Knight 13
Hi guys! Happy New Year! And with the new year, Harry starts a new year as well. It's back to hogwarts (well, mostly the Hogwarts Express) this chapter, and than you guys can find out what changes I have in store for you. Before that, though, I have some good news.
One of my friends, Ogreman, has agreed to be my beta from here on, so if you notice a sharp decrease in the number of errors, you know who to thank.
Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or Harry Potter.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, throwing her arms around him as soon as he dusted himself off of the floo on platform nine and three-quarters.
"Hey, Hermione." He replied, moving out of the way for the rest of the Weasleys to come through.
"Sorry I missed you last week. Dumbledore's had me pretty much under house arrest."
"Not from what I heard." She said with her trademark stare, "After all, you were apparently allowed out into the village."
"Oh..." Harry gulped, "You heard about that..?"
"Ronald let it slip last week." She glared, tapping her foot impatiently, "Now, we need to have a talk."
Harry turned back as Ron dusted himself off. He looked back and smiled until he saw Hermione. Instantly, he looked back at his feet and his ears turned bright red. With his enhanced hearing, Harry heard him mumble out a quick apology.
"Then... Shall we get a cabin?" Harry sighed.
"Lead the way." She huffed, stepping aside and following him onto the train. Ron hurried to follow after her.
With the Weasleys running late as always, the train was almost completely filled. There weren't any cabins that were empty, and they kept searching until Hermione put her foot down and walked into one of the first cabins in the third car. Not about to question her when she was clearly in a bad mood, Harry and Ron followed.
"Who's he?" Ron asked, jerking his finger at the man in tattered robes sleeping next to the window beside Hermione.
"Professor R.J. Lupin." Hermione replied.
"And you know that because..?" Harry asked.
"It's on his suitcase." she answered, pointing above their heads at the luggage rack.
"Oh..." Both of them said sheepishly.
"Now start talking." She whispered.
"Alright, but why are you whispering?" Harry asked.
"Because if I don't whisper, I'll yell, and I wouldn't want to wake Professor Lupin."
"Right..." Harry sighed, "So, how much do you already know..?"
"All I know is that Dumbledore used you as bait to try and lure out Sirius Black." Hermione answered, "Is it true?"
"In a nutshell." Harry nodded, holding up his hand to silence what was without a doubt a well-rehearsed and soul-shattering speech, "Listen, I know that you disapprove, and I know that you were worried about me, and that I could've been killed, and that it's too dangerous and I should never do it again. But Hermione, I can't just stand around and let Voldemort do as he pleases. If I can stop him, then why shouldn't I?"
"Harry, whatever you might think, this isn't your fig-" Hermione started, and Harry just shook his head. Glancing over, he used what little demonic power he could manifest and used it to ensure that Professor Lupin couldn't hear even if he was awake.
From memory, he looked her straight in the eye and said, "The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches. Born to those who twice defied him. Born as the Seventh month dies. And the dark lord shall mark him as his equal but he shall have powers the dark lord knows not. And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives."
Silence fell over both Ron and Hermione as they absorbed that. Continuing, he said, "That was a prophecy made before I was born. A prophecy that Voldemort overheard. A prophecy that singles me out as the one person who can finally kill him. That's why I can't sit back and watch others fight what is MY battle. Do you understand?"
"Harry, who told you this?" Hermione asked weakly, her lower lip actually trembling.
"Dumbledore, after school let out last year," Harry answered her, "I didn't think it was the kind of thing that should get said in a letter."
"Blimey..." Ron gulped, "So, you mean you're..?"
"Apparently," Harry shrugged, "At the moment, I can't kill Voldemort. Instead, I'll make do with trying to bring down his second in command."
"Did you find him?" Ron asked eagerly, "Black, I mean. You seemed to be a lot calmer at the end of break."
Harry shook his head and lied, "No, we never found him. But Dumbledore thought that if he was going to make a move, it would've been in the middle of summer, not the end. So I was able to relax a bit."
"Still, you were taking an awfully big risk." Hermione said.
"Don't worry, I had back up." Harry assured her.
"Still..." She muttered before sighing, "Just if you're going to do this again, keep me in the loop, okay? I was so worried the last week of break. I didn't even know if I'd see you again."
