Disclaimer: I do not own anything HP related. It all belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros., and any other entities involved.
A/N: I was ecstatic to find out that my story "Latent" was featured in the Top Ten Favorite Stories at number FOUR, and that I, myself, was number four in the Top Ten Most Favorite Authors! Thank you all so much for all of your support and praise. To many people, my excitement over these things would seem unnecessary and trivial, but I truly feel honored. Thank you, my readers! Now… on with the story!!
Chapter Three
III
When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, the half-giant was nowhere to be seen. By the time that the rest of the class had assembled, they were beginning to get a bit restless. Finally, Hagrid showed up and smiled, silently motioning for them to follow him.
They came to a halt when they reached a large fenced area. Inside, three creatures stood, grazing peacefully: a winged horse, like the ones that had pulled the Beauxbaton carriage, a thestral, and a unicorn. Many students still hadn't seen death, and therefore could not see the thestral, but those who could informed them of its presence.
"We'll be studying these beau'iful creatures 'til the Winter Hols," Hagrid said, "Yeh'll be splittin' inta three groups, on account o' the fact that only some of yeh cas see the thestral, and unicorns are fair persnickety abou' who can be near 'em. They really only take ta girls an' er… virgins. Every couple o' weeks, each group'll give a short presentation on their findings."
"Wow…" Harry said, "It certainly is… something, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It's beautiful…" Hermione breathed.
"Well! Get on in there, you lot, and group up! Mind… if yeh ain't what I said, keep clear o' the unicorn. She gets a bi' jumpy," Hagrid said.
They all climbed over the fence, the majority immediately going to stand by the winged horse. Harry had already planned on working with the thestral, but he hadn't taken more than two steps into the enclosure when all three animals raised their heads and sniffed the air, before simultaneously turning their gazes on him.
He froze mid-step, debating on whether to play dead or run like the wind. He didn't get to debate for long, though, because the creatures began walking toward him. Sensing no aggression or hostility in them, he merely stood and waited. They stopped directly in front of him and bowed low, bending their front legs until their necks and heads were lain on the ground at his feet. He heard gasping and whispering and looked at Hagrid for help.
The half-giant bent and spoke low, so only Harry would hear him. "Yours is of the nobles' races, Harry. And purest. They sense that, an' yer power, and are showin' you their respect, humility, an' submission," he said, "Jes' put yer hand on each o' their heads in turn, firs' the unicorn, then the thestral, then the winged horse. In order of magical rank, yeh see… Then bow, jes' a tilt o' yer head really, and they'll go their own ways."
When Hagrid straightened, he did as he'd been instructed, touching their heads lightly and giving the smallest nod of acknowledgement. They stood, nickering slightly and pushing their noses into his arms and sides. They pranced around him once before going back to their grazing spots.
Harry shook his head, sighing as he was stared at even more by his peers. No doubt the event would be all over school by the time classes ended for the day. He walked to where Draco, Ron, and Hermione were gathered near the thestral.
"What was that about?" Ron asked.
He shrugged, grinning. "Oh, just showing their humility in the face of my awesome power." 'Who cares? Their going to talk either way… the least I can do is give them something worth talking about.' Lowering his voice, he told them what had really happened.
Draco smirked. "At least they weren't dragons. Now that would have caused a riot."
Harry laughed. "I could be the world's first real dragon tamer! That'd look good on my resume."
Hermione chuckled, smiling. Being the only one with experience in muggle affairs, she was also the only one who got the joke.
"What's a- res-a-may?" Ron asked, confused.
Harry and Hermione laughed. "Never mind…" Harry said.
"Alrigh'! Now yeh're in yer groups, I'll tell yeh the firs' assignment," Hagrid said, beaming, "Get familiar with yer new friends, there. The winged horse's name is Swiftfoot, an' he's a boy. The thestral- he's a boy, too, mind yeh- 'is name is Darkmoon. An' the unicorn, who's female, is Silverdust." He paused a moment before adding, with a shrug, "The centaurs named 'em."
"How does one 'get to know' a wild beast?" a Slytherin asked rudely.
Swiftfoot stomped and snorted angrily.
