9: Back to School
The morning of September first dawned miserable and drizzly. When Harry sat down for breakfast he was surprised to find he couldn't finish the stack of pancakes Mrs. Weasley put down in front of him. He had been packing away the syrup coated things by the dozen, but his apatite seemed to have finally calmed down. Mrs. Weasley attributed it to nerves, but Harry thought it was because the time magic had worn off.
True to form, they arrived at the station minutes before the train pulled away. Fred and George split off to looks for some of their own friends. They had petitioned for a license to open a shop in Diagon Alley, but their forms to request taking the NEWT exams kept getting lost in the Ministry. George had speculated that their ex-brother Percy might have something to do with it, and the pair was plotting revenge. In the meantime the Headmaster gave them permission to take the year over, as that was the only way they could take their NEWTs. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione settled into an empty compartment in the middle of the train. Before long, Neville came by and sat with them. The five of them chatted about inane things. The four older students would be in Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Transfiguration classes together. Neville was happy with his Acceptable in potions, it was better than he was expecting. He didn't want to spend any more time in Professor Snape's company anyway. Ron and Hermione had also received Outstanding grades for potions. Ron swore it had to do with the Polyjuice question.
Harry and Neville were in a lower History class. Hermione nagged him until Harry mentioned that he intended to test out of the lower class. Hermione also had Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, and Ron was continuing Divination. Ron hadn't had the greatest grades, scarcely making it into Charms and Transfiguration. Ginny said he should have put more effort into it, and it occurred to Harry that Ginny was becoming a great deal like her mother.
A ride on the Hogwarts express just wouldn't be the same without candy and a rude interruption, and Harry wasn't disappointed. They had just started in on the snacks from the trolley when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stepped into the open compartment door.
"I see the great savior has returned from his grand adventures. Running scared Potter?"
"Actually I was studying most of the summer, Malfoy. I couldn't very well practice dark spells with Muggles all around me, could I? It would be hard to keep that sort of thing quiet."
"As if some summer studying could possibly make a difference. You are on the loosing side, Potter." Harry stood up, but still had to look up at the tall blond to make eye contact. Just as Harry was about to speak, he started seeing flashes of something in Malfoy's eyes. The images sharpened, and Harry studied them.
"What are you looking at, Potter?" The comment came out a little more worried than Malfoy meant it to. Potter was staring at him in the strangest way, like he was trying to look through him.
"I'm wondering how mentally stable your Father is, and whether or not he has done anything to you yet. Over a month in Azkaban, with the sort of memories he has in his head, would unhinge most people. You and I both know what your father is. He has tortured and killed people simply because they disagree with an extremist."
"Shut up. You don't know what you are talking about!" Malfoy sounded halfway convincing, but Harry could plainly see an argument between Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy playing out in Draco's head. Lucius was throwing things and ranting while Draco peeked through a keyhole, terrified.
"I think I do. I think I know very well what can happen to someone who has real horrors in their past when they come up against a Dementor. I think you are scared of your father, with good reason. Most of all I think a madman leading a troop of half-crazed and broken men has little chance of succeeding."
"The Dark Lord will win this war."
"No, he may make a very large mess and take many lives, but he will not win. I will kill him, if not for my parents, then for my godfathers." Harry stepped back, shrugging it off as if it was nothing at all.
"What will you do, play your violin so bad he kills himself to shut out the sound?"
"I play very well, so I doubt it. I could just use the killing curse, but there are many worse ways to go. Incineration, blood loss, snapped neck, and a knife in the back all spring to mind. There is also burning acid, toxic fumes, drowning, boiling oil . . ." Harry sat down as he rattled off gruesome ways to kill a raving madman, upsetting everyone in the compartment.
"Oi, Harry!" Ron interrupted, "Some of us are trying to eat our snacks."
"Your right Ron, I forgot poisoning." Harry smiled viciously. "I was expecting Malfoy to have left quite a while ago. He just doesn't take a hint, does he? Perhaps I should use the Death Eater's kids as practice. I mean, I've only ever killed one person before and that wasn't strictly intentional."