"I promise." Harry said sincerely, "I'm sorry to make you worry, Hermione."
Hermione huffed, but she also smiled afterwards, "With that depressing talk out of the way, are you as excited about our new classes as I am?"
"Hermione, I don't think anyone's as excited as you are." Ron answered her.
"I don't know, but I'm looking forward to it." Harry replied, "But I wasn't able to do any reading on Care of Magical Creatures. My book kept attacking me."
"I know what you mean." Ron chuckled, and Hermione cracked a smile, "The shopkeeper almost fainted when we said we wanted two."
"But who on earth would assign a book that bites?" Hermione asked.
"Sounds like the kind of thing that Hagrid would go for." Harry shrugged, "But I'm looking forward to it. Divination seems interesting, though I'm interested in whether it actually works. Seeing the future is all well and good, but unless it's consistently accurate, it might as well be guessing."
"Honestly, I think its rubbish." Hermione snorted.
"Coming from the one who picked it anyway." Ron smirked back.
"Well, Ronald, what are you looking forward to?" Hermione asked with a red face.
Ron's expression perked up for the first time since the topic changed to school, "Hogsmeade of course." he answered.
"Hogsmeade?" Hermione said, her eyes lighting up in the same way they always did when the topic changed to something new or interesting, "Isn't it the only purely-wizarding settlement in the British is-"
"Yeah, I think it is." Ron cut her off casually, "But I don't really care about that. I just want to go to Honeydukes."
"What's that?" Hermione asked, almost like she was actually expecting Ron to show some interest in the historical village.
"It's the sweet shop." He answered her, "They've got everything. Chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts, pepper imps that'll make smoke come out your ears. Choco balls with strawberry mousse, not to mention sugar quills..."
"But what about all the history!?" Hermione said intently, "I mean, the inn was the headquarters of the goblin rebellion of 1612, and the Shrieking Shack is the most haunted building in England, right?"
Ron didn't even seem to notice, as he was practically drooling and continuing to recite the Honeydukes candy selection.
"Won't it be nice to be able to explore outside the castle for a change?" Hermione asked Harry as they ignored Ron.
"It might be, though I don't know if I'll be going." Harry told her.
"You're worried about Sirius Black?" Hermione asked him softly so hat Ron didn't break free of his imaginary candy-induced coma.
"Not Black, and not Voldemort either." He shook his head, "But since I'm not staying with the Dursleys anymore, and Ron's parents aren't really my guardians, I'm not sure who I need to get to sign the form."
A blatant lie, at least in part. No doubt Dumbledore would accept it if Zela signed it, and for all he knew, she'd already made arrangements for him to go, but for now it's better to not get their hopes up.
"I'm sure Dumbledore will tell you if you ask. Or Professor McGonagall." Hermione nodded, "So there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"I hope so." Harry said with a small smile as his stomach growled, "Ron's candy obsession has made me hungry."
The door to their compartment opened, and Harry looked up hopefully, expecting the food trolley. Instead, he got three snakes.
"Potter, Weasel, and the mudblood." Draco sneered as he looked around, "Weasel, I heard you got some pocket change over the summer. Congratulation. Though I guess your mom died of shock?"
"Malfoy-!" Ron growled, jumping to his feet, and Harry stood up as well, stepping between them.
"That's enough, Malfoy." Harry warned, "You're not welcome here."
"Potter's actually talking back?" Malfoy grinned, jerking his head forward, "Boys, I think we need to show him a thing or two."
At that moment, Professor Lupin let out a snort, drawing the attention of everyone in the compartment.
"Who's he?" Malfoy asked easily, both his goons advancing regardless.
"New professor." Harry replied, dashing forward past Crabbe and Goyle to confront Malfoy directly, "We talked with him earlier. Good guy. Doesn't like bullies. He'd probably look the other way if I handed you three your asses."
Malfoy recoiled after Harry dodged his underlings and got into his face without any effort at all, but he still glared more at Professor Lupin than Harry. With a snap of his fingers, he ordered Crabbe and Goyle, "Let's go. This scum isn't worth our time."
Both of the hulking boys stepped out of the compartment and Malfoy slammed the door shut behind them.
"Harry, that was-" Hermione started, but Ron beat her to it.
