A/N: My apologies for the monotony of the last chapter…the explanation of the Prophecy was important to the plot though. This chapter will be a combination of fluff and angst. I seem to be good at angst…and of course, a reminder to you all to read and review!!
When Harry awoke the next morning, he was rather disoriented. Sitting up from the couch, he looked around in confusion while trying to figure out why he wasn't in his dorm. Hmmm…must have fallen asleep down here last night. While he was scanning the Common Room, he noticed a slender form curled up in the chair to his left. The figure moved, revealing a shock of white-blonde hair. Harry's eyes widened in shock, but this was quickly replaced by a smile of amusement. Malfoy, babysitting him? How…touching.
Harry rose, stretching skyward as he did so, groaning as joints popped and snapped back into place. He crept surreptitiously towards Malfoy's sleeping form and stood over him for a moment. Harry had intended to wake Draco in some rude manner, but when he saw the look on the boy's face, he just couldn't do it. Draco's face was contorted in pain, as though someone were lashing him with a belt, and Harry knew whereof he spoke. Draco jerked spasmodically, flinching. Not able to watch anymore, Harry reached down and gently put a hand on Draco's shoulder. He recoiled initially, but somehow realized that there was no pain here.
"Malfoy," Harry whispered. He shook him lightly, attempting to rouse him. "Draco, come on. Rise and shine!"
Draco slowly opened his eyes, glaring blearily at Harry, who just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Watching over me, are you Malfoy?" Harry asked slyly.
"I could ask you the same question." Draco replied as he pulled himself to a sitting position. "I mean, I wake up and the first thing I see is your face looming over me. It's not a pretty sight in the morning, by the way, Potter.
Harry grinned at him, and went to sit back on the couch. "All mocking aside, why did you stay down here? I don't even remember you being here last night."
"That's because you were sleeping like a baby before you could notice. I came down because I forgot my homework on one of the tables. I didn't know you were here until I heard you move." Draco paused, wondering if he should tell Harry what he had heard last night. "You, um, said something before you fell asleep though."
Harry looked at him curiously. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember anything that he may have muttered in the dark Common Room the night before.
"You said, 'Please, no dreams tonight. I don't think I could take it.' And for some unknown reason, I felt pity for you and I decided to stay. Just in case you did have a dream, you know? I watched you until 3 in the morning and then I decided to get some sleep myself." Draco didn't look at Harry when he told him this. Rather, he focused on his hands, which were moving nervously in his lap.
"Looks like you were the one having the dreams," Harry observed.
"Yeah, well." Draco looked at Harry, as though daring him to ask what the dream had been about. Worthless! A piece of worthless filth! Draco winced as his father's voice echoed in his head. "What's got me curious," he said, getting his mind off the dream, "is why you were so concerned about dreaming. What with you being the Famous Harry Potter and all, I figured you would be dreaming about fluffy unicorns and happy things."
"This," Harry's hand rose involuntarily to his scar, drawing Draco's attention to it, "is my connection to Voldemort. When he's feeling especially murderous, or causing some poor wizard pain, I can see it. And my scar will hurt. And when I'm not dreaming about Voldemort, well let's just say that my dreams are not about fluffy unicorns."
Draco smiled and stood up, looking to the stairs leading to their dormitory. "You don't reckon that we should meander upstairs before anyone misses us, do you?"
"I suppose that would be a good idea," Harry replied. He and Malfoy rose from their places on the couch and chair and silently walked up to the fifth year boys' dorm. Draco pulled the door open, peeking inside. He turned back to Harry and put a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said in an exaggerated whisper. "They're still sleeping."
Harry grinned as Malfoy tip-toed quietly into the dorm, then stifled a giggle when Malfoy nearly sprained an ankle when he tripped over Ron's wand. "He's always leaving that around," Harry told Malfoy who was rubbing his ankle.
"Didn't his mother teach him how to pick up his things?"
"Don't know; I wasn't around for that part of his childhood, you know." Harry sat down on his bed, staring blankly across the room. Finally, he moved to a more comfortable position; lying down. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling above him. He closed his eyes; ready to go back to sleep, but it occurred to him that he should say something to Malfoy. "Malfoy," he hissed. He didn't wait for a response. "Thanks for staying down there last night. I do appreciate it."
Malfoy didn't respond, but Harry knew that he had heard him.
Later that morning, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting in their Common Room, playing a game of Exploding Snap. Ginny groaned as Harry told a corny joke, and Ron and Hermione just exchanged glances.
"So," Harry began, "did you hear the one about the rope that walked into a bar?"
"YES!" They responded immediately.
Harry hunkered down in his chair and sulked. "All right. Fine," he pouted. "You guys just don't love me anymore."
Ginny grinned at Hermione, deciding to play along. She went over to kneel by Harry's chair and began mussing up his hair. "Aww, poor baby," she crooned. "Is wittle Hawwy feeling unwoved?" (Um, unloved?)
Harry squirmed to get away from Ginny and ended up in a heap on the floor. He looked up and glared at Ginny murderously, who simply looked innocent. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron, wondering if they would help him up. Unfortunately, those two were laughing so hard that they really wouldn't be of much help at all.
At this point, Harry was so distracted that he didn't notice Ginny coming at him, arms outstretched, grinning. "Tickle monster!" She cried gleefully.
Harry scrambled to his feet, yelling. He managed to get around the Common Room before Ginny tackled him and began tickling his ribs. "Come on you guys," she yelled, beckoning Ron and Hermione over to join the fun.
Harry squirmed and laughed hysterically. "Please…stop! Don't…stop! Please." He gasped laughingly.
Ginny eyed him mischievously. "Don't stop, you say?"
"No!" Harry's eyes widened as the assault suddenly got worse. After several minutes of tickling, Harry managed to grab Ginny's small wrists and grinned maniacally. "Well, look what I got," he mused to himself. He pushed Ginny away, still holding her hand and pulled himself to his feet. Without a second thought, Harry pulled Ginny to her feet and began dragging her back over to Ron and Hermione.
Harry pulled Ron out of his chair and pointed to the one Ginny had been seated in previously. He then placed Ginny in the now vacant seat and sat down in his own chair, still hanging on to her. Ginny glanced at Harry amusedly and looked at him, her brown eyes full of questions. "Okayy…" she said slowly. "Aren't you going to let me go?"
Harry's eyes twinkled with laughter. "Nah. I still haven't figured out payback, so until I do, you're just gonna have to stick around."
Ginny looked down at their entwined fingers and shrugged. "Fine by me," she replied softly.
Just then, Colin Creevey came running up to their table. "Harry! Harry!" The overexcited boy called across the room.
Harry sighed in exasperation. He looked up at Colin expectantly. "Yes, Colin?"
"Harry, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is meeting up in the seventh year boys' dorm." Colin told Harry importantly.
Harry nodded and thanked Colin. He rose from his chair, releasing Ginny's hand. "Sorry," he said. "We'll continue our little game later."
Ginny mock-pouted then grinned in response. She waved Harry away, turning back to Ron and Hermione.
Harry opened the door to the seventh year boys' dorm and walked inside. Fred and George were sitting on a bed, Indian style, and Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, the Gryffindor team chasers, were all sprawled out on the floor.
"Hey guys," Harry greeted them with a grin.
The girls looked up and smiled back. Angelina patted a space beside her, motioning for Harry to sit down.
"Hey, mate," George said jovially.
Harry looked around curiously. "Ok, so why are we meeting?"
Katie looked at him and answered, "Well, we need a new Keeper don't we? Not too mention we have to pick a new Captain."
Harry nodded, feeling a bit sheepish. "Honestly, I haven't even given a thought to Quidditch yet. I've had a lot on my mind."
The rest of his teammates brushed this comment off as they began their discussion. "Why don't we vote on a Captain," Alicia suggested. "Then we can decide on what we want to do as far as try-outs are concerned."
"Alright, then," Harry said. "Who do we think would make a good Captain?"
George, Fred, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all looked at each other and then at Harry expectantly. He returned their gazes with a bewildered one of his own. "What? You think I should be Captain?"
Katie looked at him as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well of course!" She replied in amusement.
"I don't know, you guys." Harry said in doubt.
"You don't think you can do it, mate?"
"Honestly I don't know. Isn't there anyone else who could be Captain?"
Harry's teammates glanced around the room, looking at each other questioningly. "Gosh, Harry," Angelina finally said. "We had all agreed it should be you that we never considered anyone else."
