A/N: I'm not sure how good this will be. This will be my second fic and I'm hoping it is going to be drama but my stories are... well you figure it out. Ok no one belongs to me except Melantha Largist, Damara Brockston, Elijah Drake, and Tierney Casar. That's all and enjoy and be kind and review.
They Aren't What They Seem
~Evil isn't a comsmological riddle, only just selfish human behavior~
Albus Dumbledore stood motionless at the front entrance of Hogwarts. He gazed at the sky...waiting. At last his search was rewarded. A dard figure was flying over the horizon. The figure flew lower and lower until her feet brushed the grass. She climbed off her broom and strode forward, stopping when she was right in front of Dumbledore.
"Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Thank you Professor." Her voice was definatly femimine, but a tone or two lower. She lowered the hood of her cloak and held out a hand. "Tierney Casar."
~~^~~@
For only the forth time, Harry Potter saw the Sorting. In his second and third years he had missed it. The novelty wore off after awhile, his startilingly green eyes traveled around the room. He glanced up at the Teacher's Table. Dumbledore was watching the first years with a kind of pride, while Snape at his right would scowl at every new Gryffindor. McGonagall looked as stern as ever while she called out names, and Flitwick didn't seem to have gotten any taller. Harry was about to look back at the Sorting when he saw a flicker of black. Looking back he saw a different teacher. She was sitting beside Flitwick and her eyes were constatly looking everywhere, as if she was drinking in all the details. Her pitch black hair shone iridensilantly with purple and was wrapped around her head in a braid. Her skin was ivory, all in all she was the look of perfection with small and perfect lips. Suddenly, her eyes locked with Harry's. Harry froze, they were creepy and made his skin crawl with goosebumps. Their vertically slit pupils were surrounded by a poisinous yellow-green. Quickly, Harry stared back at his plate.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
Hermione's voice whispered in his ear. He looked up to see both Ron and Hermione studying him.
"Look at the new Professor."
Simotaneously they both turned to look up and the professor, but she never looked back.
"So?" Ron said.
"I know she's pretty Harry, but..."
"No!" Harry whispered," Did you see her eyes?"
Hermione sighed and looked back up. The Professor looked back, this time she gazed back with a gray colored stare.
~~^~~@
Harry stared at the canopy of his bed in the Gryffindor fifth year boy's dormitory. All around him the snores of his classmates told him they were asleep. Lucky, Harry thought bitterly. The new Professor, Professor Casar, kept him awake. Ron and Hermione were still totally unconvinced and even Harry, himself was starting to believe them. He had gone to ed early and saw them turn their backs to him and start whispering quietly. Harry knew what they were going to chalk this up to. His ordeal with Voldemort last year. He flipped over and buried his face in his pillow, waiting for sleep.
~~^~~@
"Fifth year schedules." Seamus Finnigan said, handing Harry a pile of papers. He took one and gave the stack to Ron, who handed them to Hermione.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione and Ron look at each other and then at him. A long and uneasy silence reigned for the rest of the breakfast.
~~^~~@
Hermione led the way into the DADA room and headed for the back. The new Professor was sitting crosslegged on her desk, staring in a mirror and occasionally prodding it and muttering. The bell rung and her head snapped up. She put down the mirror and picked up a sheet of parchment.
"Brown, Lavendar."
"Here." Lavendar said. The Professor's eyes scrutinized Lavendar before she called the next name. She did htat for every person. Finally, she reached Harry.
"Potter, Harry."
"Here." Harry called confidently. Her eyes once again locked on his. Suddenly, the pupils stretched, vertically and a hint of yellow-green colored the bland gray irises. She blinked and they were once again a normal gray. She looked away first and turned to a book on her desk.
"No intoductions are needed so please turn to page 237 in your books." She said. The doorknob turned and a big black dog pushed its way into the room.
"Snuffles." Ron hissed. Harry nodded. The dog went over to the desk and planted its forepaws on the desk edge and offered an envelope to her. She took it with a wrinkled nose.
