Finding Happiness by blue magic
Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated since 2006 ***
Harry never did have a good year. Many of the times, he would come face to face with Voldemort and after that, he would think that he was lucky that he survived and it was his luck that reached his safety. Going into his sixth year, he could only think about what will be happening next. What he found, was something much unexpected as he goes through a completely different version. He goes into Hogwarts where trouble awaits him. Tragic Happenings, facing danger, and encountering a new feeling such as...love. Harry waits allot of trouble, miss-happenings, and embarrassment on finding happiness.
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Post-OotP
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2006.07.10
Updated: 2006.07.25
Index
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Author's Notes: Thanks to my wonderful Beta, Paul!! =D
The walls surrounding his small room at Privet Drive made him suffocate day by day.
During the past few weeks, he had shut himself in his bedroom away from the Dursleys, avoiding them as much as possible. He couldn't stand being with them and them with him. They ignored him and treated him as if he were nothing but their servant.
He had received a letter from Mr. Weasley the other day reminding him that he would be picking him up today. He felt exhausted even though he hadn't done much except for sleep or just simply lay down on his bed just staring at the ceiling.
He should be feeling excited and overwhelmed to be going to The Burrow, but instead he felt lazy and horrible. The year had ended with the death of his godfather, Sirius.
Sirius was the only one who understood him. He was a father figure to him, since he had never had one, or that he just couldn't remember.
He stared fixedly outside the window, seeing the clouds becoming darker and larger. From the flashes of light in the sky, he could tell that there was going to be a storm soon.
He started to wonder how Mr. Weasley was going to get here. He thought before that if Mr. Weasley could travel in a normal way without getting too much attention, like traveling by Floo or the flying car, then the Dursleys would let him see them more often and have at least a little respect for the Weasleys. Although nothing could please the Dursleys as they could only see wizards as ‘freaks'.
He didn't know why the Dursleys treated wizards horribly. He knew that at least Aunt Petunia would have some affection towards him, being his aunt and all. Nevertheless, she was cold as ever. She spoiled her only son, Dudley, to the point where they don't even know him. He can lie straight to their faces and they believe every single word.
His room was clean from the expense of being bored and across his room was his trunk laying flat on the floor half opened.
He gave a loud sigh and sat up straight on the edge of his bed. At that moment, he heard the doorbell ring and Uncle Vernon shouting, "Come down here boy!"
"Coming!" he replied.
He left his room and went down the stairs hurriedly entering the living room. He watched Mr. Weasley talking to Uncle Vernon about the muggle artifacts that he collected. Uncle Vernon looked annoyed and was turning red with anger.
Uncle Vernon despised the Weasleys for what happened before Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts when four redheaded wizards came through the fireplace destroying his precious home.
"Hello Mr. Weasley,” Harry greeted.
"Good afternoon Harry, how have things been lately?" he asked.
"Fine ", he lied, "You?"
“Everything is good. Except we're in a little hurry so go get your trunk quickly, “ he answered.
He gave him a slight nod before sprinting upstairs again and came back with his trunk and Hedwig in his cage. He gave Uncle Vernon a wave of goodbye as he headed out the door behind Mr. Weasley. He was overjoyed at leaving the prison; better known as his only home.
"You'll be using Ms. Figg's fireplace since we connected it to the Floo Network for today." Mr. Weasley explained. "I have to drop by the office to pick up a few papers. Do you mind?" He added sincerely.
"Not at all," Harry responded.
They walked a few blocks until they reached Ms. Figg's house and waited for the door to open. The door was opened slowly as it revealed a woman with shaggy hair and a cat in her arms asleep. She was stroking her cat's head and grinning from ear to ear.
"Well Harry I guess I will be leaving you here then," said Mr. Weasley. "I’d consider leaving Hedwig to fly instead of going with you by Floo, otherwise she might end up sick," he suggested.
Harry nodded and stepped into the fireplace holding his trunk in one hand and the greenish sand-like Floo powder in the other.
"The Burrow!" he shouted.
He felt dizzy and exhausted until he felt his feet touch down on the ground again. He opened his eyes, and saw Mrs. Weasley rushing over from the kitchen, and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
"How have things been lately? Have they fed you well, those Dursleys?" she said, holding him by the arm and bringing him towards the kitchen.
Harry sat down on a chair, which had been tucked under the table as Mrs. Weasley put out a full plate of food in front of him. He took a deep sniff around the kitchen, smelling the aroma of the greatest food prepared by the greatest cook he knew. This was one of the reasons he liked The Burrow so much; it felt cosy enough to do anything.
