A Shared Dream, A Shared Destiny
A Harry Potter Fanfiction by Angelphish
Disclaimer: All the characters except Peyton Prewett belong to J.K. Rowling.
Note: If you haven't read my fic True Colors, read it! It will clear a couple of things up.
Big thanks to Zsenya, my awesome beta-reader.
Chapter One
As Harry slid onto platform nine and three quarters, he felt instant elation at what he saw. Running to him full out were his girlfriend Ginny and his best friend Ron. Dropping his trunk, he ran over to give Ginny a kiss and Ron, a firm hug.
"Its great to see you two! You won't believe what this past month has been like."
"Really?" asked Ron. After spending a wonderful month with the Weasleys, Harry had had to return to number four Privet Drive for the last week of July and all of August, much to Ron and Ginny's dismay. "What did you do? Turn that bullying git Dudley into a cockroach and flush him down the toilet?"
"Well, no," Harry said, "but the Dursley's are getting..." His voice trailed off.
"What are they getting?" prodded Ginny.
"A divorce," Harry said quietly.
"What? Why didn't you tell us?" exclaimed Ron.
"I don't know; I suppose I always thought it would never happen. I mean, their marriage is the perfect image of a normal, respectable life."
"Wow," whispered Ginny. "How's Dudley taking it?"
"See, that's the funny part. After the last fight before Uncle Vernon left, he came into my room and we actually talked for the first time in our lives."
"I guess it hit him hard," said Ron, shaking his head. "Sad."
"Yes, but if Dudley is acting quasi-human, then I suppose some good came from it."
To change the subject, Ron began to talk about the new teachers at Hogwarts.
"Hermione owled me over the summer! As a prefect, she knew all about the new teaching roster in June."
Harry couldn't help but notice that Ron got a far away look as he said this. Harry knew that Ron had been nursing a crush on their good friend since their tiff at the Yule Ball the previous year. However, as she was writing to Viktor Krum, the Triwizard champion from Durmstrang and an international Quidditch star, Ron felt he was out of the running.
Interrupting Ron's train of thought, Ginny burst into the conversation.
"Ya! We have a new Potions master! No more Snape!"
Ron and Harry exchanged a worried look; neither had heard anything about Snape since the night when Voldemort had risen. Where was he?
"You're never going to believe this," Ginny babbled on. "She was Charlie's old girlfriend while they were at Hogwarts!"
"What?!" exclaimed Harry.
"Its true," Ron confirmed. "If he hadn't been so hell-bent on chasing dragons, he would've married her. Quite a pair, Charlie and Peyton Prewett. She was almost as much of a jokester as the twins."
Something wasn't sitting right with Harry.
"Ron, didn't Voldemort kill the Prewetts?"
"She was the only one who lived. In those days, parents insisted that Dumbledore keep their children safe at Hogwarts, in case they were marked by the Death Eaters. But you don't know the worst of it. Her family was killed on Christmas eve of her first year."
Harry didn't know what to say. Another one, he thought bitterly. Another family destroyed by Voldemort. Why doesn't he just leave us alone?
***********
After a none-eventful journey to Hogwarts, Harry and Ron finally got a chance to speak to Hermione. On the train she was responsible for the first-years and hadn't had any time to talk to them. She was now sitting at a table with the rest of the prefects, two from each house. Representing Gryffindor were herself and Seamus Finnegan. From Ravenclaw, Harry saw Padma Patil and an unfamiliar sixth-year boy with blond hair. Hufflepuff was represented by Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley and an empty chair for Cedric. Cedric...Harry still had nightmares about that night. And from Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson and sixth-year Jim McNair, both smirking smugly. Harry had to laugh. For all the pull Lucius Malfoy had, he couldn't make his son a prefect. Draco, for his part, was scowling at anyone who looked at him.
After sighting her three friends, Hermione strolled in a dignified manner to the Gryfindor table. "Harry! Ron! I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed as they embraced.
"Good to see you too!" exclaimed Harry. "How's life as a prefect treating you?"
"Great! It's such an honor, even if I will have to keep tabs on you two prats; plus, it's great to show Malfoy that a Muggle-born can beat him out for prefect," she said with a wicked grin.
Ron said nothing, he simply stared at Hermione. She appeared to have matured over the summer. She walked with grace, and her intelligent expression lit up her face. Finally, Ron opened his mouth to speak.
"How's Viktor?"
"Pardon?"
"You are writing to Viktor Krum, aren't you?" Ron asked.
"Well, not anymore. We just kind of drifted out of touch, but we're friends still. I think we realized that a romantic relationship wasn't in the cards after all." Hermione sighed, then she gave Ron a curious look. "Why do you ask?"
"Er....Hermione, would you come for a walk with me after dinner?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged a Look; it wasn't like Ron to be this forward. However, if he was finally waking up to Hermione's charms, more power to him.
"Well, I have to show the first years to their rooms," Hermione said; Ron looked crestfallen. "But then we can go" she hurridly concluded, and Ron beamed.
"Great," he said. "I'll meet you in the common room."
Chapter Two
As soon as Ron had uttered this, the attention of the room shifted to the head table.
"I've got to go; I'll see you later, Ron!" said Hermione as she strolled to the prefect's table.
Grasping Ginny's hand, Harry followed Ron to the Gryffindor table and sat down to await Professor Dumbledore's address.
"Welcome, students and faculty, to what will be a year of changes at Hogwart's. Due to the unforeseen events of last term, we will be implementing a series of changes to the rules of our school. The first change is, no students are allowed to wander the grounds past seven o'clock in the evening."
A concerned buzzing erupted around the Great Hall. The students were all aware of the rise of Voldemort, but could he be near Hogwarts?
"This measure is for your safety. Although Voldemort has not been sighted in the vicinity, we are taking precautions to protect you. As you must all be aware, the boundaries of Hogwarts are bewitched to prevent unwanted wizards from Apparating into the castle or onto the grounds; however, although the grounds too are protected, that doesn't mean that they are impenetrable to Dark magic. So no carrying on outside the castle after hours."
"Secondly, I am aware of seven secret passages that lead to the village of Hogsmeade. Rest assured, these too are blocked and off limits to students."
"And finally, we are having some changes with our curriculum and faculty. First, the Care of Magical Creatures course has been temporarily disbanded due to the lack of a teacher; Rubeus Hagrid will not be with us this year, as he has business elsewhere. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts post is being filled by an old friend of mine, Ms. Arabella Figg."
Harry looked at the new teacher, and almost choked on his own breath. Crazy old Ms. Figg! It couldn't be-he never had any reason to think that she could be a witch.
"Ron!" he whispered urgently. "That's my old neighbor!"
"Of course it is!" Ron said. "You really thought that Dumbledore would leave you all alone with the Muggles without any protection? She's quite powerful, even if she doesn't look it. What I want to know is, where is Hagrid? Have you heard from him?"
Harry was about to respond that no, he hadn't, when he was interrupted by Dumbledore.
"And along those lines, I would like to take this moment to introduce our new Potions mistress, Miss Peyton Prewett."
Applause rang out at this announcement. Aside from the members of Slytherin house, no one had cared for the old Potions master, Professor Snape. However, as the new teacher stood up, gasps of admiration came from the students.
Standing before them was a beautiful, petite woman of about twenty-five years of age. She appeared to have a slender frame, which was somewhat concealed by her sleek black robe, held together at the neck with a silver brooch with a sapphire blue enamel eagle on it. In her ears glistened a pair of sapphire and emerald earrings. Her long reddish-brown waves were held back somewhat by a clip, yet a few tendrils had escaped to frame her perfect oval face. Her creamy complexion accentuated her emerald eyes and heart-shaped red mouth, which was in a bright smile at the moment.
"Blimey," whispered Ron. "No wonder Charlie fell hard for her."
As the new Potions mistress swept her robes aside so she could sit back down, Dumbledore said, "Well, that is all I have to tell you right now. So, without further ado, tuck in!"
At this announcement, platters of meat pies, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables piled up on the tables. Harry and Ron dug in. During the meal, Harry stared at Ginny. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to realize how he felt about her-it had definitely hit him hard. After the tragic events of the last term, she had been one of the few students to stand by him. During the summer when he had visited the Burrow, he had stayed up late at night talking with Ron and Ginny about what was to come at Hogwarts for the future. One balmy late July night, Harry and Ginny went for a stroll around the meadows surrounding the Weasley home. They found themselves talking about what the next term would be like, talking about their fears for the future and the terrors of their pasts. Harry remembered, as though through a haze, how he began to cry in front of Ginny, talking about how he ached for his murdered parents. Ginny had reached over to brush the tears off of his face, he caught her wrist, and they shared a kiss. It was tender, akward, passionate-everything a first kiss was supposed to be. Although they both had to endure teasing from Ron and the twins the next day coupled with silent disapproval from Percy, they were inseparable for the rest of the summer. Now back at Hogwart's, Harry mused how much easier it would be to face any challenges with Ginny and his two best friends by his side.
"Earth to Harry!" yelled Ron, snapping his fingers in front of his friend's face.
"Sorry," Harry mumbled. "Say, it looks like Hermione is coming back from the tour."
"Oh," Ron said in a faraway voice. "Ok, I'll see you two later then."
Harry and Ginny watched Ron shyly take Hermione's hand. After they had disappeared through the Fat Lady's portrait, Harry turned to Ginny and challenged her to a game of chess. It appeared to be a relaxing first day back at Hogwart's.
Chapter Three
The following morning, Harry and Ron reluctantly got out of bed, dressed, and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"So," Harry said coyly,"anything happen with Hermione?"
Ron blushed, then said, "Being the gentleman that I am, I refuse to kiss and tell."
"He who says that has nothing to tell," laughed Harry.
Ron was about to open his mouth to retort when Hermione and Ginny joined them from the girl's stairwell.
"Morning Ron," Hermione said shyly. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail today, and she was smiling at him.
"Hullo," Ron said. "Well, shall we?" he inquired, offering his arm to her. Hermione took it, and they left through the portrait to make their debut as a couple.
"Its about time!" Ginny blurted out as soon as they were out of hearing range. "My pigheaded brother!"