"You could've tried harder to keep it dry." The dog seemed to roll its eyes. "Just go in my office." The dog scratched and whined at the door. "Oh, yeah I keep it locked." She pointed a finger at the door and a soft click sounded and the door swung open. The dog padded in and disappeared, "Anyway, where were we?" She asked to a very confused class.
~~^~~@
"I don't get it." Harry said.
"Don't get what." Ron said distractidly.
"Why Sirius is still here." Harry said.
"Well, he never left, right?" Ron said finally looking at him.
"He was supposed to," Harry said," During the summer he wrote and said that he was leaving to do some work."
The two trudged up to the seventh floor Divination classroom, leaving Hermione somewhere on the fourth. They approched the silvery ladder. Ron sighed,
"We should call this the ladder of doom." Harry grinned and started climbing into the stifleing classroom.
"Front or back?"
"Are you kidding?" Ron snorted and made a beeline to the back. Unfortuently, their table was occupied by a girl they didn't know.
"Is there anyone sitting here?" Harry asked. Without looking at them she shook her head. Ron shrugged and they sat down.
"Ahh, once again you asend to the Relm of Mystery..." Professor Trelawny declared from somewhere behind the mist and incense.
"More like the Realm of False Readings." Ron whispered loudly.
Trelawny continued, pointidly ignoring Ron, "For your third and wonderful year, we will be moving on to more advanced ways of Seeing," (Parvati and Lavendar gasped), "but first we have another among us. Then after an evil woman enters and leaves this room we will review crystal ball gazing and maybe have each other read fortunes." Most of the class was in awe, except Ron and Harry.
"Evil woman?" Ron asked quietly to Harry.
"McGonagall, no doubt, they hate each other." Harry whispered back and Ron looked as if a light had turned on upstairs.
"Now," Trelawny breathed, "Shall we meet our new member?" She glided out of the mist to their table, where Damara was scowling at the table. "Stand up and tell us about yourself." Damara pushed her chair out and stood up with an annoyed glance at Trelawny.
"I was transferred here from Romania and I don't really want to be here." Damara plopped down and scowled openly at the Professor. She chose to ignore this too and stated quite loudly.
"I sense a great amount of Aura around you."
"That would be why I was top of my Divination class." Damara hissed with a look that rivaled one of Snape's. Harry and Ron grinned at each other.
Suddenly, there was a small tap on the trapdoor.
"The evil woman!" Seamus hissed loudly. Trelawny made her way over to the trapdoor and opened it wide. Professor Casar climbed up into the classroom, her hair shifting eerily from black to purple and back.
"Yes, what do you need Tierney?" Trelawny asked faintly.
"I was just wondering if you had any tea left that I could have, I've decided to do some tea leaf reading." Professor Casar finished uneasily noticeing that the class was completely silent and staring only at her. After receiving the tea from Trelawny it was with great haste the Professor Casar left.
"I suppose this means that we'll move onto crystal ball gazing." Trelawny continued.
"Great." Ron whispered.
~~^~~@
Harry and Ron met Hermione in the Great Hall for lunch. After lunch they filled Hermione in on the scene in the Divination tower.
"Weird, yeah." Hermione said shrugging, " but nothing to worry about. I mean we know she's a fake, all those things were cowinsodences."
"What about when she went all funny in our third year and it really happened?" Harry protested.
"She didn't 'go all funny' then, did she?" Hermione asked.
"No." Ron said from the other side of Harry.
"Then she was just guessing." Hermione said smugly.
"But." Harry started, but found himself backed into a corner.
"Hurry up and get your books," Hermione said, " We've got double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.
~~^~~@
They entered Greenhouse 3 to find Sprout picking the teeth out of a plant in front of her. She looked up to see the student's horrified expressions.
"Oh, don't worry, those are for the sixith years." She said brightly, "Today we'll be working with these." Professor Sprout pulled a humungus tree out from a corner. The class filed over and gathered around the tree.
"See how the bark peels off?" Sprout asked as the tree shivered, "That's good but you don't want to get any that is too attched or..." She trailed off and pointed up. The branches lowered threatingly to show spikes a foot long.
"Something tells me we're over our heads," Ron said shuddering.
