Harry Potter and the Duplaticus Curse
Chapter 9 The Escapers
I do not own any of the characters they belong to J.K. Rowling
(Let's see, I last left you with James writing a letter to Harry trying to explain why he was away for all of those years Unfortunately he had to burn it. He doesn't even know that Harry knows that he's alive. Hmmm this could be interesting.)
"Harry, wake up." Someone was shaking Harry's shoulder. Harry pushed them away and tried to get to sleep again.
"Harry!" Harry sat up in bed quickly.
"What's wrong?" He yawned.
"Nothing," Ron said. "But it's time for breakfast." Harry got out of bed and changed out of his pajamas and into his school robes. Even though he was still 99.9% asleep he pulled on his shoes and went downstairs.
Hermione and Ron were already waiting for him downstairs. Hermione's nose was in a book and Ron was shaking his head in disgust. Harry sat down in a arm chair and started to fall asleep again. Unfortunately for him, he was awoken by Hermione.
"Harry you should really read this book," Hermione said.
"I would," Harry yawned, "If your nose wasn't in it so much."
"You can have it when I'm finished."
"It's supposed to be mine."
Hermione had just opened her mouth to reply when Ron interrupted.
"I'm going to breakfast," Ron said.
"Wait for me," Harry said. Hermione got up and followed.
Down in the Great Hall a few people were eating breakfast, a few were just milling around, talking to their friends at other tables.
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table and started to scoop oatmeal into their bowls. They were joined by Neville and Seamus (Dean was still up in the Tower) when Professor McGonnagal came around, passing out their schedules.
"Try not to get in any trouble this year," Professor McGonnagal whispered to Harry before handing him his schedule. Harry grunted in reply before looking at his schedule.
"We have potions first thing," moaned Ron.
"Arithmancy this afternoon."
"At least we have Transfiguration this morning after Potions," Hermione said brightly. She seemed to be the only one that was excited about that. Ron and Harry ate the rest of their oatmeal in gloomy silence.
"Well, look on the bright side," Hermione said, "It'll be over before you know it."
Unfortunately, for the 3rd (or was it the 4th) time in her life, Hermione was wrong. When they arrived in Snapes dungeon it seemed to be as gloomy as ever. Only it seemed to be colder as Snape floated around, occasionally walking through people, watching them mix their potion ingredients. He seemed to hate everyone in Gryffindor more than ever, expecially Harry. He glared at Harry many times while Harry was grinding some sunflower roots. He seemed to be trying to read Harry's mind.
One time he even spoke to Harry.
"I'd be careful if I were you Potter," He said in an undertone, "You may have survived last time, but I'm sure that the Dark lord will be back."
Harry glanced at Snape as he floated away to bother Neville.
"I know why Snape is really ticked off this year,"
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"He's mad because I lived and he didn't."
"He blames you for his death?" Ron whispered.
"Yeah, I guess."
Harry shushed them, Snape was glaring in their direction.
Transfiguration wasn't any better. Professor McGonnagal seemed to decide that everyone was ready to take their N.E.W.T's because that's about how hard the spells they tried to perform were. Even Hermione had a little bit of trouble with these spells (note that I said 'a little' because she still performed them.)
Neville transplanted his arm onto his desk and had to be taken to the nurse's office to replace it.
When it was lunch everyone was exhausted, as Harry and Ron ate their lunch they remembered that they had Arithmancy in the afternoon. Ron groaned and pushed away his meal, proclaiming that he was going to be sick. Hermione snorted.
Arithmancy took place at the top of the north tower. It took ten minutes to get there (unless you apparated there," Ron said. "You can't apparate in Hogwarts!" Hermione snapped.)
So after lunch Harry and Ron went up to the north tower. They climbed the silver staircase that led up to the Arithmancy classroom. As usual the room was burning hot and smelled overwhelmingly of perfume.
"Welcome," Said Professor Trelawney in her mystical whisper of a voice. "I knew you were going to be late. My inner eye has foreseen many things."
Ron rolled his eyes as they made their way over to their little table in the corner.
Professor Trelawney sat down in her armchair and gazed sadly around the room.
"I'm afraid that this year won't be any easier than last year," Professor Trelawney said mystically.
"My inner eye told me that this year may be even more difficult." Professor Trelawney gazed over sadly in Harry's direction. Parvati and Lavender gasped and gazed sadly over at Harry again. Professsor Trelawney went on with her lesson. Harry wasn't paying attention.
"Great," He said to himself, "If last year was hard, this year will probably be like hell."
Ron nudged Harry in the ribs and Harry looked up.
"We will now be doing a review of everything that we've done for the past three years," Professor Trelawney was saying. She took out her wand and gave it a little flick, a number of things appeared on each of the tables. Two Crystal Balls, some tealeaves, and a chart of the solar system.
"First you will all start with the tea leaves, as it was the first things you studied." Ron groaned.
"I remember the first time we did tea leaves," Harry said. "Professor Trelawney saw the Grim in my cup."
"Oh, the happy memories," Ron said sarcastically.
The two of them made some scalding tea. They placed the leaves on the saucer and glanced at them dully.
"It looks like a blob," Harry said.
"I don't think they have that in the book Harry," Ron replied.
The two of them switched saucers and looked at them.
"See anything," Ron mumbled.
"Yeah, I think you have a star or something," Harry said. He flicked through the book.
"A star means that you will have good luck for the rest of your life."
"Thanks," Ron said. "You seem to have a… um… load of soggy wet stuff."
"Wonderful, I know exactly what's going to happen to me this year," Harry said sarcastically.
"Let's see you seem to have a… moon, or is it a sun. Hmmm, maybe it's a ball. Or it could be-"
"Ron, forget it."
They threw away their tea leaves and gazed into their Crystal Balls. Just as Ron burst out laughing because he looked so funny in his reflection Lavender started to squeal with delight.
"Professor! Professor!" She cried, "I see something!"
"What's the big deal," Seamus muttered from another table, "I see things all the time. Right now I can see a table, a chair, some pillows, I can see Harry, and Ron, and Neville and-"
Parvati glared at them.
After gazing at their crystal balls for what seemed like an hour, it was time to go."
"We will finish our review next class session." She said mystically before closing the trap door behind them.
Hermione was waiting for them down in the Gryffindor common room.
"C'mon," She said, "I want to get to dinner."
They dropped off their bags in the dorm. Neville was running around, looking for something. Seamus was watching him in amusement.
As they walked down to dinner they noticed something very odd. Normally when it was time for a meal, delicious aromas could be smelled from all around the castle. This time, all they could smell was the dust.
"I wonder if something's wrong with dinner," Ron said.
Ron soon found out what was wrong. A crowd of terrified house elves came running around the corner, screaming at the top of their little lungs.
"Run! Run!" Squeaked one.
"Evil Dark lords! Sqeakers is getting out of the way!" Cried another.
When they had passed Ron looked at Harry, bewildered.
"That was odd," He said.
"I think we'd better go see what's going on," Hermione said.
"Dang it!" Harry exclaimed. "I was hungry."
As they walked down to the great hall, none of them noticed the dark, cloaked figure following behind them. Of course they couldn't, he was wearing an invisibility cloak. After all, it used to be his.