"Firs' of all, don't be callin' 'em beasts… they hate that. An'… jes' pet 'em a bit. Talk to 'em an' watch 'em. Let 'em get used ta yer scent and voice. Get acquain'ed with their personalities," Hagrid said, "They're really jes' like people, yeh know."
Harry smiled, thinking that Hagrid had gotten rather good at his job since he started in their third year. He turned his attention back to Darkmoon, who was playfully lipping at Hermione's shoulder.
"I think he likes you, 'Mione," he said.
Ron grinned. "Sorry, Darkmoon. She's spoken for."
"Oh, Ron… that's sweet, but it wouldn't make any difference if I wasn't. I don't believe in inter-species relationships…" she said, making them laugh loudly.
Before they knew it, class was over and they were heading back up to the school. Potions was, as usual, abysmally boring. Even more so with Slughorn as their professor. There was one incident where a Slythering attempted to throw some particularly unstable ingredient into Draco's cauldron. However, a rather powerful, and convenient, draft of wind blew it back into the offender's potion.
Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were sent to the infirmary with a nasty case of boils and various oozing lesions on their face and arms. The also received a zero for the day and were told to write an essay each, no shorter than two feet in length, on the dangers of handling volatile substances around open cauldrons without permission or supervision. When Draco cast a questioning look at Harry, he only smirked wickedly, which was all the answer the blonde needed.
Then it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they were all fair bursting with anticipation. A small part of Harry was hoping that it would be Severus in his clever disguise, but his annoying voice of reason was quickly stamping out that glimmer of hope. After all, Severus had clearly stated that he'd see him on the weekends. And surely if he were going to be teaching, he'd have told his mate, at least. The only reason he'd disguised himself with that spell was to bring Madame Pomfrey some potions without any students catching him in the school and raising a fuss about it.
He sighed when they entered the classroom and there was no trace of Severus' scent in the air. There was a new scent, though. It reminded Harry of burnt gunpowder and… he felt a wave of nausea… blood. He shook his head, highly disturbed by this new presence, and tuned the scent out quickly. He took a few deep, cleansing breaths, inhaling the familiar scents of his three closest friends. Draco, with his fresh cut grass and sunshine- an odd scent for such a pristine person- Ron, whose scent reminded him of a strange, yet pleasant, mixture of earth and various sweets, and Hermione, who smelled of the ocean with an undertone of crisp paper and fresh ink. Each was a unique combination belonging only to them, and each was phenomenally comforting to Harry.
Whoever their new professor was, they were- dangerous. Not necessarily evil, he didn't think, but certainly unpleasant, with a hunger… a desire for power and a penchant for death. The air in the room was thick and oppressive and Harry didn't need to be able to read minds to know that something was afoot. Something that most probably spelled trouble for him.
"Careful, guys," he whispered to his friends, "This person's bad news."
"How can you tell?" Ron asked quietly as they sat toward the back of the room.
He explained, as succinctly as possible, what he'd experienced and they exchanged a look before glancing around for the professor. What they saw was a man with golden blonde hair and tawny eyes smiling brightly at the students as they filed into the room. The man was tall with an athletic, dancer's build and couldn't be older than… twenty-five, at the very most. They looked incredulously at Harry.
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, "I mean- look at him! He looks so- nice…"
"Keep in mind that Voldemort was very handsome in his younger days, as well as a model student," Harry whispered back, "You can't smell what I smell or feel what I feel, so you're just going to have to trust me on this. He may not be evil, but he's bad. Real bad."
She sighed. "You're right, Harry. I'm sorry."
He smiled at her. "No need to apologize. If I was in your position, I'd likely be dazzled by his good looks, too. Fortunately, I can see that which lies beneath the surface."
"Welcome, students, to seventh year N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts! I'm your new professor, Kyle Shanks," he said, beaming at them, "Before you ask, I am thirty-four years old. I work as an auror and an investigative officer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. However, when this opportunity came along, I decided to take a year off and try my hand at teaching."
"He's lying…" Harry said quietly, "That last bit… it's a lie."
"How do you know?" Draco asked.
"There's a delicate shift in a person's magical aura when they lie," he whispered, "It's hard to detect- unless you're looking for it."
"Is there something you'd like to share, Mr. Potter?" Shanks said loudly.