"Heck, I'd rather be picking teeth off a plant that's half my size and no thorns." Harry muttered. Hermione was at a loss for words. Professor Sprout began moving through the class counting people off.
"Sorry." Sprout apologized, "I had to do this, because it's the only way to make it fair. Odds are at the table and I'll talk to you in a minute. Evens follow me." Ron and Hermione said goodbye (Who know if I'll see you again) and were given gloves, tweezers, a bag, and a pillow to tie around their waists.
"Hello Harry." Harry jumped and quickly swiveled around to see Justin Finch-Fletchly.
"Oh, hi Justin." A girl's giggle made him look to see the girl beside Justin.
"Harry, meet the student from America."
"Melantha Largist." She said shyly, looking at him from behind blonde curls. She blinked and Harry looked closer. Her eyes were amber in color.
"Harry Potter." Harry said holding out his hand.
"Harry." She repeated almost making it sound like it was something delicious. Harry decided to stay as far as possible that wouldn't look like he was being rude.
"Ok," Sprout clapped her hands together happily, "You'll be looking for imperfections in the bark the pickers and picking."
Harry and the others set to work, occasionally hearing the rustle of leaves or a muffled squeak of someone who had barely missed a thorn. The class had a good laugh when Sprout proclaimed loudly,
"No, Granger, you cannot drop Herbology." Eventually the bell rang and there was mad dash for the door. Hermione made it out first and was steadying herself against the greenhouse wasll.
"There is no way you can get me back in that place again."
"Oh come on Herm."
"Don't call me Herm." She hissed.
"You've been up against worse and you've freaking out because of a plant?" Ron continued.
"There was something else that wasn't right in there. Besides weren't you worried if you had a tree about to impale you the moment you did one thing wrong?"
"Calm down, we had a pillow." Ron said shrugging.
She snorted, " Oh, I felt safe with a pillow 6 inches thick against a thorn a foot long."
"Ooookaayy." Ron said.
"What do we have next?" Harry asked quickly.
~~^~~@
Weeks passed and soon October arrived with chill winds and gray skys. Quidditch tryouts came and went and soon Gryffindor had a winning team. Harry was Seeker, Fred and George Weasley were the Beaters, and the new Chaser was Damara Brockston accompanied by Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. The new Keeper was a 2nd year bye the name of Elijah Drake.
Harry did notice that everyday Sirius arrived (as a dog) with an envelope for Professor Casar.
"I'm going." Harry announced the night of Halloween.
"Going where, Harry?" Ron asked after instructing a pawn in front of him.
"Hey? My knight!" Harry exclaimed then added more calmly, "I'm going to see Proffessor Casar."
"Why would you want to do that?" Ron asked, " I mean we know that you were favored by all the other DADA teachers. You can give up on trying for all the teachers."
"No, I want to ask her about Snuffles." Harry said, "Are you coming with me?"
Ron suddenly looked very uncomfortable, "No thanks, I'm ... um... going to stay here and see if Hermione will play a few chess games with me."
Odd, Harry thought, but he shrugged and headed out of the portrait hole.
~~^~~@
Harry shivered and wrapped his robe more tightly around himself. He reached the DADA classroom and knocked.
"Come in Harry." He started when she said his name but continued on in. "Have a seat." She said engrossed in the tea cup before her. Harry looked at the bare floor and was wondering if he should point out that there wasn't a seat when the floor buckled and molded a new chair. He sat.
"Signs of death. Let's see, the Grim. Death by torture. A vial, probably truth. Hmm, yes very interesting, a short lifespan." The professor's face looked crest fallen. "I never get happy cups. This is my fifth one too." Harry stared at her. She looked at him oddly, "Would you like some tea?" She grimiced, "I'm afraid I can't join you." She crossed her legs.
"Umm, sure." Harry stammered. The kettle, itself, poured him some tea.
"When you're done with it swill the dregs 3 times with your left hand and I'll read your cup."
Harry nodded and looked around her office. She had a foe mirror sitting on a table in a corner along with a Sneakoscope and others he wasn't quite sure what they were.
"I believe you had something to ask me?"
