The Anger .

"Well, I would have to be to have any chance of not being thought of as your ugly betrothed now, wouldn't I?" he asked.

Daphne blushed and gave him a light smack on his shoulder. "Prat!" she exclaimed.

Thinking some more about how he felt, Harry said, "I don't feel much pain anywhere, actually. Just a little - uncomfortable inside. Even my headache's gone. I actually feel pretty good. More - alive."

"Healing potions," said the Healer. "Most of the injuries you were suffering from, old and new, we've repaired. The uncomfortable feeling you're experiencing is the healing potions still working inside your body healing the longer term damage. The feeling will pass when the potions have done their work."

"We've also given you nutrient potions; but, what we really need you to do now, is eat," she said. "Eat a lot. I'll organise a large tray of delicious hot food for you as soon as I'm done here - which, I now am."

With a smile and a final pat of his shoulder, the healer left.

Harry turned to Daphne and asked, "What happened after I - you know." Hesitating a bit, Daphne replied, "When you collapsed there was this - dark spirit that came out of your scar. It attacked the Professor wearing purple robes. Then it flew out the window. I found out from one of the older girls he was Professor Quirrell.

"You had this big burst of magic that sent crockery, cutlery, table decorations and some students flying. But, no one was really hurt. A couple of bumps and knocks, that's all. "

"Oh God. I'm sorry," he groaned.

"Not your fault," she firmly said. "The school healer worked on you for a bit and Madam Bones came in with some aurors. They moved all the students out of the way. Then some more healers came in. A couple helped Madam Pomfrey work on you while the others went about those students who had cuts and abrasions and healed them. "Just as the healers were finishing up Professor Flitwick - he's the little half goblin professor - called in the house elves to clear away the mess and replace the crockery and cutlery. Professor Quirrell was levitated out the teacher's entrance a little while later. We found out, this morning, that he was dead because of a possession by the spirit of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Professor Flitwick then finished the sorting for the last half-dozen students Weasley went into Gryffindor - and we were sent to our common rooms where the feast was served. That now makes you the only student not yet sorted. I was sorted into Slytherin, by the way; as was Tracey. If you don't remember, Neville's in Gryffindor, as is Hermione, and Susan and Hannah are in Hufflepuff. "Dumbledore left for a while as soon as the aurors left, but came back about half an hour later, clearly upset. Professor McGonagall was upset with him for the whole time he was there; about you, I think. If looks could kill, she'd have killed him a dozen times over.

"All anyone could talk about all during the feast and right through to past breakfast, this morning, was you and what you did. Malfoy mouthed off in the common room after the feast, and Zabini punched him in the face for it."

"I tried to talk to Susan about what happened, this morning, but she didn't know anything. However, she's just as worried about you. I could see that Neville was the same.

"At lunch today, Neville came up to me and said how Weasley was going on in their dorm last night about how you were evil because you were supposedly possessed by You-Know-Who. Neville punched him and called him an ignorant idiot."

With a shrug and a wry grin, she said, "The general consensus is that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's spirit tried to take you over and you used your powerful magic to defeat it, thus proving you're everything from the reincarnation of Merlin to the reincarnation of Grindelwald. The Boy-Who-Lived has just defeated You-Know-Who for the second time."

Harry just closed his eyes and groaned in response. "Why me?" he plaintively asked no one in particular. "As if I don't already have enough on my plate?"

Daphne smiled, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I may not be a seer," she said. "But, I can already tell life is going to be very interesting around you, Mister Potter." The three adults, by then, had finished their private discussion and came over.

"Alright, Harry," said Aunt Amelia. "I need you to tell me, in your own words, what happened last night. Specifically, I need to know why you got so angry."

Harry sighed and said, "I guess it all started back on the train platform at Kings Cross Station..."

"So, I'm already getting a headache from what happened on the platform, then the Weasleys irritate me, then the youngest Weasley boy tries to lie to me for whatever reason, and finally Malfoy comes to try and start something," said Harry. "I tried during the trip to meditate for a while, but I just didn't seem to get much time to do it, and the others all wanted to talk.

"I was a bit grumpy and headachy when we alighted from the train. That's when I spotted Hagrid for the first time, and recognised him as one of those who was responsible for me ending up at the Dursleys. Weasley got in my face again as we were boarding the boats and tried to shove the girls out of the way so he could hop into a boat with me.

"Once we arrived at the castle proper Hagrid banged on the doors. That's when I came face to face with the second person responsible for my - dumping; Professor McGonagall.

"She led us into an antechamber and gave us some speech about the four houses and told us to 'wait quietly'. I was about to attempt to meditate again as I could feel my anger bubbling away, when Malfoy flat out threatens me. By that point I'm furious and my headache is getting back to the uncomfortable levels I had just after I was clocked in the head the first time. "I think Daphne could see just how upset I was getting..."

"I did," she said.

"...So she drifted closer to try and calm me down. If I'd been given another twenty minutes, or so, I think I might have been able to. As it was, I told Daphne to stick close to Tracey while I tried to centre myself and calm down. I just didn't have enough time to accomplish anything before McGonagall returned and led us all into the Great Hall.

"I was struggling to get my temper back under control. And couldn't do it. Before I knew it, I was so angry I couldn't even think straight. My 'inner voice' was raging away with negative thoughts and I was in a battle of thought-wills for dominance. "I was so focussed on trying to stamp down my anger - my hate - I didn't even hear where any of our friends were sorted.

"When my name was called I didn't hear it. It took having my name called for a second time before I acknowledged it and walked up to the stool.

"And that's when I smelled Professor McGonagall's perfume. I don't know if you know this, but a scent is a pretty powerful mnemonic - a memory aid. As soon as I caught the smell of her perfume it triggered something inside me. And I kinda lost it completely.

"I'm really sorry to everyone for that. I understand I'm in a great deal of trouble and stand ready to accept any punishment you deem just."

"Harry, you're not in trouble," said Cygnus.

"I'm not?" "No, Harry," replied Aunt Amelia. "What happened was not your fault."

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