Harry Potter and the Dog Star`s Secret--Chapter 1
Chapter One: Tricia Moon
It was November at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were diligently looking out of windows checking the weather, because it was only a day before the first Quidditch match of the season, Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw.
Harry and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were wandering along the corridors to class. They were Gryffindors, so it wasn`t theirs to worry about the weather.
"Potions next," said Ron wearily. The Potions teacher was Professor Snape, and he hated them, especially Harry.
"Have you done that homework?" Harry asked Hermione. She nodded.
"It was quite easy really, for Snape," she replied, searching her bag for her books.
Ron stared at her. "Easy? It took me all night!"
Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, passed them in the corridor. "Oh look," said Malfoy bitterly. "It`s Potter. Have you done your homework, Potter? It would be such a shame if you lost Gryffindor MORE points." Crabbe and Goyle laughed trollishly.
"What`s he got up his sleeves?" muttered Ron.
"Oh Ron, don`t be paranoid," said Hermione tiredly.
"We`d better hurry up," said Harry. "Something tells me Snape wouldn`t be too pleased if we`re late again."
They hurried along the cold corridors to class.
Potions class was a misery that day, even more so than usual. Professor Snape was in an evil mood, and as usual he picked on Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville Longbottom. Draco Malfoy kept trying to put unpleasant-looking things in Harry`s cauldron and Harry knew that if he made a fuss he would lose five points for Gryffindor.
Harry was just adding the dragon bile to their potion when Ron dropped his glass phial on to the floor where it shattered. Snape turned and faced him, a horrible look on his face. Ron gulped, and backed away into Neville`s desk. Neville`s pot of newts fell over, spilling its contents. Ron apologised, then turned back to face the front and found himself looking into Snape`s hollow, dark eyes.
"Did you drop that, Weasley?" he hissed.
Ron gulped again. "Erm, yes, sir," he replied.
"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape quickly, and he returned to his desk to sit there, almost motionless, marking books.
Ron also sat down again, and exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
"That was a little plain for Snape It was still scary," he breathed.
You`re not kidding," said Harry.
Seamus Finnegan leaned over to where they were sitting. "I`ve run out of dragon bile. Have you got any left?"
"No, sorry," said Harry apologetically.
"Quiet!" shouted Snape.
There was a deathly silence.
In Herbology a little later, Harry was sitting down to start working with Ron and Hermione on some very poisonous re-budding black crocuses, when Professor Sprout entered.
"Get into pairs, quickly now chaps," said Professor Sprout. "One from Hufflepuff and the other from Gryffindor, OK? You`ve got to talk to different people occasionally, you know." Harry wondered what had brought that on, but then got down to the job of trying to find someone to go with.
Hermione sat with Susan Bone. Ron ran over to Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Ernie Macmillan had already gone with Dean Thomas, so Harry was left standing all alone.
Suddenly, Harry noticed a pair of big dark eyes staring at him from behind a leafy, bushy plant. "Who`s there?" he hissed, while everyone else scrambled into pairs.
A girl he`d never seen before stepped out from behind the plant. She had black hair and brown eyes. She noticed Harry`s stare, and went bright red, and stared at the floor.
"M-m-my name`s T-Tricia M-moon," she stuttered. "And you`re Harry P-Potter."
"Yes," said Harry cautiously.
"Hello," she said nervously. She went crimson, and wriggled her toes. "Um, c-can I go with you?" she stammered. "I`m n-not usually like this, r-really. It`s just y-y-you."
"OK," he said, not sure whether to take that as a compliment. She was very pretty, almost as pretty as Cho Chang. He smiled at her. She smiled back. Something about that grin was familiar, as if he`d seen it before.
They got to work.
"How come I`ve never seen you before?" asked Harry suspiciously.
"I keep m-myself to myself in Herbology. It`s my favourite lesson." She was slowly getting more confident and losing the stutter. "Or maybe you just haven`t been looking." She grinned again.
"Can you play Quidditch?" he asked, as they worked on their plant.
"A little. I`m a beater, but people tell me I`m a pretty mean s-seeker too."
