* Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any part. Too expensive for
me. All of the characters were created by J.K. Rowling. Any similarities
between my fan fic and any other fan fics on this site are purely
coincidental.
Harry searched the sky for any sign of the snitch. Gryffindor was down by 140 points, and everyone was getting tired. Harry knew he had to get the snitch. He couldn't let Slytherin win.
As Harry glanced back and forth, he caught sight of someone in a dark cloak standing next to the Forbidden Forest. He seemed to be staring directly at him. It's just my imagination, Harry thought. Somehow, the person seemed familiar. Harry sensed he had seen him before. But where?
Something whizzed past Harry's face. Harry followed it with his eyes - the Golden Snitch. Harry concentrated on it, making sure not to lose sight of it. He knew he had to get to it before Malfoy. He leaned forward on his broom and shot toward it. Harry could hear the crowd cheering far below him.
Suddenly his broom began to shake. It went into a dive all by itself, spiraling crazily toward the ground. What's going on? The broom picked up speed, and Harry could see the ground drawing closer. He heard the crowds' cheers turn to screams.
Harry pulled up wildly on the broom, trying to stop. Any second now he would smash into the ground.
"Potter!" Harry screamed and jerked his head up. Professor McGonagall fixed him with a piercing stare. "Is my class too boring for you, Potter? Having trouble staying awake?" The entire class was laughing, except for Ron and Hermione.
"No, Professor, I'm sor-" Harry began.
"That will be enough. 10 points from Gryffindor." Harry closed his mouth. It was all a dream? But, why did I fall asleep in class? I have done that since.
Harry's mind went back to that fateful day in Divination. He remembered falling asleep in class. When he awoke, he had been on the floor, screaming with pain. His scar had been burning intensely.
Harry reached his hand up to his forehead. He felt fine now. Ron elbowed him in the side and gave him a questioning look. Harry shrugged his shoulders and focused his attention back on Professor McGonagall. He was lucky to have gotten away with only 10 points.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out to Herbology, they kept asking him questions.
"What happened Harry? Did your scar hurt again." Hermione looked worried.
"No. I was - I was dreaming about Quidditch. It must be because of the match coming up." It wasn't a total lie. He had been playing Quidditch. Yet he couldn't shake off the image of the cloaked person standing by the Forbidden Forest.
That night at dinner Harry tried to act as if nothing was wrong. Hermione, however, was not fooled.
"What really happened today in Transfiguration?" Her voice was firm, and Harry could tell she knew he was lying. Harry stared at his plate and poked his pudding with his spoon. He knew that if he told them the truth - who he thought had seen - they would make him go to Dumbledore right away.
But it was only a dream, he thought. There's no point in getting anyone worried.
"I already told you. I dreamt that we were playing Slytherin in the Quidditch match."
"Oh yeah?" Hermione challenged. "Then why did you scream?"
"Professor McGonagall surprised me, that's all."
"You're lying." Harry and Hermione turned to face Ron, who hadn't said anything since they arrived in the Great Hall.
"What makes you think that?" Ron just sat there, staring angrily at Harry
"Harry, maybe you should talk to Headmaster Dumbledore." Leave it to Hermione to think of that first, Harry thought.
"It was only a dream! I fell asleep in class because I didn't get enough sleep last night, and I had a dream. Why can't you understand that?" Harry was getting angry now. Why wouldn't they just let it go?
"We're just trying to help you!" Ron shouted, and then he stormed out of the Great Hall. Harry could hear people laughing, and he distinctly heard Malfoy's voice.
"What's wrong with him?" Harry muttered to Hermione.
"He got an owl form home this morning. Maybe there was something in there that upset him." Hermione helped herself to another scoop of pudding. She looked like she wanted to say something else about class, but she held it back.
The two finished their dinner in silence. Most of the other Gryffindors were sitting down by the Weasley twins. Harry was pretty sure he heard someone say 'Canary Creams.'
After she finished, Hermione got up. She said she had something she wanted to look up in the library, and that she'd be upstairs in a little while.
Harry sat there glumly, poking his food around some more. He didn't want to go up into the commons with Ron, but he didn't want to go to the library either. He thought about going down to see Hagrid, but decided to wait until tomorrow. He was about to get up when someone sat down next to him.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry turned to face the person next too him.
"Hello, Colin." Colin Creevey was the last person Harry wanted to talk to right now.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?"
Harry started to reply, but was cut off by a loud scream from the Hufflepuff table. Justin Finch-Fletchley jumped away from the table and was staring at a bowl on the table. Several other Hufflepuffs started to scream also. Most of them turned away and started to gag. Harry craned his neck over other people's heads, trying to see what everyone was screaming about.
"Calm down!" Dumbledore had walked over to the Hufflepuff table and was standing next to Justin. He was staring down in disgust at the bowl on the table. A few Hufflepuffs looked positively ill, and one girl ran out of the room awfully fast.