"And besides," Alicia piped up, "You were the logical choice. After this year, you'll be the only one with more than one year under your belt. We thought we would give you this year to get some experience. This is our last year here. It just doesn't make sense for any of us to be Captain."
Harry frowned thoughtfully. He really did want to be Quidditch Captain this year, but it just didn't seem right. "I really appreciate it, but I just don't think I can. Not this year. I have way too much to worry about and adding Quidditch to that would be just adding to my stress. I really am sorry."
"Erm, then who do we get to be Captain?" Fred asked helplessly.
Harry looked around the room. "I suppose this is up to me, isn't it?" They all nodded. "Well, you'd all be great. So I guess I'll just go with my instincts. Er, how does everyone feel about Angelina being Captain?"
After a slight pause everyone nodded and chorused, "Sure."
They sat there in silence for a moment, just allowing their gazes to wander aimlessly about the room. "So," Fred and George said together, "about our new Keeper."
The Gryffindor team nodded in unison. "Well, we just need to hold tryouts, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Angelina replied. "But when? We need to start practice as soon as possible."
"Well, why don't we talk to McGonagall in the morning," Alicia suggested. "We can let her make the announcement, and we can hold tryouts toward the end of the week."
"Hmmm." Angelina pondered this option. "I'd rather do it earlier in the week. That way we can get started sooner than the other Houses with practice. Is everyone free tomorrow evening? After dinner?"
Harry nodded quickly in agreement then waited as the others did the same.
"All right then. I'll go down and make the announcement now. That way they can be somewhat prepared." Angelina said, rising to her feet.
Harry, Alicia and Katie stood up as well and started following their new Captain out the door. Realizing that Fred and George had yet to get up, Harry turned back to them. "Aren't you two coming?"
The twins shook their heads and smiled. "Naw. We have a few things we want to do," George replied.
"Oh. Ok then." Harry smiled at them and walked out into the corridor.
When he got back to the Common Room, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were all sitting in front of the fire. Within the first week of the term, it had become their 'spot'. Anyone could sit there, of course, but the Warriors seemed to dominate that area around the fire. Harry smiled to himself as he watched Ron grin at Hermione, taking her hand. Ginny shook her head, making her red hair fall around her face, glowing in the firelight.
"Hey guys," Harry walked up to them, taking a seat on the floor, leaning up against the couch.
Hermione smiled at him. "Hey Harry. What was that all about?"
"Hmmm? Oh, we just needed to elect a new Captain and decide when to hold tryouts for the new Keeper."
Ron and Ginny looked at him with interest. "Really?" Ron said finally. "And what did you decide?"
"Angelina is our new Captain. They offered it to me, but I turned them down." Harry smiled at Ron who looked shocked. "Well, I really couldn't do it, now could I? You know, world in peril and all that. Oh and the tryouts will be tomorrow after dinner."
Just then, a voice surrounded the Common Room as though coming through a Muggle loudspeaker. "ATTENTION ALL GRYFFINDORS!" Angelina's voice said loudly. "AS THE NEW QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT TRYOUTS FOR THE NEW KEEPER WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AFTER DINNER. MEET US DOWN AT THE QUIDDITCH PITCH IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT! THANK YOU!"
Ron turned back to Harry. "D'you reckon that I could make it, Harry?"
Hermione looked up in shock and fear. "Oh, Ron, it's so dangerous though! I really don't think-"
"What? You don't think I'm good enough? It's dangerous for Harry too, but you never harp on him." Ron replied angrily. He rose abruptly from his chair, pushed it over and stormed up to the fifth year boys' dormitory.
Hermione looked at Harry helplessly. "I just don't know what to do about him, Harry. I worry about him, you know?"
He nodded in understanding. "I know that, Hermione. But you worry about me too, don't you? Ron doesn't think so. We had this conversation last year, remember?"
"What? About Ron being jealous of you?"
Harry nodded again, this time uncomfortably. "Yeah. Look, I'm not happy about it, but it's the way things are. And if Ron has to work this through his system, then I say we let him. But if I were you, I would explain that you would be concerned if it were anyone, not just him. You know that's what set him off."
"You're probably right, Harry. I'll just let him sleep on it tonight, and if he feels like talking, then I'll explain everything to him."
"Good. Just don't be a prat like I was last year. Don't be too proud to talk to him."
Hermione quickly agreed and said her goodnights to Harry and Ginny, whom Harry had completely forgotten was sitting there. "Good advice," she said offhandedly.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I know Ron. And I know that he's a typical stubborn redhead."
"Hey!" Ginny cried indignantly. "I'll have you know, I'm a stubborn redhead too, Mr. Potter."
He grinned at her and replied, "Yeah, I know. But before you kill me," he said as she came after him, "it's one of the things I like best about the both of you. You stick by your convictions. It's kind of, I don't know, refreshing."
Ginny blushed a little at Harry's words. "Well, Mum and Dad have always taught us to stick to what we believe in. I guess Ron and I really took them seriously."
"Well, all that is wonderful and good, but I think it's time we get to bed."
Impulsively, Ginny leaned in and gave Harry a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight," she said softly and walked gracefully out of the common room.
"Harry, time to get up." Harry groaned as he felt someone nudge him on the shoulder.
"Five more minutes," he muttered incoherently.
"Come on, Harry! We're going to be late for Potions!"
Harry sat bolt upright in his four-poster and looked blearily at the figure standing over his bed. He squinted then realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Accio," he said sharply. Harry's glasses came zooming over to him from across the room. Harry rubbed his bottle-green eyes and put the glasses on. "Neville?" He asked, somewhat shocked. He had been expecting Ron.
Neville Longbottom smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Hey, Harry. Ron would have come up, but he was…um, a bit preoccupied." Neville blushed deeply and grinned conspiratorially. "But you've got to get dressed. Potions starts in five minutes."
Harry groaned and shot out of bed. He threw on his Hogwarts robes and tried wetting down his hair. Of course, it didn't do what he wanted it to and Harry finally gave up when the mirror said, "Really, dear, I don't know why you bother. Just leave it be."
Ten minutes later, Harry and Neville found themselves rushing into the dungeons where Snape's potions class took place. Professor Snape looked up, "you're late," he said sharply.
"Sorry, sir," Harry said, as he took his seat by Ron and Hermione. He looked up at Snape, waiting for him to say, '30 points from Gryffindor', but it never came. Maybe Snape really was turning over a new leaf.
"You'll all be concocting an Invisibility Potion this period," Snape told the class. "I trust you have done the reading."
Luckily, Harry and Ron had done the reading last week, but only because Hermione had told them too. "I just won't be seen with idiots!" she had cried in exasperation when they had made fun of her for studying too much.
"Who can tell me the ingredients for an Invisibility Potion?" Snape looked suspiciously around the room at each Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years. "Miss Parkinson."
Surprised, Pansy looked at her Head of House. "Um, right. Invisibility Potion…Crabbe, Goyle, help me out here!" She hissed at Malfoy's old cronies. Unfortunately for Pansy, they both stared at her and shrugged blankly.
Snape crossed his arms, waiting for her to come up with the answer. "Well, if you don't know it…"
"No! I do! It's powdered centaur tail, beetle wings, newt eyes and unicorn blood." Harry looked wildly around at Pansy, wondering if the rest of the class knew what he did about unicorn blood.
"That is incorrect," Snape said coldly. "Ten points from Slytherin."
Hermione raised her hand high in the air. When Snape nodded at her, Hermione lowered her hand and stood up. "Please sir, the ingredients for the potion are powdered centaur tail, beetle wings, newt eyes and powdered unicorn horn."
"Very good, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Harry and Ron grinned at each other. Maybe Potions would be kind of fun this year.
"You will all make your potions in groups of two. No more than two in a group."
Harry stood up, telling Ron and Hermione that they could work together and joined Neville who had been sitting alone through the class. "Hey, Neville," Harry greeted him. "Fancy being my partner?"
Neville grinned happily and pulled out a stool. "Of course not! What do you want to do? Shred the beetle wings or crush the unicorn horn?"
"Er, I guess I'll work on the unicorn horn." Harry reached over and grabbed the necessary supplies, beginning to work on the potion.
After a while of working in silence, Neville looked at Harry. "Say, have you ever seen a unicorn Harry?"
"Yeah, sure I have."
"Really?"
"Oh, it was dead though."