"Everything has been fine Mrs. .Weasley," he replied.
She gave a smile but in her eyes, he could see that she wasn't convinced.
"Where's Ron?" he asked suddenly.
"He's cleaning the shed in the back garden. You would think he would be done by now, but instead he chose to fall asleep while doing the job!" she huffed.
Harry gave a slight grin at the image.
"Is Hermione here yet?" he asked in between mouthfuls of mashed potato.
"She and Ginny are with Fred and George. They're showing them around their new shop," she answered. "They should be back shortly."
Harry nodded in understanding.
As Harry was half way done with his plate of food, Ron entered the room looking sleepy and energetic at the same time.
"Harry! When did you get here?" he asked in confusion.
Harry gave a shrug as Ron sat next to him and they began to talk about Fred and George's joke shop and their products. He didn't manage to eat all of his food but Ron helped him out by eating the rest.
When Harry had finished, they headed to Ron's room with his trunk and Hedwig's cage.
"What did you do over the summer?" Harry asked Ron curiously.
"Nothing really mate. Ginny and I went to the pond a couple of times though, just to relax in the cool water. But we couldn't stay out much because Ginny's skin is more fragile than glass" Ron explained.
Harry gave a small laugh. He hadn't seen Ginny since they left school and he’d felt a little lonely over the summer. The letter she had written to him was full of her day-to-day activities at The Burrow and her caring and sensitive words about Sirius were very comforting. She had gotten along with Sirius during last summer when he had stayed at The Burrow in hiding.
He smiled to himself not even noticing Ron's blabbering. Him and Ginny have become great friends due to the fact of the fight at the Ministry.
“Harry? What are you thinking about?" Ron asked in suspicion.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about who was going to be Quidditch captain this year," Harry lied. He didn't know why he was thinking about Ginny at that moment, but it didn't seem a good idea to tell Ron; he might think something was up. He and Ginny were only friends so there definitely was no need to explain.
"Well, there’s a chance for Jack Slopper, or maybe Katie," Ron responded.
Harry nodded absently. It wasn’t that he didn't like Ginny, but he only saw her as a friend. He had to admit that she was naturally beautiful and very independent though.
As he and Ron talked about Quidditch and who was going to be captain, Fred, George, Hermione and Ginny arrived back from Diagon Alley.
The rest of the day had gone slowly. Harry was lying on his bed reminiscing about what had happened that afternoon so much that he began to think it had been a long time ago. He knew very well that he wasn't very pleasant to look at, judging from the rings under his eyes. However, he knew that if he slept he would wake up horribly in the middle of the night having the memories of his past. He had forgotten, or at least stopped thinking about, the death of Cedric, but ever since what happened to Sirius, he just couldn't bear the feeling of punishing himself. After all, it was his fault. If he hadn't gone to the Ministry or if he’d just used the mirror Sirius had given him then he might still have been alive. Now he was stuck with the Black family fortune, Grimmauld Place and a grumpy house elf.
He tried hard not to think of his godfather or of anything really, but the more he tried the worst it got. So instead he lay on his bed every night and just stared at the ceiling...
He got up from his bed and tiptoed around where Ron was sleeping and muffling some sort of name like ‘Mione' as he stirred around under his covers. Harry silently turned the doorknob and left the room, shutting the door carefully behind him. Once outside the room, he headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water.
The floorboards of the stairs creaked loudly and half way down he cursed himself for even coming down in the first place. He didn't want one of the Weasleys to wake up just because he’d had a nightmare.
He was near the living room when he heard a soft voice humming in the kitchen. He followed the feminine voice to see Ginny in the kitchen cooking something.
"Hey Ginny" he said softly.
She turned quickly, wide eyed. He saw that she was making hot chocolate and had a few marshmallows in her hand.
"Hey Harry, what's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked concerned.
"Nothing. I just came down to get a glass of water," he explained. He walked over to Ginny, reached into the cabinet above her head, and took out a glass. She ducked under his arm and went slightly pink.
"You want a cup of hot chocolate instead?" she asked.
“Err...okay, thanks." He’d only planned to stay there for a few minutes but he decided instead to stay for at least a little while with Ginny.
"Why are you up?" he asked, wondering if she’d had nightmares about the battle at the Ministry just as he had.
"I couldn't sleep," she answered simply. She walked over to the table where Harry was and sat down, putting down two mugs full of hot chocolate.
"The same reason as you, probably," she added.
He looked up at her and took a long sip of his hot chocolate. He could feel her eyes on him, but he just pretended he didn't feel anything. It would've been very odd if they both had a nightmare about the same thing.
