Harry Potter the Red Neck Cowboy

Harry had been living in the barn since he was eight. It was better than living in the house with his fat uncle Vernon. Vernon used to like to beat on Harry when he got drunk. Horse faced Petunia, a mare that could eat grass through a picket fence, was always ragging Harry. “Your uncle and I have treated you like a son all these years and do you show us any gratitude? No!” Like cold beanie weenies, a bed on the porch next to the dog, and the Dud’s castoffs were such a great deal.

Thinking back on it, the dog was better company. Anyway Uncle Vernon, depending on how far he was into his twelve pack, told Harry how his parents had died. In one story they had tried to hold up an automatic teller and had been shot down by every cop known to man. Aliens had abducted them once. And Harry’s favorite, they had fought an evil wizard trying to control the world and were nuked off the planet after kicking the wizard’s butt.

Harry liked to think the scar on his forehead was from a wayward bullet, but Vernon said it was from being kicked in the head by a mule with a loose horseshoe nail at a tender age of one. They must have left the mule to baby- sit him.

The scar on his buttocks was from the barbed wire fence he didn’t quite clear when running from the irate father of Imogene Wist DeFever. Good thing his nads cleared or he would have been singing high soprano at a girl’s finishing school.

Harry was short and slight in body. He made up for it with a strong sense of determination. By the age of eleven he had his own horse, saddle, and had fixed himself up a room in the barn. Since the Dursleys weren’t about to haul him to school and only dweebs rode the bus, he rode his horse Nightmare. The bigger kids used to taunt him about Nightmare until he slapped sense into them. He was real fast and real scrappy. He just didn’t quit. No one dared to stare at his scar anymore. He was quite nice if no one riled him.

Then the letter came. The Dud, waddling in his immense bulk, came to the barn and called his name. Harry, working on a particularly difficult French sauce, heard his bellowing and decided to ignore him.

“I have a letter for youm Harry,” shouted the blob.

This got Harry’s attention as he rarely got letters unless it was an irate husband trying to press a paternity case. “Who is it from?”

“An A. Dumbledore from Hogwarts School of Magic.”

“Never heard of him. Send it back.”

“Can’t,” said the Dud farting loudly.

“Why not?”

“Well, an owl delivered it. Hate them birds.”

Harry went to Dudley and took the letter. It was written the old fashion way with ink on paper or something like paper. “Who picked up the letter?” asked Harry.

“Vernon.”

Marching into the house, Harry stopped in front of Vernon. He was watching reruns of "Married...With Children" just for the sexual content. “Out of the way Harry! This is where Al has to look up the fat lady’s dress and she has no underwear on!”

Vernon was in his usual mode of dress, sweat stained T-shirt and boxers. He was slumped in his usual position in front of the TV. A twelve pack of long necks sat on the table next to him, which was littered with cheap cigarette butts.

“Where did you get this letter?” asked Harry.

“Don’t you be talking to me like that, you ungrateful turd!” said Vernon, scratching his privates.

“If you don’t want your jaw wired together for the next eight weeks, you will tell me where you got this letter.”

“A great big barn owl dropped it in Petunia’s lap; while she was snapping beans on the back porch. About scared her to death.”

“No such luck,” thought Harry. “She is just too dumb to die.”

Sitting on the couch, hoping he didn’t stick to it, Harry opened the letter. It was a welcome letter telling him he had been accepted to a school in England. Actually well read, Harry knew all about England and a lot of other countries. Miss Devilin, the schoolmarm, had told him he was very smart as he was tickling her fancy one evening. He thought to himself, “Well, there is no way I can go. It probably costs a fortune.” Suddenly there was a bulge in his skintight jeans, not the normal bulge he was used too when he saw a pretty girl. Reaching into his jeans he pulled out a wad of hundreds. “Well, this must mean I am going.” Calling Miss Devilin, he told her he needed a flight to England and asked her where he could find some of the stuff on the list enclosed with the welcome letter.

She was really excited. “Your best buds, Ronnie Boy and Ginny Lou, are going with you. I think some of the stuff you need will only be available in England. Will you be seeing me before you leave? You have such a way with words. You are such a cunning linguist!”

“Jeez! That girl sure had a way with words! Ronnie Boy was good news as he and Harry had hung out forever. Ginny Lou was, to be kind, just plain cheap. If it walked, breathed, and was male, it was fair game. Still she was good to have around if there was a fight.”

The flight to England was peaceful except when Ginny Lou tried to climb into the pilot’s lap with no underwear on.

Getting to the train station the attendant stubbed up a bit on the whereabouts of platform 9¾, that is until Ronnie Boy put his bone-crushing grip on the gentleman. Never underestimate the power of good manners especially if someone has you in an exceptionally strong grip in an unmentionable location. In a high squeaky voice the attendant wished them a pleasant journey.

The train was beautiful. It was painted a burgundy, maroon looking color. It was a clanking, and a moaning, and steam was leaking out in different places. “This is an iron horse,” thought Harry. “I am impressed.” It reeked of old world elegance and fresh vomit. “It must sway a lot.”

Entering a compartment, Ronnie Boy, Ginny Lou, and Harry sat down and contemplated their next adventure. Harry was all for building a fire and roasting Ronnie Boy’s pet rat, Scabbers. Seeing a twelve-inch blade of glistening steel, the rat started to complain. “I am really a wizard faking like I am a rat. Please don’t hurt me!”

“Ronnie Boy, are you a ventriloquist?”

Ronnie Boy shook his head no.

Suddenly the rat changed into a small fat rat faced middle aged man. “Please don’t hurt me!” he pleaded and he bolted out the door of the compartment.

“Ronnie Boy, have you had that rat for a while?”

Ronnie Boy nodded.

“Due you realize he has been watching you choke your chicken every night before you fall asleep?” remarked Harry. In a flash Ronnie Boy had drawn his own knife and had gone down the passageway of the train.

Settling back into his seat, he watched Ginny Lou picking her nose with her tongue. He wondered if the boys she kissed knew where her tongue had been. About that time Ronnie Boy can back in the compartment looking depressed. “Jumped train did he, Ronnie Boy?”

Ronnie Boy nodded yes.

“Look at the bright side, at this speed he probably collected enough gravel in his worthless hide to be wanted for stealing by the highway department.”

Ronnie Boy brightened up a bit after that revelation.

A bushy big-haired girl with a huge pair of bark peelers that would make a beaver drool opened the door to the compartment. “Has a you seen a toad dud named a Trevor?” she asked blowing spittle in a shower over everybody.

Inclined to think the girl was Special Ed, Harry tried to be polite. “No little darling I haven’t seen any toads. If I had, I doubt they had name tags on them.” It must be a British thing to stick a nametag on your toad. Kinda like branding you cow back home but a lot less permanent.

“I’m Hermione.”

“Well darling Ginny Lou does have a nice hinny, but I am disinclined to have a romp with her, seeing as I don’t wish to catch anything I can’t cure.”

“No, No,” yelling and stomping her foot. “I am Hermione.”

“My gosh! Your daddy named you after your momma’s butt? Your momma must have one fine behind. Where is she? I got to see this!” Harry exclaimed looking out the windows of the train.

“No! No!” she yelled again, wetting a spot that she missed earlier. “My name is Hermione. Her my on knee.”

“I think she wants to spank you Ginny Lou, a bit too kinky for me.”

“I’m game,” said Ginny Lou sticking her bugger covered tongue back in her month and proceeding to chew.

“Ginny Lou you don’t know how disgusting that is. You ought to take up chewing some thing else like tobacco.”

Ginny Lou burped a crusty and continued to chew. “Her name is Hermione. It’s an English name.”

“Well how you a doing little lady? My name is Harry Potter. And this grinning fool over here is Ronnie Boy Weasley and his useless slut sister Ginny Lou.”

Harry shook her out stretched hand. Ronnie Boy took her hand and gently kissed the back of it while gazing deep in her eyes. That Ronnie Boy he was good with the ladies. Ginny Lou just nodded as she proceeded to bite her toenails and spit the remains on the carpet.

“Is time to change into dud robes,” slobbered Hermione.

“Are we having a PJ party? Rats, I always sleep in the buff.”

“No! No! School wrobes. Long a coat with dud school name on dit.”

Hermione might be pretty if you duct taped her mouth closed so she wouldn’t drool on you, but then she might drown.

All three of the new students had on Tony Lama snake skin boots made from real snakes. The boots had the beautiful decorative stitching only real cowboy boots had. All three of them put on dust and sweat stained Stetsons. Not those urban cowboys’ feathered cretin hats the wannabes wore to cheap bars with mechanical bulls. Each of them had a huge belt buckle they had won the hard way, riding 3000lb four-legged engines of death and destruction. They weren’t metals for the best-dressed yahoo at the Undertaker’s county fair.

For robes they had done the best they could. Ginny Lou wore a canvass duster fairly new. Ronny Boy wore a yellow slicker that would come in handy if he decided to date Hermione. Harry wore a genuine buffalo robe he bought in an antique store. It was bulky and warm. It suited him perfectly as he could hide his guns under it. For the cool factor they all wore Richard Petty wraparound sunglasses even though it was nighttime.

As the train stopped and all the kids piled off Harry looked around and thought to his self, “Man these are some young guns.”

A deep voice bellowed his name friendly like, “Its about time Harry.”

“Who might you be big fellow?” asked Harry.

“I am Hagrid, a friend of you mum and dads. It’s about time you got here. We sent you that acceptance letter five years ago. If you hadn’t shot all the owls you would have been here sooner.”

     “Sorry about that Hagrid. Owls sometimes like to kill chickens and I was raising a mess of them at the time.” Harry noticed Ginny Lou trying to sidle up to Hagrid’s leg and bat his dangles like a kitten with a yarn ball. “You haven’t ever wrestled professionally have you?”

“No,” said Hagrid, “if I fell on someone that would be it.” Hagrid suddenly jerked and smiled. “Now, now lass you will have to attend to that matter later. I have a job to do at present.”

Ginny releasing her grip smiled, “Can do buddy ruff.”

They all managed to make it to the staircase to the great hall after a minor altercation with an octopus. The three managed to rescue a bunch of first years when the critter grabbed them. It was now a pentapus as three of its arms had been cut off.

“Hello there,” said Harry talking to a nervous acting young man. “You must be Trevor.”

“No, I am Neville. Trevor is my pet toad.”

“Definitely Special Ed,” thought Harry. “I like them. At least they are usually better mannered and pleasanter than so called normal people.”

     “Some wizarding families are better than others,” spoke a blond slick haired young man. “I can help you with finding the right connections.”

Harry decided to just ignore the condescending useless piece of human flotsam. He had read that in a book. Even Ginny Lou turned up her nose.