"Amazing!" He laughed, "When'd you get that fast!? I mean, I couldn't even see you!"
"Ron, that was not 'amazing." Hermione scalded him, "Harry, you can't go picking fights in front of a teacher! You could get in serious trouble."
"Hermione, I get into serious trouble every year." Harry snorted, taking his seat, "Why should it matter if I get a bit of a head start? If the worst thing that happens to me this year is getting a week of detentions, I can definitely live with that."
The door to their compartment opened again, and Ron went for his wand expecting the Slytherin goon squad to have returned. But instead, the smiling face of the trolley lady appeared on the other side.
"Anything from the trolley dears?" She asked them.
"Everything." Harry grinned, emptying his coin purse, "Come on, guys. Lunch is on me."
Outside, what started as a slight drizzle had grown into a downpour. But despite the noise of the engine, the rain, and even a few bumps in the tracks that weren't there on previous years, Professor Lupin remained sound asleep. Every few minutes, Harry would chance a glance at him, hoping that he would show some sign of waking. But he never did.
'Maybe my spell was too strong?' he asked himself, but it didn't make any sense. He'd used the same spell a few times when Molly had taken to staying up in an attempt to stop him from going into town, and she'd always woken up well rested and none the wiser.
"We must be nearly there." Ron said, looking out the window, "But I can't see anything through all this rain."
"Think we should wake him up?" Harry asked Hermione, eager to put his mind at ease.
"I don't think so." She shook her head, "I mean, 'almost there' isn't very precise, and the station could still be a good half hour away. Might as well let him sleep until they make the announcement."
"Yeah, that makes-" Harry started to say before the train started to grind to a halt, "You sure we shouldn't wake him up?" Harry asked her again.
"This can't be..." She muttered to herself, looking past Ron and out the window, "Even in this rain, we should be able to see something out there. Besides that, it's still too early for us to be in Hogsmeade."
"Maybe we broke down?" Ron suggested, still peering outside until all the lights in the cabin and in the halls were extinguished.
Harry was instantly on edge. His hand was already a mere inch from the symbol that held his sword, and it was only the other three that stopped him from drawing it.
"Something's come aboard!" Ron whispered, and Harry hurried over. As he said, something was coming aboard, but thanks to Harry's night vision, he was able to see them much more clearly.
"Whatever they are, they aren't human." Harry whispered back, "They're big, floating, and are covered in black cloaks. I can't see their faces though."
"How can you see that?" Hermione asked him, "I can hardly make out shadows."
"Quiet!" A hoarse voice said, and they all turned to see Professor Lupin awake and alert, though his face still seemed tired. The room was illuminated by a flash of blue fire that he held in his hand. Positioning himself between them and the door, he cautiously approached it with his wand in one hand, and the conjured flame in the other.
The door opened before he could reach it. The room grew cold, and the rain outside the window iced over as soon as the door opened. The faint flickering light of the flame seemed even dimmer, but it was enough for everyone, including Harry, to see what was in front of them.
It was a tall creature, nearly as tall as the doorway, covered completely in a long black cloak. Some enchantment must have been at work, as even Harry couldn't see under its hood. What he did see, however, was the sickening sight of the scabbed and decayed hand that was had opened the door.
The creature withdrew its hand and took a long rattling breath. Harry was instantly filled with fear. His heart started beating wildly, and his eyes rolled back. A woman's deafening scream echoed in his ear, and a strange white mist surrounded him. The mist drove back the hold, but the sensation of something crawling over his skin remained. He dared not take a breath out of fear, but whether of the mist or the creature he didn't know even as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Harry!" Someone shouted, and he sat up hurriedly. Hermione and Ron were both looking at him worriedly while Professor Lupin was searching through his bags for something.
"What happened?" He asked, "Who screamed?
Hermione and Ron shared a glance before Hermione spoke, "No one screamed, Harry."
"But, I heard-" Harry started when a loud snap caught their attention. Professor Lupin was no longer searching his bags, but instead was breaking apart a thick slab of chocolate.
Handing the biggest piece to Harry, he smiled, "Eat this. It'll help."
Nodding, Harry went to accept it when he realized that his hand was still trembling, and his entire boy was covered in a cold sweat. Quickly wiping his hand he accepted the chocolate but didn't eat it.
