Dark Healer and Mentor
"Wotcher, Slytherins!" Terry Boot had accepted an invitation to visit the Slytherin compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
"Wotcher, Ravenclaw," Theo responded, looking up from the Prophet .
Sadie grinned at him. "How are you?"
"Terry!" Daphne cried with delight, bounding to her feet, and hugging the startled boy. "Good to see you!"
"Hi, Daphne." Terry hesitantly hugged her back. He sounded confused and looked askance at the rest of them. "Did someone hit her with a Cheering Charm? Isn't that third-year magic?"
"Nooo, she just can't take her coffee," Tracy told him, laughing. She grabbed onto Daphne's blouse and tugged the girl to her seat. "Sit down! "
"Theo, you're the only one here who reads. What do you think of the Act?" Terry asked, sitting down. Harry moved closer to hear better.
"Hey, I read!" Tracy protested.
"Me too," said Sadie from Tracy's lap, where she was sitting holding Chip and looking like a disfigured ventriloquist dummy holding a smaller dummy. Tracy stroked Sadie's purple hair.
"Yeah, but Tracy only reads dictionaries, and Sadie only reads creepy Dark Arts mumbo jumbo" Draco chuckled.
"Prat," Tracy sniffed.
"The Act may pass," Theo said, answering Terry's question and ignoring the others. "Any scheme that says it will save Galleons does have a chance of being passed. There won't be any huge savings made by cutting those offices though."
"So, they've closed the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. What other offices have been closed?" Harry asked curiously.
"They haven't been closed yet," Theo reminded them all. "It's still only a proposed budget and reorganization bill. It needs to go through committee, and then the Minister still needs to sign it into law."
"That's not the point, you great pillock," Pansy sneered at him.
Theo glared at Pansy. "They may be putting the axe to the Committee for the Disposal for Dangerous Creatures."
"Good thing too if you ask me," said Sadie. "They don't have to kill the creatures. They could just contain them."
"No one asked for your crackpot opinion," Draco told her.
Sadie stared at him, a bit perplexed.
"Stop being a prat, Draco," said Tracy.
"And they may cut the Committee on Experimental Charms," concluded Theo.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"It's an office run by wizards who like to give themselves horns and bat wings," Draco smirked.
"Any wizard who creates a new Charm is obliged to register with the Committee and tell them exactly what the magic is supposed to do," Terry said, shaking his head. "The very idea of all new magical skills having to be approved and registered by the government is stupid to begin with," he said critically. "They're fools if they think anyone besides Professor McGonagall obeys that law."
"Of course," Theo said. "Which is probably why they'd like to close it. They know it serves no real function other than to provide relatives of Ministry Officials with jobs."
"The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office is just as useless," Draco chimed in. "If a wizard wants a flying carpet, I don't see why he shouldn't have one."
Theo nodded. "Carpets are considered to be Muggle-ish, so the law says no enchanting. As if Muggles are the only ones who use carpets!"
"We've got a flying carpet," Draco bragged. "Father keeps it in storage most of the time, but on the first night of holiday he brought me out for a flight."
"You're lucky you weren't seen," Tracy told him.
"Actually, we did get seen once," Draco admitted. "We heard a shout from the ground, and Father had to put a Memory Charm on a Muggle."
"Oh, Darkness," muttered Sadie.
"Just a Memory Charm?" Pansy said with disappointment.
Sadie's mask rippled and creased as she frowned at Pansy.
Theo patted her on the head. "Poor ickle Pansy. No stories of bloodshed for you today."
Pansy snarled and pushed his hand away. Terry stood up and said his goodbyes, promising to come say hello at the feast. Harry looked out the window. The open pastures were beginning to give way to trees and forests. They must be nearly at Hogwarts.
"Shouldn't we change into our robes?" he suggested. He felt his face start to burn as Pansy started unbuttoning her shirt. Grabbing his school uniform, he fled to the next compartment. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting there, talking with Millie.
