Author's note: Speech inside (( )) is in Parselmouth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.
Second Time Around: Year 3: Chapter 14: Return to Hogwarts
Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys caught the train back to Hogwarts at the start of the 2nd term. Neville sat with the trio and they were soon joined by Susan, Megan Jones and Hannah Abbott. When Megan sat down next to Ron he tried to move away from her, clearly remembering the last time they had been this close. Everybody else pretended not to notice but it was clear they were trying not to laugh.
As soon as they reached the castle Harry went to his dormitory to drop off his things. Next he went to the snake room. He was surprised to see Luna already there, sitting on the floor surrounded by the snakes which all turned to Harry when he entered.
((Welcome back, Harry,)) Sam said. The others added their greetings.
((Hello everyone,)) Harry replied then, "Hello Luna. I am surprised to see you here."
"Oh, I couldn't wait to get back to the snakes. They're all so sweet and friendly," she replied. "I wish I could keep one of them."
Harry joined Luna on the floor and the snakes slithered toward him. ((How have you been keeping while I was away?)) he asked.
((We have been keeping well. How have you been?)) Sam replied.
((I have been well, although I am supposed to be taking it easy. I didn't think snakes liked the cold, though. I am a little surprised to see you here when it's this cold.))
((We often go to a large, warm room. There are lots of little people there and, at first, they seemed to hate us but recently they seem to just ignore us. We have kept our promise not to hurt anyone but it seems these little people don't like us,)) Sam said.
Harry wondered if she meant the kitchens. Certainly the kitchens were large and, undoubtedly, warm while 'little people' could mean the elves. He decided to summon Kreacher to find out.
"Kreacher," Harry called and the elf appeared. The snakes hissed at his sudden arrival.
"Hello. I remember you," Luna said.
"Hello Miss Luna. How may Kreacher help Master?"
"Have you spent much time here at Hogwarts recently?" Harry asked.
"Kreacher has been busy. Kreacher's old Master has had Kreacher helping him protect things."
((Sam? Does he look like these little people you mentioned?")) Harry asked the snake.
((Yes. This looks like one of them.))
"Kreacher. I would like you to help in the kitchens here for a while. If you see any of these snakes while you are there tell the other elves they are friendly and will not hurt anyone."
"Kreacher is happy to help Master Harry." With that the elf vanished.
((Sam? Luna has asked if she can keep one of your young as a pet. What do you think of that?))
((She cannot speak to us though. How would we know what she wanted?)) Sam replied.
((I'm not sure,)) Harry admitted. ((I think she just likes having you around.))
The snakes hissed. They were debating Luna's request. Harry could tell they would prefer being able to talk to any humans they were with although they liked the sound of a place where they could stay that would be warm and dry.
"Are they talking about something?" Luna asked.
"They are discussing your request to adopt one of them. They are not sure about it although they do like you. They are saying they would prefer to be able to talk to their human friends."
"Oh well. Can I still visit them in here?"
Eventually Sam turned to Harry. ((We think we would prefer to stay with you. That way we can tell you things we learn. We think it would be better to stay here and meet humans who want to visit us.))
(( I will tell Luna that she can visit whenever she wants to but that none of you want to live with her,)) Harry told them.
"Luna. The snakes are happy for you to visit but they would prefer to stay together."
"At least I can still visit them," Luna said. "I'll try to see them a couple of times a week."
((Luna said she will visit you a couple of times week, if that's alright?))
((That will be good, and we hope to see you regularly as well,)) Sam replied.
With that Harry and Luna went their separate ways while the snakes continued with their usual lives.
That evening, while Harry was in the common room with Ron and Hermione, Angelina Johnson came up. "I am the new Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Training will begin Saturday at 9am, Potter," she said.
"Is Wood still on the team?" asked Ron.
"Yes. He has decided to stay. Apparently he wants to keep playing so he can get a professional contract when he leaves Hogwarts," she replied.
"Oh. Ok then," Ron said, sounding disappointed.
"Thanks Angelina. I'll be there," Harry said.
Classes started back the next day. Going into Arithmancy Harry was unsure if his usual partner, Daphne, would still be willing to work with him. Harry sat at his usual desk and waited. When Daphne and Tracey entered they talked together briefly before Tracey came and sat with Harry, Daphne took Tracey's old seat next to Hermione.
"Hello, Potter," Tracey said. Harry noted her tone was not exactly friendly.
"Hello, Davis. I assume Daphne hates me now?" Harry relied.
"You could say that. I'm not particularly happy, either."
"Perhaps you should speak to Susan about that. I wasn't all that happy with her either after what happened on the train."
Any further conversation was impossible as the lesson began.