Harry burst out laughing. "Why, my sweet Virginia, whatever do you mean?"
"I mean, you didn't have to live with Ron while she was writing to Krum!" Ginny wailed. "I had to hear his rants every day!"
Still chuckling, Harry led Ginny down to the Great Hall for breakfast, where they received their schedules.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Divination, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, and Potions," sighed Ron.
"What I would like to know," gloomed Harry, "is how in the world we're supposed to hold Quidditch practice with all that rot."
"It is not rot!" Hermione interjected in a shrill voice. "Have you forgotten about O.W.L.'s?"
"No," Ron muttered.
"And you both know that you have to get high O.W.L.'s to get good jobs?"
"Yes," the two young men muttered together.
"Well then, that settles it," she said huffily. "No more complaining! And besides Ron," she said with a shy smile, "you know I'll help you. Late nights at the library."
Ron perked up, and the four of them made their way to class.
When he reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry found himself rushing in before the other students. He wanted more than anything to get some answers from his old neighbor.
As if sensing his arrival, Professor Figg turned around and said quietly, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me? Did you know my parents?"
"Yes, yes I did. I was quite good friends with your grandmother-that is, your father's mother. After everything that happened, I wanted to be able to keep an eye on you, even if it meant living as a Muggle. That is why I began to rent that retched house on Privet Drive. No imagination in architecture, those Muggles. However, I just couldn't give up on my cats. I'm sorry if you disliked them."
"No, that's OK." Harry felt dazed. "You knew my grandparents?"
The old woman smiled. "Indeed I did. I was in Gryffindor with your grandmother. Your grandfather was two years above us. My, it just about killed Maggie when he graduated. But he made up for it with a perfect ruby and diamond ring on her graduation day." She smiled a bit.
"Oh" was all he could think of to say.
"I'm sure you've heard it before, but you look just like James" Mrs. Figg said, her eyes misting. "Now, I have to conduct class, but please stop by for tea later. I would love to visit with you longer. No chocolate cake, I promise!"
Harry laughed with her, then took his seat next to Neville, as Hermione was now next to Ron.
After class, Harry and Neville walked to the greenhouses together for Herbology.
"So," Neville said slowly, "I hear you and Ginny are an item."
Harry cringed. After all, Neville had been her date to the Yule Ball. He had been dreaming of Cho, taken Parvati, and had a miserable time all around. That summer he had been kicking himself for not asking her, but it was too late then.
Much to his relief, Neville was smiling. "I'm happy for you. Say, we have this with the Hufflepuffs, don't we?"
"Yeah, why?"
Harry's question was answered, however, when he saw where Neville's gaze was directed. He was stealing glances at Hannah Abbott and blushing, while Hannah was looking at him and smiling.
Chuckling to himself, Harry settled at a tray of sundoffers, bright yellow flowers that emitted rays of golden sunshine and had the ability to cure a glum mood. As he carefully pruned off the dead pink petals, he couldn't help but overhear bits of Ron's conversation with Hermione.
"What do you mean, I'm not doing this right? Do you know how many detentions I've had out here? I think I know how to prune a bloody plant!"
"Ron, just listen to me. If you clip the yellow petals, the plant dies. The plant dies, we fail. We fail, and I will be quite miffed at you later, you can be sure of that!"
Ron began to grumble things about 'blasted plants', while Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes and began to hack at the poor plant, which began to emit a murky twilight color.
"Um, Hermione?" Harry began, but it was too late; the sundoffer was dead.
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" she shrieked.
Suddenly, Neville broke in. "Are you two going to be sniping at each other all day?" he asked shyly. However, the two houses laughed, and even Hermione saw the humor in the situation. Hannah looked at Neville with more admiration, and walked with him back to the castle, discussing the magic lavender she had planted in a box on her windowsill.
**********
Finally, the time came for Potions with their new teacher. Although Neville was trembling a bit, the rest of the Gryffindors were curious and excited.
However, the Slytherins were another story. "This is an outrage! How can they let a bubbleheaded girl teach this? And someone from one of the 'lesser' houses, no less!" exclaimed Draco Malfoy, to mute nods and scowls from the other Slytherins.
"Eat dung," retorted Ron. "She's very good at what she does."
"Oh yeah?" snorted Malfoy. "Does that include your dragon-loving brother, Weasley?"
Ordinarily, half of the Gryffindors would have had their wands at the ready to hex Malfoy into next week. However, a much more powerful force was right behind them.
Malfoy turned around and blanched pasty white, so white that his silver-blond hair appeared bright yellow by comparison. Standing there, stony-faced, was Peyton Prewett herself and Albus Dumbledore.
Finally, Miss Prewett broke the ice. "You're Lucius Malfoy's son, aren't you?" she said in an icy tone.
"Y-y-yes," stammered Draco, his eyes darting fearfully to Professor Dumbledore.
"Very well" Miss Prewett continued. "I would like a word with you after my class. Several, in fact."
Turning to the rest of the students, she said in a clear tone, "Will you grant Professor Dumbledore and myself ten minutes? I won't hold you over time, but I need a few moments to modify the classroom to my liking. Don't worry, I'll return it to Professor Snape's preferred doom and gloom atmosphere when my tenure here is up." And with that, she swept into the room, her high-heeled shoes clicking softly on the stone floor.
After Dumbledore had followed her and closed the heavy wooden door, peals of laughter erupted from the Gryffindors.
"Wow, I like her. She has spunk!" exclaimed Seamus.
"I know! And I just have to find out which charms she uses on her hair," said Lavender, lightly holding onto Seamus's arm and gibbering away with Parvati.
"Charlie's crazy" concluded Ron. "Women like that are hard to find," he said, turning to Hermione and blushing.
Harry just stood in amazement. He had never seen a teacher stand up to Malfoy like that. Regarding Malfoy, Harry noticed that he was leaning up against the wall and trying to not be noticed.
After ten minutes, Dumbledore exited and beckoned them into the classroom.
"Ooh, how pretty!" gasped Parvati, who was the first to enter.
Indeed, the drab dungeon had been transformed. Vines blooming with purple tiger lilies climbed up the wall around the blackboard, encircling it. The teacher's desk and the work tables had been replaced with soft grey marble. A wicker cage above the teacher's desk held a pair of doves, cooing softly. Snape's assortment of ugly glass containers had been replaced with clear crystal ones for potions and lilac glazed clay ones for specimens, and they were levitating softly about the room. However, the greatest change involved the lighting. Instead of the torches, the ceiling had been enchanted much like the one in the Great Hall, and clear blue sky shown out above them.
"Alright. Now that that is in order, let me introduce myself and outline my rules and plans for this year. As I'm sure you are all aware, my name is Peyton Prewett. Please call me Miss Prewett for now. I take my qualification exams to be promoted to a full Professor at Christmastime, and you may call me Professor Prewett next term. In my classes, there will be no horseplay. The substances you will be using are far too dangerous for any of you to be careless like that. You will wear protective gloves and goggles at all times. Girls, I notice most of you have your hair pulled off of your face. Good. Please ensure that it is secured back for each lesson. As this is the final lesson of the day, if you have any questions, I expect you to ask them in the fifteen minutes after class. Now, as you are all fifth years, my main objective is to prepare you for your O.W.L.'s. I intend to do this. And finally, I want this class to be a fun and educational experience for all of us, myself included. Are there any questions?"
As nobody's hand rose, she said, "Excellent! Now please turn in your books to page 15. Here you will see a recipe for a potion I like to call 'Gloomaway', after my favorite Muggle-made soap. In actuality, it is called Cheer Tonic. As you have all worked with sundoffers, which are the key ingredient, I thought this would be a good potion to start with. With recent events, I thought we could all use a little something to keep gloom at bay."
Harry thought it was just his imagination, but she seemed to get a very cold, pained look as she said this.
After the class completed their potions and poured them into small vials to take with them, Miss Prewett cried out "Malfoy!"
As Malfoy slunk to her desk, Harry, Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and silently agreed: They could not miss this. After leaving the room, they gently pushed the door open a bit and strained their ears to hear.
"So," Miss Prewett said. "I suppose you know why you are here?"
Draco said nothing.
"Well, I will tell you then. How dare you make a comment like that about one of your teachers. I suppose you're just like your father-no respect for anything. Now understand this-you may have been able to throw around your name with your old Potions master, but it will not work with me. Keep your nose clean, do your work, and I just may pass you. And let me tell you something, young mister Malfoy," she seethed, her voice dripping with rage. "Your father does not intimidate me. I know what he truly is, and it sickens me. I know the deep secrets of your family. You think about that. Chew on that for dinner before you fire off your mouth again. That's fifty points from Slytherin. Get out of my classroom before I make it one hundred. Dismissed."
The three students listening at the door quickly took off in the opposite direction from the Slytherin common room. As soon as they heard Malfoy leave, they backtracked past the dungeon once more. As they passed, Harry caught a glimpse into the room, and was shocked by what he saw. Miss Prewett was curled up in a heap on the floor holding her brooch to her ear and sobbing, painful wracking sobs which rendered tears large enough to splash onto the cold stone floor.
What was that all about? He wondered before running to catch up to his two friends.
Chapter Four
Soon it was Halloween at Hogwarts, and the Great Hall was festooned with enchanted pumpkins, dancing skeletons, and the hallways smelled of mulled spice mixed with pumpkin tart. On Halloween night, the students in Gryffindor gorged themselves on sweets which Fred and George had nicked from the kitchens.
Although Hermione had initially fretted about this bout of rule-breaking, a quick squeeze about the waist from Ron had put her at ease, and she even joined in the Exploding Snap tournament.
Harry and Ginny, meanwhile, elected to remain in a quite corner of the room to talk about the developments of the past few months. Since September, Ron and Hermione had officially become a couple. However, more sinister happenings had been occurring in the wizarding world. The Dark Mark had been reported over numerous homes. Even worse, the Ministry of Magic was denying any of these sightings. Minister Fudge was determined to turn a blind eye to all the chaos in the wizarding community. And judging from Harry's uncensored correspondence from Sirius and Professor Lupin, many things were happening indeed.
"Can you believe all of this?" wondered Ginny. "I can't even trust my own brother
anymore."