     A hard-bitten old crank called McGonagall screamed; “All the first years and you three come with me. The rest of you degenerate scum can take your seats at your house tables!” A couple of the first years soiled their pants when she got on to them.

Harry could tell this old gal was tough. He figured he would just comply with her wishes, as she probably hadn’t had any pleasure since someone shaved a mammoth and called it an elephant.

“All of you’ll be sorted into houses by that hat. Now get your tails in there,” she barked.

One by one they set this filthy nasty hat on a student’s head and the student was assigned a house. It came Ronnie Boy’s turn. The hat screamed, “Get me off this maniac. You go to Gryffindor!”

Ginny Lou was next. The hat just sighed and sighed. McGonagall finally jerked the hat off Ginny Lou’s head. Sweat or at least it looked like sweat poured off her head. “Gryffindor,” the hat moaned weakly.

“Harry Potter!” a voice rang out.

Harry marched up and sat down on the stool. As the hat was lowered, he thought, “If you dump on my head you moldy piece of felt, I will cut ear holes in you and stick you on my horse. You’ll be the laughing stock of four counties!”

The hat talked to him. “Calm down Harry, it is about time you got here. The bad guy Voldemort is trying to kill all the wizards. We need your help. I am going to stick you in Gryffindor, as all the Slytherin girls are butt ugly. Most of Slytherin are also sycophants, you know brown nosers, butt kissers. They will probably go into politics. The smarties are in Ravenclaw and the cheap and easies are in Hufflepuff. Gryffindor!” shouted the hat.

Harry hurried to the house table assigned to him. The students there greeted him enthusiastically. Eyeballing a set of twins talking, he thought, “man there are some nice babes in this house. I haven’t ridden a matched team in years.”

“Let the feast begin!” shouted Dumbledore and food appeared on the long tables.

Ronnie Boy had cornered a nice joint of beef and was rapping the knuckles of any one who reached for a share with the back of his bowie knife. Looking around he realized there was plenty of food. Relenting he started carving generous portions and handed them to the other Gryffs.

British cuisine was simple and wholesome not fussy and complicated like French cuisine. Overall he liked it. Hermione was sitting next to Ronnie Boy chiseling some corn on the cob. “Go girl go!” Harry thought. He watched Ronnie Boy's hand go below the table and Hermione eyes went dreamy as she stopped gnawing. “I need to do some thing about those teeth. Maybe if I learn some magic.”

About that time some weird looking Professor wearing a towel on his head ran into the hall and screamed, “Troll! Troll in the dungeon!”

The place went into panic mode, no discipline at all. The head dude told them to get a grip and proceed to safety.

The three looked at each other and they all pulled pump shotguns from under their robes. “Lock and load,” said Harry. “Safeties off. I don’t know what a troll is. It sounds dangerous. What ever it is, it will be barbecuing on a spit before the night is over.”

Professor McGonagall stomped up to them. “Trolls are protected species. You just can’t shoot them on sight. You have to trap them and release them unharmed back in the wild.”

Touching his hat to the Professor, Harry explained, “The game warden here says trolls ain’t in season. Right now they are catch and release. Guns up ropes out. The three started tracking their prey.

Ginny Lou remarked, “Hermione is in the bathroom. She had to change her panties thanks to Ronnie Boy. They say trolls eat people and he can probably smell her, so I figure to go where she is.”

The threesome tracked the troll to the third floor bathroom. It had just gone in and it sounded as if it was whacking everything in the bathroom. There was a girl in there screaming bloody murder.

Ronnie Boy looked at Harry with tears in his eyes. “You like that babe?” asked Harry.

Ronnie Boy nodded.

“I ain’t going to save her for just a fling Ronnie Boy. This better be love!”

Ronnie Boy nodded his head yes.

“OK. Ronnie Boy you take left, Ginny Lou the right, and I’ll be running right up the middle. Two loops around the arms and one around the ankles and he should fall like an elephant doing a swan dive.” Entering the bathroom, within three wags of a lamb’s tail the threesome had the troll hog- tied.

Hermione had been bashed in the head by a chunk of door and was unconscious. “Ronnie Boy you go molest your woman whilst I scope out this beasty.

“Boy! You are one ugly sucker. Whew! You smell like a ripe outhouse. If my cat smelled you you’d already been buried.” About that time the troll let out a great groan. Its breath peeled off some of the paint on the walls of the bathroom. “Now what’s got you in an uproar big fellow?” Harry said as he looked towards the troll’s feet. “Ginny Lou! What are you doing to this poor critter?”

Ginny Lou had bottles of nail polish sitting in her lap. She showed the troll different colors. After going through several colors, the troll looked interested in a nice iridescent green. “Harry I have this need to paint.”

Ginny this is worse than the time you painted the hooves on my horse. I had to beat the snot out of half a dozen fellows. This is interspecies. It is probably outlawed in fifty-one states and the rest of the world. I think they send you to the prison for this. Ronnie Boy, grab your woman and lets take her up to the hospital wing. We need to get out of here before someone spots Ginny Lou abusing this fellow!” yelled Harry.

As Ronnie Boy gathered Hermione up in his arms Harry asked him, “How come the front of your jeans is all wet?”

Ronnie Boy just grinned.

“You ought to at least wait till she’s conscious. She is, your one and only!” smiled Harry.

The last thing Harry saw of the troll, Ginny Lou had him on all fours her legs clamped around his middle. She was a spurring him as they raced down the halls. She tweaked his ears to make him go left and right and she was screaming, “Ride um cowtroll!” The toenails were a nice touch.

A fussy stiff acting middle-aged woman in a starched dress with a butcher’s apron greeted them at the door of the hospital wing. “What’s wrong with the girl?” she asked.

“She has the vapors,” said Harry. “Troll attack.”

“Put her on the bed and get your hand out from under her dress Ronnie Boy. I have already heard about you. You two boys go back to your house. I’ll clean her up and give her a sleeping draught and she will be ready to go tomorrow.”

At the door Harry told Ronnie Boy, “You go on back to the house and unload our tack. I’ve a little romantic dentistry to attend to.”

Ronnie boy smiled widely and turned and went.

Harry tiptoed back into the hospital ward; a difficult task with three inch heeled boots and spurs. Nurse Pomfrey was bent over Hermione washing her face off. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he started massaging it slowly. “Nurse, is she going to be all right?”

“Yes Harry, she is going to be all right.” As he watched the nurse work he slowly massaged his way down her back. Stiff at first, she slowly relaxed.

“Harry dear, you don’t have to stay. She will be all right.”

“I like watching you work,” said Harry. “The firm, gentle movements of your hands, the economy of motion to effect the most good.” As he reached the small of her back he slide his hand down on her firm buttocks. A few good squeezes and she really started to soften up.

“O! O!” she murmured. “What is it you really want Harry dear?” All a sudden she started to stiffen, realizing Harry’s intentions. She was going to buck.

“No, No, little darling. I have broken many a filly to the saddle,” he thought to himself. Putting his arm around the nurse’s waist, he held her tightly. Sliding his hand down between her legs he fiddled with her affection. Whispering in her ear he said, “You are a beautiful lusty woman. I bet you are a bit frustrated with all these young studs running around and not getting any attention. Fix up Hermione’s chompers and turn the faucet down a little on her drooling problem and I would be proud to service your deepest needs.” So saying he put his other hand over hers and gently bit her ear. From the way she was moaning and wiggling her rear, he knew she was putty in his hands.

The next morning at breakfast Hermione walked in with a blazing smile. She was a gorgeous girl.

Impressed, Ronnie Boy nodded.

Bending over the table, Harry whispered, “Ronnie Boy, I figured you might miss the drooling thing under certain circumstances, so if you touch her cheek right behind the jawbone she can lube you right up.”

Ronnie Boy helped Hermione to her seat and winked and nodded to Harry.

This made Harry happy. He was tired. Madam Pomfrey had needed strong- handed attentive treatment to alleviate her frustrations. Once broken to the saddle he had had to ride her hard to wear her down. It had been tough, but it had been a pleasure.

The first class that day was transfiguration. “Prof.?” asked Harry.

“That is Professor McGonagall to you young man!”

“No sense in bucking the system,” thought Harry. “Well, Professor McGonagall, would you happen to know how to transform a human into a deer?”

“Yes I do, and why would you want to know how to do that?” she asked.

“Well we three haven’t had much time to bow practice lately. Draco there has been so pesky, we thought we would decorate his behind with a few wildly colored, feathered shafts.”

Ronnie Boy and Ginny Lou were nodding enthusiastically.

“As much as it might improve Draco’s disposition. I must decline as using students for sport is against school rules.”

“I bow to your superior judgement,” said Harry.

“You are just so full of it Harry Potter,” she responded.

“Yep!” he thought. “I sure am.”

That night at supper Harry confided to his friends, “I have been hearing the pitter patter of little feet in the common room at night after everyone goes to bed. I think it might be a rat, perhaps Ronnie Boy’s rat.” Ronnie Boy pulled out his knife and kissed it, looking real mean. “I’m a gonna set me a trap. This is one strange critter, as it seems to like bubble gum wrappers. I am going to leave a fresh unused wad of Double Bubble as bait.”

They didn’t have long to wait. There was a snap and a high pitched scream of pain. First down the stairs Harry was amazed at what he found. It was the weirdest looking rat he had ever seen. Poking at it, he asked it, “What in tarnation are you?”

“I am a house elf,” it squeaked. “I clean up after everyone goes to bed.”

Hermione had came down with Ronnie Boy and she was stunned. “That is an elf!”

“Yea, I know!” said Harry.

Hermione immediately went into blab mode and told them all about elves. About how they were enslaved and had to work for free and could only be freed by being given a piece of clothing.

“What’s your name elf?” asked Harry.

“Dobby, sir,” it replied.

Harry flipped its ears back and forth. “These things are huge, can you hear out of them?”

“Yes sir.”

Harry thumped Dobby’s long thin nose. “Can you smell with that thing?

“Sure sir, your finger smells like cow poop.”

“Sorry about that. I haven’t washed my hands after cow chip tossing practice. Well, it appears that you are a victim of a grave injustice, so I am going to have to set you free. Here is a sock.” He threw the elf one of his smellies. “You are free!”

The elf put the sock on his nose and started breathing in and out. As it breathed in and out its eyes turned all dreamy like.

“You are free now Dobby, aren’t you supposed to do something better than smell a sock?”

The elf ran over to Harry and grabbed his leg. It started to do the dog thing. “I love your Harry Potter you are the greatest wizard in the world. You have freed me from everlasting servitude!”

“You make my leg wet elf and I am going to have to hurt you. Ginny Lou is the one you need to talk to.”

Ginny Lou grabbed the elf by the arm. “Tonight I make you a man!” she said leading him upstairs. The rest of the night all they heard was Dobby squealing, “Not again Ginny Lou not again.”

