Disclaimer: Ron, Hermione, Crookshanks, everyone in this really, belongs to JKR.
A/N: Here's chapter four...my favourite as if yet. Keep up the reviews! A big thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far!
Chapter 4- A Helping Hand
He was there again, blasting his way through the bushes with his wand, squelching through the damp, mossy growth, sweat forming on his forehead, despite the weather. The Albanian forest were just as he had remembered them.....cold, quiet and creatures lurking in every tree and bush. He remembered the way he'd tripped over that tree root and found himself face to face with a King Cobra....then the way it spoke to him in such a menacing way and then.........
Wilton jolted at the memory and the pain it brought. That was six years ago now....wait....there were footsteps coming up to the tower! As the footsteps got closer, he squinted to make out a figure, but nothing.
"W-W-Who's there?" he called out.
A large orange cat with wild yellow eyes stared at him.
"CROOKSHANKS!!! Get back here at once!" a bossy, female voice whispered harshly.
Then, much to his surprise, a head materialized, followed by two bodies. A pair of blue eyes looked up at him, astonished.
"So the rumours are true...he does haunt the place!" a voice said, awed.
"Ron! Show some respect! Professor Quirrel...er....how nice to see you again."
"As it is to see you, Miss Granger." Wilton said, managing a smile for one of his best students, now looking slightly older.
There was an uneasy silence as Ron and Hermione studied Wilton.
"Sir, we know what happened between you and Harry five years ago....." she began nervously. It was clear that both seemed quite afraid of him.
"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley.....I must..erm, stress to you that I haunt Hogwarts no longer under Voldemort's power. T-T-There is no need....to be so afraid." he said, spreading his arms in a gesture he hoped would convince them of how genuine he was.
Just then, the orange cat, delicately padded forward and sat at Wilton's feet, looking less threatening than before.
"Is this your cat?" Wilton asked Hermione, petting the animals thick fur.
"Yes..." she replied, trying to beckon the cat forward.
"He's a very smart cat, you know." Wilton stated, giving the cat a gentle push forward to its owner. Hermione took heed of this, and came forward to pick him up in her arms. Ron came forward too, though he stayed behind Hermione.
"Where is Mr Potter?" he asked
"Asleep, Sir. You do know it's 2:00 in the morning, don't you?" Ron said, deciding to have a glimpse of the the sky throught the rickety old telescope that stood near the window.
"Yes, thankyou Mr Weasley. When you've been dead for five years, you don't seem to notice after a while."
Hermione and Ron perched themselves on a seat.
"If you don't mind Sir, we heard from some Ravenclaws that you were at the Sorting Feast...at their table. We were just curious, as they saw you heading up here before." said Hermione.
"Yes, I was there, children. Perhaps this sounds ridiculous to you, but I'm seeking my redemption. Professor Dumbledore has told me that I must find it, and I must earn forgiveness for what I've committed. It was Harry who told you, right?"
"Yes, Professor." Ron replied, and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Well, I would think so. From what I saw, you three were the closest of friends, and still are, right?"
They both nodded mutely. Wilton laced his fingers together, and smiled at the two Gryffindors.
"Tell Harry I would like to find some time to talk to him. And for God's sake, support him. From what I've heard, he'll need all the support he can get this year. Now go. We wouldn't want Filch catching you out here, would we?" he said, and gestured to the stone stairs that lead down to the main hall.
"Thankyou, Professor. We'll remember to do that." Hermione said, sounding slightly breathless. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement to the ghost, as did Ron, and retreated downstairs, both hidden under the invisibility cloak.
One of the advantages of haunting the Astronomy tower was that Wilton was able to view some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets he'd ever seen.
It was well into the first week of classes, when Wilton began talking to the students. There was not much opportunity during the day to do it, but it all began on Wednesday night in the Ravenclaw common room.
Wilton had always admired the Ravenclaw common room. In his school years, he'd found it easier to study there, rather than in the library. It was a multi-tiered room. There was the main floor, which you entered by giving a famous quote to a bust of Homer outside. There was a fireplace at either end of the room, under which hung a magnificent portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, and a number of mahogany desks and chairs with blue velvet decoration. There were blue drapes, large french windows and wonderful seats where you could sit and enjoy the view. The second floor, which was more like a balcony was devoted entirely to books. Not normal library books, but books written by former Ravenclaws. They were for exclusive use. As was a secret aviary of Ravens. The ravens were descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw's own pets, and were provided for students to use for messaging. In matters of pastime, a cabinet of wizarding chess sets sat in one corner, and in the other, a number of violins, which was Ravenclaw's instrument of choice with a collection of muggle classical music books.