"Oh." Neville's eyes widened a bit at this but he didn't ask any more questions.
Harry looked around and noticed Draco Malfoy working by himself in a remote corner of the room. Harry walked over to Snape and discreetly pointed this out to him. The potions master rose from behind his desk and went to Malfoy. After a few moments, Draco joined Harry and Neville at the front of the room, carrying his own supplies.
"Oh, really," Draco cried exasperatedly as he eyed Neville and Harry's potion, "don't you know anything? You're supposed to put the unicorn horn in last. Now look at it! We'll have to start over. Good thing I brought my stuff over here." Draco began setting everything out on the table, very meticulous. Harry and Neville watched him in amazement but began mixing the potion under Draco's instruction.
"You notice anything different about Snape?" Harry asked Malfoy, just to fill the awkward silence that had fallen over them."
"You mean how he's taking points from Slytherin?" Malfoy smirked.
"Yeah, that would pretty much cover it. He's backed off from the Gryffindors too."
Neville looked up from his newt eyes. "You spent some one on one time with him, Harry. Could you tell why he's been acting so un-Snapelike?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "We talked a little, but I didn't notice anything," he said, now busying himself with the beetle wings. Malfoy noticed Harry's averted gaze but decided not to say anything. Instead, he brushed his hand by the newt eyes, knocking them to the floor. Neville started scrambling to pick them up.
"You know something, Potter." Malfoy hissed. "Spill. What did he tell you?"
"I assume you know then. Because I promised I wouldn't say a word to anyone."
"I probably know more than you do."
And so Harry told Malfoy what he had been told in his makeup lesson with Snape. Of course he summarized quite a lot, but Draco knew most of it anyway. For once, Neville's timing was excellent; he had collected all of the newt eyes just as Harry finished talking.
Every head turned as the door to the classroom creaked slowly open. Snape looked up sharply as a small head peeked into the room, followed by a full body. It was a young boy, about Harry's age, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had a small, expectant smile on his lips, eyes dancing around the room as he took everything in.
Snape stood and crossed his arms. "Yes?"
The boy did a small bow as he said, "Please sir, I'm a transfer. I've been told I should come here."
Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione. "American?" He mouthed to them. Hermione nodded in response.
Snape picked up a piece of parchment; then looked back at the boy standing by the door. "What's your name?"
"Samuel, sir. Samuel Azgard."
Snape swallowed hard. Harry and Draco exchanged glances then looked back at Samuel with even more interest. "Samuel Azgard, you say?" Snape choked out.
"Yes sir."
Snape closed his eyes and stepped back as though an invisible hand had pushed him. "We're working on invisibility potions," he finally said after he had recovered his senses. "You can go work with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger over there."
Samuel quickly took a seat with Hermione and Ron, setting his things down on the floor. "Hello," Ron said. "Where are you from?"
"Well, originally I'm from somewhere in England, though I was too young to remember anything. Mom and I moved to Massachusetts when I was three. I've been going to Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards since I turned eleven and suddenly we got an owl from Hogwarts saying that they had lost track of me. Mom told me that I should go; said my father had gone here."
Hermione looked at him in interest. "Really? Who's your father?"
"I really have no idea. Mom never told me. Just said that he's dead."
At this, Harry noticed Snape stiffen. His head snapped up and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Class dismissed," he said loudly.
Everyone looked up from their potions in surprise. "But sir," Hermione cried out, "We still have thirty minutes left!"
"CLASS DISMISSED!" Snape roared angrily.
Slytherins and Gryffindors alike walked meekly out of the dungeons, wondering what on earth had just happened in their lesson. Samuel looked even more bewildered than the rest of them. "Was it something I said?" He asked curiously.
Hermione put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure it wasn't. Now, are you in Gryffindor or Slytherin?"
"Gryffindor. Dumbledore had me Sorted before I came to class."
"Okay then. We'll go back up to the Tower and then we'll go have lunch before Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione, Ron and Samuel all started off towards Gryffindor tower, Hermione resting her arm comfortingly on Samuel's shoulder.
Harry looked after their retreating forms and started to go after them but he hesitated at the door. He turned around and saw Neville standing awkwardly by Snape's desk. Malfoy was packing up his things, and the Professor was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. "Professor?" Neville said softly. He walked over to Snape, resting a tentative hand on his shoulder. Snape flinched slightly, but he didn't look up. Neville gulped at his daring, and looked at Harry but he didn't move his hand.
"Just go, Longbottom." Snape finally said dejectedly. Neville removed his hand and joined Harry and Draco at the door. They paused, looking back at their Professor before walking out into the corridor. Harry shook his head in pity for the broken man before them. He chuckled under his breath as he realized that he actually felt sorry for Snape.
Draco, Harry and Neville walked in silence to Gryffindor tower, though Neville kept looking at Harry and Draco with a bewildered look. "You guys know something, don't you? What's going on with Snape?"
"Er…well, you see Neville," Harry stuttered, looking at Malfoy helplessly.
Draco rolled his eyes and looked at Neville. "Look, Longbottom, people have skeletons in their closet. I'm sure you do, though I can't imagine what they would be. Anyway, let Snape just keep his skeletons in his closet, ok?"
Neville nodded, not really satisfied with the answer, but he understood the bit about having skeletons. Lord knew he certainly had some of his own. Suddenly, they found themselves in front of the entrance to the Tower. Draco looked up and said lazily, "Golden Snitch."
The portrait swung open and they climbed inside. "I'm going up to the room," Neville told them.
Harry and Draco walked over to the fire where Hermione, Ron and Samuel were sitting. "Hey guys," Harry greeted them as he sat on the floor. "Where's Ginny?"
"I think she had a meeting with McGonagall," Ron replied offhandedly.
Samuel was looking at Harry with interest. "Say, do I know you?"
Draco scoffed at him. "If you didn't know Harry Potter, then I'd say that you were quite dim."
"Malfoy!" Hermione hissed at him. Draco merely looked at her, an innocent look in his eyes.
"Harry Potter? I think I remember my mom telling me about you." Samuel mused. "You defeated Voldemort, didn't you?"
Ron winced at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Don't say the name!" He said through gritted teeth.
"It's just a name, Ron!" Hermione rolled her eyes at him, though Harry had seen her shudder as well when Voldemort was mentioned.
Samuel looked at Ron in confusion. "What's so frightening about a name? Just saying a name can't hurt you, can it?"
"Y-you just don't get it!" Ron spluttered. "You don't say his name!"
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Do you know why you don't say the Dark Lord's name, Ron? Has that ever occurred to you?"
Ron shook his head slowly, looking as though he wanted to hit himself for his own stupidity.
"People don't say Voldemort's name because it shows respect; reverence. It's how he wanted it. Only those who are in his inner circle get the privilege of calling him Lord Voldemort. So, when you call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you're just showing a sign of respect."
Harry's eyes widened. He never knew why people refused to call Voldemort by his name; he'd just always thought it was stupid and well, a bit drawn out to call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "You know," he said, grinning at Ron, "You could even call him Tom. That would show that you really don't respect him."
"Call who Tom?" A voice called from the portrait entrance.
Harry smiled as he saw Ginny Weasley's red head come through the entrance. "Erm, Lord Voldemort."
Ginny's face fell a bit at this. She remembered her first year quite vividly, and she was still ashamed to admit that she had ever fallen under Tom Riddle's spell. "Oh." She said meekly as she joined the five of them by the fire.
Harry looked at her, concerned. "Are you ok?" He asked her softly, a concerned look in his green eyes.
She shrugged, not wanting to say anything in front of everyone else, but she knew that Harry would get the picture. She stared at the fire pensively, her eyes watering slightly. If Harry noticed this he didn't say anything. Instead, he just put a hand on her arm and whispered, "Hey, did you see the new guy?"
Ginny looked up in surprise and saw Samuel standing by the couch. "Oh, hey." She smiled softly. "My name is Ginny. I'm Ron's sister."
"Samuel Azgard. I just got here this morning from Salem."
"I've never been to the States. Is it very nice?"
Samuel shrugged. "I suppose. I didn't really see a lot of it. Mom isn't exactly made of money so we don't do too much traveling."
Just then, Ginny's hand went to her head as she doubled over in pain. Harry scrambled to reach her as Ron pulled her to him. "Ginny?" Ron pulled her hands from her eyes, peering into them. "What's going on?"