Harry had tried out and made the quidditch team. They made him the seeker. Ginny would have been a better seeker except that she kept hiding the snitch and squealing, “I like it. I like it!”

Actually Harry was real good. The English brooms were just real slow. He sent an owl to the American Power Washer Broom Corporation and ordered a Number Three Intimidator Special with special enhancements. It arrived with a security detail. Man it was a beaut. The main branch had two-side thrusters’ forward of the handle and branched off into four broom sections in the rear. Each of the four twig sections in the rear was matched, balanced and blueprinted. Harry decided to name it Nellie. He named all his horses. Why not a broom?

“Oh lookie!” yelled Draco the miscreant, sycophant, butt snorkeler. “It has training brooms on the front, so Harry won’t fall off. It probably has seatbelts and an airbag.”

“Speaking of airbags, Malfoy how about a wager. I bet you 100 galleons I can catch the snitch before you can.”

“I think I will bait this sucker for a bit,” thought Harry.

“How do you get on one of these things?” asked Harry as he fell over the broom and landed on his butt. Slytherin laughter was booming. “Where is the kick-starter?” asked Harry, looking all over the broom.

“Why don’t we double that bet Harry Potter?” yelled Malfoy.

“I don’t know,” shouted Harry back. “I can’t seem to get it started.”

“Just tell it to go!” yelled back Malfoy, laughing his butt off.

Harry mounted his steed. He was wearing a custom set of racing leathers in the Gryffindor colors. There was a flame pattern from the front to the back that made him look like he was on fire. A prominent Gryffindor seal was stitched on the back along with the number three. “Ready broom?” The broom pulsed with raw power. The vibration between his legs was making him giddy. Zero to three hundred in under six seconds, eight g turns, and it would stop in six feet from one hundred miles an hour. Harry pointed the broom skywards and hunkered down on the slim handle. “Let her rip Nellie.” Bam! he was gone. He thought he had left rubber marks in the air. “Wow! Wee!” he hooted. “This thing accelerates so fast I think my eyes are going to bleed.” Realizing he was going to have to play a fool to drawn in that chump Malfoy, he proceeded to try and fall off in turns, slide off the end when braking and generally appear to be a lousy broom driver. He was successful.

“I’ll double the stakes,” shouted Malfoy, “four hundred galleons.”

“You’re on,” shouted Harry, trying to look worried.

Madam Pince started the game. “This is a great game,” thought Harry, “lightening fast and dangerous. It is better than riding that killer bull the Death Eater.” He had had to run that bull into a concrete corral post to knock it out so he could get off. He’d like to see Hagrid bulldog that puppy. He bet Hagrid could have flipped that baby and had its legs tied in four seconds flat. Any way the game went back and forth as one side then the other scored with the quaffle. The Gryffs were quicker and smarter, but the Slytherin were bigger and stronger. It was almost an even contest.

As the match continued Harry hovered motionless, watching for the snitch. The broom had a thumping idle as it waited to be used. A golden streak appeared below him. “That thing is fast,” he thought. “Has Malfoy seen it? Yep!” Malfoy started the chase. Harry thought to his broom, “It’s time good buddy. Show me what you’ve got.” The broom upped it vibrations to a trembling scream. “Giddyup Nellie,” said Harry. Bam! He was beside Malfoy. “Malfoy, what am I supposed to do?”

“Catch the snitch you ignorant twit.”

Harry pulled just in front of Malfoy with the snitch within arms distance. He knew Malfoy would grab his broom tail because Malfoy was a cheap, sleazy, scumbag and had no honor. He would cheat any way he could. Sure enough Malfoy grabbed the rear twigs of his broom. “Good!” thought Harry, shooting a binding spell with his wand. “Now for the ride of your life, Malfoy.” Harry accelerated and caught the snitch. Holding it out front of him, it looked like he was still trying to catch it. He performed every maneuver ever flown on a broom and finally did a snap the whip propelling Malfoy into the curtains on one of the towers. To bad it wasn’t turn four at Talladega.

The Gryffs raised the roof as he descended to the field with the snitch held high. The Slytherins were carrying Malfoy to the locker room. “Where is the dough Draco?”

“You cheated,” he said, “and I am not paying!”

“You bet in good faith Malfoy. No body likes a welcher. Right buds!” Ginny Lou and Ronnie Boy had joined Harry. “McGonagall has taught me the human into deer spell. I promise you will still look good but I can’t promise you can reproduce.” Both of Harry’s buds looked grim and mean.

“You colonials are nutters!” screamed Malfoy, handing Harry the money.

“Yea! But, we will be rich nutters,” commented Harry.

As the school year moved on, Harry was lonely. Ronnie Boy and Hermione had taken up together solid and Ginny Lou was constantly being discovered somewhere doing something with someone. The appetite of that girl was becoming legendary. Harry had made friends with Professor McGonagall. She was a fair and honest person. She had been teaching Harry a lot of spells that would be handy in a fight with Voldemort. Other than a weekly late night foray into the hospital wing for a bit of comforting, Harry had been avoiding entanglements. Then one day he saw a new girl at the Ravenclaw table. He looked at her, she looked back and his whole world lit up, turned over, and collapsed. It was if a single note had sounded in his soul. A note so powerful and pure he quivered all over and passed out. He woke up in the hospital wing after dark. Nurse Pomfrey was fussing around with the bedclothes straightening them and tucking him in.

She noticed he was awake and asked, “How are you doing my little giant?” with much concern on her face.

“I am fine, Freezy,” Harry replied. “What happened to me? I was looking at this girl, I heard a sound, and the lights went out.”

“Tell me every thing Harry,” the nurse said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Harry told her how he had felt and merely looking at the girl had made him weak and quivery feeling.

“Harry you have brought meaning and love back into my life. I hadn’t realized how hardened I had become to the lives of others. You are young and have not yet found your destiny. In a girlish way, I was dreaming I would be your destiny. My heart hoped it would be so, but my mind always knew better. I know your problem. You are in love. You have a great heart with much love, but I must step aside.” By now Madam Pomfrey was crying softly.

“If this is loves gentle passing I must make it special for you,” Harry said quietly. He pulled her face to him and gently kissed the tears away. “Destiny sometimes requires us to do things we would rather not. I can not fight destiny, but I will still want you for a friend. You will remember this night forever and you will search for one who can give you the love you deserve.” His caring delicate touch carried them into the morning light. They parted, both drained by the intensity of their emotion.

Harry sighed as he walked down to breakfast. “Ah women I just can’t leave them in pain. I have left many in search for whom, I know not. But I have always tried to leave them feeling good about themselves. My wandering urge is not their fault.”

Suddenly someone picked him up and pushed him into a broom closet. Throwing him on some boxes of paper towels the person turned and closed the door. Harry readied himself to give a butt kicking. As she turned around Harry recognized the girl. She was Draco’s main squeeze, Millicent Bulltrode. A stout girl with a matronly look, the girl had calf feeders that looked udderly delicious.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Harry Potter,” he replied confused.

“You can’t be Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a legend. He is a man among men. He is as tall as the mountains and as wide as the ocean. He defeated Voldemort when he was only a babe. He is the Boy Who Lived. You are a pathetic midget who prances around like you are a stallion. You’ve made my boyfriend look the fool and I am a little miffed.”

Harry just stared at her absorbing everything. “I guess the scar doesn’t count?’

“No!” she bellowed.

“This woman could do some serious damage and I don’t hit women,” he thought. Quickly he replied, “This belt buckle is solid silver with gold inlays. They don’t give them away. My name is engraved on it. Read it and tell me what it says.”

Millicent dropped to her knees and looked hard at the belt. “I can barely see anything,” seeming to calm down.

“The light is dim in here. You will have to get closer. They engrave the name small to save money.”

Barely a half-inch from the buckle Millicent replied, “I think I can read it now.” There was the whisper of a zipper being opened and Millicent sighed, “Yes you are Harry Potter!”

“Why does my life have to be always so complicated?” thought Harry. “Passing out, crying women, and an amazon all in twenty-four hours. I need a little humor to brighten my day.”

Eating his breakfast, he commented to his buds, Hermione now included. “Malfoy called me ignorant and stupid. Ignorance is when you don’t know something. Every one is ignorant of something. I don’t know how the space shuttle works, but that is not a subject of ridicule. Stupidity is knowing better, but not caring. For example Goyle and Crabbe hang with Malfoy in spite of the fact that is stupid.” Pulling two chocolate cupcakes out of his robes Harry touched both with his wand and gave one to Ronnie Boy. ‘These babies will bounce like rubber balls.” Looking over to the Slytherin table, Harry shouted, “Here Crabbe, here Goyle, we have cupcakes for you.” Crabbe and Goyle’s heads popped up staring at Harry. “You want em boys?” Crabbe and Goyle got nervous with anticipation. They started bouncing up and down with their tongues hanging out. “Come on boys, chase the cupcakes!” Ronnie Boy and Harry threw the cupcakes and they bounced all over the place giving the two quite a run. Everyone in Slytherin was screaming and dishes were flying. “I put exlax in them for a little extra fun,” said Harry.

Ronnie Boy gave a grin of approval.

As winter set in Harry was glad he had his buffalo robe. These old castles were drafty and cold. Gazing out a window on to the brilliant white snow he realized the girl he fancied hadn’t shown back up. He wondered where she was. Hermione filled him in.

“Her name is Helga Svenson. She is a Ravenclaw. She is second in the school behind me. She is very pretty and very nice. Everybody likes her. She just doesn’t like crowds. She has one funny problem. I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Here it comes,” thought Harry. “She eats with her feet. She has gas so bad she can’t stay in a room with a lit candle. Her idea of personal hygiene is wallowing in mud with her relatives.”

“She had a quest. Her quest is to find a man. A man revealed in a prophecy. She doesn’t know his name. She only knows, he is a tall man with black unruly hair and green eyes. She spends most of her time studying in her room or walking the grounds in the dark. The elves pity her and take her food. She only comes out when there are new people in the school, to see if the one she seeks is there. All the boys would die to date her. I feel sorry for her,” said Hermione solemnly.

“Two out of three isn’t bad. Just my luck, my heart falls in love with a psycho,” complained Harry. Later that night Harry went up to the hospital wing and talked with his ex-flame. They were still good friends a difficult but strangely satisfying transition from once being lovers.

Deep in the night, a cranky voice rang out, “Harry Potter, the headmaster has summoned you and your raunchy friends, now!”

Making it downstairs from the dormitory, Harry met Ronnie Boy and Ginny Lou. Ronnie Boy was rubbing his eyes, and Ginny Lou trying to wipe something white and sticky off her face. “I don’t want to know!” he thought. “I just don’t want to know!”

