Betrayal of the Best Kind
Free
By Draco664
Free
Harry sat impatiently waiting for the dementors outside his door to leave. The exhilaration at realising he could now escape from his prison had attracted them like flies to a corpse. The cold aura that surrounded them attacked Harry, making it easy to bring forth the full force of his hatred. The sounds of his parent's murder was drowned out by the forced recollection of the jeers and catcalls at his trial. The image of Lucius Malfoy's triumphant smirk as Harry was led away. Fudge's self-satisfied smile. But what really drove the dementors to find other positive emotions was the memory of Ron, Hermione, Cho and Ginny, staring at him as he was led away. Each of them wearing an expression of disgust.
A few deep breaths later, the churning in his stomach was back under control. The sun had set a few hours ago. Harry made sure the animagus guide was securely tucked into his torn and filthy robes. One final look through his barred door to make sure the coast was clear, and Harry slipped into his new form.
Again, the feeling of stretching tendons in his arms, though no pain this time. His spine twisted and shortened, his pelvis reversing. His eyes drifted apart, giving him separate fields of vision. Feathers sprouted over his wings and body, while his legs thinned and hardened. Within a second, a magnificent bird stood where before there was only a thin, pitiful boy.
Harry preened himself, making sure all his feathers were properly aligned. With a musical trill, he launched himself at the small window, tucking his wings as he passed between the bars, and fought for altitude. Warmth flooded him as he left the dementors behind. Once high above the island prison and out of sight, Harry let loose a cry of success, relief and freedom. For long minutes he simply luxuriated in the sensation of total freedom, the wind flowing across his wings.
Harry turned and looked toward the horizon with eyes hundreds of times more powerful than his human ones. Easily detecting the slight glow indicating a human settlement, he started to fly towards it. There was a man he really wanted to visit.
The ministry was in an uproar. There was no other word to describe it. Cornelius Fudge stormed past his secretary and into the relative safety of his office. There were several howlers on his desk already. On the other side of his office door, dozens of journalists were demanding answers. Throwing a pinch of powder into the fireplace he yelled, "Albus Dumbledore!"
Seconds later, a face appeared in the fire. Half-moon spectacles framed his kindly face, long silver hair and beard lending him a calm, unruffled air.
"Cornelius! What on earth could bring you to my fireplace at such an ungodly hour?", Dumbledore asked.
"Potter." Fudge said flatly. "He has managed to escape."
"Really, how extraordinary. I don't suppose you are aware of how he managed to accomplish this feat?"
"No. I am not. I visited him a fortnight ago and he was hopelessly insane. He must have had help. I need to know if any of his former friends or teachers have left Hogwarts in the last day."
"Dumbledore's expression darkened. "I trust you are not implying that anyone under my supervision assisted Mr. Potter to escape."
"That is exactly what I am implying!", Fudge yelled, rising from his chair. "Harry has no other friends or allies outside of Hogwarts. He must have received assistance from someone there."
"Cornelius!", Dumbledore thundered. The headmaster's eyes blazed with a fire that had nothing to do with the method of communication used. "Sit down!"
The minister sat down before his mind registered what he had been told.
"Mr. Potter has lost all he ever cherished at Hogwarts. His closest friends found his attempts to get them to provide him with an alibi revolting. I understand that one of the students most involved in the hero-worship of Mr. Potter before the murder has destroyed his entire collection of photographs. None of the staff here speak his name without contempt. Even I could not deny the evidence that was presented. I tell you now, not a single person here would have helped him, even if they could."
"What do you mean, 'could'?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Regardless of your personal opinion of Mr. Potter's credibility, he was telling the truth about Voldemort's return. I have been active with the staff in creating wards which track the movement of people in the castle and grounds. No student or professor has left the grounds in the last few days."
"Come Dumbledore, surely you still don't believe the boy? He was shown to be a liar at the trial."
"Mr. Potter did in fact witness the resurrection of Voldemort, Cornelius. Your refusal to accept that endangers us all."
Fudge's face coloured. "That's enough! He is not back and never will be. I will need confirmation that no one has left Hogwarts in the last few days. I will also require the names and times of all who have left the grounds in the last fortnight."