"I bet you play really well," said Harry, and she blushed.
"N-n-not as g-g-g-good as y-you," she said, panicking after being complimented.
"Who are your parents?" he inquired. She bit her lip and looked away.
"My mum`s dead," she said bluntly. Harry knew better than to enquire further, he knew how he would feel if people asked him questions about his parents.
"Voldemort killed her," she murmured.
Harry jumped.
"Sorry!" she wailed. "You probably don`t like the name. Sorry. I`ll call him You-Know-Who."
"No, it`s not that. Voldemort killed your parents?"
She bit her lip again. "Yeah," she said.
"You`re the only other child I`ve heard call him Voldemort. It`s funny how the ones who have the most reason to fear him call him by his name."
"We do, don`t we?"
At the end of the lesson, they packed up and Harry joined Ron and Hermione.
"Who was that?" asked Ron.
"Tricia Moon," said Harry.
"Oh, she`s a friend of mine," said Hermione. "She goes to Arithmancy too."
Harry saw Tricia leave with her friends. "I think he likes you!" said Hannah Abbot.
"But I`m no match for Cho Chang, am I?" said Tricia bitterly. Susan shook her head frantically.
"You`re better than Cho Chang by miles!" she said.
"I know a certain Ravenclaw boy who thinks you`re the best thing since self shuffling playing cards," said Hannah conspiratorially. Tricia made a look that suggested that they`d better shut up, and half-pointed to Harry.
"We`d better get going," giggled Ron.
The next morning, Harry woke up feeling very happy.
"Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff today," he said to himself. "That means Cho Chang will be playing."
There was a yawn from the direction of Ron`s bed, and Ron slowly dragged himself out of bed.
"What are you talking about?" yawned Ron.
"Nothing," said Harry hastily. "Just thinking out loud."
"Yes, it`s called speaking," said Dean Thomas tiredly as he got up.
Soon the whole dormitory was dressed and ready for the Quidditch match.
"We`ll get the best seats," whispered Ron. "Then you can stare at Cho Chang more easily." Harry sneered, and they went to find Hermione.
Chapter One: Tricia Moon
It was November at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were diligently looking out of windows checking the weather, because it was only a day before the first Quidditch match of the season, Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw.
Harry and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were wandering along the corridors to class. They were Gryffindors, so it wasn`t theirs to worry about the weather.
"Potions next," said Ron wearily. The Potions teacher was Professor Snape, and he hated them, especially Harry.
"Have you done that homework?" Harry asked Hermione. She nodded.
"It was quite easy really, for Snape," she replied, searching her bag for her books.
Ron stared at her. "Easy? It took me all night!"
Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, passed them in the corridor. "Oh look," said Malfoy bitterly. "It`s Potter. Have you done your homework, Potter? It would be such a shame if you lost Gryffindor MORE points." Crabbe and Goyle laughed trollishly.
"What`s he got up his sleeves?" muttered Ron.
"Oh Ron, don`t be paranoid," said Hermione tiredly.
"We`d better hurry up," said Harry. "Something tells me Snape wouldn`t be too pleased if we`re late again."
They hurried along the cold corridors to class.
Potions class was a misery that day, even more so than usual. Professor Snape was in an evil mood, and as usual he picked on Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville Longbottom. Draco Malfoy kept trying to put unpleasant-looking things in Harry`s cauldron and Harry knew that if he made a fuss he would lose five points for Gryffindor.
Harry was just adding the dragon bile to their potion when Ron dropped his glass phial on to the floor where it shattered. Snape turned and faced him, a horrible look on his face. Ron gulped, and backed away into Neville`s desk. Neville`s pot of newts fell over, spilling its contents. Ron apologised, then turned back to face the front and found himself looking into Snape`s hollow, dark eyes.
"Did you drop that, Weasley?" he hissed.
Ron gulped again. "Erm, yes, sir," he replied.
"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape quickly, and he returned to his desk to sit there, almost motionless, marking books.
Ron also sat down again, and exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
"That was a little plain for Snape It was still scary," he breathed.
You`re not kidding," said Harry.