"Percy? Why do you say that?" inquired Harry.
"Well, you must know that Dad's about fed up with the Ministry. He wants to quit, and he's trying to talk Percy into quitting also. But Percy just got promoted, and he's planning on asking Penelope to marry him at Christmas. So he reasons that he can't lose his job if they're going to buy a home. He just doesn't understand that with Voldemort on the loose, there is no guaranty that he will have a home. He's turning a blind eye."
"Ginny, I'm sure your brother would never endanger your family."
"I hope not."
They sat in silence for a moment, when Ginny suddenly said "You don't care for Halloween, do you Harry?"
Harry sighed. "No, I really don't. When I was younger I just let all the festivities distract me. Now, I can't help but feel that what happened to my parents is going to happen to me."
Ginny got up from her chair and moved over to sit on his lap. Silently they hugged, and they then remained that way until they drifted off to sleep.
**********
What a strange feeling, Harry marveled as his Firebolt tore through the night air. I don't even recall fetching it from my room. I wonder where it's taking me?
Eventually his broomstick took a sharp dive towards an old house. Harry thought it looked vaguely familiar as he came to a halt next to a window.
"So Lucius, tell me again how the Ravenclaw brat put your son in his place" mused a cold voice.
Harry started in fear. He knew that voice all too well...
"My lord," Lucius said in a tight voice, "she did nothing of the sort. He remains faithful."
"I see. Then why has he not spoken a word at that school? Why has he been docile? Why has he not reported faithfully to you each week about the Potter boy?"
Lucius said nothing. The cold voice continued.
"Perhaps you do not want to report a weakness of your son, fearing it will be seen as a weakness of you. However, slippery though you are, I know you are not weak. And thus I can only think of one source for his weakness."
"My lord, no."
"I am afraid, the answer is yes. Call for Narcissa."
Silence.
"Very well. You need persuasion. CRUCIO!!!"
Lucius screamed. Voldemort looked at him, impassive.
"How sentimental. You so remind me of James Potter, dying for his Tiger Lily and baby son."
At these words, Malfoy crawled to the fireplace and spoke his wife's name. A half-minute later she tumbled from the fireplace, still in her dressing gown.
"My lord," she said softly. "Whatever do you want?"
Voldemort idly twirled his wand before saying, "Your weak blood."
"NO!" screamed Lucius as a blast of green light engulfed his pale, blonde wife.
**********
Harry woke with a jolt of pain, startling Ginny. His scar burned under her touch.
"Another nightmare?" she said tensely.
"Yes. Narcissa Malfoy. Dead. Voldemort." He said in rapid-fire bursts.
Ginny said nothing; she merely did her best to comfort his pain.
Little did they know that in another area of the castle, a young witch lay wide-awake after having the same dream.
Chapter Five
The next couple of months flew by, and it was time for end-of-term exams. News of Narcissa Malfoy's death had spread throughout the castle the day after Halloween. Although many students appeared to be sympathetic to Draco, he would have none of it. He appeared to go into an emotional lockdown, and quickly signed up to return to Malfoy Manor over the holidays.
Miss Prewett was promoted to Professor Prewett after successfully completing her tenure as a partly-qualified teacher. A great ceremony was held to award her the new title just after exams. However, she had seemed under a great deal of stress since Halloween. No one could figure out what it was, and chalked it up to her qualification exams.
Unlike in prior years, many parents requested that their students remain at Hogwarts over the holidays. Consequently, Gryffindor tower was bursting at the seams on Christmas Eve.
Students were running about the common room, dashing outdoors to take advantage of the snow for splendid snowball fights, and drinking hot chocolate and playing chess by the fireplace.
That night, Harry and Ron were hanging out on their own-Hermione and Ginny wanted to go to bed early, although Harry suspected they wanted to gossip and wrap presents.
"So," Harry began "Ginny told me about Percy's big plans for tonight."
Ron chuckled, "Can you believe it? Mum always thought Charlie would be the first. Although he almost was, come to think of it."
Harry was about to reply, when Dumbledore's head appeared in the fire and asked them to report immediately to his office.
Harry and Ron exchanged a concerned look before climbing out of the portrait hole, walking the familiar path to Dumbledore's quarters, murmuring "Drooble's gum" to the stone Gargoyle, and entering.
**********
"Harry?" Dumbledore began. "Professor Prewett expressed an interest in seeing you and Mr. Weasley tonight."
"Oh?" said Ron, as they looked at their Professor.
Professor Prewett smiled weakly. "Yes, oh. Harry, I believe you had a dream on Halloween night?"
"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.
"Because I had the same dream. Because we have a similar history. So just sit tight while I explain this to both of you."
Turning to Ron, she inquired, "You grew up knowing my family, Ron. Did you ever wonder why my home was named Raven's Cliff?"
Ron simply shook his head.
"Harry," she continued, "are you curious as to why I had the same dream, and why it woke me up that night?"
Harry nodded.
"And I'm sure you have both noticed my brooch. It's very old, and very precious to me. You see, through this brooch I can hear my departed ancestors. It is enchanted to carry the voices of the descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw herself."
"You can't be..." Harry trailed off.
"I am," she stated, "the last remaining descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw."
**********
Harry simply stared at her mutely. The heiress of Ravenclaw? He never even knew there was an heiress, or an heir for that matter. Although he was familiar with Voldemort as the heir of Slytherin and himself as the heir of Gryffindor (see A Sirius Visit by Zsenya), he had never even given much of a though to the other houses.
"May I continue?" she asked shyly.
"Of course," Dumbledore said kindly.
"As I am sure you are both aware, Hogwarts was founded by the four greatest witches and wizards of their time. However, I am not sure you are aware of the alliance between Godric Gryffnndor and Rowena Ravenclaw. Neither of them cared for Salazar Slytherin's pureblood ideal. And while Helga Hufflepuff kept to herself, Rowena took a definite stand with Godric. That is why to this day, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are often closely allied. Rowena herself had my family's home constructed using materials given by Godric. At the end of her life, she enchanted this brooch to always carry her legacy in the form of voice. And Ron, I feel you should know this next part. Your family is connected with mine, you see. Your mother and my mother were in Gryffindor together. That is why Charlie and I were so close throughout our youth. My grandmother was angry at the thought of her son, her only child, marrying a Muggle-born witch from outside the house of Ravenclaw. As a consequence, my mother and father had to live at the family home, and I grew up knowing the Weasley children."
She took a deep breath, and continued.
"As for the dream...Harry, I am sure you know of Lucius Malfoy being a Death Eater. However, I learned this firsthand during my first year. I was very upset about not being able to go home from Hogwarts, so my grandmother enchanted both our hall mirror and a handheld mirror for me to be able to see what was happening in our home on Christmas Eve. The mirrors worked so that I could see whatever the hall mirror reflected in my hand mirror. I saw much more than I wanted to. I saw our door burst open; I heard the screams; I watched as my grandparents, my mum and dad, and my five-year old brother Richard died in a flash of green light. After the murders, Voldemort beckoned the Death Eater to remove his mask. That was when I saw him. Lucius Malfoy smirking at my dead family, idly fingering the brooch at my grandmother's neck."
"After these events, I would have shut down if not for Charlie. Ron, your brother saved me, emotionally and spriritually. I will be forever grateful to him for that. He told your father to retrieve the brooch, and he then presented it to me Christmas night. I still love your brother, but we grew apart. It happens to the best of us."
"Getting back to the dream, I reckon I was supposed to see it-to see Malfoy get what he deserved. However, I can't feel malicious about it. I just feel a great sense of loss for another family destroyed by the Death Eaters."
She stopped talking and closed her eyes.
"Now, I would like for Ron to come with me. Harry, you may return to your room."
And with that, she swept from the office, taking Ron with her and leaving Harry buzzing with questions.
**********
Harry waited up for Ron in the common room. Malfoy. How could he?
He heard a rustle from the Fat Lady, and saw Ron enter, carrying a small box.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Her and Charlie's engagement ring," he said, showing Harry an antique diamond and platinum filigree ring.
"Wow. Why'd she want you to have it?"
"It's actually an old family heirloom; it belonged to my grandmother. She told me to keep it 'until the time is right'." Ron said, blushing.
"And when will that time be?" Harry asked.
"Honestly? I don't know," sighed Ron. "I love Hermione, but we're both fifteen. Besides, even if Voldemort is defeated by the time we graduate, things change. She said so herself."
"Yes, but if you truly love..." Harry began, but he was cut off by Ron.
"Do you love Ginny?" he said.
"Well, I....I believe so," Harry said, rubbing the bridge of his nose in thought.
"Well, maybe our times will come," Ron said, pocketing the ring. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"She said if you ever feel like you are alone, just remember that the spirit of Godric and Rowena live through the two of you. She will always be there if you need an ally, or a friend."
Then Ron did something he rarely did. He gave Harry a great hug. Harry returned the hug, and they silently moved up the stairs.
Chapter Six
With the coming of the new term came the year's first visit to Hogsmeade. Although the first visit traditionally took place in the fall, Professor Dumbledore wanted to make sure that the village was safe for the students. Seeing as how Voldemort had not been seen in England, the trip was arranged.
Two days before the visit to Hogsmeade, Harry received two letters during breakfast. One was carried by a sleek gray owl, the other by a dove.
Harry tore open the first one, which read:
Harry,
Would you be kind enough to meet us on the road beyond the Shrieking Shack this Saturday? We have urgent business to discuss. Feel free to bring Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Beyond your three friends, speak of this to no one, and destroy this letter after you have read it.
Best Regards,
R.J. Lupin and Sirius Black
Harry tapped the letter with his wand and murmured, "Incindio!" As it burned to flames, he turned his attention to the dove's letter:
Mr. Potter-
I received a letter from one R.J. Lupin asking for a rendezvous in Hogsmeade this Saturday. As I understand it you received one too. Will you please meet me in the Potions classroom at six o'clock this evening? Destroy this letter, and send me your reply by Psyche. Thank you.
Prof. Peyton Prewett
After burning that letter and sending his reply with the dove, Harry went to his classes.
**********
At six o'clock that evening, Harry went to the Potions room for his meeting with Professor Prewett. She was walking about the classroom, recapping the specimen jars. Finally, he knocked on the door.