"Oh, yeah , I do." Harry said putting down the cup, " I just wanted to know why Sirius Black is here. And I was wondering if I could talk to him?"
Casar's eyes flitted around the room. "Sirius Black, I didn't think the Ministry... " She trailed off nervously playing with a quill.
"I know that he was never caught, I know about this whole thing. I mean... I was pretty sure about who that dog was."
She looked relieved, "Oh, so you know, ok, well you just missed him, sorry."
Harry sighed and drained the cup and quickly swirling it with his left hand.
"I'd better leave then."
"Don't you want to hear what your cup has to say?" Casar asked polietly.
"Not really," Harry muttered, " Mine are never anything good."
"That's because Trelawny is a pessimest and a dramatizer," She said with a twinkle in her eyes. Their eyes locked and her pupils stretched and yellow-green became a dominent color. Harry looked away quickly and sat back down. From now on he was people's noses when they talked. Professor Casar leaned back and draped her legs over the chair's arms.
"Hmm, you've got a powerful enemy, you've got a secret that you haven't shared with anyone, let's see, a sword, that means you've got guts and rise to any challenge. Ugh, you will lose something and then get it back, greater than before."
"Odd." Was all Harry could say.
"Definatly." Professor Casar nodded,"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Harry looked over her shoulder at the table, " Are you an Auror."
She grinned, " So you noticed. Yeah, though not quite officially."
"How can you not be offical?" Harry asked confused.
"It's more of a pastime," She said getting up and moving to the table and fingering the Sneakoscope,"...obsession, I guess you could call it."
"A foe glass." Harry said picking up the mirror.
"Yeah, its really been annoying me lately," Professor Casar said fingering her black-purple hair thoughtfully, "I keep seeing something...a girl?...no, but anyway it keeps changing. Somedays I'll just see an owl or cat staring back at me, clear as can be." She was now chewing on her hair.
"What's this?" Harry asked, picking up a sphere that was constantly changing color and depth.
"Oh, this, you just hope it never does..." She stopped midsentence as the stuff inside turned instantly black then flared a brilliant white that momentarily blinded Harry. When the light died down Professor Casar was dashing for the door.
"Come on Harry I have a feeling I might need you." They sprinted through the castle, and rocketed down to the dungeons. Casar comae to a dead stop in front of a bare wall. She swore.
"I never remember the password!" Harry took the chance to lean over and catch his breath. He didn't have much time before Slytherin students were pouring out, some screaming, some crying. Professor Casar grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him with her against the flow of students. Harry, still not understanding what was going on, was amazed that Malfoy didn't say anything as Harry passed him. Do anything for that matter, Malfoy was merely staring around in shock. Casar evidently got what she wanted because she once again dragged Harry by the arm up to a 2nd year girl's dormitory. Professor led the way to the back corner where a girl was slumped.
"Dead." Pronounced Casar without checking. Harry opened his mouth to ask how she knew. Casar lifted a hand to silence him.
"That ball was a deathoscope. It flashes like that when an evil murder has happened."
"Clam down." Dumbledore's voice floated up to them. "Flitwick, take these students to the Great Hall, they will stay there for the night. Vector, all students are to report and stay in their common rooms." There was the sound of feet and the door opened.
"Potter!" Snape hissed, a smile starting on his greasy face, evidently he thought he had finally caught the famous Harry Potter in the act.
"Tierney?" Dumbledore asked putting a gently hand on Professor Casar's back.
"The Deathoscope." She snapped. Anger seemed to boil around her, her eyes turning the feral yellow-green that he had seen before. Harry looked around the room. The other teachers noticed too, escpcially Snape, his face a deathly pale and on it an expression of fear was etched into every part of his face. Dumbledore only watched with calculation in his eyes.
"I could have prevented it, goddammit!" She exploded throwing a punch at the hard stone wall...but her arm kept going all the way up to her elbow.
"Holy shit, there's something in here."
A/N2: oops, you thought I was done. Welll , what do you think? I need your reviews if I get enough people saying they want more I will type more, if not then I just won't complete it. (please review) I also want to say that the quote isn't mine it's Joyce Carol Oates, whoever she is. I also want to thank Mirielle for her 'professional' advice. He he! Well ,hope you liked it!