"What? Who did you kill? I thought everyone at the ministry got locked up alive." Neville squeaked in shock. Malfoy was looking rather pale, but had not left yet. He seemed to be thinking of a parting remark, but was too scared to come up with one. Crabbe and Goyle were looking quickly between Malfoy and Harry, clearly wanting to get out of there.
"Harry killed Professor Quirrell back in first year." Hermione told him.
"I don't think the elder Malfoy will go down as easily as he did. The man touched me once, and the magic didn't fry him on contact the way it did Quirrell. Honestly, I don't know how anyone can support Voldemort so long as the Headmaster and I are still around. Don't get me wrong, I'm still angry at that manipulative sneak, but the Headmaster is a very powerful wizard."
"I . . . We'll see who comes out on top, Potter." Malfoy stuttered a little, and fled the compartment.
"Step one completed." Harry proudly announced.
"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Voldemort is going to need more Death Eaters soon. Adults have pretty much made up their minds, so he needs to pick up younger followers. The more questions we can give them, the longer it will take them to make up their minds. For those who can't be saved, some indecision might be the best we can get."
The rest of the trip was spent talking about much less depressing things. Quidditch was the first order of business. Harry had been informed that his lifetime ban from Quidditch was lifted, and was looking forward to flying again. There was also speculation about the new DADA professor and chatter about Fred and George's upcoming pranks.
Harry waved to Hagrid when they stepped off the train. As they approached the thestral-drawn carriages Neville gasped. Harry felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him.
"You can see them, can't you?" The words hung in the air for a moment. "I guess I knew it, but I was hoping . . . Who knows what that thing was anyway, you know?"
"It's alright, Harry." Ron put an arm around his good friend. "He was your godfather, and a great guy."
"Get in the carriage and try not to think about it too much." Neville offered. Hermione immediately launched into a discussion of their study schedule, and Ron tried desperately to shut her up.
The sorting was boring, but the upbeat atmosphere did lift Harry's spirits. He cheered for each of the eleven first years to be sorted into Gryffindor, the largest group in any house for over a decade. Slytherin gained only six new students, all girls, which caused a bit of a stir. The Headmaster stood up to make his yearly announcements and the chatter died down.
"A few announcements, for our first years as well as a few forgetful older students, before we eat our fill: The Forbidden Forrest is out of bounds for all students. Spell casting in the halls between classes is not permitted, and the list of prohibited items has been amended. Curious students can find the list posted outside Mr. Filch's office. I would like to welcome a new member of the staff, and perhaps we'll keep this one longer than a year, Professor Dupont!" A plump man with graying hair and a bad brown toupee stood up for a moment. An unenthusiastic round of applause greeted him. "Professor Dupont worked as a freelance curse breaker before coming here to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think I've droned on long enough. Zipper! Premont! Kingpin!"
The tables filled with food in true Hogwarts style. Harry dug in with gusto, attacking a hot apple pie as if it insulted his mother. He also ate a huge tossed salad, some beans, potatoes, and a little shellfish.
"Oi Harry, what's with the odd food?" Ron asked between mouthfuls of pot pie and roasted chicken. "You haven't touched the chicken." Harry looked at the drumsticks and felt a little queasy.
"Just not into it, I guess. You should have some of this blueberry tart, it's great."
"What is it with you two and food? Tomorrow is Monday, so we have a whole week of classes for once. I can't wait to start." Hermione's strict attitude interjected. Harry just laughed at her and told her to ease up. Studying could wait until they received their timetables at least.
N.E.W.T. classes were not separated by house the same way classes in lower years were. Only Transfiguration, History, and Charms were still crowded enough to require separation by house lines. Potions only needed one class since only a handful of students managed to get in.