The rest of the week passed without incident. Saturday morning Harry had a quick breakfast before heading out for training. He was happy that Angelina had decided on a reasonable start time for training rather than drag everyone out of bed before the sun was even up. All the same, when they reached the pitch they found Wood already there. Apparently he had been there since before dawn, having bewitched a muggle football to randomly fly at the posts from different directions and then trying to intercept the shots before they went in.
"You're here at last," Wood said as he landed nearby.
"I told you training would be at 9am, Wood. We're not late, you're early," Angelina replied.
"Training first thing in the morning is the best. Exercise, then eat. That's how the professionals do it, and I intend to follow their lead. The rest of you are welcome to join me any time."
"Enough of that," Angelina snapped. "Everyone in the air, let's get this underway."
Their first training under Angelina's captaincy reminded of Wood's trainings. At the end Harry was as tired as he would have been even if Wood had given the instructions. Privately, Harry thought Wood's idea of training earlier in the day was good as it left him with more free time in the afternoon. As it was now they finished training and had to hurry off to lunch before showering.
After lunch and a shower Harry headed to the library. He wondered who would be there after recent events and was pleased to see nearly all the regulars from the last couple of years were still there. Susan had reserved Harry a seat next to her which he gratefully accepted. From across the table Daphne shot him a glare before returning to her work.
The Gryffindors trained again on Sunday, once again starting at 9am. After the session Harry spoke with the Weasley twins.
"In some ways I think training a little earlier in the day might be a good idea," Harry said to them.
"I'm not getting out of bed at 6am," Fred complained. George agreed with him.
"I was thinking of maybe an 8am start. That way we finish at 11 and can get cleaned up before lunch," Harry said.
"That's not a bad idea," George said. Fred agreed.
They decided to ask Angelina if they could train an hour earlier on the weekends. She agreed and informed the rest of the team of the new training time. Wood complained that it still wasn't early enough but Alicia and Katie both agreed it would be good.
With the majority of the team now in agreement over training times Harry was able to settle into a normal routine much like he had done earlier in his schooling. Classes were as interesting as usual and the work was just as challenging but it was enjoyable. Ancient Runes was now Harry's favourite subject. He was looking forward to when they would start creating runes rather than just interpreting them but Professor Babbling was insistent that they stick to the programme she had outlined at the start of the year.
He was also enjoying Arithmancy. Professor Vector spent a great deal of time outlining the significance of certain numbers at the start of the year, now more emphasis was being placed on relationships between different numbers. Although Harry doubted some of claims being promoted he still found it an enjoyable subject.
Professor Lupin was most students' favourite teacher, although many Slytherins, notably Draco Malfoy, didn't show him the respect he deserved. Lupin didn't appear too concerned about this, however, so Harry went with the majority and enjoyed his lessons.
Some of his other classes weren't going as well as he would have liked. Care of Magical Creatures was just as he remembered it. More often than not Hagrid was showing them things that could best be described as monsters. Already he was regretting adding this subject to his timetable. He had hoped that, since there were no serious injuries in the 1st class, it may have been a better subject this time around. Sadly it wasn't. Although the classes were less boring this only meant they were becoming more dangerous. The only good news was there had been no accidents yet.
There had been no reported sightings of Pettigrew since the snakes nearly trapped him in November. Many people now knew it was the snakes that had alerted staff to his presence but this still left them wary of Harry, the only person able to talk to them. His friends, however, now accepted his friendship with snakes and got on with life.
Another Hogsmeade weekend came and went without incident. At least it did give Harry a chance to catch up with Sirius who was still patrolling the village as part of his auror duties. Sirius said that Madam Bones was considering removing the Dementors from around the school since there had been no trace of Pettigrew for nearly 3 months. He admitted they had no idea where Pettigrew might be and, since Hogwarts' security was better than ever, they had no need to retain them around the castle.
As Easter approached the next round of Quidditch matches came up. First, Ravenclaw were to play Slytherin while Gryffindor would meet Hufflepuff the following Saturday. The Gryffindor team watched the other match keenly and came away disappointed that Slytherin won 260 – 70. They knew that if they were to retain the cup they would need to win by a greater margin, or hope Hufflepuff could beat Slytherin later in the year.
In the week leading up to the match Harry once again noticed their training sessions seemed to be getting longer. Clearly Angelina felt the same way Wood had prior to the match against Slytherin, that training leading up to the match was a high priority. Wood seemed to have accepted his demotion and was determined to prove he was worthy of a professional contract, he was still training longer and harder than any other player on the team. He was always first to the pitch before training and last to leave after finishing. His determination was something the rest of the team could appreciate and they wished him well.