbledore replied calmly.

"Bad things happen when we're together," Harry answered. "Isn't there someone else I can learn from? I have enough on my plate at the moment and another lesson would crowd it up more."

"I'll ask Thia if she could add it to your training with her," Dumbledore said after a moments' pause. "I still believe Severus would be the best teacher--"

"No," Harry said, interrupting him.

"Very well," Dumbledore said with a frown. "Is there anything else?" Harry shook his head. "I will speak about this with Thia tonight or tomorrow morning. She'll give you her answer at your training session tomorrow." Harry heard the dismissal and stood up, swaying slightly. Ginny caught him, and with Ron's help they left the office.

Back in the hallway, Ginny stopped and looked Harry in the eyes. "Why did thinking of me get you out of there?" she asked bluntly. Harry looked away. He didn't want to answer that question with Ron standing right there.

"How should I know," Harry replied evasively. "If you want help on that Potions essay, we should hurry up and get to the library."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thia started training him in Occulmency the next evening. She asked if the training session could go another hour after supper so that they still had enough time to go through dueling. Harry agreed to it, thinking that he'd never have any free time.

She did manage to teach him something that Thursday and Harry couldn't feel Voldemort's anger anymore. He was thankful and happy to be in control of his feelings once more.

The next week passed in a blur of eventfulness and activity. Harry was surprised to look at the calendar that Saturday and realize that is was already December 13. He realized that he hadn't bought one Christmas gift and that there wouldn't be another school trip to Hogsmeade between now and Christmas.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione went to the Hufflepuff/ Ravenclaw game that morning. It was a sunny day, but it was icy cold. If there had been clouds in the sky Harry would have expected snow. The game was exciting, but thankfully not long.

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon playing chess with Ron. There was an unspoken agreement between the two boys. Neither spoke about their fight and they got along great. Harry knew that it was only a temporary fix; they would need to talk about it soon. Although he knew this, Harry wasn't going to be the one to bring it back up. He liked having Ron talk to him again and it was a relief to once again have his support.

Ginny sat on the armrest of his chair; it had become her favorite spot to sit. Harry wished he could pull her down into his lap and hold her close, but he knew that would get Ron angry and he didn't quite feel comfortable with doing something like that yet.

After the third game (Harry got creamed in all three) Ginny decided to play. She showed Harry some pointers and Harry learnt a little from her. He thought he would have learnt more from a different teacher, because he kept getting distracted by her beauty.

Harry couldn't figure out what he felt for Ginny. Sometimes he knew it was love, but then they would snap at one another and Harry doubted it. At other times she was his best friend and it felt odd to kiss her after those moments. Sometimes she was his student, like at the D.A. or when he was helping her with homework. Other times she was like a little sister; all he wanted to do was protect her.

But every time he thought about her, he couldn't help but think about how she had rescued him from Voldemort. Did that mean something? Did he really love Ginny? Or was it just some crush that would wear off in a year?

At the moment Harry didn't care whether it was a crush or something more. She was still his girlfriend. He'd figure the rest out later. He thought he should do something with her before the end of term on Wednesday. Maybe spend some time walking around the Lake tonight. He wasn't sure yet.

"Do you think they'd let me go Christmas shopping?" Harry asked out loud.

"Why wouldn't they?" Ron asked, not taking his eyes off the board. Ginny had him in check and he was trying to figure out how to get un-checked.

"'Cause, you know," Harry replied vaguely.

"I don't see why not," Hermione said from the chair next to Ron. She was studying her Runes textbook. "With the right precautions it should be alright."

"I hope so," Harry replied.

"Checkmate," Ginny said victoriously. Harry smiled at her and briefly kissed her cheek.

"Good for you," Harry told her happily. "You have no idea what I feel like after being trounced by him every time I play."

"Why do you hope they'll let you go shopping?" Ginny asked.

"I don't have any gifts for anyone," Harry told them. "I didn't realize that the trip in November was the only one we'd get before the break."

"You should ask Dumbledore now," Hermione told him. "That way he'd have enough time to arrange everything."

"That's a good idea," Harry told her. "Gin, do you want to come with me and then go for a walk?"

"Sure," she replied brightly. "Are we going outside or staying inside?"

"Let's go walk around the Lake," Harry told her, smiling.

"Fine by me." She hurried up the stairs and got her cloak. Harry walked slower with Ron at his side.

"Your sister's great," Harry told Ron seriously.