They Aren't What They Seem
~Evil isn't a comsmological riddle, only just selfish human behavior~
Albus Dumbledore stood motionless at the front entrance of Hogwarts. He gazed at the sky...waiting. At last his search was rewarded. A dard figure was flying over the horizon. The figure flew lower and lower until her feet brushed the grass. She climbed off her broom and strode forward, stopping when she was right in front of Dumbledore.
"Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Thank you Professor." Her voice was definatly femimine, but a tone or two lower. She lowered the hood of her cloak and held out a hand. "Tierney Casar."
~~^~~@
For only the forth time, Harry Potter saw the Sorting. In his second and third years he had missed it. The novelty wore off after awhile, his startilingly green eyes traveled around the room. He glanced up at the Teacher's Table. Dumbledore was watching the first years with a kind of pride, while Snape at his right would scowl at every new Gryffindor. McGonagall looked as stern as ever while she called out names, and Flitwick didn't seem to have gotten any taller. Harry was about to look back at the Sorting when he saw a flicker of black. Looking back he saw a different teacher. She was sitting beside Flitwick and her eyes were constatly looking everywhere, as if she was drinking in all the details. Her pitch black hair shone iridensilantly with purple and was wrapped around her head in a braid. Her skin was ivory, all in all she was the look of perfection with small and perfect lips. Suddenly, her eyes locked with Harry's. Harry froze, they were creepy and made his skin crawl with goosebumps. Their vertically slit pupils were surrounded by a poisinous yellow-green. Quickly, Harry stared back at his plate.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
Hermione's voice whispered in his ear. He looked up to see both Ron and Hermione studying him.
"Look at the new Professor."
Simotaneously they both turned to look up and the professor, but she never looked back.
"So?" Ron said.
"I know she's pretty Harry, but..."
"No!" Harry whispered," Did you see her eyes?"
Hermione sighed and looked back up. The Professor looked back, this time she gazed back with a gray colored stare.
~~^~~@
Harry stared at the canopy of his bed in the Gryffindor fifth year boy's dormitory. All around him the snores of his classmates told him they were asleep. Lucky, Harry thought bitterly. The new Professor, Professor Casar, kept him awake. Ron and Hermione were still totally unconvinced and even Harry, himself was starting to believe them. He had gone to ed early and saw them turn their backs to him and start whispering quietly. Harry knew what they were going to chalk this up to. His ordeal with Voldemort last year. He flipped over and buried his face in his pillow, waiting for sleep.
~~^~~@
"Fifth year schedules." Seamus Finnigan said, handing Harry a pile of papers. He took one and gave the stack to Ron, who handed them to Hermione.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Harry said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione and Ron look at each other and then at him. A long and uneasy silence reigned for the rest of the breakfast.
~~^~~@
Hermione led the way into the DADA room and headed for the back. The new Professor was sitting crosslegged on her desk, staring in a mirror and occasionally prodding it and muttering. The bell rung and her head snapped up. She put down the mirror and picked up a sheet of parchment.
"Brown, Lavendar."
"Here." Lavendar said. The Professor's eyes scrutinized Lavendar before she called the next name. She did htat for every person. Finally, she reached Harry.
"Potter, Harry."
"Here." Harry called confidently. Her eyes once again locked on his. Suddenly, the pupils stretched, vertically and a hint of yellow-green colored the bland gray irises. She blinked and they were once again a normal gray. She looked away first and turned to a book on her desk.
"No intoductions are needed so please turn to page 237 in your books." She said. The doorknob turned and a big black dog pushed its way into the room.
"Snuffles." Ron hissed. Harry nodded. The dog went over to the desk and planted its forepaws on the desk edge and offered an envelope to her. She took it with a wrinkled nose.
"You could've tried harder to keep it dry." The dog seemed to roll its eyes. "Just go in my office." The dog scratched and whined at the door. "Oh, yeah I keep it locked." She pointed a finger at the door and a soft click sounded and the door swung open. The dog padded in and disappeared, "Anyway, where were we?" She asked to a very confused class.