"Hi, Harry, good to see you," said Millie grinning at him.
Harry held up his robes. "Just here to change, really," he said. Millie ruffled Harry's hair as she left the compartment to give him some privacy.
After putting on his robes, he joined his friends for a few hands of Exploding, and they were just about to start a new game when the door slid open.
"There you are, Potter!" exclaimed Marcus Flint, captain of the house Quidditch team.
"Hullo, Flint," Harry greeted him. "How was your holiday?"
"I threw myself into devising new strategies for this season. Hey, you two!"
Crabbe looked up. "Eh?"
"Us?" echoed Goyle.
"Yeah," Flint said, giving them a critical eye. "Have you ever thought of going out for the Quidditch team?"
"Eh?"
"Us?"
Leaving Flint to try to recruit his big friends, Harry was about to return to the other compartment when he saw Jess, one of Slytherin's prefects and now a sixth year student. He'd always liked Jess, with her easy way of smiling and her friendly, open manner.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You look well."
A hidden speaker crackled to life, announcing, "The Hogwarts Express will be arriving at Hogsmeade station in one minute. Please gather all your belongings and prepare to deboard the train. Please do not attempt to leave the train until instructed. Please leave your school trunks; they will be taken up to the castle separately."
"Oops," Jess said. "I need to go to work."
"Bye!" Harry hugged his prefect.
The train came to life suddenly, as all the students began hustling about, returning to their own compartments, picking up belongings, pets, and younger siblings. Harry saw several older students keeping close tabs on smaller versions of themselves. Millie had a younger brother who was starting Hogwarts this year, Harry remembered, named Arthur. He fell in step with her and asked where the younger Bulstrode was.
Millie rolled her eyes. "With his cool friends, as opposed to his very not-cool sister and her weird friends."
Sadie looked self-conscious as she touched her mask.
"I wouldn't say we're all weird," Pansy protested.
"I agree," Theo said. "Only Pansy is weird."
Pansy thumped him.
When the train finally shuddered to a stop, there was a great scramble to get outside. Owls hooted, cats meowed, and Longbottom's pet toad could be heard croaking loudly. The evening air was chilly, and Harry pulled his cloak shut against the night.
"Firs' years this way!" The bellowing voice could only have belonged to Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper.
"All righ', Harry? Sadie?" he boomed. He disregarded the other Slytherins.
Sadie grinned and waved at him. Harry waved for a second, then followed the rest of the school as the first year students gathered around Hagrid in preparation for the traditional journey across the lake. They made their way down off the platform and onto a rough, muddy road where the stagecoaches awaited them. When they had climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself, bumping and swaying in procession without benefit of a horse to pull it!
Harry, Draco, Tracy and Sadie got a carriage to themselves. Harry wondered who his second best friend was, after Sadie. He appreciated both Draco and Tracy a great deal.
Sadie cradled Chip in her arms and cooed to him. Then she put a little potion flask to the strange thing's slit of a mouth.
"You're really weird, you know that?" Draco told her.
Sadie just gave a small smile in return.
"Shush!" Tracy scolded Draco. "Um… Chip's a … cute little thing."
It was obvious that Tracy didn't know quite what to make of Chip!
As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Harry was once again impressed with the sheer majesty of the Hogwarts castle. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive. Looking out the tiny windows, they could see the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Harry hurried to get a breath of air that didn't stink of mould and straw.
The students trundled up the stone steps that led up to the front doors of the castle. Heavy, giant, oak; the doors opened into the cavernous entrance hall, lit with flaming torches. The magnificent marble staircase rose into the air, leading the way to the upper floors.
Harry followed the swarm into the Great Hall. It was its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in mid-air. The sky above, seen via the enchanted ceiling of the Hall, was clear and bright. Stars twinkled merrily in the black dome of the night. The four long House tables were slowly being filled by the arriving students. At the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their pupils.
