The Boys Who Lived

Rating: PG-13 but, again, it will go up to a more pleasurable rating soon…

A/N: Here is another chapter; I am pleased with most of this but, a portion of it, like the first is a refresher on the events in G.O.B. The third chapter will begin going into clear AU territory. Oh, by the way, I don’t have a Beta so any misspellings or forgotten words, I am sorry. I try to review my writing as much as possible but, it can’t be perfect, no matter how hard I try… Reviews are very much appreciated! Enjoy!

***Chapter 2: Names, Fame, Blame and Shame***

The following morning, Harry woke up to a quiet scratching noise, reminding him of a quill on parchment. The moment he opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by a bright flash of light and an annoyingly saccharine sweet voice speaking.

“Harry, after your eventful night, I am sure your adoring public would love to hear how you braved in the face of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his band of Death Eaters… How did you, by the way? You must have been terribly afraid, but, kept your wits about you? Sent a few well placed hexes? As one of the Boys-Who-Lived, you must tell your story, let the public know what has happened!” Rita Skeeter asked persistently, trying to cajole any useful facts out of the boy before she was caught having snuck into the infirmary.

“ughh… the boys who lived?” Harry asked confusedly as he tried to find his glasses.

“Yes, Cedric Diggory and yourself. Once your dealings with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were shed light on, the title seemed fitting for Mr. Diggory as well. So, how did you get away? The Daily Prophet is very eager to get your story out there, make the public aware of the danger they are in!” Skeeter exclaimed.

Harry, once he finally located his glasses, looked at the woman beside his bed, an eager, determined and gleeful expression on her face. She was like a predator with a scent of blood in the air, its prey within grasp. The woman was positively dangerous when she was on the trail of a front page story, especially one that involved him. Nearby, her trusty Quick-Quotes Quill, rapidly skimmed across the surface of a piece of parchment, no doubt writing more lies and half truths about him. A young man stood next to her, a sheepish look on him face, every so often glancing towards the entrance doors. ‘Must be her bloody photographer’ thought Harry. He could grantee an embarrassing photo of him sleeping in his hospital pajamas in the next issue of the Prophet.

“I… I don’t believe you should be in here. Dumbledore is very adamant about that sort of thing, not to mention Madam Pomfrey’s reaction when she fines you in here; she’s very protective of her patients.”

Just then, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office potions in hand. The second she saw Rita Skeeter, her eyes narrowed and she exclaimed “What are you doing in here? My patients are resting and do not need to be accosted by a gossiping piranha masquerading as a reporter! Out!”

The menace looked for a moment like she was contemplating staying, seeing how far she could push the woman, a good story was almost certainly worth whatever the healer could dish out. However, the possibility of Dumbledore arriving was growing and she wouldn’t like the outcome of that conversation.

Quickly she grabbed her Quick-Quotes Quill and parchment, leaving before she was forcedly removed, her partner-in-crime trailing behind her.

Once the doors to the infirmary closed, Madam Pomfrey came closer to Harry’s bed.

“How are you feeling, Harry dear? You lost a fair amount of blood and suffered a bit of shock last night.” She asked as she performed a few spells to check his health.

“I’m fine, just a little tired, that’s all.” Harry answered as he straightened up in the bed, resting his back against the pillow.

“Well, that’s good.” She said as she handed him a potion vial. “Here is a pepper-up potion, just to get you through the day. It seems the Minister is requesting to speak with both you and Mr. Diggory about last night. Dumbledore tried to persuade Minister Fudge to wait a day or two but, he would not be sent away. The Headmaster would like you to come to his office this afternoon once you have finished your lunch.”

Harry nodded and then downed the potion, steam rushed out of his ears like a steam train’s engine. Harry had had that potion many times over the years but, still hadn’t become used to the effects of it. He handed the vial back to her and accepted another in its place.

“This is a mild blood replenishing potion to curb the effects of the cut you received as well.”

Swallowing, he grimaced, as the potion slid down his throat. The potion tasted like moldy socks and had a horribly thick sludge like consistency.

Handing the vial to her he asked “May I return to the dorms or do I need to stay here?”

“You are well enough to leave, however, if you feel light headed, pain or anything out of the ordinary, you are to return immediately. Is that clear?” The matronly woman stated as she turned to return to her office.

“Perfectly, thank you.” He acknowledged as he rose from the bed.