"I know that," Ron said. "Don't hurt her, Harry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three days of school ended quickly and Harry packed with the other boys in his dorm for Christmas break. They had gotten the Burrow all set up for Harry's visit and Harry was extremely excited. He had never spent Christmas at the Burrow before and it would be fun to spend it there with Ginny and Ron. Hermione was spending the first part of break with her parents and then, a day or two after Christmas, she would come to the Burrow as well.

The train ride to London was a blast. He and Ron played Exploding Snap most of the way there. Ginny played once in awhile, too. Hermione stayed snuggled up to Ron the whole trip, except when they had to patrol the corridors. She and Ron had just realized that they would be spending a week apart. Harry was glad Ginny wasn't going to go anywhere. He was looking forward to spending time with her, but was a little apprehensive about how the Weasley boys would take it.

"I'm so glad Charlie's coming home for Christmas," Ginny said excitedly during one of the times Ron and Hermione were gone. "I haven't seen him since the First Task two years ago."

"Yeah, neither can I," Harry said sarcastically.

"You don't need to worry about Charlie, Harry," Ginny told him with a laugh. "Bill's the other over-protective one. You should have seen him when Fred told him about Dean's second girlfriend. If he had known where Dean lived he would have gone over there and beaten the crap out of him."

"Thanks, that's so encouraging, Gin," Harry said pulling her into a hug. "I'm more worried about Ron, though."

"He'll come around," she assured him. "He's already half way there."

"I don't know about that," Harry told her. "When we're alone, there's this uncomfortable silence between us. I'm afraid the argument is right under the surface."

"Don't worry, Ron doesn't have it in him to be angry for long," Ginny replied, hugging him tighter.

"Thanks, Gin."

"For what?"

"For being my girlfriend," he told her honestly.

"Trust me, Harry, it was my pleasure," Ginny said leaning over and kissing him. They were in the middle of a very passionate kiss when a loud, "Ahem!" made them jump apart. Thankfully, it was only Neville and Luna and not Ron.

"Sorry, about interrupting," Neville said with a smile. Harry was impressed with the Neville standing in front of him. He was no longer the scared little boy he had been for years. He had a girlfriend (Luna) and was in the top five or six of most of his classes. And, what Harry thought was the best part about Neville, was that he had turned Draco into a ferret with wiggling ears. "I was wondering if you guys wanted to come over to my place sometime this break. You know, for a day or two."

Ginny and Harry exchanged glances. "We'd have to ask my parents," Ginny finally said. "I think it should be alright. Ron and Hermione are invited too, right?"

"Yeah, they can come over too," Neville said looking around for them. "Where are they?"

"They're on Prefect patrol," Harry answered.

"Oh, I thought Draco and Pansy were patrolling," Neville informed them. "We passed them on our way here." Ginny and Harry glanced at each other and started to laugh.

"They're probably somewhere together," Ginny finally said. "You guys want to sit down?"

"No," Neville said, "I need to speak to one or two other people. When's a good time for you guys to come over?"

"After Christmas," Harry answered, "because Hermione's going home and won't arrive at the Burrow until after the 25^th. We think she's coming the 26^th, but she might stay home an extra day."

"Ok, well, I'll owl you with the dates," Neville said, shutting the door, as he made his way out with Luna.

"Prefect patrol," Ginny said with a laugh. "I can't believe we fell for that."

"Oh, well," Harry said kissing her cheek briefly. "It gives us time alone." They spent the rest of the time without Hermione and Ron talking about things. Ginny told him about normal Christmases at the Burrow.

"Everyone's going to be there this Christmas," Ginny said excitedly. "It'll be the first time in like nine years."

"Percy's going to be there?" Harry asked confused. The last Harry had heard, Percy was in Azkaban.

A glazed look over came Ginny's face and Harry felt like hitting his head several times. "No, but he doesn't count, remember?"

"Sorry, Gin." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I can be such an idiot sometimes."

"Thanks for telling us that, Harry," Hermione said as she entered the compartment. "But we already knew that."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said sarcastically. "Where were you guys?"

"Patrolling," Ron answered quickly.

"Sure," Ginny replied, rolling her eyes. She was rewarded with Ron's ears turning bright pink.

"We're almost in London," Hermione said, rescuing Ron from his embarrassment. "What did you guys do when we were gone?"

"We talked about Christmas," Ginny answered. "Neville came in to invite us to his house for a day or two later this break. We talked about older brothers and which ones to avoid." Hermione laughed, but Ron glared at Ginny. Thankfully, before a row could erupt, the train came to a halt in front of King's Cross Station.

