Dark of the Soul

Chapter 5: Setting Up Harry

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From across opposite ends of the hospital wing, the Slytherin and Gryffindor boys glared at one another. Only Madam Pomfrey´s occasional piercing glances kept them apart. She would abide by no silliness in her hospital, especially with her patient Ginny Weasley sleeping. Harry knew even Malfoy wouldn´t push his luck.

Harry was amazed the commotion hadn´t woken Ginny up, but she slept on, oblivious that one of the biggest brawls in Hogwarts history was because of her. It was better that Ginny was out, he supposed, it wouldn´t do her good to see them all bloody. If Ron noticed Harry glancing toward Ginny, he didn´t say anything, or at least he was too preoccupied. He held a rag to his bleeding, swollen nose. One of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. Harry had a cut on his head that looked worse than it was, mostly it just bled in his face. Neville and Seamus were okay and had gone back to the Gryffindor common room.

Harry rubbed his scar. It had been bothering him since the Quidditch game. Maybe the anger was giving him a headache.

"Bugger me!" Ron exclaimed in a hush nasally tone, "that was some of the best fun I´ve ever had at Hogwarts. That elbow to Crabbe´s ugly face, Harry, was brilliant."

"He always had a face like the back end of a bus," Harry said.

"I think you improve it." Ron snigger and nodded toward Crabbe who had a big fat lip. "He looks like one of those African tribal guys who put plates in their lips. You didn´t tell me you could fight."

"Didn´t have any real reason to until now." Harry pressed a rag to the cut on his forehead; he also had a nice shining bruise on his cheek. His scar bothered him more than his injures, but he resisted rubbing it again.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over and peered at Ron´s nose, Seamus´s black eye and then at the cut on Harry´s head. She tisked and shook her head. "You have a broken nose, Mr. Weasley."

"Cool," he said through the bloody rag. "My first broken nose and in a fight with Slytherin. George and Fred will want to hear all about it."

Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows at him. "It won´t take much to heal and I´ll deal with it when I check the other boys. Other than that, none of your wounds is life threatening and I´m leaving them to remind you of your idiocy."

Madam Pomfrey hurried away toward the Slytherin group mumbling under her breath about silly boys and fighting.

"I thought it was a corking good fight," Ron said, frowning toward Madam Pomfrey´s back.

The door opened and a cold draft rustled Harry´s Quidditch cloak. He looked up and sucked in a quick breath. Sirius Black had just entered the room along with Snape who to Harry looked like someone had pissed in his butterbeer. Ron squinted with his one good eye.

"This can´t be good," Harry said and wished he could disapparate.

"Sirius looks ready to give us a good rollicking," Ron said, unconcerned. "I get `em from mum all the time. Just remember, Harry, he sees it as his duty now that he´s your guardian. Don´t take it personally."

"I´ll try," Harry mumbled.

Snape swept back them, casting them an imperious glare threw the long locks of his black hair before continuing to the Slytherin boys. Sirius stopped at the bed where Ron and Harry sat. He stared down at them, a muscle twitched in the corner of his mouth, his eyes unreadable. Harry had never made Sirius angry before. This last summer he hadn´t gone back to the Dursleys and instead stayed with Sirius in a rented cottage in Hogsmeade. It had been a glorious summer; it was nice being wanted and not made to feel like a burden, and he´d been able to do his homework, practice his spells and best of all, practice flying. Harry suddenly got a horrifying idea. Would Sirius send him back to the Dursleys? He wouldn´t do that, would he? At his first words, Harry´s heart fell.

"I´m disappointed Harry...," Sirius began sternly, but there was an odd note in his voice, then lowered his voice and whispered, "that Prongs, Moony and I didn´t think of something similar. Brilliant food fight." He crossed his arms and continued. "I don´t know what to think of this," he dropped his voice again, "but I think we should work a bit on that left hook of yours." Louder: "All three of you should be ashamed..." Lower: "...that you didn´t take better advantage of the situation and really squash Slytherin."

Harry and Ron were trying to keep from grinning and hung their heads in an appropriate chastised manner.