One particular night, Wilton entered the commonroom to find it abuzz. If they weren't studying, the Ravenclaws were of course using the resources available. Seated a one table by herself, scribbling wildly on a piece of parchment with a rather oversized looking quill, was Orla Quirke. As he neared the table, he saw her drop the quill and bang the table with her fist, frustrated. As he sat down in front of her, she looked up abruptly.
"Miss Quirke," Wilton said with a raised eyebrow. "it appears you have problems."
"It's this damned Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment. I can't think of anything to say!" she said, looking at him in desparation.
Wilton smiled. "What do you have to write about, Miss Quirke?"
"We have to write a parchment on how to block dark spells..."
Wilton's smile became bigger. "I believe I can offer you some help there."
"You can?" she said, looking hopeful.
"I was a Defence Against Dark Arts professor here, Miss Quirke. What have you got so far?"
"Well..."
Wilton proceeded to help Orla with her DADA homework. Word soon got around that the old DADA professor was giving help to those who needed it. Soon, Ravenclaws were coming for help on DADA. Wilton couldn't have been more pleased. He now had some sort of purpose in the school community once again. But there were still demons plaguing his mind. Yes, he was opening up to his Ravenclaws, but what of the other teachers and students?
He was pondering this at one of the tables one night when Cho Chang, now a seventh year, approached him. He snapped out of his reverie and looked up to the girl.
"Miss Chang, need some more help there?" he asked, as Cho took a seat beside him.
"No Professor, I'm fine.....I just noticed you seemed somewhat.....sad?"
"Oh, I'm just thinking....we all need time to think here, don't we?" he said, smiling at her.
"Yes.....I've been doing some thinking too....I'm thinking about leaving Hogwarts a little later this year..."
"What? You're going to be graduating this year, Miss Chang...surely you would rather stay and finish your studies?" he said, not quite beliving what the girl was saying.
"I've had a tough past year Sir....you did hear about the Tri-Wizard tournament, did you not?"
"Yes.....the death of Cedric Diggory, a terrible loss....." Wilton said, and the painful memory of his own abandonement by Voldemort, and dying soon afterwards. He was as good as dead when the dark lord possessed him.
"Cedric and I.....we were close, Professor." said Cho, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ah." Wilton said in understanding. The sort of 'close' where you could not be without that person.
"I miss him, Professor. I don't think I can carry on this year....it's hard enough with the resurrection of you-know-who...I want to be with my parents, my baby brother, my sisters..."
"Tell me, are you the eldest in your family, Cho?" Wilton asked.
"Yes, but what-"
Wilton placed his hand over Cho's. She shuddered involuntarily at the coldness. Wilton smiled at her. Time to bring me experience into my advice, he thought.
"Let me tell you something, Miss Chang. I was the youngest in my family. My eldest brother, Arthur.....he left Hogwarts early. He was a Gryffindor, and he told my parents he was going to be an Auror. That previous year, Lord Voldemort had tried to attack the school and had suceeded in killing a Hufflepuff student who happened to lose her way to the common room and was Avada Kedavra-ed by him. That girl was Arthur's girlfriend. He did leave Hogwarts to be an Auror, but before a year out, he too was killed. His sacrifice of school was in vain. He would've been safer if he stayed in Hogwarts. Which is my strongest recommendation, Miss Chang. You may choose not to take this advice, as it's your choice on whether to stay or to go Miss Chang, but for your sake, I would hope you would take this into account."
"Thankyou, Professor."
"Think your decision out carefully, Miss Chang. Don't go out on a whim here. Your schooling here accounts for your future in the wizarding world. It's not something to take lightly."
"I'll remember that, Professor." Cho replied, standing up.
"That's the girl." Wilton said, watching as she left for her dormitory. I hope she makes the right choice, he thought. He felt a pang of guilt for mentioning what had happened to his brother...especially since his own incident with the dark lord. It seemed to continue on the road to redemption, he would have to confront the people he had hurt.