She began trembling and her eyes filled with tears. Ginny looked at Harry who took her from Ron and embraced her tightly. Stroking her hair, Harry whispered in her ear, "What is it Gin? Did you see something?"
"Samuel…Snape…how awful! I never knew that man could love someone so deeply."
"You saw the past?" Harry looked at her now upturned face. "Ginny, you can't say a word! You, Draco and I are the only ones who know. Snape wants to keep the number of people who know about his past down to a bare minimum."
"I won't say anything. But Harry…" Ginny looked down, a tear now coursing down her face. "Someone is going to die. I don't know who; it didn't show me that. But I know that it's either Snape or Samuel. That much was clear."
Harry brought his hand up and gently caught the tear on his finger. "Then we'll just have to protect both of them, won't we?" He paused, then, "Ginny, do you know when it's going to happen?"
She shook her head. "No. I saw Snape when he was younger; he was holding a baby. It was Samuel. It was never said outright that the baby was him, but everyone has a very distinct psychic signature, and it was definitely Samuel. Then it kind of fast-forwarded and we were at a funeral. You were there, and Ron and Hermione, but I couldn't tell if it was Snape or Samuel that we were burying."
Harry continued stroking her hair as he looked over to Hermione. "Hey, 'Mione? Think you could get started with that research project? Have you gotten a team put together?"
Ginny pulled away in surprise. What did the research team have to do with her vision? Then she realized that Harry was just trying to distract her.
"Oh! Well, actually Harry, I have put together a small group, though we haven't met yet. What do you need to know?"
Harry ran a hand through his unruly hair. "If you could just gather information on any creatures that Voldemort might be using, that would be really helpful. If we know what we're likely to be up against, I think we'll have a better chance against it."
Hermione nodded, comprehension dawning in her brown eyes. "Of course! I'll talk to Padma and Cho at lunch. Ginny, you'll be joining us, won't you?"
Harry reddened a bit at the mention of Cho's name, but he was surprised to discover that he felt absolutely no romantic feelings toward the older girl. Ginny told Hermione that yes, she would meet them at the library, though Hermione noticed that her face looked pinched and drawn.
"Gin, why don't you go lie down for a while? When's your next class?"
Ginny shrugged carelessly. "I've got History of Magic next. But I've read ahead, so I can afford to miss a class. Besides, it's not like Binns is going to notice."
Ron chuckled and Draco snorted. If there was one thing that everyone could agree on, it was that Professor Binns was the dullest, as well as the most oblivious teacher who had ever walked the halls of Hogwarts. After all, he had died and yet still continued teaching. Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly. "As much as I don't think you should skive off any class, I think it might be best. You don't look good at all."
"She's right, Gin," Ron told his sister gently. "Go on upstairs and rest a bit. We'll come and get you when we're done with classes."
Hermione walked over to Harry, who was holding Ginny close to his side. She took Ginny's arm and began leading her up to the girls' dorms. "Come on," she said gently. "Easy does it now…"
"Is she going to be ok?" Samuel asked in a small voice. "She didn't look well at all!"
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Draco told him. "A little rest usually cures these things right up."
"And how would you know, Malfoy?" Asked Ron coldly.
"My mum. She's a Seer." Draco informed them. "Whenever she had one of her spells, she always slept for hours afterward. She got really pale and kind of sickly looking, just like Ginny. It's best to just let her nap and regain her strength. Mum told me that those visions are really exhausting. And I would imagine that that was Ginny's first one."
Ron nodded although he was uncertain. "I think so. And I suppose the earlier ones are a bit more difficult, aren't they?"
Draco nodded in response. "At least according to my mother. She said it gets better, but they're always hard."
Harry shook his head in pity for Ginny, and surprisingly, for Narcissa Malfoy. "I had no idea. Poor Ginny." He looked at Malfoy, suddenly realizing that he needed to talk to him immediately. "Say, Ron, why don't you take Samuel up to the room? I'm sure there's a bed in there all ready for him."
"Sure Harry. If they put anyone else in there though, I think we're going to overflow and fall out the window." Ron chuckled as he gathered his things. "Come on, Sam. We're gonna go get you settled in our beautiful abode."
Harry and Draco watched them leave then sat in silence for a few moments. Finally, Draco sat down and looked impatiently up at Harry. "Ok, Potter. What's on your mind?"
"Ginny's vision." Harry sat down on the coffee table, resting his knees in his lap and began telling Malfoy what Ginny had seen. When he had concluded, Draco sat back and blew air through pursed lips.
"And she doesn't know which one it was?" He asked brow furrowed in concentration.
Harry shook his head. "No. And I think it's bothering her more than she's letting on."
"Well of course it is, Harry. Someone is going to die, but she can't do anything to stop it. Can you imagine having that knowledge but not having anyway to use it? I would think that it's the ultimate torture for goody-two shoes like you."
Harry chortled, marveling at the unexpected words of wisdom. "Bit of a change of subject here," he began. "I've been thinking…"
"Better stop, Potter," Malfoy warned. "Don't want you to strain yourself."
"Ha ha, Malfoy. Anyway, it's about the Quidditch team. We're holding tryouts tonight for the new Keeper, and I know that you probably don't want that position, so here's what I'm proposing. Be the Reserve Seeker. I can't handle Quidditch on my own this year, and I'm sure that you're a great Seeker…" Harry trailed off as he realized that he really wasn't sure of Malfoy's prowess as a Seeker as he had always beaten Slytherin in the past. "It's probably not the ideal choice," Harry continued quickly, "but it's better than nothing, don't you think?"
Draco shrugged. "I would like to play," he said, a small smile creeping over his lips. "I'm not as good as you are, though. Are you sure you want me to do it?"
Suddenly, Harry really did want Malfoy to be on the House Quidditch team. He had only asked him so that they would have an excuse to talk about things that were more serious. Like Voldemort. Harry nodded adamantly. "I'll need to talk to the team, of course. But I think they'll be ok with it."
At that moment, something tapped at the window. Harry and Draco looked over to it and Harry grinned. "Hedwig!" He cried, delightedly. He opened the window hurriedly, letting his owl enter the common room. She perched on the back of the couch, leg out so that Harry could untie the letter.
He scanned it quickly, eyes twinkling in anticipation.
Harry,
How's Hogwarts treating you? I'm out on assignment for Dumbledore right now, but Remus and I will be in Hogsmeade over Halloween weekend. We'd like to meet with you and the rest of the Marauders on Sunday evening if that's possible. Don't send a reply yet. Wait another week, then we'll be someplace that's safe.
Moony sends his greetings. See you in a few weeks!"
~ Sirius
Harry looked up from his letter as Hermione, Ron and Samuel came thundering down the stairs from either side of the Common Room. "Shall we go to class, then?" Harry asked grinning happily.
Ron looked at Hermione questioningly then back to Harry, shrugging. "All right. To Care of Magical Creatures!"
"And centaurs. 'Mars is bright'." Hermione groaned. "The least they could do is be a bit more clear. I mean, honestly, what is that supposed to mean anyway?"
Harry threw an arm over her shoulder. "Who knows? But I'll wager that you'll be the one to find out." Harry and Ron grinned. The human encyclopedia was sure to be the first to actually understand the riddles of the centaurs.
Harry, Ron and Hermione led the way to Hagrid's cabin, laughing and running the whole way. Neither Ron nor Hermione knew exactly why Harry had suddenly become so carefree, but since they figured that these moments would be few and far between, they decided to relish in it.
They stopped just before they reached the fields containing the centaurs and Harry regarded them seriously. "I just got a letter from Sirius," he told them. "He and Professor Lupin are going to be in Hogsmeade over Halloween weekend and they want to meet with all of us. Well, the four of us anyway."
Ron's eyes sparkled with excitement and Hermione grinned. "Of course! It'll be good to see him again."
"Yeh can get a bit closer," Hagrid boomed loudly. "They won't hurt yeh, they're jes centaurs."
Harry, Ron and Hermione, followed by Draco and Samuel, approached the fence were Bane was standing. The centaur snorted and tossed his mane wildly as they came nearer. "One is not as he seems," Bane whispered nervously.
They looked at one another in bafflement. Harry just shrugged and turned to sit down. He wasn't going to let anything ruin his good mood. He just sat in the grass and grinned up at Ron and Hermione, his green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. At that moment, life was good. It wasn't perfect, but nothing ever was. No, just looking at that one moment, life was good and Harry wanted to capture it in a bottle so that he could save it for later. Time in a bottle, he mused. Too bad it's just not possible.