Harry arched an eyebrow at the man. "Not really. I was just saying that I'm pretty sure you were lying."
This caught the man off guard. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly and his mouth hung open dumbly for a moment before he narrowed his gaze and tightened his lips into a thin line, suspicion and anger rolling off of him in waves.
"About your age, Sir?" Harry added with a smug little smirk.
Shanks relaxed immediately, laughing, if a little bit nervously. "Right… yes, it is hard to believe, isn't it? Yet, it's entirely true, I assure you. Now, if there will be no more interruptions?"
Harry waved in that little way that said, simply, 'the floor is yours', smiling.
"Right…" he cleared his throat, "This year, I will be teaching you all of the most useful defensive and offensive spells for battle, as well as several defensive maneuvers, many of which have, in fact, saved my life. After all, we are in the midst of a war and each of you should be prepared for anything and any time…"
As they were packing their things into their bags, Harry grinned and said, "Well, I've found one good quality in Professor Kyle Shanks."
"Yeah? What's that?" Hermione asked.
"He seems like he's going to do a great job teaching Defense," Harry said.
They smiled.
"And as long as he can teach, we can forgive him for whatever awful things he's plotting, right?" Draco said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Of course not. I'm still going to keep my eyes and ears open," Harry said.
"Gonna follow him around the whole bloody school this year?" Ron asked.
Draco laughed.
"Excuse me," Shanks said as they were leaving, "I'd like a quick word. Weasley, Granger… would you please stay?"
"Want us to wait?" Harry asked them.
"No, we'll meet you at Hagrid's," Ron said with a wink, "Keep Gin waiting long and she'll skin you alive. No patience, that girl…"
Harry chuckled. "Alright. See you in a bit."
When they entered Hagrid's hut, Harry smiled. Both Hagrid and Ginny were inside, their scents filling his senses before he filtered them out. Hagrid smelled like a warm fire and tea leaves, and Ginny's scent was… something spicy. He couldn't tell what, exactly, but it was- exciting, somehow.
He'd noticed earlier that day that each person had a distinct scent that invoked something special in him. Draco's seemed to energize him. It made him want to get up and do something. Ron's was exactly the opposite. Ron's scent made him want to lie down in the grass and watch the clouds move all day, or something else just as soothing. Hermione's was refreshing, making him feel cleansed and awake. Hagrid's made him feel safe and warm. It made him want to curl up somewhere and take a nap and bask in that feeling. And Ginny's… Ginny's made him want to experience new things and go to new places and scream just for the pure joy of life. And being around all of these scents at once was… well, it was almost as good as having Severus near. Almost.
"Harry? You had something to tell me?" Ginny said, smiling.
He blushed, realizing he must've been standing in the doorway grinning like an idiot for several minutes. "Er… yeah…" he said, sitting down at the table, "I'm assuming you read the letter with Hermione and Ron?"
She nodded.
"Well, my mate is… it's…"
"Severus Snape, right?" Ginny said, "Or… Sev, you called him?"
Harry chuckled. "Yeah. It's Sev. You're okay with that?"
She shrugged, smiling. "I'm fine with whatever you choose, Harry. And you don't seem unhappy, so it's fine with me. But if he ever hurts you…"
"I know. You'll tear him to ribbons," Harry said, grinning, "Thanks, Gin."
Hagrid, meanwhile, was staring at him as if he'd gone mad. "S-Severus Snape?"
Harry flinched at the force of the whisper. "Yes, Hagrid. Severus Snape is my mate."
"Dumbledore's killer?!" Hagrid exclaimed, "That Severus Snape?!"
Harry sighed. "Yes, Hagrid. That Severus Snape. Didn't the Order tell you that he was acquitted?"
"He was WHAT?!" Hagrid bellowed.
"Hagrid… please… if you calm down, I'll explain everything," Harry said.
The large man took a few deep breaths and then nodded at Harry to continue.
Harry explained the happenings of the summer. He had to pause several times to answer Hagrid's questions, and it took nearly an hour, but by the end of his explanation Hagrid was in tears, and entirely convinced that Dumbledore was an even greater man than he'd ever been aware of, and that Severus Snape was nearly as great a man as Dumbledore.
