Harry Potter & The Heirs of the Damned-Chapter 2

“Hey, Har. How’re you doing?”

“Like I had just been slammed by a Muggle bulldozer, thank you very much.”

Aaron and Judith finally reached Hogwarts and had made their way to the Hospital Wing where Harry was still recovering from his wounds sustained from his encounter with the Dark Lord, and also with the Mad-Eye Moody impostor. Ron was, as usual, beside him trying to cheer his ol’ pal up.

“Aye, Jude, how’re you doing?” Ron asked. Though he knew Judith—known as Jude to everyone—was a Slytherin, he had always been slightly fond of her for her lack of discrimination Slytherins tend to take pride in portraying, and her good-natured way of making friends, although it was still a little hard for him to warm up entirely with her. Not that she blamed him.

“I’m fine, Ron. Here,” Jude said as she passed the flowers to Harry, “for you.”

“Thanks, girl. You’re the best.”

“Bloody hell! Aren’t you Aaron Turunen?!” Ron exclaimed in shock at upon seeing Aaron coming up from behind her.

“You know your people,” Aaron smirked.

“Yeah, guys, this is Aaron Turunen,” Jude introduced her best friend to the guys. “He’s my neighbor and my best friend since his 5th year in Hogwarts. Aaron, I’m sure you know Harry Potter, and this is Ronald Weasley, his life-long companion. You know him, Ron?”

“Know him?” Ron stared at Jude’s ignorance in disbelief. “I’ve heard so much about you from other students including my brother. I heard he was the previous Quidditch Champion for every season and a member of the Order of the Phoenix my parents been talking a lot about. Not to mention a very powerful Muggle-born wizard! I’m surprised you didn’t know! Call yourself his best friend!”

“Well, well, now. How quaint,” Jude grinned as she nudged Aaron. “Seems to me you’re more popular than our Boy Who Lived here.”

“Well, everyone does know me, sorta,” Aaron grinned, blushing a bit at all the successes he’d been achieving.

“Glad to be off the fame list for a while,” Harry noted as he looked at Aaron admiringly.

“Nay, I don’t believe that. I mean, you survived the Dark Lord.”

“But you survived him too, when You-Know-Who tried to eliminate the Muggles of their Muggle-born children!” Ron said. “I’ve read about the Muggle massacre in those old newspapers my father used to keep. Your family was listed as one of them. In fact, you’re the only Muggle-born in history ever to survive the Killing Curse! Harry’s not the only Boy Who Lived around here anymore, no offence, mate.”

“None taken,” Harry took it humorously. “Besides, that’s ancient history now. I’m surprised you were not recognized the way I did, Aaron.”

“But you were an infant when I was 4 when Voldemort went on that massacre rampage,” Aaron replied as he sat down in front of Harry. He showed Harry the deep huge scar he sustained during the attack and continued, “You may not be the only one with the scar, but your survival was greater than mine. I was half-dead, bleeding like hell when they found me. You only had a scratch.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, uh, we’ve been reading the Daily Prophet,” Jude finally brought out the question, “Is it true, Har, about Voldemort…?”

“Aye…” Harry nodded.

“It’s rather hard to believe…” Ron said, scratching his chin nervously.

“And Ced…is he really…?” Aaron asked tentatively. Harry nodded.

“With the Killing Curse, right in front of my eyes.”

“My best friend…he’s dead…” Aaron gripped a fist, then slammed it onto the wall, “Damn it!”

“Calm down, man,” Ron said, shocked at his reaction. “It’s not your fault.”

“He’s right, Aaron,” Jude agreed as she went over to lay her hands on his shoulders, trying t o lessen the tension. “It’s Voldemort’s fault. It’s not your burden to bear.”

“It’s my fault actually…” Harry said as he started to break into tears. “I should’ve saved him…I shouldn’t have involved him into this madness…”

“Harry, listen,” Aaron said as he eyed Harry’s wand, reminding him of the Dark Lord’s. “You’re not the only one who wants Voldemort dead.”

“I know…But the look on his face when he died…the way his father cried when he saw his son dead…I feel…so helpless…”

“I will find him, and I will use the Unforgivable Curse on the one who killed my parents. Just you wait.”