Marching them down the halls to Dumbledore’s tower McGonagall stopped in front of a stone door. “Just say the password and the door will open.”

“What’s the password?” asked Harry.

“How should I know. I never go up there. He likes to entertain bimbos. I am not associating with that type!” she said as she stared hard at Ginny Lou.

“He likes sweets.” She curtly turned and marched off.

Harry named every treat he had ever heard of and the door stood solid. Ronnie Boy was checking out the frame of the door. He had been known to carry a couple of sticks of dynamite around in his pockets for those difficult circumstances.

Ginny Lou suddenly giggled and said, “Sugar Daddy.”

The stone doors opened and a revolving staircase carried the threesome up to Dumbledore’s office. “Glad to see you three here,” said Dumbledore, smiling at them widely. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

Ronnie Boy went over and started staring at the sorting hat as he picked his teeth with his knife. The sorting hat looked to be getting a little antsy. Ginny Lou slumped in a chair with one leg over the arm. “Apparently, she’s been shaving everything here lately,” thought Harry. Harry sat down opposite Dumbledore in a big easy chair. “What’s the haps grandmaster Albus?”

“That’s headmaster Harry. You three have made quite the impression on this school. Ronnie Boy there has learned just about everything going on with the girls in this school from his contact Hermione.”

Ronnie Boy turned and grinned.

“You have been keeping up with the faculty, and Ginny Lou had been able to find out everything that the boys are doing in this school.”

“I thought she had been doing everything to the boys in this school,” said Harry.

“Now Harry she was just doing her job.”

Ginny Lou got up from her chair and walked towards the portraits on the walls. All the wizards in the pictures turned and watched her. She started doing a bump and grind routine opening her blouse and raising her skirt. Whistles and catcalls resounded through out Dumbledore’s office. One really old wizard had his wizard hat over his lap and it was going up and down. A young looking witch was watching while lying on a red velvet couch. Five wizards appeared in her portrait and tried to grab her. She was a scrapper. She kicked and punched them all over the back of the couch. They grabbed her and pulled her over with them. A lot of screaming was going on. She reappeared with her hair disheveled and one sleeve of her blouse torn off. Drawing her wand, she made a glowing red string come out the end. She started snapping the string at the men behind the couch. Cries of pain resulted. “Line up you scum!” she barked. “Service me or die!” and she dived back behind the couch.

Professor Dumbledore’s eyes were wide open. Harry spoke unconcerned. “Ginny Lou has that affect on men. She is a genuine nymphomaniac. Now if you don’t mind Professor, could you fill us in on why you brought us here and what is going on? You have recognized the fact that we are wizards for years. All those home study courses you sent prove it. Well, the ones that made it anyway. I believe you have been holding us as a hole card. A threesome, someone who had spies wouldn’t know about. What’s the real deal?”

Dumbledore, a very impressive fellow, replied, “Harry, Voldemort dry- gulched your parents. They were coming back from a line dance competition. He shot them in cold blood. Your mother tried to save you. She protected you as they rode horses and mules over her gunshot body to cover the crime. It was a bad time Harry. A mule with a loose horseshoe nail gave you that scar. That is how close you came to death. Your mother and father fought well. They killed five each of the death eaters until they met Voldemort. He is uncommonly fast with a six-shooter or wand. They were out of ammo. He filled them full of lead with a smile on his face, knowing they couldn’t shoot back. He is a pathological killer. Life or death means nothing to him. He only understands power. The American Federation of Wizards and Witches declared him an outlaw and put a price on his head, wanted dead or alive. He fled to England. Now he ends up being my problem as the Ministry of Magic in this country is a bunch of nincompoops. He is building a force of Death Eaters as we speak. I feel he is going to make his move soon. The information you and your team have gathered about the male, female, and faculty of this school allows me to make an educated guess of where and when Voldemort is going to show up. Harry, you must be careful! There is a prophecy that you will be the one to defeat Voldemort. Voldemort knows about it and he will be gunning for you.”

“I kind a figured all this out,” said Harry. “I have been doing my homework. By the way where are all the bimbo’s?”

Dumbledore smiled, “I just started that rumor so everyone wouldn’t keep bothering me about the little details of running this school. I think it is time for you three to go.”

A voice rang out in the room. “Albus, I am lonely are your ready for bed?”

Harry mouthed the words, “Professor McGonagall?”

Dumbledore grinning yelled, “Coming dear,” and shooed them out the door.

As they walked back down all the stairs and hallways to the Gryffindor common room, Harry spoke to Ronnie Boy. Ronnie Boy was gently carrying his sleeping wayward sister over his shoulder. She was mumbling, “More, give me more.”

“Ronnie Boy, this cat Voldemort killed my parents. He is going to have to suffer for that crime. We must be on constant guard, as we don’t know where he is, or what he is doing.”

Ronnie Boy nodded his head in agreement.

“That thing you have with the hat, it can read minds. I bet you are worried that it will tell everyone about how you painted all those sheep with that logo, Farmer Brown we love you.”

Ronnie Boy looked worried.

“Well forget it. The statue of limitations has expired.”

Ronnie Boy breathed a sigh of relief.

Waking late, Harry realized everyone in the dormitory had already gone to breakfast. He slowly wandered down the hallway to the great hall. Someone grabbed him and shoved him into a closet. He could smell her cheap perfume. “Millicent is that you? You know we can’t go on meeting this way. You are doing a great job of bruising me all over.”

“Oh yes, its me! Harry, I love you!”

She was all over Harry. Kissing and rubbing on him and trying to get his jeans off.

Harry tried to push her away and his hand slipped into her robes. Hmm he thought nice melon, plump and ripe for the plucking. Finally after gaining some pleasure, he said to Millicent. “Stop please!”

“Don’t you love me?” she said with hurt in her eyes.

“Millicent just because your necklace got caught in my zipper and pulled it down does not mean I love you,” Harry said as he rubbed a bounty slowly and sensually. Bringing up her head to him, he kissed her softly on the lips, her mustache tickled. “I barely know you. You are Draco’s woman not mine. I have a woman.”

“Draco is such a wimp. When I need him, he is off bothering a first year or playing games with Goyle and Crabbe.”

“You will need to take a firm hand with Malfoy. He is just a bit wishy- washy. Tell him what you want and need and then make him perform. Trust me, he will take care of your needs.”

“Your are such a great man Harry Potter. I want you to know that the necklace and zipper thing was not an accident,” as she kissed him on the neck and cheek. “Malfoy will be mine!”

Harry gave an extra hard squeeze to her bounty and it turned to mush in his hand. He was shocked. “Millicent I am sorry. I didn’t mean to squeeze your bounty so hard.”

“You men are so weird! You have had your hand in my book bag squeezing my herbology experiment. Couldn’t you tell the difference? It is a partially rotted cantaloupe not even warm. Anyway thanks Harry for your help. I have a man animal to hunt.”

Harry laughed as he shook cantaloupe guts off his hand. “Malfoy was doomed. Millicent was not the type to be put off by whining. He would be hers or she would thump the snot out of him.”

Harry had taken to riding his broom after dark. It was relaxing just gently cruising around and feeling the air as it changed temperature and direction. He told himself he was guarding the castle from the minions of darkness. Actually he was trying to spy on the girl Helga. He was always at an altitude where he could see her, but she couldn’t see him. She often went to Hagrid’s hut where they would talk for hours about giants and wizards and critters and whatnot. Sometimes she would wander the edges of the forbidden forest and centaurs and unicorns would come to talk or be petted.

Harry decided this girl was just too pure for the likes of him even if she invoked a soul note deep in his heart. He would watch her and protect her as he did all defenseless people. He was trying to work on the twins, but the need was gone from him and he was only acting. He discussed it with Madam Pomfrey.

“Harry, you are in love, very deep love. The girl you love knows nothing about you. Any other woman is just a fling. They would have no meaning. Taking his head and laying it in her lap and stroking it, she explained. “My poor little giant, you are destined to have a great love. Love stronger than most of us will ever know. You just don’t know how to go about finding it. It will come in time I promise you.”

The next morning Harry was depressed. He decided to talk it out with Ronnie Boy. Ronnie Boy was a good listener. Going to the great hall, he went up to Ginny Lou and Hermione who were flipping pages in a couple of big books and chatting excitedly. “What are you two so deep in conversation about?” he asked.

“We are working on some engorgement charms for males the creator has left in doubt,” giggled Hermione.

“My problem is not being tall enough,” replied Harry. “Draco may be your first customer.” The three turned and watched. Draco was running like a scared rabbit. Trying to get out of the great hall, he was dodging around people and furniture and kept looking back nervous like. Millicent was a hound dog with the scent. She was making a beeline towards him knocking everything and everybody out of the way. Draco made it out into the hall first, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Got you, you little snot!” they heard her yell. The Great Hall erupted in laughter.

Sniggering Hermione told Ginny Lou, “Put him down for a triple whammy.”

“By the way have you girls seen Ronnie Boy?”

“Yea, Harry” said Ginny Lou. “He is outside playing Frisbee with Crabbe and Goyle. Millicent asked us to distract them so she could cut Draco out of the herd and brand him. I have this vision of her with Draco lying draped across her mouth as she carries him back to her lair. Like a rabbit in the mouth of a hound dog.”

They all laughed again.

     As Harry walked outside he thought, “Well maybe things will work out, Millicent caught herself a man.”

Ronnie Boy was playing with Draco’s two buddies. Ronnie Boy would throw the Frisbee and Crabbe or Goyle would catch it in their teeth. Being the lighter of the two Crabbe could jump higher, but Ronnie Boy had to make him give the Frisbee back. Goyle liked to flip it into the air as he ran with it, but he would lay it down in front of Ronnie Boy so Ronnie Boy could throw it again. Harry just shook his head in disgust. “This is pathetic. These two give wizards a bad name.”

As he watched the antics of the two Harry thought, “I think I may have to visit Hagrid. He knows things about my parents and maybe he will tell me something about Helga. Or perhaps, I will just be there when she shows up. I need to know if I am mooning over her for nothing and if I be on my way.”

That evening as it grew dark Harry made his way to Hagrid’s hut. Knocking on the door, he heard the excited barks of a rather large dog. “Hope he’s friendly.” As Hagrid opened the door, a boar-hound bounded out and started to slobber all over Harry. “Hermione’s soul mate.”

“Harry, its about time. Come on in. Have a spot of tea?” asked Hagrid.

“Sure,” said Harry. “Hagrid, do you know any of the details of what was happening when my parents were killed.”