At the end of the table, next to the very large empty chair that belonged to Hagrid, sat Professor Kettleburn, instructor for Care of Magical Creatures. Fresh bandages were wrapped around his hands. Tiny little Professor Flitwick, the instructor for Charms and Head of Ravenclaw House, was sitting on a large pile of cushions beside Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House, whose hat was askew over her flyaway grey hair. Professor Quirrell, now History of Magic teacher was there, looking somewhat recovered from the events of last year. Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy witch, was looking bright-eyed and perky. As a confessed night owl, she had probably been awake for only a few hours. Next to her, Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House and Potions Master, sat looking grumpy. Snape had an empty chair next to him, presumably belonging to Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration Mistress and Head of Gryffindor House.
In the centre of the table sat Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, his silver hair and beard shining in the candlelight. The blue robes he wore were decorated with stars and moons. Further on sat Professor Vector, the witch who taught Arithmancy, Professor Babbling, the witch who taught Ancient Runes, and Professor Burbage, the witch who taught Muggle Studies. Those were all subjects older students could take. In the Spring, they would have to pick two additional classes to take in their third year.
Professor Lockhart sat there with his perfectly waved blond hair, his perfectly white smile, and his perfectly silly aquamarine robes and pointed hat. Harry turned his head to avoid making eye contact.
The rest of the staff sat along the table: Madam Pomfrey, the nurse; Madam Pince, the librarian; and Madam Hooch, the Quidditch instructor. Mr. Filch, or Cora, would be waiting around to mop the floor after the first years came through making a mess.
Harry exchanged many greetings as his fellow Slytherins came by to say hello. The rest of the Quidditch team, Bletchley, Bole, Derrick, Pucey, and Montague, all came by to say 'hi.'
He tried to ignore his stomach, which was grumbling to be filled.
A side door opened at that moment, and Hagrid took his seat at the table. Professor Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction.
"Ah, Hagrid. I trust the first-year students are ready outside?" he asked genially.
"Yessir, Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid answered.
"Excellent."
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and Professor McGonagall led the pack of first years inside. The long line of starry-eyed children looked anxious, nervous, and excited as they walked up to the front and stood before the High Table. Professor McGonagall brought over the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and the four-legged stool upon which it sat. Dirty, tattered, frayed, and patched, the Hat decided which House a student would belong to. It also directed the Hogwarts School Choir. The whole Hall watched eagerly, waiting for the Hat as a tear opened up, and it began to sing.
The Sorting Hat Songs were never exactly masterpieces, but Harry wasn't about to criticise them. It was wonderful that a hat could sing at all.
The entire Hall burst into applause. Professor McGonagall took out a scroll and unrolled it.
"Bulstrode, Arthur!"
The younger Bulstrode looked a lot like his older sister. He didn't seem at all nervous as he put the Hat on his head and sat down. After only a few seconds, the tear in the Hat opened up and cried out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Millie led the cheering as Arthur made his way to the Slytherin table. He sat down and grinned at all those who congratulated him.
"Creevey, Colin!"
"Already with the Mudbloods?" Pansy whispered. "Look, he's scared out of his tiny mind. Never seen magic before."
"Don't be so mean," snapped Sadie, her masked face crinkling into a scowl. "Have you forgotten everything we learned in the Hogwarts Togetherness Club last year?"
"Yeah, Pansy," said Theo poking her. "You're so slow on the uptake."
While Theo and Pansy scuffled, the very small, mousy-haired boy stepped forward. Nervously, he picked up the Hat, pulled it on, and sat down.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Dipippo, Vanessa!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Dix, Nancy!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The cheering from the Gryffindor table was riotous as three new students in a row joined them. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs looked a bit put out.
"Someone needs to make sure those Gryffindors don't get too uppity," muttered Eleanor Weiss, a seventh year sitting nearby.