Dumbledore sighed. "As you wish, Cornelius." His head disappeared from the fireplace.
Fudge slowly turned back to his desk. The howlers there were starting to smoke. He shoved them into a specially enchanted container, and closed the lid. Throwing the container to the floor, a series of muffled explosions sounded. Turning back to his desk he let loose a startled cry of alarm.
Standing before him was a tall, thin woman with ugly glasses. "Hello to you as well, minister." She said.
"Skeeter. How did you get in here?" Fudge did his best to regain his composure.
"Please, you know I get everywhere. Do you have a statement for the press on the escape of young Mr. Potter?"
"Not at this time, now I really must ask you to leave right aw...." Fudge stopped as an brightly feathered bird swooped in and deposited a letter on his desk. "...way. What is this?"
Rita Skeeter made no move to leave. She watched with interest as the minister's face changed colour several times as he read the message. Quickly, he crumpled the letter and jammed it in his pocket.
"Out!", he screamed. Rita jumped at the unexpected outburst.
"Very well, minister." She said submissively. As she slowly made her way out, Fudge turned around and threw another pinch of powder into the fire, calling the name of the head of the Unspeakables. As Rita slowly closed the door, she surreptitiously aimed her wand and the minister's back and whispered, "Accio letter."
The crumpled letter flew unnoticed from Fudge's pocket into her eager hands. Closing the door, she made her way to the designated Apparition area and quickly travelled to her office at the Daily Prophet.
With practised ease, she smoothed the sheet of parchment and read the contents. Like a sunrise, a broad grin spread over her face. "Now this is a story!", she exclaimed.
Rushing to the door, she called her editor over. Without speaking, she thrust the parchment into his unresisting hands. Lowering his eyes, an identical grin appeared on his lips.
Minutes later she was busy writing what was going to be the most triumphant story she had ever written. Her eyes kept getting drawn to the letter, and a warm glow spread through her as she wrote her column. She read the damning letter one last time.
Cornelius,
First of all, thankyou for your help in getting out of there, I really appreciate it. I actually thought you had forgotten your part of the bargain until you showed up. It would have been impossible to escape without your help.
I am now staying at the place you specified, waiting for your response and instructions.
Regards,
H.P.
Harry watched through Fudge's office window as he spoke to Dumbledore through the fireplace. Their conversation finished and the minister turned around and swept all the howlers on his desk into a box. Harry's powerful eyes could make out a small insect scuttle under the door of Fudge's office and transform into Rita Skeeter. Fudge turned back after disposing of the howlers, only to almost fall backwards off his chair as he saw the reporter.
Perfect, Harry thought. He launched himself through the air, and aimed for the open window. Once in the office, Harry dropped the letter he had written earlier, and retreated out the window. Quickly finding his perch, he turned in time to make out the minister's face as he read the letter. If Harry was in his human form, he would have laughed out loud. He watched as the minister dismissed Rita and trilled softly when she deftly extracted the letter he wrote from the minister's pocket. He ruffled his feathers and shook his sleekly feathered head. Fudge had proved himself adept at spreading misinformation before, during and after Harry's trial, painting Harry as a youth desperate for attention, and willing to do anything to get it.
Well, Harry thought, it probably wasn't a good idea to give the son of a Marauder such a crash course in the seedy side of manipulating public opinion. Rita acted exactly as expected, and he fully expected the demands for Fudge's resignation to be deafening by morning.
Harry mentally chuckled to himself. Rita would probably have a stroke if she ever figured out how she had been played. If only I'd discovered earlier how to use her powers for good instead of evil, he thought dryly.
Harry spread his wings and leapt from his lofty perch. If his mouth wasn't fixed into the shape of a beak, he would have been grinning as he flew towards the one place he could stay undetected, and plan how to clear his name.
The shrieking shack stood on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and was indeed a shack. Non-descript and run down, no one had entered it for years. Harry quietly entered the largest room, looking at the scratches and other damage Remus had done to the place while a student at Hogwarts.
Harry looked around the room, noting little had changed since the last time he was here. Suddenly he felt very weary, the effort of having flown nearly the length of England twice tonight catching up. He was looking forward to the first restful nights sleep in almost a year.