A/N: Here's chapter four...my favourite as if yet. Keep up the reviews! A big thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far!
Chapter 4- A Helping Hand
He was there again, blasting his way through the bushes with his wand, squelching through the damp, mossy growth, sweat forming on his forehead, despite the weather. The Albanian forest were just as he had remembered them.....cold, quiet and creatures lurking in every tree and bush. He remembered the way he'd tripped over that tree root and found himself face to face with a King Cobra....then the way it spoke to him in such a menacing way and then.........
Wilton jolted at the memory and the pain it brought. That was six years ago now....wait....there were footsteps coming up to the tower! As the footsteps got closer, he squinted to make out a figure, but nothing.
"W-W-Who's there?" he called out.
A large orange cat with wild yellow eyes stared at him.
"CROOKSHANKS!!! Get back here at once!" a bossy, female voice whispered harshly.
Then, much to his surprise, a head materialized, followed by two bodies. A pair of blue eyes looked up at him, astonished.
"So the rumours are true...he does haunt the place!" a voice said, awed.
"Ron! Show some respect! Professor Quirrel...er....how nice to see you again."
"As it is to see you, Miss Granger." Wilton said, managing a smile for one of his best students, now looking slightly older.
There was an uneasy silence as Ron and Hermione studied Wilton.
"Sir, we know what happened between you and Harry five years ago....." she began nervously. It was clear that both seemed quite afraid of him.
"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley.....I must..erm, stress to you that I haunt Hogwarts no longer under Voldemort's power. T-T-There is no need....to be so afraid." he said, spreading his arms in a gesture he hoped would convince them of how genuine he was.
Just then, the orange cat, delicately padded forward and sat at Wilton's feet, looking less threatening than before.
"Is this your cat?" Wilton asked Hermione, petting the animals thick fur.
"Yes..." she replied, trying to beckon the cat forward.
"He's a very smart cat, you know." Wilton stated, giving the cat a gentle push forward to its owner. Hermione took heed of this, and came forward to pick him up in her arms. Ron came forward too, though he stayed behind Hermione.
"Where is Mr Potter?" he asked
"Asleep, Sir. You do know it's 2:00 in the morning, don't you?" Ron said, deciding to have a glimpse of the the sky throught the rickety old telescope that stood near the window.
"Yes, thankyou Mr Weasley. When you've been dead for five years, you don't seem to notice after a while."
Hermione and Ron perched themselves on a seat.
"If you don't mind Sir, we heard from some Ravenclaws that you were at the Sorting Feast...at their table. We were just curious, as they saw you heading up here before." said Hermione.
"Yes, I was there, children. Perhaps this sounds ridiculous to you, but I'm seeking my redemption. Professor Dumbledore has told me that I must find it, and I must earn forgiveness for what I've committed. It was Harry who told you, right?"
"Yes, Professor." Ron replied, and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Well, I would think so. From what I saw, you three were the closest of friends, and still are, right?"
They both nodded mutely. Wilton laced his fingers together, and smiled at the two Gryffindors.
"Tell Harry I would like to find some time to talk to him. And for God's sake, support him. From what I've heard, he'll need all the support he can get this year. Now go. We wouldn't want Filch catching you out here, would we?" he said, and gestured to the stone stairs that lead down to the main hall.
"Thankyou, Professor. We'll remember to do that." Hermione said, sounding slightly breathless. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement to the ghost, as did Ron, and retreated downstairs, both hidden under the invisibility cloak.
One of the advantages of haunting the Astronomy tower was that Wilton was able to view some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets he'd ever seen.
It was well into the first week of classes, when Wilton began talking to the students. There was not much opportunity during the day to do it, but it all began on Wednesday night in the Ravenclaw common room.
Wilton had always admired the Ravenclaw common room. In his school years, he'd found it easier to study there, rather than in the library. It was a multi-tiered room. There was the main floor, which you entered by giving a famous quote to a bust of Homer outside. There was a fireplace at either end of the room, under which hung a magnificent portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, and a number of mahogany desks and chairs with blue velvet decoration. There were blue drapes, large french windows and wonderful seats where you could sit and enjoy the view. The second floor, which was more like a balcony was devoted entirely to books. Not normal library books, but books written by former Ravenclaws. They were for exclusive use. As was a secret aviary of Ravens. The ravens were descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw's own pets, and were provided for students to use for messaging. In matters of pastime, a cabinet of wizarding chess sets sat in one corner, and in the other, a number of violins, which was Ravenclaw's instrument of choice with a collection of muggle classical music books.