When Harry awoke the next morning, he was rather disoriented. Sitting up from the couch, he looked around in confusion while trying to figure out why he wasn't in his dorm. Hmmm…must have fallen asleep down here last night. While he was scanning the Common Room, he noticed a slender form curled up in the chair to his left. The figure moved, revealing a shock of white-blonde hair. Harry's eyes widened in shock, but this was quickly replaced by a smile of amusement. Malfoy, babysitting him? How…touching.
Harry rose, stretching skyward as he did so, groaning as joints popped and snapped back into place. He crept surreptitiously towards Malfoy's sleeping form and stood over him for a moment. Harry had intended to wake Draco in some rude manner, but when he saw the look on the boy's face, he just couldn't do it. Draco's face was contorted in pain, as though someone were lashing him with a belt, and Harry knew whereof he spoke. Draco jerked spasmodically, flinching. Not able to watch anymore, Harry reached down and gently put a hand on Draco's shoulder. He recoiled initially, but somehow realized that there was no pain here.
"Malfoy," Harry whispered. He shook him lightly, attempting to rouse him. "Draco, come on. Rise and shine!"
Draco slowly opened his eyes, glaring blearily at Harry, who just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Watching over me, are you Malfoy?" Harry asked slyly.
"I could ask you the same question." Draco replied as he pulled himself to a sitting position. "I mean, I wake up and the first thing I see is your face looming over me. It's not a pretty sight in the morning, by the way, Potter.
Harry grinned at him, and went to sit back on the couch. "All mocking aside, why did you stay down here? I don't even remember you being here last night."
"That's because you were sleeping like a baby before you could notice. I came down because I forgot my homework on one of the tables. I didn't know you were here until I heard you move." Draco paused, wondering if he should tell Harry what he had heard last night. "You, um, said something before you fell asleep though."
Harry looked at him curiously. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember anything that he may have muttered in the dark Common Room the night before.
"You said, 'Please, no dreams tonight. I don't think I could take it.' And for some unknown reason, I felt pity for you and I decided to stay. Just in case you did have a dream, you know? I watched you until 3 in the morning and then I decided to get some sleep myself." Draco didn't look at Harry when he told him this. Rather, he focused on his hands, which were moving nervously in his lap.
"Looks like you were the one having the dreams," Harry observed.
"Yeah, well." Draco looked at Harry, as though daring him to ask what the dream had been about. Worthless! A piece of worthless filth! Draco winced as his father's voice echoed in his head. "What's got me curious," he said, getting his mind off the dream, "is why you were so concerned about dreaming. What with you being the Famous Harry Potter and all, I figured you would be dreaming about fluffy unicorns and happy things."
"This," Harry's hand rose involuntarily to his scar, drawing Draco's attention to it, "is my connection to Voldemort. When he's feeling especially murderous, or causing some poor wizard pain, I can see it. And my scar will hurt. And when I'm not dreaming about Voldemort, well let's just say that my dreams are not about fluffy unicorns."
Draco smiled and stood up, looking to the stairs leading to their dormitory. "You don't reckon that we should meander upstairs before anyone misses us, do you?"
"I suppose that would be a good idea," Harry replied. He and Malfoy rose from their places on the couch and chair and silently walked up to the fifth year boys' dorm. Draco pulled the door open, peeking inside. He turned back to Harry and put a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said in an exaggerated whisper. "They're still sleeping."
Harry grinned as Malfoy tip-toed quietly into the dorm, then stifled a giggle when Malfoy nearly sprained an ankle when he tripped over Ron's wand. "He's always leaving that around," Harry told Malfoy who was rubbing his ankle.
"Didn't his mother teach him how to pick up his things?"
"Don't know; I wasn't around for that part of his childhood, you know." Harry sat down on his bed, staring blankly across the room. Finally, he moved to a more comfortable position; lying down. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling above him. He closed his eyes; ready to go back to sleep, but it occurred to him that he should say something to Malfoy. "Malfoy," he hissed. He didn't wait for a response. "Thanks for staying down there last night. I do appreciate it."
Malfoy didn't respond, but Harry knew that he had heard him.
Later that morning, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting in their Common Room, playing a game of Exploding Snap. Ginny groaned as Harry told a corny joke, and Ron and Hermione just exchanged glances.
"So," Harry began, "did you hear the one about the rope that walked into a bar?"
"YES!" They responded immediately.
Harry hunkered down in his chair and sulked. "All right. Fine," he pouted. "You guys just don't love me anymore."
Ginny grinned at Hermione, deciding to play along. She went over to kneel by Harry's chair and began mussing up his hair. "Aww, poor baby," she crooned. "Is wittle Hawwy feeling unwoved?" (Um, unloved?)
Harry squirmed to get away from Ginny and ended up in a heap on the floor. He looked up and glared at Ginny murderously, who simply looked innocent. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron, wondering if they would help him up. Unfortunately, those two were laughing so hard that they really wouldn't be of much help at all.
At this point, Harry was so distracted that he didn't notice Ginny coming at him, arms outstretched, grinning. "Tickle monster!" She cried gleefully.
Harry scrambled to his feet, yelling. He managed to get around the Common Room before Ginny tackled him and began tickling his ribs. "Come on you guys," she yelled, beckoning Ron and Hermione over to join the fun.
Harry squirmed and laughed hysterically. "Please…stop! Don't…stop! Please." He gasped laughingly.
Ginny eyed him mischievously. "Don't stop, you say?"
"No!" Harry's eyes widened as the assault suddenly got worse. After several minutes of tickling, Harry managed to grab Ginny's small wrists and grinned maniacally. "Well, look what I got," he mused to himself. He pushed Ginny away, still holding her hand and pulled himself to his feet. Without a second thought, Harry pulled Ginny to her feet and began dragging her back over to Ron and Hermione.
Harry pulled Ron out of his chair and pointed to the one Ginny had been seated in previously. He then placed Ginny in the now vacant seat and sat down in his own chair, still hanging on to her. Ginny glanced at Harry amusedly and looked at him, her brown eyes full of questions. "Okayy…" she said slowly. "Aren't you going to let me go?"
Harry's eyes twinkled with laughter. "Nah. I still haven't figured out payback, so until I do, you're just gonna have to stick around."
Ginny looked down at their entwined fingers and shrugged. "Fine by me," she replied softly.
Just then, Colin Creevey came running up to their table. "Harry! Harry!" The overexcited boy called across the room.
Harry sighed in exasperation. He looked up at Colin expectantly. "Yes, Colin?"
"Harry, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is meeting up in the seventh year boys' dorm." Colin told Harry importantly.
Harry nodded and thanked Colin. He rose from his chair, releasing Ginny's hand. "Sorry," he said. "We'll continue our little game later."
Ginny mock-pouted then grinned in response. She waved Harry away, turning back to Ron and Hermione.
Harry opened the door to the seventh year boys' dorm and walked inside. Fred and George were sitting on a bed, Indian style, and Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, the Gryffindor team chasers, were all sprawled out on the floor.
"Hey guys," Harry greeted them with a grin.
The girls looked up and smiled back. Angelina patted a space beside her, motioning for Harry to sit down.
"Hey, mate," George said jovially.
Harry looked around curiously. "Ok, so why are we meeting?"
Katie looked at him and answered, "Well, we need a new Keeper don't we? Not too mention we have to pick a new Captain."
Harry nodded, feeling a bit sheepish. "Honestly, I haven't even given a thought to Quidditch yet. I've had a lot on my mind."
The rest of his teammates brushed this comment off as they began their discussion. "Why don't we vote on a Captain," Alicia suggested. "Then we can decide on what we want to do as far as try-outs are concerned."
"Alright, then," Harry said. "Who do we think would make a good Captain?"
George, Fred, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all looked at each other and then at Harry expectantly. He returned their gazes with a bewildered one of his own. "What? You think I should be Captain?"
Katie looked at him as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well of course!" She replied in amusement.
"I don't know, you guys." Harry said in doubt.
"You don't think you can do it, mate?"
"Honestly I don't know. Isn't there anyone else who could be Captain?"
Harry's teammates glanced around the room, looking at each other questioningly. "Gosh, Harry," Angelina finally said. "We had all agreed it should be you that we never considered anyone else."