“Miss Granger, delivered some clothes for you to put on, they are on the table bedside your bed.” With that, she walked into the office and closed the door.

Harry grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to change; he knew his two best friends were probably chomping at the bit to make sure he was well.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Harry quietly made his way to Gryffindor Tower. As he walked, he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible but, as was usually the case, he was not. Students from all houses looked wide eyed at him, various expressions on their faces, as he pasted. Some had smiles for the “Savior of the Wizarding World,” others had frowns disbelieving that their worst fear had come true and Voldemort had returned, or in the case of the Slytherins, hatred at Harry for slipping from the dark lord’s grasp yet again.

Hurrying, Harry neared the portrait of the Fat Lady. Giving her the password, while ignoring the pitying look on her face, he entered the common room. As soon as he entered, everyone who noticed began speaking at once, coalescing into a dull roar.

“Harry, mate, what happened?”

“How did you get away?”

“How many Death Eaters were there?”

“Did you kill anybody?”

Harry stepped back as he was overwhelmed by his fellow Gryffindors, their curiosity too much at once. Hermione and Ron pushed through the crowd towards Harry, each grabbing an arm and pulling him towards the stairs and up into the fourth year boys dorm. Once they entered the dorm room, they shut the door, locking and silencing as much as possible.

Harry wondered over to her four poster bed and sat down. Hermione and Ron sat on Ron’s bed, a quick unspoken look pasted between them.

“Harry, what happened?” Hermione asked as she looked at Harry. “No one seems to know quite what happened. Cedric Diggory was only able to tell what happened until he was knocked out but, nothing afterwards. Minister Fudge is trying to make it seem like you are ill and imagined what happened last night.”

“All the papers are covered with the story, no one seems to be able to get any facts and they are all guessing as to what really occurred. Half are say Voldemort’s back and we must prepare, the other half are taking the lead from the ministry and are saying you’re confused or lying to get attention. It’s horrible, what they’re saying.” Hermione said quietly.

“Come on, mate, tell us what happened?” Ron inquired as he looked at Harry.

Harry, heaving a heavy sigh, launched into a detailed story of the final task and the events at the graveyard. When he was finished, Hermione had a thoughtful look on her face as she tried to analyze everything. Ron looked horrified, until that moment he had held a tiny hope that maybe You-Know-Who hadn’t really come back.

“Bloody hell!” Ron whispered as his body leaned into the bedpost beside him, holding him up against the weight of the news given to him.

“Yeah…” Harry replied.

“Sirius was here last night. He came barging in once he got word of what happened but, Dumbledore sent him away for now. The school is flooded with ministry people right now, can’t take piss without them watching.” Ron grumbled.

“Oh, I wish I could have seen him last night or you guys… would have been nice…” Harry sighed.

“We tried, mate but, Pomfrey about had kittens. I guess everyone wanted to see you or Diggory or Professor Moody. By the time we got there, she had locked down the infirmary and said we had to wait ‘til morning.” Ron exclaimed. “For a second there, I felt like my mum was scolding me” he said with a shudder.

Harry and Hermione laughed, all too aware of the similarities between a mothering hen Mrs. Weasley and a smothering healer Madam Pomfrey.

“Have you talked to Dumbledore yet, Harry?”Hermione asked.

“No, I have to go to his office after lunch. The minister wants to talk to me…” Harry said with a scowl on his face. The ministry probably wanted to do damage control as soon as possible, Harry and Cedric were the foremost problem.

Thinking of Cedric, Harry couldn’t help but remember last night and blush. After they had said goodnight, Harry had laid awake in the bed for hours afterward thinking. You would think that Voldemort’s return would be the most pressing matter but, Harry couldn’t seem to get his mind off of Cedric.

When they had talked it had been natural to sit there on Cedric’s lap, comforted in his strong arms as he vented and cried. The simple presence of the older boy had kept Harry’s mind from wandering into all too familiar thoughts of despair and grief for everything he had lost, and what he knew was to come. When he realized exactly how they were seated, he had felt immediate embarrassment and shame. First, embarrassment because he thought that Cedric was just too nice to not offer him comfort when he needed it. Then shame because he remembered Veron Dursley’s favorite topic besides him being a “Freak,” was “bloody unnatural poofs.” He had many memories in which his uncle had wailed on him, calling him a freak, poof, shirtlifter, nancy boy, etc. How unnatural he was, how disgustingly perverted he was.