"You’re having the nightmares aren't you?" she asked carefully. He looked up into her brown eyes and saw her worry and concern.
"Yeah." was all he could mange in reply. There was silence for a few seconds until she spoke up again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she questioned.
He didn't know how he should respond. He had wanted to talk about it for a long time but he couldn't manage to say anything. He hadn’t told Ron or Hermione. Except he didn't want to tell her that it was his entire fault that Sirius, his parents and Cedric died because of him. He didn't want her to be mad at him.
"You don't have to tell me anything Harry," she said calmly, placing her hand on his shoulder as she sat next to him.
Her touch felt warm and her voice was soft with sympathy. He knew that she didn't want to pressure him but he just wasn't ready.
"I don't think this is the right time." he replied.
She nodded and sat back in her seat, finishing her hot chocolate. He was surprised that she didn't make a fuss. If it were anyone else, he/she would have probably given him a long talk.
"Did you get your OWL results yet?" she asked, changing the subject.
"No. I haven't gotten them yet. Did Ron or Hermione get theirs?" he asked.
"No they didn't. Hermione is killing herself though. She keeps on saying that she didn't check her answers over enough times on her test and that she didn't study as hard as she might have."
"Out of everyone who goes to Hogwarts she should be the most confident on exams!" he chuckled back.
He stared at Ginny while she was smiling and laughing and got a churn in his stomach.
"I'm thinking about trying out for the team this year. Hopefully I might stand a chance," she said nervously.
He shook off the odd feeling in his stomach and replied.
"You probably will. Ron has told me that you’re good as seeker. I just hope I don't get too much competition." he smirked.
"Well you don't have to worry about that since I'm not trying out for seeker. I've always loved being in the action so I'm trying out for Chaser. Besides, nobody is as good as you are. The youngest seeker of the century!"
Harry had been complimented many times before on his Quidditch skills, but something was different when Ginny did. He began to feel his cheeks warm up.
Ginny was staring at him intently and he needed the attention off him.
"So how's Dean?" he asked, feeling an ache of pain in his stomach. He didn't know why he was getting odd feelings and it was starting to bother him.
"He's alright. I've been writing to him during the past few weeks and he says that he’s been having a great summer so far," she replied with an edge to her voice.
Harry nodded sympathetically. "Well if you ever have trouble with him, you can tell me." He rose up from his seat and put his mug in the sink. It surprised him as he felt anger towards Dean all of a sudden, but decided to ignore it. "You’re like a sister to me Gin and I wouldn't want someone to hurt you."
"That's very sweet of you Harry, but I can handle my own problems," she snapped. “I think I’ll be going back to bed now. Good night."
She put her mug in the sink and turned away towards the stairs.
“Good night." Harry whispered silently to himself.
He didn't know what he’d said wrong; he hadn’t meant to offend Ginny and she didn't have to take attitude with him.
Once he heard her soft footsteps on the stairs fade away and her door shut loudly, he went upstairs. If there was one thing he knew it was that he should never mess with a Weasley's temper, and the way he was feeling, he wanted to make sure that Ginny didn't stay mad at him.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Author's Notes: thanks to my lovely beta, Paul! BLESS THIS BRITISH MAN!! lol
Finding Happiness-Chapter 2
Finding Happiness-Chapter 2
The next morning Harry woke up early to get breakfast and to get ready to go on the Hogwarts Express. Ron had woken up earlier than he had and was already eating breakfast.
Out of everyone who was at the Burrow,Harry would have never imagined that Ron would have woken up so early. However,the reason was very clear when he reached the kitchen.
Ron was sitting next to Hermione with a look of frustration on his face while Mrs. Weasley was setting up the table.Harry suddenly realised that they hadn’t fought once during the past few days he had spent at the Burrow.
He couldn't have been happier that his two best friends finally had realised their feelings towards each other. He didn't want to say much or act as if he suspected something, knowing that they might become self-conscious and jeopardize their relationship.
He sat across from the two, and filled his plate with some eggs, toast and bread. Not wanting to interrupt Ron and Hermione's conversation, he ate quietly.
“Harry, are you alright? You haven't spoken at all”, asked Hermione,her voice edged with concern.
“I’m fine...really", he added, seeing Hermione raise her eyebrows.
Harry glanced up from his plate and caught Ron and Hermione giving each other a worried look and going into a whispered conversation. Something was up, he knew it, and they weren't telling him. He started to feel his anger rise.
“Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked cautiously.
Harry looked at Ron for some answers and saw him swallow hard.
“Professor Lupin", began Hermione as Harry’s eyes bored into her.