Professor Dupont's Defense class was first thing Monday morning. All he did was talk about the upcoming curriculum. This gave Hermione all the information needed to put together a study schedule for the entire year, though there was one problem apparent from the beginning. Professor Dupont's thick accent made understanding him quite difficult, and anything he didn't write on the board took a few moments to comprehend. Obviously, the man didn't speak very much English. Harry had a free period next while Ron went to Divination and Hermione went to Ancient Runes. He spent the time going over the topics Prof. Dupont laid out for that week and touching up some ideas for the D.A. Directly after lunch Prof. McGonagall took Harry aside.
"Mr. Potter, the headmaster is well aware that you have no desire to talk to him at the present time, but he wants to know if you plan on continuing the D.A. this year. The club was not only popular, but productive, and would be a great asset to the school."
"I've already started figuring out what I want to cover."
"That's good to hear. We were wondering if you would mind splitting the group up. There are nearly three hundred students, and not many are on the same level as last year's group. Perhaps two levels could be devised, so that more accomplished students would not become bored and younger ones would not be overwhelmed?"
"The idea has merit, but it will take considerable planning. I'll get things moving, but I can't promise anything until October. I need to see what time Quidditch practices are and all that. Maybe you or Professor Snape could take some of the pressure off by restarting the dueling club?"
"I don't think we could manage that. After Mr. Lockhart's rather pitiful attempt the governors decided any faculty-run club designed to teach children how to fight is not a good idea. A student-run study group on the other hand is well within our scope." Harry smiled, knowing that his head of house wasn't the type to come up with a backdoor approach like that. The Headmaster was certainly behind this, possibly trying to buy him off with a little extra power.
"I'll have to get to work then. Inform the Headmaster he is forgiven for neglecting to inform the Order of the Phoenix about my abusive home life, but not for any of the other points on which we currently disagree." Professor McGonagall jumped a little. "I daresay he will have a hard time finding out the full scope of my activities over the summer, but I did spend a considerable amount of time researching myself and I did not like what I found out."
Harry's afternoon was taken up by double Herbology. They were given randomly chosen partners and a similar spiel about how wonderful it was that they were all continuing the study of Herbology. Harry got paired with Draco Malfoy, and they spent the entire lesson making a point to not look at one another.
Tuesday morning Harry was bored to tears in Transfiguration and Charms. Both teachers did exactly the same thing Professors Sprout and Dupont had the day before. Congratulations on your O.W.L. scores, here is the course outline, read these chapters by next class, and now a short review. After lunch Harry, Ron, and Hermione were actually looking forward to Potions. Snape was sure to break the monotony with a long, well thought out tirade on the shortcomings of Gryffindor intelligence. Harry persuaded his friends to take up seats near the front for maximum Snape enjoyment.
"What do you mean enjoyment?" Ron moaned.
"Perhaps Harry just wants to participate more actively in his studies, something you would do well to emulate." Hermione snapped.
"What I mean is: Snape can't say I'm a spoiled brat anymore so it'll be interesting to watch him try and make up ways to get at me. He's too proud to spread outright lies, and knows they won't affect me anyway so there would be no point. Perhaps he'll have to pick on someone else." The bell rang and Professor Severus Snape came out of the back room to head the class. Harry sat in the second row next to Dean since Seamus dropped Potions. Ron sat behind Harry next to Hermione.
"Welcome to N.E.W.T. level Potions. This class will be similar to your previous Potion classes with a slight change in the average ability of the students involved. I expect you to handle topics faster than in previous years. We will start out the year with an outdated form of the potion Skele-Grow. This version was used for about two centuries before the discovery of the Americas and works over a period of three days to two weeks . . ." Harry understood the notes, but couldn't fathom what was wrong with Snape. There were no belittling comments about anyone in the class. In fact, the professor seemed to be running completely on auto pilot, not hearing or seeing anything beyond his own desk and chalkboard.
"Hey 'Mione, what do you think is up with Snape?" Ron asked while Snape stared blankly at his quill.