Harry didn’t actually think that his uncle knew that he thought about boys that way, it was just another way to put him down, make Harry feel like a worthless freak or so he was told.
But, whether his uncle knew it or not, he had been right. Harry could remember the first time he understood that he was different in that way. He had been nine or ten years old, while at school sitting near a bunch of boys during lunch, he had overheard them talking. It seemed that one of the boys had found a dirty magazine of his fathers and was showing it around. Harry had caught a glimpse of the pullout inside and looked at it with detached interest. All the boys were talking about how hot the woman looked and what they wanted to do to her, while Harry had wrinkled his nose and thought that the things they were saying sounded gross. The thought of touching a girl like that seemed disgusting… but, doing that with a boy sounded good. Of course, as soon as he had thought that, he had frowned all too aware of how his uncle thought of people like that. From that point on, he had tried to shy away from thoughts like that and when he came to Hogwarts and made friends he had made an effort to be like the other boys. When his friends talked about girls he gave a comment here or there, forcing himself to be a “normal” teenage boy.

After a while, he stopped having to make a conscious effort to think that way, making it easier for him to forget he was different. However, as he got older and his friends started pairing up, he understood that showing an interest in the opposite sex had become necessary if he wanted to keep his yearnings private. Several months ago when the Yule Ball had been announced and everyone had been going on about who they were going with, he had felt the pressure of finding a date. Thinking about his options he had decided to ask Cho Chang, she had always been nice to him and was pretty for a girl. Humiliation had ensued after he had asked and found out that none other than Cedric Diggory was to be her date for the ball. Finding his options quickly dwindling, he had asked Parvati Patil and she, after falling into fit a of giggles, had said yes.

When the night of the Yule Ball finally arrived, the night had quickly become a nightmare. Harry had felt awkward and unsure, adding dancing to the mixture made it so much worse. He had ended up spending most of the night sitting at the table with Ron, who was likewise ignoring his date, and making Parvati angry.

Harry often felt like he was being pulled in many different directions and it seemed as if the issue of his sexuality was going to be just another problem to add to the fire.

“I am starving; let’s go down to the Great Hall for lunch!” Ron stated, interrupting Harry’s thoughts.

Ron could always be counted on to know exactly what time it was, his stomach was an ever present indicator of how long it was until the next meal.

The trio made their way down to the Great Hall. Once Harry entered, for a moment or two, the Hall became quiet and you could hear a pin drop with ease. Then, with a quiet roar, the students began talking all around. Their subject of choice was no surprise. Harry Potter was all anyone in the wizarding world was talking about.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After finishing lunch, Harry told Hermione and Ron he would see them later, and headed off towards the Headmaster’s Office. Once arriving at the gargoyle guarding the entrance, Harry began spouting off names of candy, trying to find the password to enter.

Someone came to stand beside him. He looked over and then up, and up some more, into the smiling grey eyes of Cedric Diggory. Harry blushed anew as he looked into the older boys eyes, remembering the last time they saw each other.

Harry knew he shouldn’t but, he could help but glance over Cedric’s tall frame. Harry was a very short five feet five inches, so next to the six foot three Hufflepuff, he felt tiny. Of course, most men would have a problem with this but with Harry, he felt safe and secure standing next to the veritable “giant” next to him. Cedric’s broad strong shoulders fell to a muscled chest and trim waist, long powerfully built legs finished off the look. He had a body that was a little unusual for a seeker, a bit more to it that other seekers, but he was a very capable flyer when it came to quidditch.

Glancing back up to Cedric’s face, his saw dark wavy brown hair, streaked with bits of auburn here and there. His pale white skin was almost glowing in the sunlight from a window nearby. He had a strong jaw, pouty pale pink lips and slightly crooked nose, he was devastating handsome and Harry very much understood why the female population of Hogwarts flocked around him. It was then, when Harry comprehended that Cedric had one perfectly groomed eyebrow raised and was smirking at him. Harry had been caught staring at him. If possible, Harry blushed even more as he quickly averted his eyes.

“How are you feeling Harry? I had to leave the infirmary early this morning for prefect duties, so I wasn’t able to say good morning.” Cedric asked, the smirk gone and a concerned looked crossed over his face.

“I-I’m” Harry started and realized his voice had an annoying squeaky quality to it from embarrassment and tried again. “I’m fine; Madam Pomfrey gave me a few potions and sent me on my way. I am used to it; I spend nearly as much time sleeping in the beds in the infirmary as I do in my dorm.”