“Aye Harry. Voldemort and his cronies, they are called Death Eaters, were in America trying to corner the beef industry. They were rustling cattle and killing any rancher who caught them. They were lying, cheating, and stealing every chance they got. Since Voldemort is a British wizard Professor Dumbledore dispatched me to America to act as a liaison. He figured sooner or later Voldemort would come back to Britain and we would have to deal with him. Your mum and dad were American wizards tasked to discover and stop his evil ways.”

“Your dad was a bit of a smart aleck until he met up with your mum. She roped him, hog-tied him, and branded him. He was strongly influenced by her humanity. Her having a bit of the red headed temper also helped to straightened him right out.”

“You shore seem to know a bit of our lingo Hagrid.”

“Had to Harry, I was there. On the way back home from a dance competition, the Death Eaters were waiting for them. James and Lily killed a passel of them before they ran out of ammo. Voldemort, the back shooter he is, let his buds die before he stepped in. Shooting both your parents, he then rode them down. Your mum laded over you in her death to protect you. I heard the ruckus, but since there isn’t a horse that can hold me I had to run. I managed to waste a few hombres who were still hanging around, but your mum and dad were dead. I found you still alive. Dumbledore made me drop you off with your uncle. He didn’t want Voldemort to know you lived.”

“I have a powerful urge to cleanse the world of that sidewinder,” said Harry shaking with rage. “He will get his comeuppance!”

“Harry, he is very powerful and he has many Death Eaters to help him. One man is not going to be able to get him.”

There was a light knock on the door and the boar-hound went in to a tizzy. “It must be Helga,” said Hagrid. “She likes to come here and ask me all about the magical creatures there are.”

Amazingly the hound was the perfect gentleman when Helga came in the door. He didn’t try to jump on her or slobber on her or anything. She greeted him and scratched his ears and petted his head. Taking a seat at the table with Harry and Hagrid, Hagrid asked her if she would like a cuppa.

“Yes I would,” she responded. “It appears you have already have some company.”

“This here’s Harry Potter. I knew his family.”

Harry was in shock. All he could do was stare. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Finally he lowered his eyes and croaked, “Nice to meet you.”

“Same to you Harry,” her voice flowing over Harry as soothing as warm spit on a fresh burn.

“I, I got to go,” he said. He stood up a little dizzy from her presence. “Thanks for the tea Hagrid. Voldemort will not kill again!”

“See you Harry. Don’t forget to come back once in a while and send that Ginny Lou to see me if you don’t mind.”

Harry forgot all his manners as he almost fell out the door. He was feeling weak. His stomach was all butterflies and his legs didn’t seem to want to work. “I am being stupid,” he thought to himself. “Next thing I know I will be chasing Frisbees for Ronnie Boy. That girl just does it to me. I just don’t know why. I think I need to take a spin on my broom and maybe the wind will clear my head.”

As he rode his broom in the night, he thought to himself, “A woman with polish, breeding, and class. What chance do I have with her? I haven’t got much to offer; a barn set up nice, a crazed horse, and a few nice personal things. How would I take care of such a lady? I don’t much have much of a future with a bunch of weirdoes trying to kill me. It is best I don’t even try to get involved with her or they might try to use her to get to me. Ah! But she would be fine.” Feeling drained and depressed, he decided to make sure she made it back safely to the castle, as it would probably be the last time he saw her.

The door of Hagrid’s cabin opened and a shaft of light illuminated a strip of grass. “Good night Hagrid,” Helga said and the door closed. She started up the lawn to the front door of the castle.

Harry sensed more than felt something. The hunter knows when he is being hunted. “Ocular owlous,” he spoke, touching his wand to his eyes. His eyes grew to be enormous. His view was now that of an owl at night. He saw dark robed figures in the shadows of the castle waiting for Helga. “Thank you Professor McGonagall.” The figures were watching Helga approach the castle. Scanning in all directions Harry noted half a dozen cloaked figures riding brooms overhead. “Nellie,” he thought to his broom, “I am going to need everything you have.” The broom vibrated as if pleased. Floating down as soft as a feather, Harry pulled along side Helga. She didn’t even know he was there. “Get on the broom,” he whispered. “Death Eaters!” She took him at his word, smart girl.

As she straddled the broom, he whispered, “Hold on tight!” The night erupted with the flashes of stunner spells. The Death Eaters were sure something was going on, but they didn’t know quite where. Harry responded with his matched set of nickel-plated ivory handled wands. His aim was accurate. Twelve Death Eaters dropped in seconds. There were many, many more. “We’re getting out of here!” yelled Harry. “Giddyup Nellie!” Bam! The broom headed them straight towards the circling vultures. They went through them like a dog through a flock of chickens scattering them all over. Harry managed to stun a couple more. Heidi was clamped to him like a snake squeezing a rat. She is scared and she had every right to be. She wasn’t complaining or crying or asking questions. She seemed to know when to stay quiet. A good woman to have around when things got rough.

Once clear of the rabble, Harry dove low and skirted the forest. Diving under some trees, he shot through the underbrush until he couldn’t hear any more pursuit. Helga started to speak. He placed his hand over hers and whispered, “We must be quiet till we are sure they are gone.” She sat there silently with her arms around his waist looking around for danger. Harry was a little nervous by her closeness. She sure smelled good.

Taking the broom up high, Harry bumped up the speed so they could clear the area. At high altitude he could see if the Death Eaters were still around. By now the two riders were miles from the castle.

“Why were they trying to capture you?” asked Harry.

“What do you mean Harry?”

“They were lying in wait for you not me. I had already gone. You must know something that is very important to them or they would not have revealed themselves in such force. Do you realize who they were?”

“I don’t know what they would want me for? I have no ideal who they are.”

“They are Death Eaters, the vicious murdering sidekicks of Voldemort. Voldemort is guilty of just about every crime known to man. He had to flee to Britain from America to escape prosecution for the crimes he committed, including the murder of my parents. If they had caught you they would have taken you some where and tortured you for information.”

“What would it be?” Helga asked. “What is so important to them? I am just a schoolgirl. I did have a vision, a prophecy when I was eight, of a tall black haired man with beautiful green eyes. He came to me while I was asleep and said.”

“Wakeup little darling, you and I are destined to be together, we will be as one. Evil is upon the world and only I can defeat it. You are valuable to that evil and it will come a time when I will have to rescue you. You must keep faith that I will come.”

“I have been looking for the man in my vision since that time. I came to Britain to go to school because he spoke English. But he had a strange way with words. He has a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightening bolt.”

“Or a nail scratch,” thought Harry hopefully.

“He is strong and forceful against evil, yet gentle and kind with the innocent, a difficult combination.”

“A beautiful romantic story,” said Harry wistfully. “Unfortunately, I have some OWL’s to study for. So I will take you back to Hogwarts, do a quick check around, and let you go back to the dormitory. It would be wise not to be walking around in the dark anymore.”

A very loud noise and shock wave almost threw them from the broom. A jet airplane passed right over them. Another was coming right at them. Harry dived. “Helga hold on tight. We have a problem! OK, Nellie,” Harry said, “we have jets on our tail. I feel the need for speed!”

“Ground Control to Red Dog Leader, we have a bogie at the northern edge of the grid. It’s moving slowly at three thousand feet.”

“Roger Ground Control, I have it on radar. Contact in thirty seconds.”

“Red Dog Leader to Red Dog Wing, did you see what I saw.”

“Roger Red Dog Leader, two kids on a broom.”

“Negative Red Dog Wing, it is bright orange and has what looks like four engines. I think it is a cruise missile. I think we better look again!”

“Red Dog Leader to Ground Control, the bogie is moving off at an increasing speed. Whatever it is its losing altitude and increasing speed. Do you wish us to peruse?”

“Affirmative Red Dog Leader.”

“Rats!” thought Harry. “We must have flown into the air defense radar grid and they detected us. Apparently they scrambled two Tornadoes’ to intercept. On a regular broom it would be impossible to tangle with them, but not with mine. Well, the Tornado is supposed to be one of the best high- speed low level aircraft ever designed. Let’s see how good the pilots are.”

“Hide your head honey and hang on!” Harry yelled to Helga. “We are going flying.”

“OK Harry, you are in control. Just try to get us back home safe!”

Helga thought to herself, “This is the first time I meet this fellow and I trust him enough to fly head to head with a jet airplane. I must be nuts!”

“Red Dog Leader to Ground Control, the bogie is dropping in altitude and rapidly accelerating. It appears to trying to get away. It is turning towards the south toward London.”

“Ground Control to Red Dog Leader, stay on the bogie hard and see it you can get a more positive identification.”

“Roger Ground Control, Red Dog Leader out.”

Harry cranked up his speed. The shielding spells where keeping the wind from blowing him off the broom. He took them within fifty feet of the ground and started to follow the terrain. He took a hard right and straightened. The planes skidded out on the corner like a dog on a newly waxed floor, recovered and were back on his tail. “Lets try a left right climb dive left right.” Doing his maneuvers Harry looked back, the pilots and aircraft were superb, but they just couldn’t keep up with him. He figured it was time to persuade them to leave him alone. “OK, broom now we are going to do some precision flying!” Doing a quick loop Harry got behind the lead plane and pulled up along side the canopy. The pilot was looking everywhere for Harry.

“Red Dog Leader to Red Dog Wing, do you have a visual on the bogie?”

“Red Dog Wing to Red Dog Leader, the bogie is beside you on your left!”

Looking out his side glass the pilot saw Harry and tried to turn away. Harry stayed right with him. The pilot then pulled max g maneuvers in every direction he could, trying to get away. Harry stayed with him. Finally the pilot throttled back straight and level. He looked at Harry. Harry pushed his cowboy hat back and shook his finger No! No! Harry waved his finger for the pilot to follow and he lined up for the trip back to Hogwarts. “High speed spell broom.”

The pilot saw the broom seeming to shimmer and lengthen as the riders also shimmered and seemed to stretch and lengthen. Then the broom slowly pulled ahead and then increased speed as if it was shot out of a cannon. He tracked it on radar. There was no way his plane could keep up. Mach one and climbing, mach two and climbing, mach three and it was gone. Each time it went through mach it left a disturbance in the air as if someone stretched a clear piece of plastic and released it.

“Ground Control to Red Dog Leader, cancel pursuit. Repeat cancel pursuit. We have a code red message for you.”

“Red Dog Leader, this is the Prime Minister. Cancel pursuit, it is one of ours.”

“Roger Prime Minister, too late to cancel he is gone. He put the throttle to the firewall and was just gone. I have never seen anything like it. The kid flying the broom seemed to know what we were going to do before we did. He flew up right next to the canopy and I couldn’t shake him for anything. The best pilot I have ever seen. Over.”

“Red Dog Leader be thankful you survived. He was just toying with you. He could have taken you out at anytime. You and your wing will be debriefed in a secure area on your arrival at home base. Prime Minister out.”

