AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is a little on the short side but it's more to introduce my new character.
And for anyone who's interested, I'm looking for a co-writer to help with two of my other stories 'The Bonds of Family' and 'Dei Ex Machina'.
Read, review, and show your love!
"Delores, I need to send you to Hogwarts," Fudge said, briskly to his senior under-secretary. "As Dumbledore has failed to employ a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I am sending you to fill the position."
"Of course, Minister," Delores Umbridge replied, sweetly. "It will be my pleasure."
"And you will, of course, report to me on all the goings-on of the school?" Fudge asked, pointedly.
"Naturally," Umbridge replied.
"There is one piece of information you should be aware of," Fudge added, smirking. "It seems that Harry Potter will be requiring special accommodations this year at school."
"And why should he be treated special?" Umbridge asked, curiously. "He is no different that any other student."
"It seems that Potter is now completely blind," Fudge explained. "And I have spoken with St. Mungo's and they have assured me that he is not faking."
"Has Dumbledore made the required arrangements for Mr. Potter?" Umbridge asked.
"Yes," Fudge replied. "Though instead of a student guide as is mandated by wizarding educational law, Dumbledore has informed me that Potter will be using a guide-dog."
"I see," Umbridge said, nodding. "So once again, Dumbledore goes against Ministry protocols and decides which rules he will and will not follow." After a moment, she stood and smiled at her boss. "Well… I suppose then I had better get going, shouldn't I? Preparations must be made so that nothing else happens to Mr. Potter."
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The Weasleys plus Hermione and Harry arrived at King's Cross early on September 1st so that Harry could board the train without everyone staring at him.
Sirius was in dog form though instead of the shaggy bear-like mutt he usually became, he was now a beautifully groomed golden retriever. Attached to him was a harness which Harry held onto as his godfather walked slowly beside him.
Before Harry started getting on the train, Mrs. Weasley pulled him aside. "Let us know if you need anything." She tentatively hugged him then added, "Take care of yourself, Harry."
"I will, Mrs. Weasley," Harry promised, letting go of Sirius's harness to hug her back.
Once on the train, Harry felt for Sirius's harness again and the two headed down to the very end of the train. Stopping at one of the compartments, Harry slid the door open and heard a soft, cheery, female voice coming from inside. "Aren't you Harry Potter?"
"Who are you?" Harry asked, sitting down on one of the seats in the compartment. "Your accent's not English."
"Mallory Harper," the girl said, smiling as she studied Harry. "I'm a transfer from the Rouge Valley Academy for Witches in Colorado in the States."
"Why are you coming to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, curious. "I've never heard of Hogwarts admitting transfers."
Mallory sighed. "My parents… They're scared because of… well, because Voldemort is back. They think I'll be safer at Hogwarts."
"You might actually be safer if you'd stayed," Harry said, smirking.
"Maybe," Mallory admitted. "But I think they also wanted me away because of the divorce. They've been fighting for years and now… I'm sorry, I'm talking about parent troubles andboth of your parentsdied."
"It's okay," Harry assured her as Sirius nosed her knee in a comforting manner.
"Can I pet him?" Mallory asked. "I know some people don't like others playing with their guide dogs."
"No, go ahead," Harry said, feeling Sirius's wagging tail hit his legs. "His name's Orion."
"You're very handsome," Mallory said, looking Orion/Sirius in the eyes. "You're cute, too, Harry, but I really like dogs."
"I've always been more of a dog person myself," Harry said, smiling.
"So… what happened? I mean, did you…?"
"The Daily Prophet hasn't published the fact that I'm blind?" Harry asked, confused.
"They think you're a nutcase… and Dumbledore's gone bonkers as well," Mallory said. "But… I mean you haven't always been blind… have you? Was it an accident or…?"
"When Voldemort used Avada Kedavra on me it caused delayed damage," Harry explained. "It started out as me needing glasses when I was 7. Past few years… my optic nerves started shorting out and shutting down. This summer was when I actually lost my eyesight."
"Well that sucks."
"Harry?"
Mallory looked up to see two girls standing in the doorway; one with bushy brown hair and the other with ginger-red hair. "Howdy."
"Hi," said the brunette. "I'm Hermione Granger." She indicated the redhead as she added, "This is Ginny Weasley."
Mallory nodded. "I'm Mallory Harper. Have a seat. Join us."
"I have to get to the Prefect's compartment," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to check on Harry."
"That's cool," Mallory replied. "How 'bout you, Ginny?"
"Yeah, okay," Ginny said as Hermione left. Looking at Harry Ginny asked, "How are you doing, Harry?"
"Fine, I guess," Harry murmured, shrugging.
"That's good," Ginny replied, sitting next to Mallory who crossed her legs and leaned back.
"Little tip about people with disabilities," Mallory said, closing her eyes. "After the first couple times the question 'how are you' and all its variations gets really annoying."