"Driverson, Gerald!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
As their first new student was announced, the Hufflepuffs exploded with applause. The black-haired boy sat down as Professor McGonagall announced, "Fontaine, Megan!" a brown-haired girl with a ponytail who became the first new Ravenclaw.
The Sorting continued without incident through Brooke Gagnon (Gryffindor), Candace Gallagher (Hufflepuff), and Darryl Gauthier (Gryffindor), but when Jeremiah Goodwinter was announced, many of those sitting near Harry suddenly perked up. "What is it?" he asked Draco.
"Goodwinter is one of the old family names," Draco told him. "I didn't realize there were any Goodwinters coming in this year."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Holt, Michelle!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Cheers rose as the first new girl joined Slytherin's table.
"Ilnicky, Charles!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Wendy Ingram, Judith Kovalsick, and Luna Lovegood became Ravenclaws. Christopher Lewis was deemed a Hufflepuff.
"Massé, Omar!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"That's a new name," Theo whispered. "Sounds Spanish."
Draco shrugged. "Good for him."
Ravenclaw and Slytherin continued alternating between Jamie Morello, Sarrah Nolan, Patrick O'Rourke, Shawna Osman, and Westley Overton. The next firstie called was Melissa Padhye, another name that elicited interest. Draco bet Theo a Galleon that she'd be in Ravenclaw, while Theo erroneously believed Slytherin. Draco won the bet as she went to Ravenclaw, followed by Susan Robillard, sorted to Gryffindor. Conrad Rohmann and Gwendolyn Roit became Hufflepuffs, then Myles Sheridan went to Gryffindor, prompting deafening cheers. Draco nudged Harry. "Long tradition with that family."
"Shilvock, Thelma!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Slater, Leo!" McGonagall said. A pretty girl with the triple prettiness combo of shoulder-length auburn hair, green eyes and a freckled face stepped forward. The Hat announced her as a Slytherin.
"Slater, Lucas!"
Harry did a double-take. The same girl was walking forward to sit on the stool. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. "Déjà vu."
"The Slater twins," Tracy said, nodding. "Boy and girl, though you'd think they were identical. Poor Lucas needs a haircut, but his parents are so anachronistic they won't allow it."
"He's so adorable," said Sadie, clasping her little hands together.
The unfortunate Mr. Slater also was named a Slytherin.
"Smith, Zacharias!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Sunderland, Joshua!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Weasley, Ginevra!"
Harry was amused by her name. He'd thought it was Virginia.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Eugene Williams was the last student. Another Gryffindor.
As Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Hat and stool away, Professor Dumbledore got to his feet. He spread his arms wide. "A word – Eat."
The golden plates and platters suddenly filled with food. Harry dug in gratefully. The Sorting was very important, yes, but he was a growing boy. He came very close to stuffing himself to the bursting point. During the feast, Terry Boot and Padma Patil stopped by to say hello. They stayed through afters when the headmaster rose to his feet again.
"Before we retire for the night, I have a few notices to give out. Firstly, welcome to our new instructor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Gilderoy Lockhart."
Half the Hall started clapping. Harry didn't bother. Lockhart came across as a vain fool. Up at the High Table, Lockhart was smiling his perfect smile and waving to the students.
"The forest on the school grounds is considered out-of-bounds to all students," Dumbledore continued. "Use of magic in the corridors when passing between classes is frowned upon. Quidditch trials will take place in the second week of term. Anyone interested in earning a place on their house team should see Madam Hooch."
Harry couldn't wait for Quidditch season to start.
Harry and his friends walked out of the Hall and down the stone stairs that led into the dungeons. Harry felt he could have walked the route blindfolded.
"Abaddon," Tracy said. She was not magically pulling the password out of thin air; it had been circulated during pudding. The wall slid back, opening the way into Slytherin House.