“You will get your chance, Aaron,” Jude assured him as she hugged the crestfallen Harry. “Hush…Harry. Dry your tears. It’s not a burden for either of you to bear.”

“You mad?! Using the Unforgivable Curse?!” Ron exclaimed in horror. “You’ll get locked up for using it!”

“But I used a curse once,” Aaron said nonchalantly. “The Cruciatus Curse, in fact.”

“Bloody hell!”

“Did you get arrested for that?” Jude asked.

“Nope,” Aaron shook his head. “The Ministry let me off because I used it to catch a Death Eater.”

“That’s a relief,” Ron said, wiping off an imaginary sweat.

“I will find Voldemort with you, Aaron,’ Harry announced in determination, “and I will kill him with my own bare hands, but only when I’m strong enough…”

“The time will come when you get there, Har,” Jude gave as much of a support of a Slytherin and a friend could give him. While they talked about other matters, Hermione suddenly popped in for a visit.

“Hey, guys. Hey, Jude…Oh my God, aren’t you Aaron Turunen?!”

Aaron blushed at the sight of the brown-haired beauty before him and replied, “Aye, that I am.”

“Here we go…” Jude rolled her eyes in exasperation, obviously tired of everyone treating Harry or Aaron like some movie celebrity.

“Oh my God, you are like the pioneer for all Hogwarts graduates!” Hermione said as she shook his hand vigorously. “I’ve read all about you! Hogwarts School Valedictorian 7 years in a row, Champion of Quidditch, member of the Order, Master in elementary spells and potions…God, you’re a genius! You’re my one-time idol!”

“Wow, seems like he’s got a fan, Harry,” Ron grinned.

“That he does,” Harry grinned as well. “Aaron, this is Hermione Granger, our resident Insufferable Know-It-All.”

“OK, OK,” Jude pried the ecstatic Hermione off Aaron. “Oy, you’re gonna dislocate his shoulder that way.”

Aaron could only grin sheepishly at their antics.

“So how’s Cho handling this, Mione?”

Hermione shook her head, “Not good. She’s locked up in her room crying her eyes out and refused to eat or drink. She kept wanting to leave home early to mourn for him.”

“Poor Cho. Must be hard to lose her boyfriend like that.”

“Aye, that poor girl,” Aaron agreed.

“What’s going on here?”

Everyone turned to see the ever famous Potions Master Severus Snape standing in his usual cold statue style, glaring at each and every one of them in distaste. Despite his years as a professor in Hogwarts, he was the only person to have never really aged. With his hooked nose, sallow skin and greasy hair, and forever dressed in conservative black attire, he walked around the school grounds like he owned the place and never really succumb to the change of time. Some even rumoured he could be a vampire in real life that sucked people’s blood or whatever, but many knew better than to think something absurd like that. Jude immediately went bright red at the sight of him.

“Err…Err…Hello, Professor…Just visiting a wounded friend, is all…”

“Ms. Light,” Snape gave her a disapproving look. “Still flirting as always, I see.”

“Am not…”

“Hey, Professor,” Aaron greeted him, also gaining a little colour at upon seeing him.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Hogwarts’ child prodigy.”

“Aye, sir…”

Harry and the gang looked from left to right awkwardly. So far, in the history of Hogwarts, Jude was the only person ever dared to raise her voice, speak outspokenly and talk back at Prof. Snape despite the fact that her house points could be threatened. They had known Jude to be a bit blatant in pursuing Snape regardless the failures, and sometimes applaud Jude for her courage to stand up against him when her own housemates could not. But now seeing Aaron warming up so easily to Prof. Snape, and earning a pat on the head by the legendary Ice King of Hogwarts right in front of their eyes as we speak, they couldn’t decide who was the luckier of the two.

“Keep up the good work, boy. You turned out much better than our dunderhead Mr. Potter here.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Jude scowled a little at the way Snape displayed his affection to Aaron and jumped in between them, asking, “So, uh, Professor…I heard that you’ve apprehended an impostor. Who might that be?”

“That would be Mr. Bartie Crouch Jr.,” Snape replied, backing away a little from her.

“Really? Who did he impersonate?”

“Mad-Eye Moody,” Harry replied.

“Alastor Moody?” Aaron exclaimed. “No way!”

“Goodness, how did he manage?” Jude asked.