"Harry!" she cried. "I almost forgot about our meeting. Please come in. Would you like some tea? Hot chocolate? I have strawberry tarts also."
"Tea and a tart, thank you," he said, as she conjured up a silver teakettle and a small tin of tea. After a few minutes they were both holding pale blue cups of steaming tea and had settled in to begin their talk.
"You named your dove Psyche?" he said, looking at the wicker cage.
"Yes. Cupid and Psyche. From the Greek myth about the meeting of love and the soul." she said with a smile. "Now, about Saturday-"
"Professor," Harry cut in, "I think I should tell you-we will be meeting with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."
"I know," she said, taking a sip of tea. "Dumbledore told me the whole story. Part of the reason I was appointed to this post was because of who I am, in terms of lineage. As such, I can be a powerful ally. And I asked you to come here along those grounds."
"What do you mean?" Harry inquired.
"Draco Malfoy. Have you noticed his behavior has been a bit, well, off lately? He hasn't been taunting you and your friends, he's been civil in my class, he hasn't been throwing his weight around as the son of a Death Eater."
Harry was about to open his mouth to say something derisive about Malfoy, when he realized she was right-he had been acting odd ever since Halloween. He allowed Professor Prewett to continue.
"Now, I see Malfoy as being in a precarious situation. If we can turn him against the Dark side by convincing him that his mother was murdered for no good reason, then we may be able to convince him to ally with us. However, time is running out. Harry, we must be able to talk to him. However, our only evidence as of late is the dream. That is why I am hoping that Saturday will be fruitful."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, nibbling on a tart.
"I mean Sirius has been working as a spy. He's been spying on Malfoy Manor in animagus form, poking around for evidence that Lucius turned his wife over to Voldemort that night."
"How do you know what Sirius has been doing?"
"Let's just say that you are not his only correspondent. He's a good man who has gotten a raw deal in life."
Harry put up his teacup, and Professor Prewett bid him goodbye.
**********
Saturday morning dawned clear and cool. Harry got out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants, a sweater and his cloak, and he and Ron made their way to the common room to meet Ginny and Hermione.
"Can't you even tell me what this is all about?" griped Ron.
"Not until we see the girls. They have to know too."
As they neared the common room, they heard bits of a conversation between Hermione, Ginny and an unknown female voice. As the entered, they saw Professor Prewett, dressed in a black Muggle sweater and slacks, entertaining the two girls with a story about a prank she pulled in Hogsmeade during her last visit as a student.
"...and Madam Rosmerta had no clue! Dancing Draught instead of Butterbeer! Poor Professor Flitwick, he was forced to dance an aerial Muggle swing routine with a very tipsy Professor Sinistra and he barely comes up to her waist!"
Ron suddenly burst out laughing at this mental image, while Harry inquired what she was doing in the Gryffindor common room.
"Harry, I grew up around future Gryffindors. My mother was a Gryffindor. And Charlie and I played so many games of chess here while we were in school. I always felt more comfortable here-I long ago wondered if my grandmother bewitched the Sorting Hat to place me in Ravenclaw, because heaven knows I'm not a typical Ravenclaw. Besides, I'm a teacher, which gives me the right to go into any common room I please."
Harry supposed that made sense-he had never heard of a Ravenclaw switching the Butterbeer taps with Dancing Draught. Then he decided it was time to tell Ginny and Hermione about their business for the day.
"Um, I hope the two of you didn't have any set plans. We're supposed to meet Professor Lupin and Sirius for a conference. I can't really tell you the details until we reach them, but they wanted you two to come."
Hermione and Ginny nodded, and Professor Prewett stood up, briskly clapped her hands, and said, "Right! Well, I've packed a ham, a loaf of bread and a chocolate pie for lunch. We can eat while we talk to them. Let's go."
The five of them pulled on black cloaks and scarves, then set out for Hogsmeade.
**********
Their party made their way to the edge of the village. Finally, they spotted Professor Lupin in tattered robes leading a huge shaggy black dog.
Professor Prewett stepped forward. "Remus! We meet again. I must say that this is an extraodinary creature. My family raised Newfoundlands-what is so funny?"
Harry had burst into laughter. "That's no ordinary dog. We'll show you in the cave."
"Actually, Professor Dumbledore has been kind enough to rent us a small cottage about a mile outside of town," said Remus. "We'll be going there."
Upon reaching the cottage, Harry reached down to scratch Sirius's ears and muttered, "Well Padfoot, maybe you should show her now."
Professor Prewett looked puzzled, then gasped as Sirius Black appeared with a small pop.
"I-I'm so sorry," she said. "I just assumed that Remus had a dog and that you would be waiting back here." She was blushing.
"Quite all right," said Sirius with a grin. "We make quite a pair, the town werewolf and his lovable mutt."
Remus gave a thin smile, then suggested they move into the house for their meeting.
After the ham and bread had been laid out for lunch, Professor Prewett inquired, "Have you found any evidence for our case, Sirius?"
"Actually, Peyton, I have. Upon the urging of Mister Moony here, I enchanted a Muggle tape recorder to monitor conversation in Malfoy Manor. Just listen to this." He pulled out a black plastic object and hit a button labeled 'play'.
"I suppose Narcissa could be disposed of. Above all, I will need to turn Draco against the Ravenclaw. He is easily persuaded; he will listen to me."
"My lord Malfoy, can he be turned like that? His mother is dead. Our Dark Lord killed her to flush out weakness in your family; it was not an accident."
"Oh Peter. You of little faith, little talent and little mind. My son resents the Ravenclaw. She humiliated him on the first day of term. I will simply have to act broken up and say that Narcissa was killed because of an accident, a horrible accident. Damn Prewett brat. We should have just finished her off. Half- breed. She is making my life difficult."
Sirius shut off the tape recorder, and Professor Prewett was breathing hard, chewing on her thumbnail.
"Half-breed? Brat? And he really thinks his son will buy that load of bull about an accident? Arrogant bastard." After taking a few calming breaths, she asked, "What do you need of us?"
"Well," began Remus, "We will first be needing you all to take this tape player back to the castle. Professor, you will need to hold Draco after your class to play this tape to him. And this is where you four come in" he indicated to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Ginny, you will need to meet Harry following Potions. Ron and Hermione, you two will join them. The four of you will linger outside the classroom while Professor Prewett plays that tape for Draco. Give him a few minutes to absorb what he has heard. Then, if he makes no move to leave the dungeon, go inside, offer consolation." At this Ron snorted and Harry glared. Remus sighed. "I know it won't be easy, but it must be done. You don't even have to be his friends. Just let him know the various ways you have suffered directly and indirectly at the hands of Voldemort. If he is sufficiently affected, he may wish to ally himself with our side. If not, then I want you all to write back to us immediately. Understood?"
Mutely, they nodded. Then Professor Prewett said, "Well, we're in Hogsmeade, which means Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I'll race you lot, and the loser treats the table!" And with that, she took off on foot, to the shock of Ron, Ginny and Hermione who raced after her and to the amusement of Harry, who remained to speak to Sirius in private.
"So" Sirius said, "I imagine she's a vast improvement over the Snaper, eh? She acts like she's not a day over sixteen."
"Well, she's had a lot of sorrow in her life. I think that joking is her way of making up for it. She mentioned that she was writing to you. Since she was appointed, I reckon?"
Sirius smiled. "Actually, would you believe me if I said we've been corresponding off and on since I escaped with Buckbeak?"
"Um, no" Harry said, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me? And how did you begin writing to her?"
"Well, after Remus resigned, Dumbledore wanted him to meet with a rather charismatic young lady who dreamed of returning to Hogwarts as a teacher. She had studied at Beauxbatons' sister academy, Belleroyale in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana. You know, in the States. The school has an exceptional reputation for training advance Potion brewers. Although Remus couldn't recommend her for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, he recognized that she would be a wonderful Potions master if Snape ever had to leave. In addition to that, she could brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him. Well, she began to rent a room in London and worked at the apothecary. Once a month, she would take four days to come to Remus's cottage and brew the potion, then keep him company while he still felt ill from his transformation. During an early stay, he told her the truth about me-except for the animagus bit, hence her surprise. So she wrote me a letter saying that she knew the truth but could be trusted-she was allied with Dumbledore and would never do anything to harm myself or Remus. I must say it was a bit of a shock to see her in the flesh-she looks so much like your mother. Every bit as kind too." Sirius had a far-away look in his eyes as he said this. "Well, you had better hurry off if you want any Butterbeer."
Harry took the tape deck, promised to write soon, and hurried down the path to Hogsmeade.
**********
The following week, Professor Prewett seemed to be on edge. Finally, on Friday, she pulled Draco aside before class and asked him to remain for a few minutes after class so she could discuss something with him. With a final look at Harry as the rest of the class filed out, she shut the door and played the tape for Draco.
After what seemed an eternity, she called for Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to come in. They weren't sure what to expect, but Malfoy was sitting quietly facing the chalkboard, his shoulders hunched. Finally, he spoke.
"Come to have a good gloat, Weasley?"
"No," said Ron, shocked. "I wouldn't gloat over this."
Malfoy turned to face them. "Funny. Mum always stuck up for me when Dad started harping on me for something. I loved her for that." He drew a shaky breath. "Is that all I mean to him? A puppet for Voldemort?"
"Look...Draco," Harry began, trying out the name, "This is truly horrible. I know you must be hurting. We understand. Each of us has somehow suffered either directly or indirectly because of Voldemort. The choice is yours-you can join us or not."
Professor Prewett spoke. "Draco, I'm sorry I yelled at you at the start of last term. However, are you aware that your father helped Voldemort murder my family?"
"No," he said quietly. He looked numb.
"Well, he did. And I made the mistake of assuming like father, like son. I'm sorry."
Draco looked around, then said, "You really trust me?"
"Yes," said Hermione.
"We do," said Ron.
"Alright," said Draco. "Well, I should owl Father and tell him not to expect me for Easter then." And he left.
Gazing after him, Ginny murmured, "What do we do now?"
"Wait it out, Gin," answered Harry, lightly kissing the top of her head. "Wait and see."