"Quiet! I'm just getting to the pixy wings."
"Snape's not going to take points, Hermione. Just look at Malfoy, Snape never let him get away with doing nothing all period."
"Ronald Weasley, if you don't stop talking and let me finish . . ."
"But it's odd isn't it?"
"Ron, perhaps you ought to leave Hermione alone, she's been wound up all morning. I think it's a girl problem." Harry spoke quietly as he calmly stirred his brilliant orange mixture.
"Harry, what did you just say to Ron?" The concentrated wrath in Hermione's eyes made Harry nervous.
"Er . . . that he should button it so we can work in peace?"
"I thought so." She went back to her potion, which was steadily turning brown instead of grey. Harry decided that this was not a good sign at all.
"What is wrong with her?" Ron was more than a little irked when Harry shook his head and kept working on his potion. "Any fool can see something is wrong with Snape. It's like he's broken or something. Weird, really, that he's not prowling around the desks like he usually is."
"I told you to be quiet." Hermione spat, jabbing a ladle in Ron's direction. Unfortunately, said ladle was full of her half-completed potion. Thick ribbons of brown and orange splattered across the desk, sizzling where they came in contact with parchment. Harry saw one ribbon oozing toward Ron's fire, and another much too close to a now leaking bottle of lizard saliva. If either one connected . . .
"Hit the dirt!" Harry screamed, grabbing Dean's arm and yanking him to the floor. A dual explosion rocked the classroom a moment later; first a rush of hot air smelling of Lima beans, second a spray of cold drops of an alkaline paste resembling pond scum.
"What?" Snape's head popped up from behind his desk a moment after Harry's.
"Hermione spilled a bit of her potion by accident. The Lima bean smell is from the bit that got in Ron's fire and the wet is from spilled lizard saliva." Harry answered automatically. He also noticed with a bit of pride that all the members of the D.A. had ducked in time, but all the Slytherins and a few other students he didn't know were all singed and soaked.
"That is . . . correct Mr. Potter. How did you know that?"
"I studied the properties of ladybug wings and oak leaves over the summer, among other things." Harry was quick on the draw for lies today, since he really shouldn't have known that. The Lima bean flavored air blast was described in a potions journal three weeks ago as a parlor trick, and then mimicked by Snape with 'Imber' at his side. He remembered Snape joking: 'I know it's a frivolous party gag, but perhaps the house elves will serve limas more often if I set a few off near the kitchens.' The Oak leaves and lizard spit wasn't as suspicious, it was a long standing fact that the two make a cold wet mess in the presence of pixy wings, even if they don't usually explode. The sticky part is 'Imber' had prevented the same explosion not long ago, on August the 28th. It was a darn good thing that every book on Animagi said it was impossible to become a magical creature.
"Well. Twenty points from Gryffindor for the explosion. Miss Granger, you will get a zero for the day's lesson. Mr. Potter . . . two points . . . to Gryffindor for being alert, and you are excluded from the additional homework. Everyone else, I want a roll of parchment on the combined properties of lizard saliva, ladybug wings, oak leaves, and pixy wings by next week. This is in addition to the parchment on bone potions that I assigned at the beginning of class. Class dismissed." Harry helped a shell-shocked Hermione out the door.
"Harry, do you realize what just happened? You just got points in potions class. You actually received a positive number of points from Professor Snape!" Ron was still rambling on when they reached the common room. The three sat on the couch closest to the fireplace, a tea set brought up by Dobby in front of them.
"Yes Ron, we heard you the first dozen times too." Hermione snapped.
"He was acting odd, like he wasn't all there today. Perhaps he's sick, but wouldn't go up to Madam Pomfrey until classes were over?" Harry tried to make peace by moving the conversation along. "He is a bit of a workaholic. I just hope he snaps out of it soon. Some things are meant to be dependable, you know?"
"Makes sense I guess." Ron agreed, offering Hermione a fresh cup of tea.
Updated May 08, 2006