"What were those things?" He asked Professor Lupin.
"That was a dementor." Lupin responded, handing everyone else pieces of chocolate, "A guard of Azkaban. Most likely, they were sent to search the train for Sirius Black." Seeing that none of them had eaten their chocolate, he smiled again, "Eat. Believe me, it helps. Now, I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to have a word with the conductor."
Figuring that anything was better than nothing, Harry took a small, tentative bite of the chocolate, and to his surprise, warmth flooded his body. His hands stopped shaking, though his arms were still tingling like they were statically charged. All around him, the others were also eating, and they seemed almost completely recovered with it. Looking to Hermione, he asked, "So what happened?"
"Well, that thing came in and I think it was looking around." She answered, finishing off her chocolate, "Than you just collapsed. Professor Lupin drove it off with some kind of silver mist, but by that point, you were already convulsing on the floor. It took a few minutes, but the train finally started moving again, and we tried to wake you up after you stopped."
"What about you guys?" Harry asked them both, "Did either of you..?"
"No." Ron shook his head, but he couldn't suppress a small shiver, "But I never want to see one of those things again. I've never felt that bad in my entire life."
Professor Lupin reopened the door and stepped through. Seeing Harry back in his chair, he asked, "Are you feeling a bit better, Harry?"
"Yeah, fine." Harry replied, only partly lying. He wasn't completely fine, but it wasn't enough to warrant making them worry.
"Good to hear." He nodded, taking his seat again, "We'll be arriving in ten minutes, so best go ahead and get ready."
When the train came to a stop this time, thankfully, it was at Hogsmeade station. Since they didn't need to bring any of their things, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exited the train with the rest of the students. Across the platform, Hagrid, the gamekeeper and Harry's oldest friend in the wizarding world was doing his job rounding up all the first years. The three sent him a wave before they were forced off the platform by the crowd of people behind them.
Last year, Harry and Ron had come to Hogwarts via a much more unique method, so this would be the first time that they took the horseless carriages from Hogsmeade up to the castle. Some of the upperclassman had spoken of them (mostly Fred and George warning first years that the invisible horses were fond of eating little kids who approached them carelessly), but Harry was rather surprised by what he saw.
"What are these things?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as he looked at the skeletal horse that was attached to the carriage.
"What things?" Ron asked, stopping in the doorway to the carriage.
"The horses pulling the carriage." Harry said, pointing right at them.
"Harry, there's nothing pulling those carriages." Hermione said, holding his hand tightly, "Are you sure you're feeling alright? Maybe the dementors are causing you to hallucinate?"
"I'm not hallucinating." Harry shook his head, walking over to one of the horses and lightly stroking its side. "There's definitely something here, but why can't you guys see it?"
On the carriage, Ron rolled his eyes, but Hermione, ever the enthusiastic student, stepped up beside harry and ran her hand along the same spot. As soon as she came into contact with it, she gasped, "There really is something here."
"See." Harry said smuggly, "I told you I wasn't hallucinating."
"No, you're not." Hermione shook her head, "But what is it? And why can't Ron or I see it?"
"Hermione! Harry! Hurry up or I'll leave without you!" Ron called from the carriage.
"Better hurry up." Harry told her, "Now you'll have something to look up in the library, won't you?"
"I guess..." she sighed, "Maybe I can ask during our first Care of Magical Creatures."
With Hermione muttering under her breath about different ways to investigate the strange invisible horses, the three of them started on their way to the castle.
The carriage dropped them at the steps of the school, and unfortunately, their least favorite Slytherin trio was waiting for them with matching smirks.
"Hey, Potter!" Malfoy called out loudly so everyone could hear, "Is it true that you fainted? Big bad dementors scare you that much?"
"Hey, Malfoy!" Harry called back, "Is it true you wet yourself? I mean, I might've fainted, but at least I didn't ruin a perfectly good pair of pants in the process."
Malfoy's face flushed scarlet, and his hand dropped to his waist, where he no doubt kept his wand. Crabbe and Goyle both approached them threateningly, cracking their knuckles in the process.
"Is there a problem?" A mild voice said from behind them, and Harry turned to see Professor Lupin getting off of the next carriage.
"...No problem, Professor." Draco growled after a few minutes.
"He's right." Harry smiled, "Just saying hi."