Moving over to the only bed, Harry's heart nearly stopped as a hand covered his mouth from behind. Before he could even draw breath in surprise, a strong arm wrapped around Harry's thin frame.
"Fancy meeting you here.", a dry voice whispered from behind.
Summer 1 year ago
Harry sat on his trunk, holding Hedwig's cage, in front of number 4, Privet Drive. He slowly watched the sun set, the brilliant colours lighting up the western sky. It was the 27th of August, and Harry was determined not to stay with the Dursleys any longer.
Harry had completely reconstructed the back garden from scratch, and it now looked perfect. It didn't take too long for his Aunt to start bragging about her gardening skills to the neighbours. Harry sighed, and shifted in his clothes. Dudley's cast-offs were now the right height for Harry, so he didn't have to roll up the sleaves and trouser legs. He did however need to cinch in the waist with a belt of his Uncles, after cutting it in half and punching his own holes in it.
All the hard work had made physical changes to Harry. Though still short, his body was now covered in hard, sinewy muscle. Harry had been surprised at how easy it was to lift up and carry his trunk down the stairs that afternoon. He had been collecting books, gifts and other magical items for the last four years, and the trunk was full to the brim. Yet he had no trouble at all moving it.
Finally, the sun slipped down over the horizon. Harry raised his wand to signal the knight bus. With a loud report, the enormous triple-decker bus appeared in Privet Drive, causing several dustbins to jump out of the way. Harry shook his head and smiled. The driver had not improved his driving skills.
Minutes later, Harry was comfortably reclining on one of the beds in the bus, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He watched through the window as the bus sped across the English countryside, stopping occasionally to pick up a wizard or witch.
A little over an hour later, Harry was alighting in Diagon Alley. Even early in the evening as it was, there was still hundreds of people going about their business. Harry lifted his trunk and walked over to the Leaky Cauldron.
"Well, bless my soul, if it isn't Harry Potter! How are you Harry?"
Harry turned to see Tom the bartender and gave him a broad grin. "I'm fine Tom, thanks. I was hoping you had a room free until the 1st of September."
"Of course Harry, no problem. I can give you the same room you were in last time if you wish.", offered Tom.
"Thanks, Tom. How much for five nights?"
"Don't worry about that now, we can discuss that later. Let's get your trunk up to your room."
Tom and Harry carried his trunk up to Harry's room, where Hedwig was already waiting.
"That's a good owl you've got there Harry." remarked Tom.
"Yeah, someday I may actually work out how she does it.", Harry replied.
Saying goodbye to Tom, Harry unpacked what he needed. He grabbed a clean set of robes, and a towel. One quick shower later, Harry dressed in his robes with a feeling of relief. Four years as a wizard had made Harry uncomfortable wearing muggle clothes for any length of time.
On a whim, Harry tied his damp hair back into a short ponytail. Tying it down kept it from flying out of control, and gave him a sense of control for the first time. It meant that his scar was visible to all, but being covered up never stopped people from looking at it.
Harry made sure Hedwig had fresh water, and some food available in his cage. Picking up the single rose he had cut from the garden, Harry walked out of his room, his heart beating wildly.
Cho returned the containers of powdered unicorn horn and dried bat's wing to their respective places on the shelves. It had been a busy day today, though not as bad as it was going to be. The busiest day of the year was the 31st of August, with students from all years clamouring for their potion ingredients.
There was a chime as another customer ignored the closed sign on the door and walked in. Cho shook her head and sighed.
"Sorry, we are closed. Please come back tomorrow.", she told the person behind her.
"Sorry." a familiar voice said. "I'll come back another time."
Cho spun round. "Harry! I thought you were coming tomorrow!"
Harry stood in the centre of the shop, with his hands behind his back. The mischievous grin on his face and the sparkle in his beautiful green eyes made her go weak at the knees.
"Surprise!" he said.
Cho smiled and walked over to him to gave him a warm hug. She felt him stiffen in her arms. She looked at him in confusion.
"Sorry, um, I, I'm not, er, I've never..." he stammered.
"Shh, it's OK." she replied, holding him tighter, resting her cheek on his chest. She had got the impression from his letters that he didn't get any affection from his relatives, but she hadn't expected him to react so defensively to a hug. That simple hesitation told her more than she ever wanted to know about how he had been emotionally neglected as a child. He finally returned the embrace, holding her gently. Something in his hands tickled her back.