Harry looked out the window and saw every Weasley red head waiting out there except Ron, Ginny, and Percy. He smiled and knew that this was going to be a great Christmas. They levitated their trunks off the train and headed over to the red heads. Harry approached warily; he wasn't sure about what he should expect from the Weasley boys.

"Hello, Harry," the familiar voice of Remus interrupted his thoughts. "How are you?"

"Hey, Remus," Harry replied, thankful for the slight delay of the inevitable. "I'm as good as I was Sunday, if not better."

"How'd that Potions test you had go?" he asked with a slight smile; Harry had spent most of the training session on Sunday complaining about it.

"It was alright," Harry said with a shrug. "I don't think I got an O on it, but I shouldn't get anything less than an A. I did ace that Dark Arts test though. You should tell your sister that her tests are too easy."

"Just because they're easy for you," Dean said behind him, where he had been talking to his mum and step-dad, "doesn't mean that they're easy for the rest of us. Even with your help Monday night, I struggled through that thing. Hello, Professor Lupin."

"Hello, Dean," Remus said with a smile. "Sent any gum wads at Peeves lately?"

"No, sir. Peeves hasn't done that trick for years," Dean replied with a laugh. "I think he's scared that all the students will shoot it at him."

"Yes, that would deter him," Remus said with a smile. "We have a portkey, Harry, so we need to get going. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Dean."

"You too, Professor," Dean said, shaking his hand. "Oh, and congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you, but how did you find out?" Remus asked slightly confused.

"I thought we had to leave?" Harry said loudly, glaring at Dean to keep him quiet. Remus nodded and the two walked over to the Weasleys. Ginny and Ron had already gotten hugged by their mum and said hello to each of their brothers. Ron had left to escort Hermione over to her parents. Harry could see him meeting the two muggles by the entrance. Harry was surprised that they had come onto the platform.

"Hello, Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley said brightly. "How are you?" She grabbed him in a tight hug and Harry waited to breathe again before answering.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley," he answered when she let go. Ginny snaked her right arm around his waist and Harry's left arm found its accustom place on her shoulder. "I'm glad it's the break though."

"Harry," Ginny said turning him to her brothers, "you remember Charlie, right?" Harry nodded and shook his hand. "You know Bill." Harry took the offered hand and kept Bill from breaking his fingers. Ginny was right, this was the other brother to worry about.

"And I'm Forge," Fred said shaking Harry's hand in an exaggerated fashion. "And this is my brother Gred. It's a pleasure to meet you. We've heard so much about you."

"Like how beautiful your eyes are," George said dreamily.

"And how strong you are," Fred went on.

"And how nice you are," George added right when Fred finished.

"And--"

"I'm going to hex you if you don't shut it," Ginny said irritably.

"It's nice to meet your boyfriend, Ginny," Fred said innocently. Harry felt his face tinge with red. This couldn't be good. "It's not like he takes you out on dates to our shop every chance he gets." Ginny pulled out her wand and Fred shut up rather quickly.

"Ginny," Molly Weasley scolded gently; Harry watched as the other boys rolled their eyes, "put the wand away." Harry guessed that if it had been one of the boys who had pulled out their wand, they would have gotten a yelling to rival all yellings.

"It's almost time to go," Remus said checking his watch. "Where's Ron?"

"Over there," Harry said pointing him out. "Should I go get him?" Remus nodded and Harry and Ginny walked over to them. Hermione had to introduce them and they got all the pleasantries out of the way. "Ron, we need to go," Harry told him. "The portkey leaves soon."

"Ok," Ron hugged Hermione and whispered something in her ear. "See you after Christmas."

"Bye, Harry, Ginny. See you all in a week." Harry said goodbye and the two Weasleys and Harry headed back over to the Clan.

"Grab hold of this," Remus said, holding out an old trainer.

"You couldn't find something that smelled a little less?" George complained loudly. There were a few laughs and then the familiar tug behind his navel came and he found himself on the ground with Ginny on top of him.

He smiled at her, embarrassed, but nearly jumped when he heard a loud growl come from right above them. Ginny nearly flew to her feet and Harry followed her. Bill, Charlie, and Ron were staring daggers at them both.

"Let's get everyone inside," Remus intervened in Harry's favor. "Tonks is already here." Bill and Charlie pushed past Harry, Ron completely ignored him, and the twins were trying to control their laughter.

"So I only have to worry about Bill, huh?" Harry asked Ginny sarcastically.

"Yep," she said brightly levitating her trunk into the house.