~~^~~@
"I don't get it." Harry said.
"Don't get what." Ron said distractidly.
"Why Sirius is still here." Harry said.
"Well, he never left, right?" Ron said finally looking at him.
"He was supposed to," Harry said," During the summer he wrote and said that he was leaving to do some work."
The two trudged up to the seventh floor Divination classroom, leaving Hermione somewhere on the fourth. They approched the silvery ladder. Ron sighed,
"We should call this the ladder of doom." Harry grinned and started climbing into the stifleing classroom.
"Front or back?"
"Are you kidding?" Ron snorted and made a beeline to the back. Unfortuently, their table was occupied by a girl they didn't know.
"Is there anyone sitting here?" Harry asked. Without looking at them she shook her head. Ron shrugged and they sat down.
"Ahh, once again you asend to the Relm of Mystery..." Professor Trelawny declared from somewhere behind the mist and incense.
"More like the Realm of False Readings." Ron whispered loudly.
Trelawny continued, pointidly ignoring Ron, "For your third and wonderful year, we will be moving on to more advanced ways of Seeing," (Parvati and Lavendar gasped), "but first we have another among us. Then after an evil woman enters and leaves this room we will review crystal ball gazing and maybe have each other read fortunes." Most of the class was in awe, except Ron and Harry.
"Evil woman?" Ron asked quietly to Harry.
"McGonagall, no doubt, they hate each other." Harry whispered back and Ron looked as if a light had turned on upstairs.
"Now," Trelawny breathed, "Shall we meet our new member?" She glided out of the mist to their table, where Damara was scowling at the table. "Stand up and tell us about yourself." Damara pushed her chair out and stood up with an annoyed glance at Trelawny.
"I was transferred here from Romania and I don't really want to be here." Damara plopped down and scowled openly at the Professor. She chose to ignore this too and stated quite loudly.
"I sense a great amount of Aura around you."
"That would be why I was top of my Divination class." Damara hissed with a look that rivaled one of Snape's. Harry and Ron grinned at each other.
Suddenly, there was a small tap on the trapdoor.
"The evil woman!" Seamus hissed loudly. Trelawny made her way over to the trapdoor and opened it wide. Professor Casar climbed up into the classroom, her hair shifting eerily from black to purple and back.
"Yes, what do you need Tierney?" Trelawny asked faintly.
"I was just wondering if you had any tea left that I could have, I've decided to do some tea leaf reading." Professor Casar finished uneasily noticeing that the class was completely silent and staring only at her. After receiving the tea from Trelawny it was with great haste the Professor Casar left.
"I suppose this means that we'll move onto crystal ball gazing." Trelawny continued.
"Great." Ron whispered.
~~^~~@
Harry and Ron met Hermione in the Great Hall for lunch. After lunch they filled Hermione in on the scene in the Divination tower.
"Weird, yeah." Hermione said shrugging, " but nothing to worry about. I mean we know she's a fake, all those things were cowinsodences."
"What about when she went all funny in our third year and it really happened?" Harry protested.
"She didn't 'go all funny' then, did she?" Hermione asked.
"No." Ron said from the other side of Harry.
"Then she was just guessing." Hermione said smugly.
"But." Harry started, but found himself backed into a corner.
"Hurry up and get your books," Hermione said, " We've got double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.
~~^~~@
They entered Greenhouse 3 to find Sprout picking the teeth out of a plant in front of her. She looked up to see the student's horrified expressions.
"Oh, don't worry, those are for the sixith years." She said brightly, "Today we'll be working with these." Professor Sprout pulled a humungus tree out from a corner. The class filed over and gathered around the tree.
"See how the bark peels off?" Sprout asked as the tree shivered, "That's good but you don't want to get any that is too attched or..." She trailed off and pointed up. The branches lowered threatingly to show spikes a foot long.
"Something tells me we're over our heads," Ron said shuddering.
"Heck, I'd rather be picking teeth off a plant that's half my size and no thorns." Harry muttered. Hermione was at a loss for words. Professor Sprout began moving through the class counting people off.
