Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 29: Rough Landing
Harry walked inside the infirmary.
"It looks so empty," he said as he looked around but couldn't see the healer or anyone else.
"I believe your friend is in that bed at the end," V said.
Harry glanced over and spotted one of the beds at the other side of the room that had the curtains closed.
"Harry, is that you?"
He heard Ron's voice before he reached the bed. "Yes… it's me." It still felt so strange to talk to people again.
'Will I ever get used to this?' Harry wondered.
"Don't worry about that now. Go talk to your friend." The hat whispered to him.
He moved the curtain and saw Ron lying on the bed.
"Hey mate, where have you been?"
"Ehm… mostly here, to be honest," responded Harry.
Ron looked a bit confused by the answer. "No, I meant why it took you so long to come visit. Hermione and Neville had been here twice already, and even my siblings came by."
"Oh… I had something to take care of. I needed a replacement for my wand," Harry said.
"Right, did one of those crazy masked guys break it? Man, what a long night that was, huh?"
Harry flinched. "You have no idea," he muttered in a soft tone.
Ron's attention appeared to shift to Harry's hat. "Is that the talking hat? I thought I dreamt that."
"No, you did not dream it," said Harry.
"And can it really talk? Like the sorting hat?" Ron asked.
"Don't compare me with that useless piece of fabric!" V got furious. "I can do much more than repeat the same four names once a year."
"Whoa! It really can talk!" Ron looked shocked. "Where did you get it?" He looked around as to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Did you steal it from the Ministry?"
"Would he be wearing me around the school if that was the case?" the hat asked.
"Why do people keep assuming that I stole it?. No, I did not steal V. I made him, well, sort of. It's a long story," Harry said.
"You made it?! Come on mate… we go to class together every day. And not even Hermione could fabricate a living hat. It's okay if you took it from somewhere in the Ministry. I was actually planning on taking a crazy looking brain in a jar, but then… I'm not very sure what happened. I think one of the brains started talking in my head." Ron appeared to be very confused.
"Those were probably some preserved dark wizards' brains that the Department of Mysteries had been using for some experiment. You are lucky to have kept your sanity," the hat said.
"My— wait, did you say that those were dark wizards' brains?!" Ron exclaimed.
"Hey, keep your voice down." Madam Pomfrey had just returned to the infirmary and was now glaring at them with angry eyes. "Even if you are the only ones here, you will maintain order. Is that clear, Mister Weasley?"
"Y-yes, Madam Pomfrey. Sorry." Ron was obviously very scared of the woman.
"And Mister Potter?" She turned her attention to him. "You did not come here for a check-up after your little 'adventure.' May I know why?"
"I feel fine… Madam Pomfrey," Harry responded. "There is no need for—"
"Harry," V interrupted him. "Are you not hearing that?"
Harry kept quiet for a moment and was able to perceive some loud voices coming from outside.
He leaned closer to the window.
"There, near those trees," V said.
Harry placed a finger on the side of his glasses, and the distant images became much clearer now.
He spotted the figure of Ginny sitting down against a large tree. There was a book on her lap. But her expression was showing anger and frustration.
And the reason for that was the individuals wearing Slytherin uniforms who were standing in front of her.
From this position, it was impossible for Harry to see their faces, but the one with blonde hair looked somewhat familiar.
"It doesn't sound like a pleasant conversation," V pointed out.
Harry nodded. "Let's go."
"What's going on? What are you two talking about?" Ron couldn't see or hear anything from his bed.
"Mister Potter, what are you doing?!" Madam Pomfrey became alarmed when she saw Harry opening one of the windows and jumping onto the frame.
"Mate, you don't have your broom!" Ron exclaimed. "Where are you g— hey!"
Before Ron or Madam Pomfrey had time to do anything, Harry had already jumped out.
Flying magic was considered one of the most advanced forms of charms, reserved for masters in the discipline.
As the ambitious and arrogant boy he was, Tom Riddle decided to learn it the moment he was told about it by his charms professor, even if it was just to prove how superior of a wizard he was.
Harry didn't know how long it had taken Voldemort to gain mastery over this piece of magic, because V refused to give him that bit of information.
He had needed a few centuries to master it completely. However… this did nothing to discourage him, as he was sure that at this point… he had far surpassed Voldemort when it came to this type of magic.
As soon as he jumped out of the window, his body became enveloped in a layer of magic and propelled through the air like a bullet.
In just a fraction of a second, he closed the gap between the castle tower where the infirmary was located and the spot of the courtyard where Ginny had been relaxing.
"Ahhh!" The two boys let out a loud scream as their bodies were sent tumbling.
Ginny also shrieked and covered herself with the tome in her hands.
"Oops…" Harry had moved fast enough to leave a shockwave at his passing, and his landing had caused a small explosion and created a crater beneath his feet.
"You didn't need to go at full speed!" V reminded him.
Harry immediately realized his tiny mistake when he saw this. "It's not all my fault, you know? I never had to worry about people when landing."
He sighed and dusted himself off, still hoping Ginny wasn't hurt or panicked beyond reason.
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