"Everyone, sit down!" Harry turned his head toward the front table. Snape was standing next to his chair. He had his wand in the air, as if preparing to cast a spell.
His words were obviously effective, because there was a loud scraping of chairs and everyone was sitting except a few people around Justin. Dumbledore conjured a plastic bag and placed the bowl in it. He tied the bag tightly and held it slightly away from him.
He walked up to the front table and whispered something in Professor McGonagall's ear. Her eyes widened with shock and she whispered something back to him. Then he took the bag and slipped out the front door.
In the commotion that followed, Harry slipped out of his seat and followed Dumbledore out of the room. His subconscience was telling him he had to find out what was in the bag. He didn't understand why, but he needed to know. He figured it had to have been something bad, especially with McGonagall's reaction.
Harry kept up with Dumbledore, but made sure he kept far enough behind so that he wouldn't hear him.
"Going somewhere, Potter?" Harry turned to find Professor Snape staring down at him. He had an evil sneer of his face.
"I was - er - going back to my common room. To go to bed." Harry's mind was racing. He prayed that Snape would let him off, just this one time. The last thing he needed now was to get in trouble for sneaking around the corridors.
"Is there a problem here, Professor? Harry turned around to face Dumbledore, the bag still in his hands. "I heard some commotion down here, and I had to find out what it was." He was looking down at Harry, a somber expression on his face.
"Yes, Dumbledore, there is a problem." Snape sneered. "See, Potter here is sneaking around the corridors, no doubt trying to break another school rule."
"I will take it from here, Professor Snape." Dumbledore replied.
"But sir, surely-"
"I will take it from here, Professor Snape." Dumbledore repeated. Harry looked at him thankfully.
Snape walked away angrily, muttering something under his breath. Dumbledore turned and instructed Harry to follow him. Harry did so, wordlessly.
When they reached Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore mumbled the password ("chocolate frogs") and they walked up the corridor.
Dumbledore's office hadn't changed from the last time Harry had seen it. Fawkes was in his cage. The cupboard where Dumbledore kept his Pensieve was locked.
Harry sat in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore stood silently for a moment, then sat too.
He set the bag on the table, and leaned back.
"Harry, I'm going to show you what's in this bag, and then I'm going to tell you why I'm choosing to show you. It won't be pretty, understand?"
Harry nodded, his mind racing. What could it be?
Dumbledore carefully removed the plastic bag covering the bowl. Harry leaned closer curiously. And then he saw what it was.
* What was in the bowl of pudding? Why was it so important that Dumbledore took it up to his room, and why did it shock Professor McGonagall? Please R&R. The better the response, the faster I write.
Harry searched the sky for any sign of the snitch. Gryffindor was down by 140 points, and everyone was getting tired. Harry knew he had to get the snitch. He couldn't let Slytherin win.
As Harry glanced back and forth, he caught sight of someone in a dark cloak standing next to the Forbidden Forest. He seemed to be staring directly at him. It's just my imagination, Harry thought. Somehow, the person seemed familiar. Harry sensed he had seen him before. But where?
Something whizzed past Harry's face. Harry followed it with his eyes - the Golden Snitch. Harry concentrated on it, making sure not to lose sight of it. He knew he had to get to it before Malfoy. He leaned forward on his broom and shot toward it. Harry could hear the crowd cheering far below him.
Suddenly his broom began to shake. It went into a dive all by itself, spiraling crazily toward the ground. What's going on? The broom picked up speed, and Harry could see the ground drawing closer. He heard the crowds' cheers turn to screams.
Harry pulled up wildly on the broom, trying to stop. Any second now he would smash into the ground.
"Potter!" Harry screamed and jerked his head up. Professor McGonagall fixed him with a piercing stare. "Is my class too boring for you, Potter? Having trouble staying awake?" The entire class was laughing, except for Ron and Hermione.
"No, Professor, I'm sor-" Harry began.
"That will be enough. 10 points from Gryffindor." Harry closed his mouth. It was all a dream? But, why did I fall asleep in class? I have done that since.
Harry's mind went back to that fateful day in Divination. He remembered falling asleep in class. When he awoke, he had been on the floor, screaming with pain. His scar had been burning intensely.
Harry reached his hand up to his forehead. He felt fine now. Ron elbowed him in the side and gave him a questioning look. Harry shrugged his shoulders and focused his attention back on Professor McGonagall. He was lucky to have gotten away with only 10 points.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out to Herbology, they kept asking him questions.
"What happened Harry? Did your scar hurt again." Hermione looked worried.
"No. I was - I was dreaming about Quidditch. It must be because of the match coming up." It wasn't a total lie. He had been playing Quidditch. Yet he couldn't shake off the image of the cloaked person standing by the Forbidden Forest.
That night at dinner Harry tried to act as if nothing was wrong. Hermione, however, was not fooled.
"What really happened today in Transfiguration?" Her voice was firm, and Harry could tell she knew he was lying. Harry stared at his plate and poked his pudding with his spoon. He knew that if he told them the truth - who he thought had seen - they would make him go to Dumbledore right away.