"What are you holding, Harry?", she asked.
Without speaking, Harry let go and slowly passed the single rose to her. Cho's eyes lit up at the unexpected gift.
"Oh, Harry! It's beautiful. Thank you." Cho moved behind the counter and found a vase. She put the rose in the vase, and tapped the rim with her wand. It immediately filled with water.
"I cut it this afternoon from the garden.", he said, not sure what else to say.
"I love it, Harry. It smells just beautiful.", she replied, breathing in the flower's scent.
She turned and looked at the nervous young man. "come here," she said, "I'd like to introduce you to my family."
Harry and Cho walked down the almost empty Diagon Alley, side by side. For Harry, the last couple of hours had been more nerve-wracking than any time during the Tri-wizard tournament.
He had been introduced to Cho's parents and grandparents, who had been excited enough at meeting Harry that Cho had to keep reminding them to be polite. The churning in his stomach kept him from eating anything offered, which caused some hurt looks from Cho's mother. Finally, after what felt like an entire year stuck in Snape's dungeon, Harry and Cho were able to escape and spend some time walking alone in Diagon Alley.
Harry had then treated Cho to dinner at a wizarding restaurant called The Witch's Brew. It had been Harry's first time in a wizard restaurant, and he was not sure what to expect. Having his name exclaimed by the doorman was not it. He spent the rest of the evening having his conversation with Cho interrupted by autograph seekers and others offering more than a good time.
"Harry," Cho broke the silence. "I'm sorry you haven't had a good evening."
"It's OK Cho, just being with you has made my evening wonderful." They both blushed.
Harry summoned his courage and took Cho's hand in his own. He was elated when she deliberately laced her fingers with his. Silently they walked down the length of Diagon Alley, back to Cho's family's Apocathery.
"Thank you, Cho. I have had a wonderful evening with you." Harry said.
"Me too. Though I didn't enjoy those twins who tried to kiss you at the restaurant."
Harry blushed at the memory. "You're not the only one." he mumbled.
Cho smiled. "Harry, I don't need to work at the shop tomorrow, would you like to get all your school things with me?"
Harry's eyes lit up. "That would be great," he exclaimed, "when can I come and get you?"
"Eight o'clock sound OK to you?", she asked with a smile.
"Perfect. I will see you then."
Cho smiled. She leaned forward and placed a petal soft kiss on Harry's lips.
Harry couldn't remember getting back to his room at the Leaky Cauldron. His first ever kiss had left him in a daze.
Harry pulled out his father's letter. Holding his hand over his heart, he said "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The familiar swirling ink resolved into the animagus guide.
"Mr. Prongs, I, I need to tell you something."
Mr. Prongs would like to ask what Mr. Prongs, Jr has to say.
"I just kissed a girl for the first time."
Mr. Prongs offer's his congratulations and hopes it was a special girl.
Mr. Moony encourages Mr. Prongs, Jr to remember this moment, as it is one of the most magical things to ever happen.
Mr Padfoot also offers his congratulations, and demands to know all the gory details.
Harry smiled, and began to relate that most memorable moment.
--
A/N
Jim Thanks, I'll look at it soon
Cozboz I'm glad you are enjoying it.
BigDaddy753 Wow, my first fic is on a favourite list.
SunKitten You'll find out in the next few chapters. Harry is going to have to work out why what he thinks happened, didn't in fact happen.
Spordelia Chase Thanks for your praise. Could you please send me an email explaining what you found confusing, I'd like to make my fic as enjoyable for everyone as I can.
SailorGurl Since both girls are going to spend a large part of the story hating Harry, I doubt it could be classified as either. I am focusing part of the story on Cho, since both she and Harry have to come to terms with what happened at the end of GoF.
ilikethsstory Thanks a million! I'm glad you are enjoying it.
Gryphnwng You need to sit on your seat properly, because since I am effectively writing two stories at once, I may just hit you with a double cliff-hanger! Glad you like it.
Kim Hang around, I'll be updating every couple of days. My wife says my punctuation is shocking, but she is a trained journalist, so she is particularly difficult to please.