"And besides," Alicia piped up, "You were the logical choice. After this year, you'll be the only one with more than one year under your belt. We thought we would give you this year to get some experience. This is our last year here. It just doesn't make sense for any of us to be Captain."
Harry frowned thoughtfully. He really did want to be Quidditch Captain this year, but it just didn't seem right. "I really appreciate it, but I just don't think I can. Not this year. I have way too much to worry about and adding Quidditch to that would be just adding to my stress. I really am sorry."
"Erm, then who do we get to be Captain?" Fred asked helplessly.
Harry looked around the room. "I suppose this is up to me, isn't it?" They all nodded. "Well, you'd all be great. So I guess I'll just go with my instincts. Er, how does everyone feel about Angelina being Captain?"
After a slight pause everyone nodded and chorused, "Sure."
They sat there in silence for a moment, just allowing their gazes to wander aimlessly about the room. "So," Fred and George said together, "about our new Keeper."
The Gryffindor team nodded in unison. "Well, we just need to hold tryouts, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Angelina replied. "But when? We need to start practice as soon as possible."
"Well, why don't we talk to McGonagall in the morning," Alicia suggested. "We can let her make the announcement, and we can hold tryouts toward the end of the week."
"Hmmm." Angelina pondered this option. "I'd rather do it earlier in the week. That way we can get started sooner than the other Houses with practice. Is everyone free tomorrow evening? After dinner?"
Harry nodded quickly in agreement then waited as the others did the same.
"All right then. I'll go down and make the announcement now. That way they can be somewhat prepared." Angelina said, rising to her feet.
Harry, Alicia and Katie stood up as well and started following their new Captain out the door. Realizing that Fred and George had yet to get up, Harry turned back to them. "Aren't you two coming?"
The twins shook their heads and smiled. "Naw. We have a few things we want to do," George replied.
"Oh. Ok then." Harry smiled at them and walked out into the corridor.
When he got back to the Common Room, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were all sitting in front of the fire. Within the first week of the term, it had become their 'spot'. Anyone could sit there, of course, but the Warriors seemed to dominate that area around the fire. Harry smiled to himself as he watched Ron grin at Hermione, taking her hand. Ginny shook her head, making her red hair fall around her face, glowing in the firelight.
"Hey guys," Harry walked up to them, taking a seat on the floor, leaning up against the couch.
Hermione smiled at him. "Hey Harry. What was that all about?"
"Hmmm? Oh, we just needed to elect a new Captain and decide when to hold tryouts for the new Keeper."
Ron and Ginny looked at him with interest. "Really?" Ron said finally. "And what did you decide?"
"Angelina is our new Captain. They offered it to me, but I turned them down." Harry smiled at Ron who looked shocked. "Well, I really couldn't do it, now could I? You know, world in peril and all that. Oh and the tryouts will be tomorrow after dinner."
Just then, a voice surrounded the Common Room as though coming through a Muggle loudspeaker. "ATTENTION ALL GRYFFINDORS!" Angelina's voice said loudly. "AS THE NEW QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT TRYOUTS FOR THE NEW KEEPER WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AFTER DINNER. MEET US DOWN AT THE QUIDDITCH PITCH IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TRYING OUT! THANK YOU!"
Ron turned back to Harry. "D'you reckon that I could make it, Harry?"
Hermione looked up in shock and fear. "Oh, Ron, it's so dangerous though! I really don't think-"
"What? You don't think I'm good enough? It's dangerous for Harry too, but you never harp on him." Ron replied angrily. He rose abruptly from his chair, pushed it over and stormed up to the fifth year boys' dormitory.
Hermione looked at Harry helplessly. "I just don't know what to do about him, Harry. I worry about him, you know?"
He nodded in understanding. "I know that, Hermione. But you worry about me too, don't you? Ron doesn't think so. We had this conversation last year, remember?"
"What? About Ron being jealous of you?"
Harry nodded again, this time uncomfortably. "Yeah. Look, I'm not happy about it, but it's the way things are. And if Ron has to work this through his system, then I say we let him. But if I were you, I would explain that you would be concerned if it were anyone, not just him. You know that's what set him off."
"You're probably right, Harry. I'll just let him sleep on it tonight, and if he feels like talking, then I'll explain everything to him."
"Good. Just don't be a prat like I was last year. Don't be too proud to talk to him."
Hermione quickly agreed and said her goodnights to Harry and Ginny, whom Harry had completely forgotten was sitting there. "Good advice," she said offhandedly.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I know Ron. And I know that he's a typical stubborn redhead."
"Hey!" Ginny cried indignantly. "I'll have you know, I'm a stubborn redhead too, Mr. Potter."
He grinned at her and replied, "Yeah, I know. But before you kill me," he said as she came after him, "it's one of the things I like best about the both of you. You stick by your convictions. It's kind of, I don't know, refreshing."
Ginny blushed a little at Harry's words. "Well, Mum and Dad have always taught us to stick to what we believe in. I guess Ron and I really took them seriously."
"Well, all that is wonderful and good, but I think it's time we get to bed."
Impulsively, Ginny leaned in and gave Harry a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight," she said softly and walked gracefully out of the common room.
"Harry, time to get up." Harry groaned as he felt someone nudge him on the shoulder.
"Five more minutes," he muttered incoherently.
"Come on, Harry! We're going to be late for Potions!"
Harry sat bolt upright in his four-poster and looked blearily at the figure standing over his bed. He squinted then realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Accio," he said sharply. Harry's glasses came zooming over to him from across the room. Harry rubbed his bottle-green eyes and put the glasses on. "Neville?" He asked, somewhat shocked. He had been expecting Ron.
Neville Longbottom smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Hey, Harry. Ron would have come up, but he was…um, a bit preoccupied." Neville blushed deeply and grinned conspiratorially. "But you've got to get dressed. Potions starts in five minutes."
Harry groaned and shot out of bed. He threw on his Hogwarts robes and tried wetting down his hair. Of course, it didn't do what he wanted it to and Harry finally gave up when the mirror said, "Really, dear, I don't know why you bother. Just leave it be."
Ten minutes later, Harry and Neville found themselves rushing into the dungeons where Snape's potions class took place. Professor Snape looked up, "you're late," he said sharply.
"Sorry, sir," Harry said, as he took his seat by Ron and Hermione. He looked up at Snape, waiting for him to say, '30 points from Gryffindor', but it never came. Maybe Snape really was turning over a new leaf.
"You'll all be concocting an Invisibility Potion this period," Snape told the class. "I trust you have done the reading."
Luckily, Harry and Ron had done the reading last week, but only because Hermione had told them too. "I just won't be seen with idiots!" she had cried in exasperation when they had made fun of her for studying too much.
"Who can tell me the ingredients for an Invisibility Potion?" Snape looked suspiciously around the room at each Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years. "Miss Parkinson."
Surprised, Pansy looked at her Head of House. "Um, right. Invisibility Potion…Crabbe, Goyle, help me out here!" She hissed at Malfoy's old cronies. Unfortunately for Pansy, they both stared at her and shrugged blankly.
Snape crossed his arms, waiting for her to come up with the answer. "Well, if you don't know it…"
"No! I do! It's powdered centaur tail, beetle wings, newt eyes and unicorn blood." Harry looked wildly around at Pansy, wondering if the rest of the class knew what he did about unicorn blood.
"That is incorrect," Snape said coldly. "Ten points from Slytherin."
Hermione raised her hand high in the air. When Snape nodded at her, Hermione lowered her hand and stood up. "Please sir, the ingredients for the potion are powdered centaur tail, beetle wings, newt eyes and powdered unicorn horn."
"Very good, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Harry and Ron grinned at each other. Maybe Potions would be kind of fun this year.
"You will all make your potions in groups of two. No more than two in a group."
Harry stood up, telling Ron and Hermione that they could work together and joined Neville who had been sitting alone through the class. "Hey, Neville," Harry greeted him. "Fancy being my partner?"
Neville grinned happily and pulled out a stool. "Of course not! What do you want to do? Shred the beetle wings or crush the unicorn horn?"
"Er, I guess I'll work on the unicorn horn." Harry reached over and grabbed the necessary supplies, beginning to work on the potion.
After a while of working in silence, Neville looked at Harry. "Say, have you ever seen a unicorn Harry?"
"Yeah, sure I have."
"Really?"
"Oh, it was dead though."
"Oh." Neville's eyes widened a bit at this but he didn't ask any more questions.