Ginny bristled. "Well, I was just trying to be courteous."
"Ginny… she's right," Harry admitted. "I didn't… want to say anything, but…"
"See?" Mallory said, her eyes still closed and a smug smile crossing her face. Hearing the door open and then slam, she opened one eye to see a flash of red hair whip out of sight. "Nice girlfriend."
"Ginny's not my girlfriend," Harry replied as Sirius jumped up on the bench seat beside him and lay down, furry head in Harry's lap.
"Really?" Mallory asked, curiously, fixing her open eye on Harry. "What about Hermione?"
"Hermione? She's my best friend," Harry added.
Mallory opened the other eye. "No girlfriend at all?"
"Nope."
Mallory smiled as she closed her eyes again. "Good to know."
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"She's crass and-and rude and-and… she's—"
"She's an American," Hermione said, calmly to Ginny. "She's in a foreign land thousands of miles away from her family so of course she's going to be a little… stand-offish. And I don't think she was rude so much as… candid."
"Whatever," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. Looking out of the Prefects' compartment she saw her friend Luna Lovegood skipping past. "I'm going to sit with my friends."
"I… think I'm going to meet this girl," Ron said, getting up and heading out of the compartment.
"Boys…" Hermione muttered, watching the door close behind him.
When Ron finally got to Harry's compartment, the train was starting to fill up with more and more people. Slipping quietly into the compartment, Ron sat down and grinned at Mallory. "Ron Weasley."
"Hi," Mallory said, grinning back. "Look, I'm sorry if I pissed off your sister. I… guess I'm still in an American state of mind."
"Oh, it's… Don't worry. Ginny's always been touchy about being criticized," Ron said, trying at act suave.
"Ron, I'm blind and I can still tell you're bad at this," Harry said, smirking.
"Oooh, I like a sarcastic blind guy," Mallory said, though her seductive smile was wasted on The Boy Who Lived. Catching movement at the door, however, her smile faded as she looked through the glass. "Harry… I think the nosy nellies on the train have finally figured out that you're in here."
Harry sighed and started to get up but stopped when Ron said, "I'll take care of this."
"Ron, maybe I should just—"
"You stay here, Harry," Ron insisted. "I'll deal with the crowds."
"Holler if you need a little American muscle," Mallory said as Ron left and started trying to keep the other students away from the door.
"I should just go out there," Harry mused.
"The Daily Prophet thinks you're faking," Mallory countered in a slightly sing-song tone.
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. "How could they…? Why would I pretend to be blind?"
"Shoot me, I don't know," Mallory replied. "They're trying to discredit you and Dumbledore and… I don't know… whatever works, I guess."
"But how do you fake being blind?"
"There is that," she mused. "Okay," Mallory said, hopping up from her seat. "Come on. You've got people to convince."
"But you just said…" Harry sighed and stood up, exiting the compartment with Mallory right behind him. "Uh…"
Mallory put her thumb and middle finger to her lips and let out a loud whistle. "Okay, may I have your attention please!" Once the students gathered around had quieted, she nudged Harry in the back. "You're up, Potter."
"Um… I… don't know what you all have heard about me over the summer but…" Harry reached up and took off the shades he wore so that the others saw his unfocused eyes. "When… Voldemort tried to kill me as a baby… it… did something to my eyes. A delayed reaction. At first I just needed glasses when I was about 7. But in the past few years… My sight has been getting worse and worse."
"So… what happened this summer, Harry?" Katie Bell asked, concerned.
"Last year… in the maze… when I fought Voldemort… he used the Cruciatus curse on me," Harry said, calmly, as he put his shades back on. "The curse accelerated my condition."
"The Prophet says that you and Dumbledore are liars," said a sneering boy with black hair. "That this whole thing about You-Know-Who is just a story."
"Yeah… a TRUE story," Mallory interjected. "Look… The student who died—Diggory?—was killed by Avada Kedavra. No student has that kind of firepower. And who do we know that's a big fan of the Killing Curse, hmmm?"
"So… you believe him?" Seamus Finnigan said, a note of disbelief in his voice.
Mallory rolled her eyes. "Duh! Yeah, I believe Harry!"
"And why should we listen to a stupid American witch?" said the sneering voice of Draco Malfoy.
"Because in the good old United States we believe in 'innocent until proven guilty' along with giving someone the benefit of the doubt," Mallory snapped, taking a few steps into the crowd so she was closer to Malfoy. "Got a name to go with that 'tude?"
"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
"I'm not stupid, Malfoy," Mallory said, her voice cool. "My parents wanted me to transfer to Hogwarts."
"Okay, that's enough now," Hermione said as she came up behind the crowd. "Let's move along now."
"Yeah… yeah, what she said," Ron added, trying to move the crowd back.
Harry turned back to the compartment and once inside with Mallory, he heard her ask, "So are rides on the Hogwarts Express always this eventful?"