Healing Hearts

Chapter 3

"Dudley."
"What?"
"Dudley, I need you to get behind me."
"What, so you can get the drop on me? Yeah right Freak. Why don't you come over here?"
"Dudley, can you feel it getting colder?"
"Yeah, so?"
"You know that little club I'm a part of?"
"I-it's not-"
"It is. And I need you to get behind me right now, or else I can't guarantee your safety."
"I don't need saving from a little Freak like you."
"Well, do you want to hold off a dragon by yourself without a weapon?"
"It's a dragon?!"
"No Dudley, but it's even worse."
Dudley backed against one of the alley walls and grabbed Harry roughly by the arm, spinning the small boy in front of his blubbery body in a demented form of a human shield.
"Alright, whatever you do, stay behind me."
"Not if you die."
"Of course Dudley."
A few moments later, two black cloaks billowed ominously as skeletal hands appeared in the shadows of the alley. Harry splayed out his right hand, grit his teeth, and forced his best memory forward amidst the cold and feelings of helplessness.
"Expecto Patronum!"

-

"Good morning class."
Silence fell in the room as the students looked at their new Defense against the Dark Arts Professor.
"Hem hem, Good morning class."
A few people said good morning in reply, but many of the students simply looked at their teacher oddly.
"Well, this just won't do. When I say 'good morning class', you respond with 'good morning Professor Umbridge'. Good morning class."
"Good morning Professor Umbridge."

-

"We're not learning anything in Defense. How does Umbridge expect us to pass our NEWTs if she won't allow us to practice?"
"Well we're practicing right now, aren't we?"
"But what if students can't do it, and can't figure out why it won't cast?"
"You're right... We could start a study club if you wanted?"
"That'd be perfect! Something like what we do here, but with a lot of people. I bet we could easily get Mr. Flitwick to sign off on it."
"Alright, do you want to write it up, or me?"

-

"All scheduled meetings of three or more people are now against school rules? What rubbish is this?"
"It's the new decree. Umbridge doesn't seem to like the idea of our study club very much."
"Well, what do we do?"
"I have an idea."

-

Two girls giggled quietly as they walked into the library before checking the clock to make sure they were on time.
Walking around one of the bookshelves near the back, Hannah Abbot nearly slammed into Padma.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay Padma? I'm so sorry!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. What're you guys doing back here?"
"Oh, we just wanted to do some studying, do you mind if we join you?"
"Of course not. Harry, this is Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones."
"Hiya Hannah, Susan. I'm Harry. What seems to be the problem?"

-

Harry gasped as he jerked awake, heart pounding and hands shaking. He could still taste the blood on his tongue as he sunk his fangs into Amos Diggory. The man had been walking from his office in the Department of the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures when Nagini had caught him, which reminded Harry...
Lunging out of his bed, Harry tore out of his room like a bat out of hell and quickly ran to the prefects' rooms.
"Cedric! Cedric, wake up!"
A door was thrown open and a disgruntled Hufflepuff prefect looked down at the little black-haired kid that had woken him up in the middle of the night.
"What?"
"It's your dad! He's in trouble!"
Cedric's eyes went wide as he woke right up, now identifying the little boy as his friend and co-Triwizard Champion, Harry Potter.
"H-how? What happened? How do you know?"
"It doesn't matter- we need to get to the Ministry!"
"Right, follow me."

-

"You're really quite lucky Mr. Diggory, had your father been left alone for even a few more minutes our antidote wouldn't have been able to stop the effects of the venom. Just where did your father get hold of such a dangerous snake?"
A shaken, withdrawn, and tired Cedric looked up at the medi-wizard with huge eyes.
"I don't know. I didn't even know he was working late tonight."
"Well then, as I said. He was lucky. You did a good job young man."
Right then and there, Cedric realized that Harry was a little angel sent down from Heaven. He was no Christian, but there simply was no denying it. The boy had had a dream and managed to save his father from an agonizing death. Cedric would do anything to fulfill the life debt he now owed Harry.