“Polyjuice,” Harry replied distastefully. “Nuff said.”

“I should’ve known,” Hermione snapped her fingers, “what with him drinking from his bottle all the time.”

“Bartie Crouch Jr…Sounds familiar…” Jude tapped her chin in thought. “Is he the son of that guy from the Ministry Mr. Bartie Crouch who just died recently while he was chairing the Tournament?”

“Yes, he’s been convicted of being a Death Eater, thanks to Moody,” Snape confirmed her questions. “I believe it was a personal vendetta when he decided to impersonate him.”

“Oh, Professor, how brave of you. I wish I could see that,” Jude said as she leaned close to Snape, not even caring when the professor gave her his usual cold stare.

“Oh boy…” Hermione rolled her eyes, obviously seeing this scene once too many times, followed by everyone else.

“Bloody hell…”

“Tell me about it.”
“Good Lord, Judith…”

“I would love to see you in action again,” Jude continued to ogle at him, her eyes twinkling.

“Ms. Light, please lighten yourself from me, or it’s 10 points from you.”

“Oh, OK, sorry,” Jude finally realized she was all out with the flirting again and moved away. “Old habits die hard these days.”

“I’m just here to check on you, Mr. Potter,” Snape said. “Under Dumbledore’s orders, of course. Since you seem to be upbeat enough to be entertaining your friends, I assume that you are well. I shall take my leave then. Good day, Mr. Turunen.”

So saying, he gave another pat on Aaron’s head before heading out of the Hospital Wing. Jude waved goodbye to Snape as her last attempt to get his attention, then turned to Aaron and scowled, “That was my pat you stole!!!”

“God, Jude, give it up!” Hermione groaned. “Snape’s never gonna associate himself with a student, ever!”

“He just did with Aaron!! No fair, no fair, no fair!”

“Is it just me…or does Aaron seem to have a thing for Snape?” Ron asked suspiciously.

“Huh? Wha…Uh…Um…” Aaron broke from his trance after being replaced from Snape’s pat to Jude’s noogie.

“You took my pat, you took my pat, you took my pat!!!” Jude gave Aaron a very big fat noogie as she squealed like a scorn fangirl. Hermione had to pry her off him.

“Please, Jude, control yourself!”

“You seem to have some going on with Snape. What’s your secret?” Harry asked, giving him a mischievous grin.

“I just do what I was told and aced all my potions exams, is all,” Aaron replied, blushing a little.

“I did that too! Why did he not notice me?!” Jude squealed as she struggled in Hermione’s arms, wanting to give Aaron another noogie.

“Maybe because he’s a teacher’s pet,” Ron suggested.

“Gah!! No fair, no fair, no fair!!!”

Ron and Harry couldn’t help but laugh and snicker at Jude’s blatant obsession with Snape.

“I suppose no one from the Ministry believed a word you said, did they?” Hermione asked after forcing Jude to calm down some. Harry shook his head.

“Not a soul, not even that bastard Cornelius Fudge.”

“The Ministry is a bunch of fools,” Aaron spat, with Jude nodding in agreement.

“I can see why Dumbledore never got along with them,” Hermione grinned as she helped arrange the carnations Jude got for Harry.

“He never did follow their terms to the book. He always have his way of weaving around the corners of the rules.”

“That’s Dumbledore for you,” Jude said, smiling happily, remembering the first time she met the jovial old man during her tour around the Hogwarts castle when her mother discussed her enrolment into the school.

“Aye, Dumbledore’s the best,” Aaron nodded, agreeing with Harry and Jude’s statement.

“I heard our end of semester feast tomorrow is going to be a sort of funeral dinner to dedicate to Cedric,” Harry said. “You guys wanna come along?”

“Aye, anything for Ced.”

“You, Jude?”

“I dunno. Maybe, I guess,” Jude replied hesitantly.

“Judith, I know you’re not a crowd or a people person but,” Aaron lay a hand on her shoulder, “at least do it for me. It’s my best friend we’re talking about here.”

Jude blushed at the touch. She thought for a moment, wondering whether to endure a whole day Aaron-less tomorrow or endure the usual taunts and jeers and isolation of her peers as an outcast.

The choice wasn’t too hard to make.

“Oh, alright. For you.”

Harry and the gang could tell that there is more going on between those two best friends.