"Sorry." Sprout apologized, "I had to do this, because it's the only way to make it fair. Odds are at the table and I'll talk to you in a minute. Evens follow me." Ron and Hermione said goodbye (Who know if I'll see you again) and were given gloves, tweezers, a bag, and a pillow to tie around their waists.
"Hello Harry." Harry jumped and quickly swiveled around to see Justin Finch-Fletchly.
"Oh, hi Justin." A girl's giggle made him look to see the girl beside Justin.
"Harry, meet the student from America."
"Melantha Largist." She said shyly, looking at him from behind blonde curls. She blinked and Harry looked closer. Her eyes were amber in color.
"Harry Potter." Harry said holding out his hand.
"Harry." She repeated almost making it sound like it was something delicious. Harry decided to stay as far as possible that wouldn't look like he was being rude.
"Ok," Sprout clapped her hands together happily, "You'll be looking for imperfections in the bark the pickers and picking."
Harry and the others set to work, occasionally hearing the rustle of leaves or a muffled squeak of someone who had barely missed a thorn. The class had a good laugh when Sprout proclaimed loudly,
"No, Granger, you cannot drop Herbology." Eventually the bell rang and there was mad dash for the door. Hermione made it out first and was steadying herself against the greenhouse wasll.
"There is no way you can get me back in that place again."
"Oh come on Herm."
"Don't call me Herm." She hissed.
"You've been up against worse and you've freaking out because of a plant?" Ron continued.
"There was something else that wasn't right in there. Besides weren't you worried if you had a tree about to impale you the moment you did one thing wrong?"
"Calm down, we had a pillow." Ron said shrugging.
She snorted, " Oh, I felt safe with a pillow 6 inches thick against a thorn a foot long."
"Ooookaayy." Ron said.
"What do we have next?" Harry asked quickly.
~~^~~@
Weeks passed and soon October arrived with chill winds and gray skys. Quidditch tryouts came and went and soon Gryffindor had a winning team. Harry was Seeker, Fred and George Weasley were the Beaters, and the new Chaser was Damara Brockston accompanied by Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. The new Keeper was a 2nd year bye the name of Elijah Drake.
Harry did notice that everyday Sirius arrived (as a dog) with an envelope for Professor Casar.
"I'm going." Harry announced the night of Halloween.
"Going where, Harry?" Ron asked after instructing a pawn in front of him.
"Hey? My knight!" Harry exclaimed then added more calmly, "I'm going to see Proffessor Casar."
"Why would you want to do that?" Ron asked, " I mean we know that you were favored by all the other DADA teachers. You can give up on trying for all the teachers."
"No, I want to ask her about Snuffles." Harry said, "Are you coming with me?"
Ron suddenly looked very uncomfortable, "No thanks, I'm ... um... going to stay here and see if Hermione will play a few chess games with me."
Odd, Harry thought, but he shrugged and headed out of the portrait hole.
~~^~~@
Harry shivered and wrapped his robe more tightly around himself. He reached the DADA classroom and knocked.
"Come in Harry." He started when she said his name but continued on in. "Have a seat." She said engrossed in the tea cup before her. Harry looked at the bare floor and was wondering if he should point out that there wasn't a seat when the floor buckled and molded a new chair. He sat.
"Signs of death. Let's see, the Grim. Death by torture. A vial, probably truth. Hmm, yes very interesting, a short lifespan." The professor's face looked crest fallen. "I never get happy cups. This is my fifth one too." Harry stared at her. She looked at him oddly, "Would you like some tea?" She grimiced, "I'm afraid I can't join you." She crossed her legs.
"Umm, sure." Harry stammered. The kettle, itself, poured him some tea.
"When you're done with it swill the dregs 3 times with your left hand and I'll read your cup."
Harry nodded and looked around her office. She had a foe mirror sitting on a table in a corner along with a Sneakoscope and others he wasn't quite sure what they were.
"I believe you had something to ask me?"
"Oh, yeah , I do." Harry said putting down the cup, " I just wanted to know why Sirius Black is here. And I was wondering if I could talk to him?"