One particular night, Wilton entered the commonroom to find it abuzz. If they weren't studying, the Ravenclaws were of course using the resources available. Seated a one table by herself, scribbling wildly on a piece of parchment with a rather oversized looking quill, was Orla Quirke. As he neared the table, he saw her drop the quill and bang the table with her fist, frustrated. As he sat down in front of her, she looked up abruptly.
"Miss Quirke," Wilton said with a raised eyebrow. "it appears you have problems."
"It's this damned Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment. I can't think of anything to say!" she said, looking at him in desparation.
Wilton smiled. "What do you have to write about, Miss Quirke?"
"We have to write a parchment on how to block dark spells..."
Wilton's smile became bigger. "I believe I can offer you some help there."
"You can?" she said, looking hopeful.
"I was a Defence Against Dark Arts professor here, Miss Quirke. What have you got so far?"
"Well..."
Wilton proceeded to help Orla with her DADA homework. Word soon got around that the old DADA professor was giving help to those who needed it. Soon, Ravenclaws were coming for help on DADA. Wilton couldn't have been more pleased. He now had some sort of purpose in the school community once again. But there were still demons plaguing his mind. Yes, he was opening up to his Ravenclaws, but what of the other teachers and students?
He was pondering this at one of the tables one night when Cho Chang, now a seventh year, approached him. He snapped out of his reverie and looked up to the girl.
"Miss Chang, need some more help there?" he asked, as Cho took a seat beside him.
"No Professor, I'm fine.....I just noticed you seemed somewhat.....sad?"
"Oh, I'm just thinking....we all need time to think here, don't we?" he said, smiling at her.
"Yes.....I've been doing some thinking too....I'm thinking about leaving Hogwarts a little later this year..."
"What? You're going to be graduating this year, Miss Chang...surely you would rather stay and finish your studies?" he said, not quite beliving what the girl was saying.
"I've had a tough past year Sir....you did hear about the Tri-Wizard tournament, did you not?"
"Yes.....the death of Cedric Diggory, a terrible loss....." Wilton said, and the painful memory of his own abandonement by Voldemort, and dying soon afterwards. He was as good as dead when the dark lord possessed him.
"Cedric and I.....we were close, Professor." said Cho, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ah." Wilton said in understanding. The sort of 'close' where you could not be without that person.
"I miss him, Professor. I don't think I can carry on this year....it's hard enough with the resurrection of you-know-who...I want to be with my parents, my baby brother, my sisters..."
"Tell me, are you the eldest in your family, Cho?" Wilton asked.
"Yes, but what-"
Wilton placed his hand over Cho's. She shuddered involuntarily at the coldness. Wilton smiled at her. Time to bring me experience into my advice, he thought.
"Let me tell you something, Miss Chang. I was the youngest in my family. My eldest brother, Arthur.....he left Hogwarts early. He was a Gryffindor, and he told my parents he was going to be an Auror. That previous year, Lord Voldemort had tried to attack the school and had suceeded in killing a Hufflepuff student who happened to lose her way to the common room and was Avada Kedavra-ed by him. That girl was Arthur's girlfriend. He did leave Hogwarts to be an Auror, but before a year out, he too was killed. His sacrifice of school was in vain. He would've been safer if he stayed in Hogwarts. Which is my strongest recommendation, Miss Chang. You may choose not to take this advice, as it's your choice on whether to stay or to go Miss Chang, but for your sake, I would hope you would take this into account."
"Thankyou, Professor."
"Think your decision out carefully, Miss Chang. Don't go out on a whim here. Your schooling here accounts for your future in the wizarding world. It's not something to take lightly."
"I'll remember that, Professor." Cho replied, standing up.
"That's the girl." Wilton said, watching as she left for her dormitory. I hope she makes the right choice, he thought. He felt a pang of guilt for mentioning what had happened to his brother...especially since his own incident with the dark lord. It seemed to continue on the road to redemption, he would have to confront the people he had hurt.