"Well, good to see that Gryffindor and Slytherin are getting along as well as they always have." Lupin smiled slightly, "All of you best get to the feast. You wouldn't want it getting cold, would you?"
"No sir." Draco said, snapping his fingers to recall his goons before turning and walking up the stairs, cloak billowing behind him in a way that would make both Snape and his father envious.
"Brilliant." Ron whispered once Hermione was safely out of earshot, "Malfoy didn't know what hit him."
"Knowing Hogwarts, by this time tomorrow, Malfoy's going to be the laughing stock of the whole school." Harry grinned, stepping into the entrance hall.
As soon as he turned towards the great hall, however, someone called from beyond the crowd.
"Potter! Granger! With me, please."
Harry and Hermione both turned to see Professor McGonagall fighting through the crowds towards them.
"Ma'am?" Harry asked nervously, wondering if Malfoy had already told Snape, who'd reported him to McGonagall.
"Don't look so nervous, Potter." she said easily, "I just need a word with you and Granger in my office." Ron was staring at her, and even started to follow until she gestured for him to leave and said, "Off you go, Weasley. Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger will be along shortly."
Harry and Hermione followed the transfiguration professor up the grand staircase and down a long hallway to her office, where she sat at her chair and directed them to sit across from her.
"Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead from the train." She started, "Saying that you had taken ill, Potter."
There was a knock on the door, and the school healer, Madam Pompfrey, burst in, looking around. As soon as she made eye contact with him, she let out a long sigh, "I should've known it would be you, Potter. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"
"It was a dementor, Poppy." McGonagall informed her grimly, and the healer let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh.
"What madness has infested the ministry... setting dementors on a school." She muttered, placing a hand on Harry's forehead to take his temperature, "He won't be the last to collapse, you've my word of that. He's all clammy, whole body's tense. Horrible things, those dementors. And the things they can do to the delicate ones..."
"I am not delicate." Harry protested loudly.
"Of course not." Madam Pompfrey shook her head, taking his pulse in the process.
"What's the verdict?" McGonagall asked her, "Bed rest? Potions? Observation in the hospital wing?"
"I'm fine!" Harry told them both. He could already hear Malfoy's laughter if he had to spend a night in the hospital wing over this.
"Well, I'd need to prescribe some chocolate at the very least." she said in response to Harry's claim.
"We had some." Harry told them, "Professor Lupin gave us all some after I woke up."
"I'm impressed." Pompfrey nodded approvingly, "About time we had a defense teacher who really knew his remedies."
"Are you sure you're well, Potter?" McGonagall asked him directly.
"Yes, I feel fine." Harry repeated himself, looking her straight in the eye.
"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I finish discussing something with Ms. Granger." she nodded, and Harry left the room with Madam Pompfrey.
Pompfrey gave him an ominous, "See you next time." and returned to the hospital wing. A few minutes later, Hermione and McGonagall came out of her office and they went down to the great hall.
McGonagall opened the doors, and Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Without even noticing it himself, he'd already started to materialize his sword after feeling what could only be described as pure evil from somewhere in the great hall. In the back of his mind, it was as if a small voice was shouting at him to kill before he was killed. Over and over again it repeated until it nearly drove him mad.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Zela's voice rang out over the echoing cries, snapping him back to his senses just as he started to feel the goblin silver hilt of his sword, "Relax. You're not in any danger. Just keep calm and breath."
"Potter?" McGonagall asked him in a voice that told him he hadn't responded to the last couple of times she'd called out to him, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry said, shaking his head to try and ignore his instincts that were warning him of danger, "Why?"
"You're pale as a ghost, Harry." Hermione whispered.
"It's nothing." Harry assured her, "Come on, let's go sit down."
Well, that can't be good, can it? Sadly, you won't find who (or what) is causing it for a couple more chapters at least.
Before I sign off, a quick word about the Draco Poll from a while back. It's now closed, and the votes were nearly neck and neck between pawn and nothing (Final tally is Pawn 82, nothing 84). With a margin so close, I'm not going to promise that he won't join later in the story. But for the immediate future, he's not involved. Whether it stays that way or not will depend on how the story progresses.
As always, comments, concerns, opinions regarding Draco, and whatever else you can think of are welcome reviews.