But it was only a dream, he thought. There's no point in getting anyone worried.
"I already told you. I dreamt that we were playing Slytherin in the Quidditch match."
"Oh yeah?" Hermione challenged. "Then why did you scream?"
"Professor McGonagall surprised me, that's all."
"You're lying." Harry and Hermione turned to face Ron, who hadn't said anything since they arrived in the Great Hall.
"What makes you think that?" Ron just sat there, staring angrily at Harry
"Harry, maybe you should talk to Headmaster Dumbledore." Leave it to Hermione to think of that first, Harry thought.
"It was only a dream! I fell asleep in class because I didn't get enough sleep last night, and I had a dream. Why can't you understand that?" Harry was getting angry now. Why wouldn't they just let it go?
"We're just trying to help you!" Ron shouted, and then he stormed out of the Great Hall. Harry could hear people laughing, and he distinctly heard Malfoy's voice.
"What's wrong with him?" Harry muttered to Hermione.
"He got an owl form home this morning. Maybe there was something in there that upset him." Hermione helped herself to another scoop of pudding. She looked like she wanted to say something else about class, but she held it back.
The two finished their dinner in silence. Most of the other Gryffindors were sitting down by the Weasley twins. Harry was pretty sure he heard someone say 'Canary Creams.'
After she finished, Hermione got up. She said she had something she wanted to look up in the library, and that she'd be upstairs in a little while.
Harry sat there glumly, poking his food around some more. He didn't want to go up into the commons with Ron, but he didn't want to go to the library either. He thought about going down to see Hagrid, but decided to wait until tomorrow. He was about to get up when someone sat down next to him.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry turned to face the person next too him.
"Hello, Colin." Colin Creevey was the last person Harry wanted to talk to right now.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?"
Harry started to reply, but was cut off by a loud scream from the Hufflepuff table. Justin Finch-Fletchley jumped away from the table and was staring at a bowl on the table. Several other Hufflepuffs started to scream also. Most of them turned away and started to gag. Harry craned his neck over other people's heads, trying to see what everyone was screaming about.
"Calm down!" Dumbledore had walked over to the Hufflepuff table and was standing next to Justin. He was staring down in disgust at the bowl on the table. A few Hufflepuffs looked positively ill, and one girl ran out of the room awfully fast.
"Everyone, sit down!" Harry turned his head toward the front table. Snape was standing next to his chair. He had his wand in the air, as if preparing to cast a spell.
His words were obviously effective, because there was a loud scraping of chairs and everyone was sitting except a few people around Justin. Dumbledore conjured a plastic bag and placed the bowl in it. He tied the bag tightly and held it slightly away from him.
He walked up to the front table and whispered something in Professor McGonagall's ear. Her eyes widened with shock and she whispered something back to him. Then he took the bag and slipped out the front door.
In the commotion that followed, Harry slipped out of his seat and followed Dumbledore out of the room. His subconscience was telling him he had to find out what was in the bag. He didn't understand why, but he needed to know. He figured it had to have been something bad, especially with McGonagall's reaction.
Harry kept up with Dumbledore, but made sure he kept far enough behind so that he wouldn't hear him.
"Going somewhere, Potter?" Harry turned to find Professor Snape staring down at him. He had an evil sneer of his face.
"I was - er - going back to my common room. To go to bed." Harry's mind was racing. He prayed that Snape would let him off, just this one time. The last thing he needed now was to get in trouble for sneaking around the corridors.
"Is there a problem here, Professor? Harry turned around to face Dumbledore, the bag still in his hands. "I heard some commotion down here, and I had to find out what it was." He was looking down at Harry, a somber expression on his face.
"Yes, Dumbledore, there is a problem." Snape sneered. "See, Potter here is sneaking around the corridors, no doubt trying to break another school rule."
"I will take it from here, Professor Snape." Dumbledore replied.
"But sir, surely-"
"I will take it from here, Professor Snape." Dumbledore repeated. Harry looked at him thankfully.
Snape walked away angrily, muttering something under his breath. Dumbledore turned and instructed Harry to follow him. Harry did so, wordlessly.
When they reached Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore mumbled the password ("chocolate frogs") and they walked up the corridor.
Dumbledore's office hadn't changed from the last time Harry had seen it. Fawkes was in his cage. The cupboard where Dumbledore kept his Pensieve was locked.
Harry sat in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore stood silently for a moment, then sat too.
He set the bag on the table, and leaned back.
"Harry, I'm going to show you what's in this bag, and then I'm going to tell you why I'm choosing to show you. It won't be pretty, understand?"
Harry nodded, his mind racing. What could it be?
Dumbledore carefully removed the plastic bag covering the bowl. Harry leaned closer curiously. And then he saw what it was.
* What was in the bowl of pudding? Why was it so important that Dumbledore took it up to his room, and why did it shock Professor McGonagall? Please R&R. The better the response, the faster I write.