A Harry Potter Fanfiction by Angelphish
Disclaimer: All the characters except Peyton Prewett belong to J.K. Rowling.
Note: If you haven't read my fic True Colors, read it! It will clear a couple of things up.
Big thanks to Zsenya, my awesome beta-reader.
Chapter One
As Harry slid onto platform nine and three quarters, he felt instant elation at what he saw. Running to him full out were his girlfriend Ginny and his best friend Ron. Dropping his trunk, he ran over to give Ginny a kiss and Ron, a firm hug.
"Its great to see you two! You won't believe what this past month has been like."
"Really?" asked Ron. After spending a wonderful month with the Weasleys, Harry had had to return to number four Privet Drive for the last week of July and all of August, much to Ron and Ginny's dismay. "What did you do? Turn that bullying git Dudley into a cockroach and flush him down the toilet?"
"Well, no," Harry said, "but the Dursley's are getting..." His voice trailed off.
"What are they getting?" prodded Ginny.
"A divorce," Harry said quietly.
"What? Why didn't you tell us?" exclaimed Ron.
"I don't know; I suppose I always thought it would never happen. I mean, their marriage is the perfect image of a normal, respectable life."
"Wow," whispered Ginny. "How's Dudley taking it?"
"See, that's the funny part. After the last fight before Uncle Vernon left, he came into my room and we actually talked for the first time in our lives."
"I guess it hit him hard," said Ron, shaking his head. "Sad."
"Yes, but if Dudley is acting quasi-human, then I suppose some good came from it."
To change the subject, Ron began to talk about the new teachers at Hogwarts.
"Hermione owled me over the summer! As a prefect, she knew all about the new teaching roster in June."
Harry couldn't help but notice that Ron got a far away look as he said this. Harry knew that Ron had been nursing a crush on their good friend since their tiff at the Yule Ball the previous year. However, as she was writing to Viktor Krum, the Triwizard champion from Durmstrang and an international Quidditch star, Ron felt he was out of the running.
Interrupting Ron's train of thought, Ginny burst into the conversation.
"Ya! We have a new Potions master! No more Snape!"
Ron and Harry exchanged a worried look; neither had heard anything about Snape since the night when Voldemort had risen. Where was he?
"You're never going to believe this," Ginny babbled on. "She was Charlie's old girlfriend while they were at Hogwarts!"
"What?!" exclaimed Harry.
"Its true," Ron confirmed. "If he hadn't been so hell-bent on chasing dragons, he would've married her. Quite a pair, Charlie and Peyton Prewett. She was almost as much of a jokester as the twins."
Something wasn't sitting right with Harry.
"Ron, didn't Voldemort kill the Prewetts?"
"She was the only one who lived. In those days, parents insisted that Dumbledore keep their children safe at Hogwarts, in case they were marked by the Death Eaters. But you don't know the worst of it. Her family was killed on Christmas eve of her first year."
Harry didn't know what to say. Another one, he thought bitterly. Another family destroyed by Voldemort. Why doesn't he just leave us alone?
***********
After a none-eventful journey to Hogwarts, Harry and Ron finally got a chance to speak to Hermione. On the train she was responsible for the first-years and hadn't had any time to talk to them. She was now sitting at a table with the rest of the prefects, two from each house. Representing Gryffindor were herself and Seamus Finnegan. From Ravenclaw, Harry saw Padma Patil and an unfamiliar sixth-year boy with blond hair. Hufflepuff was represented by Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley and an empty chair for Cedric. Cedric...Harry still had nightmares about that night. And from Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson and sixth-year Jim McNair, both smirking smugly. Harry had to laugh. For all the pull Lucius Malfoy had, he couldn't make his son a prefect. Draco, for his part, was scowling at anyone who looked at him.
After sighting her three friends, Hermione strolled in a dignified manner to the Gryfindor table. "Harry! Ron! I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed as they embraced.
"Good to see you too!" exclaimed Harry. "How's life as a prefect treating you?"
"Great! It's such an honor, even if I will have to keep tabs on you two prats; plus, it's great to show Malfoy that a Muggle-born can beat him out for prefect," she said with a wicked grin.
Ron said nothing, he simply stared at Hermione. She appeared to have matured over the summer. She walked with grace, and her intelligent expression lit up her face. Finally, Ron opened his mouth to speak.
"How's Viktor?"
"Pardon?"
"You are writing to Viktor Krum, aren't you?" Ron asked.
"Well, not anymore. We just kind of drifted out of touch, but we're friends still. I think we realized that a romantic relationship wasn't in the cards after all." Hermione sighed, then she gave Ron a curious look. "Why do you ask?"
"Er....Hermione, would you come for a walk with me after dinner?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged a Look; it wasn't like Ron to be this forward. However, if he was finally waking up to Hermione's charms, more power to him.
"Well, I have to show the first years to their rooms," Hermione said; Ron looked crestfallen. "But then we can go" she hurridly concluded, and Ron beamed.
"Great," he said. "I'll meet you in the common room."
Chapter Two
As soon as Ron had uttered this, the attention of the room shifted to the head table.
"I've got to go; I'll see you later, Ron!" said Hermione as she strolled to the prefect's table.
Grasping Ginny's hand, Harry followed Ron to the Gryffindor table and sat down to await Professor Dumbledore's address.
"Welcome, students and faculty, to what will be a year of changes at Hogwart's. Due to the unforeseen events of last term, we will be implementing a series of changes to the rules of our school. The first change is, no students are allowed to wander the grounds past seven o'clock in the evening."
A concerned buzzing erupted around the Great Hall. The students were all aware of the rise of Voldemort, but could he be near Hogwarts?
"This measure is for your safety. Although Voldemort has not been sighted in the vicinity, we are taking precautions to protect you. As you must all be aware, the boundaries of Hogwarts are bewitched to prevent unwanted wizards from Apparating into the castle or onto the grounds; however, although the grounds too are protected, that doesn't mean that they are impenetrable to Dark magic. So no carrying on outside the castle after hours."
"Secondly, I am aware of seven secret passages that lead to the village of Hogsmeade. Rest assured, these too are blocked and off limits to students."
"And finally, we are having some changes with our curriculum and faculty. First, the Care of Magical Creatures course has been temporarily disbanded due to the lack of a teacher; Rubeus Hagrid will not be with us this year, as he has business elsewhere. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts post is being filled by an old friend of mine, Ms. Arabella Figg."
Harry looked at the new teacher, and almost choked on his own breath. Crazy old Ms. Figg! It couldn't be-he never had any reason to think that she could be a witch.
"Ron!" he whispered urgently. "That's my old neighbor!"
"Of course it is!" Ron said. "You really thought that Dumbledore would leave you all alone with the Muggles without any protection? She's quite powerful, even if she doesn't look it. What I want to know is, where is Hagrid? Have you heard from him?"
Harry was about to respond that no, he hadn't, when he was interrupted by Dumbledore.
"And along those lines, I would like to take this moment to introduce our new Potions mistress, Miss Peyton Prewett."
Applause rang out at this announcement. Aside from the members of Slytherin house, no one had cared for the old Potions master, Professor Snape. However, as the new teacher stood up, gasps of admiration came from the students.
Standing before them was a beautiful, petite woman of about twenty-five years of age. She appeared to have a slender frame, which was somewhat concealed by her sleek black robe, held together at the neck with a silver brooch with a sapphire blue enamel eagle on it. In her ears glistened a pair of sapphire and emerald earrings. Her long reddish-brown waves were held back somewhat by a clip, yet a few tendrils had escaped to frame her perfect oval face. Her creamy complexion accentuated her emerald eyes and heart-shaped red mouth, which was in a bright smile at the moment.
"Blimey," whispered Ron. "No wonder Charlie fell hard for her."
As the new Potions mistress swept her robes aside so she could sit back down, Dumbledore said, "Well, that is all I have to tell you right now. So, without further ado, tuck in!"
At this announcement, platters of meat pies, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables piled up on the tables. Harry and Ron dug in. During the meal, Harry stared at Ginny. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to realize how he felt about her-it had definitely hit him hard. After the tragic events of the last term, she had been one of the few students to stand by him. During the summer when he had visited the Burrow, he had stayed up late at night talking with Ron and Ginny about what was to come at Hogwarts for the future. One balmy late July night, Harry and Ginny went for a stroll around the meadows surrounding the Weasley home. They found themselves talking about what the next term would be like, talking about their fears for the future and the terrors of their pasts. Harry remembered, as though through a haze, how he began to cry in front of Ginny, talking about how he ached for his murdered parents. Ginny had reached over to brush the tears off of his face, he caught her wrist, and they shared a kiss. It was tender, akward, passionate-everything a first kiss was supposed to be. Although they both had to endure teasing from Ron and the twins the next day coupled with silent disapproval from Percy, they were inseparable for the rest of the summer. Now back at Hogwart's, Harry mused how much easier it would be to face any challenges with Ginny and his two best friends by his side.
"Earth to Harry!" yelled Ron, snapping his fingers in front of his friend's face.
"Sorry," Harry mumbled. "Say, it looks like Hermione is coming back from the tour."
"Oh," Ron said in a faraway voice. "Ok, I'll see you two later then."
Harry and Ginny watched Ron shyly take Hermione's hand. After they had disappeared through the Fat Lady's portrait, Harry turned to Ginny and challenged her to a game of chess. It appeared to be a relaxing first day back at Hogwart's.
Chapter Three
The following morning, Harry and Ron reluctantly got out of bed, dressed, and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"So," Harry said coyly,"anything happen with Hermione?"
Ron blushed, then said, "Being the gentleman that I am, I refuse to kiss and tell."
"He who says that has nothing to tell," laughed Harry.
Ron was about to open his mouth to retort when Hermione and Ginny joined them from the girl's stairwell.
"Morning Ron," Hermione said shyly. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail today, and she was smiling at him.
"Hullo," Ron said. "Well, shall we?" he inquired, offering his arm to her. Hermione took it, and they left through the portrait to make their debut as a couple.
"Its about time!" Ginny blurted out as soon as they were out of hearing range. "My pigheaded brother!"