The common room was a pleasant place, long, low underground room. Polished stone steps led down to the recessed floor, carpeted in a rich green with silver designs. The walls and ceiling were rough-hewn stone. Lamps hung on chains from the ceiling, giving off a cosy greenish light. A fire was crackling cheerfully under an elaborately carved mantelpiece in the centre of the long wall. Beanbags were scattered before the fire grate. Several high-backed chairs surrounded each of the tables that were evenly distributed throughout the room. There were two doors at the far end of the room. Bookshelves lined the walls. But most remarkable of all were the windows through which the murky depths of the lake could be seen. Fish flitted past the windows in silver shoals, and the shadow of the giant squid could be seen in the distance.
The second years saw Professor Snape talking to the small crowd of new first years, just as he had to them the previous year. Morgana was there.
"Now Morgana, the Head Girl, has suggested a mentoring program. New students can be assigned to an older student who volunteers to mentor them. I consider this to be a worthwhile idea."
"Who'd be daft enough to volunteer for that?" muttered Pansy, as Draco sniggered.
Sadie stepped forward, her green face illuminated by her grin. She looked even weirder in the greenish light of the common room, almost ghostly. Chip was strapped to her chest with the little baby carrier. The first years stared at her, wide-eyed.
"I volunteer, Professor," said Sadie. "I wanna mentor someone."
Snape turned to her, his fathomless black eyes boring into hers. "You are only a second year McIntyre, and of all your peers, you've had the most misadventures and mishaps. I can hardly appoint you for such a responsible position."
"Yeah, Sadie. You're always having misadventures," said Pansy smirking. Tracy dug her in the ribs.
Sadie blinked. "Oh. Yes sir."
Pansy stifled a smirk with one hand. Sadie went off to sit on one of the carved chairs, and Tracy and Harry hurried after her.
Sadie was sitting on a carved chair, her skinny arms folded around Chip.
"It's alright, dear," said Tracy, touching Sadie's green cheek.
"I wanted to look after a new kid," mumbled Sadie, her high voice quivering. "I – I already had plans about how I could make a little boy or girl feel at home here."
"Well… mentoring isn't everything," said Harry.
At that moment, they heard the sounds of footfalls on the stone floor, and Lucas Slater came up to them, the lamplight casting a greenish tinge on his pale, freckly face.
"I would be your mentor, Sadie. Uh – I mean, I want you to be my mentor."
Sadie's face was immediately lit up by her grin. "You do?" She jumped up and hugged Lucas, Chip sort of getting caught up in the middle of the hug. "Thank you, thank you," said Sadie. "Just wait. We're gonna have fun together. I'll show you how this place works. You get to meet all my amazing friends. I'll see you're never homesick. I'll hold your hand tonight, in case you are."
"Um…" said Lucas.
Sadie touched his arm with a little hand. "First, I'll draw you a welcome to Hogwarts picture. I'll do it right away. There'll be a desk in your dorm."
Harry wondered why Lucas specifically wanted Sadie to mentor him. There was no doubt that Sadie was enthusiastic about it. Maybe that was why.
Harry hugged Tracy goodnight, and also Daphne, who was still perky, bouncy, and happy and sprung into his arms. Sadie spent a little while hugging and kissing Tracy goodnight, then she followed the first and second year boys as they traipsed to the door on the right that opened into the inverted tower, leading down to their dorm rooms.
There was a system whereby the second years still had the same dorm as they did the previous year, right at the very bottom. The new first years had a dorm room above them. When they were level with it, Sadie hugged and kissed Harry goodnight, then she took Lucas by the hand and went into the dorm room with the crowd of first year boys.
Harry, Draco and the rest continued to the very bottom of the inverted tower.
"Home," Harry sighed happily. The silver plaque on the dorm door now read 'Second Years'. Inside they found their four-poster beds, dressers, desks, and trunks. It seemed as though nothing had changed over the summer holiday. Well-fed and sleepy, Harry wanted nothing more than to slide between the sheets of his own bed. He yawned a goodnight and as his head touched the pillow and he was out like a snuffed candle flame.