“What’s wrong with him?" he asked worriedly.
“There was a meeting for the Order a weekago, and he was asked to keep watch and be on the lookout a few miles from here, and…well…there was an attack last night," replied Hermione, obviously not sure how to say what she was trying to explain. She took a quick glance at Ron, searching for help.
Harry was caught dumbfounded. He didn't want to believe that he would lose someone else he cared for right after losing Sirius.
“Hermione," he said slowly,” Is he...is he...de-"
"No Harry. He’s not dead,though he is badly injured. He was hit by the crucio curse 3 times!" she replied quickly.
“Where is he? When can I go see him? Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?" Harry demanded, losing his patience. He felt sick and panicked. He stood up from his chair and waited for a response.
“Calm down mate." said Ron, “He’s alright. Professor Lupin is at St Mongo’s and he's conscious now."
“Why didn't anyone tell me?" Harry asked again as he fought down the tears that were rising in him.
He had hated it when Dumbledore had kept the Prophecy a secret from him and now everyone was treating him like a child again. Did they think he was too unstable to deal with this? Why didn’t anyone ever ask him?
Hermione moved to be next to him, tears in her eyes. “We didn't want to upset you, we know how much you care for Professor Lupin and…and that you didn't have enough time to get over Siri-“
As soon as the name of his godfather came up, Harry strode from the kitchen out the back door, slamming it behind him. He headed towards the forest, kicking the gnomes in his way as he went. He didn’t hear Hermione end her last word, knowing that he couldn’t take it if someone brought his godfather up.
He couldn't fightback the tears any longer and collapsed down on his knees, crying for everything; for Professor Lupin, Sirius, his parents, Cedric, for the Weasleys, who have given him everything, and who in return, he just put in danger.
Presently he heard footsteps coming from the forest getting louder with each step. He took out his wand and kept good watch around him.
“Harry!" yelled Ginny coming towards him. “Are you alright?" she asked,panting heavily.
“I’m fine," he answered quietly,trying to hide his face covered in tears from her.
“Come on," she said, taking his hand,”I'll take you somewhere private."
He nodded, and let her lead him into the forest. Then Harry started to think about on how this may have not be Ginny. What if she was a death eater who had taken Polyjuice Potion? He pulled his hand away from hers and backed away.
“How do I know that you're the real Ginny?" he asked, his wand pointing to her.
She turned around, looking confused and unsettled before answering him.
“What do you want me to tell you?" sheasked calmly.
.“Last night... why didn't I go to sleep last night?" He asked.
“You had a bad dream,” she answered simply.
“What was the dream about?" he asked, knowing that it was a tricky question.
“Well, you never told me. You said that it wasn't the right time."she replied,” It’s me Harry," she added, pointing a finger to her chest.
He knew that wasn't enough information to prove if it was really her. Any Death Eater could have overheard their conversation.
Harry stared into Ginny’s eyes and, as he looked deeper into their depths, he could see the spark there that proved it was really her. Nobody could really replace her.
“Sorry Ginny, I just didn't know if it could be really you," he conceded.
He took scope of where she had taken him and realized that he was standing in a small garden.
“Do you want to go back to the Burrow or stay here?" she asked staring back into his eyes.
“Where exactly is here?" he asked,confused.
“This," she began, pointing around the small garden giggling," Is my getaway".
He felt a familiar churn in his stomach as she spun around in the centre of her little garden. She smiled at him and sat next to him.
“My dad enchanted it so only I can come here, or if I bring someone. I come here to relax or just to be alone," she explained.
He grinned and started to look around her little garden. “Did you plant these?" he asked indicating the beautiful flowers.
“Yep! I planted the rosebushes, but my mum did the white roses. They’re very difficult to grow and are very expensive, but they're my favourite",she said, leaning over the white roses and cupping them in her hands, gently caressing the petals.
“Harry, I know that you’re very eager to see Professor Lupin, but you have to be away from him right now.” She said and, seeing the surprised look on his face, continued, “He may be conscious right now, but when someone gets hit by the Cruciatus Curse as much as he was, they tend to have mind problems for a few weeks. Maybe longer,”
True to her words, Harry had been so eager to see Professor Lupin the minute he heard what had happened to him that he’d never considered whether he’d be able to cope seeing him in that horrible condition. He nodded in unspoken understanding and they both quietly started to head towards the Burrow where many questions awaited him from Ron and Hermione.
He didn't want to see them just yet, but it was better sooner than later, not to mention that they had to spend a few hours on the Hogwarts express in the same compartment very soon.