Harry burst out laughing. "Why, my sweet Virginia, whatever do you mean?"
"I mean, you didn't have to live with Ron while she was writing to Krum!" Ginny wailed. "I had to hear his rants every day!"
Still chuckling, Harry led Ginny down to the Great Hall for breakfast, where they received their schedules.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Divination, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, and Potions," sighed Ron.
"What I would like to know," gloomed Harry, "is how in the world we're supposed to hold Quidditch practice with all that rot."
"It is not rot!" Hermione interjected in a shrill voice. "Have you forgotten about O.W.L.'s?"
"No," Ron muttered.
"And you both know that you have to get high O.W.L.'s to get good jobs?"
"Yes," the two young men muttered together.
"Well then, that settles it," she said huffily. "No more complaining! And besides Ron," she said with a shy smile, "you know I'll help you. Late nights at the library."
Ron perked up, and the four of them made their way to class.
When he reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry found himself rushing in before the other students. He wanted more than anything to get some answers from his old neighbor.
As if sensing his arrival, Professor Figg turned around and said quietly, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me? Did you know my parents?"
"Yes, yes I did. I was quite good friends with your grandmother-that is, your father's mother. After everything that happened, I wanted to be able to keep an eye on you, even if it meant living as a Muggle. That is why I began to rent that retched house on Privet Drive. No imagination in architecture, those Muggles. However, I just couldn't give up on my cats. I'm sorry if you disliked them."
"No, that's OK." Harry felt dazed. "You knew my grandparents?"
The old woman smiled. "Indeed I did. I was in Gryffindor with your grandmother. Your grandfather was two years above us. My, it just about killed Maggie when he graduated. But he made up for it with a perfect ruby and diamond ring on her graduation day." She smiled a bit.
"Oh" was all he could think of to say.
"I'm sure you've heard it before, but you look just like James" Mrs. Figg said, her eyes misting. "Now, I have to conduct class, but please stop by for tea later. I would love to visit with you longer. No chocolate cake, I promise!"
Harry laughed with her, then took his seat next to Neville, as Hermione was now next to Ron.
After class, Harry and Neville walked to the greenhouses together for Herbology.
"So," Neville said slowly, "I hear you and Ginny are an item."
Harry cringed. After all, Neville had been her date to the Yule Ball. He had been dreaming of Cho, taken Parvati, and had a miserable time all around. That summer he had been kicking himself for not asking her, but it was too late then.
Much to his relief, Neville was smiling. "I'm happy for you. Say, we have this with the Hufflepuffs, don't we?"
"Yeah, why?"
Harry's question was answered, however, when he saw where Neville's gaze was directed. He was stealing glances at Hannah Abbott and blushing, while Hannah was looking at him and smiling.
Chuckling to himself, Harry settled at a tray of sundoffers, bright yellow flowers that emitted rays of golden sunshine and had the ability to cure a glum mood. As he carefully pruned off the dead pink petals, he couldn't help but overhear bits of Ron's conversation with Hermione.
"What do you mean, I'm not doing this right? Do you know how many detentions I've had out here? I think I know how to prune a bloody plant!"
"Ron, just listen to me. If you clip the yellow petals, the plant dies. The plant dies, we fail. We fail, and I will be quite miffed at you later, you can be sure of that!"
Ron began to grumble things about 'blasted plants', while Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes and began to hack at the poor plant, which began to emit a murky twilight color.
"Um, Hermione?" Harry began, but it was too late; the sundoffer was dead.
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" she shrieked.
Suddenly, Neville broke in. "Are you two going to be sniping at each other all day?" he asked shyly. However, the two houses laughed, and even Hermione saw the humor in the situation. Hannah looked at Neville with more admiration, and walked with him back to the castle, discussing the magic lavender she had planted in a box on her windowsill.
**********
Finally, the time came for Potions with their new teacher. Although Neville was trembling a bit, the rest of the Gryffindors were curious and excited.
However, the Slytherins were another story. "This is an outrage! How can they let a bubbleheaded girl teach this? And someone from one of the 'lesser' houses, no less!" exclaimed Draco Malfoy, to mute nods and scowls from the other Slytherins.
"Eat dung," retorted Ron. "She's very good at what she does."
"Oh yeah?" snorted Malfoy. "Does that include your dragon-loving brother, Weasley?"
Ordinarily, half of the Gryffindors would have had their wands at the ready to hex Malfoy into next week. However, a much more powerful force was right behind them.
Malfoy turned around and blanched pasty white, so white that his silver-blond hair appeared bright yellow by comparison. Standing there, stony-faced, was Peyton Prewett herself and Albus Dumbledore.
Finally, Miss Prewett broke the ice. "You're Lucius Malfoy's son, aren't you?" she said in an icy tone.
"Y-y-yes," stammered Draco, his eyes darting fearfully to Professor Dumbledore.
"Very well" Miss Prewett continued. "I would like a word with you after my class. Several, in fact."
Turning to the rest of the students, she said in a clear tone, "Will you grant Professor Dumbledore and myself ten minutes? I won't hold you over time, but I need a few moments to modify the classroom to my liking. Don't worry, I'll return it to Professor Snape's preferred doom and gloom atmosphere when my tenure here is up." And with that, she swept into the room, her high-heeled shoes clicking softly on the stone floor.
After Dumbledore had followed her and closed the heavy wooden door, peals of laughter erupted from the Gryffindors.
"Wow, I like her. She has spunk!" exclaimed Seamus.
"I know! And I just have to find out which charms she uses on her hair," said Lavender, lightly holding onto Seamus's arm and gibbering away with Parvati.
"Charlie's crazy" concluded Ron. "Women like that are hard to find," he said, turning to Hermione and blushing.
Harry just stood in amazement. He had never seen a teacher stand up to Malfoy like that. Regarding Malfoy, Harry noticed that he was leaning up against the wall and trying to not be noticed.
After ten minutes, Dumbledore exited and beckoned them into the classroom.
"Ooh, how pretty!" gasped Parvati, who was the first to enter.
Indeed, the drab dungeon had been transformed. Vines blooming with purple tiger lilies climbed up the wall around the blackboard, encircling it. The teacher's desk and the work tables had been replaced with soft grey marble. A wicker cage above the teacher's desk held a pair of doves, cooing softly. Snape's assortment of ugly glass containers had been replaced with clear crystal ones for potions and lilac glazed clay ones for specimens, and they were levitating softly about the room. However, the greatest change involved the lighting. Instead of the torches, the ceiling had been enchanted much like the one in the Great Hall, and clear blue sky shown out above them.
"Alright. Now that that is in order, let me introduce myself and outline my rules and plans for this year. As I'm sure you are all aware, my name is Peyton Prewett. Please call me Miss Prewett for now. I take my qualification exams to be promoted to a full Professor at Christmastime, and you may call me Professor Prewett next term. In my classes, there will be no horseplay. The substances you will be using are far too dangerous for any of you to be careless like that. You will wear protective gloves and goggles at all times. Girls, I notice most of you have your hair pulled off of your face. Good. Please ensure that it is secured back for each lesson. As this is the final lesson of the day, if you have any questions, I expect you to ask them in the fifteen minutes after class. Now, as you are all fifth years, my main objective is to prepare you for your O.W.L.'s. I intend to do this. And finally, I want this class to be a fun and educational experience for all of us, myself included. Are there any questions?"
As nobody's hand rose, she said, "Excellent! Now please turn in your books to page 15. Here you will see a recipe for a potion I like to call 'Gloomaway', after my favorite Muggle-made soap. In actuality, it is called Cheer Tonic. As you have all worked with sundoffers, which are the key ingredient, I thought this would be a good potion to start with. With recent events, I thought we could all use a little something to keep gloom at bay."
Harry thought it was just his imagination, but she seemed to get a very cold, pained look as she said this.
After the class completed their potions and poured them into small vials to take with them, Miss Prewett cried out "Malfoy!"
As Malfoy slunk to her desk, Harry, Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and silently agreed: They could not miss this. After leaving the room, they gently pushed the door open a bit and strained their ears to hear.
"So," Miss Prewett said. "I suppose you know why you are here?"
Draco said nothing.
"Well, I will tell you then. How dare you make a comment like that about one of your teachers. I suppose you're just like your father-no respect for anything. Now understand this-you may have been able to throw around your name with your old Potions master, but it will not work with me. Keep your nose clean, do your work, and I just may pass you. And let me tell you something, young mister Malfoy," she seethed, her voice dripping with rage. "Your father does not intimidate me. I know what he truly is, and it sickens me. I know the deep secrets of your family. You think about that. Chew on that for dinner before you fire off your mouth again. That's fifty points from Slytherin. Get out of my classroom before I make it one hundred. Dismissed."
The three students listening at the door quickly took off in the opposite direction from the Slytherin common room. As soon as they heard Malfoy leave, they backtracked past the dungeon once more. As they passed, Harry caught a glimpse into the room, and was shocked by what he saw. Miss Prewett was curled up in a heap on the floor holding her brooch to her ear and sobbing, painful wracking sobs which rendered tears large enough to splash onto the cold stone floor.
What was that all about? He wondered before running to catch up to his two friends.
Chapter Four
Soon it was Halloween at Hogwarts, and the Great Hall was festooned with enchanted pumpkins, dancing skeletons, and the hallways smelled of mulled spice mixed with pumpkin tart. On Halloween night, the students in Gryffindor gorged themselves on sweets which Fred and George had nicked from the kitchens.
Although Hermione had initially fretted about this bout of rule-breaking, a quick squeeze about the waist from Ron had put her at ease, and she even joined in the Exploding Snap tournament.
Harry and Ginny, meanwhile, elected to remain in a quite corner of the room to talk about the developments of the past few months. Since September, Ron and Hermione had officially become a couple. However, more sinister happenings had been occurring in the wizarding world. The Dark Mark had been reported over numerous homes. Even worse, the Ministry of Magic was denying any of these sightings. Minister Fudge was determined to turn a blind eye to all the chaos in the wizarding community. And judging from Harry's uncensored correspondence from Sirius and Professor Lupin, many things were happening indeed.
"Can you believe all of this?" wondered Ginny. "I can't even trust my own brother
anymore."