Casar's eyes flitted around the room. "Sirius Black, I didn't think the Ministry... " She trailed off nervously playing with a quill.
"I know that he was never caught, I know about this whole thing. I mean... I was pretty sure about who that dog was."
She looked relieved, "Oh, so you know, ok, well you just missed him, sorry."
Harry sighed and drained the cup and quickly swirling it with his left hand.
"I'd better leave then."
"Don't you want to hear what your cup has to say?" Casar asked polietly.
"Not really," Harry muttered, " Mine are never anything good."
"That's because Trelawny is a pessimest and a dramatizer," She said with a twinkle in her eyes. Their eyes locked and her pupils stretched and yellow-green became a dominent color. Harry looked away quickly and sat back down. From now on he was people's noses when they talked. Professor Casar leaned back and draped her legs over the chair's arms.
"Hmm, you've got a powerful enemy, you've got a secret that you haven't shared with anyone, let's see, a sword, that means you've got guts and rise to any challenge. Ugh, you will lose something and then get it back, greater than before."
"Odd." Was all Harry could say.
"Definatly." Professor Casar nodded,"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Harry looked over her shoulder at the table, " Are you an Auror."
She grinned, " So you noticed. Yeah, though not quite officially."
"How can you not be offical?" Harry asked confused.
"It's more of a pastime," She said getting up and moving to the table and fingering the Sneakoscope,"...obsession, I guess you could call it."
"A foe glass." Harry said picking up the mirror.
"Yeah, its really been annoying me lately," Professor Casar said fingering her black-purple hair thoughtfully, "I keep seeing something...a girl?...no, but anyway it keeps changing. Somedays I'll just see an owl or cat staring back at me, clear as can be." She was now chewing on her hair.
"What's this?" Harry asked, picking up a sphere that was constantly changing color and depth.
"Oh, this, you just hope it never does..." She stopped midsentence as the stuff inside turned instantly black then flared a brilliant white that momentarily blinded Harry. When the light died down Professor Casar was dashing for the door.
"Come on Harry I have a feeling I might need you." They sprinted through the castle, and rocketed down to the dungeons. Casar comae to a dead stop in front of a bare wall. She swore.
"I never remember the password!" Harry took the chance to lean over and catch his breath. He didn't have much time before Slytherin students were pouring out, some screaming, some crying. Professor Casar grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him with her against the flow of students. Harry, still not understanding what was going on, was amazed that Malfoy didn't say anything as Harry passed him. Do anything for that matter, Malfoy was merely staring around in shock. Casar evidently got what she wanted because she once again dragged Harry by the arm up to a 2nd year girl's dormitory. Professor led the way to the back corner where a girl was slumped.
"Dead." Pronounced Casar without checking. Harry opened his mouth to ask how she knew. Casar lifted a hand to silence him.
"That ball was a deathoscope. It flashes like that when an evil murder has happened."
"Clam down." Dumbledore's voice floated up to them. "Flitwick, take these students to the Great Hall, they will stay there for the night. Vector, all students are to report and stay in their common rooms." There was the sound of feet and the door opened.
"Potter!" Snape hissed, a smile starting on his greasy face, evidently he thought he had finally caught the famous Harry Potter in the act.
"Tierney?" Dumbledore asked putting a gently hand on Professor Casar's back.
"The Deathoscope." She snapped. Anger seemed to boil around her, her eyes turning the feral yellow-green that he had seen before. Harry looked around the room. The other teachers noticed too, escpcially Snape, his face a deathly pale and on it an expression of fear was etched into every part of his face. Dumbledore only watched with calculation in his eyes.
"I could have prevented it, goddammit!" She exploded throwing a punch at the hard stone wall...but her arm kept going all the way up to her elbow.
"Holy shit, there's something in here."
A/N2: oops, you thought I was done. Welll , what do you think? I need your reviews if I get enough people saying they want more I will type more, if not then I just won't complete it. (please review) I also want to say that the quote isn't mine it's Joyce Carol Oates, whoever she is. I also want to thank Mirielle for her 'professional' advice. He he! Well ,hope you liked it!