He and Ginny entered the Burrow through the front door and Harry climbed up the stairs heading to his and Ron's room, hoping that he and Hermione weren't mad at him for running out on them.
He knocked on the door to see if they were there and received a muffled, “come in” in reply. He walked in through the door to find Ron and Hermione standing up waiting for him. He looked down at the floor and muttered “Sorry”.
Hermione walked over to him and gave him a brief, but fierce, hug, “I’m so sorry Harry! I didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't thinking and”
“Its okay!" Harry cut in,” It wasn't your fault,besides I'm too much of an emotional prat", hejoked.
Ron gave him a smirk and a punch on the shoulder. “Come on, we have to go before we miss the train. Oh and don't worry, we told mum and dad that you went to get some air. They didn't ask more questions when they saw you coming back with Ginny", he said without a trace of emotion.
“Thanks mate”, replied Harry as he grabbed his trunk from under the bed and carried it downstairs, meeting Mr. And Mrs. Weasley in the living room.
“Come on children lets go, the train is leaving in fifteen minutes!" Mrs. Weasley commanded.
Harry and Ron Side Apparated with Mr. Weasley, while Hermione and Ginny Side Apparated with Mrs. Weasley, heading for the station.
******
Harry sat in the compartmen with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna. He was sat next to Neville, whose toad, Trevor, was trying to escape from his owner's grasp.
Harry stared out the window, looking at the calm, steady water as it reflected the sun. Nobody seemed to want to bother to speak. Ron was sleeping with his head on Hermione's shoulder, Hermione was reading a book with a grin plastered on her face, Ginny and Luna were looking at The Quibbler magazine and Neville was trying to keep Trevor still.
Harry let out a loud sigh, which caused everyone to look at him. They exchanged curious glances with each other. “It’s been a long ride," he explained, under their gaze, which seemed to placate them as they settled back to what they had been doing.
He looked at Ginny who was still looking at him with one of her eyebrows raised in suspicion. She began to laugh quietly for no reason causing Harry to follow suit.
“Have you two been bitten by a tramp-puff?" asked Luna looking up from her father's magazine.
Ginny’s giggling fit intensified, making Harry laugh harder in turn as he saw the confused look on Luna's face. He didn't know why he was laughing and it felt very strange to him, since he hadn’t laughed ever since before Sirius' death.
Ron suddenly woke up and looked around the compartment with sleepy eyes. “Are we there yet?" he asked, trying to shake the sleep from his shoulders.
“No, we still have 45 minutes left," answered Hermione,” We should start changing; Ron and I have Prefect duties."
Ron gave a groan and stood up, getting his robe from his trunk above his seat.
Everyone else did the same and said goodbye to Ron and Hermione as they left.
Harry was hungry by the time the food trolley came by. He got up and ordered five chocolate frogs, 2 sugar quills, and a few candy swirls. Ginny was standing close to the trolley waiting for her turn and made her choice after Harry.
“That will be 15 knuts and 5 sickles,"said the trolley lady, adding up the total for Ginny’s order.
“Oh,well...I only have 13 Knuts," Ginny said looking upset.
Harry walked over to where Ginny was and gave the change from his purchase to the trolley woman.
“I’ll pay for it," he said as he handed over the money.
“Harry, you don't have to!" Ginny protested.
“Its fine Gin, I want to", responded Harry as he gave the chocolate frogs to Ginny, having to forcibly press them into her hand when she wouldn’t willingly take them.
He then thought that he should get something for her when she wasn't looking and, turning back to the trolley, bought her a Sugar Quill.
“One please", he heard as he was putting his change away and looked up and saw that Cho Chang was buying something also. He still felt awkward around her, but not because of the fact that she was sort of his ex-girlfriend, but because she was looking at him with great curiosity.
He handed the sugar quill to Ginny and blushed lightly, dismissing the admittedly smaller protest from Ginny. He stole a glance back at Cho who was staring at him and Ginny as if he had done something scandalous. He really didn't think that Cho actually had feelings for him. Since she and Cedric had been close, she’d never got used to the fact of dating someone else. Nevertheless, what really surprised him was that he caught her staring daggers at the back of Ginny's head.
Was it possible that she was jealous? She didn't have much reason to be, seeing as he and Ginny were only friends, though the idea of him and Ginny going out gave him a weird, warm feeling in his insides.
He and Ginny headed back to their compartment and sat until they reached Hogwarts, but instead of shutting himself out of the conversations that Neville, Luna, and Ginny held between them he joined in.
Ginny seemed to react different around him from them and it got him a little worried. Maybe she was the reason he was happy all of a sudden.
A/N: REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I LOVE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!11 :D