"Percy? Why do you say that?" inquired Harry.
"Well, you must know that Dad's about fed up with the Ministry. He wants to quit, and he's trying to talk Percy into quitting also. But Percy just got promoted, and he's planning on asking Penelope to marry him at Christmas. So he reasons that he can't lose his job if they're going to buy a home. He just doesn't understand that with Voldemort on the loose, there is no guaranty that he will have a home. He's turning a blind eye."
"Ginny, I'm sure your brother would never endanger your family."
"I hope not."
They sat in silence for a moment, when Ginny suddenly said "You don't care for Halloween, do you Harry?"
Harry sighed. "No, I really don't. When I was younger I just let all the festivities distract me. Now, I can't help but feel that what happened to my parents is going to happen to me."
Ginny got up from her chair and moved over to sit on his lap. Silently they hugged, and they then remained that way until they drifted off to sleep.
**********
What a strange feeling, Harry marveled as his Firebolt tore through the night air. I don't even recall fetching it from my room. I wonder where it's taking me?
Eventually his broomstick took a sharp dive towards an old house. Harry thought it looked vaguely familiar as he came to a halt next to a window.
"So Lucius, tell me again how the Ravenclaw brat put your son in his place" mused a cold voice.
Harry started in fear. He knew that voice all too well...
"My lord," Lucius said in a tight voice, "she did nothing of the sort. He remains faithful."
"I see. Then why has he not spoken a word at that school? Why has he been docile? Why has he not reported faithfully to you each week about the Potter boy?"
Lucius said nothing. The cold voice continued.
"Perhaps you do not want to report a weakness of your son, fearing it will be seen as a weakness of you. However, slippery though you are, I know you are not weak. And thus I can only think of one source for his weakness."
"My lord, no."
"I am afraid, the answer is yes. Call for Narcissa."
Silence.
"Very well. You need persuasion. CRUCIO!!!"
Lucius screamed. Voldemort looked at him, impassive.
"How sentimental. You so remind me of James Potter, dying for his Tiger Lily and baby son."
At these words, Malfoy crawled to the fireplace and spoke his wife's name. A half-minute later she tumbled from the fireplace, still in her dressing gown.
"My lord," she said softly. "Whatever do you want?"
Voldemort idly twirled his wand before saying, "Your weak blood."
"NO!" screamed Lucius as a blast of green light engulfed his pale, blonde wife.
**********
Harry woke with a jolt of pain, startling Ginny. His scar burned under her touch.
"Another nightmare?" she said tensely.
"Yes. Narcissa Malfoy. Dead. Voldemort." He said in rapid-fire bursts.
Ginny said nothing; she merely did her best to comfort his pain.
Little did they know that in another area of the castle, a young witch lay wide-awake after having the same dream.
Chapter Five
The next couple of months flew by, and it was time for end-of-term exams. News of Narcissa Malfoy's death had spread throughout the castle the day after Halloween. Although many students appeared to be sympathetic to Draco, he would have none of it. He appeared to go into an emotional lockdown, and quickly signed up to return to Malfoy Manor over the holidays.
Miss Prewett was promoted to Professor Prewett after successfully completing her tenure as a partly-qualified teacher. A great ceremony was held to award her the new title just after exams. However, she had seemed under a great deal of stress since Halloween. No one could figure out what it was, and chalked it up to her qualification exams.
Unlike in prior years, many parents requested that their students remain at Hogwarts over the holidays. Consequently, Gryffindor tower was bursting at the seams on Christmas Eve.
Students were running about the common room, dashing outdoors to take advantage of the snow for splendid snowball fights, and drinking hot chocolate and playing chess by the fireplace.
That night, Harry and Ron were hanging out on their own-Hermione and Ginny wanted to go to bed early, although Harry suspected they wanted to gossip and wrap presents.
"So," Harry began "Ginny told me about Percy's big plans for tonight."
Ron chuckled, "Can you believe it? Mum always thought Charlie would be the first. Although he almost was, come to think of it."
Harry was about to reply, when Dumbledore's head appeared in the fire and asked them to report immediately to his office.
Harry and Ron exchanged a concerned look before climbing out of the portrait hole, walking the familiar path to Dumbledore's quarters, murmuring "Drooble's gum" to the stone Gargoyle, and entering.
**********
"Harry?" Dumbledore began. "Professor Prewett expressed an interest in seeing you and Mr. Weasley tonight."
"Oh?" said Ron, as they looked at their Professor.
Professor Prewett smiled weakly. "Yes, oh. Harry, I believe you had a dream on Halloween night?"
"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.
"Because I had the same dream. Because we have a similar history. So just sit tight while I explain this to both of you."
Turning to Ron, she inquired, "You grew up knowing my family, Ron. Did you ever wonder why my home was named Raven's Cliff?"
Ron simply shook his head.
"Harry," she continued, "are you curious as to why I had the same dream, and why it woke me up that night?"
Harry nodded.
"And I'm sure you have both noticed my brooch. It's very old, and very precious to me. You see, through this brooch I can hear my departed ancestors. It is enchanted to carry the voices of the descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw herself."
"You can't be..." Harry trailed off.
"I am," she stated, "the last remaining descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw."
**********
Harry simply stared at her mutely. The heiress of Ravenclaw? He never even knew there was an heiress, or an heir for that matter. Although he was familiar with Voldemort as the heir of Slytherin and himself as the heir of Gryffindor (see A Sirius Visit by Zsenya), he had never even given much of a though to the other houses.
"May I continue?" she asked shyly.
"Of course," Dumbledore said kindly.
"As I am sure you are both aware, Hogwarts was founded by the four greatest witches and wizards of their time. However, I am not sure you are aware of the alliance between Godric Gryffnndor and Rowena Ravenclaw. Neither of them cared for Salazar Slytherin's pureblood ideal. And while Helga Hufflepuff kept to herself, Rowena took a definite stand with Godric. That is why to this day, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are often closely allied. Rowena herself had my family's home constructed using materials given by Godric. At the end of her life, she enchanted this brooch to always carry her legacy in the form of voice. And Ron, I feel you should know this next part. Your family is connected with mine, you see. Your mother and my mother were in Gryffindor together. That is why Charlie and I were so close throughout our youth. My grandmother was angry at the thought of her son, her only child, marrying a Muggle-born witch from outside the house of Ravenclaw. As a consequence, my mother and father had to live at the family home, and I grew up knowing the Weasley children."
She took a deep breath, and continued.
"As for the dream...Harry, I am sure you know of Lucius Malfoy being a Death Eater. However, I learned this firsthand during my first year. I was very upset about not being able to go home from Hogwarts, so my grandmother enchanted both our hall mirror and a handheld mirror for me to be able to see what was happening in our home on Christmas Eve. The mirrors worked so that I could see whatever the hall mirror reflected in my hand mirror. I saw much more than I wanted to. I saw our door burst open; I heard the screams; I watched as my grandparents, my mum and dad, and my five-year old brother Richard died in a flash of green light. After the murders, Voldemort beckoned the Death Eater to remove his mask. That was when I saw him. Lucius Malfoy smirking at my dead family, idly fingering the brooch at my grandmother's neck."
"After these events, I would have shut down if not for Charlie. Ron, your brother saved me, emotionally and spriritually. I will be forever grateful to him for that. He told your father to retrieve the brooch, and he then presented it to me Christmas night. I still love your brother, but we grew apart. It happens to the best of us."
"Getting back to the dream, I reckon I was supposed to see it-to see Malfoy get what he deserved. However, I can't feel malicious about it. I just feel a great sense of loss for another family destroyed by the Death Eaters."
She stopped talking and closed her eyes.
"Now, I would like for Ron to come with me. Harry, you may return to your room."
And with that, she swept from the office, taking Ron with her and leaving Harry buzzing with questions.
**********
Harry waited up for Ron in the common room. Malfoy. How could he?
He heard a rustle from the Fat Lady, and saw Ron enter, carrying a small box.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Her and Charlie's engagement ring," he said, showing Harry an antique diamond and platinum filigree ring.
"Wow. Why'd she want you to have it?"
"It's actually an old family heirloom; it belonged to my grandmother. She told me to keep it 'until the time is right'." Ron said, blushing.
"And when will that time be?" Harry asked.
"Honestly? I don't know," sighed Ron. "I love Hermione, but we're both fifteen. Besides, even if Voldemort is defeated by the time we graduate, things change. She said so herself."
"Yes, but if you truly love..." Harry began, but he was cut off by Ron.
"Do you love Ginny?" he said.
"Well, I....I believe so," Harry said, rubbing the bridge of his nose in thought.
"Well, maybe our times will come," Ron said, pocketing the ring. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"She said if you ever feel like you are alone, just remember that the spirit of Godric and Rowena live through the two of you. She will always be there if you need an ally, or a friend."
Then Ron did something he rarely did. He gave Harry a great hug. Harry returned the hug, and they silently moved up the stairs.
Chapter Six
With the coming of the new term came the year's first visit to Hogsmeade. Although the first visit traditionally took place in the fall, Professor Dumbledore wanted to make sure that the village was safe for the students. Seeing as how Voldemort had not been seen in England, the trip was arranged.
Two days before the visit to Hogsmeade, Harry received two letters during breakfast. One was carried by a sleek gray owl, the other by a dove.
Harry tore open the first one, which read:
Harry,
Would you be kind enough to meet us on the road beyond the Shrieking Shack this Saturday? We have urgent business to discuss. Feel free to bring Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Beyond your three friends, speak of this to no one, and destroy this letter after you have read it.
Best Regards,
R.J. Lupin and Sirius Black
Harry tapped the letter with his wand and murmured, "Incindio!" As it burned to flames, he turned his attention to the dove's letter:
Mr. Potter-
I received a letter from one R.J. Lupin asking for a rendezvous in Hogsmeade this Saturday. As I understand it you received one too. Will you please meet me in the Potions classroom at six o'clock this evening? Destroy this letter, and send me your reply by Psyche. Thank you.
Prof. Peyton Prewett
After burning that letter and sending his reply with the dove, Harry went to his classes.
**********
At six o'clock that evening, Harry went to the Potions room for his meeting with Professor Prewett. She was walking about the classroom, recapping the specimen jars. Finally, he knocked on the door.