“Red Dog Leader to Red Dog Wing, what do you think? I think we were suckered. Who ever or ever that was, they were just playing with us.”

“Roger Red Dog Leader, that was some of the most intense flying I have every done. It was a double barf bag, clean the butt of your jeans, no spills, no chills, all thrills kind of flight. Why don’t we take it home down and dirty Red Dog Leader.”

     “That is affirmative Red Dog Wing, let’s blow out some windows and scare some cows. Follow me if you can.”

Harry felt the high speed spell take affect. He felt as if he was stretching out along the broom and he, Helga, and the broom were melting together. “Alright Nellie show us what kind of heart you have.” They pulled away smoothly from the jet and the broom put on a burst of speed that felt like one long kick in the pants. A cone of air formed on the tip of the broom and broke past them then another then another. “Alright Hoss slow us down,” thought Harry. “Great job!” They felt the brakes coming on as they passed the lake. Gently the broom settled to the ground before the door of the castle. Getting off first, Harry held out his hand to Helga. As she stepped off the broom, she put her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder and started sobbing.

     “I have never been so afraid in my life!” she said.

“I am sorry,” replied Harry. “I should have never flown with you on the broom at that speed.” He put his arm around her and felt her softness. He started to get weak in the knees.

“No, No, Harry, the flying was incredible. I felt you had control at all times.” Looking up at Harry, she said, “It was the Death Eaters that have scared me. Until those planes started chasing us, I hadn’t realized how dangerous a situation we had been in. There were twenty or thirty of them. They were using stunners, but they could just have easily tried to kill us. If Voldemort couldn’t know my prophecy, he might have killed me to prevent others from knowing.”

“From what I understand, there is nothing in your prophecy that he doesn’t already know or suspect. If he manages to capture you, just tell him everything. It may keep you alive.”

Looking up at his face, she said, “Kiss me Harry. I must know if you are the one I seek.”

Strongly desiring to take advantage of her, he resisted. He stuttered, “I am not the one Helga. I know it! You are riding an emotional roller coaster. The events of tonight have brought out a strong emotional response. You are not yourself. I will not take advantage of you in this condition. If I were the one you seek, which I am not, I would want you to be calm and cool and not in the heat of events so you could make a rational judgement.” Feeling it was totally the worse thing to say, he said it. “Tomorrow you will see.”

“Thank you Harry for defending me,” she hugged him and melted into him as if they were one.

Harry stiffened, as much as he would have liked to return her hug with the innocence that she hugged him, he just could not let his love go to her. “Little darling, it is time for us to go,” he said as softly and as gently as he could. He pushed her away. They separated and walked into the castle, Harry’s broom over his shoulder.

She stopped just before entering and gave him the ribbon from her hair. “In thanks,” she said.

Harry had been miserable all night. He just couldn’t sleep, thinking and worrying about Helga. He just rubbed and rubbed her ribbon. Going down to breakfast, he cornered Ronnie Boy, Ginny Lou, and Hermione and told them of the nights events. “I am deeply worried about her. One of us must be near her without seeming too, at all times. Is there any class when she might be alone?”

Hermione replied, “Yes, Ravenclaw and Slytherin have a class in herbology together when none of us are in the class.”

“Ronnie Boy do you think Crabbe and Goyle could protect her during those times?”

Ronnie Boy nodded.

Harry took Heidi’s ribbon and cut it in half. He gave the halves to Ronnie Boy. “Give them this.”

Ronnie Boy walked over to the Slytherin table and approached Crabbe and Goyle. They acted very glad to see him. Without saying a word he handed them each a piece of the ribbon. They looked at the ribbon and each felt of it and smelled it. They looked at Ronnie Boy and nodded all solemn like.

“Ronnie Boy was always good with critters,” thought Harry. “It is probably because he doesn’t talk. He acts in a way they understand. Critters can’t talk either. He has been that way since his parents died.”

“The elves have grown quite fond of me,” said Ginny Lou. “I make them clothes. At night they could keep a good watch on her.”

“Thanks,” said Harry, wondering a little if clothes were why the elves liked Ginny Lou.

Every so often Harry would run into Millicent hiding behind a tapestry or in a doorway. “Are you still after Draco?”

“Of course,” she said. “I almost have him where I want him. He’s a slippery devil though. He hasn’t professed his love for me yet, but he will.” These meetings were almost always later punctuated with screams of fright from Draco and the sound of running feet.

It was almost a week before Harry ventured back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey took him aside. “Harry what is wrong?” she asked. “You look terrible!”

“I got it bad Freezy. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I feel weak every time I see her and I know I am not the one for her. I love her, but I can’t get in the way of her own true love who ever he is.”

For along time he had his head in her lap. She stroked his hair and sang him songs of encouragement. Finally he felt better. “Thanks Freezy. You are my rock in a stormy sea.”

“Harry you are the strongest, toughest, most mature man. I have ever known. But all men are just boys at heart. They don’t understand women, but really all they want is just a little caring and encouragement when things are hard.”

Helga was beside herself. She couldn’t believe she almost gave her heart to Harry Potter. He was not the man of her vision. Or was he? She couldn’t decide. One moment she wanted and needed him and the next she was repulsed by the thought. Obviously he had been watching out for her. Why would he do that? They didn’t even know each other. He had the dark hair, the green eyes, and a scar that kind of looked like a lightening bolt, but he wasn’t all that tall or was he. She was only eight when she had her prophecy. He did make her feel all squishy inside when he held her. She felt a sound a pure note of love when he was there. It couldn’t be him. Oh why can’t things be simpler?”

More alert than normal, due to her close shave with the Death Eaters, she noticed that people were aware of her being near them, or rather aware of everyone else near her. They weren’t ignoring her. They were guarding her. “That sly dog,” she thought. “Oh! No! Now I am talking like that cowpoke.”

Crabbe and Goyle were the most obvious. One would always be near her and the other would be circling at a distance alert for trouble. They weren’t all that open about it, but it is hard to miss two gorillas casually hanging around you.

Ginny Lou had taken to being around Neville. “What’s the deal, Ginny Lou?” asked Harry.

“I like him Harry. He is very shy and quiet, but smart, real smart. He told me to think about why I was having sex with everyone. So I did. It is because I was looking for someone to care for me. He said he wouldn’t have sex with me until I sorted out my feelings and got a grip on what deep down I really want. I just want to be loved.”

“Ronnie Boy and I love you Ginny Lou.”

“I know, but this is a different love than a brother and sister kind of love. It is a woman and a man love. It is a sharing of our hearts and thoughts and feelings. Together we are as we should be. Apart we are only shells. Bodies walking around with half empty souls. Ronnie Boy and Hermione know what I mean. You won’t, until you experience it yourself.”

Harry pulled Ginny Lou to him and hugged her close. “Maybe you can finally get some peace from the pain that has raged in you since your parents died. Neville is a decent fellow, be the same. Give your love unasked for, with no strings and it will be returned in kind.”

Crying on his shoulder Ginny Lou mumbled, “Who made you so smart, Harry Potter?”

Pulling her arms loose from around his neck Harry turned Ginny Lou around and popped her on the butt. “Get over there and be with your man!” he smiled.

Ginny Lou smiled brightly back at him as she went over to Neville, rubbing her behind.

“Great, just great! Here I am playing matchmaker and I can’t even keep my own life together.”

Harry had told Dumbledore about the attack on Helga and the precautions taken to protect her. Dumbledore felt that Voldemort was going to make a play soon. If he could eliminate Dumbledore he would have free rein over all the wizards in Britain. Helga was an ideal target to get Dumbledore out of the castle, then Voldemort’s forces could wipe him out. Helga’s prophecy of a young man destroying Voldemort and rescuing her would be of great interest to him. He would want to know who the man was.

“So would I,” said Harry. “He would have to be a taller older version of someone who closely resembles me. I wonder if I have a relative around here that fits that description.”

Voldemort struck sooner than they thought. It was a beautiful spring day drawing to a close with the sun just beginning to set. Most of the school was outside enjoying the evening. They came out of the forbidden forest at full speed on their brooms. There must have been twenty of them. Stunners were flying every where. Harry, Hermione, Ronnie Boy, Ginny Lou and Neville each stunned one of the riders. After the fight, the Death Eaters grabbed Helga and fled the scene.

Neville ran over to Harry. “Crabbe and Goyle were magnificent. Both of them managed to wrestle a rider off their broom. One then the other caught a stunner leaping in front of Helga to protect her, but they got her anyway.”

Millicent looked the worse for wear, but real mean. She was standing, watching, with Draco at her side holding her up. She had caught a glancing blow and Draco was helping her to stand and giving her kind words. “Millicent you were magnificent. I will stay here with you and help you if you need me.” Millicent smiled at him and then glared at the fallen Death Eaters.

“Hog tie them and bring them to me!” barked Harry. No one doubted his authority. “Hermione can you get me some Veritaserum so I can get these yahoos to talk before I have to give them to Ronnie Boy and Millicent.”

Ronnie Boy was a sight. He was directing people around just by pointing. The look on his face was enough to discourage disagreement. He made them be especially careful with Crabbe and Goyle. Walking over to Harry, he drew his knife.

Looking down at the Death Eaters, Harry asked them if they have ever been skinned alive? The Death Eaters looked back at Harry with alarm in their eyes. A few looked a bit stubborn. “That one there looks like he wouldn’t mind suffering for Voldemort!” said Harry.

Ronnie Boy walked over to the Death Eater and pulled off his belt and started to strop his blade. “If you leave it dull Ronnie Boy it will take a lot longer and hurt a lot more.”

Ronnie Boy looked at Harry, smiled, and put his belt back on.

The Death Eater screamed, “That isn’t civilized!”

“Who said we are civilized?” asked Harry. “Would you like to tell us where Voldemort is taking Helga or would you like Ronnie Boy to start carving?”

Hermione was hurrying down to them from the castle with the teachers. She ran to Harry and handed him a vial. “Here it is Harry. Only three drops, OK.”

Walking up to the Death Eater he had selected, he motioned to Ronnie Boy. “Hold his mouth open.” The Death Eater futilely resisted. Harry dropped three drops in his mouth and Ronnie Boy held his mouth closed until he swallowed. “Just like giving a calf medicine,” said Harry. The eyes of the Death Eater glazed over.

“Who do you work for?”

“Voldemort!”

“Where is his hideout?”

“North on an island.”

“Do you know the name of the island.”

“It has no name. It has a great big house and there is a loch on the left side going north. A forest is in back of it.”

“How far is it from here and what direction?”

The Death Eater pointed and said, “About one and a half hours that way.”

“Ronnie Boy I need all of the toys you have and my saddle bags. Could you get them for me.”

Ronnie Boy took off at a run.