Laughing, Harry looked at Cedric again and saw a frown appear on his face. It looked like he was just about to say something, when the gargoyle slid to the side and Dumbledore appeared.

“Aw, Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory, won’t you follow me?” Dumbledore asked and turned back towards his office.

Once entering the office, Harry noticed Minister Fudge sitting in one of the chair in front of the headmasters desk.

“Please, take a seat, we have much to discuss.”
Sitting down they waited for Dumbledore to speak.

“Boys, if you would please tell us about what transpired last night.” Dumbledore asked kindly.

Cedric started first and told what little he had seen before being knocked out. Harry listened, biting his bottom lip nervously, then began to tell his part of the story once Cedric finished. Several times, Fudge attempted to speak, a glare on his face but, was stopped by a well raised hand from the headmaster. Once he finished, he sat back in the chair and waited.

Looking up, he saw that Dumbledore had a thoughtful look on his face, his hand steepled in front of him.

“It would seem that Voldemort has found a way to become stronger, through your blood he has garnered the protection your mother left you with. As such, your touch will not affect him anymore. As for the two wand energies merging, I believe a Priori Incantatem was formed through the linking of the two wands.”

"The Reverse Spell effect?” questioned Cedric.

“Yes, exactly Mr. Diggory. Their two wands share a core, a feather from the same phoenix. Because of this, when these wands are pitted together they do not work properly, as seen by the Priori Incantatem.” Dumbledore stated with a small smile.

“I still do not believe this is anything more than a foolish attempt to gain attention on Potter’s part.” Fudge said scathingly as he glowered at Harry. “It is preposterous that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. He was defeated years before and I will not stand for the public to be incited into mass panic because of one fame starved child says so.”

Cedric at this point looked at the minister, glaring dangerously, he exclaimed “And I supposed that my account is complete rubbish as well? Or the fact that Professor Moody was found locked away in his truck, having been put there by a known death eater, does not sway you? Perhaps, the very oblivious tampering of the Tri-Wizard Tournament to get Harry through to the final task, is easily forgotten? The fact that you’re so willing to dismiss a very dangerous threat amazes me!”

“Now listen here, you upstart little child, I will not be spoken to in that way! I am the Minister of Magic and you will give proper respect or so help me-” Fudge yelled, only to be interrupted by the headmaster.

“Cornelius, I think we should have the rest of this conversation in private.” Dumbledore stated with a meaningful look and then glanced at the teenagers. “Thank you, boys. That will be all.”

Cedric and Harry left the office and headed down the corridor.

“Thank you for trying to defend me but, it’s not necessary; I am used to that be now.” Harry said with a grin as he looked at Cedric.

Cedric stopped Harry by grabbing his hand. “The man is an idiot, he is evidently unwilling to seeing the danger we are all in because of his fear. Burying his head in the sand will not make this problem go away!”

Harry just stood there and grinned; covering his mouth with his free hand he tried to smother a laugh. He had never seen Cedric so passionate before. His eyes were sparkling, his skin was flushed, his right hand in a tight clenched fist, his left wonderfully loose where his fingers threaded through Harry’s, Cedric’s thumb lightly caressing the back of his hand. Harry felt a strange fluttering in his stomach, his hand tingled where he was connected to Cedric and he felt a rush of heat coursing through his body.

“Are you laughing at me?” Cedric asked scathingly, a twinkle in his eyes.

“No, not at all. I wouldn’t dream of it…” Harry said, a small giggle escaping his lips.

“Did I just hear you giggle? The famous Harry Bloody Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, giggles?” Cedric teased in mock horror.

“That was not a giggle, men do not giggle. It was a completely, one hundred percent, testosterone filled, manly laugh!” Harry said indignantly.

“Mmmhmm, oh sure, absolutely.” Cedric replied, his head bobbing, making an effort to keep a straight face. “I wonder what the boys in my dorm would think of that ‘completely, one hundred percent, testosterone filled, manly laugh’?”

“You wouldn’t dare?” Harry huffed, a glare starting to appear on face, replacing the wide grin.
Cedric just wiggled his eyebrows, a Cheshire grin on his face, and turned racing down the corridor.

“Cedric, you tell anyone and I will hex you into next year!” Harry yelled as he ran after the older teen.