"Harry!" she cried. "I almost forgot about our meeting. Please come in. Would you like some tea? Hot chocolate? I have strawberry tarts also."
"Tea and a tart, thank you," he said, as she conjured up a silver teakettle and a small tin of tea. After a few minutes they were both holding pale blue cups of steaming tea and had settled in to begin their talk.
"You named your dove Psyche?" he said, looking at the wicker cage.
"Yes. Cupid and Psyche. From the Greek myth about the meeting of love and the soul." she said with a smile. "Now, about Saturday-"
"Professor," Harry cut in, "I think I should tell you-we will be meeting with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."
"I know," she said, taking a sip of tea. "Dumbledore told me the whole story. Part of the reason I was appointed to this post was because of who I am, in terms of lineage. As such, I can be a powerful ally. And I asked you to come here along those grounds."
"What do you mean?" Harry inquired.
"Draco Malfoy. Have you noticed his behavior has been a bit, well, off lately? He hasn't been taunting you and your friends, he's been civil in my class, he hasn't been throwing his weight around as the son of a Death Eater."
Harry was about to open his mouth to say something derisive about Malfoy, when he realized she was right-he had been acting odd ever since Halloween. He allowed Professor Prewett to continue.
"Now, I see Malfoy as being in a precarious situation. If we can turn him against the Dark side by convincing him that his mother was murdered for no good reason, then we may be able to convince him to ally with us. However, time is running out. Harry, we must be able to talk to him. However, our only evidence as of late is the dream. That is why I am hoping that Saturday will be fruitful."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, nibbling on a tart.
"I mean Sirius has been working as a spy. He's been spying on Malfoy Manor in animagus form, poking around for evidence that Lucius turned his wife over to Voldemort that night."
"How do you know what Sirius has been doing?"
"Let's just say that you are not his only correspondent. He's a good man who has gotten a raw deal in life."
Harry put up his teacup, and Professor Prewett bid him goodbye.
**********
Saturday morning dawned clear and cool. Harry got out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants, a sweater and his cloak, and he and Ron made their way to the common room to meet Ginny and Hermione.
"Can't you even tell me what this is all about?" griped Ron.
"Not until we see the girls. They have to know too."
As they neared the common room, they heard bits of a conversation between Hermione, Ginny and an unknown female voice. As the entered, they saw Professor Prewett, dressed in a black Muggle sweater and slacks, entertaining the two girls with a story about a prank she pulled in Hogsmeade during her last visit as a student.
"...and Madam Rosmerta had no clue! Dancing Draught instead of Butterbeer! Poor Professor Flitwick, he was forced to dance an aerial Muggle swing routine with a very tipsy Professor Sinistra and he barely comes up to her waist!"
Ron suddenly burst out laughing at this mental image, while Harry inquired what she was doing in the Gryffindor common room.
"Harry, I grew up around future Gryffindors. My mother was a Gryffindor. And Charlie and I played so many games of chess here while we were in school. I always felt more comfortable here-I long ago wondered if my grandmother bewitched the Sorting Hat to place me in Ravenclaw, because heaven knows I'm not a typical Ravenclaw. Besides, I'm a teacher, which gives me the right to go into any common room I please."
Harry supposed that made sense-he had never heard of a Ravenclaw switching the Butterbeer taps with Dancing Draught. Then he decided it was time to tell Ginny and Hermione about their business for the day.
"Um, I hope the two of you didn't have any set plans. We're supposed to meet Professor Lupin and Sirius for a conference. I can't really tell you the details until we reach them, but they wanted you two to come."
Hermione and Ginny nodded, and Professor Prewett stood up, briskly clapped her hands, and said, "Right! Well, I've packed a ham, a loaf of bread and a chocolate pie for lunch. We can eat while we talk to them. Let's go."
The five of them pulled on black cloaks and scarves, then set out for Hogsmeade.
**********
Their party made their way to the edge of the village. Finally, they spotted Professor Lupin in tattered robes leading a huge shaggy black dog.
Professor Prewett stepped forward. "Remus! We meet again. I must say that this is an extraodinary creature. My family raised Newfoundlands-what is so funny?"
Harry had burst into laughter. "That's no ordinary dog. We'll show you in the cave."
"Actually, Professor Dumbledore has been kind enough to rent us a small cottage about a mile outside of town," said Remus. "We'll be going there."
Upon reaching the cottage, Harry reached down to scratch Sirius's ears and muttered, "Well Padfoot, maybe you should show her now."
Professor Prewett looked puzzled, then gasped as Sirius Black appeared with a small pop.
"I-I'm so sorry," she said. "I just assumed that Remus had a dog and that you would be waiting back here." She was blushing.
"Quite all right," said Sirius with a grin. "We make quite a pair, the town werewolf and his lovable mutt."
Remus gave a thin smile, then suggested they move into the house for their meeting.
After the ham and bread had been laid out for lunch, Professor Prewett inquired, "Have you found any evidence for our case, Sirius?"
"Actually, Peyton, I have. Upon the urging of Mister Moony here, I enchanted a Muggle tape recorder to monitor conversation in Malfoy Manor. Just listen to this." He pulled out a black plastic object and hit a button labeled 'play'.
"I suppose Narcissa could be disposed of. Above all, I will need to turn Draco against the Ravenclaw. He is easily persuaded; he will listen to me."
"My lord Malfoy, can he be turned like that? His mother is dead. Our Dark Lord killed her to flush out weakness in your family; it was not an accident."
"Oh Peter. You of little faith, little talent and little mind. My son resents the Ravenclaw. She humiliated him on the first day of term. I will simply have to act broken up and say that Narcissa was killed because of an accident, a horrible accident. Damn Prewett brat. We should have just finished her off. Half- breed. She is making my life difficult."
Sirius shut off the tape recorder, and Professor Prewett was breathing hard, chewing on her thumbnail.
"Half-breed? Brat? And he really thinks his son will buy that load of bull about an accident? Arrogant bastard." After taking a few calming breaths, she asked, "What do you need of us?"
"Well," began Remus, "We will first be needing you all to take this tape player back to the castle. Professor, you will need to hold Draco after your class to play this tape to him. And this is where you four come in" he indicated to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Ginny, you will need to meet Harry following Potions. Ron and Hermione, you two will join them. The four of you will linger outside the classroom while Professor Prewett plays that tape for Draco. Give him a few minutes to absorb what he has heard. Then, if he makes no move to leave the dungeon, go inside, offer consolation." At this Ron snorted and Harry glared. Remus sighed. "I know it won't be easy, but it must be done. You don't even have to be his friends. Just let him know the various ways you have suffered directly and indirectly at the hands of Voldemort. If he is sufficiently affected, he may wish to ally himself with our side. If not, then I want you all to write back to us immediately. Understood?"
Mutely, they nodded. Then Professor Prewett said, "Well, we're in Hogsmeade, which means Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I'll race you lot, and the loser treats the table!" And with that, she took off on foot, to the shock of Ron, Ginny and Hermione who raced after her and to the amusement of Harry, who remained to speak to Sirius in private.
"So" Sirius said, "I imagine she's a vast improvement over the Snaper, eh? She acts like she's not a day over sixteen."
"Well, she's had a lot of sorrow in her life. I think that joking is her way of making up for it. She mentioned that she was writing to you. Since she was appointed, I reckon?"
Sirius smiled. "Actually, would you believe me if I said we've been corresponding off and on since I escaped with Buckbeak?"
"Um, no" Harry said, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me? And how did you begin writing to her?"
"Well, after Remus resigned, Dumbledore wanted him to meet with a rather charismatic young lady who dreamed of returning to Hogwarts as a teacher. She had studied at Beauxbatons' sister academy, Belleroyale in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana. You know, in the States. The school has an exceptional reputation for training advance Potion brewers. Although Remus couldn't recommend her for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, he recognized that she would be a wonderful Potions master if Snape ever had to leave. In addition to that, she could brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him. Well, she began to rent a room in London and worked at the apothecary. Once a month, she would take four days to come to Remus's cottage and brew the potion, then keep him company while he still felt ill from his transformation. During an early stay, he told her the truth about me-except for the animagus bit, hence her surprise. So she wrote me a letter saying that she knew the truth but could be trusted-she was allied with Dumbledore and would never do anything to harm myself or Remus. I must say it was a bit of a shock to see her in the flesh-she looks so much like your mother. Every bit as kind too." Sirius had a far-away look in his eyes as he said this. "Well, you had better hurry off if you want any Butterbeer."
Harry took the tape deck, promised to write soon, and hurried down the path to Hogsmeade.
**********
The following week, Professor Prewett seemed to be on edge. Finally, on Friday, she pulled Draco aside before class and asked him to remain for a few minutes after class so she could discuss something with him. With a final look at Harry as the rest of the class filed out, she shut the door and played the tape for Draco.
After what seemed an eternity, she called for Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to come in. They weren't sure what to expect, but Malfoy was sitting quietly facing the chalkboard, his shoulders hunched. Finally, he spoke.
"Come to have a good gloat, Weasley?"
"No," said Ron, shocked. "I wouldn't gloat over this."
Malfoy turned to face them. "Funny. Mum always stuck up for me when Dad started harping on me for something. I loved her for that." He drew a shaky breath. "Is that all I mean to him? A puppet for Voldemort?"
"Look...Draco," Harry began, trying out the name, "This is truly horrible. I know you must be hurting. We understand. Each of us has somehow suffered either directly or indirectly because of Voldemort. The choice is yours-you can join us or not."
Professor Prewett spoke. "Draco, I'm sorry I yelled at you at the start of last term. However, are you aware that your father helped Voldemort murder my family?"
"No," he said quietly. He looked numb.
"Well, he did. And I made the mistake of assuming like father, like son. I'm sorry."
Draco looked around, then said, "You really trust me?"
"Yes," said Hermione.
"We do," said Ron.
"Alright," said Draco. "Well, I should owl Father and tell him not to expect me for Easter then." And he left.
Gazing after him, Ginny murmured, "What do we do now?"
"Wait it out, Gin," answered Harry, lightly kissing the top of her head. "Wait and see."