“Hermione and Neville get every one a broom. Have Millicent and Draco stay here and clean up the mess. Tell Dumbledore to come when he can. Ginny Lou, when Ronnie Boy gets back, you’ll hop on your brooms and follow me. I think I can overtake them and I will leave you a trail to follow. Be as quick as you can. I won’t go in alone unless I have too.”

Ronnie Boy ran up to him and gave him a set of saddlebags. “Accio Broom,” and Harry’s broom flew to him. Putting the saddlebags over the back of the broom, Harry mounted it. Looking at Ronnie Boy and Ginny Lou, Harry said, “Be quick. I will go down fighting before I will let her die.”

They both nodded and he took off.

Harry thought to his broom, “Let’s find her Nellie,” and he took off. It had been almost an hour since the attack. “High speed shield, broom about mach one point two. That should get me there about the same time as the slower brooms.” The broom complied.

Rising to twenty thousand feet Harry was just about frozen. It didn’t matter. He was not going to let Voldemort have the girl without a fight even if she didn’t love him. After about ten minutes he spotted them, ten or more black spots moving over the landscape. He slowed down the broom and took out a telescope from the saddlebags. Yep! It was them, his lips in a hard line. “Slow down broom.” The broom dropped its speed and stayed with the figures flying near the ground. Even in the silvery light of the night Harry could see spring awaking from the harshness of winter. In a few minutes Harry saw them approaching a large dark building next to a lake or loch. There was forest behind it. The dark figures settled to the ground before the building. They walked into what must be the front door carrying a large burden. Harry dropped down into the woods behind.

The scar on his forehead started to hurt. “So Voldemort you are here,” he thought. “Perhaps our business together will be finished tonight.” Throwing the saddlebags over his shoulder, he thought to the broom, “Go up high and play. You will attract aircraft.” The broom took off. The aircraft would be a beacon to Ronnie Boy, Ginny Lou, and the rest.

Removing his boots and spurs he put on a set of moccasins. Now he could walk as quiet as a mouse. Creeping up to the house, he touched his wand to his eyes, ‘Oculus Owlous.” He could now see as if it were day. The spell didn’t last long, but it was handy while it did. There were two guards at the door. One was making a lot of grunting noises. He must have been wounded in the fight. Harry circled the building. There were lights on in an upstairs room. Climbing the large rough stones of the wall as easily as if it were a cliff, he peeked inside.

A hooded figure with long bony fingers held a wand in his hand, his arms lying on the arms of an old fashioned ornate chair. There was a Death Eater on either side of him. Helga was standing in front of him proud and unafraid. She looked grim and tough. Ducking back from the window, Harry’s scar burned hotly. “So Voldemort knows I am here.” Harry knew what was going to happen to Helga and he didn’t want to watch. “I need a diversion,” he thought. “There are too many of them for just me. Hopefully my buds will be here soon.” As the screams started in the room above him, Harry descended to the ground.

“I have to hurry! First the guards.” Taking his knife from its’ sheath, he marked off the distance to a guard and threw it. The butt end of the heavy blade caught the man hard in the temple and he was out cold. The other guard heard the noise of the first guard falling and came to investigate. Harry swung his one pound silver belt buckle as hard as he could and landed it dead center between the man’s eyes. Dragging the guards off in the shadows, he securely bound them with rawhide from his saddlebags. He broke both their wands just in case they managed to escape.

Opening the saddlebags, he pulled out two large bundles of dynamite. “Ronny Boy you are a jewel.” Ronnie Boy liked to blow up things. Mostly rocks and stumps and such. Harry remembered when they blew up a den of rattlesnakes. Ronnie Boy used a little too much dynamite that time. They had to run like the dickens to escape the rain of annoyed rattlers. Mighty fine eating though.

Setting two small charges with short fuses beside the door and a major charge with a long fuse over the door, he lit the fuses and ran to the back of the building. Climbing up the back, he was beside the window when the first charges went off. The first two charges should have blown off the door of the building. This would have attracted the Death Eaters inside the building. Peeking in the corner of the window, Voldemort was standing pointing towards the door of the room. A bundle of robes on the floor moved gently as if some one was breathing. Voldemort turned and pointed his wand at the figure on the floor. “Ah man he is going to kill her,” thought Harry. Having already drawn his wand, Harry fired a stunner at Voldemort. The blast shattered the window cutting Harry’s arm. “No matter.” He swung into the room rolling on the floor, firing another stunner as he went. About that time the second dynamite blast took off the whole front of the building. The floor rolled and shook, throwing off Voldemort’s aim. Harry fired off one more stunner as Voldemort fled down the stairs. Using his wand to slam the door shut, he hexed it so it would stay shut. Swiftly he bent down and turned over the bundle of robes. Helga stared back at him with blank eyes, her face lined with pain. Putting his ear to her chest, he could hear her heart beating faintly. “Little darling you are in a bad way. We need to skedaddle back to Hogwarts and get the bones to take a look at you.”

The sound of explosions and stunners increased dramatically. The calvary had arrived. The door of the room blew in. There was Ronnie Boy and Ginny Lou. They looked evil, mean, and nasty. Ginny Lou lit a couple of sticks and tossed them back out the door. Harry heard screams of pain after the concussion of the dynamite. “Accio broom!” he screamed. His broom came flying in through the broken window. “Help me load her on the broom!” Harry said to Ronnie Boy. Harry mounted the broom and Ronnie Boy picked up Helga as light as a feather and placed her front of him. “She’s in a bad way I have to get her back to Hogwarts. Clean out this den of vipers for me will you.”

Ronnie Boy nodded.

“Watch out for the broom blast,” as he guided the broom out of the building. “Max speed spell!” Harry thought. As the funny sensation of stretching took over, he thought, “Hogwarts now Nellie!” The broom seemed to feel Harry’s need to get to Hogwarts as soon a possible. The burst of acceleration almost tore Harry off the broom. The blast wave took out the rest of the windows in the room he had just left. It took every bit of concentration Harry had to keep the broom on course. The end of the broomstick was starting to glow red from the friction with the air. Tiny pieces of the twigs in the rear started to fall off. Within minutes he was over the school and the broom was slowing down. The vibration from the broom was starting to get a little ragged. Pulling up to a window in the hospital wing Harry blew a hole in it with a stunner beam and drove the broom through it. “Freezy!” he yelled, “I need your help!” Picking up Helga, the broom dropped to the floor and he stepped off. He gently placed Helga on one of the hospital beds. Freezy came a running wearing only her night gown.

“What is it Harry?” she asked breathlessly.

“Helga,” he said looking down at the blank stare on Helga’s face.

“Get out of the way Harry,’ she barked. “Get the blue bottle on the left of the bottom shelf in that cabinet. Harry handed her the bottle. Freezy uncorked the bottle and let some of the liquid dribble into the girl’s mouth. The girl swallowed and relaxed, her eyes closed. “Help me get her robes off Harry and get me those blankets.”

“Freezy was good at giving orders,” thought Harry.

“Repair that window and go find Dumbledore.”

Pulling his wand, Harry repaired the window and went out into the hall to find Dumbledore. Dumbledore already was coming down the hall. “Quick Sir inside, Madam Pomfrey needs you.”

As calm and serene as always Dumbledore glided up to the bed where the nurse was checking over Helga.

“Dumbledore would be a good man to have with you in a fight,” thought Harry. “He would keep a cool head no matter what. Not like me. I am worried to death about Helga!”

“Madam Pomfrey,” Dumbledore touched her shoulder lightly, “you need to get a robe on as I believe we will be having more visitors soon. Harry also needs some attention to his arm. It is bleeding quite freely. I will stay here and watch the girl. The damage done her is deep in her mind. Her body is not damaged. She is young and will recover physically.”

As Freezy approached Harry, he handed her a robe. Putting it on, she said, “Let’s look at your arm.” While she was treating him, she asked him what had happened to Heidi. He explained the kidnapping and the rescue.

Freezy gave him a quick hug. “Harry you care more for others than you do yourself. A trait I hope I am beginning to share.”

“What happened while I was gone?” asked Harry.

“Dumbledore was beside himself. He was very angry that the school could be attacked like that. He contacted the Ministry of Magic and they set up guards all around the school. We administered care to all the students who had been stunned and they are all recovering in their own houses. It seemed safer that way. Ronnie Boy was the only one who seemed to know where you went but he wasn’t talking. He gathered up your friends and some major firepower and they all took off on their brooms. When a bunch from the Ministry of Magic showed up we sent them in the same direction. Did they show up in time?”

“Barely!” said Harry. “Just barely. Is Helga going to be alright?”

“I don’t know Harry. Her mind has withdrawn deep within her. Her body is fine, a few cuts and bruises, but that is all. Her mind may recover in time or it may not. I don’t know. The mind is mysterious even to wizards.”

“I should have gone straight in instead of trying to create a diversion. She would not be in this condition if I had.”

“And you might have died and she would have still been in the hands of Voldemort awaiting her death!”

Harry’s friends started to show up at the door for the hospital wing. Hermione was holding Ronnie Boy up and Neville was escorting Ginny Lou on a stretcher. She was complaining. “It’s only a scratch Neville I can walk.”

Neville responded forcefully, “Ginny Lou you are staying on that stretcher if I have to tie you to it. I am worried sick about you.” Ginny Lou looked at Harry and smiled real big and squeezed Neville’s hand hard.

“What happened to Ronnie Boy?” Harry asked Hermione as Madam Pomfrey sorted everyone out and assigned beds to the wounded. Harry helped his friend into a bed.

“Ah! He was hit and knocked out by flying debris while rescuing a pair of ministry twits. Voldemort destroyed the house to cover his escape, but he was the only one to get out. The rest of the Death Eaters were captured except one that apparently wasn’t at the house.”

“And Ginny Lou?”

“She got hit with a club by one of the Death Eaters when she pushed Neville out of the way. I think her shoulder is busted. Neville got real calm and serious like. He stood over her blasting anything moving. He was awesome. His wand tip was glowing red, when he quit. When it was over we paired up. Neville and I held the wounded on our brooms and brought them back here.”

Ronnie Boy reached over and grabbed Hermione’s hand his eyes still a little glazed. She took his in both of hers and kissed him sweetly on the lips. “You are going to be all right Ronnie Boy. You are going to be all right.”

Pausing at each of his friends he placed his hand on their shoulders and thanked them for their friendship and loyalty. He wanted to know if Helga was Ok. Freezy blocked his path. “Harry you have done all you can. We are doing all we can. You are exhausted you need some rest. I have a sleeping draught here if you need it.”

“No thanks. I need to go and wash off the stink of battle and decide what I wish to do.”

As he stood in the shower, he let the warm water pour over him. He let it run and run. Finally he made a decision. The elves had clean clothes waiting for him.