Harry looked around and noticed Draco Malfoy working by himself in a remote corner of the room. Harry walked over to Snape and discreetly pointed this out to him. The potions master rose from behind his desk and went to Malfoy. After a few moments, Draco joined Harry and Neville at the front of the room, carrying his own supplies.
"Oh, really," Draco cried exasperatedly as he eyed Neville and Harry's potion, "don't you know anything? You're supposed to put the unicorn horn in last. Now look at it! We'll have to start over. Good thing I brought my stuff over here." Draco began setting everything out on the table, very meticulous. Harry and Neville watched him in amazement but began mixing the potion under Draco's instruction.
"You notice anything different about Snape?" Harry asked Malfoy, just to fill the awkward silence that had fallen over them."
"You mean how he's taking points from Slytherin?" Malfoy smirked.
"Yeah, that would pretty much cover it. He's backed off from the Gryffindors too."
Neville looked up from his newt eyes. "You spent some one on one time with him, Harry. Could you tell why he's been acting so un-Snapelike?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "We talked a little, but I didn't notice anything," he said, now busying himself with the beetle wings. Malfoy noticed Harry's averted gaze but decided not to say anything. Instead, he brushed his hand by the newt eyes, knocking them to the floor. Neville started scrambling to pick them up.
"You know something, Potter." Malfoy hissed. "Spill. What did he tell you?"
"I assume you know then. Because I promised I wouldn't say a word to anyone."
"I probably know more than you do."
And so Harry told Malfoy what he had been told in his makeup lesson with Snape. Of course he summarized quite a lot, but Draco knew most of it anyway. For once, Neville's timing was excellent; he had collected all of the newt eyes just as Harry finished talking.
Every head turned as the door to the classroom creaked slowly open. Snape looked up sharply as a small head peeked into the room, followed by a full body. It was a young boy, about Harry's age, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had a small, expectant smile on his lips, eyes dancing around the room as he took everything in.
Snape stood and crossed his arms. "Yes?"
The boy did a small bow as he said, "Please sir, I'm a transfer. I've been told I should come here."
Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione. "American?" He mouthed to them. Hermione nodded in response.
Snape picked up a piece of parchment; then looked back at the boy standing by the door. "What's your name?"
"Samuel, sir. Samuel Azgard."
Snape swallowed hard. Harry and Draco exchanged glances then looked back at Samuel with even more interest. "Samuel Azgard, you say?" Snape choked out.
"Yes sir."
Snape closed his eyes and stepped back as though an invisible hand had pushed him. "We're working on invisibility potions," he finally said after he had recovered his senses. "You can go work with Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger over there."
Samuel quickly took a seat with Hermione and Ron, setting his things down on the floor. "Hello," Ron said. "Where are you from?"
"Well, originally I'm from somewhere in England, though I was too young to remember anything. Mom and I moved to Massachusetts when I was three. I've been going to Salem Academy for Witches and Wizards since I turned eleven and suddenly we got an owl from Hogwarts saying that they had lost track of me. Mom told me that I should go; said my father had gone here."
Hermione looked at him in interest. "Really? Who's your father?"
"I really have no idea. Mom never told me. Just said that he's dead."
At this, Harry noticed Snape stiffen. His head snapped up and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Class dismissed," he said loudly.
Everyone looked up from their potions in surprise. "But sir," Hermione cried out, "We still have thirty minutes left!"
"CLASS DISMISSED!" Snape roared angrily.
Slytherins and Gryffindors alike walked meekly out of the dungeons, wondering what on earth had just happened in their lesson. Samuel looked even more bewildered than the rest of them. "Was it something I said?" He asked curiously.
Hermione put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure it wasn't. Now, are you in Gryffindor or Slytherin?"
"Gryffindor. Dumbledore had me Sorted before I came to class."
"Okay then. We'll go back up to the Tower and then we'll go have lunch before Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione, Ron and Samuel all started off towards Gryffindor tower, Hermione resting her arm comfortingly on Samuel's shoulder.
Harry looked after their retreating forms and started to go after them but he hesitated at the door. He turned around and saw Neville standing awkwardly by Snape's desk. Malfoy was packing up his things, and the Professor was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. "Professor?" Neville said softly. He walked over to Snape, resting a tentative hand on his shoulder. Snape flinched slightly, but he didn't look up. Neville gulped at his daring, and looked at Harry but he didn't move his hand.
"Just go, Longbottom." Snape finally said dejectedly. Neville removed his hand and joined Harry and Draco at the door. They paused, looking back at their Professor before walking out into the corridor. Harry shook his head in pity for the broken man before them. He chuckled under his breath as he realized that he actually felt sorry for Snape.
Draco, Harry and Neville walked in silence to Gryffindor tower, though Neville kept looking at Harry and Draco with a bewildered look. "You guys know something, don't you? What's going on with Snape?"
"Er…well, you see Neville," Harry stuttered, looking at Malfoy helplessly.
Draco rolled his eyes and looked at Neville. "Look, Longbottom, people have skeletons in their closet. I'm sure you do, though I can't imagine what they would be. Anyway, let Snape just keep his skeletons in his closet, ok?"
Neville nodded, not really satisfied with the answer, but he understood the bit about having skeletons. Lord knew he certainly had some of his own. Suddenly, they found themselves in front of the entrance to the Tower. Draco looked up and said lazily, "Golden Snitch."
The portrait swung open and they climbed inside. "I'm going up to the room," Neville told them.
Harry and Draco walked over to the fire where Hermione, Ron and Samuel were sitting. "Hey guys," Harry greeted them as he sat on the floor. "Where's Ginny?"
"I think she had a meeting with McGonagall," Ron replied offhandedly.
Samuel was looking at Harry with interest. "Say, do I know you?"
Draco scoffed at him. "If you didn't know Harry Potter, then I'd say that you were quite dim."
"Malfoy!" Hermione hissed at him. Draco merely looked at her, an innocent look in his eyes.
"Harry Potter? I think I remember my mom telling me about you." Samuel mused. "You defeated Voldemort, didn't you?"
Ron winced at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Don't say the name!" He said through gritted teeth.
"It's just a name, Ron!" Hermione rolled her eyes at him, though Harry had seen her shudder as well when Voldemort was mentioned.
Samuel looked at Ron in confusion. "What's so frightening about a name? Just saying a name can't hurt you, can it?"
"Y-you just don't get it!" Ron spluttered. "You don't say his name!"
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Do you know why you don't say the Dark Lord's name, Ron? Has that ever occurred to you?"
Ron shook his head slowly, looking as though he wanted to hit himself for his own stupidity.
"People don't say Voldemort's name because it shows respect; reverence. It's how he wanted it. Only those who are in his inner circle get the privilege of calling him Lord Voldemort. So, when you call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you're just showing a sign of respect."
Harry's eyes widened. He never knew why people refused to call Voldemort by his name; he'd just always thought it was stupid and well, a bit drawn out to call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "You know," he said, grinning at Ron, "You could even call him Tom. That would show that you really don't respect him."
"Call who Tom?" A voice called from the portrait entrance.
Harry smiled as he saw Ginny Weasley's red head come through the entrance. "Erm, Lord Voldemort."
Ginny's face fell a bit at this. She remembered her first year quite vividly, and she was still ashamed to admit that she had ever fallen under Tom Riddle's spell. "Oh." She said meekly as she joined the five of them by the fire.
Harry looked at her, concerned. "Are you ok?" He asked her softly, a concerned look in his green eyes.
She shrugged, not wanting to say anything in front of everyone else, but she knew that Harry would get the picture. She stared at the fire pensively, her eyes watering slightly. If Harry noticed this he didn't say anything. Instead, he just put a hand on her arm and whispered, "Hey, did you see the new guy?"
Ginny looked up in surprise and saw Samuel standing by the couch. "Oh, hey." She smiled softly. "My name is Ginny. I'm Ron's sister."
"Samuel Azgard. I just got here this morning from Salem."
"I've never been to the States. Is it very nice?"
Samuel shrugged. "I suppose. I didn't really see a lot of it. Mom isn't exactly made of money so we don't do too much traveling."
Just then, Ginny's hand went to her head as she doubled over in pain. Harry scrambled to reach her as Ron pulled her to him. "Ginny?" Ron pulled her hands from her eyes, peering into them. "What's going on?"
She began trembling and her eyes filled with tears. Ginny looked at Harry who took her from Ron and embraced her tightly. Stroking her hair, Harry whispered in her ear, "What is it Gin? Did you see something?"