"Professor McGonagall is not pleased," he said aloud, "and I can´t blame her." Lower: "I reminded her you didn´t throw the first punch." A mischievous smile tugged at his mouth but Harry noted Sirius smothered it. "For the next week you will take detention with me. And I hope you will reflect on your behavior." Lower: "And next time don´t get caught."

Harry had to cough into his hand to keep from cheering. Detention with Sirius was not detention at all. The look on his face was stern, but his dark eyes twinkled. He gave them a wink before he swept out of the room.

Ron gaped for a moment. "That man is awesome. Can I come live with you and Sirius during the summer holidays?"

* * * *

There were a lot of Howlers at breakfast that next Sunday morning. One for Ron and Neville. And Seamus. And Crabbe. And Goyle. Even Malfoy. The hall was filled with the shriek of indignant mothers. Ron was looking rather put out until Malfoy´s howler came by a familiar eagle owl. Malfoy stared at the Howler in his lap like the bird had crapped on him. He picked the letter up by thumb and forefinger, his mouth opening and closing, then it jerked away from him and unwrapped itself.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Narcissa Malfoy´s voice shrilled. "I tolerate a lot from you, boy, but I could hardly believe my ears when I heard what you´ve done. How dare you! A food fight! I raised you better than that! Malfoys do NOT participate in food fights! Shame on you! The Witch´s Country Club might take me off their VIP list if they hear of this! Until the time I feel you´re properly repentant for what you´ve done, you´ll receive no more packages from home." With that the letter harrumphed indignantly and ripped itself to tiny pieces that showered over Malfoy´s head.

"Ahhhhhh! Poor ickle Draco. His mummy cut his sweets off. How horrible! Boo-hoo!" Ron said loudly. From that point on, Ron and Harry were laughing too hard to finish their breakfast. Malfoy looked ready to start the fight all over again, but today the Professors up at the head table were particularly vigilant.

"Really!" Hermione exclaimed when she asked Ron three times to go to the hospital wing with her and received no reply. He was laughing too hard for anything coherent to come out. "Sometimes you two manage to act younger than your shoe size."

Hermione found Ginny Weasley eating breakfast in the hospital bed while reading a book. She smiled when she spied Hermione. Hermione noted a small flash of disappointment on Ginny´s face. She said nothing, just sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

Ginny nodded. "Better. My side hurts a bit but Madam Pomfrey said I could leave after breakfast." She looked down at her plate and pushed around the scrambled eggs for a moment. "Where is... uh... Ron and .... Harry."

Harry, Hermione thought, being the key word. Harry just as thick as Ron sometimes. "I´m sure Harry will be up in a bit to see how you´re doing after he and Ron stop acting like mental midgets, if that´s possible," Hermione said, "but until then, I´ll keep you company."

"Uh, Madam Pomfrey said something about a fight and that Ron and... uh... Harry were involved with uh... Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. She said they were up here last night. I didn´t hear a thing."

"Oh that." Hermione kept her voice offhand. She patted the younger girl´s knee and felt better than she had all morning. Harry was going to squirm over this one. "I´m certain Harry will explain everything. Better from him than me, I was under the table busy dodging food."

"Food!" Ginny echoed.

"Food fight," she said. "Oh look, here they are now."

The door opened and Ron and Harry, still snickering, entered. They stopped at the foot of the bed. Harry noted the odd pleased look on Hermione´s face and the surprised look on Ginny´s. He elbowed Ron.

"What!" Ron said, then realized something was up and snapped his mouth shut. "What´d we do now?"

Hermione rose off the bed. "Nothing. Why don´t you come for a walk with me, it´s such a nice day."

Ron blinked and stared out the window. "Huh? Hermione, you´re mental! I don´t know if you´ve looked out the window today, but it looks ready to r--"

Whatever he´d been about to say was abruptly cut off when Hermione stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed Ron on the lips. She batted her eyelashes at him (she´d never batted her eyelashes before) and the effect, she thought, was very much like a Confundus Charm. Perhaps she should do it more often. "Why don´t you come for a walk with me Ron Weasley and for once stop arguing." He opened his mouth and she placed a finger against his lips. "No arguing."

It took Ron a moment to remember how to speak. "Yeah... yeah, I´m coming, definitely," he managed, barely. Hermione linked her arm in his and they toward the door leaving Harry and Ginny alone.