“Dobby?” he said. Dobby appeared. “I suppose you and the other elves need to know. Ginny Lou is fine, but Helga is not doing so well. I appreciate that you and your friends have been watching Helga for me.”

Dobby laid his hand on Harry’s leg. “Harry Potter is a great man. He freed Dobby. Ginny Lou makes us clothes like a man. Dobby twirled around wearing a nice three-piece suit. Helga is just nice to the elves, but sad. She talks to us and helps us when we feel down. It is bad that she is feeling poorly.”

“Helga has had her mind damaged by Voldemort. I need to find him and bring him to justice. It won’t help Helga, but Voldemort won’t be able to hurt anyone else. The elves are everywhere. Most wizards don’t pay any attention to them. Your people do so much work for everyone it is sad that people don’t appreciate you more. You and your friends are irreplaceable.” Dobby’s little chest swelled with pride. “I ask you to help me find him Dobby, so he can’t hurt another like he hurt Helga.”

“Can do big buddy!” and Dobby slapped Harry on the shoulder a grim look on the elf’s face. “Consider it done.”

“You must have learned to talk like that from Ginny Lou,” laughed Harry.

Later Dumbledore had told Harry even the muggles were looking for Voldemort. If he showed his face he would be found. Harry, however was impatient. If he heard of a sighting, he would go and check it out. When he wasn’t studying or playing quidditch he would be in the hospital wing keeping Helga company. His poor broom had to be sent back to the factory to be repaired. They wondered what the heck he had done to it. He asked the elves to visit Helga in hopes of bringing her out of her trauma. All he and Freezy managed to do was get her to walk around with her hand on their arm. It was so sad to see someone in her condition. To cheer her up as much as he could, Harry sang to her. He sounded like a bullfrog that was gargling boulders, but she would smile a little and that was enough.

Dobby brought word down one morning that the Ministry of Magic had cornered Voldemort in the Hog’s Head pub in Hogsmead. He had been trying to recruit more Death Eaters, but people were fed up with him and his murdering ways.

Harry didn’t say a word to anyone. He strapped on his wands in their side holsters and put on his hat. Grabbing a house broom he flew to the center of Hogsmead. Stepping off the broom, he went down the street until he was across the street from the pub. He asked an official looking wizard what Voldemort was doing. “He’s just sitting at the bar drinking fire whiskey. He seems to waiting for someone.”

“He’s waiting for me!” said Harry a grim look on his face, his scar burning with a white heat. “And he knows I am here.”

“Why don’t you just come on out and get this over with?” yelled Harry.

In a few minutes Voldemort came out the door of the pub. He was filthy dirty and haggard looking. The look of a hunted man with no where to go. His snakes slit eyes were sunken in his head. “The great Harry Potter, I was wondering when you were going to show up. To bad I missed you when my mule stomped your mamma into buzzard bait.” He walked into the middle of the street. “What’s it going to be Harry? An old fashioned showdown in the middle of the street like they write in those cowboy books you are so fond of reading.”

“Nope,” said Harry, “too quick and not much satisfaction. I am just going to beat you into pulp real slow like. Then all these gentleman from the Ministry of Magic can have your worthless carcass to do with as they feel.”

At least fifty men and women surrounded them including Ginny Lou, Neville, Hermione, and Ronnie Boy. They must have heard he had gone to town after Voldemort. “Just ease your wand out real easy like so all these fellows won’t have to blow you apart.”

Voldemort didn’t look too happy. He eased out his wand and started to lay it on the ground. Then flipped it up to fire a spell at Harry. The wand shattered in his hand. Harry had been a bit faster. Harry had holstered his wand and was running towards him. Harry leaped and planted both feet on Voldemort’s chest knocking him backward onto the ground. Voldemort peeled off his cloak and hunkered down for a knockdown dragged out fight. He moved towards Harry throwing a few haymakers at Harry’s head. Harry ducked under his arm and hit him hard in the breadbasket. It took Voldemort’s wind.

“You fight pretty good Harry. This might take a little longer than I thought, but I am going to enjoy every minute of it.” He faked a punch to Harry’s midsection and got a good shot to Harry’s chin. Harry stepped back and shook his head.

“You should have kept coming in,” said Harry. “That is your problem, you never follow up to see the effect of your work. If you had, I would be dead instead of fighting you.” Voldemort swung a few punches at Harry’s head and missed and almost stumbled. Harry kicked his legs out from under him and dived on him. They wrestled around. Harry kneed Voldemort in the ribs breaking a few and Voldemort tried to gouge out Harry’s eyes. Harry rolled off and stood up. “Come on big boy, I want to dance.” Harry hit Voldemort in the ribs with his left and that opened up a shot to the chin. Voldmort’s eyes were glazed as he shook his head. Harry hit him with a left then a right and then an uppercut to the chin. Voldemort fell back on the dirt like a sack of spuds. Harry jumped on his chest and started slapping him. “What did you do to Helga?” he yelled Voldemort’s head rocking back and forth as he struck him.

“Stop! Stop! No more!” said Voldemort. “I will tell you if you stop hitting me.”

Harry got off him. “Go ahead and tell us you lowdown snake in the grass.”

“Helga was quite helpful. She told me all about the prophesy, she had, when she was a child. She said, she didn’t know whom it was she sought. She gave me all the information I needed. That wasn’t much fun. So I tortured her just to hear her scream and scream and scream. She was tough. She wasn’t going to break no matter how much pain I inflicted. So I took her mind and locked it away with a powerful memory charm. Only I have the key. Three simple words even you should know Harry Potter.”

Harry glared at Voldemort.

“If you kill me you will never free her mind.” Voldemort started laughing and laughing.

Harry controlled himself with great difficulty. He knew that as much as he wanted to kill Voldemort, he wanted Helga to recover more. He turned and walked away.

“Look out Harry," a high female voice called out. Harry spun on his heel his wand out. Voldemort had transformed into a giant snake and was posed to strike. Harry yelled, “wingardium leviosa” and flicked his wand. The snake flew over the heads of the crowd and into the pigsty the Hog’s Head pub was named for. The hogs squealed with terror and tore into the snake. If its one thing hogs hate it is a snake. They will go out of their way to kill one. In a matter of seconds the hissing of the snake was gone and the hogs were back to grunting happily.

“Hell of a way to go, Harry!”

“Yea! I know,” said Harry. “Thanks for the warning, Ginny Lou. I just regret I didn’t find out the secret to unlocking Helga’s mind.”

“I think, I know what the three words are,” said Hermione staring at Harry. “Every time she told me about her prophecy she started the story with the same three words.”

Ginny Lou was staring at the hogs over the fence. “I hope Voldemort doesn’t give them indigestion.”

The group hopped on their brooms and flew back to the castle, making their way to the hospital wing. A beautiful blond haired girl with blue eyes was sitting on the edge of the bed in pajamas. Her face was pale as snow and her eyes were blank of all life, almost as if she was dead. Professor Dumbledore and nurse Pomfrey were examining her. The Professor was commenting to the nurse. “She is fine physically. The trauma of her torture must have driven her conscience mind deep into her subconscience mind where I can’t access it.”

“No,” said Harry. “It is a memory charm. Voldemort locked all her memories of past and present away to be opened only with a key. He heard the prophecy, understood its meaning, and wanted to deny me her love. He realized without her love I would never fulfill my destiny, or so he thought. In his cruelty, he knew I would recover from her death. Her alive and my not knowing if we were to be together is far greater punishment. Hermione thinks, she knows the words to break the spell. Go ahead Hermione say the words.”

The room got very quiet. “Wakeup little darling.” Nothing happened. “Wakeup little darling,” Hermione said again. Still nothing.

The depression in the room was total.

“You have to say it Harry,” said a deep baritone voice. “You are the one in the prophecy.” Hermione had a shocked look on her face as she stared at Ronnie Boy.

Harry walked in front of Helga and held her face between her hands. Looking into her blank lifeless eyes, he said, “Wakeup little darling.” Nothing happened. “Why is this happening to me?” he thought. “I get my hopes up only to get my heart crushed again.”

“Please wakeup little darling!” Nothing happened. Harry dropped his hands, stepped back and stared at the floor. “I have failed. She will be this way for all eternity.”

Helga suddenly started to move, her eyes still blank. She slid off the bed and walked wobbly towards Harry. Halting before him she pushed up the edge of his hat and felt Harry’s scar. Looking him in the eye, she said, “What took you so long cowboy?” Harry was so stunned he couldn’t move. Helga put one arm around his neck and one around his waist and drew him to her. Looking up at him, she gave him a long hard kiss.

The room flooded with emotions. It seemed to brighten with the happiness of the people there. Dumbledore had a huge smile on his face. Nurse Pomfrey had her head buried in his shoulder crying her eyes out. Ginny Lou had Neville’s arms around her and she sneaked a peck on his cheek. Hermione was berating Ronnie Boy for not telling her he could speak, all the time trying to squeeze his breakfast out of him.

Harry didn’t see any of this. He and Helga were embraced sharing the emotion of deep everlasting love. The kind of love where one gives of one’s self to comfort the other even if it hurts. Their hearts melted into one. The glow of love doubled and tripled. It filled the entire wing. A note sounded and their souls were in tune complimenting each other unleashing a power stronger than any known.

     The men were arranged around the blazing fire as if spokes of a wagon wheel. Their women snuggled tight to them under blankets in the cool of the night. The stars glittered like jewels over head. “Great story Harry!” said Hermione. “Why did you have me drooling like you did?”

“Well,” said Harry. “I took a little bit of each of you and juiced it up a bit. Ginny there has been with Neville the last five years so we know she isn’t cheap or easy. She just likes trolls. Right, Neville?”

Ginny did something under the blanket and Neville grunted loudly, but pleasurably.

“Ron doesn’t talk much and he does like animals a lot so he was a given.”

“Hermione, you like to talk so I had to figure a way Ronnie Boy could keep you quiet for a minute or two so he could say something.”

Hermione thumped Ron hard on the shoulder. “You haven’t been telling stories about me have you?”

Ron shook his head no as he winked at Harry.

“I being the hero was the hardest to talk about. I had to reach inside myself and find out how I would feel about Helga if she were gone. It was painful. Helga herself, I described as the most beautiful desirable creature in the story because she is to me and because if I didn’t she would make me pay.”

Helga snuggled her head back into his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

“Well, it is late and we have to be up at sunrise for the roundup. So everyone turn in.”

There was a lot of giggling going on and three women telling their men “Wait till I get you home!” then silence as everyone settled down to sleep.

In the underbrush near the camp a creature waited. The fire finally died down and it made its move slowly towards the camp. Six shots rang out almost in unison. Harry’s eyes slowly changed back to normal. “Damn Death Eaters, I hope he is the last one!”

The others agreed.