"Samuel…Snape…how awful! I never knew that man could love someone so deeply."
"You saw the past?" Harry looked at her now upturned face. "Ginny, you can't say a word! You, Draco and I are the only ones who know. Snape wants to keep the number of people who know about his past down to a bare minimum."
"I won't say anything. But Harry…" Ginny looked down, a tear now coursing down her face. "Someone is going to die. I don't know who; it didn't show me that. But I know that it's either Snape or Samuel. That much was clear."
Harry brought his hand up and gently caught the tear on his finger. "Then we'll just have to protect both of them, won't we?" He paused, then, "Ginny, do you know when it's going to happen?"
She shook her head. "No. I saw Snape when he was younger; he was holding a baby. It was Samuel. It was never said outright that the baby was him, but everyone has a very distinct psychic signature, and it was definitely Samuel. Then it kind of fast-forwarded and we were at a funeral. You were there, and Ron and Hermione, but I couldn't tell if it was Snape or Samuel that we were burying."
Harry continued stroking her hair as he looked over to Hermione. "Hey, 'Mione? Think you could get started with that research project? Have you gotten a team put together?"
Ginny pulled away in surprise. What did the research team have to do with her vision? Then she realized that Harry was just trying to distract her.
"Oh! Well, actually Harry, I have put together a small group, though we haven't met yet. What do you need to know?"
Harry ran a hand through his unruly hair. "If you could just gather information on any creatures that Voldemort might be using, that would be really helpful. If we know what we're likely to be up against, I think we'll have a better chance against it."
Hermione nodded, comprehension dawning in her brown eyes. "Of course! I'll talk to Padma and Cho at lunch. Ginny, you'll be joining us, won't you?"
Harry reddened a bit at the mention of Cho's name, but he was surprised to discover that he felt absolutely no romantic feelings toward the older girl. Ginny told Hermione that yes, she would meet them at the library, though Hermione noticed that her face looked pinched and drawn.
"Gin, why don't you go lie down for a while? When's your next class?"
Ginny shrugged carelessly. "I've got History of Magic next. But I've read ahead, so I can afford to miss a class. Besides, it's not like Binns is going to notice."
Ron chuckled and Draco snorted. If there was one thing that everyone could agree on, it was that Professor Binns was the dullest, as well as the most oblivious teacher who had ever walked the halls of Hogwarts. After all, he had died and yet still continued teaching. Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly. "As much as I don't think you should skive off any class, I think it might be best. You don't look good at all."
"She's right, Gin," Ron told his sister gently. "Go on upstairs and rest a bit. We'll come and get you when we're done with classes."
Hermione walked over to Harry, who was holding Ginny close to his side. She took Ginny's arm and began leading her up to the girls' dorms. "Come on," she said gently. "Easy does it now…"
"Is she going to be ok?" Samuel asked in a small voice. "She didn't look well at all!"
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Draco told him. "A little rest usually cures these things right up."
"And how would you know, Malfoy?" Asked Ron coldly.
"My mum. She's a Seer." Draco informed them. "Whenever she had one of her spells, she always slept for hours afterward. She got really pale and kind of sickly looking, just like Ginny. It's best to just let her nap and regain her strength. Mum told me that those visions are really exhausting. And I would imagine that that was Ginny's first one."
Ron nodded although he was uncertain. "I think so. And I suppose the earlier ones are a bit more difficult, aren't they?"
Draco nodded in response. "At least according to my mother. She said it gets better, but they're always hard."
Harry shook his head in pity for Ginny, and surprisingly, for Narcissa Malfoy. "I had no idea. Poor Ginny." He looked at Malfoy, suddenly realizing that he needed to talk to him immediately. "Say, Ron, why don't you take Samuel up to the room? I'm sure there's a bed in there all ready for him."
"Sure Harry. If they put anyone else in there though, I think we're going to overflow and fall out the window." Ron chuckled as he gathered his things. "Come on, Sam. We're gonna go get you settled in our beautiful abode."
Harry and Draco watched them leave then sat in silence for a few moments. Finally, Draco sat down and looked impatiently up at Harry. "Ok, Potter. What's on your mind?"
"Ginny's vision." Harry sat down on the coffee table, resting his knees in his lap and began telling Malfoy what Ginny had seen. When he had concluded, Draco sat back and blew air through pursed lips.
"And she doesn't know which one it was?" He asked brow furrowed in concentration.
Harry shook his head. "No. And I think it's bothering her more than she's letting on."
"Well of course it is, Harry. Someone is going to die, but she can't do anything to stop it. Can you imagine having that knowledge but not having anyway to use it? I would think that it's the ultimate torture for goody-two shoes like you."
Harry chortled, marveling at the unexpected words of wisdom. "Bit of a change of subject here," he began. "I've been thinking…"
"Better stop, Potter," Malfoy warned. "Don't want you to strain yourself."
"Ha ha, Malfoy. Anyway, it's about the Quidditch team. We're holding tryouts tonight for the new Keeper, and I know that you probably don't want that position, so here's what I'm proposing. Be the Reserve Seeker. I can't handle Quidditch on my own this year, and I'm sure that you're a great Seeker…" Harry trailed off as he realized that he really wasn't sure of Malfoy's prowess as a Seeker as he had always beaten Slytherin in the past. "It's probably not the ideal choice," Harry continued quickly, "but it's better than nothing, don't you think?"
Draco shrugged. "I would like to play," he said, a small smile creeping over his lips. "I'm not as good as you are, though. Are you sure you want me to do it?"
Suddenly, Harry really did want Malfoy to be on the House Quidditch team. He had only asked him so that they would have an excuse to talk about things that were more serious. Like Voldemort. Harry nodded adamantly. "I'll need to talk to the team, of course. But I think they'll be ok with it."
At that moment, something tapped at the window. Harry and Draco looked over to it and Harry grinned. "Hedwig!" He cried, delightedly. He opened the window hurriedly, letting his owl enter the common room. She perched on the back of the couch, leg out so that Harry could untie the letter.
He scanned it quickly, eyes twinkling in anticipation.
Harry,
How's Hogwarts treating you? I'm out on assignment for Dumbledore right now, but Remus and I will be in Hogsmeade over Halloween weekend. We'd like to meet with you and the rest of the Marauders on Sunday evening if that's possible. Don't send a reply yet. Wait another week, then we'll be someplace that's safe.
Moony sends his greetings. See you in a few weeks!"
~ Sirius
Harry looked up from his letter as Hermione, Ron and Samuel came thundering down the stairs from either side of the Common Room. "Shall we go to class, then?" Harry asked grinning happily.
Ron looked at Hermione questioningly then back to Harry, shrugging. "All right. To Care of Magical Creatures!"
"And centaurs. 'Mars is bright'." Hermione groaned. "The least they could do is be a bit more clear. I mean, honestly, what is that supposed to mean anyway?"
Harry threw an arm over her shoulder. "Who knows? But I'll wager that you'll be the one to find out." Harry and Ron grinned. The human encyclopedia was sure to be the first to actually understand the riddles of the centaurs.
Harry, Ron and Hermione led the way to Hagrid's cabin, laughing and running the whole way. Neither Ron nor Hermione knew exactly why Harry had suddenly become so carefree, but since they figured that these moments would be few and far between, they decided to relish in it.
They stopped just before they reached the fields containing the centaurs and Harry regarded them seriously. "I just got a letter from Sirius," he told them. "He and Professor Lupin are going to be in Hogsmeade over Halloween weekend and they want to meet with all of us. Well, the four of us anyway."
Ron's eyes sparkled with excitement and Hermione grinned. "Of course! It'll be good to see him again."
"Yeh can get a bit closer," Hagrid boomed loudly. "They won't hurt yeh, they're jes centaurs."
Harry, Ron and Hermione, followed by Draco and Samuel, approached the fence were Bane was standing. The centaur snorted and tossed his mane wildly as they came nearer. "One is not as he seems," Bane whispered nervously.
They looked at one another in bafflement. Harry just shrugged and turned to sit down. He wasn't going to let anything ruin his good mood. He just sat in the grass and grinned up at Ron and Hermione, his green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. At that moment, life was good. It wasn't perfect, but nothing ever was. No, just looking at that one moment, life was good and Harry wanted to capture it in a bottle so that he could save it for later. Time in a bottle, he mused. Too bad it's just not possible.