"Poor man…" he sobbed, "Must've torn 'im up to 'ave to do such a thing… But Dumbledore… he knew bes', didn' he?"
Harry smiled. "Yeah… he did. And Severus… he truly would rather have died himself, but- Dumbledore wouldn't hear of it…"
Hagrid calmed himself down and in the next few minutes they had tea and biscuits set out in front of them. Naturally, the biscuits went practically untouched, but the tea was welcome.
"What did we miss?" Ron asked, as he and Hermione stepped in, shutting the door behind them.
"Nothing much," Draco said, "Just a couple emotional breakdowns… the usual…"
Ron laughed. "Yes, well… what can you do?"
"Harry, you were absolutely right!" Hermione exclaimed, sitting down and grabbing a cup of tea for herself, "That man is horrid! He's planning something, and I'd bet all the books I own that the Ministry is behind it and it's got everything to do with you!"
Harry's eyes widened. Hermione was betting her books? That was like Ron betting… his broom! "Wow. What on earth did he say to you?"
"He sat us down and started asking all sorts of questions about you, mate," Ron said, scowling a bit, "Like, if we'd noticed anything strange about you and if you'd been disappearing without explanation recently."
"Oh! And then it got personal!" Hermione growled, "He asked how your childhood was, and what type of family you grew up with! He asked where you lived and how long we'd been friends with you, and if you'd shown any darker qualities in the last year. And why you'd suddenly become friends with Draco Malfoy, a 'known Death Eater's son'!"
"And then it got really aggravating," Ron said, dropping several spoonfuls of sugar into his tea, "He asked if we'd ever been afraid of you… and if we felt that you were 'too powerful for your age'… bloody git."
"What did you tell him?" Harry asked, curious.
"We wouldn't tell him anything," Ron said, grinning, "We just kept saying that it wasn't for us to tell and that if he wanted to know, then he should ask you."
"And we told him that you had always been a good friend and that of course we'd never been afraid of you," Hermione added, "And that if you were too powerful for your age, then wouldn't it be a good thing? It just means that you're that much more able to defeat Voldemort."
Ron laughed. "You should have seen his face when 'Mione said that name! Looked like he was going to faint, he did!"
Harry smirked. "Serves him right. Fuckwit…"
"Harry!" Hagrid said reproachfully, "There are ladies about. Watch yer language, mister!"
"Sorry, Hagrid," he said, "I suppose you'd all better keep an eye out. He's likely to start interrogating anybody who's close to me. Including professors. And if he doesn't start getting some satisfactory answers, he'll probably try more drastic means, so watch what you eat and drink. I don't want any of you to fall prey to Veritaserum. The last thing I need is the Ministry to broadcast to all of wizarding Britain that I'm some rare magical being…"
"Oh yes… wouldn't that be fun?" Ginny said, "Reporters at every door, around every corner. Not to mention that whatever advantage we had over You-Know… Voldemort… would be out the window."
Harry smiled at her, proud of her for using his name.
"Bloody hell!" Ron sighed, "I suppose I can't let my little sister show me up… I'll have to start using… V-V-Voldemort's name now, too."
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione quoted, smirking.
"Yes, dear… we know," Ron said, grinning.
Suddenly, there was a loud, rapid knocking at the door. When Hagrid pulled it open, Neville stumbled through, looking around wildly before his gaze landed on Harry. "Thank Merlin! I've found you!"
"Neville? What's wrong?" Harry asked quickly, standing up as the boy hurried over to him, looking pale and frightened.
"There's been… it was… Seamus and Dean… they're…" Neville stuttered.
"What? Nev, what happened?" Harry asked.
"There were chocolates for you… on your bed…" Neville choked, tears now streaming down his face, "In a heart shaped box. Seamus and Dean… they ate a couple…"
"And?" Harry urged, fearing the worst.
"Poison. They're dying…"
III
Bwah hahaha! Am I evil, or what? Two attempted murders in two days! It's shaping up to be an eventful year, isn't it? Review or I shall KILL them! Lol. Seriously, though… Review please! I can only go so long on pure inspiration before my plot bunnies run out of fuel, and then where will we be? FEED THE BUNNIES!!
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