Seamus Finnegan leaned over to where they were sitting. "I`ve run out of dragon bile. Have you got any left?"
"No, sorry," said Harry apologetically.
"Quiet!" shouted Snape.
There was a deathly silence.
In Herbology a little later, Harry was sitting down to start working with Ron and Hermione on some very poisonous re-budding black crocuses, when Professor Sprout entered.
"Get into pairs, quickly now chaps," said Professor Sprout. "One from Hufflepuff and the other from Gryffindor, OK? You`ve got to talk to different people occasionally, you know." Harry wondered what had brought that on, but then got down to the job of trying to find someone to go with.
Hermione sat with Susan Bone. Ron ran over to Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Ernie Macmillan had already gone with Dean Thomas, so Harry was left standing all alone.
Suddenly, Harry noticed a pair of big dark eyes staring at him from behind a leafy, bushy plant. "Who`s there?" he hissed, while everyone else scrambled into pairs.
A girl he`d never seen before stepped out from behind the plant. She had black hair and brown eyes. She noticed Harry`s stare, and went bright red, and stared at the floor.
"M-m-my name`s T-Tricia M-moon," she stuttered. "And you`re Harry P-Potter."
"Yes," said Harry cautiously.
"Hello," she said nervously. She went crimson, and wriggled her toes. "Um, c-can I go with you?" she stammered. "I`m n-not usually like this, r-really. It`s just y-y-you."
"OK," he said, not sure whether to take that as a compliment. She was very pretty, almost as pretty as Cho Chang. He smiled at her. She smiled back. Something about that grin was familiar, as if he`d seen it before.
They got to work.
"How come I`ve never seen you before?" asked Harry suspiciously.
"I keep m-myself to myself in Herbology. It`s my favourite lesson." She was slowly getting more confident and losing the stutter. "Or maybe you just haven`t been looking." She grinned again.
"Can you play Quidditch?" he asked, as they worked on their plant.
"A little. I`m a beater, but people tell me I`m a pretty mean s-seeker too."
"I bet you play really well," said Harry, and she blushed.
"N-n-not as g-g-g-good as y-you," she said, panicking after being complimented.
"Who are your parents?" he inquired. She bit her lip and looked away.
"My mum`s dead," she said bluntly. Harry knew better than to enquire further, he knew how he would feel if people asked him questions about his parents.
"Voldemort killed her," she murmured.
Harry jumped.
"Sorry!" she wailed. "You probably don`t like the name. Sorry. I`ll call him You-Know-Who."
"No, it`s not that. Voldemort killed your parents?"
She bit her lip again. "Yeah," she said.
"You`re the only other child I`ve heard call him Voldemort. It`s funny how the ones who have the most reason to fear him call him by his name."
"We do, don`t we?"
At the end of the lesson, they packed up and Harry joined Ron and Hermione.
"Who was that?" asked Ron.
"Tricia Moon," said Harry.
"Oh, she`s a friend of mine," said Hermione. "She goes to Arithmancy too."
Harry saw Tricia leave with her friends. "I think he likes you!" said Hannah Abbot.
"But I`m no match for Cho Chang, am I?" said Tricia bitterly. Susan shook her head frantically.
"You`re better than Cho Chang by miles!" she said.
"I know a certain Ravenclaw boy who thinks you`re the best thing since self shuffling playing cards," said Hannah conspiratorially. Tricia made a look that suggested that they`d better shut up, and half-pointed to Harry.
"We`d better get going," giggled Ron.
The next morning, Harry woke up feeling very happy.
"Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff today," he said to himself. "That means Cho Chang will be playing."
There was a yawn from the direction of Ron`s bed, and Ron slowly dragged himself out of bed.
"What are you talking about?" yawned Ron.
"Nothing," said Harry hastily. "Just thinking out loud."
"Yes, it`s called speaking," said Dean Thomas tiredly as he got up.
Soon the whole dormitory was dressed and ready for the Quidditch match.
"We`ll get the best seats," whispered Ron. "Then you can stare at Cho Chang more easily." Harry sneered, and they went to find Hermione.